#friday night bash 2023

[anlian-aishang]

Vampire!Levi & Cunnilingus

Tags: levi x reader, smut, cunnilingus, period sex, blood, reader is propped against the wall, modern AU, college party, alcohol mention, fem!reader Word count: 2200 A/N: Thank you @bluebellhairpin for putting on the incredible Friday Night Bash! Had too much fun with this event 🖤 A/N2: Wrote a similar fic here if you are interested 🖤

You supposed it was only natural. 

At this age, motivation was a scarce resource. The burlier men donned flannel and jeans and called themselves lumberjacks. Any girl could become any cat with enough black eyeliner. 

Levi was the only vampire here, yet his costume seemed to take no more effort than anyone else’s. If anything, he was born a natural. Thin brows and slivered eyes. Jet black hair and moonlit skin. Fangs just barely curtained by red lips. Simultaneously, somehow the most convincing yet the most casually constructed. 

He noticed, you did too, the utter contrast that your roles conveyed. Levi was dressed head to toe in black, sparing only the white cravat tucked beneath his chin. You, on the other hand, had whipped all the white out from your closet and feigned yourself an angel. In his eyes, you weren’t feigning. House party vape could be reimagined as clouds, a heavenly background to your character. It made you shine through the swarm of sweaty brats. You were one of a handful who was neither spilling their drink nor coughing it up. In the middle of the room, a wallflower, staring down at her virgin spirit and clutching it in two hands. 

White tights hugged your legs. Blank sheer skirt hardly hid that contour. Long sleeves for the cold Halloween night, the layers beneath had compounded to caress your curves. You were covered from top to bottom. Still, Levi could read you like a book. Hard cover. Soft cover. Levi clenched his teeth and growled. 

You looked lonely as ever, tugged in contradictory directions of yearning: begging for someone to start the conversation for you, praying that no one would notice you, imagining meeting a guy here, thinking up excuses to ditch this party early. Your desires, Levi saw them, and he longed to fill all of them.

His hands began to twitch, irritated that his thoughts were getting too sentimental for his liking. Indeed, when his thirst neared such dangerous levels, he found composure harder to retain. Nails curled against the glass highball: is she really the one? 

The one he had traversed miles for. The one he had craved for the past several days. A scent and taste he needed so badly, Levi would suffer a college party for it. After all, that was why he was here. He clutched his head with his hand, silk glove smooth against his forehead. Bangs pushed to the sides, he held that grip and released a heavy sigh. At first, he thought he had done well to pinpoint it to one apartment building, even better to one apartment unit. Only once he ascended the staircase, heard the blaring music and saw the glaring lights, did he realize that the hardest part of this search was yet to come. Over a hundred people here. Half of them potential subjects. All he could do was stand idle and observe feverishly: who was the source?

Already, the bias was brewing for you, it was why his pupils were particularly quick to snap at the sudden drop of red that soiled your pristine outfit. Your inner thigh. Levi blinked harshly, but that trickle did not fade. Better yet, it tracked along the inner seam of your pantyhose: blotting, darkening. 

Toes curled against the soles of his leather shoes. Calves strained to dilute his pace as he began to gravitate towards you. From your perspective, strobe flashes of red made his approach play like a slideshow. Before you could discern who he was and what he was doing, the room would turn black again. Suddenly, he was only inches away, steady eyes met your widened ones.

“H’Hey,” Inside of his gloves, Levi pinched the inside of his palm. The attempt to ground himself did not defeat his stutter. “I thought -” a clear of his throat, “- thought I should let you know…” Levi leaned in, his lips to your ear.

His breath was cold on your skin. Beneath your blouse and in the wake of his chill, you felt your nipples peak against the fabric - even more so when he whispered, “You’re bleeding.”

On your gasp, you nearly choked. Levi found it adorable how you immediately, instinctively, brought your hand between your legs. Shameful was your expression. Shameless were your actions. Beneath your skirt, you palmed around, frantically feeling for proof of his claim. Three fingers to the slip of your panties were quickly soaked. With your gaze deadset in shock then panic, Levi allowed himself a lick of his lips. 

You turned over your shoulder to examine your backside, inadvertently revealing it to him as well. A teardrop of crimson just below your spine, having seeped through your underwear, tights, and skirt, Levi was hyper-aware of how wet you must have been in order to achieve those levels of penetration. The thought, the image, of your skin slickened in syrup made his pants turn tight.

His erection surged further when you beckoned him towards the stairway. “Maybe you could help me find a change of clothes?” 

An invitation.

"And help me out of these ones?"

Though watching you bleed through this outfit would be a fantasy for the millennium, he felt his levels dripping to empty. He needed it. Your blood in him. Now. 

But his needs were far from your mind. It was one of the only reasons your roommates had convinced you to allow them to host this get-together in the first place. You can’t sleep with guys if you don’t meet some guys. They had made it their mission to help you find someone, and it didn’t even have to be an eternal someone - though Levi Ackerman happened to be. Someone to show you a good time, to help you unwind a little. Of course, you would not settle for a trash bag, but a man who was willing to display such honesty and no disgust about the symptoms of your period - he had to be a good one, and he wasn’t hard on the eyes either. 

Your expectations had been low, perhaps a little too low. Least of all nights did you expect a booze-filled Halloween party to be the night that you brought a guy up to your room. Flinging open the door, you were met with violent whiplash: why the hell didn’t I clean?!

Chocolate bar wrappers on the floor. Midol on the nightstand. A box of overnight pads at the foot of the bed. Triple-thick tampons in a plastic bag that hung around the other side of your door handle. Worst of all, blood-stained underwear that had sorely missed the hamper and instead carpeted your floor.

“Oh my god, I’m - I’m so sorry!” You darted into the room and tried to fling the evidence out of sight. Obviously, Levi had just been deathly upfront about noticing your period. Yet, you were mortified, back turned to him and hurling apologies, “This - This is not very sexy, I know.”

Levi could only shake his head and clench his teeth. You had that all wrong. He would take this menstruation-riddled bedroom over a honeymoon suite any night. Silent footsteps brought his front to your back, his palm to your waist, “Just leave it,” Levi exhaled, his voice teetered on moaning, “and leave yourself to me.”

His arousal solid and warm against your blood-soaked backside, your enamor spiked: not only cool about this time of the month, but hot for it. You ground yourself against his member, satisfied with his length, you reached your hand to his neck and pulled him close. “Undress me, Levi.”

You were the only one who viewed this as a one-night stand. If anything, Levi hoped that you would live with him forever, that you would continue to flow, and that he could spend eternity swallowing you down. However, the haste in his movements implied that the two of you shared that one-night fervor. Nails scraped down your hips as he yanked your bloodied tights to your feet. Instead of taking them off, he used the excess length to make knots around your ankles, binding your legs into a loop. 

With inhuman strength and alarming speed, Levi had you in his arms and slammed against your bedroom wall before you could summon the breath to screech. Levi slipped himself within the cage of your legs. Backs of your knees to his shoulders. Heels dug into his nape. Your sex dwindled tantalizingly close to his mouth. 

Holy hell, you gasped, no man had ever had you like this before. By this point, you had learned that period sex was a rarity, receiving head during that time of the month - an impossibility. Instead, Levi dove straight in, unlike any of the rest.

And oh, were you spot-on about that. Levi Ackerman was no man. His skills were no act. The hair, the outfit, the fangs no occasion. This was his truest self: out of this world. He was grateful for the holiday, the one day of the year that his vest, slacks, and perfectly polished shoes would stand out. Levi admired the red lights of the party, making everyone’s irises match his giveaway shade. The greatest obstacle - the invitation, the consent - you had granted before he even had to ask. All tells he had fretted over, you made yourself perfectly blind to them. As your sex bled right before his eyes, he could only chuckle and admit, “so fucking pathetic.” 

Perhaps he was projecting. He had not even tasted you yet, had not even stripped you free, and already, he felt he was on the edge. His tip swelled against the cold metal belt buckle. Black pants hid the damp that precum had created. For a second, his mind flickered: which one of you was more wet? The answer came to him, though, by a glob of blood that dripped from your core and onto his white cravat.

Looking down, you were horrified. Mouth fell agape, an utter loss for words. Levi made up for your shortcomings as his sentiment flowed freely. 

“Oh? What’s this? Having a hard time containing yourself?” At his waist, his arousal made a mockingly timed rise. 

His teasing pricked your skin, each capillary blazed in embarrassment. You could not bear to make eye contact, instead, glued to his pristine white cloth that you had forever tainted. Years of experience, you knew those stains did not come out. 

Levi had a way.

Slowly, his tongue slid over his bottom lip and dragged along the silk threads. One strong, deliberate swipe had erased your DNA from the garment. In the throes of midnight, your eyes struggled to be sure, but Levi himself knew. At the first taste of your blood, he was sparked with revival.

“Mmm,” Levi hummed, “tastes good.” For now, he withheld: even better than I anticipated.

Though neither his hunger nor thirst were yet satiated. Not until you were sucked bone-dry, not until your pussy ran clear. Eating you out, he snuck occasional glances to affirm you were not at those milestones. In his frame of mind, rather, he had not yet brought you to them. 

Levi was the kind to savor the taste, but there was little indication of that on this cold autumn night. The motions of his tongue were swift. His slurping was delectably crude, coating his throat and coaxing out even more dirty talk. His canines grazed your most sensitive spots. You thought to ask him to take his fangs off, but in the end, realized you adored them. Good thing, they were irremovable.

Not one drop of you made it past that cravat. Most of your mess had been clotted by his skin. A red stripe ran down his face as he brought his whole front to the middle of your battle. Sweet metal. Saccharine iron. A salted cocktail. That was your drink - one he guzzled. When you asked for his fingers, he would religiously lick them clean.

Your muscles had grown weak, having lost count of how many times you had climaxed thus far. He had kept you in ignorant, mutually selfish bliss for god knows how long. It was only when you reached your arm towards him, combing through his hair and petting his head, that you realized how drained you were. Hardly able to speak, faint and incoherent, “You like that, huh? Like that, Levi?”

Through drenched bangs, he gazed up to meet your eye contact. So fucked-out, you paid no mind to the scarlet of his stare. “It’s like you can’t get enough.”

Cruelly timed, he felt your ridges start to clench around his face again. Nonchalant, he spoke into you as you began to cum again. “Makes two of us, then.”

Words seemed to make rhythm with your waves, and each one, you swore was better than the last. Tilting your head back against the wall, you arched yourself further into him, “F’Fuck, Levi!!” 

How did he - in just one night - manage to do you like this? 

Little did you know, it was not just one night, but an entire lifetime that he had been waiting, anticipating, preparing for this moment. You would remember this encounter as a night that you happened to cross paths with the man of your dreams. Levi saw it a very different way, no chance happening: the evening that he had scoured enough of this goddamned earth. A tale of lifeblood: the clean freak to your mess, monthly or otherwise.

Kinktober Year 3 Masterlist

[levana-stark]

Ria's Masterlist:

Football (La Scaloneta)

The "So you tried to lift up Leo & succeeded" - GC series (in progress)

Summary:

Every player who lifted up Leo Messi during a goal celebration is added to a group chat. A chat where they all simp about Leo, and debate which lift was the best. Kun, the ever present best friend, even created an elaborate spreadsheet to figure that out.

How the idea was born

Part 1: The Day Sergio Ramos joined the Chat

Part 2: "Dad-Mode activated" or The Day a newbie joined the Chat (now Canon Divergence)

Part 2.5: Bonus: How newbies at the Scaloneta find out about the Chat

Part 3: As he falls in love with the object in the world that his heart most desired

Part 4: How to become one of Leo's boys

Part 5: The Day the World found out about the Chat

Part 6: Miami Summer Vibes

(Leo Messi/Everyone and I mean almost literally everyone; almost exclusively fluff)

Derrite mi Corazón Derretido (finished; maybe Part II in the future)

Summary:

Leo Messi had always been an awkward person, but he had learned that being good at something would help you make friends. Even if they only cared about his football skills.

But what happens, when he gets injured during an important tournament and loses everything he had worked so hard for?

(Rodrigo de Paul/Leo Messi; Angst with happy ending)

Lionel - Andrés - Goat (finished)

Summary:

Lionel Messi is the host of their little system.

Andrés is their protector.

Goat is just cute, and good at football.

And in the end they just want to be happy.

(mostly fluff; hints of Antonela/Leo; loads of creative freedom on Systems)

Leo Messi Birthday Week 2023 series (finished)

Day 1: Omegaverse AU (Scaloneta/Leo Messi, fluff, the team worships Leo)

Day 2: Mafia AU (Leo gets kidnapped by Kylian, but there is a plot twist, BAMF!Leo)

Day 3: AU where Leo didn't get his hormone treatment (PSG are assholes, tiny!Leo, protective Scaloneta)

Day 4: Adidas Ad (Freaky Friday, Scaloneta/Leo, Fluff)

Day 5: Kidnapped AU (warning: violence, Leo gets hurt, BAMF!Leo, protective team)

Day 6: Soulmate AU (Leo is special, Everyone/Leo, fluff)

Day 7: Time Travel AU (Pep/Leo, A/B/O, courting, second chances)

Formula 1

It's like this (it could be better) (finished)

Summary:

Charles struggles at Ferrari, Max is breaking records.

Both of them have their own problems.

Somehow they find each other, while Charles learns what it means to stand up for himself and Max learns to love.

(and maybe they break a few curses while doing so)

(54.6k; Fluff and Angst; Lestappen; 2024 Season like we all need it; Charles is done with Ferrari and does something about it)

I rose up from the dead (I do it all the time) (finished)

Summary:

He touched down in England two days after Brazil, hidden by the cold and foggy weather of a November night. There were no people at the airport, bar the security guard who ushered him from the VIP exit and the man holding a sign with his name, standing next to a nondescript car.

-------

After a desasterous triple header Charles makes a decision. He would enter his Reputation Era, right now.

(3.9k; RB!Charles; Reputation Era arc, slight Ferrari bashing)

[apureniallsource]

Niall Horan tends to greet strangers with a compliment — which would be charming enough even if it weren’t delivered in a rich Irish accent and from the smiling mouth of an international pop star. “Love the glasses!” he cheers over Zoom, before eyeing my jacket: “And that, too!” I’m far from the only recipient of such warmth: In videos archived across the last 14 years, Horan greets loyal fans like old friends, eager to see them again, and treats journalists with a reverence that never comes across as hollow. Return the favor and he’ll hit you with cheeky bashfulness, like an exemplary student of the music industry’s best media training.

In 2023, Horan is far from his bottle-blond days spent in the world’s biggest boy band, One Direction, but the honest wholesomeness that made him America’s onetime favorite member and inspired some equally deranged and delightful memes (like the one that goes, “Imagine Niall Horan crawling inside your ear. You tell him to stop but he is in there”) still remains. And lately, everyone seems to want a piece of it, from world leaders — in March, he performed for President Joe Biden and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at a White House event — to the millions of people who watch The Voice, where Horan serves as a coach and recently guided his mentee Gina Miles to the top prize. The Voice marks his first time working as a competition-show judge, but not his first time appearing on such a program: One Direction famously finished third on the United Kingdom’s X Factor in 2010 before going on to forever reshape boy bands as we know them.

For Horan — who will release his third album, The Show, on Friday — joining The Voice meant reconnecting with his 16-year-old self: the ambitious and courageous teen who toldThe X Factor judges back in 2010 that he was “ready to fill arenas around the world” before having sung a note. No wonder he was the first one selected for 1D after the boys were put together following their solo eliminations. (On the recent dearth of big pop groups, Horan thinks the future is all about the ladies: “I love Blackpink. All four of them have such individual personalities. That’s what made people love them.”) “I didn’t have anxieties then,” Horan laughs. “I was just having a great time.” That informs the advice he gives contestants. “On The Voice, you see a lot of technical singers who are very serious about what they do,” he says. “I’m just trying to get them to enjoy what they’re doing. You’re on one of the bigger shows in the country. Millions of people watch every night. Enjoy it.”

If there was any hesitancy in joining The Voice, an arena so similar to the one that kick-started it all for him, it was that he “wasn’t sure [if] it was going to be an overproduced thing where I get told what to do, say, and when to turn.” He smiles. “It’s absolutely not.”

Who can blame him for wanting some semblance of control? In the 1D days, cleanliness clauses threatened career consequences for any unsavory behaviors, and the band’s sheer popularity meant limited freedoms, a life of stalling in vans or rolling deep with security. “I couldn’t really go many places,” he says. “So I try to keep my private life as private as I possibly can. There’s a tendency in the world to take your arm off when you offer a handshake, you know what I mean?” He pauses. “But I’m not hiding.”

Niall Horan’s story is a master class in manifestation. The first voice in the 2013 documentary One Direction: This Is Us is his: “When I was small, I had a desk. It was weird because I wrote on it, ‘When I grow up, I want to be a singer,’” he says. “I scribed it in! It’s still on the desk.” Born and raised in Mullingar, Ireland, the only member of his group not from England, Horan describes his childhood self as both a prankster and a natural performer — he’d get in trouble for singing traditional Irish songs in the back of geometry class, embodying the same kind of irreverent playfulness that came to define 1D. (There’s a moment in the doc where Horan reveals he recorded “What Makes You Beautiful,” One Direction’s breakout hit, in his boxers, and another where he puts on prosthetics to disguise himself as arena security, unbeknownst to fans.)

One Direction sold 70 million albums and filled arenas and stadiums around the world before going on hiatus in 2016, but solo success wasn’t preordained. Horan’s first single, “This Town,” an acoustic slow burn, performed modestly but didn’t make it past the Top 20 in the United States. The funky follow-up “Slow Hands,” inspired by Eagles member Don Henley’s solo work, righted the ship. (Horan now calls Henley a close friend: “He’s always been very big on me being myself, not trying to chase anything that doesn’t exist — and he’s always there if I want to send him something and get a reaction,” he says.) Horan talks about the song with an air of relief. “The success of ‘Slow Hands’ and the first album felt like a big moment,” he says. “And the first tour — learning I can go around the world and still play to thousands.”

Another curveball came three years later, when he released his second album, the synth-pop-flavored Heartbreak Weather, on March 13, 2020 — the day the United States declared COVID-19 a national emergency. It was “a kick in the stomach,” as he describes it. “I was, like everyone, angry at the world for allowing this to happen,” he says. “And then the stillness took over for a second.”

Today, it’s hard to fight the impulse to eye-roll when celebrities talk about the pandemic, but Horan believes he, like everyone else, has been irrevocably changed by it. “I think I might be the eternal optimist,” he says. “I hadn’t had any time off in 10 years. I [thought I] might as well get fit and put the suitcase away in the closet for a little bit. Because at that point, my life was so rat race-y.” He spent his days working out, playing golf, and getting really into Formula 1. (Ask for his favorite driver, and he’ll give you the most Niall response of all time: “I’m a fan of nearly all of them.”) “The pandemic was horrific,” he says, but also: “It was boring! As a guy that travels the world on a regular basis, I was so bored.”

So he got to work on a new album sooner than he planned, writing the majority of The Show in Joshua Tree, without the kind of illicit substances musicians may be inclined to experiment without in the desert. (“No, jeez! No. Thankfully not,” he laughs.) The Show is Horan at his most adventurous, a kaleidoscope of pop-rock sounds of decades past, amped up for arena-sized grandeur. “I’m not just the fella with the acoustic guitar all the time,” he laughs. “I put my neck on the line.” The lustful track “On a Night Like Tonight,” for instance, starts off with a dreamy singer-songwriter intro before detouring into anthemic prog-rock — like Muse doing ’90s Britpop. “If you asked me to release a song like that seven years ago, I would’ve laughed in your face,” he says. “I’ve grown into it a bit. I gave myself permission. It’s probably not what people are expecting of me — and here’s my fingers crossed as tight as you can possibly get them.”

He describes the album as tackling “big life thoughts,” not just the kind you have after history-altering world events but also the ones on your mind as you approach your 30s. The first song he wrote for The Show was the title track, an ode to the gratitude he felt in a time of deep unrest. “You have to swim through the sh*t water to get to the clear stuff,” he explains. “Everything will be OK if you just see it out.” During the pandemic, he couldn’t help but think about how much better life was before, and how he should be thankful for it — or, at the very least, that he’s got to learn to take the good with the bad. The chorus goes like this: “If everything was simple, how would we know / How to fix your tears / How to fake a show / How to paint a smile / Yeah, how would we know / How good we have it, though?” “There’s a façade to most people,” Horan says, addressing the “how to fake a show” line. It’s not about going through the motions at a concert, but about the everyday performance of being a person. “I’m not saying we’re all going around faking everything, but there are parts of yourself you don’t give away.” He pauses. “I’m finding it hard to explain… In some ways, you’re always trying to be the best version of yourself.”

When Horan talks, he often punctuates vulnerabilities with a joke or a folksy aphorism. “The phrase in Ireland is ‘if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry,’” he laughs. But he doesn’t veer away from the hard stuff in song. “Meltdown,” the second single from The Show, was written as a balm for someone having an anxiety attack: “When it all melts down, I’ll be there,” he sings to the sufferer in the song’s chorus. “It’s at 180 BPM, which is a good representation of the heart rate [when beating fast],” he says, “but I also like to have a silver lining in my music.” (While he says he experiences anxiety on occasion, contrary to previous reports, he does not have severe OCD. “That got misconstrued,” he clarifies. “I’m not saying I’m fully OCD. [...] I’ve definitely had overwhelming moments.”)

When he does experience anxiety, he has a few grounding tactics. “I literally say to myself, ‘It’ll all be over in a few minutes. It’ll all be over in a few minutes.’ The thing to do in that scenario is try and keep yourself as calm as possible, and tell yourself that it will all be OK,” he says. “And weirdly enough, most of the time, it turns out OK.” Get this man a Calm app endorsement deal, stat.

That unrelenting optimism is a core facet of his personality. “I’ve always been like that: ‘This is sh*t, but I’m sure it’ll be OK soon,’” he says. But it perhaps accounts for just how well-adjusted he seems after going through the boy-band ringer and half a lifetime in the spotlight. He’s never been at the center of controversy, with the exception of dropping a curse here and there as a teen, which he does so now judiciously. (Recently, Horan enjoyed a pint of beer in a Guinness-branded documentary with singer Lewis Capaldi and was shown getting into a car and driving. His mum came to his defense, saying it was a nonalcoholic beverage. The debate ended there.) Even when I half-jokingly ask for his opinion on cults, a nod to The Show ballad “You Could Start A Cult,” he laughs. “It definitely worked as a metaphor for me! I don’t… no strong views on cults. At least, no public ones.”

That song, as he tells it, is about being so in love with someone that if they started a cult, you’d follow them into it. Is he madly in love right now? “That’s dead right.” He doesn’t mention his longtime girlfriend, account manager Amelia Woolley, by name because “if everyone knew everything, [my songwriting] wouldn’t be as candid, would it?” he says. “There’d be all these theories, and I’m not in town for that. I’m here to write what’s on my brain, and love happens to be one of those things that’s flying around me.”

Horan is staying accessible to fans in other ways, fully embracing the expectations of being a very famous person: He’s dropping skin care routines and goofing around on TikTok. This summer, he’s making his way across the festival circuit — good practice for 2024, when he’ll launch into the biggest solo tour of his career to date, which includes a headlining spot at Madison Square Garden, 12 years after 1D did the same. After a few disruptive years, he’s returned to the lifestyle that feels like home, now as a veteran professional and soloist in his own right. He’s the same nice guy, just with some life experience. And he’s enjoying the ride: “Looking at arenas full of people — it’s the best view in the world.”

[yvesdot]

yves.'s 2023 PRIDESTRAVAGANZA!

Friday, June 30th, 2023 @ 10:00 AM PST on Twitch

Please join me for a homotranssexual (+Constantine) battle royale, sponsored by OHHOW's monthly theme of Interactive Fiction and (consequently) everyone's favorite Hunger Games simulator. Root for your favorites! Boo the losers! We're having the top LGBT yves. characters fight for our amusement, because why pit two queens against each other when you could pit twenty-three? (+Constantine.) No prior yves. reading experience required.

RECORDING AVAILABLE NOW

Support the author: all posted writing | book | ko-fi | Patreon

Further info & stream spoilers below cut:

Final character list used for the stream:

Kay and Atlas (KAY RAINIER) Constantine (KAY RAINIER) and Bren (Sometimes it Happens) Ephraim and Elle (Sometimes it Happens) Eliza and Red (Forest Castles) Avner and Ahava (Forest Castles) Dana and Flor (Tell Me About the Nonbeliever) Mel and Jenny (Something's Not Right) The Father and The Daughter (Exhaustively) Vidalia and Brayden (Tragic Accident) Charlie and Scarlett (World Got Smaller) Rebecca (Something Weird I Heard About Rebecca) & Traveler Wife (The Traveler Wife) Beck & Annalise (Long Line) (NSFW)

________________________________

All the unused characters I considered using:

KAY RAINIER: Constantine's fruity brother Ariel, mysterygf, Leah, Bode, Elizabeth

Sometimes it Happens: Lilith Giselle, Michael, Alyosha

Dressage protagonist, Tragic Accident protagonist, Thomasina and Katie from The Summer of Katie, Percique and Annet from A Fruit Platter of Unintended Consequences, Violet from codename: violet, Ocean, Mr. Tanner, and Tim from Practical Applications, Will from HOMECOMING, Starling and Westenra from IF YOU ARE MADE OF LIGHT., the women of Galactic April, đào and titania from as you were, Home Wife from The Traveler Wife, The Groom from Bride & Groom, Graecen and Rosauro from The Hands and the Mouth, the protagonist and Gale from Six Reasons I Have To Do This, Nishie and Juliana from the magic number.

(If I missed anyone, you should tell me!)

_______________________________

RECAP

Round 1: Bloodbath

Ephraim Sokolov and Dana Singh fight for a bag. Dana Singh strangles Ephraim Sokolov with the straps and runs. Bren stabs Annalise in the back with a trident. Brayden shoots a poisonous blow dart into Jenny's neck, slowly killing her. Red kills Vidalia with her own weapon.

Round 2: Day

Constantine Rainier severely slices Avner Ivory with a sword. Beck silently snaps The Girl's neck. Red taints Scarlett's food, killing them. Ahava severely injures Atlas and leaves him to die.

Round 3: Night

Constantine Rainier falls into a frozen lake and drowns. Traveler Wife kills Flor while he is sleeping. Mel bashes Red's head in with a mace.

Round 4: Day

Mel poisons Brayden's drink. he drinks it and dies. Kay Rainier dies trying to escape the arena.

Round 5: Night

Ahava accidentally steps on a landmine.

Round 6: Day

Rebecca taints Mel's food, killing him. Traveler Wife forces The Golem to kill Beck or Bren. he decides to kill Bren.

Round 7: Night

The Golem severely injures Charlie, but puts Charlie out of Charlie’s misery. Rebecca overpowers Elle Valentin, killing them.

Round 8: Feast

No-one died

Round 9: Day

Rebecca kills Dana Singh with a sickle.

Round 10: Night

No-one died

Round 11: Day

Beck stabs Rebecca with a tree branch. Eliza Feldman begs for Traveler Wife to kill her. she reluctantly obliges, killing Eliza Feldman.

Round 12: Night

No-one died

Round 13: Day

The Golem attempts to climb a tree, but falls on Traveler Wife, killing them both.

WINNER: Beck

MOST KILLS: Rebecca (3)

[aurorabayrpg]

EVENT 007 {Sept 4th- Sept 11th} AURORA BAY'S END OF SUMMER RAVE/BASH

With summer season officially coming to a close, Oasis Night Club will be hosting their annual summer rave for all 21+ residents of Aurora Bay! But those with littles (or just those not up for an all-night party) there will be fun for you too!

Sweet Nothings Bakery, Driftwood Coffee Shop, and the Sea Shanty Shack will all be teaming up to little bash of their own during the day in the Town Square for residents (and their kids!) not wishing to attend the rave but wanting to end the summer with some fun too.

THE RAVE:

From dusk until dawn, Oasis will have a rotation of DJ's to play the best hits of the summer. There will be plenty of drinks, delicious foods, and plenty of dancing. This year's rave theme is neon! So with black lights all around, and glow sticks and bracelets available for all, guests are encouraged to dress in their brightest fashions and to let loose one last time for the summer of 2023.

THE BASH:

The Town Square will decorated with fairy lights and summer décor all weekend to illuminate the booths of delicious coffees, baked goods, and foods for everyone! Various shops in town will also have booths out for their stores for some end of summer blowout sales/school-year shopping! With bands also welcomed to sign up and play during the day, there will be a chance for everyone to soak up some end of summer fun.

OOC INFO UNDER THE CUT:

this event will go on for a week ooc but for ic it will only be Friday-Sunday, that way if you want your characters to go to both events they can! The rave will be Friday night into Saturday morning. The bash is Fri-Sun 9am-9pm

after the first three events starters are posted, please reply to at least two before posting your own.

tag everything aurorabay.bash or aurorabay.rave!

we know we have plenty of musicians in the group, so if you want any of your characters and/or their bands to perform at the bash (or any volunteers for dj'ing the rave), please send us a message on the main!

feel free to put together outfit posts for your characters and tag them for whichever party they're for and tag the @aurorabayaesthetic blog so we can repost them! remember, for the rave the theme is neon, so feel free to go nuts with color!

we will also be allowing booths for different restaurants and stores at the bash, so if you'd like to do something like that as well, let us know on the main!

and have fun!

[laresearchette]

Friday, November 10, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: FOR ALL MANKIND (Apple TV+) THE CURSE (Paramount +) EVERYTHING CHRISTMAS (W Network) 9:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT? AFTER THE BLAST: THE WILL TO SURVIVE (ABC Feed) BELLE COLLECTIVE (TBD - OWN Canada) THE CURSE (TBD)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA 007: ROAD TO A MILLION DINA HASHEM: DARK WHISPERS KANDAHAR TREVOR WALLACE: PTERODACTYL

CBC GEM CRIME (Season 2) LE COYOTE TRAMPOLINE GYMNASTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (starts today, goes until November 12th)

CRAVE TV A CHANCE FOR CHRISTMAS EVE AND THE FIRE HORSE FOUR CHRISTMASES GODFATHER OF HARLEM (Season 3, Episode 1) INTO THE DEEP THE JOURNEY HOME LAMBORGHINI: THE MAN, THE LEGEND MIRACLE IN MOTOR CITY ONE WEEK PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH SISU STILL MINE VIOLENT NIGHT

DISNEY + STAR BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT

NETFLIX CANADA AT THE MOMENT (TW) THE KILLER TEAM NINJA WARRIOR (Season 2)

2023 FIFA MEN'S U17 WORLD CUP (TSN/TSN4) 6:48am: Spain vs. Canada

GRAND SLAM OF CURLING (SN) 11:00am: National - Draw 14 (SN) 3:00pm: National - Draw 15 (SN) 7:00pm: National - Draw 16

NHL HOCKEY (SNWest/TSN4) 7:00pm: Flames vs. Leafs (SN1) 7:00pm: Wild vs. Sabres (SN) 10:00pm: Sharks vs. Knights

NBA BASKETBALL (TSN/TSN3/TSN5) 7:30pm: Nets vs. Celtics (SN Now) 8:30pm: Clippers vs. Stars (TSN/TSN3/TSN5) 10:00pm: Lakers vs. Suns

AMPLIFY (APTN) 7:30pm: Anishinaabe electro-pop artist Wolf Saga draws inspiration for his music from a painting his grandmother bought, which connects him to his culture. This episode features Richard Gracious, Janis Monture, Elder Mary Lou Smoke and Betty Albert.

THE FATHER (CTV2) 8:00pm: A man refuses assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and the fabric of his reality.

7TH GEN (APTN) 8:00pm: Matthew Monias - Mattmac: Many people know Matthew Monias by his stage name, Mattmac. Discover how this Oji-Cree blind recording artist from Garden Hill First Nation is taking the world by storm with his music and blazing a trail with his advocacy work.

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF JERSEY (Slice) 8:00pm: La Finn

PLANET WONDER (CBC) 8:30pm: How the language used about climate change affects the motivation to do something about it.

A DASH OF CHRISTMAS (CTV Life) 8:00pm: To apply for her dream job at a foodie startup, an executive must learn to bake. When she recruits a handsome baker to help her, she inadvertently ends up in a Christmas Bakeoff.

FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER (APTN) 8:30pm: The inaugural NASCAR Pinty's race finally arrives at Ohsweken Speedway and Aaron Turkey proves to be a hometown hero in the historic event. Meanwhile, Joshua Hill hustles to get his car back on the track after getting into a wreck the night before.

THE FIFTH ESTATE (CBC) 9:00pm: The Girls Around Robert G. Miller: In partnership with Radio-Canada's investigative program, "Enquête," "The Fifth Estate" examines troubling claims that a Canadian billionaire had a long history of paying teenagers for sex.

TRANSPLANT (CTV) 9:00pm: Bash reconnects with the man who got him to Canada.

BEAT BOBBY FLAY: HOLIDAY THROWDOWN (Food Network Canada) 9:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): Katie Lee Biegel cracks the wishbone with Turkey Day classics and makes this holiday reunion a surprise family affair. Chefs Darnell Ferguson, Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Voltaggio attempt to squash Bobby Flay with a new turkey tradition.

CATWOMAN: HUNTED (Cartoon Network Canada) 9:00pm: Catwoman attempts to steal a priceless jewel.

VIOLENT NIGHT (Crave) 9:00pm: An elite team of mercenaries breaks into a family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone hostage inside. However, they aren't prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he's about to show why this Nick is no saint.

W5 (CTV) 10:00pm: The Mystery Bomber: "W5" investigates the identity of a would-be bank robber who exploded in a dramatic heist.

CRIME BEAT (Global) 10:00pm: Nothing is What it Seems: Part 1: A man walking his dog comes upon a neighbor's garage engulfed in flames; when the smoke clears, a woman is found dead with drug paraphernalia nearby; nothing is what it seems, and police are left combing through a web of lies to find the killer.

[queermtl]

QUEER MTL THINGS TO DO: June 2023 / PRIDE MONTH 🏳️‍🌈

Summer’s here and the time is right for queering in the streets! This month, Montréal is stuffed to the brim with events, parties and unique experiences painted in all the colours of the LGBTQ+ rainbow. From drag to community, circuit to underground, here’s some of our picks for the best LGBTQ+ things to do in the city. For further announcements, follow QueerMTL on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr! Got an event coming up? DM it our way!

EVENT OF THE MONTH:

🎶 Montréal’s Chœur Queer brings their “co-constructed show that queers a choir” (Re)faire chœur queer to the St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe Festival at Studio Jean-Valcourt du Conservatoire, with performances from June 10-18, 2023. Developed during workshop sessions with facilitator Jade Préfontaine, (Re)faire chœur queer utilizes vocal and spacial explorations to queer the room with sound. In their own words, “Our approach to the choir is transdisciplinary, as it is neither clearly musical, nor completely narrative, nor perfectly choreographic, but all at once.” Find tickets here. 

EVENTS

📚Metatron Press presents Capsule, a night of readings from new releases by LGBTQ+ authors at Ursa on Thursday, June 1, 2023, featuring Lee Suksi, Eli Tareq El Bechelany Lynch, Trynne Delaney and Jayson Keery. 

✊ The Chemstory podcast launches with a gathering of storytelling and discussion with gay, bisexual and queer men and non-binary people sharing their experiences with chemsex on Thursday, June 1, 2023 at SAT. Free tickets available here.

👠 On Friday, June 2, 2023, Lust Cove celebrates Kaya Koko’s 25th birthday with Kokonuts: A Sexy Birthday Bash at Café Cléopatra, featuring performances from Lia Jasmin, Mina Minou, Sugah the Vixen and others. Tickets here. 

📚The Violet Hour Book Club meets to discuss Guapa by Saleema Haddad on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at the Archives gaies du Québec. All are welcome, so get reading!

✡️ A Queer Mitzvah at Bar Notre-Dame-des-Quilles on Saturday, June 3, 2023 promises a Jewish-centered cabaret and dance party open to all. 

🏠 Looking for a QTBIPOC housemate, or searching for a suitable spot to live? Check out QTBIPOC Co-Living’s "Speed Dating" event on Saturday, June 3, 2023 and meet some cool potential roomies!

🔥 Now this is exciting. June 7-11, 2023, P!NK BLOC Montréal presents the first edition of their new queer radical festival BRÛLANCES at Centre culturel Georges-Vanier. “We want to unite 2SLGBTQI+ communities towards our liberation, in revolutionary, resolutely feminist, anti-capitalist, decolonial, anti-racist and anti-fascist perspectives.” Who can argue with that? Check out their full lineup of events here.

✍️ HommeHomo brings Drink & Draw back to Bar Le Cocktail on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, featuring live models and drink specials. 

💃 The long-running annual Hot Mess waacking competition brings a full-on battle to the stage of Cabaret Mado on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Tickets here.

✊ AGIR and P!NK BLOC Montréal present From the margins to the center: Trans+ and non binary migrants & refugees knowledge on Thursday, June 8, 2023 at Centre culturel Georges-Vanier.

🎭 Queer ghost story Red Paper hits the St Ambroise Fringe Festival Montréal with showings June 8-18. Find more details and ticket information here. 

✊ P!NK BLOC Montréal and the Comité autonome du travail du sexe presents Sex workers Unite! a film screening and discussion at Centre culturel Georges-Vanier on Thursday, June 8, 2023. After a showing of the 2000 film Live Nude Girls Unite!, the workshop will take a closer look at the issues facing sex workers in Montréal. 

📚 Librairie Résonance hosts a book launch for Black Metal Rainbows, a 400-page, full-color anthology of radical, queer, and leftist writings and artworks that explore black metal as a genre of openness and inclusivity on Friday, June 9, 2023. 

🎶 YATAI MTL 2023 and Sticky Rice Magazine present Soirée City Pop Japon 80s, a celebration of the popular Japanese genre of the same name at Bassin Peel on Saturday, June 10, 2023. 

👠 Join Foxy Lexxi Brown, Kyky Delavega, Jolie Lolita and others at the Motown Burlesque on Saturday, June 10, 2023 at Café Cléopatra, paying tribute to all your favourite Motor City hits.

🎶 The Monday Night Choir presents Émergence, their first concert since pandemic lockdown under the direction of François Lukawecki at Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours in Old Montréal on Sunday, June 11, 2023. Tickets at the door.

✊The Archives gaies du Québec hosts The Aesthetic Activism of ACT UP Montréal: a history in photos and posters from June 13-August 13, 2023, spotlighting an important piece of both HIV/AIDS and Montréal’s activist history.

🎥 REEL GAY hosts a screening of The Devil Wears Prada at the Diving Bell Social Club on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, featuring live commentary and a performance by drag artist DENIM. 

🍍The Festival Jouissif Montréal takes over Bain Mathieu on June 17-18, 2023 with a full programme of performers, a market, workshops and showings of erotic art. Join Sasha Baga, DJ Sam, Miami Minx, Cherry Top and others for an 18+ party you won’t soon forget. 

👠 Twice a month on every second Tuesday, Bring It! hosts an OTA night of ballroom and vogue with commentator and DJ. Follow their Instagram for dates and details.

🎾 Throughout the month, Tennis Lambda hosts LIGUE DE DIMANCHE outdoor tennis on the courts at Parc Louis-Riel. Check Eventbrite for full dates and details. 

🚲 Montréal Queer Bike Polo meets on Thursdays! Find details and directions on their Instagram. 

🏐 Les Ratons-Chasseurs (Montréal’s LGBTA dodgeball group) holds regular events. Keep an eye on their Facebook for upcoming opportunities to join in and play. 

🤠 The long-running Club Bolo offers open country music dance classes every Friday evening at the Association sportive et communautaire du Centre-Sud. Find more details at their website. 

🕹Montréal Gaymers hosts regular gatherings including board game nights and gaming gatherings. Check their Facebook for what’s next!

🎤 Most Tuesdays, check out Stand Up St. Henri Open Mic at Impro Montréal, focusing on women, non-binary, queer and allied comedians.

🏃🏾Join the Out-Run run and workout club for people relating to the queer / sapphic experience. Details on their Instagram!

💃 Tango/Salsa Queer’s continue, with Salsa Queer on Monday nights from 20:30-21:30 and Tango (beginners/intermediate) on Tuesdays at 19:00-20:30. Contact tango.queer@hotmail.com for prices and location.

🐦 Bird lovers should keep their eye on Queer Birders' regularly scheduled birdwatching events and excursions. Join the Facebook group and get those binoculars at the ready. 

PARTIES

🥳 Sponsored by Fierté Montréal Pride, PIMAN 2 is a free-entrance queer Caribbean party at Club Sagacité on Friday, June 2, 2023. 

🥳 Sure to be one of the season’s most memorable events, Ellelui presents KICK OFF, a lesbian, queer and trans party with DJs Lucibabyy, DJ Nalee, Buhbuh Lø and Mansa at Newspeak on Friday, June 9, 2023.

🥳 MPU returns with the MPU Malibu Beach Party on Saturday, June 10, 2023 at Le Belmont, featuring performances from Miss Dupré, Rainbow, Sami Landri and Charli Deville, alongside music from DJ Jeffany and Frantastik. 

🥳 Light up the dance floor with other lovers of flow art at Club Cosmic—Jam Party Lumineux #PicnicStyle on Saturday, June 10, 2023 at the Village au Pied-du-Courant.

🥳 Quickly becoming one of Montréal’s hottest queer gatherings, Queen & Queer returns with their Dance Party Vol. 11 at Ausgang Plaza on Friday, June 16, 2023 with DJ Poptrt, DJ Sam and DJ Syz. 

🥳 Psychedelic trance lovers will float away at Cosmic Resonance: A Psychedelic Journey in the Old Port on Friday, June 23, 2023. Details and tickets on Facebook. 

🐻 Bears and their admirers won’t want to miss Bear Nation’s TerreDesBears23: la soirée Bear la plus chaude de l’été à Montréal with DJ Marc Paquet and DJ Duchesne at Theatre Sainte Catherine Café-Bar on Friday, June 30, 2023.

DRAG

👑 Cabaret Mado hosts ZazoO chante Piaf! on Thursday, June 1, 2023. Accompanied by guitarist Laflèche Gosselin, ZazoO hits all the high notes of “the little sparrow” Edith Piaf in a show which has toured France, Switzerland and now returns to Montréal. Tickets here.

👑 Uma Gahd is remounting her one-woman show Are You There Margaret? It’s me, Gahd at Bar Le Cocktail on Saturday, June 3, 2023, before taking it overseas to the Edinburgh Fringe. Our queen is going international! 

👑 Pop chameleon Jimmy Moore presents Jimmy Moore personnifie Taylor Swift to Cabaret Mado on Saturday, June 3, 2023. 

👑 They’ll give you what you want, what you really really want at Cabaret Mado on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, when Spice Drags brings all your favourite girl power hits to the stage in full drag.

👑 You’d better walk that f****** duck when Ru Paul’s Drag Race Season 15 queen Anetra takes the stage at Cabaret Mado on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. 

👑 Jimmy Moore Material Girl is spot on, you’ll think you’re watching the real thing at Jimmy Moore personnifie Madonna on Saturday, June 10, 2023 at Cabaret Mado. 

👑 Rock en Espagnol Draglesque, featuring Velma CandyAss, Salty Margarita, Black Mamba and others, is at Bar Le Cocktail on Saturday, June 10, 2023.

👑 Expanding the boundaries of drag, the new Myknova, hosted by Aizysse Baga, Miko and Game Genie Sokolov launches on Monday, June 12, 2023 at Cabaret Mado, featuring Sisi Superstar and Awwful. Tickets here. 

👑 Celebrating EmmÖtional Damage’s 30th birthday, Bonne fête EmmÖtional Damage takes over Cabaret Mado on Monday, June 12, 2023, hosted by Marla Deer and featuring surprise drag artists throughout the night. 

👑 Lulu Shade and Sarah Winters present Garden of Shade 4 at Bar Le Cocktail on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, featuring appearances from Mimi Fatale and Deborah Kadabra. Tickets here. 

👑 Go back in time at Couronne et corset at Cabaret Mado on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, when queens Daisy Wood, Blueberry Moore, Betty Bistouri, Ava Godiva, Akikoï, Miss Behave, Mistress Vladimir and Robin Brutal transform the stage into a medieval fantasy.

👑 Uma Gahd hosts Les Folies Draglesque with featured star Miami Minx and guests Alice Wildflower, Casquivano, Ophelia Rass and Will Charmer on Thursday, June 14, 2023 at Cabaret Mado. 

👑 Montréal’s drag kings take over the Maison de la culture Maisonneuve on Thursday, June 15, 2023 with Les Kings Comiques featuring Slim Furry, Lesley Wilde, Jaqq Strap and others. 

👑 O.G. RuPaul’s Drag Race and All Stars contestant galore Manila Luzon brings her Gangsta Paradise show to Le National on June 16, 2023. General admission tickets and VIP meet and greet packages are available here.

👑 Proving that drag isn’t just into pop, Drag Aux Foufs brings an exciting drag show dedicated to punk, metal, ska and emo at Les Foufounes Électriques on Saturday, June 17, 2023. Featuring Salt, Zyra Dymond, Eden Ashes, Miss Behave and others. 

👑 Marking 35 years in drag, legendary Montréal queen Michel Dorion presents Dalida pour toujours at Bar Le Cocktail on Saturday, June 17, 2023. Expect dancers, choreography and a loving tribute to the Italian-French diva.

👑 An all-star line-up of Montréal queens including Tracy Trash, Bambi Dextrous, Sasha Baga and more gathers for Les grands concerts: Un Hommage la comédie musicale québécoise on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at Cabaret Mado. Sing along to some of your favourite Québec musical hits!

👑 Ad’Horrible, Mike Oxlong and Niko Lubie present their open alternative drag night Under Kingstruction: Family Issues at Bar Le Cocktail on Saturday, June 24, 2023. 

👑 On Friday and Saturday nights, the legendary Mado Lamotte hosts Mado Reçoit at her namesake club, Cabaret Mado. Each week, she shares the stage with a hand-picked roster of queens. Tickets and lineup info here.

👑 Uma Gahd hosts weekly screenings of Drag Race All Stars Season 8 at Bar Le Cocktail on Friday nights. Come early for a good seat and laugh along all season!

👑 Rosa Golde hosts weekly Drag Race All Stars Season 8 viewings with special guest hosts including Marilyn Manhole and August Wind every Friday at Champs Bar, starting at 98:00 PM. Find more information here. 

👑 Every Tuesday, Canada’s Drag Race season 3 winner Gisèle Lullaby hosts Full Gisèle at Cabaret Mado. Tickets and schedule at Cabaret Mado’s website.

👑 Bar Le Cocktail’s regular weekly events include Butterfly de nuit with Miss Butterfly every Thursday, Vendredi Fou with Michel Dorion on Fridays, Drôles de Drags with a rotating cast of queens on Saturdays and Dimanche Show with Michel Dorion on Sundays. Check listings for specific details, and pick up tickets here.

👑 Every Monday at the Diving Bell Social Club, Bambi Dextrous hosts Trivia Night! Be sure to  book your team table in advance.

👑 Every Thursday at Complexe Sky, check out the Jimmy Moore Drag Show at 10 PM, sure to feature eye-popping costume changes and dance moves that don’t quit. Free with club admission. 

👑 Sunday nights brings the amazingly hilarious Tracy Trash’s Le Tracy Show to Cabaret Mado. Grab tickets here.

[celestial-thoughts]

july 24, 2023 - weekly women’s pro wrestling news roundup: week of july 17-23, 2023

this week's news roundup includes:

News & results from last week’s editions of Monday Night Raw, NXT, and Friday Night SmackDown.

News & results from last week's editions of WWE Main Event and NXT Level Up.

News & results from last week’s editions of AEW Dynamite, AEW Rampage, and AEW Collision.

Other updates and news from last week.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated's weekly top 10 recap.

Things to look forward to in women’s wrestling this week!

spoilers below the cut for shows/events listed above!

Notable news & results from TV last week:

Monday Night Raw (7/17):

Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley attacked WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez, specifically targeting the knee of Raquel.

Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green defeated Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez to become the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. The match ended with Sonya hitting the running knee strike on Liv to win the titles. match length-5:23.

Shayna Baszler defeated Nikki Cross. Shayna forced Nikki to tap out to the Kirifuda Clutch quickly for the submission win. match length-0:19.

After the match, Ronda Rousey confronted Shayna. The two exchanged harsh words, before Ronda challenged Shayna to a match at SummerSlam.

Becky Lynch/Trish Stratus/Zoey Stark Miz TV segment.

NXT (7/18):

Kiana James defeated Gigi Dolin. Gigi stopped Kiana from using her bag as a weapon, before arguing with the referee about the bag. This allowed Kiana to hit the 401K Flatliner for the victory. match length-3:43.

Thea Hail defeated Elektra Lopez. Thea scored the win via submission after making Elektra tap out to the Kimura. match length-1:17.

After the match, Thea called out NXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton, challenging her to a rematch for the title. Tiffany came to the ring and accepted the challenge, while also saying that she was superior to Thea. Before the champion could leave, Thea said that she wanted their rematch to be a Submission Match. Tiffany initially turned down the stipulation, but Thea attacked her and put the champ in the Kimura until she agreed. The match was later made official for NXT: The Great American Bash.

Backstage, Vic Joseph interviewed Blair Davenport and Roxanne Perez ahead of their grudge match at NXT: The Great American Bash. Roxanne promised to defeat Blair in her home state of Texas, saying she was tired of being seen as the weak link. Blair said that Roxanne didn't have the killer instinct needed to defeat her, before Roxanne walked out of the interview in frustration.

AEW Dynamite (7/19):

Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. defeated Kayla Sparks. match length-1:06.

WWE Main Event (7/20):

No women's matches this week.

Friday Night SmackDown (7/21):

Charlotte Flair defeated Iyo Sky. During the match a video played on the screen in the arena, in which Shotzi taunted Bayley, which led to Bayley walking out in the middle of the match. The match itself was back and forth with both women nearly ending it several times. The match ended when Charlotte hit Natural Selection on Iyo for the pinfall win. match length-14:09.

After the match, Charlotte was attacked from behind by WWE Women's Champion Asuka.

Backstage, Bayley and Iyo were seen arguing on their way into the locker room. There, Bayley found her suitcase stabbed through with scissors through a picture of herself. Bayley then left the arena in a hurry, with Iyo following behind, still arguing with her teammate.

NXT Level Up (7/21):

Dani Palmer defeated Izzy Dame. match length-4:43.

AEW Rampage (7/21):

Kris Statlander defeated Marina Shafir to retain the TBS Championship. match length-5:02.

AEW Collision (7/22):

Taya Valkyrie defeated Skye Blue. match length-8:53.

After the match, Taya called out Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. and challenged her to a match. The match was later made official for the upcoming edition of Dynamite on Wednesday, July 26.

Other news & updates from last week:

This past Friday, July 21 at Ring of Honor's annual Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event, Ring of Honor Women's World Champion Athena and Willow Nightingale made history when they became the first women to headline an ROH pay-per-view event. Athena successfully defended her title against Willow.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated top 10 rankings recap:

Evaluation period: July 14-20, 2023. Published on July 21, 2023. Note: my recap of PWI's top 10 tag teams of the week will only cover the women's tag teams listed in the rankings for the week (PWI includes both men's and women's tag teams in their rankings). PWI lists their criteria for rankings as the following: championships held/defended, win-loss record, push, and technical ability.

PWI's Women's Wrestling top 10:

1: Trinity (Impact) 2: Rhea Ripley (WWE) 3: Willow Nightingale (AEW, ROH) 4: Asuka (WWE) 5: Tam Nakano (Stardom) 6: Millie Mckenzie (Freelancer) 7: Toni Storm (AEW) 8: Kris Statlander (AEW) 9: Veny (Freelancer) 10: Utami Hayashishita (Stardom)

PWI's Tag Team Wrestling top 10:

4: Mariah May & Mina Shirakawa (Stardom) 5: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville (WWE) 7: Killer Kelly & Masha Slamovich (Impact)

Things to look forward to this week:

Tonight, July 24 on Monday Night Raw, Becky Lynch takes on Zoey Stark and if Becky wins, she will get her rematch with Trish Stratus.

Tomorrow, July 25 on NXT, Cora Jade takes on Dana Brooke in a Kendo Stick match.

This Sunday, July 30 at NXT: The Great American Bash, Thea Hail gets the rematch she's been waiting for against NXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton in a submission match.

Also at The Great American Bash, Roxanne Perez will take on Blair Davenport, in Perez's home state of Texas.

Current Women's Champions in WWE & AEW:

WWE: - Women's World Championship: Rhea Ripley - WWE Women's Championship: Asuka - NXT Women's Championship: Tiffany Stratton - WWE Women's Tag Team Championship: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville - Ms. Money in the Bank: Iyo Sky

AEW: - AEW Women's World Championship: Toni Storm - TBS Championship: Kris Statlander

[johnnytorresprowres]

The Warm-Up 2: Blitzkrieg! Pro “Plastic Cup Politics″ - 2/25/2023

Haley Dylan vs. Big Juicy Haley Dylan Last 1: Haley Dylan d. Hayden Backlund - LimitBlitz 2 Showcase - 10/8/2022 Big Juicy Last 3: Big Juicy d. Logan Black - Roll One Up Rumble Day 1 - 4/15/2022 King Crab & Kirby Wackerman d. Big Juicy & Jay Baker - Shoulder To The Wheel - 12/3/2021 Big Juicy & Kirby Wackerman d. Shannon LeVangie & Stevie G - Retro World Expo - 11/6/2021 Two prospects return to do battle in Blitzkrieg’s return to Westfield as local sensation Big Juicy takes on Buffalo blue chipper Haley Dylan.  Juicy will find herself with both the home field advantage and the Blitzkrieg experience advantage, but one cannot count out the Grapplers Anonymous pedigree of Haley Dylan.  Which gladiatrix will prevail?! Ichiban & 2 Mystery Partners vs. Ryan Mooney & 2 Mystery Partners Ichiban Last 3: Dante Drago d. Ichiban, Perry Von Vicious, and TJ Crawford - Always The Hard Way - 12/30/2022 Ace Romero d. Ichiban - LimitBlitz 2 Night 2 - 10/8/2022 Andy Brown d. Ichiban - Ashley Vox Beer Bash - 8/14/2022 Ryan Mooney Last 1: Leary d. Angelo Carter, Ryan Mooney, and King Crab - Look My Way - 5/7/2022 A late stage twist like only B!P can offer.  Ichiban and Ryan Mooney clash at Friday’s GRIND event in singles action, and have an invitation to bring 2 friends apiece to up the ante in trios warfare.  Both Mooney and Ichiban have plenty of allies to choose from across the northeast corridor, and nobody will know the true complexion of this match until all partners are introduced.  Which battler holds the better hand?! CPA vs. King Crab vs. 50 Cal vs. Delightful Dan The God Damn Candy Man CPA Last 3: Matt Tremont d. CPA - Always The Hard Way - 12/30/2022 VSK d. CPA - Mercy Me - 11/19/2022 Team Limitless (Anthony Greene, Jay Lyon, Midas Black, Nolo Kitano & Rip Byson) d. Team Blitzkrieg (Bobby Orlando, Bryce Donovan, CPA, Travis Huckabee & VSK) - LimitBlitz 2 Night 2 - 10/8/2022 King Crab Last 3: Leary d. Angelo Carter, Ryan Mooney, and King Crab - Look My Way - 5/7/2022 CPA d. King Crab - PMA - 2/26/2022 VSK d. Bobby Orlando, Aaron Rourke, King Crab, Devantes - Mark It Zero - 12/4/2021 50 Cal Last 3: Miracle Generation d. MSP, The CDC, and Locked & Loaded - Always The Hard Way - 12/30/2022 Kirby Wackerman d. 50 Cal, Delightful Dan The God Damn Candy Man, and Logan Black - Mercy Me - 11/19/2022 BRG, 50 Cal, and Dan Barry d. Aaron Rourke, Angelo Carter & JGeorge - LimitBlitz 2 Night 2 - 10/8/2022 DDTGDCM Last 3: Kirby Wackerman d. 50 Cal, Delightful Dan The God Damn Candy Man, and Logan Black - Mercy Me - 11/19/2022 Delightful Dan The God Damn Candy Man d. ABBS, Diego El Trabajador, and Stephen Azure - LimitBlitz 2 Showcase - 10/8/2022 Delightful Dan The God Damn Candy Man d. Devantes - Retro World Expo - 8/28/2022 4 combatants on the rebound have a chance to take the next step up in a frenetic four way frenzy.  All 4 are veterans of some form of the Blitzkrieg multiperson match atmosphere, King Crab and 50 Cal in the first and second Ladder Hell, Delightful Dan in multiple B!P scrambles, and CPA the winner of the last Mother Of All Scrambles.  In a match where every movement and moment matters, who leaves the bedlam with head held high and a step closer to #1 contender?! Dante Drago vs. Bobby Orlando Dante Last 3: Dante Drago d. Ichiban, Perry Von Vicious, and TJ Crawford - Always The Hard Way - 12/30/2022 Dante Drago d. Jojo Collins - LimitBlitz 2 Night 2 - 10/8/2022 Rip Byson d. BRG, Dante Drago, Delmi Exo, Logan Black, and Perry Von Vicious - LimitBlitz 2 Night 1 - 10/7/2022 Bobby Last 3: Bobby Orlando d. Alan Angels - Always The Hard Way - 12/30/2022 Angelo Carter & JGeorge d. Bobby Orlando & Bryce Donovan - Mercy Me - 11/19/2022 Team Limitless (Anthony Greene, Jay Lyon, Midas Black, Nolo Kitano & Rip Byson) d. Team Blitzkrieg (Bobby Orlando, Bryce Donovan, CPA, Travis Huckabee & VSK) - LimitBlitz 2 Night 2 - 10/8/2022 Dante Drago captured the #1 contender’s spot at Always The Hard Way, and his final stop before challenging the winner of tonight’s Bedlam championship match is the longest reigning Bedlam champion of all-time in Bobby Orlando.  No shortage of familiarity here as both are products of Create-A-Pro, and both are very aware of what the other is capable of.  Both compete at a very high level and are very gifted with stringing together offense.  Will Dante pick up more steam on his road to the title match, or will Bobby Orlando potentially notch a future Bedlam championship bout of his own by knocking off the #1 contender?! 35mm (JGeorge & Angelo Carter) vs. Team TNT (Terrell & Terrence Hughes) w/ D-Von Dudley 35mm Last 3: Angelo Carter & JGeorge d. Bobby Orlando & Bryce Donovan - Mercy Me - 11/19/2022 BRG, 50 Cal, and Dan Barry d. Aaron Rourke, Angelo Carter & JGeorge - LimitBlitz 2 Night 2 - 10/8/2022 Logan Black d. Angelo Carter - Retro World Expo - 8/27/2022

Team TNT come to B!P from the tutelage of their legendary father D-Von Dudley, so even at the prospect stage of their wrestling careers, both have been well-schooled in the ways of tag team wrestling by one of the best tag wrestlers ever. Angelo Carter & JGeorge recently notched a tainted upset victory over the Shook Crew, but with a Hall of Famer watching the backs of their opponents, will the corner-cutting playbook of JGeorge & Carter be enough to avoid the spellcasting of the Wizards of the Wicked Wood?! Leary vs. Gangrel Leary Last 3: Leary d. Dr. Redacted - Always The Hard Way - 12/30/2022 Beer Team (Leary, 50 Cal, Dan Barry, and Troy Nelson) d. XTeamX (Perry Von Vicious, Juba, Kennedi Copeland, and Logan Black) - Ashley Vox Beer Bash - 8/14/2022 The Haven d. Leary & Perry Von Vicious - 4th Annual Luau - 6/24/2022 Gangrel Last 1: Jonny Idol, Marshall McNeil, and Gangrel d. Mark Sterling, Sidney Bakabella and Troy Nelson - Them vs. Us - 8/27/2016 Dreams come true in Blitzkrieg! Pro.  The captain of the S.S. B!P emerged from a bloodbath with Dr. Redacted victorious, but now may have a different bloodbath waiting in the wings in the form of the legendary vampire warrior Gangrel.  Of the list of dream singles opponents for Leary, Gangrel sits at the top.  Will Leary be able to score the biggest victory of his career in front of his hometown faithful, or will the wit and grit of Gangrel turn this dream into a nightmare?! Kevin Blackwood vs. TJ Crawford Kevin Last 1: The Batiri d. Harlow O’Hara & Kevin Blackwood - LimitBlitz 1 - 12/1/2018 TJC Last 3: Dante Drago d. Ichiban, Perry Von Vicious, and TJ Crawford - Always The Hard Way - 12/30/2022 Anthony Greene d. TJ Crawford - Mercy Me - 11/19/2022 TJ Crawford d. Alec Price - Eat The Meek - 9/18/2021 A striking enthusiast dream battle for certain as two of the best kickboxers in all of pro wrestling will bring the thunder to the Blitzkrieg ring.  Blackwood has been turning heads on both coasts, battle-tested against some of the best in the world, while TJ has not wasted any time since the return from injury, taking AG to his limit in November.  A victory for TJ is a step towards the Bedlam championship, while a victory for Blackwood means more opportunities in B!P and a shot up the ranks.  In a potential fight of the night, which combat artist leaves Westfield in victory?! Allie Katch vs. Andy Brown (B!P Bedlam Champion) Allie Last 3: BUSSY d. Anthony Greene & AVA - Always The Hard Way - 12/30/2022 MSP d. BUSSY - Mercy Me - 11/19/2022 Bobby Orlando d. Allie Katch - 4th Annual Luau - 6/24/2022 Andy Last 3: Andy Brown d. VSK - Always The Hard Way - 12/30/2022 (Blitzkrieg Bedlam Championship) Andy Brown d. Travis Huckabee - Mercy Me - 11/19/2022 (#1 Contender) Andy Brown d. Brad Cashew - LimitBlitz 2 Night 2 - 10/8/2022 What a road to get here since Andy Brown’s debut last May at Look My Way against Brad Hollister.  Andy now rides a 3 match win streak going into his first Bedlam defense.  Allie Katch finds herself in the position of first challenger off of her huge victory alongside EFFY at Wrestival and multiple spirited showings throughout her time in B!P.  After stages of reinvention from both champion and contender, will Allie Katch be the one to stop the onslaught and Bedlam reign of Andy Brown?!

[newstfionline]

Saturday, December 30, 2023

World population up 75 million this year, standing at 8 billion on Jan. 1 (AP) The world population grew by 75 million people over the past year and on New Year’s Day it will stand at more than 8 billion people, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. The worldwide growth rate in the past year was just under 1%. At the start of 2024, 4.3 births and two deaths are expected worldwide every second, according to the Census Bureau figures. The growth rate for the United States in the past year was 0.53%, about half the worldwide figure. The U.S. added 1.7 million people and will have a population on New Year’s Day of 335.8 million people.

America has a life expectancy crisis (Washington Post) The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration had an urgent message last winter for his colleagues, brandishing data that life expectancy in the United States had fallen again—the biggest two-year decline in a century. Robert Califf’s warning, summarized by three people with knowledge of the conversations, boiled down to this: Americans’ life expectancy is going the wrong way. We’re the top health officials in the country. If we don’t fix this, who will? A year after Califf’s dire warnings, Americans’ life expectancy decline remains a pressing public health problem—but not a political priority. “I wish that life expectancy or health span were a fundamental political issue in the 2024 presidential campaign,” said Dave A. Chokshi, a physician and public health professor who formerly served as health commissioner of New York. “We’re not living the healthiest lives that we possibly could.”

Migrant Surge Overwhelms U.S. Border (NYT) At a remote spot in the Arizona desert, near a hole in the border wall, dozens of migrants huddled over wood fires. After fleeing war in Sudan, violent gangs in Central America or Mexican cartels, the men had all crossed into the United States illegally, walked on foot over rugged terrain for hours, and arrived at this outpost exhausted, hungry and cold. They wanted to turn themselves into the authorities to ask for asylum, but were stranded here, miles away from the closest town, Sásabe. Then, as temperatures dropped on Tuesday night, a convoy of Border Patrol agents rolled in, loaded the men into a van to be processed and sped away—off to search for more people in need of rescue. “We are not equipped to deal with this,” Scott Carmon, a Border Patrol watch commander, said while surveying the muddy encampment. “It’s a humanitarian disaster.” This is the crisis unfolding at the southern border, as migrant encounters once again hit record levels and test the capacity of American law enforcement to contain an explosion of illegal crossings.

An ‘almost naked’ party of Russian elites brings on jail time, a lawsuit and apologies (AP) The nightlife of Russia’s elite has long been famously rakish but a recent party crossed an invisible line and provoked a public scandal. One pop star ended up in jail and several others issued public apologies while an ensuing lawsuit demanded a fortune in reparations. The scandal erupted after TV presenter and actress Anastasia Ivleeva hosted a bash at a Moscow nightclub with the stated dress code of “almost naked.” Soon after, photos from the party began circulating on social media—including those of rapper Vacio seen wearing only a sock on his genitalia. Conservative legislators, bloggers and others unleashed a storm of criticism, contending the images were unseemly, even unpatriotic, for a country embroiled in war. Some of the criticism reflected the fiercely conservative sentiment in Russia amid President Vladimir Putin’s repeated denunciation of the West for trying to undermine “traditional values” and the nationalism intensified by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Russia launched a large and complex air attack on Ukraine (NYT) Russian forces fired more than 150 missiles and drones into cities across Ukraine today (Friday), hitting factories, hospitals and schools in what Ukrainian officials said was the largest air assault since they began tracking them last year. At least 30 people were killed, more than 160 were wounded and critical infrastructure was damaged, the authorities said. The barrage included hypersonic and cruise missiles that were designed to overwhelm and confuse Ukrainian air defenses, which have successfully shot down a vast majority of attacks in recent months. Today, however, more than 40 missiles and drones hit their marks. One Russian rocket also traveled through a Polish border area near Ukraine for three minutes, briefly violating NATO airspace, Poland’s military said. But unlike the Russian drones that crashed in September in Romania, the rocket did not hit anything on the ground in Poland.

Ukraine’s frontline children yearn for return to classroom (Reuters) Sitting alone in her bedroom, Ukrainian third-grader Arina Herasymova cuts an image of loneliness as she stares at her teacher and classmates on a screen. “I would like to go to school, to lessons. To play with friends during recess, not sit at home,” she said. Herasymova, 8, lives near the front line of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is nearing its two-year mark and has forced many local children into online learning. The war has deprived younger students, especially, of the opportunity to start off their schooling like most of their peers elsewhere. First the coronavirus upended Arina’s daily schedule, then came Russia’s February 2022 invasion, according to her mother Iryna, 32, who said the once-active child is visibly sad. “I look at her now, and she has completely changed,” she said. “She doesn’t want to do anything.”

India targets Apple over its phone hacking notifications (Washington Post) A day after Apple warned independent Indian journalists and opposition party politicians in October that government hackers may have tried to break into their iPhones, officials under Prime Minister Narendra Modi promptly took action—against Apple. Officials from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) publicly questioned whether the Silicon Valley company’s internal threat algorithms were faulty and announced an investigation into the security of Apple devices. In private, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, senior Modi administration officials called Apple’s India representatives to demand that the company help soften the political impact of the warnings. They also summoned an Apple security expert from outside the country to a meeting in New Delhi, where government representatives pressed the Apple official to come up with alternative explanations for the warnings to users, the people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. “They were really angry,” one of those people said.

China says it won’t turn a blind eye to Philippines’ repeated ‘provocations’ (Reuters) China on Thursday said it will not turn a blind eye to repeated “provocations and harassment” by the Philippines, amid heightened tensions over a spate of run-ins in the South China Sea. Manila earlier this month accused the Chinese coastguard and maritime militia of repeatedly firing water cannons at its resupply boats, causing “serious engine damage” to one, and “deliberately” ramming another. Calling the accusations “purely false hype,” Wu Qian, a defence ministry spokesperson, said the Philippine side insisted on sending vessels to “intrude into” waters near a disputed shoal and “proactively rammed” a Chinese Coast Guard vessel.

The number of wounded Israeli soldiers is mounting (AP) Igor Tudoran spent just 12 hours inside the Gaza Strip before a missile slammed into his tank, leaving him with a life-altering injury. “Already within the tank, I understood from the condition of my leg that I would lose it. But the question was how much of it will I lose,” he said, seated on a bed in the hospital where he has been treated since he was wounded last month. Tudoran, 27, a reservist who volunteered for duty after the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas that triggered the war, lost his right leg beneath the hip. He has kept up a positive attitude—but concedes that his hopes of becoming an electrician may no longer be possible. Tudoran is part of a swelling number of wounded Israeli fighters, yet another sizable and deeply traumatized segment of Israeli society whose struggles are emerging as a hidden cost of the war that will be felt acutely for years to come. Given the large numbers of wounded, advocates worry the country is not prepared to address their needs. Israel’s Defense Ministry says roughly 3,000 members of the country’s security forces have been wounded since Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Sudan war: ‘When a bomb fell I told my son it was an action movie’ (BBC) Rasha Amin’s five-year-old son now wets the bed at night after a neighbour’s house in the capital, Khartoum, was struck by a missile in October. “He wakes up at night crying because he had a nightmare or he’s scared,” explains the mother of two. A golf ball-sized piece of shrapnel had smashed a hole through her wall and air conditioning unit and narrowly missed Rasha’s other child, her 20-month-old toddler, who was asleep in his crib. A paramilitary unit that had set up next door was the intended target and Rasha’s explanation to her older child that people were filming an action movie did not convince him for long. The 31-year-old schoolteacher and her family had a narrow escape in the eight-month civil war that has killed at least 10,000 people. Nearly seven million others have fled from their homes but many, like Rasha and her family, remain trapped and traumatised amid the fighting.

[benefits1986]

1 AM Brother Dear Sesh

In true love, you choose not to count the demerits and detentions; even when you can easily afford to do so.

My baby brother called me at an odd hour while I'm hyper-focusing on time-bound tasks in time for YE 2023. Since my social calendar is quite loaded until January Week 1 or 2, I timed myself to down this baby dragon EOD, Friday.

Since my phone is usually on sleep mode when I'm doing important and urgent stuff, I almost missed his call. He asked me how I was and where I was, too. Told him I'm home. He paused and took a really deep breath. I asked if he's having anxiety or panic attack. He told me that he's okay, but the sister of his MIL expired. I can't believe what I heard because I'm still grieving the loss of soul sis' MIL that coincided with this year's Immaculate Conception. Since mother dragon is Marian, too, I'm dumbfounded, honestly. No triggers but there's a hollow pain that hits hard. I tried finding peace by reminding myself that death is friend everyone should welcome.

Baby bro asked if I heard his news. I said yes. I asked about the details but just the top line ones. I asked what help he needed. He said that it's fine and that he's got it. His voice was shaky but determined. I asked again. His reply didn't budge. He asked if I can come visit once the arrangements are in order. I kidded him that I'd most likely be up all night to down work stuff. LOL. He assured me that it's okay. I told him that I'd be there, of course.

Dad went back to Manila house and called me up to remind me that we're going to the wake. I almost forgot that we'd have to go and support my brother during this trying times. Dad egged me saying that it's fine if I don't go because work is life. LOL. Ano ba naman ang pag-drive niya on a Friday back to Manila to pick up the passenger princess me, 'di ba? Maliit na bagay. LOL. I told him that I'd come and that honestly, I didn't notice the time passed today.

When he arrived, he asked if I could cook fried rice for him to go with his legit Laguna pasalubong, fried white tilapia. I actually don't want to get up and do this bit, but, I've seen dad in a wonky emotional state that's so surprising because he's always chill and go with the flow. I even added more rice so that he can indulge a bit more than my usual portions for him due to his weakening knee and his overgrown paunch. As he downed the fried rice, he said that it kind of reminds him of North Park fried rice. I laughed out loud and told him that I don't have a wok so the flavors are not as popping as the North Park OG version. Of course, he bashed me again. He asked me to join him for dinner but I already got my go-to pampagana sa deadline -- Serenitea trio + 1L pearl milktea (kakataho ko lang kasi the past days), 50% sugar, less ice. I watched him finish his food and off we went to the wake.

I saw my brother stepping up even when he's wobbly inside out. He has sleeping problems on top of looking after his almost newborn son. However, over vape, he shared that he was promoted. And I told him that my specific prayer for his interview with another company is simple: May he get the job he deserves especially at this time. Raising two kids ain't a joke. I even added na sana, macover na gatas atbp nung bunso niya para 'di na ako maabala. LOL. Poof. He was rejected by company B and bagged an overdue promotion. No merit increase yet, but, I'm trying to train him to negotiate with empathy at the core. He's proud of this milestone and I can sense and see how much validation he felt after the rejection in his latest job interview.

I told him to wiggle a decent pay bump and I am willing to sit with the panel or the HR to lobby this. LOL. Of course, he said no way. I pushed a bit more and said that it's about time he levels up his game not only RPG-speaking, but IRL, too. He also shared details of his personal life updates. I listened and ask some questions. I guess, this is me choosing to be kind rather than to be right; even when it's so easy to bash him straight up. I tried being a bit gentler even when I want to whack him right on the face, too. This ain't easy because I am my brother's wicked keeper since 1989. He asked me if I was in my element and why the hell am I not raising an eyebrow. I told him that it was just a long day and a hard night. He seems weirded out, too.

He also shared details of his fatherhood era. I can't still fathom how I'd be able to swing a formula milk that's hypoallergenic. LOL. I asked him if my pamangkin would like a Samba or formula milk. He said that he's going for the milk. I chuckled and asked if he was super sure. He said yes. He also shared that he has already computed th cost of raising two kids until college. Natawa ako e. But, let this be a reminder that while my brother is flawed and we're opposites, he is trying his best to step up.

Perhaps, I am seeing glimmers of intention. Perhaps, I'm finally sensing a stronger sense of giving more and taking less. Perhaps, it's him living his dream (to have kids and get married) along with battling its harsh realities and shadows. Perhaps, mother dragon's fervent prayer for him is finally being answered. Perhaps, this is me seeing his light, in a more forgiving angle. Maybe, a little flattering, too.

While I am full on tough love to my only brother, now, may I choose to be his partner instead of his pulis pangkalawakan. As I am keying this in, I am taking deeper breaths. This is not gonna be easy, but, seeing him emerge with growth sprouts is a milestone. Nadali tayo ng correct answer na hindi Samba for the holidaze ni bunso niya.

I'll be back to my work drawing board in a bit. Excited to finish it off, honestly; but time is always a construct and a constraint. Being the go-to elder sister of the universe and saying no more and more is something I'm learning on training wheels. I know this is gonna be tough but I'm ready for the pivot. LUH. Tapang 'yan? LELS. Or baka excited lang ako sa catch up sesh na sobrang tagal planned and 'di na talaga puwede put on hold this Saturday!

[jenringwrites]

WEEKEND ARTINGS: Ballroom, Banned Books, Cuban Art, and Holiday Lights

The weekend starts Thursday night

Fairgrounds’ holiday experience opens at The Factory in St. Pete . Scents of the season features holiday lights, nostalgic holiday scents, and a holiday-themed scavenger hunt.

Powerstories Theatre launches its 2024 season at Shuffle in Tampa with a free “Freedom to Read event…

HCC Gallery 221 hosts closing reception for “Leftovers." Now that you’ve (probably) eaten the last of the leftover turkey, head to HCC Gallery 221 to see what artists Lisa McCarthy and Georgia Vahue did with their leftovers.

TGIF

Gulfport’s First Friday Art Walk comes with a holiday golf cart parade.

St. Pete Collector Muffy Reeder brings Cuban art to Central Ave. for one night only this Friday…

The City of Clearwater lights their tree in Coachman Park with live music, street performers, and holiday activities.

Ballroom culture comes to The Werk Gallery in St. Pete. Vodou Revlon vogues around John Gascot paintings at the opening reception for “Category Is” Friday night.

I had the pleasure of speaking with John Gascot for my first feature story in Watermark – it’s on pg. 37.

Saturday

St. Pete Pride’s Red and Green Holiday Party brings live music, drag, and burlesque to Sunken Gardens Saturday night. The event’s sold out, but I’ll be there covering it for Watermark, so look for those photos.

Jobsite celebrates their 25th birthday with a variety show at New World Brewery in Tampa Saturday night.

Sunday Funday

97X’s Next Big Thing brings The Black Keys, Bleachers, Lovejoy, MisterWives, Little Image and Rohna to The Sound in Clearwater’s Coachman Park Sunday afternoon

[labelleperfumery]

Kim Kardashian Celebrates her 43rd Bday with Fam and Celeb Friends

Kim Kardashian was the epitome of sex appeal for her 43rd birthday bash in L.A. Friday night, ringing in her big night with Hollywood’s elite and her famous fam. KK cut an amazing figure in her seductive fire-red dress with bikini laces and cool… from TMZ.com https://www.tmz.com/2023/10/21/kim-kardashian-khloe-kylie-kendall-kris-hailey-bieber-sanchez/

[rpmtrish]

SHELBY AMERICAN ISSUES LAST CALL TO HONOR CARROLL SHELBY WITH CENTENNIAL EDITION 2023 SHELBY F-150 SUPER SNAKE TRUCK

Executives with Shelby American , a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc. (CSBI:PK), issued a “last call” to honor the company’s founder with a commemorative truck by introducing a Centennial Edition Ford Shelby F-150 Super Snake . The stunning truck, which honors Carroll Shelby, was introduced on Friday, September 29 during the annual Team Shelby Bash in Las Vegas. Only 100 of the four door 800* horsepower 2023 Carroll Shelby Centennial Edition Super Snake trucks will be built. “Throughout his life, Carroll Shelby tinkered with anything that had wheels to maximize performance, including trucks,” said Gary Patterson , president of Shelby American. “Carroll especially enjoyed driving performance trucks on the street. In fact, he drove pickups more often than any other vehicle during his last few years of life. It’s fitting that our final build to honor him will be the Carroll Shelby Centennial Edition Super Snake F-150.” Carroll Shelby had a long history with performance trucks and SUV’s; he experimented and built various models over the years. That interest led to many influential truck programs and the introduction of the offroad-oriented Shelby F-150 Carroll Shelby Centennial Editon pickup in 2023. “The demand for the lifted, high-performance Centennial edition Shelby F-150 was extremely strong, leading to a rapid sell out of the special edition trucks,” said Vince LaViolette , Shelby American Vice President of Operations and Chief Designer. “At the same time, fans of the lowered street-focused Shelby Super Snake F-150 began to clamor for a Centennial Edition truck. We took the same approach to this commemorative model by adding more power, increasing the stopping power and giving it the distinctive Shelby good looks. The result is a fast four-door street truck with the awesome capabilities that Carroll Shelby expected. Having spent so many years working directly with him, I’m confident Carroll would be proud of this truck.” The 2023 Ford F-150 is based on the Lariat 4x4, 5.0-liter SuperCrew, the 100 Centennial Edition trucks come standard with 400 standard horsepower; and an optional supercharger boosts the V8 engine to 800* horsepower. The heavy-duty suspension and underbody of the Carroll Shelby Centennial Edition truck were built to handle the street with a Shelby by Ridetech Suspension System featuring adjustable FOX coilover shocks and new upper control arms up front while FOX adjustable Shocks, a new sway bar and track bars keep the rear in place. The interior was completely redesigned to elevate truck ownership experience with style, comfort and utility. The truck has black stitched black leather covers with Centennial Edition logos, “race red” lighting, the official Shelby serial number and Shelby floor mats. Each truck has deep tinted windows to keep the interior cool and a ram-air-style hood. A total of 100 four-door Centennial edition trucks will be built for the US market. Starting MSRP for the truck is $127,995 (naturally aspirated) and $136,995 (supercharged); they have a 3 year/36,000-mile warranty including powertrain. Shelby American gave those attending the Annual Las Vegas Team Shelby Bash a first peek at the vehicle. The event included an exciting lineup of the latest performance vehicles, track days, parties, tours, a poker run, scavenger hunt and car show. The Friday night banquet featured racing Legend Don “The Snake” Prudhomme receiving the Carroll Shelby Spirit Award from the Carroll Shelby International board just after the surprise truck unveiling. “As part of our celebration of the Carroll Shelby Centennial, Shelby American surprised those in attendance with a personal introduction to an exciting limited-edition truck,” said Tracey Smith , Team Shelby International Director. “This demonstrated Shelby American’s tremendous support for the club, as well as a major benefit of membership. Everyone was thrilled to witness the ‘birth’ of the Centennial Edition Ford Shelby F-150 Super Snake as we celebrated Carroll’s 100th birthday.” Each Carroll Shelby Centennial Edition Super Snake F-150 includes membership in Team Shelby , the worldwide club established in 2008, and will be eligible for documentation in the official Shelby Registry . The package includes the same style black Stetson hat that Carroll Shelby wore. The 100 trucks are offered through select Ford dealers in North America. Individuals interested in a Shelby vehicle can visit their local dealer or go to www.shelby.com/en-us/Vehicles . *Horsepower ratings based on use of 93-octane fuel **Supercharger available for post-title sales only About Shelby American, Inc. Founded by legend Carroll Shelby, Shelby American, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc. (CSBI:PK), manufactures and markets performance vehicles and related products. The company builds authentic continuation Cobras, including the 427 S/C, 289 FIA, 289 street car, Daytona Coupe and Shelby Series 2 component vehicles; it offers the Shelby GT, 1000, Super Snake, CODE RED, Carroll Shelby Centennial Edition, SE and Shelby GT500KR post-title packages for select model 2015-2023 Ford Mustangs. Shelby American also offers the Shelby Raptor, Shelby F-150 Super Snake and Shelby F-150 trucks, as well as the Shelby F-250 Super Baja. Heritage cars include the continuation 1965 Shelby GT350 competition model, 1967 Ford Shelby Super Snake and 1968 Ford Shelby GT500KR. A post-title package is also available in Europe for the current generation Ford Mustang Mach-E GT. For more information, visit http://www.shelby.com . Read the full article

[richdadpoor]

Ranveer Singh Makes Stylish Appeanrace In Mustard Pants But Leaves Don 3 Fans Disappointed; Watch

Last Updated: August 19, 2023, 08:57 IST Ranveer Singh arrive for Riteish Sindhwani’s birthday bash Ranveer Singh arrives for Riteish Sindhwani’s birthday bash on Friday night. Ranveer Singh is currently basking under the success of his recently released film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani. Well, the actor has also been in the headlines after Don 3 was announced. The actor has replaced Shah…

[aurorabayrpg]

EVENT 001 {JAN 18th-23rd} OASIS' MONTHLY BEACH BASH

Every month Oasis Nightclub decides to take their festivities out of the club and down to the sand! So join us this Friday for a night of music, dancing, and celebrating as we start of 2023 with a bang!

OOC INFO UNDER THE CUT!

Our first little event!

Every month, Oasis takes over the beach, with a DJ booth set up in a lifeguard tower, a pop-up bar, and music and dancing that goes on all night! This month, the beach bash will be on Friday, January 20th.

Starting at 8pm and going until 3 in the morning, pretty much the entire town will be there, so wear your best looks and come ready to party!

Additional Info:

While in game it's Friday night, the dash will be open for event posts starting Thursday Wednesday! at 2pm EST until Monday.

During this time non-event posts can continue! but please tag them pre-event.

There will be a DJ, a bar, tiki torches and lights strung up, and a bonfire after midnight. Feel free to use your imagination and plot all you'd like during the party!

We will allow three event starters to be posted off the bat, after that please reply to those before making your own!

Please use the tag aurorabay.event for any starters!

You can also make outfit posts! Please tag @aurorabayaesthetic if you do so we can reblog them (and don't forget to post them in the aesthetics channel on discord!)

Participation in game is totally optional! We don't expect every character to be the party type, so again, feel free to continue pre-event threads to keep up activity during the weekend!

Have fun!