#real Swiss cheese is the best cheese

[rabbitcruiser]

National Cheese Day

June 4 is National Cheese Day. Not to be confused with other popular cheese related holidays like grilled cheese day, cheesecake day, or mac and cheese day. This day is in reverence of the queen of all dairy, the big cheese.

When is National Cheese Day 2024?

Cheese and its many varieties are celebrated on National Cheese Day on June 4.

History of National Cheese Day

Cheese making is an ancient, some might even say sacred, craft. So ancient in fact it predates recorded history. It is speculated that the magic of cheese making began somewhere around 8000BCE shortly after the domestication of animals. Archeological digs have found evidence of cheese around the world including strainers coated in milk-fat molecules in Kuyavia, Poland dated around 5500BCE, murals in Egypt dated at 2000BCE, and an artifact of preserved cheese in Xinjiang, China believed to be more than 3,000 years old! European Imperialism took their styles of cheese through Asia, sub saharan Africa, and eventually to the Americas.

The most popular cheese of all is (obviously) mozzarella. This delicious and pizza topping cheese was first created near Naples from the rich milk of water buffalos. At the time, it rarely left its home near Naples, as it was made from pasteurized milk, and a lack of refrigeration meant it had a very short shelf life. As both cheese technology and refrigeration systems advanced, this delicious cheese left the southern region of Italy and found itself traveling around the world.

There are two types of mozzarella produced within the United States — low moisture and high moisture. Low moisture mozzarella has a moisture content less than 50% while high moisture has a content of over 52%. Low moisture is made specifically for transportation and mass production as the lack of moisture gives it a longer shelf life.

Today, cheese dishes can be found on every continent served savory, sweet, melted, deep fried, and even chilled in ice cream. This household staple can still satisfy any craving after thousands of years.

National Cheese Day timeline

1815 Industrial Revolution

First large scale industrial cheese production begins in Switzerland.

1851 Mass production

Jesse Williams, a farmer, is credited with being the first to have an assembly-line of cheese production in Rome, New York.

1939-1945 Goodbye Mom and Pop

Factory made cheese surpasses the production numbers of traditional farm raised cheeses during World War II.

1982 Mama Mia

The Mozzarella Company was founded in Dallas to bring fresh Mozzarella to America.

By The Numbers

4% – the percentage of all cheese being sold that ends up stolen. 1,400 pounds – the weight of a block of cheddar cheese delivered to the White House once by President Andrew Jackson. 2 – the hours it took for 10,000 visitors to the White House to finish the block of cheddar cheese. 17th century – the period in which they started dyeing cheese orange to fool people into thinking it was higher quality. ½ – of the total cheese consumption in the world is of Gouda cheese. 1,000 – the estimated number of different French cheeses. 1615 B.C. – the year when the oldest known cheese was discovered in China.

National Cheese Day Activities

Charcuterie

Take a cooking class

Cook something

Make a spread of some of your favorite cheeses to enjoy solo or with friends. Try working in new and international varieties you’ve never tried before. Check out Pinterest for ideas on the best meat, wine, and veggie pairings.

You may be surprised how many cheese themed educational experiences there are. Learn how to make your own cheese at home, the perfect drink and food pairings, or discover a new cheesy dish. With workshops, in person classes, and free online tutorials there are a lot of ways you can learn to enjoy this ancient culinary staple.

Whether traditional comfort food like mac n cheese, the tangy sweetness of cheesecake, or the contemporary refinement of stuffed pull apart bread there are countless cheese recipes to try. Why not try a new twist on a family recipe or search the internet for the latest cheese trend. You can start simple with a five ingredient ricotta cheese recipe.

5 FACTS ABOUT CHEESE THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

It’s vegan!

Americans cut the cheese

Don’t forget the stomach

Medieval curds

Cheesy Moon

Okay, not really, but dairy free cheese is definitely having a renaissance. Food experimentation has come a long way in recent decades offering up many plant based cheese alternatives you can find at major grocery retailers or your local vegan butcher shop (if you’re lucky enough to have one).

Contrary to popular assumption the U.S., not Europe, is the biggest producer of cheese, making up 29% of the global market. In order the top producing countries are the United States, Germany, France, and Italy.

Rennet is curdled milk and complex enzymes found in the fourth stomach of unweaned calves and is often added in the cheese making process, as it is considered to make a bolder, richer quality product.

The most popular types of cheeses of today like gouda, cheddar, parmesan, and camembert, all came in vogue during or after the Middle Ages.

The long standing myth that the moon is made out of cheese may stem from “The Proverbs of John Heywood” back in 1546 which stated "the moon is made of a green cheese." We now understand this to be more metaphor than literal, with “green” referring to the freshness or un-aged nature of the moon.

Why We Love National Cheese Day

Expanding our Palate

New cultural experiences

Sharing and bonding

We love taking our taste buds on new adventures! Today can be about trying so much more than cheese. Wine, beer, meats, veggies, deserts… all of it is up for grabs and we can’t wait.

As an international food staple, National Cheese Day opens the door to a variety of new cultural experiences. We love being able to explore new dishes, cultures, and traditions.

We love breaking cheesy bread and making new memories with the ones we love.

Source

[supernova41st]

Always Forever ✩‧₊˚

Tf2 x Teen!Reader

A/n: Ty to all the people that voted for that poll I did last week! This is sorta ‘recycled’ from this post I made just for Scout, I rewrote most of the stuff for his section. Was going to put ‘Skinny’ by Billie Eilish as the song here but I felt it was too angsty, that has nothing to do with anything I just wanted to share that.

Warnings: ‘Troubled’ Teen, Mentions of period, slight angst,

Dividers by @bernardsbendystraws

Spy

✭ Since spy is.. spy he knows nearly everything about your background, surprisingly he feels pity for you. He knew that the other mercs didn’t exactly have the best home life but here you were, barely finishing highschool and becoming a mercenary

✭ Although he does feel sorry he still seems like the same bitter spy he is to everyone else, maybe not as much but overall the team can’t sense any different emotions towards you.

✭ Missions with him are fairly awkward, you expected him to say some petty bullshit straight from the start but he mostly just seemed observant of you.

“You just gonna glare at me for the rest of this thing?”

“If it bothers you so much why don’t you crawl back to your mother”

“I can’t go back, you know how my life use to be”

✭ Oof, that kinda got to him.

✭ Like with Scout, he rarely ever calls you by your name/title. He mostly just calls you ‘girl’

✭ He tries to get use to your teenage perks, it’s been a while since he’s been a father so it took a while.

✭ once your teenage girl instinct kicked in once you realized he was snooping around your bunk room, you weren’t happy

“Who was in my room?”

“Cough what?”

“I went in my closet and my shoes were out of order because I put them from my least to most favorite and my converse were next to my combat boo-WHO THE FUCK WAS IN MY ROOM??”

✭ It’s ok, he won’t be snooping around there for a while for his sake <33

Heavy

✭ Every time he looks at you he looks like he’s about to cry. Can you blame him? You remind him of his sisters so much!!

✭ Especially after learning about your rough past.. god he wishes he can just have you move in the cabin with his sisters. It’d be so much better than what you’ve been through.

✭ Since he’s been around girls his entire life he warmed up to you real fast. Will gladly watch your back out in the battle field

“Jesus heavy!! I could’ve taken that shot Yknow? You look like Swiss cheese..”

“It’s alright, little one. Not as frail as you.”

✭ if you forget to ask for pads when goods get shipped to the base don’t worry, he always orders some in case you forget

“(Y/N), Miss Pauling told me that you forgot about Red riding hood visiting.”

“Gasp Oh god.. Thanks so much, Heavy.”

“No problem”

✭ Easily he’s the one you like the most. Not only is he chill but he’s always there for you 🫧

Sniper

✭ Divorced dad core

✭ Honestly he doesn’t really mind how young you are, as long as you can do your job he’s pretty okay with you

✭ Although (as said before) he does give divorced dad vibes. Helping mow the lawn, let’s you have a sip of his beer, spending weekends in his camper van, etc.

✭ He enjoys going on camping trips with you and teaches you how to use his rifle. Once you got injured near your eye because of the harsh recoil, he felt real sorry

“You good mate? Those frozen peas doin’ any good for ya??”

“Sniper I’m fine!! It’s just a bruise”

“Yeah, a big one! Lil’ bugger is already turnin’ yellow.. don’t tell Heavy I did this to ya”

✭ He always has to swat your feet off the dashboard of his car as if it’s not already dirty

✭ will NOT let you play music in there, he says it’s “too sappy for his taste”

✭ (Extra)

✭ Soldier doesn’t like you going out, divorced mom core.

“AH! LOOK WHOS FINALLY HOME FROM SNIPERS, ONLY 2 SECONDS LATE.”

“What?”

Scout

✭ Don’t get him started.

✭ This boy will defend you with his LIFE. (not on the battlefield)

✭ Anyone giving you a hard time? Scouts here!!

“Hey, (Y/N), perhaps before jumping straight into the enemy team you might want to wait for yours to come over??”

“Wow another mission where you blame everyone but your big ass 😐”

“That’s a little out of pocket but I mean.. thanks?”

✭ Miss Pauling and him are your parents now btw. They take you EVERYWHERE with them

“Guys I really don’t have to go, plus I don’t have any extra money to pay for myself anyways”

“We’ll just pay it for ya toots!! You can order all the food you want”

“Yeahh, under 30$ tho.”

✭ Despite how much fun he has with you, he does have a deep connection with you as well. He knows how it feels to be seen as ‘useless’, so he tries his best to make sure you have the best time you can at a place like this.

“You alright, kid? It was gettin’ pretty ugly out there, especially with all that blood splatting all over ya”

“I’m good, I just hope I don’t get any infection since I got some blood on my eye..”

“Ew.. I mean-cool!! That’s pretty sick if you ask me”

✭ Does not ask you about your past, let alone bring it up. Scout may be stupid, but he’s smart enough to know that he’ll probably say something ignorant if the life you gave up ever gets brought up.

[fisherrprince]

aight

medium cheddar: extremely hit or miss. my favorite brand is tillamook and im not biased about it. great to just munch on though, it's not really a cheese that wants or needs anything else. good base ingredient for like a grilled cheese. perfectly average 6/10.

sharp cheddar: i love extra sharp cheddar i love you looong aged white sharp cheddar FANTASTIC snack and best with some sweet apples or something. Needs a cracker or bread or some sweeter snack on the side. coastal cheddar from costco is good but can be a bit too sharp with lots of crystallization. 9/10. 

mozzarella: ok i dont like tillamook for this one. too dry. mozzarella is really not a cheese i like to eat by itself, i'm not a cheese stick fan and i really dislike the texture of wet mozzarella balls, but when it's good melted ON stuff it's good on stuff. 7/10 grilled pizza cheese pull

pepperjack: this is THEEEE cheese to grate for a recipe and sneak like 20 bites of the grated cheese. little pepper bits in there. I don't enjoy eating slices of it though. 7/10

parmesan: you cant go wrong with a little parma jawn............. best as a little accent on top of stuff. just makes whatever you're cooking a lil tastier. Not my favorite when the whole thing tastes of just parmesan though, it's kinda bitey. 8/10

cottage cheese: i cant stand cottage cheese. The texture is nasty and the combo of the texture with the flavor is nastier. 1/10

gruyere: french. INCREDIBLE on potatoes and in fondue and in little bits to snack on. Not an eating by itself cheese often but it doesnt have to be. I'd eat this grated on top of kinda anything savory. 9/10

gouda: i get this mixed up with gruyere all the time, but gouda is a bit harder and sweeter. a good salami cheese for your charcuterie. you see smoked gouda a lot which if thats YOUR deal thats cool but i dislike the taste of smoked things. 7/10

blue cheese: really really good cheese that is stymied by not going with a lot of stuff and not being super good to just eat on its own. it's a SHARP taste that gets in your nose. gorgonzola specifically is so good with pears and arugula except I'm mildly allergic to pears. BEST with steak gimme dat blue cheese butter STEAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! would be 9/10 if it were not so particular. 7/10.

feta: bit of a weird texture but it makes salads and gyros ROCK so. it gets a pass. not that fancy on its own but i really do like it in a salad. 6/10. 

cream cheese: YEAAAAHHHHH BAGELLLLSSSS 9/10 i love bagels. also makes other dishes creamy (best part of cheese)

manchego: best with salami. not that impressive on its own, but that's because it's a harder cheese you eat with salami. 5/10, elevates meat but the meat does not elevate it

brie: somehow airplane brie is better than normal brie??? i don't eat this cheese unless it's on an airplane meal fr. which means i hardly ever eat brie. kinda weird tasting. 4/10

camembert: miraculous ladybug hyped me up for this cheese and i bought some and must have done it wrong or something because it doesn't smell and hardly tasted different from brie. I want to try it again so bad because gooey cheeses are like drool-worthy to me. hesitant 3/10 for being a disappointment

asiago: yknow an asiago bread is pretty good but ive never had asiago cheese on its own! 6/10? umami

cotija: BIG FAN of cotija. pile that stuff on my tacos thank you. i dont have the same problems as i do with feta maybe because you grate or crumble cotija real small in comparison? havent had it on anything but a taco though. 8/10 

goat cheese: also a big fan of goat cheese. you can fry it and its good, and you can put it in pasta and its good, you can eat it with crackers and it's good... not really good with meat, but it's sharper so that makes sense to me. 8/10 again

swiss cheese: i never really liked swiss cheese. unless its on my sandwich. OR! unless it's like specifically emmentaler and it's in my fondue. 4/10

provolone: SAME goes for provo LONE. makes french dip really good though, and is one of the classic salami cheeses. this is because it needs salt. 5/10 better than swiss

edam: this is babybel cheese, right? it's fine. good for snacking not for eating a lot of. 7/10

colby jack: this is literally cheddar but not. id rather have cheddar 5/10

ricotta: controversially, i love ricotta... it doesnt have a lot of flavor which makes eating it by itself unpleasant. HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!! in lasagne..? on top of sourdough with salt and garlic? in a kolache with jam?? i lvoe ricotta. i wish it didn't go bad so fast. or maybe it came in smaller packages. 8/10

american cheese: the only place this thing shines is ON BURGER. where it SHOULD BE, KIND OF ALWAYS. or on a bacon egg and cheese. those are the two places you always want american. situationally 8/10 but usually 4/10 i dont want it anywhere else

muenster: the best part of eating muenster cheese is eating the little slice that always seems to come off the edge when you take it out the package. otherwise it's a perfectly serviceable mild cheese, melts well, 6/10.

pecorino romano: like, parmesan's sharper saltier more fashion-forward cousin. use this in moderation imo it really has a Big Taste to it, but it makes carbonara nummy, 7/10

paneer: i have not HAD... paneer... but it LOOKS like it would be tasty. withholding judgement. 

gournay: i love those little boursin rounds you can just get at the store with the garlic and herbs. soft, savory, good on crackers 9/10

infused flavor cheeses: these are usually fresh cows milk cheeses that have like some kinda flavor or spice on them or rolled into them. All depends on the flavoring. The base cheese itself is usually real mild and creamy though, and I have good experiences with it! Also goes bad a bit fast though. Variable/10

theres other cheeses out there but i just realized ive been talking about cheese for a LOOONG TIIIMMMEEE. i like cheese though. big fan of it. if u think of some other cheese you really want an opinion on i will readily tell you

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Aita for "yelling" at my teenage sister for putting earrings through the ears of my childhood stuffed animal?

🤬🐘 <- cause that was me holding them when I found out lmao

So I (22 two spirit, I was 20 when this happened) have had Ellie (Ive used He/she/they for Ellie my whole life, they never had a set gender), a stuffed realtively realistic elephant, since I was at least 3 years old. He was a plush of big Al, the elephant mascot for crimson Tide of the university of Alabama. (Roll tide?) that my dad owned but eventually it was cuddled by 3 yr old me and dragged to my room and out of his man cave (which I don't know why he had a big al plush, we're from Ohio) never to return. I think she had a jersey or hat or something at some point but she doesn't now. Considering just how cuddled Ellie was, it's a miracle how good her condition is. No rips, tears, bald patches or holes beyond the plasticy coating on one of his tusks ripping off in a few places. I wasn't super violent with my toys and never drew on them or ripped them up. The most I did was put hair ties around her ears so they'd look like pigtails.

I've had Ellie a very very long time obviously and he means a lot to me. I very rarely cuddle him now because I want him to stay in that good condition. Well, when I was 19, I moved to Maryland to be with my partner and Ellie went with me obviously. 3 or 4 times a year, me and my partner make the trip to Ohio to visit my family, about 8 hrs away. I bring Ellie because she comforts me when we're there (Alot of traumatic memories are wrapped up in childhood home). Well, one time Ellie got left behind and I was devastated. It was gonna be at least 3 months till I went back and even though my mom offered to send ellie through the mail, i was not willing to take the chance that ellie could get lost forever in said mail so i waited.

Here's the part where I mention I have a younger sister who was 14 at the time. we have a good, if not distant relationship that is a much better place now. Here's where the problem occurred. I returned home after about 3 months after accidentally leaving ellie and immediately wanted to find him once I arrived. My mom told me my sister had been watching them while I was away so I went to her room. My sister then excitedly held up Ellie to me... Ellie's big ears were absolutely littered with my sister's (real) earrings. There had to of been at least 150 piercings in her ears, if not 200. I held myself together as best I could and very sternly told her I was pissed she'd do that, she knew how much Ellie meant to me and she should never treat other people's things that way.

I make a very strong point to never insult, scream or yell or not explain why I'm angry at someone. If I get so angry I can't handle my composure, I leave and gather myself then come back. I never insulted my sister or raised my voice but I definitely hammered how disrespectful and destructive this was to something that wasn't hers as I took out her earrings one by one. My childhood stuffie did not deserve to be turned into Swiss cheese and used as an earring display. If I had done anything like that to her stuffed giraffe, her stuffie, she'd have a cow. Once they were all out I took Ellie and went to my room. Luckily, they were normal sized earrings so the holes were very small and I can't see them if I don't look for them but it felt so disrespectful.

My sister apologized pretty quickly but my mom said I didn't have to yell at her (I never raised my voice but I was clearly hiding an angry one trying to explain to her) nor should I have said it 5 times in the moment (shes exaggerating). I'll admit I repeat myself twice or thrice in the moment as a way to keep myself from raising my voice or stewing in it if I feel like i haven't properly expressed my anger or I feel like the person wasn't listening. Everything is cool now and we dont really talk about it (it's not taboo or too painful to touch, it just doesn't come up) but I wonder if I over reacted considering the holes are tiny, not super visible and I don't think my sister did it to spite me or hurt Ellie, she was just young and dumb and didn't think about how it could mess up Ellie. Should I have held my tounge since shes my sister? She was only 14 but I feel like you should know earrings can cause damage to fabric when you're 14, there's no way she didn't know that wouldn't leave tiny holes in Ellie. I just think she didn't think of them as a big deal.

What are these acronyms?

[mintyisms]

Helluva Shorts Starters

#1 HELL'S BELLES

"You finally made it out after I asked you like a billion times."

"Damn, ain't I special?"

"No offense, but you smell like hog ass."

"Ya'll pay to soak in mud here?"

"See, best day ever, right? I told you you'd enjoy yourself!"

"So many exciting things here it's no wonder you never make your way back home."

"I couldn't really see how I fit into this shiny new life you built."

"There's always room in my life for my sister."

"You could come visit more often, too."

#2 MISSION: ANTARCTICA

"What and/or who could have done this?"

"Let's turn him into some Swiss cheese."

"Eat shit in hell, polar slut."

"That slut wasn't running toward us, it was running away from something else."

"I can't just make it go. I'm still getting used to this fucking thing."

"Use your tongue!"

"I'm a fucking top."

#3 MISSION: WEEABOO-BOO

"You enjoy that bullshit musical and stop trying to use me as an excuse to get out of it."

"Give me a knife and I'll kill someone."

"Must be watching them damn hentais again."

"I'm your worst fucking nightmare, bitch."

"Are you putting some kind of nasty spell over me?"

"If you say so, Master. I mean...Daddy."

"Lady, I was sent here to kill you."

"You were a bitch online one time. Someone didn't like it. They put a hit on you. I know it's excessive, but I don't make the rules."

"Can you please stop enjoying this so much?"

"It's done, so you can go ahead and wire me the money now and I'll go ahead and never think about this night ever again."

#4 MISSION: CHUPACABRAS

"I wanna say these are earth goats."

"Aye, caramba! He brought the big guns!"

"Only a hundred pesos to see a real Chupacabra caught by me last night!"

"Watch this monstro suck the blood from the goat!"

"Look, asshole, the only sucking I do is on cocks."

"I'm gonna put you in the fucking ground!"

"Who has cash anymore?"

"You insult my goat? You pay with your life!"

[thesupreme316]

its me again 🤪 i was wondering if you could do aew boys reaction to you getting attacked by your tag team partner exp: you guys lost a tag match and you partner attacks you i hope i explained well🫶🏼🩷

I GOTCHUUUU

AEW Stars React to: You Being Attacked By Your Tag Partner

Pairings: Hook X Reader, Eddie Kingston X Reader, Daniel Garcia X Reader, Darius Martin X Reader, Kenny Omega X Reader, MJF X Reader, Ricky Starks X Reader

Word Count: 1K

Supreme Speaks: thanks to @cassiesworldsworld for requesting (keep em coming)! Reader is gender-neutral in this. nothing else...I hope you all are doing well and please remember that you are loved and appreciated

Warnings: Nun, barely proofread, GIFS ARE NOT MINE

Taglist: @cassiesworldsworld @hooks-martin @hookerforhook @wwenhlimagines @triscillal @sheinthatfandom @eddie-kingstons-wifey

Okay, I have 3 options for this (Reader is gender-neutral applicable to anyone; your partner is of your choosing):

Either you lose via roll-up and are attacked immediately after the match (Bayley attacks Sasha Banks)

After the match, you were attacked by your tag partner who joins the enemy (Luchasaurus attacks Jungle Boy and joins with Christian Cage)

Y’all lost the match, get a standing ovation, and your partner attacks you after you guys hug (Tommaso Ciampa attacks Johnny Gargano)

Bottomline is you were attacked and now your significant other/best friend is angry

Hook

Mans is big mad; like big big mad

You thought he was trying to whip Jack’s ass? Wait until he sees you get attacked

Man will jump over your body real quick to try to punch your former tag partner (if they are a male)

^^might get a heart attack to be honest from him leaping

Will immediately carry backstage as your former tag partner runs to the back

Is simmering with anger as you try to convince you’re okay

“I’m happy that you’re okay. I just really wanna kill that son of a bitch”

Does not take this matter lightly, especially after Jack betraying him

If you wanna get your lick back, just let him and he’ll take care of everything

Ricky Starks

Just like Hook, he would take this shit so seriously (cause of Hobbs betraying him)

But also I feel like he would understand the former partner’s stance as he betrayed Brian Cage (ew)

Will comfort you as you have multiple emotions running through your mind

“They’re missing out on a friendship with a bombass, beautiful, fierce, strong, athletic, and great person….and you too.”

I think he would be the type to transform you (ring gear, style, promos) so you can show your former partner that you’re simply better (nail emoji)

Like I’m talking early 2000s movie montage

Ricky would definitely help you plan your revenge

Overall, I believe this man would help you get back on your feet

Darius Martin

His heart would break for you and would be the one to sprint out to help you out of the ring and up the ramp

Darius is a very loyal person as he frequently rotates between AR Fox, Matt Sydal, his brother, and Action Andretti for tag partner

Will always offer a place on his team for you

“You know you always got me and the boys.”

Will take his thoughts to Twitter just to shit on them

I also think Darius will make it his mission to make sure that you were well taken care of; advises you to choose peace before violence

But if too much violence takes place; he’s walking out with a steel chair and zero fucks to give

Eddie Kingston

THIS MAN??? HE DOESNT CARE WHO THEY ARE; THEY’RE GETTING THEIR ASS CHEWED UP, SPAT OUT, AND BEAT TF UP

Will again blame Claudio, Bryan, and Punk for everything (don’t let him find out they joined BCC)

I think he would take this more personally than you, especially if they joined with his enemies

“FUCK THAT LOW DOWN, SLIMY, SWISS CHEESE BITCH! AND BRYAN TOO, THAT TECHNICAL ASS BITCH! I’ll stab them dawg don’t worry”

Eddie is the type to ride or die for his people; so he is one of the first people to stand with you against the traitor

Is absolutely down for revenge or crazy plans

“I still got that gasoline can if you need dawg.”

Daniel Garcia

Will immediately offer you a place in JAS (like I always say, PLEASE say NO)

But also with the way JAS is right now, he would take time to team with you; so he can also find peace

Will be smug toward your former teammate

“Listen here, Y/N is a talented person and you’re gonna wish you didn’t cross them.” Dances away

Like stated earlier, I think he would take this time to fully understand his position with his own teammates

Daniel would be your #1 cheerleader on Twitter and tag them in various posts shitting on them (like Darius)

Will give you advice on how to carry on and will try to convince you to be a sports entertainer

MJF

THIS MOTHERFUCKER

Always had a feeling that it was coming, but he wouldn’t tell you and is angry with the entire situation

Has to keep in character on Twitter:

“Look, I understand that Y/N loses a lot, isn’t as good as me, and has terrible taste in tag partners but that doesn’t mean you had to dump em!”

Will lecture about how you shouldn’t really trust anyone but yourself in the business, but empathizes with you (if he can) about having friends and supportive people

Like Daniel, might take this time to reflect

Will devise a revenge plan that involves sabotaging your former tag partner’s plans/goals

“Babe, I’m the devil. I can make anything happen.”

Kenny Omega

Like most people on this list, Kenny has experienced being on both sides of this situation; so he completely understands the feelings involved

Will offer you a spot in the Elite (that can go either way)

I think because of the fact that he has a lot going on with himself, he would let you do whatever you want

Is more emotional support than physical support at the moment

Will help further the storyline of your revenge and character development on BTE

Outta all the people on this list, he would give you the best advice

“I think you need to take some time for yourself and see what is in the future for you…and if the answer is revenge, make sure you have money aside for bail…for me.”

[whyse7vn]

DOWN BAD -

[ ot7 x reader ]

JOON4PRESIDENT

8 participants - 8 online

———————————

y/n: hi

tae: 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

y/n: ?

tae: holy fuck ur so fucking funny😭☠️😭☠️😭☠️😭☠️😭☠️😭☠️😭☠️😭☠️😭☠️😭☠️😭☠️😭

jimin: i BEG you let that man hit

at this point it’s embarrassing

tae: pls

jk: i think ur funny too

namjoon: shame is free

tae: idk what that’s supposed to mean

jk: it means shame is free i think

y/n: is that why you’ve been at my house for the last 2 weeks??

cuz you wanna hit??

yoongi: 2 weeks??

jin: down so fucking bad

jk: i thought tae was here cuz he missed us?

tae: I AM I SWAER

but if y/n let me hit in the time i was here i wouldn’t be mad

y/n: ur sick

hobi: why have you let tae stay in ur house for 2 weeks?

y/n: he FORCED his way in here

tae: not true jungkook willingly let me in

jin: jungkooks not even a real person so that doesn’t count

jk: i’m real

i think

jimin: i’m telling you he needed that 100k for rent

yoongi: taehyung homeless era

tae: I HAVE A HOME

y/n: ur not acting like it

tae: home is where the heart is

and my hearts with you bbg

y/n: leave

jk: am i real?

tae: are you a construction worker?

jk: no

tae: cuz ur a building

namjoon: what?

tae: 😉

@y/n

not you namjoon or jungkook

y/n: it’s hard

the life i live

hobi: hard like a criminal hard like the beat

tae: my rizz is out of this world it’s actually insane

jimin: do you know what rizz means?

bcs you can’t be fr

jk: isn’t rizz a type of cheese?

yoongi: this is my competition…

y/n: ur thinking of swiss cheese kook

jk: I AM

how did you know that??

y/n: can one of you guys come a get tae from us pls im begging you

jimin: i can’t read sorry

jin: i’m literally blind

hobi: 🫣

y/n: i fear his stupidness is rubbing off on jungkook

yoongi: i think he’s just naturally dumb as hell

jk: who

yoongi: see

y/n: plS my biggest fear in this life is waking up to furry jk

tae: ummm

that would have nothing to do with my influence

yoongi: call animal control maybe they’ll help you with tae?

tae: ??????

y/n: NAMJOON PLS UR MY ONLY HOPE PLS PLS PLS

namjoon: i’m not here

tae: CAN SOMONE DEFEND ME LIKE OMG???

jUNGKOOK TELL HER HER GREAT I AM

jk: he’s great

tae: UR NO HELP FUCK U

i’m gonna kill myself in front of you all in the most horrific way and change ur lives forever and NO amount of therapy will help you forget or move on

jk: ok i’m ready

tae: i’m leaving

y/n: god bless 🙏🏽

tae: ur obsessed with me get help

i hate you all

losers

gosh

fucking bitches the LOT of you

L

AWOOOOOOO

lone wolf era

jimin: what the fuck

namjoon: are you done?

tae: yeah :/

y/n: do you feel better now??

tae: as better as i can be in a situation like this :/

hobi: what situation?

tae: wdym?

jin: he has to be brain dead or something

tae: right hoseok stupid as hell

jk: i think jimin is talking about you bro

tae: jungkook ur young i wouldn’t expect you to understand

jk: ur right

y/n: they changed the korean age system isnt that crazy

jin: DON’T TALK ABOUT AGE

jimin: it’s a sensitive topic for him cuz he’s still old no matter what

namjoon: please

jk: i’m 25

jin: IDC SHUT UP

y/n: yikes

hobi: jungkook has been 25 for like 10 years

jk: that’s not true that makes no sense

hobi are you bad at maths?

hobi: don’t speak to me

tae: jimin you smell the best in the group

y/n: why are you smelling people?

hobi: furry

tae: after the loml ofc

jk: jennie?

tae: SHUT UP

jk: did you break up again???

tae: KICK HIM KICK HIMMM

jimin: what do i smell like?

tae: like vanilla i love it soOOOO much

it’s like a sweet vanilla but not so strong it overpowers ur senses it’s just right

i could eat you

jimin: i wish bitches i wanted said shit like this

but it’s just you

thx ig

tae: ???????

jin: that’s frfr creepy as hell tbh

why is he actually sniffing people is that not insane

jimin: don’t be mad you don’t smell like sweet vanilla

jin: i’m actually glad

look at what ur attracting

hobi: furries

jin: right

tae: 𝖘𝖍𝖚𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖋𝖚𝖈𝖐 𝖚𝖕

jk: WOAH

CALM DOWN TAE CALM DOWN TAE ITS OKAY ITS JUST US 😰😨😭

jimin: again what the actual fuck

tae: ur right i’m sorry i didn’t mean to get like that guys

jk: it’s okay

namjoon: they’re actually insane oh my god

y/n: i have seen a real decline in jungkooks mental state since the arrival of tae at our home

yoongi: again i think that’s just jungkook

y/n: no i know jungkook

jk: yeah she knows me

i know her

we have a connection you wouldn’t understand yoongi

y/n: and i know for a FACT he’s not that dumb

hobi: dumb dumb

jk: right i’m not that dumb

tae: WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY RN???

jk: wait

namjoon: tae go back to therapy

jimim: begging you

jin: awoman🙏🏻

tae: NO

I TOLD YOU LAST TIME

SHE LAUGHED AT ME

THE THERAPIST

I WONT I WONT I WONT

you can’t make me

it’s a free world

jk: you can buy the world??

yoongi: what do people see in you?

jk: whom?

y/n: LMAOOOO

namjoon: jungkook are you high rn?

jk: am i what?

namjoon: high

jk: hello

work on ur spelling joon

jimin: who tf is supplying him with this shit

jin: bet it was tae

tae: NO LOL

LOL

LOL

yoongi: so it was tae

y/n: HAVE YOU BEEN GETTING JUNGKOOK HIGH THESE LAST 2 WEEKS TAE???????

namjoon: this explains a lot

hobi: this is why he’s been messaging shit to my phone at like 2 in the morning

crazy

jk: who

tae: NO

LOL

y/n: HOW HAVE I NOT NOTICED???

jimin: right you dumb as hell tbh

namjoon: does it not smell??

jin: namjoon drug expert

tae: MAYBE HES BEEN TAKING EDIBLES

FROM SOMEONE WHEN YOU GO TO SLEEP???

LOL

yoongi: why are you giving ur self away like that

you really are stupid

jk: yeah stupid

yoongi: don’t ever agree with me again

jk: in y/ns bed rn

hobi: fight fight fight

yoongi: been there multiple times

jk: um ur lying

im here every night

i haven’t run into you in the last 4 months

tae: DONR TELL ME YOU LET JUNGKOOK HIT BEFOR ME OH MY GOD I CANT BREATHE RNNNNNNNNNNN

LIKE JUNGKOOK

ARE YOU FR .:’sk

omGGGH

NOOOSODODOD

jk: i’ve never hit a woman in my life

it’s not right pls don’t hit y/n

y/n: he comes to cuddle sometimes

yoongi: he does?

jk: everyday actually

she’s lying

jin: i’m gonna kill 14 puppies in-front of taehyung and see what happens

tae: why me

jin: you’re n need of a personality change

tae: i’m fine the way i am??

love urself and others will love you for you

we made a whole album about it?

jin: i’m not loving you for you tbh

and a LOT of people would say the same

tae: you guys are lucky i’m not sensitive

y/n: i’ve always been a lucky girly

hobi: you literally live with jungkook?

jk: yes?

hobi: nothing

jk: if you remember lmk ^^

tae: y/n do you have ugly man syndrome or something?

y/n: ??

tae: idk you just seem to enjoy being friendly with ugly men

y/n: never once have i said i’ve enjoyed ur company

tae: ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY IM THE UGLY MAN??

y/n: you said it not me…

tae: anything jungkook can do i 110% do it better

unless it’s lack common sense

i’m pretty full of common sense

jimin: that’s actually not true

y/n: maybe that’s what gets jungkook cuddles?

jk: when?

yoongi: being stupid?

y/n: yeah maybe he’s a loser and i find it endearing

yoongi: lol

hobi: me when i’m jealous

tae: IM ACTUALLY THE BIGGESt LOSER AROUND

TELL HER GUYS

namjoon: the biggest!

jimin: HE SOOOOOO DUMB ITS CRAZY

hobi: i feel the need to kick him every time i see him type of loser

jin: he’s such a loser actually i still bully him to this day

tae: not too much now

hobi: okay i can’t do this anymore let’s address the elephant in the room

jimin: namjoon…

namjoon: wtf?

y/n: don’t be mean

jk: are you guys in all in a room without me?

tae: u-um >.<

jin: did he just stutter through text?

y/n: pls stop

jk: where is the elephant??

jin: jungkook go to bed or something ur pissing me off now

jk: sleep well jin

namjoon: gn jin

jin: don’t feed into his shit namjoon

jk: y/n are you with the elephant?

yoongi: y/N aRe yOu wItH tHE eLepHaNt

jimin: what the beef omg?

tae: what is this elephant hobi-senpai ?!!!

i’m sitting on the edge of my seat

♡ (⇀ 3 ↼)

jk: me 2

hobi: tae you need to learn how to get a fucking grip and shut the fuck up

…

FYI JK AND Y/N ARE LIVING TOGETHER FOR THE FUNZIES OKAY? FOR THE GIRLIES THAT DO NOT KNOW

the rest of the members have their own houses and are lonely losers

[wowa-bublord]

Happy new year kid, sending you the best of wishes so you don't get turned into swiss cheese like Zack did.

( @izunias-meme-hole )

I would never get swiss cheesed I would simply open my mouth real wide and eat all the bullets before they could hit me

Happy New Years!!!!!!

[therealblondebucky]

Chapter 7 of Not The Only One - A Winter Soldier Story

Rating: Teen to Mature

Word Count: 3.4K

Warnings: Canon-typical violence (with more specifics in the tags) and discussion about a traumatic real-world event towards the end.

June 26, 2016

No one slept well, but I had a feeling it had to do with more than just the poor bedding situation.

Steve got up and left the apartment at dawn. Once the door closed behind him, I cautiously opened one eye.

"Doll, are you awake?" Bucky whispered.

"Yeah?"

He rolled over to face me and gave a small smile. "Morning."

"Morning," I returned the greeting. "Do you know where Steve went?"

Bucky shook his head and we both went quiet for a couple minutes as the early morning stillness wrapped itself around us.

"Bucky?"

"Mmhm," he grunted in acknowledgment.

"Was I a good fighter?" I asked quietly.

His first response was a sad laugh and a wistful smile. "You were the best."

I waited for him to continue.

"You handed my ass to me more than once, including yesterday."

Frowning, I asked, "I fought you yesterday?"

He nodded. "Nearly beat me to death."

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry! I don't remember doing that."

"Listen, it's okay," he assured me. "You were scared and confused. Could've happened to anyone."

My shame and embarrassment shut me up while I berated myself. How could I have come so close to taking the life of someone who has shown kindness to me?

As sunlight steadily crept into the apartment, I saw the damage that had been done to his face—the damage I had caused.

"Bucky, I'm so sorry," I breathed.

"Don't worry about it." He tried to comfort me by saying, "You didn't do all of this. I was already pretty beaten up before you got a hold of me."

I had not only hurt someone who was trying to help me but also injured a man with one arm who had recently been assaulted.

Angry with myself, I began violently picking at my fingernails. The light brought my attention to the dirt and blood that was caked under them. Even after last night's shower, a red tinge clung to the skin around each nail.

I asked suddenly, "Do you have any nail clippers?"

"I assume Steve has some in his hygiene kit," Bucky said as he got up and went over to the bags in the corner of the room.

After a minute of rummaging, Bucky handed me the desired item.

"Sorry, I got my blood on you, Doll," he apologized once he saw my left hand.

"It's not just yours," I thought to myself.

I remained silent, unsure how to respond to someone apologizing to me because I had wrongly attacked them.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Bucky murmured before pulling something else out of Steve's things. "Little soap on the nail brush and some scrubbing, and everything should come right off."

"Uh - thanks," I faltered and then made my escape to the bathroom.

I made quick work of cutting off my five fingernails. After running the nail brush over my bar of soap, I scrubbed my fingers until they burned with pain.

I was able to breathe easier now that there literally was no blood on my hands. After splashing cold water on my face, I looked up into the shabby mirror. Common sense told me that the face that stared back at me was my own, yet I did not recognize it.

Steve and Bucky were both standing around the small kitchen island when I came out of the bathroom.

Steve called out cheerfully, "Good morning! I have breakfast!"

"Sandwiches?" I asked with a raised eyebrow after looking at the food laid out before the two men.

"Breakfast sandwiches. I would have got coffee to go with them, except these were kind of expensive," he replied.

I unwrapped the wax paper from around the bundle Steve handed me. Generous slices of warm whole grain bread, tender cuts of dark roast beef, thick pieces of juicy red tomato, and rich slices of creamy white Swiss cheese made an appealing and hearty combination.

After sinking my teeth into the sandwich, I told the two boys, "I have a lot of questions."

Steve nodded. "I'm sure you do."

"First off, where are we?"

"Odesa, Ukraine," was the answer.

I asked, "Okay. How did you two find me?"

"Steve and I got you out of a facility in Siberia two days ago," answered Bucky.

Steve added, "A man named Zemo came there to kill you."

Bucky's sad blue eyes met mine as he said, "You've been frozen for nearly 25 years, Doll."

"W-what? Frozen? 25 years? The hell are you talking about?" I choked out.

"You are a Super Soldier just like us. And for the past 25 years, you have been in a Cryostasis Chamber, which kept you in a state of suspended animation by lowering your entire body temperature to absolute zero," Steve elaborated.

In barely a whisper, I said, "So, I've been unconscious for the past 25 years?"

The pair nodded simultaneously.

"Then what year is it?"

Steve replied, "It's 2016."

"20? 2016?" I stuttered the information I could hardly comprehend.

"I know it must be a shock to you. There's a lot you need to catch up on," Steve told me. "But we'll get you up to speed."

Turning to Steve, Bucky asked, "Are you going to start with the Avengers or -"

I cut him off. "What's the 'Avengers'?"

Bucky chuckled, "You are probably the last person on Earth not to know who the Avengers are."

"It's sort of an 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type of thing," explained Steve.

"That's not overtly arrogant at all," I muttered.

Steve laughed. "I'm just on the team. I didn't come up with the name. Fury did."

"Fury?"

"Nick Fury, former director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Steve's answer only left me with more questions.

"Who is Shield?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. was the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. It was an American-based extra-governmental military counter-terrorism and intelligence agency tasked with maintaining both national and global security. It was founded after World War II and was the most powerful and secret military intelligence agency on Earth for decades."

"Oh."

Steve continued, "Nick Fury was the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and founder of the Avengers Initiative. His goal was to form a team of 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' to protect the world from whatever threats it might be faced with."

"Was he able to do it?" I asked, curiosity welling up inside of me.

Steve smiled. "Yes, he was. Six members were recruited. Tony, Thor, Natasha, Clint, Bruce, and myself."

The way he said the names told me these were obviously important people, but I did not recognize any of them.

"But you wouldn't know who any of those people are. So I'll just go through the list and tell you about each of them."

I nodded in agreement and continued eating my sandwich.

"Tony Stark was the very young and extremely successful C.E.O. of Stark Industries, which sold advanced weaponry until 2009 when he was kidnapped by a terrorist group in Afghanistan. They wanted him to make them a weapon and held him captive for three months. He did build a weapon, only he used it against them to escape to freedom instead of handing it over. Eventually, he perfected the design and became known as 'Iron Man.'"

Steve handed me a small, flat device with a screen. There was a picture of a well-dressed man with a unique goatee and a flashy smile. Steve swiped to the right, and then there was a picture of a red and gold armor suit with a hand extended out in front of it. A circle of light came from its palm, and another light was set in the center of its chest.

"He wears a suit of armor?" I asked.

"Yes," Steve confirmed.

"What's he like?"

"Eccentric genius, outgoing perfectionist, cocky billionaire, showy playboy, sarcastic pragmatist, and a brave fighter. Tony is a lot of things. He has his flaws and demons, but he is a good man and a good friend." Steve paused. "We just don't always see eye-to-eye."

I could tell that Steve and Tony had a close bond, but for some reason, right now, they were far from being on good terms with each other.

Talking about Tony unsettled something in Steve, so he moved right along, saying, "Then there is Thor Odinson. He is strong, blond, royalty, a few thousand years old, a mighty warrior, and has this hammer that lets him control lightning and thunder. You might know him from Norse mythology."

My mouth hung open for a moment until I remembered my manners. I swallowed my bite of food before blurting out, "Mythology?! He's a god?!"

"No, he is an Asgardian. Centuries ago, when he came to visit Earth, the Norse people mistook him for a god, and that is why he and his family are in Norse Mythology," Steve corrected me kindly.

"Oh... What's an Ass-guard-again?" I hesitated.

Bucky tried to hide his laughter but failed.

"Someone from Asgard," Steve stated.

"Ass-guard?"

My question drew more laughter from Bucky; even Steve was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

Steve replied, "It's one of the Nine Realms."

"The Nine Realms?"

These answers to my questions only confused me.

"It's a little complicated. He's not from Earth. Sometimes, he can be out of place here and have a temper, but ultimately, he wants to do what's right and keep things peaceful."

Steve swiped again at the little picture box, and a picture of a tall, muscular man with a beard and long blonde hair wearing an interesting maroon sports blazer appeared.

"No wonder they thought he was a god," I said under my breath.

Bucky and Steve chuckled before the latter changed it to another photo. In this one, the blond man was wearing a red cape and a set of armor unlike any I had ever seen. He was holding a large silver hammer in his hand like it was nothing.

"Next is Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow. Raised from infancy in a Russian-run 'academy' called the Red Room, the girls there were made into the best spies and assassins possible. She graduated top of her class, and because of that, the K.G.B. recruited her, but fortunately, she ended up switching sides and defecting to S.H.I.E.L.D."

Steve showed me a picture of a beautiful red-headed woman wearing a formal suit.

Running my finger along the image, I felt a connection with her.

"And her Russian name?" I asked in a whisper.

For once, Steve did not have an answer to my question.

"Наталья Романов," Bucky replied. ["Natalia Romanov."]

"You must mean 'Наталья Романова,'" I corrected him. "'Романов' is the male form of the last name. 'Романова' is the female form." ["Natalia Romanova."] ["Romanov"] ["Romanova"]

Bucky just shrugged.

"What is she like?"

Steve changed the screen to a picture of her in a black full-body tactical suit before answering, "She's smart, funny, strong, and a huge flirt, but once she trusts you, she will always be there for you."

"I wish I could meet her."

"I hope that you will get to very soon," Steve said with a sad smile before moving on.

"Couldn't forget Natasha's best friend: Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye. He was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., or I should say assassin of S.H.I.E.L.D. and still is a master marksman. Clint can do more with a bow and arrow than anyone else I've ever met can do with a gun," Steve told me before showing me a picture of an unassuming man in jeans and a long-sleeved flannel.

Confused, I asked, "So he's just a regular guy who is good at archery?"

Steve chuckled, "No. He is also a skilled martial artist, acrobat, and spy, not to mention a very valuable member of the team."

The next picture was of the same man wearing a black sleeveless uniform and holding a bow loaded with three arrows.

"Clint is brilliant, humorous, very competitive, extremely loyal, a caring friend, and a loving family man," Steve stated.

"Finally, there is Bruce Banner, the most gifted scientist of this century."

"A scientist?" I asked, unimpressed, looking at the picture of a very average man who wore glasses and a purple button-up.

In response to my question, Steve pulled up a picture of a huge, green, muscular monster.

"Holy crap! What is that thing?!"

Steve said, "He's the Hulk, a strong and primitive-minded creature who is fueled by rage. Bruce was exposed to high levels of gamma radiation, which changed his body and mind. Bruce and Hulk are both always in there; it's just a matter of who is in control."

"So he can turn into that whenever he wants?"

"He has to be triggered to transform into the Hulk," Steve explained.

Concerned, I asked, "But every time he gets angry, does he change?"

"Not necessarily. Bruce has gained considerable control over the Hulk and is still learning about him. Bruce is very intelligent, sometimes shy, and always kind."

"In 2012, Thor's adopted brother, Loki, entered the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility in the Mojave Desert via some kind of portal; used a Scepter to mind control several agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., including Clint Barton; stole the Tesseract; and destroyed the facility and the surrounding area," Steve recalled.

"The Tess-er-act?"

Steve explained grimly, "It's a blue cube with unmatched power."

I nodded, and he continued.

"Fury met with the World Security Council, and they told him to forget about the Avengers Initiative, but he went through with it anyway."

"Natasha recruited Bruce, Fury recruited me, and Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited Tony."

"Natasha, Bruce, and I were brought onto S.H.I.E.L.D.'s first Helicarrier, which is a flying command center and an aircraft carrier. We found Loki in Germany, forcing a crowd of people to kneel before him. Tony and I were able to bring Loki into custody."

"That was the first time Tony and I ever met," Steve said quietly, reminiscing over the memory.

He ended the moment by resuming his story.

"Anyways, Thor boarded our Quinjet and took Loki with him. Tony and I followed. It took a bit of convincing, but Thor agreed to join us."

"When we returned to the Helicarrier, Loki was put in a cell and we discussed what Loki's plan was. Natasha interrogated Loki, while Tony and I separately but simultaneously discovered that Fury's 'Phase Two' was using the Tesseract to create weapons. We all had a big argument." Steve shook his head at this recollection.

"Clint and the other brainwashed agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. attacked the Helicarrier and took out one of our engines. It took a while, but Tony and I fixed the engine. The attack triggered Bruce to turn into the Hulk, and Natasha had to flee for her life. Thor stopped Hulk from hurting anyone until they were able to get him off of the Helicarrier, and he turned back into Banner unharmed."

"Loki escaped and then tricked Thor into his former cell. Agent Coulson tried to save Thor, but Loki ended up killing him."

I noticed a tear slide down Steve's face.

"Loki then ejected a still-trapped Thor from the Helicarrier. Fortunately, Thor was able to escape uninjured, but Loki got away."

"Fury told Tony and I that Agent Coulson was dead, and he also came clean to us about how his true plan was the Avengers Initiative, not Phase Two."

"Natasha had to fight and restrain Barton until he was finally free of Loki's control." Steve paused after saying this, as if the weight of his own words would not allow him to speak.

A moment later, he carried on, "Tony and I discussed Agent Coulson's death and realized Loki planned to open up a portal above Stark Tower in New York City."

"I found Clint and Natasha, and we took a Quinjet, which is an advanced piece of S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft, and followed Tony to New York City."

"Tony tried to talk to Doctor Erik Selvig, a renowned astrophysicist and also another one of Loki's personal puppets at the time, about shutting down the portal device he had created using the Tesseract, but it didn't work. So Tony took off his suit and faced off against Loki mind to mind."

"It didn't go well. When Loki couldn't control Tony with the Scepter, he just threw him out the window. Tony was able to get into one of his suits and not fall to his death, but the portal had opened, and Loki's alien army had already arrived."

"Thor took his turn at confronting Loki, but to no avail. Loki took out one of the Quinjet's engines, and we were forced to crash land."

"Sirens were going off everywhere. The police officers and firefighters were doing all they could. Debris dust was thick on everything. The aliens just kept coming. Seventy-four civilians died, along with several NYPD officers and National Guard members, though I don't remember the numbers for them," Steve said quietly with a faraway look in his eyes.

No one spoke until Bucky gently said, "It's okay, Steve. What happened next?"

Steve blinked a couple of times. "umm- Thor and Bruce joined us. Bruce turned into the Hulk. I helped Natasha catch a ride up to the top of Stark Tower."

"There were a bunch of civilians cornered in this bank. The aliens had this bomb. It went off and blew me out of a window. I think I ended up landing on a car," Steve laughed dryly.

"Selvig was free of Loki's mind control when Natasha finally made it to the top of Stark Tower. He told her how to shut down the portal. And Hulk beat Loki down."

"The World Security Council decided to nuke New York City as the solution to the alien problem."

"I'm sorry! They decided to 'nuke' New York City?!" I interrupted.

Steve nodded and continued, "Tony took the nuke up and into the portal even though it was a suicide mission. When Tony hadn't come back out, Natasha was forced to close the portal. His suit had run out of power, but thankfully he free fell back to Earth before the portal fully closed. Once Tony came to, we finished our business with Loki."

"Thor took the Tesseract and Loki back to Asgard. We all went our separate ways after that. The world has never been the same since that day," Steve finished.

"Why would someone attack New York like that?" I asked soberly.

Steve and Bucky looked at each other.

"Actually, this wasn't the first time New York has been attacked since you were put under," replied Steve.

"On September 11, 2001, nineteen members of the terrorist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airliners. One plane crashed into the World Trade Center North Tower. The second crashed into the World Trade Center South Tower. The third plane was flown into the Pentagon."

"The fourth plane's target was either the Capitol building or the White House, but it never made it to either. The crew and passengers of the flight fought against the hijackers after they had learned about the fates of the three other hijacked planes. When the hijackers realized that the passengers and crew would likely overcome them and gain control of the plane, they rolled the plane and intentionally crashed it, which killed everyone on board."

"Both of the towers ended up catching on fire and came down. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, over 25,000 were injured, and we will probably never know how many got sick or even died because of all of the contaminants and carcinogens that were in the air," Steve said, his voice filled with nothing but sadness.

I had no words. I could not even cry. I was in so much shock over the tragedy.

In a firm tone, Bucky said, "I think that's enough history for today."

I do not remember much about the rest of that day.

Steve went out again and did not return until after dark.

Bucky made himself a peanut butter sandwich around noon and offered me one, but I declined.

Steve brought back three thrifted sleeping bags, some basic groceries, and three takeout servings of okroshka. The cold summer soup was good, but I only ate my portion to appease Steve and not because I was hungry.

As I crawled into my sleeping bag that night, so many thoughts churned in my head.

- I had hurt someone and had no recollection of it.

- Someone had tried to kill me.

- I had missed 25 years of living.

- A beautiful city and the innocent lives of its people had been devastated by evil men.

[rabbitcruiser]

Swiss Cheese Day

Enjoy the delicious sensation of eating this mild cheese that is particularly beloved and famous for its holes.

Swiss Cheese Day brings this cheese to the forefront and gives it the fame it is worthy of!

History of Swiss Cheese Day

Swiss Cheese has a history that dates back several hundred years, to the 1300s when the people of Switzerland began making their own cheeses. Starting out as more of a soft, cottage style cheese, they eventually were able to master the hard cheeses that they are famous for today.

When the first industrial cheese factory was established in 1815, it increased the ability for cheese production and marketing. As the processes were standardized and then incorporated on a global scale, Swiss cheese grew in popularity and availability.

And, even though many places throughout the world might make cheese that is similar to the Swiss varieties, some labels help consumers see if the cheese they are buying truly does come from Switzerland.

Swiss cheese that is made entirely in one region of Switzerland comes with a special label that indicates this specialty. The label is called the Appellation d’Origine Protégée or AOP label, and only ten varieties of Swiss cheese actually carry this label.

Another label that indicates cheese has been made in Switzerland is the IGP (Indication Geographique Protégée) which means that at least one step of the production process has been carried out in the original region.

And though Swiss cheese is certainly exported and has become famous all around the world, the Swiss certainly love to consume their own cheese themselves. In fact, some researchers estimate that more than 185,000 tons of cheese are eaten each year in Switzerland, which is just a bit more than 48 pounds of cheese per person every year!

Swiss Cheese Day was established to celebrate everything that goes along with this delicious and classic cheese that is beloved all the world around. This is the day to enjoy, appreciate and learn about everything that has to do with Swiss Cheese.

Swiss Cheese Day Timeline

5500 BC

Earliest evidence of cheesemaking

Strainers are used for cheesemaking in Poland, leaving the earliest evidence humans can find.

14th Century

Swiss cheese is first made 

First made in Switzerland, the cheese is called “emmental”.

Mid-1500s

Swiss cheese grows in popularity

Once they got a handle on how to store it, the Swiss could keep and export their cheeses, making them popular all over Europe.

1800

Monks feed Swiss cheese to Napoleon’s troops

As Napoleon was leading his troops through the Swiss Alps, they stop at a hostel where monks feed them 1 ½ tons of cheese – and it took 50 years for them to get paid for it!

1914

Swiss Cheese Union starts

Serving as a sort of cartel to control cheese production, this governing body lasts until 1999 due to corruption.

How to Celebrate Swiss Cheese Day

Enjoy the delicious and classic flavors of this delightful cheese on Swiss Cheese Day. Get ready to celebrate the day with some of these fun ideas:

Learn About the Health Benefits of Swiss Cheese

Just one slice of Swiss cheese brings a whole host of many different health benefits. Actually, as cheeses go, Swiss is one of the healthiest of the cheeses. Check out some of these health benefits of Swiss cheese:

Calcium With 25% of the daily value of calcium, just one slice of Swiss cheese can be very healthy for building strong bones and teeth.

Vitamin B12 A slice of Swiss cheese offers 16% of the daily value of this vitamin.

Protein Even vegetarians can get the protein they need with this cheese that provides 7.5 grams of protein in one ounce.

Zinc Swiss cheese contains around 1 milligram of zinc, which is just under 10% of the daily recommended allowance of zinc for an adult. And zinc is important because the body can’t store it, so it needs to be consumed every day.

Cook with Swiss Cheese

Starting with something simple like a deli sandwich with sliced items to dip in fondue, Swiss Cheese Day is just the time to cook with this healthy and tasty cheese. Try out some of these culinary ideas for celebrating the day:

French Onion Soup. This delicious dish is perfect for eating in the winter time and is perfectly complemented with a slice of Swiss cheese just melted right into the bottom with the croutons.

Reuben Sandwiches. Rye bread, corned beef, Russian dressing, Sauerkraut and Swiss cheese are an absolutely ideal combination for this hot sandwich.

Ham and Swiss Potato Casserole. Nothing goes better with Swiss cheese than ham. Put it together in a casserole with potatoes and bake it until the ham is hot and the cheese is super melty. Yum!

Chicken and Swiss Makeover. Chicken breasts stuffed with Swiss cheese and covered in cream of chicken soup, and then sprinkled with cracker crumbs. Bake this dish to perfection and serve with a side of cheesy broccoli or cauliflower.

Learn Fun Facts About Swiss Cheese

In honor of Swiss Cheese Day, take a look at some of these interesting bits of trivia that might be fun to share to raise awareness and get other people excited about this glorious day:

Germany consumes a large amount of Swiss cheese Of those countries who receive Swiss cheese as an import, Germany is the largest consumer of it—at almost 50% of all the cheese exported by Switzerland.

People who are lactose intolerant can still enjoy Swiss cheese Some varieties of Swiss cheese, such as some of the harder versions, including Le Gruyère and Emmentaler, contain 0% lactose because it is broken down in the process of production.

Some cheeses need extra time to mature While hard cheeses may be ready to eat after as little as four months, some Swiss cheese, like the Sbrinz variety, is best when it has two to three years to mature in the cheese cellar.

Swiss cheese has more than 450 varieties Nearly half the milk in the country of Switzerland is turned into cheese and some of the more common varieties include Gruyère, Emmental, Raclette, and Appenzeller.

Make Plans to Visit the Gruyères Cheese Festival

Although it doesn’t take place until later in the year when the weather warms up, the Gruyères Cheese Festival is celebrated in this medieval little town. Swiss Cheese Day would be the perfect time to start making plans to attend the Swiss Cheese Festival that takes place in the town.

Join in on the fun of celebrating Swiss Cheese with traditional music, cheese tasting events, and cheese making demonstrations that are all part of the fun. Flag throwers and Alpine horn blowers add to the festivities when celebrating this Swiss culture.

Swiss Cheese Day FAQs

Why does Swiss cheese have holes?

When carbon dioxide bubbles form in the cheese, it creates holes.

Is Swiss cheese healthy?

Swiss cheese is actually known for being one of the most healthy cheeses with low lactose, fat and sodium.

What does Swiss cheese taste like?

Swiss cheese has a flavor that is mild, sweet and nutty.

Does Swiss cheese melt?

Yes! Good quality Swiss cheese melts well, but low-quality substitutes might tend to be a bit oily.

Does Swiss cheese have lactose?

As cheeses go, Swiss cheese is relatively low in lactose. Usually from 0 to 3.4% lactose.

Source

[hanahaki-disease]

Till I Let You Fall

Hell or High Water - Percy Jackson/DC Crossover

Summary:

“Jason Todd. The second Robin, Tim and Percy’s Robin. Percy’s big brother was alive and had beat the shit out of him the night before in Titans tower.”

❤️✨HE HAS RISEN BABY GIRL‼️✨❤️🤪🦀

**************************************

“Summer’s next week, huh?” Tim said from the door way. Sleep still had its grip on him, it tugged his eyelids down and made his movements a bit more lethargic than usual. But last nights’ patrol had been rough and Percy thinks Tim deserves to be a bit lazy on a Wednesday morning.

Croc had decided to start the night with a bang, crawling out of his lair that was the sewers to terrorize and obtain whatever it was he wanted in the docks. They had yet to figure out what it was, but Percy knows that Tim or Bruce will have that info by the time he gets back from the orientation. Tim also had the misfortune of running into Polka Dot Man right before his patrol ended. The corrosive circles made his cape look like Swiss cheese and he had lost a shoe some how in that battle.

Percy fought really hard to contain his laughter when he came back to the cave like that. Hair sticking up and disheveled, one sock wet from the constant puddles of rain water and cave moisture, his belt in one hand and his other hand holding up his pants. Tim was a mess and Percy had the right as his brother and best friend to laugh at him.

“Actually, summer started on Monday,” Percy reread the itinerary for the orientation before shoving it into his backpack. “But yes, I go back to camp next week.”

Tim nodded his head, scratching at his belly as he did so. “What kinda shenanigans do you think you’ll get up to this time?”

“With my track history in mind,” he said. “Probably another cross country adventure. Higher chances of death this time, I know that for sure.”

“Why’s that?” Percy watched as Tim laid across his bed, across his clothes that Alfred had just finished pressing. “Did you have another prophetic dream or something?”

The younger of the two rolled the other off his clothes before grabbing his pillow and hit Tim with it. Percy chuckled at Tim’s groan when he threw it at his face. “Or something.” Tim did not look amused. “It’s…a vibe that I have, not so much as a dream. I just have this feeling that something is gonna happen this summer, not just camp, but here as well.”

“Like an invasion or takeover?” Percy shook his head. “Oh, one of us gets like, uber sick and we’re out for like a month? No, Bruce gets food poisoning when he goes on that date with Selina on Friday?”

“No, but that would be funny,” Percy leaned against his desk. “It’s more like, something happens to you specifically. Something happens and you get really hurt.”

“That’s not ominous at all,” Tim says.

“I know, which is why I’m leaving you these.” Percy pulls out a small drawstring bag from the desk drawer and tossed to him. It wasn’t any bigger than the palm of his hand and jingled when it landed. Inside was a good little pile of gold coins, roughly the size of a dollar coin and embossed on both sides.

One side had the empire state building on it, beams of light reaching out to the border making the picture seem holier than it was in real life. Circling the Empire state building on both side were Greek characters, probably a phrase of some kind. He could recognize a few letters, one was the popular ‘omega’ and another was ‘delta.’ There was also ‘psi’ but he couldn’t be quiet sure since it was a little different than the current version in the modern Greek alphabet, so Tim deduced that this was written in some kind of older version of the language.

On the other side of the coin was a small Pegasus encircled by a laurel wreath and the same Greek phrase on the edge of the coin. There was maybe, twenty of these coins in the bag. Each one having as different symbol in the laurel and the Empire State building on the other side. “What are these?”

“Gold drachmas,” Percy answered. “Currency of the gods, you can use them to call me when I’m gone.”

“You have a phone, though, can’t I just use that?”

He shook his head. “Have you ever seen me use my phone? If I try to use it, it’s basically a beacon to any and all monsters in Gotham, they’ll know I’m here and come after me. And I kinda don’t want to fight any more than I have to.”

“That’s fair. How does it work?” Tim sat up.

Percy moved to the window. The morning sunlight was bright and warm and so very different than how it usually is, but Tim didn’t mind it when he was inside. Like a cat, he could lay on the ground with a pillow and a blanket and take a nap in it’s warmth. He wouldn’t dare do it outside, though. Summer in Gotham was a humid hell and he didn’t want to be basting in his seat while he got roasted by the sun. At least inside he had the luxury of air conditioning.

Tim watched Percy’s gaze focused on the bottle of water on his nightstand. He watched as it’s contents began to spin in it’s plastic confines, swirling around in a vortex, making the bottle move as it did so. With an outstretched hand, Percy commanded it to burst from the bottle, pieces of plastic launched across the room—and in his hair—as the water floated it’s way to him.

Logically, Tim knows Percy can do this, he’s seen it before when Percy saved a baby bat that fell into the cave lake below. But he’s awestruck each time. Like his brain forgets that Percy has water powers and then remembers it all at once when he does it again. It was quite annoying.

He saw him make the water encircle his arm like a bracelet, a constant stream that so many fashion designers and celebrities alike would have killed to have. Carefully he made bits of the water stream off the main one, turning it into a fine mist that shakily made a rainbow in the sunlight. “Bring one of the drachmas and watch this.”

Sliding off the bed, Tim stood beside Percy as he took the drachma from him. “If, for whatever reason, you need to get a hold of me, this is how you do it. You make a rainbow, grab one of these, and say: O Iris, accept my offering!” He tossed the coin into the rainbow and Tim half expected to hear it clatter against the ground on the other side. But it didn’t. It wasn’t on the floor. It had simply vanished. “Then you ask her to show you who you need to talk to, for example: Show me, Grover Underwood, Camp Half-blood!”

A fuzzy image came into view and Tim audibly gasped at the sight. Grover looked exactly as he remembered him from sixth grade, from the curly hair, wispy beard on his chin and the slightly goat-like eyes. But while it was nice to see him again, Tim couldn’t help but take in the sights of the background.

Looming over the other buildings in the area, was a Colosseum. Old stone, withered by age but still kept up and cared for, it was the largest building Tim could see, with an amphitheater not too far from it either. A semi-circle of stone seats faced an unlit bonfire pit and a wooden stage. Pillars of white marble and lit braziers stood further behind the amphitheater, that was probably the pavilion Percy talked about. Where they eat their meals or have cabin meetings since there’s enough for all of them.

It wasn’t hard to spot the other campers Percy talks about, they all wore the same bright orange shirts he had and some were decked out in armor. Chest plates and shin straps, cauldrons and helmets, leather and shiny bronze that glinted in the sunlight. Each of them had a weapon on them. A sword on their hips, an ax in their hand or a spear. Though he knew they were kids like him, no older than eighteen, they held themselves like soldiers. Trained and dangerous kids who could hold their own for a good while in combat against the Amazonians. They fought like the Amazonians, Tim thought as he watched a group spar on the right side. Sand and dirt got kicked up as they moved, the plumes of their helmets shaved as they ducked, and the clash of blades and shields a constant background noise in Percy and Grover’s conversation.

“Alright, see ya G-man,” Percy swiped his hand though the image, ruining the rainbow and ending the magic video call. “You understand how it works now?”

Tim nodded. “Yeah.”

“Good,” Percy said sending the last bit of water on him towards the sink in his restroom, fist bumping the air when it landed in the porcelain bowl. “If anything happens, anything at all, let me know. I’ll drop everything and come home.”

“Yeah, no, I wont do that,” Tim said and collect the bag of coins. “You’re going to be fifteen at the end of the summer Percy, and you said it yourself that you’re basically a general in this war of yours. I won’t rip you away from that for something you don’t need to worry about. We can handle it here, you just make sure you don’t die when you’re in camp and that you come home for your birthday.”

“No promises,” Percy says and grabbed his stuff, knowing Alfred was going to call for him soon to head to orientation for his new high school. Tim followed him out to the hall, waiting beside Cassandra who paused to waive goodbye to her new little brother, “Oh! And don’t even think about looking for your birthday present in my room. I already gave it to Alfred to keep your grubby hands away from it.”

“Shucks,” Tim placed his hand on his hips and waived Percy goodbye as he left with Alfred.

Tim knows that Percy has magic dreams, he’s been told all about them after his initial introduction into Percy’s second life. Knows that they sometimes leave him shaking with a sheen of sweat, other times he looks haunted. As if the ghost of someone he once knew visited him, leaving him sullen during breakfast the next morning. Sometimes his dreams are pretty useful, a few times he’s woken up with a premonition, a fuzzy kind of gut feeling about a building or a profile on a certain case. Other times, he warns Tim not to go with Bruce on a case, to go another way on patrol, to stop or distract Stephanie from something. It isn’t clear why sometimes, since nothing happens after that, but Tim can just assume that whatever it was he saw didn’t happen.

But this time, Percy didn’t have any concrete feelings or visions. He didn’t have an inkling of where or when, of who was there and who wasn’t. Just a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that kept Tim wary of whats to come later on.

—

Well shit.

So that’s what Percy meant when he said that Tim was going to be getting hurt.

Tim hissed in pain as he tried to reach for the handle of the drawer in the stand besides him. His right leg was in a cast, his shin was fractured and his knee was broken, as was his left wrist. The bruised ribs hurt to breath, move—exist in general, and the many cuts and bruises he got did not make anything any better.

He didn’t know what to expect in the days following Percy’s departure and the feeling of a serious injury towards him. Every day and every patrol he had spent on edge waiting for it to happen. Jumping at every person or movement in the shadow. (he felt bad every time it happened with Cass.) It got to the point that Bruce suggested that Tim takes some time away from Gotham and to head to Jump City to hang with the Titans for a bit.

Bruce.

Bruce Wayne, paranoia extraordinaire. The man who has plans for every little thing that could go wrong, told Tim that he needed some time away from Gotham. Because of Tim’s paranoia.

If Tim could laugh, he would, but his aching ribs prevented him from doing so. It also didn’t help that he was making it worse by trying to get the bag of drachmas he kept in the drawer. Normally he had them on top the stand, ready to grab in an emergency if he needed to reach out to Percy. But for some reason, he decided to tuck them into the drawer yesterday morning.

Why? He doesn’t know, he just did it, and here he was. Biting his lip in pain as he strained his good arm trying to even reach the handle. Either way, Tim has to get to those drachmas. He has to find a way to conjure a rainbow and call Percy from whatever quest he was on. This wasn’t something to put off any longer than it has been already—Jason was alive.

Jason Todd. The second Robin, Tim and Percy’s Robin. Percy’s big brother was alive and had beat the shit out of him the night before in Titans tower.

How did he come back? How long has be been alive and where has he been? So many questions had run through his head after Jason left him with an inch of his life last night. All of them needed answers, ones he doesn’t have and has no way of finding out because he was on bed rest. Which was stupid, he doesn’t need it. He’s fine.

Tim also needed to figure out where Jason was going next. He had gone on about how Batman had let another kid put on his suit, how Tim was just playing pretend in a dead kids uniform. And wow, Tim had déjà vu between the attacks from those insults since Percy had yelled them at him almost three years ago. So it was plausible for Tim to assume that Jason was heading to Gotham. He was probably going to confront Bruce or something.

And while Tim should warn Bruce of whats to come, let him know that his dead son has risen from the dead and is on a war path his way with a bullet that has his name on it. But Tim has found that he could care a little less than he should about Bruce right now. His main priority was to call his best friend to let him know that his brother was alive. After that, then maybe he’ll call Bruce.

His middle finger had just barely hooked onto the handle when the air in front of him shimmered into existence. The edges were colorful, a rainbow made of water vapor and magic, and in the middle there was a girl about his age. She had a healthy tan, much like Percy’s, and the tops of her cheeks were a bit more sun burnt than then rest of her face. Gold curls were pulled back into a ponytail letting Tim see the full intensity of her eyes.

He doesn’t think he’s ever seen some one with gray eyes like hers, storm cloud gray and a piercing stare despite the red in her sclera. Tim knows that his eyes are pretty pale compared to the darker and brighter blues and green of his family, and he has been told that his own owlish, lead-paint stare was unnerving from time to time. But Tim found himself shrinking back into his pillow under hers.

“Who are you?” He said finally before mentally cursing himself that he didn’t have a domino on.

“Are you Tim Drake?” She answered.

“Answer my question first,” Tim hardened his glare, noticing how she didn’t seem fazed at it.

“My name’s Annabeth, I’m a…” Her next words caught in her throat a little. Her gaze fluttering to her surroundings as she collected her thoughts. “I was a friend of Percy.”

Percy was never one to share personal facts about himself to those he doesn’t know or doesn’t trust. He’s seen multiple times the way Percy shuts himself off to the other kids in school, the paparazzi, or anyone he deems unsafe. When they were kids, there was no hesitation for Percy to spill his life’s story to Tim. Somehow knowing that Tim was going to be his best friend at the age of eight on that rooftop years ago. He can imagine he was the same way over there at camp.

So whoever this Annabeth was, how ever she was connected to Percy, Tim could trust her too.

“Is he okay?” Tim tried to sit up.

She gave out a shaky breath and her gray eyes welt up with tears again, he tried to not let the dread in his stomach grow. “Have you, um, have you seen the news recently?” He shook his head. “Mount St Helens erupted a week ago, we were there when it did.” The dread was growing.

“I had left to deal with another monster, and Percy stayed there as a distraction.”

No. No…This can’t—

“Percy…” She wiped a tear away. “Percy blew up the mountain. We can’t find him. We think—we believe he died, no one could survive that. There’s gonna be…” she paused for a moment. “There’s gonna be a shroud burning next Friday, I can let you into the camp if you want to come.”

Tim’s throat was dry when he tried to respond. “I thought I couldn’t go since I’m mortal?”

“A demigod can let a mortal enter with explicit permission,” she nodded her head. “If you decide to come, I can meet you at the farmers road and lead you up. You were the only one who knew about this part of Percy’s life, I think he’d want you to be here to help light the pyre.”

With that, she swiped through the rainbow screen and the magic that held the water up fell into droplets on his bed. All at once, they left a wet mark on his sheets. So then why was he still hearing water hitting the bed? It was quiet, and faint, but there nonetheless. With a hand, Tim lifted it to his cheeks and discovered they were wet.

He was crying. When did he start crying? When had Percy left on a quest, why did he go? Tim wasn’t too far away, he could’ve flown a jet or have Superboy fly him there. Tim could have helped Percy, even if he could’ve seen anything. Tim could have had Kon fly in the rumble and the surrounding area, searching though the rocks with his X-ray vision looking for him and all the other people who had been hurt by the explosion. Tim couldn’t have done anything to stop him.

This—This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Tim was supposed to have called Percy. Wheezing from extortion, grimacing at his aching limbs and strained muscles with a smile on his face as he told Percy the news. He would seen his eyes widen, mouth drop, and maybe shed a few tears at the news. Percy would have said that he was on his way home, that he was going to pack his bag and head straight back to Gotham, but now…now…

Oh my god. Tim covered his mouth, he was going to have to tell the others.

He was going to have to be the one to tell Bruce that he lost another son to an explosion. He was going to have to tell Dick that all the bonding and reconciliation they’ve done these past two years were all for naught.

Tim was going to have to figure out a way to tell the recently revived Jason Todd that his little brother had died before he had come back to their world.

**************************************

Jason back in Gotham now >:) things are-a changing Percy’s reaction is gonna be in the next update, so stick around for that. And the dynamic between Percy and the rest of the batfam is gonna shift, quite a bit in the next arc—brace for that.

Also, this update marks the end of the second arc, I hoped you all liked it ❤️

All titles from this arc came from the song “Descending” by Sleep Token, go check them out, they’re an awesome band. Absolutely love them.

Thank you so much for reading‼️❤️

Previous | Masterlist | Next

[planet-crait]

Episode 5 we have lost the glorious intro song again. Yes I am very invested in the into sue me.

The title card reminds me of the episode where Timmy wishes to not feel any emotions. I wonder if this will be similar to that or ever brought up. I noticed Timmy hasn’t come up since episode one but with the comments about how he haunts the narrative I expect him to be referenced again just an interesting note.

Okay it’s pretty cute how excited Hazel is that excited Jasmine is coming over. First new friend excitement is such a real thing. I have to wonder though how Cosmo and Wanda know Hazel calls them. If Fairies can hear their god kids call them from anywhere how did all the fairies lose their kids in the episode where everyone looks the same?

What kind of parent lets their ten year old watch horror movies? Maybe this is more common than I realize and my shock comes from how sheltered my parents raised me it’s just weird to me. Cute again how excited Hazel is to share them but uh, I am shocked a ten year olds parent isn’t monitoring what their kids are watching.

I couldn’t help but laugh about Jasmine talking about how bad a horror movie about dolls would be. My best friend cannot handle horror around dolls because he has a doll collection so I can feel that in my soul. I’m starting to see the flags for what Hazel wishes for and why and I appreciate the setup.

Also I appreciate Jasmine setting up firm boundaries about what she is and is not okay with. Good job kiddo, it’s important to establish firmly what is and is not okay and it’s nice to see her so comfortable with that. I wonder if Jasmine has tryophobia given her hatred of Swiss cheese specifically for the holes?

Hazel I get not wanting to watch a scary movie alone. I get certain things aren’t as fun by yourself I get it. But forcing Jasmine to be that companion is not it. And why don’t Cosmo and Wanda like question this choice at all? Did they ever with Timmy? This is another one of those have to go back and check isn’t it?

Why does removing Jasmines fear make another Jasmine? When Timmy lost his emotions they manifested very differently and this Jasmine looks evil instead of being terrified like fear was in the OG. We’ll see if this gets addressed lolz. I’m glad Hazel does ask about it, even if somehow Cosmo and Wanda don’t know the answer.

Oh monster oh fuck spider. I hate spiders. I am terrified. Wait theirs a new Jasmine for each of her fears? I’m very confused.

Wait how did Cosmo and Wanda not think of this they did this before? Wouldn’t removing all emotions and a specific one do the same thing? Or is their wordplay I’m not catching any caused the difference?

Why didn’t the wish not work? Ohhh they answered that fast but why would the fears reveal how they could be defeated? Why not laugh and leave and let Hazel work it out by bouncing ideas off of Cosmo and Wanda? Thats how I personally would have rolled with it. Villains revealing their weaknesses never makes sense to me.

Lolz wait did the wish make Jasmine pass out or is class that boring? I need to know this lolz. Also adults apparently also fail to notice anything ever because no one questions why Hazel looks like a puppet. Great note taking fake Hazel. 10/10.

Wait this specific thing is in Da Rules? Like how to defeat them? I thought Da Rules just…listed wishes that couldn’t be made?

Not sure how I feel about how Hazel is going about this but I suppose desperate times desperate measures? Though Hazel is right in that Jasmine has different skill sets than a lot of kids and it’s all true. A lot of people struggle when dealing with public situations involving people and Jasmine isn’t and it’s a good strength of hers. Jasmines family sucks though for teasing her so much.

Don’t kill me internet but uh I’ve never watched or read Charlottes Web lolz.

Wait where has fear itself been this entire time? I have questions. WOW good job Cosmo little late. I didn’t think their crowns could be knocked off?

Ohhh so fear can see Hazels fears. Oh that makes sense. I do like Hazel realizing what she was doing and acknowledging it wasn’t good and deciding to pick something with Jasmine to do. Not quite how I expected it to go I think an acknowledgment about boundaries would have been good but at least Hazel realizes she shouldn’t force people to be who they’re not.

…am I forgetting an episode of FOP or is the puppet going rogue thing ever going to come up when that happened?

After sleeping on it, I realized I’m glad the writers decided to do their own thing with their variations of losing an emotion. This show shouldn’t be just Hazels versions of Timmy’s wishes, this show should be able to be its own thing. And I think the twist of the fears each manifesting as something physical to face was a fun twist.

Episode 5 I found better than 4 and 2 but not sure it beats episode 3. I think it’s a pretty close tie currently. During the work week I think these reviews will be coming out a little slower just cuz I don’t have as much time sorry about that! Onto episode 6!

[thegeminisage]

casino skip??? that sounds fun!! the skyrim glitch i was talking about involves goimg out of bounds too, i only managed it on ps3. i mostly just dont care enough to do glitches.

i have sooooo many games i want to play rip, instead i replay ratchet and clank for the 500th time

also whats your favorite final fantasy game? mine is 12 bc baby me had big ol' crushes on fran and balthier. (fun fact, the guy who voiced balthier was deucalion in teen wolf)

- dl anon

CASINO SKIP. this person makes it look easy but it took my brother a few tries to get it. i don't normally care much about glitches either but it IS fun to see them done in real life

favorite final fantasy is such a difficult one...i like almost all of them that i've played* (ff2 you will forever be my enemy). ff5 for sure has the best humor, ff6 is the most innovative and closest to my heart, ffx for sure has the best story...but i think 13 wins. 13 has a bit of a swiss cheese problem as far as its plot goes (so much critical information is hidden in the logs in the start menu or simply missing or translated incorrectly), but the cast grows so wonderfully together and with such charisma and charm, the graphics hold up 10+ years later, the soundtrack is a fucking banger, and it has my absolute favorite battle system in any rpg i have EVER played. not only that, its ratio of male to female characters is a perfect 50/50, AND the female protagonist does NOT enter into a romantic relationship of ANY kind during all 3 games - it isn't even hinted at, isn't at all implied that it should be a thing. like, first of all, aro queen, secondly, feminism, but thirdly, how refreshing for a piece of media like that to place nonromantic bonds above romantic ones when the FF games normally have the big sweeping kind of romance you get with like tidus and yuna or locke and celes. i love the protagonist of 13 so much, she's about half the reason i finally dyed my hair pink. 10/10 games i had some mixed feeling about the third game in the trilogy but ultimately i didn't hate it which is what matters.

*i have played 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, and 13. i really want to to 7 8 and 12 someday but i know what a timesink it will be lol (fun fact the guy who voices balthier in ff12 and plays deucalion in teen wolf ALSO voices my main man fenris in dragon age 2). i'm not gonna do 14 cuz i don't do mmos anymore, i'm not gonna do 15 cuz i know there are no women, and im not really interested in 16 either because it looks like it has no women and also very game of thr*nes-y. here's hoping 17 does a little better.

[gcldfanged]

💕 why not

Send a “💕” and I will tell you something I admire about you! [ACCEPTING]

Ayo *finger guns* I have a very HAZY memory at the best of times and a useless hunk of moldy swiss cheese where my brain SHOULD be at the worst- So I really don't recall how we were when we first became mutuals??? Other than like, polite and also VERY pissy about the Kings.glaive movie's oodles of potential, yet HORRIFIC execution.

I really liked Luche and Pelna and even fucking Drautos' POTENTIAL. But that's all there was. You managed to take all of the plot holes and loose threads and shit-ass characterization and spun literal fucking gold out of it with your Luche portrayal? You performed like, some ACTUAL EMPLOYEE'S JOB who's currently on Square-Enix's payroll. That's lit as fuck.

And I hate to bring up my own damn FF.XV OC, but we managed to plot out and write such interesting dynamics between Xiaowen and Luche, wtf. Also Ravus and Adrienne, the vitriolic not-best-friends... I vividly recall so many drabbles and threads we were working on and massive meta & headcanon posts and this stupidly LUSH timeline of events and emotional growth and hardship and betrayal and OUUUGH-

You craft amazing characters from basically nothing or little underappreciated details from the source material, then you inject so much life and realism and they're not just "ooh, relatable cuz 'not problematic' finally"- You allow them to have flaws that make sense and draw attention to how said flaws drastically impair their day to day living like they should- realistically speaking.

I have so many fond memories from FF.XV and M.HA thanks to you (despite not being in either fandom spaces anymore), and I still kinda feel bad I deleted everything and didn't at least save some of our works due to negative associations that were still causing me a lot of pointless emotional pain and distancing myself from one of my favorite hobbies. Still- Glad that we both have memories of that due to compulsive re-reading, LMAO.

[More personal crapola under the cut]

And because we've been close in the past and felt comfortable enough to support each other through the ADULTING(tm) sides too, I feel that we have similar yet also VASTLY different experiences and are still like "aha, same hat! *waves*". I feel like even if we fundamentally disagree on whatever topic, it's not going to be a 'make or break' incident and we both can just be "Yeah, I gotcha- That's Cool :)" and not get instantly defensive or overly personal about our reactions. That's the kind of bond I've really wanted to have with other people for most of my life, but never really seemed to get the opportunity to foster.

I don't wanna say that 'you make me want to be a better person' because that's fucking weird and unfairly imposing shit, but I also feel... not that I'm a 'different' person, I'm obviously still me, but also relaxed, at peace, and open-minded about what's coming or could potentially be dawning on the horizon. And that surety is such a marked difference than my usual tendency to massively overthink literally EVERYTHING that I suffer from, or the pressing need to have to make a contingency plan for a contingency plan, or brick up every 'weak wall' and 'shoot first'.

Anyway- TL;DR, you word real good, *thumbs up*, you're a real one- Bepeu.

I'd beat up an entire gang with my super tough and macho bare fists, dive in front of a hail of bullets meant for you, then also be prepared to die right then and there (with the manliest tears in my eyes) so you don't have to 'be lonely where you're going' because the bond between us as people= Stronger than bonds between friends or family related by blood who haven't been though stuff we have.

[lia404]

For the writing ask!

🧮💕😊

Why do I keep missing asks? It took longer than you probably thought, but here are some (long long long) answers! And the ask game is here for those who are curious. (Is it better practice to only keep the emoji or to put in the whole question? I went for emoji-only because I find the lack of context amusing, but maybe I'm the only one amused.)

Below the cut: answers, WIPs, tips on my writing process, and rambling.

🧮 - 20 words is not a lot, especially when you're like me and you have many WIPs at once. I like working on all of them little by little, like building puzzles that always end up complete at SOME point.

Malik hates my original character;

Emissaryshipping with a side of smut;

Puzzleshipping beast tamer alternate universe;

Shooting stars. Bang, bang.

Here you are! That's exactly 20. I could add more but the other WIPs are more dormant. I'll get back to them once I'm done with the ones up here.

(I like this "20 words maximum" limit. It reminds me of the snowflake method to build stories in which you have to start by writing your story in only one sentence. It's an incredible starting point. Difficult, too.)

💕 - I hate writing what. More seriously, there are multiple parts I like in my writing process, and while the most satisfying parts really depend on which story I'm writing, I can think of the three parts I like most:

The remnants of a dream: I never write my stories in order, and often begin by the middle or the end. So when I start a new story, I lay down the foundations in bits and pieces that come as they want. It's small sentences, sometimes just words, thrown on the page, kind of like what remains of a dream when you've just woken up, and you're writing things down super fast so you don't forget. The more those tiny pieces appear, the more come to my mind, so at the end of the process, I sometimes have already 2k words written. While it looks completely nonsensical from the outside, it's actually the moment that lays down the bases of the story: these scraps and lines already give a tone to the character, and an idea of how they will react to events. One of the reasons I like this part of the process so much is that it can happen anywhere, and while I sometimes sit down and have so many ideas to throw on the page, usually, I do it little by little. Five minutes in the metro, two sentences when I wake up, taking a break from work by adding a paragraph... Sometimes, when I drag this step for too long, I begin writing elements that are contradictory, but it just helps me see the different possibilities.

The epiphany: in general, it's not an actual epiphany, but rather the moment when I've finally found a way to organise all the bits and pieces in a structured story, with a beginning, an end, a something akin to a plot (even if I am usually guilty of writing too much charastudy.) This step is a lot of cutting and pasting in my document, a lot of "[FIND SOMETHING TO WRITE HERE]" that I try not to forget when I'm editing the story, and other "[JE SAIS PLUS COMMENT ON DIT EN ANGLAIS FIND THE WORD ALREADY]". I write to myself a lot at this stage, to remember why I put this or that paragraph in this or that place. Sometimes, I cut thousands of words and paste them in another document, because they won't make it to the final story. Sometimes, I move paragraphs 10 times before finding where they fit best. At this step, the story is like a massive Swiss cheese, with a good structure but so many holes. I love Swiss cheese.

The Ladybug: actually, this one comes after the writing stage and happens at the editing stage. Its name originates from a glorious episode when I became serious with getting real feedback on my stories before publishing; my partner, who is also a writer and an excellent editor, cast a look at the story, went "...uh", clicked and typed and then turned to me, saying "all the red words on the screen, here? They're adverbs." Until then, I had never noticed how much I overused adverbs, but with so much red in the middle of the black font, the text was looking like a ladybug. So the name stuck. Now, it's not only adverbs: once I'm done with writing, I give the story a short cooldown of at least one day, then read it again with a very critical eye and spot all my written tics. It can be that my characters seem to keep sighing. It might be that they say "yeah" every two sentences. It might be that I've used the structure ", and" or ", but" every sentence for three paragraphs. It could be the ridiculous amount of "get/got", of em dashes, or (because I never learn) of words that end with "-ly". I list all of these. Then I use the research function, and I check how many times they come up and their distribution in the text. And that's when the fun starts: I need to remove them, replace them, reformulate whole sentences, rethink some scenes that are too close to others. It's beyond writing; it becomes a fun game of logics. It's like translating from English to English (or French to French, depending) or playing chess and swapping pieces. And sometimes I also get the satisfaction of discovering that what I thought was an unbearable writing tic actually happened only 3 times in a 6k-word story. The search function can be an incredible tool that gives me an objective point of view where mine is completely distorted by the annoyance of having found yet another ", and" ten times in my story. (As an example, if I were to Ladybug this answer, I'd probably try looking up all the words in "-ing". As I'm writing now, I feel like I've been using a ton of these and not all of them are justified. I could probably rephrase a lot.)

There's another moment I could mention, that I like a lot but still doesn't make the cut to what I "prefer", because it's a bit of a hit or miss. It's The highway, when I've been listening to Freed From Desire in repeat mode for 4 hours straight, my brain has disconnected and my hands are typing who-knows-what. I'm in the zone, and often it feels nice; but most of the time, I'm just very frustrated, because the circumstances around me make it hard to reach this state, and I usually only reach it very late at night. So I'm tired, and upset, and even if it's amazing to reach this level of flow in writing, it's still very uncomfortable.

But now that I sit down and think of it, that does make many moment I like in writing. Maybe I don't hate writing what.

😊 - I write well. If it were in French, I would even dare say I write very well. It's a skill I've been honing for the past 30 years of my life, with a lot of trials and tribulations, really terrible results and surprisingly good ones. I don't think I have the best writing style, because there's no such thing and it's all a matter of taste, but I like the grasp I have on the words and the meaning I want to give them. While I'm not the best at plot, I'm good at structure and pacing. I'm extremely demanding with myself, but not in a crippling perfectionist way anymore. From the outside, this whole paragraph may sound arrogant; the truth is that, while there's very little I am self-confident in, my writing is one of them. So, yeah. My writing in English is what it is, of course, but I know that I write well in my mother tongue. I suppose the way I've seen myself grow and evolve as an author plays a huge part in it. I like the control I have developed over my writing.

Thank youuuu for sending this ask! It was super interesting to answer.

[thelostdreamsthings]

Understanding the NATO summit:

The steam for the US proxy war in Ukraine is running out. No commitment is given to Ukraine to obtain NATO membership because the West has come to realize that they can’t win a war against Russia and that peace will only be possible with a neutral Ukraine.

Ukraine will never be a member of NATO. Zelenskyy has realized this and is fuming in Vilnius, attacking NATO as disrespectful and calling the conditions absurd. In a moment of clarity he acknowledged what’s really going on:

"It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the Alliance. This means a window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine’s membership in NATO in negotiations with Russia."

That’s exactly right. NATO has lost this war. Biden has lost this war. The lunatic Democrats have lost this war. The uni-party warmongers have lost this war. The EU has lost this war. Ukraine and Zelensky have lost this war.

Russia wins and rightfully so because everything that happened in Ukraine was a fraud against the Ukrainian people perpetrated by a failing US empire in its final stand against a rising multipolar world.

Zelenskyy was never a leader who did what’s best for his people. He will be remembered as a US puppet and actor for foreign interests. 350,000 Ukrainians dead because of him and his puppet masters in the US. He lost $12.7 trillion worth of land and resources to Russia because he did not sign the reasonable peace agreement that Russia had proposed to him. Instead he fell for empty promises from Biden that the US will support Ukraine until victory. What a fool.

The good news is this war may be over soon. The West has lost its appetite to throw more money into the Ukrainian black hole. With the US and EU entering recession they have enough problems at home. Protests and riots will become regular news. Biden wouldn’t stand a chance in the next election. His brain is Swiss cheese and the only alternative for the Democrats is Kennedy.

Trump will use the fatal mistake in Ukraine and the dire economic outlook of the US to run a successful campaign. Kennedy, who says all the right things, would be his only real obstacle but the Democrats have messed their country up so royally that Trump seems like the only choice.

The reality is that it doesn’t matter who the next US president is. The insurmountable debt burden combined with de-dollarization in global trade and the rise of BRICS+ are going to send the US into a decade long depression with unseen levels of poverty and violence.

Hopefully humanity dodged a bullet and nuclear war is no longer imminent. At least that is my read of the situation right now. But things could flare up again if peace negotiations fail. Russia may be tempted to take Odessa and turn Ukraine into rump state without access to the sea. Russia is holding all the cards. Let’s see how Putin plays them.

Putin’s ONLY mistake is not starting the Ukraine special military operation sooner than he did.

Zelensky is not just angry because he's short, has no friends and was rejected by NATO..

He's also angry because Putin currently controls 100,000 sq km of Ukrainian territory.