Podcasts about ohh

Send us Fan MailHeart does that panicked double-thump. Stomach drops. Ohh - there goes gravity! Sound familiar? That's what happens right before most fundraisers call a donor to ask for money…and Britt Stockert, Fundraiser Coach at Donorbox, says that feeling is telling you the opposite of what you think.In this quick, coffee-break episode, Britt shares the four words she scribbled on a sticky note for a burned-out nonprofit leader who needed something simpler than a script. It changed how that leader's whole team makes the ask.This is perfect for fundraisers who want a low-pressure way to build donor trust, especially heading into year-end. Discover:Why the discomfort of asking for a gift is a sign of a healthy donor relationship, not a warning signA four-word framework simple enough to fit on a sticky noteHow to open a donor call without mentioning money at allWhat to say when a donor pushes back on overhead or transparencyWhy silence after an ask is doing more work than most fundraisers realizeHow to measure success in donor outreach beyond whether a gift landed that dayIf you're ready to refine your ‘Ask' approach and get on track for Giving Season, schedule time with Britt here.That nervous feeling before asking for a gift isn't proof something's wrong. It's proof the moment matters. Britt's fix isn't more confidence - it's structure: four words on a sticky note that turn a high-pressure ask into a real conversation between two people who both care about the same thing.Chapters:00:00 - Why Asking for Support Feels Uncomfortable02:10 - The Trust Gap & the Power of Personal Connection03:40 - A 4-Beat Framework for Donor Conversations06:55 - Timing the Ask & Permission-Based Giving08:15 - Redefining Success Through Small Wins09:15 - Overcoming Rejection & Closing ThoughtsDonorbox is a trusted fundraising platform used by 100,000-plus organizations worldwide, helping them raise over $4 billion collectively. Learn more at donorbox.org.Enjoying the show? Subscribe for more practical fundraising strategies, leadership insights, and tools to help your nonprofit grow sustainably.Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as legal or financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor for guidance specific to your organization.Support the show

Episode 178: What's Poppin _We're back this week! Right before the end of summer 2026, tune in with us as we catch up with all the tea happening _ • Rest in Peace - Michael Wright, Hayden Panettiere, Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, Samuel Monroe, Jr. o Lil Nas X - mother (Tameka Hill) passes away 8/29 • Devastating flood in Nepal, at the border of China - at least 362 confirmed death toll. • Recent 25th anniversary of Aaliyah's passing on August 25, 2021 . Recent tea is that the pilot (who should have never taken off with the heavy load of luggage for a small plane), was on probation for possession of cocaine. • Wendy Williams former executive producer blindsided her with an upcoming Peacock series called “Clap if you care” • Gary, Indiana out of power for 13 days - they blame NIPSCO(NiScource) • The Tea o Keke Palmer - new podcast & pilate/yoga classes (have you listened?) - was recently spotted out on the town with Diddy's sons? Should we be outraged? - Diddy's lawyers recently stated their concerns that he will be sexually assaulted in prison. o Joe Budden - recently proposed to his long time girlfriend - o Chris Brown to pay housekeeper 13mil for dog attack from proceeds of RnB Tour o Miss USA - Miss Virginia - black woman, Justus Kelly wins crown, first mom to win crown o RHOA reunion tour - Nene & Porsha • TV/MOVIES o Beauty in the Black, season 3 o The Pastor's Wife - Netflix documentary o The Odyssey o Practical Magic 2 - Sept. 11th o Spider Man: Brand New Day (now the 4th highest grossing film, surpassing Titanic) o Tony - story of a young anthony Bourdain o Snowfall spinoff - The Drop - The Snowfall Saga • Football Season returns • Lebron goes to the 76ers as a free agent • All the recalls on food!! Rice, Eggs, Iceberg Lettuce, Blueberries • OHH Published articles in USA News, News of America, and OK Magazine, Press Announcement o USA News - The OG's of Podcasting o News of America - The Sibling Podcast you need on rotation o Press Announcement - Oliver Happy Hour Announces 2026 Podcast Milestone

Episode 179: New Music _This week we have a ton of new music to share with you! tune in - there's certainly something you'll want to add to you playlist! _ Masego - Fix Your Face (album) Syd - Beard (album) Steve Lacey - Oh yeah? (album) Victoria Monet - Reach Out (song), Frequency of Love (album coming Oct 2) Tyla - A*Pop (album) Jorja Smith - What are the odds (album) Erykah Badu & The Alchemist - Before the World Blows (album) Larry June - Who Coppin (album) Nipsey Hussle & Bino - Prolific Beyonce - Morning Dew (donk) - single Cardi B music video - Aha Upcoming shows to be excited about Mya coming to Blue Note LA - Erykah Badu & The alchemist - Emajanet show at Hollywood Bowl Raymond & Brown tour Rihanna been outside - should we expect new music (finally?!) Beyonce teasing rock n roll album AI songs China Styles Maladie - Gospelize Fight for Me - SitonicSA Funke artist Celebrating myself How are you - - Glady Knight announced retirement from music to focus on family

Episode 180: Politricks _can you believe what's been happening politically? or have you tuned out? we don't blame you -tune in to hear about what's been politricking _ Lake Ontario renamed Lake America Canada tariffs Vanity projects at White House/Washington, D.C. Cattle Farmers Nolan Wells case Ongoing investigation, concerning situation from AL Carmelo Anthony case - CA Race for Governor Xavier Becerra - will be the Democratic nominee - do you have any excitement for him? Concerns about his lack of action as Secretary of Health and Human Services with child sex abuse claims while in detention facilities Democratic Party - faces internal conflict with Democratic Socialists of America Hakeem Jeffries - recent meeting with Jared Kushner. Los Angeles County Races LA City Mayor - Nithya Raman vs Karen Bass Race is heating up, there is significant slander for Mayor Bass. Compton Mayoral election

In today's episode: Ben saw someone getting a wild breakfast 610 Quiz: You’ve never flown? More she’ll be right, but she wasn’t Pop Quiz: Jo wins Someone has finally reached platinum Ohh maga chicken Did they nail or fail the proposal Cash or Pass marketplace Our important census question Maida’s complimentary song request Secret stain: Potato's See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 175: What's Poppin We're back this week yet again! tune in as we catch up with the chaos that has been happening around Roots Picnic Experience at Hollywood Bowl review Court Ordered - judge in atl reprimanded for loud sex in her chambers with an ATL police officer! Karmelo Anthony case - Retrial with new pro bono legal team BET Awards 2026 - Hosted by Druski R&B Tour kicks off in Denver, CO - Mario & Eric Bellinger are the official openers Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt album turns 30, turned an abandoned subway station to a tribute of the album, also HBO MAX 8-part docuseries, produced by Daniel Kaluuya and Directed by Rick Rubin - set to debut in the fall. B2K versus Pretty Ricky - Pretty Ricky won ! Tiny Desk highlights Celebrity boxing match on ESPN with RayJ & Supa Hot fiya Meghan Trainer & Jazmin Sullivan new looks, who dis? Wanda Sykes Netflix special Company Retreat on Amazon Prime PanAm returning to Airways The Roast of Kevin Hart - controversy did jokes by white men go too far? 2026 Met Gala review - art is fashion AMA's review Ludacris - Pull Over + video Love Island Season 8 Obama Presidential Center Knicks win NBA championship after 53 years World Cup

Episode 176: Politricks feeling swampy? let's dive in to the recent political theater - tune in for real talk in real time as we discuss recent political happenings in the United States, state of California and in Los Angeles. Controversy with the reflecting pool - looks like a swamp now America 250 Spent 60million on MMA fight on White House lawn Ballroom Vanity projects Democratic Socialists on the rise CA Gov Newsom's wife appears to be a target of the feds now June Primary Election results November mid-term elections Local Karen Bass vs Nithya Raman Iran War - straight of hermus, gas prices reduced but not significant Affordable Housing bill denied by Trump because he wants Congress to pass Save Act

"One look was all it took to lose my mind."

_fishing for a new tune to listen to? We got you! tune in as we dive into NEW MUSIC _ *Episode: 174: New Music * New theme song for OHH - AI created by Nana Coachella - Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, & Karol G Kehlani - Kehlani (Album) ft. Brandy, Usher, TPain, Missy Elliot, Lil Wayne, Big Sean Lizzo - BITCH (Album) Jay Worthy - Once Upon a Time: the soundtrack (Album) Durand Bernarr - Bernarr. (Album) GIVEON - Beloved Act II (Album) Bring that Body - The Dream Fallin' - Chris Brown ft Leon Thomas R&B Tour - Raymond & Brown tickets on sale It's OK - Bryson Tiller Flight Risque (Remix) - Jenevieve, Freddie Gibbs, Salimata Shape of a Woman - Lady Gaga (devil wears prada 2 soundtrack) Drake and Rihanna - supposedly releasing albums on same day - May 15

_getting tired of the same old boring news about politics? Well here is a fun escape where we keep you informed - real talk in real time! Listen in as we discuss "politricks" _ *Episode 173: Politricks * WAR - in Iran 25+ billion in the hole Voting Rights Act - Section 2 gutted On April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Louisiana v. Callais, effectively gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by severely weakening protections against racial gerrymandering and discriminatory voting maps. The decision mandates a higher burden of proof for voting discrimination, making it harder to challenge maps. White House Press Correspondents Dinner Background: Allen is a resident of Torrance, California, described as a tutor and computer programmer who worked for C2 Education. He holds a master's degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills. Actions: He is accused of attempting to breach a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel on April 25, 2026, while armed. Weapons: Authorities recovered a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38-caliber pistol, and three knives. Premeditation: Investigators found that Allen traveled by train from Los Angeles to Washington D.C., checking into the hotel on April 24. Minutes before the attack, he sent a note to his family outlining his intent to target administration officials. Was this staged? Inconsistencies in CCTV footage appear tampered. Trump Ballroom June Primary election Scientists Missing - almost 10 came up missing doing research for extraterrestrial, prestigious people don't want it exposed

*Episode 172: What's Poppin * Travel Airlines: Spirit Airlines, Jetblue going bankrupt TV Shows: Virgin River new season (netflix), long standing Netflix show about a small town Imperfect Women (apple tv) - Keri Washington - whodunnit with best friends The Testaments - Spin off of the Handmades Tale The Miniature Wife (Peacock) Miami Grand Prix - F1 series (Apple TV) - many celebrity appearances Euphoria (HBO) has premiered season 3 - this will be the final season Movies Michael - (27% rotten tomatoes, but viewers disagree) first ever biopic that crossed the $400 million mark globally in the first 10 days Nia Long and Colemond Domingo and Jafar Jackson Diana Ross relationship - rumors of grooming Michael? Dirty Diana about her. Devil Wears Prada 2 - opening day 32.5 million. Upcoming Movies: I Love Boosters (crime comedy), Set It Off 2 ?? Women in Billboard Awards - Keke Palmer hosted, Teyana and Kelly Rowland teleprompter mishaps technical difficulties 1st Black Female GRAMMY Board Chair Honored at Billboard Women in Music 2026 - Dr. Chelsey Green Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast - with Nia Long as guest spilling tea, not getting paid same amount as Colemon Domingo and she had larger role that was in her contract. Taye Diggs, digs on him from Best Man cast Nia been using neck cream since she was 20 Whats the 411: Meg the Stallion no longer with Klay Thompson due to infidelity/cheating (who cheated first??) North West LA PopUp - Kanye and his wife Bianca showed up Kim K. & Lewis Hamilton going strong Brandy received star on the Walk of Fame! Jada Pinkett and Will Smith - recent interview with Jada, Jada and August, Jada and Bilal lawsuit, he sued for defamation now wants Jada to pay legal fees Lauren Hallsey South Central - sculpture art installation

Ohh, this just got awkward. It's Circulating the Tapes, the MST3K watchalong podcast on The AewchCast. On this episode, Aewch pulls the ultimate sin: Listening to his own episodes, as he reviews Merlin's Shop of Mystical wonders. Again!Watch Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders Right Here!Listen to our previous episode on Merlin Right Here!The CCT UERL Top 10!I Accuse My ParentsGodzilla vs MegalonMaster Ninja 1Santa Claus Conquers the MartiansAvalancheWerewolfAngels RevengeThe StarfightersTeenage StranglerSwamp DiamondsSocial Media: @JustAewch Email: aewch64@gmail.com

“Questions, concerns, queries?” Lets chat!Lets get clippy, clippy, shall we?Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland prune off the crossers, rubbers, dead, broken, malformed and diseased part of your emerging plants on this week's episode of The Growing Season. Pruning is front and centre at this time of year and The McFarlands dive, secateurs first, into the subject. It's still too early to be out in the gardens.  Its much too wet. Jack isn't listening to Matt, obviously. Why are fruit trees pruned in January/February?  The trio examine exactly why this happens.  The trees are just starting to show "bud swell."  What does that mean?Is this a good time to transplant trees?What is the difference, in appearance, between a leaf bud and a flower bud?Lynne discusses sharpening and disinfecting your pruning tools.  She has some cool tips.Matt contradicts himself and then gushes over a Contorted Corkscrew Witch hazel.  Ohh baby.  Sooo cool. Juglans nigra tops the list of "weirdo plants."  Open wounds or wombs.  There is a debate. Mountain Ash and their propensity for acquiring "fire blight" is discussed.  Pruning of Japanese Maples is an art.  Matt highlights the finer points. What is cambium and why is it important?  Top graft, top graft, top grafts... What?A spider web of pruning on Weeping Mulberries sparks a tale. Repair of lightning damage on trees closes the show out. Tune in. Looking to book a consult for your property?  We'd love to help.  CLICK HERE.What is a TGS Tiny Garden? CLICK HERE.

Send us Fan MailOhh suits you sir! Ohh, Was she horny sir? Was she randy?Well, listen on and find out as Ross and Simon with guests Gemma and James from the Talking Codswallop Podcast get down and dirty in the name of science and find out which animals do, and which animals don't get the horn!We talk marathons. We talk life partners and we talk who or what is walking around with the most Keratin on their noggin!Talking Codswallop PodcastTwitter  Bluesky Instagram Facebook TikTokYouTubeAttributions:    Asockalypse Now Music by Gregor Quendel, Asockalypse Now Sound Effects by Dennis, Hornshoe Advert music by Freesound CommunityHornshoe Advert explosion sound effect by JurijWho Takes the Socks Off is now a part of the Channel 84 Podcast Network Family!Click here for more informationSupport the showHelp the Socks! Enjoying the episodes? You can help keep the mics on & the episodes flowing (if you can afford to). Head over to our Ko-Fi page & check out the options.Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/sockspodSocialsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/socks.channel84.co.ukFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/whotakesthesocksoffInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whotakesthesocksoffReview our thread count (5 stars only please, we're sensitive socks)Goodpods: https://goodpods.com/podcasts/who-takes-the-socks-off-204195Podchaser / iTunes: https://ratethispodcast.com/socksEverything ElseLinktree: https://linktr.ee/whotakesthesocksoffWe're part of the Studio:Channel84 Support Network.Studio: Channel 84 Network: https://www.channel84.co.uk

‘Ohh, Anto Cacace' came the chant at the end of a blistering night in Dublin that saw the Belfast man crowned a two-time world champion. The Apache beat Jazza Dickens by unanimous decision to claim the Liverpudlian's WBA super-featherweight strap. That came after the Big Bang – with Pierce O'Leary's homecoming, at last, proving he hadn't bitten off more than he could chew, not by a long shot. He told his team to get him on a show at the 3Arena and he'd do the rest. He certainly did, filling the place before filling in Maxi Hughes to take the IBO belt at 140lb. Another local fella celebrating was Jono Carroll, who edged Belfast's Colm Murphy for the IBO strap at super-featherweight and he'll surely be eyeing a clash with Cacace. But will it come to fruition? How far can Pierce climb? What got Dublin boxing back on top, and who found Adam Olaniyan's debut opponent? Discussing it all on The Rocky Road, we're joined by Gavan Casey of the42.ie to chat all things #IrishBoxing. With three reigning world champions now – harking back to the 90s – do the wider public realise how good we have it? They might soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, @VinnieSuds and @brokelynn74 are back talking all about last week's @GeneralHospital! It feels like WrestleMania X-7 all over again, as Joss and Carly almost come to blows this week! Sonny and ADA Turner get a little closer. Ava also catches Carly doing something that she shouldn't be doing. Joss goes off on Jason. Brennan confronts Britt. Ohh and Carly got a "happy ending" to the week. All this and so much more!Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and turn on those notifications! Like the video and support our channel by giving us Super Chats, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks! You can also view some of our merch right on this YouTube Channel! And remember for 2026, we are giving away a Free T-Shirt every month! To enter, all you need to do is send us a Super Chat, Super Thanks, or Super Sticker, and you get an entry. A random winner will be chosen at the end of every month of 2026 from everyone who sends us a Super on YouTube!What the Fudge?!? Homemade Confections! If you live in the New Haven, CT area, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠whatthefudgect.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/whatthefudgect⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to order some homemade fudge in a rotating variety of flavors. Use promo code "SUDS" for 10% off your first order. And look for the "What The Fudge?!?" moment during episodes of Suds News and GateCrashers!We are now a creator partner of 1st Phorm! Go over to ⁠1stPhorm.suds-media.com⁠ to join Vinnie on his weight loss journey and get some great 1st Phorm products!Dubby Energy is now partnered with Suds Media to bring clean energy and hydration drinks straight to you! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dubby.gg/discount/SUDSMEDIA?ref=kedjdzkm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and use the promo code SUDSMEDIA for 10% off your order!We are officially an affiliate for WWE Shop, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wrestlingmerch.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to shop with our official affiliate code.Are you looking for some help with your relationship or your sex life? Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠coachingbylorie.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use promo code WELCOME for 20% off your first session.Go to our Linktree for an All-Access Pass to our Stuff!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktree.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠©2026 Suds and Squared Circle Media

** OHH: Episode 171: New Music ** Jill Scott - new album ‘to whom this may concern' TI Comeback beef with 50cent 50 cent new song “no one told us what we're here for” Domani (TI son) clap back ‘ms jackson' Rihanna supposedly back in the studio - Insta posts reveal she's writing again! - last studio album ANTI Josh Levi - Hydraulic debut studio album Aiyana Lee - House Broken, Highest to Lowest Jamie Foxx - Somebody (single) Sexy Redd, Key Glock - Hang wit a bad bitch (single) Brent Fiyazz - Icon (album) Jorja Smith - Blue lights (HAVOC remix) Olivia Dean, Man I Need - 2nd top song on billboard, 2 songs in top 20 Terrace Martin and Marcus Gilmore - Album Purpose - Anderson Paak and Amber Mark - remix Bad Bunny - Super Bowl performance recap

Episode 169: What's Poppin! We're back this week with another rendition of What's Poppin'! Tune in! _Major Deaths _ Rev. Jesse Jackson Catherine O'hara - won post humous award at 32nd Actors Award (formerly SAG awards) Eric Dane James Van Der Beak Robert Duvall Robert Carradine _TV/Movies _ All's Fair - (on Hulu) Blk NWS: Terms and Conditions (independent film) Bridgerton (Netflix) Love is Blind (Netflix) Wuthering Heights New Movies Coming out Scream 7 IS GOD IS Michael - Michael Jackson biopic KPOP! - Anderson Paak w/ his son Crime 101 w/ Halle Berry Beauty in Black Season 2 Pt 2 Netflix - The RIP, Trap House Upcoming Movies: The Devil Wears Prada 2 Mary J. Blige Presents: Be Happy (Lifetime) - Starring Tisha Campbell & Mehki Phifer _Oscars (March 15) and Awards Season _ Sinners BAFTA awards racial slur incident fall out re: terret syndrome offensive language NAACP Image Awards Actors Awards (SAG) Black Actors awards Golden Globes - Emmys - Teyana Taylor Woman of the Year - Time magazine KPop Demon Hunters best original song in Oscars _Other topics _ Epstein Files Mardi Gras International Women's Day (Mar 8)/ Month - Women's Month - MARCH 2026 In other News Brittany Spears arrested in CA for DUI Paris & LA Fashion Week America's Top Model Met Gala theme 2026: Fashion is Art Grand Opening for Marathon Burger in LBC - Black Sam & Snoop Dogg collaboration (Unfortunate gun violence & stabbings occurred) Queen Latifah, Taraji P henson, Taye Diggs, Sherri Shephard inks an Lifetime First Look deal Winter Olympics/Paralympics

Episode 170: Politricks _We're back this week with our Politricks episode where we dive into the latest in political news. So much happening in the world with the recent conflict in Iran, let's get into it. _ Trump State of the Union - BORING ! Rep. Al Green gets ousted from chambers Longest state of union speech in history, very inappropriate content SAVE AMERICA act Supreme Court Major Questions doctrine Often applies to biden, but never of trump Epstein Files continued _CA Governor Race _ Eric Swalwell Tom Steyer Antonio Villaraigosa Katie Porter Republicans Mayor of LA, Nithya Ryman against Karen Bass War in Iran - Day 7 update Trump said ‘yea people are gonna die' insensitive piece of shit! Bombings in Iran, Dubai, Israel, Qatar 1,045 people killed including US responsible for 175 school girls and staff, missile strike in Minab NYC terrorist attack anti-islamic parade Iran elects new supreme leader (his son) after US killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Gas prices increasing

Recovering From Bad Events.By regularguy 13. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.“Stay there,” Arlo instructed her.He turned the water off. He grabbed a towel and quickly dried his body. Then he patted her down.“Let’s get you to bed,” he said.He draped the towel over her shoulder as if that provided adequate cover. Then, he helped her stand. As they were leaving the bathroom, she said, “Wait.”She pulled the towel off her and proceeded to hang it in its place.“Okay. Ready,” she said.Arlo was beside her with a protective arm around her waist. They walked into the bedroom. At first, Arlo watched her feet and made sure the floor was clear of hazards. Then biology and curiosity took over and he stared at her nakedness. His erection returned.“Here we go,” he said. “Sit on the bed.”Meadow landed hard onto the bed. Her boobs bounced delightfully and her legs splayed open showing tender, pink flesh.“Easy now,” Arlo said. He steadied her and kept her upright.Meadow sat there. All the booze she had drank caused a shift in her personality. She was feeling depressed and indulged in self-pity. She sobbed.“Why do men cheat on me?” she asked her nephew.Arlo didn’t know what to say so he said nothing. She continued.“Ted was supposed to take me out tonight. Instead, he’s having a cocaine party with two women he just met. He’d rather get high and screw strangers than be with me. We’ve been dating six months. Sleeping together for five. I gave him my ass and still he dumped me.”Tears ran down her cheeks. She looked up at Arlo with eyes full of sorrow.He attempted to console her. “You’re beautiful,” he assured her.Meadow looked at his manly dick and looked back into his brown eyes. Both reminded her of Ted. The alcohol flowing through her body changed her mood. The “self-pitying drunk” became an “angry drunk”.To her, Arlo represented Ted and all the other men who had cheated on her.She grabbed his dick and pulled him to her. Arlo had no choice, but to get on the bed with her. They ended up side by side on the mattress.“Hey! What are you doing? "Arlo shrieked.Meadow laughed harshly and said, "I’ve had it being used and discarded by men. I’m in charge now.”She pulled on his cock to show that she was the boss. Then, she pulled his head to her and kissed him hard.She was the aggressor. She rolled him on his back, climbed on top of him and kissed him more. Arlo was confused and hesitant.“Wait. Aunt Meadow,” he protested. He was worried her mood with shift again and he’d be in trouble.“Puckered up,” she responded.She kissed him repeatedly. His fear evaporated and Arlo began to enjoy it. He found her lips warm and soft. He didn’t care that his first real kiss was with a relative.Wendy and Sue stepped out of the upstairs bathroom and Steven and Warren swooped down on them. They ushered them down the hall to Steve’s room. Warren closed the door behind them.“What’s this all about?” Sue asked giggling.Warren embraced Wendy and kissed her passionately. Then he said, “We can only watch our beautiful girlfriends moving sexily and seductively on the dance floor for so long before we need to wrap them in our arms and ravish them.”“Oh,” Wendy moaned. She kissed her boyfriend. Romantic words like that were one of the reasons she loved him.Sue and Steven kissed. The couples necked and made their way to the queen-sized bed in the room. They each took half. Caresses followed. Clothing was removed and flung to the floor.The inebriated girls lay on the back and let themselves be lost in the moment. They didn’t care they were naked or having sex while their friends were present.The young women lay with their heads resting on pillows. Their eyes were closed as the boys fingered them and suck on their tits. They felt their bodies warm and their slits get slippery. Their breathing was audible. Small moans of pleasure were also heard.The guys looked at each other and shared a secret smile as they snuck a look at the other’s girl. Steve stared at Wendy’s big tits. Warren noted Sue’s fine, small pair.Warren said, “Okay girls, time for you to suck our cocks.”Steven smiled. He liked the idea. The girls were agreeable. The guys sat up on the bed with their backs against the headboard. They smiled like they were the masters of the universe. The women knelt in between their date’s leg.“Oh, My God!” Sue screamed when she saw Warren’s cock. “Is that for real?”Warren laughed happily. He was pleased and proud that she had noticed. He grinned and said, “Yes.”Steve looked. He too was impressed. Wendy gave everyone a silly, drunken grin and she stroked her man.Sue was still mesmerized. She asked in all honesty, “Wendy, you can handle that?”Wendy blushed. Warren said, “She loves every inch of it. She can’t get enough. Show her, Babe.”Wendy bent down and took it into her mouth. The head went in easily. She labored working on the rest. Sue and Steve watched intently.Warren smiled. He loved being the center of attention.Eventually, Sue realized she was staring and worried that Steve would get mad or feel inferior. She placed a hand on Steve’s face, looked him in the eye and said, “I love you.” She emphasized the last word.He smiled gratefully and they kissed. Then, Sue did her darndest to show her man she appreciated his cock. She sucked, licked, kissed and stroked his average size member.Warren got pissed when the short haired, small breasted blond ignored him and concentrated on her boyfriend. He took charge again.“I smell pussy. I want to eat pussy.”They collegians re-arranged themselves for the next activity. The girls were shamed by his comment that he could smell their weeping cunts. The guys ignored their distress and dove in. They licked, fingered and slurped the nectar of their dates. The girls soon forgot about their embarrassment and loved the attention being lavished on them.“Oh. Oh! Oh,” Wendy cried out as she came. The combination of two fingers in her pussy and an active tongue on her button drove her over the edge.Warren paused imagining he was hearing applause. Then, before Wendy could recover from her orgasm, he slid up her body and penetrated her.“Oh!” she cried loudly. “Too much!”Everyone looked her way. They saw her eyes roll back in her head. Her body trembled and she thrashed about. A look of shock washed over her face. Steve and Sue worried for her wellbeing.Warren smiled as he watched his effect on her.“Ah,” Wendy sighed loudly. A bit later, her color returned. She breathed easier and cooed, “Oh. Oh. Oh, Warren!”The concerned the other couple had vanished. Steve kissed Sue. He mounted and penetrated her slowly and gently.“Oh!” Sue sighed loudly. She wrapped her legs around her man. It was wonderful to feel him inside her. The feeling was mutual.“Em,” Steve moaned.They made sweet love.After an extended period of kissing, Meadow got on her hands and knees. She straddling Arlo and presented a breast to his mouth.“Kiss my boob.”Arlo didn’t hesitate this time. He kissed all parts of her boob. It looked huge hanging down from her chest. Soon he was licking and softly sucking on her big, hard nipple.“Mum. Yeah, like that,” she moaned. She enjoyed his attention.Minutes later, she moved and swung the other tit over to his mouth. He gave it the same loving treatment.She sat up and addressed him while towering over him. “I’ve sucked a lot of dicks. Not always because I wanted to, but to please some man. I’m not sucking yours. You are performing oral sex on me.”She slid her knees forward until her pussy was over his mouth. She sat on his face. “Eat me,” she ordered.A hot fur pie dropped on Arlo. He struggled to free his nose so he could breathe and then, he struggled to please her. He’d never done this before. He thought, “Oh God! What am I supposed to do? She liked, well I think she liked how I treated her breasts. I’ll do the same thing”.He kissed her snatch and gently licked and sucked on her slit. He explored her with his tongue. Accidentally, he encountered her clit. She reacted in a positive way.“Oh! Yes. There. There,” she cooed.Arlo brought his hands up and held her ass as he concentrated on the bump, this little nub that she seemed to like having touched. The whole experience reminded him of eating a peach. Both were fuzzy, juicy and delicious. He thought, “God! I’d never have guessed that eating pussy would be so fucking wonderful.”.Arlo was giving her his full attention. He noticed as time passed, she became more vocal and she moved her hips rhythmically. She cried out loudly, “Oh. Fucking yes!”She ground her pussy hard into his face. She slammed into him and held it there. Her thighs clamped down on his head. Arlo had no idea what was happening. His range of movement was limited, but he continued to flick his tongue and stimulate her the best he could.Meadow gasped loudly and drew in a large amount of air. She punched the top of his head and shouted, “Enough. Stop!” Then she rolled off and curled up into a ball. She rocked slowly, breathed deeply and concentrated on the wonderful orgasmic feelings that flowed through her body.Steve was slamming his dick into Sue and she loved it and cooed, “Oh. Oh, baby. Yes.”This pissed Warren off. He pulled out of Wendy and manhandled her rolling her over. “Come on. Up on your knees. Time for doggie.”Bam! He slapped her ample ass and the sound echoed in the room.“Ouch!” his date cried out.His action had the desired effect. Sue and Steven looked over at him. His big heavy dick pointed menacing at them as he swiveled in their direction making sure they saw his large cock. Then he grabbed it and placed it against Wendy’s butthole.She freaked. “No! Don’t even think about it!”Wendy moved frantically getting her anus away from his dick. Warren laughed and moved his dick to her pussy. One hand held his dick at her opening, the other grabbed her hip. He held her still as he thrust inside her.She raised her head and howled as he flew in her. “Oh, my God! Your dick spreads me.”Warren smiled. He was glad to be the center of attention again. Wendy preferred other, more intimate positions. She liked to see and kiss her lovers, but there was something special, naughty about doing it doggie style.This position was a favorite of Warren’s. He loved to pound away and see his dick penetrating a girl’s pussy. He liked the deep penetration, the feeling of dominating his partner and the erotic view of her ass. They were all big turn-ons for him.“Uhm. Uhm. Uhm,” he moaned as he screwed his girlfriend.Wendy also appreciated the deep penetration. She groaned, “Oh. Oh. So deep!”She arched her back to change the angle of his dick. She moved to increase her pleasure.“Back that ass up!” Warren called out as he saw and felt her bounce, swing and roll her hips.She moved to get him to hit all the right spots for her. A bonus for Wendy was with every thrust, his swinging testicles stimulated her clit as they swung forward hitting her love button.“Ohh. Fuck me!” Wendy cried.Steven and Sue found themselves moving in rhythm with their mates. The foursome fed off each other – the sights, the sounds, the smells. There was a crescendo of guttural cries as everyone climaxed urged on by the others.Warren took pride on being the last. He pulled out and shot his load on Wendy’s ass and back. The big dog marked his territory and smirked.Arlo lay on his side and watched and waited. After a couple of minutes, Meadow turned towards him. She punched his shoulder and said angrily, “You bastard. What’s wrong with you? When a woman comes, leave her be and let her enjoy her orgasm. The clit gets too tender for you to keep going on and on.”Arlo stared at her blankly. He didn’t know what she was talking about. He started babbling, “I’m sorry if I did it wrong. I’ve never done that before. I don’t what’s enough and what’s too much. Sorry.”Meadow acted like she didn’t hear his apology. She was still drunk and even though she had had an orgasm, she was still mad at men. She saw his erection and grabbed it.“Get on you back,” she shouted angrily.Her rage startled him. He rolled over on his back. She straddled him and slotted his penis at her opening. She decided that she was going to do whatever she wanted. She was going to have fun tonight. She eased down on his hardness.“Oh, yeah,” she cried as he went in her.Arlo cried out too, “Oh!” His exclamation was a cry of surprise.She sank slowly on his rod. She savored the initial penetration and the spreading of her flesh. She said, “This is payback for all those jerks who fucked me, got off and left me unsatisfied. Why can’t tonight be my night? Why can’t I come twice?”Arlo was shell shocked. This whole evening had been strange, a true night of firsts for him. Before this evening, he’d been an inexperienced virgin who hadn’t kissed a girl and now he’d seen one naked, been jerked off, kissed a grown woman, sucked her tits, ate her pussy and, the pièce de résistance, he was having sex, intercourse, with a woman.“Oh,” he moaned as he experienced the joy, the ecstasy, of being inside a woman.She began riding him. She started slowly giving herself time to adjust to a hard, thick object in her vagina. She fucked with no consideration of her partner. She did what she wanted, at the speed and rhythm she desired. The echo of her last orgasm was present. She drew on those feeling and moved quickly toward another.Arlo lay there as this beautiful woman gave him the most precious experience of his life. His dick loved everything she did. Lucky, he’d come in the shower fifteen minutes ago, otherwise he would have exploded the second time she bounced on his dick.He watched her face take on a determined expression. He saw her boobs bouncing around like crazy. He saw her triangle of hair rise and fall as her vagina rose and fell on his cock. She clenched her teeth, spittle flew from her mouth as she sucked in and expelled air. Then she cried out.“Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh!”She slammed herself home faster and faster, harder and harder. Her pussy clenched his dick.He came. “Oh God!” he yelled.She came. “Fuck!”His ears were ringing. His heart pounded. He’d never felt joy like this before.Meadow lost contact with reality. She was already drunk. This orgasmic high took her to a new world. One of bliss, pure unadulterated bliss. She tumbled off him and luxuriated in the most wonderful feeling a woman can experience.The lovers concentrated on the beautiful feelings. Sleep soon claimed them.Meadow woke first the next morning. She was lying on her side. Her head faced the edge of the bed. She could see out the window. It was a dreary, rainy morn.She was hungover. Her mouth was desert dry. Her head was pounding like there was a little monkey inside her skull banging a drum. She was achy and nauseous.As full consciousness came to her, she felt a familiar sensation. Her vagina felt open and sore in a good way. That was how she felt the day after having sex.“What happened last night?” she wondered. She remembered the fight with her boyfriend Ted. She knew they hadn’t had sex. She remembered being upset, coming home, and drinking heavily. What happened after she drank was sketchy.She lifted the sheet and said to herself, “I’m naked?”That wasn’t how she usually slept. She decided to check herself. She snaked a hand down to her pussy. She noticed her lips were swollen and sore and there were crusty remains on her sex and thighs. “Okay. I had sex last night?” she asked herself. “With who?”.She heard a male snort behind. Meadow sat up and turned around. She recognized the boy in her bed even though she only saw the back of him.“Arlo?” she shouted panicking. “What are you doing in my bed?”“Huh?” Arlo groaned as he woke.When he turned toward her, Meadow saw his injuries. He had a black-eye and a rug burn on his face. His body had scratches and bruises.She recalled scouring his face with her pussy and fighting over a liquor bottle. She immediately felt bad. She said, “Oh, Arlo! I’m so sorry.”She was distraught and had a flashback recalling more of what happened the night before. She recalled her drinking and the way she had used Arlo sexually. Her embarrassment and distress were increased by the injuries she saw on his body. She knew she had caused them all.She began to cry and apologized again. “Arlo, I remember what happened last night. I can see I hurt you and I know I took advantage you. I’m so sorry.”He stared at her blankly. He remembered last night as his night of firsts. It was a great night in his mind. He dismissed the injuries as accidental and insignificant.Before he could respond, she said, “I was drunk and abusive. I apologize. God! I don’t know how I can make it up to you.”Suddenly the stories girlfriends had told her about being raped by men filled her mind. A common theme of the survivors was how difficult it was to put the horrific experience behind them and to trust men again.Meadow began sobbing. She felt so guilty. She worried that she had done serious damage to Arlo, much deeper and more damaging than the scratches and a black eye.She cried and said, “Arlo, I’m a lawyer, a district attorney. Every day I strive to do the right thing. My integrity and reputation are important to me. I fight for the victims of crimes. If I can’t make things right, I try to make the situation better and give people some justice. My actions last night go against everything I believed.”Arlo was quiet and still. He didn’t relate well to people under normal circumstances. He had no clue what to do with this blubbering woman confessing her sins to him. He made an awkward situation more awkward by saying and doing nothing.Meadow finally stopped crying. She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. Then she took a deep breath to settled herself.“Arlo, what I did was bad. Wrong.”“I forgive you.”He was thinking about the two orgasms she had given him. He’d trade a black eye for a fuck any day of the week.“No. You’re just be

Recovering From Bad Events.By regularguy 13. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.“Stay there,” Arlo instructed her.He turned the water off. He grabbed a towel and quickly dried his body. Then he patted her down.“Let’s get you to bed,” he said.He draped the towel over her shoulder as if that provided adequate cover. Then, he helped her stand. As they were leaving the bathroom, she said, “Wait.”She pulled the towel off her and proceeded to hang it in its place.“Okay. Ready,” she said.Arlo was beside her with a protective arm around her waist. They walked into the bedroom. At first, Arlo watched her feet and made sure the floor was clear of hazards. Then biology and curiosity took over and he stared at her nakedness. His erection returned.“Here we go,” he said. “Sit on the bed.”Meadow landed hard onto the bed. Her boobs bounced delightfully and her legs splayed open showing tender, pink flesh.“Easy now,” Arlo said. He steadied her and kept her upright.Meadow sat there. All the booze she had drank caused a shift in her personality. She was feeling depressed and indulged in self-pity. She sobbed.“Why do men cheat on me?” she asked her nephew.Arlo didn’t know what to say so he said nothing. She continued.“Ted was supposed to take me out tonight. Instead, he’s having a cocaine party with two women he just met. He’d rather get high and screw strangers than be with me. We’ve been dating six months. Sleeping together for five. I gave him my ass and still he dumped me.”Tears ran down her cheeks. She looked up at Arlo with eyes full of sorrow.He attempted to console her. “You’re beautiful,” he assured her.Meadow looked at his manly dick and looked back into his brown eyes. Both reminded her of Ted. The alcohol flowing through her body changed her mood. The “self-pitying drunk” became an “angry drunk”.To her, Arlo represented Ted and all the other men who had cheated on her.She grabbed his dick and pulled him to her. Arlo had no choice, but to get on the bed with her. They ended up side by side on the mattress.“Hey! What are you doing? "Arlo shrieked.Meadow laughed harshly and said, "I’ve had it being used and discarded by men. I’m in charge now.”She pulled on his cock to show that she was the boss. Then, she pulled his head to her and kissed him hard.She was the aggressor. She rolled him on his back, climbed on top of him and kissed him more. Arlo was confused and hesitant.“Wait. Aunt Meadow,” he protested. He was worried her mood with shift again and he’d be in trouble.“Puckered up,” she responded.She kissed him repeatedly. His fear evaporated and Arlo began to enjoy it. He found her lips warm and soft. He didn’t care that his first real kiss was with a relative.Wendy and Sue stepped out of the upstairs bathroom and Steven and Warren swooped down on them. They ushered them down the hall to Steve’s room. Warren closed the door behind them.“What’s this all about?” Sue asked giggling.Warren embraced Wendy and kissed her passionately. Then he said, “We can only watch our beautiful girlfriends moving sexily and seductively on the dance floor for so long before we need to wrap them in our arms and ravish them.”“Oh,” Wendy moaned. She kissed her boyfriend. Romantic words like that were one of the reasons she loved him.Sue and Steven kissed. The couples necked and made their way to the queen-sized bed in the room. They each took half. Caresses followed. Clothing was removed and flung to the floor.The inebriated girls lay on the back and let themselves be lost in the moment. They didn’t care they were naked or having sex while their friends were present.The young women lay with their heads resting on pillows. Their eyes were closed as the boys fingered them and suck on their tits. They felt their bodies warm and their slits get slippery. Their breathing was audible. Small moans of pleasure were also heard.The guys looked at each other and shared a secret smile as they snuck a look at the other’s girl. Steve stared at Wendy’s big tits. Warren noted Sue’s fine, small pair.Warren said, “Okay girls, time for you to suck our cocks.”Steven smiled. He liked the idea. The girls were agreeable. The guys sat up on the bed with their backs against the headboard. They smiled like they were the masters of the universe. The women knelt in between their date’s leg.“Oh, My God!” Sue screamed when she saw Warren’s cock. “Is that for real?”Warren laughed happily. He was pleased and proud that she had noticed. He grinned and said, “Yes.”Steve looked. He too was impressed. Wendy gave everyone a silly, drunken grin and she stroked her man.Sue was still mesmerized. She asked in all honesty, “Wendy, you can handle that?”Wendy blushed. Warren said, “She loves every inch of it. She can’t get enough. Show her, Babe.”Wendy bent down and took it into her mouth. The head went in easily. She labored working on the rest. Sue and Steve watched intently.Warren smiled. He loved being the center of attention.Eventually, Sue realized she was staring and worried that Steve would get mad or feel inferior. She placed a hand on Steve’s face, looked him in the eye and said, “I love you.” She emphasized the last word.He smiled gratefully and they kissed. Then, Sue did her darndest to show her man she appreciated his cock. She sucked, licked, kissed and stroked his average size member.Warren got pissed when the short haired, small breasted blond ignored him and concentrated on her boyfriend. He took charge again.“I smell pussy. I want to eat pussy.”They collegians re-arranged themselves for the next activity. The girls were shamed by his comment that he could smell their weeping cunts. The guys ignored their distress and dove in. They licked, fingered and slurped the nectar of their dates. The girls soon forgot about their embarrassment and loved the attention being lavished on them.“Oh. Oh! Oh,” Wendy cried out as she came. The combination of two fingers in her pussy and an active tongue on her button drove her over the edge.Warren paused imagining he was hearing applause. Then, before Wendy could recover from her orgasm, he slid up her body and penetrated her.“Oh!” she cried loudly. “Too much!”Everyone looked her way. They saw her eyes roll back in her head. Her body trembled and she thrashed about. A look of shock washed over her face. Steve and Sue worried for her wellbeing.Warren smiled as he watched his effect on her.“Ah,” Wendy sighed loudly. A bit later, her color returned. She breathed easier and cooed, “Oh. Oh. Oh, Warren!”The concerned the other couple had vanished. Steve kissed Sue. He mounted and penetrated her slowly and gently.“Oh!” Sue sighed loudly. She wrapped her legs around her man. It was wonderful to feel him inside her. The feeling was mutual.“Em,” Steve moaned.They made sweet love.After an extended period of kissing, Meadow got on her hands and knees. She straddling Arlo and presented a breast to his mouth.“Kiss my boob.”Arlo didn’t hesitate this time. He kissed all parts of her boob. It looked huge hanging down from her chest. Soon he was licking and softly sucking on her big, hard nipple.“Mum. Yeah, like that,” she moaned. She enjoyed his attention.Minutes later, she moved and swung the other tit over to his mouth. He gave it the same loving treatment.She sat up and addressed him while towering over him. “I’ve sucked a lot of dicks. Not always because I wanted to, but to please some man. I’m not sucking yours. You are performing oral sex on me.”She slid her knees forward until her pussy was over his mouth. She sat on his face. “Eat me,” she ordered.A hot fur pie dropped on Arlo. He struggled to free his nose so he could breathe and then, he struggled to please her. He’d never done this before. He thought, “Oh God! What am I supposed to do? She liked, well I think she liked how I treated her breasts. I’ll do the same thing”.He kissed her snatch and gently licked and sucked on her slit. He explored her with his tongue. Accidentally, he encountered her clit. She reacted in a positive way.“Oh! Yes. There. There,” she cooed.Arlo brought his hands up and held her ass as he concentrated on the bump, this little nub that she seemed to like having touched. The whole experience reminded him of eating a peach. Both were fuzzy, juicy and delicious. He thought, “God! I’d never have guessed that eating pussy would be so fucking wonderful.”.Arlo was giving her his full attention. He noticed as time passed, she became more vocal and she moved her hips rhythmically. She cried out loudly, “Oh. Fucking yes!”She ground her pussy hard into his face. She slammed into him and held it there. Her thighs clamped down on his head. Arlo had no idea what was happening. His range of movement was limited, but he continued to flick his tongue and stimulate her the best he could.Meadow gasped loudly and drew in a large amount of air. She punched the top of his head and shouted, “Enough. Stop!” Then she rolled off and curled up into a ball. She rocked slowly, breathed deeply and concentrated on the wonderful orgasmic feelings that flowed through her body.Steve was slamming his dick into Sue and she loved it and cooed, “Oh. Oh, baby. Yes.”This pissed Warren off. He pulled out of Wendy and manhandled her rolling her over. “Come on. Up on your knees. Time for doggie.”Bam! He slapped her ample ass and the sound echoed in the room.“Ouch!” his date cried out.His action had the desired effect. Sue and Steven looked over at him. His big heavy dick pointed menacing at them as he swiveled in their direction making sure they saw his large cock. Then he grabbed it and placed it against Wendy’s butthole.She freaked. “No! Don’t even think about it!”Wendy moved frantically getting her anus away from his dick. Warren laughed and moved his dick to her pussy. One hand held his dick at her opening, the other grabbed her hip. He held her still as he thrust inside her.She raised her head and howled as he flew in her. “Oh, my God! Your dick spreads me.”Warren smiled. He was glad to be the center of attention again. Wendy preferred other, more intimate positions. She liked to see and kiss her lovers, but there was something special, naughty about doing it doggie style.This position was a favorite of Warren’s. He loved to pound away and see his dick penetrating a girl’s pussy. He liked the deep penetration, the feeling of dominating his partner and the erotic view of her ass. They were all big turn-ons for him.“Uhm. Uhm. Uhm,” he moaned as he screwed his girlfriend.Wendy also appreciated the deep penetration. She groaned, “Oh. Oh. So deep!”She arched her back to change the angle of his dick. She moved to increase her pleasure.“Back that ass up!” Warren called out as he saw and felt her bounce, swing and roll her hips.She moved to get him to hit all the right spots for her. A bonus for Wendy was with every thrust, his swinging testicles stimulated her clit as they swung forward hitting her love button.“Ohh. Fuck me!” Wendy cried.Steven and Sue found themselves moving in rhythm with their mates. The foursome fed off each other – the sights, the sounds, the smells. There was a crescendo of guttural cries as everyone climaxed urged on by the others.Warren took pride on being the last. He pulled out and shot his load on Wendy’s ass and back. The big dog marked his territory and smirked.Arlo lay on his side and watched and waited. After a couple of minutes, Meadow turned towards him. She punched his shoulder and said angrily, “You bastard. What’s wrong with you? When a woman comes, leave her be and let her enjoy her orgasm. The clit gets too tender for you to keep going on and on.”Arlo stared at her blankly. He didn’t know what she was talking about. He started babbling, “I’m sorry if I did it wrong. I’ve never done that before. I don’t what’s enough and what’s too much. Sorry.”Meadow acted like she didn’t hear his apology. She was still drunk and even though she had had an orgasm, she was still mad at men. She saw his erection and grabbed it.“Get on you back,” she shouted angrily.Her rage startled him. He rolled over on his back. She straddled him and slotted his penis at her opening. She decided that she was going to do whatever she wanted. She was going to have fun tonight. She eased down on his hardness.“Oh, yeah,” she cried as he went in her.Arlo cried out too, “Oh!” His exclamation was a cry of surprise.She sank slowly on his rod. She savored the initial penetration and the spreading of her flesh. She said, “This is payback for all those jerks who fucked me, got off and left me unsatisfied. Why can’t tonight be my night? Why can’t I come twice?”Arlo was shell shocked. This whole evening had been strange, a true night of firsts for him. Before this evening, he’d been an inexperienced virgin who hadn’t kissed a girl and now he’d seen one naked, been jerked off, kissed a grown woman, sucked her tits, ate her pussy and, the pièce de résistance, he was having sex, intercourse, with a woman.“Oh,” he moaned as he experienced the joy, the ecstasy, of being inside a woman.She began riding him. She started slowly giving herself time to adjust to a hard, thick object in her vagina. She fucked with no consideration of her partner. She did what she wanted, at the speed and rhythm she desired. The echo of her last orgasm was present. She drew on those feeling and moved quickly toward another.Arlo lay there as this beautiful woman gave him the most precious experience of his life. His dick loved everything she did. Lucky, he’d come in the shower fifteen minutes ago, otherwise he would have exploded the second time she bounced on his dick.He watched her face take on a determined expression. He saw her boobs bouncing around like crazy. He saw her triangle of hair rise and fall as her vagina rose and fell on his cock. She clenched her teeth, spittle flew from her mouth as she sucked in and expelled air. Then she cried out.“Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh!”She slammed herself home faster and faster, harder and harder. Her pussy clenched his dick.He came. “Oh God!” he yelled.She came. “Fuck!”His ears were ringing. His heart pounded. He’d never felt joy like this before.Meadow lost contact with reality. She was already drunk. This orgasmic high took her to a new world. One of bliss, pure unadulterated bliss. She tumbled off him and luxuriated in the most wonderful feeling a woman can experience.The lovers concentrated on the beautiful feelings. Sleep soon claimed them.Meadow woke first the next morning. She was lying on her side. Her head faced the edge of the bed. She could see out the window. It was a dreary, rainy morn.She was hungover. Her mouth was desert dry. Her head was pounding like there was a little monkey inside her skull banging a drum. She was achy and nauseous.As full consciousness came to her, she felt a familiar sensation. Her vagina felt open and sore in a good way. That was how she felt the day after having sex.“What happened last night?” she wondered. She remembered the fight with her boyfriend Ted. She knew they hadn’t had sex. She remembered being upset, coming home, and drinking heavily. What happened after she drank was sketchy.She lifted the sheet and said to herself, “I’m naked?”That wasn’t how she usually slept. She decided to check herself. She snaked a hand down to her pussy. She noticed her lips were swollen and sore and there were crusty remains on her sex and thighs. “Okay. I had sex last night?” she asked herself. “With who?”.She heard a male snort behind. Meadow sat up and turned around. She recognized the boy in her bed even though she only saw the back of him.“Arlo?” she shouted panicking. “What are you doing in my bed?”“Huh?” Arlo groaned as he woke.When he turned toward her, Meadow saw his injuries. He had a black-eye and a rug burn on his face. His body had scratches and bruises.She recalled scouring his face with her pussy and fighting over a liquor bottle. She immediately felt bad. She said, “Oh, Arlo! I’m so sorry.”She was distraught and had a flashback recalling more of what happened the night before. She recalled her drinking and the way she had used Arlo sexually. Her embarrassment and distress were increased by the injuries she saw on his body. She knew she had caused them all.She began to cry and apologized again. “Arlo, I remember what happened last night. I can see I hurt you and I know I took advantage you. I’m so sorry.”He stared at her blankly. He remembered last night as his night of firsts. It was a great night in his mind. He dismissed the injuries as accidental and insignificant.Before he could respond, she said, “I was drunk and abusive. I apologize. God! I don’t know how I can make it up to you.”Suddenly the stories girlfriends had told her about being raped by men filled her mind. A common theme of the survivors was how difficult it was to put the horrific experience behind them and to trust men again.Meadow began sobbing. She felt so guilty. She worried that she had done serious damage to Arlo, much deeper and more damaging than the scratches and a black eye.She cried and said, “Arlo, I’m a lawyer, a district attorney. Every day I strive to do the right thing. My integrity and reputation are important to me. I fight for the victims of crimes. If I can’t make things right, I try to make the situation better and give people some justice. My actions last night go against everything I believed.”Arlo was quiet and still. He didn’t relate well to people under normal circumstances. He had no clue what to do with this blubbering woman confessing her sins to him. He made an awkward situation more awkward by saying and doing nothing.Meadow finally stopped crying. She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. Then she took a deep breath to settled herself.“Arlo, what I did was bad. Wrong.”“I forgive you.”He was thinking about the two orgasms she had given him. He’d trade a black eye for a fuck any day of the week.“No. You’re just be

Recovering From Bad Events.By regularguy 13. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.“Stay there,” Arlo instructed her.He turned the water off. He grabbed a towel and quickly dried his body. Then he patted her down.“Let’s get you to bed,” he said.He draped the towel over her shoulder as if that provided adequate cover. Then, he helped her stand. As they were leaving the bathroom, she said, “Wait.”She pulled the towel off her and proceeded to hang it in its place.“Okay. Ready,” she said.Arlo was beside her with a protective arm around her waist. They walked into the bedroom. At first, Arlo watched her feet and made sure the floor was clear of hazards. Then biology and curiosity took over and he stared at her nakedness. His erection returned.“Here we go,” he said. “Sit on the bed.”Meadow landed hard onto the bed. Her boobs bounced delightfully and her legs splayed open showing tender, pink flesh.“Easy now,” Arlo said. He steadied her and kept her upright.Meadow sat there. All the booze she had drank caused a shift in her personality. She was feeling depressed and indulged in self-pity. She sobbed.“Why do men cheat on me?” she asked her nephew.Arlo didn’t know what to say so he said nothing. She continued.“Ted was supposed to take me out tonight. Instead, he’s having a cocaine party with two women he just met. He’d rather get high and screw strangers than be with me. We’ve been dating six months. Sleeping together for five. I gave him my ass and still he dumped me.”Tears ran down her cheeks. She looked up at Arlo with eyes full of sorrow.He attempted to console her. “You’re beautiful,” he assured her.Meadow looked at his manly dick and looked back into his brown eyes. Both reminded her of Ted. The alcohol flowing through her body changed her mood. The “self-pitying drunk” became an “angry drunk”.To her, Arlo represented Ted and all the other men who had cheated on her.She grabbed his dick and pulled him to her. Arlo had no choice, but to get on the bed with her. They ended up side by side on the mattress.“Hey! What are you doing? "Arlo shrieked.Meadow laughed harshly and said, "I’ve had it being used and discarded by men. I’m in charge now.”She pulled on his cock to show that she was the boss. Then, she pulled his head to her and kissed him hard.She was the aggressor. She rolled him on his back, climbed on top of him and kissed him more. Arlo was confused and hesitant.“Wait. Aunt Meadow,” he protested. He was worried her mood with shift again and he’d be in trouble.“Puckered up,” she responded.She kissed him repeatedly. His fear evaporated and Arlo began to enjoy it. He found her lips warm and soft. He didn’t care that his first real kiss was with a relative.Wendy and Sue stepped out of the upstairs bathroom and Steven and Warren swooped down on them. They ushered them down the hall to Steve’s room. Warren closed the door behind them.“What’s this all about?” Sue asked giggling.Warren embraced Wendy and kissed her passionately. Then he said, “We can only watch our beautiful girlfriends moving sexily and seductively on the dance floor for so long before we need to wrap them in our arms and ravish them.”“Oh,” Wendy moaned. She kissed her boyfriend. Romantic words like that were one of the reasons she loved him.Sue and Steven kissed. The couples necked and made their way to the queen-sized bed in the room. They each took half. Caresses followed. Clothing was removed and flung to the floor.The inebriated girls lay on the back and let themselves be lost in the moment. They didn’t care they were naked or having sex while their friends were present.The young women lay with their heads resting on pillows. Their eyes were closed as the boys fingered them and suck on their tits. They felt their bodies warm and their slits get slippery. Their breathing was audible. Small moans of pleasure were also heard.The guys looked at each other and shared a secret smile as they snuck a look at the other’s girl. Steve stared at Wendy’s big tits. Warren noted Sue’s fine, small pair.Warren said, “Okay girls, time for you to suck our cocks.”Steven smiled. He liked the idea. The girls were agreeable. The guys sat up on the bed with their backs against the headboard. They smiled like they were the masters of the universe. The women knelt in between their date’s leg.“Oh, My God!” Sue screamed when she saw Warren’s cock. “Is that for real?”Warren laughed happily. He was pleased and proud that she had noticed. He grinned and said, “Yes.”Steve looked. He too was impressed. Wendy gave everyone a silly, drunken grin and she stroked her man.Sue was still mesmerized. She asked in all honesty, “Wendy, you can handle that?”Wendy blushed. Warren said, “She loves every inch of it. She can’t get enough. Show her, Babe.”Wendy bent down and took it into her mouth. The head went in easily. She labored working on the rest. Sue and Steve watched intently.Warren smiled. He loved being the center of attention.Eventually, Sue realized she was staring and worried that Steve would get mad or feel inferior. She placed a hand on Steve’s face, looked him in the eye and said, “I love you.” She emphasized the last word.He smiled gratefully and they kissed. Then, Sue did her darndest to show her man she appreciated his cock. She sucked, licked, kissed and stroked his average size member.Warren got pissed when the short haired, small breasted blond ignored him and concentrated on her boyfriend. He took charge again.“I smell pussy. I want to eat pussy.”They collegians re-arranged themselves for the next activity. The girls were shamed by his comment that he could smell their weeping cunts. The guys ignored their distress and dove in. They licked, fingered and slurped the nectar of their dates. The girls soon forgot about their embarrassment and loved the attention being lavished on them.“Oh. Oh! Oh,” Wendy cried out as she came. The combination of two fingers in her pussy and an active tongue on her button drove her over the edge.Warren paused imagining he was hearing applause. Then, before Wendy could recover from her orgasm, he slid up her body and penetrated her.“Oh!” she cried loudly. “Too much!”Everyone looked her way. They saw her eyes roll back in her head. Her body trembled and she thrashed about. A look of shock washed over her face. Steve and Sue worried for her wellbeing.Warren smiled as he watched his effect on her.“Ah,” Wendy sighed loudly. A bit later, her color returned. She breathed easier and cooed, “Oh. Oh. Oh, Warren!”The concerned the other couple had vanished. Steve kissed Sue. He mounted and penetrated her slowly and gently.“Oh!” Sue sighed loudly. She wrapped her legs around her man. It was wonderful to feel him inside her. The feeling was mutual.“Em,” Steve moaned.They made sweet love.After an extended period of kissing, Meadow got on her hands and knees. She straddling Arlo and presented a breast to his mouth.“Kiss my boob.”Arlo didn’t hesitate this time. He kissed all parts of her boob. It looked huge hanging down from her chest. Soon he was licking and softly sucking on her big, hard nipple.“Mum. Yeah, like that,” she moaned. She enjoyed his attention.Minutes later, she moved and swung the other tit over to his mouth. He gave it the same loving treatment.She sat up and addressed him while towering over him. “I’ve sucked a lot of dicks. Not always because I wanted to, but to please some man. I’m not sucking yours. You are performing oral sex on me.”She slid her knees forward until her pussy was over his mouth. She sat on his face. “Eat me,” she ordered.A hot fur pie dropped on Arlo. He struggled to free his nose so he could breathe and then, he struggled to please her. He’d never done this before. He thought, “Oh God! What am I supposed to do? She liked, well I think she liked how I treated her breasts. I’ll do the same thing”.He kissed her snatch and gently licked and sucked on her slit. He explored her with his tongue. Accidentally, he encountered her clit. She reacted in a positive way.“Oh! Yes. There. There,” she cooed.Arlo brought his hands up and held her ass as he concentrated on the bump, this little nub that she seemed to like having touched. The whole experience reminded him of eating a peach. Both were fuzzy, juicy and delicious. He thought, “God! I’d never have guessed that eating pussy would be so fucking wonderful.”.Arlo was giving her his full attention. He noticed as time passed, she became more vocal and she moved her hips rhythmically. She cried out loudly, “Oh. Fucking yes!”She ground her pussy hard into his face. She slammed into him and held it there. Her thighs clamped down on his head. Arlo had no idea what was happening. His range of movement was limited, but he continued to flick his tongue and stimulate her the best he could.Meadow gasped loudly and drew in a large amount of air. She punched the top of his head and shouted, “Enough. Stop!” Then she rolled off and curled up into a ball. She rocked slowly, breathed deeply and concentrated on the wonderful orgasmic feelings that flowed through her body.Steve was slamming his dick into Sue and she loved it and cooed, “Oh. Oh, baby. Yes.”This pissed Warren off. He pulled out of Wendy and manhandled her rolling her over. “Come on. Up on your knees. Time for doggie.”Bam! He slapped her ample ass and the sound echoed in the room.“Ouch!” his date cried out.His action had the desired effect. Sue and Steven looked over at him. His big heavy dick pointed menacing at them as he swiveled in their direction making sure they saw his large cock. Then he grabbed it and placed it against Wendy’s butthole.She freaked. “No! Don’t even think about it!”Wendy moved frantically getting her anus away from his dick. Warren laughed and moved his dick to her pussy. One hand held his dick at her opening, the other grabbed her hip. He held her still as he thrust inside her.She raised her head and howled as he flew in her. “Oh, my God! Your dick spreads me.”Warren smiled. He was glad to be the center of attention again. Wendy preferred other, more intimate positions. She liked to see and kiss her lovers, but there was something special, naughty about doing it doggie style.This position was a favorite of Warren’s. He loved to pound away and see his dick penetrating a girl’s pussy. He liked the deep penetration, the feeling of dominating his partner and the erotic view of her ass. They were all big turn-ons for him.“Uhm. Uhm. Uhm,” he moaned as he screwed his girlfriend.Wendy also appreciated the deep penetration. She groaned, “Oh. Oh. So deep!”She arched her back to change the angle of his dick. She moved to increase her pleasure.“Back that ass up!” Warren called out as he saw and felt her bounce, swing and roll her hips.She moved to get him to hit all the right spots for her. A bonus for Wendy was with every thrust, his swinging testicles stimulated her clit as they swung forward hitting her love button.“Ohh. Fuck me!” Wendy cried.Steven and Sue found themselves moving in rhythm with their mates. The foursome fed off each other – the sights, the sounds, the smells. There was a crescendo of guttural cries as everyone climaxed urged on by the others.Warren took pride on being the last. He pulled out and shot his load on Wendy’s ass and back. The big dog marked his territory and smirked.Arlo lay on his side and watched and waited. After a couple of minutes, Meadow turned towards him. She punched his shoulder and said angrily, “You bastard. What’s wrong with you? When a woman comes, leave her be and let her enjoy her orgasm. The clit gets too tender for you to keep going on and on.”Arlo stared at her blankly. He didn’t know what she was talking about. He started babbling, “I’m sorry if I did it wrong. I’ve never done that before. I don’t what’s enough and what’s too much. Sorry.”Meadow acted like she didn’t hear his apology. She was still drunk and even though she had had an orgasm, she was still mad at men. She saw his erection and grabbed it.“Get on you back,” she shouted angrily.Her rage startled him. He rolled over on his back. She straddled him and slotted his penis at her opening. She decided that she was going to do whatever she wanted. She was going to have fun tonight. She eased down on his hardness.“Oh, yeah,” she cried as he went in her.Arlo cried out too, “Oh!” His exclamation was a cry of surprise.She sank slowly on his rod. She savored the initial penetration and the spreading of her flesh. She said, “This is payback for all those jerks who fucked me, got off and left me unsatisfied. Why can’t tonight be my night? Why can’t I come twice?”Arlo was shell shocked. This whole evening had been strange, a true night of firsts for him. Before this evening, he’d been an inexperienced virgin who hadn’t kissed a girl and now he’d seen one naked, been jerked off, kissed a grown woman, sucked her tits, ate her pussy and, the pièce de résistance, he was having sex, intercourse, with a woman.“Oh,” he moaned as he experienced the joy, the ecstasy, of being inside a woman.She began riding him. She started slowly giving herself time to adjust to a hard, thick object in her vagina. She fucked with no consideration of her partner. She did what she wanted, at the speed and rhythm she desired. The echo of her last orgasm was present. She drew on those feeling and moved quickly toward another.Arlo lay there as this beautiful woman gave him the most precious experience of his life. His dick loved everything she did. Lucky, he’d come in the shower fifteen minutes ago, otherwise he would have exploded the second time she bounced on his dick.He watched her face take on a determined expression. He saw her boobs bouncing around like crazy. He saw her triangle of hair rise and fall as her vagina rose and fell on his cock. She clenched her teeth, spittle flew from her mouth as she sucked in and expelled air. Then she cried out.“Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh!”She slammed herself home faster and faster, harder and harder. Her pussy clenched his dick.He came. “Oh God!” he yelled.She came. “Fuck!”His ears were ringing. His heart pounded. He’d never felt joy like this before.Meadow lost contact with reality. She was already drunk. This orgasmic high took her to a new world. One of bliss, pure unadulterated bliss. She tumbled off him and luxuriated in the most wonderful feeling a woman can experience.The lovers concentrated on the beautiful feelings. Sleep soon claimed them.Meadow woke first the next morning. She was lying on her side. Her head faced the edge of the bed. She could see out the window. It was a dreary, rainy morn.She was hungover. Her mouth was desert dry. Her head was pounding like there was a little monkey inside her skull banging a drum. She was achy and nauseous.As full consciousness came to her, she felt a familiar sensation. Her vagina felt open and sore in a good way. That was how she felt the day after having sex.“What happened last night?” she wondered. She remembered the fight with her boyfriend Ted. She knew they hadn’t had sex. She remembered being upset, coming home, and drinking heavily. What happened after she drank was sketchy.She lifted the sheet and said to herself, “I’m naked?”That wasn’t how she usually slept. She decided to check herself. She snaked a hand down to her pussy. She noticed her lips were swollen and sore and there were crusty remains on her sex and thighs. “Okay. I had sex last night?” she asked herself. “With who?”.She heard a male snort behind. Meadow sat up and turned around. She recognized the boy in her bed even though she only saw the back of him.“Arlo?” she shouted panicking. “What are you doing in my bed?”“Huh?” Arlo groaned as he woke.When he turned toward her, Meadow saw his injuries. He had a black-eye and a rug burn on his face. His body had scratches and bruises.She recalled scouring his face with her pussy and fighting over a liquor bottle. She immediately felt bad. She said, “Oh, Arlo! I’m so sorry.”She was distraught and had a flashback recalling more of what happened the night before. She recalled her drinking and the way she had used Arlo sexually. Her embarrassment and distress were increased by the injuries she saw on his body. She knew she had caused them all.She began to cry and apologized again. “Arlo, I remember what happened last night. I can see I hurt you and I know I took advantage you. I’m so sorry.”He stared at her blankly. He remembered last night as his night of firsts. It was a great night in his mind. He dismissed the injuries as accidental and insignificant.Before he could respond, she said, “I was drunk and abusive. I apologize. God! I don’t know how I can make it up to you.”Suddenly the stories girlfriends had told her about being raped by men filled her mind. A common theme of the survivors was how difficult it was to put the horrific experience behind them and to trust men again.Meadow began sobbing. She felt so guilty. She worried that she had done serious damage to Arlo, much deeper and more damaging than the scratches and a black eye.She cried and said, “Arlo, I’m a lawyer, a district attorney. Every day I strive to do the right thing. My integrity and reputation are important to me. I fight for the victims of crimes. If I can’t make things right, I try to make the situation better and give people some justice. My actions last night go against everything I believed.”Arlo was quiet and still. He didn’t relate well to people under normal circumstances. He had no clue what to do with this blubbering woman confessing her sins to him. He made an awkward situation more awkward by saying and doing nothing.Meadow finally stopped crying. She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. Then she took a deep breath to settled herself.“Arlo, what I did was bad. Wrong.”“I forgive you.”He was thinking about the two orgasms she had given him. He’d trade a black eye for a fuck any day of the week.“No. You’re just be

Ohh boy, we're back with more Oliver Stone. This time instead of 9/11 we're tackling DHS and NSA hellscapes! Joining the party are Freeman and Elizabeth who lend their insights into data security and selling marketing. Don't worry though, it's not all bleak spooks tracking us, we get the usual nonsense in the mix too. This is Cage Match.Intro music by: Bill Panks

Virgin guy gets the girl at last.Based on a post by S3lwyncd0g. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.I had no idea how much my life was about to change when I went to work that night in April 1980. I was nineteen, had no girlfriend, hell, never even been kissed. I had a job buffing floors in a department store. All the cleaning and restocking was done in the evening and right after closing. Then, after everyone was gone, I came in to do the floors. This way, no one was in my way or tracking on the floors. I would wax a different area each night and simply mop and buff all others as needed. I was going to Junior College and the store's general manager was my Dad's best friend and my godfather. Looking back, I was so lucky that this happened before camera surveillance systems were widespread and affordable.I stuck a tape in the cassette player in the office and it played over the store's sound system, Kool and the Gang was my music tonight. I turned around and nearly shit my pants. Daphne, the Boss's daughter, was right behind me, I yelped.“Sorry, Kip. Didn't mean to scare you.” she said.“T-That's okay,” I replied trying to calm down, “I didn't know anyone was here.”She pointed to her Dad's office, “Yeah, I was crashed on his sofa.”I noticed she had a sad demeanor and her hair was all mussed up.“I just didn't feel like going home and needed someplace to sit and think,” she said and turning, walked out of the office and onto the store floor.The offices were on the second floor which also contained the Home Decor and Furnishings as well as Clothing departments. I followed her.Daphne was almost like a cousin. We'd grown up together, she was a year older than me and had been a tomboy until puberty hit her. And boy, did it hit her hard. She went from cute to hot in no time. Of course boys noticed and flocked around her. I got left behind. Now at twenty she stood 5'9", was stacked with big tits and the naturally blonde hair from her Mother's Swedish family line. She was wearing a baggy blue crop-top and a pair of red and white striped tight short shorts. (ah the fashion of the 80's) Her long legs looked amazing. Naturally I followed her.“You okay?” I asked when I caught up with her.“Hmm? Oh yeah… I guess…” she mumbled. Then she stopped and leaned on the railing around the escalator. I stood there in silence.God, her ass looked awesome! I started to step away when she leaned forward on her elbows. Her crop top hung open and I could see her tits hanging free. They looked huge. Of course I wasn't experienced and had only seen tits in flashes and glimpses and Playboy. So this turned me on. I stood and stared for a moment then moved slightly to get a better view.“Kip? You know those silly episodes of shows and in movies where people swap bodies?”“Yeah.”“It's stupid, I know, doesn't happen, can't happen… but, damn, I wish I could do it right now.”“What do you mean?” I asked.Daphne turned and walked towards the Furnishings displays. She paused in a “Bedroom display” and stood in front of a dresser. It was wide and low with an enormous mirror.“I'm tired of this.” she said. “I was happier when we were kids and could play and swim and have fun together.” She looked at my reflection and continued, “You were my best friend and confidant. We had so much fun together. Remember when we went skinny dipping?” she smiled.We'd been only eight and nine at the time and didn't know anything about sex or attraction, hell we were so innocent, we weren't even curious. We simply got hot and swam, then dressed and went on playing. I'd actually forgotten about it.“Then suddenly I emerge from my cocoon a beautiful butterfly and everything changes.” She was quiet for a moment, just staring at her reflection. “I wish it hadn't.”I stepped closer, surprised to hear her confession. Taking a deep breath she continued.“Suddenly everyone wanted to be close to me, no… not just close. Everyone wanted to possess me, own me… use me. Even my Dad wanted to use me for advertising. Those photos they took? Yeah, those were the tame ones the company approved. Some were deemed unacceptable. Mom and Dad didn't care what the photographer asked me to do or wear or how to pose. They insisted that he was the professional and knew best. I felt cheap. And all the guys I dated? Every single one of them only wanted sex. That's why I dated so many guys. I'd date a guy till he pressed for sex, then drop him. Problem was that all the guys wanted sex, none of them wanted me.”Suddenly I felt guilty for looking at her tits.“Finally it happened. Six months ago, I went to a party. I was having fun, then I woke up the next day in a strange house with my ass in a gallon of cum. I'd been drugged and raped. I wanted to die.” Tears flowed as she continued. “They'd left polaroids of me getting fucked but nothing to identify them. I gave in and started having sex. I figured it was useless to refuse and the damage was already done, I wasn't a virgin. I ended up at another party where I lost count of the guys I fucked. Then I had a pregnancy scare and confessed to my folks. Mom and Dad saw the danger I was in. They supported me and protected me, even though it was too late. I've been to doctors, the police and psychiatrists. They say I'm clean and lucky. I didn't get pregnant or catch a disease. But there's no way to find who did it either. I had to cut out everyone who had been a part of my life before then. I was even afraid to go out or dress nice. I was afraid of someone seeing me and deciding they wanted me.”She looked at me.“I was so lonely. Then I thought of you. And I remembered how much fun we had, and how much we shared. I realized I hadn't had a best friend since I'd left you behind… And I realized you were my first boyfriend even if we didn't understand what that meant. I saw that I'd lost a really great guy. And I'm sorry for that. It was stupid.”“I'm sorry I didn't try to follow you.” I said. “I realized you were beautiful and figured that you were out of my league…”“Kip, Mom and I had a talk… well, we had a lot of talks, but… Look, do you think my dad is handsome?”“Uh, no.”“But my Mom is hot, right?”“Yeah!” I scoffed.“So I asked her why she picked him when she probably could have picked anyone. She said it was because he first was her best friend. They were friends first, lovers second. She said that's why they're happy.”“Oh.”“Kip? Can we go back? Can we be best friends again?”“Sure! Of course!”“And would you like to go out… sometime?”“Absolutely!”“Would you be my boyfriend?”I was touched. I realized how much I still cared for her and how much I'd missed her. I had been forced to push my feelings down and bury them.“I'd like that. I'd like that a lot.” I answered and a smile spread across my face.Daphne smiled and hugged me tightly. We stood there hugging as she sniffled for a while. My emotions were going everywhere. I was overjoyed to have my friend back, saddened that she had suffered, and… aroused by the feeling of her tits pressing tight against me, her arms around my neck, the warmth of her body… and my cock stiffened. In fact this had to be the fastest I went from flaccid to erect ever. I was mortified because there was no way Daphne could miss it.“Oh wow!” she said and rubbed her pelvis against my bulge. She giggled and squeezed me tighter. “God, Kip, that feels huge!”Releasing me she stepped back. I saw she was biting her lower lip as she stared at the bulge in my jeans. I knew that was a habit of hers when she was trying to make a decision. I tried to shift my hard on around a bit to get comfortable. Suddenly Daphne lunged forward and grabbed my belt. She opened my pants in a flash and yanked them down along with my briefs. My cock stood out and she grabbed it. Grinning she knelt in front of me and stroked it.It felt incredible. I'd jacked off before and this was so much better that I knew immediately that I wouldn't last. Daphne kissed it and sucked on it then when I cried out she swallowed all my cum. She finally released me and smiled.“Holy cow! That was amazing…” I mumbled.Daphne stood and kissed me. I felt her tongue slip into my mouth and her hands gripped my head tightly. My hands found her waist and slid up under her top without conscious thought. I felt her tits and she moaned.Daphne stepped back. She pulled off her top. Her tits were the most amazing tits I've ever seen. Even after all these years. They were round, full and firm, (I found out later she wore a 34D) with big pink areola and stubby darker nipples. She then shrugged off her tight shorts and panties. She flopped onto the display bed and held her arms out.I stripped quickly and joined her. She realized I was fumbling and guided my cock into her. Oh my god, the feeling of my first, warm, wet pussy was amazing. I had to stroke a few times to get all the way in, but she was full of encouragement. She finally had me going all out as she begged me for more.“Fuck me Kip! Fuck me! Yes!”Cliche as it may sound we came almost together. I was groaning and gasping as she practically screamed.But we didn't stop. We paused thrusting and grinding but I stayed inside of her and fairly stiff. We kissed over and over. I couldn't get enough of her. She wrapped her legs around my hips and squeezed. We continued to fuck and absolutely destroyed the display's bedding.My god, but she was loud! It drove me to pound her over and over. I came several times but we only slowed briefly. Each time she kissed, tongued and begged me for more. And my eager young cock responded quickly. This still turns me on, I am still thrilled by a loud lover.We fucked until I was spent, absolutely spent. I lay there panting, covered in sweat and Daphne rolled on top of me, we kissed and stared into each other's eyes. I caressed her back and she rubbed her wet crotch against me.“God, Kip! That was fantastic! Better than I dreamed!”“You dreamed?” I asked.“Well, yeah.” she said sitting up. “Last night in fact.”Daphne lay down on the bed and began caressing her breasts and playing with her nipples.“I gave into sex and enjoyed it, or rather, I enjoyed being wanted. I enjoyed getting fucked some of the time and endured it the rest of the time. But I seldom came. My orgasms were rare and sometimes disappointingly shallow and brief. Then I was celebate for so long, I was afraid to masturbate… afraid it would tempt me to go out and start look for sex. Finally, after talking to my Mom and thinking about you and what we had, I fell asleep last night and dreamed of you. I dreamed of seducing you and I woke up masturbating and about to cum.”“Did you?” I asked, grinning “Did you make yourself cum?”“Y-Yes…” she whispered.“Show me.” I whispered back. “Show me how you did it.”Daphne slid her right hand down her body to her moung and slowly spread her legs. Her hand massaged her pussy in circles as her left continued to squeeze her breast. She kept her eyes closed and slid two fingers into her pussy. I shifted to get a better view. She started stroking slowly and there was so much fluid, hers and mine, oozing out. I found it an unexpected turn on. My cock was stiff and I wanted to fuck her so badly but the sight mesmerized me. Soon she was stroking faster and faster. After a bit her hips began to rock. I glanced up and saw she was looking at me. She groaned and bit her lip as she came, her body going rigid for a moment.“I-I'mmm ccccuuuummmmmiinnnggg……” she moaned.I couldn't stand it. I mounted her and slid my cock into her as quickly as I could. Her pussy was so wet that I slid in all the way in one thrust. Her pussy was quivering and her eyes were wide as she gasped. She lifted her hands to my face and I found her wet finger in my mouth. I sucked them as I began to stroke in and out. Her titties bounced and I fucked harder and faster.“Ohhh gaawwwddd!” she moaned. “Ohhhhh yesssss! I'mmmm still ccuuummmminnnggggg…. Ohh god, oh god, oh god!” Daphne's eyes rolled back.Suddenly I exploded and came, pumping a huge load into Daphne's pussy. Daphne groaned and relaxed. I pulled out and she rolled onto her side and curled into a ball. Her pussy was visible as she pulled her knees up to her chest. I watched as my cum seeped from between those beautiful lips and flowed down to pool beneath her ass.I sat back and tried to control my breathing. This was insane! Fucking the boss's daughter, on the job, on a display bed! I looked around nervously. We were still alone. I found myself grinning both from the exhilaration of sex and the absurdity of it all.Daphne actually dozed off for a few minutes and I watched her as she slowly relaxed and rolled away from the puddle of wetness. She lay there and I realized just how beautiful she was. Not just sexy. She was that. But sweet and pretty and… I fell in love. She woke when I edged closer and caressed her hip and back. She smiled and we kissed.“Come on,” I said, “We've got a mess to clean up.”She looked at the bed and realized what we had done. We had not only ruined the bedding, but the wetness had seeped down into the mattress itself.After getting dressed, we gathered the soiled bedding and stuffed it into a garbage bag. She went to the back and retrieved another set and we remade the bed. She hung around while I finished buffing the floors, dancing to the music on the sound system. I hurried through the motions, but really the floors were in pretty good shape already. After putting my stuff away, I threw the bag of soiled bedding into the dumpster. I went back inside and found Daphne standing by the door to the offices. She seemed less cheerful and a little distant.“What's up?” I asked as I slid my arms around her.There were tears in her eyes as she looked at me. “Kip? Do… Do you want me? Really want me? Or am I just going to be your girlfriend for sex?”I was taken aback.“Of course I want you!”“But I was a slut. I've screwed a lot of guys…”“And you came to me.” I said. “And we didn't have to fuck but we did and it meant the world to me. Daphne, you were my first. Do you get it? I came to work a virgin and you gave yourself to me. I don't care how many guys you fucked before. You and I fucked and it was great! We came like, a jillion times and I want to do it again and again and again! And not just because you're sexy, but because you wanted me. And I want to be wanted, needed.”“I need you too Kip!” she said as the tears flowed freely. This sex with you was better than anything I've ever done… because it was you!“We kissed and I held her as she cried. Finally we locked up and I followed as she drove home.She developed a habit of popping in on me every night. Sometimes we fucked, sometimes we didn't. We were careful not to ruin any more displays. She later introduced me to oral sex, both giving and receiving. I loved eating her out, and she could get me off easily and swallow it all leaving nothing to clean up. Sometimes she would strip and dress in lingerie from the racks and dance for me.We dated and spent a lot of time together. I was surprised when her dad told me he was hiring another company to do the floors. But then he offered me a job as an Assistant Manager. When I accepted and we shook hands he grinned and said,“Good, can't have my son-in-law buffing floors all his life.”“Excuse me?”“I see the way you two are. You're in love. I'm in favor of it. The two of you belong together, you're good for each other. Just take your time and get it right, don't rush.”We did. And as I type this memory I know she is lying naked in our bed, waiting for me to come to her. So… goodnight.By S3lwyncd0g, for Literotica

Virgin guy gets the girl at last.Based on a post by S3lwyncd0g. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.I had no idea how much my life was about to change when I went to work that night in April 1980. I was nineteen, had no girlfriend, hell, never even been kissed. I had a job buffing floors in a department store. All the cleaning and restocking was done in the evening and right after closing. Then, after everyone was gone, I came in to do the floors. This way, no one was in my way or tracking on the floors. I would wax a different area each night and simply mop and buff all others as needed. I was going to Junior College and the store's general manager was my Dad's best friend and my godfather. Looking back, I was so lucky that this happened before camera surveillance systems were widespread and affordable.I stuck a tape in the cassette player in the office and it played over the store's sound system, Kool and the Gang was my music tonight. I turned around and nearly shit my pants. Daphne, the Boss's daughter, was right behind me, I yelped.“Sorry, Kip. Didn't mean to scare you.” she said.“T-That's okay,” I replied trying to calm down, “I didn't know anyone was here.”She pointed to her Dad's office, “Yeah, I was crashed on his sofa.”I noticed she had a sad demeanor and her hair was all mussed up.“I just didn't feel like going home and needed someplace to sit and think,” she said and turning, walked out of the office and onto the store floor.The offices were on the second floor which also contained the Home Decor and Furnishings as well as Clothing departments. I followed her.Daphne was almost like a cousin. We'd grown up together, she was a year older than me and had been a tomboy until puberty hit her. And boy, did it hit her hard. She went from cute to hot in no time. Of course boys noticed and flocked around her. I got left behind. Now at twenty she stood 5'9", was stacked with big tits and the naturally blonde hair from her Mother's Swedish family line. She was wearing a baggy blue crop-top and a pair of red and white striped tight short shorts. (ah the fashion of the 80's) Her long legs looked amazing. Naturally I followed her.“You okay?” I asked when I caught up with her.“Hmm? Oh yeah… I guess…” she mumbled. Then she stopped and leaned on the railing around the escalator. I stood there in silence.God, her ass looked awesome! I started to step away when she leaned forward on her elbows. Her crop top hung open and I could see her tits hanging free. They looked huge. Of course I wasn't experienced and had only seen tits in flashes and glimpses and Playboy. So this turned me on. I stood and stared for a moment then moved slightly to get a better view.“Kip? You know those silly episodes of shows and in movies where people swap bodies?”“Yeah.”“It's stupid, I know, doesn't happen, can't happen… but, damn, I wish I could do it right now.”“What do you mean?” I asked.Daphne turned and walked towards the Furnishings displays. She paused in a “Bedroom display” and stood in front of a dresser. It was wide and low with an enormous mirror.“I'm tired of this.” she said. “I was happier when we were kids and could play and swim and have fun together.” She looked at my reflection and continued, “You were my best friend and confidant. We had so much fun together. Remember when we went skinny dipping?” she smiled.We'd been only eight and nine at the time and didn't know anything about sex or attraction, hell we were so innocent, we weren't even curious. We simply got hot and swam, then dressed and went on playing. I'd actually forgotten about it.“Then suddenly I emerge from my cocoon a beautiful butterfly and everything changes.” She was quiet for a moment, just staring at her reflection. “I wish it hadn't.”I stepped closer, surprised to hear her confession. Taking a deep breath she continued.“Suddenly everyone wanted to be close to me, no… not just close. Everyone wanted to possess me, own me… use me. Even my Dad wanted to use me for advertising. Those photos they took? Yeah, those were the tame ones the company approved. Some were deemed unacceptable. Mom and Dad didn't care what the photographer asked me to do or wear or how to pose. They insisted that he was the professional and knew best. I felt cheap. And all the guys I dated? Every single one of them only wanted sex. That's why I dated so many guys. I'd date a guy till he pressed for sex, then drop him. Problem was that all the guys wanted sex, none of them wanted me.”Suddenly I felt guilty for looking at her tits.“Finally it happened. Six months ago, I went to a party. I was having fun, then I woke up the next day in a strange house with my ass in a gallon of cum. I'd been drugged and raped. I wanted to die.” Tears flowed as she continued. “They'd left polaroids of me getting fucked but nothing to identify them. I gave in and started having sex. I figured it was useless to refuse and the damage was already done, I wasn't a virgin. I ended up at another party where I lost count of the guys I fucked. Then I had a pregnancy scare and confessed to my folks. Mom and Dad saw the danger I was in. They supported me and protected me, even though it was too late. I've been to doctors, the police and psychiatrists. They say I'm clean and lucky. I didn't get pregnant or catch a disease. But there's no way to find who did it either. I had to cut out everyone who had been a part of my life before then. I was even afraid to go out or dress nice. I was afraid of someone seeing me and deciding they wanted me.”She looked at me.“I was so lonely. Then I thought of you. And I remembered how much fun we had, and how much we shared. I realized I hadn't had a best friend since I'd left you behind… And I realized you were my first boyfriend even if we didn't understand what that meant. I saw that I'd lost a really great guy. And I'm sorry for that. It was stupid.”“I'm sorry I didn't try to follow you.” I said. “I realized you were beautiful and figured that you were out of my league…”“Kip, Mom and I had a talk… well, we had a lot of talks, but… Look, do you think my dad is handsome?”“Uh, no.”“But my Mom is hot, right?”“Yeah!” I scoffed.“So I asked her why she picked him when she probably could have picked anyone. She said it was because he first was her best friend. They were friends first, lovers second. She said that's why they're happy.”“Oh.”“Kip? Can we go back? Can we be best friends again?”“Sure! Of course!”“And would you like to go out… sometime?”“Absolutely!”“Would you be my boyfriend?”I was touched. I realized how much I still cared for her and how much I'd missed her. I had been forced to push my feelings down and bury them.“I'd like that. I'd like that a lot.” I answered and a smile spread across my face.Daphne smiled and hugged me tightly. We stood there hugging as she sniffled for a while. My emotions were going everywhere. I was overjoyed to have my friend back, saddened that she had suffered, and… aroused by the feeling of her tits pressing tight against me, her arms around my neck, the warmth of her body… and my cock stiffened. In fact this had to be the fastest I went from flaccid to erect ever. I was mortified because there was no way Daphne could miss it.“Oh wow!” she said and rubbed her pelvis against my bulge. She giggled and squeezed me tighter. “God, Kip, that feels huge!”Releasing me she stepped back. I saw she was biting her lower lip as she stared at the bulge in my jeans. I knew that was a habit of hers when she was trying to make a decision. I tried to shift my hard on around a bit to get comfortable. Suddenly Daphne lunged forward and grabbed my belt. She opened my pants in a flash and yanked them down along with my briefs. My cock stood out and she grabbed it. Grinning she knelt in front of me and stroked it.It felt incredible. I'd jacked off before and this was so much better that I knew immediately that I wouldn't last. Daphne kissed it and sucked on it then when I cried out she swallowed all my cum. She finally released me and smiled.“Holy cow! That was amazing…” I mumbled.Daphne stood and kissed me. I felt her tongue slip into my mouth and her hands gripped my head tightly. My hands found her waist and slid up under her top without conscious thought. I felt her tits and she moaned.Daphne stepped back. She pulled off her top. Her tits were the most amazing tits I've ever seen. Even after all these years. They were round, full and firm, (I found out later she wore a 34D) with big pink areola and stubby darker nipples. She then shrugged off her tight shorts and panties. She flopped onto the display bed and held her arms out.I stripped quickly and joined her. She realized I was fumbling and guided my cock into her. Oh my god, the feeling of my first, warm, wet pussy was amazing. I had to stroke a few times to get all the way in, but she was full of encouragement. She finally had me going all out as she begged me for more.“Fuck me Kip! Fuck me! Yes!”Cliche as it may sound we came almost together. I was groaning and gasping as she practically screamed.But we didn't stop. We paused thrusting and grinding but I stayed inside of her and fairly stiff. We kissed over and over. I couldn't get enough of her. She wrapped her legs around my hips and squeezed. We continued to fuck and absolutely destroyed the display's bedding.My god, but she was loud! It drove me to pound her over and over. I came several times but we only slowed briefly. Each time she kissed, tongued and begged me for more. And my eager young cock responded quickly. This still turns me on, I am still thrilled by a loud lover.We fucked until I was spent, absolutely spent. I lay there panting, covered in sweat and Daphne rolled on top of me, we kissed and stared into each other's eyes. I caressed her back and she rubbed her wet crotch against me.“God, Kip! That was fantastic! Better than I dreamed!”“You dreamed?” I asked.“Well, yeah.” she said sitting up. “Last night in fact.”Daphne lay down on the bed and began caressing her breasts and playing with her nipples.“I gave into sex and enjoyed it, or rather, I enjoyed being wanted. I enjoyed getting fucked some of the time and endured it the rest of the time. But I seldom came. My orgasms were rare and sometimes disappointingly shallow and brief. Then I was celebate for so long, I was afraid to masturbate… afraid it would tempt me to go out and start look for sex. Finally, after talking to my Mom and thinking about you and what we had, I fell asleep last night and dreamed of you. I dreamed of seducing you and I woke up masturbating and about to cum.”“Did you?” I asked, grinning “Did you make yourself cum?”“Y-Yes…” she whispered.“Show me.” I whispered back. “Show me how you did it.”Daphne slid her right hand down her body to her moung and slowly spread her legs. Her hand massaged her pussy in circles as her left continued to squeeze her breast. She kept her eyes closed and slid two fingers into her pussy. I shifted to get a better view. She started stroking slowly and there was so much fluid, hers and mine, oozing out. I found it an unexpected turn on. My cock was stiff and I wanted to fuck her so badly but the sight mesmerized me. Soon she was stroking faster and faster. After a bit her hips began to rock. I glanced up and saw she was looking at me. She groaned and bit her lip as she came, her body going rigid for a moment.“I-I'mmm ccccuuuummmmmiinnnggg……” she moaned.I couldn't stand it. I mounted her and slid my cock into her as quickly as I could. Her pussy was so wet that I slid in all the way in one thrust. Her pussy was quivering and her eyes were wide as she gasped. She lifted her hands to my face and I found her wet finger in my mouth. I sucked them as I began to stroke in and out. Her titties bounced and I fucked harder and faster.“Ohhh gaawwwddd!” she moaned. “Ohhhhh yesssss! I'mmmm still ccuuummmminnnggggg…. Ohh god, oh god, oh god!” Daphne's eyes rolled back.Suddenly I exploded and came, pumping a huge load into Daphne's pussy. Daphne groaned and relaxed. I pulled out and she rolled onto her side and curled into a ball. Her pussy was visible as she pulled her knees up to her chest. I watched as my cum seeped from between those beautiful lips and flowed down to pool beneath her ass.I sat back and tried to control my breathing. This was insane! Fucking the boss's daughter, on the job, on a display bed! I looked around nervously. We were still alone. I found myself grinning both from the exhilaration of sex and the absurdity of it all.Daphne actually dozed off for a few minutes and I watched her as she slowly relaxed and rolled away from the puddle of wetness. She lay there and I realized just how beautiful she was. Not just sexy. She was that. But sweet and pretty and… I fell in love. She woke when I edged closer and caressed her hip and back. She smiled and we kissed.“Come on,” I said, “We've got a mess to clean up.”She looked at the bed and realized what we had done. We had not only ruined the bedding, but the wetness had seeped down into the mattress itself.After getting dressed, we gathered the soiled bedding and stuffed it into a garbage bag. She went to the back and retrieved another set and we remade the bed. She hung around while I finished buffing the floors, dancing to the music on the sound system. I hurried through the motions, but really the floors were in pretty good shape already. After putting my stuff away, I threw the bag of soiled bedding into the dumpster. I went back inside and found Daphne standing by the door to the offices. She seemed less cheerful and a little distant.“What's up?” I asked as I slid my arms around her.There were tears in her eyes as she looked at me. “Kip? Do… Do you want me? Really want me? Or am I just going to be your girlfriend for sex?”I was taken aback.“Of course I want you!”“But I was a slut. I've screwed a lot of guys…”“And you came to me.” I said. “And we didn't have to fuck but we did and it meant the world to me. Daphne, you were my first. Do you get it? I came to work a virgin and you gave yourself to me. I don't care how many guys you fucked before. You and I fucked and it was great! We came like, a jillion times and I want to do it again and again and again! And not just because you're sexy, but because you wanted me. And I want to be wanted, needed.”“I need you too Kip!” she said as the tears flowed freely. This sex with you was better than anything I've ever done… because it was you!“We kissed and I held her as she cried. Finally we locked up and I followed as she drove home.She developed a habit of popping in on me every night. Sometimes we fucked, sometimes we didn't. We were careful not to ruin any more displays. She later introduced me to oral sex, both giving and receiving. I loved eating her out, and she could get me off easily and swallow it all leaving nothing to clean up. Sometimes she would strip and dress in lingerie from the racks and dance for me.We dated and spent a lot of time together. I was surprised when her dad told me he was hiring another company to do the floors. But then he offered me a job as an Assistant Manager. When I accepted and we shook hands he grinned and said,“Good, can't have my son-in-law buffing floors all his life.”“Excuse me?”“I see the way you two are. You're in love. I'm in favor of it. The two of you belong together, you're good for each other. Just take your time and get it right, don't rush.”We did. And as I type this memory I know she is lying naked in our bed, waiting for me to come to her. So… goodnight.By S3lwyncd0g, for Literotica

Virgin guy gets the girl at last.Based on a post by S3lwyncd0g. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.I had no idea how much my life was about to change when I went to work that night in April 1980. I was nineteen, had no girlfriend, hell, never even been kissed. I had a job buffing floors in a department store. All the cleaning and restocking was done in the evening and right after closing. Then, after everyone was gone, I came in to do the floors. This way, no one was in my way or tracking on the floors. I would wax a different area each night and simply mop and buff all others as needed. I was going to Junior College and the store's general manager was my Dad's best friend and my godfather. Looking back, I was so lucky that this happened before camera surveillance systems were widespread and affordable.I stuck a tape in the cassette player in the office and it played over the store's sound system, Kool and the Gang was my music tonight. I turned around and nearly shit my pants. Daphne, the Boss's daughter, was right behind me, I yelped.“Sorry, Kip. Didn't mean to scare you.” she said.“T-That's okay,” I replied trying to calm down, “I didn't know anyone was here.”She pointed to her Dad's office, “Yeah, I was crashed on his sofa.”I noticed she had a sad demeanor and her hair was all mussed up.“I just didn't feel like going home and needed someplace to sit and think,” she said and turning, walked out of the office and onto the store floor.The offices were on the second floor which also contained the Home Decor and Furnishings as well as Clothing departments. I followed her.Daphne was almost like a cousin. We'd grown up together, she was a year older than me and had been a tomboy until puberty hit her. And boy, did it hit her hard. She went from cute to hot in no time. Of course boys noticed and flocked around her. I got left behind. Now at twenty she stood 5'9", was stacked with big tits and the naturally blonde hair from her Mother's Swedish family line. She was wearing a baggy blue crop-top and a pair of red and white striped tight short shorts. (ah the fashion of the 80's) Her long legs looked amazing. Naturally I followed her.“You okay?” I asked when I caught up with her.“Hmm? Oh yeah… I guess…” she mumbled. Then she stopped and leaned on the railing around the escalator. I stood there in silence.God, her ass looked awesome! I started to step away when she leaned forward on her elbows. Her crop top hung open and I could see her tits hanging free. They looked huge. Of course I wasn't experienced and had only seen tits in flashes and glimpses and Playboy. So this turned me on. I stood and stared for a moment then moved slightly to get a better view.“Kip? You know those silly episodes of shows and in movies where people swap bodies?”“Yeah.”“It's stupid, I know, doesn't happen, can't happen… but, damn, I wish I could do it right now.”“What do you mean?” I asked.Daphne turned and walked towards the Furnishings displays. She paused in a “Bedroom display” and stood in front of a dresser. It was wide and low with an enormous mirror.“I'm tired of this.” she said. “I was happier when we were kids and could play and swim and have fun together.” She looked at my reflection and continued, “You were my best friend and confidant. We had so much fun together. Remember when we went skinny dipping?” she smiled.We'd been only eight and nine at the time and didn't know anything about sex or attraction, hell we were so innocent, we weren't even curious. We simply got hot and swam, then dressed and went on playing. I'd actually forgotten about it.“Then suddenly I emerge from my cocoon a beautiful butterfly and everything changes.” She was quiet for a moment, just staring at her reflection. “I wish it hadn't.”I stepped closer, surprised to hear her confession. Taking a deep breath she continued.“Suddenly everyone wanted to be close to me, no… not just close. Everyone wanted to possess me, own me… use me. Even my Dad wanted to use me for advertising. Those photos they took? Yeah, those were the tame ones the company approved. Some were deemed unacceptable. Mom and Dad didn't care what the photographer asked me to do or wear or how to pose. They insisted that he was the professional and knew best. I felt cheap. And all the guys I dated? Every single one of them only wanted sex. That's why I dated so many guys. I'd date a guy till he pressed for sex, then drop him. Problem was that all the guys wanted sex, none of them wanted me.”Suddenly I felt guilty for looking at her tits.“Finally it happened. Six months ago, I went to a party. I was having fun, then I woke up the next day in a strange house with my ass in a gallon of cum. I'd been drugged and raped. I wanted to die.” Tears flowed as she continued. “They'd left polaroids of me getting fucked but nothing to identify them. I gave in and started having sex. I figured it was useless to refuse and the damage was already done, I wasn't a virgin. I ended up at another party where I lost count of the guys I fucked. Then I had a pregnancy scare and confessed to my folks. Mom and Dad saw the danger I was in. They supported me and protected me, even though it was too late. I've been to doctors, the police and psychiatrists. They say I'm clean and lucky. I didn't get pregnant or catch a disease. But there's no way to find who did it either. I had to cut out everyone who had been a part of my life before then. I was even afraid to go out or dress nice. I was afraid of someone seeing me and deciding they wanted me.”She looked at me.“I was so lonely. Then I thought of you. And I remembered how much fun we had, and how much we shared. I realized I hadn't had a best friend since I'd left you behind… And I realized you were my first boyfriend even if we didn't understand what that meant. I saw that I'd lost a really great guy. And I'm sorry for that. It was stupid.”“I'm sorry I didn't try to follow you.” I said. “I realized you were beautiful and figured that you were out of my league…”“Kip, Mom and I had a talk… well, we had a lot of talks, but… Look, do you think my dad is handsome?”“Uh, no.”“But my Mom is hot, right?”“Yeah!” I scoffed.“So I asked her why she picked him when she probably could have picked anyone. She said it was because he first was her best friend. They were friends first, lovers second. She said that's why they're happy.”“Oh.”“Kip? Can we go back? Can we be best friends again?”“Sure! Of course!”“And would you like to go out… sometime?”“Absolutely!”“Would you be my boyfriend?”I was touched. I realized how much I still cared for her and how much I'd missed her. I had been forced to push my feelings down and bury them.“I'd like that. I'd like that a lot.” I answered and a smile spread across my face.Daphne smiled and hugged me tightly. We stood there hugging as she sniffled for a while. My emotions were going everywhere. I was overjoyed to have my friend back, saddened that she had suffered, and… aroused by the feeling of her tits pressing tight against me, her arms around my neck, the warmth of her body… and my cock stiffened. In fact this had to be the fastest I went from flaccid to erect ever. I was mortified because there was no way Daphne could miss it.“Oh wow!” she said and rubbed her pelvis against my bulge. She giggled and squeezed me tighter. “God, Kip, that feels huge!”Releasing me she stepped back. I saw she was biting her lower lip as she stared at the bulge in my jeans. I knew that was a habit of hers when she was trying to make a decision. I tried to shift my hard on around a bit to get comfortable. Suddenly Daphne lunged forward and grabbed my belt. She opened my pants in a flash and yanked them down along with my briefs. My cock stood out and she grabbed it. Grinning she knelt in front of me and stroked it.It felt incredible. I'd jacked off before and this was so much better that I knew immediately that I wouldn't last. Daphne kissed it and sucked on it then when I cried out she swallowed all my cum. She finally released me and smiled.“Holy cow! That was amazing…” I mumbled.Daphne stood and kissed me. I felt her tongue slip into my mouth and her hands gripped my head tightly. My hands found her waist and slid up under her top without conscious thought. I felt her tits and she moaned.Daphne stepped back. She pulled off her top. Her tits were the most amazing tits I've ever seen. Even after all these years. They were round, full and firm, (I found out later she wore a 34D) with big pink areola and stubby darker nipples. She then shrugged off her tight shorts and panties. She flopped onto the display bed and held her arms out.I stripped quickly and joined her. She realized I was fumbling and guided my cock into her. Oh my god, the feeling of my first, warm, wet pussy was amazing. I had to stroke a few times to get all the way in, but she was full of encouragement. She finally had me going all out as she begged me for more.“Fuck me Kip! Fuck me! Yes!”Cliche as it may sound we came almost together. I was groaning and gasping as she practically screamed.But we didn't stop. We paused thrusting and grinding but I stayed inside of her and fairly stiff. We kissed over and over. I couldn't get enough of her. She wrapped her legs around my hips and squeezed. We continued to fuck and absolutely destroyed the display's bedding.My god, but she was loud! It drove me to pound her over and over. I came several times but we only slowed briefly. Each time she kissed, tongued and begged me for more. And my eager young cock responded quickly. This still turns me on, I am still thrilled by a loud lover.We fucked until I was spent, absolutely spent. I lay there panting, covered in sweat and Daphne rolled on top of me, we kissed and stared into each other's eyes. I caressed her back and she rubbed her wet crotch against me.“God, Kip! That was fantastic! Better than I dreamed!”“You dreamed?” I asked.“Well, yeah.” she said sitting up. “Last night in fact.”Daphne lay down on the bed and began caressing her breasts and playing with her nipples.“I gave into sex and enjoyed it, or rather, I enjoyed being wanted. I enjoyed getting fucked some of the time and endured it the rest of the time. But I seldom came. My orgasms were rare and sometimes disappointingly shallow and brief. Then I was celebate for so long, I was afraid to masturbate… afraid it would tempt me to go out and start look for sex. Finally, after talking to my Mom and thinking about you and what we had, I fell asleep last night and dreamed of you. I dreamed of seducing you and I woke up masturbating and about to cum.”“Did you?” I asked, grinning “Did you make yourself cum?”“Y-Yes…” she whispered.“Show me.” I whispered back. “Show me how you did it.”Daphne slid her right hand down her body to her moung and slowly spread her legs. Her hand massaged her pussy in circles as her left continued to squeeze her breast. She kept her eyes closed and slid two fingers into her pussy. I shifted to get a better view. She started stroking slowly and there was so much fluid, hers and mine, oozing out. I found it an unexpected turn on. My cock was stiff and I wanted to fuck her so badly but the sight mesmerized me. Soon she was stroking faster and faster. After a bit her hips began to rock. I glanced up and saw she was looking at me. She groaned and bit her lip as she came, her body going rigid for a moment.“I-I'mmm ccccuuuummmmmiinnnggg……” she moaned.I couldn't stand it. I mounted her and slid my cock into her as quickly as I could. Her pussy was so wet that I slid in all the way in one thrust. Her pussy was quivering and her eyes were wide as she gasped. She lifted her hands to my face and I found her wet finger in my mouth. I sucked them as I began to stroke in and out. Her titties bounced and I fucked harder and faster.“Ohhh gaawwwddd!” she moaned. “Ohhhhh yesssss! I'mmmm still ccuuummmminnnggggg…. Ohh god, oh god, oh god!” Daphne's eyes rolled back.Suddenly I exploded and came, pumping a huge load into Daphne's pussy. Daphne groaned and relaxed. I pulled out and she rolled onto her side and curled into a ball. Her pussy was visible as she pulled her knees up to her chest. I watched as my cum seeped from between those beautiful lips and flowed down to pool beneath her ass.I sat back and tried to control my breathing. This was insane! Fucking the boss's daughter, on the job, on a display bed! I looked around nervously. We were still alone. I found myself grinning both from the exhilaration of sex and the absurdity of it all.Daphne actually dozed off for a few minutes and I watched her as she slowly relaxed and rolled away from the puddle of wetness. She lay there and I realized just how beautiful she was. Not just sexy. She was that. But sweet and pretty and… I fell in love. She woke when I edged closer and caressed her hip and back. She smiled and we kissed.“Come on,” I said, “We've got a mess to clean up.”She looked at the bed and realized what we had done. We had not only ruined the bedding, but the wetness had seeped down into the mattress itself.After getting dressed, we gathered the soiled bedding and stuffed it into a garbage bag. She went to the back and retrieved another set and we remade the bed. She hung around while I finished buffing the floors, dancing to the music on the sound system. I hurried through the motions, but really the floors were in pretty good shape already. After putting my stuff away, I threw the bag of soiled bedding into the dumpster. I went back inside and found Daphne standing by the door to the offices. She seemed less cheerful and a little distant.“What's up?” I asked as I slid my arms around her.There were tears in her eyes as she looked at me. “Kip? Do… Do you want me? Really want me? Or am I just going to be your girlfriend for sex?”I was taken aback.“Of course I want you!”“But I was a slut. I've screwed a lot of guys…”“And you came to me.” I said. “And we didn't have to fuck but we did and it meant the world to me. Daphne, you were my first. Do you get it? I came to work a virgin and you gave yourself to me. I don't care how many guys you fucked before. You and I fucked and it was great! We came like, a jillion times and I want to do it again and again and again! And not just because you're sexy, but because you wanted me. And I want to be wanted, needed.”“I need you too Kip!” she said as the tears flowed freely. This sex with you was better than anything I've ever done… because it was you!“We kissed and I held her as she cried. Finally we locked up and I followed as she drove home.She developed a habit of popping in on me every night. Sometimes we fucked, sometimes we didn't. We were careful not to ruin any more displays. She later introduced me to oral sex, both giving and receiving. I loved eating her out, and she could get me off easily and swallow it all leaving nothing to clean up. Sometimes she would strip and dress in lingerie from the racks and dance for me.We dated and spent a lot of time together. I was surprised when her dad told me he was hiring another company to do the floors. But then he offered me a job as an Assistant Manager. When I accepted and we shook hands he grinned and said,“Good, can't have my son-in-law buffing floors all his life.”“Excuse me?”“I see the way you two are. You're in love. I'm in favor of it. The two of you belong together, you're good for each other. Just take your time and get it right, don't rush.”We did. And as I type this memory I know she is lying naked in our bed, waiting for me to come to her. So… goodnight.By S3lwyncd0g, for Literotica

You asked for it, and now you got it. But don't worry It's not contagious. Laugh as I tell the tale of how I became Mr. Ohh!

Fan Mail me to be on the next episode!Ohh baby… JOI requests are my favorite.This one's from Australia — short, sweet, and right to the point: “Can I pay for a JOI?”Why yes… yes you can. And if you're lucky, I'll make you stare into my eyes while I tell you exactly how to stroke that cock — slow… desperate… obedient.Custom JOIs? Full-length videos? You know what to do.But seriously — where are my new fan mails? Don't make me beg… It's not going to work...

Ohh yeah got to give it up for Wezzy! been holding it down since he was a youngster and always brings that fire. Happy B-Day Lil' Wayne!! Thank you for tuning in & be sure to GIVE US A ‘LIKE' ON FaceBook—>  www.facebook.com/AOTARadio You can tune in LIVE every Sunday from 12AM – 4AM PST withREAD MORE

** OHH: Episode 167: New Music ** We're back with this episode dedicated to all the NEW MUSIC of 2025. Tune in as we track what was in our ears the last year. New Music *Top Artists and Hits of 2025 * K-Pop Demon Hunters, Shaboozy, Elton John, Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Kehlani Folded Single, Beyonce Album, Bad Bunny, Drake, Kedrick Lamar & Sza tour, Summer Walker Album, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Lil Wayne, Pink Floyd, Mariah Carey, Biggest Tour: Chris Brown and Beyonce _ **Year started off with _** * Sexxy Redd / Bruno Mars - Fay Juicy, Wet - SINGLE * Leon Thomas - MUTT single POP * Sabrina Carpenter - Expresso * DRAKE - $ome $exy $ongs 4 U * Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - Die with a Smile - SINGLE ** R&B** * Lady Wray - Cover Girl / BEST for US single * Thundercat - Upside Down (Candy Crush) - * Leon Thomas - PHOLKS / Just How You Are - SINGLE * Jane Handcock - It's Me, Not You / Stare at Me - SINGLE * Jenevieve - CRYSALIS * Kehlani - Folded * Cardi B - AM I THE DRAMA * Summer Walker - Finally Over It, The Afterparty * Heart of a Woman - SINGLE * Go Girl * SAULT - 10 * TEYANA Taylor - Escape Room * 803FRESH - Boots on the Ground * Mariah Carey - Here for it All * SZA & MoRuf - PT Cruiser - SINGLE * Chris Brown - RAP * GloRilla & Sexxy Redd - Whatchi Kno about me Gospel Say the Name - Deitrick Haddon

** OHH: Episode 168: Politricks ** _since we last had a politricks episode, the government shut down then unceremoniously re-opened. Let's get into this episode will al the frills and trickery that happened in 2025. _ US * End of government shutdown * DOJ released Jeffrey Epstein files, redacted pictures with Trump * Trump Tariffs and long term impact on American people of changing decades long trade policies * Nikki Minaj supporting Trump at recent rally Local * New Dept of Homeless services LA County effective Jan 31 * Running for mayor in city of compton - Andre Spicer * Starting Jan 2026 - landlord responsible and have to provide a working stove and refrigerator * New law - folic acid added to corn tortillas, can cancel contract with contractor for homeowners via phone or text message Global * LA preparing for 2028 Olympics - cleaning house with homeless population

** OHH: Episode 166: What's Poppin'! ** _We're back this week with an episode of What's Poppin' - this week we dive into the latest, right before we wrap up 2025. Tune in, and let's get into it! _ Brandy & Monica “The Boy is Mine Tour” The Chocolate Nutcracker review Our picture featured on ABC news Happy Holidays!! Snoop hosts a star studded half time show in AZ New Shows: High Horse - Compton Cowboys featured (Peacock) Bel-Air (Final Season on Peacock) Anjela Johnson Comedy special - Say I Won't Dave Chapelle Comedy special “The Unstoppable Nigger” 50 Cent's Diddy documentary on Netflix Music Box series on HBO New Movies: Marty Supreme w/ Timothy Chalamet and Tyler Okonma, Gweneth Paltrow Avatar Fire and Ash - Nubia the Creator Favorite Christmas Movie - Jake Paul & Anthony Joshua fight (Jake finally got his ass KO'd) Jamie Foxx comes to Compton!! Invited by ChefBoy Beyonce, Venus Williams & Nicole Kidman will co-chair the next Met Gala in May 2026 Venus Williams gets married Andrea Preti Beyonce and Jay-Z expand their home - next album is rock & roll - we suspect In September, Nicole Kidman filed for divorce from Keith Urban. Ya'll know she Australian? *Article in OK Magazine: Three Siblings, One Mic, and the Art of Uncovering Conversations on Pop Culture & Politics *

Barreling into November—this podcast needs a drink! At the top of the latest episode we rip a generous glug of State Line Distillery's new Coffee Liqueur with coffee from Madison, Wisconsin's Kin-Kin Coffee. The reaction? "Oh." "Oh?" "Ohh." The unique flavor sensations don't end there—hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen Ceado Hoop Brew a special offering from Deadstock Coffee and Portland, Oregon's renowned Haitian restaurant Kann. To round things out, the hosts taste Partners Coffee's Colombia Chiroso limited release—a beautiful cup to carry them through the episode. Check out the latest coffee offerings from Partners Coffee at our Roaster's Village portal. Stay tuned to Sprudge and @Sprudge on Instagram for the very latest. This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by noissue, Ceado, Pacific Barista Series, La Marzocco, Ghirardelli, and DONA.

** OHH: Episode 164: New Music ** We're back with this episode dedicated to NEW MUSIC - tune in! New Music Amber Mark & Anderson.Paak - Don't Remind Me Isaiah Falls & Chase Shakur - Enticing (from Lucky You EP) UK R&B * Elmiene - Miss Hot July * Mnelia - burn * Nippa - Insecure Kali Uchis & Mariah the Scientist - Pretty Promises Stacy Kidd & Tiffany Jenkins - Look in My Eyes Coflo - Yapperz Stimulator Jones - Paradise Untold (Single) Cardi B & Lourdiz - On My Back Chance the Rapper - STAR LINE (Album) Chris Brown feat Bryson Tiller & Usher - It Depends (The Remix) (un) Folded - Kehlani & Brandy

** OHH: Episode 165: Politricks ** Too much stuff going on, that's why this episode is longer than typical episodes. Tune in as we catch up up. No Kings Day - Oct 18, 2025 Charlie Kirk California - Prop 50 LA County Board of Supervisor approved to give $2mil check to current CEO Fesia Davenport Katie Porter running for governor Trump commutes sentence of Rep. George Santos Ice raids continue National Guard in Oregon & Chicago Government shut down - going on 3 weeks Dept of Education cuts Supreme Court * Voting Rights Act (VRA) current case is Louisiana v. Callais * reportedly challenges Section 2 of the VRA Venezuela - shot down 11 boats,with multiple casualties near Venezuela ports - Trump said reason was because of drug cartel boats/Narco trafficking, but no way to verify without survivors (CNN) - proxy war Argentina - gave them 20 billion dollars to bail out country

** OHH: Episode 163: What's Poppin' ** _We're back this week with an episode of What's Poppin' - you know there's been so much goin on lately, especially with losing some great entertainers. Did you hear about Debbie Allen's new barbie? Or about Bad Bunny being the halftime show for 2026 Super Bowl? Let's talk about it! _ Celebrity Deaths: D'Angelo Diane Keaton Ace Fehley Sam Rivers, Bassist from Limp Bizkit Brandy & Monica Tour - Nikki Minaj & Cardi B - * Is Nikki on drugs? * Cardi B feud New Barbie Debbie Allen is the inspiration for a new Barbie Doll! Sports * Dodgers are going to the World Series! * They've been to the World series 5x in the past 9 years. New Movies / TV Him (movie) - Marlon Wayans & Tyric Withers - Monster - Netflix (based on true events) Loot - Apple TV Golden Bachelor - getting divorced! Love is Blind (netflix) Super Bowl: Halftime show- Bad Bunny will be the performer! * Controversy related to him being selected. 2025 Taste of Soul - on Crenshaw on 10/18

Ohh! Giddy-up, giddy-up! Join Dave and Liam as they talk about Le Mans '66...(or Ford v Ferrari)... Go Sports Boxset

** OHH: Episode 161: What's Poppin' ** _We're back this week with an episode of What's Poppin' - on this episode we catch up on what's been happening since our hiatus. We already know Diddy did it, but who's responsible? and did you hear about Lil Nas X? Let's dig in! _ Lil Nas X situation Cardi B trial Diddy/Cassie case - Sentencing date early October Straight boys wearing skirts fashion trend Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce engaged Northwest vs. Blue Ivy - dressing too fast Cowboy Carter tour Chris Brown concert - 20 year anniversary Love Island - recent season * *** New Shows * ** * Hunting Wives - Netflix * Katrina documentary - Netflix * B boy blues * Forever - Netflix * WWE on Netflix - changing to ESPN+ and switching from peacock, going back to Paperview * Black Doves - Netflix * Nobody Wants This w/ Kristen Bell * Platonic - Apple TV * Wheel of Time - Amazon Prime

Asians and Asian Americans are numerous within the classical music industry, but their identities are often politicized and racialized in this Eurocentric musical genre. For the third episode of Obbligato on APEX Express, Isabel Li discusses this intersection with Mari Yoshihara, Professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Professor at the Center for Global Education at the University of Tokyo, Japan; author of many books, including Musicians from a Different Shore: Asians and Asian Americans in Classical Music (2007) and Dearest Lenny: Letters from Japan and the Making of the World Maestro (2019). Tonight's episode features music by Chinese American composer Zhou Tian. To learn more about Mari and her work, please visit her website: https://www.mariyoshihara.com/index.html  Musicians from a Different Shore: https://tupress.temple.edu/books/musicians-from-a-different-shore-2 Dearest Lenny: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/dearest-lenny-9780190465780?cc=jp&lang=en&  Transcript  Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.    00:00:53 Isabel Li  Good evening. You're listening to KPFA 94.1 FM. My name is Isabel Li and I'm delighted to be hosting a new edition of Obbligato on Apex Express, which is a semimonthly segment specifically about AAPI identities in classical music. Tonight's guest is someone I have been incredibly excited to speak to because her writings have actually very much informed my studies and research. In fact, her books are exactly about the subject matter of Obbligato. I am honored to be speaking to Mario Yoshihara, Professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Professor at the Center for Global Education at the University of Tokyo, Japan; author of many books, including Musicians from a Different Shore: Asians and Asian Americans in Classical Music, published in 2007, and Dearest Lenny: Letters from Japan and the Making of the World Maestro, which was published in 2019. Welcome to Obbligato on Apex Express. Mari, how are you doing?  00:01:55 Mari Yoshihara  I'm doing fine. Thank you for having me.  00:01:58 Isabel Li  Of course, my first question for you is how do you identify and what communities are you a part of?  00:02:06 Mari Yoshihara  Oh well, that's actually a little bit complicated I am. I am a Japanese woman who have spent a little bit over well, maybe not more than a little more than half of my life in the United States. Born in New York but raised in Tokyo, educated mostly in Japan, but also earned my graduate degrees in the United States and most of my academic career has been in Hawaii, so I've been in American academia for almost 30 years now, but I also have a dual appointment with the University of Tokyo in Japan. So I split my time between Japan and Hawaii now.  00:02:54 Isabel Li  Can you tell us a little bit about your work and your books? I had a chance to read Musicians from a Different Shore, but how would you summarize your research to someone who might not have read your book?  00:03:04 Mari Yoshihara  So I am a scholar of American studies, which is an interdisciplinary field that has anything to do with America broadly defined. And within that, my area of expertise is about, well, I would say I'm a scholar of US cultural history. US Asian relations, mostly US, East Asian relations, especially in the cultural dimension, cultural studies, gender studies, Asian American studies, etc. And so I have written a number of books, both in English and Japanese, but the one that you're referring to, Musicians from a Different Shore, is a book that I did research for more than 20 years ago and was published in 2007. It's a study of Asians and Asian Americans and classical music. So it was partly historical in that I examined the ways. which Western music, so-called western classical music, was introduced to East Asia and how also East Asians became have become so successful and prominent in this field that is generally considered a white European elite art form, so it was partly historical, but then the rest of the book was based on my ethnographic field work and interviews among Asians and Asian Americans in classical music looking at how well who these people are in the first place and then also how musicians, Asian and Asian musicians themselves, understand the relationship between their racial and cultural identity on the one hand, and their practice of Western classical music on the other, so that was my study.   And then I also wrote another book called Dearest Lenny. It's about—the subtitle is Letters from Japan and the Making of the World Maestro. It's about Leonard Bernstein's relationship with two very special individuals in Japan. And through that story, I interweave an account of various things. For one thing, how Leonard Bernstein became a world maestro and also the relationship between politics and arts, gender, sexuality, art and commerce, etcetera, etcetera. So that was my most recent book published in English and then, I'm sure we'll talk more about this, but I'm currently doing a follow up research on the on Musicians from a Different Shore, taking into account all the changes that have been taking place in the classical music industry in the United States in the past, I would say five years or so especially so that's my that's the abbreviated version of my research.  00:05:55 Isabel Li  That's really cool, and I also want to ask you about these changes, if you can talk a little bit about the classical music world. I feel like classical music is one of those genres that seems to be unchanging on the outside. But as a scholar of classical music, what types of changes have you observed that has influenced how AAPI identities play into this world?  00:06:18 Mari Yoshihara  Yeah, I think especially in the last, I would say, yeah, 5 to 10 years, especially in the last five years, classical music industry in the United, I mean I say specifically in the United States because I don't see the similar kind of changes taking place in Japan where I'm currently located. And I also don't really know the situation in Europe. But the field of classical music in the US is changing. I think most significantly because of movements like the Black Lives Matter movement and also with the onset of COVID and the rise of anti Asian hate, there's been a lot more heightened awareness about how issues of race and also class shapes classical music. So there's a lot more vibrant conversations and debates about these topics in the industry and also in terms of AAPI community, are the biggest changes, the biggest change I'm seeing is that Asian and Asian American musicians themselves are being a lot more vocal and active in issues of race and racism in the field and there I've encountered many Asian and Asian American musicians who have, for instance, you know organized events or organizations, or taken up various forms of advocacy and activism on these issues. So compared to, say, 20 years ago, 20, 25 years ago, when I was doing the original research, I see a lot more kind of, you know, explicit awareness and awareness and articulation of these issues by Asian and Asian American musicians themselves.  00:08:12 Isabel Li  That's really interesting. Just because classical music is also one of those genres, that doesn't seem like a genre that most people explicitly associate with politics or activism. What are some examples of these, like activist movements that you've observed within the Asian American community in classical music?  00:08:32 Mari Yoshihara  So for instance, some Asian and Asian American musicians are are becoming a lot more vocal about the actual like racism or sexism that they have themselves experienced, or that they witness in the industry, like in in schools, conservatories, orchestras, opera companies, etc. Either through the media or you know their own writing, and also like speaking up within the organizations that they work in. So that's one. There are other kinds of advocacy and activism in that they demand more diverse repertoire, and I think the repertoire is in terms of the industry industry changes. That's the area that's changing the most, the the kind of repertoire that many orchestras for instance perform have become a lot more– I mean overall it's still very white, European centered– but in terms of the actual numbers of pieces that are performed, works by living, composers and composers of color, women composers, etcetera. That is significantly increased in the last 10 years and that is, you know significantly to do with the advocacy and activism on the part of, you know, artists of color.  So yeah, so things like that and then, you know, many Asian, Asian American artists are doing their own programming, for instance, like event organizing programming. So yeah, those are the areas that I see changes. I see things happening that I didn't see 25 years ago.  00:10:20 Isabel Li  Definitely. I remember reading your book, and your book has been published since 2007, so a lot of changes have happened since then. But in general, when you did your research at first, what how would you summarize the dynamic of Asian identities, Asian American identities in this very Eurocentric field, it's a juxtaposition of two different cultures and identities that a lot of people also observe in orchestras. There's a large population of Asian and Asian American musicians, conductors just in general. It's a very large population, but yet this identity is still not quite represented in media. It's not quite seen, so talk to us a bit about this juxtaposition and how you observe these dynamics in your research.  00:11:10 Mari Yoshihara  Yeah. So. The thing is, Asians and Asian Americans are indeed numerically overrepresented in classical music, in the sense that compared to the general public, the the the proportion of Asians and Asian Americans in the overall US population, the number of Asian and Asian Americans in classical music indexed by things like the student body at major conservatories or membership roster of US orchestras, etcetera, Asians and Asian Americans percentage is higher than the general population, right. So in terms of the numbers, Asians and Asian Americans are, quote unquote overrepresented. But those numbers are not reflected in the actual like voice, power and influence that they have in the industry.   So that was my finding back 2025 years ago and I think that's still true today. Also, the thing about Asian, Asian American musicians is that it's a racialized category. They are seeing and treated as Asian. It's this racial category. But their identities and experiences as Asians is not at all uniform, right?   Some of these Asian musicians are Asian Americans, like multi generational Asian Americans whose parents or grandparents or great grandparents etcetera have come to the United States and they themselves are U.S. citizens. So that's one group.   Many Asian musicians working in the United States are people who were born and raised in Asia, places like China or South Korea, Japan, etcetera, and came to the United States as international students to study music, often at the college level, college conservatory level, so obviously these people have very different sense of identity and experience as Asians compared to say, you know 3rd, 4th generation Chinese Americans or 1.5 Korean Americans.   There are other people who live in the United States because they were very talented, very young musicians, and the whole whole family immigrated to the United States specifically for their music education. So Midori, the famous violinist, Midori is a case, example of this, but there are also a number of other, especially among Koreans and Chinese. There are families, the whole family immigrated to the United States when the child was a very promising musician at age 7 or something. So that's one group. They too have a different sense of identity and experience of Asians than the two former groups that I that I talked about.   There are other people who also came to the United States because not because of the music education, but because of their parents' profession, for instance. And they have transnational kind of family ties and you know, they move, they go back and forth between US and Asia, for instance. And then there are also mixed roots families where one parent is Asian and the other is non Asian.   And then there are also Asians who were born and raised in Europe for other parts of the globe and then came to the United States, for either personal or professional reasons.   So in other words, they're all Asians in terms of their racial identity. But what that means is really quite diverse and their experience as Asian and Asian American musicians is also quite diverse. So it's not as if you know, just because they're Asian, they share some kind of experience and identities around which they coalesce. So that's, you know, that was true 20, 25 years ago. And I think that's still true today.  More and more Asian musicians are coming to the United States to study, study or work in classical music, but especially because of this, like new influence, this Asian category is becoming even more diverse. However, because of the COVID, you know the rise of Anti Asian hate during the COVID pandemic, I think that heightened the awareness of, you know, these different kinds of Asians, the heightened awareness that they are Asians. First and foremost, you know, in, in that in the sense of being racialized in the United States. So I have talked with a number of musicians, Asians and Asian American musicians, who did not really, hadn't thought about their Asianness before. It wasn't at the forefront of their identity before, but during this rise of anti Asian hate it they became they basically became more politicized. You know, they had quite a politicized language and awareness to think about race and racism especially against Asians and Asian Americans.  00:16:31 Isabel Li  Yeah, that's a great point. It is a such a diverse group and there are so many different identities, even within just the Asian American framework AAPI, as a label is very, very diverse. And that applies to classical music as well. But I think there's also this social perception of Asian and Asian Americans as a group that also relates to the model minority stereotype that's historically been present and, for example, a lot of people might think of, like a young Asian or Asian American musician as being like a prodigy because they are technically skilled at their instrument, where like these social perceptions that exist both in media and in the culture around us, why do you think that is?  00:17:15 Mari Yoshihara  Well, that as you said, there is a model minority myth and there is a stereotype of Asians and Asian Americans as being very studious and diligent, but also quiet, right? I mean, they just quietly follow, like, obedient, obediently follow the instructions and that translates in the field of music as the stereotype that Asian musicians are technically very proficient but artistically non expressive. I mean, that's a very common stereotype that yeah, you know, practically any Asian, Asian Americans in classical music have been subjected to, you know, quite regularly and frequently. And I think that, yeah, that just comes with the overall kind of racial stereotype of Asians and Asians and Asian Americans in American society at large. And also the fact that, you know, classical music, especially in terms of instrumental performance, it is an area that is, it's something that is, indeed, technically very demanding, right? You need many, many years of disciplined training and a lot of practice. And there is a myth of merit– well, no, not entirely a myth– but there is this this very, you know, dearly held faith in meritocracy in classical music. The idea that if you have the chops you will be rewarded, you will be recognized and you know, no matter what kind of great artistic idea you might have, if you can't play the notes, you can't play the notes. That kind of ethos of meritocracy is particularly strong in classical music because of the technical demands of the genre, and that and that kind of, you know, goes hand in hand with the model minority methods for Asian Americans.  00:19:20 Isabel Li  Definitely. That's really interesting and another part of your book that was quite fascinating to me when I first read it was chapter 3. You talked about the intersection of gender as well as, you know, racial identity in classical music. The chapter is called Playing Gender and you talk about, I think at large don't necessarily associate classical music with a discipline that provides a stable job. It is an art form and there is kind of an uphill battle for artists in a sense like a starving artist myth there. We're not even a myth. Like if there's a starving artist image, whereas the image of a very successful classical musician there's this duality that you also mentioned in one of your other chapters about class. So what really interested me in for this chapter was that there was this intersection of power in classical music of who would go down the path that might not be traditionally as successful. How do you think gender dynamics play into this and how do you think they might have shifted within the last two decades or so?  00:20:20 Mari Yoshihara  Huh. I'm not sure if it has shifted all that much in the last two decades, but as you said, because music I mean, not just classical music, but music. Like, you know, arts in general is a field that is very like economically insecure in terms of career, right?   But at the same time. Classical music is associated with kind of, you know, bourgeois identity and just kind of overall cultivation and so, many Asian, Asian American parents are very eager to send their kids to, say, piano lessons, violin lessons, cello lessons, etcetera. To, you know, give them a well-rounded education and also because it is considered useful tool, you know, when you're going to college and stuff like, you know being, you know, being able to show that you're very talented violinist, for instance, is believed to help your college application.  So there's this, you know, both stereotype and reality that like, you know, places like Julliard Pre-College, very competitive, you know, school, like music education program for kids is filled with Asian, Asian American, you know, students and their parents who are waiting, waiting for them to come out of school.   So there's that. But how gender plays into this is that while both men and women are do study music at a young age. When it comes to, you know, choosing say, college, like what they would, what they would pursue at the college level, far fewer male students tend to choose music as their college major or go to conservatory and pursue it as a as a career. But I think it's both their own choice. And also especially for Asian and Asian Americans, like parental pressure to not pursue music professionally because of, you know, financial insecurity.   So there's that, and also how that plays into the actual experiences of Asian, Asian Americans musicians who do study music is that I have heard from a number of female Asian musicians that either their peers or especially their teachers are doubtful that they are actually serious about music. There is a stereotype that, you know, say for instance, Japanese or Korean female students at Juilliard School, Manhattan School or whatever, they are there because they, you know, they want to study music and then find a good husband and marry, you know, a lawyer or doctor or engineer or something. [laughs] And and not that that doesn't happen. But that's a stereotype of, you know, that's a racialized and gender stereotype that comes from these, you know, gender and class and racialized dynamics.  00:23:35 Isabel Li  And just for clarification, is the classical music world at large still a male dominated field?  00:23:41 Mari Yoshihara  Yes. Oh yes. Definitely. I mean, it depends on the segment of you know, I mean classical music is itself quite diverse. So if you look at, for instance, the string section, especially the violin section of the New York Philharmonic for instance, you will find that like, I think the majority of those violin players are Asian women, perhaps. But if you look at say for instance, the Faculty of Conservatories or music directors and major orchestras and said, I mean still very male dominated.  00:24:23 Isabel Li  Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I like how your book also has so many different layers for each chapter. So Chapter 3 was about the gender intersection with this, with this identity, and Chapter 4, was it Chapter 4, I believe it was about class, Class Notes, and you've already mentioned a little bit about how class plays into the perception of music, how class influences gender even. But there's a statement in there that you said that, “it's misleading to characterize Asian musicians as just coming from the upper middle class.” And it makes sense that people would think of musicians coming from this economic bracket, because classical music is an in and of itself a very kind of expensive undertaking. You need so many lessons, so many instruments. But tell us why this statement would be misleading.  00:25:15 Mari Yoshihara  Because I mean, first of all, most of the overwhelmed, I would say overwhelming majority of the Asian, Asian American musicians that I interviewed come from middle class backgrounds, many of them from so-called like professional executive class backgrounds in, meaning that their parents hold these professional executive positions, right. And that's why they were able to afford advanced musical studies from a fairly young age. They need, you know, sustained and disciplined and often costly, you know, lessons, you know, competitions, etcetera, auditions, travel, etcetera. So that's for sure, yeah.   At the same time, there are also Asian musicians who come from less privileged backgrounds, you know, immigrant families who have, because quite a few. I mean overall Asian American population, many immigrants experience downward social mobility upon immigrating to the United States because of, you know, oftentimes linguistic barriers or you know, or plain old racism. And so you're not Asian families that immigrate to the United States, like, for instance, if the parents have professional positions back in South Korea, oftentimes they become, you know, for instance, you know, small business owners and they experience downward social mobility. I mean, that's a very common scenario. Yeah, so now all Asian, Asian American musicians grow up in a privileged environment.  00:27:06 Isabel Li  Definitely a great point. Now before we move on to some discussions about Mari's research. First of all, thank you for tuning in to Obbligato on APEX Express, we'll be taking a short music break and as mentioned earlier, a great way to increase diversity within classical music is to uplift works by living composers. If you're listening to my first.  00:27:26 Isabel Li  Episode 2 months ago, you'll know that I featured music by Chinese American composer Zhou Tian. I'm happy to say that coming up next is one of Zhou's compositions inspired by a trip to Italy. This is a piece called Hidden Grace performed by the Formosa Trio.  27:45 – COMP MUSIC – Hidden Grace  00:35:34 Isabel Li  That was a piece called Hidden Grace, composed by Zhou Tian for a fascinating instrumentation of flute, Viola and heart coming up for our second piece. In this interview, break another movement by Zhou Tian, the third movement of his double concerto for violin and Viola, called Rendezvous.  35:58 – COMP MUSIC – Double Concerto for Violin and Viola, III. Rendezvous  00:41:09 Isabel Li  Noah Bendix-Balgley on violin, Shanshan Yao on viola, and the Hangzhou Philharmonic, playing the third and final movement of Zhou Tian's Double Concerto for violin and viola. So back to the conversation with Professor Mari Yoshihara.  00:41:25 Isabel Li  As you also mentioned before, you're working on an updated version of Musicians from a Different Shore. Can you talk–I don't know how much you can talk about your, like upcoming projects, but are you using similar research methods to what you've done before using ethnographic field work? You've mentioned the new changing dynamics of classical music in the United States with new waves of activism and awareness. What are some new topics of your chapters that you might focus on? So for your 2007 publication, you talked about your gender and class and how these intersect with identity. Are there any new things that you're drawing upon here?  00:42:02 Mari Yoshihara  Yeah. So I'm using basically the same research method. I'm interviewing actually some of the same people that appeared in Musicians from a Different Shore. Some people kept in touch with over the years, I've gone back to them and interviewed them to see the trajectories of their careers since the first time I interviewed them. But then I've also interviewed a bunch of other, you know, new musicians that I'm speaking with for the first time. So it's essentially an interview and ethnographic fieldwork-based research.  I told you earlier about I think one of the biggest changes is, as I said before, the activism and advocacy on the part of Asian, Asian American musicians themselves. So I have one chapter about that. Like, what? How? What kinds of advocacy and activism they're engaged in.   Another big change that I'm seeing is that compared to 20 years ago, there are a lot more Asian musicians in the field of opera.  00:43:01 Isabel Li  Ohh yeah.  00:43:02 Mari Yoshihara  Uh. Both as singers. Yeah, many of them singers, but also in other, you know, like for instance opera, you know, pianist for opera or be opera directors, et cetera. There are many more Asians in this particular field than what I saw 20 years ago. And I talked about this a little bit in my first book, but opera is a very particular kind of field within classical music.   How race plays into opera is very different from other areas of classical music because it's a theatrical art form. It's visually oriented, you know art form. And because singers have to be cast in order to, you know, sing on stage. So the racial politics in opera, you know, unfolds very differently from, say, for pianists or cellists or conductors or or composers.   So I now have a whole chapter about opera, especially Madame Butterfly, that this very fraught work, you know, opera that many Asian and Asian Americans have love hate relationships. A lot of pigeon-holing that happens in that through that opera. But also, production of new opera by Asian and Asian American artists, composers, directors, singers, etcetera. So I have a whole chapter about that.   And then I also will have another chapter about, you know, what it means to, you know, sit at the table, basically. Like stand on the podium and sit at the table, stand on the podium. Not only, I mean I will, I will have a whole discussion about Asian and Asian Americans conductors, but not only in that literal sense of, you know, standing at the podium, but like being at the table like in other words, not only, Asian and Asian American musicians playing music that are given to them and they are assigned to them that they're hired to play, but also having a real voice in the organizational and institutional dimensions of classical music industry. So the kinds of people, Asians, who are in these positions more executive positions with decision making power what their experiences are like. I'm going to have a chapter about that.   So those are some of my ideas. I'm still in the middle of the project, so I can't. I can't see the whole picture, but those are some of my current ideas.  00:45:48 Isabel Li  I see. And do you have an idea of when this book will be published or an updated version?  00:45:54 Mari Yoshihara  Well [laughs], my goal rather ambitious goal is to have it published in 2027, because that would be 20 years since Musicians from a Different Shore, so that would be ideal if I can make that.  00:46:08 Isabel Li  Well, yeah. Nice. That's really exciting, definitely. I will also kind of bridge, I guess my part of the research into this part of the interview, since I'd love to talk to you a little bit more about how classical music in general is portrayed in media.   So as I've introduced myself before, I had a back, I have a background in media studies as well as music history and theory. And what was really interesting to me in my senior thesis while I was doing research for that was I coined this term and it could just be loosely associated with the genre of film. But it's the “classical music film.” So think of any narrative fictional film you can think of with a classical musician in there. So it could be like Amadeus, where I think of like Tár. If you watch Tár like a lot of these depictions are quite understandably white and European, but they my senior thesis I've never really seen any depictions of Asian American or Asian classical musicians? I was wondering if you have ever watched a film like that, or could maybe talk a bit about maybe the lack of representation in media, how media plays into how people perceive classical music as a genre as a whole.  00:47:23 Mari Yoshihara  That is a very interesting question. I think you know, because of the stereotype of Asian and Asian American model minority and model minority stereotype often is associated with, you know, violin or piano-playing Asian American kids, I think. Asian, Asian American characters who are, you know, these kind of musical classical music geniuses appear here and there. But the ones that center on such a character as the main, you know, like the protagonist, come to think of it, I'm not sure if I've seen. I mean, I've seen several Korean dramas, you know, character, but those are Korean dramas, not Asian American, so more American works with Asian classical musicians…  00:48:21 Isabel Li  And I think also classical music as a genre is. It's interesting because classical music is also kind of underrepresented. It's not quite in the mainstream. And then one of my final questions for you is I do also want to take a second to acknowledge that your book was actually one of the only books that I could find about this topic. I think there are not that many other books about Asian and Asian Americans in classical music. I think there are a few other books and a few and definitely some papers that talk about this, but what got you interested in this field? And I don't know if you think there's a scarcity of information, but do you think there's relative scarcity of information about this topic?  00:49:01 Mari Yoshihara  Yeah. So how I got into it is. So I was a pretty serious student of piano when I was a child. That's like, yeah, that really kind of preoccupied my childhood and adolescence. But then I, for various reasons I ended up not going to a music Conservatory and became an academic.   And then once I entered academia and became a scholar of American studies, all I was studying was like race, gender, class. I mean, that's what  we do in American studies. And my first book, which was originally my doctoral dissertation, was a cultural history of orientalism and white women. So that was a study of the intersections of race and gender and to some extent class in American history.   So once I finished that book, I was thinking about what projects to work on next. And I happened to turn on the TV, and it just so happens that the Vienna Phil New Year's concert, conducted by Seiji Ozawa was playing on the TV and that was sort of my “aha” moment because I had always known or, you know, kind of generally aware that Asians and Asian Americans are, if not necessarily overrepresented, but, you know, they're quite numerous, you know. They're present. Their numerical presence is quite notable in classical music that is often associated with white, you know, European culture, elite culture.  So I was kind of curious about that phenomenon, but I hadn't really thought too much about it until I watched Seiji Ozawa were conducting the Vienna Phil. And that's when I thought, well, maybe I can kind of combine my classical music background and my academic training in studies of race, gender, class into this project. So that's when I decided to work on. You know, this topic of Asians and Asian Americans, classical music.  I think the reason that there hadn't been at least a book-length study on the topic until my book is that for one thing, classical music is considered to be kind of a very abstract absolute form of music. This ethos that it is kind of transcends– that it is a universal, transcendental kind of genre, that is sort of above things like politics or race or gender. Like it shouldn't matter that these, you know, individual identity, racialized gender identity shouldn't matter vis-à-vis the universalism of classical music. I mean that kind of ethos is very strong in this particular genre of music. I think that has a lot to do with it.   And also the study of classical music until rather recently, like musicological study of classical music, really tended to be focused on the study of composers and their works, right? It was the textual that, like it, was an analysis of Beethoven Symphony or, you know, Bach Fugues, etcetera. Yeah. It was really focused on the study of the score, the study of the composer's ideas, as reflected in the score, I mean that was the centerpiece of musicological approach to classical music.  And so sort of more sociological anthropological study of the musical practice is a relatively new approach in in the field of musicology. I'm not a musicologist. So that's not how I'm trained. But I think the academic approach to classical music was not very, kind of, open to the kinds of topics that I raised in Musicians from a Different Shore.  00:53:12 Isabel Li  Definitely. I see. And my very final fun question for you is can you name three of your favorite classical music pieces for any recommendations you have for the audience who might be listening, who might be wondering what they will listen to next?  00:53:27 Mari Yoshihara  Well, OK well. Pieces well, because I wrote a book about Leonard Bernstein. I mean, I ended up– I wrote a book about Leonard Bernstein. Not necessarily because I was an avid fan of Bernstein. It just kind of happened this this project. But nonetheless of while I was doing research and writing the book I did listen to a lot of Bernstein. I and I have come to really love Bernstein music and so. And you know, of course, everybody knows West Side Story, but he actually wrote many other pieces that may not be as well known.   Well among the pieces that I like, I like…which one should I choose? I will choose. Ohh well, I'll choose a piece that I learned myself as a pianist.  I learned the piece called “Touches” that he wrote. It was a commission piece for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and it's kind of yeah, it's a chorale and variation. So that's very interesting and very interesting and very Bernstein-esque so well.   I'll OK, as an American study scholar. I'll, I'll stick with American pieces. I like someone Barber a lot. I like Barber “Excursions,” which I also learned to play.  00:55:04 Isabel Li  Yeah.  00:55:09 Isabel Li  Tough question.  00:55:11 Mari Yoshihara  Umm, Mason Bates piece that I also learned, “White Lies For Lomax.” This one was also, I believe…was it commissioned by the Cliburn? But no, maybe it wasn't. Yeah, I think it was commissioned. But anyway, I played it at the Van Cliburn International– the amateur competition of the Cliburn competition.  I did all these. So like Bernstein, Bates, Amy Beach piece I also played. Yeah, I'll stop there. I I wish you had prepped me for that then [laughs]–  00:55:42 Isabel Li  Oh my gosh. Great responses.  00:55:46 Mari Yoshihara  Hard to think on the spot.  00:55:47 Isabel Li  Yeah, I totally get that. Whenever people ask me for my favorite composer, I never have an answer. No, so I totally get it.   Well, thank you so much for your time, Mari. And thank you for your wonderful insights. I'll put the link to your books so that people can learn about your works on APEX Express on kpfa.org. So thank you so much for your time, Mari.  00:56:07 Mari Yoshihara  Thank you.  00:56:09 Isabel Li  As mentioned, please check our website kpfa.org to find out more about Mari Yoshihara, her scholarship, and links to two of her books. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating and sharing your visions with the world. Your voices are important.  00:56:31 Isabel Li  APEX Express is produced by Miko Lee, Jalena Keane-Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar, Anuj Vaidya, Swati Rayasam, and Cheryl Truong. Tonight's show was produced by Isabel Li. Thanks to the team at KPFA  for their support. Have a great night.  [OUTRO MUSIC]  The post APEX Express – 09.04.2025 – Obbligato with Mari Yoshihara appeared first on KPFA.

** OHH: Episode 160: What's Poppin' ** It been a long time and ah ah ah! We're back this week with an episode of Politricks! We've been MIA since February and we know there is so much that has happened in the political realm. Take a listen as we dive into what's been going on. Immigration - How does ICE affect California? *Raids and protests, still affecting LA *Catching people with citizenship,and taking native americans Trump removed security for Kamala Harris. *Gavin Newson and thuggery - media team thuggin out *Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland may be a potential running mate for 2028. *Redistricting Proposition for the CA fall ballot. Do you agree? *What strategy should the democrats employ? Cheeto man - Mr. Orange guy's antics - what he been up to lately *Tariffs - judge announced IEEPA tariff's illegal *Recent visit to Russia to entice Putin *What is the temperature check for trump's 2nd term? *Karen Bass - recent shootings & comments from the mayor *Jasmine Crocket rep for congress redistricting in TX *Congressional map to increase seats for Republicans w/out public *Newsom redistricts CA in response - more seats, w/ public vote Former CA governor Schwarzenegar returning to politics to join the redistricting fight

Warren Buffett bought $1.6 billion of United Health stock in Q2, inflation may be ticking higher after all, and play “Ohh, No! or Let's Go!!” Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rick Munarriz discuss: - Inflation is a boogeyman again - UFC gets a $7.7 billion deal with Paramount - Buffett makes a big buy - Stocks on our radar Companies discussed: Lululemon (LULU), TKO Group (TKO), Rigetti Computing (RGTI), Eli Lilly (LLY), Reddit (RDDT), Celsius (CELH), Crocs (CROX), Alphabet (GOOG), NVIDIA (NVDA), United Health (UNH) Host: Travis Hoium Guests: Lou Whiteman, Rick Munarriz Engineer: Dan Boyd Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weapons Kids are creepy right? We can all agree on that? Well, you know whats even creepier? When there are meant to be kids and they aren’t there. Or even worse… there’s just one. Weapons is the new horror from Zach Cregger starring Julia Garner, Josh Brolin and Alden Ehrenreich, whose first break out hit Barbarian scared the hell out of us… and guess what? It’s got a whole bunch of creepy not-there kids! But is it actually good? Or is this just a bunch of kids “naruto running” towards oblivion? Dion, Jill and Quinny are all in or this review, with Quinny being the only one who hasn’t been traumatised by Barbarian yet. Synopsis When all but one child from the same classroom mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance. https://youtu.be/Mw57elDUcdQ As always, a midnight thank-you to all you crazy kids join in with the conversation on the Twitch stream, live each Tuesday night at 7:30pm AEDT. And an especially huge thanks to any of you naruto running grade schoolers who are kind enough to support us by casting a tip into our jar via Ko-Fi, or subscribing on twitch… every bit helps us to keep the lights on… because we’re scared of the dark. If you feel so inclined drop us a sub we really love them, The more subby mc-sub-faces we get, the more Emotes You get! https://youtu.be/OpThntO9ixc?si=_x20ryvp1bDvS9Mx WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK! Send in voicemails or emails with your opinions on this show (or any others) to info@theperiodictableofawesome.com Please make sure to join our social networks too!  We're on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TPToA/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/TPToA Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeriodicTableOfAwesome Instagram: www.instagram.com/theperiodictableofawesome/ Full text transcript Dion  Oh, well, hello and welcome to the periodic table of awesome. I’m unsure of who I am at the moment. I could be a weapon, I’m not sure. But you know who I know is absolutely a weapon. Jill. Jill is absolutely a weapon.  Quinny  Look at those ******* guns. Boom.  Dion  And and Quinny is potentially a weapon.  Quinny  Look, I I had to register my entire body as deadly weapon as, as, as legally one is bound to when one is as hard as ******* as I.  Jill  Make a gun.  Dion  Am I was actually going to say if you. If you commit to it quinny, if you if you, if you you put yourself on a regime, if you go to the gym, you could build yourself into a weapon. And.  Quinny  Buddy, I I am a weapon. It’s just like I’m a 10 LB ******* gun. I’m like, you know, you you you’re thinking of like a a fast kind of swishy weapon. I’m more like a like a a fat man bomb that gets dropped off, you know.  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Quinny  So technically, still the weapon.  Dion  I wasn’t gonna. I wasn’t gonna go there.  Quinny  Yeah, well, I know. And as telling us, there’s better being a weapon than being a tool. What are you?  Dion  Yeah, yeah. Now you’re a ******. Don’t don’t tism me. This is that will go down a rabbit hole. We’re not going to do it. Yes. OK. Weapons. We went and.  Quinny  I know, right?  Dion  Saw weapons. We did, we.  Quinny  Can’t get a water bomb is a weapon too.  Dion  All of that what is a weapon? Yeah.  Quinny  Is that my physique? Is that what? Speaker 7  We’re saying no.  Dion  Philosophically. OK, so story time now. A while back, Jill and I went and saw a.  Jill  Little film we trauma bonded over, but Marion.  Dion  Yeah, we trailer bond, we weren’t. We didn’t know what was going on. We weren’t. It was like, ohh this film. It’s called barbarian. OK, whatever. We’ll go do that. And they were good. They gave us some alcohol. I’m like, oh, yeah. Let’s get on this and started watching a film. And then. Don’t know, maybe. 3045 minutes into it, we started going wait, where the **** is this going? And and it just proceeded to get even ******* more terrifying and crazy all the way to the end. And then we walked out going. That was ******* cool.  Jill  Yes, it was ****** **, but it was cool.  Dion  Yeah, it was.  Speaker  Quinny  You’re not normally a huge horror fan. No, but like you, you will watch it. If it’s in front of.  Dion  I mean, you know, like I’m not the sort of person who’s like, oh, is it gory and horror, sure. Or go and laugh. I’m just more like, I don’t really need to see that. It has to be a good horror, elevated horror. Elevated horror is a discerning horror. Which, you know, like the traditional stuff like nightmare on Elm Street, you know and.  Quinny  13th.  Dion  Friday 13th and I don’t really go into. I don’t need to see Gore for the sake of gore.  Jill  Those are like a sub genre though those are.  Dion  Yeah, yeah. And slasher. Yeah. And but a good.  Speaker 6  Slasher films, yeah.  Quinny  Horror. Torture. ****. Not it’s like, you know, that kind of stuff where it’s just watching people be.  Dion  Nice.  Jill  Like so.  Quinny  Exactly.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like all that kind of stuff can kind of get a bit confused in. But you know, I can’t say I’m a fan of it because, you know, given the choice, I’m not sure that I’d go and see barbarian or weapons again in that kind of sense. But was it a good film? Yeah.  Speaker  But.  Dion  You know, it was just that way that it kind of went through. So sure, I’m not a huge horror fan. Jill. Jill though. Yeah, she yeah loves it. Except for.  Jill  You love it. Clowns. No, no, it I’ll never watch it.  Dion  Yeah. So. It.  Quinny  Ohh, but you’re you’re not looking forward to welcome. To Derry then.  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Quinny  The the prequel to it.  Jill  Good, because I would have thought it was something to do with dairy.  Dion  Yeah.  Speaker 8  Girls and I would have gone and seen it. And I would have been very upset.  Quinny  Why would you would have? It’s a TV series coming out soon and I’m actually really pumped. I’ve.  Speaker 6  Yeah, no.  Quinny  It was one of those books that ******* creeped this **** out of me as a kid and you know, I’m like, yeah.  Dion  Sure.  Jill  I couldn’t stare at a drain for a very long time because my father would say ohh it lives in the trees and it’s little children. So here I am in the shower, not making eye contact.  Dion  Sure.  Speaker 6  Yeah, yeah.  Jill  With the brain.  Dion  With the train.  Jill  Thinking it was any kind of drain that this ******* clown lived in.  Dion  Which which technically it did. So it does live in every drain and it is a clown.  Jill  Yeah. Yeah. And I’m like, don’t look down there cause you’ll see something staring back and. I was *******. He’s terrified.  Quinny  Hi, Georgie.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like if if I go down that rabbit hole, I could still easily terrify the **** out of myself.  Quinny  Yep.  Dion  Yes, so.  Jill  I do kind of tend to watch horror as a form of. Therapy. Because I’m in a constant state of fight or.  Speaker 8  Flight with anxiety and if.  Jill  I were to ah. Film. Then I I know that that is something that I can’t control and it’s I just have to go along for the ride. So I just kind of like purges the fright.  Dion  Sure. I mean it’s.  Quinny  Out and also. Yeah, it gives you that, that, that moment of tension and then release, whereas having a life of anxiety means there’s no release. Yeah, exactly.  Speaker 6  Yes.  Quinny  Just tension. Constant ******* ongoing tension.  Jill  Yeah.  Quinny  Yeah. Yeah, no, I get that totally.  Dion  Quinny, do you consider yourself a fan of horror?  Quinny  As a kid, **** no. Like I was terrified of anything that looked even remotely like horror, you know, like, even seeing a cover of a VHS of something like extra or fright night or something like that was enough to make me, you know. You have nightmares for ages, so it took me a really long time till I ever went anything near horror and I came to horror through so if I.  Dion  Sure.  Quinny  So right, you know, the first horror that I watched was aliens. And yeah, because that wasn’t really a horror. That was, you know, an action film that had horror elements.  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Quinny  Then I went back and rewatched or watched alien and was scared ********. But then I started to kind of get into it. No invasion of the body snatchers and. Like that and now I have a thing that I’m not in a huge rush to go and watch a horror.  Speaker 6  Sure. Yeah.  Quinny  But I will watch a good one.  Dion  And so back to this whole sort of story when weapons came out and it’s by Zach Krieger, who Jill and I have had the Zach Cregger experience with barbarian. And while we were like, this is gonna be like I I remember I was looking at.  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Speaker  We have.  Dion  Oh great. Ohh wait. OK. Like I’ll go see what this is, but I knew what I was going into. The funniest thing was watching it with Quinn, who had not. Had this experience at. All just going. What the **** I’m like, yeah.  Quinny  No. That’s in fact there. There are multiple times in the film where characters exclaim loudly what the ****? Sure, and I agree wholeheartedly with them.  Jill  Yeah.  Dion  Because there is a part of this where I feel like weapons is communicating with the audio. Once in a really interesting way and it doesn’t spoil anything. I just feel like there are parts of the movie and beats of the story and things that are going where it the the film makers are communicating with the audience going. We’ve just shown you a bunch of ****** ** **** and we’ve had a character on screen and saying what the **** and the whole audience is like. Yeah, what the ****?  Quinny  Yeah, yeah.  Dion  And it really it was an interesting as you were saying, the release of tension and I felt like that came through at the end too where it. Diverged a little bit, but allowed the audience to have that tension released, which has been built up for the whole thing, so I consider this one not particularly a horror, but it is. Let’s be honest. Yeah, it is. Yeah.  Jill  Ohh it is.  Dion  But it is.  Quinny  It’s it’s a proper horror, but you know.  Dion  It’s a it’s a really good tension film.  Jill  Yeah, Arena asked. Is it more of a thriller? But I would say no, it’s definitely.  Speaker 6  And.  Dion  No, no.  Jill  Not not thriller.  Dion  No, because and the horror.  Quinny  It. It does good tension building and it is it has that kind of thriller kind of thing, but no, it’s very definitely.  Dion  Yeah.  Speaker 6  Yes.  Dion  Yeah, as you say, like, oh, I’m not going with jump scares. I’m like, well, maybe this is not for you.  Quinny  In fact, this has moments that are not jump scares, but like there are there are some of the most effective moments of like, skin crawling horror that I have seen in a long time, and hearing a whole.  Dion  Horror. Just dread. That contained no.  Quinny  Audience yeah, react to them and ohh wow.  Dion  With like and they have no blood. It’s just really good ******* creepy ****.  Speaker 1  Yeah, and like.  Dion  That you’re waiting for something.  Jill  I I love all of that stuff. And when one of. The big jump scares happened and I screamed.  Dion  He did.  Speaker  It was great.  Quinny  A big way.  Dion  Yeah, and. And look, let’s be honest, we all knew it was coming. Like that’s one of the great things when you still have that result like ohh ****. Even though I knew it was coming.  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Jill  Yes. Yeah. Like, I’m like, oh, my God, I know this is coming. And then it did. And then I screamed. And I’m like, I haven’t screamed and. It jumps Gary and ages. Yeah. So it was it. Was a good pay off do do you wanna know?  Dion  And the.  Quinny  What the film’s actually about? No, no.  Dion  Not yet. One one second, one second. Can I, can I ask you one question because I don’t actually have any music and you’ve caught me off guard.  Quinny  I think. It. Yeah.  Dion  The last movie that I saw that did the same kind of thing that I really actually didn’t enjoy was smile too. Ohh yeah yeah. So watched that. Yeah, and I mean.  Jill  Never.  Quinny  Ohh you should get into that Joe.  Jill  Yeah, it’s on, it’s on telly. I’ll watch it, yeah.  Quinny  Yeah. That for the for the discomforting side of it, Dee or the.  Dion  No, the the way that it like, I mean smile, which I haven’t seen and I saw smile to going in blind which is a bit funny but I understood the craft and I thought they did it really well but they jump scares became a point where it was. Just this is the building to a jump scare. Whereas I liked weapons more because it was like is it a jump scare? Maybe you know? And it was some sort of smarter done and then sometimes was like, hey, it’s not a jump scare. It’s just something absolutely ******* terrifying that doesn’t really do it. Yeah, it’s it’s. And it’s not about some. That is terrifying. It’s the idea of it is built and constructed in such a great way that the audience is filling in their brain about how terrifying and what bad things could happen, and then it doesn’t really happen that way. It just puts the the situation goes, hey, how would you react to this situation? And everyone in the audience is going *******. No, I don’t want to be in that situation. I don’t want. To do this, I want to leave. Anyway.  Quinny  Absolutely. OK.  Dion  Sorry, synopsis time. Do you know what I’ve got? I’ve got on the boards for the music to go behind. It is stuff.  Quinny  I don’t know.  Dion  From Kpop Demon Hunter. So do you want that? Why not? We haven’t had enough.  Speaker 6  No.  Quinny  Why? No, I mean, hey, by the way, the the golden from K pop demon hunters went to number one of the Billboard charts today. Wow.  Dion  Excellent. Hear it again.  Speaker 7  Yeah, well, let’s go with.  Quinny  We’re just increasing its plays.  Dion  Sure.  Quinny  Jill  You’re gonna give us, like a Anna Delphi.  Quinny  Ohh but I can because you’re a poor.  Dion  Yes, do it.  Quinny  OK, when all but one child from the same classroom mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time because they’re porous.  Speaker 7  Right.  Quinny  A community is left questioning who or what is behind the disappearances. Sorry that just turned into the chick from SBS.  Speaker 8  This is going.  Jill  I was like, it’s like Christoph Waltz and Christopher Walken met Christoph Walton.  Quinny  First off. I apologize. I apologize to everybody that was, that was the absolute peak of **** accent.  Speaker  Yeah.  Jill  Wait, was that the whole boxes?  Quinny  Yeah. When all but one child from the same club, I can.  Speaker  Oh.  Quinny  Do a slightly longer. 1 So it’s a a horror film about a community grappling with the disappearance of 17 children from the same class, all vanishing at the same time on the same. Night and it follows. The aftermath, exploring things of trauma, grief, and the unsettling nature of the events of the townspeople, tried to understand. What happened and who is responsible?  Dion  Double s in officers. OK, one of them was backed by K pop and the other was. Just a flat scare. So. OK, yeah, good.  Quinny  Sorry.  Dion  Good, good, good, good, good, good, good, good so.  Quinny  Right. Yeah. That’s how we should do it. That’s that’s how we work there. Yes. And there was a little gesture.  Dion  Now very.  Quinny  In there I’m.  Dion  Sorry, very, very, very importantly, there was a notice in front of the screening. Which was, hey, don’t spoil it for people where people go in and I thought, OK, it’s a bit naff. Let the thing stand on its own. You know, there’s no need to go through it. But it went on upon reflection.  Speaker 8  Yes.  Dion  Having it’s it’s been out for a while now. I actually kind of go. Yeah, I don’t. Really want to. Do a big spoil because not that I think you’d lose anything from it. I just think it’s a more interesting film to not know. Sort of the last third going into it, I think it has a better effect, not not giving a **** about it. Like, don’t really listen. To. People reviewing it and and spoiling stuff because. You kind of lose.  Jill  It. Yeah, I mean, the trailer was enough and then kind of like discovering what is actually going on is I think lends more to the suspense and and keeps it interesting.  Dion  Yeah.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  Yeah, I do want to talk like a little bit structurally about what happens at the end of the film, but I don’t want to talk about.  Jill  Oh yeah. OK.  Quinny  The the the facts of it like you know. But anyway, let’s not talk about that bit. Let’s talk about the beginning of the film. So a base concept, a bunch of kids run away one night. But it’s not just that they run away.  Speaker 7  Yeah.  Quinny  They Naruto runner.  Jill  Naruto run, they’re going to storm area 51. Yeah, at 2:17 in the morning? Absolutely.  Dion  At 2:17 and it’s all through grainy camera footage. And I love the little child like voice, voice over narration of, like, this is a true story. This is the stuff that happened and blah blah blah and I’m like.  Speaker 7  Which is.  Jill  Yeah, it gives it a little bit of found footage vibe.  Dion  Bit Nash.  Jill  Which is yeah. It’s like a bit creepy.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, this this does that whole found footage and like, different cameras and stuff like that. So much better than that war of. The world’s ********.  Dion  ****, don’t. Don’t even. It’s it’s an interesting one too, because what I really like about it is it is. It is an easy to understand story. It’s set in suburban Americana. Sort of. There is something creepy going on in a space that generally wouldn’t be considered creepy, and I think you did it also in barbarian like and I and I really enjoy that. It doesn’t necessarily need. Rich people, poor people. It’s not about, you know, X&Y. It’s like, look, this weird thing happened. Hmm, that has probably been going on for a long time. In this and everyone is unsettled by it, but in the end. Life will keep going. And I really, I really like they explained at the start, they’re like ohh this really strange thing and in the end everyone just sort of accepted it. And moved on because it was too upsetting for people and I really like that it gave it a good basis and a good foundation to sort of settle in and go, OK what the?  Quinny  **** did happen but, but also it it does that that very smart thing of going OK how do people in you know, small towns react to bad things happening? They’ll turn.  Dion  You know clue.  Speaker 7  Insect.  Quinny  And and the the most obvious person to turn on is the the the school teacher. So if every kid from the class Bar 1. You know doesn’t show up who’s the first thing you’re gonna look at the school teacher. You’re gonna ask questions there.  Jill  See, I’m the opposite. I’m like, why is this one? Kid left on, yeah.  Quinny  Oh yeah, 100 percent, 100%.  Jill  What’s going on with this kid?  Quinny  And the the the good thing is they actually show you like they they interview the kid, they do a lot of like they go to great lengths to really show you that due diligence has been done. Yeah. You know, and this is just there is no answer. It’s just ******* weird.  Jill  Yeah, it’s it’s puzzling.  Dion  And and like I love that they used quite well in this, like the vignette sort of style, the way they chop it up and they follow, you know, you get introduced to kind of some of the characters and then you get like as you get introduced to more, it starts replaying their stories. And I like the way that they use that quite effectively, which is like here’s. This person, and this is their story. And then we’ll follow someone else and it overlaps and it overlaps and it overlaps until you finally get to the.  Jill  Yeah. And chill, there’s a point where it’s like, hang on a second. Something really *******.  Dion  Yeah.  Jill  Weird’s going on?  Dion  And until it gets to the point where it’s like, OK, we’ve given you enough back story about how all these things are kind of overlapping and then we’re just gonna follow this one. And explain exactly what happened and you were like by that time you’re like ohh ****. Like, how do you resolve this? What the **** did happen?  Quinny  Yeah.  Jill  Yeah, it was a good point to reveal it as well because like, it was a very kind of slow burn intro to the movie. And I was like, ohh, where is this going like?  Dion  Yeah.  Jill  It’s maybe, yeah, becoming a little bit dull until like you do get that pivot point and it’s like, ohh ****. OK now strap in, cause I’m ready for.  Dion  So.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, yeah. She’s gotten real ****** **. Yeah, it it’s interesting because I was watching it and my immediate thought was the film rush him on, which is the one where they they tell the same story, but from different perspectives. And you see the way that interacts. It’s like that. But it it’s sort of.  Jill  The rest of it.  Speaker  Hmm.  Jill  Yeah.  Quinny  Just showing you different parts, but then continuing the story on. Yeah, which I thought was really smart.  Jill  And thank God you you made the cultural reference and didn’t go with like Pulp Fiction.  Quinny  Sure. Well, you know, because I’ve all filmically ******* knowledgeable.  Dion  I mean, look, you know.  Jill  It was like, where did that reference come from? Russian.  Dion  Barbarian great one much shorter like Barbarians. Only 100 minutes. Yeah, right. This one’s 128 minutes. So we got almost an extra half hour of, you know, additional weirdness, which I think was deserved in this. Like I really like the pacing and the punch of barbarian because it just kind of like starts off real slow and then starts hammering through this one. Get it? Has the same sort of thing. It starts off real slow, but it gives you time to build that tension. And then I think at the end, a little bit more. Time like. When you start explaining things. I thought it would move a little bit quicker, but I have to admit by the end of it I was like, Oh no, I’m fine with how you. Decided you wanted to go with this and by the time you get to that big turn or the big understanding about what is going on, which I say is like 2/3 of the way. Through the film. It does delve into stuff where I’m like, is this funny? Is this not funny? But also, how are you gonna resolve this? And the only way to do it is. Kind of with a little bit of ridiculousness. But I thought it. Was it served it quite well?  Quinny  I think the thing that worked for me about it was the way the characters each sort of had their their very clear part of the story. 3 and when it intersects with one particular place, that’s where **** starts to go badly wrong for everyone you know you’re you’re trying to. Everybody’s trying to work out. Something and they’ve all got their their challenges. So you’ve you’ve got our our Julia Garner. Who’s been Justine, who obviously school teacher Josh Brolin is the dad of one of the. Benedict Wong is one of the the principal principal of the the school. Alden Ehrenreich is one of the cops, and Austin Abrams is is a a junkie for I mean, for lack of any better description.  Jill  He’s.  Dion  Just cop.  Quinny  And each of them.  Speaker 6  They’ve.  Quinny  Their their thing, their story, their interaction, yeah.  Speaker 7  Sure.  Jill  And each of their encounters with what is going on. And so you kind of get their perspective on. Ohh man, how do we trying?  Speaker 8  It’s hard not to spoil it, but.  Dion  Isn’t it you? You get there? It’s, it’s. Yeah, they they put out like, I mean the the, the film posits a strange occurrence, and then all of these different people come into it at different ways, like their their approach that they’re in, they’re affected by it in different ways. And the way that they approach it is. All 100% what everyone knew and I would do like. Yeah, there are no, there is no stupid situation. I have to admit there’s nothing stupid about each of these characters and decisions they’re making along the way. It’s just that there is something else affecting them and we as the audience know that there is something real bad. Happening and we can’t stop them, even though within their characters like, you know, the problem with horror and like that kind of stuff. You’re like, don’t go into there. That’s stupid. You never do that. Stop splitting. Up. I don’t think there’s one character in this that makes a dumb.  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Dion  Every single character is like. This is weird. But I need to find the kids. And I’m just going to do something that’s seemingly innocuous but suddenly ends up in a world. Of hurt. Like and, that’s what I thought was great about it. Isn’t one of those things like watch out for the slash? Are they going to get you? It’s like, no, they don’t know they’re. Going to be gotten. Because they’re doing something really boring, like going to a house. In the middle of the day, yeah. And then, you know, bad **** happens not because they made a dumb decision, because something else is affecting them.  Quinny  Yes. Yeah, it’s, it’s smart and it doesn’t treat its audiences in any way stupid. Yeah, it takes some weird turns. Ohh.  Dion  100%.  Quinny  Like, yeah, there’s, I don’t know whether we talk about it afterwards or what, but there’s stuff to in the last act that I was just like, what the ****? And it really there was in some very strange directions. But up until that point, you’ve also had a bunch of pretty ******* weird moments. And there’s a point where.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  Like you said, Joe, it’s gone fairly slowly for a while. Yeah. And then there’s a point. Where it just suddenly ramps up and it’s no longer creeping dread. Now it’s running ******* screaming, running, screaming, terrifying.  Jill  Naruto running.  Quinny  This is ******** terror.  Dion  And. Look, I I. Liked it because they set everyone up as an unreliable narrator or character, but everyone is in is is unreliable in this you immediately start following Justine, who’s the school teacher, and they go to great lengths to explain why. Maybe she.  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Speaker  It.  Dion  You know, and they do all of that like maybe the father, like is Josh Brolin’s character is maybe he’s got something to do with it because he seems. Overly crazy at certain points of time, but. Ultimately it’s it’s it’s very sane reactions to a very insane situation, and I think that was the success of how it worked.  Speaker 6  For me, does that make sense? Yeah. Here’s one roll. Sorry.  Dion  Hmm, also shot beautifully. Also shot. Beautifully.  Quinny  Shot beautifully and a lot of it in the very, very, very dark.  Dion  But that’s what worked, man.  Quinny  Absolutely. Like there are a lot of sequences moving around through dark houses and at night and stuff like that, which you know is one of those great tropes of all things horror. I do remember watching something recently only in the last couple of years where I was blown away that they did a horror, but in full daylight.  Jill  Oh, OK.  Quinny  And I’m bugged if I remember what it was, but it it it really impressed me that they managed to do. In full light, this one does a bit of it here and then the really.  Speaker 7  The character I.  Quinny  Wanted to call out that I thought was really impressive. Was James the our junkie buddy, really?  Speaker 8  OK, well, I was impressive.  Quinny  His character, like in terms of performance wise. Not likable, not likable at all, but the energy that he came at that with.  Speaker  No.  Quinny  Like the the really nervous ****** ** energy and the like. The complete sort of. Unreliability of the character I was like ****, that’s a really good performance. I don’t like the guy. I don’t like him at all, but that’s cause it’s a really good performance.  Speaker 8  Yeah.  Jill  Yeah, that’s true.  Dion  You know? Yeah. I mean, yeah, that was like, I mean, to be honest, halfway like by the time we got to that character, I didn’t know how they were going to make him scary because he is just a junkie. And they did do some pretty good, scary, scary scenes with that just really boring situation. Technically, when you look back at it after the jump scares and after everything has happened, you’re like ****. That was so tense. For something that was really boring.  Quinny  There is a sequence and I the possibly the sequence that the whole cinema reacted to the most.  Speaker  MHM.  Quinny  And. I don’t. It’s what I love about it and I’m not going to try and describe it because it it would be doing it a disservice to describe the sequence. But what I loved about it was that it was. Fear created almost purely through sound. Like there’s a visual element to it. Something that is this growing danger.  Dion  Yeah.  Quinny  But then the use of sound was the thing that made the whole audience go **** no. Like literally the guy behind me when you heard a particular sound that door open just went oh, no. Oh, no, no.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  No. And I heard.  Jill  The dream sequence.  Speaker 6  No, no, no. OK, it’s.  Dion  It’s this like this, like stalking sequence.  Quinny  In a car.  Speaker 7  Ohh.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, right.  Speaker 7  Yep, Yep.  Dion  See this is this is what I’m talking about the the the ability to create tension based around very boring, very banal, very normal ****.  Speaker 6  Mm-hmm.  Dion  In this is great. By doing you know great things. I was like, great. It’s gonna be in the middle of night. It’s like 2:00 AM. She’s creepy anyway. Yeah. And now we’re going to make this creepier by, you know, making it sound like there aren’t many sounds like you can hear things, but you don’t need to see it. Like, if you hear, don’t show.  Quinny  Yeah.  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Dion  It can be very creepy and I like that too when there are inside certain other houses and they’re doing the low light stuff that you kind of do.  Jill  Not just sound, but like lack of sound.  Dion  And yeah, lack of sound is a great. A great way to do that.  Jill  I think one of my favorite sequences was the dream sequence of Josh Brolin’s character because it was shot from like first person perspective. So really felt like a dream. And because it was like, you know, semi dark and like the cameras turning as if like. A person is walking through a house and you know doors are opening, but you’re not seeing it because it’s as if you’re doing it. Was absolutely terrifying because there’s like. If anybody has ever had a nightmare where, like you can’t control what’s going on and you’re like, fighting with yourself to even accomplish something within the dream, it felt just like that and that. Was that was. Really incredible bit of movie making, I thought.  Quinny  And and the the every time you round a corner or whatever, you’re expecting something to. Be there to to, you know, wanna hurt you or whatever. Cause you know vaguely where what we’re kind of doing here. We’re in horror territory. Yeah, but.  Dion  Yeah, yeah. And on top of that, I also love the the interesting ability here to allow the audience to really use their imagination while they’re watching this because.  Speaker 6  Mm-hmm.  Dion  Setting up a camera. Like we we had in the end of the trailer there or not at the end of the trailer, but like there’s scenes of like an open doorway, it’s pitch black. You can’t really see anything inside, but can you because your mind starts to fill things in?  Speaker 8  Yeah, I know. Cause it felt. It’s exactly like nightmares that I have where you’re like you’re looking and you’re looking. And it’s like you’re trying to make out something and it’s like is that.  Dion  Exactly.  Speaker 8  Something? Or is it just like?  Dion  Is it a shape? Is it a shape in the room or is it just your? Your chair group has come alive, or those those other ones, so I thought was really good, which is moving around the house and everything is normal and fine. But wait.  Speaker  Yeah, my God.  Dion  What is that like when you when your brain finally kicks in and goes, that’s not actually supposed to be there. That is not what you expect in that sort of thing. And you have to come back to it and you realize ****.  Speaker 6  Mm-hmm.  Dion  That’s terrifying. Like, these are the successful things about it, which is why I really hated watching it. But I enjoyed the. **** out of. The movie, like it was just fun and it was really fun. It, like really, as I said, it was really fun taking quinny along. So I recommend someone take someone who hasn’t seen their **** before.  Jill  Hey.  Dion  Hey, sorry Jill.  Jill  Yay on the titz off scale.  Dion  Yes, titz off none left **** all gone flying everywhere.  Jill  None left. That’s a big fat 0 on. The **** off scale.  Dion  They, they they, they were like, you know, Shinkansen hanging out the window. ****, they’re just gone.  Quinny  Love that we both.  Speaker 7  Had the same age. I love that they’re.  Dion  Connected though. I just thought that they’re like.  Quinny  Well, they connected for a while and then they go. Right. I I don’t know how many tips are off for me because I was scared titless.  Speaker 8  Ah, well, there you go. That’s zero as well.  Quinny  Yeah.  Speaker 7  Yeah, like.  Jill  I don’t know, just like in the last couple of movies that I’ve seen this month, I’ve just have not had. A reaction like I did. With this one MMM.  Quinny  Yeah. Yeah. Well, and and you, you come out of it with a very distinct sense of man. I’ve watched something. Yeah, like. You know, it wasn’t safe. It wasn’t normal. It it. It didn’t feel like just your average ******* horror. Like, oh, God. What was that movie we watched a couple of years back for? None. Like, based on The Conjuring thing.  Speaker 8  Yeah.  Jill  Yeah.  Quinny  And it was just like, yeah, it’s a horror film. Yes. There’s a spooky nun. Cool. Like, in some ways, smile was a little bit like that, though I did find it was creepy as ****. But this, I don’t know, this was doing something different. This was really going into a different level of. Scary.  Dion  I I feel like collectively. Everyone was like in the film that I was sitting there going. And yes and. Everyone just kind of decided not to talk about it anymore, cause too many people died and it was too freaky. And I’m like, yes, kind of like barbarian. Kind of like weapons. We’ve watched it now and ****, you know, a lot of stuff happened and things are good, but like. Just collectively not gonna watch it again. Or not gonna talk about it because you’re still processing stuff about it. Umm. Yeah. Anyway, look. But also, you know, I can see why some people were unhappy with it.  Quinny  What? Where do you think? It didn’t work.  Dion  It’s interesting because, well, I don’t think it it’s. I can see how some people were a bit unhappy with it because they might have wanted to go more into the slasher horror kind of stuff at the end because I feel like there was the turn that happens and it goes into more explanations. You don’t really understand.  Speaker  Oh.  Dion  Exactly what’s going on, but came to me. It became more comedy and I was like ohh, I’m getting this now. You just have to go with it and you know the ending isn’t as satisfying. I think that some people were really after because it has no resolution for the characters. But. You know, I feel like after the tension of the 1st. Aaron, Aaron. A bit. I was like, I’m happy for it to just help me relieve the tension.  Quinny  Yeah.  Dion  Yeah. And also, you know, people could be sitting there going. Ohh, I didn’t. You know, everyone thought it was great, but I didn’t like it. Like, yeah, OK, I did.  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Dion  It was fun.  Quinny  I’d I’d like predicate because thing I went in after hearing a ton of fat, and though I enjoyed it, I’m still firmly bitted.  Dion  Still, yeah, sure.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah. Yeah, like I can see why. So there is a massive tonal turn. Like. Yeah, and there’s a point where, like it goes. We’ve already talked about where it ramps up, the action, kind of the the like, the threat becomes a lot higher. Mm-hmm. But then there’s another point a little bit later on where it takes a fairly sharp left turn. Into what could be seen as comedy.  Dion  Yeah.  Jill  Yeah. I mean, I think it’s a comedic moment, but it kind of like washes all of the drama and the the evil away and kind of leaves you with. OK, this was a really ****** ** situation and you know a number of horrific things happened, but by the end of it, we’re all able. To walk away. Like and put the situation behind us and I think. If it hadn’t have ended, you know very finally like the way it did. Then it kind of leaves you open to explore that situation maybe happening again. So I think like, yeah, I think I feel like the comedic twist of the ending. Was to relieve all of the tension that we built throughout the whole movie.  Quinny  Absolutely now.  Jill  But to do it in a way that wasn’t necessarily with a scare.  Quinny  Yeah, though I I would say that they I felt like we started to get elements of comedy earlier. Ohh, OK. Like essentially when we’re introduced to one of the characters that we haven’t talked about that does. Kind of push the film into a different space. It goes from being kind of. Of. This uncertainty about what? Is happening too. Suddenly there is a. Focus for it. And the focus is. Or could be. Are let down 4 people and I. Yeah. So I had that that moment where I was like that’s that’s a weird ******* choice and I’m still creeped out. But yeah.  Dion  Should.  Jill  I I’ll stand by that choice because I think it was. It’s a good way to catch you unawares.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, very true. Very, very.  Dion  True. So, Jill while. Try and find your **** to. Reattach them.  Speaker  Shouldn’t.  Quinny  Somewhere in the fields of Japan and all. Through the.  Dion  Quinnie, do you have a rating for for weapons?  Speaker 7  Yeah.  Quinny  Oh yes, that’s a good question. OK, I’m going to go.  Speaker 6  Adding.  Quinny  I was genuinely creeped out by most of the film, and I think it works. Incredibly well as a. Really. Proper, good, scary ******* horror. Your your mileage is going to vary as to whether or not the last bit like the the last. From a certain point onwards, works for you. For me, it did kind of make me go. Huh. But it still kept the tension pretty high. So yeah, that’s where I’m at. It’s 84. If you’ve got a number, drop it. Dion  Jewel. Right.  Quinny  In that chat. I look for them.  Dion  I was going to go 85. Ah, but I’m not. I’m gonna go 86 because I like round math. So, dude, Jill, you could totally frustrate me but.  Jill  Even number.  Dion  Getting an odd number.  Quinny  That prick dangers jumped to 93, so **** you.  Dion  Yeah.  Jill  Well, then I’ll bring it back and. I’ll, I’ll go. For a 91 so that we can.  Speaker 6  Oh ****.  Jill  Even it up.  Dion  All right.  Jill  We’re going to go 90, but because of the odd number, I’ll go 91 even it.  Dion  Yeah. Out again. Yeah, 86. I really. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was just, like, kind of watching barberry and like, what the **** is happening? But it’s really good. Can I recommend it to people? Yes, with, with, with ******* guard rails as in. You know, Peter didn’t come. That’s OK. She’s not going to see this. You know, she’s going to be like, Nope.  Quinny  Not the kind of thing that.  Dion  Beck’s gonna like. No, no, all of those kinds of things like it. It’s not for everyone. But I do think it’s great. So, yeah, that was my 86. And, Jill, you’ve already got not 91.  Speaker  No.  Jill  At 91, I I have a horror friend and I immediately went to her and said hey, I watched weapons and she said Ohh good, I’m going to go and see it on Friday. And then when she came back to me, she.  Speaker 8  Said what the ****? That was so good.  Jill  Like that ending was So what the ****? And I’m like, yeah, but it was great. And like, yeah, we were just, like, dissecting, you know, the way that they built tension and all that kind of stuff and the pay offs were were all really good. I got to say the creative.  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Jill  Format for the storytelling was was great. I thought that was very inventive for like a horror film. Yeah, the.  Speaker 8  Anything that made me ******* scream, I’m like, yes. Big ticks so.  Quinny  Yeah, it takes a bit to actually get you to scream. I I heard you scream and I thought that wouldn’t have.  Jill  There were so many moments throughout the film where I actually had to stop eating and drinking because holding on to the chair and I’m like, crawling back into the chair, like with my arms crossed thinking Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God. And yeah, it it made me out loud scream, not just like shock. No, I screamed. And thank God it was like a loud. Tension release in the. Audio of the film as well to kind of cover up. The embarrassment of me screaming in a horror movie, but yeah.  Dion  And. I had the yeah.  Jill  Really thoroughly enjoyed.  Speaker  It.  Dion  I had The thing is like I I like weapons as a journey. Of a film. Like.  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Dion  I don’t think that there’s like there’s no point talking about A twist or a turn or this thing and this other what the **** I’m like. I like the journey of the film. Yeah, I mean.  Jill  I feel like you don’t get to have all of this fun in the end of the movie if you don’t put in the work at the start of getting through the build up.  Dion  Yeah. And by chopping it up and following.  Quinny  Yeah, you’ve gotta get to know the characters.  Dion  Yeah. And chopping up and following people with different experiencing not the same time from a different perspective, but also like different times at different perspectives. Once you understood the establishment of the character.  Jill  Yeah, but you kind of start to get little other pieces in within these people stories so that you can, like, try to build what’s happening before it’s just revealed to you in the movie. So like you as an audience are actually doing work in the film.  Dion  Yeah.  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Quinny  Too. I like that. I really like the feeling that it was showing me things. But I wasn’t. Being spoon fed them exactly and there are certain things that they showed and implied, but never actually said. So you have to make the assumption that that character did that. They may not have, but did fairly heavily implied. I live with that. I love being asked as an audience to put a little bit of thought in.  Speaker 6  Yeah. MHM.  Dion  Crazy concept. Look, Speaking of James, I actually have a James Heavy trailer for this. Just goes on about that. We’ll do that and then come back and try not to spoil, but still talk about.  Speaker 7  Oh, OK.  Dion  It a bit more depth, OK.  Speaker  I’m calling about the $50,000 reward. For information about the missing kids. Because I know. Where they are. Filter. Help me. Help me. Come on. Please help me.  Dion  Oh yes, we. Yeah, that was James. He was the the junkie, and he had tent and a very bad experience in a tent.  Jill  Sure. Just sure, we’ve all had a bad experience in the tent.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah. Mine was really intense.  Dion  Ohh George yes, and thankfully for people who haven’t seen it. And you’re like, no.  Speaker  ah  Jill  You up for that one?  Dion  Thank you. I’m like, yeah, yeah, but. It’s a really it’s. It’s so good how it makes you go. ****. I don’t wanna know about that, but it gives you an understanding back when you like, I feel like. Having watched it and then you look at all of the tents and and spooky scenes that were through earlier in the movie, you’re like, ohh, that’s not that spooky when you really think about it. It was our own imagination making it spookier than we thought. But again, of course no like.  Speaker 7  No, sure.  Quinny  Like it’s scary.  Dion  Yeah.  Quinny  It’s it’s interesting, I think I said to you guys afterwards, I I thought we were going perhaps to go in a different direction with it. So there’s a there’s a Stephen King short story that I love super short, like, only like 5 or 6 pages or something like that called suffer the little children. It’s in one of his short story collections and it’s about a teacher. Who starts seeing out of the corner of their eyes their their primary school kids? As like little demons like you know that they’re they’re wrong. They’re twisted. There’s something ****** ** about them, but only out of the corner of their eyes. So when they turn and look at them.  Jill  Ohh, I see kids like that all the time.  Quinny  Yeah. So that’s just being a teacher. But then, yeah, one day teacher goes and 1 by 1 calls all the kids at her office. Cool. Yeah. And I thought maybe we were going to go into that direction and I was like, because that’s one. Of my favorite stories, but it’s still ****** **.  Dion  Yeah, the welcome to. The thing about the unreliable like characters that we’re we’re following here and like I think yes, Karina, I’m not. I don’t want to talk about the spoiler of the twists, that of why is it like, why is this all happening? Mainly because I don’t think it’s it. It doesn’t do anything to give you. A reason to go see the movie.  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Dion  I’d rather talk around it and let people go and see it and say, hey, did you like that? Cause it’s ****** **, isn’t it? Like I don’t really.  Jill  Yeah, like, don’t be like my mother who told me that. Bruce Willis was dead the whole time, so that I don’t even bother to watch 6th sense. Yeah. And to this day have not watched it.  Dion  You know, Jill, I gotta say I’m. I’m. I’m with you on that because it was spoil. It was spoiled for me in the break room at at a work thing. And I was like, ohh. And they’re like, oh, you haven’t seen I’m like, no, because it came out yesterday.  Jill  What’s the point? There. Yeah. Thanks.  Speaker 6  Thanks.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, I remember.  Dion  So I’ve never actually watched it.  Quinny  Trying to watch like Battlestar Galactica, the the 2000 series, and then somebody said to me, oh, I can’t believe that such and such and such and such and such for the final styles. And I was like. What the ****? And they’re like, ohh. It’s a joke. And I’m like you weren’t ******* joking.  Dion  Thanks.  Quinny  That’s cool. Well, I got to interview them this ******* weekend. So great.  Dion  Well, look, the the I think the the the non spoilery things I can say about it is that I was disappointed with. Was that the whole mystery is all about the kids. All right.  Speaker 6  Dion  And then you really don’t get a good resolution with the kids.  Jill  Yeah.  Dion  And it’s just a little bit you, you, I understand why they did the things that they did, but there isn’t. There isn’t a great resolution really.  Jill  Yeah, I feel like you don’t always have to have that in a film.  Speaker 7  No, and there is something.  Jill  It’s like we said, like it was. It was really. The journey of the movie that was the reward.  Dion  I got to say by the end of it, like the the kid who plays Alex, Carrie Christopher, he like I didn’t give a **** about.  Jill  Gorgeous little kid.  Dion  I yeah, I I was really disappointed with that kid right up until towards the end. And then I’m like ohh, that that kid did a really ******* good. Like having to do with a lot of adult themes and adult concepts by the end. And you’re like, holy ****, that kid is either gonna be a freaking St. or the devil.  Quinny  And I do like that whilst it’s avoiding tropes all over the place, you know, and it’s doing everything it can to try and not be the obvious or whatever you do still end up in a haunted house in a way. And you know it, it’s becomes.  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Jill  Yeah, with your don’t go in the basement moment.  Quinny  I know you. You’ve got 100%, you’ll do not go in the basement moment. And I was like, yeah, cool. We’re we’re. You know, we’re hitting on those things because I do think there is something like really archetypal about certain ideas and horror concepts. And being chased around your own house. Is terrifying, and people that you know not being themselves is terrifying. Yeah, yeah.  Dion  You know, and now you’ll never look at a kid in a playground running like that with their arms out. Being a plane without going whoop.  Quinny  Have you ever Naruto run? Dion  Didn’t you? You asked that question.  Jill  God, I I. Have dignity.  Quinny  I asked it off microphone.  Jill  I have dignity I.  Quinny  Thank you.  Jill  Run.  Quinny  I have seen so many people Naruto run around conventions.  Jill  I bet you.  Quinny  Have you know I’ve seen so many *******.  Jill  Yes. Yeah, they don’t do it ironically either.  Quinny  You. This. No. And I just wonder, I I I look at this and I was like, was that intentional? Did they know that they were doing that? Oh, isn’t it? No, no.  Jill  This is not a Naruto. Arm is like the arms have to be out back behind you, yeah.  Dion  Out. Yeah, they’re gonna be.  Quinny  Ohh. OK, right. Sorry, right, right. Just like.  Jill  This was like.  Dion  Yeah, this is just.  Jill  Just to the side.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sort of straight down kind of thing, but I mean don’t take anything you see on anime and try and replicate it and realise you’ll just hurt yourself.  Quinny  Yeah. Or someone.  Dion  Else. Yeah, yeah, yeah, all parties.  Quinny  Teapots. Right. OK, yeah.  Dion  Fair enough. Kind of planking. If only they were yelling, skippity rears when they ran around.  Quinny  Yeah, like there are. There are so many really good, very quick jump scares. Like, you know, there are there’s moments in a bed, there’s moments, you know, all over the place where you just like, really good. Momentary jump skis, but it also does that very clever thing of going we’re building up to a a jump scare and then we’re going to give you something that isn’t the jump scare. But. That can be really obvious. Like we all know that if you’re gonna build up to a jump scare, you’re not gonna give us the jump scare. You’re gonna add in a a thing. This one I was like actually that were pretty good. Like they weren’t fake outs or anything. These felt like something that still maintained the tension.  Speaker  See.  Dion  See, I really wish we’d had been able to arrange it earlier for you to have seen, barbarian. I get before this.  Speaker 6  One going on about barbaric.  Jill  We keep talking about it. We keep talking about it, but only.  Dion  Like.  Jill  For a very good.  Speaker 7  Reason. OK so so.  Dion  I warn you, I. Don’t you, Connie? It’s not a fun watch. I’m not recommending this to you because I think you’re gonna have a good time. I’m recommending it for you because all of the tense and scary things that you kind of felt from weapons, you’re going to get in barbarian again.  Quinny  OK so. Can you give me a like give me a vague synopsis of what barbarian is about.  Dion  It’s about the dangers of Airbnb.  Jill  Yeah.  Quinny  Oh, right.  Dion  Sounds boring, huh? Definitely not.  Jill  Yeah, but Justin Long is in it, but. And he’s the red herring.  Speaker 6  Eh.  Quinny  Right, so This is why you were all very excited when. He showed up in this.  Jill  Yeah. We’re Justin long shows up in a horror movie. Yeah, right.  Dion  As the thing like. It’s it’s done it it, it does a little bit of vignette things where it sort of takes the the two things it’s like it’s following Justin Long and it’s following another character. And they’re both standing at the same Airbnb and then it’s following one.  Jill  Yeah, there’s like, a really good fake out in the beginning because you’re like, ohh, this is very much going to be this thing and then it’s not. And then you’re like, but wait, what the **** is actually happening?  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, it’s like. Yeah. And by the time you find out what the **** is actually happening, you’re like. What the **** is happening?  Jill  Yeah. And you’re like, why and why and why?  Dion  No, no. And then it.  Speaker  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Dion  Just turns out it was just really, really ******* creepy.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  Yeah. Anyway, but it is more. It is more your traditional horror.  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Dion  You know.  Quinny  Right cause I I looked at that and I thought it sounded a bit more like the torture pointy kind of things like.  Speaker 6  This.  Jill  Body horror elements in it, that’s for sure.  Dion  There’s a little bit of torture **** because I’ve gotta also say there was just that thing of like, I don’t want to be in that situation and it’s a bit too graphic for me. Yeah, but you don’t like, you know, it’s. It’s just a good. It was the start of the way of building tension and and confusing you by going. We’re going to present you with a thing that says you’re going down this road, but it’s just going to kind of keep going. And then it’s actually like, wait. I was on on a road at all. I was actually on a lake. How did I get in this lake? And I’m not in a boat. What is going on?  Quinny  Sorry, I just I wanted to look up torture **** films cause I’m trying to think of it and particular one.  Jill  What kind of results did you?  Quinny  Just get well. Yeah, it was not a. Good time hostel. That was the one that I was trying. To. Find the name of hostel and hostel too.  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Quinny  But I love it.  Jill  Ohh, not not hostile you’re saying hostel?  Quinny  Hostile. Sorry. Yeah. Like that was one of those ones where it’s just like, you know, bad things happen to people. Human centipede, that kind of thing, bad things happened to people. It’s about the the torture.  Speaker  Oh.  Jill  Yeah, yeah.  Quinny  Salo. 120 days of sort. Sort of I was. I’m looking down this list, and I’m like, oh, yeah, I remember that when I run into that one. Yeah. Yeah. OK. And then I get. Justin Bieber never say never like. Well done to whoever ******* wrote that.  Jill  Well done.  Quinny  List because that was. Comic timing, like you wouldn’t believe.  Speaker  Ohh dear look.  Dion  There’s, you know, like, weapons isn’t a perfect film. There are some beats, I think didn’t quite. Planned and some decisions, as you said like it it goes a bit strange in the end. You’re like you’re going to go with it or you’re just going to be like oh.  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Dion  That’s sure that’s. Stupid. It’s like, no, I was. Yeah. No, I was 100% there for it too.  Quinny  I I yeah, I actually thought and I said to a couple of people, I thought it let off the the accelerator a little bit when they introduced the.  Dion  The reason?  Quinny  The reason? Yeah, like the to me when we started to get a few answers as to what was causing this, I felt like the tension ratcheted down a little bit.  Dion  Yep. I feel like they’ve they’ve followed that through with the comedy though, but they did ramp back the they did get back to the tension as they try to resolve everything as you get to the resolution.  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Dion  You’re wrapping. You’re ramping that sort of thing up again. Yeah. I thought they did it quite well. And, you know, the the end of it was. Fun.  Jill  I think it’s just like we’re going to blow off all. Of the steam that. Yeah, you know. Yeah. Of this movie? Yeah. And we’re going to do it in a comedic way, just to kind of like, yeah, that all out, you know.  Dion  Yeah. I mean, I feel like by the end of it, the audience was all kind of like, oh, ****, that was weird and ****, and I don’t know, but it was much more. Or interesting to to see that whole audience who had who had. Spent. You know good hour and a half tense as ****, absolutely sitting there going. What the **** is happening? I don’t want to be in this audience or thankfully, we’re all experiencing this together to then have a bit of a OK, well, OK, ****. OK. What was that all about? And I love confusing a confused audience. Not a confused.  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Dion  Audience like why was Ice cube in an ad for Amazon for 80 minutes? But more like that. Was that good like I had that the thing when at the end of it I was like, is that was that a good movie?  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Quinny  And I think people will take away from it what they what they will, you know, they’ll they’ll either enjoy bits of it or they want or they’ll find that some of it worked for them and some. Of it didn’t. Yeah, but. It’s done very well. That’s something that I do, you know, I’m happy to report that it’s. Done a lot better than most of the other films were released this weekend.  Jill  Quinny  Like based on its budget and everything, it’s kicked the **** out of a couple of much bigger films.  Jill  Good for.  Quinny  Them. Yeah, one of them being freakier Friday.  Dion  Look, I’m. I’m.  Jill  The Disney cash grab.  Dion  I’m happy that Zach Cregger, you know, survived the bidding war for weapons.  Speaker 6  Yes.  Dion  And that Jordan Peele fired a couple of people over not getting it.  Jill  Ohh, Jordan Peele movie coming out soon. Him.  Dion  Oh yeah. Yeah. Yes, but he was. Yeah, he was trying like Jordan Peele was trying to get Zach Craig as, Umm, spec script for his production company and did not get it. And then fired two of his management people for not getting it. OK. And I’m like, OK, but the really interesting thing I think for the next project that has been announced for this director is the Resident Evil reboot. Oh ****. And he’s writing directing. It. Ohh so it was like OK. Interesting. Yeah. Hmm. I mean, you never like a franchise with an established fan base, and many temps is fraught with peril. Yeah, absolutely.  Speaker  Yes.  Jill  But it means we don’t have to see *******. Milla Jovovich wheeled out again.  Dion  You’d leave Miller alone. She’s the supreme being.  Quinny  I mean. I love that they even attempted another reboot a few years ago and just nobody paid any attention to.  Dion  It. Yeah, I love that even one of them was a 3D1, which was like, you know, your franchise is in trouble when you’ve gone through an era of 3D coming and going again. Like jaws, jaws through the return jaws, three Jaws 3D. Like what the ****?  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Dion  Anyway.  Quinny  Trying to remember what that ******* ohh yeah. Resident Evil. Welcome to Raccoon City, you know? Yeah, the one that nobody paid any attention to at. All. But it mean.  Dion  Yeah, you know, look had no Miller in.  Quinny  It.  Dion  It’s.  Quinny  Oh well, look, I’m. I’m keen to see what he does next. Absolutely. And if he can make Resident Evil work? Cause like to me, I think that’s that’s not actually it shouldn’t be that hard. Like resident evil’s.  Jill  Yeah, it’s really not. It’s such a straightforward premise.  Quinny  Yeah, if you do a good solid zombie film and you use the characters that are in the in the games, it’s not that hard. I would ******* love to see this guy have a go at Silent Hill.  Jill  Yeah, that could have been.  Quinny  Like.  Jill  Silent Hill would have been better than Resident Evil. For this guy.  Quinny  Yeah, I think he’s his. Disturbing.  Jill  Because this guy is like, so good at, like, suburban. Dystopia.  Quinny  Yeah.  Jill  So I think like silent. Hill would be perfect for.  Quinny  Him absolutely.  Dion  Is am I the only one who didn’t mind the Silent Hill film that came out with rider? Mitchell, like I thought it was alright.  Quinny  No, I quite liked it. If the.  Dion  Freaky and the and the Borg Queen as the evil witch woman.  Speaker 6  Yeah.  Quinny  That was another one where I was like, OK, it it started really well, did some really good creepy stuff and then ended poorly. But yeah, I quite like that.  Speaker  Sure.  Dion  I mean, I’ve I I’m I I think with in return in in the idea of Zach Gregor. I’m kind of like just let him cook. Don’t give him a franchise. Don’t let him don’t make him do other **** just like no let him do his stories he’s doing quite well at the moment.  Jill  Yeah.  Dion  Of just. That’s true. Going barbarian? Yeah, that’s a good one. Weapons pretty good. You know what’s the next one? And I don’t pitch quinnie. Go for him and say, like, can you make a the same horror film, but everything you shot during the? Hi.  Quinny  I would love to see somebody ever go. On. It I haven’t watched Midsummer so.  Dion  Really.  Quinny  Yeah.  Dion  It answers the question who would you like? Would you prefer a bear or a man?  Speaker 8  Yes.  Dion  In the wheel.  Quinny  I don’t know because I always looked at that and I thought it looked a little bit, Wicker Manish, but now I’m completely confused as. To what that may actually be that.  Dion  Yes, but it’s a woman, so it’s a Wicker woman.  Quinny  Ohh.  Dion  Sorry, there are no. Ease.  Quinny  Good, because they weren’t me in the ******* original.  Dion  Film No, but there was in the Nick Cage one.  Quinny  Don’t don’t say it.  Speaker 7  Not. Why would you mention? ******* ohh. You broke my legs.  Dion  It’s very bad, it’s. Yeah, Speaking of Speaking of bad, what are we doing next week?  Quinny  Oh, oh, well, well.  Speaker  Oh.  Jill  Hopefully it’s not a bad show, yeah.  Dion  Two shows having a bit of. It

K-Pop Demon Hunters K-Pop Demon Hunters sounds like a joke title, but this action packed adventure/romance/musical/ martial arts action film… is really something different! The surprise animated hit of the year which has been not only smashing streaming video records (thats Netflix for ya), but also demolishing the music charts (Golden hitting no. 1 on Spotify!) is something nobody saw coming, but now that it’s here we may never be the same! Its a heady mix of Korean mythology, flying swords-person action, heartbreaking romance, radical self acceptance and all with a K-Pop soundtrack that lets be clear… absolutely slaps. We have a special guest for this show, with our beloved Ardella (Bec) chiming in to profess her undying love of this unexpected gem! Dion may have his demonic grump on, but Jill and Quinny both are singing from the hymn-book of hon-moon creation. Synopsis K-Pop Demon Hunters” tells the story of a K-pop girl group, Huntrix, who are also demon hunters, tasked with protecting the world from demons and their king, Gwi-Ma. They use their music to maintain a magical barrier called the Honmoon and work towards strengthening it into the Golden Honmoon, which would permanently banish demons. Their mission is complicated when a rival demon boy band, the Saja Boys, emerges, stealing their fans and weakening the Honmoon. https://youtu.be/gsMp_Oq-_mY As always, a musical magical thank-you to the K-popping demon hunting divas who join in with the conversation on the Twitch stream, live each Tuesday night at 7:30pm AEDT. And an especially huge thanks to any of the glow stick waving uber fans who are kind enough to support us by programming a tip in our jar via Ko-Fi, or subscribing on twitch… every bit helps us to keep the honmoon strong and if not golden, a bit bronzed… If you feel so inclined drop us a sub we really love them, The more subby mc-sub-faces we get, the more Emotes You get! https://youtu.be/3JTVQTk36R8?si=CPEwLl_mx84YG1Iw https://youtu.be/yebNIHKAC4A?si=ImoyGFkIO-pC3a99 https://youtu.be/983bBbJx0Mk?si=_B-EAl_rChUeZ8c0 WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK! Send in voicemails or emails with your opinions on this show (or any others) to info@theperiodictableofawesome.com Please make sure to join our social networks too!  We're on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TPToA/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/TPToA Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeriodicTableOfAwesome Instagram: www.instagram.com/theperiodictableofawesome/ Full text transcript Dion  Ohh hello and welcome to the periodic Table of awesome. Well, we’re getting on to this Tuesday night, going down the good old road of something Netflix. Are you related? Hello. Yes.  Quinny  Hello, we’re going down. And we’re going down, down, down.  Speaker 3  I know.  Quinny  What, John, why aren’t?  Dion  You singing. I don’t understand the concept. What the **** is happening? This is not a regular. Hi. My name is Dion. I’m joined tonight by Queenie and I’m joined by Jill. And I’m joined by Beck. Pop. Hello, pop. It’s been a while. Thanks for joining us. This one.  Quinny  Hey, welcome back.  Dion  Because yeah, for your viewing pleasure, you’re helping us talk about K pop.  Ardella  I am. I am this cultural phenomenon has been on repeat in my household for the last month, so I’m thrilled to talk about it.  Speaker  Hi.  Jill  Oh.  Dion  Oh.  Ardella  On the Internet.  Dion  A month.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah.  Ardella  OK, we are late to this party.  Dion  I am but I I’m 100% late to this party only because. Yeah, sorry.  Quinny  All right.  Dion  Good to you.  Quinny  No, no, no. I like I said, I actually talked about it. I don’t know the weekend it came out or the like. I watched it because I had nothing else on. I was sitting on the couch and I was like, that looks entertaining. I’ll just put that on in the background. And was then kind of like this is ******* cool. And then when in the next episode, I’m like Jill, Jill, Jill, you gotta you gotta check it out. You gotta check it. And she’s like.  Jill  Like, leave me alone. Otherwise I won’t watch.  Speaker 4  Yeah, yeah. And then the.  Quinny  It was like Jill, Jill, Penny, Penny, Penny, Penny, Penny, and she’s like, leave me alone.  Jill  Next, let’s do yeah. Sorry, it’s it’s the Aries. You can’t tell me what to do.  Quinny  Yeah, the license.  Ardella  Can I just say though, despite being one of the longest bloody trailers in the world, I. I’m so impressed by how little it manages to give away, and I wonder if we can manage to give away a similar level of not spoilers.  Jill  Yeah.  Quinny  Yeah, we can. We can. I mean we can. We also do a. Spoilery bit after we’ve done the thing, but.  Ardella  I remember how this works.  Quinny  OK, OK.  Ardella  I also remember that we often suck it, not giving too many spoilers in the free spoiler bit.  Quinny  This is a good point. Well made.  Jill  OK, we’re going to be as vague as.  Quinny  Possible. Yeah. So how did your come to it? Did you just find it on Netflix? Did did somebody recommend?  Jill  It to you. I know. Yeah. Somebody annoyed. Me to watch it, yeah.  Dion  No, Quinn. He made me watch it.  Ardella  Yes. Yeah. Did he tape your eyelids open and struck you to the chair? Yeah.  Dion  Yeah, it’s 100% Clockwork Orange, me. For this but but I’ve got this.  Speaker 1  Yep.  Quinny  And I’m not sad. I’m not. I’m not. Embarrassed about that?  Dion  I’ve got this weird. Sort of tick now that I have to keep kind of doing this and I feel like I need to do choreographed dances every now and again. So I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know anything about.  Jill  Can teach you.  Quinny  See, I don’t think we were fully aware that Beck was as into this as not as until like you you posted a video to us. You’re like look at.  Dion  Excellent.  Speaker 4  This did you dance?  Dion  Like ohh OK, you know, we’re gonna talk about stuff that, like quite blatantly. I have absolutely no ******* idea what’s going on.  Jill  I mean.  Dion  We might as well open the floor up to people who do know what the **** is.  Ardella  Going on, but have you watched it dear?  Dion  Yes, I watched it from the start to the last song.  Ardella  Great. How? How the **** do you still? Have no idea what is going on then.  Dion  Have you seen the film?  Ardella  It’s a very cromulent storyline.  Speaker 2  No wonder.  Dion  Here’s what’s going on. They’re just doing things on screen and singing songs and going. This is good. Yeah. And you’re watching it.  Jill  Yeah, pop music is a part of Concepto dialog. OK, yeah.  Dion  Sure.  Ardella  Dion should never go and see a.  Jill  Thank you.  Speaker 13  Musical is what?  Ardella  We’re hearing this is an even musical.  Quinny  No, no.  Speaker 13  Devil story.  Dion  No, this isn’t far off though.  Speaker 13  Season.  Dion  This is it. Musical level storytelling and I watched it. And I’m not saying like things are bad or weird or out of my comfort zone. It’s just it’s not really for me.  Speaker 3  Dion  And that’s OK, you know.  Ardella  You’re allowed to be wrong.  Jill  He often is.  Quinny  Also I I will point out that that Dean had had a very, very long bad day by the time that this came onto his screen and I kind of get the feeling that it was like.  Speaker 4  Oh.  Quinny  Is that a reasonably accurate description deal?  Dion  Look, you know I’m not. I’m able to separate church and state here. I can understand the value of something even though my personal opinions may have coloured it slightly. That being said, I still don’t really know what’s going on in Capot demon.  Jill  Would you? Would you like this is not.  Speaker 4  Let’s let’s have us.  Dion  I mean, sure, if you think I’ve got it, I wonder if I’ve got any music somewhere. Hang on a second.  Quinny  Yeah. Yeah. OK. K pop. Hang on. What voice am I doing?  Speaker 13  Nothing, right?  Quinny  Well, that’s it. Somebody else better do.  Dion  Ohh no.  Quinny  OK, K pop demon hunters tells the story of A K pop girl group called Hunt Tricks, who are also demon hunters tasked with protecting the world from demons from for their king Guimar. They use their music to maintain a magical barrier called the honeymoon, and work towards strengthening. Hit into the golden Hon moon. Which would permanently vanish.  Ardella  Day and age of Tik toking. And if you’re my age, Instagram, reeling a week after it’s appeared on TikTok. We’ve basically have a a huge collection of people who’ve basically seen half the movie through real. Or tick tocks and then go. OK, I may as well go and watch this movie now. So I think that a lot of people have had that experience when Quinny mentioned it. I then was like, let’s watch the trailer for this and was on board after watching the trailer and.  Speaker 1  Mm-hmm.  Ardella  My partner and I sat down and. Watched it over Friday night. We were amazed by the number of layers that this movie has that you do not get from the trailer, and I was on board just with what that surface level stuff was already.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that was the thing that surprised me. It was just the the like from a trailer, like or because I didn’t even see a trailer. I just saw it pop up on Netflix, as you know, the the, The little preview that starts playing. And I was like.  Ardella  Yeah, that’s the trailer.  Quinny  Well, but it I didn’t even watch the whole thing like it was just sort of there in the background and I was. I don’t know what that is. But **** it looks cool.  Dion  Did you just hit it like a fricking pokie machine button? As soon as it popped up, you were like chin, let’s do this.  Quinny  My good addition. Yeah, sorry, Jill. You’re gonna.  Jill  Say something. Yeah, I think at the time, quinny, when you said. Hey, Jill, have you watched K pop demon hunters yet? I think my best friend had also watched it and had, like. Posted a story about it and all I heard all over Instagram was the the main song from it Golden. It was on everything and not just like animated clips of the movie, but like just people’s reels. They’re using that song. And so I was like, oh, no.  Speaker 4  Hmm.  Jill  This is the hype zone. Jill doesn’t like being.  Speaker 4  5th.  Jill  In the hype zone. Jill wants to avoid ever watching stuff that gets into the hype zone. I still have not watched Everything Everywhere, all at once because it got too hyped, so this was heading in that direction and went. Queenie, when you said to me, have you watched it yet? I was like, I’ll get to it.  Ardella  Was interesting that you mentioned that Jill, because there are theme crossovers.  Jill  Yeah. So I don’t push me. But then I. Kept hearing the bloody music. I’m like ****, this is a catchy song and then I think it got to like the following weekend and I’m like, I’m not gonna talk to anybody about this, but I’m gonna watch.  Speaker  It.  Jill  And I was like, oh, that’s great.  Quinny  Because I’ve seen so many people who, like, have watched it, and then it’s just become their whole personality.  Jill  Ohh yeah, I mean that was on heavy rotation like the album it was. It became a hyper fixation for a.  Quinny  Yes.  Jill  Week.  Dion  Wait, so can I just get this one like coming into this just a little bit blind, you know, from this whole stuff. So you’re telling me that there are real people in the real world that saw the small part of this and it’s become a hyper fixed?  Speaker 4  Yeah.  Dion  Which is mirroring the fact that the fans of this band in the fake world have a hyper fixation problem.  Ardella  So interestingly, interestingly, the soda pop song by the Demon Boy Band for a very long time there took over the charts from the actual you know, K pop boy band of the moment BTS.  Quinny  You say?  Speaker 4  Oh yes.  Dion  The soju boys. I love the soju boys, they’re great.  Speaker 4  Ohh I love some soju.  Quinny  Beck, how do you feel about this? Pineapple surgery.  Speaker 1  What?  Dion  Soulja boys.  Jill  I like the lemon one, it’s.  Dion  Delicious.  Jill  Kind of funky, but it’s good.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like the one with the six pack.  Ardella  But what’s what’s really interesting about the soundtrack to this as compared to a traditional musical, is in a traditional musical, you’ve always got that one song that everyone skips or tunes out goes to the bathroom during it’s usually the one that the token old man sings.  Jill  Ohh OK.  Speaker 13  But.  Ardella  If you think about it, is.  Quinny  It’s the talk singing 1. You give it to the guy who can barely sing.  Jill  Ohh yeah yeah. Jeff Goldblum. Number in wicked. Yeah, exactly.  Ardella  There are no low points in this soundtrack and.  Quinny  In new tiles.  Ardella  I think even. The one song that when I was watching the movie for the first time I was like, this is kind of my bathroom breaks on. When I went back and listened to the soundtrack.  Speaker 13  Through by.  Ardella  Wolf it was still a banger. I was still singing along. I was still fully on board. I was finding all the hidden messages in the lyrics. I don’t think there is a a dud on this soundtrack.  Quinny  Nope. And as of 2 days ago, Golden went to literal #1 on the Billboard chart like it’s ******* stupid.  Ardella  Something that’s really cool about the creatives behind this entire movie is that the movie has so many authentic South Korean cultural elements to it that it has become huge in South Korea as well. And many, many people there.  Speaker 3  Hmm.  Ardella  Absolutely love it, which is so wonderful because there have has been a lot of outcry in the past about South Korean culture being misrepresented. And this is a wonderful example of cultural appreciation rather than appropriation, and one of the reasons behind that is that they have actually included many South Korean genuine K pop stars and producers, writers, and the singing voice of. The main main individual from home tricks. She was a K pop star in training who went away to go to school and stopped Kpop training. And when she came back to try and be a K pop star they told her she was too old and couldn’t do it. Anymore. And so she became a writer and a producer. Of K pop music instead, and now is singing on this and has gone to the top of the charts so incredibly hard. And I think that that lends this incredible authenticity to it, but also is kind of like a stuff you to the industry at the same time, which is amazing.  Dion  Because it’s look, it’s a curious thing about the the making of it, because actually, yes, I did. I watched the whole thing and then I even watched the credits where they showed all the behind the scenes bits of the people in there. And I thought that was really interesting. And then reading more about it and trying to find out more about it. I was like, oh, that’s interesting that they have. A bunch of Korean American. Others. Doing the voice work, but then a bunch of South Korean singers doing the song work and I was just a little bit like oh, oh, OK like why, why the need for the split like?  Ardella  They’re two different skill sets. Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Quinny  You you don’t find that many actors who can sing that ******* well. Like who can sing to the level that is required of.  Ardella  Yeah. The vocal range in golden is outstanding. That is like 3 octaves of belting. That’s insanity.  Dion  I’m asking the question to not because I’m attacking the I’m not asking the question because I might. Why? They have to get more. You know, why is it a whole bunch of different sort of people in there?  Jill  Deon, Every Disney musical movie had a talking voice actress and a singing voice actress as well. It was.  Dion  I’m pretty sure John Oliver did all the singing for his parts as Zazu, right?  Ardella  Not all. Yeah, not all of them. I think the more recent ones like Moana, the.  Dion  Of course I know.  Jill  Yeah. The more, yeah, I mean, the classic ones, I mean the ones from the.  Ardella  Voice actor sings as well.  Jill  90s when we were kids.  Ardella  Yeah. Speaking of which.  Dion  Sure.  Jill  Yes, the travesty of casting Leah Salonga in this movie.  Ardella  Yeah. And then giving her 30 seconds of background vocals to do. Leah Salonga was the singing voice of Jasmine and Mulan, and is an incredible musical theatre.  Jill  Yeah, crazy.  Ardella  Actress and amazing singer and is in there as like the the main mentor character for the Huntress Girls. And has no real singing. It’s so background that I didn’t even notice when it happened.  Jill  It’s devastating, but.  Quinny  Yeah. Yeah. Like, like putting, I don’t know. One of the. Yeah. Mariah Carey is a background character.  Speaker 3  Yeah, yeah. Like what?  Ardella  Mariah would never let that happen.  Quinny  No, no, absolutely not. So what was it about it that that sort of caught your eye? Immediately because I know what put me on the back foot straight away and made me go. That’s different. But I’d love to. Know what you guys thought?  Dion  What? What? Yeah. So there’s two. There’s two parts in that which which caught your eye. And there was a bit that caught you on the back foot which.  Quinny  Was your question what? What caught your what? One you were talking about excited you, really. Grabbed you. What?  Dion  Was that what put you? What put you on the front foot? Linked you into this show?  Quinny  The. What? Yeah, yeah.  Jill  The music I think, like I I enjoy the odd K pop. I’m. I’m not a die hard. I’m not a I don’t have a bias. I’m not like fully into the K pop culture. But I do enjoy the music peripherally, and so I thought like the songs were so catchy. And then when I saw, like, some of the animated stuff, I’m like, ohh, that’s very reminiscent of the spider verse animation. And then I realized it was a Sony thing. And then I’m like, OK. Well, this is probably going to be good.  Ardella  Yeah. I think the thing that put me off was the time.  Speaker 4  Well.  Ardella  What the hell is that? Title K pop Demon Hunters makes me think that this is trash and it is trash, but the best kind of crack trash. It’s amazing.  Jill  Quinny  MHM.  Jill  OK, you know what? It’s 100% tapped into for me was the female power story, but based in music like. I was one of those kids that was like ohh yeah, I wanna be in a girl band like that was like one of my fantasy things when I was. A child, but. Also, like yeah, being a superhero too. And like Sailor Moon. Is so intrinsic for me. It really had those kind of vibes of like, you know, magical girls that can save the planet.  Quinny  Yeah. Yeah, that’s one of the first things I why I was like, ohh you would love it. Just for the magical girl factor. Like the the costume changes the.  Speaker 4  What’s this?  Quinny  The that that very Sailor Moon kind of vibe.  Ardella  What’s so interesting for me about? The introduction, just the opening sequence was that.  Speaker 2  Hmm.  Speaker  That.  Ardella  Funky kind of intro music. The the K pop music that it starts with reminds me a lot of earlier K pop when I was into it and some of my South Korean friends just roll their eyes at me because I think that my idea of K pop is like someone. These days, being like my favorite band is the Backstreet Boys. You know, it’s like ohh sweetie.  Jill  OK. Ardella  There we go. Yeah, you’re you’re the the shush now, grandma. Everything’s fine. Because my my favourites were like the Wonder Girls. And you know quite quite early K pop. I think, you know, compared to what’s in today, but.  Dion  You can.  Ardella  It’s just so funky and fun, and the fact that. It immediately started with the classic K pop mixing of Korean lyrics in with English lyrics, and then the flip to rap in there as well, and the rap being in both Korean and English, it really grabbed me in that I was like, OK, this is. Actually K pop it, it’s not just in the name, they are actually going with it and I found it really interesting learning afterwards that the K pop element was the last thing to be added into this storyline.  Dion  Yeah.  Ardella  Interesting. Yeah, that that was the last kind of piece of the puzzle when they were developing this movie was creating it as a K pop story.  Dion  Which is very strange because I think the thing that made me. Sort of get on board a bit with it. Like a bit more was the fact that it was self aware enough to understand some of? The. Insanity behind massive mass market fandom? Not that anyone is immune to it, like it’s all around when you go looking hard and you know the West. The West has borrowed from the that that world very heavily in the past. Our last Spice Girls etcetera, etcetera.  Quinny  Not that hard.  Dion  Was the ability for it to just to be self aware take a bit of fun, have a bit of fun with it, and then continue on go like, yeah, we acknowledge that there’s this there is there is some weird **** that happens in that world and we’re just going to lean into it and understand that it’s part of it. And then move. For with the rest of it, you know, apart from the animation is great and the characters were somewhat likeable.  Quinny  There, there, there are two things that got me straight up. So initially looking at it, I thought oh, wow, this reminds me of what, KD A yeah, which, you know, is the the League of Legends K Pop group. And I was like, OK, we’re obviously kind of gonna. Yes. That’s the thing there.  Dion  Thank you. You’re not like you’re saying things like Katie and I’m like, wait, is it three letter acronym? Should I know? What the **** is going on here? Kill. Kill, death, aggression.  Quinny  K/BA.  Dion  Right, OK. So just just help me with. This it’s a foreign territory.  Quinny  They they are a a AK pop group that was done by the animation company that did League of Legends. So they’ve they’ve got a couple of songs that I actually have no idea how many songs they have about that. And I looked at that and I thought, OK, there’s a touch point. But the thing that and I have the same thing. Hip hop demon hunters. What a stupid ******* name. But watching it, I got to about 5 minutes in and the moment that they’re on the plane and. And they allowed their characters to be ugly and to do stupid faces. And they’re beautiful characters who are fully, you know, gorgeous and made-up, and everything are burping and, like, eating ramen and fighting like ******* demons. But at the same time, they are. Very, very comedic and and I was like oh. ****, this is really kind of like as as soon as I watch it. I was like, this is gonna play to a a female crowd so. Well because it’s not saying look at these perfect, you know, pristine things. These are people who just want to have snacks and lie on the couch and you know relax and be ******* normal. Humans, but at the same time, they want to be super powerful. You know, warlocks that are protecting the world from demons and **** like that. Like this is every little girl’s ******* dream combined and. I was like, holy ****.  Jill  Yeah, like women can be multifaceted. They’re not just put into one box.  Quinny  The power of that.  Jill  As one thing.  Ardella  They can, but there’s absolutely no way an actual K pop band would be allowed to pig out on.  Speaker 4  Junk. Yeah, that’s the thing. It’s.  Ardella  That’s not happening in the real life world, I’m sorry to say. That is. I mean, when we think about.  Dion  But but but. The dropping in out of a plane? Sure.  Speaker 4  Just.  Ardella  Kind of disbelief there. Day on. Yeah, carries through. It carries through. But I do think that it’s interesting having that acknowledgement of. I mean it, it’s it’s an an issue, an underlying issue. I think the treatment of pop stars and this isn’t just a problem in South Korea with K pop or in Japan with J Pop, although it’s a very similar kind of culture from my understanding, yeah, in the their K pop J pop. Machines that churn out these bands that are designed and kind of almost bread to create hype and money and. All of this, we see it in like Dan was saying in. The Spice Girls.  Quinny  Yep.  Ardella  As well, we see it in these manufactured bands that have been created to take our love and to take our money, OK.  Quinny  The eagles.  Jill  There’s literally another program on Netflix right now called building the band.  Ardella  Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And I think it’s really interesting then to look at our K pop demon band. And see that they are. They’re they’re saying the quiet part out loud with with the demon boy band here. But the reality is that that is what all K pop bands are. They are there to take the love to take the energy and to take the money of their fans. And they’ve been created. Expressly to do that. And so I I just find that really interesting to have. That kind of duality on display where we’re saying no hunt tricks are the the good guys when the reality is that. All K pop bands are there to do exactly what the Demon Boy band are doing.  Dion  Yes.  Quinny  And that duality is also encompassed in the lead character as well that, yeah, there are so many elements of things that she is not comfortable with. There’s elements of her public perception that she’s not comfortable with and. You kind of like the stories of the three characters. You know that that one of them is the bad girl who doesn’t get on with her family. The other ones come from, you know, America and is is a a rapper, but she’s also really sweet. All of these things are. Prepackaged they’re made to make them assailable, you know, definable feature.  Ardella  A personality.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, that people can latch on to, but then you’re also watching and going. Yeah, they’re really funny. And they’re really cool. And I like them. And, you know, they’re they’re little horn dogs. And they, they, they just turn into popcorn and.  Dion  Thank, thankfully. Yeah, I mean, thankfully, you know, they they expressed all those lessons and of course that was the end of it. And this is all we have when. There’s one. Oh, no. That’s why there’s going to be sequels and a TV show and a live stage show. And it’s like, oh, oh, no, the demons won. Ohh no.  Jill  That’s one thing that I I would like to talk about a bit more is like the actual structure of the story. I know we’re not gonna give anything away, but I was interested that it was a movie. TV and not a TV series because I felt like there could have been a lot more character development actually happened throughout a TV series. I wanted more about the back story of the girl’s mentor. I wanted a little bit more time with the Saga boys in the demon. From in general, yeah, just a little bit more fleshing out of story I thought would be great.  Ardella  Apparently it was originally 3 hours long and I. Saw. Someone, I think it might have been tally in the in the chat mentioned that earlier.  Jill  I’d watch 3 hours of this.  Quinny  Yeah, I’m there for, I mean.  Speaker 3  Actually really.  Ardella  Joined a 90 minute movie though.  Speaker 4  We have so many long.  Speaker 3  Yeah, yeah.  Ardella  *** films coming out these days and the pacing in this felt great. I would much rather be left wanting more than be left sitting on my couch, scrolling Instagram halfway through because I’m like, this is a this is a.  Speaker  I wanted.  Jill  Sure.  Ardella  Dull bed.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, this is the song that I’m not into. And that’s the reprise of the song. I’m not. Into.  Speaker 13  It’s the old man song again.  Speaker  Ohh.  Quinny  It’s something I did like though is is while I was watching it. I you know the first number I was like ohh yeah, this is pretty cool. And then within the 1st 13 minutes, there were three, you know, musical numbers, completely different songs. Like I was watching, and I was like, oh ****, this is a secret musical. It’s not that secret, but it’s a proper musical and that, I mean, for me, for my, my taste, that was ******* great sick. Amazing and like to your point, Dion, I immediately then go totally see. This is a stage. And to your point, Beck. Ohh one of you. I’m not sure who was. Yes, I could see it working as a series because there’s a lot more to explore, and while Dion, I know that you’re like the capitalist pigs, they’re just trying to make money out of the kids sometimes. That’s OK. Because this is a ******* cool story.  Speaker 4  Yeah, I I mean.  Ardella  If you do like everyone wants our money, it is a we live in a society.  Speaker  Oh.  Jill  Here at the in the high points of the capitalism, my friend.  Ardella  Yeah, but I think that there is a a way that feel feels friendly and genuine to do that and this is hitting that nail for me. And there’s a way that feels inauthentic and.  Speaker  Hmm.  Ardella  Cash grabby and that’s not this at the moment. We’ll see how many spin offs they try and squeeze out of this and when it tips that line.  Speaker  Sure.  Ardella  But I think at the moment it still feels.  Dion  And in 15 years, when Netflix rolls back around and makes a live action version of the K pop Demon Hunters franchise, we will know hey. Yeah, now.  Ardella  Warm and flat.  Quinny  Ohh, so he said. They’re not doing it.  Dion  If you’re talking about.  Quinny  They they they got, they got absolutely ******* pilloried on the Internet when the initial run of things that they announced was live action. Make stage show and ongoing series. Everyone said do not ******* do this live action they.  Dion  Quinny. Went OK. Producers don’t care. It’s just that now there’s a lot of complaints. They’ll wait till they’re less complaints and then they’ll do it anyway for a tax break. That’s how the system works, quinny.  Speaker 4  That.  Quinny  So you’ve got another K pop.  Dion  People.  Speaker 6  Exactly.  Speaker 3  For me.  Speaker  You know like.  Dion  Stuff will happen that way, unfortunately and sometimes, fortunately, anyway, philosophically.  Ardella  Well, the sequel has already been greenlit by Netflix, which is unsurprising given that this is apparently in the couple of months that it’s been out a month and 1/2 that it’s been out. It has already topped all other animated movies on Netflix for the most watched.  Dion  Yeah. And we’re a good time behind as we have already. Explain like in in terms of the pickup of this is that came out in June, you know and it’s now **** me, August.  Quinny  Yes.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  That’s the official date.  Dion  Yeah, yeah. Every time I look at the calendar these days.  Ardella  It is now **** me.  Dion  I’m like ****. Anyway.  Quinny  I’m Jill. I want to know on your your new rating system, how many? How many tips have you got less after this?  Speaker 4  ****. No. I think that’s a good.  Jill  2 tips off.  Dion  Ohh no **** left.  Speaker 4  Yeah, yeah, I it it. Yeah, it. Put my ****.  Jill  Off I enjoyed it a lot more than I.  Dion  Jill is Jill is untited.  Jill  Was expecting to because like. I know Queenie loves animation and so his glowing review was like Oh well, it’s gotta be good. And then also my friend who loves K pop and and animation as well and even her husband who enjoys animation like both raved about it. So I’m like, OK well. This has got to be good. That kind of got me in to watch it, but it’s so strange that like. I then convinced my other friend group to watch it and they were all like, oh, this is very kiddy and every everybody else thought it was. It was quite junior, but I didn’t really. Get that read.  Quinny  No.  Jill  They were like ohh it seems like a bit of a teen bop kind of thing and I’m like, well, I am 15 years old. Guys like, that’s why I like it.  Speaker 4  I think this.  Ardella  Is very Shrek adjacent in the figure. Pitch the kid. TV like category if you want to put.  Jill  Yeah, but there’s.  Ardella  It there, but it’s so grown up.  Jill  This was the stuff for the horn bag older women like.  Speaker 4  Is that what you say, Shrek? Yes.  Quinny  She’s not.  Dion  Shrek can get it.  Speaker  I mean.  Dion  Shrek can’t get. I mean, sorry. Before we go into the ratings, which we should do soon to try.  Speaker 4  Yeah.  Quinny  No, no. We need to talk about so.  Dion  And keep in time.  Quinny  Many more things.  Dion  Yeah, there are many things to talk about. The the Quinny, you did raise a point to me the other day talking about K pop demon hunters, which is going. Yes, it’s an interesting comparison, like an interesting comparison film to perfect blue, which we talked about recently too and.  Speaker 2  Yeah.  Dion  I was like. You may have a point.  Jill  Maybe not a companion piece.  Dion  There.  Quinny  I don’t know. I think I think they’re a fantastic companion faced 11 after the other and just.  Dion  Thematically. Thematically, it’s it’s somewhat similar in in in certain ways, not not the same way, like let’s they’re too.  Jill  Ones are very dark and twisted version.  Dion  Exactly, but they both.  Quinny  Yeah, what’s when’s the demons we met. Along the way.  Dion  But they both talk about fandoms. They both talk about the some of the crushing nature of conformity and having to represent yourself as something you may not be, and the damage that that could do. And. And let’s be honest, yeah, it diverges. Very, very different. But there are interesting themes and it’s really interesting to me to think about that. That film made back in the 90s was like working out these problems then and how far we’ve come and how we relate to it. Now, how creatives are relating to that now in this space with, you know, capable demon hunters is like, yeah, look at all these. Things that are still pretty much a problem, but we’re going to acknowledge that they have been a problem and that, you know, these are the things and but we still keep going because we have good messages that we want to try to put out. And if we could all make some money, that’s. Great. But if we have competition, we will crush. It that’s one take away I got from from like K Pop bands is they crush each other.  Speaker 1  Also.  Dion  As they can.  Jill  In the charts in the.  Dion  Yeah, it’s in the chat, but literally.  Quinny  Charts that I think you know differentiate some really very differently is that in perfect blue fandom is seen as being toxic and dangerous and bad. In this one fandom is is the beautiful glowing. Power of house that will save the world and die on your face. Is telling me that you ain’t buying any of this.  Dion  I think that’s a stretch.  Ardella  Ship, haven’t we all been in a a stadium watching a band that you love and just all singing along at once and just felt that that vibe? I mean, it’s what gets people into cult. So you know that it can be used for good or for ill.  Quinny  I was we we we both watched 11,000 with 11,000 other people. People rolled dice.  Speaker 14  Yeah.  Speaker 1  Yeah.  Dion  I mean I.  Speaker 3  Yeah, it’s.  Dion  Went I went to the Jared Leto 1 and that was fine. I’m normal.  Ardella  It’s a powerful thing, is what I’m getting at, yeah.  Quinny  Yeah.  Dion  I get.  Speaker  Quinny  You and in the chat a couple of people mentioned that there’s a comparison with the Puss in Boots, the last Wish, same automotive.  Ardella  I thought his favorite movie of all time.  Dion  I still haven’t. I still haven’t watched it. Even though you keep telling me I. I know. I know get that ***** kids. You know, like there’s only so many.  Quinny  Fine.  Ardella  Come here. We will. Clockwork Orange you again.  Dion  Alright, time to go to my friend’s house and be forced. Watched it or something.  Quinny  Yeah.  Ardella  That’s how I feel about the drunk DC. Watches that we’ve.  Dion  Oh yeah, we still gonna. Do that one.  Quinny  Hmm.  Dion  I still haven’t seen Aquaman 2. Can we bookend it? Which? One should go first, is it?  Speaker 2  Oh.  Speaker 13  I didn’t even know.  Ardella  There was an Aquaman. Ohh yeah.  Speaker 4  Yes, ******* all.  Dion  Yeah. Anyway, OK, think of your think of your ratings. Yes, rate, rate and rate and spoil.  Speaker 4  Should we right and then spoil? Yeah, yes, yes, yes.  Quinny  And if you have seen it in the chat, drop me some numbers so that I can put them into the thing I love. I love keeping an eye out for them.  Dion  Look, OK, I’ll look. I’ll start. Cause Get Me Out of the way. Why? Not. RIP the Band-Aid. Off, yeah, I look, I had a fun time because it was quite poppy and exciting and the animation is actually quite flawless. I like the characters all had a bit of humanity in them. They weren’t that way. U. Kind of. Everyone kind of worked. There’s definitely a saleable marketable thing going because that blue cat is why is that not a plushy already?  Speaker 4  Oh yes.  Quinny  Going to tell you about the blue cat.  Ardella  Derpy is his name.  Dion  Derpy is great. Yeah. OK, all the like. It’s good. I can see the the bit of the franchise there. And I can also see.  Speaker  He loves derpy.  Dion  Me having to scream when I hear the song again after the yeah, yeah. Yeah. 100% not for me, but I will give it 75. Because yeah, like, I think it’s good. Like if someone said, hey, you know, should I watch K pop diamonds? I’m like, yeah, like, you know, I recommend it to people with small kids. I don’t recommend all the way up to people who are 75. Yeah. I was the whole gamut. You can get something out of it. There is a good message in there.  Ardella  75 yeah.  Dion  And I think it’s quite a little hidden gem or. Unreleased jam, even if you don’t particularly like K Pop.  Quinny  Fair, Jill. Sorry.  Jill  Yeah. Look, I’m so excited to say that I have no tips after this film. It’s been a while. It’s been a while, but I am going to give it a 90.  Speaker  Off.  Quinny  We yellow.  Jill  Been a while since we’ve hit the nines for me, but I love that animation. There were just some moments where I was like. What am I watching like? This is just like the textures and everything were so ******* beautiful. There were moments where I’m like Christ, that looks almost realistic.  Speaker 1  Mm-hmm.  Jill  Loved how everybody had a personality. Everyone was like, different. Had their clerks had their faults, like had their beautiful moments. The only reason why it’s not getting more is because there were just some like small unresolved story things that I wish had been explored a little bit more, but. Other than that. We loved it.  Quinny  Heck, do you want to drop a number?  Ardella  Quinny  Nice.  Ardella  I’m a harsh marker, but what can I say? It’s interesting that you mentioned the animation, Jill, because one of the beautiful things that I’ve learned is that the hunt tricks characters our protagonists are animated in a very traditional way, which means that every second frame they move. Whereas our demon Boy band animated differently where they move every single frame and there are certain times at where it’s poignant in the movie where they swim.  Speaker  Which?  Ardella  Ohh and so there’s there’s lots of super cool things that happen behind the scenes that we don’t consciously recognise, but it’s doing stuff to our brains and I think it’s really, really cool. So yeah, I think the more that I learn about this movie and the work that’s gone in behind the scenes, the more I love it. And that’s why it’s really reaching those top numbers.  Quinny  Oh.  Dion  You gotta respect a bit of filmmaking.  Quinny  Yeah.  Dion  Bit of craft work in there.  Ardella  Exactly.  Quinny  And and that’s very much like the first spider verse. Yes, where like they were animating different characters on different frame rates and you know the the attention to detail. And one of the things that gets me about this is the. The absolute love for Korean culture, but also Korean mythology, and it’s also going to be very, very interesting down the track. Seeing people cosplay from it because already there have been people who have gone to do cosplays of the Soulja Boys and so forth and have had to. That that question of appropriation or appreciation. Is very difficult around certain parts of costumes because the hats are an actual part of a very specific part of Korean culture that you really can’t **** with. Yeah. So like the fact.  Ardella  Historical Korean culture, not even current really Korean culture as far as I’m aware as well.  Quinny  Yeah. Hmm. So yeah, whipping one up out of warbler is is kind of not. Not cool, not kosher. And that kind of.  Ardella  Derpy is my next cosplay. Yeah.  Quinny  Thing. And when we come back from the the and everything, I will talk about Derpy because that’s another piece of amazing Korean history and culture right there. My rating is 95. I ******* watched the **** out of it and love the **** out of it. The like the music aspect of it, I I’m not a big K pop fan or anything like that. I I don’t listen to a lot of that music, but I didn’t care because it was super catchy. The vocals were insane. I love that mix of of like the three different voices and the three different styles. Of the girls like that, you know, one will drop into really American style rap, but they’re all capable of rapping. They’ll all take, you know, high parts, low parts. But at the same time, then mix it with a bunch of really cool choreography and and martial arts. Mix in some extra mythology, add some cute characters. I love the fact that you know secondary characters are given a bit of love to like. The band’s manager is. Not a ********. You know how ******* lovely is it that that you know, you’re not just going? Yeah. The traditional ******** band manager? No, he ******* loves.  Dion  Them. Did you not learn anything from Jersey and the Pussycats? What the? ****.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  Yeah, I I just, I mean, as I was watching, I just kept thinking, Oh my God, this is this is a thing for a generation of of girls to watch and. And relate to and want to be and emulate and I suddenly understood that whole thing that all the girls in primary school would go off and learn dances. And then to tie that whole thing that that you know, people want to do of of singing and dancing with, like, spiritual power and empowerment and protectiveness. I was just like, **** me. So yeah, I got a little love for it. I really don’t have much bad to say about it, which is, I mean, I don’t want to give it 100 because that would be ridiculous, but ****** really enjoyed.  Dion  It you can give it a.  Speaker 13  100 and that’s just the surface story.  Quinny  I know we haven’t even talked about what it all means.  Dion  Can’t wait for you to review the stage musical 350,000 out of.  Quinny  Review it, I’m going. To direct the. *******.  Dion  Which would you like to go? Would you like to meet the? Boys or yeah. With that one, we see who, who we. Talking about here, who are the Sargent boys? Sounds weird?  Speaker  Yeah.  Speaker 3  Look normal.  Speaker 5  Ohh yeah.  Speaker 6  Come on. Take your time. Yeah.  Speaker 14  Just like.  Speaker  Yeah.  Speaker 2  Ohh hot.  Speaker 3  You guys are so gross.  Speaker 6  No, yet you go hot. Then we’ll go. He.  Dion  Ohh that is just harsh. No helping hand there whatsoever. So the Sarja boys are a bit of * ****, really, aren’t they? They’re just *****. Hot *****.  Speaker  Yes.  Jill  Yeah, but they’re hot. They’re hot.  Speaker 4  Hot *****.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, Jesus.  Jill  I’m going to tell you like we went to smash. What was it like 3 weeks ago? The artist Alley was chocolate block of K pop demon hunters. Art anything? Right with that tiger on, it was sold.  Quinny  Oh.  Dion  Right.  Jill  Out. Yeah, right. Good. There were. There’s a scene in the film where the both of the bands are Hunter Eggs and the Sergeant Boys are doing a meet and greet with fans.  Quinny  Oh my God. So.  Jill  And Abby, the gentleman with the. Tabs instead of signing a piece of paper with his name, he runs like pencil against a piece of paper on his ABS, and that’s his signature. There were drawings of that in the artist Alley for sale. The insanity.  Dion  I love Jesus. Yeah. I mean, OK question here. I don’t understand why I have questions now and spoil the logo is up and we’ll talk about spoil everythings if you like. Yeah, it’s been a month. It’s been out for quite a long time. I get derpy the thing.  Jill  Of this movie.  Speaker 14  Yes.  Dion  But what was with the strange Game of Thrones crossover with the Three Eyed Raven?  Speaker  Quinny  Do you want the?  Speaker 4  It’s not a Game of Thrones crossover deal on.  Dion  Everything’s a Game of Thrones crossover.  Ardella  It’s.  Quinny  Heck, do you wanna take it?  Ardella  Quinty no quinny you take this, you are so keen.  Quinny  No, I was so keen. But I I mean, I’m guessing we’ve probably watched the same explainer videos and stuff.  Speaker 13  No, I I read I don’t. Watch.  Quinny  Ohh God, within you actually.  Jill  Jesus, she’s an intellectual.  Speaker 13  Exactly. Where’s my glasses?  Quinny  Just need to take these things off and becomes derpy. The ******* yeah, well.  Dion  You’re on. You’re on.  Jill  Stick your tongue out.  Dion  New media now not only this traditional lofi media that you may try.  Speaker 2  Oh.  Quinny  Yeah. So OK, it’s not a Raven, it’s a magpie. And in Korean culture, the A, this is a it’s a historical joke. So the, the, the, the tiger and the magpie is the punchline of a historical joke. That tigers were traditionally shown as being the representative of the upper class and of rich culture, and specifically the governing class, and the magpie was the symbol of the lower class, the worker. Pass whatever and the hat which I’ve got to remember the name of. Thank you. If somebody wants to look it up for me, that’d be great. The hat is essentially a symbol of power. And so there’s a joke, or there’s a moment in there where the sorry.  Dion  It’s called a gap. It’s called a get, yeah.  Speaker 4  Yeah.  Jill  Yeah, ginu ginu.  Quinny  So.  Jill  Said he made it for the tiger.  Quinny  So yeah, that’s the joke is that it’s a symbol of power that was meant for the tiger, but the magpie keeps stealing it.  Speaker  Ah.  Quinny  And so it’s the it’s a symbol that the lower class will always get one up on the upper class because the upper class is ******* stupid and that’s why he’s derpy. And you’ll see in a lot of Korean art, tigers are always drawn slightly cross eyed or just a little bit dumb looking.  Jill  Quinny  And it’s because essentially, they’re just going upper class. The stupid look at the smart magpie with three eyes, you can see everything.  Dion  So this is exactly like parasite.  Ardella  Yeah, that’s what we’re saying.  Speaker 4  Yeah.  Dion  No, just that that character representation of the blue cat and the magpie is just parasite as a metaphor.  Quinny  Yeah.  Jill  Yeah. Yep, yeah.  Quinny  And and it makes that sequence where where Derpy comes out and knocks over the plant and then just can’t get it to stand up way too long. Like ohh you stupid.  Speaker  Yes. Thank you.  Dion  But it’s good to know, you know, like, I like those little trivia bits. It’s fun. It’s fun to.  Ardella  Learn. Feel like I I was so. Impressed that for the first time I think ever.  Speaker  Hmm.  Ardella  A Netflix trailer. Managed to intrigue and make me want to watch more and actually get me invested in the story without giving away the actual plot. Yeah, there is. There is a very surface level plot being shown out there and I think now that people are, you know, watching more of the clips on TikTok and Instagram and that sort of thing and watching even the golden video clip, they’ll, you might get spoiled.  Quinny  Hmm.  Ardella  Before watching the movie, if you’ve seen all of that, but for me my first tip popped off in the opening in.  Quinny  In the you’re missing how many sticks are you missing?  Ardella  Well, I have lost the second hit for me when the pattern reveal.  Speaker 7  Hmm.  Ardella  Happened in the.  Speaker  Ah.  Ardella  There was. It is very rare that any movie, a movie directed for adults with high levels of intelligence, they rarely get me with the whoa. What happened there was seeing that coming. This movie did that, I gasped. At that reveal, there were. There was nothing in me that thought that that was coming and that is so rare these days. I am so impressed that this movie called K Pop Demon. And so kind of surface level, you know, just fun on top, managed to have this flip. It had this beautiful level of depth to it. I just really loved that so much. I would have enjoyed, I think, a movie where it was just a, you know, magical girl. Banned fighting demons. I would have enjoyed that anyway, but this went a step further.  Speaker  Hmm.  Quinny  So in when we’re talking about the patterns and we’re talking about that, that reveal and that question about Rumi. What are the? Different like so I think that there are so many different layers of what it could mean. And I think one of the things that’s really smart about the film is that. It. Doesn’t specifically say it means any one thing. But what? What did you guys?  Ardella  Because they’re they’re waiting for the sequel or the spin offs or.  Jill  Yeah. So we’re gonna get the story that gives you the back story about, like who roomie’s father was and what happened to her mother and the the what were they called the Sunshine Sisters or whatever.  Quinny  Yeah.  Speaker  Yeah.  Jill  The.  Quinny  Yeah.  Jill  Band. Was and then we also need to have Gino come back because that was unfair how he went. Out. I know it was a beautiful sacrifice, but no, I want Ginyu back.  Ardella  He’s now in the blade, though. If you if you watch the sequence, you can see his spirit get pulled into the blade, which is an actual thing in Korean.  Quinny  Oh no.  Ardella  Mythology. Spirit blades. I believe. I believe I’m not Korean. Please correct me if I’m wrong.  Jill  OK, well I love. I love me as sexy anthropomorphize spirit coming out. Of the sword. So I’ll take. Yeah.  Speaker 3  And then the grade.  Ardella  Changes once his spirit is absorbed into it, so you can see the two different forms of the the blades are.  Jill  I need to ******* watch this movie again. Don’t.  Ardella  Very, very cool.  Speaker 13  I let’s go right now.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah.  Dion  Let’s see. We’re doing a watch along right now.  Speaker 4  It’s.  Jill  Now become a live stream.  Quinny  So damn, what was your you? You had some different takes on on what, some of that meaning may have? Been.  Dion  Which what do you mean the the meaning of which the whole?  Quinny  Thing of the past.  Dion  There’s a lot going on me was there? Did I say something that I’ve I’ve undoubtedly forgotten since yesterday?  Quinny  On. Yeah, well, quite possibly. So, I mean there there’s, there’s that whole thing of like being, you know, intergenerational trauma, like of this is the Korean trauma. Of what? Their history is the split of the country, North and South Korea, which you can read into that. You could also read into it an LGBT thing of this thing that you have to keep hidden about. Yourself. And whether or not she’s allowed to be, especially in K pop, the idea that is she allowed to be who she actually is. Because that is not appropriate like that whole thing of you wearing marks on your. That. You have to keep hidden. I think it has a lot of meaning for a lot of different people for probably a lot of different reasons.  Speaker 1  MHM.  Ardella  Yes, I would agree. I would hesitate to say that this is implying that Ruby is LGBTQIA plus at all, but I have 100% think that people who are LGBTQ a.  Quinny  No, not necessarily.  Ardella  Us could find a lot of parallels there.  Quinny  Yeah, I think that that’s sort of like that X-Men kind of thing. It’s like, yeah, no, we’re not saying that these characters are gay or whatever, but they are a fantastic.  Ardella  Except the ones that.  Quinny  Are. Yeah. So my my best X-Men guy.  Ardella  I think it’s really interesting. We’re seeing a lot of this storyline coming out in a lot of Asian and Asian American stories over the last decade especially, I’ve noticed a a real through line in a lot of the media that I’ve seen, at least. Where these cultures seem to be very much from an outsider perspective. Very much about conforming and not rocking the boat and being being part of a whole community that works well together because everyone kind of assimilates and and doesn’t step outside of the mold or make anyone uncomfortable. And I think yeah, exactly. I think that there is a lot of media coming out these days.  Jill  Yeah, homogeneous.  Ardella  And it’s interesting, Jill, that you mentioned Everything Everywhere all at once earlier, because that’s definitely part of the story behind that movie and and a real message in that movie is. Is that we need to allow the newer generations to be a little bit more unique and individual and celebrate that as something that is wonderful and and adds colour to our cultures and our societies, rather than being something that we should squash. Or avoid and to me, that’s what the patterns were and that’s what you know, was a a real underlying message behind this story is it’s not about conforming, it’s about celebrating what’s unique and individual about each of us.  Jill  Yeah.  Quinny  Yeah, I I did just check and and the reason I brought it up is because of the writer did say that the the intent was that it was a. Bit like coming. Out to your parents? Ohh, so she was. She was. It was a very deliberate piece to say hey, it’s like that. She’s not saying that Remy is, you know.  Dion  So coming out.  Ardella  I mean, could be you go off in your head cannons out there.  Dion  To your friends. Also coming coming out to your friends who have literally been trained to murder. You.  Speaker 13  Your your partner.  Quinny  Yeah.  Dion  For the whole thing.  Speaker 4  Yes.  Dion  Look, I like the little bit of the sort of Buffy the Vampire Slayer chosen. Ones. You know, how do we do this? We just kind of go and kill these faithless demons which there are thousands and thousands and thousands of them, apart from the very special one.  Quinny  Yeah, very.  Dion  That ohh wait. Yes. Yes. So you know I got that sort of storyline.  Ardella  Although I do think that there is a pot, I mean obviously we see Janus. Progression where he was genuinely villainous. He was * ****. Wow, what * **** we learned.  Dion  Sure. What is it again with? Absolutely ancient men and young women.  Jill  That’s like type.  Speaker 4  Being like can.  Ardella  You I I just want to be rich and wealthy at the expense of my family. What a ******* nightmare, human. But then.  Speaker  And.  Ardella  Obviously evolves and become someone who we can genuinely sympathise with, I think, but I feel like we also, especially in that scene, I think Jill, you mentioned the the signing scene, we see a lot of the other members of the Demon Boy Band of the Sargent Boys.  Speaker 4  Yeah, yeah.  Ardella  Have a little bit more personality and a little bit more empathy, I think, than I was expecting and I I would be interested to see that explored a bit more. As well, yeah.  Speaker 1  Hmm.  Quinny  One thing I do love is also the the historical mythological context of it too, that the the idea of the the Singing priestess is is quite a a long history in Korean culture. So the moon or mudang not mudang. Are a an offshoot of of Korean shamanism who their their whole thing was, you know, singing to keep their people safe and, you know, reach out and and bridge the world between gods and humans and so forth. And you see that at the at the very start, like there’s the flashback to the original ones. They’re they’re all traditional like priestess outfits. But then the fact that they’re, you know, really latching into the the Korean singing group thing. You know that there was another group in the 50s and the 60s called the the Kim Sisters. Who group of three well known all around the world, appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Did like 22 shows over the years on Ed Sullivan. Like that kind of thing. We’re going. Yes, we’re gonna do it. I love the idea that we could have, you know, stories told in different time frames.  Ardella  Yeah. And before the Kim’s sisters, there was the Jair Gory sisters. I think it’s pronounced and they were also a three piece girl band who we assume is kind of being referenced in that introduction as well.  Dion  Can can we just make sure that we even if we go across different time periods they still kill demo? That’s right. Yes, as long as there’s still some demon hunting and killing going on in there. I’m fine. I’m on board with it.  Ardella  Like.  Quinny  100%.  Speaker 4  Absolutely.  Ardella  100 percent, 100% yeah. I also need to mention I’m sure many of us already know this, but Saja as the name of the Saja boys also has multiple meanings. It means lion.  Dion  Yeah, yeah.  Ardella  But it is also a kind of slang term for the grim Reaper. So there’s that duality there. So that’s that’s why they have the lion like logo. That’s what they’re saying. That’s the that’s the loud part. They’re like, we’re the Lion Boys essentially, but.  Speaker 2  Oh.  Quinny  I didn’t know.  Dion  That, and also dark and mysterious.  Quinny  And.  Ardella  It’s also. Through. Yeah, slang for the grim Reaper in South Korea.  Quinny  And I don’t think I would have understood or appreciated this film if I hadn’t for the past couple of years had an awful lot to do with idol culture like, yeah, but I I’ve learned a lot in the past few years of working for idol festivals and, you know. The whole idol scene and. And. Something that I find fascinating and is really like key to the film, but it’s sort of unless you’ve seen the crowds doing their thing in person. The relationship between crowd and band. Is incredibly intense. Like and the crowds at these events are not. Just, you know, observers, they’re part of the show and they see their role really importantly, you know, all of the glow glowing sticks that they’re holding up all of the colours that they choose to wear, the fact that they, you know, stand a particular singer or whatever and will then change the.  Ardella  They’re bias.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah. You know, they will do all these things and like, you’ll see them during songs. Like I watch them at smash people climbing up on each other’s shoulders just so that they can. Performatively go. You know, I’m not actually singing at you. I’m just showing you how much I appreciate what you’re doing. Is like if you don’t know about it, you’re gonna think it’s ******* weird as ****, which I did for a while, but then when you see it, you go ohh. OK, I get it. And now I watch this film and you realize why so much time is spent with the fandom as well, like. They they spend a lot of time, you know, looking at the the kinds of fans who have latched on to these people. Is it the the sex starved older ladies? Is it the preteen girls who are just utterly, you know, smitten? Is it the big boofy guys who will cry at the drop of a hat? You know, all of that is.  Ardella  I think it’s interesting, though, to suggest that it’s just a AK pop thing or a J pop thing or something like that where you have these biases when you think about, you know, kiss people would wear their specific band members makeup style to go to a kiss concert. It’s it’s a similar.  Quinny  Oh, not at all.  Speaker 4  Yeah, it’s just all.  Jill  About finding community and the things that. You love, yeah.  Quinny  Yeah. Really. And. And it’s also like I remember I wanted to write a ******* paper on this at one point. It’s the the concept of avatar rism that you wear the thing that you want to take on the, the, the, the feeling of you know, so.  Jill  Dude, I’ve done it for 20 years doing cosplay.  Speaker 13  Exactly. Hello cosplay? Yeah.  Quinny  And cosplay is cosplay is like the the the doing it out loud and doing it at the biggest possible way. But for other people it’s that whole thing of wearing your favorite band T-shirt or wearing a Superman T-shirt or wearing, you know something. It’s that thing of.  Jill  Yeah.  Quinny  This gives me all these feelings. And I want to then wear it so that I can try and, you know.  Jill  Yeah. Now, name five of their. Songs.  Ardella  Jesus.  Speaker 4  Yeah.  Ardella  And when you bring that all together, it really is. Powerful and I.  Quinny  Hmm.  Ardella  Think that that’s what they’re they’re tapping into on both sides here where you know that it can be used for good or for evil.  Quinny  Yeah. And. And the idea that a golden home moon only comes when, like, everybody’s actually being true about who they are, you know, that’s a it’s a pretty powerful ******* feeling. Yeah.  Speaker  Beautiful.  Dion  Yeah, beautiful. Speaking of powerful feelings. What are we doing for the rest of? The month, I don’t know. You don’t. You don’t know. Even though you you know exactly what it is. We’ve got a few things. There’s a lot going on in the month of the Merry, Merry month of August. We’ve got lots of movies that are out there. Things like nobody too.  Quinny  I do have a do in front of.  Dion  And one that we’re gonna see tomorrow night, which is. Weapons.  Quinny  Yeah.  Dion  You need the weapon. Give me the yeah. OK.  Ardella  I saw an ad for weapon the other night which just said 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and it was a print ad and I was like that. That’s a that’s a strong choice.  Dion  Yeah.  Speaker 1  Hmm.  Jill  From the team that brought us barbarian.  Dion  Yeah.  Jill  He ******* loves barbarian.  Dion  Yeah, that was. That was one that came out of left field w

Things feel like they're crashing down.  Not going right.Yet, what's inside this madness?  Ohh.. it always comes.. Not always right away..Yet, there's something.. waiting for you.. for me.. Treasure amidst the crash downs.Staying curious about this moment.. and .. What does this bring for you?**social media post of start necklace???/Support the showAs MENTIONED in the podcast: Times are strange in the world.. and there's so much possible.. My gift for you.. is making my time more available to you during uncertain times:) I'm holding sacred space, just for my audience. What about a lift up? Space held for your story, going within, with a dash of clarity and grounding? $39 for 15 minutes of nourishing time.(click the link above) If you enjoy that session.. and want more.. You can apply that $39 spent on that connect and grounding session you experience.. to a longer session:)..:) ********************** Also, I am SOOOO proud of my husband for creating a cycling app that allows a calmer experience and space: Do you like to cycle? Mats' new app is out! Definitely click and download Cyclanow, especially if you like less busy-ness in your world!:)) _____ IMPERFECT Parenting Free parent de-stress tips:http://bit.ly/34TmARwInstagram: @Ip_parenting Tik tok @imperfectparentingariel Website:https://imperfectparenting.netWrite me: Ariel@agreenbalancedlife.com...

The Jim Beam distillery recently resurrected a legend and released Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond with a 7 year age statement. This return of age statements to bonded products is a recent trend that we have seen from many legacy distillers. Even though OGD used to carry an 8 year age statement, the return of the product to the shelf with an 7 year age statement and with an MSRP of $40 has been met with a lot of excitement. But how does the bourbon taste? More importantly, how does it stack up to some of it's recently released counter parts from other distilleries? Give us a listen this week to find out. It is worth noting that Kenny and Cam from Drums & Drams already did this blind and recorded it. We are working to get that video out ASAP, but the results in this episode did not match what Kenny & Cam did previously. Ohh boy. Cheers. --------------------------SocialsIG: https://www.instagram.com/themashupkyFB: https://www.facebook.com/themashupkyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themashupkyJoin our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheMashUpBourbonPodcastPartnership(s)Visit Bourbonoutfitter.com and enter code THEMASHUP for a special discount or visit bourbonoutfitter.com/THEMASHUPVisit https://woodworkcollective.shop and enter code MASHUP for a 15% discount on your orderCome hang with us at the the Hoochenanny Whiskey and Music Festival (Aug. 8-10) - https://hoochenanny.com/Music: All the Fixings by Zachariah HickmanThank you so much for listening!

Host: Steve Macchia, Guests: Bill and Kristi Gaultiere  This episode originally aired on November 10, 2022 as Episode 6 of Season 22  “Ohh, I need to do some more inner journey work. This is an invitation.” –Kristi Gaultiere  Bill and Kristi Gaultiere join Steve for a rich conversation about spiritual practices, discernment and soul care. In their book Journey of the Soul, they reflect on more than 70,000 hours of therapy and spiritual direction with people. In this REWIND episode of The Discerning Leader podcast, Bill and Kristi share six stages of spiritual growth and different walls that we experience. These walls start as periods of disorientation but become transition times to a more Christ-centered way of being. Listen as they share personal stories and offer a map to help every person through their own journey of the soul.  Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Fantastic Four: First Steps Is this, the 4th attempt at bringing the Marvel Universe‘s “First Family” to the big screen actually as fantastic as it purports to be? Well, we have finally settled on a look and feel that best suits the classic super hero squad: and it’s ‘60s Retro-futurism all the way for one and all!!! It’s a whole new universe of Marvel stories starring Omni-daddy Pedro Pascal, serving C&%t Vanessa Kirby, Joseph “i’m on fire!” Quinn and Ebon Moss Bacharach (or baccarat as Quinny thinks he’s called) as the truly Fantastic Four! In this film we kick of Marvel‘s Phase 6 and usher in a new style and direction of storytelling, but is it actually good?  Listen in and find out! These fantastic four reviewers are here for this one, so it’s all hands on deck as we hit this faster than light! https://youtu.be/ZkJszcpuQwQ A huge shout-out to the fantastic flexible friends and their robot helpers who join in with our moderated live-chat during the Twitch stream, each Tuesday night at 7:30pm AEST. And especially to those who have decided to drop some crushed up planet juice in the tip jar. Thanks for supporting us directly via our Ko-Fi jar and now also by subscribing on Twitch! You ALL rock! If you like what we do, drop us a sub!  Every bit of your support helps us to (hopefully) keep entertaining you and making more emotes! (there may need to be some for the rating system soon!) Don’t fret if you can’t be there for the recording though as you can catch them on Youtube usually later that very night. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss them! https://youtu.be/18QQWa5MEcs?si=ZuzrC0i80qHjiz4n https://youtu.be/cLFDV72pa-s?si=VHolgiDlJZWBk0I0 https://youtu.be/_rRoD28-WgU?si=nISYKo7MGY4MpUE9 https://youtu.be/WEhgwDqYqWM?si=Tx-FIPgv23qichZv ERRATA: It seems Quinny’s HERBIE history lesson was incorrect and entirely apocryphal… https://youtube.com/shorts/KHyTOUSk6Rw?si=FCmt1FKY-Grdhs7D   WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK! Send in voicemails or emails with your opinions on this show (or any others) to info@theperiodictableofawesome.com Please make sure to join our social networks too!  We’re on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TPToA/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/TPToA Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeriodicTableOfAwesome Instagram: www.instagram.com/theperiodictableofawesome/   Full text transcript Dion  Ohh hello and welcome to the pairing Table of Awesome. It is time for a foursome of a different kind on today. The Tuesday. What time? What time is it?  Speaker 3  What time is it?  Speaker 6  Blame on us? Yeah, it’s it’s.  Speaker 3  Fun it’s it’s podcasting time.  Dion  Butter in time. Wait, that doesn’t quite work. I don’t know. And right now, Pete, which she was invisible. Yeah. Yeah, well done.  Speaker 6  oh  Speaker 3  Sorry.  Quinny  Very well done. I love the feeling now, really. She’s.  Dion  Hold on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Embrace hope. She’s yeah, probably. Still there. Can you hear?  Jill  Really gone. Just gone.  Dion  Us in the void.  Peta  I’m invisible. I’m not silent.  Speaker  Yeah. Yes.  Dion  That’s true. They didn’t use that enough in the film. I don’t think they’re just having Sue just kind of being like, what are you guys talking about and freaking people out because, you know, I do, if I were the Invisible Man.  Jill  Yeah, she’s not seen, not heard woman.  Dion  Yeah, not seen, not heard. Wow. Hello. Back after a week. Off. Off. Yeah, yeah. Small, small break.  Quinny  Wow. Hey, I said, everybody feeling enthused and like, upbeat and stuff.  Jill  It was nice. To have a little break to be honest.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, I hate those months with the five Tuesdays. What? What weirdness is that ********? And now? Ohh, it’s it’s gone. You’ve gone all glowy and.  Peta  Yeah, I’ve, I’ve. I’ve smudged the camera so.  Quinny  And ohh well. Yeah, I know. She’s she’s actually doing the exact effect from the movie where it’s just a little.  Jill  Yeah, yeah. The Vaseline lens. Yeah.  Speaker 3  Bit of.  Quinny  Now, now pets. No.  Dion  Can I stretch my hand over here?  Quinny  Pun. Serve absolute can’t with your face while you.  Jill  Do that. Yeah, there it is.  Dion  There you go. Perfect.  Speaker 3  And now I’m going to do some cooking, OK?  Dion  Ohh dear and you know what I hope for everyone. Hello to everyone in the chat mainly for. I hope you all got to do the home.  Speaker  Hey.  Dion  Work.  Jill  Yeah. Did everyone enjoy the movie? I.  Dion  This particular day.  Quinny  Mean I could. See it? Yeah, Tari looks like that. She hasn’t seen it yet. She’s saying that she that please be good. Ohh. Interesting.  Speaker  Oh.  Speaker 6  Ohh.  Dion  Fascinating. What?  Jill  Yeah.  Dion  Look. Yeah, we Fantastic Four has been out since last Thursday. Officially, we saw it last week which? Was quite fun.  Jill  Yeah, there’s even some early screenings on Wednesday for the public.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s out. It’s part of Marvel’s Phase 266.  Quinny  Yep. First film of Save 6. First film of, say Phase 6. God, that’s.  Speaker 6  Dion  Why couldn’t have made it the first film of Phase 4?  Quinny  Because that was quite some time.  Dion  And then it. Would have been. Ago. Right. OK. Look, the fourth attempt at the Fantastic Fours and I I include in that the the 1994. 1. Which was never released except IS is is hovered around. Yes, there was a 1994 one.  Jill  That would make this the 5th 1 then.  Dion  Yeah. No, no, it’s it’s, it’s, I say this as in the fourth go at it because there were two with the same cast. So you have the, yeah.  Speaker 6  Ohh OK.  Dion  What are you talking about? This is. Our fourth thing. We have had, yes, it’s the fourth thing, you know, Michael Chiklis did a great job getting covered in rubber.  Quinny  That is true, Yep.  Peta  Yeah.  Dion  You know, and then you know, we’re up to this one.  Jill  Can’t remember the other guy.  Quinny  That’s gonna get off in the life. And remember who played the thing in Fan 4? Stick. Ohh my.  Dion  God fan 4 stick.  Jill  I know.  Quinny  That was, that’s what it’s called.  Jill  Fan Fant Fant 4 stick.  Quinny  I don’t know, but I I just.  Jill  Yeah, I think that a was in the. Middle not at the start.  Quinny  Ohh OK, I just call it fan 4 stick because it’s it’s easier to say.  Dion  Ohh, that’s right, it’s Jamie Bell.  Quinny  Ohh God that’s.  Dion  Right, you remember.  Speaker 2  Whoops.  Quinny  He was the young.  Dion  Billy Elliot.  Speaker 3  Yes.  Quinny  And and the young, chipper guy out of of the first king or the the King Kong movie that Peter Jackson did.  Dion  And he was also tin tin. But that was who made.  Quinny  It so not really who you would think. Yeah, would fit in a giant thing.  Jill  Memorable.  Dion  That he was the. Thing, yes.  Quinny  And Karina makes a good point, a arresting piece to Julian McMahon, who was the 1st Doctor Doom actually. Sorry, 2nd Doctor Doom.  Speaker  Yeah. Yeah.  Dion  Yes, because there was a doom.  Jill  I did rewatch the 2005 version on the weekend just for a bit of nostalgia. Yeah, I like those trashy ones. They’re great. They’re so campy and stupid.  Speaker  Did you?  Quinny  What did you think of it?  Speaker  Yeah.  Jill  And I look back on them. And I’m like, wow, the simpler times where we did comic book films. And we really, really did make them comic bookie.  Speaker  Yeah, man. Yeah.  Dion  And finally.  Jill  Well, we weren’t going. For all of the realism and stuff.  Quinny  Yeah. And they didn’t have to fit in with some. Gigantic *******. Thing.  Jill  I will tell you practical effects. Thing I don’t know I like. Yeah, CGI 1 is like that, feels like. A cheap cop out.  Quinny  Right. OK. OK. Fine, no suit.  Jill  With balls on it and not put in. Any effort and? Just animate it.  Quinny  You know what?  Dion  Wait, do you mean wait?  Peta  The fine effort.  Jill  Hey, it’s a different kind of effort. I’m like, let’s get our hands dirty and make a ******* stinky suit out of foam expanding. Foam or something like that and. Of course, some lung disease. Let’s get into.  Dion  I’m I’m going to like, I’m just going to take it on part of the actors there. Sometimes I’m just going to be like, yeah, maybe they don’t.  Jill  It.  Quinny  This is Jeff.  Dion  Want that? Maybe they don’t want to spend 16 hours in a makeup chair to to to do. Yeah.  Speaker 6  As a cosplayer, I I would agree, but I would also disagree because I think it would be fun to make it.  Dion  Sure. I mean ultimately it’ll be that great thing of like they make someone do that and then they just go oh.  Quinny  I’m. I’m just.  Dion  We’re just gonna CGI it.  Quinny  Well, The thing is, there was a there was a lot of the thing in this one that was actually practical. Like there’s quite believe it or not, there’s there’s shots that they hired a a pretty big wrestler to be the body for it. So on set. A lot of the time there was a practical suit, dude of roughly the right size. Is.  Jill  So we’re not talking about a guy that’s just standing in there in a green zentai.  Quinny  No, I mean when when they’re doing it with Evan Moss, Baccarat, then he was in the uh, whatever the **** he said. Backup, backup, backtrack.  Dion  Doctor rap. No. Baccarat. That’s a.  Quinny  Alright.  Dion  Game I know.  Quinny  Dion  Know you’re in a casino in Monte. Carlo yes, guys.  Quinny  Anyway, when he was on set, yeah, they they had this entire certain stuff like that. But there were quite a lot of it that was shot any time they needed, like a wide shot and everything. They actually had a dude in a suit with the. Ohh head and everything. Cool. Alright. Yeah, I’ve I’ve seen the the pictures of that, but I’ve also in the chat just put a link to the 1994 one and the thing in that Jill, you would love that one because the the suit actually looks more like the comic book character than any of the others have.  Jill  I love the terrifying dead. Eyes.  Speaker 3  I know.  Dion  I mean, it’s great. It’s yeah, it’s very thingy.  Jill  That’s. Yeah, that’s.  Speaker 6  Look at that thingy over there. That thingy.  Dion  Yeah, that, that, that is definitely something I’d go. What is that thing? If I saw it in a in a thing?  Jill  With that young man with fake grey sideburns.  Quinny  I know, right?  Dion  Yeah. Hey guys. I’m trying hard here, Joe. What?  Quinny  Honestly, if you could find that film. Like this. This is I love this one because my my thing with Fantastic Four it it started with this film because I was one of those ******* nerds who heard that there was a film that got made and was never released. So I then went and hunted.  Speaker  For.  Quinny  It and I, you know, back in the days of VHS trading, got somebody to send me a *******. VHS of this film that had never been released, and I’ve watched it. It’s terrible, but it’s actually got a lot of, like, it’s trying really hard.  Jill  And. Nice.  Quinny  To do all of the things that are fantastic, four movie should do just with no budget. Hmm. So yeah, like it’s got Doctor Doom. It’s got the mole, man. It’s it’s got them all doing their powers. But like Reed, stretchy arms are like pool noodles with a with a *******. A glove on the end.  Jill  I mean that’s still image alone is giving vibes of like 70s Italian Spiderman.  Dion  Yes, got a bit of that. I mean, you’ve gotta. What’s what’s the what’s the the crossover slash league like the Marvel Group, you know, secret wars thing. It’s the 1989 Punisher. Dolph Lundgren. It’s the the Captain America film. It’s the Fantastic Four film.  Quinny  Hmm.  Dion  You know, it’s all of those ones Pre Marvel Universe. Mashed together. And you’re like, what is this strain? ******* place, but we don’t. Here, we’re in a different, strange place this time. We’re in much more budget, some bigger names and some.  Quinny  Yeah.  Dion  Finally, they sort of kind of got people who give a ****. Quinny  Yeah, yeah.  Dion  About doing something fun.  Quinny  Yeah.  Jill  And that’s nice. Surprising what you’re going to accomplish when you put in some time and effort.  Speaker  Yeah, isn’t it?  Dion  Isn’t it’s kind of like oh.  Quinny  And when you? And when you’ve had three goes at it before and gotten it wrong three times. You kind of go. Well, **** it. We’re gonna hold off on this one because, I mean, Fantastic Four has always been seen as Marvel’s first family. Like, you know, they’re they’re one of the very earliest Marvel superhero groups. And you know, we’re what, 40, you know, 39 films in now something.  Speaker 5  Sure.  Dion  More, I don’t know 112 where 112 films in now. That’s how many there are. I I won’t be fact checked.  Quinny  And we’ve, yeah, and now we’ve just introduced the very first Fantastic Four stuff. So yeah, it’s it’s an interesting one. I mean, obviously they were tied up in rights for. A long time.  Dion  But yeah, I mean. Look, it’s fine. We’re just going to ignore the rest of those fan 4 test. Stick, whatever it is.  Quinny  Can’t ignore them.  Dion  We have to stick, then forget stick. That’s what I. Yeah, we’re gonna ignore that.  Quinny  Not. The autistic fans.  Dion  We’re going to, we’re going to ignore that. Michael B Jordan, he’s also Johnny Storm. Yes, I know, right. No, he’s not Killmonger. He’s definitely Johnny storm. We’re also going to ignore that Captain America.  Quinny  Ohh yeah yeah, he was one of them.  Speaker  Yeah.  Jill  Was also Johnny Storm and Captain America.  Dion  Was also. Stone. Yeah. Yes, exactly. We’re going to ignore all of those things and focus very.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  Much in Comic Daddy and his family and Pedro Pascal’s not not happy just being space Daddy, Apocalypse Daddy and General General Daddy.  Jill  Yeah. Thanks, daddy.  Dion  Now he’s also comic Daddy.  Quinny  Hmm.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  Yeah, along with.  Quinny  Is there anything he can’t, daddy?  Dion  You know what? Hollywood will not let him. Not daddy something. He’s in there now forever. Like. Yeah, he will just. He will just keep doing it until everyone collectively gets sick of him. And I’ll be able to return to an anonymity.  Quinny  Hmm. I just realized it is the summer of Pedro, it’s.  Jill  Summer picture.  Dion  Yeah.  Speaker  Been just realized.  Dion  Multiple summers.  Quinny  It was another ******* attempted Fantastic Four.  Dion  Oh. Have you? Yes, grey tailed.  Quinny  Well, technically. There was another Reed Richards. Ohh John Krasinski but that.  Jill  Yes. Yeah, that’s right.  Dion  That’s in Multiverse of Madness, which is so the. But that’s not the Fantastic Four.  Quinny  Yes, from. Marvel Universe. He’s one of the breeds.  Jill  He was. He’s Mr. fantastic.  Dion  Is he though?  Jill  Yes.  Quinny  He’s Mr. spaghetti by the end of. It but anyway.  Dion  Yeah, like I mean, yeah, that’s just on film, but it it, it wasn’t the Fantastic Four and this is what we want to focus on. It’s about these group of people and. How they’re represented in cinema? Yeah. What you’re not.  Jill  Capturing in the audio is our eye rolls.  Quinny  Massive massive eye roll.  Dion  Come on.  Quinny  Beyond wiping away John Krasinski from the from the entire multiverse of of anything, and we’re all going. No, no, no.  Jill  Yeah, that’s because they don’t. Can’t do a convincing cosplay of John Krasinski’s Mr. Fantastic. You can only do the Pedro.  Dion  No, I cannot.  Jill  Dion  Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, and if you squint, the Ian Crawford one.  Speaker 6  You’re clean shaven for that one.  Quinny  I’ve just had an eye. Yeah, my eyes are not that ******* blind.  Dion  OK, then fine. I’ll go with this one if this. If he’s part of the Fantastic Four Canon, you need to cast the other three members of the Fantastic Four in those universes. Who is it going?  Jill  That’s true. OK. Oh my God. Yeah. Can we come back to this at the?  Dion  No immediate. OK. We’ll give you time. Time. Yeah, time.  Jill  End of the show. We’ll be here for 15.  Dion  Minutes. Yeah. Yeah. So if if if John Krasinski’s Mr. Fantastic and chat go and throw some something we.  Quinny  Man. Need to sleep? Yeah.  Speaker 6  ******* Emily Blunt. I would go. Emily Blunt force.  Jill  Storm.  Quinny  **** yeah. Yep, Yep. You down to?  Dion  That yeah, Karina, just like gonna get to the. Synopsis yet guys.  Speaker  Yeah.  Peta  You know, keep getting pushed.  Speaker  Push.  Speaker 6  Push by the chat. Let’s go.  Speaker 2  Yeah, that’s a wow.  Quinny  I’m being bullied by the test.  Peta  This film about.  Quinny  What is this film about it? No, I’m not gonna. I’m not gonna do the synopsis now because I’ve been told. I have to.  Jill  No. Ohh yes.  Speaker 6  Jesus.  Dion  Christ.  Jill  That sounds like me energy.  Dion  Peta  Settling into that demand avoidance there.  Dion  Come on. Tony, have you got? Have you got some synopsis?  Peta  Yeah.  Quinny  For us it is. I have got a. Synopsis for everyone but Karina.  Peta  To be fair to Karina, it’s been 20 minutes.  Jill  Can you do it in a Brooklyn accent? OK.  Speaker 3  Forced ohh. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from a ravenous space God called Galactus and his enigmatic herald the Silver Surfer. And guess what? It’s clubber and die this.  Quinny  Ohh, cool, that’s it. That’s the whole book. Was an opposite. Trust me, there was an even shorter one.  Speaker  Is that it?  Speaker 6  Yeah. Wow.  Dion  I love sofas, yeah.  Speaker 6  Silvers, soyfer yeah, soyfer.  Dion  Some some more continents and vowels in there that I remember from.  Speaker 3  Hey, I’m going down the street and I’m going to start some some flights. Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Dion  Yeah, that’s about it.  Quinny  Hey, get that man some cookies. Thank you. I.  Dion  Would love some cookies. That’s kind of what the movie is about and I’m, I’m I’m with it like this isn’t one of those films that you went and saw and you’re like, oh, great, we get to have an origin story of how did they get their powers, how did. They do this like how do we go through that? They were like, no, you know what?  Quinny  Ohh thank God.  Jill  Yes, we just got a tidy. Little vignette, and that’s all we needed.  Dion  Yep. Quite a long vignette really explaining like how they fit into the world and how suddenly the the brokers of World Peace and everyone looks up to them and they’re the world’s family.  Quinny  Yep.  Jill  Yeah, I kind of love it.  Dion  I mean, OK.  Jill  They’re. They’re paragons.  Quinny  Yeah. And we, the the important thing to note is that we’re in a different world here we are in. We’re not in the regular Marvel Universe. We are in a weird kind of quasi 60s future pop, yeah, different reality.  Speaker  Mm-hmm.  Speaker 3  It’s.  Dion  It’s 60s futurism, so it’s just it’s there’s a divergent.  Speaker  Hmm.  Dion  From our history to where it has ended up in this Earth history, and I’m I dig it, I dig the style, imagine in the 60s if four people got shot into space and came back and had all these powers and solved a bunch of problems.  Speaker  Hmm.  Dion  And a bunch of other things happen. That’s how that kind of goes. It’s like, yeah, well, you know.  Quinny  Yeah. And the difference.  Speaker  I mean.  Quinny  Not actually stated what year this is, is it?  Dion  No, no, it’s just the different earth.  Quinny  Yeah, right.  Dion  And what that is. But people don’t have.  Jill  Yeah, it could be current day 2. 616 Earth we don’t.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah.  Jill  Know that’s just what this earth.  Dion  Yeah. Looks like there’s big. There’s big kind of LED screens, but no cell phones.  Speaker  Slide.  Peta  Yep, well, it’s kind of like they’ve kind of gone. We don’t need to put energy into making TV screens flat. We’ll just have giant non flat TV screens and faster than light space travel. Yeah, yes. But we’re gonna do with that extra energy.  Dion  There’s there’s like.  Quinny  No.  Dion  You know. Yeah.  Peta  We don’t need to put energy into like inventing MP threes. We’ll just keep records. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And teleporting.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.  Peta  Think of what we could have done as humanity.  Quinny  I didn’t know.  Dion  Exactly all of our computerisation goes on tape.  Jill  Yeah, I mean. Yeah, we invented cassettes and then CD’s and then digital format music. And now we’re back to ******* records again.  Quinny  So yeah, but they just didn’t bother leaving the the records. Yeah, because they realized it was the the superior format from the start, especially if you print them in.  Dion  Yes. Gold. And if you haven’t got a troop of players in your lounge room. You know, yeah. Eventually we’ll get to there, won’t we, like? Oh, this is my 9 musicians that follow me around and. Play music to me.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  Yeah. I mean, yeah. Karina and Casper both kind of make the point. It’s very jetsons.  Dion  Yeah. And that’s kind of great because that’s very familiar to the people who knew fantastic for for when they were growing up based on the cartoon, which is the the sort of.  Peta  So jetsons.  Dion  The carry over of where people would sit from the Saturday morning kind of cartoon and. You know it it it sets the tone that everyone could easily get into and I went, I’m here. I immediately know what’s going on. It has a different Marvel logo, it has a different kind of a soundtrack. It’s setting itself in a in a particular period and I was like, I’ll go with this. This is totally different to every ******* thing else. This isn’t a dark and gritty reboot. This isn’t. Anything really to do with the rest of the Marvel Universe? Yeah, kinda. Which makes me happy. And I was like, I’ll go with this. I’m immediately just going to be like, all right, what do you got?  Jill  Yeah. I think the thing that’s so immersive about it is the visual language that they’ve lent into so strongly and so thoroughly like the the set design and production. All the set pieces, the costumes, everything like that was like. Beautiful, like there was such attention to detail and there was not like a wasted moment on screen. It was so interesting that we’re talking about like, how like futuristic retro it is but. Like the. Costuming wasn’t futuristic. That was still like grounded in 60s fashion.  Speaker  Hmm yeah.  Dion  I had a really good time just watching the sets and the costumes. I was like they have actually paid a lot of detail to the costuming, not only of the signature folk, but the people around them too. Looked sharp as ****, I gotta say.  Quinny  And.  Jill  Yeah, like the the space suits and their hero suits were were still like. Grounded within like that 60s, like retro futuristic style, but had like the the strong 60s fashion elements as well in terms of like the textures of the fabrics and things that they used but the the colour theory throughout was fantastic and yeah just the the visual language that they. Used in this film was just so Cohen.  Peta  It’s a joy for. The arts, hmm.  Dion  Joy for the eyes until we get to the failure of the film.  Quinny  Wow. Jesus. OK, so, so just a reminder folks, the deal also sat through Superman and huffed.  Speaker  Go further on.  Dion  I did. I did half. He did half I wanna also. Caveat that I did see Fantastic Four, but beforehand I had.  Speaker 6  So.  Dion  To watch. Beforehand I had to win. The Avatar trailer 17 times. I don’t. I don’t know how to explain that in terms of everything else, but I had to sit through the Avatar trailer. Too many ******* times, and that may have influenced my decision. And how I enjoyed that film slightly too many times.  Jill  Anyway, yeah, it’s almost like they strapped you to that chair and made you watch them 17 times.  Dion  They kind of did. Yeah. You know, because you know, as we all know, in those kind of cinema things, the seats are gold. And if you leave one, you’re done. It’s going coming back but anyway.  Speaker 3  Yeah.  Dion  OK, enough of that. Fantastic for what? What are your first four impressions?  Quinny  I just wanna know why you’re getting ready to throw it.  Speaker 2  Hello.  Quinny  Under the bus. To you ohh.  Speaker 2  No, no.  Quinny  Like there have been a couple of times that you’ve already kind of started. Coming out of. Swinging. I wanna know why the big.  Speaker  There is.  Dion  Rubber punches out. Well, first, I mean, we all hate John Krasinski. And. No, I’m just joking. That’s. Three just threw that out there for.  Peta  Come on for John Krasinski. And he’s not like.  Jill  He can’t even defend himself.  Quinny  He’s such a nice guy. Everybody talking.  Dion  About, I’m talking about how effusively I love the costuming, the design, the aesthetic, the way that it just kind of moves the story along really, really quickly. It throws in some amazing nods and references to the historical stuff, like there’s covers of famous Fantastic Four issues thrown in very quickly. I know you’ve got.  Quinny  Oh my God, that made me so happy.  Dion  Classic villains like Mole Man and the Red Ghost. Yeah. Ish red. Red ghost off.  Speaker 3  Well, sort of.  Dion  Like all of that stuff is kind of great. Herbie is amazing. The fantastic car, which I think often gets ignored. Quinny  Yeah.  Jill  Uh-huh.  Dion  In, in a lot of, this is part of the fun about the Fantastic Four is all of the bits and pieces that Reed comes up with. That’s all kind of themed Herbie, as I said. Yeah. And he was.  Quinny  Great. OK. Does everybody know the history of why Herbie exists?  Jill  No.  Quinny  OK, this is my my favorite stupid piece of ******* history. So in the 60s, when the Fantastic Four was being turned into a cartoon, they went OK we’re going to do the Fantastic Four and the standards people of America went hang on. One of the characters is on fire.  Speaker  Tell.  Quinny  We can’t have a children’s TV show where the children want to emulate the heroes and have a character be on fire. Why not so? In the 60s cartoon of Fantastic Four. Johnny Storm is removed entirely and is replaced by Herbie. This is where Herbie came from. Wow.  Speaker  Oh. Yeah.  Quinny  So the fact that, like the fact that he’s in the movie is ******* hilarious. But his history is even better.  Jill  That’s wild.  Quinny  And I’m pretty sure he actually talked in the animated series, but yeah, and didn’t just make bleeps and.  Speaker 6  Wheels. I like the Droid vibe it was.  Dion  Didn’t. Yeah, it didn’t sound like. Yeah, it didn’t sound like a 60s frickin B.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  I just. I just remembered something. Thing when we get this Sue storm into the proper Marvel Universe, she’s going to have to come up against Namor, yes.  Quinny  Hmm.  Dion  And and that’s a lot of that’s a that’s a whole. Jean Grey, Wolverine, Cyclops thing going to happen right there anyway. That’s right.  Jill  That’s something we can work on.  Dion  Later. Yeah, there’s a lot of smart in that one anyway, yeah.  Speaker  Yes.  Quinny  And apparently on on the set all the time, Vanessa Kirby is like, So what? What’s going on with Namal? Pedro’s like, for ***** sake, right?  Dion  Here she knows what’s going on. She gets all the cast members.  Quinny  Mm-hmm.  Speaker 3  Yeah.  Dion  Yeah. Look, I. Had a great time with it, like, you know, really good introductions to quick introductions to characters. Everyone got a little bit of ability to show who they were as characters very rapidly. Like, you didn’t have to pay to. Much there, but I also really appreciated how much they felt like a family and they felt caring and it was showing them in a particular way, which it wasn’t like, oh, these are conflicted people. They don’t know how to, you know, where’s the drama? I mean, the drama isn’t in the family. The drama is external forces. And I think they got that really well because there was a really cool vibe to sort of be like ohh this is, this is cool kind of family like like I I would take children to watch it and be like see, this is how you’re nice to each other. You don’t have to hit each other. You know.  Quinny  Don’t set each other on fire.  Dion  Don’t set each other on fire. Try stop working so hard.  Quinny  Pete Jew talk to me.  Jill  Oh my God. Ohh feels like so long ago but it was only Friday.  Dion  Four days ago that you saw it.  Jill  Ohh my goodness, I really liked the film. I had a good time. I saw it well. I mean, all the things that I said about the costume and set design and all that stuff was just fabulous. I thought like the story pacing was good. Like they they got to the point and they, you know they executed ABC. You know, here’s what’s happening. Here’s our problem. And here’s how we overcome. It, like they did that. UM. I thought the action bats were good. But again, I’m just not getting my **** blown off. Guys. The jet film. We’re back to the **** rating scale. OK0 **** means it was ******* amazing because they blew them both off, but two **** is bad because it doesn’t mean that I didn’t like the movie.  Quinny  Back to. Rating system.  Jill  It just didn’t **** **. Way and it made me start to think that there was something wrong with me. Like am I not finding enjoyment out of these movies anymore? Like is it becoming passe? Is it like over saturation? Like what’s the issue? I think what the issue is is that too many movies. Are just safe. They’re in a safe zone. They do what they do on the box and they do no more than that.  Speaker  Hmm.  Jill  I’m not getting any like thrill, danger, excitement from these movies anymore. It feels really middle of the road and pedestrian and that’s not to say that Fantastic Four was a bad movie. It was a good movie because it did its job, but it didn’t go above and beyond. And become an exceptional film. And I just, I feel that way about Superman as well. That was not exceptional to me, and it just kind of feels like every time we go and see a big blockbuster, I come out like feeling it was it was middling level.  Speaker  Yes.  Quinny  I agree, but I want to keep Pete’s. Take on it? Sure.  Peta  I think it’s very well constructed, beautifully made. Film, I mean, we’ve talked about the production design and the look of it already, which is great. You know, we’ve talked about the the structure which is logical and probably better constructed than Superman. And and I do think it’s funny that I’ve kind of liked the exposition. Free tool here that I hated so much and electric state, same tool, different vibe. It’s it’s easy to get into and you want it to be because there are some plot points that that, that require a very high level of suspension of disbelief. Even for a comic book movie, you know, usually I I I I try to give the the Budweiser and the ********* like. A bit of a break in in certain genres, but I struggled a bit with a couple of the plot points that very much drove some parts of the story. Because it was a bit wibbly wobbly. Sciency want see? Yes. Yeah, like, don’t.  Jill  Get into the proton stream, but get into the proton stream, yeah.  Dion  Yeah, you’re Superman.  Peta  That was and, and I think the issue is I I I get I I have a tendency to get a little bit distracted if I can’t. If that suspension of disbelief gets interrupted, and I think that these particular plot points were distracting enough that even though I was enjoying the film, I still. Got kind of. Kicked out of this story a. Little bit by thinking? Yeah, but Nah.  Quinny  Are these things that need to be talked about in spoilery territory or?  Peta  Ohh, everything needs to be talked about in spoiler territory. It’s it’s just and if they weren’t plotted drivers.  Dion  OK, alright, fair enough.  Peta  It would have felt a little bit different as well, but it it did kind of feel like as well constructed and entertaining and beautiful as the film is. I kind of agree with Jill that you kind of I didn’t personally come out of the end of it going like. **** yeah. Amazing superhero film. It was just kind of like, ohh, that was like really well constructed and good looking and entertaining. And yeah, Pedro.  Quinny  I I have, I agree very much with with everything you guys have said. My biggest problem with it is that. The movie didn’t have its next gear up like all the way through it puddled along at an enjoyable kind of pace. It was doing what was needed, you know, things were kind of getting, you know, you had your action beats and stuff like that. But then when you get to your climax. It doesn’t have the next gear, it can’t shift it back a cog. And really. Go ****. Let’s go. It didn’t have that it, you know, the the climax I kind of was like and oh, OK, right. We’re done. ****. OK. Huh. And that’s. Kind of implementing of the whole film that it’s really well made as as we’ve all said, well made, well shot, lovely costumes, lovely everything.  Jill  Great performances, everybody was on their a game.  Quinny  But nothing that made me go ****. That was a moment. Like, you know, there was nothing. There was no moment like.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  The thors hammer. With that, America, there was no kind of really emotional beat of.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  Vision saying you know that love is just pain. You know, whatever. I can’t even remember the quote. But you know those those those really like deep seated moments that make you go ohh. That got me right in the heart.  Speaker  Hmm.  Peta  Which Thunderbolts did for me, and that, you know, I. I guess if if if you’re going to hold it up against superhero films we’ve seen this year from a.  Speaker  Hmm.  Peta  Is it a good movie?  Speaker  Hmm.  Peta  Mm-hmm. You know, well-rounded perspective, I would still put Thunderbolts ahead of this, regardless of how beautifully. Thought out the world was.  Quinny  Yeah, like there, there were lovely moments and their lovely ideas. I love the idea of the whole world pulling together to go **** we’ve got. Eight months to build something or, you know, and we’re all going to pull in this together and we’re all going to come together over something. It’s a great concept, but it just never felt like it had those that, that personal danger of what we saw in Thunderbolt and. A lot of people who are doing the, which one did you like more, Superman or or fantastic? 4. I personally thought the Superman took more risks. You know, it was weirder. It was.  Peta  Well, it was more. It was more current in in its messaging and the. The risks that it. Was taking in that messaging as well, and I think also you kind of.  Dion  Hmm.  Peta  This is a bit of an imbalance, I suppose in the rate that one escalates because you can kind of attempt to escalate the stakes to the highest possible point and the escalate them so high that the audience cannot believe. That. That jeopardy is going to come to pass in that context, which actually, which actually kind of destroys that moment, is kind of gotta be like a believable, worst case scenario that they’re facing. Not like, well, of course, they’re trying to find a way to avert that. There’s gonna be a little part of you that’s like.  Quinny  Hmm.  Peta  Ohh, they might fail, which I kind.  Speaker  Hmm.  Peta  Of felt in this.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah. Yeah, like.  Peta  Otherwise, you don’t feel the jeopardy, you know, the way that you should.  Speaker  Hmm.  Quinny  Yeah, and and I don’t know, I feel like something like Superman has has more of a an alter kind of vision behind it. Like, you know, that felt like James Gunn saying something and his whole thing about found family and his whole thing about being outsiders and, you know, he. He has a particular thumbprint that is all over that. This one I couldn’t tell you. A thumbprint it was.  Peta  Which is funny because it is tonally and structurally much more consistent.  Quinny  Absolutely.  Jill  Yeah, it’s a. Package. Yeah, it has an aesthetic and it, you know, executes that, but yeah.  Quinny  Yeah. And and like.  Jill  There’s there’s special sauce.  Quinny  Yeah. And and I don’t. Know what it is because. I was wanting to get excited. I was super wanting to get excited and it just never quite hit me. And even when big things happened, I was like.  Jill  Karina made a good point that she thought we were going to see them fail. Based on what we saw in the post credit scene of Thunderbolts and I want to make a point where I kind of wish that that scene never existed because it coloured my expectations.  Speaker  Hmm.  Jill  This film I was going in.  Quinny  Yes, I’m.  Peta  I forget what that scene.  Jill  Was ohh that’s actually it was it was there. There was like ohh we can. We’re picking up something on our radar and then they zoom into space and they see the Fantastic Four ships flying through space and that bit. Yeah. Yeah. So I had a different expectation of what I was expecting in this film. And so I’m like.  Speaker 6  It’s just.  Dion  Just a a rocket ship in the sky. Kind of, or if it is, we don’t know.  Jill  Just on the edge of my seat the whole time, thinking. Well, how are they gonna get to our earth? When are we gonna see that? When are we gonna see that? And. And I’m like, so I wasn’t in the moment with everything else that was happening because I was anticipating something else to.  Quinny  Yeah. Yeah. And and maybe that’s that, that other cog that.  Speaker  Happen.  Quinny  I was expecting. Maybe that’s the the the next thing up is that you know, they do like, fail or they do something that that then took it to a different level.  Speaker  Yeah.  Jill  That causes them to and then this is how we get to this moment. But like now that we’re not going to have The Avengers doomsday film until another 18 months.  Quinny  Jill  I’m like, wow, how are they going to get our butts in the seats for that one?  Quinny  Yeah.  Jill  Because after watching this movie, I’m like. Ah, I don’t really know where we’re going.  Quinny  Neller.  Peta  At the end, do you feel safe now with your opinion to share?  Dion  I mean, my opinion is based on Fantastic Four and how I enjoyed this movie or didn’t.  Quinny  Which is a really difficult thing to do to to take the movie entirely on its own. Yeah, been its own value and.  Speaker 2  What?  Quinny  So aside from my expectation, aside from the other movie I watched a week and a half before, yeah, aside from.  Dion  Yeah.  Quinny  All of that, yeah.  Dion  Look there. This is the thing. Like I I really like to to throw this through. I really enjoyed Thunderbolts because it broke expectations that I had. I was there for it to say, what are you gonna do with this? And I was. Like wow, that is a great movie. I had certain expectations about Superman or I was wondering what was going to go, and I felt it wasn’t as good as I thought. It’s going. And I went to Fantastic Four. Saying how is this going to go? And I thought, yeah, I had a little bit of the same thing the the ending. Thing towards the end and some of the reasoning and stuff I was a bit like oh, this doesn’t make sense and I don’t understand where it does or doesn’t fit and I feel like they’re going to have to for some reason do another one in that universe for some reason. And I’m just a bit confused. I feel like it just kind of didn’t. You’re right, had that. Where’s that gear? Where’s the gear? Range. Where does it go up? Where do the stakes get bigger? Where does it become really important? But really I liked it because it. Was you can see across the entire movie from start to finish. It was a love letter to the time of the original Fantastic Four. Like all of the Kirby, all of the weird stories are just written into it. So it is made with a lot of reverence and a lot of love. And I really liked that because there was good messaging that was in there.  Speaker  Hmm.  Dion  The execution or some of the reasoning is just I don’t know how this fits. In the rest, like I love that it’s an outsider film, but I also don’t then. But what’s are we are we going to follow these people? Is that the point or is it just having a second one? Like I don’t. Know like it’s another Fantastic Four is like.  Quinny  Yeah.  Dion  Will we see him?  Jill  Yeah. Are we making this movie just to make a sequel? Just so we can make? Money.  Quinny  Yeah. Well, or are we making this one just because we needed to have a really good bad guy for the MCU. We’ve already announced who that bad guy. So we really had to have this film before doomsday could happen.  Jill  Yeah. There’s a lot of very upset people in. Our screening at the end of this movie.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, there was.  Dion  Yeah, Speaking of bad guys, how do we feel about the villain aspects of this one?  Speaker  Hmm.  Jill  I was curious to how I would ever see Galactus executed on film, and I think it. Up to a point, it was well done.  Dion  Is it? Is it better than the giant cloud?  Speaker 6  Ohh yeah, we don’t need.  Dion  So the.  Jill  Some amorphous cloud like I want to see an actual Galactus and like how?  Dion  So.  Jill  Do you do? That I mean, especially after we had the Eternals where, you know, we have things God like beings in space, it’s like, OK, well now how do we make a Galactus?  Speaker  Hmm.  Jill  That was really cool, but then there was a moment where I thought it was. Not cool. Maybe I’ll talk about that in sport.  Dion  How? How did you feel about Charlotte Owl?  Jill  I thought it was sick. I’m like, yeah, let’s go back to the original Silver Surfer. Yeah. People will be surprised to know the original Silver Surfer was not a dude.  Quinny  I I knew that Michelle label was an alternate, but I didn’t realize that. Jill  I think the original Silver Surfer was a woman, and then it was her lover that begged Galactus to trade places with her.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah. Entry.  Dion  Interesting, yeah.  Jill  And disappointed we didn’t get the what if Aunt May was the Herald for Galactus and we didn’t get the golden oldie.  Dion  What are you talking about? Marisa? To me, isn’t that old?  Quinny  I I think.  Speaker 3  No.  Quinny  I think there were there were sequences in there watching the the Silver Surfer surfing through.  Speaker  Ohh.  Quinny  Like Kirby Crackle, ******* cosmic power surfing through black holes where I was like, **** yeah, this is cool. You know, surfing around curving laser beams and ****. I was like.  Dion  Well, grab. Yeah.  Speaker 3  Yes.  Dion  ******* hell yeah, that’s that’s the weird success stuff. That was the bitter.  Speaker  Hmm.  Dion  Was like, oh, this is great. Like, how do you put the Silver Surfer in? Why does it doesn’t even make sense. And it’s like, yeah, it does. If you lean into that. Crazy kind of 60s vibe that it originally was about. It’s like, yeah, I’m just gonna surf, like, through cosmic waves, man, it’s. Like. Cool. That’s fun. Yeah, it helps if you take LSD.  Quinny  Hmm.  Speaker  Yeah.  Dion  You know.  Quinny  Like there was something so ******* cool with all of that visual stuff. Yeah, that up until now, we’ve never really gotten because the only other time we’re seeing the Silver Surfer, he was on Earth, so it didn’t have that real cosmic kind of.  Dion  Maybe. He was the T1000 man.  Jill  Thing, yeah.  Speaker  Hmm.  Dion  He just kind. Of morphed around as needed for the plot.  Quinny  Your thoughts on on the Silver Surfer?  Peta  Neutral. Cool. I I don’t have a lot of feelings about the Silver Surfer as a character, but I thought she was. I thought it it was cool execution.  Dion  Yeah.  Quinny  Hmm. Yeah, look cool. And I like the the human eyes too. I thought that was kind of cool. Yeah, cause you I feel like you still need something to latch onto for a motion, yeah.  Speaker  Mm-hmm.  Quinny  I thought that was smart.  Speaker  And. Look, there’s look.  Dion  There’s lots of fun stuff in there. Standouts for me. I I I need to say I really annoyed that they didn’t rename it the fantastic six because to be honest, there are 6 characters in this movie. By the end of it, you’re watching it like there’s not just four, there’s more. Who you’re following through with, which was a bit of a surprise because I was like, OK, right. You’re just going to lean very heavily into the entire thing. Sure. I really. Kirby, I love that they went into galactic space because that’s kind of that’s that kind of that’s really fun. Like Reed Richards is that kind of character who, you know, is your prototypical 50s, you know, American Americanized painting, you know, of, like, it’s a pipe and slippers and, you know. Dad’s home.  Jill  Yeah. The Norman Rockwell. Yes. Please looking forward.  Dion  Yeah, absolutely. 100% The Rockwell and it it. But presented in that very conservative way, but he’s not a conservative. Like you know, it’s kind of like I’m just going to learn how to fold matter and bend this, and then we’re going to space. All right, everyone, safety third. Let’s go. That’s kind of Reed riches. Like he built a thing called the Ultimate Nullifier. And it kills anything in the known Marvel Universe. And then he’s just like ohh someone.  Quinny  He’s.  Dion  Like.  Speaker  Like.  Dion  ******** Reed, you know like.  Quinny  One thing you you said to me afterwards too.  Jill  Yeah, I mean. He just casually solved teleportation in this.  Dion  Yeah, yeah.  Jill  Film or whatever.  Quinny  Whatever. Whatever one thing you said to me too, and I agreed like they’ve always struggled to get Reed Richards powers looking good on screen. Like it’s very hard to do stretchy guy without it looking dumb, but one of the things that is kind of sad is that in the.  Dion  Yes.  Quinny  The comics and everything. Quite often you’ll see him, and that stretchiness of his body is a. Is. A all about echoing who he’s mentally. Yeah. So his arms are over here. You know, riding on the blackboard and his other arms over here, smoking a pipe and his head is, you know, stretched out over here, looking at the, you know, out the window or something like that. And there wasn’t much of that. It was very much like, this is traditionally handsome Pedro.  Peta  Yeah.  Jill  It’s it’s tiny. Yeah, it’s a tiny bit like he was doing. A little bit of the blackboard. Stuff and the catching things, but.  Speaker 6  Yeah, I don’t.  Jill  I don’t think we really got to see him actually use his powers much in the film as a whole.  Quinny  Nope. Nope.  Dion  It’s very, very expensive to animate Pedro Pascal.  Peta  It’s it’s a dump power.  Speaker 3  Pete. Pete, in there, it’s true.  Jill  I mean, it might be a time you. Would change your mind.  Speaker  Yeah.  Speaker 3  Blubbering time, no.  Quinny  Should we rate it because we are, we’re going on a.  Peta  Yes, yes.  Quinny  Long time. Ohh good.  Jill  Oh my goodness. I don’t know. I’m gonna pick a number.  Dion  How many tips off Jim?  Speaker 6  Yeah, the tip scale. Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Jill  Yeah. The two tip film, but.  Quinny  I mean, I’m gonna. I will change the rating system if I have to, but it’s gonna really.  Dion  I had some I had some issues with it, but I did enjoy. I had a fun time. I’m gonna give it a 75. No 70. I’m gonna go 70. Sorry. I’m. I’m back down a little bit mainly because I really loved.  Quinny  On the website.  Dion  The scenic I love the the the characters together. They didn’t quite mesh as much and I felt like some of them were lost like I think Ben Grimm’s the thing.  Speaker 6  Hmm.  Dion  Totally kind of lost in the hole as much to do. No, I I didn’t get enough of that thing because one of the most important things I know about Ben Grimace, he’s the real heart of the team. And while that was great, like I loved, you know, uncles, you’ve got uncles going on there. I loved it. You know, Johnny and and Ben are totally down for, you know, being uncles. I just thought he got a little bit lost and I have big issues with some of the purple headed warrior of the lactose, which I’ll talk about in spoilers, but yeah, overall fun time. Not a long time.  Quinny  Fair enough, Pete. Number.  Peta  I’m going to say I’m going to say I’m going to say 76 because I do think that it was. Really well put together but. The the I mean I’ll have some stuff to say when we spoil some things. Yeah, I’ll try to keep it brief. Actually, there was one point I think I said to you guys that I’d nearly walked out of there with more tips. Than I started with.  Quinny  I’m still wanting to know how that works.  Peta  Luckily, luckily I I didn’t have to go full rage out on it.  Quinny  So I’m very impressed.  Peta  Umm. But yeah, it’s just those kinds of like those those plot points that that just didn’t quite work for me were just a little bit kind of too conveniently driving the plot. And I didn’t quite buy even in the world of the story, that really kind of helped me back from from. Losing any tips at all?  Quinny  So so number of tips is 2. Hmm but. Peta  Ohh, also the young Kelly’s Uncanny Valley baby was distressed.  Quinny  Though apparently that they had a live baby on set 99% of the time.  Peta  In some shots, I was gonna say you, but you can tell the. Shots that aren’t, yeah.  Dion  Yeah, yeah. Babies don’t look like babies on screen. You gotta pay. They yeah.  Peta  I mean, either it was a fully uncanny valley baby or they were doing something to kind of make the baby look like it was looking, but there was something. Yeah. And whenever whenever Ben Grimm’s holding the baby, it’s like. That ain’t no real.  Jill  Baby, what number did you give it, Pete, 7676.  Dion  Yeah, we all know.  Quinny  And Dion, still at 70, isn’t.  Dion  He. Yes, I’m still there.  Quinny  Yeah, Dan, how many tips have you got left by?  Dion  The way? Yeah, just one tip.  Quinny  Wanted.  Jill  Only go off 1.  Dion  I only want it. Yeah, I mean, well. I mean, I don’t know. It’s moved. Maybe the **** moved like it. It’s not in the same place it started out, but it hasn’t gone completely off. It’s around the side visiting the armpit.  Jill  You can’t. But I gave Superman.  Quinny  I can probably look it up if you want.  Jill  Yeah.  Peta  See, I just kind of take it on a mood basis. It’s on a day by day basis.  Dion  Briefly.  Quinny  Hmm.  Dion  Phil was right. I mean, I think. One of the telling things long rated.  Peta  Never compare my ratings for one movie to another movie.  Quinny  Superman 65.  Speaker  Oh.  Dion  While while Jill is thinking, I mean it’s fair enough. Remember, she only saw it like 4 days ago and it feels like.  Jill  OK, here’s the weird thing though. Like after I watched Superman, I kind of wanted to see it again, but I don’t know if that was to try and enjoy it more or like to get the things that I didn’t really get about it. But this one I’m not really like in a rush to go back. To the movie for it.  Quinny  Hmm.  Jill  But. I did like it more than Superman. Then. I think I’m going to give it. 69.  Speaker 3  Nice.  Dion  Nice.  Jill  It was just a nice movie.  Quinny  Yeah, 69 and still 2 tips.  Peta  Yeah.  Dion  Quinny, what have you.  Quinny  Yeah. Got. I’m very similar to you know, I’m I’m probably I’m probably more in line with the pizza like. Yeah, 70. I’m going to go 77. I don’t know why. Yeah. Actually.  Peta  Just feels like a 77.  Speaker  Vibe.  Quinny  Like I I was a bit more warm on Superman whereas this. Like it’s it’s a perfectly fun, pleasant film. Like there’s nothing wrong with it, but it also just to me, felt like it. Was. Didn’t have much, particularly to say. Other than you know, wouldn’t it be nice if we could all work together and yeah. But also, maybe that’s what we needed at the moment is something that wasn’t too dangerous or whatever and. I don’t know. Yeah, it’s it’s 77 for me, but I just find it so.  Dion  Weird. We’ve, we’ve, we’ve, we’ve focused a lot on the non spoilery side and we’re running rapidly running out of time. So let’s go to the dinner clip to find out why they’re all such a nice blending together, then come back and see how much we. Can jam pack into spoil it section?  Peta  Leave if you haven’t seen it, because I’m going to spoil the very, very, very end of the film.  Speaker  Dion  Pete is thrown down. Here you go, alright?  Speaker 5  What are you doing? You mean what am? I. Doing and then you’re gonna ruin your appetite. I’m hungry, but never late for Sunday dinner. Should we wait?  Speaker  I guess you’re late. What I what do you?  Speaker 5  Mean. What do you mean? What do I mean?  Speaker  You’re late for dinner. Ohh yes we are. We’re late for. By single minute.  Speaker 5  Dinner. Yes, we were just just had to.  Speaker  Some aloe iodine on my shoulder. We got. Do his shoulder and.  Speaker 5  Why is that breakfast cereal in the dinner table? Why are you being?  Speaker  Weird. Not not being. Acting. Weird. Well, I’m doing that weird thing with your face, so. Oh, we don’t know what you’re talking about.  Speaker 5  Are you pregnant?  Speaker  Jimmy at the pregnant.  Speaker 5  Yes, yes.  Speaker  You know, I know he just cannot.  Speaker 1  That have you looked at your husband’s face?  Speaker  Keep his secret.  Speaker 5  What, really, yeah.  Speaker 2  What you are going to be the best mom? Oh, my God.  Speaker  And you are going. To be the best dad. Just kidding. You are out of your depth, but we. We’re going to be the best uncles ever. OK, we should eat.  Dion  Oh, there you go. Yes, that is exactly the kind of thing that we loved about the film. It’s really nice. Spoiler logos up, Pete. Destroy away. Oh, wait. Sorry. She has been there at the beginning. She will be there at the end. We here. Peter.  Quinny  ETA.  Peta  It’s not even my biggest complaint. It’s just that there was a moment at the end where I was like, I am going to have to have another full on rant about killing off female characters via self sacrifice and doing it to two female characters in one scene. UM.  Quinny  Thank God.  Peta  They recovered. They did recover. They recovered from it a bit and it didn’t really feel like it wasn’t going to recover. But for a moment there I was like, oh, oh, we are going to throw down.  Jill  I don’t believe you didn’t realise the magic baby was gonna save the day.  Speaker 3  Sacrifice.  Peta  I did. It did, but there was a part of me that was kind of like you better ******* not.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, there was a little bit of that was it? It’s like, don’t you ******* dare? Jesus Christ, he’s not a. Defibrillator. He’s a baby.  Jill  I mean, you don’t have a. Magic mcguffin. The whole time and then not? Yeah.  Speaker 3  Yeah.  Dion  True, although, but as as we all.  Peta  My biggest my my bigger complaints.  Dion  Know Franklin Richards. The monster.  Peta  My bigger complaints were were the iffy plot points like I’m like, correct me. I’m not a linguist, but I’m pretty sure you cannot translate an entire language with three words like I don’t. I don’t know that that’s possible. The Rosetta Stone had more than than than 3 words.  Speaker 3  Yeah. Hmm.  Dion  Now.  Peta  I I don’t see how I don’t see how.  Dion  Important to understand that this is in the Universe 8 to 8 where things can exist a little differently and they are not this bog standard and it was one of those.  Peta  Oh.  Speaker 6  But it’s it’s.  Jill  Things are like super.  Peta  It’s not the kind of plot point that you can explain away in your brain with that kind of reasoning like it’s not, but.  Dion  It has to be because that’s why I was. I was ******** about it and I yelled at Quinney until it came up to the thing. It’s like, but it’s not the real Galactus. And I’m like. Oh yeah, **** everything in this movie is not the real one from our universe. What? I’m getting angry at can easily be retconned by an executive who doesn’t like the feedback form.  Speaker  Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.  Jill  But this is also a universe where Reed is a super genius that can solve teleportation and like, move a planet. That’s.  Speaker  Hmm.  Peta  It just like the jump between ohh, I’ve managed to do it to an egg.  Jill  Come on.  Peta  Let’s do it to a planet. Nothing will go wrong. I actually, I almost thought that, like, that’s where it was gonna get interesting. Like, that was gonna be this universe is snap moment when they, like, accidentally. Left half the people behind or something.  Quinny  That that’s what I that’s. What I was kinda hoping for like.  Jill  Yeah, there weren’t really many stakes.  Quinny  No, I ******* love the idea of them actually going *******. We’re gonna teleport the whole planet and.  Dion  And ******* it.  Quinny  Up what? Could something goes wrong like they they go to the wrong place or they find themselves in the ******* negative zone.  Jill  Like that ******* DC convergence where the two planets had to merge together.  Peta  Or and that’s the thing.  Dion  They do. How did they do faster than life travel, but. Not work out how radar. Exists stop the fact that Silver Surfer was coming to blow up all of their teleportation machines that that shaped.  Quinny  Me. She’s very fast.  Peta  And in your hand it just kind of looked like a regular size spaceship. I don’t know why they couldn’t have just muted it or something like it’s like felt like a lot of like ohh The thing is coming very slowly. This is the only thing we can think of.  Dion  That was my big ***** point that I will get my big boy britches on and have a whinge about. Galactus’s ******* world eating ship is just a giant space grinder and. And I didn’t like that because if you’re gonna go to, like the extent that they went to, which was really curvy, whole super 60s kind of thing.  Speaker  Right.  Dion  Make the spaceship ******* weird. Make it the giant machines that don’t. You don’t understand the purpose of what they do like. Have something that’s in there.  Speaker 3  Hmm.  Jill  Yeah. What happened to like the? Big straw that he just shoves in the. Planet and like sucks it up like.  Dion  Yeah, all of that. But I mean, just like have the weird like, Kirby was great for drawing like. Contraptions that you love on the contraption, and they don’t. You don’t know why or how they work, or they have like extra bits that go off and they crackle with energy that you don’t understand how it sort of goes. He didn’t care about making it look well built. He cared about making something cool and stupid. And then they put Galactus. Fair enough, looked pretty good, you know, for a big.  Quinny  I look I. Liked big man collectors. I was down.  Jill  For that, yeah. I didn’t like how his. Height fluctuated with convenience.  Peta  Say he wasn’t that big in the end. Though was he he? He looked.  Jill  The lost, yeah.  Dion  A bit of juice out the back of the tube and then he got a bit.  Quinny  Maybe.  Speaker 6  So then he went and shrunk a bit.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.  Quinny  OK, let’s go with that, yeah.  Jill  He’s like ohh, now he can fit in this big circle on the ground that he like, would have Godzilla crushed the moment ago.  Dion  Crush. Sure.  Peta  Confused if planet size or if Godzilla size.  Dion  Yeah. Also how would sue push if 2?  Quinny  Because her push is not based on size, it’s based on willpower.  Dion  No, but push, baby. Ohh no. OK, recover. Push, galactus. Big baby. Oh, no much.  Peta  Is is based on magic mummy power?  Quinny  Yeah, yes, yeah. Like that. That big kind of finale stuff. I was like when he started to climb back out. I was like, ohh. OK now.  Dion  No. Well.  Quinny  We’re gonna get some shoes.  Jill  Yeah, I was like. Oh ****, I jumped.  Quinny  Yeah. Yeah. I was like, ******* sweet. Great. OK, now we’re gonna really ******* now, now we’re gonna wrap it up, but Nope. That’s just that’s it. Cool. Everybody get home. I would love to have seen them do something real. ******* ballsy. I would have loved to have seen them lose the earth, you know? Yeah. So that that’s why this Fantastic Four, like instead of. Yeah, that’s the run like this.  Jill  On the run on the. Sleeper on.  Peta  I’m not sure that Marvel is doing its answer to the trolley problem properly.  Quinny  Why not teleport the ******* baby and the family to another end of the universe, or to a different ******* dimension or whatever?  Jill  Because they answered that in the slack with pocket holes does.  Speaker  Yeah. Yes.  Dion  I mean. I look I I I I really got that like I enjoyed the bit where they were like, no, this is it honestly. Like we we we may be the people that everyone looks up to on the Earth and that’s a bit problematic to put that much. Responsibility. On four people who were there, but at least they always did it with heart, honesty, integrity and overall admission of failure. To the world.  Speaker  Hmm.  Dion

Fantastic Four: First Steps Is this, the 4th attempt at bringing the Marvel Universe's "First Family" to the big screen actually as fantastic as it purports to be? Well, we have finally settled on a look and feel that best suits the classic super hero squad: and it's '60s Retro-futurism all the way for one and all!!! It's a whole new universe of Marvel stories starring Omni-daddy Pedro Pascal, serving C&%t Vanessa Kirby, Joseph "i'm on fire!" Quinn and Ebon Moss Bacharach (or baccarat as Quinny thinks he's called) as the truly Fantastic Four! In this film we kick of Marvel's Phase 6 and usher in a new style and direction of storytelling, but is it actually good?  Listen in and find out! These fantastic four reviewers are here for this one, so it's all hands on deck as we hit this faster than light! https://youtu.be/ZkJszcpuQwQ A huge shout-out to the fantastic flexible friends and their robot helpers who join in with our moderated live-chat during the Twitch stream, each Tuesday night at 7:30pm AEST. And especially to those who have decided to drop some crushed up planet juice in the tip jar. Thanks for supporting us directly via our Ko-Fi jar and now also by subscribing on Twitch! You ALL rock! If you like what we do, drop us a sub!  Every bit of your support helps us to (hopefully) keep entertaining you and making more emotes! (there may need to be some for the rating system soon!) Don't fret if you can't be there for the recording though as you can catch them on Youtube usually later that very night. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss them! https://youtu.be/18QQWa5MEcs?si=ZuzrC0i80qHjiz4n https://youtu.be/cLFDV72pa-s?si=VHolgiDlJZWBk0I0 https://youtu.be/_rRoD28-WgU?si=nISYKo7MGY4MpUE9 https://youtu.be/WEhgwDqYqWM?si=Tx-FIPgv23qichZv ERRATA: It seems Quinny's HERBIE history lesson was incorrect and entirely apocryphal... https://youtube.com/shorts/KHyTOUSk6Rw?si=FCmt1FKY-Grdhs7D   WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK! Send in voicemails or emails with your opinions on this show (or any others) to info@theperiodictableofawesome.com Please make sure to join our social networks too!  We're on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TPToA/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/TPToA Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeriodicTableOfAwesome Instagram: www.instagram.com/theperiodictableofawesome/   Full text transcript Dion  Ohh hello and welcome to the pairing Table of Awesome. It is time for a foursome of a different kind on today. The Tuesday. What time? What time is it?  Speaker 3  What time is it?  Speaker 6  Blame on us? Yeah, it's it's.  Speaker 3  Fun it's it's podcasting time.  Dion  Butter in time. Wait, that doesn't quite work. I don't know. And right now, Pete, which she was invisible. Yeah. Yeah, well done.  Speaker 6  oh  Speaker 3  Sorry.  Quinny  Very well done. I love the feeling now, really. She's.  Dion  Hold on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Embrace hope. She's yeah, probably. Still there. Can you hear?  Jill  Really gone. Just gone.  Dion  Us in the void.  Peta  I'm invisible. I'm not silent.  Speaker  Yeah. Yes.  Dion  That's true. They didn't use that enough in the film. I don't think they're just having Sue just kind of being like, what are you guys talking about and freaking people out because, you know, I do, if I were the Invisible Man.  Jill  Yeah, she's not seen, not heard woman.  Dion  Yeah, not seen, not heard. Wow. Hello. Back after a week. Off. Off. Yeah, yeah. Small, small break.  Quinny  Wow. Hey, I said, everybody feeling enthused and like, upbeat and stuff.  Jill  It was nice. To have a little break to be honest.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, I hate those months with the five Tuesdays. What? What weirdness is that ********? And now? Ohh, it's it's gone. You've gone all glowy and.  Peta  Yeah, I've, I've. I've smudged the camera so.  Quinny  And ohh well. Yeah, I know.

Superman (2025) Look, up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it another confused entry into the DC Extended Universe pantheon of super hero films?! No!!! This is something else entirely! James Gunn (Peacemaker, Guardians of the Galaxy) takes on the D.C. Universe with Superman and is clearly building something new and different… but crucially; is it any good? It's made a butt-tonne of cash, and out-scored the Snyder-verse it is taking over from, but does it have a beating heart? There’s some division in the ranks over this one, with everyone having a very different approach to this film that is not just rebooting a universe, but attempting to wash away some of the bad vibes of 12 years of questionable decisions. The whole team is in for this with Dion and Jill in our legion of Doom and Quinny and Peta suiting up as the Justice Gang. You will believe a podcast can fly!!! Synopsis When Superman gets drawn into conflicts at home and abroad, his actions are questioned, giving tech billionaire Lex Luthor the opportunity to get the Man of Steel out of the way for good. Will intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Superman’s four-legged companion, Krypto, be able to help him before it’s too late? https://youtu.be/4x2C9DIB9Fo A huge shout-out to the beautiful, punk as heck, loveable super crew (and their little dog too) who join in with our moderated live-chat during the Twitch stream, each Tuesday night at 7:30pm AEST. And especially to those who have decided to drop some gold kryptonite in the tip jar. Thanks for supporting us directly via our Ko-Fi jar and now also by subscribing on Twitch! You ALL rock! If you like what we do, drop us a sub!  Every bit of your support helps us to (hopefully) keep entertaining you and making more emotes! Don’t fret if you can’t be there for the recording though as you can catch them on Youtube usually later that very night. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss them! https://youtu.be/Ox8ZLF6cGM0?si=bnRJecS390QIPkMD WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK! Send in voicemails or emails with your opinions on this show (or any others) to info@theperiodictableofawesome.com Please make sure to join our social networks too!  We’re on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TPToA/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/TPToA Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeriodicTableOfAwesome Instagram: www.instagram.com/theperiodictableofawesome/   Full text transcript Dion  Ohh hello and welcome to the periodic table levels. I mean it’s feel good Wednesday night that we’re doing this very special time of Wednesday night. My name is Deon and I’m joined by Peter, Jill and Quinny. And tonight we’re going to be doing. Superman, thanks. Thanks for joining in, but yeah.  Speaker  Yay.  Quinny  OK, great. So look up in this look.  Speaker 5  Moving up a thing.  Peta  If if you want us In Sync like you have to discuss it with. This. Beforehand. No, no, no, no, no, no.  Quinny  Yeah. Just give us a pause and then look at. Us meaningfully. Yeah, well.  Peta  Yes, otherwise our incredible lack of planning is even more obvious.  Speaker 5  All gangs here. Yes. Thank you, Casper. In the chat? Yeah. Whole gangs here and people in. The chat are there, yeah.  Speaker  Day.  Speaker 5  We’re all back. We’re doing this now. You know, finally, the summer blockbuster we’ve all been waiting for. Superman.  Quinny  I’m. I’m excited. I’m super excited.  Dion  Look. You are super excited. No, no, Superman. So parse we’re on to Fantastic Four now, that’s the next new hotness.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  Yeah. Well, I mean, I don’t have, I don’t have my glasses to give. You Deon, but yeah.  jill  Yeah. We had our own personal Pedro Pascal last night. We didn’t need no premiere.  Dion  That’s.  Speaker 9  No. Yes. When the girl. The girl that Porto was so excited.  Quinny  Did we? Did we premiere? It was just a. It’s the best thing ever.  Dion  For like 30 seconds and then she was back to serving hot fresh chicken as fast.  Quinny  The the look on this young lady’s face, though, and she was like, OK, you want an Oporto burger? What?  Speaker 9  Yeah. Are you here for this?  Speaker 10  Sure.  Dion  Yeah, yeah. Look, you know, no, it’s not. It’s not me. Pablo Pascal Pablo Pascal, the team Umm Pedro.  jill  The team U version? Yeah.  Quinny  You’re you’re like Orlando blooms. All the color bloom.  Dion  The fat cousin? Yeah, in Pensacola. We all know these things. It’s fine. We’re not there to talk about this. We’re.  Quinny  I’m.  Speaker 5  Happy to talk about.  Dion  Superman, aren’t we focus. Focus back on this. We’re here to talk about Superman. Lex Luthor, Lois Lane and no one else.  Quinny  Right. OK, right.  Speaker 11  Quinny  Talking about the rest of the. Characters.  Dion  No, no, no, just those three. That’s it. OK, that’s what we agreed to right in the pre production meeting. Yeah, that you all attended. I sent you that invitation.  Speaker  Right.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, absolutely.  Dion  No, it’s.  Peta  A joke all of the notes we make, all the proof we do like, yeah.  Dion  Yeah, yeah, you’re right.  Speaker 3  Yeah.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, it’s it’s 15 hours of. Yeah, it’s, it’s it’s 15 hours of prep work for each hour long show.  jill  The slide deck we built.  Speaker  So.  Dion  Shows doesn’t.  Speaker  It.  Quinny  Sometimes it does feel a bit.  jill  Don’t. You’re reminding me why I stopped doing Animaniacs.  Speaker 5  Ohh.  Quinny  I mean, you know, you’re not wrong.  Speaker 12  Yeah.  Dion  Can we focus on this? Come on, buddy. OK, guys, up here. Let’s go podcast. Alright.  Peta  Right.  Quinny  I’m I’m doing really important stuff.  Dion  We’re. Sick man. Yeah. All right. Last week we had the distinct pleasure of going to see Superman. We did. Water brothers. And. It was a big thing.  Speaker  Wasn’t it?  Quinny  That’s a big thing. How do we all feel?  Dion  Who’s the biggest super fan?  Quinny  Ohh, there’s a good question.  Dion  There here.  Quinny  Yeah. I’m. I’m. I’m big fan of Superman. Love the original 78 film. Probably was, I don’t know for for me, he’s always just been there because of things like super friends, you know? But. I don’t know. I don’t know whether I’d call myself a massive Superman fan, I don’t know.  jill  Yeah, I gotta say, not my favorite superhero. I’m a I’m a Batman girl.  Quinny  I I know this about you.  Dion  Right.  Speaker 9  Yeah. But Superman is there.  Dion  She likes some dark, dark, gritty and rich.  Speaker 12  Yeah.  Quinny  Not traumatised.  Dion  Not, not corn fed worthy and alien.  jill  Look, I do have a new boyfriend and his name is David Cornstein.  Dion  I also have.  jill  We haven’t met yet, but.  Speaker 12  Reviewed.  Dion  I also have a new boyfriend and that is the Star Wars fan David coins, so you know. Yes.  Quinny  Mm-hmm.  Speaker  Quinny  Yeah, David, David, corn sweat. Who said what? What would you like to build? And he said, give me a *******. Lego kit. Yeah, like he, he’s like I want a Superman Lego kit now, like.  Dion  Did you see? Did you see him on the lie detector test where they asked the question of which one would you prefer to do the sequel? The the sequels for Superman or to change and go to become the like into the Star Wars universe and?  jill  Go to Star Wars, yeah.  Dion  He was like.  jill  He’s like, well, they already have me on a contract for another Superman. So I’ll say yes to the Star Wars. Yeah, I’ll take both.  Speaker 3  Yeah.  Quinny  Good answer.  Dion  Peter. Peter, as a lifelong super fan.  Quinny  Mm-hmm.  Dion  Do you? Do you? Would you consider yourself the Superman, Stan?  Peta  I mean, Stan would be taking it a bit far. I I’m I’m not. I I don’t dislike Superman. I think. I mean, my first experience with Superman was the old opening title sequence from the old TV show. You know, and then well, is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Superman. Which was the only thing we knew about Superman for a little while. So when we played Superman and Wonder Woman.  Quinny  Hang on, which which old TV show? All right.  Peta  Superman could be a bird or a plane, or faster earth speeding bullet, and that was it. That’s all we had. We did not grow up with comics. We grew up with sound bites. And then Lewis and Clark, and he ain’t he ain’t no one Superman anymore, so I’m happy. I’m happy for a new Superman. I mean, I I, I you know. Yeah, I I was excited for Henry at the time but.  Quinny  Yes. No, what a ********.  Speaker  Peta  Wasn’t a fan of the dark?  Speaker 3  MHM.  Peta  The dark reboot. Didn’t some somebody who knows nothing really about the character just didn’t feel right to try to dark reboot? Superman didn’t didn’t really work for me, so I’ve I’ve I jumped off the Super train and.  Speaker 9  Hmm.  Quinny  So so you’re trying to tell me that you you weren’t big on Man of Steel, didn’t get into Batman versus Superman and then didn’t love Justice League? Is that what I’m hearing?  Peta  I didn’t watch Justice League. I didn’t watch Batman versus Superman because when it comes to DC movies, I wait for you guys to watch them and then you tell me if I should watch them. And that’s usually how it goes. Yeah. Wait, who was who was the one that was before Henry and like? 2000 and.  Speaker 11  Brandon, Ralph. Yes, Brandon. Ralph. Yeah.  Speaker  Peta  Yeah, yeah, I like chicks.  jill  I will die on that hill. Yeah, I loved that.  Peta  Movie. I like that movie. I saw it. I saw it like in an IMAX theatre in Minnesota or something.  Dion  Yeah. And it was also shot in Sydney.  jill  Yes, it was. And my my 6° of separation I don’t know how many degrees this makes it, but my father changed the traffic lights in the Sydney CBD to American traffic lights so they could film the scenes in the street.  Quinny  Nice. Yeah, right.  Dion  That’s definitely about 6:00 because he didn’t actually interact with anyone.  Speaker 11  He worked. He worked on the film. He did.  Quinny  Sure. We we did work on the.  Dion  Film it’s true, it’s true. So you gotta you’ve gotta count. Like, who was that then? Who was the person he spoke to that was closest to speaking to Brandon ramp?  Speaker 9  Work on the film. Yeah, I’ll let’s just say 3, that’s great.  Quinny  Great. Look, my degrees of separation with Brandon Ralph is one. I’ve met him. Yeah, he’s a very nice man. I really.  Dion  Queen, we’ve talked that.  Quinny  Liked that? He.  Speaker 11  I bet he’s.  Dion  That’s technically considered.  Quinny  He’s super ******* tall.  Dion  Yeah. OK. And he has vegan power.  Quinny  He does have amazing like.  Dion  Because he he’s part of the vegan police. No, wait. He got his head, then stripped.  Quinny  Yes, yes. Because he had cheese at some point, got some Scott Pilgrim.  Dion  That’s right. This is all Scott Pilgrim work. OK, fine. But he’s also got another DC superhero, hasn’t he? In the TV.  jill  Yeah, he’s been the.  Dion  Adam. Yeah. Anyway, more away from Superman. Don’t forget that that the the Superman movie.  Speaker 11  But he did replay.  jill  Superman in the Elseworlds stuff in.  Quinny  Yes. Yeah, he was the the Kingdom come version of Superman, which I ******* loved.  Speaker  Yes.  Dion  So the last time we saw Superman on screen was in the post credit sequence of Black Adam. You forgot about that one, didn’t you?  Speaker 11  Yes, we did. Nope, unfortunately.  Dion  Which was Henry Cavill’s reintroduction into the DC Universe, only to be told very politely. I hope by James Gunn. Nope. Go on. Go on a different direction. So yeah, man.  Speaker  Ohh yeah. Ouch.  Dion  Yeah, but first up though. Like, I mean before we.  Peta  He’s doing all right. He’ll be fine, OK?  Dion  Get too. Before we get too into it, do we have a a synopsis about this new Superman and do you have any requests of the type of accent that what should accent should Quinney be doing it in?  jill  I’ll do it on the timing news guy.  Peta  I was going to say manic tech bro, but yeah, no. We’ve we’ve had many tech bro recently so.  Quinny  Yeah, right. OK. OK, we, we got we got a musical thing on this one. Dion  No worries. Oh yeah, why not? There you go.  Speaker 13  Quinny  I can’t hear it, but I really want. To do when it. When it hits the its stride.  Speaker 13  When Superman gets drawn into conflict at home and abroad, his actions are questioned, giving tech billionaire Lex Luther the opportunity to get the Man of Steel out of the way for good will. Intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Superman’s 4 legged companion crypto be able to help him before it’s too late. Find out in Superman 2025.  Dion  I don’t give a **** the original music’s. Still banging? Yeah.  Peta  I mean that that that’s that. That’s the most fun **** accent we’ve had in a long time. It was barely even.  Quinny  Good.  Peta  Ship quinny. I don’t know.  Dion  Yeah. There we go. People are saying that’s that’s that’s one of your best.  Quinny  That was actually. Vaguely close to what I was aiming for. ******* terrifying.  Speaker 5  Yeah. All right, so.  Quinny  Yes. So here we are, James Gunn. After being ceremony unceremoniously booted from the Marvel Universe and then welcomed back to it so we can do. The end of his trilogy, but during that that brief period of booting was essentially said. Ohh well, if they don’t want you we we’ll give you like. All this other ****. And he then went and made Suicide Squad. And then. Was essentially given the keys to the Kingdom and said you can make your DC.  jill  I’ll tell you what you can fit so many James Gunn elements in this bad boy you’ve got. Kaiju size aliens. You’ve got a quirky, lovable animal. You’ve got deep cut comic book characters. You’ve got obscure version of a mainstream character and.  Speaker 3  Mm-hmm.  jill  The pistol resistance. The one shot fight sequence.  Quinny  Yes, yes, swoopy camera that does all of the the swooping Ness. Yeah, and lots of fisheye lens stuff.  jill  Not much. Snoopy ******* camera in this film. Yeah, besides the fight scene, a lot of swoopy camera.  Quinny  Yeah. So, yes, what do we do? We like James Gunn as a director. I look, I OK I do. I like James Gunn. I’m gonna say that. But feel free to tell me what you all think.  jill  I mean, I found all of the guardians of the Galaxy films very enjoyable. I do like his, you know, I guess you would call it his vision that he. Makes in his films, you know, he’s. Got a very. Clear aesthetic and it’s like a comedy slant on. Serious issues I guess, but also very heartfelt. Yeah, he tends to put a. Lot of himself in his movies and actually crypto is based on his dog.  Quinny  Yeah, who is very bad dog. Yeah, but I love him nonetheless.  jill  So yeah, I I like James Gunn films.  Speaker 2  Hmm.  Quinny  Pete, where are you at with our J?  Peta  No, I mean I I don’t have super strong feelings, but I don’t think I’ve ever been. Mad at them.  jill  Not even for the tweets that he’s trying to redeem himself from.  Peta  I would have to be reminded a a bit, but.  Dion  Or you can find them, but it’s someone who is like 20.  Peta  I was gonna say it’s like, well in the past. And he’s been like ohh, that was bad, right? Yes, he hasn’t. He hasn’t been like, sorry if you’re offended. No. No. OK, well, then that’s like, people make mistakes when they’re young.  Speaker  Yes.  jill  He’s probably 1. Of the rare people that came away from an attempted cancelling but yeah.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  Yeah, I would agree with that. Like I think he. Was able to do the the thing of going own it say yeah, that was me. That was back then. I don’t agree with this **** now. I I let my record of the last how many films I’ve made be my kind of my statement as to what kind of a person. I am now. Which I kind of agree with. I think he I think what he’s trying to say most of the time is generally the right thing Ding.  Peta  Ohh, he was he was saying stuff quite loudly this time. But Oh yeah.  Quinny  My God.  Dion  I’ve been a fan of James Gunn’s work since PG ****. Which you might. Yeah, I know. Right. People like wait. What? Yeah, he did a thing called PG **** for Spike TV. She was always great because always cut away before any of the real **** happened. It was quite great. And Nathan fillion’s. In. It if you ever wanted that. So you go look that up. Look, he’s kind of hit and miss, but you know. I like that he came from a very do-it-yourself roots sort of thing, working with chroma when he when he hits his stride really well is is in great filming. Like, you know, some of his films are are actually quite fun and exciting. And he he brings the. UMI think? Sense of joy and a bit of wonder and a bit of stupidity to kind of every single film that he’s in that he does. So yeah, I mean when this was announced that he was gonna be doing Superman or, you know, heading DC into a new direction, I was like, huh, OK can be a bit, Sammy, with your your stuff because you’ve got your formula, which works. And you you’ve been hammering out the same way for a few times, but alright, let’s let’s go see what you’re gonna do with this one. I’ll give it a go. You seem to make. Paining things which is. Exciting. And also he’s happy to. You know, as with peacemaker and suicide, the Suicide Squad. Sorry. He’s happy to to. You’d be a bit creative with what’s going on by not talking about specific characters, but by building a story around misfits and things you wouldn’t really think of. He likes the latitude, I think, rather have to go down the thing like. I mean, I wouldn’t really want to watch James Gunn’s bat.  Speaker 9  Ohh God no, no.  Dion  Was it? Yeah, it’d be a bit. It’d be a bit strange, but James Gunn’s Lobo could work. Yeah.  Quinny  No. I and I think this I think a lot of people were fairly concerned or at least trepidatious about James Gunn, Superman, because what we’ve seen him do before now has always been about. Outsiders, misfits. You know, like peacemaker, people who are not necessarily good people. You know, the the guardians of the Galaxy are all not necessarily good people. So how does how is it going to play? When he is. You know very much, looking at a paragon, you know, how do we deal with somebody who is just straight up good?  Speaker  MHM.  Quinny  You know, is he gonna be able to handle that and personally? I thought he did.  jill  Yeah. Well, I think what aided him was having a a periphery of weirdos. Yeah, yeah.  Quinny  Goofy ********.  Dion  Gotta admit, I was one of the people who was like.  Speaker  Hmm.  Speaker 5  Who is they?  jill  Yes, we all exclaimed after the movie when Dion said, who was that? Who was that? Who was that? And yeah, we said pick up.  Quinny  Yeah.  jill  A DC comic.  Peta  Book. See I’m. I’m. I’m just used to that experience so it.  Speaker  Yes. Yeah.  Peta  Doesn’t bother me. I don’t know who any of these people are. I know Luther. I know, Lois. I know Superman. Yeah, Jimmy.  Quinny  Thank you. Jimmy Olsen.  Peta  That’s.  Speaker  It.  Quinny  So. So Dion, you’ve never run across Mr. Terrific before? Nope, never run across the garden before.  Dion  Now what now?  Quinny  Who was the chick with Wings Hawk girl?  Dion  Ohh and then there was the other one that did.  jill  Come on.  Quinny  Metamorpho.  Dion  No.  Quinny  Right, I guess. Here’s here’s the thing. This is an unashamedly comic book loving movie. Yeah. And the characters that they are choosing to.  Dion  But. Knew the dog.  Quinny  Difference are not just the big triumvirate, not the what do they call them? The big three? Yeah, they’re, they’re they’re. They’re not the big three. They’re not the Justice League. This is the other guys. It’s green. Not just a Green Lantern. It’s the Green Lantern. That everybody.  Dion  Justice gang.  jill  Hates the ******* worst.  Quinny  The ******** Green Lantern with the.  Dion  Worst hair? No, that was that was the Ryan Reynolds one.  Peta  Yeah.  Quinny  It can get worse. You know it’s it’s Mr. Terrific who is, you know, the lot. People have seen him in recent years. He did show up in Arrow as a as a recurring character, but probably not in a way that people would go. Oh, there’s there’s somebody who needs to be on a big screen.  Dion  I had the same reaction when I saw polka dot man. I was like, OK, fine. But then I was watching this going I I don’t know why. Why does Superman even talk to these people? Aren’t they beneath him?  jill  Yeah.  Quinny  No, please.  Peta  Welcome to my side of the fence there.  Dion  It was weird over there.  Quinny  One thing I will say I do think the film look, I’m I’m putting my my word out there right now. I enjoyed it a lot. I thought it was a lot of fun and really, really enjoyable and hit a lot of emotional notes. But the phrase that I have used to describe it to a few people is silly. Like it is willfully silly. And occasionally goofy. And when it does, big action sequences and stuff it it really leans into this, the kind of silliness of. Ridiculous superpowers. You know you can have 100 flying jetpack goons attach themselves to Superman, and he will just spin like a a top and then they all go flying and it’s it’s cartoon world. Whereas. The the other thing is it’s silly, but at the same time it’s very grounded in its emotions.  jill  Yes, yes, I would agree with you.  Speaker 10  Yeah.  Quinny  And I remember watching it and thinking, oh, that one’s going to be that’s going to be divisive.  Dion  Like the whole thing.  Quinny  And. Yeah, the the whole film, because honestly, I think. If you.  jill  But isn’t it? Isn’t it just dividing like people with empathy and ********?  Quinny  But that’s not what I thought was gonna happen. I thought it was going to divide people into people who wanted us a a more serious take on a superhero. Ohh. OK and people.  Speaker  Oh.  Quinny  Who were just like, yeah, comic book superhero, bright colors, Superman robots, you know, crypto.  jill  Yeah, that’s what kind of makes it hard for me to recommend to people because my parents love to watch movies. They like the superhero stuff, and so my mum was like, how was Superman? I said.  Speaker 9  Ohh it was, it was fun.  jill  But at the same time, I’m thinking you’re not going to get half of the references in this film. Like it’s definitely not built for a layman. Peta  You don’t. You don’t need to get the references for it to be fun, though. I think if if you had to get the references.  jill  I feel like 75% of it is references.  Peta  For it to be fun.  Quinny  I mean. Are you? Maybe you need.  Peta  To get into the spirit of it, like I’d never heard it, I didn’t know Superman. Had the dog, but.  Speaker 11  Yeah.  Speaker 13  The Super Dog never had a crypto and never heard.  Peta  Of crypto, but I would say that that that was like the the film signalled what it was very big, very quickly from the beginning in terms of tone and kind of used crypto to do that. And and given I didn’t even watch the trailer for this, I was like, just like we’re going. To see the. New Superman Film Zero other information except for that one still that got released ages ago. I did not know what we were going internally. So so it took that for me to be like, ah, OK, this is where we are. This is what we’re expecting. That’s cool. But like, it didn’t bother me that I’ve never heard of crypto before. Didn’t bother me that I never heard of that particular version of the Green Lantern before, although the head did confuse, confuse me a lot.  Quinny  The volcano.  Peta  Well, maybe because I’m often watching these things with people who do more comics than me. I’m just very used to not getting most of the references and being like along. For the ride.  Quinny  Fair Tari in the chat, saying that the trailer makes it look serious. Yeah. Yeah, I can see that.  Peta  I mean, there’s definitely got serious elements and serious themes. It’s it’s got a serious take, but it it it has a lens of comedy that makes it. It’s very clear from the beginning and that’s what it is. I did find it totally tricky, to be honest. Like I enjoyed the silliness. I enjoyed the comedy, but. I couldn’t quite get my stride in for like. Good first half of the movie. Just totally I I I couldn’t. I couldn’t quite get my hooks into. Into. Where it was and I don’t know if it’s because it didn’t feel. Like if it was like the first episode of A. New TV series. It would have been perfect. There was just something tonally about it that didn’t that didn’t, or maybe it was structurally, that didn’t feel like cinema esque to me.  jill  There was a moment. In the first half of the film, where I did like, make a comment to myself where I was like, this doesn’t really feel like it has a lot of substance. Like it kind of struggles with the message that it wants to convey and. Being comedic like, I don’t know that any of the serious moments really. I don’t know, it held. You long enough to connect. If that makes sense.  Quinny  In in the first half or in. The whole film in.  jill  The whole film I I I there.  Quinny  Were a few moments where I I was really tuned into the series and the emotional like there are a couple of bits with his parents that I was just like, oh Jesus Christ, that that got me right in the in the fields. I.  jill  Don’t know, just some of the some of it just felt rushed. I’m like, it feels like. It’s trying to rush through. These serious beats, or these emotional moments to to get to the next comedy bit, I don’t know.  Quinny  It definitely felt like it was. It was rushing through stuff, agreed. Like there are, there are points where it sort of introduces a concept and then.  Speaker  Hmm.  Quinny  You kind of rushed through to the bit where it’s suddenly the next big. Crisis or whatever.  jill  Yeah.  Quinny  And yeah, it’s. It’s it. It feels like it’s at breakneck pace, kind of a lot of the way through.  jill  Yeah, I was tempted to actually try and catch it again before we chatted. I just to get another go at it.  Quinny  You’ve been very blocky.  Speaker 2  Hmm.  Dion  Look. I mean, I’m down for stuff. And I’m down for all of this thing. But I mean, my one take away that I had for it is ohh, it’s Superman movie. It’s not for me. Like I watched it and I was like, I was there for this. I saw all this just like, I mean, I thought there were. There were bits that that they did, which I really got and I really believed. I thought they, like, knocked it out of the park. I was like, I’m 100% here for certain things, like, certain interpersonal relationships, certain kind of scenes and ideas. I was like, that is. Like, that’s beautiful. You’ve really nailed it and it shows what you’re trying to do. And then there were other stuff there that I was like, why is this? Part. Of this, this doesn’t need to be part of this. I’m slightly confused about where this is all sitting in relation to. It seems like there was a Justice League, but there has been something that happens that has, I know, but this is I’m talking about how I interpreted stuff I was like. I feel like, oh, there was a Justice League for a while there, but now there’s not really a Justice League. But now there’s something else going on, like it was like, oh, we’re we’re going and there’s a world and it’s happening. And some things you won’t know because you haven’t. We haven’t explained, but we’re not going to. You’re just gonna move forward with this. And I was like, OK, that’s all right. I can sort of get on board with it. But it felt like I was being missing critical pieces of information. And then also like, oh, I don’t understand why these other characters are there. This seems like it’s all very haphazard. Some characters are completely underutilised.  Quinny  Examples.  Dion  Like a hot girl, I thought she was. She was pointless if you took her out. I don’t think anything would be missing. There’s no. And that’s a shame because you know, like you want every character. Yeah. Yeah. You want all that stuff to be there?  Quinny  Great actors, but also cool characters.  Dion  Yeah, and and. But to did it look cool in this? Nope. I can say distinctly that I looked at every time she was on screen. Like, ohh. It’s kind of dull. This is a bit better in Black, Adam. I know, right? OK. That was called man. Was it?  Speaker 9  That was.  Dion  One girl. Well, one of them was in. Wasn’t there a hawk girl in one or something?  Quinny  There was a hawk girl in legends of.  jill  Mine.  Quinny  Tomorrow. Sure. Yeah.  Dion  You don’t. I don’t do a lot of DC. Sorry. I wasn’t really a DC person, but I get. Some of the.  Quinny  Ideas. I realize now that I actually am more of a DPDC person than I.  Dion  I had to say.  Quinny  Thought I was.  Dion  I I was so angry when I walked out because one of the things I said quietly to Quinney was like, I’m so so pisssed off because I feel like I need to defend the Snyder verse slightly. And I was angry with my and I still am. I’m still kind of angry with this. I was like, ohh, there’s some things that Snyder verse did a lot better, but I really want to enjoy. The.  Speaker 2  Did.  Dion  This new one I just kind of went. I don’t I I don’t. You know, I think ultimately what I want is I don’t want a Superman movie with all these other people. I just want a Superman movie. Just give me Superman and Lois. And maybe legs loose or throw him in. Sure, he’s OK, but I don’t. I didn’t need the rest. Yeah, and it was.  Speaker 3  Hmm.  jill  Yeah, I will just say for the chat, those that haven’t seen it yet, we’re kind of thrown into the midst of an unfolding situation. There’s there’s not really a beginning, middle and end to it. It’s where where. Thrown into a situation. And it kind of never gets out of that for the whole film. We just always seem to be in a moment and there’s no explanation to, like, some of this stuff. And like I can. Make my way through the movie with plenty of context clues. That’s fine, but I would have loved to have had more moments completely fleshed out and.  Peta  Yeah, be a.  jill  Little bit more on. Board with what’s actually going on, especially like the relationship around Clark and his coworker. I don’t really feel like I got to see a lot of Clarke. Even Lois didn’t really feel fully formed for me and I really have one complaint about her character is that she did not do any journalism. She she was discovered some photos.  Speaker 3  Hmm.  Quinny  Yeah.  jill  By via somebody else and then was able to piece together what was actually happening. In the plot that Superman is trying to uncover. So for me, not a great lowest, even though I love Rachel Brosnahan.  Dion  It’s gonna it’s gonna make absolutely every single journalist who actually does work in research like this scream internally more.  jill  Yeah, but unfortunately I think a lot of modern journalism is just being lucky.  Quinny  Like this so.  Dion  Yeah. No, but like this, this is the thing because it’s kind of I just want to like put that out. It’s going literally. Entire crew of journalists is is together to how do they release the stories like great, we’ll do it on the fly and then they’re doing it like by editing on their. Phones and sending an e-mail and.  Quinny  No, that that is ******* great cause I actually saw a journalist say my favorite part of this movie was Jimmy Publishing the story through a CMS accurately.  Dion  Ohh. Yeah, yeah, sure. But I mean doing. It doing it while they’re running around going. Ohh yeah, it’s ready. Goes press send. Now we have to do it. I’m like.  jill  Yeah, go live.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah. And published too. Social publish.  Peta  In other news, Jimmy can get it apart.  Speaker 11  Like Oh yeah.  Quinny  Sorry.  Speaker 9  Oh.  Peta  Oh no, my. Life.  Quinny  Apparently, yeah. Jimmy lays more cable than anyone in this book. And. I don’t think anyone knows why.  Dion  Jimmy does, and Jimmy needs some.  Quinny  Yeah, Jim. Jimmy. Eat world. Ohh wow.  Dion  Jimmy. Jimmy gets it.  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, I I agree. I think like I I will come to the defense of the movie in a lot of cases because there’s a lot of it that I think is a lot of fun. And you know, the thing that I love about it is that it’s it’s it plays well to kids like the and the Minecraft.  Dion  Of movie.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  But how nice is it to to see a kid wanting to play with a Superman toy as opposed to if I could Minecraft toy anyway? But yeah, like that, that stuff with the the people in the daily Planet definitely feels a bit undercooked. Like you’ve got Cat Grant there who? Is, you know there you know what she does.  jill  Yeah. And then you got. Like a couple of other random reporters, I’m like.  Quinny  You got Steve Lombardo there.  jill  Yeah, why don’t.  Quinny  Who just seems like a ********. Yeah. And they were. Yeah. I love the relationship between Lois and Clark, though. Like, yeah, like.  Speaker  Hey.  jill  Yeah, well, what was it, Clark or was? It Superman, yes.  Dion  Yeah, I it’s, I said, like I really was on board with that. I thought the dynamic between Lois and Clark or Cael, like all of that. Was great. Like I went. Yep, they’re definitely cool, funny people who are trying to work out a relationship in this world that they’ve got around them. And I really got it. And I was like hats. Off to them. Amazing. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. And then there was other things. Like the **** is Mr. Terrific and why does. He have balls.  Speaker 9  They’re tears, fears, tears, fears.  Speaker 12  Yeah, man. Dion  Sure. I mean, you know and it’s it would be alright? Well, like what is the engineer? Why is she dangerous? I don’t.  Speaker  Oh, I’m so I don’t know. Yeah.  jill  They told you she has nanobots.  Dion  You know bots. Yeah, but I. Mean **** that. I mean, there are some. There are some annoying things about comic book movies because you know what? We were all annoyed by the giant sky beam and this one, thankfully, just let you all know there is no giant sky beam, no sky beam. There’s a giant.  jill  There is an underground Fight Club.  Dion  Yes, and the giant. And there’s a giant. There’s a giant crack.  Peta  Yeah.  Dion  Which is the same thing as the giant sky, but it has the same yeah.  Quinny  It’s the exact opposite, in fact.  Peta  It’s a giant wall destroying rift. Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Dion  And it’s made of bismuth. Yeah. What the **** is going on with that? It was just.  jill  Yeah.  Dion  Yes, and as until a joke that came later, which was? Oh, yes. Lex Luthor was just a businessman.  Speaker  No.  Dion  Gone. No, exactly. For people going the the the, the, the, the big Destructo thing that whatever is happening, it looks like it’s just macro views of bismuth for me.  jill  Yeah. Do we like Nicholas? Holt’s performance as like we thought.  Peta  I always like Nicholas Holt, so I’m I I I I can’t have that conversation.  Dion  Why not? He got paid $2,000,000. For this film.  Peta  Good for him. Is that all?  Dion  Yes, but do you know how much Superman got paid? The same as Lois, but less, but much less.  jill  A million million.  Dion  700 they 7 they got.  jill  Ohh really? He got the he got the pretty privilege he got. Ohh.  Dion  750 tags each. Yeah, but they also both within written into it that they they had a lower fee because they have a back end deal. So they’ve got.  jill  I want a back end deal please.  Dion  With who? With Nicholas Holt or with?  jill  No. Yeah, with my new boyfriend.  Dion  Torn to it.  Quinny  I love it. You, you ladies, you can. You can divide them up, Pete. You can have Nicholas Holt. Jill, you can have David Corus wet. I’ll take crypto, apparently.  jill  No.  Quinny  And I will pat him, I will pat him and love him and call him George.  Speaker 9  Yes.  Dion  Great. So it just leaves me with the Lois and I haven’t even watched the fabulous Mrs. Maisel.  Peta  Marvel, marvelous.  Speaker 5  See. Marvelous.  Peta  That did distract me because I didn’t realise she was lost because, as I said, I hadn’t looked into the movie at all and just the entire time my brain was like. But it’s the marvelous missus.  Quinny  That would be.  jill  Wow.  Peta  Not Louis.  Dion  Yes, yes.  Quinny  Yeah, you, you get #5 or as he’s better known, Gary.  Dion  Yeah. No, like 100% if I got to hang out with Alan Tudyk for the rest of my life, I would be down for that. I’d be like, yes, please give me.  Quinny  Mm-hmm.  Dion  Screen robot voice.  Quinny  Man, I did. I did love it. I looked up who the other.  Dion  He’s a very funny man.  Quinny  Voices of the robots.  Speaker 9  Ohh.  Quinny  Are. Yeah. So Superman robot number one is Michael Rooker.  Speaker 9  Oh, I was. Wondering why he was credited on who was he?  Quinny  Yep, and Superman robot #5IS. Pom clementia? Yeah. There’s, like, there are a bunch of little things in there, like, you know.  jill  Ah, nice. Just James Gunn’s friends.  Quinny  Yeah, James Gunn’s friends like Bradley Cooper gets to look in.  Speaker 9  So, so shocked to see.  jill  Bradley deal was so shocked that he didn’t. He convinced himself it wasn’t Bradley Cooper.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  I don’t think anyone.  Dion  Yeah, I thought it was to start with. I’m like ohh, that’s funny. And then later I’m like, no, that’s not him. No, it wasn’t him, right? It was someone else.  Quinny  One of my favorite stupid and and something OK, something that probably should be said if you love the 1978 movies like so Superman, Superman 2. Hmm. This has got a lot of love for those films, and that particular kind of style.  Dion  I I feel it’s got more in common with Superman 3 onwards.  Quinny  That two it has a bit of three and four in there as well. In fact, it’s got.  Dion  But I mean. Superman. Superman. A lot of Superman 4. Yeah, I mean, like I like Superman 1. I do not find that this is the same as Superman 1 because it had the stupidity of Superman 2 when he throws his *******. Symbol that wraps like. That’s the kind of somewhat stupid ideas that come out. You’re like, oh, bold choice, but I guess. I feel like that’s OK.  Quinny  Yeah. Like I I think this has got more in common with the the funny parts of Superman 1, like the the Lex Luthor and Otis and Miss Tessmacher, and then stuff like that. Yeah. You know, those kind of elements of Superman 1 and yeah, a lot of Superman four. I was actually really shocked at how much.  Dion  Yeah.  Quinny  Referencing there was to Superman 4, which is make no mistake, the worst of those Mens sure super men super anyway, but my favorite is there’s a character in there who’s Lex, who’s main thug character by the name of. Otis. So Otis, of course, being from the old films. But this new character is called Otis Berg, and that’s the name of the country that Otis wanted to have for himself in the. 78. I’m going to. Mr. Luthor, I’m going to have a place and. It’s gonna be called Eldersburg.  Dion  I mean, look, also I want to I want to put it because a few people in the chat haven’t watched it yet, which is fine. Yeah. It’s OK. There was a lot of dog in this. Like, I mean there’s there’s so much. There’s almost too much dog. I know.  Speaker 9  There’s a lot of dog, it’s got.  jill  The dog in it. Oh, come on.  Speaker 5  See look you.  Dion  Know look at this this whole thing. These were divisive.  jill  What are you, a cat person?  Dion  No, I.  Speaker 3  Yes.  Speaker 5  No, I’m a dog person, but I thought in this there was like there is a little bit too much dog.  Dion  In this and also the dog. Anyway, I can’t explain like the whole thing is I can’t say I I watched it and by the end I’m like it’s not really for me. I don’t. I don’t really, I’m not.  Speaker 5  Sure, I’m down.  Dion  For this, but I want to be is that does that? Does that make sense?  Quinny  You you went in?  Speaker 9  Of course, yeah.  Dion  I went in hoping that this would be kind of for me, you know, like ohh. Great. Maybe this will be a new Ave. to get into the DC cinematic world that they’re probably building and stuff like there’d be something to get and there’s like.  Speaker 5  Oh, I feel like this is absolutely not.  Dion  My kind of jam, but I hope it will.  Speaker  Me.  Dion  I I just wanted to see a movie about soup. Men. Not Superman. Conflicted ideologies of other stuff that people maybe are doing at him or or all this other stuff. And they’re very over complicated **** like, you know, ultimately at the heart, Lex Luthor is still the same. Thing that he was in the original. Gene Hackman dies.  Speaker 11  Yeah, I really think, yeah.  jill  I feel like Nicholas Holt was really channelling Gene Hackman, to be honest.  Quinny  Oh yeah, yeah, big.  Peta  You don’t feel more topical?  Quinny  Though ohh yeah. Yeah.  jill  I’m gonna say Superman has always been this topical.  Speaker 5  Oh yeah.  Peta  But in in terms of that particular character now feels particularly topical.  Speaker 3  Mm-hmm.  jill  I think, well, I think that they’ve just updated it to more modern things and I’m going to say stuff like social media and trolling and that kind of stuff. Because there’s, like a great gag throughout the the film about Superman not reading the comments.  Speaker 9  Because it’s just.  Speaker 3  Yeah.  jill  Just hateful. And then we find out later who is writing those comments. Which is quite humorous, but. It’s. Yeah, I think it’s always had that theme.  Peta  Yeah, I’m and I’m, I’m glad. I’m glad that. Ohh well, I was talking about Luther specifically as a specific character being a billionaire tech bro megalomaniac that.  Quinny  You’re you’re talking about Luther.  Peta  Actually, you know, literally trying to take over the world by helping to engage small countries.  Quinny  Yeah.  jill  I mean, I saw a really great headline that just said Superman is not work, it’s just we have real life super villains now. So that’s why it is so relatable. Yeah.  Peta  Yeah. But you’re right. I mean, all of these things have always had messages. So I was glad in this case that there was like strong messaging within the plot and within. Each of the characters. So even when I wasn’t quite catching up with the tone or like you said you, you kind of do get kind of thrown into the middle of the story and maybe that’s why I didn’t feel like I would catch up. There’s definitely not an origin story. But even when I, you know, was kind of like.  Speaker  Hmm.  Peta  I’m still not sure I’m feeling what this is. I was kind of appreciating that it was staying true to the genre in terms of its. In in in terms of its messaging and how topical it was being.  Quinny  Yeah. Look, I I’m a big fan of the fact that it it it didn’t stutter like when it’s saying hey, you know countries invading other countries as far and you know a fairly thinly. Veiled, like OK, completely thinly veiled thing saying, hey, this country that looks an awful lot like Israel this country. That looks an. Awful lot like Palestine. Yeah. This is a ****** situation. Wouldn’t it be nice if somebody could just, you know, go in and give the middle finger to? You know, literally the middle finger to an oppressive regime, you know, like. I can see where people are jumping around saying it’s woke. Absa, ******* lutely. It’s. It makes no bones about where it’s politics. Like, yeah.  Dion  The only problem is it’s like, that’s just, you know, the group of people who are complaining about this sort of stuff. I feel like, well, you’re the sort of people who, like, say that the Punisher is part of the police force. Like you just you’re not, actually.  Speaker 3  Hmm.  jill  Yeah, they don’t understand it like Superman has been woke since 1938, when he was created like, yeah.  Dion  Yeah, well, the 50s after the Japanese thing, but we won’t go there. Yeah.  Quinny  He was he was fighting the Klan in 1940.  Dion  True, true, you know. But there was a bit of problematic World War 2 stuff. So, but you know, hey. You can’t win them all, but yeah, look, it is a whole thing that. This is someone who’s trying to fight for the underdog, for the little guy to stand up to, to face down bullies and all that sort of stuff. And what happens when the bullies are the ones that are kind of running stuff. You know, then you can’t be surprised. I was like, ohh. Maybe we’re the bad guys like. Yes. That’s what we’re telling you. We’re actually telling you you’re doing **** things and stop it, because that’s not what we want to be.  Speaker 2  Yeah.  jill  That’s the part of this movie that, like, struck me the hardest was when, you know, bullies pile on when the heroes down like Superman has a moment where, you know the press and online is picking him apart and then that’s when you know, people decide to strike you when.  Speaker 3  Hmm.  jill  You’re at your week. Just and have made no secret about having endured bullying through high school, so it was a very resounding moment for me. I ******* hated it, but. Yeah, I think it’s still important to include stuff like that. Yeah. Yeah, it was a hard watch.  Dion  So this is what I say. Like when, when, what, when I was watching it and like some of the stuff it when it hits it. It hits. Really, really well and that’s.  jill  Yeah. Very yeah. Poignant stuff.  Dion  Yeah. And then, you know, other times it’ll go from that though, to a scene of a, an entire building collapsing over a particular thing. Or, you know, the fictional idea that Metropolis can be evacuated in about 20 minutes.  Peta  Yeah. I mean, suspension of disbelief. Dion, come.  Speaker 11  What the ****? On.  Dion  Excuse me. What? I I’m a logistics based person and even I know you can’t evacuate patrol. I mean Gotham. Different story. We can get people out, no problem. It’s basically Islam.  Peta  Yeah.  Quinny  What I did enjoy about that that sequence, though, was the difference between. Something like that sequence and Man of Steel where you’ve got like a Superman.  Peta  Which is why I did not like Man of Steel. I was like, I know nothing about Superman, but this don’t feel right.  Quinny  Like just having a a running battle through the streets and smashing through.  Peta  Just shocking a guy through buildings like just the entire battle was him throwing that guy through buildings that had people in them.  Quinny  There’s no. Yeah, yeah. And then at the end of it killing. You know which like is is one of those things that is just like ohh. Whereas in this one.  jill  Yeah, that lost me when he killed Zod. That lost me. I’m like, this is not.  Quinny  Superman. Yeah. And. And OK. He couldn’t. He couldn’t do it any other way. Yeah, he can. He’s Superman. And I love this one for, like, all of those moments where he’s like somebody, you know, does something to the Kaiju and he’s like, come on, man. I was going to put that in a. Like a space prison thing or.  Speaker  Whatever.  Speaker 9  Yeah, and like Superman does have his his little space zoo, like with all his funny little creatures.  Quinny  Yeah. Yeah. Exactly like. But I think to to make him and the the the level of good these and that that altruism where he will save a squirrel where he will, you know try and get a dog out of the way to keep it from being you know hurt whatever to make him work. You kind of have to place him in this almost silly space.  Speaker 13  Please.  Quinny  Like you know, this is this is a Superman who goes and talks to his funny robots and can fly into the heart of a black black hole like this. This is very, very much Frank quietly, kind of All Star Superman, which is, you know, really kind of leaning in on the Silver Age, the. The really kind of over the top stuff. But to do that, that’s why you can have him be so good. But then they ground that I I personally thought it was a ******* incredible kind of balancing act where they allowed him to be, you know, cartoonishly lovely.  Dion  Yeah.  Quinny  But then would ground it with something like when the the mayor and Par Kent first showed up. I was like, holy ****, this is a bit much, isn’t it? Like, you know.  jill  They were really giving adventures of Superman, Marion. Park Kent to be on.  Quinny  Hmm, yeah. But then by the end of it, I was like ohh, I’m fully invested in these sweet, lovely people.  Dion  Yeah. What do you mean? They’re just regular folk?  jill  Yeah, exactly.  Dion  Who were just trying to be good and try to like to think they’re not like Kevin Costner’s saying. No, no, don’t sacrifice it like I wouldn’t. I was.  Peta  Ohh ****.  jill  That movie just reminding me how much I ******* hated Man of Steel.  Quinny  Yeah. No, no. I don’t save me. Don’t reveal your secret. Oh, and by the way, maybe you should have let some.  Dion  No.  Quinny  Kids, kids die.  Dion  Yeah. Yeah, because that’s that’s how you get a Superman that kills people. Rather than this one.  Speaker 11  Anyway.  Dion  It’s like you raised me to be good, and then I found out that I wasn’t supposed to be good. Ohh, but no, I I’m still gonna be good.  jill  Hang on. All right. Any final thoughts before we rate?  Dion  Uh, no.  Quinny  I think I just waxed a little too lyrical then so I I think I’ve said as much as. I need to.  Dion  Great. OK.  Quinny  Clip.  Dion  Yes. Clip then right, mainly because it’s very late. Well done. Good call, Jill, I could join me to start the the clip then. Right. You want to go clip then? Right. Which one? Which one do you want? The you get out of here or the dog? The dog. Do you want to see the dog?  Speaker 2  Yes.  Speaker 9  It’s good for you. Dog. Dog. Ohh.  Speaker 10  So.  Quinny  What is this? Crypto.  Speaker 2  What the hey, dude, I I thought you destroyed the whole Superman robots. I thought I told you to keep an eye on him.  Speaker 10  We feed the canine, but he is unruly and he realizes we are not flesh and blood and couldn’t in our heart of hearts care less whether he lives or. Dies.  Speaker  Don’t eat it.  Speaker 13  Out, out, stop out. Stop. Crypto out. Out. Stop it. Stop, sit, sit, stay.  Dion  Oh, there we go. Yes, the very bad dog who is a good dog but a bad dog. Unless before dog. Yes, trying. Is James going trying to make us all Crypto Bros? OK, ratings hit the ratings. Go on.  Speaker 13  Kneel before dog.  Quinny  Oh.  Speaker  Oh.  Quinny  Rohan, didn’t it?  jill  I wanted to like it more than I did. I really, really wanted to like it more. Than I did.  Speaker 9  Oh, ****. You’re going to be harsh. I’m going to give it.  jill  A 65.  Speaker  Cool.  Speaker 9  Chill. I still.  jill  Had enjoyable moments. But there’s just something about it that didn’t click for me. I don’t ******* know what it was. I mean, I touched on some of the the moments a lot of out of context stuff, just not enough fleshing out of some characters. Like maybe it was doing too much. I.  Speaker 12  Hmm.  Dion  This is so strange.  jill  Don’t know.  Dion  It’s so strange because I was heading towards 60. I’m gonna give it 60. I know, right? I was heading towards 60, which I thought was like rough, but I was like, ohh true. Yeah, that’s the thing like.  Speaker 11  But. I liked it. I had fun it.  Speaker 9  Was just just.  jill  Not enough that did it. For me, yeah, that’s right. Can.  Dion  I go not for me. Like, you know, like.  jill  Even those beautiful dimples.  Dion  I don’t remember. I don’t remember that character.  Quinny  Yeah, beautiful dimples.  Dion  I feel like it’s a song like if. If I were to separate everything out and perhaps put it in a different context, I would enjoy each of those bits more. But yeah, together I just. I was like, oh, it was entertaining. But did I have a good time? With it I’m like fine. You know. If they announce Superman 2 tomorrow, would I be rushing out to see? I’m like depends. It’s gonna be more the same same. Anyway, there I did 60. That’s fine.  Quinny  Pete, where you got with it?  Peta  I’m not gonna. I’m gonna be a little bit kinder to it because, like, I’m genuinely so used to not knowing what’s going on or who anyone is that none of that stuff actually bothered me, and partly because I I appreciate the the messaging that it was going for, and there were lots of bits that I did appreciate, but. I just structurally totally couldn’t quite get my hooks in. To it, but it’s not to say that I wouldn’t recommend it. I still think it’s an entertaining film, so I’m just gonna say 70.  jill  Yeah, I agree with Brent. In the chat. They said it feel like it needs a second viewing to appreciate. And I did kind of want to see it again before we did this show, but didn’t get time. I do wanna watch it again.  Quinny  Hmm.  Speaker 2  Yeah.  Quinny  Yeah, I I do really want to begin.  Peta  And also need to see it twice to make it good. Probably like isn’t like yeah positive rating.  Speaker 11  I think.  Speaker 9  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  jill  So for now, 65 still sticks, yeah.  Speaker  Yeah.  Quinny  Look, I was talking to other person who saw it and had had a conversation online and they gave it a rating, but the.  Speaker 12  Was it a?  Dion  Is that a monkey?  Quinny  Yeah, yeah, yeah. The monkey called Waterworth, but he made a really interesting point, which is the film itself. And the way the film is made. Has some goofy moments, and like there are bits that don’t work, and it’s kind of clunky, and there are sequences that feel rushed and there are characters that feel underused and everything. So the film itself, I said, he said I’d break that about a 60. 5. But. The feeling that I got from it. Was much higher, you know, and there are moments that it hit its stride where you see, like, you know, the the there’s a moment where the the building comes crashing down and it’s just dust. And. You see the the silhouette of Superman rising above it, and I was like, oh **** me. That’s a beautiful shot. You know, and there were moments where he was talking to Luthor, where I was like, God, that’s a ******* rip. A piece of writing. And, you know, there were all these moments throughout that that made me feel a lot. Different about the film and. That’s the thing. Like I remember watching it going. People are gonna be really torn over this one. Turns out they weren’t. It’s made of ****** out of money. But. I think I was also looking at myself going I’m torn on this film like I can see that there are lots of bits that don’t work particularly well, but I’m having a ******* great time. And when it does it, it does it beautifully. So for me, somewhere around that 80 mark.  Speaker 11  Quinny  Like I’ve I’ve really enjoyed it. I think the. Like. It’s not hitting the ******* heights of of Logan, you know, it’s.  jill  Yeah. Didn’t blow my ****.  Speaker 12  Off Peter, how how are your tints? Are they still? Sorry.  Quinny  I am.  Peta  That’s the new rating system.  Dion  2020 I can mine are here still.  Quinny  So mine is still.  Speaker 12  My might.  Quinny  Might have gone.  jill  From now on I’m just writing 1-2 or zero like. That’s how many tips are left.  Dion  No.  Quinny  How they treat you? I like that we’ve been doing this for this many years and. We’ve only now come. To a rating.  Speaker 13  System the perfect all.  Dion  Agree on a perfect natural rating system.  jill  Renaming to the periodic tides of awesome.  Quinny  Wow.  Dion  You heard it here first. In this ultra wide for truth, justice, and. The tight way. How do we get here? Sorry, Kenny, you were talking very earnestly about lucky Superman and now.  Speaker  We’re talking about.  Quinny  No, I’m. I’m all down for.  Speaker 11  I said bring us back to reality.  Quinny  I I think I think I’ve said quite a lot. I talked about this on ABC Radio. I’ve I’ve, yeah, I’ve kind of kind of said my piece on this whole thing.  Dion  You did.  Speaker 5  Like Will, will.  Dion  I watch this Superman in another film or a a successive sequel. Yeah, I will. Like, I’ll come back and give it another go, but I really hope I get to see more. Uh. About like I, I would enjoy watching this Superman interact with other people, but I really just want to see a movie about Superman.  jill  I wanna see this Superman with a with with our touch, Batman.  Quinny  Our pet.  Dion  Our parts.  Quinny  That would be the most astonishing tonal whiplash.  jill  Yeah. It’s gonna be like gloomy boy and sunshine boyfriend. It’s gonna.  Dion  Well, we already know that Lobos Green Litton going ahead. So yeah, this Superman and.  jill  Be so great. Ohh God, just imagining a hot mess from Lobo.  Quinny  I mean. Yeah, but I’m also. There’s a part of me that kind of feels like that’s what Lobo needs to be. But also, I’m not sure he’s, like, getting his own film. I know he’s in Supergirl, but you know.  Dion  Well, who knows, I mean. Wait, we’re in spoiler section yet.  Quinny  I was gonna say should we move into spoiler section just briefly.  Dion  So that does mean changing the bulb. Yes, yes. It’s up now, OK. Right. So. How do we feel about that? And?  Quinny  So.  jill  Yeah, escape the chat if you don’t want spoilers.  Speaker  Quinny  True. Yeah. Yeah. Now, now is your time to exit and.  Dion  We don’t. We’re getting anything. This is what happens with all these films nowadays. It’s like well. You’ve just enjoyed that movie. I know we’re gonna do a.  Speaker 5  Little bit of taste or maybe something?  Quinny  Else you know, I like the fact that they chose not to to follow the forgotten the the way of Marvel doing it. Of yeah, doing it as a post credit sequence or anything, it was like. No, no, we’re gonna put it in the act. So.  Dion  Yeah, fair enough.  Quinny  Yep, thought that was nice. So yes, to anyone who hasn’t ******** off yet. Yeah. What did we think of Australia’s own Milly Alcock as the Super Party girl?  Speaker 9  Yeah, I was surprised to.  jill  See Supergirl appear in the movie I. One thing that escaped me before watching this, but.  Dion  It’s a. It’s a. It’s a bold.  jill  I kind of liked it.  Dion  Choice to introduce that character in that particular way.  Speaker 11  Yeah, I kind of liked.  jill  A A party girl? Supergirl.  Dion  Only cause she was going to a planet with a red sun.  Quinny  So she could get.  Speaker 11  You ****** **.  Speaker 5  But how did she get off the planet?  Quinny  The red well.  jill  Spaceship.  Speaker 13  Yeah.  Quinny  Just cause she she she’s red sun so she can get drunk. But I’m guessing that.  Dion  Too too many Buckleys aren’t there.  Quinny  Maybe she could still fly. Yeah, so interesting idea that I’ve they’ve said that a lot of the Supergirl film is gonna be vaguely based on the Supergirl woman of tomorrow. I think it’s called OK, which is an interesting idea that Supergirl. Unlike Superman, who came as a baby.  Speaker 3  MHM.  Quinny  And therefore, you know it has been raised by lovely parents and stuff like that. Supergirl is dealing with some pretty ******* serious promo.  jill  Yeah.  Quinny  She, you know, saw her family and planet. Die has seen everybody that she knows and loves die. And you know, then spent. God only knows how long in a, you know, intergalactic tube.  Speaker 2  MHM.  Quinny  And yeah, is having not a great time of it and suddenly doesn’t really know how to cope with, you know, superpowers and **** like that. Meanwhile, you got Clarke, who has been growing up with this, so it has a much better grounded understanding of it. I like that idea.  jill  Yeah, I would watch it. Yep.  Dion  And see, that’s a really interesting thing because you got that whole Superman movie with all those other characters and the different things that went on, and yet you’ve built the little world around that. See, This is why I kind of went like ohh Superman. I’m not sure about that movie. Why couldn’t have just been about Superman? Doesn’t he have his own trauma? Wasn’t all of his own traumas enough? You know, having to deal with? He didn’t need everyone else’s. Stuff. Yeah. Does that make sense?  Quinny  I think so, yeah.  Dion  Try not to discredit it.  Quinny  OK, so one of the big things that. Jimmy’z sexual prowess is what saves the day.  jill  Yeah.  Dion  No, but also.  Peta  But also Jimmy’z willingness to, like, use a woman.  Dion  I know, I know. Right. Like, you know, jimmy’z terrible ****, boy. Attitude saves the day.  Peta  Information.  Dion  Conflicting maybe?  jill  I think you’re missing the real hero of the story, and that’s Eve, Tess Markham.  Quinny  1000 percent 1000.  jill  Sure, she’s the one that took all of those photos with all of the crucial information. Mm-hmm.  Dion  Are you saying that selfies and influences do serve a purpose in life?  jill  Yeah, I wanna see the movie with Eve Tessmacher and Madison from Marvel.  Speaker 12  ohh  Dion  Talk about crisis on infinite Earths.  Quinny  I I do love that Miss Tessmacher is actually the person who has saved. Men, both films, she’s also the one that saves him in the 1970.  Dion  Well, yeah. There’s a nice little.  Quinny  8 film.  Dion 

Lily's VBAC birth story episode is finally here!!! You know and love her just like we do. She not only manages the social media content here at The VBAC Link but also spends so much time connecting with you personally. She has the biggest heart for VBAC and champions all types of empowered birth.Lily walks us through her experiences with ectopic pregnancy, loss, her traumatic Cesarean, and how she persisted through a 66-hour long labor without an epidural to achieve her hospital water birth VBAC.If you followed her pregnancy journey, you saw that Lily was incredibly proactive during her pregnancy. She built the strongest team of birth and body workers. She was specific in her desires, yet remained open-minded. This served her so well in labor and made all the difference during her birth!Needed WebsiteHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull Transcript under Episode Details Meagan: Hello, everybody. You guys, today is a very exciting day. We have recently had two of our VBAC Link team members have their babies. Paige was one with the first Maternal Assisted Cesarean in Korea, and today is the second with Lily. Oh my gosh. If you guys have been on our social media, you have seen our cute Lily. She is just so amazing. She's so fun. She's in the DMs on Instagram literally every day chatting with you. I just absolutely adore her. She's so incredible. Lily is a born and raised Colorado-- I don't even know how to actually say this. Lily is a born and raised Coloradoan.I think that is how you say it.She's from Colorado, living in northern Colorado with her husband, son, and daughter. She is a kinesiologist who works in community health and a dual-certified fitness instructor passionate about movement and wellness. After an unexpected Cesarean two and a half years ago, Lily found The VBAC Link and began planning her VBAC and is excited to share her story today. I cannot wait for you to hear it. This was actually the first time that I got to hear it in its entirety. It's just amazing, and I'm excited for you to hear it. Like I mentioned, Lily is also our social media assistant at The VBAC Link and is truly honored to empower and hold space for all the Women of Strength in our community. You guys, she is absolutely amazing. We love her so, so, so, so much. We do have a review that we're going to share, and then we are going to turn the time over to our sweet Lily to share her stories. This review is by Savannah, and it says, "Started listening to The VBAC Link Podcast around 16 weeks pregnant and continued throughout my pregnancy. It was so good and encouraging for me as a mama who was preparing for a VBAC. It helped me gain confidence, and helped me know what to look for and watch out for in my providers. Hearing other stories was so encouraging and helped me gain so much knowledge. I had my hospital VBAC unmedicated with an 8-pound, 15-ounce baby and I know the knowledge I gained from this podcast played a huge role in being able to advocate for myself and get a better birth outcome." Congratulations, Savannah. We're going to talk a little bit about this today as well with Lily on the podcast how sometimes the thought of going to the hospital is scary because of stories you've heard or things you've heard. But VBAC can happen in the hospital, and it can be beautiful, and it is beautiful. I think it always dials back to me to finding the best provider for you, finding the best location that feels right for you, building your team, and doing what is best for you in the end. So I really am so excited one minute after the intro to turn the time over to Lily. Okay, Ms. Lily, I really am so excited because I was even texting you the day you were in labor. I don't really know all the details, but I've seen your incredible pictures. Oh my goodness, your pictures are so incredible, and I've heard a little bit from you so I really can't wait. So let's talk. Let's talk about these births.Lily: Okay. Yeah. So every Cesarean story is what starts us off, so I will go with that. But I'm going to try to be fast because I feel like my birth was really long. I have a lot more to say about my VBAC, but I always try to really honor our story in that before we had our beautiful, amazing rainbow baby boy, we also experienced a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy prior to having our son. I lost my right fallopian tube. I always like to be the encourager that you can get pregnant naturally with one fallopian tube. It turns out fallopian tubes are not fixed body parts, so when we got pregnant with our son, I ovulated from the side I didn't have a fallopian tube on, and my other tube was able to come over and grab the egg and sense the ovulation which feels so miraculous.Meagan: So incredible, so incredible. I love that message that you're dropping for our community because I think if someone was in that situation as you know, it could feel very defeating and uncertain.Lily: Yeah, it feels really scary. I remember thinking, "I'm at less than 50% fertility if I've lost one tube," but that's not true. Statistically, it's really pretty equal to people with both fallopian tubes, which is kind of neat.Meagan: Yeah.Lily: After that, I started acupuncture. My sweet friend, Montana, we had been friends for years and she's always been like, "You should come see me." She specializes in women's health and fertility and loss and all the things. I started acupuncture then, and I say that now cause it has continued. I always say I'll never not be a patient of hers ever again because she's the best. I started to do that, and then we got pregnant. we found out we were pregnant on the last day of week of prayer at our church, which was really incredible and just felt like such a tangible miracle. We chose to go with a birth center for our care. We did that because I had a lot of hospital trauma. I just didn't think that a hospital was a safe place for me to have my baby. I'm a big believer that we should birth wherever feels the safest. We went for birth center care and had a great experience at our birth center.We loved our midwives and were really excited for birth. I think I hear so many times as women tell their VBAC stories that often we feel underprepared going into our first birth, and it leads to a cascade. I think I was the birthiest nerd of all. I felt like I was really prepared going into birth. I was excited for it. I had a lot of birth education. I had been a birth podcast listener forever and ever. I just felt really empowered in birth and all the things I was doing, chiropractic care and acupuncture and all the stuff. We did get to 41 weeks, and at my 41-week appointment, my midwives gave me a 3-page-long induction protocol because in our state, we have to transfer at 42 weeks. So it was their, "This is the last-ditch effort when you are 41--", and I can't remember how many days, "we want you to do this big thing." It was a daily schedule. "You're going to wake up and you're going to go for a drive on a bumpy road, and you're going to eat this, and you're going to do this." It was really overwhelming. Meagan: Yeah.Lily: Well, the night before we were supposed to do that protocol, the doula who was on-call at the center was texting me and was like, "Hey, how are you feeling?" I was like, "I don't know. I feel really nervous to do this big long thing." She suggested that I journal out all of my fears about birth and see if that did anything. I journaled all my fears, and I burned it in our kitchen sink. As I walked up the stairs, I had my first contraction. I'm also a huge believer that our emotions play such a huge role in our labors. So I was really stoked that my labor started and all the things. That's the same doula that we had for our next birth too, which is really cool. So yeah, I labored all of that night. It was Friday that I went into labor, that evening. Saturday, I labored. My midwives came and checked in eventually. My doula did come over, did some stuff with me, hung out and helped me labor, did some homeopathy, some emotional release work, and all the good stuff. But my labor was really, really long.So by Sunday, my midwives were like, "Hey, you are super exhausted. We want you to take a Benadryl and try to take a nap." I am a girly who does not take a lot of medicine. So this Benadryl knocked me on my booty. I had six really awful contractions trying to take a nap. After I got back up from the nap, I got back on the toilet which is where I was loving to labor. I stood up because I was like, "Okay, I think maybe things are starting. I'm finally getting a pattern. Maybe I can finally go to the birth center." I stood up, and I checked the pad I was wearing. There was a copious amount of meconium. Not water, but meconium which is scary, you know? I knew right then that I was going to have to transferred. It was thick. It was poop.Meagan: Yeah, yeah.Lily: There was no water stained. It was just meconium. And so I called my midwife, and in her sweet midwife voice, I said, "Do I have to transfer?" And she goes, "It's definitely a conversation we have to have." I was like, "Okay. So, yes." She explained that because of the way the meconium came out, she now thought my son was breech because his butt was right up against my cervix, and it just came right out. Soo she came over. Actually, she wasn't even on call. She happened to live in our neighborhood. She came over and checked me and all the things, and she's like, "Yep, this feels really different than a few hours ago. He's definitely breech. We do have to transfer." And so as we're transferring, in my mind, I know that we're probably going to have a Cesarean. My midwives were really great in that they called ahead and they were like, "Hey, we called ahead. No one's willing to do a vaginal breech delivery, or at least they're not trained in it." But my midwives were also really encouraging that, "If this is something you want to do, you have a right to deny a surgery. You have that right. We will be here in support of that." They don't have hospital privileges. They were out-of-hospital midwives, so they had to transfer me. They could go with me and essentially be that emotional support, but we were still kind of in COVID times, so I had to also choose who I wanted to be in there with me. It was 2022. I just felt so defeated. I was so mad that I wasn't going to get the birth that I wanted. I started screaming through contractions. I can confirm that does make it worse. I was just pissed. And so I opted for a Cesarean. It was really tough. I remember as we were leaving my house, asking my midwives, "I can have a VBAC at the birth center, right? Like, you can do VBACs?" They were like, "Yep, but let's get this baby out first." So I transferred. I had my Cesarean. I think it went as smoothly as it could go. I remember there was this a sweet tech who-- I was just in a lot of pain, and she gave me the biggest hug as they put my spinal in and was stroking my back saying, "This is the last one. This is the last one. You can do this." And it was like, "Okay." There was some tenderness there. But post that was a lot of grief, and I think we've all experienced that and a lot of hard. I never saw the surgeon who did my surgery ever again. None of my follow-ups were with her. It was just some random OB. I was so thankful that I had been at the birth center because I got all of their postpartum care, so I had a couple of home visits and a lot of really tender care from my midwives, which was exactly what I needed. And then I found The VBAC Link. I remember finding it on a walk because I had listened to birth podcasts for years, like I said, and suddenly it was grievous to listen to this thing that I loved hurt my feelings to listen to. It was like, "Oh gosh, I don't want to listen to the first-time mom who had an amazing waterbirth, and it was pain-free." It just was grief. Meagan: Right.Lily: So when I found The VBAC Link, I was like, "This is exactly what I needed. This is stories of women that give me hope and not just that trigger jealousy," which I think is a very real and valid emotion.Meagan: Very, very real. Very real and valid.Lily: It's okay to feel that way, but I remember going for all of my postpartum walks and listening to The VBAC Link and crying through every episode and all of the things. And then, just in that postpartum time, I got back into fitness. I have a background in kinesiology and teach a lot of fitness classes. So I got back to the community and finding that, and then I also got to work here which is so fun a year ago in November which is so cool. I think it's really a cute thing that my year anniversary was in November, and that's when I had her, so how cool that I spent a year empowering other women and also getting to plan my own which was really fun. So if you've ever DM'd us on Instagram, you're probably talking to me.Meagan: Yep, yep. She's in there every day a lot of the day because we get a lot of messages. We really do.Lily: And we want to answer all of them. I want you to feel seen and known and all the things. So if you're getting an answer, you're not getting a robot.Meagan: Yeah, you're absolutely not.Lily: You're getting me or Meagan or Olga or Ashley. You're getting one of us which is really neat.Meagan: Yep. Yeah.Lily: Okay. So then we got pregnant again, eventually. So we had planned to start trying when our son was two. We got pregnant a couple months before his second birthday. And again, it was such a redemptive moment of going from having a really hard trying to conceive to me, a girly with one fallopian tube getting pregnant on accident. Are you kidding me? It's crazy. But it was so great. It was really scary at first. We did have some early pregnancy bleeding. We thought we were having another miscarriage. And at the same time, my dad had his appendix rupture, so he was in the hospital septic while I'm early pregnant bleeding. It was just a hellstorm at first and felt really scary. But I knew that I was going for my VBAC, and that was really grounding. I won't share a ton of this journey. My midwife, Paige, and I were on the podcast earlier in 2024, so if you want to listen to that podcast about finding care, but I'll just quickly cover essentially the birth center that I was supposed to be at that I always dreamed would be my redemptive birth again was the same midwives. Oh, Matilda is grabbing my ears.Meagan: Also, the episode is 342 if you want to go back and listen.Lily: Yes. For midwife stuff.Meagan: Yes.Lily: So essentially, my midwives were amazing and I love them, but the birth center just wasn't in our financial capability. They don't take insurance. This time around, it was just not something that we were able to do. I started my care at the birth center and was really grateful to be there because they really knew my story, so they held me through the worry about miscarriage. And then we ended up having to navigate transferring care, so I interviewed another birth center that was in-network with our insurance that was about an hour away. I interviewed my midwife, Paige, and her practice partner, Jess. I told my husband when we went in to interview them, I was so terrified to like these hospital midwives and that I would have a hospital birth. And I did. I fell in love with them. I think that's so important. One thing I get really frustrated with, I think, especially in the more crunchy birth community is that we are often told that hospital birth can't be beautiful and that you can't have a physiological birth in a hospital.Meagan: Yep.Lily: I'm here to tell you that that's wrong. We have to stop telling women that the place that they feel safest is less than in any way. If a hospital is where you end up, then that is incredible and amazing and that's where you should birth if that's what feels right for you and your baby.Meagan: Yeah. It's the same thing with like epidural versus non-epidural. It doesn't matter. You're not any less powerful or strong or amazing if you birth without an epidural versus an epidural or out of the hospital versus the hospital or a planned Cesarean versus not going for a VBAC or if it goes to a Cesarean.We have to start having more love for one another in our community. Even though it might be something really great for one person, and they believe that, and that's okay that they believe that, that doesn't mean it's right for that next person.Meagan: Totally, totally.Lily: Yeah. So we navigated what hospital care was going to look like. At the time, our hospital was under construction, so they were "letting"-- I put that in quotes-- letting you labor in the tub, but you couldn't deliver in the tub at the time. The tubs were home birth tubs that they were blowing up in the rooms and all these things. But by the end of my pregnancy, the low-intervention rooms were open, and they were supporting waterbirths which I think is so neat to see from a hospital. So yeah, we were really excited. This time, I did more acupuncture. I continued to see my amazing acupuncturist. She's amazing. Montana Glenn if you ever need her in northern Colorado. I did switch chiropractors. Last time, I went to just the chiropractor that I'd always gone to. She wasn't Webster-certified. This time, I did go see a Webster-certified chiropractor. Laura is amazing. That really changed a lot of my pelvic pain and things like that.I was way more active in this pregnancy. With my son, I was working at a Barre studio, and the fitness studio closed about halfway through my pregnancy. I kind of just petered off the train of staying active. But with my daughter, we were able to, I say we because she was there. I worked out until the day before I was in labor. I teach spin, strength, and yoga. It's a combo. It's called Spenga. I was there all the time. I did stop on the spin bike at 34 weeks pregnant because I learned that that's not great for baby positioning, and it can shorten some of those ligaments. I stopped doing the spin bike at that point to be really cautious of position. Speaking of that, I had a standard kind of pregnancy. I would talk with my midwife forever and ever. I came in with questions about my birth probably on day one. She was like, "Girl, you're 16 weeks pregnant. Chill, no." But I had questions, and I would come in every time. I did feel like a first-time mom in that sense because the last time, I had a lot of expectations of I knew what the birth center was going to look like, and I had no idea what a hospital labor was going to look like. How many nurses are going to be in my room? Who's going to be up in my space? What does this look like? How do I do intermittent monitoring and all the things? Paige was great about, my midwife, saying, "Hey, this is what the hospital protocol is. Hospital protocol is not a law. You get to do what you want to do, and we support you in that." She was awesome. At 32 weeks, though, Matilda was breech which was really scary as a mama who had a surprise breech baby. I did all the things. If you want to know all of those things, we have an Instagram Live that is saved on our page of literally the kibosh of things that I did for flipping her. We did flip her. I also saw a bodyworker in town and a doula who's amazing. Her name is Heather Stanley, and she's the breech lady here in northern Colorado. I did some bodywork and stuff with her and worked through emotional stuff and birth stuff. It was, I think, really what I needed. Heather said that in our session, and I kind of rolled my eyes. She's like, "I think sometimes babies go breech because we've got some stuff to process." And I think that I did. I thought I processed. I went to therapy after my Cesarean. I did all the things, but I still had some stuff. I think she was teaching me, like, "Hey, let's work through this now."Meagan: Yeah, I mean, I had the same thing with Webster. He kept flipping breech. I had never had a breech baby before, but I was like, "If I have to have a C-section because you're breech, I've done all the things." I was really frustrated. We'd get him to flip, and then he'd go back. My midwife was like, "We need to stop." And I believe that it was the same thing. I needed to work through some things. He needed to be in those positions during that time for whatever reason. We had to gain more trust in our bodies and our abilities and processing. Right?Lily: Yeah, totally. So yeah, so then she flipped, and it was great. And then I just felt so seen by Paige in all of it, because she knew like, "Hey, when you get to the hospital, we'll check with an ultrasound and double-check that she's still head down because I know that's anxiety-inducing for you." I just felt so empowered with all of our decision-making. It felt like a big partnership. One thing that I struggled with with my son was I was at home laboring for 44 hours. I never got to go to the birth center. What I loved is this time, it was my call when I got to go to the hospital. It was my decision, all of it. Paige was so great about saying, "Hey, this is your labor, and we're here to make this happen." I just think she's such a unique human. I don't think care always looks like this in a hospital for sure, but it can. What if we advocated for what we deserve, you know?Meagan: Just talking to her, I love her. I love her so much, and I one day hope to meet her in person.Lily: She's the greatest human being. I tell her all the time, I'm like, "You're changing the world, and so many women need you." Actually, their practice was at one point so full of VBAC patients that they've had to unfortunately turn a couple of people away because their practice is getting full which is really amazing, though.Meagan: Yeah.Lily: And we need that.Meagan: It's a good thing. Yeah.Lily: Yeah. So super cool. All right, I think we've got labor coming. Here we go. I never felt pressure of when am I going to go into labor or any of that. Paige was super great about, like, "Hey, if you're dilated before labor, that's great. If not, whatever. Most people dilate while they're in labor," and it was just super helpful. I knew that there was no worry about when I would go into labor. There was no worry about just any of that stuff. So it was really nice to just be at peace. That's one of the reasons that I actually loved having a hospital provider because I had a lot of anxiety about transferring from a birth center again. Actually, as I tell my story, I think I would have been a transfer again. I remember them saying that in my initial consult appointment. Jess, who practices with Paige, said, "You know, what's beautiful about hospital care is that we can induce you if you need to be induced, and we have the hospital privileges, and you can have the interventions if you need them." And I did. Spoiler alert, and it was great. I got to 40 and 1. I started contractions around 11:00 PM on Tuesday night. I was already felt like it was such a blessing because I finally had contractions that were normal. I didn't have contractions like that with my son. They started out fast and furious and they were seven minutes apart or less my whole 44 hours. With this, I felt the wave of a contraction for the first time. And I remember texting my doula like, "This is already so redemptive just that I can like breathe through a contraction. This is nuts. This is so cool." There were a couple that I had to get on all fours in my bed and sway back and forth and eventually, my husband like leaned over and he was like, "You need to go to sleep. What are you doing?" I was like, "I'm having contractions." And he's like, "Oh." So it was fun. I texted my doula and just said, "Hey, I think I'm in labor," which was weird for me to say. And again, what's so great is Jessie, my doula, had been with us in our first birth and she's also a VBAC mom. It was just like God had His hands on exactly what we needed and the people that we needed even from our first birth to carry into our second. So on Wednesday, Jesse also lives in our neighborhood now, so that's fun. She came over, and we went for a walk. We did some homeopathy, and she gave me a great foot massage, and then she said, "Okay, hey. Let's try to pick things up a little bit. I want you to take a nap with your knees open." She's like, "We don't have a peanut ball," so I grabbed the triangle pillow from my kid's nugget couch. It works really well by the way. I napped with that between my legs and was able to get things to pick up a little bit. My contractions did get pretty intense, but they were still spread out. She went home for a little bit, and then I took a nap and labored. I went downstairs. We live multi-generationally, so my parents live in our basement in a basement apartment. My niece also lives with us. They have custody of her. My parents have a way cooler shower than I do because they got to customize their basement. I went down and took a shower in their shower which has three shower heads and all the stuff. I was like, "This is like a being at a birth center." So I hung out in their shower. I took a two-hour shower. My mom's like, "Our water bill is going to be insane."Meagan: How did you have hot water long enough?Lily: We have that-- I don't know what it's called.Meagan: Reverse osmosis thing?Lily: I don't know.Meagan: I don't even know. That's not the water heater. Lily: I don't know what we have. I don't know what it's called. Anyway, we did have hot water. Meagan: That's amazing, though. Lily: I was just in there chilling and music on and lights off. When I could get into the mental space of labor, my contractions would come way closer together, and things would intensify. But if I did the advice of living life, it was like they just stayed really far apart. So I was like, "I know that some of this is prodromal labor a little bit because I'm not getting into consistency unless I'm forcing myself to be there."So amongst all of this, my husband is not feeling well. I'm looking at him like, "You seem sick." My husband never gets sick. And he's like, "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine." And I was like, "No, I think that you should go get tested for something." Something in my gut was like, "You need to go in." So he went and got swabbed for the flu and all the things, and he had strep. And so I was like, "See? Good thing that we got you tested." So he started antibiotics right away. And then that night, my sweet doula came and spent the night because Jared was just not up for being a labor support and yay for having a doula because I needed someone to be there physically with me, and I needed that support, but he couldn't be there in that moment.Meagan: Wow, what an incredible doula. I love hearing that. Yeah.Lily: So she came and spent the night, and we did some like side-lying releases, which from my first labor, I knew I was going to hate it. It's just the position that, to me, is just the absolute worst when I'm in labor. It's awful. My doula was like, "Hey, so we should do some of that." And I was like, "No, we're not. I don't want to." She was like, "I think we should then."So we did some of that, and then eventually, she drifted off to sleep. My contractions again, were still staying spread out. They would get close together and then they'd fizzle. But they were intense, and that's what's hard is you think prodromal labor, and at least in my brain, it's like, "Oh, contractions are mild and really far apart," but that's just not how they were for me. They were really intense. Meagan: They can be. Eventually, I went upstairs and took a bath because I was like, "Okay, I'm just going to force them to shut down then." I need some rest. So I went and took a bath upstairs, and got them to slow down enough that I could sleep for the rest of the night.Meagan: Good.Lily: That was Wednesday, and like I said, my labor was long. On Thursday, we woke up. My doula was here with me. We made breakfast, and she forced me to eat protein. Yay, doulas. I had already a scheduled appointment that day for my 41-week or whatever it was. 40 weeks, I guess. We went into the clinic and my contractions were, I mean, maybe 30 minutes apart at this point. I remember we drove all the way. My clinic is 20 minutes for my house. We drove all the way there, and I didn't have a contraction in the car. I was like, "Okay." So we went. I was 4 centimeters dilated and 90% effaced. I did ask for the membrane sweep, but I asked for the cervical check. Not one time ever did I get a check that was like, "Hey, we should check you now." It was like, "Hey, I want to be checked now."Meagan: Yeah.Lily: It was so empowering. So 4 centimeters. She was like, "You know what? You're doing it. Yes, prodromal labor, sure, but also, your body's making progress. You're doing something."Meagan: But also not prodromal. It was a prodromal pattern and acting that way, but progressing. So, it was on the cusp.Lily: Yeah. It was weird but encouraging to hear that, okay. I've done a day and a half work. Yeah. But at this point, I'm like, ticking in my brain, like, "Okay, how long has this been?" Because my first labor was 44 hours, and I was 10 centimeters when we transferred to the hospital. I had told myself my whole pregnancy, "I can do anything as long as it's less than 44 hours." It was not. It was not. Spoiler alert. So we went home, and then my sweet chiropractor actually lives in our neighborhood. I texted her and was like, "Hey, I don't know if this is a positional thing. She feels really low and engaged, but can you come adjust me?" So she came and brought her table to my house and adjusted me. She did this thing called adductor stripping.Meagan: Oh.Lily: And so I had done an actual membrane sweep with my midwife, and then my chiropractor took her knuckles and went on my inner thighs and pushed all down. It hurt so bad.Meagan: I'm doing it to myself barely, and I'm like, oh.Lily: It was awful. But she was like, "This is the big hip-opener thing." So we did that. She even taught my doula how to do it. I looked at my doula and I said, "You're not doing that to me. So glad you learned you can do it to another client, not me." My doula went home again. I got back in the shower and was moving around. And at 4:00, I decided like, "Okay, I'm exhausted. I am ready for a change." I am the type of person who likes to go somewhere and do something. It's part of why I didn't ever feel like a home birth was the right option for me because I know that I get stuck in a space. I like the idea of going somewhere to have my baby. It felt like a good change. So I was ready, but I wasn't having contractions that were there. And I was like, "I also don't want to go to the hospital and be stuck there for a million years." So I decided to go upstairs and put myself into labor. I'm like, "Okay, I'm doing this." I turned off all the lights, and started to labor, and my mom came up and gave me a back massage. It was also cool to see her shift because in my first labor, she was super anxious. And then in this labor, she was really trusting of my process and was more just like, "Hey, what do you need?" So she gave me a really big back massage, and I listened to music, and I finally got my contractions to six minutes apart. I texted my midwife and I said, "If these stay this way for an hour, I want to come because I am exhausted. I'm ready for a change. I need this." And she's like, "Great, awesome. Let me know. Keep me posted." So I did have some bloody show, and I thought maybe my water broke. It had been an hour, and I was like, "Hey, we're going." My mom had just made dinner, so I'm scarfing meatloaf on my way out the door. Great last meal.Meagan: I love it.Lily: And then we head to the hospital. I got to the hospital, and I was 4.5, maybe a 5. So again, earlier that day, I had been a 4. So I had made a little bit of progress, but not a ton. But Paige was great. She's like, "Great, you're here." What I love about their practice is their direct admittance, so you don't have to go through triage and have some sort of evaluation to decide if you're supposed to be there or not. She was the one who made that call, and we made it in partnership with each other. I was like, "I feel like I need to be here." She's like, "Great, you're here."Meagan: Yeah.Lily: And so I chose no IV and to do intermittent monitoring which will come up in my story in a little bit, but that's kind of where I was. We started to fill up the tub, and I was laboring in the tub, and then I started to get nauseous and throwing up and all the things. In my head, I'm like, "I'm in transition. This is very transitiony." I'm watching as the baby nurse comes into my room and starts to set up the bassinet. I'm starting in my head to tell myself, "I'm so close. I'm in transition. This is happening." And as I talked to my doula afterward, she was like, "Yeah, we all thought you were in transition, too, dude. You were in it." I started to get frustrated and say, "I want to push." Not that I felt pushy, but I was just like, "I want, again, a change. I want to have a baby." And so I asked for another check, and I was 6.5 centimeters. I cursed so much, and I was like, "I just want to have my effing baby." I screamed that so loud. My poor, sweet doula and midwife. They dealt with my sass, and it's like my body knew, "Okay, we're defeated now." Everything shut down. My contractions spread apart to 20 minutes apart again. They had been 5 minutes. My mental space was not ready, and my body was like, "Okay, we're going to rest." Meagan: Yeah. Lily: And so I get out of the tub and dry off, and we decide that I'll do a little bit of pumping. My midwife put some clary sage all over my belly, and she does try. I asked to rupture my membranes because we thought maybe they had not ruptured when I thought they did. She was like, "They're definitely intact." She goes, "Nice protein intake girly because these are hard, and I can't rupture them." She's like, "You have a really strong bag of water." And I said, "Thanks, Needed, for all of the amazing collagen that I took."Meagan: I was going to say, collagen protein right there.Lily: I'm terrible at protein intake, so really the collagen from Needed was one of the strongest ways I got protein in during my pregnancy. So pat on my back for my protein intake and things to need.Meagan: Very, very good job. Very impressive. Well, because really, a strong bag of water, it is hard to get that protein and that good calcium in. It really is. To the point where she can't even break it, that's pretty cool. Pretty cool. Good job. Lily: Yeah. So then at this point, it's later in the evening, like 9:00 or 10:00. And so I started to just be exhausted. I started falling asleep between contractions. My doula is like, "We're going to wind down. Let's turn the music just to instrumental. I'm going to go take a nap." Our birth photographer is napping on the floor. Paige goes and takes a nap, and they tell my husband to curl up next to me.That was such a sweet moment of disc connection that I needed of, "This is my person and we're here. We're doing this together." We snuggled up on the bed and got through contractions together all night long. I did at one point ask to try the nitrous oxide because, in my head, that was the only pain relief that I could think of that was available to me in this low intervention room because the way that the hospital works is if you're not going to have a waterbirth, if you decide to get an epidural, they will transfer you out of this room because there are two of them, and at that point, you can't use the tub. So I was like, "Okay, I think nitrous might be my only option." So I tried that. It sucked.Meagan: You didn't like it.Lily: She was like, "You know, it's really not helpful for people that are coping with contractions well." And she said the same thing when I started asking about an epidural later on. She was like, "You're coping well, and you're relaxing." These types of things can be really helpful for people that are in the fetal position in between their contractions, but you're not, so it's probably not actually going to help because you're already relaxed. All it did was make me feel a little dizzy,  and then I was like, "Well, this is silly." I got in the shower again there. It was not as good as my parents' shower, so I did get right out of the shower. It was very cold. And so the next morning, now it's Friday. So reminder, labor started on Tuesday. Meagan: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Now we're here. Lily: Thursday morning. And so Paige comes in, and we had a really long talk about options. At this point, I am mad, and I'm just feeling like I can't do it. I keep having contractions and saying, "I can't do this anymore. I can't do this anymore. I can't do this anymore." In my head, I'm like, "Well, at least I'm going to get a VBAC. Hopefully, I can get an epidural," and then rest and those stories. I'm trying to be really open-handed because I think that's what you have to be in birth is really surrender to the process. Paige comes up with this idea to do some therapeutic rest to which I had never heard of before. I think I was texting you during this and I was like, "What is that?" She's like, "We can give you some morphine. You can either stay here at the hospital or you can go home, and hopefully, you'll nap for 4 or 5 hours. Typically, people wake up in active labor." I was like, "Sweet, sounds awesome. Give me that nap." My doula was like, "Why don't we go for a walk, first? Let's remind ourselves that it's daytime. Let's go on a walk. We'll talk about it together, and then we can come up and do our next steps." So we went out for a walk in the parking lot of the hospital. It was cold, and I threw up a couple of times. Yay. I was like, "I think I really need this. I can't continue to do this without any progress." She's like, "Great, I'm excited for you." So we went up, and they put an IV in cause I didn't have an IV. What was great was that the hospital staff was so accommodating. I was really nervous about nurses being like, "Hey, we don't like this," or whatever. Paige was also great about choosing my nurses to be the ones that are going to be more supportive. But they put an IV in. They gave me the morphine, and then they took it out. I didn't just then have an IV.We did that, and then we decided we would break my water and try to get things progressing. She did end up being able to break my water because I could sit still. I was way more relaxed with the morphine. It was supposed to be a 4-hour nap. I woke up 20 minutes later. We had sent my doula off to go run errands thinking that we had hours. I wake up 20 minutes later with really intense contractions that are peeking through the morphine, and they're super close together. I was like, "Well, crap. Let me call my doula back and get her to come back." And so that really picked things up again. It was kind of discouraging because I was expecting to get to rest, and then to have intense contractions again was like, "Oh gosh, okay. Here we go." But we did it. We labored the whole day doing that, but my contractions would never get closer than 5 minutes apart. They would stall out at that space. At 2:30ish, I asked about morphine again because I was like, "Can we do that again? If that was an option, can we try that again?" The nurses were like, "Hey, we actually think maybe you should just do some IV Fentanyl." My older brother is an addict, so I am someone who was super cautious. I had actually said it when I got there that my preference is no opioids. But this felt like, "Okay, maybe it's an option." When Paige came in and we talked a little bit, she was like, "Why don't we do that? And would you be open to doing a low dose of Pitocin?" And I was like, "Absolutely not," because in my brain, Pitocin means epidural. Pitocin is scary and hard. My contractions are already intense. I can't imagine Pitocin. Like, absolutely not. And so Paige said, "Hey, what's cool is you're already in active labor, so Pitocin is not likely going to make your contractions more intense. It will likely bring them closer together.Meagan: It's what you might need.Lily: "You might be able to wait it out, or this might be an option. Let's do the pain medicine so that you feel mentally like you can handle it." I was like, "Okay." So they placed another IV because I didn't have one in, and they gave me Pit. We started at 2 at 3:30, and then we upped it to a 4 at 4:00.Something that I will mention while I have the IV thought in my brain is I had said I was doing intermittent monitoring, and I ended up hating that. I was just irritated by people coming into my space. It felt like it interrupted my labor pattern. They had to reach down into the water if I was in the tub. I was moving, and I felt like I couldn't move or they wouldn't get it. They were just in my space a lot more. So when we started the Pitocin, the hospital policy was continuous monitoring, but they have the wireless monitors that are waterproof. They were like, "Do you feel okay with that?" I said, "Yeah, I think so, actually. I think I'm ready for people to stop touching me," because at one point, I looked at a nurse and I was like, "I understand why this is important and why you're here to check on my baby. Please go away." I hated it, but I also felt like I wanted some sort of monitoring.Meagan: I can see that though.Lily: Yeah, it was just disruptive. It's funny because in my brain, I thought that the continuous monitoring would feel disruptive, but it was great because they just put these two little dots on me. I had a belly band that went over. They were wireless. I could still move all around. It was great. Meagan: That's nice.Lily: Yeah. So at this point, I'm hooked up to Pit on the little IV pole, but I can still go wherever I want. I decided to go labor in the bathroom. This is the part of my labor that gets a little fuzzy. I was really thankful to have had a conversation with my acupuncturist prior to labor because she had a great labor experience, but she was actually a home birth hospital transfer too. She had talked about how I had said, "I don't want to do medication because I want to be really present. There's so much of my son's birth that I don't remember because of the medication." She had told me, "Hey, there is a place sometimes in labor land that your body just naturally goes fuzzy, so don't be taken aback if that's your experience." That was really helpful to know that in this transition time, things feel a little fuzzy, but I'm at peace with that versus my son's birth where it felt invasive to not have those memories.Meagan: Yeah.Lily: So we were laboring in the bathroom, and then I remember at one point yelling for Paige because my doula is in there with me. I was like, "I'm feeling pushy and ring of fiery." She's like, "Okay." We came out of the bathroom. They unhooked me from the Pitocin. They did keep the hep lock in. And again, they were really respectful and asked like, "Hey, since we've already been doing Pit, we've already put two in. Do you mind if we keep the hemlock? And we'll wrap you up. You can do whatever you want." And I was like, "That's fine. It's already there. Let's not bruise up my arm anymore." We came out, and I was laboring on all fours. I had gotten sick of the tub, and I had actually said, "I don't want to be in the tub anymore," at some point during the day, because this thing that was so great, and it is helpful, but every time I get in, I get discouraged because my contractions pick up. But then, it seems like I have to get out. My doula is looking at me, and she's like, "Hey, are you sure you don't want to get in the tub?" This was your goal. This was your goal. Are you sure?" I'm laboring on all fours, and I'm feeling pushy, and she's like, "We can fill up the tub so fast. Do you want us to just fill it up? This was your goal. Are you sure?" I was like, "Okay, yeah. Fill up the tub." The one other thing that I think was funny is that I was wearing a really ugly bra because I had had two black bras that I really wanted to wear, and they had gotten wet over two days of being at the hospital. I looked at her, and I was like, "I'm wearing my ugly bra." She was like, "Change." So my birth photographer ran over and grabbed my black bra that I wanted to have on, and I changed really fast which was really funny, and then hopped in the tub and started to just labor there. My doula and midwife coached me to wait for the fetal ejection reflex. So they were like, "If you can just breathe through these contractions, let's wait and see if your body just starts to push." I was like, "Okay, I guess we'll be here." I was in this really deep, low squat. I have 20 years of dance in my history. I teach Barre. I'm on one tippy toe. Paige told me after, "I have never almost broken a mirror trying to get so low to see what was going on because you were in such a low squat." I did deliver my daughter on my tippy toes. It was like, if I put my heel down, it hurt more. I don't know why, but my tippy toes felt great. Meagan: Interesting. Like pointe in ballet?Lily: Standing on my tippy toes.Meagan: Yeah. Yeah. Oh my goshLily: Yeah. I was in a lunge with one leg up on a tippy toe.Meagan: With bent toes, yep.Lily: I was laboring there, and these contractions felt different, which again, is so cool to have gotten to experience. At this point, Fentanyl wears off after 30 minutes, and so I really feel like it was perfect because I got it for the hard Pitocin part, which actually wasn't bad at all, by the way. It was exactly what Paige said. It just got them closer together. They didn't hurt anymore.Meagan: Increase, yeah.Lily: Yeah, it was awesome. So I highly recommend if you need it at the end to know that it probably won't increase intensity. It just can help. I was fully unmedicated at this point. I would feel the beginning of my contraction. I could breathe through. And then when that fetal ejection reflex hits, man, it is crazy. I had heard someone describe it as the feeling of when you have to throw up and you just can't stop. That is exactly what it feels like. Now I'm pushing.My body just did it by itself, and I didn't have to worry about, "Okay, how do I breathe? How do I do?" There was no counting. I pushed for 52 minutes on my tippy toes. It was so cool. My husband really wanted to catch her, and so he was right there. He'll joke forever that I bruised his hand in labor because I was death-gripping it.I remember feeling the ring of fire and all of the things. And then she just came out and her whole body came out with her head, and it just felt like the biggest relief in the world of, whoo. And then I grabbed her. So Jared's like, "You kind of stole my thunder." I was just so excited, so both of us had our hands on her and got to bring her up to my chest. What we realized is I had a really short chord. The theory is that so much of my labor was probably held back because she didn't have a lot of bungee room to descend. It kind of explained a couple of things. Yeah. She was on my chest in the tub and hanging out. And then we got off and got to the bed, and she was hanging out on my chest. And then as the cord stopped pulsing, she forgot to breathe.Meagan: Oh.Lily: And so they had to cut the cord really quickly, take her off my chest, and take her over to the warmer, and she was fine. They called in the neonatalist and all of the things, and she did eventually just come back to me after I had delivered the placenta, but that was the only scary moment. The theory is that she was still relying on the cord, and then it stopped pulsing, and she was like, "Oh shoot, I need to breathe now. Got it. Okay."Meagan: Yeah.Lily: It was great. I got to see my placenta, and I did have a marginal cord which we knew, which is when your cord is kind of off to the side of your placenta. Again, we knew that my whole pregnancy, and it was never like, "This is going to prevent you from having a VBAC" conversation. But yeah, we got to do the thing and catch a baby, and it was just the coolest thing ever. I can look back and say gosh, yeah. I probably would've been a transfer because of how long my labor was. I'm so thankful that I took the interventions when I needed them and that I had a provider who I trusted was in my corner. Never once did I think, "Oh, she's recommending this so that it goes faster," or "Ohh, she's" bothered or anything. And Paige actually had specialed me in that she wasn't on call that night, but she came in for me which was really special. I don't know. I never expected that I would have a hospital birth. I never expected that I would have Pitocin or pain medication or any of the things and yet feel so at peace with how it played out. It was absolutely beautiful and absolutely physiological in all of the ways that it needed to be.So that was her birth.Oh my goodness. I'm so happy for you. I'm so happy. I can just close my eyes, and I can see your picture. So many feels and such a long journey. Such a long journey for you to keep shifting gears. But going back into your team and all the relationships that you established working up to these days and this moment, you had all of those people come into your labor too, at some point whether it was mentally thinking about something that they had said or they physically came down the street and we're able to serve you and touch you and adjust you and work with you that way. There were so many things along the way that it's like, wow. You should be so proud of yourself for building that team, for getting the education, for having this big different experience, and for trusting your instincts. I do think in the VBAC world, in all birth world, but for the VBAC world, we do sometimes get into this, "Oh, Pitocin can be bad. Epidurals can be bad. Hospitals can be bad. This can be bad," You know, all of these things, and a lot of the times it's based on negative experiences that one has had.Lily: Or stories that you hear.Meagan: Or stories that we hear, yes. Because, I mean, how many stories have we heard about the cascade? Lily: Absolutely.Meagan: We've heard so many. But like you said, these things needed to come into your labor at the points that they did, and they served you well. When you said that you didn't expect to have these experiences, and then find them healing and positive, but I truly believe when we are making the decisions in our birth experience, when we have our birth team that we trust and know are there for us, for us, and in our corner, like Paige is and was, it's very different.Lily: It makes a world of difference.Meagan: It's very different. I mean, I have had clients where I've had providers actually say with their words, "I like to manage my labors. I like to manage my labors." So if we hear that, and then we hear the experience, you guys don't do those things because they led down a negative path. But those are so different, and so we need to remind ourselves as we're listening to stories about Pitocin and epidurals or hospitals, have a soft part in your heart for them because you never know. They may be something that you need or want in your labor. Lily: Totally.Meagan: And if we can have the education about those things and then make the choice that feels right for us in our labor, I mean, here you are saying these things. You're saying these words. "I had these experiences. I experienced Pitocin. I experienced Fentanyl that I didn't know I wanted. I had all these things, and it was great."Lily: It was beautiful. Yeah. And Paige was like, "I've never seen someone dilate to a seven with such an irregular contraction pattern."Meagan: Yes. Yeah.Lily: What I love is that a couple of days before I went into labor, someone had posted this quote. We posted it just recently to our page, but it was from the Matrescense podcast. And it says, "For every birth video that you watch where a woman calmly breathes her baby into the world, make sure you watch one where she begs, pleads for, swears, doubts, and works incredibly hard to meet her baby." I know I cried.Meagan: That just gave me the chills.Lily: "So that if that is your experience, you are not caught off guard by the intensity of birth." I had seen that before I went into labor. Someone posted it in The VBAC Link Community on Facebook. And that is exactly my experience. I screamed and I begged and I roared. Oh my god. There was no quiet breathing during my pushing. My throat was sore the next day so much so that I had them swab me for strep because my husband had strep and I was like, "Did I get strep?" But my throat was just raw from screaming. Not screaming. I would call it roaring because I wasn't high-pitched screaming. It was just the natural, primal thing.Meagan: Guttural roar.Lily: It doesn't make it less than. It was pretty dang cool. So, yeah, so that was all the things. And then in this postpartum experience, it's been so great. Paige is awesome. We've been chatting over the phone, and we had a two-week postpartum visit. I just have the best community. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the community that I have this time compared to my first and sweet friends who literally right before I came on were like, "Hey, update. How are you? What's going on? How's Tilly? What do you need?" That community has made a huge difference, too. And also, I feel like I could run a marathon because I didn't have a C-section, you know? Holy cow.Meagan: Yeah, your recovery is feeling a lot better. Lily: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Yeah. And I was super active prior to having her, so I think that helps too, you know?Meagan: Yeah.Lily: Just feeling that strength is there and resilient. So, yeah.Meagan: Oh, my gosh. I love you. I'm so happy for you. Seriously, I can't wait to even go back and re-listen to this once it airs. You're just incredible. You're such a ray of sunshine. And truly, it is an honor to have you here on our VBAC Link team and then to be part of this story. You had said before that you haven't really even shared it in this entirety, and so I feel tickled that I get to be one of the first to hear it in its entirety.Lily: Well, thank you, friend. It's an honor to be on the team to get to hold space for everyone else's stories, and I have a squeaky baby, but it is just a joy and a dream to get to be here. So thanks for holding space for all of us who have needed it for years. We love you.Meagan: Oh, I love you back, and thank you.ClosingWould you like to be a guest on the podcast? Tell us about your experience at thevbaclink.com/share. For more information on all things VBAC including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Meagan's bio, head over to thevbaclink.com. Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vbac-link/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands