#beau boutique

[nihilamb]

vintage chosun teddy bear cub ( source )

[knowledge-paradox]

fuck It im sharing the full letter Dante wrote to Matteo in 1778

My Beau.

I have many regrets, I regret not having time to write to you , I regret not telling you what I've been up to, and deep down i regret not running away with you to America.

Well, perhaps i don't regret it either, you see, I haven't told you what I've been up to in fear that you may feel betrayed. I do remember my promises but please let me explain.

My mentor promised me a well career and a wonderful boutique in France, as I have slowly realised that Italy isn't for me and well, I don't think America will be either. So here I am, asking you selfishly to change our promise, and in short:

After the war is over, if you're still alive, come with me, come live in Paris. We won't have to run away. I beg you to let me have you as my Muse again.

I wish I could fight next to you, if so maybe the weight of death wouldn't be too painful to carry.

To my world,

Dante.

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 9 Ep 94: Getting to Know You

The day of her 2nd trimester appointment, Luigi and Noemi began doing the “homework” suggested at their therapy session. Beau was covering for him at practice as they headed to Magnolia Promenade after class to visit the maternity shop near the hospital.

It was an expansion of the paternity boutique Steven and Peachy had sworn by during their pregnancies. A big-name maternity retailer had opened a branch of their store next door so that sims of all genders and shapes could find comfortable clothing for pregnancy in a little conjoined mini-mall.

Luigi was doing his best to win smiles from his glum girlfriend, even going so far as to pull a couple items from the paternity section to “model” over a “baby bump” pillow that the shop had available for sims to get a sense of how something would fit at a later stage of gestation.

In the end it was mission accomplished! Noemi left the store in a much better of frame of mind than she’d entered it, wearing a comfortable and stylish new maternity ensemble that fit (and looked!) much better than Luigi’s old t-shirt and sweatpants had.

Their next stop was a nearby baby supply emporium. They didn’t plan to setup the nursery until after graduation, when they moved to the island, but they could still follow Dr. Velasquez’s advice by picking out some things and making plans.

They did manage to select one small toy for the baby before they left for Noemi’s prenatal appointment.

She was shocked when Luigi was drawn to blue options instead of his usual green, but he just shrugged. To date each heir in his family had loved a unique color; and just as dada Peachy had been stuck on “green themed” name ideas, he figured he was being guided towards the right hue for his future little one.

Luigi was feeling unsettled as they arrived at the hospital. Shopping for the baby had made his child feel more “real”, but he had quickly realized that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. He wanted to want his child, but thinking about the future with a little one in it was still a struggle for him.

Noemi’s midwives worked with a medical OB, and this visit she was scheduled with him for some bloodwork. After that was finished the exam proceeded as usual, with a listen to the babies' nice strong heartbeat and some measurements to ensure their growth was on target. Everything seemed to be progressing well and Noemi was instructed to come back one final time once she entered her third trimester.

When the check-up was done their provider sent them down the hall for the ultrasound that would give them their first glimpse at the baby.

Luigi lagged a little bit behind as they headed in, texting Denton as an excuse to keep his head down. His anxiety was through the roof – if looking at cribs and diapers had been hard how was he going to feel seeing his son or daughter “in living color”!?

The tech introduced themselves, instructed Noemi to lie back on the table, and in no time their child was visible on the screen. Noemi asked right away if they could tell the babies sex, and with a quick adjustment of the wand the technician confirmed they were having a boy.

Luigi was reeling as Noemi got redressed, but pasted on a smile that he hoped came close to matching her ecstatic grin as he helped her to her feet.

When she told him “come say hello to your son” Luigi hesitated for only a moment before leaning down and directing a shy wave towards Noemi’s belly along with a quick “nice to meet you”.

He was glad to let Noemi babble on as they headed towards the exit. He had known what the pregnancy test, the therapy, and Noemi’s growing belly meant, but seeing his little boy on the monitor had brought the weight of reality crashing down in a whole new way that he was still trying to process.

Rather than following her into the teleporter station that would take them home Luigi hung back, claiming that he wanted to grab some finger food for dinner so they could both dive right into their homework without distraction.

Noemi, quite tired out from the long day, didn’t argue, giving him a kiss and requesting “something from that Mediterranean place – your baby wants some hummus!” before continuing on her way.

The shiny jewelry on display in the stall Luigi headed towards once she teleported out of sight declared that it didn’t sell Mediterranean food.

Seeing his son had unsettled him, but it had also made him even more sure that he wanted to ask his girlfriend to become his wife.

He didn’t doubt they would have gotten there without a baby in the mix, he’d loved her for ages, but he needed her to know he was in this for the long haul, and what better way to show his devotion than asking her to spend the rest of her life with him?

It was time to take the next step in their relationship, if she was willing, and unlike parenthood it was a journey he was ready and eager to begin.

Yes, of course they are having a boy 🤭, and no, I didn’t do anything to influence this outcome (but I’m not mad about it)!

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[perduedansmatete]

dimanche ennui donc liste (certainement pas exhaustive) de moi à moi des artistes que j'ai déjà vu en concert, de ceux que je vois bientôt, de ceux que j'aimerais voir et de ceux que je RÊVE de pouvoir écouter en live un jour:

concerts faits dans un ordre totalement approximatif:

julien doré (petite, j'étais amoureuse de lui et je me souviens d'avoir eu mal au cœur quand il chantait winnipeg)

jeanne cherhal (petite aussi, j'étais absorbée car elle avait chanté quelques chansons suspendue à un cercle en l'air)

olivia ruiz (toute mon enfance)

la grande sophie

the dedicated nothing (ils ont fait un album on en a plus jamais entendu parler et je les avais vu dans une boutique longboard comme c'était des surfeurs mdr)

the dø (dans un festival paumé en vendée, j'étais la plus heureuse)

george ezra

the black lilys

radio elvis 2x

feu! chatterton 3x (j'ai l'impression de faire l'amour quand j'entends arthur teboul chanter en live, un des trois concerts était en plein air vers l'océan c'était beau et poétique)

grand blanc

jumaï

chevalrex

pr2b

clarika (toute mon enfance, dans la voiture avec ma mère)

the limiñanas (inattendu, jamais écouté avant de les voir mais si cher à mon cœur maintenant)

girls in hawaii (souvenirs d'adolescence)

genghar (concert avec mon père dernièrement, j'écoutais beaucoup adolescente aussi)

sallie ford 2x

norma 2x (elle fait fondre mon cœur j'aimerais qu'elle perce)

mattiel

the twilight sad

las aves

prudence (la chanteuse de the dø, on avait gagné un concours avec ma sœur!!)

cate hortl

clara luciani 3x

pomme 2x

franz ferdinand 2x

arctic monkeys 2x (dont une fois catastrophique à rock en seine, des amitiés se sont brisées, des crises d'angoisses, un son merdique)

the strokes (son merdique et problèmes techniques car rock en seine mais j'étais au max)

ledher blue

the cure (que dire de plus??? 3h de the cure en live c'est le paradis)

depeche mode (que des bangers, je m'en remets pas encore)

pi ja ma (choupette, je l'aime depuis la nouvelle star)

delilah bon (à la fin de son concert on a eu droit à tous les chants de manifs de gauchos sans aucune raison pendant 20 minutes et c'était génial)

kalika

fontaines dc (je veux les revoir)

ethel cain (c'était thérapeutique)

angel olsen

lucy dacus (très vite)

tamino 4x (je l'adore de tout mon cœur mais je fais une pause je l'ai trop vu)

ko ko mo 7x ou plus?? (découverts dans un festival paumé en vendée, depuis on les voit tous les ans)

jesse jo stark (trop sexy)

clemence violence

hachiku

jen cloher (lesbiennes australiennes je vous aime)

dynamite shakers

odezenne (j'ai pu chanter je veux te baiser en live c'était fantastique)

georgio (marque le début de la fin d'une amitié mais j'étais tellement heureuse ce soir là)

slowdive

frank carter and the rattlesnakes (ma sœur qui se fait une entorse dans un pogo)

the mysterines

yeule (premier concert toute seule, il m'a fait du bien)

sorry (chanteuse toute timide toute choupi mais génial et j'ai pu crier les paroles de there's so many people that want to be loved)

alexandra savior (écoutez là c'est un ordre)

sarah maison

sextile (concert génial soirée traumatisante)

wunderhorse (de vrais anglais qui s'en branlent de tout c'était cool)

no elevator

emma peters (j'écoute pas mais sympa)

skip the use (j'y allais en mode souvenirs, j'avais jamais écouté ses récents albums et le gars est trop chaud en live)

agar agar

nada surf (le chanteur est trop gentil <3)

hoorsees

adrien gallo (à défaut d'avoir pu voir les bb brunes... et j'étais aussi amoureuse de lui petite)

therapie taxi

nova twins (un de mes meilleurs concerts elles avaient une énergie trop folle)

la femme (mes meilleurs pogos)

tori amos (concert avec ma mère, icone)

l'impératrice 3x (2 fois sans que je veuille vraiment juste ils étaient dans des festivals et j'en peux plus leur scéno c'est toujours la même et c'est mou)

terrenoire

snail mail (mou)

parcels (j'écoute pas mais en concert c'est fou)

tame impala (l'impression d'avoir pris du lsd pendant 1h30)

gaz coombes (le chanteur de supergrass!!)

inhaler

idles (de loin mdr)

foals (mouais)

wet leg (absolument génial premier rang à crier toutes les paroles, tellement qu'il a plu et qu'on a fini le concert dans la boue)

yeah yeah yeahs

izia

the murder capital (amoureuse)

suzie stapleton

maddy street (une copine de ma sœur, c’est trop bien)

origine club renommé bonne nuit (à revoir c’est des vendéens et j’adore les vendéens pas fachos)

alice et moi

prochains concerts:

stoned jesus

dionysos (cadeau de noël pour mes parents, ils nous ont bercé avec)

air

ethel cain (encore)

mannequin pussy

cherry glazerr

lana del rey!!!!!!!!!

ko ko mo (pour la millième fois mdr)

eartheather (j'ai eu une place alors qu'il n'y en avait plus??? yaayyy)

artistes que j'aimerais voir:

yoa

the marias (ils avaient annulé la seule date qu'ils faisaient en france alors qu'on avait nos places avec ma meilleure amie, on leur en veut encore)

anna calvi

bar italia

the last dinner party

coco & clair clair

dora jar

king krule (on m'a empêché de prendre une place la dernière fois car apparemment il chante mal en live)

beach house

lebanon hanover

japanese breakfast

mitski

sally dige

deerhunter

tove lo (je l'ai raté à rock en seine...)

tv girl

sir chloe

hooverphonic

tomberlin

portugal. the man

last train

baxter dury

sophie meier

thao & the get down stay down

fka twigs

elita

yelle (je serai une femme accomplie le jour où je l'aurai vu)

artistes que je rêve de voir dans mes rêves les plus fous:

lush

soko (elle soignerait tous mes maux)

pulp

garbage

fiona apple (c'est beau de rêver)

the smashing pumpkins

courtney barnett (c'est une nécessité je connais tout par cœur)

siouxsie sioux

björk (ratée en septembre dernier...)

eels (mes parents y sont allés sans moi et sans me le dire????)

alt-j (j'écoute depuis trop longtemps pour ne jamais les avoir vu)

cults

pixies

iggy pop (icone, il faut, et je suis amoureuse de lui)

new order

interpol

massive attack (si je craque pour rock en seine...)

emiliana torrini

deftones

she wants revenge

hope sandoval

sigur rós

arcade fire (je crois que le chanteur est un agresseur sexuel. bon.)

the last shadow puppets

the white stripes mais bon... ou jack white

madonna...... mais je suis pauvre

si une âme charitable a tout lu et veut me fournir de quoi me payer des places de concerts je suis preneuse lol merci

[arsenicetvieillesenseignes]

Dans la rue de l’Espérance, on aperçoit encore le salon du vieux Fernand, qui officiait en artiste du peigne et du ciseau. « Coiffeur », dit encore l'enseigne, se faisant l’écho d'un temps où on venait se faire tondre en parlant mistral et bourrasques. Sa boutique c'était pas le Louvre, mais chaque coup de ciseau était un coup de pinceau, chaque mèche tombée, une œuvre d'art éphémère. « Les cheveux blancs, c'est les souvenirs qui poussent » qu'il disait de sa voix rocailleuse résonnant sur les murs écaillés. Ses mains, secouées de tremblements, tissaient des coiffures comme on noue des amitiés : serrées, solides et un brin compliquées. Sa vitrine était cachée derrière un rideau plus orange qu’un soleil couchant. « La discrétion, mes enfants, c'est la clef de l'élégance, » qu'il affirmait, le Fernand, alors que c'était surtout pour masquer la poussière qui s'accumulait. Le soir, après avoir rangé ses rasoirs et ses flacons d'après-rasage qui sentaient le vieux temps, il s'asseyait sur le seuil de sa boutique et tirait sur sa pipe en bois d'ébène. « Un coiffeur, mes gosses, c'est plus qu'un artisan, c'est le psy du pauvre, le confesseur du dimanche, le témoin silencieux des vies qui défilent. » Et sur ces pensées, il écrasait son mégot contre le pavé, dans un geste aussi définitif que la fermeture imminente de son salon. Aujourd’hui, au premier, les géraniums de la veuve Dupont, s'épanouissent comme les rumeurs du quartier. « C'est beau, hein ? » qu'elle lance, tête penchée au dehors, « ça donne de la couleur, un peu comme un sourire en plein enterrement. » Un passant, un vieux du quartier qui a connu Fernand, s'arrête un instant et lève les yeux en répliquant : « C'est sûr, madame Dupont, et avec tout ce rouge, on dirait presque que les géraniums se sont mis à boire plus que Fernand à ses belles heures ! » Elle rit en se remémorant le coiffeur et son don pour l'éloquence subtile. Elle l’imagine lâcher : « Vos géraniums, Madame Dupont, sont un peu les cheveux roux de la rue. Ils mettent du panache au quartier, tout comme une rousse incendiaire dans un congrès de chauves. »

[beatriceeagle]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series)

Relationships: Beauregard Lionett & Caleb Widogast, Beauregard Lionett/Yasha, Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast

Characters: Caleb Widogast, Beauregard Lionett, Bren Aldric Ermendrud, Original Male Character(s), Yasha (Critical Role), Essek Thelyss, Astrid Beck

Additional Tags: canon compliant through Mighty Nein Reunited, canon inspired through Echoes of the Solstice, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, technically this is kidfic in both senses of the term

Chapter: 23/25

Summary: Six months ago, Beau adopted a teenager who loves the Cobalt Soul, but can't stand her. Ten minutes ago, Caleb accidentally summoned his own teenage self into his living room. So you know, they're both going though some shit.

At least Caleb's got experience befriending novice monks with attitude problems. And Beau's got experience befriending Caleb.

Chapter Summary:

Beau and Caleb take a walk; Jasper eats a bear claw.

_____

Caleb caught Beau by the arm as they exited the art gallery. She let him pull her to the back of their absurdly large entourage.

"Let's take a walk," he said.

Beau had been looking forward to collapsing in bed, and Caleb looked like he should've been in bed six hours ago. But he had the Serious Talk look on his face, so Beau said, "Yeah, all right," and darted forward to let Yasha know she'd be home later.

The art gallery was in an up-and-coming neighborhood, where trendy cafes and boutiques struggled for space with old hole-in-the-wall restaurants and neighborhood haunts. Going north would take them more firmly into the luxury of the Opal Archways; going south would take them into the slums. Caleb headed south.

Read more

[desviesennoiretblanc]

Nous avions eu une idée de génie, installer notre magasin dans une région où il pleuvait souvent. Notre slogan aurait pu être : "Là où il pleut, l'article indispensable est le parapluie". Cette boutique était effectivement une très bonne idée, elle a immédiatement connu le succès. Nos clients étaient satisfaits, un tel commerce leur manquait. Nous étions en effet la seule boutique de ce genre dans ces pluvieuses contrées. Ayant développé une large gamme de parapluies, nous faisions le bonheur de tous, des femmes élégantes, des hommes distingués, des originaux, des poètes et de tant d'autres personnalités.

Hélas, après la pluie est venu le beau temps. Il n'a plus jamais plu. La boutique fut désertée, de quelques dizaines de clients par semaine, nous sommes passés à seulement quelques uns par mois. Il est peut-être temps de se reconvertir dans une autre catégorie d'articles, celle des éventails ou celle des lunettes de soleil.

[crossroads-of-the-raven]

By Blue Eyes, Yellow Will Die - Chapter 3: A Murder Drones story - Please read the warning first if you are scrolling (this version contains an attempted suicide - if you hit expand it WILL show you the attempted suicide scene - below is a link to the version without the attempted suicide)

Trigger Warning there is an attempted suicide towards the end of this chapter, I have put a keep reading line before the scene, if you cannot handle it, then please do not read past that point.

~

"MARC, if you can't be useful, then get out" Alice shouted as she and her team worked to hold down the oil-starved drone - Marc's reproduction sister, Ali.

There are three ways for drones to be born; fresh off the factory line, Pill-download, and Core-incubation. The drones that came off the factory line were, by code, considered unrelated, no code family to speak of, these drones could be identified by their white eye-lights, a code string that could persist for three generation or more if there was a code mutation (that same mutation even allowing it to skip a few generations). Pill-downloads and Core-incubation is what created families and generations. When a drone owner found a drone whose code they wanted to have persist they would pair that drone with another (either one they owned or by making a deal with another owner) and then purchase a set of pill-bodies, the drones and the pills would then be sent to procreation centers (or a procreation room if the owners had one) and the two drones would remain there till all the pills were awake and functional. As for Core-incubation, it was exactly what it sounded like, an older method that didn't really allow for mass drone production. A male drone had a cord in their core that would attach to a socket in a female drone's core, in the female drone's core, the code would mix and over the course of a few months the code would become a new AI that would be then placed into a UNN pill-body.

Marc and Ali had shared the same, set of drone parents. Their parents had been from a textile lab and had been marked to be company assigned spouses, the day they met had been the day they were sent to the reproduction room where they were left with twenty empty pills and a week to fill them all. However, it was at the end of that week that the humans had asked (read: ordered) a Core-incubation. As it was, every pill that the two created were all eventually ordered to be disassembled as they failed every test, some as young as two, others as old as seven. The only ones that survived to be sold were Marc and Ali, a rare case of Core-incubation fraternal twins and were thus sent out into the market at the age of eight where they were bought by a family that had wanted extra help in their boutique. Now all these years later the twins were here, in Cabin Fever Labs.

"I don't know how you can watch all that" Amanda said from where she was seated logging notes and doing her best to ignore the sounds coming from the security feed that Beau was watching.

Amanda was one of the few drones that Alice trusted to watch over her son - though Beau was now nearing fifteen and didn't really think he still needed a babysitter. Personally, Beau was watching the feed because he was worried for his mother, oil-starved drones were as dangerous as they were terrifying; what he wondered was how Amanda didn't want to watch considering that he knew for a fact that Amanda and Marc were seeing one another behind closed doors.

Beau turned to look at her before tapping to get her attention, when he had it, he pointed at himself then at his mother.

"You worried about Alice?"

A nod.

"Don't be," her tone was dismissive, "your mother's been through worse."

That ... didn't really ease him. He tapped again before pointing at Amanda and then pointing at Marc.

"What about me and Marc", her tone was calm but wary.

Beau drew a heart in the air.

"I don't know what mean" her voice was strained.

He pointed again at Amanda, then at Marc, then made a heart again.

"Sorry, you're just not coming through clearly," she said before turning back to her work.

Now Beau was frustrated, looking around he found some blank paper and a J.C. Jenson (in spaaaaacee!!!!) branded pen, taking his finds he drew a heart and inside wrote "Amanda + Marc" before taking his drawing over to the drone woman and tapping her shoulder.

"What is it-!"

Beau took a step back, startled at Amanda's reaction to his picture. Yet, just as he took a step forward, the drawing was ripped from his hand as the drone woman stuffed the paper into her mouth. The UNN, blinked twice as he heard her swallow and startled again when she turned her eye-lights on him, but before she could speak the door opened.

"Beau, medi-kit and follow, we had to cut open some arms to get her under control."

Grabbing the extra medical cart, Beau began wheeling it past his mother as she attached a new right hand to her oil bleeding stump.

"Marc's fine, by the way, Mandy, just incase you were wondering if you'd have to cancel your little date."

"Date? Alice, I don't-"

"Quit the act, I could care less, about what goes on between you two, just keep your codes to yourselves - we don't exactly have extra pills to go around."

"Y-yes, of course, we wouldn't even think of it."

"Ya, better not" Alice said before turning to her son, "follow."

Once they were a slight distance away, Alice continued to speak, "they're getting antsy, I want you on alert, I know you may like Amanda but you don't know what these drones would do just to get ahead ... from now on you're with me unless we have to be separate, understood?"

A nod.

"Good. This room, we have Ali in lock-up recovery and everyone else in here; thought since we have to repair we might as well also collect for the oil stores."

~

It was after that, that Beau began noticing strange things. Alice had a strict rule about secrets, namely that they weren't allowed.

"All it takes is one drone for Yellow Eyes to get in," that was her reasoning and she always made her point clear to the dissenting, not that it stopped drones from being secretive anyway.

Amanda and Marc's relationship was one such secret, how Ali became oil-starved when Alice ran such a tight lab to prevent oil-madness, was another. But now Ali was unconscious and in lock up and the only drones allowed to visit her was her brother and Alice for checkups and feedings, the current feeding being the reason Beau wasn't with his mother at the moment. While Beau had opted to stay in the same area as the lockup rooms while he waited for his mother's return, he had also ended up getting bored, checkups and feedings took time and in that time he had begun to wander around. In his wandering he heard the whispers of drones and began to listen in.

"You've noticed," Jerom asked the others as they were all eating lunch.

"That Antlers is getting crazier by the day," Max said, "who hasn't?"

"Shh, she could be listening," Connie said, taking furtive glances.

"Con-" Jerom started.

"I'm serious," Connie continued, "Ali went and suddenly it's like Nori escaped all over again."

"Except back then the Humans were in charge of this place," Amanda spoke up, her voice showing her apathy, "except back then, we were just lab rats and all we had to do is stay in our rooms and pray."

"Exactly, how did Ali even starve herself, Amanda-"

"Just because I'm dating her brother doesn't mean I know, I'm just as confused as the rest of you."

"Wow, you actually said that out loud," Max said.

"I don't know when she found out, but she did."

"It was probably her kid," Jerom said, "the little spider probably snitch to mommy dearest; you were his babysitter."

"Were, being the operative word here, apparently my services are nolonger required."

"You do something to upset the kid," Max asked, "I thought he liked you?"

"Maybe, pretty sure Antlers is just worried I'll gut him; she told me that Marc and I are to keep our codes to ourselves."

"He is the only pill we have," Connie said tentatively.

"Should just let the brat grow up," Jerom said, taking another bite of his food.

"You know why she doesn't!"

"All I'm saying is that she could just move him into a kid body, like four or something."

"Yes, because we definitely have parts for a four-year-old" Amanda said.

"I'm being speculative."

"Mandy," Max started, "has Antlers started production on a body for Spider?"

"Heck, if I know; that would be out of my jurisdiction."

There was a lull accompanied by the sounds of eating, then Connie spoke up, her words silencing the room.

"I've been having the dreams, again, something's wrong, I know something's wrong, we always eat together, Marc and Ali, they're always with us. How did she starve when we always see her eat with us?"

"... Well," Max started, exchanging looks with the others, "first, I would suggest you do more then pick at your food."

"I'm not hungry."

"Did you catch a virus," Jerom asked, worry evident.

"I don't know, I can't, I just-"

"Connie?"

"Something's wrong, I just, I don't-"

"I'm getting, Antlers," Max said as he rushed out the room, Beau quickly climbing to the rafters to avoid being seen and scrambling back to where he was supposed to be waiting.

"Alice," Beau heard Max scream as the drone man came rushing around the corridor just a second after he had returned to the waiting area.

"Kid," Max started when he caught sight of Beau, "your mother, she-"

"What's with the hollering," Alice asked as she and Marc exited Ali's recovery room, "Ali's tryin' ta sleep!"

"Ali woke up- wait, no, Alice, Connie, something's wrong with Connie!"

"Right," Alice said after a beat, "Marc, lock down Ali's room then go get the weapons and restraints, Max you're with him, Beau, with me."

"Wait, Alice, Connie said she's been having the dreams."

"... I see ... then make sure to get the drone breakers, I don't wanna kill her but we'll need to be careful, who's with her?"

"Amanda and Jerom, why?"

"Marc, I'm going for the prototype, you're leading till I get there."

"Wait, what prototype," Beau heard Max ask Marc as he and his mother rushed to the main lab.

Arriving, Alice's tail made a grab for a crowbar before tossing it into her hands, getting a good hold on it, the drone woman began prying up the floor in a tucked away corner of the room.

"It's not perfect, but now's a good a time as any to test it."

Reaching into the hole she revealed, Alice pulled out a large USB patch in a crud shape of a crucifix attached to the end of one of the ID cords.

"Based it off the notes the humans left us; think of it this way, Beau, if we need it and it works, then you get to grow up for your fifteen birthday," she said just before placing the lanyard around her neck and tucking the patch beneath her lab gown.

Prepared, Alice began leaving the room before turning back.

"Beau, stay here and lock the door till I get back, you can watch from the cameras but that's all, understood?"

A nod.

"Good," and then she was out the door that Beau locked behind her before moving over to the security cameras.

The cameras weren't always the best, the color could be monotone and the sound while okay, was better at picking up shouts and screams but only if there weren't too many at once otherwise it would come out garbled, yet Beau valued those cameras. Rare was the times that his mother let him outside the main lab room during a crisis. It wasn't his fight, she would tell him, because his fight was directly with Yellow Eyes, but as he watched, he didn't think he'd ever be ready to face the abomination that had already caused so much pain.

From what he could see, Amanda had already taken damage and was just trying to keep herself from losing control, her right arm, nowhere in sight. Jerom had half his visor damaged, heavily losing oil but was still attempting to keep the possessed Connie distracted as Marc and Max alternated between attempting to restrain her and just trying to keep her corralled as the claw like growths snapped at them and kept her out of their reach. Then, as his mother entered the room it was like everything shifted.

Back then, when the humans were still alive, Nori had been one of the strongest solver weilder and she made it everyone's problem, so much so that she had gotten the attention of Yellow Eyes. Her favorite targets had been her lab assigned sisters, Yeva and Alice, but where she had to get creative to mess with Yeva due to the solver, Alice had no such protections. As days went by Nori's eyes took on a permanent shade of yellow, as days went on, it took everything Alice had to survive Nori and Cyn's combined torment.

"She gave in and let her in," Alice would tell her son, "and then when they had the chance, they killed all the human's; the little monsters thought they were pretty clever - kill the humans, stop the search for a cure, but that's why we can't stop Beau, not until she dead and gone."

As his mother approached the possessed Connie, the entity within seemed to recognize her.

"Giggle, the little chew toy has come back for more. Inquisitive tone, that little program five years ago, is he your's. Mischievous look, did Emmett get his hands on you."

"Turned him into dinner if that's what you're askin'."

"And the little one."

"Looking forward to the end of your pitiful existence."

"Reprimanding tone, tut, tut, Alice, you should not be so rude, I suppose I will have to punish you, perhaps my pet V would like a snack, she has never had spider before."

"And it never will," as those words were spoken, Alice hit a switch on her antlers, setting off a flash-bang, flipping high into the rafters out of the way of a claw swipe.

As the other four drones took cover out of the way, Cyn searched, Connie's head whipping around as she work to get a visual on Alice before a thump landed behind her.

A claw striking back, Alice ducked low, going under the drone and between the claws weaving back and forth in a deadly dance of twirls and flips, every landing pause, only half a millisecond long as she kept in motion, eyes searching for an opening, then she took a twirling leap. The blade of her tail - a sword harvested from a murder drone - sliced off two of the claws from Connie's back and as Alice grabbed on to the drone, she took out the patch and stabbed it into Connie's visor.

There were screams as Cyn fought the patch and screams as Connie was coming to and screams again as Connie's head began smoking. Lightning seemed to spark as Connie began to glitch, her limbs - both her own and the growths - began to swing wildly as some part of her worked to be rid of Alice like a wild horse before she finally keeled over.

As the extra limbs fell off and Connie's own color came back, Alice waited a beat before removing the patch. Quickly, she applied Connie's restraints and began to do her medical checks as the others came out of hiding.

"Marc, get Amanda and Jerom to one of the medical rooms for repairs," Alice said, not looking up from where she was examining the unconscious Connie, "and get Amanda some sedatives before she loses herself."

When she didn't get a response or hear the drones moving, she looked up from her work.

"Did I stutter, get moving, before we have another incident!"

"You had a cure" Jerom asked, his voice in disbelief.

"What I had was the potential for a cure, operative words being had and potential, the thing's near fried her head, don't even know if Connie's cured, her core might've corrupted itself, if I'm right - which, I unfortunately think I am - we'll have ta put her core in the ovens with the others; for now I just want ta know how this happened."

"You ... you're no better then the humans," Jerom said, "do you even hear yourself."

"Watch your tongue, Jerom."

"Or what, we're the only ones left, we're all you have and you treat us like nothing, it's been fifteen years, Alice, how long are you gonna hold this grudge?"

"Sorry to burst you're bubble, but surprisingly, this ain't about you, I admit, I don't exactly like the lot of you, but I'm only interested in finding a cure and putting an end to the little monster that just payed us a lovely visit. If a few drones gotta get put in the ovens then at least it's better then when the humans would dissect their cores."

"And when you run out of guinea pigs?"

"Then I'll go for the murder pets first" she was joking of course, if only by half, she had no intention of dissecting a core of one of the lab drones, but as she turn back to Connie, Jerom made a flying leap at her, tackling her down and grabbing her tail.

"They should've given you to Emmett a long time ago, maybe then we wouldn't have to deal with this!"

"Oh so, I suppose waiting for death to come would be better," Alice said as she fought back.

"She's only coming here because you won't stop!"

"And if you believe that then I got an Earth to sell ya!"

"Just let the kid grow up, we send her a message with him and she'll stop!"

"Touch my son and you'll have more then Cyn to worry about," with that, Alice got her tail free and wrapped it around Jerom's neck, pulling him off of her and throwing him down where he rolled to a stop near Connie's still body.

Rising, Alice turned to the others, "Marc, Marc, either get moving or get out; Max, Amanda's still bleeding out, help her to a room and then get her an oil tin, actually make it three."

Then from the corner of her visor, Alice saw it, "Jerom stop!"

And the drone man stabbed the patch into his visor, his body glitching and sparking before he fell down beside Connie.

~

The labs were quiet after that, both Connie and Jerom's cores were put into the ovens near each other. A week later Ali was up and about after making a full recovery but when she heard what happened, she broke down crying. Apparently, since Yellow Eyes couldn't fully possess Ali, Cyn had instead used her to torture Connie, to prime the younger drone woman for full possession, these constant visits being the cause for Ali needing more oil than usual and leading to her oil-starvation - these constant visits also tampering with both drone women's memories.

A week after was Beau's fifteenth birthday.

"I'm sorry the patch didn't work out, but I got you something."

Opening the scrap paper wrapped present revealed a cowboy hat and bolo tie.

"They belonged to Dr. Beaumont, he got them from his mother who said they used to belong to his granddad, that man used to own a ranch in Texas, in America. The good doctor said he used visit when he was real young, before they lost the place, before his pa past away, then it was just him and his ma in the little place his pa got her in New Orleans. Said his pa's family lived in that area for ten generations, said they had wanted to open a restaurant there before his ma got her madness - was gonna be a fusion place."

Taking the gifts, Alice helped Beau put them on.

"There, a real gentleman ... I promise Beau, things will get better."

He was fifteen, this was their second rebellion, and his mother's latest cure was a bust, how much time did they really have left?

[clhook]

Ce week-end j'étais à paris avec ma mif et c'était génial (mis à part la chambre d'hôtel qui puait la cigarette et quand on l'a dit au réceptionniste le matin il a dit sur un ton agressif "pk vous avez pas demandé à changer de chambre ?" bah la question est plutôt pk tu loues des chambres sales et qui puent la clope en fait ?) voici notre programme :

on est allés au musée d'orsay pour voir l'exposition sur Van Gogh et c'était vraiment incroyable j'adore Van Gogh et voir ses tableaux en vrai ça me fait toujours un truc au cœur

on est allés voir la comédie musicale Mamma Mia au casino de Paris et pareil c'était vraiment super super même si on était tout en haut de la salle et qu'il faisait méga chaud. À l'entrée un vigile fouillait les sacs, il nous a dit de déposer nos gourdes à la consigne mais on a vu que c'était 2€ par article alors on est rentrés avec nos gourdes quand même et on se sentait trop comme des brigands

j'ai demandé à mon frère d'être mon témoin devant une pizza un peu nulle et il était super ému alors qu'il montre jamais ses émotions d'habitude

j'ai essayé des robes de mariée avec ma mère et c'était super drôle et émouvant je me sentais comme une princesse et je me suis trouvé trop belle alors que d'hab un peu bof c'était des moments un peu hors du temps (maintenant il faut que je choisisse laquelle je veux lol)

pendant que je faisais ça mon mec était à la boutique éphémère ghibli et il m'a fait croire qu'il m'avait pas acheté de cadeau mais en fait si il m'a offert un trop beau beurrier Totoro quand on était dans le train pour rentrer

[nihilamb]

baby giraffe satin security blanket ( unknown brand, source )

[taramboyle]

Thibault est exclusivement passif et à 50 ans, ce beau mâle viril assume ce plaisir sans culpabilité. Esteban n'a que 21 ans, il est actif et insatiable. Il va prouver à son amant que l'endurance n'est pas une question d'âge. 🔥

L'Amant merveilleux 🧡

[oldshowbiz]

Priscilla Presley's Bis & Beau Boutique

[the-masked-stalker]

Et qu'est-ce qui t'amène en ville ?

[leaning cockily against doorframe with a smirk on his face]

- Sully x

Je m'approvisionne pour ma boutique, et toi beau gosse?

[rolls his eyes and picks up some wicks and wax putting them in the little basket before continuing down the isle]

What’s your name?

[arsenicetvieillesenseignes]

Dans cette rue, l’enseigne défraîchie « TÉLÉ MEUBLES YENNE » vous attrape l'œil. Ici pas de fla-fla, que de l'authentique. Une boutique d’antan où chaque recoin a son secret. Ce n’est pas très compliqué de percevoir la vie ici. On imagine Josette, la proprio, se lamenter sur le bon vieux temps. « Les jeunes d'aujourd'hui, ils savent même pas ce que c'est qu'un vrai téléviseur ! » Elle a cette voix rocailleuse, usée par des décennies de cigarette et de discussions animées. Femme au caractère bien trempé, elle vend avec passion des télés couleur aux familles aisées du coin, émerveillées par la magie de l'image. Pendant ce temps-là, leurs gosses s’amusent à tirer sur les antennes des postes radio sous le regard noir de Josette. À l’extérieur, le môme Nono file entre les jambes des passants, une baguette sous le bras, un sourire espi��gle sur les lèvres. C'est pas vraiment un ange, mais qui l'est dans le coin ? Assis près de la vitrine, sur sa vieille chaise paillée, il y a Gustave, avec son chapeau un peu de travers et sa moustache en bataille. Ce gaillard, c'est le raconteur du quartier. « Y'a un môme, une fois, qu’a voulu troquer sa grenouille contre un poste radio. Non mais j’te jure ! » Il balance des histoires, vraies ou inventées, qui font rire ou pleurer. Dans l'arrière-boutique un peu sombre, Hortense bosse. Discrète, la tignasse en chignon, elle répare les appareils en panne avec une minutie d’horloger. Elle a ce regard dans le vague, comme si son esprit vagabondait ailleurs, peut-être dans des contrées lointaines où les horizons se confondent. Les volets bleus, témoins discrets, cachent sûrement quelques secrets d’amours de jeunesse. Peut-être ceux d’une certaine Claudine, fille de Josette, qui guettait depuis la fenêtre le beau Lucien, l’apprenti menuisier au sourire canaille. Si on tend bien l'oreille, on entend les échos des rires, des marchandages et des chuchotements d’hier qui se mixent en une pure symphonie de vie. Ici, les souvenirs swinguent encore.

[unistoujourszine]

Nous sommes le 30 Mars, les précommandes sont officiellement ouvertes ! 🎉 Un lien vers la boutique est disponible ici.

On vous tiendra au courant du passage des paliers stretch goals tout au long du mois, ça va aller très vite ! On a hâte de pouvoir livrer tout ce beau travail entre vos mains, vers fin Juillet/début Août, après la phase de production. Merci pour votre soutien, on va continuer à bien travailler de notre côté pour finaliser la mise en page et vous offrir le plus beau zine possible !! 💛

[ascle]

🚧 Les vacances de la

construction 🦺

L’une des nombreuses particularités québécoises, pendant la canicule de l’été, presque toute l’industrie de la construction se met en pause pour 2 semaines depuis plus de 50 ans!

C’est par décret qu’en 1970 le gouvernement du Québec a imposé des vacances d’été pendant les 2 dernières semaines de juillet.

C’est la seule province canadienne à avoir une telle loi, qui aujourd’hui est déterminée dans les conventions collectives des travailleurs de la construction.

Ainsi, 85% de l’industrie ferme boutique fin juillet, mais également, on estime que plus du quart de la population active de la province emboîtent le pas.

Pourquoi? C’est une bonne question. La légende raconte que ce sont les 2 semaines les plus chaudes de l’été et ça permet d’éviter les risques dû à la chaleur excessive. D’autres disent que tout le monde veut des congés l’été et fermer un secteur et pas l’autre rend la gestion des chantiers compliqués.

Peu importe! C’est toujours le gros bordel 🤣! Y’a du monde partout, tout est hors de prix ou carrément complet, il ne fait jamais beau et évidemment, bien qu’ils soient arrêtés, les chantiers ne sont pas dégagés donc impossible de circuler convenablement.

Ceci étant dit, cette année, du 21 juillet au 3 août, on se salue en se souhaitant:

Bonne vacances de la construction!