#dijon is not far from here

[emberdune]

what the fuck is my package doing

[soft-persephone]

A Fresh Start 1

Mother’s Milk x Fem!Reader

M // WC: 1.3k // warnings: eventual smut, potential descriptions of mild violence, but mostly fluff, mostly sweet, typical romcom shenanigans // masterlist

“I don’t wanna go to the party.”

You sucked in a breath, holding back a sigh of frustration.

“TT, you need to make friends.”

Life was not what it should be, especially when 8 year olds are worried about your social life and general well being.

“Momo, I’m an adult,” you started softly, mustering all the cool calm collected and comforting and safe space energy you could, “and I take care of you. Not the other way around.” You put a hand on her shoulder, sliding it up and down her back.

“Thank you for thinking about me and caring about me. I love you just as much.” You studied her, hoping you weren’t making anything worse, “but you don’t need to worry about me. There’s nothing to worry about. Go have fun with your friends and I’ll be here when you’re ready to go or the party ends. Deal?”

“Will you at least be on your best behavior?”

You sighed.

“Go play with your friends.”

“But I just—“

“Now, Mo.”

Kids. You shook your head and grabbed the tray of food you made per the list that was sent out.

“You made it!” One of the mom’s wrapped her arms around you. You did your best not to look as uncomfortable as you felt.

“Thank you for having me.” You smiled and gave her the tray.

“Uhm, Sweetie. . . What are these?”

“Pigs in a blanket. Slightly charred A grade beef sausages, the mini ones of course, wrapped in a croissant dough, dusted with a caramel Dijon mustard and pepper sauce.”

“They’re third graders.” Sheila blinked at you.

You pouted with a huff.

“They’re just pigs in a blanket!”

“Sheila stop giving her a hard time.”

“Hi, I’m Tracey.” She looked back to you with a smile.

You introduced yourself slowly to all the other parents.

“So you’re Monice’s mother?”

You squeezed your hand.

Of course they all knew. At this point who didn’t.

“Uhm,” you took a breath for courage, “I’m actually her Aunt. Her mother didn’t make it through the accident.”

That’s what you had to call it, but it was far from an accident. Your dead sister in law and your brother in critical condition in a comma is not what you call an accident. Especially, when the forces that caused it had enough power in the world to prevent it if they weren’t such careless fucks.

But you couldn't say that part out loud or you’d get sued.

Some people gasped and you wanted to shrivel up and disappear. You wanted everyone to stop looking at you like you were about to break because you were, but it’s hard to keep it all together or at least just look like it with so many eyes on you.

“How are you holding up through all this?”

“We’re uh, we’re good. Monice obviously needed some therapy after what happened, and she wouldn’t do it unless I did it with her, but I honestly needed it too.”

Someone had made you a plate.

The pasta salad was amazing and the ribs spectacular. It was good to be around your people. You ignored the growing ache of your family. You all had been in shambles since the accident. Your mother barely talked to anyone. Your father was angry, but somehow rather a calm in the eye of a storm. He was holding it together for everyone, but at his age, he did not need to be doing anything like that, and nothing you said calmed either of them down.

“And you’re doing this alone?” Someone chimed in with a hand over their heart.

“Well, I had a boyfriend, but I guess he,uh wasn’t ready. He basically said he couldn’t be there for me.” You realized that might sound harsh, so you continued in an effort to diffuse the reality of your words, “he took me on a date to this beautiful restaurant we loved.”

You smiled at the thought, fighting tears.

“It was all so nice. . . And then he just started talking about how emotionally draining being with me was. How he didn’t want to start living with a kid and change his whole life around. That he still wanted more time and that it was just too much for him.” You picked at the roll on your plate.

“I always thought I had more time too, but none of that matters. Momo’s entire life has been turned upside down and she doesn’t know if her father will ever come back into her life or not. She’s scared all the time.” Your voice cracked.

“And this past Monday I was on the phone with my therapist just opening up trying, just trying, to get to a good place so I can be there for Mo, but she overheard me say I Feel like I’m alone and drowning with everything and that I just want my big brother back and now she’s so worried about me being alone and always asking me about my friends not being there for me like they were before and I just—“

Fuck you didn’t mean to say all that. You don’t mean to cry.

“Should we?” Sheila looked at Tracey who only shook her head.

“Maybe you should talk to Marvin?”

That’s all everyone in this community says.

“I heard Monice used to go to a different school?”

You but your lip. Unsure what to say.

“She was suspended.” You said matter of factly.

“After everything she’s been through?” Tracey asked.

“Everyone experiences trauma different. I want to curl into a ball, stay in my bed, and cry all day.” You sighed at nothing in particular, “Momo gets angry. Other kids still love superheroes and she lives in a world where superheroes took her family away. Long story short I’m in an office and they're telling me she’s a bully and has to go because her behavior is unacceptable.”

“That can’t be right.”Sheila said, aghast. “She’s a little black girl. It must be some sort of a mistake. You know how they are when we aren’t perfect all the time and I heard it was a pretty prestigious school.”

“I’d love to believe that was the case, but it’s not. She owned up to it. Told me everything and now we have to face the consequences of our actions, so bye bye old school, old friends, and all the other stuff.”

Everyone kind of stared at you.

Fuck.

You said something wrong. Or you don’t look so heartbroken and beaten down and broken enough, Or was it your parenting?

It was probably all of it.

You got overwhelmed, you wanted to chill out, you wanted to scream, you wanted to cry, but you got through it.

You looked out at the kids running around with large bubble wands and toys galore.

Momo seems to be having the grandest time with another little black girl. They chased each other with large bubbles, attempting to pop them on each other’s head.

She made a friend.

All of a sudden your shoulders were falling back and down into something relaxed. You were exhaling a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

Were you that tense the whole time?

You shook your head and made your way to the desert table once more.

There were these croissant donut things or some type of pastry. It looked so good, but you couldn't tell which one you wanted most. Between the decadent looking chocolate and the mouthwatering matcha strawberry. You couldn’t tell which one might taste better.

You only wanted one.

“You must be related to Monice?” A rich deep voice interrupted you.

You slightly turn around to meet warm brown eyes and equally comforting dark skin.

Butterflies filled your stomach. You chased the feeling down by fiddling with your fingers, still looking at him so it doesn’t come off as awkward as you felt.

“What gave it away?”

“You both stick your tongue in your cheek and pout when you can’t decide between more than one thing.”

You huffed a laugh through your nose. Your eyes rolling dramatically around not sure what to look at.

“I do not pout.” You crossed your arms. “I’m not a child.

“Well you're acting like one.” He picked up both croissants with a napkin and placed them on two plates. He gingerly cut both in half with a knife and swapped one of the halves. “Here, now you can have both.”

You held out both your hands. Looking at the plate and back up to him.

“How-how?”

“What do we say?” He ignored you. Taking a step into your space, leaning down so his face was in yours and staring.

“Stop.” You laughed but he didn’t move.

“Ugh, fine.” You smacked your teeth. “Thank you.”

“I’ll take it, but you could sound more grateful.”

“Mm.” You grunted at him and took a bite of the matcha one first.

He followed as you sat on the edge of the patio to continue to watch the kids play outside.

“Why don’t you come back in with the rest of them?”

“You mean inside with the women?”

He gave you an unamused look.

“You know what I meant.”

“Well, they started playing fuck marry kill for the Vaught dummies.” You picked at the corner of your paper plate, “and I excitedly yelled kill Homelander before anyone could say anything.”

You expected him to empathize. Maybe even give you a: damn, that’s tough. In the way some black men talk when they can’t express emotions, but what you don’t expect him to do was laugh.

“It’s not funny.” You muttered into your chocolate pastry as you took a bite.

“What did they say?” He bellowed and put his hand on his stomach.

“Nothing!” You laughed as he wiped a tear. “And that’s what makes it worse. I sorta lied and said I had to go to the bathroom and I’ve been out here ever since.”

“Well it’s nice to not be the only one around here.”

“The only one around here what?”

He looked at you. Really, looked at you.

“Who hates Supes.” He said lowly, leaning in so no one walking by could hear you.

You didn’t say anything and took another bite of the matcha one. You winced and he sort of turned to you, extending a hand as if he was going to hurily fix whatever was wrong.

“It’s fine,” you explained with a lick of your lips, “the matcha one doesn’t taste as good when you take a bite of the chocolate one before it, “it took me by surprise.”

“Oh.. right.” He put his free hand back on his plate, taking the piece of matcha pastry and stuffing the whole thing in his mouth, making him look 30 years younger.

A really really big kid.

You wanted to tease him for it.

But instead you handed him a napkin.

He silently took it before popping his thumb in his mouth and placing it on your cheek. You held in a breath as he wiped it across the corner of your mouth.

“I—“ you started.

“bad habit. I have a—

“DADDY!!”

A little girl squealed and ran up to you both.

You held a hand over your eyes to block the setting sun.

The man you wished you had asked a name of did his best to discretely lean away from you without his daughter noticing how close you were.

His daughter didn’t notice, but Momo was studying his every move.

Fuck, how were you about to explain this? Or rather, what is it that she thinks she saw and were you about to have a conversation you did not want to have. . . How much did she see?

“This is my new friend Monice! She goes by Momo or Mo!” His daughter went on and on to her father about every little fact about Mo, filling you with absolute glee.

Kids had that effect on you.

Whatever they were feeling just filled you up to the tips of your toes on steroids. Whatever she was about to ask him for you hoped he said yes. Who could say no to her? Certainly not you, but other adults seemed immune by this supernatural power obtained by every child. How? You’d never know.

It was your kryptonite.

“Can she spend the night?”

“Or can she spend the night at my house TT?” Momo excitedly interjected.

You looked up at, Daddy from where you were sitting on the patio. He had his arms crossed in thought but as he looked down, you could feel him telling you to pull yourself together.

You bit the inside of your cheek whenever you were deciding how to parent.

“Maybe some other time when me and Mr. . .”

“Milk” He filled in for you.

“Can talk about it? Okay?”

“What she said Janine.” Was all Mr. M said.

Janine was about to open her mouth to say more, but Momo knew better and pulled her away with a sigh.

“I can never have anything!” She frantically exclaimed as she dragged her friend away.

“But we —“

“No. We can’t!” Momo yelled back just to make sure you heard her.

Kids.

“You let her act like that?”

You narrowed your eyes and bit back a smile.

“Like what?”

“Oh, you know what I’m talking about.” He stuffed the other pastry in his mouth and brushed his hands together to get rid of the excess crumbs, making sure they didn't hit his clothes, “you’re spoiled too.”

“What makes you say that.”

“Spoiled children raise spoiled children.” He said it matter of factly, like it was wise somehow, and pulled a wet wipe out of his pocket. He handed you one as well before neatly putting the packet back in his jacket pocket.

“Sounds really funny coming from you.” Was all you said in the same casual tone he used before, taking the wipe and cleaning the excess sugar and sticky residue from your hands.

“Oh yeah.” He challenged, crossing his arms.

A cheeky grin slowly formed on your face. .

“Not when your daughter is clearly a Daddy’s girl.”

“Let me stop you right there—“

“—Who clearly gets everything she wants and more from you.” You raised a finger to his chest and he leaned in letting it touch him.

You don’t realize how excited you had got. Your cheeks were puffy with tears from laughing and your chest heaving from raising your voice for so long.

“And you love it.” You added with a huff and parted lips.”

“Takes one to know one.” He huffed. Perfectly still and unaffected, a wall of calm, but you saw the twitch of his lip.

“Look who’s pouting now.” You smirked.

He pulled away from you with a smack of his teeth and a groan.

“You got lucky.”

You curled your feet in the grass before you. Taking in the sounds and sights around for the first time, letting them wash over you, truly enjoying them since the first turn you arrived.

You were lucky.

.

.

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in next chapter:

@megamindsecretlair @nerdieforpedro @planetblaque @chaithetics @notapradagurl7

[trainsinanime]

The shapes of railway networks

A while ago @ariadsishereagain asked me about countries that have no railway networks, and what I think of them. That's a fascinating question that has been in my mind ever since, because the truth is you can tell a lot about a country and in particular it's history during the 19th and early 20th century by its railway network. So let's do that. And the best way to do that is by looking at the incredibly detailed open-source world railway map OpenRailwayMap, a part of the OpenStreetMap project. I really recommend it! And let's start with one of my favorite examples of how railway networks differ:

At this zoom level the site sadly only shows incomprehensible internal abbreviations rather than city names, so let me explain: What we have here are France and Germany, along with some of the UK and Italy, some of various neighbouring countries and all of Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg.

France and Germany are the ones that I find the most interesting, because the shapes of their networks are so different. Not only is the german one much more dense, but you can see completely different patterns.

In France, the job of railroads is to bring people to Paris (PLY, short for Paris Gare de Lyon) The lines stretch out into every part of the country, but almost all of them converge onto mainlines going into Paris. You can see some lines along the coasts and the borders, and there is a medium distances circle around Paris (passing MZ, DN, TO, short for Metz, Dijon, Tours). This whole pattern is known as the Legrande Star, after Baptiste Alexis Victor Legrande, the french government official who designed it. His goal was to provide great access to Paris, the nation's undisputed political, cultural and economical centre. A couple of decades later, Charles de Freycinet added plans to connect all departments to the railway network, but he still followed the idea that the ultimate goal of almost every rail line was Paris. And so it was, and largely remained. Even the high speed lines, in red, follow this pattern to this day.

A result is that you will have to go to Paris whether you want to or not. Lille-Strasbourg? You're going through Paris. Bordeaux-Dijon?

You're going through Paris, and get to make your own way from Gare Montparnasse to Gare de Lyon on the Metro (and it isn't even a direct metro, you have to change trains). It's a massive detour but it's not like you have a choice.

Even if there is a direct TGV or a connection outside the main stations of Paris, you're still ending up very much near Paris; the difference is just that you're not going via the city centre, but rather via Disneyland. Legrande wanted to bring people to Paris; he was less concerned about connecting other places with each other.

Now compare Germany, and you will see a network that is more dense, but most importantly, utterly chaotic. You can see hints of a France-like star around Berlin (BSPD, short for Berlin Spandau, which isn't the most important station but what can you do), but it's really only dominating its immediate surroundings, the region of Brandenburg. You can see vague hints of a similar star around Hamburg (AH; don't ask) or Munich (MH), but also a massive tangle around the Rhine-Ruhr industrial area (around KD), or around the Frankfurt am Main area (FF). Red high speed lines are essentially random. Some of them do go to Berlin, sure. But many, like the one from Cologne to Frankfurt (KD to FF) or the one from Hanover (HH) south, do not.

And that really reflects the history. Germany wasn't a unified country when railroad construction began, and even though it did unify shortly thereafter, there's no hiding that its different parts developed separately, with no central planning, ever since the middle ages. Germany doesn't have a single central city like France. Berlin is the biggest and most important city, but not by far. Hamburg has huge cultural and industrial influence, Frankfurt is the most important financial centre and airport, Munich is huge, and there are agglomerations like the Rhine-Ruhr region that used to beat all of them in terms of industry. And the rail network, with no single central focus point, reflects that.

That doesn't mean Germany doesn't have its own blind spots. Due to being split in two, the east-west links aren't great. Getting e.g. from Cologne (near KD) to Dresden (DH) is pretty painful. Ironically, Berlin is one of the places that really suffers from this. There are plenty of trains to it from Cologne but they take forever, and you can see why: A lot of the route isn't high speed, it's just more or less upgraded normal lines. If you have a single destination, then it's easy to build all the lines there. If you want high-speed connections between everything, that's more difficult. (Also, our government isn't investing anywhere near enough into the rail network, both compared internationally and on its own terms, but that's a different issue)

Other countries in Europe tend to be somewhere between the extremes. Spain is fairly centralised around Madrid.

The UK is just as focused on London as France is on Paris, but it has strong regional networks around Leeds and Sheffield, and the weirdness in Scotland (four different lines between Glasgow and Edinburgh and counting!).

Italy, especially south of the Po valley, almost looks like a ladder: Lines are either on the one side of the Apennines or the other, with a few brave ones crossing through.

This works overseas as well. Describing the continental US as "like Germany" is certainly going to raise some eyebrows, but the map doesn't lie:

It's all on a completely different scale, but it's also a federal country with no one single clear centre. Yes, New York and Los Angeles are big and important, but neither is an all-powerful centre of the nation. What's fun about the US is that it's almost gradient-like: The more west you go, the fewer the railroads get. You can also nicely see the Alleghenies by the shadow they cast: Just a few brave rail lines managed to make their way through or around. Other characteristic items are the huge tangle that is Chicago, the closest thing the US has to a railroad capital; and the many places where lines are almost duplicated (just count how many different ways you can get from Chicago to Memphis, or Chicago to Cleveland), thanks to different competing railway companies that all hated (and sometimes still hate) each other's guts.

So that's what's mostly considered the "western world" or "industrialised world". I skipped Japan, China and India because the post is going to get too long no matter what, but they're all fascinating as well.

But if we go away from there look at countries where the colonialism was less settlers and more exploit mostly from afar, we see another very odd pattern emerge, like here in sub-saharan Africa:

The selection is somewhat arbitrary because you can find the same pattern everywhere south of the Sahara, and in one case (Mauretania) even in the Sahara: A railroad that goes straight to the coast. (The isolated sections inland are due to issues with the map software, they're all connected to one of the lines to the coast)

This kind of railroad is designed to extract a country's resources, and not much else. In Mauretania (not in this picture), that's iron ore. Elsewhere it might have been other ores, precious metals, gemstones, but also very often agricultural products, spices, dyes. The railway line exists to take these things, and bring them to a port. The line is not designed to actually help the nation grow economically. Think about it: All things being equal, you're probably just as likely to want to go parallel to the coast as perpendicular to it.

Also, each of these lines were built because there's something interesting at the end of it, or at least someone suspected there might be. If you wanted to develop the area, it would make sense to trade the interesting stuff in Togo with the interesting stuff in Benin. But the railway lines are not set up for that at all. The goal is to get the interesting stuff to a ship, and occasionally soldiers to the place where the interesting stuff comes from.

These days, the area that I screenshotted here is actually massive, full of people. The city of Abidjan has more than four million inhabitants (more than Berlin), Lomé has 1.7 million, Cotonou and Porto-Novo come close to a million if taken together, and nobody's quite sure about Lagos, but it's at least 14 million, and the metropolitan region might be 24 million. This is a band of cities that researchers think might, in the next few decodes, become on par with Washington-Philadelphia-New York-Boston in the US, or the Tokyo-Osaka in Japan.

And the rail connections in this region do not reflect this at all. A high speed passenger line and/or a heavy duty freight line could allow all these places to do business with each other, allow people to move to or visit each other, and just spur a lot of economic development. But the powers that built the lines, the colonial powers, were not interested. They had their harbour, and the region behind it, and they just wanted to extract whatever was there.

To be clear, that does not mean the railroads are evil now. Selling natural resources is still better than bringing no money into the country. And there are a lot of places where railroad junctions and depots became the point where cities were founded, so in some countries these lines do end up connecting the most important cities, more or less by accident. It's just that other lines or more lines are sorely missing.

A simple example for how this could look like is provided by Australia, where the colonists were settlers and did want to develop the land economically:

You have the lines from the coast inland, and sometimes quite a lot of them. But you can also see a line along the east coast, connecting the cities, and you can see that someone said "we need to build a railroad across the entire continent. No, two actually". That is not to say that Australia does everything right with railroads, they have a lot of weirdness there. But you can see that the railroads had more jobs than to just move resources to ships.

(The big exception is the Pilbara region, in the north west, with its odd tangle of lines. Those are all just resource extraction lines, where the world's heaviest freight trains haul iron ore from various mines to various ports. The mines and ports are owned by different mining companies that don't like each other, so everybody has their own line from their own harbour to their own mine, even if a different line would have been shorter. That's why you get the tangle there.)

So, that's basically it. The railroad map of a country shows you a lot about how a country works, and more specifically how it worked during the late 19th and early 20th century, when most railroads were built. Where they lead to and where they don't reflects what planners thought of as important, and in turn, it has shaped the way these countries developed. And personally, I always find this endlessly fascinating.

[whencyclopedia]

Battle of Marengo

The Battle of Marengo (14 June 1800) was one of the most important battles in the career of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821). It not only helped bring the French Revolutionary Wars to an end but also did much to consolidate Bonaparte's new position as First Consul of the French Republic. The battle became a major piece of propaganda for the Bonapartist regime.

Background

In the months after he seized power in the Coup of 18 Brumaire, First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte was far from secure in his new position. He was still considered by many to be an up-jumped Corsican opportunist, and he had no shortage of rivals – such as generals Jean Bernadotte and Jean Victor Moreau – who would be glad to see his fall from grace. Further, the French Republic was still embroiled in the unpopular War of the Second Coalition (1798-1802) against an alliance of anti-French powers including Austria, Russia, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and Naples. This conflict was part of the broader French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802), meaning that by January 1800, France had been perpetually at war for the better part of a decade. With much of the general populace war-weary, Bonaparte knew he had to deliver a swift, decisive victory if he wanted to win the support of his people.

His first step was to order the formation of a 30,000-man army based at Dijon, primarily consisting of soldiers who had been on garrison duty in the provinces. Though Bonaparte fully intended to lead this army over the Alps to fight the Austrians in northern Italy, its true purpose had to be concealed; it was named the Army of the Reserve and was placed under the command of Bonaparte's trusted chief of staff Louis-Alexandre Berthier.

While onlookers believed the ruse that this was merely a reserve force, Bonaparte secretly prepared the army for campaigning. Soldiers were trained using the 'canteen' system, whereby eight veterans and eight recruits would march, eat, and camp together, fostering a sense of camaraderie and allowing the recruits to learn quicker. Meanwhile, Bonaparte worked with war minister Lazare Carnot to procure 100,000 pairs of boots, 40,000 uniforms, and 2 million rations of biscuits for the army at Dijon. The First Consul also ordered all major field forces to adopt the corps d'armée system, breaking each army down into mobile and semi-independent corps; this would become a staple of Napoleonic warfare.

As his army was being prepared, Bonaparte poured over maps to decide where he would cross the Alps. He decided to take the main part of his army across the 2469-meter (8,100-foot) Great St Bernard Pass, while a division under General Adrien Moncey would take the St Gothard Pass. During one strategy meeting, Bonaparte purportedly asked his secretary, Bourrienne, where he thought the decisive battle would be fought once the French had gotten over the Alps. "How the devil should I know?" asked Bourrienne, as the First Consul drove a pin into a map on the plains of the Scrivia River. "I shall fight him here," said Bonaparte. It was the exact spot where he would fight the Battle of Marengo three months later, a demonstration of Bonaparte's quick and perceptive mind (Roberts, 252; Chandler, 275).

Continue reading...

[dreamerinsilico]

Stovetop Mac 'N Cheese

Because I just ate my leftovers from yesterday and am still happy about it:

(Please note all measurements are guesses; I didn't actually measure anything.)

8 oz pasta of choice (I like cavatappi but anything works, really)

1-2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1/4 to 1/3 cup ricotta cheese

1 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 oz grated romano cheese (or your other favorite hard, salty Italian cheese)

1 slice American cheese, like a Kraft single (yes this is important)

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

splash of half-and-half, milk, or water

salt & pepper

sprinkle of nutmeg

Any kind of powdered onion/garlic/allium to taste

Cayenne and/or paprika if you feel like it

Chopped parsley, also if you feel like it

Boil the pasta in salted water with a splash of oil to al dente. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in a pot/pan (preferably nonstick) that will comfortably accommodate all the pasta. Whisk in flour to make a loose roux, and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, or until it smells appropriately nutty.

Splash in liquid (half and half, water, milk, stock, or even cream) to make it looser, also stirring/whisking constantly, then add ricotta. Stir that till the ricotta is warm.

Add the drained, cooked pasta back to the pot, with some reserved cooking water if you've thought that far ahead (I didn't); otherwise just some water or whatever other liquid, just enough so it doesn't stick to the pan.

More butter if you feel like it.

Sprinkle in grated cheese and American cheese slice, and add mustard, salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you want.

Add more liquid as needed. Stir until hot and the consistency you want.

Top with parsley, tomato, paprika, whatever. Maybe stir in some steamed or roasted veggies, for a full meal.

(American cheese singles have an emulsifying agent that's actually important for getting the sauce right, here.)

[husina]

Track Analysis

This will be a long post and most of you will skip it, understandable ngl. However over the summer, a X post emerged claiming that N named an album after JD, and some tracks from the album were leaked. A X post shows July 22 as a starting point. There might have been discussions about this earlier, but I couldn't find any information, so I'll use July 22 as my reference. I'll only look at events up to that point. Since this is a X post, everyone should take it with a grain of salt, but the songs mentioned in it interestingly reflect the summer events, which is why I want to analyze them now. As far as I know, no one paid much attention to it at the time (at least I didn't) but it has piqued my interest now. Better late than never. Lol. I'm not a professional music critic, but I did study lyric analysis in school, though that was nearly a decade ago, so my knowledge isn't current and may not be entirely accurate. I'll always include an official analysis as well for those who are only interested in that, as they are also quite telling.

Even if N has nothing to do with the album, I enjoyed analyzing it because whoever put it together did an excellent job. Although the album is named after JD, I believe, as I went through the tracks, that they perfectly describe L and N's situation, the feelings they have for each other, and what has happened between them since the first "papgate" and before.

Why don’t I think it’s about JD? Because I’m a Lukola shipper. Period. Just kidding, it’s not just because of that, but it is significant. My loyalty belongs to them, and I analyze things related to them based on that. However, more importantly, as we have gotten to know them over the years, especially during WT, the album seems to fit them better. It aligns with the image they’ve portrayed in the SOCIAL MEDIA. Yes, I don’t know their private lives and what feelings or thoughts they have, so I wanted to highlight that.

Moreover, most of the tracks fit L and N very well. N has mentioned several times how much he likes the new Billie Eilish album, and two tracks from it are included here. One is "Birds of Feather," which he specifically talked about in a Canadian interview with Buzzfeed, saying it will be a perfect song for a Polin edit. He also shared the track "The Louvre" by Lorde in his story after Brazil, and a bunch of us believe something significant thing(s)must have happened between them, as the song also suggests. We know that Luka likes The 1975, and there’s a track from them as well. Additionally, Matt Healy, the frontman of Sunshine Baby, worked on the track, providing vocals and assisting as a producer. Based on this, the list is strongly connected to them.

Dog Eyes by Dijon 

Hands grip the back of the wide lens

You tell me to smile and I do

I'm wide-eyed when I think about you

I'm wide-eyed when I think about you

Glory, glory, well, I could cry now

So I avert my eyes and I do

And I'm red-eyed when I think about you

And I'm red-eyed when I think about you

See ya later

No way, no way, no way

See ya later

Hands on my chest when you lie down

A sea of grey and black around you

I get dog eyes when I think about you

I get dog eyes when I think about you

Save me, save me now

Your new eyes look pretty on you

Your new eyes look pretty on you

On you, babe

On you, babe

On you, babe

On you, babe

On you, babe

On you, babe

On you, babe

On you, babe

Oh, if I die today

Will it be without grace?

Will it be violent? Will it be tame?

Will I be silent? Will I be brave?

I don't wanna go

Don't wanna go

This would have been a very long introduction. For anyone who has read this far, thank you. I will analyze the tracks from an emotional perspective, focusing on how they relate to L and N rather than just analyzing the songs themselves. This means that there will be a lot of assumptions made. For those who are not interested in this, I recommend the official text-based analysis. However, songs are fundamentally emotional, as they impact us in some way when they stay in our heads or become our favorites, especially from an emotional standpoint. So, my analysis will also reflect this aspect. I just wanted to clarify this upfront.

So, the first track I chose is my personal favorite from the album. It reflects a bit on the "papgate" and the subsequent feelings that might have been expressed by Luke. Since I believe he might have contributed this piece to their little album (because he loves to suffer), I will focus on him, with N appearing through him.

I chose this song because it's one that most people have heard the least about. I didn't know it at all before the album, not even the artist. It's not going to be everyone's favorite, and I didn’t like it at first either, but on the second and then third listen, it clearly became one of my favorites. So, I recommend giving it a few more chances if you haven't heard it yet or if it didn't appeal to you initially and perhaps you can brodan your horizons.

The first line of the verse begins with "Hands grip the back of the wide lens." "Hands grip": This suggests that someone is holding onto something firmly with their hands. Just like A held L's hand, because you can see in the pictures that it was a determined step, confident and tight. There's no doubt that even their fingers were intertwined. By holding his hand, he didn’t just hold his hand; he confirmed their relationship. He made it clear that what we saw on WT was just an illusion and PR to sell their season, and we were delusional to think it was real. Luke was just an actor doing his job, and now that it's over, he's returning to reality, and that's where we belong, too. By holding L's hand, he placed a huge burden on him, which still affects him—that from this moment on, they are a couple in the public's eyes, no matter how quickly he tried to free himself from the handshake (the guy literally ran away), but in that moment, their relationship became official without a word being said. Especially since on WT, a significant confirmation happened through a handshake—another twist of the knife in the fans' and (N's hearts).

"The back of the wide lens": Refers to the rear part of a camera lens, specifically a wide-angle lens, which captures a broad field of view. The lens here could refer to the paparazzi photographers' cameras that appeared out of nowhere and ruined six months and another eight months of work, as there are many people who still haven't watched the second half of the season due to the "papgate." (Personal opinion: If those pictures hadn’t come out, WT wouldn't just be in sixth place—although that's an impressive achievement in itself—but it would definitely be in the top five on the all-time list.) The cameras captured a moment that will never disappear from the internet. However, the photographers did a thorough job, not just recording the handshake but also the events before and after it. You can see A's face light up as he sees the opportunity or realizes what he needs to do. His hand gesture looks like he's greeting them, or at least he’s happy to see them. After the handshake, you can see A laughing and L staring angrily at the camera, trying to get out of there as quickly as possible. Just as the lyrics suggest, the wide lenses captured everything.

The next line is, "You tell me to smile and I do." I think this refers to N's words, as we see in Milan how he tries to pull himself together, but he's likely bracing himself for backlash because you can see that he's panicking. This was his first attempt to smile, but it didn’t really come off as genuine, showing that he was happy with the situation he was in. However, later at the Loewe show or on Jimmy Fallon, we saw a more composed person. With Jimmy, he showed a particularly calm side (famous quote: "I can be a Ken for her"), and there’s a chance N was there with him (pap photos of N at the airport), so he could have told him personally how to smile and keep going, no matter how much he didn’t want to.

The phrase "I'm wide-eyed when I think about you" typically means that the person feels a sense of wonder, amazement, or intense focus when thinking about someone. It suggests that the person is captivated or fascinated by the thoughts of the other person, much like how someone might be wide-eyed with surprise or admiration. We saw many times during WT how much L admired N, how smitten he was with him—sometimes even forgetting about the cameras. However, the lyrics also suggest that now the person can only think about the desired person because they’re not close to each other (La pool pic, La La Land—it’s always nice to think about him lol).

The phrase "Glory, glory, well, I could cry now" suggests a strong emotional reaction. The word "glory" here can imply something awe-inspiring, magnificent, or overwhelming, while "I could cry now" indicates that L is feeling such strong emotions (perhaps joy or even sadness) that he is on the verge of tears. The combination of these expressions suggests that L is deeply moved by all the emotions he’s holding in. Based on the pictures, it’s most likely pain, anger, and sadness that make him want to cry about the situation, missing N or/and regretting that the fans were disappointed in him.

"So I avert my eyes and I do" indicates that L is intentionally looking away from something, either physically or metaphorically, and then proceeds to take some action or follow through with something they intended to do. "Averting one's eyes" typically implies avoiding something that is difficult, uncomfortable, or overwhelming to face directly. The phrase indicates a deliberate choice to avoid confrontation or direct engagement with something, followed by taking an action. It could specifically refer to him not wanting to see that A was involved in the "papgate" or that his friends, including R, were playing games behind his back. Or maybe he doesn’t want to see the consequences that the "papgate" had on his reputation and career.

The phrase "And I'm red-eyed when I think about you" typically means that the person feels deep sadness or emotional pain when thinking about someone. "Red-eyed" often refers to eyes that are irritated or swollen from crying, so the phrase suggests that thoughts of this person bring the speaker to tears or cause them to feel strong, overwhelming emotions. The lyrics specifically state that these aren’t happy tears and that the person probably lost the one they were thinking about. Emotions overwhelm him when he thinks about N. This could show how much of a social media void we experienced from N's side and how much he disappeared apart from a few Bton-related posts. But even when we saw Luke, he didn’t look like himself, increasingly giving off a soulless, stoic impression next to his alleged girlfriend.

"See ya later": A casual farewell indicating that the speaker expects to see the other person again in the future. "No way, no way, no way": This repetition emphasizes strong disbelief, rejection, or refusal. It suggests that the speaker is adamantly denying something or expressing that something is impossible or unacceptable. However, if you combine them, the phrase could be used to indicate a combination of saying goodbye and firmly rejecting or doubting something. For instance, it might be used in a context where someone is leaving and also expressing strong disagreement or disbelief about something that was said or proposed. Or that they won’t meet again. However, the "See ya later" reappears, so the bridge gives a bit of hope. Well, yeah, even if they don’t want to, they’ll have to meet again because season four filming is starting. Lol.

"Hands on my chest when you lie down": This suggests a close, intimate moment where someone’s hands are resting on the speaker’s chest while they are lying down. It conveys a sense of physical closeness. Brazil, Ireland, Italy, London, Australia—believe what you will. Lol. "A sea of grey and black around you": This imagery describes a surrounding environment dominated by shades of grey and black, which might represent a somber, melancholic, or emotionally charged atmosphere. Together, the phrase evokes a scene of intimacy and connection contrasted with a dark, possibly emotionally heavy or unsettling backdrop. It could imply that even in a close, comforting moment, there is an overwhelming or difficult environment surrounding the experience. This could hint at a secret that L is hiding or they’re both hiding, or just that their time together is running out, which the first "papgate" certainly brought about, whether planned or not. When N posted "Frames Your Face" on June 10, there’s a similar part in the lyrics: "But now your face is hiding something,/ something, it's burning/And I'm gonna wait for you." (JD and N don’t share the same song, only the artist is the same.)

The phrase "I get dog eyes when I think about you" suggests a deep emotional reaction when thinking about someone. "Dog eyes" can be interpreted as having a look of longing, vulnerability, or affection, similar to the expressive and emotional gaze often associated with dogs. Additionally, it suggests loyalty. It shows loyalty that after the first "papgate," we never saw him hold A's hand again—a famous GQ picture where he intentionally clasps his hands in front of him for everyone to see. It also shows that he still longs for N.

The phrase "Glory, glory, why do you hide now?" can be interpreted as a poignant question expressing confusion or frustration about why something or someone once admired or celebrated is now concealed or no longer visible. It also shows that N likely distanced himself from L, despite the boyfriend-coded posts, but they aren’t talking. Or it can be interpreted as having to hide their happiness from the public, depending on how one sees what might have happened between them over the summer.

"Save me, save me now." Imo, this is the strongest part of the song. It’s a simple, straightforward expression, but very powerful. It could refer to asking N to save him from the situation he’s stuck in with A, or from the backlash he received for the "papgate," just as N did (proud member of the Lukey Newts fan club since 2019 etc) Anyway, he shows that he wants to escape the situation, but he can’t do it alone. (Why not L? Seriously. Get a grip! Lol)

The phrase "Your new eyes look pretty on you.” It can be used figuratively. It could refer to a change in perspective or attitude, suggesting that this new way of seeing or understanding things suits them well. The Wimbledon event is a fitting example. If I remember correctly, this was the first time we saw N publicly since the premiere, and she looked stunning, confident, and radiant. And L admires this (as always).

The lines "Oh, if I die today, Will it be without grace?, Will it be violent? Will it be tame? Will I be silent? Will I be brave?" express a profound contemplation about the nature of one's death. Together, these lines reveal a deep anxiety or curiosity about how one’s end will unfold, pondering its nature and the emotional or spiritual state in which it will occur. He is reflecting on the finiteness of life, but this is just a melancholic moment, not a serious contemplation of death.

“I don't wanna go.” This could imply that he doesn’t want to die, but even more so that he doesn’t want to become a soulless person. Furthermore, it could mean that he doesn’t want to attend events where A is present or that he didn’t want to go to Italy and go through that gateway. There are plenty of options. (We hate some of these too.)

So, this was the analysis of the lyrics of this song. It turned out pretty long, so thanks to anyone who reads it. But I enjoyed breaking it down line by line and reflecting on it from a Lukola perspective. Obviously it is soo delulu. Probably I'm on the board to win the title for the longest unnecessary post. ✌️🤍

[mlwritersguild]

murder face, by @alexseanchai

A fic inspired by the heliotrope flower

AO3; temporary character death, hawkmoth defeat, marinette needs a hug, angst with a happy ending

Summary:

shout from the hundred-square-femtometre rooftop — Yesterday at 8:21 PM please, I don't even need to be asleep to have nightmares source: I can hear my sister screaming like her cat just died my sister is two continents away save a vespa, ride the métro — Yesterday at 8:23 PM You hear it too? Everyone who was here on 1 Sep 2014 says it's Ladybug

Lady Noire storms inside Tour TVi, a dark blue blanket with two thin red stripes over her shoulder, a phone clutched so tightly in her hand she must be leaving claw marks on its case. Those few people in the lobby at this hour scatter away from her path at the first glimpse of her face: cold and pale as death.

"Warn Nadja Chamack I'm taking over as tonight's guest," Lady Noire snaps.

Somebody calls Arlette. Side by Side is live, but no one wants to find out if, with the Black Cat Miraculous, Ladybug's looks can kill.

---

shout from the hundred-square-femtometre rooftop — Yesterday at 7:43 PM I can stay up past 03:00 if I want, it's Labour Day, we're closed no dying on this hill — Yesterday at 7:45 PM Irrelevant. Zoé is correct: schedule your system maintenance or your system maintenance will schedule you. shout from the hundred-square-femtometre rooftop — Yesterday at 8:21 PM please, I don't even need to be asleep to have nightmares source: I can hear meimei screaming like her cat just died meimei is two continents away save a vespa, ride the métro — Yesterday at 8:23 PM You hear it too? Everyone who was here on 1 Sep 2014 says it's Ladybug

Ladybug speaks softly, carries her partner's stick @CometHeliotrope Bonjour Monarque. C'est après minuit. Sais-tu où est le Prince Charmant ? Oh regarde, c'est ton alliance. Translated from French by Googol Hello Monarch. It's after midnight. Do you know where Prince Charming is? Oh look, it's your wedding ring. [image: Lady Noire sitting on one of Paris's slate rooftops, toying with a platinum wedding ring and glaring into the camera.] 9:13 PM · 29 Apr 2017

Alya Césaire, photojournaliste citoyenne de la Ville miracles @ladyblog_paris This is legit. Source: personal communication with Ladybug. 9:17 PM · 29 Apr 2017

Lady Noire storms inside Tour TVi, a dark blue blanket with two thin red stripes over her shoulder, a phone clutched so tightly in her hand she must be leaving claw marks on its case. Those few people in the lobby at this hour scatter away from her path at the first glimpse of her face: cold and pale as death.

"Warn Nadja Chamack I'm taking over as tonight's guest," Lady Noire snaps.

Somebody calls Arlette. Side by Side is live, but no one wants to find out if, with the Black Cat Miraculous, Ladybug's looks can kill.

---

Zoé runs up the spiral staircase and skids to a stop outside the Césaire apartment. Nino opens the door at the first sound of the doorbell. "Comrade Moutarde de Dijon!" he exclaims. "Good to see you—have you heard from Comrades Mayo, Bechamel, or Sweet and Sour?"

"Comrade Bechamel is going to strangle me enough already without inviting Comrade Sweet and Sour," Alya calls from the living room, where she, Max, Kim, Rose, Juleka, Ivan, and Mylène are gathered around the television, currently playing the latest advertisement for Alliance rings. At second glance, Zoé does recognize the person hovering awkwardly near the dining table: XY Roth.

"I may mean that literally," Alya adds. "She might wring my neck with her bare hands."

"…What's wrong? Should we be heading for the TV station?"

Alya's group text didn't say. All Zoé knows is it's a problem for the Resistance.

---

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news! Hi, I'm Nadja Chamack, and this is Side by Side. Today, I'm joined by our own Ladybug!"

"Lady Noire," she corrects Nadja, who is far too familiar with interviewing akumas to flinch. Well. To flinch much.

"…This is the third time you two have swapped Miraculouses, I believe?"

Lady Noire nods, a stiff, sharp motion. "The question you should be asking is, where is my partner?"

Nadja gulps. "Yes. Where is your partner?"

"The same place as Prince Charming."

It's a Tsurugi brand phone, from the sound it makes when turning on. Lady Noire blows on the screen, angled so only she can see the display, and zips her knuckle tip through an unlock pattern. "No missed calls," she tells the Side by Side camera. "A couple of text messages from friends, but not one from family. Most of them may be asleep at this time of day. Monarque might be too busy trying to magic his hand back on to pay attention when I'm talking about his son."

Silence rings through the room, through the city, as piercing as her earlier sobs.

"I will be more generous to Monarque than he has been to my partner and me," Lady Noire says, her voice shaking with rage. "You have until midnight to contact me to arrange the handover of every Miraculous you have. Every note and every artifact that you have even the slightest inkling might be of interest to me or my team. Every name you know of someone else who has chosen to help Monarque, or who has known his secret identity and kept silent. If I have any reason to believe that you are withholding something, if I have any reason to believe that you are trying to escape, you will not like what happens to Monarque's son."

Nadja shudders. Breathes. Asks, "What happens after midnight?"

"At midnight," says Lady Noire, "I name Monarque on air."

---

"I have no proof that will satisfy a court of law," Lady Noire tells Mme Chamack, Paris, the world. "But the man he is in the rest of his life does have a… professional reputation to protect. Perhaps I am framing the man I will name. Why would I do that? Paris wonders. What skeletons might they find in his closets, if they try to figure out what this man has done?"

Her arms are wrapped around the bundle of fabric she brought. Possibly only the fact that her claws can't pierce her armor is keeping her forearm from bleeding.

A ringtone. Mylène reaches for her phone, only to stop when Lady Noire thumbs the phone she's holding, silencing the sound.

"Come on, dude, pick up," mutters Nino into his Alliance ring.

The ringtone again. This time Lady Noire answers. Someone turns up the TV volume, but it doesn't pick up the phone call audio.

"You must be Mayura!" Lady Noire says, cheerfulness ringing painfully false. "It's good to know you're alive. Chat Noir was afraid something had happened to you after we stopped seeing you around—you know him, such a bleeding heart."

She taps something. "—do with him?" snarls the caller on speakerphone.

Nino growls, "Mayura."

"What do you think I did with him?" Lady Noire shouts. "I told Monarque I'd make him regret this. He took my partner away from me!"

"Where is my son?" Mayura demands.

Lady Noire blinks twice, opens her mouth, and closes it again. Then shakes herself and drags in a breath. "You know him," she says, voice softer now but no less terrifying. "If I told him he needed to jump off a bridge to help stop Monarque, do you truly believe he'd hesitate?"

"She's bluffing!" shouts Monarque. "My son, come home at once, do—"

A strangled sound. "She may be bluffing," Mayura says. "I'm not. Nooroo, wings rise!"

"I thought so," Lady Noire says. To the TV crew, she adds, "Cut to commercial."

Adrien's latest perfume ad plays.

Mylène is the first to speak. "You don't…really think Ladybug would hurt someone, just because he's Monarque's kid. …Do we?"

"I think," says Alya, typing furiously with one hand shielding her Alliance projection from view, "Monarque thought that if something happened to Chat Noir, Ladybug would lose control. Marinette, pick up your fucking phone."

---

The original guest on tonight's Side by Side is back on the sofa, almost managing to act as though whatever movie she's starring in is still the headliner of the episode. Or so Nathaniel says. Kagami is mostly not paying attention to anything but which way to the bakery and how fast to jog so she doesn't leave him, Marc, and Sabrina behind. A beep signals a new notification on her Alliance: an email from Nathalie Sancoeur, which can wait until Kagami has spoken to Marinette. She thinks highly enough of Chat Noir that tonight must be frightening.

"She's out with Adrien," Cheng-san tells them. "Is it something I can help with?"

"Maybe?" Marc glances at Nathaniel's Alliance projection and winces. "If she's with Adrien, she's probably okay but she won't be coming with us. So the next part of our plan is to head to Tour TVi with paint guns, in case Lady Noire needs backup—"

A car turns the corner. Adrien's car, specifically. Or not Adrien's, of course. Kagami starts toward it; Adrien's bodyguard gets out, alone. Kagami catches a glimpse of the interior: no people, only suitcases and messenger bags and reused grocery boxes.

Cheng-san hurries outside. "You're not with them?" she asks.

Adrien's bodyguard hands Cheng-san a locked tablet and holds out an unlocked phone. " 'Sign here to verify receipt of these documents'," his Alliance's digital Kagami doll reads aloud. " 'Review these documents at your leisure. If neither of you sign these documents, nothing will change. I believe it is in Adrien's best interests if you both sign; if either of you do, they will go into effect at the time of receipt.' "

Cheng-san narrows her eyes. "Is it in Marinette's best interest? Does your idea of Adrien's best interest agree with Adrien's idea of Adrien's best interest?"

Adrien's bodyguard signs the phone with a swipe of his own fingertip, locks it, and gives it to Cheng-san.

"This had better not be a trick!" shouts Cheng-san at the departing car.

---

"Sorry to interrupt," Ladybug says, reentering the camera's field of view entirely unapologetically. (It is Ladybug, now with the blue blanket draped over her shoulders like a cape; while out of sight, it seems, she switched back. There's going to be an akuma at the studio any moment now, and Nadja is very glad she called Lila and spoke to Manon while Ladybug and Mayura were negotiating terms.) Ladybug holds up Monarque's son's phone. "Mayura will be arriving momentarily, with a few people whose names and faces you'd love to be the first to publish. We're waiting on a signal from a third party before we reveal those—Monarque's son is not the only one in danger, and we're making sure the others are safe—"

Half the studio lights go out. The starlet Nadja is in theory interviewing bolts for cover. Nadja scurries over to one of the cameras, ready to flip to breaking-news-reporter-on-the-scene mode.

The other camera operator swivels that camera toward the opening door. Only two of the eight people who enter have any identifying characteristics at all: her Butterfly armor resembles a purple evening gown, and he must be the man under the Monarque mask, akumatized and vaguely familiar. The other six are different sizes of blur, with a superficial resemblance to Oblivio; two flicker between blue and green, and four between purple and red.

"The matters you don't wish televised are being delivered to someone I know you trust," Butterfly-Mayura says, brisk and businesslike. "These two are minors. I cannot imagine Chat Noir will want their lives destroyed; I am certain my son does not. These four have known about our Miraculouses for twenty years or more; though Monarque has been threatening their children in order to keep them silent, I cannot imagine either of you or my son will think that is enough to forgive them their silence." She pauses, considering a drawstring bag in her hand. "My son's mother will not."

Ladybug exhales. "I was wondering if this was for her," she says, very soft, but registering clearly on the audio pickup nonetheless. "If she's half as much like—your son—as his father says… No, she wouldn't think her life is worth the price."

The akumatized Monarque glares sullenly.

Monarque's son's phone rings.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug exclaims, hurling her yo-yo into the air and catching a magazine in a red-and-black plastic sleeve. "Mode, Septem—very funny," she tells the air, unamused. The phone rings again. "Heeeey there, friend!" Ladybug answers, bright and awkward, not unlike Manon lying through her teeth. "He can't come to the phone right now, we're a little busy—"

"I bet you are—"

Alya Césaire's voice stops.

"Please do not tell me this is that signal," Alya says faintly.

Ladybug rolls up the magical copy of Mode, takes five strides, and breaks Monarque's nose.

"Oh my god Gabriel Agreste is Monarque."

Alya sounds horrified. Manon adores Adrien; Nadja doubles her hope that Ladybug is bluffing. Or that Alya is wrong.

"Ladybug, where's Adrien?"

"Heh heh heh, funny story—" Ladybug hangs up.

"Madame Chamack," calls Butterfly-Mayura, getting Nadja's attention just in time for Nadja to catch the drawstring bag. "One for each of these seven; break it to remove the mask. Perhaps wait until Ladybug and Chat Noir have left?"

Nadja swallows and nods.

The purple butterfly slides out of the akumatized Monarque's visor and flickers to white. Violet-black magic bubbles over him, leaving a seventh blob, blood-red.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

She whisks the blanket-cape off her shoulders to hide the person her magic brings her. He takes it as an attack—of course he does, the last thing Chat Noir remembers must be fighting for his life—

"Stop thrashing or I'll tell your girlfriend you want to PvP her in Ultimate Mecha Strike!" Ladybug hisses. "Twenty-five thousand nine hundred and thirteen to eleven is clearly not thrashed enough!"

The boy under the blanket goes statue-still.

"What did you just say?" asks Chat Noir.

"I said put your mask back on, kitty."

"That's what I thought I heard," Chat Noir mutters. (From the look of the audio meters, the audience didn't catch that.) One pale hand emerges from the blanket; Ladybug slaps something into his palm; with a flash of green light, Chat Noir reappears in living color.

Ladybug grabs him by the jingle bell and drags him down into a gasping, sobbing kiss.

"—My lady, I have a girlfriend," Chat Noir reminds her the moment he breaks free. "I will be telling her someone kissed me—" He stops, taking in the rest of the room. "What are you calling yourself now, Mayura, la Papillon Reine?"

"I believe I'm calling myself a poor excuse for a second mother," Mayura answers. "Ladybug. Our agreement."

"I believe I said it's his decision whether he even ever wants to think of you again," Ladybug retorts. To Chat Noir she says, "Or of me. I did kind of just convince all of Paris I did the same thing to Monarque's son that Monarque did to you. I've got six Miraculouses and two Alliances in my pocket, Carapace just got delivered a bunch of interesting things including at least seven more Miraculouses, I don't think either of those green blobs is Argos so it's probably only seven, the Ladyblogger has all sorts of fascinating documents to dig through, and Nathalie Sancoeur will be handing over the Butterfly Miraculous any moment now."

That all came out in one breath.

"…What," says Chat Noir.

Ladybug tilts forward and faceplants into Chat Noir's chest, mumbling something. He softens, holding her close.

Then stiffens up again. "Nathalie Sancoeur?" He snatches the yo-yo from Ladybug's waist, captures Mayura—she makes no effort to resist—and plucks the Butterfly brooch from her bodice.

Nadja wouldn't necessarily recognize Nathalie Sancoeur if she passed her on the street. Neither, most likely, would anyone in the room, and if Nadja could get her breaking-news-reporter hat on instead of watching in stunned silence like the rest of the world—

Chat Noir takes a deep breath, clutching Ladybug like a lifeline. "Ah," he says, retracting the yo-yo. "Gabriel Agreste isn't planning on sending Adrien to London because he thinks that will keep him safe from the terrible influence of friends Gabriel didn't pick out for him and a girlfriend Gabriel can't intimidate. Though I'm sure he wanted Adrien to keep thinking that. It's because Adrien only has two living adult relatives, one lives in London, and the other committed suicide back in September and he expects it to finish killing him soon."

One of the red-violet blobs shakes. Chat Noir glares at his own Miraculous. Nadja has a sudden horrible suspicion that Chat Noir spent the months of Monarque's silence believing he'd killed a man.

"I would have handed that over myself," Nathalie Sancoeur says. "And this, to Adrien, so I know he's alive."

'This' appears to be the wedding ring on her own hand.

"Ladybug keeps her promises," Chat Noir tells her.

Sancoeur slumps and nods. "Tell Adrien I'm sorry I lied. This is what killed Emilie. And for what little it's worth, Emilie wanted none of this. Tell him the unlock PIN on her phone is the year she first heard her favorite song. When he watches her videos, he should have Marinette with him." She removes the ring. "When you give Adrien this—" She hands it to Chat Noir. "—tell him he is never to let anyone but himself touch either half of his amok."

Ladybug whirls on her. "Excuse me?" she and Chat Noir demand in unison.

"—You didn't know." She folds to the floor. "You didn't—how did you get Adrien's cooperation?"

"You know he threw himself off a skyscraper for me and you're still asking that?"

If Nadja can see Ladybug's about to fall to pieces…

"So did any part of your brilliant bluff involve Marinette thinking her boy-toy died?" Chat Noir asks, steering Ladybug out of the studio. Nadja doesn't catch her answer; Chat Noir sighs. "Well, we had a good run, my lady. I promise I'll take good care of the miracle box after she ends you."

The studio door slams shut behind them.

Nadja stares at the drawstring bag in her hand. It contains seven marbles, each colored to match one of the blobs and labeled with initials. CB and LR on the blue-green, GA on the deep red, and TT, AG, AB, and RR on the red-violet.

Then she remembers she's on the clock and on camera and has to figure out something to say about this.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news!—"

---

"Marinette helped," Ladybug murmurs. Chat Noir's warmth is the only thing that feels real right now. "It turns out she's really easily bribed, in the right circumstances. All I owe her is your life."

"She is plotting your doom as we speak."

"She is trying to figure out how to get the love of her life to stop talking and start kissing. It will probably help if we catch Argos, since apparently it's possible for a senti not to know it, and if your cousin really wanted to help you—!"

Chat Noir stops on the nearest rooftop to set her on her feet and stare at her. Tonight feels like it should be a full moon, but there's a slim crescent nearing the western horizon, with a breeze flicking at her bangs and a few bold stars visible above the city lights.

"But maybe I am just going to sleep by myself and probably have nightmares about half your father's arm falling off when I grabbed him. I don't know. That's up to you, probably. Did you know his Alliance assistant looks just like your mother?"

"Marinette is with her boyfriend right now," Chat Noir says slowly.

"And my partner is with me. Keep up."

Chat Noir shakes his head and sweeps her back up in a princess carry, leaping to the next roof and the next. "Years I was trying to catch your attention. Years, Ladybug, and all I ever had to do was look behind me."

"I love you too."

Chat Noir misses a stick-hold and narrowly avoids smashing them both into a wall.

---

Zoé's mother is being arrested. For accessory before and after the fact to Monarque's hundred-mile list of magical terrorist acts.

She leaps up when Alya's apartment doorbell rings anyway. Zoé and XY are the only people here not enthusiastically digging through the small mountain Adrien's bodyguard delivered. Even Rose and Juleka are alternating between sitting with Zoé and trying to smash open the glass bubbles with their kwamis inside.

It's Adrien, with a sleeping Marinette draped over his back. "Hey," he says, sheepish. "Can we kick Alya out of her bedroom for a few hours? Marinette needs a catnap and I don't think she's planning to let me go, uh, possibly ever."

Behind Zoé, all sound halts.

In the exact same tone of stunned and dazed by the now obvious as when she realized who Monarque is, and with exactly as much explanation, Alya says, "Oh my god it genuinely is a funny story."

[louisupdates]

15 Must-Hear New Albums Out This Month: RM, Drake & 21 Savage, Louis Tomlinson, Dolly Parton & More

Here are the can't-miss releases and massive new albums dropping in November 2022 from BTS' RM, Run The Jewels, Honey Dijon, Wizkid, and many others.

THE GRAMMYS | GRAMMYS / NOV 4, 2022 - 10:17 AM

Louis Tomlinson - Faith in the Future Release date: Nov. 11

Louis Tomlinson is tearing down walls. Two years after the success of his debut album Walls, the former One Direction member announced Faith in the Future. Out Nov. 11, the release may be his most experimental and emotional yet.

His recent single "Out Of My System" shows a new side of the English singer-songwriter. Tomlinson balances edgy playfulness and emotional gravity as he cries out, "Demons, I'm takin' all of my demons/ Putting them where I won't see them. The single's disorienting video places Tomlinson among flashing red lights, slick guitar licks and harsh drums.

Tomlinson's desperation for catharsis indicates that Faith in the Future might explore  grittier, darker pop. However, based on the album title's suggestion of stable optimism, it seems Tomlinson might not stray too far from his saccharine pop roots. — T.L.

[redwineconversation]

Olympique Lyonnais - Le Havre OLPlay Postgame Interviews

Better late than never, but some of us have full time jobs and can't be chronically online.

Blah blah standard disclaimers apply; @OL Comms Dept it's cold I need my Starbucks to stay alive; banning stans from stadiums would solve a lot of problems real quick; can Bompastor also take this "journalist" aka academy director with her when she fucks off to Chelsea; y'all know the speech by now.

@Timothee Piron @Coralie Ducher feel like pure shit just want you back. xx

OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS OLPLAY POSTGAME INTERVIEWS

WENDIE RENARD OLPLAY POSTGAME INTERVIEW

Renard: On a personal level it was important to get significant playing time, especially against a team where you can't really hold back. You have to react immediately. So it was important for me in particular. Then as a team it was important for us to really start the game well, to be able to really be on the same wavelength. There was some good, there was some less good. I think that we - the fact that - even if I don't think it was a goal, the first one, but in any case the referee gave it and I think it was good for us. And we were able to create more chances after that and get a greater advantage right before half time. The second half was a bit stagnant I find. We were far from each other. There were too many technical errors. But overall, there are a lot of players who are playing consecutive games, obviously there's a bit of fatigue. It was important for us to win before leaving for the international break, and also to get a big win at that. We did that.

"Journalist": We were saying how the month of March was pretty packed. The international break is coming up as well, it will be a good opportunity to have a change of scenery, and maybe come back refreshed. [news to all teams who are going through Euro qualifiers]

Renard: Yes, I agree, even if there is obviously some tiredness. It's always interesting to meet up with another group. There's also other instructions, other expectations, from the national coaches. But beyond that, March was a difficult month. We used up a lot of energy in the games.. Here pretty much everyone is meeting up with their national teams. And we have an end of the season which is coming up really quickly. It will be up to us to be properly prepared for it. But we have the team to do it. We have the players to do it. Now it's up to us to put forth our qualities from the start of the game. We need to know what we want. And if we want to win, we need to put things in place for it to happen.

"Journalist": Thank you, Wendie.

PERLE MORRONI OLPLAY POSTGAME INTERVIEW

"Journalist": Yes, Perle. Another win. It's always hard to play against teams with a low block.

Morroni: Always difficult even if we're used to it now. Teams often try to trap us into it, to keep a low block and play on a counter. But now we're used to it so we know what we need to do in terms of tactics to counter it. We did our job. We were able to get on the scoreboard, it did us some good. And 3-0, that's a good score.

"Journalist": It's a good score. It's the same score from the PSG game today against Dijon. And there's a pretty exciting second part coming up in April, with the semifinals, with a derby. Some exciting games to play.

Morroni: Yeah, we're getting to the heart of the matter. For the league, I think we just need one or two more wins to finish first. But we're getting to the part of the schedule where we're playing the games we like to play, there's intensity, there's a bit of everything. It's really the top level games. And it's going to be in nice stadiums as well. So it's going to be - that's what we're waiting for, that's what we're working for. And we'll be ready when the day comes.

"Journalist": Thank you, Perle.

SONIA BOMPASTOR OLPLAY POSTGAME INTERVIEW

"Journalist": All the crew at OLPlay are thanking for your professionalism after having thanked all the journalists before coming over for our interview and - [Bompastor laughs] no, no, they're really thanking you. It's good, it's good.

Bompastor: That's really nice of them. I'd like to thank you as well. I'm sorry I left you for last. I made you wait.

"Journalist": It's not a big deal. Just - it's always difficult to play against a low block. We saw it in the first 30 minutes, with the goal - well. It wasn't a goal. [Bompastor nods in agreement] But it's always hard to play against a low block.

Bompastor: Yes. We know that in that context, we know we need to be very efficient in the choices we make, first of all, and also very good in terms of technical efficiency. So I think in the first half I had to adjust in how we were using the ball. I felt that the outside backs needed to be a little bit higher, that would allow the midfield to drop in and be better in the middle. Then I insisted a lot on the combination play, especially out wide, the one-twos, the overlapping runs, or the one-two-three passes for letting players get behind the defense. So it was a game where we were able to work on those scenarios. And indeed sometimes the context is difficult because there is little space, but we need to be better with the quality of the players we have.

"Journalist": In the second half we saw get the center backs more involved so the pace would pick up a bit and quicker transitions.

Bompastor: Yeah, yeah. When you're against low blocks, in order to break it down and create space, you need to play it simple, move the ball a lot with few touches, and have technical qualities as well. But it's especially in the orientation when we release the ball, we need to make the right choices, not force it when it's closed off on one side, be able to switch it to the other side. I also asked the players that as soon as we made a pass between the lines, for the defense to push up as well. That would keep us close and create some good combination play. So yeah, on the one hand, even if we win 3-0 there are still things which can impact the game. So I try to play that role.

"Journalist": We're heading into an exciting month of April. There's an international break, no players recently injured [well we know who to blame for the Dabritz injury]. It's also an exciting month of April with derbies, there are good games to be played.

Bompastor: Yeah, yeah. First it's the international break, I think that will be good for everyone to have a change of scenery, get a bit of a breather. It'll be important to come back recharged because as we just said, April and May will be very intense months and especially decisive. There are decisive games, there's the Champions League, there's the league and notably the playoffs. So we will have to be in great form. And especially there will be interesting games to play when you're a professional athlete.

"Journalist": There's especially that semifinal against PSG. They're obviously a team we know by heart, who also won 3-0 this afternoon, so similar scoreline. That semifinal must be at the back of your head.

Bompastor: Yeah, of course. In any case we don't have a lot of games left between now and the end of the season. I hope we'll go all the way. That means we will have eight games left to play. So we're in the final stretch, the money time as the expression goes. Indeed, the UWCL semifinals against Paris [Saint-Germain], those are the games we want to play. They're an opponent we know really well. It will be a good game. It's a really good match-up because I think the PSG team looks completely different than they did at the beginning of the season. So we're looking forward to it because we know those are good games to play.

"Journalist": First leg at home, second leg away. Does it work for you? It was like that two years ago.

Bompastor: Yeah, exactly. We had this same scenario two years ago. So yeah, I think the first leg can already be decisive. So playing at home is a good thing for us. Beyond that, we have experience playing away games in a hostile environment. In any case we loved the atmosphere at the Parc des Princes two years ago with 44,000 people who really made themselves heard. And when the result is there as well at the end of the game, you remember those moments. So we'll do everything to experience those emotions again.

"Journalist": Before that, there's a quick derby to win.

Bompastor: Yeah, of course. It's true there's that game against ASSE. Yeah, I'm happy. I said it before, I'm happy that ASSE got promoted to the D1 Arkema. They avoided relegation this year. So it's always a special moment in the season, playing these derbies. And we also have the honor of playing in the big stadium, so that's pretty rare it must be said. I think it's Sunday at 9pm. So we're looking forward to that as well.

"Journalist": Thank you, Sonia.

[zimmer438]

Rant #1 : Mustard shortage

TW: SA, Mustard, colorful language, a little bit of racism???

It is so hard to be a good person. I try so hard and so far I am a decent human being, but every once in a while (every waking moment of my existence) god decides to throw another one of his bitch-ass creations (may I dare say human) at me full speed. For example I was in the cafeteria today and some random ass man with a thick jersey accent came up to me and started talking about the mustard shortage he legit said "you can only get get yellow 'round here, I just want some dijon to spice up my meal" BITCH FIRST OF ALL I DON'T KNOW YOU, SECOND OF ALL YOUR MEAL??? YOU MEAN YOUR HAM SANDWICH??? also we have this stupid class about 'mindful learning' its like how to use your planner and how to study but i swear the teacher is just spewing sonnets like he is just saying things to be said. He was talking about a word and he was like "you know..like to be ravished..like you're extremely hungry.." BRO YOU MEAN RAVENOUS???? Also I had a dream last night where I met Tokio Hotel and Bill, Gustav, and Georg and they were very nice but when I took a picture with Tom he groped me (this was just a dream I know he isn't like this in real life JUST A DREAM). Anyways I AM SO MAD THAT I MISSED TOM'S LIVE YESTERDAY! Did y'all see Bill's penis Slippers? Thats like actually so cunt of him. Also I was in art class and my bbg pookie dookie (my bestieeee) wasn't there so I had to group with these 3 boys and boy 1 was drawing and showed it to boy 2 and 3 and boy 2 was like "you're drawing is decently bad" and boy 1 responded with "you know whats decently bad? your mom's vagina." I almost pissed myself because like I couldn't laugh because i didn't want them to know i was eavesdropping. also boy 1 told boy 3 that "If it was the 1800's I would buy you and set you free' (boy 3 is black) is all happened while me and those boys had to draw that fucking red lumpy blood clot from yo gabba gabba (IDK WHY OUR TEACHER MADE US DRAW HIM). ALSOO my jeans are too big so everyone and their mama can see my undiesssss and i have to staple them up to they dont draggg. anyways it been a rough week and its only Wednesday but its okay because i have 3 things coming from TEMU 🤩 i am currently writing this in the corner of my school library during study hall. also im new to tubulr and the FANFIC ON HERE...anyways here is a cute photo i found...

[lindyloosims]

Scarlet has similar feelings to Mellow about being a grandparent when she finally decides to meet baby Storm.

SCARLET: How dare you sleep! Behold the most youthful grandmother in all of Simkind!

Similar, but  with a little more scary!

Arian is pregnant again and this time it was a natural conception! She’s so happy, she wants lots of kiddos!

She’s never too far away from her baby boy, she loves him so much!

ARIAN: My little Stormy weather, mummy has some good news! You’re going to have a little playmate, yes!

Gotta load up on the good stuff, eating for two once more!

She’s giving me the side eye, it’s unnerving!

It’s Storm’s birthday, oh how the time passes!

DIJON: My handsome little guy! We’re gonna be the best of friends you and me!

Here’s Storm! Like I said, this gameplay was way before Growing Together so he didn’t go through the infant stages, he’s super cute as he is though! Those little chipmunk cheeks for the win, and the dimples, gah I’m in love!

He’s a clever little dude, straight to the craft table to make something cool for his mummy! Awwwwww!!!

<Previous_Next>

[f1]

FACTS AND STATS: Verstappen on a roll in the States as he ties the Red Bull wins record

The Miami Grand Prix saw a thrilling climax, as Max Verstappen chased down his team mate for a famous win from ninth on the grid. With Fernando Alonso once again finding himself with the two Red Bull drivers on the rostrum, it was a popular podium with the huge crowds. Here are the best facts and stats from a very busy race in Miami… Red Bull finished 1-2 on Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley’s 56th birthday. Red Bull’s fourth 1-2 finish of the year is only one short of their record in a full season, set in 2022. Verstappen has now won from eight different grid positions since the start of 2022. The Dutchman is the first race winner from ninth on the grid since Niki Lauda at Dijon in 1984. Only five drivers have won from that position in F1 history. READ MORE: Perez concedes Verstappen’s Miami GP victory was ‘well-deserved’ after finishing runner-up Verstappen has tied Sebastian Vettel’s record of 38 wins for Red Bull. This was also Verstappen’s 24th consecutive finish since Melbourne 2022, the longest of anyone on the grid. It was Verstappen’s fourth consecutive win on US soil, having won the last two races in Austin, and last year’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix. Perez’s P2 was his best ever finish on his home continent of North America. Russell finished fourth, to match his best result of the season Fernando Alonso was third, his fourth podium finish in five races. The Spaniard has now scored more podium finishes this season than in his previous seven seasons of F1 combined. George Russell was fourth, which ties his best result of the season. Carlos Sainz is the highest driver in the championship without a podium this year. READ MORE: 'We are very, very far away' – Sainz and Leclerc exasperated by ‘incredibly difficult’ Ferrari SF-23 Lewis Hamilton came home sixth, to match his result from Baku. He gained seven places from his starting position. He also finished sixth at this race last season. Charles Leclerc was seventh, the same position as in Jeddah. He finished in the same position he started. Tsunoda returned to P11, a position he has occupied a fair amount recently Pierre Gasly was eighth, to score points in the US for the first time in his career. That also matches Alpine’s best result of the season – Esteban Ocon having finished eighth in Jeddah. Kevin Magnussen was P10 for the second time this year. Yuki Tsunoda finished 11th, the fourth time in six races he has finished just outside the points. In the other two, he has finished P10. There were no yellow flags, no Safety Cars and no retirements in the Miami Grand Prix. This was the 14th retirement-free F1 race in history, with 10 of those coming from 2015 onwards. HIGHLIGHTS: Watch as Verstappen eclipses team mate Perez to win Miami Grand Prix via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[downtoearthmarkets]

It’s a party in the U.S.A. with star-spangled banners set to wave and fireworks ready to burst in air for Independence Day next Thursday, July 4th. What better way to celebrate the land of the free and home of the brave than by supporting our regional farmers and local food producers this weekend? In keeping with this patriotic spirit, here is a foursome (naturally!) of iconic Fourth of July holiday dishes to serve up using a bounty of fresh, seasonal ingredients from your Down to Earth farmers market. Creamy, Tangy Potato Salad Classic potato salad pairs handsomely with just about every Fourth of July main dish from hotdogs to burgers to barbecued chicken and everything in between. This tasty recipe delivers plenty of creaminess, savory crunch and a dash of brightness via a soupcon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Ingredients

3 lbs Great Joy Family Farm Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2" pieces 

1 small Lanis Farm red onion, finely chopped 

¼ cup chopped Dr. Pickle dill pickles 

4 hardboiled SOVA Farms eggs, chopped 

¼ cup thinly sliced Great Joy Family Farm chives

1 tbsp Dijon mustard 

1 ½ cup mayonnaise 

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 

½ tsp paprika 

Freshly ground black pepper 

Kosher salt

Authentic Greek Salad Now is the moment to indulge in salads galore to squeeze every juicy drop out of the growing season while it lasts. Thanks to the ongoing heatwave, an abundance of summer produce–including field-grown tomatoes, bell peppers and traditional cucumbers–has matured a couple of weeks early. These sun-ripened goodies are arriving at farmstalls in droves just in time for the July 4th holiday.

This authentic Greek salad captures the irresistible taste of summer in a bowl. Plus, you can easily source the bulk of its ingredients at the farmers market:

1 medium Lanis Farm red onion, thinly sliced into half moons 

4 medium juicy Newgate Farms tomatoes, sliced into bite-sized pieces or wedges 

1 Newgate Farms English cucumber, partially peeled to make a striped pattern and sliced into half moons 

1 Lanis Farm green bell pepper, cored and sliced into rings 

1 handful Dr. Pickle Kalamata olives

¼ cup Kontoulis Olive Oil extra virgin olive oil 

1-2 tbsps red wine vinegar 

1 (7 ounce) block Maplebrook Farm feta cheese in brine, torn into slabs

1 ½ tsps Kontoulis Olive Oil dried oregano

Kosher salt

Smashing Smash Burgers Smash burgers have become all the rage in recent years! A smash burger is made by smashing a ball of ground beef onto a grill or skillet with a spatula to produce a thinner, crispier patty that fans proclaim to be far tastier than a traditional burger. Patties are often double- or triple-stacked and served with melted cheese and caramelized onions. Make your July 4th cookout a smashing success by picking up sweet onions from the farmstalls and pastured ground beef to give this smash burger recipe a whirl. Don’t forget to grab some classic burger buns from the bread vendors too. Patriotic Puddings It’s a berry good idea to top off your holiday with a red, white and blue-themed fruit salad made with locally grown strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and apples from the farmstalls. This patriotically fun recipe features star-shaped apple cutouts, mixed berries and a honey lime poppy seed dressing. And now, a Berry Important Holiday PSA: Black raspberries are currently available from Newgate Farms so scoop up some of these deliciously hard-to-find, dark flavored beauties while you can as they have a very short-lived season. Of course, our baked goods vendors will bring plenty of ready-made treats for your festivities. Catch Little Bit O' Love Bakery’s July 4th vibes with their gluten-free, dairy-free blueberry muffins and their regular favorites including sourdough, focaccia, and pain au chocolat. Plus, they now offer gluten-free bagels so be sure to try this newly launched menu item that comes in plain, everything, and cinnamon raisin. And that’s a wrap on our all-American holiday edition. We wish you a very happy Independence Day and look forward to seeing you in the markets this weekend.

[boy-grandma]

EARLY SPRING TACO SLOP, ETC.

we had a few unseasonably beautiful days this weekend, so we invited a few friends over and busted out the grill.

GRILL DAY HAUL

stella parks’s Ultra-Fresh Limeade

chef john’s beef birria, made into tacos

grilled asparagus, broccolini, and shishito peppers

grilled tteokbokki (prepared by our friend J)

simple ranch dressing (equal parts greek yogurt, sour cream, and mayonnaise, plus a little bit of dijon mustard, fresh dill, lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste) for dipping vegetables

pickled red onions

various Baja Blast Potions (more on that below)

…we also had a rack of ribs in our freezer that we wanted to get through, so i did some very simple prep (took off the silver skin, split in half, seasoned with salt, black pepper, and a little bit of liquid smoke) and cooked it sous vide (165 F for 12 hours), though we ended up with so much food that we sort of just forgot to grill it lol. we’ll probably just brown it under a broiler or something and have it for dinner soon

TACOS

(there are tons of videos on birria taco-craft; i like this one by kenji)

to prep the finished birria for tacos, we just removed the meat, shredded it off of any bones (discarding skin/gristle from the ribs), then passed the braising liquid through a fine strainer. we didn’t bother with skimming off any fat.

mise en place for taco time:

stack of store-bought corn tortillas. nothing fancy (they’re going to be smothered in Meat Juice anyway). we steamed them a bit just to get them pliable again, and kept them warm under a kitchen towel. microwaving them briefly works too

bowl of oaxaca cheese shredded ahead of time (something like mozzarella would work too)

shallow bowl with a portion of strained braising liquid

bowl of shredded beef

one or two cast iron pans, heated directly on the grill; we had one in a hotter zone and one in a cooler zone

cooking the tacos on the grill was simple — take two tortillas from the stack, dip them in the braising liquid, place them one on top of the other on the cast iron pan (in our case, we started in the hot zone); griddle one side until it’s browned in spots, flip both tortillas (keeping them stacked), then sprinkle generously with cheese over the whole surface and add a portion of beef. fold it over and keep griddling until the cheese has melted. we used the cooler pan as a hot hold so we could batch them out to our friends. serve with chopped onions and cilantro, or whatever you like on tacos — we did pickled red onions. if you want to get crazy with it then grab a bowl of the braising liquid and dip that shit right in. delicious taco slop

GET BAJA BLASTED, IDIOT

our local fred meyer store has been having some buck wild sales on the newly-liberated baja blast (3 cases for the price of one???) and while we aren’t big Dew Heads typically, we simply can’t resist the powerful meme magics of the Taco Bell Tonic. what i mean to say is that my partner bought a case a week ago mostly as a joke and now we’re unironically obsessed with the stuff. everyone we’ve had over this weekend was similarly psyched to get Baja Blasted. this windex-looking shit has 59 grams of caffeine per can and it’s here to baja blast your teeth right out of your head

Baja Blast Potions have been a running gag in our friend group ever since we ordered an irresponsible number of Cravings Boxes on new year’s eve and proceeded to try mixing our blue dew with whatever bottles of booze J and M had in their apartment. these were pretty much all terrible. but in this exciting new age of readily available Blue Meth In Cans, there are now endless opportunities for iteration and innovation — a shot of tequila and a pinch of salt? maybe some orange bitters? my partner and i bought orange bitters last week just to try this. we’re too far gone. it’s too late for us now

anyway our friend M ended up hitting on something… drinkable? i hesitate to say “good.” it was at least good enough that multiple people ended up wanting one. sort of a margarita for younger millennial dirtbags: equal parts decent white tequila and dry curaçao, as much Baja Blast as you can tolerate (M built his in a pint glass. lol), a dash of orange bitters. the resulting drink is less windex and more radioactive swamp green due to the addition of amber color from the curaçao. his partner J saw him building this drink and looked like she was going to scream. Blastarita: the perfect drink with which to torment your loved ones all summer long

[sutterbuttes]

Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar: A Sweet and Tangy Twist on a Classic

Blueberry balsamic vinegar is a completely unique and versatile condiment that has taken the culinary world with the aid of hurricane. It combines the candy, juicy flavor of blueberries with the rich, tangy notes of balsamic vinegar, growing a complicated and scrumptious flavor profile. This gourmand vinegar may be used in quite a few methods, from salad dressings and marinades to glazes and sauces.

How is Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar Made?

There are two principal approaches to make blueberry balsamic vinegar:

• Infusion: Fresh blueberries are steeped in balsamic vinegar for a time period, allowing the flavors to meld. This technique is exceptionally easy and can be done at home.

• Reduction: Blueberries are cooked down with balsamic vinegar, sugar, and other spices till the aggregate thickens and becomes syrupy. This approach produces a more focused taste and is frequently used by commercial producers.

What Does Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar Taste Like?

Blueberry balsamic vinegar has a candy and tangy taste with guidelines of blueberry, balsamic, and other spices. The sweetness comes from the blueberries, at the same time as the tanginess comes from the balsamic vinegar. Other flavors that can be gift consist of cinnamon, vanilla, and pepper.

How to Use Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar

Blueberry balsamic vinegar is a flexible component that may be utilized in numerous dishes. Here are a few thoughts:

• Salad dressings: Blueberry balsamic vinegar makes a scrumptious and unique salad dressing. Simply integrate it with olive oil, Dijon mustard, and your favorite herbs and spices.

• Marinades: Blueberry balsamic vinegar can be used to marinate meats, hen, and seafood. The acidity of the vinegar helps to tenderize the protein, whilst the sweetness provides a hint of taste.

• Glazes: Blueberry balsamic vinegar can be used to make a scrumptious glaze for roasted meats, veggies, and even fruit. Simply lessen the vinegar in a saucepan till it thickens and turns into syrupy.

• Sauces: Blueberry balsamic vinegar may be used to make loads of sauces, such as a candy and tangy fish fry sauce or a creamy sauce for pasta.

• Cocktails: Blueberry balsamic vinegar can even be utilized in cocktails! Add a splash to a gin and tonic or a mojito for a unique twist.

Where to Buy Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar

Blueberry balsamic vinegar may be discovered at gourmand grocery shops, area of expertise meals shops, and on-line retailers. It is usually greater steeply-priced than normal balsamic vinegar, but a bit is going a long manner.

Tips for Using Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar

• When using blueberry balsamic vinegar in a salad dressing, begin with a small quantity and flavor as you cross. The vinegar can be pretty sweet, so that you might not need as lots as you think.

• If you are the usage of blueberry balsamic vinegar to marinate meat, rooster, or seafood, make sure to marinate it for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight, for the great flavor.

• When making a glaze with blueberry balsamic vinegar, be sure to reduce it slowly over low heat. If you lessen it too speedy, it'll burn.

Conclusion Blueberry balsamic vinegar is a scrumptious and flexible condiment that could upload a touch of class to any dish. With its sweet and tangy flavor, it's far sure to become a brand new favorite on your kitchen.

[ambriona]

Move over, Nutella, there's a new nut butter in town, and it's here to steal the spotlight. Meet hazelnut butter, the creamy, luxurious spread that's bursting with flavor and versatility. Forget the one-dimensional sweetness of its chocolatey counterpart, because hazelnut butter offers a symphony of tastes, textures, and culinary possibilities.

Hazelnut Heaven in Every Bite:

The first thing that strikes you about hazelnut butter is its aroma. It's a heady mix of roasted nuts, earthiness, and a hint of sweetness, a fragrance that promises pure deliciousness. Take a spoonful, and that promise is instantly fulfilled. The texture is smooth and dreamy, like melted chocolate, but with a satisfyingly nutty crunch that keeps things interesting. The flavor? Pure hazelnut magic – rich, toasty, and slightly sweet, with a depth that leaves you wanting more.

Beyond the Bread:

Sure, hazelnut butter makes a mean PB&J alternative, but its potential goes far beyond the confines of two slices of bread. This wonder spread is a culinary chameleon, ready to elevate your dishes from breakfast to dessert. Here are just a few ways to unleash your inner hazelnut hero:

Breakfast Bliss: Start your day with a decadent twist on oatmeal. Swirl in a spoonful of hazelnut butter, top with chopped nuts and a drizzle of honey for a warm, nutty hug in a bowl.

Lunchtime Adventure: Take your salads to the next level with a creamy hazelnut vinaigrette. Blend hazelnut butter with lemon juice, olive oil, and Dijon mustard for a tangy, nutty dressing that'll transform your leafy greens.

Snack Attack Savior: Ditch the chips and cookies and reach for hazelnut butter bliss. Spread it on apple slices, celery sticks, or rice cakes for a healthy and satisfying snack that's packed with flavor and nutrients.

Dinnertime Fusion: Give your stir-fries a touch of hazelnut magic. Use hazelnut butter as the base for a rich, flavorful sauce, perfect for coating chicken, tofu, or veggies.

Dessert Decadence: Don't underestimate the power of hazelnut butter to turn ordinary desserts into extraordinary treats. Add a swirl to brownies, cookies, or cakes for a touch of nutty heaven. Or, whip up a batch of hazelnut butter ice cream – trust us, it's a game-changer!