#Fauves Editions

[radiokathryn-if]

Hola amigo (amiga). It’s me again. I’m in class, slaving away my life and with my newfound brain juices, I decided to spend it on something worthwhile like expanding your own brain juices.

The ROs decided to play Monopoly (because that’s where brain power works more effectively). Who loves it, who hates it, how do they play, and who ultimately wins against one another? Also, have a good day (or night depending on when this is.)

Hello friend! Just for you and your slaving brain power, I shall gift you with a little bonus!──long answer! +I just finished cooking(&eating) supper so it has indeed been a good night lmao, I hope you have one too! ++I may have way too much fun trivia about monopoly just rattling around in my head, so I apologise if I start rambling! +++also! I'm acting as if they're all playing together... which would never happen but is still fun to think about!

Which little mascot token thing do they choose/get/fight for/end up with?──in 1972 there was only: the shoe, the hat, the dog, the iron, the car and the boat... so I've added more such as the thimble, the lantern (retired in 1950) and the rocking horse (retired 1950)

NATE──is picky and also very narcissistic, he has to pick first and he always gets the dog (a yorkshire terrier!) because it's "objectively the best one" no one really objects because they don't want to deal with his whining.

EVA──she always gets the lantern. when she's not at the table to claim it first, it's gets set aside for her. unlike with Nate, everyone else lets her have it because she simply asks nicely. Eva just thinks it's pretty─she calls it her good luck charm! (she has a nice winning streak!)

MICA──does not care for their token at all, and is usually the last to gain it, often getting the one no one went for or wanted... which mostly ends up being the iron... Mica thinks it's rad though so they don't mind!

DETECTIVE HAN──doesn't really play board games and is subsequently a bit slow to the battle royale of the token picking... they end up with the shoe because it's only of the only two left and they'd rather not pick the iron...

JOSÉ──they're not going down without a fight! they are pretty competitive, especially when it comes to board or card games─curtesy of their many siblings─and they will bargain for the token of their choosing... which is the the thimble... but they usually lose out to Ji Han, in which they fight Fauve for the boat!

JI HAN──he wins the thimble from José but he only goes for the thimble if the the plane is gone and considering its the one token lost to the void, well...

FAUVE──she watches José and Ji Han fight it out for the thimble with glee and then when José sets their sights on her and the boat its quickly wiped away... she knows when to take her losses and resigns the boat to them after she can feel a ten minute debate forming, leaving her with the car!

JACKSON──used to picking last when playing board games, though most times Cilly just gives him a token she seems fit... he'd end up with the hat (a top hat!) because even though he doesn't particularly care, he's still quicker than Mica or Detective Han to scoop up one of his favourites!

???──they like most of the tokens and are usually the first to pick, in actuality, they're the one who set aside the lantern for Eva and make the dog easy to see for Nate to claim 'first' after which they swoop in and collect the rocking horse! much like Eva, the token is a bit of a good luck charm for them─the only time they've ever gone bankrupt was when they were playing with the boat instead!

actual game play! who loves it, who hates it, who's winner and who's a sore sore loser baby?

Nate says he likes monopoly but he is quick to change his mind as soon as he loses his money... honestly, if he didn't fixate on the money side of things and strategise like i know he can he'd probably give Eva, ??? and Ji Han a run for their money! (sore sore loser, losing loser baby, sore loser baby)

Like most things outside of her personal life, Eva stays winning. She loves strategy games and she's very good at interpersonal tactics (and she doesn't get greedy or blind sided by fake money.) She's on a winning streak... but there are a couple that give her a run for her money! (somehow she always manages to get one or both dark blue's on her first circle of the board...)

The ever unbothered Mica could honestly care less about monopoly──that is to say that they get surprisingly intense around two thirds in! Something about monopoly specifically ignites the competitive fire under them. They're strangely protective of the train stations and the utilities. They always somehow end up going bankrupt though, and sell out to Eva or Ji Han (or ???) depending on who can give them the most appealing sales pitch... Mica just likes hearing what they'll come up with!

Detective Han is a baby at playing board games... that aren't chess or checkers that is. The first time they play they're too caught up in the rules to realise all the spaces are slowly being taken up. The next time they buy every space they land on and were the first to go bankrupt so quickly in a while! They're a bit of a rules lawyer but have since mellowed out to enjoying the game without getting worked up about losing.

José is competitive and they love a classic board game. Playing with their siblings, they're known to be one of the winners more often than not... playing with the other ROs? That's a whole different ball park─a whole different weight category! Especially with brilliant players like Eva, Ji Han and ??? (when they're in the mood to win)! José can admit when they're out of their depth but that doesn't mean they aren't going to go down without a fight. They're the most... involved player, often propositioning places or money with literally anyone if they can see it coming out advantageous for them. (Not many of their propositions are accepted, though some are for the sheer audacity and the entertainment value they bring!)

As opposed to his older sibling, Ji Han is actully quite well versed in the ways of the game... Given that he's only played it while half drunk in university halls at 3 in the morning while they wait out for a 5am lecture... playing it with the rest of the ROs is only a little different. (that and he plays with a clear mind and thus remembers the rules and can get into the manipulation tactics!) He's won almost as many times as Eva has, and it's usually the two of them as the final two! He's a gracious loser, even if he's a bit of a show off winner (that's mainly spurned on by Eva's taunting and the final overcoming of her as an opponent.)

Fauve has a competitive streak in her, but it's mainly for bragging rights. She actively tries hard to beat at the very least José and then sets her sights on Ji Han. (The sexual tension between them when she does is quite, palpable... if the teasing barbs and lingering looks are anything to go by) She has yet to win over Eva though and is hedging her bets on a team up with The Trio as a means to an end. (She loves the bragging rights... is winning bragging rights over Eva in monopoly of all things super important? Yes. She already reigns supreme in Uno, this is the next step in her bragging rights empire!! She's up for the challenge!)

Jackson is an easygoing run of the mill average player. He's used to going easy at these kinds of games since most of his experience playing them is with his daughter and her friends... That being said, Jackson is an excellent banker! He's very strict about the money, especially after they found out that Nate was sneaking money when he would designate himself as banker! He bankrupts quite early, but his heart nor his pride is hurt by it, he takes losing like a winner!

Secret mastermind, ???. They're actively the best at playing the game however, they don't have the competitive flare or heart to actively secure more than third place. However, when ??? is in a competitive mood, or a mischievous mood (or just wanting to impress a certain MC or Eva) then all the cards are down and all the bets are off!

bonus round! common team ups!

Eva and ??? are unstoppable when they're both playing together and playing to win! Not that a team up trio of Ji Han, Fauve and José won't give them a run for their money. Nate refuses to team up with any of them, not like they're dropping everything to offer. Mica is a lone island of overconfidence and chilled cockyness... (MC over their shoulder like an angel(or devil) during a poker game...) In a shocking turn of events, Detective Han and Jackson team up as Rules Lawyer and Banker after they declare bankruptcy and are kind of terrorfying to defy... which leads to people trying to loophole their way through the game and providing many moments of laughter inducing entertainment!

lmao i started this at like 8pm... it's taken me like 8 hours to finish and if that doesn't tell you what my mental states been like then idk what will

[inmarbleimmobility]

found an interesting translation thing in today's les mis letters chapter. i've been listening to the donougher translation bc i haven't read that one through yet and i heard "bristling and farouche" and thought, huh, i know that word! and hapgood says "bristling and wild" so i suppose that makes sense? so i went to cross-reference and turns out in the french (at least my editions) the phrase is "hérissée et fauve". my french is extremely basic but a quick dictionary search gives me "wild animal" for "fauve", which, okay i guess, that's why hapgood has gone with "wild", but then why has donougher gone with "farouche"? it's a loanword from french too and it's used similarly in english as in french from what i can tell - but why pick another french word meaning "wild" when "wild" is right there!

[aroundtheworldiej]

Riad Sattouf wins the Grand Prix at the Angoulême Festival

By Lucas Andrey

At 44, the creator of "The Arab of the Future" is the winner of the 50ᵉ edition of the International Comics Festival, which opens on Thursday. He succeeds Julie Doucet from Quebec.

Copyright: Wikimedia commons

Riad Sattouf The author of the successful series “L'Arabe du Futur”, “Les Cahiers d'Esther”, “Pascal Brutal” and “La vie secrète des jeunes”, was named Grand Prix d'Angoulême on Wednesday 25 January, on the occasion of the opening night of the 50th edition of the International Comics Festival. A vote organised online among professionals in the sector (cartoonists, scriptwriters, colourists, etc.) saw him beat Catherine Meurisse and the American Alison Bechdel, who came out on top alongside him at the end of the first round of voting. Riad Sattouf succeeds Quebec's Julie Doucet in winning this award, which is given to a comic book author for lifetime achievement.

A worldwide success

Although he is one of the youngest winners at 44, the director (Les Beaux Gosses, 2009) has built up a humorous body of work brimming with acuity, with thirty-five books. Until then, Riad Sattouf was one of the few authors to have won the Fauve d'or for the best album at Angoulême twice: in 2010 for volume III of his Pascal Brutal series (Fluide Glacial) and in 2015 for the first volume of L'Arabe du futur, an autobiographical saga of undeniable critical and public success, translated into more than twenty languages, of which the sixth and final chapter has just been published. Riad Sattouf recently added another string to his bow by creating his own publishing house, Les Livres du futur. His consecration is the crowning achievement of a work whose main characteristic is to address the largest number of people, in particular a readership that is far from comics at the beginning.

In 2016, Riad Sattouf was on a list of thirty or so authors, all male, shortlisted for the Grand Prix by the FIBD's artistic direction - a heated debate ensued. He then asked for his name to be removed from the list and replaced by those of adulated female authors, such as Japan's Rumiko Takahashi and Quebec's Julie Doucet. Both have since been elected to the Angoulême prize list, following a reform of the Grand Prix designation system.

[jellypop-fashion]

Hermès Kelly bag: New trend in luxury bags

The Kelly's journey began in 1930 as the Sac à Haut Courroies, envisioned by Robert Dumas as a practical bag for equestrian enthusiasts. The image propelled the bag to international fame, earning it the moniker "Kelly" in an instant. Remember, you can get original Hermès bags at a special price at The Birkin’s & Kelly’s House.

Beyond its Hollywood pedigree

The Kelly's magic lies in its craftsmanship. Each bag is a testament to artisanal mastery, hand-stitched by skilled artisans over 48 hours. From supple leathers like Clemence and Togo to exotic skins like crocodile and ostrich, the Kelly transcends trends with its unwavering commitment to quality. The signature palladium hardware, meticulously polished and engraved, reflects a dedication to detail that borders on obsession.

Owning a Kelly bag isn't simply about acquiring a item; it's about stepping into a legacy. It's joining a lineage of tastemakers and discerning collectors who appreciate the subtle nuances of quality and the understated power of classic elegance. From Jackie Kennedy to Jane Birkin, the Kelly has adorned the arms of history-makers, adding another layer of mystique to its enduring appeal.

Hermès continuously reimagines

But the Kelly is far from a relic of the past. Hermès continuously reimagines the luxury handbags, adapting it to modern sensibilities while preserving its core DNA. The Kelly Pochette, a miniature version born in the 1980s, injects a playful touch of chic, while seasonal colors and special editions keep the bag fresh and relevant. The Kelly Dépêches, a more structured variation, caters to the modern professional, effortlessly transitioning from boardroom to soirée.

Yet, amidst the variations, the essence of the Kelly remains unchanged. It's a symbol of empowerment, a statement piece that whispers confidence and sophistication. It seamlessly blends practicality with unparalleled beauty, proving that luxury, at its core, is about more than just price tags.

Investing in a Kelly bag

Hermès Kelly bag is an investment in heritage, an appreciation for meticulous craftsmanship, and a commitment to timeless style. It's a piece that transcends generations, a whisper of luxury passed down through mothers and daughters, a silent language understood by discerning eyes across the globe.

So, whether you dream of wielding a classic 35cm Kelly in Fauve Barenia or sporting a playful Mini Kelly in vibrant Rouge Geranium, remember, it's not just a bag; it's a story waiting to be written.

[letteratitudine]

33° NOIR IN FESTIVAL - il manifesto di MANUELE FIOR e l'invito alla CONFERENZA STAMPA - martedì 21 novembre, ore 10 - Palazzo Marino, MILANO

Fuggevole Milano

Manuele Fior tinge di notte il manifesto del 33° Noir in Festival

Il Noir in Festival torna a Milano dal 1 al 7 dicembre 2023 con un programma poliedrico che attraversa secoli e generi, autori e visioni, finendo per specchiarsi nel cinema e nella letteratura contemporanei. Un’inquietudine di fondo risuona tra le pieghe della 33a edizione del festival, che trova il suo ideale baricentro a metà strada tra l’agitazione di un autore milanese doc come Andrea G. Pinketts, storico frequentatore del Noir scomparso esattamente cinque anni fa, e il manifesto malinconico e allo stesso tempo proiettato verso il futuro firmato da un maestro del fumetto nostrano, Manuele Fior.

Tra i più apprezzati artisti di graphic novel e illustratori, recentemente uscito in libreria con le graphic novel Celestia (Oblomov edizioni, 2019-2020) e Hypericon (Coconino Press, 2022), Fior ha all’attivo collaborazioni con i più importanti nomi dell’editoria italiana e internazionale: Coconino Press, Oblomov, La Repubblica, La Stampa, Internazionale, Einaudi, Feltrinelli, Mondadori, La nave di Teseo, Dargaud, Futuropolis, L’école des loisirs, Gallimard, Le Monde, The New Yorker, Dark Horse, etc. Negli anni la sua opera è stata premiata con alcuni tra i massimi riconoscimenti del settore: il Fauve d’or al festival di Angoulême, il Micheluzzi Award del Napoli Comicon, il Gran Guinigi e il Yellow Kid di Lucca Comics & Games e l’Inkpot award al San Diego Comic-Con. Il Noir in Festival l’ha scelto per firmare l’immagine della 33° edizione, unendosi alla galleria di artisti eccellenti che ha visto sfilare, dal 1991 ad oggi, nomi come Paolo Bacilieri, Gigi Cavenago, Lorenzo De Felici, Mario Alberti, Hugo Pratt, Lorenzo Mattotti, Bill Plympton, Charles Schultz, Mojmir Jezek e molti altri.

Una collaborazione, quella tra Manuele Fior e il Noir in Festival, che ha il sapore della predestinazione. Sue, infatti, sono le recenti copertine dei romanzi editi da La Nave di Teseo di Giorgio Scerbanenco, autore al quale il festival intesta dal 1997 il premio per la miglior opera di narrativa italiana dell’anno di genere noir. Il segno magico e onirico di Fior, sospeso tra il blu notte di Eyes Wide Shut e le fascinazioni cyberpunk di Ghost in the Shell, ci trasporta nello scenario misterioso di una Piazza Duomo insolita e immersa nel silenzio, dove si aggira una figura enigmatica: un detective ? Un assassino? O il riflesso delle angosce di cui è portatore sano l’uomo contemporaneo?

“L’essenza del genere noir”, dichiarano i direttori Giorgio Gosetti e Marina Fabbri, “è quella di rimescolare le carte in tavola, rifuggire lo status quo, evadere dalle consuetudini. E quale modo migliore di rappresentare la sua anima più moderna se non giocare sul contrasto che Manuele Fior, potentemente, rappresenta nell’immagine di quest’anno: la Milano del Duomo, quella da cartolina che tutti conosciamo, si scontra con la Milano del futuro, un groviglio di grattacieli luminescenti che rappresenta la finanza, il virtuale, le intelligenze artificiali. Da questo attrito tra vecchio e nuovo nascono non rovine ma dubbio, curiosità, dibattito e conoscenza. Questo è esattamente lo spirito che anima l’edizione 2023 e ringraziamo Manuele per averlo affrescato in modo così preciso e appassionato.”

Manuele Fior è uno dei più noti e apprezzati fumettisti e illustratori contemporanei. Con le sue graphic novel, tradotte in più di 10 lingue, si è aggiudicato i più importanti premi internazionali e prestigiose mostre. Quotidiani, riviste e case editrici gli commissionano regolarmente illustrazioni di articoli e copertine, in Italia e all'estero. Le sue indimenticabili gouache e la crescente notorietà gli hanno portato lavori come manifesti per il cinema e importanti manifestazioni culturali, uniform edition per le opere di Pavese, Scerbanenco, Ballard e Louise Penny.

Il Noir in Festival è diretto da: Giorgio Gosetti, Marina Fabbri e Gianni Canova (Delegato IULM). Una realizzazione: Studio Coop. Con il patrocinio di: Comune di Milano. Promosso da: DGCA - MiC. In collaborazione e con il sostegno di: IULM.

[ailtrahq]

A leading figure in the Crypto Art movement, Lapin Mignon hails from France but has found her creative playground in the United Kingdom. Her foray into digital art began in 2019, sparked by her longing to revisit a childhood passion she had put aside as adult responsibilities beckoned. Discovering Editional—an avant-garde app offering a platform for creating and trading limited edition artworks on the blockchain—Lapin Mignon serendipitously became the world’s inaugural crypto watercolorist. As part of BeInCrypto’s 5-year celebrations, the talented Lapin Mignon joins a cast of 14 NFT artists who will create unique pieces for the occasion. The art pieces will celebrate different backgrounds and heritages and speak to BeInCrypto’s identity and global reach Using cutting-edge digital technology, she transcends traditional boundaries of watercolor art. With each piece, she inquires into the possibilities of harmonizing watercolor with the digital metaverse and vice versa—infusing old-school techniques with groundbreaking innovation. The Mignon Universe: An aesthetic odyssey The body of Lapin Mignon’s work is a portal into an artistic cosmos of her own making, characterized by what she coins as “Mignon Art.” Featuring characters known as the Mignons, their kawaii-style eyes serve as an emblematic symbol rooted in pop culture. These characters appear in her thematic collections, such as “The Crypto Mignons” and “Mignon Generated.” In collaboration with Tagachi in December 2021, the artist went beyond visual aesthetics to conceptualize the “MignonVerse,” a novel generative art initiative and an interactive, narrative metaverse. Situated on the Ethereum blockchain, this project fuses elements of classic literature—namely Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” and works by Jules Verne—into an entrancing storyline featuring an astronomy buff named Lapin Mignon on an imagination-bound voyage. The MignonVerse materializes in three phases. Initially, 7,777 distinct worlds are conceived and minted. Subsequently, the environments in these worlds start to evolve, unveiling new functionalities or surprise encounters, such as a visit from a Mignon Traveller or a shooting star. Ultimately, these individual worlds gain the capability for mutual interaction. Beyond the screen: A real-world impact Lapin Mignon’s ingenuity hasn’t been confined to the digital realm—it has infiltrated physical art galleries and auction houses. As a testament to her pioneer status, her art found a home at Avant Galerie Vossen in Paris for the May 2022 “#Trashart: NFT Garbology” exhibition—a spotlight on Trash Art, a pivotal movement in Crypto Art. Additionally, her piece from the “AquaBizzare” series found a buyer through Fauve Paris auction house. In 2022, Lapin Mignon showcased her art at the Sheptytsky Museum in Lviv, Ukraine, and participated in esteemed industry events like NFT London and CADAF in New York. Sharing the limelight with artists like Trevor Jones, Angie Taylor, George Boya, Kevin Abosh, and Giant Swan, Lapin Mignon was also featured among the top 50 crypto artists in the book “CryptoART begins,” available on Nifty Gateway in September 2022. Embark on a Journey into the Digital Alchemy with Lapin Mignon and Zealy’s NFT Collection! To celebrate the endlessly fascinating world of digital art, Lapin Mignon has collaborated with 14 stellar artists to craft an NFT collection that promises to be a paragon of thematic richness and aesthetic diversity. But wait, there’s more! Venture into Zealy’s interactive questboard, complete intriguing challenges, and earn the chance to unlock a complimentary mint from this exclusive series. Witness the amalgamation of deeply-rooted philosophical themes and cutting-edge digital craftsmanship. Are you prepared to explore? Begin your odyssey at Zealy. The future of multi-faceted art awaits!

[theshoegirldiaries]

LOTD: Christian Dior Rouge Dior (Satin, Mitzah Edition) in 200 Nude Touch (top) and 424 Nude Fauve with I Heart Revolution x Cocoa Pebbles, The Flintstones Lip Gloss in Betty. #Scentoftheday Boudoir EDP by Vivienne Westwood.

[artparks-sculpture]

A sculpture titled 'Basset Fauve de Bretagne (Bronze Commission statue)' by sculptor Isabelle Faucher. In a medium of Bronze and in an edition of 6/8.

[lecturesaflo-ts]

Pretty Bastard de Clara Nové aux Editions Addictives

Pretty Bastard de Clara Nové aux Editions Addictives

26 septembre 2022 481 pages Romance – Mariage – Reporter – Romance Contemporaine – Star du rock – Groupe de rock – Confrontation – Rock – Enemies To Lovers  Editions Addictives 5,99 € – Ebook     Ils se haïssent, pour le pire et pour le meilleur.Abigail est reporter animalier. Suivre un groupe de rock pour photographier les coulisses du mariage d’une star ? Très peu pour elle ! Les fauves, elle…

[vergiss-mein-nxcht]

[roseaties]

[kawaiinekoj]

♡  requested ♡

❀ made by/credits: kawaiinekoj

❀ like/reblog if you use or appreciate this

[pebblysand]

[OF MOULDY HOUSES] - [EXTENDED AUTHOR’S NOTES ON CHAPTER X OF CASTLES]

well, hello, hello! i hope you’re all doing well and ready to celebrate (or not) your holiday of choice with plenty of food and love this end of year. as per usual, i am writing and posting this extended a/n in a state of extreme sleep deprivation (the lovely @displayheartcode yesterday night told me to go to bed and post with a “well-rested head” which made me lol because when have i ever?) but at least, i did leave the a/n to this morning, so there’s that.

now, a few facts about this chapter before i dive in:

wordcount: 15,176. there’s a story behind that i promise lol.

soundtrack: blizzard by fauve. i know a lot of you won’t be able to appreciate this song because it’s in french, but trust me on this. we are not of those who believe that when the tables move, it’s because someone is pushing them with their feet.

favourite line: ’We’ve had to make compromises.’

what is this chapter about? the line between black and white, perhaps.

okay, now, spoilers under the cut.

i know this doesn’t sound much like me but i’m actually very happy with how this chapter turned out. also, it totally wrote itself. last chapter was so hard to write but this one just… appeared. i mean, of course, as per usual, i did a lot of re-reads and edits, but they were inspiring rather than painful. this being said, as i explained in the short a/n last night, i was sort of surprised to post it. i knew i would be doing the last edits before christmas but i really didn’t know if i was going to post it without the next couple of chapters being ready and it really was yesterday at the last minute that i decided i would.

the difficulty with writing this chapter was mostly that, as i explained in previous posts, i see the whole sequence between february and june 1999 as one big chunk. originally, i thought it was going to be one chapter (lolz) but i quickly realised that these scenes that i’ve had in my head for much, much too long were sort of writing themselves and that that whole chunk was probably going to be in the 30-40k range. so then, it sort of begs the question: where do i split it? and i think that is what i found most difficult here.

at this point, you’ll be pleased to learn that i have a draft for this chunk (including what just came out) at around 23k, which means that next chapter is largely drafted and should come out reasonably soon (more on that at the end). generally, i try to aim for chapters between 8 and 12k, with a tolerance up to 15k, bar for chapter 8 that is almost 20k, but i find that one exception justified, given the contents of the chapter itself. so for this one, once i hit the 23k mark, i sort of had to go back and look around the 12k mark to see where i could split, when it became clear that this had gone waaaay past the desired wordcount.

now, the thing that i should explain here is that to me, in castles, some chapters are “chronological” chapters, and some are “issue” chapters. i think a good way to look at this is to consider chapters 6 and 7. chapter 6 is a chronological chapter where all the action happens one after the other from the death eater attack, to the ministry, to the burrow. all of that happens over a single day, one scene following the other. by contrast, in chapter 7, the way things are written is by “issue,” meaning that the first part of the chapter is dedicated to everything else, and the second half to harry and ginny. this gives the impression of the concentration of topics and immersion when actually, if you pay attention carefully, some of the scenes with ginny - namely the whole couple of weeks harry and her play quidditch and chat, actually happen at the same time, as everything else (giulia’s funeral, christmas, etc.). technically, there is an overlap in chronological terms, but you don’t necessarily notice it because those scenes are not featured chronologically. it’s basically this thing that a lot of you have commented on regarding the use of time in castles. sometimes chapters are written chronologically, and sometimes they are by topic.

now, that’s sort of the root of the problem i had with this chapter because originally, i’d framed it as a topic chapter. i was going to talk about: the trials, then ron and hermione, then mia, then ginny. but, when it came to splitting the chapter, i realised that the 12k mark was after that last scene with mia, which is where i wanted to split, but then that basically meant … no ginny. because i’d reserved everything that was supposed to happen with ginny for after mia.

so, that left me with a bit of conundrum because while i really liked the chapter, it had no ginny in it and i felt like 1) this might piss some people off and 2) it might not make sense narratively. and this is sort of why i was so hesitant to post it for a long time and said on tumblr a few times that i might not post it before finishing 11 & 12 - it felt like it didn’t make sense.

i did my first four editing rounds over the last few weekends and every time, the situation remained the same. then, yesterday, i had scheduled to do what i call “final edits” which is basically reading the chapter + the two previous chapters for “coherence” purposes. and i was like “fuck it, if it feels right to post, i’ll post.” and then, throughout the evening, i re-read chap 8 (rip my heart), 9 and suddenly had a revelation. i was like “okay, this chapter needs ginny because it makes no sense emotionally otherwise.” so then i basically went into the document i had already written with all the ginny stuff (which was all supposed to be in chap 11) and basically took everything that was happening with her in the feb-to-early-march timeframe and weaved it into the chronology of chapter 10 at the eleventh hour (read: the very last edit). those are what you’ve read as the early letters from ginny, all that back and forth, as well as her “dating” (more on that below), etc. it added around 2-3k so the chapter went from circ. 12k to 15k but i ended up being much happier with that and as such, decided to publish.

i do honestly feel like it works - personally - and for now the comments i’ve received were quite positive, so i’m actually glad i went with that structure instead. it does sort of mean that i’m a bit bound to writing 11 & 12 chronologically as well, now, but i actually think it suits the story just as well. ultimately, i’m heading in the same direction and i’m still looking at 30-40k overall, but the split just meant i needed to organise these a bit differently.

.

now, in terms of what happens in this chapter itself:

regarding what i call the “post-war wizarding admin” (meaning: the trials, politics, the aurors, all of that): this was honestly such an absolute blast to write. as you might know if you follow me on here, i am a lawyer myself, so building both a legal and a political system almost from “scratch” is absolutely fascinating to me. i always felt like no one else care but i have received a lot of comments actually telling me that you guys do, too! which is so interesting because it sort of gives me a bit more licence and leeway to spend time exploring that side of the story, maybe more than i would if everyone was like “ugh, this is boring”. (as a funny anecdote the boy i’m seeing at the moment is a huge harry potter nerd and we were talking about the idea of an hbo series the other day; i told him i would love to see a “the west wing” but hp post-war political drama version and he laughed and said: “you and exactly no one else!” well, boy, i beg to differ, lol.) this being said, one of the challenges for me (aside from the frustrating lack of logic or detail jkr put in that side of the world) is to make sure i say enough for you guys to follow my reasonings, but not too much to make it boring. and the funny thing here is: as you may have seen from my profile, i am very much used to writing fanfic for “legal” fandoms. i wrote a lot of fanfic for the good wife, back in the day, and also for a british legal show called “silk”. and the thing is, generally, even if the people who watch these shows are not necessarily lawyers themselves, you can kind of assume a higher basis for a general knowledge of the legal system than, say, an audience that is reading hp. so it’s been interesting to adapt to the potter audience and maybe be a bit more “explain-y” in things like the right to remain silent, hearings, etc. than i would usually be. like, to me, the fact that harry might go to jail if he doesn’t go no comment is glaringly obvious, but it is something that i took time to explain (thanks, Hermione!) because i wanted to be sure an audience who doesn’t know much about law could still understand why this was important. and, tbh, explaining law and the legal system to non lawyers is one of my favourite things to do in life, so this is just a really lovely thing to do. i still leave a couple of legal easter eggs here and there like the reference to lord denning’s cricket metaphors in last chapter, or the “cab-rank rule” in this one but i do explain the main stuff and do hope it’s made sense to you. i think, the overarching idea in this chapter though, and what i wanted to convey, is that whilst they’re heading in the right direction and whilst kingsley is doing the right reforms, the system is so biased to begin with that even if they’re trying, they’re still very far from perfect. and, i really wanted to show the duality with ron and harry v. hermione, where they’re both very much part of the law enforcement system. so, when hermione questions it, she sort of questions them, too? it’s easy to say sirius’ trial was wrong, but what if you’re on the side of the aurors who arrested him? and, ultimately, harry’s a “wizard cop” at heart, not a defence lawyer, so he does believe people who are arrested and tried are guilty. at the same time, he’s also one of the potential accused and sees what that’s like (obviously, on top of sirius’s experience) and a victim. it’s very bizarre spot to be in. and one of the things i wanted to show in this chapter is that for victims, the justice system is very rarely able to provide an answer that “feels” like justice. and, it’s not necessarily a “vengeance” or even death penalty dynamic, it’s also that, as ginny puts it: they go to jail and so what? she still has to get out of bed in the morning and carry on with life. she still would have to even if alecto carrow was sentenced to death. regardless of the sentence, ultimately, the justice system is society’s answer to “bad deeds” but not the victims’. in the muggle world, the crown prosecutes, not the victims themselves. and while seeing someone who

harmed you go to jail is an element of healing, often it’s not the only one. it’s what ginny is saying when she calls it a silver medal. anyway, i digress, lol. obviously, there’s going to be more courtroom drama in the next chapter with alecto, the malfoys, etc. so stay tuned. (additionally not much happened politically in this chapter beyond the explanation of how the wizengamot works - i low-key got inspiration from this fic, but tailored it for what worked in my head, unfortunately, we know very little from jkr on that front - and them voting the blair bill but there should be more to come in chapter 13 onwards. harry’s relationship with kingsley is… interesting, let’s say).

regarding ginny: i think most of what i want to say here is in the chapter. i’ve also explained this at length in the original a/n for chapter but what happens in this chapter, to me, is the logical continuation of her journey. it’s painful and sad but she’s been through very difficult things. i think that like i explained in the original a/n for chap 8, i was very intent on showing the journey of someone who isn’t a “typical” victim of sa. frustratingly, a lot of portrayals of sexual assault survivors in fiction is geared towards the man-in-the-balaclava random attack stereotype, who lives in fear, can’t have sex ever again, etc. and whilst that is the experience of some survivors, that is not the experience of everyone. she is in complete denial of what happened to her, and harry is starting to make sense of that (more in next chapter *wink*). she is also trying to regain control of herself and her body through sex itself, but although consensual, sleeping with these guys isn’t actually making her happy. she uses sex and crudeness as a weapon against those who care about her. harry sort of picks up on the fact that what she really wants is for him to go: ‘alright, i’m out,’ which would prove the voice in her head that says she ‘fucked’ a death eater and is therefore worthless. since the very beginning, she’s been trying to say that he should “hate” her and “stop talking” to her because of what she did and the fact that he’s not is basically disproving her theory. additionally, as this is set in the late-90s, i thought it’d be interesting to touch on the “press” side of that. the 90s/00s in the uk was a very brutal era in the tabloid press was breaking into people’s bins, listening to their voice messages, committing incredible breaches of privacy, and where a lot of young women in the public eye were relentlessly stalked by paparazzi in everything they did. this attitude sort of worsened their own “bad habits” leading them to party more, take more drugs, etc. in order to get over the pressure. lily allen and amy winehouse (quite tragically for the latter) are good examples of that. and, i think, for ginny, there is an element of: ‘well, given what i did and the fact that all these people are calling me a slut, i might as well act like one.’ i think it really fits into her character and that sort of brashness you see back in book five/six when she almost teases her brothers with how many boys she’s seeing. it’s very much a fuck-you, gryffindor move, and that was also one of the angles i wanted to explore.

regarding mia: i just had a comment on ff that said “you had to make mia more tangible, didn’t you?” which really made me laugh because yeah, of course. this is sort of a funny one though because mia’s backstory has been in my head from the very start. i’ve talked about it before but basically, i had all this stuff planned about mia to appear in chaps 4/5 but then giulia stole mia’s thunder and screen time, so i had to take out her backstory. i wasn’t really sure what i was going to do with it (if anything) for a while but now, it sort of fits in nicely with the mia v. ginny storyline, and why she is good for harry for now, but not forever. more on that next chapter haha.

regarding Ron & Hermione: my babies are getting married! i’m so happy. and harry’s best man (lol). this being said, again, building on last chapter - i think harry had sort of this vision of ron & hermione thinking that everything was alright for them and that he was the only one with problems and once more, reality punches him in the face because well, hermione’s not doing that great, is she? ultimately, i have so much head canon about hermione, her parents, her relationship with ron & harry, etc. that i will write a fic about it at some point, just not now. for now, she gets a few scenes with harry and omg they’re the ultimate brother/sister dynamic i love them so much.

alright, i think that’s all for now. as i said earlier, i do already have a lot of material written for the next chapter so it shouldn’t take too long for me to finish it but we shall see. it’s funny cause i was sort of planning to write something else over christmas break (like that hermione fic mentioned above) but now i really have castles in my head so i might just keep going? we shall see. anyway, again, a very happy christmas to all of yous and thank you so, so much for all of your kind words on this chapter so far, you guys are amazing! as always, if you have any other questions/things you want me to talk about, let me know!

love x,

p.

—

[artist-matisse]

Still Life with Geranium, Henri Matisse, 1906, Art Institute of Chicago: Modern Art

Like his artistic hero, Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse merged the traditional and the avant-garde. In Still Life with Geranium, he transformed a simple still life into a populated Arcadian landscape painting, rendered in the brilliant color, thick paint, and rapid brushwork characteristic of the group of painters known as the Fauves (French for “wild beasts”). Matisse was recognized by critics as the leader of this group. This composition is one of contrasts—the pale palette and light brushwork in the upper half of the picture are juxtaposed with the darker colored, heavily painted lower half; the firmly planted pose of the female figure is contraposed with the almost-fleeing figure of the male; and the red vegetables grown near Paris are set near ceramic objects from exotic, faraway places. One of many still-life paintings in which Matisse incorporated his own figurative sculptures, here the artist challenged his viewers’ expectations by rendering his modeled figures with minimal color and simple lines. Probably represented as plaster casts, these figures would later be made in bronze editions by the artist; versions of Woman Leaning on Her Hands (on the right of the geranium) and Thorn Extractor (on the left) are also in the collection of the Art Institute. Joseph Winterbotham Collection Size: 100.3 × 81.5 cm (39 1/2 × 32 1/8 in.) Medium: Oil on canvas

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/87045/