#endurance luc

[boanerges20]

Benjamín Grau [+Jacques Luc] Montjuïc // 1977

[messiahzzz]

i have seen several posts around that addressed how discouraging gale from taking the crown of karsus is “keeping him from realizing his true potential.” that tara is merely upset at his choice, instead of being utterly devastated at the loss of her little love. that it’s not a bad ending per se because to get there he didn’t need to sacrifice 7000 innocent souls in the process. gale isn’t continuing the cycle of abuse either, he still appears to love tav and does come back for them to offer them ascension. he wants them to be equal, so it can’t possibly be an unhealthy dynamic, right?

but what of gale himself, his own convictions, values, and everything he holds dear? everything flawed and human that shaped him into the person he is?

player: are you saying you want to ascend? claim godhood?

gale: no, not like that. i don't want to join them. i want to better them. a god's powers, paired with a mortal conscience, a mortal heart.

gale’s motivation for acquiring godhood is that he will able to aid mortals in a way no other god has ever done before. he won’t hide behind pretense nor require blind devotion of his followers. he will understand and be able to empathize. he wholeheartedly believes that he will be different - he will act.

gale: [..] the gods could aid us if they wished, but instead they cower behind ao. so let us act ourselves.

gale believes that by becoming a god he will kill two birds with one stone: aid mortals and acquire enough power to quash any of his insecurities and enemies in the process. that by ridding himself of every perceived flaw he'll finally feel like he will have enough to offer - maybe, just maybe he'll even be content. his flaws are merely holding him back from becoming the best version of himself, and by ridding himself of everything fallible, he will be whole. maybe this is what all of his suffering has led up to. maybe the orb chose him. maybe the reason he had to endure all the pain, isolation, and excruciating loneliness was so that he could realize that he was meant for something even greater. after all, power feeds ambition. and what is more powerful than a god? his convictions were certainly naive, he possesses enough knowledge to know better. don't get me wrong, part of him definitely wants to spite mystra a lil. but his intentions at that time were mostly pure. a reflection of his self-hatred and feelings of inadequacy.

player: this is wrong, gale. that power will corrupt you, even if you can seize it.

gale: it won't, i swear to you. it's merely a tool - a means to an end.

once we meet gale at the party in his new godlike form, it is apparent that even with all the power at his fingertips, he has reached no greater knowledge about himself. his insecurities are still as present as before, he merely is less subtle in his compensation - repeatedly highlighting his grandeur and how dull life on faerun is compared to the wonders of elysium. it is also genuinely crushing to see how little he thinks of himself even now.

gale: i was nothing. a drifting dust mote of a wizard, abandoned by my goddess, my powers lost, my reputation destroyed. and look at me now. i'm their proof.

any perceived dismissal of his Greatness™ is met with immediate disdain.

gale: a bold decision to treat a divine being with such cold indifference.

nodecontext: aloof, annoyed you weren't impressed with him

gale: you mortals do love to live dangerously, don't you?

nodecontext: the slightest hint of a threat - you've probably made an enemy here today. or at least, you've lost a friend.

he is still desperate to impress. emphasizing what an honor it is that a new-born god chose to bless their little soiree with his presence. gaze upon all his divine glory! gale has now become the embodiment of everything he criticized about the gods. his original intentions and plans are discarded and long forgotten. he assuages his erstwhile companions by telling them to simply pray to him, in case they should ever require aid. if they're lucky and their ambition pleases him, he might even deliver.

player: what does the 'god of ambition' offer to his followers?

gale: i 'offer' them nothing. i inspire them to seize their destinies for themselves.

player: interesting, so you help mortals help themselves?

gale: precisely. though that isn't to say i'm averse to the odd bit of direct encouragement.

gale: [..] my aims are set a little higher than offering cursory blessings to just any half-decent spellcaster.

gale: regardless, ethical quandaries are more the remit of my mortal devotees. they do love to talk, and faerun is starting to listen.

aiding "any half-decent spellcaster" is unbefitting of his status. he isn't concerned with questions of ethics and morality either. deeming such matters beneath his divine capabilities.

once gale has ascended and established his domain, what remains of the gale we knew? what of his mortal heart?

minthara: your ambition is not cruel, but you fear that if you indulge it, you will lose yourself in the mysteries of the weave and unravel the world.

minthara: you are afraid of so many things, and it is that fear that keeps you true to yourself.

gale did lose himself and ultimately became one of his biggest fears. considering that his existence as a being of pure ambition leads him to constantly seek out greater heights, it isn't farfetched to believe that raphael's prediction will indeed come true.

player[astarion]: ambition? finally, a god i can get behind...

gale: i assure you, this is merely the prelude to a far grander vision. elysium's in for something of a shake-up.

all that remains of gale is a thin veneer of the person he used to be. what he presents is a hollow echo of the old gale. he does retain some of his mannerisms and quirks, but he is definitely a lot colder and more condescending. if his personality already changed that drastically after a duration of only 6 months, what will he inevitability turn into when he has eternity at his disposal?

essentially, you are aiding gale in the eradication of himself. eradicating everything about him that made him into the loveable, charismatic, awkward, kind, buoyant person he was. everything about him that he perceived as defective, flawed, and lesser-than. before, his hubris was merely an expression of his own discontentment and low self-worth, but now he is hubris incarnate. all of his worst qualities have been amplified.

gale: i am ambition incarnate. as indistinguishable from that most potent sensation as mystra herself is from the weave. and word is spreading.

nodecontext: palpable, almost unsettling excitement from him - hint of megalomania

he put his trust in tav, trusting their judgment and relying on them to nudge him in the right direction. after all, they had plenty of opportunities to show him that they are an ally worth following and confiding in. but in the end, the prospect of what he could be, the things he could give them, the enemies he could yet conquer, won over the desire to simply accept him and help him rebuild a life on solid ground. tav denied him the unconditional love he craves most out of their own selfish desires.

tara: you were looking out for him. i expected better of you.

as i've already mentioned, gale desires nothing more than to be seen, accepted, loved, and valued. having a partner who wholeheartedly supports and believes in him is enough to make him feel content. most importantly - he just wants to live. to enjoy life with everything it has to offer. his ambition can’t be quenched because he hungers still. believing that only by acquiring more power will he finally be enough and reach said acceptance.

we see in his good ending that his own contentment was even able to influence and (temporarily) sate the orb's ever-present hunger:

gale: [..] or perhaps the orb's hunger was fuelled by my own, and my contentment influences it in much the same way.

gale: that's how i feel with you - content. it's a rather unfamiliar feeling, i must say. not something gale of waterdeep ever craved.

it is devastating that he doesn't reach the same feeling of fulfillment if he chooses to pursue godhood, and is instead compelled to continuously surpass his own accomplishments. not being granted rest or reprieve.

gale: i achieved everything we hoped i would, and still i'm not good enough for you?

gale pursuing godhood isn't evidence that he "has been evil all along" or that he "just waited to be unleashed" either. we can't diminish tav's influence in this outcome, they are after all an extension of the player. able to steer every companion toward a path of redemption or to enable them in their worst traits. fandom has already established that by letting astarion ascend you are actively supporting him in becoming the very thing he despises most, putting your own ambitions and idea of what you want him to be above his healing, this is no different.

tara: the gale i knew wasn't like this. he recognised his mistakes. he was contrite. all he wanted to do was live.

tara: unfortunately, he fell into company that turned his gaze towards foolishness. yes, i mean you.

player: gale is his own man, tara.

tara: false. he was mine. though now he belongs only to his own pride.

yes, the epilogue cutscene is beautiful and there is something bittersweet and romantic about his love for tav being one of the few emotions that remained a constant throughout the past 6 months. he didn't need to come back for them, but he did cause he loves them still. no matter how warped his definition of love may be now. while it is abundantly clear that tav ranks lower on his priority list than they did before, his commitment remains.

gale fears isolation, hoping to never return to the time when he was hopeless and alone, stuck inside his tower. by heading in this direction he is once again creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

tara: [..] if i pretended you hadn't turned tail on every lesson you set out to learn, i'd have no right to call myself your friend.

morena may as well have already resigned herself to her son’s death. elminster partly blames himself. for his lapse in judgment, as well as being the one who plucked him from obscurity in the first place. mourning the kind, bright-eyed boy who cried at the scorched roses in his neighbor's garden. tara won't be here anymore to care and look out for him either. he has lost his oldest and dearest friend, the one who witnessed his downfall from grace and never left his side. who believed him to be the finest mind AND the finest wizard she's ever had the pleasure to know. who was certain that he’d find a way out of any crisis no matter the circumstances. ...and if tav declines his offer to ascend with him? what does he have left?

gale: yes, i am rather radiant, aren't i?

tara: don't flatter yourself, gale. you've debased yourself in ways i could never have fathomed.

tara: goodbye gale, i hope the heavens are worth it.

gale’s godhood ending deals with the loss of humanity, the loss of oneself, and everything one holds dear. it is a devastating and bone-chilling narrative. it is a tragedy.

gale: i hope you don't think less of me. great ambition should not come at the expense of what you already hold dear. i see that now.

if gale could see himself, he would be horrified at the losses he deemed necessary to get here. he would be horrified at what he’s become.

[redfluffz]

Queen, how did the Angels feel when they hit Lucifer, their basically brother, instead of Lily with the spears. And how long did it take lucifer to heal? And did Lilith feel guilty for him essentially taking the bullet for her? Sorry for the long ask!

Don't be sorry! I love answering all of your questions! ❤️✨️

And sorry for the long wait! I was thinking about how to answer this and here is what I came up with.

So I have a rough view on how the fall happened.

But first I want to answer your question shortly:

The others were scared and frightened, except for Mike - he was in rage.

Lily was frightened too. She thought he died. She was indeed blaming herself for it.

The wounds never healed fully and the pain faded slowly away. Luc had to endure so much.

Now ... how I structured the fall. Looong version. ✨️

First of all the cause of Luc fall isn't about his forbidden love. He had to deal with this problematic long before. Also Luc and Lily have different impeaches.

Luc is accused for his actions with the apple, but his punishment is just to go into exile. Where he can "think" about his actions and after a period of time, he can reenter heaven. So no spears, no death, no pain... just exile.

Lily instead is punished with death.

So Mike didn't give in to Lucifers beggings. The spears targeted Lily and Luc drags her away. And the only way out if this is the place where he is supposed to go. And so they fall with the spears following them.

But Luc protects Lily with his wings. That's why he isn't able to fly and crashing is inevitable. But Lily survives the fall and Mike is angered like never before.

So he tries to kill her again. But Luc is aware of the second attack and with his last angelic powers he teleports her away. And get fully hit by spears which are targeting him now. (Cause their originally target is gone).

And now I thought about the elevator which connects the seven rings. What if the hole/tunnel for the elevator was caused by Lucifer fall/crash through all of the seven rings?

Funfact. The angelic spears are using the angelic energy from Lucifer. They drain him. When he fall into one of Sloths seas...? He is contaminated with demon power. And that's how he got demonic magic and his beast form, cause he has no strength to fight this demonic magic. Hes just too injured.

When he draged himself out of this water, he starts searching for Lily, not aware that there are seven rings and she is still in Pride, while he is in Sloth. And he wanders around and suddenly stumbled across a small group of frightened little demons.

And that's how the sins met.

Funfact Leviathan will come later and they both already met each other.

So that's a "short" description how I picture the fall. Hope it all make sense.

Have a nice day!

And thanks for asking! ✨️

[tyranasauruslex]

Modern era Davos being uni roommates with Jace and Aeron with Aemond.

Aemond is a good roommate - he's clean, tidy and grew up in a religious family. However Aeron also has to put up with drunken Aegon banging on the door at all hours of the night until someone lets him and then passing out on the sofa, usually after throwing up. He stays for days at a time to get over his hangover (and because Alicent kicked him out), eats all their food and is generally a nuisance. When Davos stays over he announces loudly that he could hear them fucking all night which dampens the mood a lot.

Aemond and Aegon also fight a lot and Aeron is never sure if he should intervene when they're rolling around on the floor thumping each other. He usually ends up sitting in the library until Aegon gets bored and goes home. Helaena is a nice enough and very interested in the horses Aeron keeps back home, but there's been more than one occasion when Aemond has to let him know that his sister left one of her creepy crawlies behind and Aeron had been unable to sleep for weeks until he finds it.

Davos hasn't fared much better and despite Jace being a rather dull person to live with, he has to endure the stream of brothers, step sisters and a half siblings barging in and out of the flat without warning. Nobody wants a horde of kids bursting in on you when you've got your hands down your boyfriends pants. The worst is Luc who Davos finds to be spoilt little shit of a kid who seems to think he has equally say in what goes on in the flat despite not even living there. He's interrupted multiple date nights by turning up unannounced or ruined them before they've even begun by eating all the food Davos brought in specially. There's also the fact that he cut someones eye out, which Jace doesn't even seem concerned about, but Davos would rather he didn't come anywhere near Aeron.

He and Aeron also had front row seats to The Worst Break Up in Westeros aka when Baela found out that Jace was cheating on her with some girl called Sara. There was lots of screaming and Davos and Aeron had to sit in the hallway whilst Baela smashed up the flat and Jace yelled at her to stop.

They are 100% getting a place of their own next year.

[lostsoulaltair]

Owari no Seraph Chapter 140 - Thoughts and Analysis (Warning: Spoilers ahead)

Hmm, before starting, I'll make another post about my thoughts so far...I think, or rather I believe at this point, people have grasped the situation with the manga. The way it goes, it has started to connect like a massive web whose missing points are finally fitting...like a whole gear system.

(Hehe, yeah those thoughts will be for the next post)

Now returning or focusing to the latest chapter. In personal taste it was pretty much a bit tad boring given that there was a degree of expectation in terms of what'd appear but of course it doesn't mean it's bad. Actually, we got a new insight along a possible follow up fight between Ferid and Ky Luc.

First of all, the chapter starts with the ones trying to break free who are now again dancing to "save the world". Still, there's a degree of uncertainity given the "cost" of that "saving" the world.

Of course, I'm talking about a difference of ideals between Rigr Stafford, more commonly known as Saito and Urd Geales.

Urd and Rigr being the elders of the vampire council, tend to be the ones to take the decisions that are give more benefit to the world, but given the truth Rigr learnt first hand, doubt began to spread within Rigr along a change of mindset and heart given what the First went through.

Whereas for Urd, such action goes against order. Still, the two of them chose to listen what Yuu had to tell them.

Next, Yuu. Yuu is finally playing smart. We got answered a big doubt ever since Shikama got devoured by Shinoa. Only 30% of his power is within Yuu, whereas the 70% lies with Shinoa.

As to why I mean he's playing smart, it is mostly that he is using that "love" the progenitors have for the First despite everything along the fact of the memories Rigr, the rest of the progenitors (excluding Krul and very likely all those 3rd progenitors that were turned into cursed gear) along Yuu. The fact that the angels existed is a key piece on what exactly the ideals align. But why do I state this?

Simple, Yuu does not exactly have full knowledge of spells. While it's true the First gave three special spells...it does not exactly mean he has all the requirements to trigger them and the second one to know about magecraft is Rigr Stafford as stated in the chapter.

(What I think here is that...Yuu is actually underestimating Guren, Mahiru and Ferid a lot. While it's true he chose to finally leave the nest, there's a reason why I state this which will be for another post, yeh sorry eheh)

But within this, why did the idea of actually taking over the First's goals came to be?

For love.

Rigr at first was like a child, hoping the First would actually acknowledge him as who he is, instead, he found that the First has been trying to resurrect all angels back, and of course with this, it goes with a second point which is "finding a reason to live".

The vampires were left with no reason, spending millenia without changing and now that a fragment of a possibility comes, Rigr isn't hesitating whereas Urd wishes to maintain order.

But why is that? Why is it that Urd is against?

The reason very independent from the love he has for Rigr (I'm not saying it is a romantic love, but I leave it to interpretation for people. We don't know what they endured together when they were human but mayhaps one day we will) is the fact that there are heavy prices to pay in order to save the worlds mentioned. True, everything sounds like a great plan, like the best of the best saving every single thing out, but in order to do so, in order to create a miracle, something must be paid at the same level for such miracle to happen.

The progenitors so far only have a vague idea of the price; and so far they are still dancing to one end goal which was stated back in chapter 108

The final event of the story is very likely heading to that detonation. The battle against the angels, BUT, that will only happen or course depending on which party wins. What do I mean?

Right now, there are four parties at hand.

-Human Team represented by the King of Humanity Kureto Hiragi.

-Guren's Team. A team that is made of Guren, Mahiru and their wild card Ferid Bathory who so far will likely succeed on devouring the 5th Progenitor Ky Luc.

-Yuu's Team which is integrated by the Progenitors, Mikaela and Yuu himself.

Though, how far will such team endure everything? It is unknown for one factor that I'll actually explain later.

And lastly, the new team no one suspected to ever appear given that they were like lambs obeying and following due to the lack of power.

-Shinoa's Squad. Obviously, the team made of Kimizuki, Yoichi, Mitsuba and Shinoa. Who now have a possibility to turn the tables against the King of Humanity and very likely Guren's Team.

All the lines or paths are finally starting to align, the big puzzle is finally merging; and the real battlefield is about to start. The war that will follow up won't be just power alone but strategy and how far the love each team will take them to.

Even if the Progenitors that are currently working with Yuu have chosen to follow up what the First was doing, there are possibilities that such plans won't exactly go as planned given that there are several things in common within three parties and that is the very fact that they are underestimating their respective enemies.

What do I mean?

Vampire Progenitors

The progenitors while holding deep knowledge along having a representant in such field such as Rigr, they have done one thing nonstop which is underestimating lesser Vampire Progenitors such as Ferid along humanity itself. Given their form of being immortals, they believe their battles will forever be won but humanity within the story has displayed that they can still take leaps in order to pursue their objectives.

Humanity's Team and their King of Humanity

While it's true Kureto, despite his methods, has actually tried to make sure humanity prevails; still, he's still in the dark, he has no clue he has several walking corpses but given that factor, along how chapter 140 played at the end, Guren won't allow the walking corpses to turn into dust but rather he'll keep fighting until their goal is set. But still, again they underestimate something. What is it?

Given that they belong to one generation, they believe they'll eventually have the upperhand, which means, they might pull a fight against the Progenitors but not exactly vs Yuu and the Shinoa Squad.

Guren's Team (Mahiru, Ferid and Guren)

Within this team, two of three are underestimating the guinea pigs they managed to gather, what do I mean?

While it is very likely that Yuu's departure was planned, one sole thing wasn't exactly planned. What do I mean?

Correct. In all the story of the manga, Guren made sure to only give power to one sole person within the Shinoa Squad and that was only Yuu given the purpose and goal he had in mind from the beginning. This also includes Mahiru and to some extent Ferid. But the new Wild Card that has popped out is not from the Black Demon Wielders but rather from Shinoa herself.

Given that Shinoa gave a full evaluation along having a purpose for life given that "love" is what fuels her goals along treasuring and protecting the family she has; true, Mahiru has awareness of the power Shinoa has to some extent but not how far they can go, and the very moment Guren's team left the squad and Ferid actually stopping watching them, this gave the opportunity for Shinoa to give her squad to fight on a more equal ground and now that she has the majority of the First's powers along knowing how to enhance and channel the power of all the demons, this can play as backfire against all the demon wielders within the story so far.

How long will it take for the story to finish? I'm not certain, but it is very likely that the end will eventually connect everything into one single thing.

What do you think guys? Let me know?

[woooyeahbaby]

diluc ragnvindr x afab!reader smut

warnings: smut, obviously, 18+.. reader gives diluc a massage and he’s loud af 😒.. diluc has a crazy pull out game.. that’s all i can think of for warnings, lmk if there’s anything i need to add.

wc: 1k (almost 1.1k)

“your hair is really soft after you wash it,” you mumble to your boyfriend, diluc, who’d just showered an hour beforehand and is now lying with his head on your chest.

“thank you.” diluc replies blandly, not knowing what else to say. he felt flustered, despite the fact he always receives compliments like this from you.

you understand, letting out a soft chuckle and just continue to run your fingers through his silky red hair. you’re practically petting him, but neither of you seem to mind. it’s a nice moment.

you massage his scalp lightly, causing a relieved moan to escape his lips as he shuts his eyes. you take that as him enjoying it, obviously, and carry on with what you were doing.

he keeps making subtle noises, sending little vibrations through your chest. you can’t deny that this mixture doesn’t make you take these little sounds as something other than relief and content…

take your mind out of the gutter, y/n.. you think to yourself, trying to shake those thoughts away. you stop your hands movements and take your fingers from his hair, placing it on his shoulder instead.

“oh, good idea.” he unexpectedly states, sitting up and taking his shirt off, giving you better access to his shoulders that he thought you intended to massage.

you sit up as well, accepting your fate. you dig the tips of your fingers into his shoulders, gently at first, then after a few squeezes you get a little rougher with it. diluc continues to make these ungodly sounds, and it doesn’t help you have an amazing view of his perfect back muscles.

“it’d be a good idea to turn around and kiss me right now. only if you want to.” you say after about a minute of enduring this heavenly hell.

“oh, my bad, was i being too loud?” he turns his head and smirks, now turning his whole body to face you.

diluc gently pushes you back to your previous resting position, climbing on top of you and pressing his rough lips against yours. he holds himself up with one hand, the other on your hip.

he’s sure to moan into your mouth, now knowing how hot it is to you. i mean, before he knew you liked it, but it seems it’s gotten worse. as the kiss deepens, his grip on your hip gets tighter. at this point, you’re holding back moans of your own.

he pulls away, only to kiss and nip at your jaw, then your neck, taking your shirt off to go lower, then your pants, to go even lower…

“diluc, please, just need you,” you pant. “don’t have time for that.”

“i believe we do..” he comes back up, his lips now next to your ear. “you’re just needy.” he lets out a low chuckle after finishing his sentence, then decides to undress himself, giving you time to do that for yourself.. well, you take off what little clothes he left you with.

“god, you’re gorgeous, ‘luc…” you sigh, staring at every little detail on his beautiful body.

“now, i know we don’t have time, to quote you.. but i do think we need to prepare you a little, hm?” he says, his hand starting on your stomach, lowering down to where you needed to feel him most.

“whatever you say.” you mumble, whining when he starts rubbing slow circles on your clit.

once he feels you’re ready, he inserts his middle finger, listening to how you gasp and whimper just from this simple action. he finds it so adorable, yet so, so hot at the same time.

“such pretty sounds, lovely..” he practically whispers, putting in a second finger.

it feels amazing, his praise adding to the pleasure of his long, slender fingers pumping in and out of you. you grip the pillow below your head, lightly bucking your hips toward his hand.

“okayokayokay, ready!” you whine yet again, getting impatient to say the least.

“say please.” diluc orders, pushing his fingers deeper.

“pleasepleasepleaseplease, need you, need you s’bad!” you pant, furrowing your eyebrows as you look him in the eyes. he was enjoying this torture, wasn’t he?

he gives in, pulling his fingers from you just to shove them in his mouth, savouring your flavour. how can one man be this god damn hot? no wonder he has a pyro vision.

diluc settles between your legs, grabbing his cock and slowly rubbing the tip up and down your pussy, as if you needed more teasing. before you can complain again, he pushes it into you, and god does it feel good after all this.

the pain, pleasure and relief all at once is so much to take, not to mention how full you feel.. it’s almost impossible not to cum right then and there when he groans about how good you feel around him.

he starts at a moderate pace, not wanting to be too rough right at the start. he leans down to kiss and gently bite at your neck, his heavy breathing being music to your ears. you cry out when his teeth graze over a particularly sensitive spot on your neck, and he just attacks it.

you’re pretty much writhing under him, and now that you’ve really got him worked up he’s pounding into you. he can’t help it. your screams and moans are only fuel to his fire, motivating him to keep his relentless pace.

“diluc, feels so good, don’t stop..” you gasp, bringing your hands to his back so you have something to scratch at.

“wasn’t — fuck — wasn’t planning on it,” he grunts, enjoying how your nails felt ripping at his skin.

he kept hitting all the right spots, and you knew neither of you would last too long tonight. but that was okay. as long as you got to have each other.

as predicted, his thrusts continued to get sloppier, his grip on the sheets tightening as he got closer. as for you, you couldn’t stop practically screaming his name, and your nails were digging deeper and deeper into his skin.

“where do you want it?” diluc questions.

“stomach,” you reply simply, not being able to say much else.

he lets you have your orgasm first, helping you to ride it out the best he can without spilling inside of you. once you’re done, he quickly pulls out, his cum spurting onto your stomach as he groans loudly. you wouldn’t be surprised if the maids heard all of this.

“looks like i need to shower again..”

[moodboardmix]

Miss Françoise (17 janvier 1944 - 11 juin 2024)

Miss Françoise Hardy, whose elegance and beautifully lilting voice made her one of France’s most successful pop stars, has passed away today.

She was born in the middle of an air raid in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1944, and raised in the city, mostly by her mother. Aged 16, she received her first guitar as a present and began writing her own songs, performing them live and auditioning for record labels. In 1961, she signed with Disques Vogue.

Inspired by the French chanson style of crooned ballads as well as the emerging edgier styles of pop and rock’n’roll, Miss Hardy became a key part of the yé-yé style that dominated mid-century French music.

The self-penned ballad Tous les garçons et les filles was her breakthrough in 1962, and sold more than 2.5m copies; it topped the French charts, as did early singles Je Suis D’Accord and Le Temps de L’Amour.

Her growing European fame meant she began rerecording her repertoire in multiple languages, including English. Her 1964 song All Over the World, translated from Dans le Monde Entier, became UK Top 20 hit, her fame endured in France, Italy and Germany.

In 1968, Comment te Dire Adieu, a version of It Hurts to Say Goodbye (originally made famous by Vera Lynn) with lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg, became one of her biggest hits.

Miss Hardy’s beauty and deft aesthetic – which encompassed cleanly silhouetted tailoring alongside more casual looks, including knitwear and rock-leaning denim and leather – defined the seeming effortlessness of 20th-century French cool.

She became a muse to designers including Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne, and was also a frequent subject for fashion photography, shot by the likes of Richard Avedon, David Bailey and William Klein. Later, designer Rei Kawakubo would name her label Comme des Garçons after a line in a Hardy song.

Miss Hardy was an object of adoration to many male stars of 60s pop including the Rolling Stones and David Bowie. Bob Dylan wrote a poem about her for the liner notes of his 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan, beginning: “For Françoise Hardy, at the Seine’s edge, a giant shadow of Notre Dame seeks t’ grab my foot …”

She was also courted by directors, appearing in films by Jean-Luc Godard, Roger Vadim, John Frankenheimer and more.

Miss Hardy signed a three-year deal with Sonopresse in 1970. This creatively rich period saw her record with Brazilian musician Tuca on 1971’s highly acclaimed La Question, and continue her multi-lingual releases.

She spent the mid-1970s chiefly focused on raising her son Thomas with her partner, musician and actor Jacques Dutronc. Releases restarted with 1977’s Star, and Hardy embraced the sounds of funk, disco and electronic pop. A longer hiatus in the 1980s was punctuated by 1988’s Décalages, billed as her final album, though she returned in 1996 with Le Danger, switching her palette to moody contemporary rock.

She released six further albums, ending with Personne D’Autre in 2018.

Miss Hardy also developed a career as an astrologer, having written extensively on the subject from the 1970s onwards. In addition, she worked as a writer of both fiction and non-fiction books from the 2000s. Her autobiography Le désespoir des singes... et autres bagatelles was a best-seller in France.

She remains one of the best-selling singers in French history, and continues to be regarded as an iconic and influential figure in both French pop and fashion. In 2006, she was awarded the Grande médaille de la chanson française, an honorary award given by the Académie française, in recognition of her career in music.

Miss Hardy had lymphatic cancer since 2004, and had undergone years of radiotherapy and other treatments for the illness. In 2021, she had argued in favour of euthanasia, saying that France was “inhuman” for not allowing the procedure.

Rest in Power !

[overseer-picard]

Miles Edward O'brien and Jean luc Picard, the exclusive members of the "building ships in bottles for fun and enduring unspeakable atrocities" club

Note: 50% of these atrocities were coincidentally committed by Cardassians.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.89 Lose control

During our conversation about pre-wedding activities, Sophia and I found the idea of having a party appealing, but we had reservations about the traditional bachelor and bachelorette party. I'd never been to one, but I'd heard stories about them. Getting wasted and dancing with other women didn't appeal to me at all. My party didn't have to follow that formula; we could spend the night however I wanted. But the real reason we were anxious was because we both we both had a small circle of friends. We loved kicking it with our respective squads, but a party with just one or two sims wouldn't be lit.

"What if we did a joint co-ed party?" she offered.

That was the most brilliant idea, and it relieved us both. I mean, the whole point of a bachelor/bachelorette party was just to hang out with friends and have a good time, right? Who's to say we couldn't do that together? Our friends and their plus ones were enough sims for a fun, intimate party.

We tried to take Mama's advice and not show up early this time and walked in with the first wave. Heh, if Sophia had agreed to my offer earlier, we could have been super late, but let's not dwell on that. While getting a drink, I saw Alessia. I was low-key pissed, to be honest. Not enough to make a scene or even snub her all night, but we were definitely not okay.

Dub snuck up on me, and I almost dropped my drink.

"This is a nice place," he said. "The food selection is...interesting."

"Yeah. I guess I should have been more specific when I requested light refreshments."

"It's all good. Nothing like a little natural sugar to get you pumped up!"

"That's right. I expect to see everyone dancing, Dubstep."

"Dubstep??"

"Yeah! I think it's about time I gave you a nickname."

"But Dubstep though? I can't stand that music! It's everywhere at home!"

"Sorry, dude. I'm not often this clever. It's sticking!"

"Ugh! You better be glad your name can only be shortened, or I'd come up with something annoying for you too!"

"HA! Thank you, granddad I never met, for a boring name."

"Oh, hi Dub," Sophia said. "Thanks for coming!"

"Of course I'd come. I gotta make sure my boy Luc stays out of trouble!"

Sophia laughed.

"That's kind of you, but totally unnecessary."

I loved she said that. We had several conversations about my female friends, and she always expressed her acceptance of them. I believed her, but part of me wondered if she was actually cool with it or just trying to avoid conflict. Those conversations triggered her sometimes, and I knew she was still dealing with scars her ex-trash man inflicted. I never gave her a reason to doubt me, and I intended to keep it that way. Even so, her display of trust touched me deeply.

Less and Justin were chilling in the corner, probably relieved that I was busy. Did they keep in touch? Probably not. Regardless, I was happy they maintained a small connection, even though I still believed he was much too old for her. Once Rashidah and her husband showed up, Sophia hit the dance floor and got the party going. I sat down and watched her, mesmerized by the thought that tomorrow she would be my wife.

Chi Chi latched onto Maia as soon as she arrived and did not let her go. When Dub noticed, he not-so-casually got closer and watched their every move. I don't know why I thought it was funny, but I laughed anyway. Seeing him transition through this relationship, going from uncertainty about pursuing it to worrying about someone encroaching on them, was fun to watch. I knew Chi Chi was harmless, but he didn't, so I didn't laugh too hard. Still, what was Maia thinking? She was so gracious to endure all that talking for two nights straight. I knew all too well how draining it could be, trying to keep up with all the words that flew out of her mouth.

I eventually finished my drink and got out there to shake it with everyone. Poor Dub didn't even take one step and spent the whole night watching Maia and Chi Chi. I made a mental note to talk to him about it before we left, so it didn't become a big deal later on.

The fruity drinks were lame, so I invited everyone to the bar downstairs and bought us a round. The thumping bass from the DJ downstairs reverberated through the walls, injecting a surge of energy into our group. Moving the party downstairs was a genius move. The room was buzzing with excitement. Lively conversations and laughter filled the air. In the midst of all the excitement, I spotted Less trying to slip away, but I quickly caught her eye and called her out.

"Where were you last night?"

"What?"

"The engagement dinner? You didn't show."

She shrugged.

"I didn't want to go."

I needed a moment before replying, because her response struck a nerve. Her indifference was no stranger to me; I'd been dealing with it my whole life. It annoyed me then, and triple annoyed me now. I usually coped with it by ignoring her, but this was something I could not shrug off.

"You couldn't at least call and tell me you weren't coming?"

"I guess. Why are you so upset? You had the dinner and now this party. They're pretty much the same thing, so why do I have to come to both?"

I was teetering on the edge of losing my cool, and it caught me off guard. Despite all the challenges I faced in my life, I could never truly feel angry. I could've been mad at Dad taking us away from Mama, but I was just a little kid and more scared than anything. I couldn't bring myself to be angry with Mama for breaking up our family because my love for her was too strong. Less always got on my nerves, and I could've been mad at her countless times, but I felt pressured to always be in control as the oldest, especially since she always copied me. I just wanted to experience losing control for once, but was that the moment to waste my chance? In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that serious. Less was just being Less, and as much as it pained me to overlook it again, I just took a few deep breaths and re-centered myself before responding.

"You're my sim of honor, Less. Does that even mean anything to you? We were doing toasts, and you weren't there. Dub did a toast for me, and we just met. Maybe I should have asked him or Maira to be my sim of honor."

"I'm sorry, Luca! I thought it was just a casual dinner or something. I didn't think you'd be mad."

I sighed and shook my head at her.

"You never do, Less."

Speaking of Dub, I saw him stewing on the sidelines, so I let Less go and went to de-escalate him.

"Am I crazy?" he asked as I sat down. "Is she really that bold that she would try to take my girl in front of my face?"

I was glad to have something comical to take my mind off my annoying sister.

"She's harmless, man. A bit of a flirt, yes, and she talks a lot, but she would never do that to you. She's sweet."

"Brooo! The talking! I thought maybe she liked me too because she had me hemmed up all night last night. I barely escaped in time to make a toast!"

I laughed.

"Believe me...I am aware. I feel like she has a word quota she has to reach every day or she'll explode or something."

"Yeah, and she's spending it all on us!"

"Seriously... But for real...I really appreciate you doing that last night. My sister should have been the one making that toast, but she wasn't there, and that really hurt my feelings."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I got you, bro. Whatever you need."

"I appreciate that, Dubstep."

"HEY!"

Dub and Maia by @mysimsloveaffair

[spacedadsupport]

Jean-Luc Picard @SpaceDadSupport Well done persevering through the things you had to endure today, both major and minor. I'm proud of you. 2:42 PM · Mar 15, 2024

[cupboardgods]

Final thoughts on my DE fascism political vision quest run! Spoilers ahead.

Firstly, even if you avoid all racist dialogue (as I did), everyone will still consider you a racist. I think Titus and the Hardies were the first to make that accusation. Kim also mentioned it at the end to Jean (phrased it like "race-stuff...not good for a police officer"). Kim attributes the antiquated political views to Harry being a gym teacher (replaced the line about Harry's biceps, it seems).

The way I played, Kim still trusted me, and I'm sure the racist dialogue would have impacted that negatively. However, the game reminds you constantly that racism cannot be disentangled from fascism.

Furthermore, when you start the quest, the dialogue makes it clear that Harry's fascism stems from misogyny and his Dora-related pain. You can pick up the quest by talking about a sovereign Revachol, but based on the end of the quest, that seems to just be a mask for Harry's personal problems.

I think all 4 vision quests leave you, the player, with a feeling that nothing you did actually changed anything. Even if you go with Coalition Ship Archer during the Moralism quest, the end screen still implies that nothing has changed (things only got worse).

The fascism quest, unsurprisingly, has the least impact on Martinaise. You recruit no one to your cause. You look like a fool even to the other fascists. You end the quest by looking in the mirror and having a stroke. There's no change to the Horseback monument, unlike in the other quests. No evidence that Harry had done anything outside of destroying his own psyche and embarrassing himself.

The mirror scene check has a -1 modifier if you shave Harry first. I thought that was weird since Harry's facial hair seems at least a little bit tied to Mazov.

The stroke follows a bizarre fantasy where you can have Dora (and Kim) in your life in exchange for bombing Revachol. (It's actually really cute that Harry asks Endurance if "Kim can come too" during this fantasy.)

I chose to save Revachol over running off with Dora and Kim. As far as I know, your decision has no impact on the following dialogue, or Kim's reaction, or anything else. The heroism I imagined for my Harry meant nothing. I didn't save Revachol from destruction. I didn't create a free Revachol. Only Harry's face becomes paralyzed.

Following the mirror scene, Kim is quick to accept Harry as he is after just a moment of shock. He will yell at Harry if he talks about being an "icebreaker", but otherwise Kim just tells Harry to get back to work.

I think the most interesting part of this experience was actually internalizing the Revacholian Nationhood thought. I talked about that a few days ago. You can read my thoughts here. Being punished for having bad opinions was pretty fun actually.

Second most interesting part is talking to Measurehead/Jean-Luc. He still makes fun of Harry, but their dynamic is much more relaxed in this scene. Jean-Luc has some pretty strange and hilarious ideas about masculinity, sex, semen...but he tells Harry to stop dwelling on the past in order to heal.

He ALSO deduces that Harry was beaten and neglected as a child, although Harry's skills deny this.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to talk to Rene. I'm not sure I fully understand why the Royalists are lumped in with this quest, other than Harry being fixated on the past.

I'd recommend playing this quest even if you're not sure you can stomach it. Pick the dialogue options about Revacholian independence, skip the racist and misogynist ones, etc. You can still tell the Racist Lorry Driver to fuck off. You can still refuse to learn Measurehead's Advanced Race Theory (unless you're like me and it was the only way to get into the harbor). You can still tell Gary he's insane.

I ended the game with 24 points in fascism (and a handful of unintentional points in the other ideologies). I'm sure it could have been a lot higher had I been a bit more evil. You could do this quest without going all in, but it might be a little bit more difficult.

Edit: more on Jean-Luc! He actively excludes Harry from all of his beliefs. Tells Harry that he hasn't done the spiritual/mental/physical work yet. That Harry has to let go of the past (and stop masturbating and drinking) in order to achieve any of his goals. That, or live in the pale till he loses his mind.

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 37 – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

I picked this up for my still-somewhat-theoretical bookclub with some friends, and honestly probably wouldn’t have looked at it otherwise. (The only previous work of Schwab I’d read was Vicious which I was, honestly, not particularly impress by.) So chalk one up for book clubs I suppose, because I’m incredibly happy I gave this a try.

The book follows the eponymous Adeline “Addie” LaRue, a peasant girl in late 17th century southern France who, desperately trying to escape marriage and a life limited to one tiny farming village, and just generally being a peasant, makes a deal with the devil. (Or primordial darkness. Or some ancient pagan god she learned about from the old witch living in the woods that comes standard with every peasant village – it’s somewhat vague, and doesn’t really matter regardless. He goes by Luc.) The deal is for her freedom – she will get to live life untethered and according to her own desires, until she is sick of it, and when she is, her soul will be his.

What this means is that she is a) immortal, and eternally 23 years old, and any change to her body reverts in a matter of moments, but also b) incapable of leaving a mark on the world. People literally forget her the moment she is out of their sight, any letters she writes fade before she finishes a word, she is quite literally incapable of saying her own name out loud and has to pick a pseudonym out of the air with each new interaction, and so on. Reality also conspires against her having more than she can carry on her person – stashes are discovered or accidentally destroyed by what seems like random chance.

The book’s divided more or less in half, with a singular narrative in 2014 New York where Addie has a meet cute with Henry – a 28 year old bohemian bookstore clerk whose made his own (much, much worse) deal with the devil, and as a happy unintended consequence is actually able to remember her – being intercut with flashback chapters telling the wider story of Addie’s three-hundred-year life, how she adapted to her blessing/curse and figured out how to have a life of something other than endlessly freezing and starving in Parisian gutters, and her relationships with Luc.

To lay my cards on the table – Henry is charming, and the book’s New York is fun and appealing, but the historical vignettes really do make the book and elevate it a bit beyond pleasant but forgettable fluff. Partially just because the nature of Addie’s anonymous immortality is so specific, the book has a lot of fun with how she learned to navigate and make the most of it. The utter misery she’d been stuck with and endured also grounds (..maybe not the right word, given the immortality, but you know what I mean) the generally pretty fluffy New York narrative a bit.

Also, given how much I loathe the whole ‘death is what makes life meaningful!’ cliche, I really do appreciate that even after spending however long buried in a snowbank in a Parisian slum perpetually one second away from freezing to death, Addie’s reaction to ‘would you make the same deal again?’ is ‘fuck you, I’m immortal!”.

The plot of the present day New York chapters...exists. If mostly as connective tissue for cute dates and descriptions of bars and art shows; this is really overwhelmingly a character piece, and after that the focus is still more on making specific scenes and vignettes vivid more than any sort of overarching drama. Which isn’t any sort of complaint, to be clear – adding action or high stakes politics or a cosmic battle between good and evil or anything else would have ruined this. The fact that the book keeps its stakes limited to a few specific souls is a huge point in its favour.

The novel’s organized around a romance (I mean, a love triangle, technically), though given the ending I’m not sure it technically qualifies for the weirdly specific criteria for a Romance Novel I’ve been yelled out about in the past. It’s not exactly the sort of love story that’s going to set the world on fire, anyway; though Henry was charming and sympathetic and inoffensive enough to effortlessly vault into my top tier of least annoying romance male love interests.

Luc I think I would have absolutely despised if either Addie had ended up buying into his bullshit or if the narration ever really tried to make you sympathize with him. As is, it’s incredibly to read him as actually sincerely falling sincerely in love with Addie at a certain point, and she basically never stops hating him to the point of going all unreliable narrator and always framing his actions as more Machiavellian and monstrous than they are. It’s great.

It’s not exactly surprising how studiously apolitical the book is, but it did still kind of strike me? Given the span of history involved, I mean – the French Revolution and World War One both intrude on the narrative exclusively as ‘bad news Addie gets out of Paris/Europe to evade’. The only active political stance she’s shown as taking in the entire modern era is returning to France during WW2 to be an anti-nazi spy out of a vague sort of patriotism.

On the one hand oh my god a version of this book that went ‘she’s queer and was alive at the time, so obviously Addie would have been at Stonewall’ would have just been, so so bad lol. But the part of me that loves drama and books that get internet hate campaigns dedicated to them does kind of wish the book had done a bit more with what she (immortal 23-year-old early modern bohemian aesthete runaway peasant girl) actually believes or thinks of the world.

Though the book’s restraint on involving historical events vanishes entirely in the cultural sphere – Beethoven makes an appearance, having sold his soul for artistic genius. I don’t mind this too much, honestly; Addie learning that even if she can’t leave a direct mark she can still inspire people and indirectly shape the world that way is a pretty central theme to the whole book, so it more or less fits. When she justifies why she considers her life worth living, the central element is beauty, she lives for songs and fine meals and paintings and books and films. The occasional intrusion of names I recognize just feels like it fits.

Speaking of: quite possibly my favourite bit of the book is how, at the beginning of each part, there’s a page with a sketch and an auctioneer’s description of a different piece of fine art that Addie had inspired over the course of her long life. Nothing much intelligent to say about them specifically, just that I adored the little touches it added.

Unfortunately, the ending of this was the weakest part of it by leaps and bounds. Just – it would have been damn near perfect, if it just ended two chapters before it did! As is, re contextualizing the entire book as an artifact that exists in universe just makes the entire thing make no sense at all (also, my god, can you imagine being Robbie or Henry’s family and reading how you’re portrayed in his ‘novel’?) But even beyond that, it felt like the book had reached a natural, nicely bittersweet ending, and then spent the last ten pages furiously trying to backtrack and make it as unambiguous and upbeat as possible. A damn shame.

Anyway, not a revelatory read or anything, but with that exception very fun and well-put together.

[redfluffz]

so did Michael or any of the other arch angels try to kill Lily when she went Lucifer wasn’t around or when she was alone when she least expected it if so, would Mike get angry every time they failed?

Yes Michael did his best to kill her after the fall. When they both fell, they landed together in the first ring (nowadays Pentagram City). Followed by spears, which targeted Lili to kill her. But the spears only hit Luc, cause he was protecting her. So the first attempt was a fail. Then Mike tried again, Luc took the second hit aswell to save Lili. The spears dragged him down to Sloth, while Lili was still in Pride.

SO NOW TO YOUR QUESTION. When they both were split, Mike used this to his advantage. While Luc tried to get back to her, she was seemingly alone. The perfect target for Mike.

I'd like to imagine that she wasn't that long alone - she got company. I thought it would be funny, if Mammon was by her side, because the others didn't want him in the group. Left the poor guy in Pride. And together they both tricked and hid from "the flying death" (nickname for angels by the demons).

And when Luc and Lili finally got together... I thought a Showdown between Mike and Luc would be cool. Like an epic fight. Just imagine after all Luc had to endure. The pain, the hate, the loss ... everything. He finally standing up to his desicions, to Lilith, to his new family and he is willingly to fight. To accept his new powers (without them he wouldn't stand a chance against Mike, cause Luc connection to his star wasn't anymore), to accept who he is and what has to be done. Even if this means to hurt or even kill his brother Michael.

And of course Luc won. Well kinda. Atleast the fight was a message to Michael. And since then, he never tried to kill Lili again. Well till now ...

But thanks for asking!

[lady-sci-fi]

Star Trek TNG and DS9 Crew Olympics

The summer Olympics sports each main crew member would be best at or most interested in. (Taken from the official 2024 sports list).

TNG

Jean-Luc Picard - Fencing (While he likes horses, this is clearly his favorite activity, and I don't see him wanting to really train a horse for all that).

William Riker - Beach Volleyball (He'd go for something team-oriented and this suits his casual fun-loving vibe).

Data - Climbing (The blend of physical ability and mental calculations would appeal most to him).

Geordi LaForge - Athletics Running (Seriously, LeVar Burton was a ridiculously speedy runner with any distance and ground, that I've worked it into my fics as a Geordi trait).

Beverly Crusher - Road Cycling (Something with a steady endurance feels right for her).

Worf - Athletics Hammer Throw/ Shot Put/ Javelin (Something to show off his strength and physical ability while keeping his probable feelings of not wanting to accidentally hurt anyone).

Deanna Troi - Artistic Swimming (Feels very "pretty" and also somewhat unusual).

DS9

Benjamin Sisko - Wrestling (Captain of the Starfleet Academy wrestling team).

Kira Nerys - Shooting (Give her a gun and targets, she'll be perfectly happy).

Jadzia Dax - Judo (She'd love to throw people around and maybe be thrown around herself).

Julian Bashir - Triathlon (Tennis is the obvious choice, but I think he'd like to push himself with running/swimming/biking).

Miles O'Brien - Canoe/Kayak (He loves doing this so much he keeps wrecking his shoulder).

Odo - Rowing (Relates to his kayaking outings with Miles, but also appeals to his sense of orderliness).

Ezri Dax - Rhythmic Gymnastics (Something fun and playing into her physique).

Feel free to add on with your thoughts and for other crews!

[curator-on-ao3]

Tag Game: First 10 Lines Challenge

Rules: Share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able to and see if there are any patterns!

Thank you so much for tagging me, @deadheaddaisy! ❤️

1. The fabric over her cage is supposed to be soundproof, but Number One burrowed a hole years ago, a toothpick plucked from the open-mouthed snoring of her then-owner and maneuvered to separate tightly knit threads just enough to be able to hear what’s going on. Toothpick returned, the owner none the wiser, Number One could better anticipate when she might be hit or pushed into or sold.

Malleable and Unmalleable Orders, Mirror Pikeone, E

2. The kitchen in their quarters is tiny, a prep island that serves as the main source of counter space hemmed in by the food storage unit and oven. Perhaps, if appliance doors could fully open without almost scraping the island, the whole thing might be charmingly cozy.

Or if the kitchen was for two people instead of the four pilots who live in the shared cabin, just one room with upper and lower bunks built into the bulkheads.

Something Sweet, Pikeuna, G

3. “Vulcan ship approaching to port. Not science or exploration, probably a passenger vessel.” Erica calls out the alert, fingers quick on the piloting console that once was Una’s. “This is weird.”

This Time: A Love Story, Pikeuna, E

4. The wall to my quarters opens. 

Not the door. 

The wall. 

99 Pegasi, Pikeuna, T

5. “It’s like shrinking,” Gloria says, and Phil could crawl inside a magician’s coffin, bang his fists on the interior lid (not to be confused with the secret divider that allows the magician’s assistants to appear to be one person to allow the trick to work) because Gloria is right.

Grief is like shrinking.

Real Estate, Gloria Delgado-Pritchett/Phil Dunphy, Modern Family, T

6. Her knees collapse, a crouch not a fall, her eyes searching for the source of the weapon. She’s highly trained, but his sniper position is almost invisible — the small, high window of a skinny tower on the periphery of the bazaar. 

Disarmed, Mirror Pikeuna, E, the start of what I wrote after prompt text began the story

7. “Do you think Paris has changed much?” Will’s gaze seems to follow the automatic watering vehicles that fly along the straight lines of vines that extend outward from Château Picard. The soil is spongy under Una’s boots, sauntering steps alongside Will, slants of afternoon sunlight, rainbows shimmering in moisture the watering vehicles apply to grape leaves, the dog Number One keeping pace with the two humanoids.

The animal’s species is a dog, right?

One to Make Us Whole, Number One | Una Chin-Riley & Number One | Will Riker & Number One | Jean Luc Picard’s Dog, friendship, G

8. “Try it like this.” Chris’ arm slides alongside Una’s, delicate fingers that slow her shake of seasoning into the simmering sauce. There’s a soft press of his chest to her shoulder blades, ballet-like movements of culinary reverence that help her faster reflexes find calm.

A Little Love, Here and There, Pikeuna, T, a “drabble pyramid” of a ficlet each at 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 words exactly; with five separate first lines I chose the opening I like best

9. Chris left that part out of the official report: the fantasies. 

Not Starfleet’s business.

Not anyone’s business.

Not even his business.

It’s cruel to plumb someone’s thoughts, to share their secrets and watch for a reaction — a reaction Number One barely gave; irritation, if that, not the red-cheeked humiliation he would have felt if that had been done to him. So it’s right to ban travel to Talos IV. No one should ever have to endure that sort of mental pillage ever again.

Nope, never again.

Ever.

Except … ahem.

Fantasies? About him? From the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen?

Truth is a Fantasy, Pikeuna • Pikeone, T

10. “This was amazing, Mom.” Chris settles back in his chair, pancake crumbs and a streak of leftover egg on his plate, the sun bright through the kitchen windows. “Thanks.”

Youthful Exuberance (Some Kind of Love), Pikeuna, E

Pattern analysis: These mostly begin with action or a scene-setting description or both. Descriptions are so the story start can convey that the setting is unusual and therefore relevant to the action about to unfold. Half are quotes and the other half are narrative. My dream is that all of them make a reader want to know more and therefore keep reading. 🫶

No pressure tags: @pc-corner, @divinemissem13, @elephant-in-the-pride-parade, @emilie786, @grissomesque, @fiadorable, @lorcaswhisky, @enterprise-come-in, @marymoss1971, @starrybouquet, @sun-lit-roses, and the many people I’m forgetting because I love to be tagged but get tag anxiety when tagging others. If you want to play, please consider yourself tagged! 🥳

[lutethebodies]

Five Favorite Characters

Tagged by @bitchesgate3 (Thank you! I usually don’t do these things but I’m amped for this one).

Rules: make a poll with five of your all time favorite characters and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favorite.

I feel like I should preface my Five Faves with a few disclaimers, so thanks for your patience. More about why below the cut, but the TLDR is: as someone whose demographic and experience is perhaps waaaay out of step with most of current Tumblr, my choices may reflect that. Whatever; I accepted basic middle-aged normie-dom long ago. 

I also may have answered this differently during other parts of my life (see honorable mentions below the cut) but this is how I feel right now. If I'm limited to five, I'll make it one for each decade I've been a fan of anything (film, TV, books, games). That gives me, in 80s-90s-00s-10s-20s order, a vengeful drunk, two old men, and two brilliant women:

As for tags, well, by the time I discover something it's usually over—so I'm sure anyone I've tagged will have already done this. I hope these folks (and the person who tagged me) won't mind a public shoutout for being kind to, and patient with, someone who can be as awkwardly and frequently out of his depth as often as he posts stuff they like to like. Anyway thanks @alicelufenia @spiderwarden @trappedinafantasy37 @passacalia @coolseabird @n1ghtmeri @mimetoist.

Ok then, lots more favey stuff below:

Inigo Montoya. Most people know this master swordsman from Mandy Patinkin's portrayal in the Princess Bride film. It's glorious and justifiably loved. But the Inigo from William Goldman's book gets context. Yes, Film-Inigo relates his tragic backstory well enough to squish into the overall plot. But Book-Inigo (and Book-Fezzik, btw) gets a substantially fleshed-out-flashback chapter detailing every excruciating step of his life after its defining trauma. It shows how his whole existence has been warped by enduring and then adjusting to one singular major trauma, and how by both achieving mastery of the rapier and by abusing alcohol he's let that trauma (and by extension, others like Vizzini who capitalize on it) define and control him forever after. I emphasize this to note how much of an anticlimax Inigo endures after he achieves his vengeance. These days I take that as a warning to not get too wrapped up in how I define myself or how I might attach my identity to long-ago trauma.

Jean-Luc Picard. I love Star Trek and all of its captains. I love Kirk and Sisko and Janeway and Pike and (insert forgotten names here). But I identify with Picard, and it's not just because we both have daddy issues and French names that begin with "Jean-" and both Patrick Stewart and I went almost completely bald in our early 20s. I do like that he's more of a diplomat/explorer than soldier, but that he can still handle himself in a scrap. I love that he's an archaeology and history geek. But I identify most with Picard in his intense and singular commitment to anything he does, and while he may focus on one thing while dealing with it, everything else he's up against has not slipped his mind. He simply places things in a mental queue and methodically tackles them when he can. I'm not a Picard expert so I've probably forgotten why this is, or may have mischaracterized him. I'm too hypersensitive to mimic that iron discipline with which he manages himself. But I do admire it.

Davos Seaworth. Like many people I have lots of beefs with the world GRRM created for his famous fantasy series. But Davos has stuck with me as a favorite character because of how loyal he is. The reformed smuggler's loyalty to his lord is so strong that it's an actual psychic shield against a witch's magic. It's literal life-fuel when Davos' fleet is destroyed and he's marooned for weeks. It's a mental weapon to parry away a pirate pal's bewildered jibes and proposals of leaving it all behind for a life of plunder. It's the only stable thing in Davos' life, and it's stronger than whomever it's dedicated to, which he learns when he must finally adjust his loyalty and give it to someone else. Rogues survive when they make their old priorities fit new situations, which is what Davos does. Loyalty's a big deal to me, so it's perhaps inevitable that I love a character who epitomizes it. That and these days I also identify with broken-down old guys who've endured weird injuries.

Hera Syndulla. I caught up with "Rebels" during quarantine and it (with the other Filoniverse stuff) reignited my longtime Star Wars fandom, which had been crushed by the repulsive sequel-trilogy-fandom fights. Hera was a big reason I loved "Rebels." Yes, she's an attractive and intelligent mom-age woman who's brilliant at what she does, with infinite patience for her overly-intense hypersensitive partner—which as an over-40 straight guy was right up my alley. Still, that's a probably-unfair reduction of someone who may indeed be, as io9 once said, "one of the best Star Wars characters of all time." Unflappable leader, expert pilot, loyal friend, caring lover—and someone who will break her own rules when needed. Furthermore, a fantastic and much-needed repudiation of the tired, sexist "all Twi'leks are nubile erotic toys" trope. Oh, and she has daddy issues too, with maybe my favorite touch in anything Star Wars: she reverts to her childhood accent when she gets frustrated with him.

Minthara Baenre. I haven't simped for a character in any other work the way I do for Minthara. I hadn't switched on a video game for 30 years. When I got back into tabletop RPGs I swore I'd never play D&D as a video game. I'd somehow missed the whole Drizzt-powered drow craze of past decades. And yet here I am, playing with BG3's dress-up dolls and making them kiss. If you've read the above entries, you might see why I find Minthara so compelling. Ride-or-die loyalty to her partner. Knows exactly who she is and what she wants, for better and worse, and won't apologize for it. Wielder and victim of her own passions, to a vengeful degree. Accepts that her flaws may conquer her again, but not for reasons they have in the past. Understands that one's past can inform one's present, but it can also be abandoned as needed. Revels in being hotter than a fireball in Avernus. Deploys her voice as a serrated weapon or soothing balm. My favorite romance in the game.

Honorable Mention. My favorite genre is SF/F, so I've kinda ignored other classic canon characters that I've loved (Odysseus! Mordred! Mercutio! ...Raoul Duke? Eh). So most of my honorable mentions fall within that genre too: Boba Fett and Lando Calrissian (SW: ESB) Donatello (TMNT), Gurney Halleck (Dune), Ro Laren (ST: TNG), Kira Nerys (ST: DS9), Anastasia Dualla (BSG remake), Cassian Andor (SW: R1/Andor), Bo-Katan Kryze (SW: CW/Rebels/Mandalorian), Qi'ra (SW: Solo), Clay Cooper (Kings of the Wyld), Tam Hashford (Bloody Rose), Xiala (Black Sun), Edgin Darvis (Honor Among Thieves), Rhaenys Targaryen (House of the Dragon).

Look at that, only three bards! If you've read this all the way to the end, thanks for the indulgence.