#rock&read 113

[2015mai24]

[bourbontrend]

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[doyouknowthisanime]

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I've got some good news - I've finished tallying up the results of the favourite anime survey and can now, finally, reveal what Tumblr's favourite anime actually are. To start with, I'd like to thank everyone who responded - yes, all 1172 (wow!) of you - and to apologise for he delay in actually getting these results out. For anyone who needs a reminder, these results are based on how many points each anime received - a first place ranking was worth five points, a second or third place ranking was worth four, a fourth or fifth place ranking was worth three, a sixth-tenth place ranking was worth two, and a eleventh-twentieth place ranking was worth one. When multiple anime had the same number of points, the anime with the most first-place votes was placed higher. The results are below the read more right here - I hope you enjoy reading!

100. Yona of the Dawn - 82 points

99. Devilman Crybaby - 83 points

98. Monogatari Series - 83 points

97. Lucky Star - 84 points

96. Toradora - 84 points

95. Dr. Stone - 86 points

94. Princess Jellyfish - 86 points

93. ERASED - 87 points

92. Noragami - 87 points

91. Wolf's Rain - 88 points

90. Azumanga Daioh - 90 points

89. Paranoia Agent - 90 points

88. Odd Taxi - 91 points

87. Banana Fish - 93 points

86. Digimon Adventure - 95 points

85. Akira - 95 points

84. Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni - 95 points

83. Psycho-Pass - 96 points

82. Little Witch Academia - 96 points

81. Monster - 97 points

80. Mononoke - 98 points

79. Free! - 99 points

78. Kekkai Sensen - 99 points

77. Trigun Stampede - 102 points

76. Haibane Renmei - 103 points

75. Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters - 104 points

74. Gintama - 105 points

73. Violet Evergarden - 107 points

72. Dorohedoro - 113 points

71. Made in Abyss - 113 points

70. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury - 113 points

69. Eizouken ni wa Te o Dasu na! - 115 points

68. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - 116 points

67. SK8 the Infinity - 117 points

66. Samurai Champloo - 117 points

65. Your Name - 118 points

64. Castle in the Sky - 119 points

63. Perfect Blue - 119 points

62. Promare - 120 points

61. One Punch Man - 122 points

60. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - 126 points

59. Kiki's Delivery Service - 129 points

58. Kaguya-sama: Love is War - 136 points

57. Inuyasha - 136 points

56. Assassination Classroom - 142 points

55. FLCL - 143 points

54. Pokémon - 144 points

53. Death Parade - 148 points

52. Dragon Ball - 150 points

51. Natsume Yuujinchou - 157 points

50. The Apothecary Diaries - 158 points

49. Revue Starlight - 159 points

48. Durarara!! - 160 points

47. Yu Yu Hakusho - 162 points

46. Naruto - 163 points

45. Black Butler - 165 points

44. Attack on Titan - 167 points

43. Houseki no Kuni - 168 points

42. Steins;Gate - 172 points

41. Cardcaptor Sakura - 186 points

40. Code Geass - 186 points.

39. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun - 187 points

38. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. - 192 points

37. Kill la Kill - 194 points

36. Bungou Stray Dogs - 194 points

35. Baccano! - 198 points

34. Bocchi the Rock! - 201 points

33. Chainsaw Man - 208 points

32. Demon Slayer - 209 points

31. Serial Experiments Lain - 213 points

30. Jujutsu Kaisen - 227 points

29. Spy x Family - 236 points

28. Howl's Moving Castle - 238 points

27. Princess Mononoke - 240 points

26. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - 241 points

25. Sailor Moon - 249 points

24. Mushi-shi - 249 points

23. Princess Tutu - 254 points

22. Nichijou - 263 points

21. Trigun - 265 points

20. Spirited Away - 266 points

19. My Hero Academia - 266 points

18. Fruits Basket (2019) - 269 points

17. Soul Eater - 292 points

16. Sousou no Frieren - 300 points

15. Yuri!!! on Ice - 333 points

14. Fullmetal Alchemist - 364 points

13. Ouran High School Host Club - 374 points

12. Death Note - 437 points

11. Cowboy Bebop - 450 points

10. Haikyuu - 457 points

9. Neon Genesis Evangelion - 496 points

8. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure - 496 points

7. Hunter x Hunter (2011) - 516 points

6. Revolutionary Girl Utena - 537 points

5. One Piece - 633 points

4. Puella Magi Madoka Magica - 664 points

3. Mob Psycho 100 - 943 points

2. Dungeon Meshi - 985 points

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - 1106 points

Congratulations to FMA Brotherhood for winning! For more detailed results, go to this spreadsheet. Once again, thank you all for participating, and waiting so patiently for the results!

[accirax]

Disventure Camp All Stars Power Ranking (Round 19)

The finale begins!

In case you haven't seen my previous power rankings, the Power Ranking Format is essentially a way of ranking how well each player is doing in the game. So, in essence, this is a long form way of predicting who I think will be eliminated from the competition in the next episode. There will be spoilers for last week's episode (obviously) and its power ranking, so make sure to read that first if you don't want to be spoiled on how I ranked our last boot. If you want more clarification on the rules, that first post will help you out as well. Furthermore, I'm going to be spoiling the preview for next episode, so if you want to go in TOTALLY blind, save this for later. Let's go!

Recap - The Motel Episode

Current Score: 76 acquired/113 total

(Points versus @venus-is-thinking: 27 acquired/38 total)

Bench Points: 8/10 (so far)

(Note: Scoring for Fiore, James, and Yul was taken from the Motel episode. Scoring for Tom, Aiden, Lake, Connor, and Miriam are taken from the preview.)

Well, that was... not what I expected! I mean, all of the character dynamics and fun banter I mostly expected-- other than that one last shot at some Yul depth-- but the setup for the three finale helpers being chosen by a first-dibs challenge was not. And, even if I knew that that was going to happen, I probably wouldn't have guessed that Fiore, James, and Yul would be chosen as the helpers to Ally, Jake, and Riya. I look forward to seeing those unexpected pairings gain more focus in the finale.

Yeah, I think that pretty much everything else I had to say, I covered in my initial thoughts. There's less to talk about here when no one was actually eliminated. So, let's look at the trailer!

Trailer Analysis

Looks like Emily will literally have to drag Trevor into being complicit kicking and screaming. Surely Derek and Trevor won't have a misunderstanding this episode that is resolved romantically in the last episode, right?

I'm guessing that Ally and Jake are practicing here? Notably, it appears that Jake wins the practice race. I'm sure that won't get in Ally's head.

Ooh, are they doing the Survivor-style finalists' breakfast this season?

Is this one of their letters from home? Why is Jake smiling while reading it? Out of the two of them, I would guess it's probably Riya's letter, but it could also be a surprise Connor's letter or something.

We're back in the mines from Season 1! Some bonus trauma for Jake, as that challenge occurred in the episode where Ellie berated him before he got eliminated.

I guess maybe they have to mine/dig for clues?

Despite the two seemingly getting along while eating breakfast, Ally will still sabotage Jake's team via giving James a rock to the face. Maybe that'll make James think twice about emotionally supporting Ally. (/j)

So, Emily's act of sabotage (for this episode at least) is releasing the scorpions onto the campers in the midst of an otherwise peaceful challenge. Hooray for murdering people...?

First of all, Jake needs to stop engaging in long jumps where he barely makes it to the other side. Secondly, this is probably the same gap that we see Riya putting a bridge over multiple times in the trailer, which may imply that Jake and James reach this area before Riya and Yul.

Of course, everyone is going to wind up in the same tunnel at the same point in time anyways.

This is interesting because, in the last shot, Riya was in the front of the pack. But now, she's throwing a rock at Ally, who's ahead of her. I wonder which scene happens first.

"C'mon, everyone! Let's do the Jake cheer we've been practicing!" "One, two, three, four! Gooooooo--" "And, that's enough of that! Here come our finalists!"

James looking so dead inside while doing the cheer has me dead. Based on this, I'm guessing that Ally will have Hunter, Tess, Grett, Gabby, and Ellie, as well as picking up Alec, who's there to support Fiore. That would leave Jake and Ally with even benches, and Riya with no one other than a mandatory Yul. I feel really bad for Ally, though, given that Jake picked up both Ashley and Connor. It makes sense why both of them would pick Jake (they befriended him first), but I hope she doesn't take it too hard.

Power Ranking

I don't even think anyone is getting voted out this episode, so I'll keep this formality relatively quick.

#1: Jake

Jake is still my winner pick, as he has been for a while, and nothing other than his elimination is going to change that. Going up against Ally + Fiore and Riya + Yul is a stellar combo for Jake, because no way ONC wants Fiore or Yul to actually get their hands on any money. The only mildly confusing thing is that James would wind up winning money from the show again (despite being the first boot, even), but I have half a mind to believe that he'll just donate that money to Ally anyways.

I think that James is here to be an audience insert. Having barely participated in the game at all, James is still of the belief that Jake is exactly the same as he was at the end of Season 1, no matter what Aiden tries to tell him. By being someone who had no faith in Jake who learns over the course of the finale that Jake truly did become a more thoughtful and responsible guy, ONC will use a character that the audience loves to prove why they too should root for Jake's victory. They want to prove to the nonbelievers that Jake has improved, through him mending his relationship with his first DCAS burn. Or at least, that's how I see it, as a Jake winner truther since the beginning of the merge.

#2: Ally

While an Ally/Riya finale feels basically impossible to me, a Jake/Riya finale is plausible. Offputting, but plausible.

Ally has been in the strange position of being rootable but unlikeable for most of the game. I believe that she could turn it around and win, if ONC is going for a plot twist ending, or that she could be taken out now as the lesser of two evils to let the real baddie shine in the finale. Most likely, though, I believe she'll take second, learning some important life lessons and maybe getting some money from James.

Fiore is probably here to be the devil on Ally's shoulder. She'll suggest something cruel and unusual, and it'll be up to Ally to decide whether she can resist those urges, or whether her fate will fall to villainy. Fiore also may be here as someone who can comment on her relationship with Hunter. She saw the beginning where they were fighting, but she's also been at the Loser's Motel for long enough that she probably knows how Hunter feels about her now. If she's feeling nice, she could use that as motivation.

Let's go team Fiore!!!

#3: Riya

If someone is eliminated in this episode, it'll be confusing in and out of universe if it isn't Riya. She has Yul as a partner and a second disadvantage, and no one should want to work with or root for her. She's also obviously not going to win the season, so if the writers want to keep up suspense for who does, they should eliminate her and leave the finale to Jake and Ally. Really, the only reasons why I don't think she would be eliminated this time are because 1) it's so obvious and 2) I don't think anyone will actually be eliminated this episode.

I think that Yul is mostly here for the comedy of it all, and so that the writers didn't have to choose who he would genuinely choose to root for otherwise. There is also some juicy potential for something I've mentioned before-- for both of them to reflect on their shared tendency to sabotage themselves by always choosing material success over building relationships or choosing to be kind. If we're lucky, we'll get some reflection on that, but I'll be happy with just a Riya/Yul cringe comp.

Alright, I've probably hit my government-mandated word count now that I've yapped about the helper choices a bit. Excited for the finale! Let's end this season on a high note!

[mindblowingscience]

Even after two centuries of research, paleontologists still know relatively little about certain expanses of time in the Age of Dinosaurs. The middle part of the Cretaceous, from about 83 million to 113 million years ago, is among them. Paleontologists have long wondered how the famous faunas of the end of the period—Cretaceous celebrities like Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Ankylosaurus—came to be, yet researchers have been thwarted by the scarcity of fossils in the preceding time periods. Now a new dinosaur from the 99-million-year-old rock of Utah is helping to fill in the fossiliferous gap. Named Iani smithi after the Roman god Ianus, said in mythology to oversee transitions, and paleontologist Joshua Aaron Smith, the newly discovered dinosaur is known from a partial skeleton that includes much of the skull as well as portions of the spine and limbs. In life, the beaked, plant-munching creature was about 12 feet from the tip of its snout to the end of its tail. And as North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences paleontologist Lindsay Zanno and colleagues described Wednesday in PLOS One, this dinosaur helps outline the changes that led up to the classic dinosaur communities of the Late Cretaceous.

Continue Reading

[defira85]

FIC WRITING REVIEW 2024

Thank you to @iapetusneume for tagging me!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some qualitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either. Artists and gif makers, please also join in with any quantitative or qualitative stats or facts you want to share about your year.

Words and Fics

6 fics published

411, 630 words (yeah baby we're BACK)

Top 3 Pairings Relationships

The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash

Gale Dekarios/Female!Tav

on a technicality for having the most chapters written about them in a multi-character fic, Astarion Ancunin/Female!Tav which I am a little annoyed at myself for. That boy has plenty of fics about him, I need to do better

Top 5 by Comments

Keep Telling Me To Breathe (177 threads, 376 total)

A Heart As Cold As Ice (68 threads, 127 total)

(And So) My Heart Became a Void (58 threads, 113 total)

Not All That Glitters (37 threads, 78 total)

A Girl Called Midnight (10 threads, 20 total)

Top 5 by Kudos

Keep Telling Me To Breathe (270)

A Heart As Cold As Ice (71)

Not All That Glitters (49)

I Love You, Franc (34)

(And So) My Heart Became a Void (30) TIED WITH:

A Girl Called Midnight (30)

Top 5 by Hits

Keep Telling Me To Breathe (6851)

A Heart As Cold As Ice (1257)

Not All That Glitters (807)

(And So) My Heart Became a Void (739)

I Love You, Franc (219)

KTMTB really is the monster outlier fic huh. It's my Spiders Georg

Fandom Events in 2024

Gortash Week July 2024 - what an absolute blast this was. So much good stuff that week! Excellent fics! Amazing art! Great edits! Good good friends! I had so much fun with this week AND managed to post my first three entries while undergoing a monstrous day of travel from Alaska to Vancouver to Brisbane and then home.

Gortoween 2024 - My plans for fic didn't pan out BUT I did post one of my first ever big art projects, reimagining Gortash and my Durge Kassara in the movie Constantine

BG3 Villianmas - Another event where I tried my hand at art instead of writing! I threw together four pieces in total for the Villain Christmas prompts, and to the surprise of nobody it was all Gortash art

BG3 Winter Big Bang - This one is in progress, but I signed up last year and I had my first check in a few weeks ago. I'm being overly ambitious and attempting fic AND art, we'll see how much that shoots me in the foot haha

Writing Reflection

I rediscovered myself this last year thanks to BG3. I really do feel like I was in a creative coma for four years which, valid, life has been incredibly traumatic as a health care worker since 2020 for obvious reasons. And not just writing but learning how to be an artist as well!

It's not just that I rediscovered HOW to write again and found my motivation, but I fell in love with the act of being creativity and the joy of writing, and more than that, I fell in love with fandom as a community again. Making new friends, being brave enough to message people. Persevering with posting even when it felt like I was talking to the void in the early days (we've all talked a lot about how fandom has changed so I won't rehash it here) and trying to help shut that void up for other people.

I'd like to have time to read more fics in 2025, and continue to engage in community. It's been incredibly invigorating taking part in events again, I haven't done it in over a decade and I'm just so delighted by it

I want to do the Friday Reviews thing that I reblogged earlier, and uplift more writers. I want to do more art, learn how to do actual lineart instead of painting everything because it takes so fucking long. And I hope to bring a little bit of joy and excitement to others that the last year has brought to me

Tagging @flamemittens @elinorbard (did you already do this one? I can't remember) @chronurgy @sankttealeaf and anyone else who feels confident enough to share their stats with the class! Be brave!

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 153.brb x oc

a/n: i love a good protective rooster. It's so great...I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE LIKING THESE CHAPTERS TOO AAA(reblogs and comments are super encouraged <3)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: JUST FLUFF!!! ROOSTER IS A GOOD HUSBAND OH MY GOD

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/

/100/101/102/103/104/105/106/107/108/109/110/111/112/113/114/115/116/117/118/119/120/121/122/123/124/125/126/127/128/129/130/131/132/133/134/135/136/137/138/139/140/141/142/143/144/145/146/147

/148/149/150/151/152

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @novastories @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy @booklover2sblog @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @dhwanishah09 @jesfreedark @katiemcrae @lilmonstrjedi @hobiismyhopeu @teacupsandtopgun @insominac23 @gh0stsgoodgirl @mygyn @chavivaelisheva @genius2050

-

If there was a way to describe what Beatrice was feeling right at this moment was…a mix of desperation and a huge amount of ‘ i should've just stayed home’. The nausea was getting bad, as in,really bad. She had to stop for a moment, close her eyes and inhale as deeply as she could when what she could only explain as a whirlpool in her stomach happened.

She was trying her best to stay calm and focused, because those corpo guys were there and Penny couldn’t kick them out without a reason…which also wasn’t good. The patrons weren’t used to seeing full on suited businessmen sitting on the corner, it wasn’t normal, it wasn’t part of their routine and they kept chuckling or pointing at them.

Maverick was sitting on his usual spot by the bar, eyes moving from the guys to Beatrice who was with her back to him, one of her hands clenching the fridge handle so tight he could see her knuckles turning white with how strong she was clenching it. He knew that Rooster went to the bathroom when he walked inside, telling his uncle to ‘keep an eye on Bea’ since she wasn’t feeling good.

“Kiddo.” he calls, folding his arms and leaning forward when Beatrice was still as a rock, “Bea,Beatrice.”

“Huh?” 

“Are you alright- damn kid, you look pale.”

Oh no.

“Oh,um,no,I’m fine.” she smiles weakly, clearing her throat as she turns towards him, “D-Do you need anything,Mav?”

“No,I wanted to check on you,that’s all.” he gestures to his own beer bottle with a small smile, “Brad said you aren’t feeling that good tonight?”

“Uh, yeah,” she wipes a glass with her rag in hopes to keep herself distracted. If she breathed in and out slowly, she could manage it just right. Of course the nausea wasn’t just leaving her body but she was happy there was a way to control it for now, “It’s…nothing really, probably something I ate.” she swallows hard and then gives Pete a nervous smile, “B-But I’m fine!”

“Hm…alright.”

“A-Anyway, um, so what do you uh…think about those guys?” quick, more distraction, “The ones who are hounding the bar?”

Maverick turns his body to where the said group was seated, he stares at them for a long while then chuckles, “They won’t last a month.”

“Really?”

“They can’t handle the heat of owning bars like these.” he smiles, sipping his beer, “It’s not about the money,Bea. It’s the atmosphere. And because people like Penny…and they like you and Shells and Jessie,” he smiles, “Because it’s welcoming, those guys can try but what do they know?”

Beatrice smiles softly, clearing her throat again and looking up when she saw Rooster’s colorful shirt appear by the corner of her eye, she tried to tell him without words that she wasn’t feeling the greatest and maybe they could leave early…but at the same time she felt guilty because she didn’t want to leave Penny and Shells alone in there. Her husband looks up at her when he sits down, his cheeks puffing up and eyes crinkling when he smiled so sweetly at her.

He mouths the ‘you okay?”

And Bea took a while to reply, instead of words she offered him a thumbs up partially hidden by the cup. Rooster obviously didn’t like that, but he didn’t show it too much either, at least not with his body. He arched his brow then nodded towards the front door ‘wanna leave?’

With the same hand she did a left to right motion with her fingers straight, ‘no.not yet’

His left eyebrow rises higher, ‘you sure about that?’ another thumbs up and then an ‘ok’ with her index and thumb. Bradley licked his lips but nodded, relaxing a bit on his seat as he stayed next to Maverick, nursing himself with some water as his uncle smirked at him. It takes a while for Rooster to notice Maverick is looking and once he does, his uncle’s smirk only widens, “What?”

“It’s cute you two have a code of some sort.” he points to Beatrice’s far away form,”It was obvious you two were talking about something but I couldn’t figure out what.”

“Maybe you didn’t have to figure out what it was.” he murmurs while keeping his eyes on the brunette, “It’s couple stuff,Mav.”

“Still pretty cute.”

“Shut up.”

While Bradley and Maverick were busy chuckling to each other, Beatrice could feel beads of sweat rolling down her face because it was getting harder and harder to hold that back. She clenches her hand on the faucet handle as she watches the glass mug fill with the golden liquid, stopping just in time for the foam to reach the top. With an inhale for courage, she slaps on a smile and turns to the patrons waiting for it.

She stays there for a while, only moving when she feels a presence next to her and the wisps of blonde hair she could see over her shoulder showed that her best friend was there. Shells tried to play as if she was helping Beatrice wash the glasses, their shoulders touching.

“Hey, you good?” her friend asks with her brows furrowed, “You look kinda pale.”

Oh,not her too.

“I might need to do a quick bathroom break.” she whispers, setting the dry glasses on the counter, “Cover for me?”

“I will, what do you need me to do?”

“Keep Penny occupied, Rooster is going to come right behind me.” she looks up to check where her boss was, ‘Please?”

“Count on me,babes. Go on,I know how to get her attention.”

Beatrice nods, pulling out her apron and walking out of the bar. Rooster immediately stands straighter, about to follow her only for Beatrice to hold four fingers, meaning to wait until she was away and count to four…if he followed her right now not even Shells’ distraction was going to work on Penny.

Maverick knew something was going on, but he just assumed it was because Beatrice was sick, nothing else and his nephew just worried a lot about her. He brought the bottle to his lips as Rooster tried to follow Beatrice without being too obvious - which wasn’t really easy considering who Rooster was.

But the pilot did follow Bea to the employee’s bathroom, well, to the door. He stopped right in front of it, pressing his ear to the wood and frowning when he heard what was going on inside, “Babe?” he frowns more at another obvious sound,”Gorgeous, you okay?”

“No.” she coughs after saying that “I feel like shit.”

“We should go home,I can talk to Penny.”

“...I can’t leave-”

“You can’t l-Beatrice you are thro-” he keeps his voice down, looking back to the main area then back at the door, “You are throwing up,gorgeous…please, just let me talk to Penny, she’s going to understand.”

“...I…I don’t know…”

“You know she will…please baby,you are not okay.”

“Maybe I-I’ll be okay now. I just threw up anyway.”

Her good heart was going to give him issues one of these days. He sighs, sliding his hands into his pockets as he purses his lips, “....fifteen minutes.”

“Huh?”

“If you feel bad again in fifteen minutes,I’ll carry your pretty ass out of here and back home. I’m serious,babe. You are not going to feel bad the rest of the night and stay here because you want to help…do you think Penny will appreciate knowing that?”

A pause, followed by a sad, “No…”

“Then it’s settles.” he leans his shoulder against the wall and waits until she comes out, “...how do you feel?”

“So-so.” The toilet flushes and is soon followed by the sound of a faucet opening and water hitting the porcelain, “It’s better…I’m okay…”

“Hm.”

“...are you mad?”

Rooster sighs, rubbing his eyes with his finger tips, “I’m worried.” he replies, watching the door open and Beatrice’s head pop out. He pays attention to her face, cupping her cheeks to check on her complexion,”You aren’t that pale anymore…you are flushed, and there’s no sweat clinging to your cheeks…” her skin was a bit damp too, “...baby, you know why I worry.”

She looks down guiltily, holding his hands to her cheeks, “I do…I’m okay Rooster,I promise you that.If I feel worse,we can go home. Okay?”

“Okay.” he leans down to peck her lips, only for Beatrice to touch his lips with her fingers and laugh gently.

“No,Roos.I’m still working…and I’m chewing gum right now, because…well.” his pursed lips curve down onto a frown and he leans back, clearly forgetting that Beatrice was still at the bar for a brief second. His hands also took a while to let her body go, knowing that touching was only allowed when they were out of there and away from Penny’s eyes, “Just a few more minutes.’

“Yeah,well,” he lets her walk out first, “It’s what I’m hoping,gorgeous.”

“I know.” thankfully the way out was not as packed, so she could slip in through the crowd towards the bar again. Rooster sighs, trying to ease his anxieties when he makes his way back, trying to appear casual, sitting back next to Mav who didn’t even look up at him when he sat down.

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah,” Rooster answers when he leans his elbows over the bartop, “Just a stomach bug.” he says softly, still keeping his eyes on Beatrice who was now - unfortunately - serving one of the businessmen. He keeps one of his hands over his mouth to cover it, as he directs a question to Mav, ‘Have they been drinking anything?”

“Each of them asked for something different.” his uncle says, gesturing to the one asking Beatrice for a drink with his pinky, “That one, he didn’t ask for anything though. In fact he was probably waiting until everyone else did.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

Rooster didn’t like the smile he was throwing Beatrice, nor the way he appeared relaxed. He just watched with his eyes slightly narrowed, trying to hear what the conversation was and thinking that as soon as seat vacated next to the guy he was coming closer.

Beatrice, however, was just being her polite self towards the man, asking him what he wanted and whatnot. He wasn’t…bad looking, but he clearly wasn’t her husband. He did work out and he had some facial hair albeit it was much of a trimmed beard than a mustache “Here,” she says as she places the beer bottle in front of him, trying to appear neutral towards this…businessman. “Anything else?”

‘Oh, no,no. You are a very good bartender.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes, you’ve been here long?”

Beatrice inhaled softly, then nodded, “Mhm.”

“And…do you get paid well?”

“That doesn’t concern you.” she smiles curtly, “Now if you are done, there are more people behind you, so,” she nods away from the bar so he could take the hint and leave. But he just smiled, bringing the beer to his lips.

“Just saying, you might get new opportunities.”

“Just saying, I don’t care.” she snaps, now narrowing her eyes and furrowing her brows, “You should go back to your seat.”

“Ooohh, you got a bite to you, don’t ya?”

“I do, but my husband bites harder.”

“Husband?” he laughs, “And does he allow you to work here?” allow her?? 

“I don’t know, you can ask him- Roos!”

There’s the sound of a stool dragging on the floor and the heavy steps of a very unamused and tall pilot, his shadow casting over the seating man because everyone parted like the red sea so he could get closer. The businessman clearly wasn’t expecting that, but he tried to play casual- and not scared - when he noticed Rooster. “What’s happening,gorgeous?”

“He asked if you allowed me to work here.” she points to the man without any fear in her eyes, “So I thought you could answer him better than me,since I’m not feeling great.” her back turned to the man so she could focus on anyone else but that group. Rooster, who clearly didn’t like how he acted towards Beatrice, just leaned on his elbow to be at eye level with the man.

The suited man just refused to meet his eyes, and tried to slip away towards the table where everyone else was. But Rooster held his shoulder and then shouted, “Penny!” the owner turns towards him, “This guy was bothering Bea.” the look of pure raw delight on Penny was amazing, she even stopped what she was doing to approach them.

She smiles while leaning her weight on her hands, keeping her blue eyes on the group of corpo guys with her body relaxed, “Really?” she hums, “Hey, do you want to know how to have a bar like this? It starts with respecting my employees.”

“I wasn’t bothering her,I–”

“He asked if I was paid enough here.”Bea said in passing, holding a tray up, “And he asked if Roos allowed me to work here.”

“As if you are just a piece of meat, oh, tsk tsk, see.” Penny leans on her elbows now, interlacing her fingers over the counter,”Here on the Hard Deck, we do things differently, we respect the ones who walk through those doors…and those who respect us. Now,Bea,” she turns to the brunette when she returns, “Would you like to tell this man what happens when someone bothers one of the servers?”

“You have to pay for the entire bar.” she ends it with an innocent shrug, “And from what I’ve seen…there’s seventy-eight people,right now…so. Oh- no card either. Has to be cash.” and it was obvious the man was furious but he couldn’t do anything with Rooster holding his shoulder.

He grumbled and cursed all the way back to their table. Rooster kept his eyes on the man who dared to glare over at Beatrice, “Keep your eyes to yourself,bud,” he points to his own eyes, then back at him, “Don’t look at my wife. You hear me?”

“Yeah don’t look at the Miss!”

“Thank you Faraday, now go back to your seat and stop eavesdropping.” the young recruit, who was just close by, saluted him and walked all the way back to his table - not before doing the ‘i see you’ movement with his hands towards the group who was looking defeated and clearly annoyed by what happened.

Beatrice smiles after talking to Penny, holding her bag on her shoulder and gently poking his arm to get his attention, “Roos,I’m ready.”

He smiles, pushing himself to his feet and walking around the bar to grab her hand, “Alright, you good?” she nods, “Great,we’ll go back home and I’ll pamper you like you deserve to be pampered.”

“Tempting.” she says once she waves everyone goodbye, “But I just want to take a bath and drink some hot cocoa, that’s all…can you do that?”

“Can I do that? Gorgeous-” he kisses her forehead, “Don’t you know me?”

[the-ravening]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @zsparz and @six-demon-bag for tagging me! ❤️

1. How many works do you have on ao3? Only 12, because I am a baby writer.

2. What's your total ao3 word count? 86k

3. What fandoms do you write for? Winterbaron, or more accurately, Zemo/everyone

4. Top five fics by kudos: Let's do a top 3, since top 5 would just be like half my fics.

Something Sweet to Eat (142 kudos) Extremely underage Halloween fic, bunny boy Zemo shows up trick or treating at Bucky's house Adopt, Don’t Shop (123 kudos) Omegaverse, bratty teen Zemo is for sale at an Omega kennel and Alpha Bucky goes shopping Gift-Wrapped (113 kudos) This was the first fic I ever posted (just a few years ago) and I'm still pretty proud of it. Just a silly Winterbaron rimming PWP, but it's hot

5. Do you respond to comments? I try to, I always mean to, but I think I'm a bit behind right now. I know there are some amazing comments on Home to Me from last year that I still haven't replied to and I feel bad about it all the time.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Probably Under Lock and Key (what a mess we’ve made), the Heinrich/Helmut Zemo dadcest fic I wrote for @ex0rin where I followed her hurt/no comfort philosophy of leaving him on the floor crying.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I don't know if I really do happy endings? I have PWPs where the happy ending is they both come, if that counts. 😅 Let's say... Ink Kissed (with violent precision) where tattoo artist Bucky gives his client Zemo a dick tattoo, and Zemo ends up quite happy with the tattoo as well as the rest of the service.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I've only gotten one or two of the world's mildest hate comments. I guess my ships are sufficiently niche that no one cares about them.

9. Do you write smut? Yeah! Do I write anything other than smut? No.

10. Craziest crossover: I've only written one crossover, A Suitable Course of Treatment, Bucky Barnes/Laszlo Kreizler from The Alienist, which isn't crazy at all because as we all know, Laszlo has Zemo's face. (If it counts, I once started a Dir en grey x Sailormoon fic where the band members magically turned into Sailor Scouts, but I did not ever get far on it.)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes, the aforementioned Adopt, Don’t Shop was co-written with @violenciorp and @tales-from-a-maphia-don, because Vio lovingly bullied us into it, despite me and Mel ostensibly not being into Omegaverse.

14. All time favorite ship? I've jumped ship a lot over the years, but it's gotta be Winterbaron, since this is the ship that finally got me writing and posting and getting really involved in a fandom.

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? The first serious attempt I made at writing in this fandom was this teen Zemo necrophilia thing, and I wrote the necro part but none of the plotty stuff leading up to it. I still dream of finishing it, in an abstract way where I have no motivation to ever work on it.

16. What are your writing strengths? I think I'm pretty good at rhythm and flow and making my prose sound musical? That's something I focus a lot on and I tend to read aloud while editing to make sure it sounds good to my ear.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Probably plot and dialogue, and figuring out how to include technical details of things I know nothing about. But most of all procrastination, my arch-nemesis.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? I personally avoid it, because I find it annoying to have to look up the translations in the middle of reading. I prefer to just say they're speaking in whatever language but write the dialogue in English.

19. First fandom you wrote in? J-rock RPF in the early 2000s, but I mostly just did a bit of RP and never got far with any fics I started.

20. Favorite fic you've written? Sometimes it feels like every new thing I post is my new favourite, haha. But I thiiiink my fave has been Something Sweet to Eat since I wrote it (the Halloween fic mentioned earlier), because it's probably the most self-indulgent thing I've written to date. I am truly the main audience for that fic and I'm very happy with it.

No pressure tagging: @violenciorp, @tales-from-a-maphia-don, @thepiper0fhameln, @ex0rin, @unlikelymilliner, @evenmyhivemindisempty, and anyone else who sees this and wants to join in!

[in-death-we-fall]

Full Metal Jack Off

Murderdolls' Wednesday 13 on how being a geek is actually cool.

Metal Hammer 113, May 2003

I’ve met a lot of people since the Murderdolls began. Every type of person you can think of – goths, punks, straightedge, Christians, Satanists, country, retard, yellow, black, every kind of weirdo possible, and yes me and my band are included on that list as well!

The interesting thing is each has a different view on certain things and that’s what makes us individuals. So let me discuss what pisses me off about some of these people and the way they think.

First off, I don’t believe people are born cool, we all were dorks and nerds and at some point some of us progressed and some didn’t (me). I hate that a lot of people (particularly musicians) don’t have the courage to admit where they came from or what they used to be into, or just admit they (sic) they like something regardless of how mainstream it is. I have always made it a point to be honest and not deny the things I was into and grew up on. I bought a lot of records that were shit and I bought a lot that were fucking great. So what if I exceeded the limits of buying every hair metal band that got a record deal from the time I was 13 ‘til I was 18.

I won’t expose you, you know who you are, but just be aware that there are people out there that know you are not as cool as you claim to be. Basically I’m saying it’s okay to grow up and learn about music on your own. Everything that you are into does not have to be approved by the general public, nor should you be looked down on for being into something at one point in your life, just don’t deny it. My band is associated with the darker gothic, punk audience, but I didn’t come out of my mother wearing black lipstick, dreadlocks, and a lip ring. I lived and I learned and finally became what I am today. I went to elementary school with a blonde bowl haircut obsessed with GI Joe and Rambo then I went to middle school with blonde hair and a Twisted Sister logo drawn on my jean jacket. I got the shit kicked out of me from time to time and took a lot of shit for what I was into. I dyed my hair black in the tenth grade because of Alice Cooper, W.A.S.P. and bands like LA Guns. Oh no, did I admit that? Am I not cool now?

Murderdolls were on Dawson’s Creek, oh no we sold out. Did we? The word ‘sellout’ is used quite a bit these days. The way certain people claim that others have sold out, really brings up an argument. Just because a band gets popular does not mean that they sold out. I was in an unknown band for seven years. I’ve been accused of selling out by leaving my band to start this one. I’ve even been accused of stealing my own songs – go figure that one out. Here is my clever anti-selling out plan you should all try. If it’s popular don’t buy it, that goes for food, soda, whatever. Don’t drink Coke or Pepsi because they sold out, buy the generic Cola instead. Don’t go to McDonald’s by (sic) a hamburger from an underground street vendor. Wait a minute, I’m selling out by using this computer and e-mailing it to the Hammer offices, the internet is too popular, I think I’ll just mail it by the post office. Oh no I can’t do that, that’s popular too, everyone uses mail.

Maybe I’ll just fly to the UK and hand deliver it, but I’ll have to fly on an underground airline because US AIR would be selling out. If the pilot is a punk rocker I’ll make sure he likes real punk rock bands and not Blink 182 and Green Day because they are too commercially accepted, and that would be selling out.

Sounds stupid? Well that’s just popular opinion put in print. The whole world’s stupid, and now you are just a bit more stupid having read this.

Wednesday 13

[susansluvpage]

The book I'm now working on, tell how you like it, read page 2 also

I Will Love You Anyway

Spent two times having sex with my favorite British singer, Thomas Roberts, whom I cared about , seeing him on a trip I took to England. We had known each other a while but we never had come together before this. I was young and acted a bit foolish at times. Hung around him a bit, but think I made him mad at me a few times. I was nervous around him at first and didn’t know how to talk with him. Back then when I saw him while he was on tour, played my music too loud in my room or opened my big mouth around him too much. Also didn’t know then he preferred his women in dresses. He sometimes was a bit of an old fashion English man. He was famous and well known singer/songwriter in a rock group. He was the lead singer. The group was a combination of American guys and him. 3 guys all together with their backup band. Thomas played the guitar and was lead singer. With a sweet British accent. Devilishly good looking with Chestnut color brown hair and big brown eyes. Had a baby face when he was younger but matured into pure handsomeness as he aged. He was 5’5” 130 lbs. Attracted women like crazy. Since he was highly sexual and wanted as much sex as he could get, he didn’t mind having different women at his beckoned call. Sometimes 2 a day or two together. This was the early 70s’ when his group hit the airwaves and became famous numerous number one songs and platinum selling albums. He became a teen idol along with the two other guys in his group. He was 21 years old then. Mark and George were handsome young men also. Mark played, lead guitar and piano. George played drums and guitar also. They both sang also on the albums but Thomas was lead and the most popular with their fans. There fame went down a bit after they broke up for a while over differences. Now they were playing nightclubs instead of stadiums. Thomas and Mark got the acting bug too and would play in musicals and do television guest appearances as well. Thomas married secretly in 71 and had two daughters. But with him being on the road and not being faithful it didn’t last very long. They just married too young. By 77 he was divorced. He still loved her but couldn’t make their relationship work. He was heartbroken when she asked for a divorce. He closed off his heart then. Drinking and womanising like crazy. Little did many people know he was also struggling with being bipolar and depression. It was showing more as he aged. He also unbeknownst to him had an allergic reaction to beer, something in beer made him act violently and then not remember what he did the next morning.

Thomas is now 28 years old in 1977. Touring with Mark and a backup band. Working as an executive secretary for a law firm Alene was a 21-year-old. 5’2” 113 lbs, 30 DD bust small waist and hips. Long blonde straight hair and big expressive blue eyes. A female receptionist returned from lunch break and told everyone that she seen Thomas, Mark and their band members unloading their bags at the hotel down the street. Found out they were playing at the theater tomorrow. Alene had been a fan of Thomas since his first album came out in 68. I would love to meet him she thought. So, after work she headed for the hotel. She was in no hurry to go home as she was divorcing her husband of 15 months because he was cheating on her. Went over to the hotel, sat in the bar area where people could see the hotel elevators. Then Thomas got off one with his band mates. She got up and went over to him, introduced herself to him. His eyes lite up with interest. He invited her to sit down with them for a drink at the bar. He was so handsome, and her heart palpitated. She became nervous, didn’t know really what to talk to him about. She escaped to the bathroom to try and calm her nerves down. That didn’t work so she had a drink, or two. She doesn’t drink and it went straight to her head. She didn’t understand what she was doing wrong but his interest was waning. Found out later her going into the bathroom too much made him lose interest. That spark of interest was enough to keep her going. She knew he could have any woman he wanted but I thought why not me. She was very much turned on by him. Yes, at first, she just wanted to go to bed with him. She lost herself confidence a bit because of her husband cheating on her. He married her for all the wrong reasons, staying in this country was the main reason. He was from Israel. She found out shortly after they married and heard him talking on the phone to his cousin that he only married her for that reason. She was hurt but did try to make it work. Thomas rejecting her didn’t help her confidence either. Now she decided to try again and kept up with Thomas’s tour schedule. She had a vacation coming up in a couple of months. She had also been in an accident a year ago and had been injured. She was due for some settlement money for that. As they said their goodbyes, Thomas thanked her for having a drink with him and left Alene with a lingering sense of hope and possibility. Though she didn't know what the future held, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something special was brewing between them.

Noticed that Thomas and Mark were hitting smaller town nightclubs. One in Maine they would be there for 5 nights. She found out what motel they were staying at and booked a room there. She remembered that small spark of interest. As he was going to his room he seen her and remembered her. Again she was nervous at first. Then somehow she started feeling a connection with him. She had always been sensitive to some people but with him her connection became stronger. She connected with his stronger feelings and emotions. Now she felt a bond to him. She knew he was concerned about money and his career, he was also sexually frustrated. He was not getting as much sex on the road as he would like to have. She started see him differently and started caring about him. She really didn’t know how to handle such a strong bond with a man like him. I just wish I knew more about what he was attracted to in a woman. One minute his eyes would sparkle with interest then he would walk away. Confuse the heck out of me. She was a bit shy so she was not fourth coming with him either. Wish she had been. Then she not meaning to acted like an idiot. Playing music to loud and taking too many pictures. Was wearing jeans and T-shirt, didn’t know at that time he liked women in dresses. She went him disappointed again. But her connection made her develop feelings for him, she cared about him and didn’t want to give up on him yet. Little did she realize that people around him were protecting him and his secret. When Thomas drank too much especially beer, he became violent sometimes crazy violent. He been known to strike out at people, Or do crazy things when drunk. Didn’t remember anything the next day. There was only one or two people in his group that could control him when he was violent. Mark was one of them. Most of the band mates knew to stay away from him when he had been drinking. There was a story told that a fan was giving him head when she bit his penis accidentally drawing blood. He went off on her hitting her, luckily one of his bandmates got her away from him. Then he screamed and bitched all night about it to everyone. Didn’t remember a thing the next morning. Didn’t always take someone to do something to him for him to go off on them either. Thomas was hurting on the inside badly and had closed his heart to those who really cared about him. He would not let anyone close enough to help him.

Stupid me felt this bond with him. Can’t understand why. Don’t know why I kept putting myself through this rejection. It wasn’t all about sex anymore. Sure I wanted that too but I wanted now to please him also in my special way. I had a secret gift I wanted to give him. I had not given that gift yet again except for the man who taught it to me. I wanted only a special man to have my gift of ecstasy. I went to see him again. This time he was in this city for a whole week. Mark and him were in a musical. Their performance was fantastic. I enjoyed seeing them change things up a bit. They were getting to show their talent off as actors as well. Thomas and I became friendly with each other but not close. He just wouldn’t let me get close to him. I’m wondering now if he somehow sensed my empathy connection to him. I knew financially, he was having problems. He had children to support. He didn’t have much left for himself. I never made demands on him. Maybe should have. He now was using me as a gopher. I should have at least told him to buy me dinner once in a while. Noticed he would have a drink or two but didn’t get drunk, so I had not seen that violent side of him yet. Think Mark would not tolerate his behavior and threaten to separate from him if he kept it up. Thomas was watching himself, so I didn’t even sense it when I was around him. I did sense unhappiness and depression.. just made me want to help him more. He became very good at using women around him for free, both in and out of bed. When he wasn’t touring he would live with one woman, be screwing around on her. Then jump to another woman living on her for a while. He had a girl for every port. Depending on where he was. Sometimes he would spend a little money on them but they were working and putting a roof over his head. He also had devoted fans who felt he could do no wrong. Guess I was one of them. Rose color glasses and all. But my empathy was telling me another story. I knew something was not quite right. Us women think we can change a man, especially by giving him love. But if he doesn’t love you back and wants to change it will not work. Could not figure out what he was looking for then. Will take a lot to open up that heart again if ever.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Hannah’s Prayer

1 And Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. 2 "No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. 3 "Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. 4 "The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble. 6 "The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. 7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. 8 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, And He has set the world upon them. 9 He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail. 10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed." — 1 Samuel 2:1-10 | New King James Version (NKJV) The Holy Bible; New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. Cross References: Exodus 15:6; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 8:17; Deuteronomy 32:39; Leviticus 19:2; 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Samuel 7:8; 1 Kings 8:39; Ruth 4:15; Psalm 18:39; Psalm 113:9; Matthew 8:12; Matthew 25:31-32; Luke 1:46; Luke 1:69; Hebrews 11:32; James 2:5; James 4:10; 1 Peter 1:5; Revelation 1:18

Read full chapter

4 Uplifting Lessons from Hannah's Life and Prayer

[2015mai24]

[progmanx]

I'm gonna lay all of this out right now so it is on the record, and I probably should have done this last week when I actually saw that Ch115 of Black Lagoon was out (and that apparently all of the previously untranslated ones had been translated officially on Viz in like March??? Is the series ending or are they just doing this for everything?) but hear me out:

Majeur is Yukio's older sister.

Okay. I'll explain. I know, "just because they are both from Japan doesn't mean they're related!" and I agree. This would not have crossed my mind if not for the GIANT KABUKI TATTOO on her upper body.

We're gonna circle back to this. Keep it in your brain. Also, I can't believe it but Rei Hiroe actually crafted a scenario where swimsuits were entirely necessary to the story.

That is not a joke. We're gonna get there. Need to set some things up for you.

Majeur apparently had a younger sister according to her former comrades, and the previous Auriculaire (the blonde that kept screaming Majeur was a lesbian) was someone she was so protective of she is still not okay about her death in "L'homme Sombre".

I do not have Vol 12 digitally, so trust me on this one.

I must've read 114 and 115 about fifteen times at this point because I kept finding little things that are so damned interesting (that's a different discussion but no surprise I love it) and at first I'm thinking "well this is the calm before the storm" because that's a no brainer. The comparisons between Revy and Majeur, and the little jokes about "it'll be confusing if one of us dies because we both have tattoos, are Asian women, and you want to ALSO have two guns?" and just a ton of other small and large things would, in any other story, be giant death flags for Revy.

I don't think that's where we're going. I think it's somewhere WAY more interesting considering we already know Majeur's #1 priority is survival and has no real loyalty to Balalaika.

Because all of these little pieces (the diving, teaching her to tie the rope, how the city works; basically everything she ever taught Rock and a few things she learned from Rock...) start to add up about Revy's growth as a person, and how many callbacks and connections are being made to the entirety of the story, combined with Revy breaking up a barfight before it starts between Majeur and Eda (holy shit???) and it paints a picture that is screaming right in our face.

Classic Hitchcock suspense. The bomb under the dinner table that the guests don't know about, but we do. We don't know when it will go off. Only that it will.

Gonna hit you with some stuff.

I don't think it is an accident that Revy's "dream" is wanting people to shoot her in the face and not the back, because she sure as hell lives by it.

I don't think it is an accident that Revy explicitly mentions she has been to Japan in front of Majeur and recognizes the word kabuki (remember!!!) I don't think it is an accident that Majeur is about to say her name at the end of 113 and Rock stops her, trying to be a "cool guy" because on the one hand he is correct, you can be someone else.

Start over. He did. Revy did. Dutch totally did. Balalaika did. Feng did. On the other hand, narratively, what is the one name that exists for a Japanese person to have that would carry any significance?

The one name that the only two people in existence would hear and have a visceral reaction to, as they are the only ones who know what actually happened?

Washimine.

Yukio Washimine.

It gets better, though. Remember that kabuki tattoo? I could go into what each one represents, and they're pretty neat, but more importantly...

He's quoting the play "Sukeroku". Listen, you don't do this TWICE. You don't show us this super specific thing TWICE and not have it be a giant neon sign. This is no damned accident, and it makes sense.

Jane came back. Roberta came back. Why not Tokyo? Throw in Takenaka (this would be INSANE and I am so here for it) and you've got the full set.

Majeur asking about honor when she's taken hostage by Rock, Revy, and Shenua and Rock's response being "That's a mafia thing" suddenly has quite a bit more weight to it.

We know the Washimine group were without a proper leader for a long time, which is what lead to their desperation in calling in Hotel Moscow to deal with the Kosa Kai. A teensy bit of conjecture, but "things happened" is probably about "my dad, the Yakuza boss, was murdered and I fled the country"

Why did Yukio stay behind? Could be that they're half-sisters. Same dad, different moms. Could be a lot of things.

Yukio took up the mantle, Chaka got his hands chopped off, Balalaika holds Rock at gunpoint in a parking garage, etc. We know that story; it's absolutely amazing and needs no reiteration even this many years later.

What does this mean? Why does this matter? Well, Majeur and Ginji both went up against Balalaika and Revy. The latter is dead because he had a reason to live; he wasn't focused on survival.

Majeur? She lost her Yukio. The first time was literal. The second time was in Nigeria. She stopped trying to go after Balalaika and Revy because there wasn't any point to it. She had no one to protect. No one to fight for.

And there's one more thing...

Yeah, man. I think this is essentially Yukio back from hell itself to take revenge on Balalaika. Revy's just the one who shot Ginji. She isn't responsible for the complete eradication of the Washimine group, and she has been trying to help Majeur because she obviously sees way too much of who she used to be in her.

Rock helped Garcia with Roberta, and they told him to fuck off...and rightfully so. It got dark. What dragged him out of the funk? Helping himself, Feng, in a way that was far less destructive and much more productive. What I imagine some have forgotten is that Revy also had an expy (this whole series is just parallel and intersecting character arcs and foils with the strangers who come to down I love it so so much) that told her to fuck off just as much, if not much more effectively and painfully: Fabiola.

Fabiola never needed her help. She just thought she did. Majeur actually does benefit from Revy's advice because, shockingly enough, she isn't filled with nearly as much hate or bitterness as she used to be.

Feng and Majeur were basically the 'second chances' for Rock and Revy respectively, after "The Dance of Death". Take it back further, and this whole thing really could have been trying to make up for how things went down in Tokyo, as Yukio and Ginji were far more explicit and direct foils than Roberta, Garcia, and Fabiola ever were.

And this isn't even getting into the Balalaika side of things. That's a whole other conversation. God, I love this series so damned much!

Revy making a bet with Balalaika with Majeur as the---oh, shit, right, I don't have Vol 12 digitally, but you just have to trust me that Hiroe did bring the "people are like dice" concept again, but it was REVY who did it. It was when they're driving Majeur after she starts talking, and Revy responds with something like "Why do you care? You already threw your dice."

Majeur has direct access to Balalaika at some point in the future. She has the perfect ticking time bomb of a motive to want her dead, and Revy's gamble might make Majeur too well connected and too skilled to be stopped before it is way too late.

No idea how this will pan out, but I fucking love this series.

[artsyape]

My reading list for 2023. * means at least one queer character. GN means Graphic Novel. I think my top three were Welcome to the Monkey House which was short stories by Kurt Vonnegut, Bones Beneath My Skin because TJ Klune writes so gorgeously, and The Skull by Jon Klassen just because it was slightly unhinged and I love kids books like that. Also 7 (7! Like holy cow) were kink novels by my writer friend that I am an arc reader for that were just absolutely perfect.

1. Everleigh’s Ring *

2. Malibu rising *

3. Legends and lattes *

4. One true loves

5. Meet Me By The Fountain

6. An unexpected kind of love*

7. I Exaggerate my brushes with fame

8. Carrie Soto is back

9. Check please books 1 and 2*(GN)

10. The reservoir

11. Teen titans: beast boy (GN)

12. Teen titans: beast boy loves raven (GN)

13. Everything is beautiful and I am not afraid *(GN)

14. Quiet girl in a noisy world(GN)

15. Everything is ok (GN)

16. Ashes(GN)

17. New Kid (GN)

18. Best short stories 2022

19. Mazebook (GN)

20. House of many ways

21. Castle in the air

22. Not If I Save You First

23. Heartbreak Hockey*

24. Lessons

25. Wild Akers *

26. Wild ash *

27. Teen titans: Robin GN

28. My aunt is a monster GN

29. Welcome to the monkey house

30. Rosalin Palmer Takes the Cake *

31. Cats cafe GN

32. Belle of the ball GN *

33. Other Boys GN*

34. Murder most actual *

35. The greatest thing *

36. Gender queer *

37. The tea dragon society GN*

38. The tea dragon festival GN *

39. Hungry Ghost GN

40. The Tea Dragon Tapestry GN*

41. A first time for everything GN

42. The best we could do GN

43. In limbo GN

44. Squire and Knight GN

45. Why Didn’t You Tell Me

46. Snapdragon GN *

47. Anya’s Ghost GN

48. Sensory life on the spectrum GN*

49. The girl and the glim GN

50. Why are you like this GN

51. The Dragon Warlord *

52. Always Never GN

53. In the lives of puppets *

54. Chefs Kiss GN *

55. Moonstruck vol 1 GN *

56. Moonstruck vol 2 GN *

57. Moonstruck vol 3 GN *

58. You Better Be Lightning (poetry)*

59. The Bones Beneath My Skin *

60. Avant Guards vol 1 GN*

61. The language of seabirds*

62. The fiancée farce *

63. Wintering the power of rest and retreat in difficult times

64. Avant Guards vol 2 GN*

65. Avant Guards vol 3 GN*

66. The electricity of every living thing

67. Aquicorn cove GN*

68. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

69. Nice and accurate good omens tv companion *

70. The Waste Land (ts Elliot)

71. Dodger

72. Unmasking Autism *

73. Brothers of reckoning *

74. Demon Copperhead *

75. Things in the basement GN

76. Paris Dalliencourt is about to crumble *

77. Dr. Who Pest Control

78. Dr. Who The Forever Trap

79. Dr. Who Feast Of The Drowned

80. The skull Jon Klassan

81. The rock from the sky

82. The personality brokers

83. Dr. Who The Resurrection Casket

84. Light carries on* GN

85. Northranger * GN

86. Basil and Oregano * GN

87. Keeping two GN

88. The magic fish * GN

89. Good omens *

90. Dr. Who the last dodo

91. Dr. Who the stone rose

92. Fangirl vol 2 GN

93. Fangirl vol 3 GN

94. My happy marriage Vol 1 GN

95. My happy marriage Vol 2 GN

96. My happy marriage Vol 3 GN

97. Faint of Heart GN

98. Us *GN

99. Four Color Heroes *GN

100. Merry-go-round * GN

101. Hedra GN

102. But you have friends GN

103. Bear otter and the kid *

104. Queer: a graphic history*

105. The Ojja Wojja *GN

106. Across a field of starlight *GN

107. The moth keeper * GN

108. Going remote a teachers journey GN

109. Hot dog (Caldecott winner 2023)

110. Boom box mix tape

111. Haruki murakami’s manga stories

112. Princess princess ever after *

113. All systems red -murderbot

114. The Infinity Particle

115. Famous in a small town

116. Starborn Husbands *

117. Artie and the wolf moon *

[bibleversegarden]

Heartstrings: Glorious Praise to the God of Heaven and Earth

Praising God from a pure heart, acknowledging Him in all of our ways, is pleasing in His sight. He is God, Creator, and Ruler of all. We have no life apart from Him. The life of every living creature, and the breath of all mankind is in His hand. (See Job 12:10)

He has no pleasure in disloyal hearts. (See 1 Samuel 15:20-23, Isaiah 29:13-14, Ezekiel 33:31-32, and John 4:21-24)

"Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven." (Lamentations 3:41)

"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand." (Psalm 95:1-7)

See Also: Psalm 1, Psalm 2, Psalm 3, Psalm 4, Psalm 5, Psalm 7, Psalm 8, Psalm 9, Psalm 13, Psalm 16, Psalm 18, Psalm 19, Psalm 22, Psalm 23, Psalm 24, Psalm 27, Psalm 28, Psalm 29, Psalm 30, Psalm 33, Psalm 34, Psalm 42, Psalm 43, Psalm 47, Psalm 48, Psalm 50, Psalm 64, Psalm 65, Psalm 66, Psalm 67, Psalm 75, Psalm 81, Psalm 89, Psalm 92, Psalm 98, Psalm 99, Psalm 100, Psalm 101, Psalm 103, Psalm 104, Psalm 105, Psalm 106, Psalm 107, Psalm 108, Psalm 111, Psalm 112, Psalm 113, Psalm 115, Psalm 117, Psalm 118, Psalm 134, Psalm 138, Psalm 144, Psalm 145, Psalm 146, Psalm 147, Psalm 148, Psalm 149, Psalm 150

For deeper meditation, read the entire Book of Psalms.

Speak to one another, in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always, for all things to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. {Ephesians 5:19}

- A Walk In The Garden Devotions

[daintydoilypon]

Another apparently spicy unpopular opinion below??

I would suggest reading the whole thing before commenting, appreciate it!:

I decided to bring to light some drag shows that abused the, for lack of better terms, rules/perimeters/laws/etc, that showed kids sexual content, but first-

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ACTUAL BILL. NO COMMENTARY, HOW IT WRITTEN CURRENTLY: https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/113/Bill/SB0003.pdf

Here’s the part that is the under debate if you don’t want to click the link:

“"Adult cabaret performance" means a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration;

SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-51-1407, is amended by adding the following language as a new subsection: (c) (1) It is an offense for a person to engage in an adult cabaret performance: (A) On public property; or (B) In a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult.” I’m assuming like public parks or near schools.

I’m putting this here in bold, because everyone bypassed my take. I’m fine with drag shows that are age appropriate like this one:

 This performer looks like they would be a part of the kid’s show, Lazy Town. It’s age appropriate, it’s colorful, it’s fun, the costume has books on it, I can see Ms.Frizzle rocking it.

The shows I have an issue with are the ones that stated they are “family friendly/kid friendly” but then do things that are very much NOT, ie the drag bar that allowed kids in, but had a neon sign that said “it’s not gonna lick itself” while in lingerie and accepting money from the kids, then doing grinding/humping motions on other performers or towards the kids, one that was completely naked sans a thing of tape, which was being used to tuck, in front of a child, or specifically one that had a performer have anatomically correct “fake” naked tits being surrounded by a box (like the ‘dick in a box” gift, but with tits) and background performers were in Thunder Down Under reindeer attire while grinding/dry humping, another had peppermint tits then pushed them up to lick them, one had a zipper in the crotch and they unzipped it and something plopped out-I’m actually dumbfounded because someone commented on my post that they were fine with kids being exposed to sexual content as long as it was “fake”. Like...what????

There’s age appropriate ways of teaching kids whatever values you wish: tolerance, acceptance, etc etc. Adult oriented drag shows ain’t it. The Ms.Frizzle-esque drag IS and it seems like it won’t effect shows like that since it specifically states “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest”. Please, please, please, always, always, always, read something for yourself instead of gripping onto a commentator. It causes panic when it doesn’t need to. Everything is fine, it only effects ADULT oriented shows and it doesn’t ban them completely, it just keeps them in adult spaces and away from the eyes of kids that don’t need to see it yet.