#The Three Musketeers spoilers

[thorin-is-a-cuddler]

Probably Aramis about Porthos: Sir, that‘s my emotional support pain-in-the-a**

[two4tea1485]

Finally getting to watch The Three Musketeers 2023 (Part I: D'Artagnan). Enjoyable enough, but not the faithful adaptation I was hoping for. My main beefs so far:

-What's with the costumes? Why are the hats like...that? WHY IS THERE NO COLOR??????

-What's with this random Murder Mystery/Save Athos plot? There's PLENTY OF OTHER THINGS that need to fit into this film, why are we adding random extra time-wasters???

-Speaking of Athos, why is he already Old? Don't you guys know he still needs to father a son AND still be present with that son Twenty Years from now???? Maybe he's only forty and Life has just aged him too quickly... But everyone keeps talking about his having One Foot in the Grave!

But, overall I like the casting all right. Louis is believable enough. Aramis is a bit meh. PORTHOS IS NOT NEARLY GIGANTIC ENOUGH. WHERE ARE THE ARMS AS BIG AS A NORMAL MAN'S THIGHS???

...This is why I can't watch TTM adaptations. XD

[aragarna]

Please rant about the new musketeer movie, I need to know how bad it is on a scale from Michael York to Mathew McFaydden, so I know if it's worth trying to hunt down a cinema or wait till it's out on dvd

Well.... The good news is, there's no flying ship in that one. Not sure where to put it though. It's not atrocious, but it's lacking something. I'm always happy to see my boys, and the cast is good. It is rather entertaining at times, and I'm sure people not as attached to the characters as I am might not be as harsh as me but... I guess I was hoping for more? For better? Why is it that there can't be a single decent modern adaptation?!

The rest under the cut because spoilers for The Three Musketeers: d'Artagnan

First, it's visually ugly. It's all in brown and dark tones. Apparently the weather in France is always bad, ranging from pouring rain to clouds and fog. Even the red robe of the cardinal doesn't pop up! And don't get me started on the musketeer's uniforms. Why is it that every single recent movie wants to make them something that they're not. We *know* what they looked like. Blue casaques with a big white cross. Would it look out of fashion today? Of course! Even slightly ridiculous? Maybe. But Mordious, that's a 17th century uniform! Just play along! So, in this one, it becomes a very dark navy blue long coat with a black cross on the arm. It's actually so indisguishable that you can never tell when they're wearing it or not.

But okay, fine, if it was the only issue, I would have waved it off. The rest of the costumes, though probably not historically accurate, look pretty cool over all. If only they had more colors. Can you believe that there's a costumed ball, with one character wearing an arlequin costume and ... it doesn't even look like rainbow-y!

(can you tell I'm slightly mad at the movie's terrible coloring?)

And overall, I felt it wasn't very well filmed. Like, this isn't just a swashbluckler, it's The Swashbuckler story, so gotta work on those sword fights! Give me some fancy fighting! Work a real choregraphy! I understand that this is not the Errol Flynn era anymore but come on. So their idea to make it more "modern" was to use sequence-shots for the fight scenes. That is not a bad idea, but when there's no real choregraphy to follow, that just makes everything messy and pointless. So yeah, disappointed with the action scenes.

My other major source of annoyment was the lack of character development, or just character moments. D'Artagnan flirting with Constance was fine, but it's *not* the main story. It should have been the friendship between our four heroes. Instead of adding a whole new plot, I wish they'd taken the time with the canon scenes. Show me more why they went from being this close to kill each other, to instant friends ready to die for each other. Making Porthos bisexual is fine. I don't mind modernization of characters, but did you have to tell and show me this very clearly 3 times, but then give him virtually no other line of dialogue the rest of the movie? Romain Duris as Aramis is particularly awesome, but the poor guy is just as useless. The film is such a waste of a good casting. D'Artagnan, the main character, barely gets more time. Where is my ever-resourceful, cunning, smart and quick thinking hero? Young and idealistic but also natural leader d'Artagnan? His scenes with Constance are cute enough (and I don't mind that they got rid of Mr. Bonacieux) but I wanted more bonding with the boys! It's called The Three Musketeers, not My Cute Landlady. François Civil does a decent job but he isn't given the most subtle text...

Athos is the only one that is allowed a bit more development, but he's reduced to be a sappy old man. AAARGH ATHOS IS NOT AN OLD MAN. I do like Vincent Cassel, but the movie comes out 20 years too late for him to be a musketeer. Athos is not old, he is just the only vaguely grown-up one of the group. And come on "I don't have enough will to live to lie." ?! What the Hell?

All the characters feel reduced to a single dimension.

And yes, I do realize that you can't fit hundreds of pages in two 2-hour movies, but still, I feel like there were ways to make the movie better if it had been more character-oriented. The only real good character is the King. He has all the best lines and Louis Garrell is perfect.

Finally, while I don't mind when they take liberties from the original story, I'm not sure that the whole side plot actually adds anything. If you're worried about lack of plots, just develop the exisiting ones instead of rushing them in and out of England, maybe? It's Alexandre Dumas you're adapting, don't tell me there aren't enough twists in that plot!

And what annoys me about that side plot is that it starts with Athos being arrested. Which means that, from the start, they're never all four of them together. Which also means that that one supposedly emotional letter from Athos sounds a bit phony. Why would he care for that young idiot that he met only once?

Let my musketeers be all together, Morbleu!

Anyway, to try and end on a more positive note: it does remain entertaining enough that you're not bored. They filmed in real places - Le Louvre looks actually like Le Louvre - which is always a bonus. Louis XIII is awesome, and all the court intrigues are probably the best parts. And they do have a second movie coming out this December to try and make up for that one. We can expect War! Love! Tragedy! Vengeance! (and hopefully more character development?)

Sorry, that was long. All this to say: meh.

[el-ffej]

How it started:

How it's going:

[lionheartedgirlanachronism]

Just got back from watching The Three Musketeers: Milady in the theater with @jennyforeigner. We had a lot of things to say about this movie, but one really struck me. (Spoilers for the movie if you want to see it. It was very good!)

There's a very small scene with Milady after D'Artagnan realizes that she's Athos' wife where we see her in her rooms, and she takes off her wig (!!! We did not previously know she was always wearing a wig, even when her hair is black) and is very clearly upset at what's just happened.

This to me is the first genuine unmasking of Milady, the first time we've seen her own emotions and not the emotions of the persona she's playing.

Later, after she's been arrested by Buckingham and is speaking to Constance, we discover that her natural hair is cut short, which struck me as interesting. In the moment, both Jenny and I wondered if the things she was saying to Constance were just another attempt at manipulation. But given that Milady is at her most vulnerable when her real hair is visible, I think we can assume that she is truthful in this interaction with Constance.

In the period in which this film is set, wearing your hair down would typically signify two things: either you're a young girl who is not yet of age, or you're a sex worker. A woman who wears her hair up is a respectable woman. No wig we see Milady wearing is in an updo, but her own hair underneath is pinned up.

Cutting her hair short is practical given the work she does, but I don't think we can assume that she wants it that way. She has been denied the opportunity to show her true self as visibly respectable through this social more as a result of the actions she is forced to take to keep herself alive, which is directly caused by the actions of the men around her: her abusive first husband, Athos, Richelieu.

But underneath the wig, her natural hair is up, and in this way she shows herself as a respectable woman: she knows it, even if no one around her does.

[scarletwritesshit]

🪦And Then There Were Two 🪦 TTM Zine

Written for @ttmzine.

Akihiko sat down in the grass right next to where Shinjiro was resting.

"It’s been pretty damn rough for us, hasn’t it, Shinji? Felt like we could never catch a break there for a while. I think now, though, I can finally say that it’s over," Akihiko said.

Not like he was expecting Shinjiro to reply at all.

"We can relax. After all of these years, we can finally relax."

Shinjiro had as few words as ever to exchange with Akihiko. The silence from him this time, however, was different. It was eerie. It was heartbreaking.

"We won, Shinji."

Akihiko leaned his head against Shinjiro’s headstone. He didn’t, no, he couldn’t respond, but Akihiko swore that he could still hear Shinjiro scoffing at him.

Tch. I knew we could do it.

Akihiko still couldn’t help but feel like Shinjiro had yet to truly depart from this world, despite his body now resting six feet under beside him. Shinjiro was practically counting on his inevitable death, even after rejoining S.E.E.S. It was a fact that he was quite stubborn about. But not stubborn enough to slack off with the growing presence of the shadows becoming a greater and greater risk to his friends. And he was especially too stubborn to let a fatal shot to the chest deter him from babysitting Akihiko.

His pigheaded demeanor was why Akihiko was convinced that Shinjiro was still with them, one way or another. He had to be listening to Akihiko right at this very moment as he was trying to stop himself from shedding any tears. He banged his fist on edge of Shinjiro’s headstone, which was unwise given that he was still recovering from his neglected injuries that had accumulated during the end of January.

You absolute dumbass.

Perhaps the pain medication was causing him to hear things. Or maybe he hadn’t taken quite enough. Regardless, that gruff voice of disappointment from Shinjiro wasn’t leaving Akihiko’s mind any time soon. If he really was here, Shinjiro would be mocking Akihiko for his little bouts of stupidity.

And he kind of missed that.

"Knocking on his grave won’t wake him up, Akihiko."

Clenching his bandaged fist in pain, Akihiko looked up to see Mitsuru walking towards him and Shinjiro’s grave. He couldn’t tell, but Mitsuru appeared to be carrying some kind of faded gold object in her hand.

"It’s worth a shot with that bastard," he said, forcing himself to stand up. "What brings you here?"

"The same reason as you. To give our friend the goodbye he deserves," Mitsuru said.

First, Akihiko lost his sister when he was incredibly young. Now, he had to deal with the lingering pain of both an old and a new friend passing on all too soon. Initially, Akihiko managed to force himself to press on. All of his grief was channeled into cutting down shadow after shadow. Now that the dust had finally settled, he couldn’t repress it anymore, and Mitsuru could see it.

"Akihiko, you don’t have to hold back your tears," Mitsuru said. "There’s no use in doing so."

"Shinji wouldn’t want that!" he said, once again knocking the headstone with disregard for his injured hand.

"Shinjiro wouldn’t want to see his friends in pain, either. I believe that we have fought more than hard enough to justify such feelings."

"Pity won’t get us anywhere" Akihiko said, wiping away the tears that were leaking out, "…I’m surprised to not see Ken with you today."

"Every day after coming home from school, he’s exhausted as his energy hasn’t full recuperated quite yet. Fighting the incarnation of Death took more out of him than he’s willing to admit. He is only eleven, after all, and he isn’t the unstoppable superhero that every boy his age thinks he is."

"Understandable. Even I haven’t exactly recovered and it’s been over three months since we fought Nyx."

"Which is why you should take it easy and not repeatedly knock on Shinjiro’s grave."

"Don’t act like you’re completely okay yourself."

"Ha, a rare moment of something that both of you would agree upon. It’s like he’s still here with us."

The two of them went dead silent for a few minutes. The smile that was on Mitsuru’s face quickly dissipated, and Akihiko clenched his fist.

"It’s just not the same without him," Akihiko said.

"It really isn’t," Mitsuru said, sitting down on the side of Shinji’s headstone opposite of where Akihiko was. "I wish he could’ve been with us to see things through to the end, at the very least."

"Or maybe he lucked out being spared from the heartbreak of losing Kotone. But he will never actually know that we won."

"That’s not entirely true," Mitsuru said, "he’s right between us, isn’t he?"

Akihiko looked down to his side. "I guess so, in a way."

"Which is why I’m here. To tell him everything, as if he were still with us, so that he may finally have closure and rest peacefully once and for all."

"He deserves to know that Nyx has been bested, at the very least. Hopefully sealed away and gone for good, along with the core source of our problems.”

"Not to mention, Takaya most likely died in the collapse of Tartarus as well,” Mitsuru added. “Dead or not, he suffered the downfall that he deserved for taking Shinji’s life."

"I wonder how he would feel about Jin dying. Probably call him some kind of coward considering the way he chose to go out."

"Can’t say for sure. He would probably be just another dead rat in the road to him."

"A good riddance, if anything," Akihiko said. “Probably spit at him for choosing to put an end to his own life.”

“Then again, Jin didn’t have much of a chance with how long he had been taking the Persona suppressors, so what would’ve been the point in him agonizingly dragging his life out?”

“Shinjiro felt the same about his own life too, you know.”

“Perhaps so,” Mitsuru said, gazing off towards the cemetery laid out before her. “They were alike in similar ways; same bodily deterioration, same unfortunate fate."

“Now, don’t go comparing those two, otherwise Shinjiro would scold both of us from beyond the grave,” Akihiko said with a saddened laugh.

“As much as I would love to see him again, that is certainly one encounter I would choose to avoid if we can.”

Akihiko nodded his head in agreement. “Thankfully, such encounters are nothing more than a farfetched fantasy. Then again, I say that after meeting Ryoji.”

“Can he really be any stranger than the concept of shadows and Personas? He was merely Death itself sealed inside of Kotone by Aigis,” Mitsuru said, abruptly going silent to think about just how truly absurd the words she was speaking sounded.

“It sounds absolutely wild, Shinji, but it’s true. You never did find out about Ryoji’s existence, did you? He was the embodiment of Death living inside of Kotone for an entire decade, until it was kind of our fault he reemerged in the end. But think about how ridiculous it sounds, Kotone had to carry that thing around like she was Death’s surrogate mother!” Akihiko said with a laugh.

“Shinjiro would absolutely knock you upside the head for that comment,” Mitsuru said, giving Akihiko a light pat on his shoulder. “But when you put it that way, it does sort of make sense.”

“Are you sure you haven’t accidentally taken my painkillers, by chance? Its one thing for me to say it, but you agreeing with me is a whole new level of…of pure absurdity!”

“Akihiko, you have to admit, it is nice for us to laugh over something silly like this like the old days.”

“Except I don’t think Shinji is laughing. I can hear him sighing and looking at us with his typical disgruntled frown. ‘Physical embodiments of Death? Inside of my friend? What the hell kind of nonsense are you guys even talking about?’”

“He would,” Mitsuru said, “…he absolutely would.”

Akihiko and Mitsuru fell completely silent once more. It finally began to sink in that Shinjiro missed out on far more than saving the world from Nyx and the shadows. The precious little moments in between their Dark Hour expeditions were very short lived for him. He hardly ever had the chance to walk Koromaru, who had practically become a son to him during the short time he lived at the S.E.E.S. dormitory. The trio never did make it back to the ramen shop for lunch like their middle school days.

No more laughing at Aigis’s nonsense together. No more cooking meals for S.E.E.S. It all slipped away from Shinjiro in an instant, in the same way his life slipped away from his friends.

“Mitsuru, did he ever actually make a formal decision in regards to coming back to school?” Akihiko asked.

Mitsuru shook her head. “He didn’t. He was gone long enough for most of our classmates to remember him as a back-alley thug, if they even recalled his presence at all. Shinjiro’s memory lives among the students as nothing more than some unruly delinquent, rather than a fellow student that had fallen on unfortunate times.”

“At least he had friends to remember him as a human, and not alley trash left to the wind,” Akihiko said with a sigh. “With classmates like that, would he have even wanted to go on that trip with us?”

“Probably not,” Mitsuru said, looking at his headstone. “Shinji, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you wouldn’t have wanted to come anyways. You would’ve spent the majority of the trip huffing and sighing in a corner away from everyone.

“I guarantee it would’ve taken him the remainder of the school year to pry him away from Koromaru, making up some kind of excuse like, ‘someone has to keep the dog out of trouble for the week.’”

“That reminds me, Akihiko. How has Koromaru been fairing?”

“Wish I could say he has been doing better than me, but there’s been days where I’ve seen him laying down in the kitchen looking up at the counter and whining.”

“Shinjiro did feed Koromaru a lot, even if he did try to hide it.”

“And he never did a good job of hiding it either. I always knew he liked dogs and the like, anyways. When we were kids, he was completely obsessed with the idea of owning his own pet one day. Specifically a dog. Not to mention, he always cried when the dog died in the movie and I would make fun of him for it. Even as we got older, he could not hold back the painfully obvious tears flowing down his face at even merely the sight of a dog getting injured.”

“Koromaru joining the team must’ve been a dream come true for him then,” Mitsuru said with a little laugh.

“Absolutely,” Akihiko said, “he would never admit it, but he loved Koromaru to death. I feel so bad for that boy, as he had lost not one, but three loving guardians.”

“Ken’s been taking care of him from what I’ve heard.”

“It’s what Shinji would’ve wanted. He wants both Koro-chan and the kid to have a better life than what he had, even after everything Ken had attempted back in October. He was too stubborn to show it, but Shinjiro really was a good man.”

“He would also want me to get straight to the point,” Mitsuru said, standing up, “as I still have yet to fulfill the one reason why I have come here.”

"Are you leaving soon? If so, I’m going to stay with him just a little while longer, but I do have one question before you go, Mitsuru."

"Hm?"

"What’s that that you bought with you?"

"Oh, this?" Mitsuru said, holding the golden object in her hand. "It’s a pocket watch."

"A... pocket watch?"

"It belonged to Shinjiro. Kotone found it at the police station and asked me to make sure that it made it back to him safely. She was far too exhausted to bring it back to him herself, so I agreed to be the one to return it to its rightful owner."

Mitsuru kneeled down and placed the pocket watch atop Shinjiro’s grave. It shined dully in the afternoon sunlight, and its surface was covered in scratches from age. For a pocket watch lost from a then homeless man, it was still in surprisingly good shape. As he observed it, Akihiko couldn’t help but feel like he wished Kotone found the watch and returned it to Shinjiro sooner. Maybe things could’ve been different, like the butterfly effect leading to the survival of his longtime best friend.

Would it even have made any difference in the end?

[dragongutsixofficial]

Thoughts on s2 episode 1:

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS

THEY DID IT AGAIN

TWENTY YEARS LATER WASN'T ENOUGH THEY KILLED RICHELIEU OFFSCREEN AGAIN

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY *yelling at the sky*

IT WAS ALREADY HARD TO LOSE MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IN THE BOOK OFFSCREEN ONCE

BUT THEY DID IT AGAIN

I KEPT HOPING IT WAS A TRAP BUT NO. D E A D

I actually looked it up and the actor who played him got another opportunity so good for him !! Congrats dude !

BUT STILL I AM HURTING

I'm happy to see Rochefort but I am still destroyed. He will never be Richelieu

Also poor book!Rochefort is getting another villanous adaptation. Sorry my dude no luck

I was incredibly worried that Rochefort would keep his weird haircut throughout the whole season but then he combed his hair so it's all better now. I can accept that

ROCHEFORT BETTER MAKE RICHELIEU PROUD

But he's starting on the wrong foot. At least Richelieu really did it for France =(

Louis is so sad. He's lost his adoptive father and he won't even get a new one =(

Still no lackeys. I'm still sad about that=(

Missed opportunity to bring in Mazarin though.

I

I'm just so sad

This is still great ofc I'll be fine but I have been bamboozled misled betrayed like Miette

I feel like Miette in this Chili's tonight

[hollowwhisperings]

'Axel, part of 2 trios' wait whats the other trio axels a part of. him namine and riku? or him isa and subject x?

Axel's arguably in THREE trios, if we forget that Ventus only knew Lea & Isa for one(1) day.

when it comes to Trad KH Trios, Axel has the Seasalt Trio (Axel, Xion & Roxas) and another with Isa & a mysterious 'Subject X'.

while we don't know much of anything about 'Subject X' she's very helpful to the overall themes of KH: her inclusion with Isa & Lea allows them to become a more Blatant Parallel of Riku & Sora (something that DOES require more handholding to lead audiences to, sadly)...

...and how clinging to the same friendship dynamics of childhood can do more harm than good as you grow up.

where Xehanort & Eraqus showed us "what if Riku & Sora actually bought into some of the false dichotomies they've been presented with, what if they hadn't had the support of their friends & were entirely alone", Saïx & Axel served as a "okay, even IF Sora &/or Riku isolated themselves from outside support & shut down communication... you can still fix misunderstandings, mend rifts, reconnect again as tje different people you have now become".

i was kind of Relieved to see that KH3's ending montage showed all the different "trios" intermingling, forging new connections independently of each other. it's a sign of growth & trust, expanding your social circle & learning that having more friends doesn't lessen the friendships you already have. the KH fandom and, in a way, the Seasalt Trio & Kairi (in regard to the Destiny Trio) are/were VERY fixated on having these Friendship Trios, often making the natural jump of making them Romantic OT3s (before the whole "Axel, Terra & Aqua are canonically considered to be young Adults: Ventus, Roxas & Xion are considered children/tweens" revelation).

That the "Seasalt Trio" is now sometimes called the "Seasalt Seven" (Hayner, Olette, Pence, Roxas, Xion, Axel & Isa) is something I find quite heartwarming.

(and, never forget that Jiminy has Been The 4th member of Sora's adventure party The Whole Time! the sets of 3 are just a jumping point, not some strict ultimatum!)

[eddiestightywhities]

...and d'artagnan ofc

the three musketeers everyone

[verstarppen]

˗ˏˋ MASTERLIST ˎˊ˗

the pit stop for all your reading needs !

mv33 ｡⋆˚ max verstappen

max and the three musketeers — mercedes is a just a tiny bit worried about your dates with their archenemesis

ln4 ⋆⭒˚ lando norris

in a galaxy far, far away — there's little time between fast cars and spaceships, but you make it work

op81 ✩°˖ oscar piastri

[ WIP ] atalanta and hippomenes — your father is eager to marry you off, but you're not putting the ring for a man who can't beat you in a race

mv33 ｡⋆˚ max verstappen

best trophy in your showcase — cheaters deserve to get cheated out of their career, or at least that's how max justifies destroying your ex's life

cl16 ☾⋆˚ charles leclerc

oh no he's hot — your comic book signing takes a turn when a fan walks in wearing a t-shirt with a poorly photoshopped "charles lechair" or wheover that is [ WIP ] caramel splotches — charles makes an oddly specific reference to your youtube channel just once, but the internet decides to internet [ WIP ] apricot bowls — there's nothing charles wants more than to win a championship, but you, the baby and the cottage are a close second [ WIP ] beef? she's a vegetarian — no one could've possibly predicted the real reason why charles made a joke that he'll join eurovision 2024...but you do, and so does your ex

ls2 ✮⁺₊ logan sargeant

behind open doors — the relationship isn't as secretive as you think it is. texan egg hunt — the ricciardo urge to be obsessed with america takes a whole new meaning when your relationship with the only american on the grid is revealed...because of kinder eggs glitter bomb — logan has a very special helmet reveal on instagram to celebrate your olympics gold metal and a scavenger hunt seems like the appropriate way to reveal it to you she's everything, he's just logan — not to flex, but how many f1 drivers can say they're dating a princess?

gr63 ˖♡𓍢ִ໋ george russell

get on with the show... — mercedes have a strict policy regarding office romance, but that can't stop Totally Spies because they can't read

ll40 ⭒𓈒ㅤׂ liam lawson

[ WIP ] roller skate paparazzi — the guy you've been flirting with on the roller skate rink conveniently left out the part where he's super fucking famous

op81 ✩°˖ oscar piastri

[ WIP ] fly me to the moon — the world hadn't seen chaos until you parked a miniplane in the pit lane to bring your boyfriend lunchables [ WIP ] blueberry pastries — the mclaren and williams admins love taking advantage of the fact that you and oscar only seem to look like you're not absolutely miserable on camera when you're together meddle about — the singapore heat can't kill you, but the sight of him sweaty and disheveled just might

lh44 ౨ৎ ₊˚⊹ lewis hamilton

[ WIP ] vassastrophe — it'll take awhile for ferrari to adjust to lewis, and if that doesn't stress frédéric vasseur enough, the reveal of who his daughter's been seeing surely will

ln4 ⋆⭒˚ lando norris

[ WIP ] just a couple of besties — the king of spoilers himself, lando "oh is it confirmed?" norris, reveals to the whole world he has a girlfriend...and not a soul believes him. [ WIP ] el pollo verde — lando's obsession with studying spanish to impress fernando goes off and on track

dr3 ‧₊˚ daniel ricciardo

[ WIP ] you, me, and franz kafka — danny ric doesn't understand how a book about a guy turning into a insect can be interesting, but if it makes his girlfriend happy he'll read it- and maybe melt a few fans' hearts along the way

yt22 ★⋆.⁺ yuki tsunoda

cheap tricks on route 66 — losing a bag at a out-of-city gas station with an etched phone number seems a little too convenient doesn't it?

ms47 ❀˖˙⊹ mick schumacher

count me in — slowly but surely that fake dating plan you cooked up starts leaving its confined lines

last updated: 9/10/2024

[thorin-is-a-cuddler]

Perfect moment from the new Musketeers movie 🫶🏻

[cy-lindric]

bonjour cy-lindric, j'ai une petite question. when I was a young person, I read The Three Musketeers and then eagerly started to read Twenty Years After and was so upset at what had happened to my beloved young heroes that I put the book down and never picked it up. what do you think, should I try again?

Bonjour !

After reading The Three Musketeers, I also wasn't sure I wanted to read Twenty Years After, and I took a break inbetween both to read something entirely different (The Locked Tomb, iirc). I think my reason for that was kind of the opposite of yours ; I enjoyed T3M a lot and loved the characters, flaws and all, but by the end they had somewhat crossed over the line into being Too Awful and the lack of retribution left me a bit frustrated. I didn't see it as a failing of the story - on the contrary, their strong character flaws and downfall in the conflict with Milady is one of the most emotionally intense and compelling parts imo - but I wasn't sure I felt like hanging out with these guys for a few hundred more pages at that point.

If your vision of the characters as a young reader was a very positive and perhaps idealized one, I can imagine why you might not have enjoyed entering into Twenty Years after. The illusion of glory has worn off ; the characters have separated, they live unremarkable lives, and their personalities have evolved drastically with the passing of time. It's almost a brutal return to reality.

For me though, it added layers of characterization to the point where now it's clear to me that this version of the Inseparables is by far the one I prefer.

I hope it's ok if I take the opportunity to talk at length about what I like about TYA below the cut. TL;DR : I love that Twenty Years After is a more realistic look at the big four's personalities and how they evolved while still keeping them thematically coherent, and that TYA makes them confront the reckless and cruel shit they did in their youth.

Spoilers ahead obviously.

We've often talked about how T3M is at its core a story about the end of knighthood. It's a tongue-in-cheek approach at chivalrous initiation, set at edge of the modern world, inbetween the time of ballads about knights in armor and that of adventures about journeying gunmen and soldiers. I think TYA embodies that particularly ; the story of people who have carried the last of these intense, dangerous chivalric ideals in their youths, and who have now grown into middle aged adults who need to find their place in the world.

For a good chunk of the book, the big four are separated into two teams ; that in of itself might discourage some, but imo it's genius. Instead of the natural two-by-pairings, Dumas goes for a d'Artagnan+ Porthos and Athos + Aramis split on opposite sides, which makes for good drama and develops lesser explored dynamics. D'Artagnan and Porthos form a scrappy team of opportunists with money on their minds, and Athos and Aramis a more idealistic duo fighting for a noble lost cause. I think it's a bold choice but also premium sequel writing.

I also love the way the young and wild characters we knew evolve into middle aged men ; at their core, they're still the same, but they've all changed and struggled against the sunset of the golden age in their own ways.

D'Artagnan, after knowing such adventures and subsequent rapid social ascension in his teenage years, has been met in his adult life with the harsh reality that he is, in fact, not a noble knight but a soldier on payroll. His modest origins give him little hope for any further career advancement, and he takes on a new mission in his early 40s for a man he has no devotion for and a cause he doesn't care about, simply because he is bored and broke. D'Artagnan still has his quick wits, his strategic talent, his fencing skills, but he has grown out of the excesses of pride of his teenage years. I loved meeting him again in TYA, and it made so much sense to me that his bouts of anger and aggressivity would be a youthful trait that he'd ended up taming. He also realizes now a lot of what seemed like funny adventures and necessary violence was actually kind of fucked up ; that was a shock to me, as their shenanigans are treated so lightly in T3M, and tbh it healed me a little. Grown up d'Artagnan is cunning, calculating, down to earth and realistic. My foxy little man. I love him.

Porthos, likewise, has been struck by the weight of reality. He has made the sensible choice and got married to the rich widow who sugar mommied him in the first book. Now she's passed, he is rich, but he still fails to earn the respect of the high society he evolves in because he's not high born enough. Like d'Artagnan, he's stagnating and bored and now that he goes back adventuring it has nothing to do with the queen or the kingdom or honour ; it's about getting his damn nobility title.

Athos, on the other hand, is the eternal knight : the only truly high born of the four, and still hopelessly holding on to a time gone by. It's no surprise imo that his storyline brings him into the english civil war, doomed to fail at saving a king who'll end up executed right in front of him. TYA acknowledges more clearly than ever that at 28 yo, Athos was a depressed alcoholic, and an embodiment of what an excess of aristocratic righteousness can do. In TYA, he is sober and moisturized and a DILF, and now he's running around frantically looking for absolution for his numerous crimes. It's delicious.

Aramis is maybe the hardest pill to swallow. TYA confirms the T3M hints that he isn't really the prim and proper romantic boy he acts like he is, and that he's possibly the most hypocritical and ruthless of the four. It might be a harsh one for Aramis fans who like him better as a cute bean, but I love the early onset of remorseless conniving bloodthirsty ambitious Aramis. Another harsh bit might be the evolution of Aramis and d'Artagnan not really liking each other ; they were always the least close combination, and imo it makes sense that their personalities would clash. I think it's clever and compelling conflict.

Now, obviously, if you've cared enough to read all this and if you know me a little, you know that a huge highlight of the book for me was its late-appearing antagonist, Mordaunt. Mordaunt is the son Milady had with her english husband. Because of the Musketeers' intervention, he's grown up in poverty and has been denied his father's inheritance. He's now a Roundhead working for Cromwell, and set on avenging his mother at all costs. Mordaunt, unlike his mother who was this beautiful and dangerous force of nature, is very uncool and pathetic. She was the primordial snake, he's the gutter rat. Obviously, I love that in and of itself, but it's also kind of striking image of the wretchedness of what they've done to her, a fucked up little goblin ghost come back to haunt them as they're trying to make their life worth living again. This time, their enemy is not a cunning political rival with a flamboyance of body and mind akin to their own ; it's a shitty little guy with bad skin who wants to kill the king and punish the murderers. Watch out babes, it's the modern world coming for you.

Of course, they're the Four Musketeers, and they did what they had to do, so they get together again and swear friendship and keep going their way. But they're also old guys with difficult personalities in a world that's never going to be the same. I think it's a cool book.

[mochirb]

revisited an old farmer oc and ended up bringing her back

her name is Olivia but she tells everyone to call her Liv

some artwork~

first one: Sebastian and Sam are attempting to teach Liv how to play Solorian Chronicles. She is... a slow learner.

base

Second one: The Three Musketeers! Inspired by Magg's Immersive Sebastian Mod (won't go into detail in case of spoilers) but essentially I like to think Liv would be thick as thieves with Sebastian and Sam. ((Also why is Sam's hair so had to draw????))

base

That's all~

I'm gonna be drawing more of her (and Sebastian) soon. I'm also thinking of starting a fanfic but dunno yet!

[midnight1nk]

So, this week's episode...

[spoilers below cut]

ooooh, a Luigi-centric episode? This will be interesting :)

(the following is my live reaction:)

we gotta have the sponsor, also hi Mario :D

Happy Memes Giving, guys!

Oh god, the Team's already killing me with the found family stuff, STOP IT /j So much going on, I need to go frame by fram:

I love that SMG3's talking to SMG1 and 2 here

Return of the Side Characters (TM)

SMG4, Mario, and Meggy are such a trio, that we need to come up with a name. Well, we already have the Star Trio (Four, Three, and Mario) so hmmmmm,

The Primaries (as in the primary colors and also being main characters) "But Meggy's orange-" Shhhhh, don't look too much into it, also a version of Meggy wore yellow in the Inside Out episode

I saw InkCap going around which is honestly a good one too

The Sillies (??? /hj)

The 3 Musketeers

I got nothing lol ANYWAY, Tari and Saiko are adorable honestly

Listen, I am a Megari shipper but also a multishipper soooo "wow, two cakes :) "

Kaizo's here too, hell yeah

Melony, Bob, Boopkins, and JubJub.... found family, please? 👀

sorry I just love this so much. If the Team's gonna do a Christmas episode, can we have a scene like this? I already wanted to be 3 and 4 just going shopping together to buy the gifts but it would be sweet to see everyone at the Castle opening their presents. We gotta keep going

Turning Red reference! That somehow fits Luigi perfectly

That's actually very sweet of you, Mario

OH that's right, Mario tried to do a Thanksgiving feast last time and that didn't go so well

It turns out that anyone can cook, and Mario has improved his skills. Anything is possible, very inspiring. Be like Mario :)

"Maybe I really am adopted." PFFT sorry that somehow got me

Aww, Luigi, it's okay. Anyone can have bad days, but you always have your bro to lean on.

....oh shit, what a jumpcut.

oh nooooo, I feel so bad for Meggy CAN I GIVE HER A HUG PLEASE?!

also Three, really? Or are you just putting up a front and do actually care? Because you didn't need to come, but you did anyway. (Unless you were, like, forced to.) We all saw what you did in the "Welcome to Puzzle Park" episode, you tried to save Four & Mario. I suspect that Three's like "Mario went along and did something stupid...again." Well, Three, what else did you expect? Besides, Mario did it for his bro

Mario could handle eating poison sooo it's must've been that bad of a food poisoning. at least he's alive

also TARI NEEDS A HUG TOO, THANK YOU SAIKO FOR COMFORTING HER

and ooohh, Karen feels upset about it too. After all, it was thanks to Mario, Karen was able to bond with her kids.

NOOO LUIGI DON'T FEEL BAD, YOU DIDN'T MEAN FOR THAT TO HAPPEN

holy shit, that car was just speeding (very realistic tbh)

oh hey Old Man, you're free!

[*looks at watch*] Eh, screw finals. It's time for my daily heartattack

OH the voiceacting! Hell yeah!!!

woah Luigi, you were so lucky... OMG PFFT I did not expect the truck to just crash into an orphanage

He did it!

oh Mario got out of the coma, hooray!

also very accurate pfp

"HI GUYS!" "Hi Steve!"

...wot?

they really are brothers :)

(mario without his mustache is still cursed)

ay the alarmo reference is back!

HEY don't you start comparing them! he's doing a fantastic job >:(

HOLD UP LUIGI GOT SOME MOVES, GO LUIGI GO

[*sigh*] how did we get here for this direct to be accurate?

Four still having a grudge against nintendo is so funny to me for some reason

BREAKING NEWS?!

can we have powerpoint presentations on the Wii from now on?

"Year of Luigi 2" I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they did that in real life bc Year of Shadow is doing so good right now

wait... don't tell me... WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE GONNA KILL HIM OFF

AAAWWWWWW DUDE STOPPPPPP

TRUE SIBLING MOMENT

HOLY SHIT THIS ANIMATION HOLD UP

wait a second... OMG, IS THAT A REMIX OF PHOENIX WRIGHT CORNERED THEME IN THE BACKGROUND??!??!?!?!?! WHOEVER PUT THAT IN THERE, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

THE BROTHERSHIP MEME, love that

HOW DARE THEY USE MY OWN WEAKNESS AGAINST ME? THAT'S NOT FAIR WTF

LOOK AT ME, NO DON'T LOOK AT ME /ref

can we give a round of applause for this one bc wow this was incredible

anyway, congrats to _SunFlower_sl for your art being featured in the credits 🎉 as it turns out, it's 3&4 as Sonic & Shadow which is honestly perfect (manifesting 3&4 to join Mario in a future Sonic Movie 3 episode, fuck it I'm gonna write it)

actually, this might be a sign hmmmmm

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

BRAVO! BRAVO! This was an amazing episode! I was already in a great mood seeing that we were getting a Luigi episode but the Team really went above and beyond on this one, especially the writing. We got to see some development for Luigi too. I really did love Mario being a supportive and loving brother. As the oldest sibling, this has my stamp of approval! (No, I'm not crying, what are you talking about?) Then, just the little nods here and there with callbacks and references, I really appreciate that.

Now, let's not forget the animation, voice acting, and editing! Great job, Team, as always. You guys manage to surprise me every time. And whoever put the cornered theme, I owe you everything 💙

Overall, 1000/10, highly recommended! I do hope they continue on this streak of well-written episodes. (I wouldn't mind another funny/wholesome episode.) Give yourself a pat on the back, Team, every one of you did amazing!

That's all from me! Now, I have to go and study for uni finals, wish me luck!

[sisterofsomeone]

SisterofSomeone's Masterlist!

Hiya! I'm SisterofSomeone, otherwise known as Caitlin. I'm 23 and am slowly coming back to into the world of fanfiction writing. So here is my very barebones masterlist, and some little insights into some fics I have planned, enjoy! If you would like to be added to my tag list just send me a message or comment on here, I’d be more than happy to add you 🥹💜

Just as a little warning, I won't write: full non-con (cnc and dub-con are allowed), minors, excessive gore, full incest (e.g. brother x sister, but step brother x step sister is cool with me), pregnancy scares/unplanned pregnancy, more may be added as I think of them and I always hold the right to not answer/write for whatever reason I want :)

Seventeen

Choi Seungcheol

WIP: Seeing You After All This Time - Summary: Seungcheol, that gummy smiled, annoying boy you grew up with would always have your heart. Even if it seemed like he didn’t want it anymore.  Warnings: idol!Seungcheol x idol!fem!reader, lovers to exes to lovers, angst, fluff, mentions of depression/insomnia, mentions of self-harm/self-harming behaviour, references to disordered eating, bodyweight comments (but no actual numbers), swearing, established relationship, (more will be added as the series goes on!)

Yoon Jeonghan

WIP: In the Blind Spot - Summary: You’re Seungcheol’s little sister. Innocent and sweet. He’s always said you’re completely off limits to all the boys. You’re 2 years younger than Chan for fucks sake, way too young for any of the rabble. But unbeknownst to him, you’re being hounded by some of his best friends. Just can’t let big brother find out you’re not exactly opposed to spending some ‘one on one’ time with them. Got to get the deed done in his blind spot. Warnings: idol!Chan x fem!reader, idol!Seokmin x fem!reader, idol!Jeonghan x fem!reader, idol!Mingyu x fem!reader, swearing, smut MDNI 18+,

Hong Joshua

WIP: The Three Musketeers - Summary: When the boys are on tour they like to wind down with some good food, good drinks, good music, and good company. So when you’re batting your eyelashes at them in the hotel bar, they know they’re in for a good evening. Warnings: idol!joshua x fem!reader x idol!Seokmin x idol!Jihoon, smut MDNI 18+, unprotected sex, pet names, foursome

Wen Junhui

nothing here yet sadly :(

Kwon Soonyoung

nothing here yet sadly :(

Jeon Wonwoo

Until Death Do Us Part - Summary: On a wedding day in Baldur’s Gate, a marriage is sealed with a sanctified bond. A powerful magic that allows your minds to meld and cannot ever be undone. It is also required to share your darkest secret for the bond to be bestowed. There is a common myth passed around that once, a very long time ago, a woman was tricked into marriage by a demon of sorts and only found out when they wed. Every wedding at that moment the room falls silent, waiting for another scream, another myth making secret to be revealed. You just never thought you would be witness to it. Series Warnings: Wonwoo x fem!reader, slight Seokmin x fem!reader (because I can't help myself), established relationship/situationship, angst, fluff, swearing, drinking, smoking, there are references to end game BG3 and spoilers for the whole game so please proceed with caution! smut MDNI 18+, unprotected sex, pet names (baby girl, pretty girl, princess), oral sex (male and female receiving), breeding kink, slight daddy kink, size kink, reader has a vagina that gets described as a pussy/cunt, slight dub-con for a second then clear consent, (more will be added as the series goes on!)

Lee Jihoon

WIP: The Three Musketeers - Summary: When the boys are on tour they like to wind down with some good food, good drinks, good music, and good company. So when you’re batting your eyelashes at them in the hotel bar, they know they’re in for a good evening. Warnings: idol!joshua x fem!reader x idol!Seokmin x idol!Jihoon, smut MDNI 18+, unprotected sex, pet names, foursome

Lee Seokmin

Self Destruction - Summary: Lee Seokmin. No words could describe your love for him, how your heart raced when he was near. But you two were growing apart, his eyes and hands wandering away from yours. Now you harboured a growing hatred for the man you once loved so dearly, and as much as you wanted it to stop growing, he just kept adding fuel to the fire. Warnings: toxic!Seokmin x toxic!fem!reader, slight Wonwoo x reader, established relationship, lovers to enemies to ???, ANGST!!!, swearing, cheating, smut MDNI 18+, unprotected sex, pet names (baby girl, pretty girl), oral sex (male receiving)

WIP: Friendzoned - Summary: Warnings:

WIP: The Three Musketeers - Summary: When the boys are on tour they like to wind down with some good food, good drinks, good music, and good company. So when you’re batting your eyelashes at them in the hotel bar, they know they’re in for a good evening. Warnings: idol!joshua x fem!reader x idol!Seokmin x idol!Jihoon, smut MDNI 18+, unprotected sex, pet names, foursome

WIP: In the Blind Spot - Summary: You’re Seungcheol’s little sister. Innocent and sweet. He’s always said you’re completely off limits to all the boys. You’re 2 years younger than Chan for fucks sake, way too young for any of the rabble. But unbeknownst to him, you’re being hounded by some of his best friends. Just can’t let big brother find out you’re not exactly opposed to spending some ‘one on one’ time with them. Got to get the deed done in his blind spot. Warnings: idol!Chan x fem!reader, idol!Seokmin x fem!reader, idol!Jeonghan x fem!reader, idol!Mingyu x fem!reader, swearing, smut MDNI 18+,

Kim Mingyu

WIP: In the Blind Spot - Summary: You’re Seungcheol’s little sister. Innocent and sweet. He’s always said you’re completely off limits to all the boys. You’re 2 years younger than Chan for fucks sake, way too young for any of the rabble. But unbeknownst to him, you’re being hounded by some of his best friends. Just can’t let big brother find out you’re not exactly opposed to spending some ‘one on one’ time with them. Got to get the deed done in his blind spot. Warnings: idol!Chan x fem!reader, idol!Seokmin x fem!reader, idol!Jeonghan x fem!reader, idol!Mingyu x fem!reader, swearing, smut MDNI 18+,

Xu Minghao

nothing here yet sadly :(

Boo Seungkwan

nothing here yet sadly :(

Chwe Vernon

WIP: Secret Player Two - Summary: You’re enjoying a solo, quiet night in while your boyfriend is away at Milan fashion week by playing your new favourite video game when there's a knock at the door. When you invite Vernon in to chill with you, you never imagined the effect a video game sex scene might have on your, well, frustrated new player two. Warnings: idol!Vernon x idol!fem!reader, swearing, cheating, smut MDNI 18+,

Lee Chan

WIP: In the Blind Spot - Summary: You’re Seungcheol’s little sister. Innocent and sweet. He’s always said you’re completely off limits to all the boys. You’re 2 years younger than Chan for fucks sake, way too young for any of the rabble. But unbeknownst to him, you’re being hounded by some of his best friends. Just can’t let big brother find out you’re not exactly opposed to spending some ‘one on one’ time with them. Got to get the deed done in his blind spot. Warnings: idol!Chan x fem!reader, idol!Seokmin x fem!reader, idol!Jeonghan x fem!reader, idol!Mingyu x fem!reader, swearing, smut MDNI 18+,

WIP: Friendzoned - Summary: Warnings:

WIP: Little Miss Virgin- Summary: Your best friends Seungkwan and Jeonghan have always taken a weird pleasure in picking on you in front of the other members and watching you blush and panic. But one boozy night at Mingyu and Wonwoo's flat they push you a little too far and tell everyone your most embarrassing secret - you've never been kissed, never been wanted like that. The guys assure you that it's nothing to be ashamed of, "you'll find someone". But across the room a fire lights in Chan's stomach, and he needs to be your first. Warnings: idol!Dino x fem!reader, corruption kink, size kink, swearing, smut MDNI 18+,

Drabbles:

00:58 - chan fucks you in front of the guys

[hancocksbestgirl]

Repairs and Grace

Summary:

Nick Valentine is living in the new world - the one ushered in by his business partner and best friend, Grace, after the events of Fallout 4. With at least some of The Commonwealth's life and death issues solved, the pair turns their attention toward an incredibly important task: cleaning the Agency.

Then, when Nick encounters a small technical issue, it's up to Grace to fix him.

Rating: Explicit

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/M

Fandom: Fallout 4

Word Count: 8k

Relationships: Female Sole Survivor/Nick Valentine, Sole Survivor/Nick Valentine, Nick Valentine/Original Female Character(s)

Characters: Nick Valentine, Original Fallout 4 Character, Female Sole Survivor (Fallout), Sole Survivor (Fallout)

Additional Tags, Warnings, Excerpt and Link Under the Cut:

Additional Tags/Warnings: Post-Game: Fallout 4, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Apocalypse, Alternate History, Spoilers for Fallout 4, Spoilers, Coworkers to Lovers, Original Character(s), Wireplay, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Fisting, Grinding, Shameless Smut

_________________

It had been a long time since Nick had known anything even remotely resembling peace.

Real peace, anyway.

Inner peace, sure, it came and went. A person didn’t get to be his age, live two separate lifetimes, and start watching their body decay in real time; without getting a least a little comfortable with their innermost self.

It also helped, that Eddie Winter’s case and Nick's trip to Far Harbor - both of them world-shaking events - were long behind him.

His business partner, Grace, had accompanied him on both gruesome errands, and helped where she could. With her help, and the relative calm that had followed, Nick had had time to turn some of those events over in his mismatched hands; to get used to what happened, and to what that all meant for him. There had been even more peace after that process. 

But peace around him. Now that was new to Nick Valentine. 

The Commonwealth was much different now than it had been when Grace originally showed up. 

The Institute had been nuked - a brave new world if Nick ever could picture one, and the Brotherhood of Steel had lost interest in their fair city as a result. Maxson had taken his ball and gone back south where he belonged, probably to menace someplace else. Minutemen roamed, tipping their cowboy hats and rarely having to fire those heavy laser muskets, the Railroad did… whatever it was they did without the Institute to worry about.

Diamond City went along as it always had. McDonough was dead, and Nick figured that was probably a good thing. You saw a few more Ghoul faces, people seemed less uptight. If anything, the city was even a little emptier, because the ruins around it and the small towns beyond Boston Proper were a little safer.

Even Ellie, sweet little Ellie Perkins, had met a young man with a family farm and turned in her resignation. It was a good new beginning for her, in Nick’s estimation. He sure would miss that girl, though.

As a result of Ellie’s departure, the pink lights at Valentine’s Detective Agency were off. He and his partner were taking a break from cases while they sorted out the office. In truth, Grace had been aching to reorganize his office from the first day she walked in, but she’d had bigger fish to fry both on that day, and in the intervening three years. 

Now that there was some kind of peace though, the feeling worming its way into even the farthest-flung the corners of the map, getting people’s shoulders to ratchet down a notch - Grace was inside the Agency, tearing his office apart.

Putting Nick's shoulders all the way up around his ears, as it happened.

Nick took a final drag of his cigarette, and not for the first time, really marveled at the taste. By rights, he shouldn’t have been able to taste it, or anything at all really. He never could figure out if his taste sensors were meant to serve a purpose, or were just an act of whimsy by some Institute scientist.

He ground the butt out under the heel of his dress shoe, then went inside.

Continue Reading on AO3