Podcasts about silver eyes

A couple of weeks ago we talked about feeding birds in your garden. In view of a decent week off, Jack was training his birds to do without food – slowly getting them used to going and finding food elsewhere for the next week or so.  I realised that this requires some scientific back-up with observations from the distant past and very recent past, to see if the Tauhoa are really going to be affected by a week or so of no fodder.  About 18 years ago (I was living in Auckland – before I saw the light) my office was looking out over a trained citrus bush, right outside my window. From time to time flocks of silvereyes would visit in winter to look for scale insects and mealybugs, aphids and other delicacies.  I love this biological control and kept an eye on these birds – always been interested in birds, even more so later in life.  When the flocks kept on returning regularly, in spring I decided to take a look at what they were after and discovered a decent but unwanted population of scale insects that were causing quite a bit of pressure on my lemon (they also attract ants that feed on “honeydew” excreted by scale insects).  Luckily, a good flock of Tauhou descended and started working away at eating scales. Pictures show that this removed more than 50% of the sap-sucking plant pests.  Before helpers. 5 minutes after help arrived!  Not only were those little birds a great indicator of certain damaging garden pests, they were actually part of the Biological Control Squad.  In summer, they kept on coming back to the citrus to decimate the scale population.  In our current garden we feed the Tauhou with those meatballs from the Mad Butcher. I also make lard blocks, presented to them in small, metal cages.  Up to 40 birds at a time of census!!   So… I stopped feeding them for 5 days, just to see what would happen.  They were not impressed at all!! Kept on flying into their tree where the food parcels used to hang. Making lots of noise – “bad mood Bear”.  Other species were also returning to the food cart (sparrows, Green finches, Starlings and chaffinches).  It slowly tapered off to a dozen or fewer than that – but they always flew over the site for a check-up.  And in the end a couple would sit in their food tree for a bit of preening.  I discovered that Silvereyes have a routine of visiting the local feeding stations in people's garden. I reckon they have a circular trajectory from our place to Jan's next door, 50 meters east, then across the road and another one (or two) west, and as far as 200 meters away, before returning to our side of the road via neighbours a few houses down (north-west);   I reckon they usually fly clock-wise.  When I hung up a fresh ball and timed the return, this morning, after 5 days of no food, it took 3 minutes before 19 Tauhou were gorging themselves – this grew to the usual congestion and fights 5 minutes later.  One other little experiment took place this year by banding a good number of silvereyes in our garden in autumn and winter: it was total of 81 individuals (73 newly banded and 8 “recaptures” – older birds).  In the past week I attempted to count feeding flocks of around 30 birds – the average number of banded silvereyes was around 2 and a half (2.5) of those 30.  I know… It's pretty hard to count those fast-moving birds! And you never know if you've missed a banded individual when you quickly count the chaos before you.  If 1/12th of the birds you see are banded, (and you have 81 banded individuals in the population) you can guestimate that there must be 972 birds regularly in your garden flocks – give-or-take.  Almost a thousand of these little blighters passing through your garden on a regular basis… every day in winter!  And I reckon they'll know exactly who's got the food cart in the garden…  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While Zartok, Ansna, and Gerlos are spreading the Far Off One's magical jars, the rest of the Glass Guardians (Tara, Aster, Coral, Mama Sass, Gasten, and their deck hand, Silver Eyes) are trying to spread the good word about Coral Petrichor, the new god of knowledge. It's time for another narrative skill challenge! Our Spelljammer combat rules are up on the DMs Guild! Check them out.  Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter, and Discord.  Let us know what you think! You can also send us an email. 

Long ago Ben and Spooky Chy discussed Five Nights at Freddy's book The Silver Eyes. Based on that tenuous connection they have decided to upload their lengthy discussion of the recent Five Nights at Freddy's movie as a bonus episode of a book podcast. Support the showDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CTwitter - https://twitter.com/wabpodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/Buy the Books - https://bookshop.org/shop/wabpod

In this thrilling conclusion to the latest two-part adventure, our nameless sleuth finally meets the "girl" in question -- only to find out that she's left a trail of dead men behind her, and she wouldn't mind a bit if the Tec was just one more corpse to step over. Starring The Narada Radio Company. Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story by Dashiell Hammett. CAST: ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold Pete Lutz as THE TEC Geri Elliff as the HOTEL SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR Mark Kalita as DICK FOLEY and TIN-STAR JOPLIN Rhiannon McAfee as JEANNE DELANO Jason D. Johnson as R. F. AXFORD Jeff Moon as TAG KILCOURSE John Bell as PORKY GROUT Frank Gugliemelli as THE VOICE IN THE CROWD and the BANK TELLER Ian Federgreen as ROACH Dana Gonsalves as BURKE PANGBURN and Joe Stofko as THE OLD MAN   Theme and incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt, other music sourced from the Public Domain Editing, Mixing SFX and Sound Design by Daniel French at Fishbonius Sound Design  

S2 E6 - The Girl With the Silver Eyes - Part Two In this thrilling conclusion to the latest two-part adventure, our nameless sleuth finally meets the "girl" in question -- only to find out that she's left a trail of dead men behind her, and she wouldn't mind a bit if the Tec was just one more corpse to step over. Starring The Narada Radio Company. Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story by Dashiell Hammett. CAST: ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold Pete Lutz as THE TEC Geri Elliff as the HOTEL SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR Mark Kalita as DICK FOLEY and TIN-STAR JOPLIN Rhiannon McAfee as JEANNE DELANO Jason D. Johnson as R. F. AXFORD Jeff Moon as TAG KILCOURSE John Bell as PORKY GROUT Frank Gugliemelli as THE VOICE IN THE CROWD and the BANK TELLER Ian Federgreen as ROACH Dana Gonsalves as BURKE PANGBURN and Joe Stofko as THE OLD MAN Theme and incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt, other music sourced from the Public Domain Mixing and sounds by Fishbonius Sound Design This production was supervised by Pete Lutz

S2 E6 - The Girl With the Silver Eyes - Part Two In this thrilling conclusion to the latest two-part adventure, our nameless sleuth finally meets the "girl" in question -- only to find out that she's left a trail of dead men behind her, and she wouldn't mind a bit if the Tec was just one more corpse to step over. Starring The Narada Radio Company. Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story by Dashiell Hammett. CAST: ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold Pete Lutz as THE TEC Geri Elliff as the HOTEL SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR Mark Kalita as DICK FOLEY and TIN-STAR JOPLIN Rhiannon McAfee as JEANNE DELANO Jason D. Johnson as R. F. AXFORD Jeff Moon as TAG KILCOURSE John Bell as PORKY GROUT Frank Gugliemelli as THE VOICE IN THE CROWD and the BANK TELLER Ian Federgreen as ROACH Dana Gonsalves as BURKE PANGBURN and Joe Stofko as THE OLD MAN Theme and incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt, other music sourced from the Public Domain Mixing and sounds by Fishbonius Sound Design This production was supervised by Pete Lutz

Our nameless sleuth is called in by a lovesick young poet to find his runaway fiancee -- but soon finds that his client is in too deep. Is it love, or...something else? Starring The Narada Radio Company. Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story by Dashiell Hammett. CAST: ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold Pete Lutz as THE TEC Dana Gonsalves as BURKE PANGBURN Rhiannon McAfee as JEANNE DELANO  Jason D. Johnson as R. F. AXFORD Geri Elliff as MRS. CLUTE Daniel French as MR. CLEMENT Angela Young as the TRANSFER COMPANY CLERK and the DETECTIVE AGENCY CLERK Frank Guglielmelli as the ELEVATOR BOY and the BANK TELLER Ian Federgreen as MR. FALL John Bell as PORKY GROUT and Joe Stofko as THE OLD MAN Theme and incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt Mixing, Foley Sound Effects, and Mastering by Daniel French at Fishbonius Sound Design  

S2 E5 - The Girl With the Silver Eyes - Part One Our nameless sleuth is called in by a lovesick young poet to find his runaway fiancee -- but soon finds that his client is in too deep. Is it love, or...something else? Starring The Narada Radio Company. Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story by Dashiell Hammett. CAST: ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold Pete Lutz as THE TEC Dana Gonsalves as BURKE PANGBURN Rhiannon McAfee as JEANNE DELANO  Jason D. Johnson as R. F. AXFORD Geri Elliff as MRS. CLUTE Daniel French as MR. CLEMENT Angela Young as the TRANSFER COMPANY CLERK and the DETECTIVE AGENCY CLERK Frank Guglielmelli as the ELEVATOR BOY and the BANK TELLER Ian Federgreen as MR. FALL John Bell as PORKY GROUT and Joe Stofko as THE OLD MAN Theme and incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt Mixing and sounds by Fishbonius Sound Design    

S2 E5 - The Girl With the Silver Eyes - Part One Our nameless sleuth is called in by a lovesick young poet to find his runaway fiancee -- but soon finds that his client is in too deep. Is it love, or...something else? Starring The Narada Radio Company. Adapted by Pete Lutz from the story by Dashiell Hammett. CAST: ANNOUNCER: Darren Rockhold Pete Lutz as THE TEC Dana Gonsalves as BURKE PANGBURN Rhiannon McAfee as JEANNE DELANO  Jason D. Johnson as R. F. AXFORD Geri Elliff as MRS. CLUTE Daniel French as MR. CLEMENT Angela Young as the TRANSFER COMPANY CLERK and the DETECTIVE AGENCY CLERK Frank Guglielmelli as the ELEVATOR BOY and the BANK TELLER Ian Federgreen as MR. FALL John Bell as PORKY GROUT and Joe Stofko as THE OLD MAN Theme and incidental music by Dr. Ross Bernhardt Mixing and sounds by Fishbonius Sound Design

This is an interesting episode! We recorded this in 2016 during our first attempt to launch the pod. Take a listen for histories sake! Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pixellitpod Our website: https://www.pixellitpod.com Our discord: https://discord.gg/NdwmVEwFbQ Join our Steam Group: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/pixellitpod PixelLit is the video game-literary nerd's dream come true. It's a podcast where we read and discuss video game novelizations, and the games they're based on. This is a podcast for the former kid who read their instruction booklets cover to cover. For the gamer who listens to every audio log in Bioshock. The PixelLit Podcast! Because the only thing better than playing a video game is reading about it.

It's OVER! We DID IT! ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED! Tune in next week for a very special episode though. A part four? If you will? Or might it be another part 1? We shall seeeee. Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pixellitpod Our website: https://www.pixellitpod.com Our discord: https://discord.gg/NdwmVEwFbQ Join our Steam Group: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/pixellitpod PixelLit is the video game-literary nerd's dream come true. It's a podcast where we read and discuss video game novelizations, and the games they're based on. This is a podcast for the former kid who read their instruction booklets cover to cover. For the gamer who listens to every audio log in Bioshock. The PixelLit Podcast! Because the only thing better than playing a video game is reading about it.

Wait? Is this book... getting better? Maybe. Or it's just an illusion like a oasis of water deep in the desert of gamey (get it) writing. Either way, enjoy a popping fresh episode of FNAF Silver Eyes! Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pixellitpod Our website: https://www.pixellitpod.com Our discord: https://discord.gg/NdwmVEwFbQ Join our Steam Group: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/pixellitpod PixelLit is the video game-literary nerd's dream come true. It's a podcast where we read and discuss video game novelizations, and the games they're based on. This is a podcast for the former kid who read their instruction booklets cover to cover. For the gamer who listens to every audio log in Bioshock. The PixelLit Podcast! Because the only thing better than playing a video game is reading about it.

Oh Boy. We are reading FNAF: The Silver Eyes for the second time in show history. First time was YEARS ago when we tried to start the podcast in 2016. Book was so bad we had to bail. But we are BACK with a VEGENCE. And we are coming for YOU Scott! Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pixellitpod Our website: https://www.pixellitpod.com Our discord: https://discord.gg/NdwmVEwFbQ Join our Steam Group: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/pixellitpod PixelLit is the video game-literary nerd's dream come true. It's a podcast where we read and discuss video game novelizations, and the games they're based on. This is a podcast for the former kid who read their instruction booklets cover to cover. For the gamer who listens to every audio log in Bioshock. The PixelLit Podcast! Because the only thing better than playing a video game is reading about it.

Hi hello today I talk about the second five nights at Freddy's book the Twisted Ones it's a sequel to the Silver Eyes which I did a podcast on today.

Hi hello today I talk about a five nights at Freddy's book. Yes is a re-recording.

Thanks for listening! You can follow the show on Instagram @newgradpodcast, or click here: https://www.instagram.com/newgradpodcast/?hl=en Episode and cover art by Rebecca Montgomery. You Can follow her on Instagram @heartwork_r You can also support her by downloading screensavers of the images from Seasons 1 and 2 here: https://ko-fi.com/album/Phone-Screen-Savers--Confessions-of-a-New-Grad-N4N64P1E8?fbclid=IwAR0rt_Rh3BjMV5mDJHMirBZCxgrmkfTwSPlGtXONRuE2TlljYYWeAt7V0uY EPISODE SOUNDTRACK (In order of appearance): "Silver Eyes" by Hale "Amber" the Stolen Orchestra "As the Dust Settles on Creation" by Dexter Britain "Blindspot" by Rynn

Somehow it only took me 1 night to read this. Wonder how that happened? We get the gang to review Five Nights at Freddy's, is it the worst comic they've ever read? Featuring Luke, Kevin, Nick, Tim, and introducing Skolo! (who is awesome) Have suggestions for an episode? Email us at acubicinchofsound@gmail.com! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cubicinch/message

Fnaf THE SILVER EYES..__Sponserd by RYBLOX Studios

Nate is out on paternity leave and has left the show in the capable hands of Ben and Spooky Chey a.k.a. Ben's wife! They discuss one of Spooky Chey's favorite books. Unfortunately for Ben, it's a video game book. Will this be the one that changes his mind? Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/WABPod)

This week we read Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O'Connell.   100!   WE HAVE MERCH! Go to Tee-Public to get T-Shirts, Totes, Onesies and MORE: http://tee.pub/lic/learningthetropes   Find us- Instagram @learningthetropes Twitter @learningtropes Facebook Learning The Tropes Podcast Join The Learning The Tropes Troop! email: learningthetropespodcast@gmail.com

I Read Chapter 1 of the silver eyes..Please Follow this podcast!!!

Briana O'Neal lives in the world of books professionally and personally. She's a college Dean by day, a Ph.D. candidate by night, and a hardcore bookworm in the twilight hours. She fills her free time with live music, old movies and traveling. In the few months I've been following her online, she has opened up my reading life. Today, she joined me to talk about the joys of used books, Scholastic Book Fairs, and why “Legendborn” by Tracy Deonn is the Best Book Ever.   Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on Patreon   Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website   Host: Julie Strauss Website/Instagram/Facebook   Guest: Briana O'Neal Instagram     Episode Sponsor: Books2Read Pocket Garden Books2Read has curated a selection of feel-good springtime reads from across the publishing spectrum. From humorous fiction to romantic comedies, heart-warming literature, to feel-good nonfiction. There's even a selection of "happy pocket garden covers" because just looking at those beautiful covers will make you feel the spring sunshine on your face.     Discussed in this episode: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations by Toni Morrison Beloved by Toni Morrison Jazz by Toni Morrison Tar Baby by Toni Morrison Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison The View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts Machinehood by S.B. Divya  The B2Weird Bookclub on Instagram The City We Became by NK Jemisin The Dream Blood Duology: The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun by NK Jemison The Inheritance Trilogy by NK Jemison The Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemison (The first book in this series, The Fifth Season, is Briana's favorite Jemison book.) While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout   Discussed in our Patreon Conversation:   Rosewater (Book 1 in the The Wormwood Trilogy) by Tade Thompson I can understand why Briana bought these books based on the covers alone – they are gorgeous! The Rosewater Insurrection by Tade Thompson The Rosewater Redemption by Tade Thompson   (Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)

Briana O’Neal lives in the world of books professionally and personally. She’s a college Dean by day, a Ph.D. candidate by night, and a hardcore bookworm in the twilight hours. She fills her free time with live music, old movies and traveling. In the few months I’ve been following her online, she has opened up my reading life. Today, she joined me to talk about the joys of used books, Scholastic Book Fairs, and why “Legendborn” by Tracy Deonn is the Best Book Ever.   Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on Patreon   Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website   Host: Julie Strauss Website/Instagram/Facebook   Guest: Briana O’Neal Instagram     Episode Sponsor: Books2Read Pocket Garden Books2Read has curated a selection of feel-good springtime reads from across the publishing spectrum. From humorous fiction to romantic comedies, heart-warming literature, to feel-good nonfiction. There's even a selection of "happy pocket garden covers" because just looking at those beautiful covers will make you feel the spring sunshine on your face.     Discussed in this episode: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations by Toni Morrison Beloved by Toni Morrison Jazz by Toni Morrison Tar Baby by Toni Morrison Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison The View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts Machinehood by S.B. Divya  The B2Weird Bookclub on Instagram The City We Became by NK Jemisin The Dream Blood Duology: The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun by NK Jemison The Inheritance Trilogy by NK Jemison The Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemison (The first book in this series, The Fifth Season, is Briana’s favorite Jemison book.) While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout   Discussed in our Patreon Conversation:   Rosewater (Book 1 in the The Wormwood Trilogy) by Tade Thompson I can understand why Briana bought these books based on the covers alone – they are gorgeous! The Rosewater Insurrection by Tade Thompson The Rosewater Redemption by Tade Thompson   (Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)

My first fnaf podcast on it and bad grammer when reading plz forgive me

Andy and Alyssa read Goosebumps #26: My Hairiest Adventure. Along the way, they discuss dogs, suggestive metaphors, terrible science, Carmen San Diego, drug narratives, perfectionism and embarrassment, the horrors of puberty, upsetting diets, paranoia, The Stepford Wives (1972 novel/1975 film), Never Let Me Go (2005 novel/2010 film), medical experimentation, Three Identical Strangers (2018), The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2010), 80s teen movies, Society (1992), Village of the Damned (1960/1995), The Girl with the Silver Eyes (1980), The Girl with All the Gifts (2016), therianthropes, the Creepshow Holiday Special (2020), the abject, Kathryn Bond Stockton's The Queer Child, Or, Growing Sideways in the Twentieth Century (2009), James Whale's Frankenstein (1931), Stranger Things, and moments of queer recognition. // Music by Haunted Corpse // Follow @saypodanddie on Twitter and Instagram, and get in touch at saypodanddie@gmail.com

Katie is still on the run. Will she be found? Will she get turned in? And will she ever find the other kids who are just like her? Listen as we read the thrilling conclusion to The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts.

Things start happening lol --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tinkerbuff/support

Chapter Five of Five Nights at Freddy's The Silver Eyes --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tinkerbuff/support

When Katie decides to take action, it leads her to be more daring than she ever thought she could be. Will anyone help her? Will anyone believe her? Does anyone understand that she did not kill her grandma? Follow along as the plot thickens in The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts.

About a third of the way through the book now --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tinkerbuff/support

chapter three of Five Nights at Freddy's The Silver Eyes. ASMR style reading --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tinkerbuff/support

Katie grows more and more nervous as Mr. C keeps questioning her neighbors about her. If she could get in touch with the other kids, maybe everything she is going through will all make sense. But what happens when the people she trusts start to turn on her?

Chapter Two of Five Nights at Freddy's. ASMR style reading --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tinkerbuff/support

Chapter One of Five Nights at Freddy's The Silver Eyes. ASMR style reading --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tinkerbuff/support

Katie is starting to get used to living with her mother again, even if she doesn't like having a babysitter. When a new tenant moves in, Katie thinks she might have a new friend. Or is there something else going on? Listen to Allison read the next two chapters in the Willo Davis Roberts book The Girl with the Silver Eyes.

Meet Katie. She just moved back in with her mother after living with her grandmother for years. Katie is trying to make the best of it, but when her mother starts hiring babysitters to stay with her during the day, Katie starts relying on her "abilities" to get them to leave. And is she the only one with abilities? Listen along to the 80's classic novel The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts and get wrapped up in the magical world of Katie Welker.

Meet Katie. She just moved back in with her mother after living with her grandmother for years. Katie is not sure how to feel about this change, and when she's unsure about things, that's when her strange abilities help her cope. Listen along to the 80's classic novel The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts and get wrapped up in the magical world of Katie Welker.

Podcast #081 For my eighty-first Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Alexandra Diaz about the middle grade novel The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts. In this book, Katie, who is trying to start a new life with her mother in a new town, is a bit different from other … Continue reading The Girl with the Silver Eyes: an interview with Alexandra Diaz → The post The Girl with the Silver Eyes: an interview with Alexandra Diaz appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Well, it's been another wild, wild week in the precious metals markets, particularly at the retail level in the United States. | Do you own precious metals you would rather not sell, but need access to cash? Get Started Here: https://www.moneymetals.com/gold-loan

Book Bites are quick looks at a book from our Guest Host readers. Try a new book this week! This week's episode was recorded live on site at the Great River Library System's Comic Con event! Today we admire the book The Silver Eyes (Five Nights At Freddy's #1), by Scott Cawthon. "Ten years after the horrific murders at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza that ripped their town apart, Charlie, whose father owned the restaurant, and her childhood friends reunite on the anniversary of the tragedy and find themselves at the old pizza place which had been locked up and abandoned for years. After they discover a way inside, they realize that things are not as they used to be. The four adult-sized animatronic mascots that once entertained patrons have changed. They now have a dark secret . . . and a murderous agenda."   Subscribe to our newsletter, our social media, and our podcasts to stay up to date on all kinds of great stuff! We serve 300+ libraries of all types, and are always ready to talk about libraries and books.

Step through the portals to the many worlds watched over by the AGEIS! Welcome to our first actual play, the Trail of the Intruder, a campaign for Fantasy Age set in the world of Vitaeoth, Conflux of the Twelve Elements! The second basement level is already open! The heroes find the Silver Eyes gang already looting the Keep, and will have to be crafty to remove them! They must be even craftier to deal with elemental mounts, spirit colossi, and swarms of trained oozes! Can they do all of this as they hear how little time they have left? Find out on the Trail of the Intruder, part of the Adventure Game Engine Interest Series! If you like what we are doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter! A big thank you to Syrinscape, the source of the sounds you heard on this show! Thank you for listening!

Aratal comes face to face with Zebinox and learns more of the Silver Eyes plans. Meanwhile, Fillius begins losing his mind again... SUPPORT US ON PATREON! Patreon.com/stubbornheroes Join our Discord Server with this Link: https://discord.gg/qgVwWvr Follow us on Twitter: @Stubbornheroes Adam - @Omidiious Raymond - @Stubbornray Michael - @Stubbornbelrun Cody - @Stubborncody David - @Stubbornfillius Billy - @ImCedricCrow Website: Stubbornheroes.com Email us your questions/comments at stubbornheroes@hotmail.com

Hey HB's! Happy Monday! Are you ready for the conclusion of Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O'Connell? The slow burn is about to pay off! Plus, this excellent romance turns into an all-out action movie we want to see.   Bonus Content:  Melody's serious face, hair falling out by the fistful, the Chris EVANS Mountain Lodge candle from Yankee Candle, all of the amazing and hilarious cult videos about the candle, don't you dare touch our spanx, the well-known Constantinople Wagon, a Colorado acre, Snoot Boopers: Equine Edition, and so much more!   Sponsored by Through the Red Door by Sadira Stone! You can find her debut contemporary novel on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Googleplay, Overdrive, Kobo, and iTunes! Description:  Letting him inside could be her salvation…or her undoing. Clara Martelli clings to Book Nirvana, the Oregon bookshop she and her late husband Jared built together. When rising rents and corporate competition threaten its survival, her best hope is their extensive erotica collection, locked behind a red door. In dreams and signs, her dead husband tells her it's time to open that door and move on. When a dark and handsome stranger's powerful magnetism jolts her back to life and he wants a look at the treasures of that secret room, she can't help but want to show him more. Professor Nick Papadopoulos is looking for historical erotica. Book Nirvana's collection surpasses his wildest dreams, and so does its lovely owner. A widower, he understands Clara's battle with guilt, but their searing chemistry is too strong to resist. Besides, he will only be in town for two weeks, not long enough for her to see beyond the scandal that haunts his past. Patreon Shout Out! Shante G., you are an acolyte of Iris, Greek goddess of the Rainbow and messenger for the gods. Just like Iris, your specialty is helping people get their messages out to the world, helping them curate their ideas to have the most impact. But, lady, you do it with passion and pizzazz. You bring the full spectrum of verve to everything you do, because you can’t help but be the personification of a rainbow. For many coastal-dwelling Greeks, rainbows would appear to arc from the ocean up into the clouds, so they believed that Iris replenished the rain clouds with water. Just like her, you rejuvenate everyone you come in contact with because of your positivity and love.   Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review. And follow us on all the socials!   

Hey HB's! We're bringing you the second and final part of Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O'Connell! That's on Monday, April 1.  Plus, you can have so much Erin because she's guest hosting on The Cigarette Burns Podcast on the same day! She and your friend Cole, King of Cracker Barrell and all-around movie buff, are talking about The Cutting Edge! It's one of Erin's all time favorite movies because 1) enemies-to-lovers 2) figure skater and hockey hunk 3) "toe pick!"  You don't want to miss either of these episodes!    The Cigarette Burns is a podcast for movie and TV lovers where you can listen to *usually* two guys discuss, debate, worship, and poke some fun at all their favorite things coming out of Hollywood. Hosted by Cole Williams and Jedd Weise.  Facebook: Cigarette Burns: A Movie Podcast Twitter and Instagram:  @cigburnspod

Hey HB's! This here is Part 1 of Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O'Connell. We've got an interracial relationship which starts with a traumatic shotgun wedding, a slow-burn romance that pays off (in our next episode), and so much action and world-building we couldn't do it all justice. This book is an excellent western and an excellent romance, but we have some content warnings! There are depictions of assault, sexual assault, animal abuse, racism, and more.  Bonus Content: Alaskan minigolf and a hibachi engagement, new time period thanks to HB Fanny - Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Times!, Melody gets a visceral education about the word mongrel, cowboy leans, Erin has udder questions, Melody brings the club to the country with abs, abs, abs, DICK!, Melody decides that Hapa is an acceptable term to use for the hero, who is half Native American, half white, because that's the accepted and celebrated term she grew up with in Hawaii for mixed-race babies and what she calls her own children, hilarious practical jokes in Dr. Quinn Times, how we imagine Ann C. listens to the podcast, and so much more.  Self-Love Recommendations:  Erin: You can curl your hair with a skinny strightening iron!  Melody: SPF - get it on your face.  Episode Sponsor:  Bubbles and Books! Use the offer code HEAVINGBOSOMS10 to get 10% off your first order! Facebook group, home of the monthly "Bubbles Night"  Instagram Pintrest Twitter Patreon Shout Out!  Bethany M., you are smiled upon by Hi'iaka, the Hawaiian goddess of hula, chants, sorcery, and medicine. Hi'iaka was known for her loyalty, dedication, kindness, and bravery. Like her, you will take up perilous quests for those you love, whether they deserve it or not. Hi'iaka helped the people of Hawaii express themselves through hula and song and you similarly use your technological skills to do the same. And if she had bluetooth, you bet believe there would have been more than one mishap as she consumed her smut. Most of all, you're beautiful on the inside and out, and will be rewarded just as she was. 

Hey HB's! On Monday, March 25th we're coming at you with Part 1 of Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O'Connell. It's a Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Times book about a literal shotgun wedding between an affluent white woman and a half white, half Native American man with a reputation for danger. It's a slow burn romance with a whole bunch of added action and intrigue.  Content warnings: assault, sexual assault, and abuse.  

It’s the Vol 6 finale, and it’s time to do things Our Way! On this week’s Rooster Teeth Reviews, hosts Megan Salinas, Mark Donica, Stacey Shuttleworth, and Katie Cullen tackle the Volume 6 finale! The crew discusses giant robot fights, the power of Silver Eyes, clever stalling tactics, resolved storylines, and redemption arcs. They also weigh in on the recent news regarding Rooster Teeth’s stance on the Vic Mignogna controversy. The team also has an important announcement regarding the future of The Rooster Team. All this and more on this week’s show! Join our Discord! -https://discord.gg/E6EsQCU PANEL – Mark Donica - @MarkBDonica Katie Cullen - @Kiaxet Megan Salinas - @TheMenguin Stacey Shuttleworth - @StaceyShuttles SHOW TWITTER - @TheRoosterTeam --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Happy Halloween! We faced the scariest thing imaginable for a bad books podcast: a video game tie-in novel that turned out to be actually like, really good? We know: we were shocked too. Almost as shocked as the teen protagonists … Continue reading →

Time to get some bones back from some filthy biters. Feel free to drop us a review on iTunes and cast Message to us over social media. It's only a cantrip. We'd love to hear from you! Also, we have a Patreon. Hop on over and see if you'd like to support the show. You can get your name on our website, access to bonus episodes, the chance to ask us questions for "Talking Initiative" and mailbag episodes, and our main episodes early! The next "Talking Initiative" episode is 6/1/18 at 10pm ET and can be found at the Twitch link below. "Taking Initiative" is a podcast on The Spark Network. You can find us at: Website: thespark.network/takinginitiativepodcast Twitter: @TI_Pod Twitter (The Spark Network): @The_Spark_Net Facebook: Taking Initiative Podcast Tumblr: takinginitiativepodcast.tumblr.com Patreon: patreon.com/takinginitiative Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/MGv46RV Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thesparknetwork Thank you to special guest Kristen DiMercurio. You can find her on Twitter @kdimerc and on her podcast "Ars Paradoxica" as Dr. Sally Grissom. The original artwork for the logo was created by Kati Kawaguchi (@_KidKati) from the "Nerds on a Roll" podcast. Music credits for this episode: -Neil Martin (@BardicMartin) of "The Lucky Die" for the theme song -"Steel Rods," "Static Motion," "Deep Noise" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ All mentions to Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), including the 5e ruleset and the "Curse of Strahd" module refer to the property owned by Wizards of the Coast (WotC). We do not own the rules or module. We just enjoy playing!

The party picks up Ferguson from his bath and head off to the Coffin Maker's shop. Time to play Bad Cop, Bad Cop and get those bones back! Feel free to drop us a review on iTunes and cast Message to us over social media. It's only a cantrip. We'd love to hear from you! Also, we have a Patreon. Hop on over and see if you'd like to support the show. You can get your name on our website, access to bonus episodes, the chance to ask us questions for "Talking Initiative" and mailbag episodes, and our main episodes early! The next "Talking Initiative" episode is 6/1/18 at 10pm ET and can be found at the Twitch link below. The Podcasts of Foes is running from May 7-20, 2018 on the Dungeon Delve RSS feed. Our episode is out TODAY, May 14, 2018. "Taking Initiative" is a podcast on The Spark Network. You can find us at: Website: thespark.network/takinginitiativepodcast Twitter: @TI_Pod Twitter (The Spark Network): @The_Spark_Net Facebook: Taking Initiative Podcast Tumblr: takinginitiativepodcast.tumblr.com Patreon: patreon.com/takinginitiative Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/MGv46RV Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thesparknetwork The original artwork for the logo was created by Kati Kawaguchi (@_KidKati) from the "Nerds on a Roll" podcast. Music credits for this episode: -Neil Martin (@BardicMartin) of "The Lucky Die" for the theme song -"Thinking Music," "Umbrella Pants," "Fantastic Dim Bar," "Digital Bark," "Deep Noise" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ All mentions to Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), including the 5e ruleset and the "Curse of Strahd" module refer to the property owned by Wizards of the Coast (WotC). We do not own the rules or module. We just enjoy playing!

Get your books out!

Leaving Argynvosthold behind them, the party heads back to Vallaki. Ferguson decides to have some time alone with his sword while the rest of the group tackles a good 'ol fashioned mystery! Feel free to drop us a review on iTunes and cast Message to us over social media. It's only a cantrip. We'd love to hear from you! Also, we have a Patreon. Hop on over and see if you'd like to support the show. You can get your name on our website, access to bonus episodes, the chance to ask us questions for "Talking Initiative" and mailbag episodes, and our main episodes early! The next "Talking Initiative" episode is 5/4/18 at 10pm ET and can be found at the Twitch link below. The Podcasts of Foes will run from May 7-20, 2018 on the Dungeon Delve RSS feed. Our episode will go up on May 14th. "Taking Initiative" is a podcast on The Spark Network. You can find us at: Website: thespark.network/takinginitiativepodcast Twitter: @TI_Pod Facebook: Taking Initiative Podcast Tumblr: takinginitiativepodcast.tumblr.com Patreon: patreon.com/takinginitiative Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/MGv46RV Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/takinginitiative The original artwork for the logo was created by Kati Kawaguchi (@_KidKati) from the "Nerds on a Roll" podcast. Music credits for this episode: -Neil Martin (@BardicMartin) of "The Lucky Die" for the theme song -"Past the Edge," "Snowdrop," "Lasting Home," "Plaint," "Walking Along" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ All mentions to Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), including the 5e ruleset and the "Curse of Strahd" module refer to the property owned by Wizards of the Coast (WotC). We do not own the rules or module. We just enjoy playing!

Recorded on April 12 and April 15, 2018 Book Talk starts at 36:50   Our Never-Have-I-Ever Sock-along will continue until May 15, 2018.  Make socks like you’ve never made before - try a new heel, using a pattern if you usually stick with vanilla, knit from a sock blank for the first time, do color work - or maybe try socks for the very first time!  Please go to the Never-Have-I-Ever Sock-along Chatter thread to join the fun.  Post your finished socks here.     Get ready for our summer swap, hosted by the wonderful Sandra (SweetSerendipity37).  Check out this thread and vote to let Sandra know you’d like to participate.   KINITTING Tracie’s FOs: Wee Wrap by Susan Barstein in Plymouth Rainbow Toybox in colorway 69 13 Knitted Knockers in Cascade Ultra Pima and CoBaSi Plus by HiKoo   Barb’s FOs: Knitted Knockers Peer Pressure Shawlette #2, using Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the Whiskey Barrel colorway   Tracie has cast on:  Girl’s Poncho by Plymouth Yarn in Plymouth Encore Colorspun in 8198 colorway Rikke Hat by Sarah Young in Serendipidye Kings Mountain DK in South by Southwest   She is working on: 6th Fiddly Bits cowl by Jane Pihota from fingering weight magic cake all in shades of green! Adjoin toe-up socks from Sock Architecture by Lara Neel in Knitting Rose Yarns Tinkytweet (aka) Sparkle Yarn sock blank Leaf Press Shawl by Judy Marples, from a Craftsy Kit in Cloudborn Highland Sport in the Caribbean and Dolphin Blue colorways Lake Effect by Amy Miller in Baah La Jolla in the California Poppy colorway   Barb is still working on: Tale as Old as Time Cowl by Anne Vally, using Must Stash Yarns & Fiber Perfect Self-Striping Sock in the Beauty and the Beast colorways Misty Scarf by Kaffe Fassett, using Rowan Kidsilk Haze Stripe (now discontinued) in a pale blue and pale pink colorway and a darker blue, cranberry and hot pink colorway. Tailfeather cardigan by Heidi Kirrmaier, using Elemental Affects Cormo in a sage green color way Gently Stirred Never Shaken shawl/scarf by Mac and Joe, using Baah La Jolla in 3 different colorways - Strawberry Shortcake, Deep Slate and Cotton Candy   She has cast on: Mount Airy Socks by Mary Lucas, using Duren Dyeworks Awesome Sock Blank.   Rikke Hat by Sarah Young, using Serendipidye Kings Mountain DK in the South by Southwest colorway   BOOKS Finished: The House of Unexpected Sisters by Alexander McCall Smith Mrs. Saint and the Defectives by Julie Lawson Timmer The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle   Finished books Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff The Flight Attendant by Chris Boujalian   Reading: The People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder Alice by Christina Henry I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara   Currently reading Classic Krakauer by Jon Krakauer Loner by Teddy Wayne The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances

The party's time in Argynvostholt is coming to a quick close, but it seems that Ferguson has an idea. I can't tell if that sentence is a good or bad thing. He's creepy. Feel free to drop us a review on iTunes and cast Message to us over social media. It's only a cantrip. We'd love to hear from you! Also, we have a Patreon. Hop on over and see if you'd like to support the show. You can get your name on our website, access to bonus episodes, the chance to ask us questions for "Talking Initiative" and mailbag episodes, and our main episodes early! The next "Talking Initiative" episode is 5/4/18 at 10pm ET and can be found at the Twitch link below. "Taking Initiative" is a podcast on The Spark Network. You can find us at: Website: thespark.network/takinginitiativepodcast Twitter: @TI_Pod Facebook: Taking Initiative Podcast Tumblr: takinginitiativepodcast.tumblr.com Patreon: patreon.com/takinginitiative Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/MGv46RV Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/takinginitiative The original artwork for the logo was created by Kati Kawaguchi (@_KidKati) from the "Nerds on a Roll" podcast. Music credits for this episode: -Neil Martin (@BardicMartin) of "The Lucky Die" for the theme song -"Wounded," "Thunder Dreams," "Interloper," "Anxiety," "Lightless Dawn," "Unease Piano," "Sunset at Glengorm," "Dreams Become Real," Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ All mentions to Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), including the 5e ruleset and the "Curse of Strahd" module refer to the property owned by Wizards of the Coast (WotC). We do not own the rules or module. We just enjoy playing!

The hunt for Vladimir and the Cloak of Argynvost continues within the walls of Argynvostholt, but will our party be able to handle the challenge at hand? Feel free to drop us a review on iTunes and cast Message to us over social media. It's only a cantrip. We'd love to hear from you! Also, we have a Patreon. Hop on over and see if you'd like to support the show. You can get your name on our website, access to bonus episodes, the chance to ask us questions for "Talking Initiative" and mailbag episodes, and our main episodes early! The next "Talking Initiative" episode is 4/6/18 at 10pm ET and can be found at the Twitch link below. "Taking Initiative" is a podcast on The Spark Network. You can find us at: Website: thespark.network/takinginitiativepodcast Twitter: @TI_Pod Facebook: Taking Initiative Podcast Tumblr: takinginitiativepodcast.tumblr.com Patreon: patreon.com/takinginitiative Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/MGv46RV Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/takinginitiative The original artwork for the logo was created by Kati Kawaguchi (@_KidKati) from the "Nerds on a Roll" podcast. Music credits for this episode: -Neil Martin (@BardicMartin) of "The Lucky Die" for the theme song -"Snowdrop," "Feral Chase," "Darkling," "Crypto," "Black Vortex" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ All mentions to Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), including the 5e ruleset and the "Curse of Strahd" module refer to the property owned by Wizards of the Coast (WotC). We do not own the rules or module. We just enjoy playing!

In this episode Rosered and Melissa join Andrew to talk about the roel pop culture has played in shaping and nurturing their spritual practices. They talk about Pop figures as altar items, movies and characters that shaped them, and explore what something being sacred to them might mean.  If you are interested in supporting this podcast though our Patreon you can do so here. If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe by RSS , iTunes, Stitcher, or email. You can find Rosered on Twitter here and Instagram here. Tarot Visions Podcast is everywhere but you can start here.  You can find Melissa on her website here.  Planet of the Ape and other cool buddha hybrids are here.   Thanks for listening! If you dig this please subscribe and share with those who would like it. Andrew   If you are interested in booking time with Andrew either in Toronto or by phone or Skype from anywhere click here.     ANDREW: Welcome to another instalment of The Hermit's Lamp podcast. Today, I have got on the line with me, Rose Red Robinson and Melissa Ceynowa, and we're here to talk about pop culture, and the ways in which pop culture and movies and stories and all these wonderful things can influence us and be a part of our understanding of who we are and our journey. That's the official reason.  The unofficial reason is, I really wanted to hang out and talk about Big Trouble in Little China a lot … [laughter] ANDREW: And I'm not saying if you haven't seen that movie yet, that you should stop listening right now and go and do so, but I'm not saying you shouldn't, you know, cause really, if you haven't seen it yet, I don't understand. You should go see it. You should go check it out. It's on Netflix.  So, but, for, you know, people who don't know who you are—let's start with you, Rose. Give us a quick introduction.  ROSE: Okay, I've been doing tarot off and on for 20 plus years. I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful podcast of my own that I do with Jaymi Elford, called Tarot Visions, that was started back in 2013, with the lovely Charlie Harrington, and he decided to pass me off to Jaymi. I've worked in … with Tarot Media Company for many years, back in the day, studied tarot for off and on forever, and am now kind of exploring Celtic Hanlon at the moment, and, am just a general happy reader.  And I've been lucky enough to present at various conventions on the west coast, PantheaCon and Northwest Tarot Symposium, being the two, as well as running some successful meet-ups in my local area that I have also passed on to other people, because I'm not the only one who knows everything. So, it's awesome to be able to share, and engage other people to be teachers as well, cause then I can be a student, so that's fun. So that's me! ANDREW: Cool. Awesome. And Melissa?  MELISSA: I can't really follow that. No ... [laughter] ANDREW: Pretty impressive, right?  MELISSA: No, I've been—next year, I figured out, I've been reading for 30 years, and it occurred to me that I might be able to teach people, like only five years ago. So, I wrote a book. It came out last year; it's Kitchen Table Tarot, and my way of teaching the cards is really similar to Rose's, cause we both grab onto what's around us. ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: As kind of a pathway to what the card means, and... I don't know, I'm a mom, and trying to figure out how to have, you know, three jobs at a time and still pursue tarot, which is my favorite sweetheart in the whole world, is challenging but worth it, so. Yeah.  ROSE: [whispering] Her book is awesome!  MELISSA: Thank you! ANDREW: Sure. It's a good book. MELISSA: Thank you. I like it.  ANDREW: We have it in the shop; you can get it on ... everywhere. So, check it out.  MELISSA: Thank you! ANDREW: So, tell me about pop culture. You know? What is it about pop culture that intrigues you or interests you? You know? Cause I mean, like, growing up, I always heard, “TV's going to rot your brain, blah blah blah, it's all a waste of time,” right?  ROSE: Right. ANDREW: You know? But for me, it's certainly ... I guess I'll leave it up to the dear listeners to see if my brain is rotted or not, but, you know, to me it always seemed like a way of understanding, a way of connecting, a way of making sense of things, you know? At its best, I mean, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: But like, what is it about pop culture stuff that's interesting to you two?  ROSE: Okay, well, it was kind of one of my first experiences of finding spirituality, ironically enough, cause I grew up when we could watch, you know, Bewitched, and you could talk about the Greek gods on the different Hercules shows and all of those things, back with Harryhausen, and all of that. And it was just like “Oh! Wait! These aren't just crazy movies and TV shows, there's, like, stuff that they're based on?”  And then going and finding out that, you know, there's Greek mythology, and going and studying that … And then, of course, when you're in school, they're like, “Oh, you're interested in that, here, let me give you more stuff!”, cause teachers want you to learn … And so, that was really how I incorporated the two, and I'm like, well, “Isis is amazing! I love that TV show!” And then, “Oh! It's a real thing!” And then learning more about that as a child, I mean, with the wonder that we have as children, and then, you know, Wonder Woman being, you know, the princess of now, Themyscira, but then, Paradise Island, and incorporating that with the Greek mythology, and going, “Oh, wow, this makes sense!” You know. So, that's kind of where it came from for me. I don't know, your mileage may vary. But that's … I didn't see it as pop culture at the time, I just saw it as “Oh, cool TV show, talking about something real,” air quotes on the real, cause again, TV is not the real part, and just blending, and that's how I built it up, cause okay, now I've got this connection, and yeah, it made sense.  MELISSA: For me it was kind of finding connection, cause I was a lonely nerdy little child, and I would watch Wonder Woman and I would watch, even Mother Goose, you know, with her pointy hat riding a broomstick with her familiar, you know? Like, I was always drawn to the witchy kind of stuff, but I didn't know what to call it, and I loved Uncle Arthur, and, you know, all of the things that had pieces of them that also fit pieces of me, and so I've always been really drawn to pop culture because it kind of helped me identify who I am.  And, like I just saw A Wrinkle in Time, and I sobbed through the whole thing, because Meg was the only person I'd ever met who was like me, when I read those books … ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And finding somebody that could like, reach through pages, and say, “Honey, you're normal, you're just like me,” was just amazing. And that was very spiritual for me, to find somebody who said, “You're not aberrant, and you're not a mistake,” you know? So pop culture's been really important to me because I was lonely. And the weird kids all over, The Girl with the Silver Eyes, or the X-Men, or all of these outside kids, they were me. And finding somebody that showed my face back to me was really important. So.  ANDREW: Mmmhmm. Yeah. ROSE: What about you, Andrew? ANDREW: When I was growing up in the 80s, all those bad ninja movies were coming out? I was so fascinated with them, you know? And what ended up happening was, me and my friends started trying to learn how to meditate because of it, right? Because we'd see, you know, these things that were really cool and exciting, but then they'd be like sitting there and meditating. And we were like, “Oh, we should meditate. What do we do? How do we do it?” You know?  And that led to me getting involved in martial arts and learning how to really meditate, you know, when I was like 10 and 11 and stuff like that, and, you know, it's one of the things that really became a through line for me. You know? And, it's funny, when I met my partner Hanlon, they hadn't seen Big Trouble in Little China, or they certainly didn't remember seeing it, you know? And, I'm like, “You haven't seen this? We need to fix this right now!” Right? Cause this is like one of the best movies of all time.  And after watching it, he was like, “Wow! You're like all three of the main characters in one person. You're like…?” You know? Jack Burton, the dorky, kind of adventurous, like outgoing kind of person … You know, I was doing a lot of martial arts at the time we met, so, you know, Wang and sort of all of this Kung Fu stylings and stuff, right? And then I was into all these magical things, like Egg Chen, you know? And it was like this very funny thing, to have this reflected back to me, you know? Like you were saying, Melissa, it's like there were elements in this character or in the story that fit my sense of who I was, you know? And it wasn't quite as clean cut as like, “I feel like just this one or that one,” but the story and interactions between all three of those sort of fit that sense of who I was and how I wanted to be in the world, you know? As well as my struggles and other things, you know? So.  MELISSA: Yeah. And I think, going into adulthood, because I've always been, like, completely into any kind of pop culture, fairy tales, fantasy fiction, like whatever. But I could put myself in different characters. So, I'd read Madeleine L'Engle and I would be Daniel, because I loved Daniel. And I would read Charles de Lint, and Julie Coppercorn and I are right here, and it kept ... Seeing the depth in the character taught me to see the depth in myself. Almost. Or that there were other options than being depressed, being quiet, being small. And, since I didn't have really an example around me of an adult who was like me, I would base my behavior on the characters that I read who did things that were honorable and kind and ... They kind of were examples to me. You know, I grew up without a mom so seeing Wonder Woman was huge for me. That was like communion. I would watch her every week, and I identified with her and Princess Leia. That was like my mom character, you know?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And it filled a void. And it was ... And, the beautiful thing about it is, Rose and I are both Wonder Woman crazy, and we have a connection, and we'll always have that connection. ROSE: Yeah. MELISSA: And it's so great to meet somebody and go, “You dig that thing? I dig that thing too!”  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ROSE: So, there's a whole other world where you reach outside of yourself and say, “Oh my god, I went to, you know, Comic Con, and met three women dressed like Wonder Woman and it was the best day of my life,” you know? ROSE: Oh, yeah. MELISSA: So, that level of outside connection is super important too. ROSE: Well, and, as you just mentioned, it's meeting other people. I think the rise of the Internet has really helped all of us with that because of the “I thought I was the only one who loved this thing,” and in a group where you might have been at school the only one who loved this thing, so you didn't know how to share it with your friends, and now, as you've gotten older, and the Internet exists, you're just like, “Oh my god! I can find people who love my thing!” And I get to talk to people about it.  I mean, one of the things that connected myself with tarot, and gaming, cause that's where my tarot also blends, is the fact that one of the games out there had a tarot deck made for the game, and I'm like, “Oh my god! There's a game! And a tarot! And I can play both!” And I was always the one that wanted to play the tarot character, cause that's who I was. And so, I was always playing the Fate Witch in the Seven Seas game. And then they came out with spreads to do with it, and it just, that built that spiritual connection for me, but it also was, like, reminding me that I'm not the only one who sees that or feels that or connects to that thing that I love.  And then, you know, meeting all of you guys at different events has been awesome, because it's like now I can talk to somebody else who also loves Wonder Woman, tarot, and five billion other things that are like, “Oh my god, I never knew that people like all those things that I liked,” and I think that's kind of the thing for me, is watching how that has happened over the years, and how pop culture has become stronger for other people as well, because they, who are younger than us, had, have always had Internet, have always had pop culture as a thing, and we watched it grow. And I think that was kind of what made me feel like more and more connected to the magic of it, not just the beauty of connection with people. I'm babbling.  MELISSA: Mmmhmm. ROSE: But it's true. It's how we can turn something we love into a connection with our world, if that makes sense, and the spirits around us. Okay. I'm going to stop. I don't know, I just— ANDREW: I think that's really interesting, you know? And for me, I think partly because I almost died when I was 14— ROSE: Oh! ANDREW: I really didn't carry that stuff through in a lot of ways, you know? So, like, I was 14 and after that, like after being in a serious accident, I was like, “All right, I need to understand everything,” and so although I still read, you know, like Shannara books … ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And like some of that stuff, and I was definitely reading and consuming pop culture things and so on, I was also reading Nietzsche and …  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: Like, I was just, like, “All right, what is this all about?” Right? And so, for me, I enjoyed those things as a sort of through line of entertainment, but I felt like the answers were elsewhere. And then sort of later on, and you know, certainly sort of more in recent times, I've sort of seen how much is, how much, you know, answers and sort of sense of meaning can come from these other places, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: To my sort of teenage self, they just weren't serious enough, you know? ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: Yeah. ANDREW: Like I wanted to know the answers, and therefore, if a book wasn't hard to read, then it probably wasn't really helpful, was kind of a thought that I had at one point, you know?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. And yet—I'm going to interrupt and say, but see … ANDREW: Yeah! ROSE: One of the things that I always come back to mind … We, specifically in pop culture items, there are levels, so there's the level for the kid who's reading it, and then if the parent is reading it, there's more in there that we as adults could see, but when we're that young age we might miss something. It's … What comes to mind right now is the Harry Potter books. You know? They were written, and as they progressed, the child/reader gets older, but so does the characters, but that very first book—it looks like a kid's book, but it's really not, and I think that that's the kind of thing that people miss sometimes, is that there's underlying elements for the adults as well, and so there's something that is being put into motion at first. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE:  The next thing that just came to mind while you were talking about this is Steven Universe. It's a kids' show, but it's not. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: And that's the beauty of bringing in the myths and legends around, you know, people and connection. But parents are like, you know, “Oh, my kid can watch that, it's a cartoon!”  ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: And yet, there's more there.  ANDREW: And I definitely don't think now that those things are missing, right?  ROSE: No. Oh, no, no.  ANDREW: Yeah. I've read all the Harry Potter books, I don't even know now, cause my kids keep rereading them and we keep rereading them to them, right? ROSE: Right. ANDREW: So, you know, you keep going through that stuff, and there's all sorts of wonderful things in there, you know, for sure, right? But yeah, definitely, it was a concept that I had when I was younger about that stuff for sure, right? Yeah. MELISSA: I always found them too as kind of a gateway. So, like the Madeleine L'Engle books, one of them uses Patrick's Rune, which is a Celtic prayer, and I went to the library and asked the librarian, “Where did this come from?” And she handed me five books on Celtic mythology. And then I wandered out of there and read everything I could about Celtic mythology. And I went back and she gave me Egyptology. And then I went back the next week and I had Chinese divination books. And so, it all kind of fed from each other, and it made me curious about everything, about all of it. And so, I love that within the story is another gateway to another story. I think that's why I'm a big gigantic nerd, if I'm honest, so.  ANDREW: So. ROSE: You've surrounded yourself by nerds, Andrew. Just so you know.  ANDREW: I know! It's great. I love it. It's perfect. I was looking at my collection of pop figures this morning before leaving, and thinking about recording today … ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: Because I have ... Pop figures, if anyone doesn't know them, are these little large-headed representations of, you know, most of the cartoon and movie and TV show and pop culture stuff. And you know, I was looking at my pop Jack Burton, I've got Gracie Law, and I've got the glow in the dark Lo Pan … [laughter] ANDREW: And then I've also got General Voltan from Flash Gordon ...  ROSE: Ah! ANDREW: Which is another of my sort of favorite childhood movies.  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: But, it, unlike Big Trouble in Little China, doesn't stand the test of time as well. [laughs] It's a pretty horrendous movie when I look back.  MELISSA: But the music does. ROSE: The music's amazing.  ANDREW: The music does, and Ming the Merciless is a tremendous bad guy and a wonderful look, you know?  ROSE: Oh yeah.  ANDREW: But yeah, lots of that movie is definitely really pretty horrendous, though, the last time I looked at it, yeah. ROSE: So. ANDREW: There's nothing wrong with being surrounded with nerds. ROSE: Something that ... So, I took a class at PantheaCon last year on pop culture and magic, cause that's what you do, and Emily Carlin was talking about how you can, because of the connections with the pop culture and magic, you can use some of those Funko pop characters in your practice, if you don't, you know ...  So, you don't want your friends to know what you're doing, but you want to honor your gods. There's a lot of ‘em out there that exist, and you just mentioned Lo Pan, and I'm wondering, you know, would you consider using that as part of your practice, if that were something you were trying to ...? Or that energy. Or even the energy of Jack Burton, I mean, because I mean, the man's the adventurer kingdom, you know, he's before we even get Indiana Jones! MELISSA: He never drives faster than he can see.  ROSE: Yeah. MELISSA: I mean, the man's got skills.  ANDREW: [laughing] ROSE: And he knows what he wants out of life. He wants to drive, he wants to adventure, you know, and that's, you know, so what do you think about that?  ANDREW: I think that that's entirely possible, you know ... I mean, I ... So I'm sitting here recording, and I'm looking at my shelf of things, and, you know, there's a picture of Aleister Crowley, there's a painting I did of St. Expedite, you know, there's like some self-portraits that I've done for magical reasons, and in the middle is my Dr. Zaius Buddha. So, Dr. Zaius from Planet of the Apes, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: The science person who believed that sort of religion and science ought to be the same and not at odds with each other, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And somewhere on Etsy, I found this person who was making Buddhas with different heads on them, like Star Wars ones and Yoda ones and whatever, and I reached out because I was looking for something to kind of use as a magical anchor for my sort of joyous relationship to my work life … ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW:  And sort of do some prosperity work with. And so, I reached out to the person, and I said, “Your stuff is amazing; what I really would like is a Dr. Zaius from the Planet of the Apes.” And his response was, “Dude, I'm working on them right now, I will email you as soon as they are done,” right?  ROSE: That's brilliant.  ANDREW: And so, I got one, you know? (photo in show notes) In gold, and ... ROSE: Oh my gosh! That's amazing! ANDREW: It sits up here with some other stuff, and it's definitely ... It was, for a while, the focal point of a bunch of work that I was doing. Now less so, you know? But ... ROSE: Different work now.  ANDREW: Yeah, but, you know, but for me, I feel like I use the pop stuff as tools for psychological sort of inner self explorations ...  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: I'm, I mean, because I practice a traditional religion, I don't really feel drawn to use them in sort of my more religious or devotional kind of stuff, because those things already have their own avenues?  ROSE: Right.  ANDREW: But I could see how ... And also, when I was younger, if people didn't like what I was up to, I would be like, “Well, screw you, you're dead to me.”   ROSE: Okay. ANDREW: So. Whoever that was. You know? So, the idea of obscuring things has never been a part of my process. You know?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: But I can see how that makes a lot of sense, though, if it is? Right? And I understand that for a lot of people the sort of notion of flying under the radar, right, is important.  MELISSA: We have ... Sorry. We have a family altar in the middle of our living room, and the kids help me. We clean it off at the end of the month, and the kids help me kind of build it over the month, and it gets covered with incense dust and whatever rocks we like, and then we start at the beginning of the month again. And any given month, there is a statue of Mary, some fox fetishes from a Zuni tribe, and a couple Wonder Woman Funko pops, and whatever the kids want to throw on. And it's, you know, if my son is feeling particularly, you know, sad or feeling small, than he'll put his Thor Funko Pop on the altar, and that's his way of kind of reaching out and connecting. ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And I've never made anything ... I've never disallowed them from putting anything, whether plastic or, you know, any kind of rocks or whatever, on the altar, because it's not really the antiquity or the ceremony around the object, it's what it means to you.  ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And if Thor needs to be on the altar this month, cool, let's do it. You know?  ROSE: Well, and one of the things that I have in plenty is, I'm a Lego nerd. So, I have this, which is, I'm showing to you, Andrew and Melissa, it's a Lego minifig of the Tarot Reader, who is holding a Sun card and a Tower card. And when I first got one of these ... and I've got like three of them now ... I carry ‘em with me in my tarots, when I do readings out, and people kind of go, “What is that?” “It's a tarot minifig! See? This is not scary!” And ... but it's also, you know, a representation of me sometimes, when I need to focus, and so it's again how pop culture and how pop stuff crosses over with my spirituality. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: So, it's just a thing, I think that we all need to just grasp what works for us and build our practice around that part of it, and honor the traditional, because that's important. It's finding out what the traditions really are. But then, when it makes it work for you, if connecting that with Wonder Woman for example, or getting the Funko Pop of Hercules, cause, you know, that was kind of cool, works for you, to represent that, you know, or the Athena one, do it, I think that's great. But I also, you know—be aware of what you're connecting with, too, because you're not, it's not just surface stuff.  ANDREW: Mmmhmm. Yeah. I also think that it's certainly possible with a lot of these things to start opening up in directions, and making connections with things, and then, you know, and then you can kind of go off and explore the spirituality and come back around and sort of revisit the pop culture layer with new eyes as well, right? It's a way in which we can, you know, continue to see deeper layers and maybe even sort of write extra layers on top of it, even if they're not there, right?  ROSE: Mm. Yeah, I could see that.  MELISSA: During my classes, I think Rose does this too, we both teach tarot classes, and we both use pop culture in them ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And so, I have this feature that, the name of which I accidentally stole from Jaymi Elford—sorry, Jaymers!—called Pop Goes the Tarot, and I take a fandom like Firefly, and I match it with a tarot card ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And, I've found the response to those has been really huge. Because if you're having a problem figuring out what the Hermit card is, or what the Emperor is, and if I say the Emperor is Erich Hartmann dressed up as a police officer saying, “Respect my authority!” I mean, that is a pretty strong connection to the archetype of the Emperor ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And if they start there, and then move on to like, Benebell's gigantic book, or, like, another book that has like spiritual historical symbolic meanings of the cards, then they'll already have that first step into it and what it means—what it could mean for them. You know? And I think that if people do that with their own particular fandoms, they'll have an intimate connection with what that card is.  ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: So, it's been really fun, and I keep getting emails about ideas of fandoms to explore, but if they're not mine, I don't have the confidence to assign the cards to them, so ... ROSE: I'm still waiting for your Brady Bunch tarot.  MELISSA: Oh, that would be a good one! Okay. I know that fan, I got that. ROSE: [laughing] And I think that's the beauty of pop culture and connection with spirituality is that you are making it a little bit more understandable for yourself. And as you said, yeah, taking the cards, “Okay, this is the Emperor,” well, what's the Emperor do? You know? Is it Emperor Palpatine? Or is it, you know, the … I can't even think right now, Dumbledore, let's just put it that way, that's not even right, though. But the point is, you're figuring out which one matches up better for you. You know, I mean, the Devil might be Voldemort, he might be, you know, Darth Vader, but he also might be, you know, the little girl from The Bad Seed, which is a 1930, 45, something, I don't know, 50s movie about a bad kid who personifies as beautiful and happy and lovely and she does really horrible things for a pair of shoes in one point. But anyway. The point is that you just connect these things. And then you can figure out what your personal connection is to either cards or to spiritual path. And also, the fact that that's part of the collective unconscious as well, because all of these people … also … the moment you say, Lord Palpatine, to a group of people, most of them, I'm not going to say all, but most of them know what you're talking about.  ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: So, you know, you're doing something with a group, and you want to go okay, pull a card, “Oh, and this reminds me of Lord Palpatine,” and the rest of the audience knows what you're talking about. And that's the beauty of the pop culture. Of course, it is also needing to be aware that it is country-sometimes-specific or fandom-specific, because there are people that haven't seen Star Wars.  ANDREW: Well, and also, I think that each of these worlds has varying stories and ideas around power and around, you know, who's the Emperor or the Devil, right? You know?  ROSE: Right. ANDREW: You know, is the Emperor positive, you know? Is it really like great and endearing and lovable figure? Could be, you know?  ROSE: Could be. ANDREW: Right? Is it somebody nefarious and controlling, you know? As I was organizing this, Aidan Wachter resurfaced something he had done previously where he had put Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon as the Emperor card. Right?  ROSE: Ooh. ANDREW: The guy's an Emperor, a horrible Emperor, but, you know? And I think that there's this level at which, you know, we can start to understand the ways in which we or people view lots of different ideas. ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: As we look at those, you know, what is the notion of justice in Firefly or in, you know, this, that, or whatever, right? ROSE: The Justice League.  ANDREW: Justice League, yeah. How good are the Greek gods, right? You know? If we're looking at Watchmen …  ROSE: Oh, yeah. ANDREW: It's a whole different matter, right? You know?  MELISSA: Batman has been a total a-hole lately, so? ROSE: Yeah. ANDREW: He always was! That's why I liked Batman! You know? I mean when I got into Batman Comics, I was reading them when like the Dark Knight starts, like the comic books start coming out, and Arkham Asylum and the Joker and the Killing Joke and all that kind of stuff, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: Batman was this pretty sort of amoral, you know, fairly dark character, you know?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And it was interesting, right?  ROSE: You needed a counterpoint, though, to Superman, so yeah. ANDREW: Right? You know? So, I think that yeah, again, it's always, it depends on what we're looking at, right? Are we talking about Adam West as Batman, that's one thing, right? Are we talking about, you know, Christian Bale or, you know, these other comics and stuff, I think that that also becomes quite interesting, and then how do we reconcile sort of what's behind all of those things, you know? What is that? Right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: That carries through all those through lines, you know? Yeah. ROSE: Well, and being able to reconcile which versions you're using, as you're pointing out. Cause they all have different flavors.  ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: But that doesn't mean they're different characters, cause they're all parts of Batman, they're just highlighting different facets. I mean, everybody, what, freaked out when Ben Affleck was cast as Batman, and my first thought was, well, he'd make a great Bruce Wayne. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE:  Not—And I didn't even think of him as Batman, I just thought of him as the Bruce Wayne part of the character, because I think that he has the gravitas for that part. I don't know about his Batman. I'm not going to talk about that. But the point is that I didn't lose my cool over it, let's put it that way, as other people did, because they felt that Batman needed to be darker. Da. And— MELISSA: Well. ROSE: Christian Bale really pulled off a very strong Batman, I think. But it depends on who's writing it. Go ahead.  MELISSA: I think that's an important part too, is that people take these very personally. I always think that people, you know how you're not supposed to talk about religion and politics and stuff. I think that's because people hold their beliefs so close to them, they become integrated with who they are, so if you question the belief, you're questioning the person. So that's my base belief.  And I think that people take fandoms to that level too. Like I was in an elevator one time with my Wonder Woman lunchbox, and somebody was like, is that your kid's? And this was a stranger and I said no. And she goes, aren't you a little old for that? And I, you know, wanted to say, shouldn't you go, whatever ... ROSE: Yeah. MELISSA: But I almost started crying. Because it was so personal. ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And such an intimate thing for me, and I was like, I can't fix what she picked on. I can't make that different. It is part of who I am. So, it isn't something that I can like hide it behind my back and pretend that it never happened. She picked on something that was really intimate with me. And I think that that's why, like people get really upset if their identity of who Batman is, is picked on or it's shifted from who they say it is. It's very personal.  ROSE: Yeah. By the way, the response to that should have been “Um, no,” and “Where's your sense of imagination?” But anyway. ANDREW: Well, and so, one of the other fandoms that I quite enjoy is Doctor Who, right?  ROSE: Yes!  ANDREW: And Doctor Who is an interesting one in that regard, because Doctor Who is always changing, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And, you know, I think that it's kind of, it's one of the things that makes it fascinating for me, right? You know?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: I certainly have my favorite and less favorite iterations, you know?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: But yeah, I think it's really interesting, you know? And I think that this notion that we end up at, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: I think that it's one of the reasons that we like fiction so much, right? In its various forms. Is fictional characters or stories or whatever: they're allowed to change, right? But if we walk through the world, it's easy to end up in places and around people where it's much harder or maybe sort of unofficially not permitted to change, right?  ROSE: Mm. ANDREW: All of those social constructs of our job and our relationships and our friends and stuff can sort of exert this force that seeks to keep us in a constant relationship, right? We always have to be Ben Affleck, or we never can be Ben Affleck, or whatever it is about that Batman, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And yet these stories and the way in which both are reinvented as the worlds get rewritten, but also as they go through their journeys, they get to become different people, which I also think is very fascinating, you know? Yeah. I think the ... I think that, you know, bonking someone in the head with your Wonder Woman lunch bag is probably a good time.  [laughter] ANDREW: I endorse that. The Jack Burton in me said “Do it.”  [laughter] ANDREW: Yeah. MELISSA: It's all in the reflexes.  ROSE: Well, and I ... it sounds like you were surprised by the commentary too.  MELISSA: Mmmhmm. ROSE: Cause that is kind of surprising, it's like, why would you say that to someone that you don't even know?  ANDREW: Yeah. Well, it's ... Yeah. And I know lots of people who complain or make comment about people doing cosplay or people doing ... I'm like, “Why on earth are you peeing in someone else's Cheerios?”  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: Just let them have their fun and do whatever they're doing, like, what does it matter to you? Why do you care, right?  MELISSA: That is such a visual, thanks! ANDREW: You're welcome. But why on earth would anyone care what you watch or don't watch or carry or all these things, right? Like just, you know.  MELISSA: And I've gotten emails from people who said that, like I've had four or five, actually, in the past couple years that said I'm making light of a sacred tradition, and I'm like, if you don't like my book, cause my book is pretty light, I connect things to the publisher, I connect them to stories in my life, I connect the cards to pretty much anything that I find relatable, as a form of teaching. If you don't like it, don't fucking read my book. That's fine. Don't read my stuff about pop culture. Don't. Go find something else that you relate to. If you find yourself wanting to send that email, also don't do that, because, you know, blocked and deleted, as my kid says. It's just, why would you do that? Why would you take the time to try to impress yourself on another adult who already has their ideas? And it just seems so futile. And self-promoting and crappy. ANDREW: Well, why do people do these things? What do you think?  MELISSA: I think they feel small. and they want to feel big. That's … I think it's sad. Well, I mean, it pisses me off. But I also think it's sad. And, you know, it's a way for them to feel big. It's a shitty way to do it, but it's a way, you know? ROSE: Yeah. And also, it's a way to say, “Hey, see, I'm smart, I know this thing, and maybe you don't, and here, let me explain it to you so that you see the error of your ways.”  MELISSA: Well, actually ...  ROSE: And that's, I think, a big thing that's going on is, you know, as the older guard, if you will, starts passing on, unfortunately, the younger guard is going to take what they've learned and they're not going to ignore the sources, but they're also going to make it their own. And I think that's what you do, is that you remind people, yes, there are these big things and sacredness to everything and please honor that, but while you're learning that stuff, to be able to use your tools now, here's a way to connect it to what you're going through with your everyday life.  I mean, part of, okay, James Wanless, cause I talk about him a lot, in general, is him, he created the Voyager Tarot. If you look at his courts, they're not knight/queen/king/page, they're child/woman/man/sage, because it was like, okay, in the 80s, we don't know, anybody, really, not in America, who are knights, queens, kings, and pages, really. Yeah, if you go to England, you can find them, I know, but I know a child, I know a woman, I know a man, and I might even know a sage, who is someone who knows a lot of stuff, so [sigh]. That's like … And it's modernizing something. That didn't mean he threw out the past. He just brought some stuff up to the future. And I think that's what you, Melissa, are doing with your work, is that you are taking this sacred knowledge that you learned, and then applying the stuff that you love and connecting them and making them more palpable for a modern view. Again, not ignoring where it came from, but not saying, okay, we can ONLY talk about it in that fashion. Because you need to have something that you can connect to, or it's not going to stick. At least that's been my experience.  MELISSA: My biggest hope about this book is that it is completely irrelevant in 30 years. I would love that. Because I want everybody to just kind of get involved, and I want ideas to change, and they're already a couple of things that I put in it that I'm like, damn it, I kind of want to fix that, but it's too late. And, because I think that, you know, my kids think different things than I do, and they're 12 and 14, and their kids are going to have a whole different perspective. And I think that tarot lends itself to being whatever you need it to be, and so I think that what people will need it to be in 30 years is going to be something entirely different. I think that's beautiful. You know?  ANDREW: So, I kind of, I agree, and I disagree with you. ROSE: Okay. ANDREW: I want to, I'm going to throw out some other options here. And I'm going to start by framing it in a different context and then come back to tarot. Right? ROSE: Okay! ANDREW: So, as you both know, and as people who listen probably know, right? I practice the Orisha tradition in a very traditional way. Right? And, so, for me, this is a very sacred thing, you know? And certainly in my practice, I endeavor to follow the traditional ways of doing things and work with my elders and all of that kind of stuff.  And, so here's this thing that I identify and hold very sacred and not immutable, and not that I think there aren't a few things that might benefit from changing, but in general, I'm very like, this is it, these are the things, this is how it's done, and these are the beliefs within that structure about how these spirits work with people, and so many things, right? And then, I run a store, and I go out in the world, and I do things, and people do all sorts of other stuff, right? And that stuff ranges from interesting and sort of regional difference, to like horrendous, in my opinion, misunderstandings and appropriation, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And, so, for me, there's this practice where I have my own structures, and beliefs, and structures in which I work, and I look out from that place into other things that people are doing, and all, so much of it I don't understand what's going on at all ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: Or, from a traditional point of view it's problematic or inappropriate. But I recognize that everybody's free to do whatever they like, and so I just largely ignore, or just don't engage people when they're doing other things, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: When it comes to tarot, I think that it's very challenging, you know, and Mary Greer just had a big post on this on her Facebook. If you're a follower of hers, you could probably scroll down a bit and find it. About this sort of, can we just do anything with tarot, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm.  ANDREW: And I think that to me, while it's not as clearly defined as my religious practice, which is a very clear and sort of longstanding traditional structure, I think that with tarot, there's this sort of central core of things, which to me encompasses what tarot is, you know?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And as you migrate out from those sort of pieces, and depending on which sort of pockets you choose to work with, right? Are you a Rider-Waite person and falling kind of in that line? Are you a more esoteric person and fall in that line? Are you reading in a more sort of European style with, like, Marseilles cards and so on ...? ROSE: Mmmhmm.  ANDREW: But to me, there's a place at which it loses its cohesion as we start doing anything with it, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: There's a place at which the absence of what I sort of perceive as coherence starts ... I again … I have a similar feeling, although it's in a different way, where I just stop understanding what's going on. You know? I just don't understand, what is this? What's happening here? How does this work? So. Anyways. That's my response to what you said, Melissa.  MELISSA: That was a lot. And I do agree with you, but I think what I was trying to say, and maybe didn't do a good job, is that my opinion is not the only opinion. And that there is going to be a core. It can't be tarot and be 10,000 different things at the core, but it has to be basically the same thing for everybody.  But I'm not teaching the core of anything, I'm teaching what I think, and I'm teaching what's relatable to me, and, like, I learned to read on this Eden Gray book, and I read it so much that it's held together by duct tape and prayers, I mean, it's just, it's really beat up. But she didn't speak my language. And it took me a long, long time to figure out what the hell a Hierophant was, how to say it, I'm still not sure if I'm right, I couldn't relate to it at all.  It wasn't until I found Rachel Pollack and Mary Greer, that I went, “Oh! They're speaking my language!” And Barbara Moore spoke my language, you know? And those three women taught me tarot. And Eden Gray tried to for like 15 years, but I ... It was so far removed from who I was and my understanding, that I had to read it with a dictionary in one hand, you know, to try to figure out what the hell she was talking about.  ANDREW: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: So, when I say that I hope that my stuff becomes irrelevant, it's going to, I'm not going to be relatable to a 14-year-old in 30 or 40 years. It's just not going to happen. And I think that's great. You know?  ANDREW: You never know, you'll have a syndicated tv show at that point, and ... MELISSA: Yeah... ROSE: A couple of books, and movies, and people will be following you on the Internets, and ... ANDREW: Manga and reinterpretations of your books, and reinventions, and ... [laughter] ROSE: You will be then flown to China, many times! And! But no, seriously. And I think I agree with Melissa on this, but I also see what your point is, Andrew, and I think what I ... I'm not saying throw the baby out with the bathwater if you will. Because again, if you're following a tradition, that's very different. In my opinion. Because, again, like you said, your Orisha has a structure. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: And tarot has a structure, true. And adding pop culture won't—shouldn't, let me be more specific—shouldn't take away from the underlying structure. But as— ANDREW: And I don't think that pop culture is at all an issue in relation to tarot— ROSE: No, no, no, no— ANDREW: I wouldn't be having this conversation if I did, right?  ROSE: No, no, no, no—no, no. No, what I'm saying is I think that the way that I may have phrased it is like, it does not apply to everything. You cannot apply ... You can't take the Orisha tradition and then apply pop culture to it ... They're two very different things.  ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: And there is a foundation in tarot that is being something you can move and mesh with. But it doesn't, the foundation doesn't go away, even when you apply the pop culture.  ANDREW: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And I wonder if—oh, I'm sorry. ROSE: No, go ahead.  MELISSA: If the difference between the two is that Orisha is sacred and when tarot is sacred to someone, they don't really want pop figures in their tarot.  ROSE: Right.  MELISSA: So, it's how close you hold it to who you are and your faith. And tarot to me is a tool, it's a stack of pretty cards that help me do my thing, that's fantastic, and I'll be really pissed if ... ANDREW: Pop culture is sacred to you, right?  MELISSA: It's a tool, it's a tool that I love, but I ... you know, I don't have it on my altar, I don't worship it. I don't think that. ... They're a tool that I can use really well, but that doesn't mean that they're sacred to me. You know? That might be the difference, you know?  ANDREW: For me, with my tarot cards, right, I'm a huge fan of the Joseph Peterson reproduction of the Jean Noblet Tarot de Marseilles. That is basically the only one that I read with right now. And so like, when I realized that they were going to go out of print, I just took three and put them in a drawer, cellophane-wrapped, so that when the one that I'm using now wears out, which it is starting to kind of get a bit worn, I can just be like, yeah, I don't need to be sad about this, they're just ink on paper, I'll go get another one from the drawer, you know?  MELISSA: Yeah. I did the same thing with the Uusi Pagan Otherworlds Tarot. I saw one picture—Ryan Edwards posted a picture of it, and I bought two. And I was like, this is for me, and this one is for future me. And future me is going to thank me, because I'm going to read with this about ten times a week forever, and then I'll need a new one, because they speak to me so much. But it's just like a really good chef's knife. You know? If you find the knife that fits your hand, that's the one that you're going to want to have around.  ANDREW: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: Not that I can cook. I really can't! But I know that knives are expensive.  ROSE: Knives are important, knives are important, good to know, I agree. But again, it's kind of like, you're honoring the basis, you're not changing it. And you're adding a layer to understanding, I don't ... [sigh] It's just, oh gosh, that's just two very separate things for me.  Cause again, I do put tarot cards on my altar, and I generally use the Rider Waite Smith just because it's simple for that. I don't read with one of those very often, unless I'm at an event where I don't know if people are going to know it. I bring in one with me, but my cards always vary, I'm either carrying around the Everyday Witch Tarot, which just recently came out in the last two years, or the Druidcraft, which I've cut the borders off of, which was a thing you didn't do back in the day and now you do if you want to, and I've got like three copies of that particular deck cause it spoke to me.  I've got my Robin Wood because again, my mood changes, I mean I've got three different copies of the Voyager, and I have one that I've cut in fours so that I can like, have a focus, I need to have something focused, pull that corner of that card and go, okay that's the thing I need to look at, then go get the bigger image and figure out what that was, and … But again, I don't think I'm getting rid of the sacredness that the tarot, air quotes, is founded on, cause again we're still, there are still arguments about how that's been founded, but anyway.  But I wouldn't necessarily take pop culture and put my religious aspects on it, cause like I said I'm trying to study Celtic recre- recreation- bleh. Ah, talking! Celtic reconstructionism, that's the word, and I'm trying to find out that by reading their actual text. And that's not … But again, now how do you talk to people who are studying Norse mythology right now? And, you know, all the love of all of the Thor movies, and all of that, you know, and what about Loki and those movies, cause people are now making their version of Loki look like Tom Hiddleston. Lovely as he is, that's not the Norse mythology Loki. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: So, but they're blending that a little bit. And is that going against the sacred text, because that's their image of it, even though they may be reading the actual text, they're still visualizing Tom Hiddleston? I don't know.  ANDREW: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: I'm always a fan of visualizing Tom Hiddleston, just to be on record, I have no problems with that.  ROSE: [laughing] ANDREW: I think few people have a problem with that, very very few people. Yeah. ROSE: He's lovely, but, do you know what I'm saying?  ANDREW: Yeah, absolutely.  MELISSA: Yeah, absolutely.  MELISSA: But I think it again goes to, how close do you hold it to you? If that's something that you hold very close to you, then that's not okay, and I think that we have to be really mindful of that, with other people, of how close they hold something, before we go goofing around with it, you know? For sure.  ROSE: Did that answer your question, Andrew?  ANDREW: Did I have a question?  ROSE: Well, I want to make sure we spoke to the ... cause again, you said you agreed and disagreed with our statement, and I'm thinking, well, yeah, I get both of what you're talking about, and I want to make sure that we responded.  ANDREW: Yeah, I think that there's a couple things, right? One is, people get really upset about the tradition of tarot. Right? And what they mean by the tradition of tarot depends on who that person is, right?  ROSE: Yeah. ANDREW: Do they mean, you know, Arthur Waite, and Rider-Waite-Smith, and sort of the various things that come from that? ROSE: [whispering] The Golden Dawn! ANDREW: Do they mean, you know, something different, like ...? And to some extent, I think that there's this sort of ... It's a ... It's a fake argument, right? Because ultimately there are at least a handful of branches of tarot from a big perspective, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: You know, but you can go down and then there's all those sort of branches that come from these things, and if you're in one and looking at the other, they're always kind of challenging, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm.  ANDREW: I mean I started reading tarot initially with the Mythic Tarot but really focused on Crowley's work, right, and so I basically just read The Book of Thoth, right, over and over and over again ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And people would say to me, like, well how do I learn Crowley's Thoth deck, and I'm like, “He wrote a book, you read it, like, I don't understand the question,” right?  ROSE: Right.  ANDREW: And, it's kind of unfair, cause the book is complicated and obtuse and difficult to read and you know, all of those things, right? But again, it was the only thing I could get my hands on and, back in the 80s and 90s, as far as I knew, it was the only thing in print. There was nothing else to get. So, I was like, I'm just going to keep reading this thing until it makes more sense. ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: So, there's that, right? But I also think that … I think there is the challenge where people layer other things like well, maybe like pop culture, certainly like their own intuitive or self-derived meanings, and then assert those as like, you know, universal or inherently true or all those kinds of things, right? Because there ... I think that one can do anything you like with tarot, and I think that you should do everything that you like and feel like you want to do with tarot. And associate those meanings and all of that kind of stuff ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: The challenge is where people sort of erase the rest of the branches of the trees, right?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: You know, I've met a bunch of people who were very good psychics who used cards, but I would never really consider them card readers because what they do has no bearing on anything that I've ever understood to be reading the cards. ROSE: Hmm. ANDREW: They lay them out and they start talking, and they're like, “Oh yeah, this one, and blah blah blah blah blah,” and I'm like, “Why is the Ten of Swords getting a new job?” and they're like, “I don't know, that's the message I get,” and I'm like, “Okay.” And their readings are true ...  ROSE: Right. ANDREW: But they literally have no bearing whatsoever on anything that anybody would agree upon who has studied cards at all. Right? So, I ... ROSE: Huh. ANDREW: But those people—the couple of people that I've met that way—asserted what they were doing was traditional, was reading the cards, and I'm like, “It's not, it's something else, you know?” And not that it's invalid, but it's where things get confusing, right?  MELISSA: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: So. Yeah. So that's my mix of things.  ROSE: Now I want to meet some of those people and see how they read. Cause that'd be interesting, cause the Ten of Swords as a job ... Huh. Interesting.  ANDREW: Yeah. ROSE: Interesting.  ANDREW: It's easy. You just like, deal out like 20 cards on the table in some random ever-changing pattern every time you do it, and then you just look at them and say things, and that's it. That's what it looks like, so. ROSE: Okay. All right. I will have to find somebody who does it that way, then. That's interesting. Yeah. Hmm. I don't know.  ANDREW: Uh-huh. Were you going to say something, Melissa? I saw you like, lean in there.  MELISSA: Yeah, I, you know, I think that I've read like that before, when I've just done the readings intuitively and the cards don't matter. I don't … I hardly look at them, and if I need them to make a point, I'll find the card that makes that point with what I'm saying, but it becomes like a connection psychic reading or whatever, and I'll glance at the cards and just do the reading, and I'll pull stuff out of wherever it comes from, and the cards … Basically shuffling them helps the person relax, you know? Handling them helps me get in the place that I need to be, and then the reading just happens.  And, should I see something in the cards that pushes forth what I'm getting, then I'll be like, “Oh, yeah, this thing here, right, yeah, this is what the sword is doing,” and it kind of ... I did it more when I was first starting out, because I didn't know what the hell I was doing. And I was like, “Oh, well, I'm thinking about your mother, and here's a lady sitting in a chair, so clearly those two things are related.” But now, if I'm not paying attention to the way that I'm doing readings, I'll just start reading for somebody while they're shuffling, before they've even put the cards, like, down, and I'll start the reading, and then I'll be like “Oh, crap! I was supposed to wait. Sorry, my bad!” And that's just how my readings have evolved. So, it's strange, but, you know, it is what it is. I'm not everybody's cup of tea.  ROSE: But you are someone's shot of whiskey. It's fine.  MELISSA: I'm a bit weird in that way, but I think that it's just kind of merging two different styles of reading, because I can read just the cards, and I can read without them, and when I merge the two, sometimes one way is stronger, and sometimes the other one is. So.  ANDREW: Yeah. But you're not ... it doesn't sound like you're confusing the two.  MELISSA: No. They're definitely different.  ANDREW: Yeah. MELISSA: And. Yeah. Yeah, for sure.  ANDREW: So. For people who want to play with pop culture, what should they do?  ROSE: What do you mean?  ANDREW: Well, people listening to this and maybe this is a newer idea, or they've been thinking about it, but don't know where to start? If you're, like, going to start, like, incorporating or thinking about pop culture as a thing that could overlap and intersect with spiritual practice, like reading the cards or something else, where do people start?  MELISSA: I always like, when I have students, I ask them to start a tarot journal, and I ... One of the first things I ask them to do is to find their favorite fandom and match the major arcana to as many characters as they can, and then we talk about why they came up with those answers. ROSE: Mm. MELISSA: The other thing I do is ask them to find a song for each card. And a song that kind of speaks to the meaning of, like there's a song called “Pendulum Swinger,” and I'm like, this to me, by the Indigo Girls, is the High Priestess. And, so, they listen to the song that I pick, and I say, “Why do you think that I picked that?” And it just gives us like, an hour's worth of conversation based on a song in Firefly about cards, that it helps them connect to them in a way that they didn't know that they could, and it's fun. It's really fun. So, that's what I do. ROSE: I generally try and have people just look at the cards and see what they see. If they're new, and they're like, “I'm not ... This makes no sense!” The first thing I tell them and, sorry people who write the Little White Books, or the LWBs, I tell them to put that away. And to just take time with, you know, tarot journal, every day, pick a card, write what you see, tell me what it feels like to you, find a word, just one word, to describe that card. And go through all the cards.  And then, is there something in your community, your stuff you love, the interests that you have, that comes up for you when you see that card? Write that down. And then, when we meet, we talk about what it is you saw, why did you see it, and how does it connect? And sometimes it's pop culture, sometimes it's just, you know, something they read, but, and that's still something that's going on around them, and then we talk about it. And then, you know, it might be—cause most of my friends are Star Wars fans—we talk about Star Wars connected to the tarot. Or we'll talk about Star Trek cause that's the other fandom, cause we're old school like that.  ANDREW: Well, when I ... ROSE: In that way.  ANDREW: Was studying Kabbalah the first time, Star Trek Next Generation was on the air, right? So, the conversation was, all right, Tree of Life, which one's the Captain? Which one's Worf? Which one's, you know, whoever, right?  ROSE: Yeah. ANDREW: Kind of running through that. And making those parallels and sitting in a room of people and discussing that.  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: That's such a wonderful, like, I think that one of the great things about these kinds of ideas is the dialogue about where they can get ascribed to is tremendously educating, you know?  ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: There's no right or wrong answers, you know, depending on the angle or the lens we use, they could be a variety of things, right? You know? I mean, Jack Burton can be the Fool, right? But they can also be a variety of other things depending on where they are in that journey. Right?  ROSE: Right.  ANDREW: But, yeah. ROSE: Well, and who would you make—I would say Wang might be more the Fool, and Jack is the Magician.  MELISSA: I don't know. I put Wang as Temperance, and Burton as the Fool, cause Wang balances mind, body, and spirit a lot better than anyone else.  ROSE: Ah. ANDREW: Yeah. I think, I mean. You think about Jack Burton, you know? Especially that scene where like, all of the scenes with him that machine gun, right? Like he's there and he's got this machine pistol thing, right?  ROSE: Yeah. ANDREW: He jumps out and he tries to shoot it and he's like, “Oh, it doesn't work.” And then he goes back and tries to fix it, he comes back, and all of a sudden everything's whatever, he drops it, or he shoots the bricks over his head, they hit him in the head and he falls down, you know like, there's this constant set of things. To me, Egg Chen would be the Magician. Right? You know? He's got his potion, right?  ROSE: Yeah.... ANDREW: That helps him see things nobody can see and do things nobody can do?  ROSE: Yeah... ANDREW: And he's got his bag and ... ROSE: But I would make him the Hierophant.  ANDREW: Hmm. ROSE: I'd make him the Hierophant because he's the teacher, even though you might not want to learn the lesson, or you're not ready to see it, he's got the answers. But that's me.  MELISSA: Yeah, I think that Gracie would be that, because Gracie has all the back story and the information that they're missing to go on their adventure, so Gracie Law basically jumps in to say, “Oh, by the way, you need to go to this place, this is who that guy is, here's what he's up to, here's who these guys are, and in that way he hands them the keys to their adventure, right?” ANDREW: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And the cool thing about this conversation is, all of us disagree, and nobody's being an asshole about it.  [laughter] MELISSA: Which I think is really cool, and that more people should probably do when they're talking about tarot. ANDREW: Perfect. ROSE: Yes! No matter what the lens that you're talking about it with, I would agree.  ANDREW: Absolutely, absolutely. All right, well thank you all for hanging out and indulging my ridiculousness around this conversation. I deeply appreciate it. Rose, where should people come find you online?  ROSE: You can find me on Twitter @RoseRedTarot, and also on Instagram @RoseRedTarot, or you can find me at Tarot Visions podcast, on iTunes and Pod Bean. ANDREW: Nice! And links in the show notes. And, Melissa?  MELISSA: If you Google Little Fox Tarot, you'll find me. I'm out there! ANDREW: Perfect. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, and yeah, it's been really fun and ridiculous, and thanks for agreeing and disagreeing but certainly for showing up, so, awesome!   

Within Argynvostholt lies some challenges...especially if your party member decides to physically launch himself at the newly discovered foes without thought of consequence. Thanks Ferguson. Feel free to drop us a review on iTunes and cast Message to us over social media. It's only a cantrip. We'd love to hear from you! Also, we have a Patreon. Hop on over and see if you'd like to support the show. You can get your name on our website, access to bonus episodes, the chance to ask us questions for "Talking Initiative" and mailbag episodes, and our main episodes early! The next "Talking Initiative" episode is 4/6/18 at 10pm ET and can be found at the Twitch link below. "Taking Initiative" is a podcast on The Spark Network. You can find us at: Website: thespark.network/takinginitiativepodcast Twitter: @TI_Pod Facebook: Taking Initiative Podcast Tumblr: takinginitiativepodcast.tumblr.com Patreon: patreon.com/takinginitiative Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/MGv46RV Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/takinginitiative The original artwork for the logo was created by Kati Kawaguchi (@_KidKati) from the "Nerds on a Roll" podcast. Music credits for this episode: -Neil Martin (@BardicMartin) of "The Lucky Die" for the theme song -"Ghostpocalypse - 4 Temptress," "Devastation and Revenge," "Action," "Darkling" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ All mentions to Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), including the 5e ruleset and the "Curse of Strahd" module refer to the property owned by Wizards of the Coast (WotC). We do not own the rules or module. We just enjoy playing!

Ven has a real deep dive into himself and talks some stuff out. There's about to be some real changes. Get ready for some backstory! Feel free to drop us a review on iTunes and cast Message to us over social media. It's only a cantrip. We'd love to hear from you! Also, we have a Patreon. Hop on over and see if you'd like to support the show. You can get your name on our website, access to bonus episodes, the chance to ask us questions for "Talking Initiative" and mailbag episodes, and our main episodes early! "Taking Initiative" is a podcast on The Spark Network. You can find us at: Website: thespark.network/takinginitiativepodcast Twitter: @TI_Pod Facebook: Taking Initiative Podcast Tumblr: takinginitiativepodcast.tumblr.com Patreon: patreon.com/takinginitiative Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/MGv46RV Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/takinginitiative The original artwork for the logo was created by Kati Kawaguchi (@_KidKati) from the "Nerds on a Roll" podcast. Music credits for this episode: -Neil Martin (@BardicMartin) of "The Lucky Die" for the theme song -"Cryptic Sorrow," "Ghostpocalypse - 2 The Call," "Dark Hallway," "Giant Wyrm," "Dreams Become Real," "Rynos Theme," "Night on the Docks," "Quinns Song - A New Man" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ All mentions to Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), including the 5e ruleset and the "Curse of Strahd" module refer to the property owned by Wizards of the Coast (WotC). We do not own the rules or module. We just enjoy playing!

The group followed a somewhat possessed/guided Arcene to a creepy (no kidding) mansion, where they've come across a short humanoid figure having a sandwich in front of a large dragon statue. Feel free to drop us a review on iTunes and cast Message to us over social media. It's only a cantrip. We'd love to hear from you! Also, we have a Patreon. Hop on over and see if you'd like to support the show. You can get your name on our website, access to bonus episodes, the chance to ask us questions for "Talking Initiative" and mailbag episodes, and our main episodes early! "Taking Initiative" is a podcast on The Spark Network. You can find us at: Website: thespark.network/takinginitiativepodcast Twitter: @TI_Pod Facebook: Taking Initiative Podcast Tumblr: takinginitiativepodcast.tumblr.com Patreon: patreon.com/takinginitiative Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/MGv46RV Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/takinginitiative The original artwork for the logo was created by Kati Kawaguchi (@_KidKati) from the "Nerds on a Roll" podcast. Music credits for this episode: -Neil Martin (@BardicMartin) of "The Lucky Die" for the theme song -"Earnest," "Earth Prelude," "Awkward Meeting," "Impromptu in Blue," "Despair and Triumph," "Lightless Dawn" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ All mentions to Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), including the 5e ruleset and the "Curse of Strahd" module refer to the property owned by Wizards of the Coast (WotC). We do not own the rules or module. We just enjoy playing!

Ellen and Mom visit the wild west with Anne and Cord of Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O'Connell. Plus, we talk about some of the pet peeves that have developed while reading the romance genre.

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians and anyone who wants to help connect kids between 8-12 to books they will love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom, a teacher, and really excited that I got to see the solar eclipse this afternoon! Here in Syracuse we had about 70% (ish) coverage and my daughters and husband and I hung out in the backyard with glasses our neighbors so kindly gave us and we saw the light dim and the shadows get eerie. I couldn’t quite get the colander trick to work but that’s okay - I loved all of your photos of your experiences that you shared online. This is Episode #32 and today, as promised last week, I’m sharing with you a conversation with Betsy Bird - librarian, host of the new Fuse 8 n’Kate podcast, and the editor of the fabulous new short story anthology called FUNNY GIRL!  We chat about the book, what makes her laugh, our least favorite picture books, and, and......I challenge her to a fart noise contest! Take a listen…. Interview Outline - Betsy Bird For those listening who may or may not be familiar with you, can you give us a little introduction of who you are and what you do in the world of children’s literature? Where does the name Fuse 8 come from? Funny Girl You’ve mentioned that Funny Girl was the result of noticing that kids wanted funny books and there weren’t too many options written by women. So you proposed the idea to your editor.. Once this project was a go, how did you go about finding authors to contribute and what was your criteria when you pitched the idea to them? Have you read any of the stories with your own kids ? So, you’ve mentioned that girls are often discouraged from using humor as a coping mechanism. In your own life - either now or as a kid - what were some times when using humor has helped you? It was interesting - when I got the book and looked at the Table of Contents and I was browsing all the authors, i was thinking “Ooooo...this is going to be awesome!” But - the authors whose stories made me laugh the most, were NOT the ones I was expecting! I actually loved that - it helped me find new people to get to know. Aside from stories like those in Funny Girl, what are some things that make you laugh?  What’s your sense of humor like? Fuse 8 n’ Kate Podcast So you have a new podcast!  What made you decide to jump back into podcasting?   What is a popular picture book that you don’t like? Your Reading Life What were some of your favorite books as a child? As a parent, how do you make time for reading with your family? And what does that that look like? What have you been reading lately that you’ve liked? Where do you see a gap in the world of children’s books? Thank You!   Closing Alright - that wraps up our show this week. We have some great topics and interviews and book talks coming up including some thoughts on building a community of readers, conversations with Celia Perez about The First Rule of Punk, and Alan Gratz about Refugee AND Ban This Book.  So be on the lookout for those. And if you have a question or an idea about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or connect on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show along with all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you are liking the show, please help others find us too by telling a friend, sharing on social media, or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks again and see you soon!  Bye!   Episode Links: Betsy Bird ’s Fuse 8 Production Blog on School Library Journal Listen to Fuse 8 n’ Kate Podcast here on iTunes or Soundcloud Betsy’s Books: Giant Dance Party Wild Things!: Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature Funny Girl   Books and Other Things We Discussed: Sipping Spiders Through a Straw: Campfire Songs for Monsters by Kelly DiPucchio & Gris Grimly Akilah Hughes’ YouTube Channel - Akilah, Obviously! Accident by Andrea Tsurumi If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson Paeony Lewis’ blog post comparing Picture Books in bookshop chains in the US and UK One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak Bumble-Ardy by Maurice Sendak Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein Love You Forever by Robert Munsch Curious George Furious George Goes Bananas: A Primate Parody by Michael Rex Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder The Birchbark House by Louise Erdich A Time to Keep by Tasha Tudor Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn Ghost Cat by Mark Abley The Girl With the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts Cam Jansen A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Patina by Jason Reynolds Betsy’s blog post about Patina Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder Betsy’s blog post about Orphan Island Betsy’s Blog Post “Where Are All the Black Boys?”

Barry is writing The Flash. ‘Nuff said! BookExpo and how it feels to be among the Book People. Barry and Morgan have a secret. The return of the million bad words and the madness of colored index cards. How do you raise a feminist son? (Spoiler alert: Books are involved.) Links: The Flash, Supergirl to get middle grade novels The Flash: Hocus Pocus preorder | Amazon Flashpoint (event) | Arrowverse Wiki LB School: Barry Lyga | Little Brown Library | Resources for Teachers & Librarians The #1 book and author event - BookExpo 2017 SEPH LAWLESS  | OFFICIAL WEBSITE  Marieke Nijkamp, YA author Scholastic Summer Reading Road Trip Where Storytelling and Pop Culture Collide - BookCon 2017 Alan Alda - Wikipedia The New York Times: John Grisham’s Do’s and Don’ts for Writing Popular Fiction 'Feminism is the Radical Notion That Women Are People' Shirt The New York Times: How to Raise a Feminist Son The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts | Amazon | BN.com | Indiebound Danny Dunn series by Jay Williams Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine - Wikipedia Gramophone record - Wikipedia Morgan Recommends: Leave Me by Gayle Forman | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound Rate us on iTunes

Your dynamic duo, J. W. Friedman and Chris Collision, take on the terrible twosome of Scott Cawthorn and Kira Breed-Wrisley in Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes. You'll need to hop into the Mystery Machine and load up on Scooby Snacks to solve the mystery of what the hell is going on in this novel of PG-13 horror, non-existent intrigue, and multiple trips to a diner to hang out. But what Cawthorn and Breed-Wrisley don't understand is that ... we're not locked in a pizza place / arcade featuring terrifying animatronic beasts with iron grins and red (red, not silver) eyes ... the terrifying animatronic beasts with iron grins and red (red, not silver) eyes ... are locked in here with US. (SPOILER: what's going on in this novel of PG-13 horror, non-existent intrigue, and multiple trips to the diner to hang out is, mostly, a thesaurus-humping answer to the eternal question: "What if Frankenstein, but stupid?"...) Also! We announce the winners of the NaNoWriMo Bad Writing Contest! We reference interviews! We look at pictures of dogs on air! J. trolls Clsn by recommending something! Plus all the gamified hijinx you expect — and deserve! It's a pre-holiday present that we hope you'll enjoy.   Recommendations: Neal Stephenson, Seveneves Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea Music: "Freddy's Dead" by Fishbone "Fred's Mood" by Milt Jackson "Mr. Roboto" by Styx

Kenn talks about a lot of movies with What's a Podcast?'s CB Wilkins and Brett & Dylan from the Is This Good? podcast. Much nerdiness is accomplished. Follow @TheKennEdwards, @cbwilkinstweets, @brettcm82. You can buy 4A and Silver Eyes by CB Wilkins on Amazon.com.