The Significance of March 25th

March 25th is Tolkien Reading Day, because it’s the date in The Return of the King when the Ring was destroyed. But have you ever wondered why Tolkien made a point of mentioning that exact date? Doesn’t the use of a modern calendar kind of throw you out of the story?

I wrote an essay about that two years ago, and since it’s late March again, it’s time to share it! But it’s also extra-special this year, because March 25th is Good Friday.

Why is that special? Well, read it and find out!

You’ll also find out why taxes are due on April 6th in England, why Dante picked March 25th to begin the story of The Divine Comedy, why medieval people believed March 25th was the first day of Creation, and why it’s not a coincidence that Tolkien picked the Feast of the Annunciation for this momentous fictional event.

Tolkien making stuff up

Basically, March 25th is awesome, and we’ve forgotten a lot of its significance in the modern era. It’s not just a Marian feast; it’s an example of how our Catholic faith used to be rooted in every aspect of society.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, History, Resources, The Church, Tradition | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Strange Skies: Fortune Favors the Bold (Part 2)

I ran out of time in the last segment (or rather, I decided the wall o’ text was big enough), so I wasn’t able to finish the tale of the first chapter of Strange Skies. If you missed that first installment, I’m recapping the campaign I’m running on Friday nights; and, if you’re lucky, some of the other Catholic Geeks authors who are in the game might chime in with their own accounts.

Today, we’re going to cover sessions 3-5. It’s a tale of scandal, slavers, infiltration, and high tea.

Tea Continue reading

Posted in Gaming, Personal Posts, Tabletop RPGs | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Superheroes, Vigilantism, and Morality

A lot of ink has been spilled, and far more photons emitted, over the question of why superhero fiction has become so popular. It’s not just a recent thing, though it might seem like it; the recent rise in popularity is due entirely to the success of movies and television that would have been impossible in the last century. Instead, the love of the mysterious folk hero who takes on corruption and stands firm against injustice goes back even further than comic books, as seen in characters such as Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Robin Hood, and even the Biblical figure of Sampson.

The only difference with superhero fiction is that this sort of story is now much more common. It’s hardly the dominant genre out there (as some have claimed), but it’s not the fringe element it once was, nor is it relegated to a child’s fantasy of the good guy beating up the bad guy before lunch. Superhero stories have become complex tales of sacrifice, social commentary, and moral investigation. Many of those tales are contradictory (even self-contradictory), but the fact that they are tackling such issues remains obvious. And I believe that factor, even though the different titles resonate with different audiences, is why these stories have become so popular.  Continue reading

Posted in Fiction, Superhero, The Church | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

St. Patrick’s Breastplate

St. PatrickFor St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d share the text of a version of St. Patrick’s Breastplate, adapted as a hymn by Cecil Frances Alexander, an Irishwoman in the 19th century.

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;
I bind unto myself today.

Continue reading

Posted in Resources, The Church, Tradition | Tagged | 2 Comments

Dead Beat’s Break Down (Part 7)

 

Sorry once again for my tardiness.  I was preparing for the zombie apocalypse (no, seriously, I was).  I’ll tell you all about that later, but first things first. To make it up to you, I’ve finished Dead Beat, so we can all laugh, cry, and scream together.

Buckle up, y’all. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. Continue reading

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Strange Skies: Fortune Favors the Bold

I promised to share the events of Strange Skies, the campaign I’m running that includes over half of our Catholic Geeks writers. That was a few weeks ago, so it’s high time I fulfill that promise. And, since we just came to the end of our first major storyline, it seems an excellent time to recap things for my players as well.

After all, guys, you know that what you just faced is simply the beginning of something greater.

RPG major story arc Continue reading

Posted in Gaming, Personal Posts, Tabletop RPGs | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The Catholic Geek: Sad Puppies 4, the Embiggening 01/10

Description

How Declan Finn (Honor At Stake) welcomes the return of author Tom Knighton (Bloody Eden). They’ll discuss Sad Puppies 2016, the Hugos, and the cultural impact that Puppygate has had on the Science Fiction community. T.L. ‘Tom’ Knighton is a former Navy Corpsman, a journalist, blogger, husband, father, and writer living in Albany Georgia. He is also a contributor to SamePageNation.com

Source: The Catholic Geek: Sad Puppies 4, the Embiggening 01/10 by We Built That Network | Culture Podcasts

http://percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=533877&episodeId=8197481

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The Catholic Geek: Star Wars and Sherlock 01/03 

Description:

Declan Finn fights a sore throat, annoying cough, and other ills in an attempt to ring in the new year with author Ann Margaret Lewis (The Watson Chronicles), who returns to discuss the latest Star Wars film, DC Comics, and the newest foray into the Sherlock franchise.

Seriously, just buy her novels already.

Source: The Catholic Geek: Star Wars and Sherlock 01/03 by We Built That Network | Books Podcasts

http://percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=533877&episodeId=8195551

 

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Why Zootopia Isn’t the Paradise They Say It Is

I saw Zootopia yesterday with a friend, and it was the kind of movie that made us talk about it the whole way home.

Zootopia

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a “wow, this movie is so great” kind of conversation.  It was a “why in the hell do they insist on bringing a crappy message into what could have been a good movie?”

I won’t give too much away, in case anyone here wants to see it, but here are the main points for you.

Continue reading

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Let Them Eat 3.14159265

In addition to it being the Meanest Monday, it’s also the tastiest and most irrational day on the calendar — Pi Day!

Pi pie

As holidays go, it’s one of the weirder ones. Of course, what do you expect from a celebration of a pun? Continue reading

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The Pointless Clock Change

Why do we even do this anymore? No, really, WHY?

I asked this on Facebook, and the closest I got to a defense of Daylight Saving Time (Summer Time for the rest of the world) was “Some of us don’t stay in and watch TV all day.” Yeah, I don’t either. I don’t have the time. I had to drop all TV watching this season, which means that aside from perhaps watching Daredevil at a fairly slow pace, I’m going to have to catch up with my geek shows when they’re out on Netflix.

So the closest we have to a “good side” to everyone in the United States (except for Hawaii and Arizona, where they’re slightly more sane) disrupting their schedules every year is “I like going outside, so I’m going to inconvenience everyone.”

daylight-saving-time

Continue reading

Posted in Commentary, Personal Posts, Rants | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Catholic Geek: Potluck Podcast 11/22

Description

Declan Finn is out this week, and CG owner Matthew Bowman and CG author Lori Janeski are taking over! Matthew and Lori will be talking about superheroes, Catholic news, TV shows, Star Wars, ISIS and the refugee crisis, and more. Plus, special guest: Strawpope Frank! Yes, Frank’s back in the news, even though it’s getting ever more easy to tell the difference between him and Pope Francis. All that and more, plus your calls!

Source: The Catholic Geek: Potluck Podcast 11/22 by We Built That Network | Culture Podcasts

http://percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=533877&episodeId=8090603

 

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The Catholic Geek: Pirates and Alternate history 11/15

Description

Host Declan Finn (Honor at Stake) will be talking with Fred Heimbach on alternate history, including his latest book, The Devil’s Dictum, where the United States of America was founded by pirates. Frederick Gero Heimbach’s fiction has appeared at Every Day Fiction and Liberty Island. He was editor of the podcast Protecting Project Pulp throughout its run. He can be found on the internet as Fredösphere and in the real world as a resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan, along with his family. The Devil’s Dictum is his first novel.

Source: The Catholic Geek: Pirates and Alternate history 11/15 by We Built That Network | Culture Podcasts

http://percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=533877&episodeId=8073987

Continue reading

Posted in Comedy, Commentary, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, History, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Catholic Geek: Synods and Starships 11/08 

Strawpope

 

Description


Guest host Matthew Bowman (of Novel Ninja, and the owner of The Catholic Geeks) fills in for Declan Finn. Do not be alarmed. This new dictatorship will be peaceful, until the moment it isn’t.

Joining Matthew in the first hour will be Dr. William Marshner, renowned theologian and founding faculty member of Christendom College. He will speak on current affairs in the Catholic Church, including the Synod.

In the second hour, Christa Brolley of The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, will discuss the growing organization and the books that inspired it, and how you too can get a snazzy RMN uniform.

Source: The Catholic Geek: Synods and Starships 11/08 by We Built That Network | Culture Podcasts

http://percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=533877&episodeId=8056895

 

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Dead Beat’s Break Down (part 6)

It’s Halloween in Chicago.  Our favorite wizard is running out of not only time but also options.  If he can’t defeat the baddies before midnight, the entire world is doomed.

Sounds like a normal day for Harry Dresden. Continue reading

Posted in Analysis, Commentary, Fantasy, Fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Catholic Geek: John C Wright discusses Somewhither

john-c-wright

 

http://percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=533877&episodeId=7975799

Description

Due to a scheduling issues at the publishers, L Jagi Lamplighter will not be on as originally announced. However, she has arranged for a replacement.

Author John C. Wright returns to discuss his latest novel, Somewhither, from Castalia House publishing.  The book had me at “Aslan in Powered Armor.” Host Declan Finn (Honor at Stake) will be leading the interview.

John C. Wright is a retired attorney, newspaperman and newspaper editor, who was only once on the lam and forced to hide from the police who did not admire his newspaper.

In 1984, Graduated from St. John’s College in Annapolis, home of the “Great Books” program. In 1987, he graduated from the College and William and Mary’s Law School (going from the third oldest to the second oldest school in continuous use in the United States), and was admitted to the practice of law in three jurisdictions (New York, May 1989; Maryland December 1990; DC January 1994). His law practice was unsuccessful enough to drive him into bankruptcy soon thereafter. His stint as a newspaperman for the St. Mary’s Today was more rewarding spiritually, but, alas, also a failure financially. He presently works (successfully) as a writer in Virginia, where he lives in fairy-tale-like happiness with his wife, the authoress L. Jagi Lamplighter, and their four children: Pingping, Orville, Wilbur, and Just Wright.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Catholic Geek: Karina Fabian and Becky Geist on audio books and Zombies 10/18

Description:

On October 18, in time for Halloween, join host Declan Finn (author, Honor at Stake) as he discusses the the return of Karina Fabian’s awesome heroine, Neeta Lyffe: Zombie Exterminator. Join us as she and book reader Becky Geist discuss creating the audio book for the second Neeta novel, I Left My Brains in San Francisco. Neeta Lyffe is the best zombie novel you have ever read, and if you don’t read it … well, there’s no reason not to, really. The first novel combined the best of zombie hunting with the worst of reality television. Now, I Left My Brains in San Francisco deals with the best of hunting zombies with the worst of political stupidity. You will die laughing, and then come back from the grave for more.

Source: The Catholic Geek: Karina Fabian and Becky Geist on audio books and Zombies 10/18 by We Built That Network | Books Podcasts

http://percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=533877&episodeId=7848169

 

 

Posted in Comedy, Horror | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Dead Beat’s Break Down (part 5)

We all knew that this was coming.  Whether it be asking advice from Bob or gleaning vague knowledge from faeries, Harry always consults some magical being when a case is this tough to crack.

Let’s just hope it doesn’t cause him more problems. Continue reading

Posted in Analysis, Commentary, Fantasy, Fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Catholic Geek: Costumes with Jonna Hayden

http://percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=533877&episodeId=7975757

Description

Host Declan Finn (Honor at Stake) is happy to present Jonna Hayden, costumer extraordinare. Just in time for Halloween.

533877_trnxxtbo

Continue reading

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The Catholic Geek: Tom Knighton on shootings, Marina Fontaine on Dean Koontz

marina

 

http://percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=533877&episodeId=7971955

Description

Host Declan Finn (Honor at Stake) interviews author and former Corpsman Tom Knighton  (Bloody Eden, Bad Moon on the Rise, and more) on mass shootings, including the recent slaughter in Oregon.  

Marina Fontaine will discuss Catholicism, horror, and Dean Koontz.

T.L. “Tom” Knighton is a former Navy Corpsman, a journalist, blogger, husband, father, and writer living in Albany Georgia. He is also a contributor to SamePageNation.com

Marina Fontaine is an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, a proud American and an unrepentant book addict.Because of her background, Marina especially appreciates an opportunity to discover, share and support pro-freedom art in all its forms. She is a co-founder of Conservative-Libertarian Fiction Alliance group on Facebook, runs Small Government Book Fan Club on Goodreads and has a blog on Liberty Island. Marina lives in New Jersey with her very supportive husband, three children and four guinea pigs, working as an accountant by day and an aspiring writer by night.

Posted in Commentary, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment