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mlleclaudine · 4 months ago

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En couverture de Vanity Fair: Noémie Merlant, portrait d'une actrice en feu

by Norine Raja - Vanity Fair France, July 24, 2024

Tragic, comic and now erotic: Noémie Merlant continues to prove that she can play anything, including a radically contemporary version of Emmanuelle. But how do you reconcile sensuality and feminism in an era that leaves so little room for nuance? Norine Raja asked her.

Suddenly, the interview’s soundtrack changes drastically. At the café terrace where we're chatting, the lyrics of Maître Gims give way to an electro remix of the familiar melody of Bella Ciao.

Is it a sign? The music seems to have anticipated Noémie Merlant's thoughts: «At one point, I felt trapped. Now, it's like this song: freedom, freedom, freedom!» she says to the beat of the chorus. Has she reached the point of total emancipation? «Not yet, but I’m getting there», she says with a smile.

On this June afternoon, the actress is back home in the Paris suburbs after having attended two festivals in a row – Biarritz and Nantes – to present her second feature film as director, Les Femmes au balcon. Espresso started, unfussy outfit, bag casually laid on the floor, hair in a ponytail. She weighs her words, relishes the silences. Then, the next minute, she rivets you with her electric gaze and makes her point with total conviction. Just try to pigeonhole her. She’s got a 14-year career under her belt and as many different roles: a rebellious teenager in Les Héritiers (2014), a naive aristocrat in Le Retour du héros (2018), a trans man in A Good Man (2020). «She's a perfect blend of precision and abandon», said Céline Sciamma, who directed her in Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (2019). «She can play a powerful woman, but also hint at vulnerability», adds Audrey Diwan, winner of the Lion d’or for L'Événement (2021), who has just directed her in Emmanuelle – more on that later.

Because she remains an enigmatic figure in the public eye, no persona seems too outsized for her. Think she’s limited to dramatic roles? She displays unexpected comedic flair in L'Innocent (2022), in which she plays Louis Garrel's brash best friend: twinkling eyes, a mischievous attitude, raucous laughter. Her feigned nervous breakdown in a highway restaurant is unforgettable. The role (finally) earned her the César for Best Supporting Actress in 2023. Audrey Diwan hasn't forgotten that performance: «Every time she smiles in this film, she turns the world upside down.»

That same year, the filmmaker was working on a remake of Just Jaeckin's Emmanuelle, the famous erotic feature film of the Giscardian era. At the time, Noémie Merlant had never seen this landmark of 1970s sexual revolution, the first installment in a 15-part saga. So she met the director without any preconceived ideas or images. She was inspired by the character. «She must be exhausted in her search for pleasure», she suggested to Audrey Diwan, who offered her the role before the meeting was over. She insisted on watching the original film after shooting was done. Her verdict? «It's a disaster. The first part is interesting, with this open relationship. But then there's a storyline with Emmanuelle and an older man. She gets raped in front of him...»

The film has aged badly, but the 2024 version is free of any misogyny. The look and feel have been modernized. Replacing the postcard Thai décor and its whiff of orientalism is a luxurious Hong Kong setting. Not a young woman pandering to the desires of others, but an ambitious thirtysomething in the throes of self-discovery. A complete reinterpretation, in other words. I hesitate to ask: was she afraid to embrace this character and her sultry aura? She dismisses the idea out of hand: «That never even occurred to me. What interests me these days is working with women directors who are seeking to redefine representations of women, their imagination, their sexuality.»

Céline Dion, her idol

Sorority was Noémie Merlant's guiding principle, long before she became aware of or defined the concept of female solidarity. The daughter of a pair of real estate agents, she grew up in Rezé, a town of 40,000 people near Nantes, in a happy household where television held center stage. Evenings were spent watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and crying over Titanic, she admits with a touch of embarrassment. Like thousands of French people, we'd like to tell her. She is very close to her mother and older sister, who suffers from a disability. To avoid adding to her parents' burdens, Noémie learned not to take up too much space. After years of therapy, she's come to realize: «It's nobody's fault, just the dynamics imposed by society. And then, at the same time, school teaches you not to make waves, society tells women to be well-behaved.»

So she found other means of expression. She was a soloist with the Nantes Conservatoire choir, and dreamed of following in the footsteps of her idol Céline Dion. She also practiced ballet and modern jazz for ten years. Her father was convinced that Noémie was destined for a career in the arts. One day in the mid-2000s, he saw an advertisement for the Cours Florent and encouraged her to try her luck. The 17-year-old was scared, but eventually let herself be convinced. She headed for the capital, where the transition was rather brutal. «When I arrived, I was thinking: “I don't know anyone, I have no culture... What am I going to do?”» She compensated for her imposter syndrome with a thirst for knowledge. Here she lists the directors she needed to catch up with: Bergman, Cassavetes, the great Italian filmmakers like Visconti. And reading? «There's nothing to be done about it, I just can’t», she says frankly.

At the same time, she pursued modeling to «earn money, even if you only got paid in clothes», she says pragmatically. She did photo shoots, fashion shows, and trips without really thinking about it. She didn't want to «bite the hand that fed her», and would realize only much later the full extent of the toll this experience took on her. The «Shut up and look pretty», the memory of being sexually assaulted by a photographer, the feeling that her body was no longer her own. To the point where she weighed only 45 kilos. «That gave me a massive eating disorder, which I'm still trying to overcome. I was anorexic-bulimic for almost ten years. I'm not any more, but I'm still hypervigilant about what I eat, and I'm always careful not to let myself go.»

There was only one thing to do: get out of the fashion world as quickly as possible. Sometimes, it's all about meeting someone. In 2013, the actress auditioned for Les Héritiers, a film by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar inspired by a true story. It tells the story of how a teacher enrolls her most unruly pupils in a history competition, an experience that will change their worldview. Noémie Merlant was 24, but looked young enough to play the class rebel, wearing a leather jacket and with headphones on. On set, the filmmaker was impressed by her talent and intense presence.

Filming with Desplechin

A year later, another text message: «Would you be available to meet? I'd like to talk to you.» [Mention-Schaar] offered her the role of an average young girl, radicalized by jihadists, in Le Ciel attendra. To prepare for the role, Noémie Merlant met with teenage girls in the process of deradicalization, and tried to understand their mindset. «We found girls from all social backgrounds, cultures and religions. For many of these teenagers, there was the feeling of being misunderstood by society, but also frequently the beginnings of anxiety about death and shame. The desire for an ideal, for something unconditional, even in love stories.» The film was released in a volatile context, less than a year after the attacks on November 13. But the actress took a cleareyed view of this phenomenon, which she believed revealed youth in search of meaning.

This total commitment paid off: in 2017, she was nominated for a César in the Most Promising Actress category. In an interview filmed around this time, she appears smiling and fulfilled. Well aware, too, that the road ahead is fraught with pitfalls: «The hardest thing is to maintain self-confidence, even when you don't believe in yourself, or when you have periods of emptiness.»

What was Noémie Merlant dreaming of at this very moment? When asked about whom she’d like to collaborate with, she almost mechanically cited Arnaud Desplechin or Abdellatif Kechiche. She didn't know it yet, but the revolution would be born in a female microcosm. In 2019, the young woman played a painter hired to create the likeness of an aristocrat (Adèle Haenel) in Portrait de la jeune fille en feu. Céline Sciamma's fourth feature is an incredibly intimate costume drama: a manor house, a cliff overlooking the sea and just four characters. At first, the actress was confused by the script: «Conflicts are nonexistent or immediately defused.» The absence of dominance hierarchies unsettled her: there were no saviors or anyone being saved; there were creators but no muses. «Just a gentleness and a wonderful equality. And in spite of everything, there’s an exciting story full of surprises. That's what makes it so powerful.» A head-on collision between two great actresses, where their eyes meet, sizing each other up, caressing each other. Like when Noémie Merlant’s character places a mirror between her lover's thighs, then sketches her self-portrait.

A box-office success across the Atlantic and a critical triumph, the film was in the running for ten awards at the 2020 Césars. But on the evening of the ceremony, one name brought all the tensions into focus: Roman Polanski. The director, who is currently facing several rape allegations, had been nominated in several categories for his film J'accuse. French cinema had never been so fractured. Adèle Haenel, who revealed that she had been molested as a child by director Christophe Ruggia, was in shock. For her, honoring Polanski was tantamount to «spitting in the face of all victims». No one heeded her: the filmmaker won the prize for best director, to the applause of part of the audience. «Someone shouted: “Well done!” recalls Noémie Merlant. It was clearly a response to Adèle's speaking out.» In protest, the cast of Portrait de la jeune fille en feu left the auditorium, after shouting a resounding «Shame!» In the wake of her commitment, Adèle Haenel announced her retirement from cinema in 2023. Has Noémie Merlant thought about following her example? «It wasn't easy to keep going, she acknowledges. I admire Adèle's courage. But staying is also a way of continuing the fight.» The actress has no illusions about the seventh art. No promotional newspeak, no generalities or shortcuts in her remarks. Even when she salutes the «extraordinary people» she has worked with, she qualifies that with «but that's not always the case». You get the sense that she is torn between the desire to talk about her difficult experiences and the fear of endless controversy. She mentions «casting directors, actors, who promise you things». How do you recognize them?  «Thanks to my experience as a model, I'm like a fish that spots the hook before the worm.»

Portrait de la jeune fille en feu «changed everything» for her. She set off in search of more meaningful roles. She reassessed her place not only in cinema, but also in the world. She reflected on «patriarchal oppression», confronted the traumas that resurfaced. «Even my relationship dynamic no longer suited me.» She left her partner at the time and moved in with Sanda Codreanu, a friend from the Cours Florent. She hesitates over the precise terms, but speaks of «escape» and «sanctuary». In this haven, words flow freely and bodies are liberated. They laugh as much as they talk about the violence they've suffered. She, who used to move from one relationship to another, embraced a new perspective on relationships. Why should romantic love count for more than friendships? Why force yourself to have sex to please the other person? Noémie Merlant now knows what she wants... or rather what she doesn't want. These days, she's in a «healthy, unstructured» relationship. She adds: «We're not afraid to experience things separately. The important thing is that each of us is fulfilled.»

The Cate Blanchett method

Recovery also involves the body. Onscreen nudity doesn't bother her. «There are fewer and fewer actresses who agree to undress, which I understand. But I don't have any issue with it, so I'm happy to go for it. I think there are things to explore and advocate for in this freedom.» She asserts her willingness to explore eroticism and sexuality through the eyes of other directors. Female desire in all its forms is a common thread running through her filmography: she develops an attraction to an amusement park ride in Jumbo, plays a writer infatuated with a libertine photographer in Curiosa.

For a long time, sex scenes had been reduced to a few lines in a script and improvised on set. In Jacques Audiard's Les Olympiades, the ballet of bodies is carefully designed. Playing a thirtysomething woman who becomes fascinated by a camgirl, Noémie Merlant was coached by choreographer Stéphanie Chêne. She learned to abandon dialogue in favor of her gaze and body language. For the first time, she thought about her character's movements. «It allows you to feel safe and to work with respect above all else. And so you can go further, seeking precision through imagination.» Farewell to the good little girl. She avoids tyrannical filmmakers, those who push the actors' limits. At one point, when a director tried to manipulate her to extract emotions, she almost walked off the set. «I made him understand that I was making this film above all for pleasure and for creativity, and that I couldn't accomplish anything with that kind of method. In the end, it turned out well, but I wish I hadn’t had to go through that.» It was like revenge for all those outbursts she’d had to swallow.

Behind the camera, Noémie Merlant has also chosen irreverence. In her second feature, Les Femmes au balcon, she imagines a Marseilles-style Rear Window, somewhere between comedy and outright gore. The pitch: three girlfriends have fun spying on their mysterious neighbor across the street, with whom they develop a relationship that goes beyond exhibitionism. It was difficult for her to find an actress who would agree to film naked, until she came across the luminous Souheila Yacoub. One question nagged at her: how to film a body without sexualizing it? First, by disarming the issue with humor. «Right from the start, I give the viewer a heads-up: “Here you go, boobs. Now that you've had a good look at them, let's move on.”» She also uses the expression «shirtless» for women, a way of denouncing double standards. There's no idealizing of her heroines' bodies. She films them in their everyday lives, in positions that are not always flattering, and welcomes a touch of vulgarity. «It's a form of sincerity as well.»

Taking risks is finally paying off. In the last couple of years, Noémie Merlant has turned a corner in her career. Like Marion Cotillard, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Juliette Binoche, she is now sought out by foreign filmmakers. In 2021, Todd Field sent her the script for Tár. And for a significant role. She plays the assistant to a famous orchestra conductor, starring opposite Cate Blanchett – and speaking perfect English. An intimidating experience? Idolization is not her style: «It's important to demystify people who are in the limelight.» Still, she took the time to observe Cate Blanchett in action. The way she handled a complicated sequence shot or filmed the same scene twenty times without complaining. Her ability to juggle lessons: piano, German, baton handling. «There's no mystery. It's all about the love of the craft, precision and the quest to relinquish yourself to the role.» She adds, a bit idealistically: «Often the ones who succeed are also good people... Not always, but I prefer to tell myself that.»

Yet Noémie Merlant has no desire to sacrifice her whole life for her profession. For a long time, she took one role after another, as if for fear of missing out or being forgotten. These days, her priorities have changed. «I want to do Qua-li-ty», she says with a smile and a funny inflection. Wouldn't this be a good time to enjoy it, too? Her financial situation now allows her to help her family. She has adapted her house to accommodate her father, who has been in a wheelchair since having a stroke in 2009. She has helped her parents find a new home, and paid for outside help to relieve her «very exhausted» mother. How does her father view her success today? «He's very, very, very proud. He tells himself that he was lucky, because it might not have worked out.» He follows every step of her career, keeping track of every press article. «He's definitely going to be handing out Vanity Fair to all his friends.» You can sense her admiration for this close-knit clan, for their ability to face adversity. A few years ago, she took out her camera to film them in their daily lives, around Christmas time. She has started editing, but still has some work to do. Recently, she went back to the rushes, but hasn't managed to finalize the project. Perhaps it's too intimate. I propose a hypothesis: what if she had primarily sought to freeze time? She continues: «There's something interesting about the way they talk, the way they live, with a lot of humor and joy in spite of everything. I want to share this story, because it can do a lot of people good.» Could this be the next step toward freedom?

[Please don’t repost this anywhere, in part or in whole. Feel free to reblog, or at least cite your source and provide a link back here. Asking permission would be nice in an ideal world, but I’m a realist – I know far too well how easy it is to appropriate stuff on Tumblr. I would be the first to admit that my translations are not perfect – there are some words and phrases that simply do not drop neatly into an equivalent in English, and I constantly fix typos and make changes or corrections in older posts – but they do take a lot of work and time. Thanks for understanding. - C.]

h/t @morningmightcomebyaccident - thank you, Grey!

#Noémie Merlant #Les Femmes au balcon #Emmanuelle #L'Innocent #Portrait of a Lady on Fire #Céline Sciamma #Les Olympiades #TÁR #Vanity Fair France #July 2024 #thank you‚ Grey!#long post #my translation

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fdelopera · 5 days ago

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Welcome to the 66th installment of 15 Weeks of Phantom, where I post all 68 sections of Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, as they were first printed in Le Gaulois newspaper 115 yeas ago.

At the end of this post, I will provide my translation of Erik’s final speech in “The End of the Phantom’s Love Story" from the Gaulois publication.

In today’s installment, we have Part II of Chapter 28, “La Fin des amours du fantôme" (The End of the Phantom’s Love Story).

This section was first printed on Thursday, 6 January, 1910.

For anyone following along in David Coward's translation of the First Edition of Phantom of the Opera (either in paperback, or Kindle, or from another vendor -- the ISBN-13 is: 978-0199694570), the text starts in Chapter 27, “Where are Raoul de Chagny and Christine Daaé?” and goes to, “ERIK IS DEAD.”

There are some differences between the Gaulois text and the First Edition. In this section, these include (highlighted in red above):

1) Chapter XXVIII was printed as Chapter XXIX. This numbering error was made in Chapter VII, and was not corrected, so it was propagated throughout the Gaulois publication.

2) Each chapter in the Gaulois publication is one number ahead of the chapters in the First Edition, due to the inclusion of “The Magic Envelope” chapter in the Gaulois.

3) Compare the Gaulois text:

Enfin, quand vous m'avez débarrassé le plancher de la chambre Louis-Philippe

Translation:

Finally, when you both cleared out of the Louis-Philippe room

To the First Edition:

Enfin, quand vous m'avez eu débarrassé le plancher de la chambre Louis-Philippe

Translation:

Finally, when you had both cleared out of the Louis-Philippe room

4) Compare the Gaulois text:

Et Erik s'effondra, râlant sur le fauteuil. La Persan se précipita, mais un geste l'arrêta.

— Ah ! Je ne vais pas encore mourir… tout de suite… mais laisse-moi pleurer !

Translation:

And Erik collapsed, gasping, onto the chair. The Persian rushed towards him, but was stopped by a gesture.

“Ah! I am not going to die yet … not right away … but let me cry!”

To the First Edition:

Et Erik s'effondra, râlant sur le fauteuil.

— Ah ! Je ne vais pas encore mourir… tout de suite… mais laisse-moi pleurer ! avait-il dit au Persan.

Translation:

And Erik collapsed, gasping, onto the chair.

“Ah! I am not going to die yet … not right away … but let me cry!” he said to the Persian.

5) Compare the Gaulois text:

Le daroga alla à la fenêtre et l'ouvrit, le cœur soulevé de pitié

Translation:

The Daroga went to the window and opened it, his heart moved by pity

To the First Edition:

A ce propos le daroga m'a raconté qu'il était allé lui-même à la fenêtre et qu'il l'avait ouverte le cœur soulevé de pitié

Translation:

Because of this, the Daroga told me that he had gone to the window himself and opened it, his heart moved by pity

6) Compare the Gaulois text:

Je suis allé, continua Erik, délivrer le jeune homme

Translation:

“I went to free the young man,“ Erik continued

To the First Edition:

Je suis allé, avait continué Erik, délivrer le jeune homme

Translation:

“I went to free the young man,” Erik had continued

7) Compare the Gaulois text:

Le Persan ne lui posait plus aucune question.

Translation:

The Persian asked him no other questions.

To the First Edition:

Le Persan ne lui avait plus posé aucune question.

Translation:

The Persian had asked him no other questions.

8) Compare the Gaulois text:

Erik lui apprit que les deux jeunes gens avaient résolu d'aller chercher un prêtre

Translation:

Erik informed him that the two youths had resolved to go find a priest

To the First Edition:

Erik lui apprit que les deux jeunes gens aussitôt qu'ils s'étaient vus libres, avaient résolu d'aller chercher un prêtre

Translation:

Erik informed him that as soon as they were free, the two youths had resolved to go find a priest

9) Minor differences in punctuation.

Click here to see the entire edition of Le Gaulois from 6 January, 1910. This link brings you to page 3 of the newspaper — Le Fantôme is at the bottom of the page in the feuilleton section. Click on the arrow buttons at the bottom of the screen to turn the pages of the newspaper, and click on the Zoom button at the bottom left to magnify the text.

Below the cut is my translation of Erik’s speech to the Daroga from the Gaulois publication. (The bolded lines are added from the First Edition.)

The Persian, despairing of ever being heard, then began writing. Seeing as the justice system was not interested in his testimony, perhaps the press would pick it up, and one evening, just as he was writing the last line of the account that I have faithfully related here, his servant Darius announced the arrival of a stranger who had not given his name, whose face was concealed, and who had stated simply that he would not leave until he had spoken with the Daroga.

The Persian, guessing straightaway the identity of this unusual visitor, ordered that he be shown in at once.

The Daroga was not mistaken.

It was the Phantom! It was Erik!

The Persian arose before him.

“Murderer of Comte Philippe, what have you done with his brother and Christine Daaé?”

At this strong condemnation, Erik staggered but remained silent for a moment, then, having dragged himself over to a chair, he collapsed into it, letting out a deep sigh. Once there, he spoke in choppy sentences, with disjointed little words, struggling for breath:

"Daroga, do not speak to me of Comte Philippe… He was dead … already … when I left my house … he was dead … already … when … the siren sang … it was an accident … a sad … a … lamentably sad … accident… He had fallen very clumsily and simply and naturally into the lake!…"

“You are lying!” cried the Persian.

Then Erik bowed his head and said: “I did not come here … to speak to you about Comte Philippe … but to tell you that … I am going to die…”

“Where are Raoul de Chagny and Christine Daaé?…”

“I am going to die.”

“Raoul de Chagny and Christine Daaé?”

“… of love, Daroga … I am going to die of love … that’s how it is … I loved her so much!… And I love her still, Daroga, so much that I am dying from it, I tell you… If you knew how beautiful she was when she allowed me to kiss her alive, upon her eternal salvation… It was the first time, Daroga, the first time, you understand, that I kissed a woman… Yes, alive, I kissed her alive, and she was as beautiful as if she’d been dead!…”

The Persian stood up and dared to touch Erik. He shook him by the arm.

“Will you finally tell me whether she is dead or alive?…”

“Why are you shaking me like that?” replied Erik, with effort… “I tell you that I am the one who is going to die … yes, I kissed her alive…”

“And now she is dead?”

“I tell you that I kissed her like that on her forehead … and she did not pull back her forehead from my lips!… Oh! She’s an honorable girl! As for being dead, I don’t think so, although that’s no longer anything to do with me… No! No! She isn’t dead! And I won’t hear of anyone touching a hair on her head! She’s a brave and honorable girl, and what’s more, she saved your life, Daroga, at a time when I wouldn’t have given two sous for your Persian hide. In fact, no one had a care for you. Why were you there with that little boy? On top of everything, you were going to die! My word, she pleaded with me for her little boy, but I replied that, since she had turned the scorpion, I had become by that deed, and by her goodwill, her fiancé, and I told her that she had no need for two fiancés, which was quite true; as for you, you didn’t exist, you had already ceased to exist, I tell you again, and you were going to die with the other fiancé!

"Only, listen well, Daroga, since you were screaming like men possessed because of the water, Christine came to me, her big, beautiful, blue eyes open, and she swore to me, upon her eternal salvation, that she consented to be my living wife! Until then, deep in her eyes, I had always seen my dead wife; that was the first time that I saw my living wife. She was earnest, upon her eternal salvation. She would not kill herself. The deal was made. Within a minute, all the water had been returned to the lake, and I had to revive you, Daroga, for I truly believed, on my word, that you were done for!… But at last!… There! It was agreed! I had to take you both back home, above ground. Finally, when you had both cleared out of the Louis-Philippe room, I returned by myself, alone.”

“What did you do with the Vicomte de Chagny?” interrupted the Persian.

“Ah! You must understand … as for him, Daroga, I wasn’t going to take him back above ground immediately, just like that… He was a hostage… But I couldn’t keep him in the house by the lake, either, because of Christine; so I locked him up all snug, I chained him up neatly (the Mazenderan perfume had rendered him limp as a rag) in the Communards’ dungeon, which is in the most deserted part of the furthest of the Opera’s cellars, deeper down than even the fifth basement, there where no one ever goes and where no one can hear your cries. I was quite calm, and I returned to Christine. She was waiting for me…”

At this point in his account, the Phantom apparently arose so solemnly that the Persian, who had sat down again in his chair, was obliged to rise as well, as though obeying the same motion and feeling that he could not remain seated in such a solemn moment; he even (the Persian told me himself) removed his astrakhan cap, despite his shaven head.

“Yes! She was waiting for me!” continued Erik, who began to tremble like a leaf, but to tremble with genuine, solemn emotion… “She was waiting for me, standing up straight, alive, like a real living bride, on her eternal salvation… And when I came forward, more timid than a little child, she did not run away … no, no … she stayed … she waited for me … I even think, Daroga, that she, a little … oh! not much … but a little, like a living bride, she held out her forehead… And … and … I … kissed her!… I did!… I!… I!… And she did not die!… And she stayed quite naturally by my side, after I kissed her, like that … on her forehead… Oh! how good it is, Daroga, to kiss someone!… You cannot know, you can’t!… But I! I!… My mother, Daroga, my poor, wretched mother never wanted me to kiss her… She would run away … flinging my mask at me!… nor any other woman!… ever!… ever!… Oh! oh! oh! Well, it’s right, isn’t it?… that with such great happiness, I cried. And I fell, crying, at her feet … and I kissed her feet, her little feet, crying… You are crying, too, Daroga; and she was also crying … the angel cried…”

As he related these events, Erik was sobbing, and the Persian himself was unable to hold back his tears before this masked man who, his shoulders shaking, his hands on his heart, was gasping from pain and emotion.

“… Oh! Daroga, I felt her tears flowing on my forehead! Mine! On mine! They were hot … they were sweet! Her tears were flowing everywhere under my mask! They were mingling with the tears in my eyes!… They were even running down into my mouth… Ah! Her tears, on me! Listen, Daroga, listen to what I did… I tore off my mask so that I would not lose a single one of her tears… And she did not run away!… And she did not die!… She stayed alive, to weep … upon me … with me… We wept together!… Lord in Heaven! You have given me all the happiness in the world!…”

And Erik collapsed, gasping, onto the chair. The Persian rushed towards him, but was stopped by a gesture.

“Ah! I am not going to die yet … not right away … but let me cry!”

After a moment, the Man in the mask continued:

“Listen, Daroga … listen well … while I was at her feet … I heard her say: ‘Poor, unhappy Erik!’ And she took my hand!… Well, I was, you understand, I was no more than a poor dog ready to die for her … as I’ve told you, Daroga!

“Imagine this, I had in my hand a ring, a gold ring that I had given her … that she had lost … and that I had found again … it was a wedding ring!… I slipped it into her little hand and I said to her: ‘Here!… Take this!… Take it for you … and for him… It will be my wedding gift … the gift from the poor, unhappy Erik… I know that you love him, the young man … don’t cry anymore!…’ She asked me in a soft voice what I meant; so I explained myself to her, and she understood right then that I was nothing but a poor dog ready to die for her … but that she, she could marry the young man whenever she wanted, because she had cried with me… Ah! Daroga … you understand … that … when I told her this, it was as if I were calmly cutting my heart into four pieces, but she had cried with me!… And she had said: ‘Poor, unhappy Erik!…’”

Erik’s emotion was so strong that he had to warn the Persian to not look at him, for he was suffocating and he needed to take off his mask. Because of this, the Daroga told me that he went to the window himself and opened it, his heart moved by pity, but he took great care to stare at the treetops in the Tuileries Garden so that he wouldn’t chance to see the monster’s face.

Erik continued, “I went to free the young man and I told him to follow me to where Christine was waiting… They kissed in front of me in the Louis-Philippe room… Christine had my ring… I made Christine swear that when I was dead, she would return one night, by way of the Lake on the Rue Scribe side, to bury me in great secrecy with the gold ring that she would wear until that very moment … I told her how she would find my body and what she must do with it… Then, Christine in turn kissed me for the first time, there, on the forehead … (don’t look, Daroga!) there, on the forehead … on my forehead, mine!… (don’t look, Daroga!) And they left together… Christine wasn’t crying anymore … I alone was crying… Daroga, Daroga … if Christine keeps her promise … she will return soon!…”

And Erik fell silent. The Persian asked him no other questions. He was reassured completely about the fate of Raoul de Chagny and Christine Daaé, and after hearing what was said that night, no member of the human race could have doubted the word of Erik as he wept.

The monster had put on his mask again and had gathered his strength to leave the Daroga. He declared that, when he felt that the end was very near, in order to thank the Daroga for the kindness that he had once rendered him, he would send him what was dearest to him in the world: all of Christine Daaé’s papers, which she had written during her ordeal, intending them for Raoul, but which she had left with Erik; as well as several items of hers that he had collected: two handkerchiefs, a pair of gloves, and a shoe bow. In reply to a question from the Persian, Erik informed him that as soon as they were free, the two youths had resolved to go find a priest in some solitary place where they could be happy, far from prying eyes, and with this aim, they had taken the Gare du Nord to the world northbound. Finally, Erik said that he was counting on the Persian, as soon as he had received the promised mementos and papers, to announce his death to the two youths. To do so, he was to place a notice in the obituary section of the newspaper l’Epoque.

That was all.

The Persian walked Erik to the door of his flat, and Darius accompanied him to the curbside, supporting him all the way. There a cab was waiting. Erik climbed into it. The Persian, who had returned to the window, heard him say to the driver, “To the Opera square.”

And then the cab disappeared into the night. The Persian had, for the last time, seen the poor, unhappy Erik.

Three weeks later, the newspaper l’Epoque published this obituary announcement:

“ERIK IS DEAD.”

#phantom of the opera #poto #gaston leroux #le fantôme de l’opéra #le gaulois #phantom translation #pauvre malheureux erik #pharoga #15 weeks of phantom #phantom 115th anniversary

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shrimplymoray · 9 months ago

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I have... so much I should do... BUT THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT IN MY HEART!!

That's right Guys, Gals and Enby Pals, I actually expanded on that one AOP x TWST post I did like, a month (?) ago. Fair warning: this is an Au in collab with @weirdcore-fantasy, my dear brother, as they were the one that managed to watch the RPG. I only read the rule book and the wiki... a lot actually.

Feel free to message/send asks for me so that Cris and I can expand the AU settings! Reblogs, Likes, Shares and everything tbh is appreciated! If you'd like to be tagged in the next installment, reply to the post or DM me and I'll add you!

all info under the cut

BASIC UNIVERSE INFO:

"The Paranormal doesn't come to our reality easily". Our reality and the paranormal reality, are almost paralleled, in a sense. They coexist, with same places being in the same location, but the way the world works is wildly different. WHile we follow the laws of physics and the rules of the matter, the Paranormal reality is not like that. Chaos, and absurdity thrives in that. Between the two worlds exists this force, called The Membrane. It makes our reality safe from the monsters and other horrors in the Paranormal side, also called Other Side. However, it can be damaged. Mostly by the Fear that people have. This fear breaks the membrane isn specific shapes, in which the paranormal takes to manifest in specific forms in our reality. Ordo Realitas is a secret organization, leaded by the mysterious Mr. Verissimo, in which their agents specialized in the Other Side fight against the evil and make sure the major population has no knowledge of it. The Other Side manifestates in 5 different "types" of beings and events, called the Elements of the Other Side. Element of Blood The Blood is the entity of Feelings. It seeks the intensity: pain, obsession, passion, love, hunger, hatred - everything envolving feeling an extreme emotion pleases the Blood Entity. The extreme feelings of Blood surpass the Knowledge's reason and calmness. Element of Knowledge The Knowledge is the entity of consciousness. Discovering, learning, knowing, deciphering. Having one's own perception of the Other Side and its entities pleases the Knowledge element. The reason and logic of Knowledge reintegrate and suppress the Energy's chaos. Element of Energy The Energy is the entity of Chaos. Everything that cannot be explained, the intangible, anarchy. The constant change, the heat and the cold, the light and the darkness. Everything that involves unpredictability and transformation pleases the Energy Entity. The Energy's transformation overloads the Death's effects. Element of Death The Death is the entity of Time. It seeks the lived moments, distorting the egocentric perception of each individual's existence for its own satisfaction. The temporal distortion of Death ruins the Blood's carnal perception. You may notice I've only touched 4 of the 5 elements. These are the elements that are able to penetrate our reality and manifest itself, as they have entities and relics in our reality. the fifth Element is the Element of Fear The Fear is the entity of the unknown and the infinity. Present since the dawn of humanity, it changes the nature of the universe. Its differentiated existence is a mystery. The Fear cannot exist as a beign or as a physical form. Anyone touched by teh Fear Element is someone transported to the place on The Other Side,The city that doesn't exists, the City of Tenebris.

BASIC STORYLINE INFO:

As common knowledge by those who fight the paranormal, Ordo Realitas has bases all around the world, as the fight against the paranormal is not something set in only one place. One of the branches is the Nycticorax or Night Raven branch. Where young prodigies, from all over the world, join into teams in training, with seemingly minor missions, so that they may learn how to be great agents. (All TWST cast is made into prodigies who, in some form or another, had contact with the paranormal, and due to their great skillsets, they were contacted to become agents in training.) (the characters, for the means of this au, are treated as if they were player characters made for the universe of AOP.)

CHARACTER INFO LIST:

In order of characters: DormLeader, Vice, and third to first years, based on book orders. In order of information: Name, Origin, Class, Class path and element of affinity.

HEARTSLABYUL

Riddle as an Academic origin Specialist, as an Elite Shooter path with Affinity to Blood.

Trey as a Peasant origin Specialist, as a Field Medic path with Affinity to Knowledge

Cater as an Inventor origin Occultist, as a Flagelator path with Affinity to Death

Ace as an Athlete origin Combatant, as a Specil Ops path with Affinity to Knowledge

Deuce as an Athlete origin Combatant, as a Warrior path with Affinity to Blood

SAVANACLAW

Leona as an Abundant origin Combatant, as a Field Commander path with Affinity to Death

Ruggie as a Criminal origin Occultist, as a Flagelator path with Affinity to Energy

Jack as an Athlete origin Specialist, as an Elite Shooter Path with Affinity to Knowledge

OCTAVINELLE

Azul as an Academic origin Occultist, as a Graduated Path with Affinity to Blood

Jade as a Criminal origin Specialist, as an Infiltrator Path with Affinity to Knowledge

Floyd as a Criminal origin Combatant, as a Shock Troop Path with Affinity to Energy

SCARABIA

Kalim as an Artist origin Occultist, as an Intuitive Path with Affinity to Blood

Jamil as an Workman origin Specialist, as a Negotiator Path with Affinity to Death

POMEFIORE

Vil as an Artist origin Occultist, as a Graduated Path with Affinity to Knowledge

Rook as a Mercenary origin Specialist, as an Elite Shooter Path with Affinity to Energy

Epel as a Peasant origin Combatan, as an Anihilator Path with Affinity to Blood

IGNIHYDE

Idia as an Abundant origin Specialist, as a Technician Path with Affinity to Death

Ortho as an I.T. origin Occultist, as a Paranormal Blade Path with Affinity to Knowledge

DIASOMNIA

Malleus as an Abundant origin Occultist, as a Paranormal Blade Path with Affinity to Blood

Lilia as an Exorcist origin Occultist, as a Conduit Path with Affinity to Death

Silver as a Health Agent origin Combatant, as a Special Ops Path with Affinity to Knowledge

Sebek as a Mercenary origin Combatant, as a Shock Troop Path with Affinity to Blood

Uhm, let's count this part 1/??? parts, i want to expand more, but I need to buy an actual copy of the rule book to do it. If I do make more, it will probs be me and Cris doing Character Sheets for them, with the basic information. Or maybe next installment of AOP AU is gonna be a list of rituals the occultists do?

please tell me what yall would like to see next in this!

Tagging moots and besties: @consumeroflemoans, @raguiras, @althea-and-alcestris, @ang33333333l, @vanrouge13, @beelloonn, @coldabest, @erimelodii, @spookyavenuestreet, @notyourbaby-doll

#tena talk #twisted wonderland #twst #disney twst #tena ramble #tena writing #aop #a ordem paranormal #twst au #aop au #twst x aop #tena aus #dear moots <3

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youmarin · 17 days ago

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Happy Holidays to those who celebrate and Happy New Year!

I just wanted to say thank you for following this blog and supporting my fics with your likes, comments, reblogs and asks. I really appreciate every single one of them and am very grateful.

In case someone might be wondering, I'm going to take this moment to tell you I'll be posting very soon that Park Jong Du fic I talked about (yes! it's finally coming to the light! lol). Take it as a Christmas present (a naughty one).

Regarding my other fics, I have a couple of ideas for the next installments of the Inarizaki Manager series. Just need to take some of my free time once in a while to start writing and see how the process goes. I don't really like where I'm at with the JJ series and as I said before I might either delete it or do some heavy editing at some point (I really need some time to do this ughhh). Whenever inspiration or motivation hits to continue the Minho one, then I will. What else do I have? Oh! Megumi! I'm totally down to write more about him, whether taking back from the story I already published or something new. I remember that nice anon that wants more of Megumi and reader! I know I know!

Let's see how the New Year treats me and hopefully I get to keep writing, and who knows, someday bring a story of a character I haven't written for yet! I sure hope it treats you all well!

Write to you soon,

-Youmarin

ps: The Jong Du fic is a dark fic. Just in case any of you don't read those, you've been warned.

#haikyuu #haikyū!!#hq!!#haikyuu!!#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jj maybank #megumi fushiguro #minho tmr #outer banks #obx #the maze runner #park jong du #project wolf hunting

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fromthedust · 27 days ago

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Estelle Chrétien (French, lives and works in Nancy, France)

Opération terrestre (Ground Operation) - electric cable on lawn, removed at the end of the event - dimensions variable (12-15 m) - Off the Beaten Track at Laxou Biennale, France - 2016

Opération terrestre (Ground Operation) - electric cable on lawn, removed at the end of the event - dimensions variable - Jardin du Kasteel d'Ursel à Hingene, Ter Dilft Cultural Center, Belgium - 2020

Chrétien’s interest in earthworks began in childhood. “I grew up in a rural and agricultural environment. The material of the ground, the earth, the soil, what it contains, conveys, and supports is my first interest,” she says. Ground Operation is a recent earthwork that consists of a small trench that Chrétien dug and then stitched together with electrical cable. Her use of industrial wire is significant, not only because Chrétien creatively uses it to mimic medical stitches, but also because construction for the sake of installing utilities like electrical cables is such a common sight. “This ground intervention questions our relationship to natural resources,” she says. Teaching herself new skills is at the crux of Chrétien’s work. As she explains, the ideas themselves arise spontaneously, through learning and working with new materials. “This phase of learning is a part of my practice, and in the course of free association, the idea also arises,” Chrétien says. “The project builds itself, step by step, always in-between work and leisure, pleasure and labor.”

www.estellechretien.com/

www.instagram.com/estelle_chretien

#art by others #other's artwork #sculpture #installation #Estelle Chrétien #lawn

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mybeingthere · 2 years ago

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Yannima Tommy Watson (ca. 1935-2017) was born at Anamarapiti, approximately 40 kilometres west of the small community of Irrunytju (also known as Wingellina) Irrunytju is situated in Western Australia near the tri-state border of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Watson is a Pitjantjatjara man, and his skin group is Karimara. He spent his early childhood and teenage years living with his family, travelling from water hole to water hole, hunting and gathering and learning from his father the practical skills on how to survive on their lands in the arid regions of the Gibson Desert. While growing up he learned to understand the significance of social organization and the spiritual and tribal law teachings of his ancestors. Watson also inherited the knowledge on how to find water and food within their region. However, the fate of Watson and his family and many of the other western desert nomads was sealed with the introduction of assimilation policies. This combined with the severe drought throughout the 1950’s resulted in many of the Pitjantjatjara, Ngaanyatjarra and Pintupi Aborigines moving from their home lands to the administrative centres in Warburton, Ernabella and Papunya. The unfamiliar world of the Government settlements was no place for these free nomadic people who were use to a life of unlimited travel, they became disoriented and more than half of the population of these new communities died. Most never adjusted and eventually in the 1970’s and early 1980’s returned to their traditional homelands.

In 2001 Watson was one of the founding artists of the Irrunytju art centre. His work is rich in the knowledge of the topographical landforms of his country and the Tjukurrpa law that underlies it. He paints the stories of his mothers and grandfather’s country recording the sacred dreamtime stories intuitively using large vibrant colourful dots of pinks, burgundy, orange and reds to symbolically represent the dreamtime journeys of the ancient spirits and the significant episodes in the history of his tribe.

“My grandfather’s country, grandmother’s country. When they were alive, they would take me around the country, when I was a kid. That’s why we look after country, go out whenever we can. See if the rock holes are good”

His most important dreamtime stories are the Great Flood Dreaming, a story of the melting ice that flooded the lands north of the Great Australian Bight. Another story tells of the Pangkalangku, tall man eaters from the north east and his other stories tell of the tribal conflicts between the Pitjantjatjarra and the Yankunyatjarra.

As a young man Watson became a stockman at Mount Ebenezer, and then travelled to Yuendumu where he gained a reputation as an exceptional horseman. He is now a tribal elder and law man and frequently travels widely across the Pitjantjatjara lands to fulfil his traditional obligations. Today he divides his time between the remote community of Warakurna on the edge of the Great Victorian Desert and Alice Springs where he has a house and painting studio. He is widely recognised nationally and internationally and his work is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Western Australian Art Gallery, Perth, South Australian Art Gallery, Adelaide and in many important private collections .He was commissioned in 2005 to produce artwork to be permanently installed in the Musee du Quai Branly in Paris, France, which opened in 2006. The painting Wipu rockhole (2006) was enlarged and reproduced on stainless steel tiles which adorn a ceiling within the museum.

Ken McGregorhttps://www.metrogallery.com.au/artist-tommy-watson

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artisan-peintre-paris · 1 year ago

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fleurcareil · 2 years ago

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East Quebec: Quebec City and West Gaspesie

I left Mont-Tremblant reenergized and with a plan not to get so much bitten; so far 4 days later I've succeeded! :)

On my way to Quebec City, I paid a visit to my ex-colleague Allen and his wife who live since his retirement off the beaten track at the end of an unpaved road in the municipality of Gore, an hour northwest of Montreal. Winters are harsh in Quebec but with a floor-heated solarium surrounded by forest I can imagine it being the perfect retreat from busy life 😎.

After a long & boring drive to the city (I might have gotten a speed ticket?!?), I checked in at the HI hostel smack in Vieux Quebec. For those who don't know HI hostels, they provide quality accommodation (in my case a private bedroom with table & chair) with clean, shared washrooms in well-maintained and noise-free facilities... I've stayed there several times before as it's perfectly located, safe (with your personal entry card) and even includes breakfast at a fraction of a hotel cost. HI is more expensive than "backpacker" hostels (and without parties) so the typical guests are older long-term travellers or families as you can often cook dinner as well.

It was very windy in Quebec so I only went to see my two favourites; the Fairmont terrace with view of the river, and the massive trompe l'oeil mural depicting famous Quebecois, near the oldest stone church in Canada (which is always closed when I'm there).

Despite the cold, I sat like many other tourists on a patio for dinner which was luckily worth it; delicious cheese fondue, rabbit and rhubarb pie... Quebecois (and I) know how to eat well! 😊 The next morning I went to another favourite; the Musee des Beaux Arts, which has among others a rooftop with mathematically designed sculptures that align with the nearby church spires, an exhibit of Quebec designers (anyone interested in the 1994 workstation capsule?), and a modern art exhibit where the wooden BMW on top of little grass blocks is a statement about the uselessness of consumerism.

Then off to the Gaspesie, which initially seems to be a very long road to nowhere, but once you get closer to the St Lawrence River it's pretty to look out over the water to the mountains on the north side. After having set up the tent at park du Bic, I go to possibly one of the strangest art installations you'll ever see; a group of over 100 concrete statues that are standing on the beach and on the rocks into the sea. "Le Grand Rassemblement" at the Centre D'art Marcel Gagnon is meant to represent the human condition of being alone with our individual emotions while still bonded to others as we all experience the same.

I came here first in 2010 at high tide so most figures were in the water then, whereas now it was low tide so I could walk out to them. There's something poetic about these statues just standing there in the sea and I'm really impressed by it. I stayed for dinner (pear-shrimp appetizer was a great combo!) so by the time I was done, the tide had come up halfway and the sun started setting, which made it even more special. On the way back, I also stopped at the lighthouse at Rimouski, a rare, buttressed structure that at 28m high is one of the tallest in Canada. Driving along the sea with the red sun beside me was magical!

Having had the first cold night since I started the trip (wearing hat & mittens in my sleeping bag!), it was hard to get out of bed in the morning so it took me a while to get going. I try to cook most of dinner in the mornings (as I can't be bothered in the evening) so now made a couscous salad with merguez sausages so that I only had to add the spinach & fresh tomatoes later. First hike was at the Canyon des Portes de L'Enfer (the doors of hell) where the Rimouski river goes through a series of waterfalls. I tried to make a video which didn't work out, but the pic is still impressive. There's also a really high suspension bridge over the valley which made for great views, luckily I've never been afraid of heights 😁.

Drove back to the park du Bic in time to do one of the coolest hikes in my life; scrambling across rocks at low tide around the park's buff Cap d'Orginal. You need to start 2 hours before the low tide to leave enough time to make the entire loop before the water comes up again, and there's basically no path so it's up to you to find the way over the cliffs.

The first part was quite hard pulling yourself up & over the rocks, but luckily I was not the only one on the "trail" so I could look ahead at what others were doing. Mid-way was a long beach that is fully submerged at high tide and then there was more, but slightly less extreme scrambling. Being relieved that I had made it in one piece to the other side, I was less happy when I realized there was still another 3k to hike partially uphill through the forest to come back. I did see a fox on my return at the parking lot which made me smile 😍. Spent the evening eating dinner overlooking the bay at sunset, life is good!

Slept like a baby and woke up warm but wide awake at 4:30am so it made for a very long day, which was mostly spent driving from the Gaspesie north coast to the New Brunswick south coast near Saint John, 604 km away. Before taking off however, I first went to check the seals lookout in the park, which didn't deliver any seals (I had seen one the day before on my hike) however a quintet of great herons and many eider ducks, which are the largest sea-ducks in Canada. A quick stop at a beautiful viewpoint (at 9am Monday when everyone else starts working 😜) was all I needed to get in the car and say au revoir to Quebec and hello to New Brunswick!

Wildlife: 1 turkey (along the road), 20+ eider duck, 1 seal, 1 fox, 5 great blue heron and 2 deer (all at du Bic)

SUPs: none

Hikes: two small ones at the canyon and a 9k one at du Bic

PS: I had wanted to post a few days earlier but did not have any internet... still trying to post every 3-4 days when I can!

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xslytherclawx-writes · 1 year ago

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5 years ago, I posted the very first chapter of La Magique étude du Bonheur, which became the first installment of my now 300k+ Ravenclaw Regulus AU

first of all, seriously, thank you to every single reader and commenter and every single person who's left kudos, or bookmarked, or subscribed. i absolutely did not ever expect this to get like any traction, so to know that there are people out there who genuinely love this series makes me so happy!

across five years, twenty-five instalments, and 330k+ words, ravenclaw au has received:

62,300+ hits

4,100+ kudos

1,400+ comments

and I am seriously grateful for all of it!

I have one new survey for y'all - mostly fun stuff!! none of the questions are required to submit it!

and i also have, by popular request, the start of a series of, uh, AUs? of Ravenclaw AU. lots of it is "what would have happened if max and reg had kissed sooner" but some of it is more gen! i will sort out an update schedule for this shortly.

I'm not going to make SUCH a big deal out of this, but as always, please feel free to send me asks any time, or join my discord server and chat with me!

i am SO excited to see where the rest of this goes with y'all

(if you're curious, i anticipate completing the fic itself sometime around february or march of next year, and it will truly be the end of an era)

#ravenclaw au #5 years of ravenclaw au

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helenflaneur · 1 year ago

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Mediterranean,

Shmediterreanan,

Dead-iterranean

22nd June to 30th July

1. Port Saint Louis du Rhone to 2. VilleFranche and back again

In the words of Julius Cesaer, a well known Mediterran-ophile

‘Devenimus, voluti, discessimus’

(We arrived, we rolled, we left)

Our first sight of the Med outside Port Saint Louis du Rhone. Those masts are not where they should be………….

Whilst in Toulon Mark worked happily on installing the black water tank (the pooh tank) we’ve carted around in the engine room since 2018.

As strong winds were predicted I went to noice Nice to see the Matisse museum and the Chagall museum.

Flemmo friends Mick and Megan came to play and stay on board from Toulon to Villefranche-sur-mer.

Man, it was hot, hot, hot. We were in the grip of an extreme heat wave with no temps under 23 at night and a hot and humid 33 (minimum) every day. Luckily we were at anchor most of the time so a cooling swim helped.

The anchorage at Île de Porquerolles was very calm and beautiful. The island is a holiday destination and is covered in eucalypts making us quite homesick.

On July 14 all of France collaborated to celebrate Mark’s birthday. We were anchored off the coast of Cannes at the Lérin Islands between Ile Sainte-Marguerite (where the Man in the Iron Mask languished) and Ile Saint-Honorat with about 20,000 of our closest boating friends. Slight exaggeration…..as you can see there is plenty of room for more boats to slot in.

As part of celebration central you could choose a visit from the pizza boat, the champagne and wine boat or the mojito boat.

Megan chose the very popular mojito boat.

The lovely young man tied alongside to create four extra large mojitos, yum, yum.

And he even gave us extra ice.

(Strangely there’s not an ice making machine on the shelves in France to be seen.)

Of course there were fireworks for Mark’s birthday.

And again the next night.

To get away from the incessant rolling in the Med mostly caused by way too many speed boats, motor boats, enormous tenders and super yachts we spent a couple of nights in the lovely port of Golfe Juan. It was super hot but the port had a/c in the bathrooms, unlimited water in the shower and free (for plaisanciers) chilled sparkling or flat water. OMG! Heaven on a stick, or, in a bottle.

5 minutes up the hill is the ceramic town of Vallauris in which Picasso lived for 7 years. Vallauris has been a ceramics town for 2000 years and its ceramic experts enabled Picasso to create over 4000 clay objects.

You can say what you like about Picasso but he was nothing if not prolific and his clay artworks in the Museum of Ceramics were wonderful, irrepressible and delightful.

We anchored off Antibes, very much the holiday town, and were surrounded by all these little ducklings.

Mick and Megan left us in the Lorne of Nice: Villefranche-sur-mer to return to wintery Melbourne.

We turned out bows west to leave behind the hedonistic fleshpots of the Mediterranean in summer.

Pausing only to take advantage of the pizza boat (a mighty YUM!) between those islands out of Cannes. Resisted the mojitos this time.

There was so much watery wealth on display. So much of it ugly and tasteless. Often complete with a 20m tender and a helipad, sometimes two.

This is a beautiful boat.

And so is this…..

This modern super yacht (110m) has nice enough lines.

Elegant? I think not.

World Explorer is 77m of pure fugly. And don’t get me started on the festering scab of jet skis.

Baie des Canebiers is a glorious bay just out of Saint Tropez. It’s an excellent anchorage for both big and little boats. It’s very rolly in the morning as everyone speeds out to wherever they’re going, settles a little for lunch, and rolls around like crazy as they all come back in at the end of the day. Just as the sea settles and the sun sets and you don’t have to hang onto your glass of wine for fear of it ending up overboard and all is peaceful the music starts.

At one point ‘doof doof doofy’ music was belching from three separate locations: a catamaran anchored too close to us and two houses at either end of the bay.

Seriously….

Seriously selfish as one of the party locations played their ‘music’ until 7.30am.

And we were stuck in this ‘playground of the rich and beautiful’ for four nights because the westerly headwinds would not change direction.

We motor sailed to Toulon where real people have boats and onto Port Miou, a calanque just outside Cassis. It is a glorious place where you tie the stern to the cliff and pick up a mooring ball and watch the young men jump 10m, 20m or even 30m into the harbour.

Another reason for abandoning the hot, salty, overcrowded and selfish Mediterranean is poor old ‘Le Flâneur’ needs some serious love and attention. She already is showing too much rust on various deck parts and a salty environment is only going to make it worse.

Her hull and topsides need new paint. The best place to do these major renovations is La Pays Bas, The Netherlands, Holland.

Or maybe Poland.

So north we go.

Flaneuring all the way.

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ao3feed-loustat · 1 year ago

Text

The Very Thought of You

by chiropterancreed

“Couldn’t you have married for love?” Louis said.

Lestat looked at him from under his lashes, his gaze pinning him to the chair.

“I did.” Lestat said, voice intensely loving.

********************** Hi! So this installation of my series takes place somewhere during Episode 4 "... The Ruthless Pursuit of Blood With All A Child's Demanding". I wanted to explore some of the vampire family's dynamic, as well as write some unhinged but loving smut. This time featuring some breeding kink! Louis likes the idea of Lestat fucking around his village as a mortal man, but loves having him all to himself even more.

If breeding kinks or fantasies make you uncomfortable, feel free to skip this one! It's a big theme to the story. It's entirely self indulgent of me but life is short so why not write what I want!

Words: 6971, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 8 of Ill-Fated Lovers

Fandoms: Interview with the Vampire (TV 2022), Vampire Chronicles Series - Anne Rice

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Lestat de Lioncourt, Louis de Pointe du Lac, Claudia (Vampire Chronicles)

Relationships: Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac, Claudia & Lestat de Lioncourt, Claudia & Lestat de Lioncourt & Louis de Pointe du Lac, Claudia & Louis de Pointe du Lac

Additional Tags: Breeding, Breeding Kink, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Top Lestat de Lioncourt, Bottom Louis de Pointe du Lac, No mpreg, Creampie, Not Beta Read, Possessive Louis de Pont du Lac, Possessive Louis, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Vampires, Episode: s01e04 The Ruthless Pursuit of Blood with All a Child's Demanding (IwtV TV 2022)

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/48765685

#ao3feed-loustat #interview with the vampire #loustat

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officemaster-ae · 2 years ago

Text

Buying Office Furniture - What You Must Know

Buying office furniture for your new or old office can sometimes be more tedious and stressful when considering stylish, trendy, classic, and finest furniture. You must have a good eye for compelling images to be a good buyer of office furniture both from a nearby local store or online stores through classifieds. You will have to apply your wisdom, patience, and time to choose good furniture due to a number of wholesalers and retailers in local and online stores.

Before you choose your office furniture, you need to familiarize yourself with certain tips on choosing furniture that will serve its purpose for as long as you want it;

You must put the price of the furniture you want to buy to be the top list of your budget or finance. Adequate planning of your budget, as regards the price, is highly essential, you will also need to get the full cost of delivery and installation added up to your expenses.

Where you are buying is another essential tip to consider before making an attempt to purchase your office furniture. Buying from a local store in your neighborhood is a good idea because you will have the opportunity to see varieties of these furniture products that you can choose from. Besides, you have the advantage of beating down the cost based on your budget. You will also have the opportunity to get free information on installation and other physical assistance.

Shopping for your office furniture online through classifieds is a fast way of buying furniture, unlike local stores where you are faced with the problem of carriage and transportation. Buying online would not afford you the opportunity to see the image of your furniture physically until it is shipped to your doorstep.

For business owners with a strong passion for color, you must choose office furniture that will closely match the color on the wall of your office and other office decor. Hence, your order must be in line with your color taste and it is advisable to order such furniture in a local store around you in order to get assistance from the owner of the store as regards the color. You can only shop online if only you can differentiate colors from the detailed description contained in the manual. The look of your office wall the furniture and other decor in the office must be soothing and attractive to your customers.

Quantity and quality are other factors that must be your guide when you are buying furniture for your office. Quality here means high price, good product, and a lasting product, while quantity means considerably lower price, reduced quality with a short life span. Your estimated years of usage of the furniture in your office must be taken into consideration as well as your finances. The size of your office also determines the number of office furniture to use.

The two places to buy your furniture are local stores and online stores depending on your budget and finance. For small business owners, you need to patronize your local store for your furniture and save yourself from searching the internet all day long. You only need a good eye to catch your taste and class.

The look of your office decor and furniture speaks volumes, you must carefully select a good taste, user-friendly furniture so to save yourself from losing your esteemed customers and maintain a good relationship with them.

Office furniture made up of quality cover leader is more compelling and attractive and it must be well arranged to allow for free movement of other occupants of the office.

Get the latest updates on modern office furniture, Meeting Tables, office chairs, office desks, Office Workstations, Office Sofas, Filling Cabinets, and Reception Desks in Dubai, for detailed office furniture, please visit our website officemaster.ae

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#office furniture buying guide #tips for purchasing office furniture #considerations for buying office furniture #choosing the right office furniture #how to buy office furniture #buying quality office furniture #affordable office furniture options #modern office furniture buying tips #ergonomic office furniture buying guide

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