#instead of ce la vie

[witchering10123]

once again, the positioning of these expressions is at times priceless: toph beifong!!!

(template by mondlichtkatze)

[dinitride-art]

Polls.

Not Poles.

Would you believe that I have been learning this language for nearly nineteen years? That it’s what my brain is built on? That I read and write all the time and still can’t spell basic words?

The spelling doesn’t even make any sense. Like there’s two ‘L’s and suddenly that makes it so the ‘o’ sound changes? Like that doesn’t happen with dolls. And I know it’s because those two words were probably taken from two different languages but still, what the fuck? Pole is like that because the ‘e’ on the end affects the vowel, and that’s a rule that makes sense. Sometimes. Most of the time kinda. And like okay, I know that pole is about like the North Pole and stuff that’s like related to the specific use of that term. Science shit. And polls has a different meaning because it’s about polls. But still in my head polls should be pronounced like ‘pauls’. But like slightly different. For whatever reason that may be.

At this point I should just try to learn pieces of like twenty other languages just to try and understand the roots of English to spell things correctly.

[momavhagarfinallyconcureddorne]

The Ex-Files: Vettel & Rozzi in Imola

The Ex-Files Masterlist Main Masterlist

Summary: Claudia Rozzi, Retired F1 driver and Charles Leclerc, current F1 driver for Ferrari had once upon a time a seemingly perfect and passionate relationship but in the middle of the ‘22 season Rozzi dropped off the face of the earth. What happens when the two are forced back into the vicinity of each other, can they forgive each other?

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x Fem!Ex!Oc (Claudia Rozzi)

Warning: Google translated languages, online hate, angst, let me know if there's more.

Twitter

Real Life

“À QUOI PENSIEZ-VOUS? (WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?)” Was yelled so loudly through Claudia's phone by her mother that people on the other side of the principality could probably hear the woman yelling at her daughter. Whilst the two women often didn't get along, Claudia had tendencies to call her mother and ask for her opinion because she knew her mother had good instincts and Mrs Rozzi had always respected her daughter's drive and passion for her career. “NE VOUS SOUVENEZ-VOUS PAS DE CE QUI S’EST PASSÉ LA DERNIÈRE FOIS! (CAN'T YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPEND LAST TIME!)”

“Bonjour Mère, comment vas-tu ? Je vais bien Claudia, comment vas-tu ? Quelque chose d’excitant s’est passé dans votre vie récemment ? Eh bien, en fait, je... (Hello Mother, how are you? I'm well Claudia, how are you? Anything exciting happening in your life recently? Well actually I…)” A tired Claudia answered, who had just woken up by her phone ringing at four o clock in the morning as she lay wrapped in her heavy and warm duvet.

Whilst rambeling trying to get her mother to calm down, she pulled on the blinds, allowing the Mediterranean sun to creep through the windows. Only in the early mornings would the sun lay heavily on the flat as a building blocked it during the rest of the day.

“Arrête ça! (Stop that!)” Claudias mother roared at her daughters antics.

“J’ai juste pensé que ce serait bien de... (I just thought it would be nice to…)” Claudia started before getting cut off.

"Qui, sain d’esprit, retournerait dans cette équipe ? Et ce garçon quand même ? (Who in their right mind would go back to that team? And that boy nonetheless?)"

This was how most of their conversations went, neither would listen to the other and in the end they would just say goodbye without resolving it and never bring it up again or realise that the two of them had been saying exactly the same thing but with different words and therefore end the conversation.

"Maman, n’est-ce pas toi qui as dit que je devais saisir toutes les chances de revenir en F1 ? (Mum, wasn't it you that said I should take every chance to get back into F1?)" Claudia said groggily, as she ran a hand through her hair to take a look at the time before turning over and slowly start running her hand thorugh her dogs fur. Claudia had found her little puppy Red, named after her then team, out in the middle of the street right outside of her then flat.

"Eh bien, je ne m’attendais pas à ce que vous retourniez chez Ferrari, que vous alliez chez Williams et que vous remplaciez cet américain à la place ! Tu as déjà conduit pour eux, je suis sûr qu’ils aimeraient te revoir, (Well I didn't expect you to go back to Ferrari, go to Williams and replace that american instead! You've driven for them before, I'm sure they would love to have you back,)" Mrs Rozzi hissed through the phone, her voice almost giving up in the end since she didn't take a breather during her entire monolouge.

"Maman, je ne peux pas faire ça. Ferrari est bon, ils ont un nouveau directeur d’équipe qui semble savoir ce qu’il fait. C’est une excellente occasion de montrer que je suis toujours aussi bon et que je veux un siège pour la saison prochaine. Je devrai juste être cordial quand je le verrai, alors que Fred m’a promis que je n’aurais pas à le faire à moins que cela ne soit nécessaire. Et je peux le faire puisque je suis généreusement rémunéré. J’étais leur soi-disant dernier espoir, alors ils ne se sont pas vraiment retenus, (Mum, I can't do that. Ferrari is good, they have a new team principal who actually seems like he knows what he's doing. It's a great oppertunity to show that I'm still as good and want a seat for the next season. I'll just have to be cordial when I see him, whick Fred has promised I wont have to unless neccesairy. And I can do that since I'm being compensated generously. I was their so called last hope so they didn't really hold back,)" Claudia argued back whilst rubbing her face with the palm of her hand as Red climbed up on her bed and decidning to lay down on her mothers chest and curl up there.

"Claudia..."

"Regardez, c’est tôt le matin, nous sommes dans des fuseaux horaires différents et vous m’avez réveillé. Je dois être à Imola dans quelques heures, alors au revoir. Je te parlerai plus tard et je dirai à Seb que papa dit bonjour, (Look it's early in the morning, we're in different timezones and you woke me up. I have to be in Imola in a few hours so goodbye. I'll talk to you later and I'll tell Seb that dad says hello,)" Claudia cut off her mother for once before ending the call and throwing her phone down onto her bed and getting up with Red in her arms to get ready to drive the almost six hours drive to meet Seb an get everything ready for not only her first race since 2022 but also the running of Ratzbergers and Sennas cars.

Instagram

claudia97rozzi

liked by scuderiaferrari, sebastianvettel, wbuxtonofficial and others

claudia97rozzi Buongiorno Imola. Ecco una giornata con me e il meraviglioso Seb. Abbiamo fatto un giro in città prima di scendere in pista e vedere le meravigliose auto che guideremo questo fine settimana. Sono onorato che mi sia stato chiesto di guidare la vettura di Ronald Ratzberger questo fine settimana al fianco di Sebastian ad Ayrton Sennas. Non vedo l'ora di vedervi tutti questa settimana, e ai tifosi: sono molto entusiasta di tornare a gareggiare per tutti voi questo fine settimana e spero in un buon risultato.

Qui abbiamo anche una foto molto bella di Seb che si infastidisce con me e con tutta la mia eccitazione questo fine settimana.

Forza Ferrari Sempre <3

see translation

Good morning Imola. Here's a day with me and the wonderful Seb. We took a ride around town beforeheading out on the track and seeing the wonderfulcars we'll be driving this weekend. I am honoured that I have been asked to drive Ronald Ratzberger's car this weekend alongside Sebastian in Ayrton Sennas. I can't wait to see you all this week, and to the tifosi: I'm very excited to be back racing for all ofyou this weekend and hopefully a good result. 

Here we also have a very nice photo of Seb getting annoyed with me and all my excitement thisweekend.

Forza Ferrari Sempre <3

3,981 comments

user1 This will be more entertaining than the current F1 season

→ user2 seriously 😴🥱 → user3 👏👏👏

user4 ARE YOU KIDDING ME I WILL SEE YOU ON MY BIRTHDAY AT THE RACE DRIVING SENNA‘S CAR WHAT A BIRTHDAY PRESENT😭😭😭😭😭😭

user5 Are you kidding me? OMG two of best drivers of all time, together. Love you seb, we miss u.

user6 My first time at an F1 race and i will see my favourite athlete of all time is quite a highlight🤩

user7 I've started crying already

→ user8 AHAH SAME

so does anyone have an idea of what dog Red is haha? I have no idea, please help

taglist: @xoscar03 @meadhbhcavanagh @ironmaiden1313

[originalaccountname]

Fun BSD French translation details and choices - Episode 38 (by someone who does not understand Japanese but thinks the differences with the English translation/subtitles are fun)

General notes:

Ranpo utterly lacks manners and adresses everyone informally.

Actually, everyone is so rude. I have so many good quotes for today.

Ranpo called Fukuzawa "collegue" twice when he asked him to buy him food at the theatre, instead of calling him mister/oji-san.

Today's quotes:

VF: Le pardon n'existe pas en ce monde... Ce salaud n'a eut que ce qu'il méritait. (Forgiveness doesn't exist in this world... This bastard only got what he deserved.) ENG: There is no forgiveness in this world... only revenge.

VF: Fallait être franche dès le début et me dire d'aller me faire voir! (You needed to be honest from the start and tell me to get lost!) ENG: You could have just been honest with me.

Ranpo: Ça parle de quoi ta pièce on peut savoir? (Can we know what's your play about?) Murakami: Tu n'as qu'à la lire, petit ignorant. (You just have to read it, you ignorant brat.) Ranpo: Tu rigoles ou quoi? J'ai des tas de projets dans la vie, j'ai pas envie de mourir d'ennui dès la première page! (Are you kidding? I have a lot of projects in life, I don't want to die of boredom on the first page!) Ranpo: Hey, what's that play about? Murakami: You've received the script, haven't you? Ranpo: That script's boring. I gave up after the first page.

[jelepermets]

The Preface of this edition of Les Mis (Le Livre de Poche, Édition de Guy Rosa et Nicole Savy) is really good, but I wanted to highlight one passage in particular:

[...] la question de savoir ce qui en lui mobilise la conscience de vivre en société. -- La loi et l'ordre, répond Javert; rien, dit Thénardier; des souveniers pours Gillenormand, l'avenir pours les jeunes étudiants révolutionnaires... Jean Valjean se tait condamné à temps mais exclus à vie, la société ne lui autorise aucune réponse à cette question qu'elle ne cesse pourtant de lui poser violemment.

In English:

[...] the question of knowing what moves him to live in society. -- Law and order, replies Javert; nothing, says Thenardier; memories for Gillenormand; the future for the young student revolutionaries... Jean Valjean stays quiet. Condemned for a time, excluded for life, society does not allow him a single response to the question which it continues to demand of him.

(Sorry if the translation's a bit janky/if you speak French and notice it's not perfect word-for-word. I'm doing it myself, I'm going more for comprehension than word-for-word literalism. Translating decisions are so scary, have mercy.)

I didn't really think about this too much my last time reading through. Of course Valjean was a stoic character to me, but connecting his reticence to the fact that his voice has so long been crushed by society is a bit of a revelation. After all, no one can know who he is. And speaking is dangerous. Nor does the Law want to hear his opinions. Instead they punish him for what he has already done, not giving him the chance to discover the answer for himself.

There are other things mentioned that struck me, this one just did particularly.

[darkfictionjude]

Etymology nonnie here!

Now I've come to speak about O, your heavenly stars! (OYHS).

First thing first, I didn't expect for you to release the demo while I was living my cursed fic writer experience realness (although I only have published a one shot in ao3, so I don't know if I qualify). Although I should have expected it, since you did release EC quite soon after it's announcement. But, ce la vie! Nothing can be done about it.

Also, I didn't expect for my Skylark to die before I even got to name him. Yet I don't mind, since I really enjoy the idea of having our neighbor discover everything about us after we die. It does give the IF some ambiguity that is always delightful to play with in fiction. After all, we always will have some doubt about how things truly happened, or if they happened at all.

Speaking of ambiguity, while I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get to decide how Skylark was as a neighbor, I also appreciate how clever it is. After all, by establishing that Skylark was a recluse it does allow for some speculation from our part, as well as freedom for the future characterization of the character.

For example, I immediately conceived the idea of my Skylark ending up alone either because the romance with one of the RO's didn't work out (so far I'm debating if going for Greer or Jack); or because it did work out, but the RO died some years ago, and Skylark is so heartbroken he is just going by the motions until the day he dies.

Also, I do like the name ideas you provided. I was thinking about going with one of my own. Either Alonzo (nickname Lonnie), since it was surprisingly common name at the time and it reminds me of both Imre and an old crush I had years ago; or Philip (nickname Pip), because it's a princely name, the nickname is cute, and it does fit the surname Skylark very nicely (In my opinion). Yet, from the options given, I ended up choosing Richard for the moment, since it's I name I do like (even more so after reading Fallen Hero, even if there it's Ricardo instead of Richard), but also because the nickname Dick feels oddly accurate to a gay man (and it makes me think of Nightwing, even if it does have nothing to do with this IF... One day we'll get the Superhero IF, I hope). I'm still not sure if I'll stick with Richard, since I really do like the options I was considering, but that's for me to resolve. In this case I didn't have to worry much about etymology anyway, since for the most part I just went with what was popular the decade Skylark was born in the US (and I don't feel the need to fit as with the elaborate and unusual names of the Crowns, or the Italian based ones of the EC IF).

Finally, my question is about this: why did you choose the frame of the story to be a fan telling a neighbor about Skylark's life? Did you consider doing some sort of documentary/biography instead? Was it always your plan to begin with a Prologue that involves the death of Skylark, or did you consider a more chronological approach at some point?

So yeah the reason I made Sky a recluse is inspired by the real stars of the golden age. So many stories of these stars from an era gone by who leave the public eye completely and barely leave their home. I guess why that is. Maybe they are tired of being spectacles or maybe they don’t want to face a world that’s forgotten them. I wonder what sky’s reason is…

So initially I wanted the game to start with sky’s childhood but it felt so… common? And then I started thinking about how we enlarge and deify and mythologize great stars of the past but we stop seeing them as normal people who just happened to become famous. What calliope knows they know from movies, interviews and rumour. It’s distorted and perhaps at times exaggerated. It contradicts what you can see as you play

I didn’t want to do a biography because most of the things that happened, Sky wouldn’t want to be known, especially things concerning their birth. It wouldn’t be a true biography and I like the mystery surrounding them within the game. Plus the super fan telling a neighbor what’s up, seemed so intimate and just nice to me. It’s just two people, no agenda, talking about someone they both didn’t really know. Also I wanted Sky to be dead already as a way to differentiate it from the other two games, one starts with an ancestor and the other one Luce might or might not be dead

[pompadourpink]

Fairytale #2 - Donkey skin

Once upon a time, there was a King, so great, so beloved by his people, and so respected by all his neighbours and allies that one might almost say he was the happiest monarch alive. His good fortune was made even greater by the choice he had made for wife of a Princess as beautiful as she was virtuous, with whom he lived in perfect happiness. Now, of this chaste marriage was born a daughter endowed with so many gifts that they had no regret because other children were not given to them.

Il était une fois un roi si grand, si aimé de ses peuples, si respecté de tous ses voisins et de ses alliés, qu'on pouvait dire qu'il était le plus heureux de tous les monarques. Son bonheur était encore confirmé par le choix qu'il avait fait d'une princesse aussi belle que vertueuse; et ces heureux époux vivaient dans une union parfaite. De leur chaste hymen était née une fille, douée de tant de grâces et de charmes, qu'ils ne regrettaient pas de n'avoir pas une plus ample lignée.

Magnificence, taste and abundance reigned in his palace; the ministers were wise and skilful; the courtiers, virtuous and attached; the servants, faithful and industrious; the stables, vast and filled with the most beautiful horses in the world, covered with rich caparison: but what astonished the foreigners who came to admire these beautiful stables, was that in the most apparent place a master donkey displayed long and large ears.

It was not by fancy, but with reason, that the king had given him a special and distinguished place. The virtues of this rare animal deserved this distinction, since nature had formed him so extraordinary, that his litter, instead of being unclean, was covered, every morning, with profusion, with beautiful gold coins in the sun, and with golden louis of all kinds, which one would collect when he woke up.

La magnificence, le goût et l'abondance régnaient dans son palais; les ministres étaient sages et habiles; les courtisans, vertueux et attachés; les domestiques, fidèles et laborieux; les écuries, vastes et remplies des plus beaux chevaux du monde, couverts de riches caparaçons : mais ce qui étonnait les étrangers qui venaient admirer ces belles écuries, c'est qu'au lieu le plus apparent un maître âne étalait de longues et grandes oreilles.

Ce n'était pas par fantaisie, mais avec raison, que le roi lui avait donné une place particulière et distinguée. Les vertus de ce rare animal méritaient cette distinction, puisque la nature l'avait formé si extraordinaire, que sa litière, au lieu d'être malpropre, était couverte, tous les matins, avec profusion, de beaux écus au soleil, et de louis d'or de toute espèce, qu'on allait recueillir à son réveil.

Now, as the vicissitudes of life extend to kings as well as to subjects, and as good things are always mixed with some ills, heaven allowed that the queen was suddenly attacked by a bitter illness, for which, in spite of the science and skill of the physicians, no help could be found. The desolation was general. The king, sensitive and in love, in spite of the famous proverb which says that the hymen is the tomb of love, afflicted himself without moderation, made ardent vows to all the temples of his kingdom, offered his life for that of so dear a wife; but the gods and the fairies were invoked in vain. The queen, feeling that her last hour was approaching, said to her husband, who was bursting into tears: "Find it good, before I die, that I demand one thing of you: that if you should have the desire to remarry…"

Or, comme les vicissitudes de la vie s'étendent aussi bien sur les rois que sur les sujets, et que toujours les biens sont mêlés de quelques maux, le ciel permit que la reine fût tout à coup attaquée d'une âpre maladie, pour laquelle, malgré la science et l'habileté des médecins, on ne put trouver aucun secours. La désolation fut générale. Le roi, sensible et amoureux, malgré le proverbe fameux qui dit que l'hymen est le tombeau de l'amour, s'affligeait sans modération, faisait des voeux ardents à tous les temples de son royaume, offrait sa vie pour celle d'une épouse si chère; mais les dieux et les fées étaient invoqués en vain. La reine, sentant sa dernière heure approcher, dit à son époux qui fondait en larmes : « Trouvez bon, avant que je meure, que j'exige une chose de vous : c'est que s'il vous prenait envie de vous remarier... »

At these words the king gave a pitiful cry, took his wife's hands, bathed them in tears, and, assuring her that it was superfluous to speak to her of a second hymenae: "No, no," he said at last, "my dear queen, speak to me rather of following you;" "The State," resumed the queen, with a firmness which increased the regrets of this prince, "the State must demand successors, and, as I have only given you a daughter, press you to have sons like yourself: But I urge you, by all the love you have had for me, not to yield to the eagerness of your people until you have found a princess more beautiful and better made than I; I want your oath, and then I shall die content. "

À ces mots, le roi fit des cris pitoyables, prit les mains de sa femme, les baigna de pleurs, et, l'assurant qu'il était superflu de lui parler d'un second hyménée : « Non, non, dit-il enfin, ma chère reine, parlez-moi plutôt de vous suivre; - L'État, reprit la reine avec une fermeté qui augmentait les regrets de ce prince, l'État, doit exiger des successeurs, et, comme je ne vous ai donné qu'une fille, vous presser d'avoir des fils qui vous ressemblent : mais je vous demande instamment, par tout l'amour que vous avez eu pour moi, de ne céder à l'empressement de vos peuples que lorsque vous aurez trouvé une princesse plus belle et mieux faite que moi; j'en veux votre serment, et alors je mourrai contente. »

It is presumed that the queen, who was not lacking in self-respect, had demanded this oath, not believing that there was anyone in the world who could match her, thinking that it was to ensure that the king would never remarry. Finally she died. No husband ever made so much fuss: weeping, sobbing day and night, the small rights of widowhood, were her only occupation.

On présume que la reine, qui ne manquait pas d'amour-propre, avait exigé ce serment, ne croyant pas qu'il fût au monde personne qui pût l'égaler, pensant bien que c'était s'assurer que le roi ne se remarierait jamais. Enfin elle mourut. Jamais mari ne fit tant de vacarme : pleurer, sangloter jour et nuit, menus droits du veuvage, furent son unique occupation.

The great pains did not last. Moreover, the great men of the State assembled, and came in body to beg the king to remarry. This first proposal seemed harsh to him, and made him shed new tears. He alleged the oath he had made to the queen, challenging all his advisers to find a princess more beautiful and better made than his late wife, thinking it impossible. But the council treated such a promise as mere bauble, and said that it did not matter how beautiful she was, so long as a queen was virtuous and not barren; that the state required princes for its rest and tranquillity; that indeed the infanta had all the qualities required to make a great queen, but that a stranger should be chosen for her husband; and that either this stranger would take her home with him, or that, if he reigned with her, her children would no longer be reputed to be of the same blood; and that, as there was no prince of her name, the neighbouring peoples might raise wars against them which would lead to the ruin of the kingdom.

Les grandes douleurs ne durent pas. D'ailleurs, les grands de l'État s'assemblèrent, et vinrent en corps prier le roi de se remarier. Cette première proposition lui parut dure, et lui fit répandre de nouvelles larmes. Il allégua le serment qu'il avait fait à la reine, défiant tous ses conseillers de pouvoir trouver une princesse plus belle et mieux faite que feu sa femme, pensant que cela était impossible. Mais le conseil traita de babiole une telle promesse, et dit qu'il importait peu de la beauté, pourvu qu'une reine fût vertueuse et point stérile; que l'État demandait des princes pour son repos et sa tranquillité; qu'à la vérité l'infante avait toutes les qualités requises pour faire une grande reine, mais qu'il fallait lui choisir un étranger pour époux; et qu'alors, ou cet étranger l'emmènerait chez lui, ou que, s'il régnait avec elle, ses enfants ne seraient plus réputés du même sang; et que, n'y ayant point de prince de son nom, les peuples voisins pourraient leur susciter des guerres qui entraîneraient la ruine du royaume.

The king, struck by these considerations, promised that he would think of satisfying them. Indeed, he looked for a suitable bride among the princesses to be married. Every day charming portraits were brought to him, but none of them had the graces of the late queen: so he did not make up his mind. Unfortunately, he found that the infanta, his daughter, was not only beautiful and well-made, but that she far surpassed the queen her mother in spirit and amenities. Her youth and the pleasant freshness of her beautiful complexion inflamed the king with such a violent fire that he could not hide it from the infanta, and he told her that he had resolved to marry her, since she alone could release him from his oath.

Le roi, frappé de ces considérations, promit qu'il songerait à les contenter. Effectivement il chercha, parmi les princesses à marier, que serait celle qui pourrait lui convenir. Chaque jour on lui apportait des portraits charmants, mais aucun n'avait les grâces de la feue reine : ainsi il ne se déterminait point. Malheureusement, il s'avisa de trouver que l'infante, sa fille, était non seulement belle et bien faite à ravir, mais qu'elle surpassait encore de beaucoup la reine sa mère en esprit et en agréments. Sa jeunesse, l'agréable fraîcheur de son beau teint enflamma le roi d'un feu si violent, qu'il ne put le cacher à l'infante, et il lui dit qu'il avait résolu de l'épouser, puisqu'elle seule pouvait le dégager de son serment.

The young princess, full of virtue and modesty, thought she would faint at this horrible proposal. She threw herself at the feet of her father the king, and begged him, with all the strength she could muster in her mind, not to force her to commit such a crime.

La jeune princesse, remplie de vertu et de pudeur, pensa s'évanouir à cette horrible proposition. Elle se jeta aux pieds du roi son père, et le conjura, avec toute la force qu'elle put trouver dans son esprit, de ne la pas contraindre à commettre un tel crime.

The king, who had set himself this strange project in mind, had consulted an old druid to put the princess' conscience at rest. This druid, who was not so much religious as ambitious, sacrificed the interests of innocence and virtue to the honour of being a confidant of a great king, and so skilfully insinuated himself into the king's mind, so softened the crime he was about to commit, that he even persuaded him that it was a pious act to marry his daughter. The prince, flattered by the speeches of this scoundrel, embraced him, and returned from him more stubborn than ever in his project: he, therefore, ordered the infanta to prepare herself to obey him.

Le roi, qui s'était mis en tête ce bizarre projet, avait consulté un vieux druide pour mettre la conscience de la princesse en repos. Ce druide, moins religieux qu'ambitieux, sacrifia, à l'honneur d'être confident d'un grand roi, l'intérêt de l'innocence et de la vertu, et s'insinua avec tant d'adresse dans l'esprit du roi, lui adoucit tellement le crime qu'il allait commettre, qu'il lui persuada même que c'était une oeuvre pie que d'épouser sa fille. Ce prince, flatté par les discours de ce scélérat, l'embrassa, et revint d'avec lui plus entêté que jamais dans son projet : il fit donc ordonner à l'infante de se préparer à lui obéir.

The young princess, outraged by the pain, thought of nothing else but to go and find the Lilac Fairy, her godmother. For this purpose, she set off that same night in a pretty cabriolet harnessed to a big sheep that knew all the roads. She arrived happily. The fairy, who loved the infanta, told her that she knew everything she had come to tell her, but that she had no worries, as nothing could harm her if she faithfully carried out what she was going to tell her. "For, my dear child," she said to her, "it would be a great fault to marry your father; but, without contradicting him, you can avoid it: tell him that, to fulfil a fancy you have, he must give you a dress of the colour of the time; never, with all his love and power, can he succeed."

La jeune princesse, outrée d'une vive douleur, n'imagina rien autre chose que d'aller trouver la fée des Lilas, sa marraine. Pour cet effet elle partit la même nuit dans un joli cabriolet attelé d'un gros mouton qui savait tous les chemins. Elle y arriva heureusement. La fée, qui aimait l'infante, lui dit qu'elle savait tout ce qu'elle venait lui dire, mais qu'elle n'eût aucun souci, rien ne pouvant lui nuire si elle exécutait fidèlement ce qu'elle allait lui prescrire. « Car, ma chère enfant, lui dit-elle, ce serait une grande faute que d'épouser votre père; mais, sans le contredire, vous pouvez l'éviter : dites-lui que, pour remplir une fantaisie que vous avez, il faut qu'il vous donne une robe de la couleur du temps; jamais, avec tout son amour et son pouvoir, il ne pourra y parvenir. »

The princess thanked her godmother well; and the next morning she told the king her father what the fairy had advised her to do, and protested that no confession would be made of her unless she had a dress the colour of the time. The king, delighted with the hope she gave him, assembled the most famous workmen and ordered them to make the dress, on condition that if they failed to do so, he would have them all hanged. He did not have the sorrow to come to this extremity; from the second day, they brought the dress so desired. The empyrean is no more beautiful blue when it is girded with golden clouds than this beautiful dress when it was laid out. The infanta was very upset by this, and did not know how to get out of her predicament. The king was pressing for a conclusion. The godmother had to be called in again and, astonished that her secret had not succeeded, told her to try to ask for one the colour of the moon. The king, who could refuse her nothing, sent for the most skilful workmen, and so expressly ordered them to make a dress the colour of the moon, that there were not twenty-four hours between the order and its delivery…

La princesse remercia bien sa marraine; et dès le lendemain matin elle dit au roi son père ce que la fée lui avait conseillé, et protesta qu'on ne tirerait d'elle aucun aveu qu'elle n'eût une robe couleur du temps. Le roi, ravi de l'espérance qu'elle lui donnait, assembla les plus fameux ouvriers, et leur commanda cette robe, sous la condition que, s'ils ne pouvaient réussir, il les ferait tous pendre. Il n'eut pas le chagrin d'en venir à cette extrémité; dès le second jour ils apportèrent la robe si désirée. L'empyrée n'est pas d'un plus beau bleu lorsqu'il est ceint de nuages d'or, que cette belle robe lorsqu'elle fut étalée. L'infante en fut toute contristée, et ne savait comment se tirer d'embarras. Le roi pressait la conclusion. Il fallut recourir encore à la marraine, qui, étonnée de ce que son secret n'avait pas réussi, lui dit d'essayer d'en demander une de la couleur de la lune. Le roi, qui ne pouvait lui rien refuser, envoya chercher les plus habiles ouvriers, et leur commanda si expressément une robe couleur de la lune, qu'entre ordonner et l'apporter il n'y eut pas vingt-quatre heures...

The infanta, more enchanted by this superb dress than by the care of the king her father, became immoderately distressed when she was with her wives and nurse. The Lilac Fairy, who knew everything, came to the aid of the afflicted princess, and said to her: "Either I am very much mistaken, or I believe that, if you ask for a dress the colour of the sun, we shall either succeed in disgusting the king your father, for it will never be possible to make such a dress, or we shall at least gain time.

L'infante, plus charmée de cette superbe robe que des soins du roi son père, s'affligea immodérément lorsqu'elle fut avec ses femmes et sa nourrice. La fée des Lilas, qui savait tout, vint au secours de l'affligée princesse, et lui dit : « Ou je me trompe fort, ou je crois que, si vous demandez une robe couleur du soleil, ou nous viendrons à bout de dégoûter le roi votre père, car jamais on ne pourra parvenir à faire une pareille robe, ou nous gagnerons au moins du temps. »

The infanta agreed, asked for the dress, and the loving king gave, without regret, all the diamonds and rubies in his crown to help with this superb work, with orders to spare nothing to make this dress equal to the sun. And so, as soon as it appeared, all those who saw it unfurled were forced to close their eyes, so dazzled were they. It was from this time that green glasses and black lenses were introduced. What happened to the infanta at this sight? Never had anyone seen anything so beautiful and so artistically worked. She was confounded; and under the pretext of having a sore eye, she retired to her room, where the fairy was waiting for her, more ashamed than one can say. It was much worse: for, on seeing the sun's dress, she turned red with anger. Oh, now, my daughter," she said to the infanta, "we shall put your father's unworthy love to a terrible test. I think he is very stubborn about this marriage which he believes to be so near, but I think he will be a little dizzy at the request I advise you to make to him: it is the skin of that donkey which he loves so passionately, and which provides for all his expenses with such profusion; go, and do not fail to tell him that you desire this skin.

L'infante en convint, demanda la robe, et l'amoureux roi donna, sans regret, tous les diamants et les rubis de sa couronne pour aider à ce superbe ouvrage, avec ordre de ne rien épargner pour rendre cette robe égale au soleil. Aussi, dès qu'elle parut, tous ceux qui la virent déployée furent obligés de fermer les yeux, tant ils furent éblouis. C'est de ce temps que date les lunettes vertes et les verres noirs. Que devint l'infante à cette vue ? Jamais on n'avait rien vu de si beau et de si artistement ouvré. Elle était confondue; et sous prétexte d'avoir mal aux yeux, elle se retira dans sa chambre, où la fée l'attendait, plus honteuse qu'on ne peut dire. Ce fut bien pis : car, en voyant la robe du soleil, elle devint rouge de colère. « Oh ! pour le coup, ma fille, dit-elle à l'infante, nous allons mettre l'indigne amour de votre père à une terrible épreuve. Je le crois bien entêté de ce mariage qu'il croit si prochain, mais je pense qu'il sera un peu étourdi de la demande que je vous conseille de lui faire : c'est la peau de cet âne qu'il aime si passionnément, et qui fournit à toutes ses dépenses avec tant de profusion; allez, et ne manquez pas de lui dire que vous désirez cette peau. »

The infanta, delighted to find yet another way of evading a marriage she hated, and who thought at the same time that her father could never bring himself to sacrifice his donkey, came to him and explained her desire for the skin of this beautiful animal. Although the king was astonished at this fantasy, he did not hesitate to satisfy it. The poor donkey was sacrificed, and the skin gallantly brought to the infanta, who, seeing no way of evading her misfortune, was about to despair, when her godmother came running. What are you doing, my daughter?" she said, seeing the princess tearing her hair and bruising her beautiful cheeks; "this is the happiest moment of your life. Wrap yourself in this skin; leave this palace, and go as far as the earth will carry you: when one sacrifices everything to virtue, the gods know how to reward it. Go, I will take care that your toilet follows you everywhere; wherever you stop, your cassette, where your clothes and jewels will be, will follow your steps under the ground; and here is my wand which I give you: by striking the ground, when you need this cassette, it will appear to your eyes; but make haste to leave; and do not delay.

L'infante, ravie de trouver encore un moyen d'éluder un mariage qu'elle détestait, et qui pensait en même temps que son père ne pourrait jamais se résoudre à sacrifier son âne, vint le trouver, et lui exposa son désir pour la peau de ce bel animal. Quoique le roi fût étonné de cette fantaisie, il ne balança pas à la satisfaire. Le pauvre âne fut sacrifié, et la peau galamment apportée à l'infante, qui, ne voyant plus aucun moyen d'éluder son malheur, s'allait désespérer, lorsque sa marraine accourut. « Que faites-vous, ma fille ? dit-elle, voyant la princesse déchirant ses cheveux et meurtrissant ses belles joues; voici le moment le plus heureux de votre vie. Enveloppez-vous de cette peau; sortez de ce palais, et allez tant que terre pourra vous porter : lorsqu'on sacrifie tout à la vertu, les dieux savent en récompenser. Allez, j'aurai soin que votre toilette vous suive partout; en quelque lieu que vous vous arrêtiez, votre cassette, où seront vos habits et vos bijoux, suivra vos pas sous terre; et voici ma baguette que je vous donne : en frappant la terre, quand vous aurez besoin de cette cassette, elle paraîtra à vos yeux; mais hâtez-vous de partir; et ne tardez pas. »

The infanta kissed her godmother a thousand times, begged her not to abandon her, put on that ugly skin, after smearing herself with chimney soot, and left the rich palace without being recognised by anyone.

The absence of the infanta caused a great rumour. The king, in despair, who had had a magnificent party prepared, was inconsolable. He sent out more than a hundred gendarmes and more than a thousand musketeers to search for his daughter; but the fairy, who protected her, made her invisible to the most skilful searchers: so it was necessary to console himself.

L'infante embrassa mille fois sa marraine, la pria de ne pas l'abandonner, s'affubla de cette vilaine peau, après s'être barbouillée de suie de cheminée, et sortit de ce riche palais sans être reconnue de personne.

L'absence de l'infante causa une grande rumeur. Le roi, au désespoir, qui avait fait préparer une fête magnifique, était inconsolable. Il fit partir plus de cent gendarmes et plus de mille mousquetaires pour aller à la quête de sa fille; mais la fée, qui la protégeait, la rendait invisible aux plus habiles recherches : ainsi il fallut bien s'en consoler.

In the meantime, the infanta was on her way. She went far, far, farther, and looked everywhere for a place to stay; but although they gave her food out of charity, they found her so filthy that no one wanted her. However, she entered a beautiful town, at the gate of which was a farmhouse, whose farmer needed a sloven to wash the dishcloths, clean the turkeys and the pigs' trough. This woman, seeing this traveller so dirty, offered to let her into her house; which the infanta accepted with a great deal of pleasure, so tired was she of having walked so much. They put her in a back corner of the kitchen, where for the first few days she was the butt of the coarse jokes of the flunkeys, so dirty and disgusting was her donkey skin. At last, they got used to her; besides, she was so careful to fulfil her duties that the farmer took her under her protection. She drove the sheep and had them parked when they needed to be; she led the turkeys to graze with such intelligence that it seemed as if she had never done anything else: everything bore fruit under her beautiful hands.

Pendant ce temps l'infante cheminait. Elle alla bien loin, bien loin, encore plus loin, et cherchait partout une place; mais quoique par charité on lui donnât à manger, on la trouvait si crasseuse que personne n'en voulait. Cependant elle entra dans une belle ville, à la porte de laquelle était une métairie, dont la fermière avait besoin d'une souillon pour laver les torchons, nettoyer les dindons et l'auge des cochons. Cette femme, voyant cette voyageuse si malpropre, lui proposa d'entrer chez elle; ce que l'infante accepta de grand coeur, tant elle était lasse d'avoir tant marché. On la mit dans un coin recule de la cuisine, où elle fut, les premiers jours, en butte aux plaisanteries grossières de la valetaille, tant sa peau d'âne la rendait sale et dégoûtante. Enfin on s'y accoutuma; d'ailleurs elle était si soigneuse de remplir ses devoirs que la fermière la prit sous sa protection. Elle conduisait les moutons, les faisait parquer au temps où il le fallait; elle menait les dindons paître avec une telle intelligence, qu'il semblait qu'elle n'eût jamais fait autre chose : aussi tout fructifiait sous ses belles mains.

One day, sitting by a clear fountain, where she often deplored her sad condition, she thought of taking a look at herself, but the appalling donkey skin which made up her hair and clothing appalled her. Ashamed of this adjustment, she cleaned her face and hands, which became whiter than ivory, and her beautiful complexion regained its natural freshness. The joy of finding herself so beautiful made her want to bathe in it, which she did: but she had to put on her unworthy skin to return to the farm. Fortunately, the next day was a feast day; so she had time to draw out her cassette, to arrange her toilet, to powder her beautiful hair, and to put on her beautiful dress the colour of the time. Her room was so small that the tail of this beautiful dress could not stretch. The beautiful princess wondered and admired herself with good reason, so that she resolved, in order to relieve herself, to put on her beautiful dresses in turn, on festivals and Sundays; which she punctually executed. She mixed flowers and diamonds in her beautiful hair with admirable art; and often she sighed to have for witnesses of her beauty only her sheep and turkeys, who loved her as much with her horrible donkey skin, whose name was given to her on that farm.

Un jour qu'assise près d'une claire fontaine, où elle déplorait souvent sa triste condition, elle s'avisa de s'y mirer, l'effroyable peau d'âne, qui faisait sa coiffure et son habillement, l'épouvanta. Honteuse de cet ajustement, elle se décrassa le visage et les mains, qui devinrent plus blanches que l'ivoire, et son beau teint reprit sa fraîcheur naturelle. La joie de se trouver si belle lui donna envie de s'y baigner. ce qu'elle exécuta : mais il lui fallut remettre son indigne peau pour retourner à la métairie. Heureusement le lendemain était un jour de fête; ainsi elle eut le loisir de tirer sa cassette, d'arranger sa toilette, de poudrer ses beaux cheveux, et de mettre sa belle robe couleur du temps. Sa chambre était si petite, que la queue de cette belle robe ne pouvait pas s'étendre. La belle princesse se mira et s'admira elle-même avec raison, si bien qu'elle résolut, pour se désennuyer, de mettre tour à tour ses belles robes, les fêtes et les dimanches; ce qu'elle exécuta ponctuellement. Elle mêlait des fleurs et des diamants dans ses beaux cheveux, avec un art admirable; et souvent elle soupirait de n'avoir pour témoins de sa beauté que ses moutons et ses dindons, qui l'aimaient autant avec son horrible peau d'âne, dont on lui avait donné le nom dans cette ferme.

One day of festival, when Peau-d'Ane had put on the dress colour of the sun, the son of the king, to whom this farm belonged, came down there to rest, while returning from the hunt. This prince was young, handsome and beautifully made, the love of his father and the queen his mother, adored by the people. The young prince was offered a country snack, which he accepted: then he set out to explore the farmyards and all their corners. Running from place to place, he came to a dark alley, at the end of which he saw a closed door. Curiosity made him look at the lock; but what became of him, when he saw the princess so beautiful and so richly dressed, that from her noble and modest air, he took her for a divinity! The impetuosity of feeling which he felt at that moment would have led him to break down the door, had it not been for the respect that this ravishing person inspired in him.

Un jour de fête, que Peau-d'Ane avait mis la robe couleur du soleil, le fils du roi, a qui cette ferme appartenait, vint y descendre pour se reposer, en revenant de la chasse. Ce prince était jeune, beau et admirablement bien fait, l'amour de son père et de la reine sa mère, adoré des peuples. On offrit à ce jeune prince une collation champêtre, qu'il accepta : puis il se mit à parcourir les basses-cours et tous leurs recoins. En courant ainsi de lieu en lieu, il entra dans une sombre allée, au bout de laquelle il vit une porte fermée. La curiosité lui fit mettre l'oeil à la serrure; mais que devint-il, en apercevant la princesse si belle et si richement vêtue, qu'à son air noble et modeste il la prit pour une divinité ! L'impétuosité du sentiment qu'il éprouva dans ce moment l'aurait porté à enfoncer la porte, sans le respect que lui inspira cette ravissante personne.

He came out of this dark and obscure alley with difficulty, but it was to inquire who was the person who lived in this little room. He was told that she was a slattern, who was called Donkey-skin, because of the skin she wore; and that she was so dirty and filthy that no one looked at her, nor spoke to her; and that she had been taken only out of pity, to look after the sheep and turkeys.

Il sortit avec peine de cette allée sombre et obscure, mais ce fut pour s'informer qui était la personne qui demeurait dans cette petite chambre. On lui répondit que c'était une souillon, qu'on nommait Peau-d'Ane, à cause de la peau dont elle s'habillait; et qu'elle était si sale et si crasseuse, que personne ne la regardait, ni ne lui parlait; et qu'on ne l'avait prise que par pitié, pour garder les moutons et les dindons.

The prince, not very satisfied with this clarification, saw that these rude people knew no more, and that it was useless to question them. He returned to the palace of the king his father, more in love than can be said, having continually before his eyes the beautiful image of this divinity which he had seen through the keyhole. He repented of not knocking at the door, and promised himself that he would not fail to do so another time. But the agitation of his blood, caused by the ardour of his love, gave him, in the same night, a fever so terrible that he was soon reduced to extremity. The queen his mother, who had only him as a child, despaired that all remedies were useless. She promised in vain the greatest rewards to the doctors; they used all their art, but nothing cured the prince.

Le prince, peu satisfait de cet éclaircissement, vit bien que ces gens grossiers n'en savaient pas davantage, et qu'il était inutile de les questionner. Il revint au palais du roi son père, plus amoureux qu'on ne peut dire, ayant continuellement devant les yeux la belle image de cette divinité qu'il avait vue par le trou de la serrure. Il se repentit de n'avoir pas heurté à la porte, et se promit bien de n'y pas manquer une autre fois. Mais l'agitation de son sang, causée par l'ardeur de son amour, lui donna, dans la même nuit, une fièvre si terrible, que bientôt il fut réduit à l'extrémité. La reine sa mère, qui n'avait que lui d'enfant, se désespérait de ce que tous les remèdes étaient inutiles. Elle promettait en vain les plus grandes récompenses aux médecins; ils y employaient tout leur art, mais rien ne guérissait le prince.

At last, they guessed that a deadly grief was causing all this havoc; they warned the queen, who, full of tenderness for her son, came to beseech him to tell the cause of his affliction; and that, when it came to giving up the crown to him, the king his father would come down from his throne without regret, to bring him up; That if he desired any princess, even if they were at war with the king his father, and had just subjects to complain of, they would sacrifice everything to obtain what he desired; but that she begged him not to let himself die, since their lives depended on his.

Enfin ils devinèrent qu'un mortel chagrin causait tout ce ravage; ils en avertirent la reine, qui, toute pleine de tendresse pour son fils, vint le conjurer de dire la cause de son mal; et que, quand il s'agirait de lui céder la couronne, le roi son père descendrait de son trône sans regret, pour l'y faire monter; que s'il désirait quelque princesse, quand même on serait en guerre avec le roi son père, et qu'on eût de justes sujets pour s'en plaindre, on sacrifierait tout pour obtenir ce qu'il désirait; mais qu'elle le conjurait de ne pas se laisser mourir, puisque de sa vie dépendait la leur.

The queen did not finish this touching speech without wetting the prince's face with a flood of tears. Madam," said the prince at last, in a very weak voice, "I am not so unnatural as to desire my father's crown; may heaven grant that he may live many years, and that he may wish me to be for a long time the most faithful and most respectful of his subjects! As for the princesses you offer me, I have not yet thought of marrying; and you can be sure that, submissive as I am to your wishes, I will always obey you, whatever the cost. - Ah, my son," said the queen, "nothing will cost me to save your life; but, my dear son, save mine and that of the king your father, by declaring to me what you desire, and be assured that it will be granted. Well, madam," he said, "since I must tell you what I think, I will obey you; it would be a crime for me to put in danger two people who are so dear to me. I want Donkey-skin to make me a cake, and as soon as it is made, to bring it to me.

La reine n'acheva pas ce touchant discours sans mouiller le visage du prince d'un torrent de larmes. « Madame, lui dit enfin le prince avec une voix très faible, je ne suis pas assez dénaturé pour désirer la couronne de mon père; plaise au ciel qu'il vive de longues années, et qu'il veuille bien que je sois long temps le plus fidèle et le plus respectueux de ses sujets ! Quant aux princesses que vous m'offrez, je n'ai point encore pensé à me marier; et vous pensez bien que, soumis comme je le suis à vos volontés, je vous obéirai toujours, quoi qu'il m'en coûte. - Ah ! mon fils, reprit la reine, rien ne me coûtera pour te sauver la vie; mais, mon cher fils, sauve la mienne et celle du roi ton père, en me déclarant ce que tu désires, et sois bien assuré qu'il te sera accordé. Eh bien ! madame, dit-il, puisqu'il faut vous déclarer ma pensée, je vais vous obéir; je me ferais un crime de mettre en danger deux êtres qui me sont si chers. Oui ma mère, je désire que Peau-d'Âne me fasse un gâteau, et que, dès qu'il sera fait, on me l'apporte. »

The queen, astonished at this strange name, asked who this Donkey-Skin was. It is, madam," said one of her officers, who by chance had seen this girl, "the ugliest beast after the wolf; a black skin, a filthy one, who lodges in your tenant farm and guards your turkeys. -It is a sick fancy; in a word, I want Donkey-skin (since Donkey-skin is there) to make him a cake quickly.

They ran to the farmhouse, and sent for Donkey-Skin, to order him to do his best to make a cake for the prince.

La reine, étonnée de ce nom bizarre, demanda qui était cette Peau-d'Ane. « C'est, madame, reprit un de ses officiers qui par hasard avait vu cette fille, c'est la plus vilaine bête après le loup; une peau noire, une crasseuse, qui loge dans votre métairie et qui garde vos dindons. -N'importe, dit la reine; mon fils, au retour de la chasse, a peut-être mangé de sa pâtisserie; c'est une fantaisie de malade, en un mot, je veux que Peau-d'Ane (puisque Peau-d'Ane il y a) lui fasse promptement un gâteau. »

On courut à la métairie, et l'on fit venir Peau-d'Ane, pour lui ordonner de faire de son mieux un gâteau pour le prince.

Some authors have assured us that when this prince had put his eye to the lock, her own people had seen him: and then, looking out of her little window, she had seen this prince so young, so handsome and so well-made, that the idea had remained with her, and that this memory had often cost her a few sighs. In any case, having seen him, or having heard much about him with praise, delighted to be able to find a way of being known, Peau-d'Ane shut herself up in her room, threw off her ugly skin, washed her face and hands, put on her blond hair, put on a beautiful corset of shining silver, a similar petticoat, and set about making the cake she had so longed for: she took some of the purest flour, some eggs and fresh butter. As she worked, whether by design or otherwise, a ring which she had on her finger fell into the batter, got mixed up in it; and as soon as the cake was baked, putting on its horrible skin, she gave the cake to the officer, to whom she asked for news of the prince; but this man, not deigning to answer her, ran to the prince's house to bring him the cake.

Quelques auteurs ont assuré que Peau-d'Ane, au moment que ce prince avait mis l'oeil à la serrure, les siens l'avaient aperçu : et puis, que regardant par sa petite fenêtre, elle avait vu ce prince si jeune, si beau et si bien fait, que l'idée lui en était restée, et que souvent ce souvenir lui avait coûté quelques soupirs. Quoi qu'il en soit, Peau-d'Ane l'ayant vu, ou en ayant beaucoup entendu parler avec éloge, ravie de pouvoir trouver un moyen d'être connue. s'enferma dans sa chambre, jeta sa vilaine peau, se décrassa le visage et les mains, se coiffa de ses blonds cheveux, mit un beau corset d'argent brillant. un jupon pareil, et se mit à faire le gâteau tant désiré : elle prit de la plus pure farine, des oeufs et du beurre bien frais. En travaillant, soit de dessein ou autrement, une bague qu'elle avait au doigt tomba dans la pâte, s'y mêla; et dès que le gâteau fut cuit, s'affublant de son horrible peau, elle donna le gâteau à l'officier, à qui elle demanda des nouvelles du prince; mais cet homme, ne daignant pas lui répondre, courut chez le prince lui porter ce gâteau.

The prince took it greedily from the man's hands, and ate it with such vivacity, that the doctors, who were present, did not fail to say that this fury was not a good sign: indeed, the prince thought of choking on the ring which he found in one of the pieces of the cake; but he deftly drew it from his mouth: and his eagerness to devour that cake was slowed down, as he examined that fine emerald, mounted on a gold ring, the circle of which was so narrow, that he judged that it could only fit the prettiest finger in the world.

Le prince le prit avidement des mains de cet homme, et le mangea avec une telle vivacité, que les médecins, qui étaient présents, ne manquèrent pas de dire que cette fureur n'était pas un bon signe : effectivement, le prince pensa s'étrangler par la bague qu'il trouva dans un des morceaux du gâteau; mais il la tira adroitement de sa bouche : et son ardeur à dévorer ce gâteau se ralentit, en examinant cette fine émeraude, montée sur un jonc d'or, dont le cercle était si étroit, qu'il jugea ne pouvoir servir qu'au plus joli doigt du monde.

He kissed this ring a thousand times, put it under his bedside table, and drew it out at any moment, when he thought he would not be seen by anyone. The torment he gave himself, to imagine how he could see the one to whom this ring could go; and not daring to believe, if he asked for Peau-d'Ane, who had made this cake he had asked for, that he would be allowed to bring her, nor daring to say what he had seen through the keyhole, lest he be laughed at, and taken for a visionary, all these ideas tormenting him at once, the fever took hold of him strongly; and the doctors, not knowing what to do, declared to the queen that the prince was sick with love.

Il baisa mille fois cette bague, la mit sous son chevet, et l'en tirait à tout moment, quand il croyait n'être vu de personne. Le tourment qu'il se donna, pour imaginer comment il pourrait voir celle à qui cette bague pouvait aller; et n'osant croire, s'il demandait Peau-d'Ane, qui avait fait ce gâteau qu'il avait demandé, qu'on lui accordât de la faire venir, n'osant non plus dire ce qu'il avait vu par le trou de la serrure, de crainte qu'on se moquât de lui, et qu'on le prît pour un visionnaire, toutes ces idées le tourmentant à la fois, la fièvre le reprit fortement; et les médecins, ne sachant plus que faire, déclarèrent à la reine que le prince était malade d'amour.

The queen ran to her son's house with the king, who was distressed: "My son, my dear son," cried the distressed monarch, "name the one you want; we swear that we will give her to you, even if she is the vilest of slaves. The queen, embracing him, confirmed the king's oath. The prince, moved by the tears and caresses of the authors of his days, said to them: "My father and my mother, I have no intention of making an alliance which would displease you; and as proof of this truth," he said, drawing the emerald from under his bedside, "I will marry the person to whom this ring goes, whoever she may be; and there is no appearance that the person who will have this pretty finger is a boorish person or a peasant.

La reine accourut chez son fils, avec le roi, qui se désolait : « Mon fils, mon cher fils, s'écria le monarque affligé, nomme-nous celle que tu veux; nous jurons que nous te la donnerons, fût-elle la plus vile des esclaves. » La reine, en l'embrassant, lui confirma le serment du roi. Le prince, attendri par les larmes et les caresses des auteurs de ses jours : « Mon père et ma mère, leur dit-il, je n'ai point dessein de faire une alliance qui vous déplaise; et pour preuve de cette vérité, dit-il en tirant l'émeraude de dessous son chevet, c'est que j'épouserai la personne à qui cette bague ira, telle qu'elle soit; et il n'y a pas apparence que celle qui aura ce joli doigt soit une rustaude ou une paysanne. »

The king and queen took the ring, examined it curiously, and judged, as did the prince, that this ring could only belong to a girl of good family. Then the king, having embraced his son and begged him to get well, went out and had drums, fifes and trumpets sounded throughout the town, and his heralds shouted that all they had to do was to come to the palace to try on a ring, and that the one to whom it would fit would marry the heir to the throne.

The princesses arrived first, then the duchesses, marquises and baronesses; but no matter how much they shrank their fingers, none could put on the ring. It was necessary to come to the grisettes, who, as pretty as they were, all had fingers that were too big. The prince, who was feeling better, tried it on himself. Finally, it came to the chambermaids; they were no more successful. There was no one left who had not tried this ring without success, when the prince asked for the cooks, the kitchen maids, the sheep keepers: they were all brought in; but their fat, red, short fingers could not go beyond the nail.

Le roi et la reine prirent la bague, l'examinèrent curieusement, et jugèrent, ainsi que le prince, que cette bague ne pouvait aller qu'à quelque fille de bonne maison. Alors le roi ayant embrassé son fils, en le conjurant de guérir, sortit, fit sonner les tambours, les fifres et les trompettes par toute la ville, et crier par ses hérauts que l'on n'avait qu'à venir au palais essayer une bague, et que celle à qui elle irait juste épouserait l'héritier du trône.

Les princesses d'abord arrivèrent, puis les duchesses, les marquises et les baronnes; mais elles eurent beau toutes s'amenuiser les doigts, aucune ne put mettre la bague. Il en fallut venir aux grisettes, qui, toutes jolies qu'elles étaient, avaient toutes les doigts trop gros. Le prince, qui se portait mieux, faisait lui-même l'essai. Enfin, on en vint aux filles de chambre; elles ne réussirent pas mieux. Il n'y avait plus personne qui n'eût essayé cette bague sans succès, lorsque le prince demanda les cuisinières, les marmitonnes, les gardeuses de moutons : on amena tout cela; mais leurs gros doigts rouges et courts ne purent seulement aller par-delà l'ongle.

"Has this Donkey-skin been sent for, who has been baking me a cake for the last few days?" said the prince. Everyone laughed, and told him no, so dirty and filthy was she. Let him be fetched presently," said the king; "it will not be said that I have excepted anyone. They ran, laughing and mocking, to fetch the turkey keeper.

« A-t-on fait venir cette Peau-d'Ane, qui m'a fait un gâteau ces jours derniers ? » dit le prince. Chacun se prit à rire, et lui dit que non, tant elle était sale et crasseuse. « Qu'on l'aille chercher tout à l'heure, dit le roi; il ne sera pas dit que j'aie excepté quelqu'un. » On courut, en riant et se moquant, chercher la dindonnière.

The infanta, who had heard the drums and the cry of the heralds, had well suspected that her ring was making this din: she loved the prince; and, as true love is fearful and has no vanity, she was in continual fear that some lady had a finger as small as hers. So she was very glad when she was sought out and knocked at her door. Ever since she had heard that they were looking for a suitable finger to put on her ring, I don't know what hope had led her to do her hair more carefully, and to put on her beautiful silver body, with the petticoat full of falbalas, silver lace, and studded with emeralds. As soon as she heard the knock at the door, and that she was called to go to the prince's house, she quickly put on her donkey skin, opened her door And these people, mocking her, told her that the king was asking her to marry his son, and then, with long bursts of laughter, they led her to the prince, who himself, astonished at the attire of this girl, did not dare to believe that it was she whom he had seen so pompous and so beautiful. Saddened and confounded at having been so heavily deceived, he said to her, "Is it you who lodge at the end of this dark alley, in the third bailey of the farmhouse? -- Yes, my lord," she answered. -- Show me your hand," he said, trembling and sighing deeply…

L'infante, qui avait entendu les tambours et le cri des hérauts d'armes, s'était bien doutée que sa bague faisait ce tintamarre : elle aimait le prince; et, comme le véritable amour est craintif et n'a point de vanité, elle était dans la crainte continuelle que quelque dame n'eût le doigt aussi menu que le sien. Elle eut donc une grande joie quand on vint la chercher et qu'on heurta à sa porte. Depuis qu'elle avait su qu'on cherchait un doigt propre à mettre sa bague, je ne sais quel espoir l'avait portée à se coiffer plus soigneusement, et à mettre son beau corps d'argent, avec le jupon plein de falbalas, de dentelles d'argent, semé d'émeraudes. Sitôt qu'elle entendit qu'on heurtait à la porte, et qu'on l'appelait pour aller chez le prince, elle remit promptement sa peau d'âne, ouvrit sa porte; et ces gens, en se moquant d'elle, lui dirent que le roi la demandait pour lui faire épouser son fils, puis, avec de longs éclats de rire, ils la menèrent chez le prince, qui, lui-même, étonné de l'accoutrement de cette fille, n'osa croire que ce fût elle qu'il avait vue si pompeuse et si belle. Triste et confondu de s'être si lourdement trompé; « Est-ce vous, lui dit-il, qui logez au fond de cette allée obscure, dans la troisième basse-cour de la métairie ? -- Oui, seigneur, répondit-elle. -- Montrez-moi votre main », dit-il en tremblant et poussant un profond soupir...

Who was really surprised? It was the king and queen, as well as all the chamberlains and grandees of the court, when from under that black and filthy skin there emerged a small, delicate, white, rose-coloured hand, where the ring fitted without difficulty on the prettiest little finger in the world; And by a little movement which the infanta gave herself, the skin fell off, and she appeared so ravishingly beautiful, that the prince, weak as he was, got down on her knees, and clasped them with an ardour which made her blush; but this was hardly noticed, because the king and queen came and kissed her with all their strength, and asked her if she would marry their son. The princess, confused by so many caresses and the love shown to her by this handsome young prince, was about to thank them, when the ceiling opened and the Lilac Fairy, descending in a chariot made of branches and flowers of her name, told, with infinite grace, the story of the infanta.

Dame ! qui fut bien surpris ? Ce furent le roi et la reine, ainsi que tous les chambellans et les grands de la cour, lorsque de dessous cette peau noire et crasseuse sortit une petite main délicate, blanche et couleur de rose, où la bague s'ajusta sans peine au plus joli petit doigt du monde; et par un petit mouvement que l'infante se donna, la peau tomba, et elle parut d'une beauté si ravissante, que le prince, tout faible qu'il était, se mit à ses genoux, et les serra avec une ardeur qui la fit rougir; mais on ne s'en aperçut presque pas, parce que le roi et la reine vinrent l'embrasser de toute leur force, et lui demander si elle voulait bien épouser leur fils. La princesse, confuse de tant de caresses et de l'amour que lui marquait ce beau jeune prince, allait cependant les en remercier, lorsque le plafond s'ouvrit, et que la fée des Lilas, descendant dans un char fait de branches et de fleurs de son nom, conta, avec une grâce infinie, l'histoire de l'infante.

The king and queen, charmed to see that Donkey Skin was a great princess, redoubled their caresses; but the prince was still more sensitive to the virtue of the princess, and his love increased by this knowledge.

Le roi et la reine, charmés de voir que Peau-d'Ane était une grande princesse, redoublèrent leurs caresses; mais le prince fut encore plus sensible à la vertu de la princesse, et son amour s'accrut par cette connaissance.

Such was the prince's impatience to marry the princess, that he scarcely gave time to make the proper preparations for this august wedding. The king and queen, who were in a panic for their daughter-in-law, caressed her a thousand times, and held her in their arms incessantly; she had declared that she could not marry the prince without the consent of the king her father: so he was the first to whom an invitation was sent, without telling him who the bride was; the Lilac fairy, who presided over everything, as was only natural, had demanded it, because of the consequences. Kings came from all over the world: some in sedan chairs, others in cabriolets; some more distant, mounted on elephants, on tigers, on eagles; but the most magnificent and the most powerful was the father of the infanta, who had fortunately forgotten his disordered love, and had married a widowed queen, very beautiful, of whom he had had no child. The infanta ran to meet him; he recognised her at once, and embraced her with great tenderness, before she had time to throw herself on his knee. The king and queen presented him with their son, whom he showered with friendship. The wedding took place with all the pomp imaginable. The young couple, not very sensitive to these magnificences, saw and looked only at themselves.

L'impatience du prince, pour épouser la princesse, fut telle, qu'à peine donna-t-il le temps de faire les préparatifs convenables pour cet auguste hyménée. Le roi et la reine, qui étaient affolés de leur belle-fille, lui faisaient mille caresses, et la tenaient incessamment dans leurs bras; elle avait déclaré qu'elle ne pouvait épouser le prince sans le consentement du roi son père : aussi fut-il le premier à qui on envoya une invitation, sans lui dire quelle était l'épousée; la fée des Lilas, qui présidait à tout, comme de raison, l'avait exigé, à cause des conséquences. Il vint des rois de tous les pays : les uns en chaise à porteurs, d'autres en cabriolet; de plus éloignés, montés sur des éléphants, sur des tigres, sur des aigles; mais le plus magnifique et le plus puissant fut le père de l'infante, qui heureusement avait oublié son amour déréglé, et avait épousé une reine veuve, fort belle, dont il n'avait point eu d'enfant. L'infante courut au-devant de lui; il la reconnut aussitôt, et l'embrassa avec une grande tendresse, avant qu'elle eût le temps de se jeter à ses genoux. Le roi et la reine lui présentèrent leur fils, qu'il combla d'amitiés. Les noces se firent avec toute la pompe imaginable. Les jeunes époux, peu sensibles à ces magnificences, ne virent et ne regardèrent qu'eux.

The king, the prince's father, had his son crowned that same day, and, kissing his hand, placed him on his throne, in spite of the resistance of this son so well born: he had to obey. The celebrations of this illustrious marriage lasted nearly three months; but the love of the two spouses would still last, so much did they love each other, if they had not died a hundred years later.

Le roi, père du prince, fit couronner son fils ce même jour, et, lui baisant la main, le plaça sur son trône, malgré la résistance de ce fils si bien né : il lui fallut obéir. Les fêtes de cet illustre mariage durèrent près de trois mois; mais l'amour des deux époux durerait encore, tant ils s'aimaient, s'ils n'étaient pas morts cent ans après.

Fanmail - masterlist (2016-) - archives - hire me - reviews (2020-) - Drive

[ionozoned]

@gruusha || TODAY'S SPECIAL GUEST IS...

Though she'd been (mostly) over-exaggerating, when she saw the way he reacted, she almost wondered if they really were sick. Probably not dying, but her fellow gym leader seemed to be even more exasperated than usual. That could probably be explained by the way she'd burst into the wrong room and interrupted Grusha's own hospital visit, but realising that would require Iono to accept that she'd made a horrible mistake here- she much preferred living her life purposefully oblivious to her own wrongdoings and deluding herself into thinking that people were just overreacting when they got upset with her.

So in proper Iono fashion, she tried to brush off Grusha's grievances with a little "psssh" noise as she waved one of her sleeves around in dismissal. She gave her eyes a small roll to complete her little act of nonchalance. "Kay, FIRST of all- Giratina? Ewww. That's so cringe and like, emo. 'Least pick something cuter, like Cresselia." She shrugged, seemingly unbothered by Grusha's abrasiveness.

Instead of doing what she should have and absconding after a polite apology, she took the response as a welcome to enter further into the hospital room. Her eyes wandered around the room, not focusing on anything specific. In all honesty, she didn't really know what anything was for and she wasn't too curious about it. Overall, she found hospitals too boring and lacking in stimuli for them to hold her interest for very long. Everything was just so plain and muted and blocky, but not in the fun way like Minecraft or Lego.

She found a chair not too far from the other and happily sat down in it without asking, swinging her legs underneath its seat as she turned back to Grusha with a bit of a pout on her face. She shook her finger at him in a scolding manner, as if she wasn't nearly a decade his junior.

"SECOND, I thought this WAS the right room number. Maybe YOU'RE just in the wrong room, Grusha, ever think'a that???" Classic Iono deflection. She'd figure out where she'd gone wrong later, but right now she was a lot less concerned than she probably should have been. Somewhere, there was a poor sick kid waiting to see their favourite streamer, but Iono was far too caught up in this accidental visit with Grusha to worry about that now. The kid could wait! It's not like they were going to die, or anything. Probably. Beside, they probably had a backup in case Iono was a no show, so all's well that ends well. Ce la vie!

"Anywho! Don't be such a drama yanma, no one's gonna sue me over a lil mix up or nothin. And if they even try, my legal team would totally get the W in the end." She was missing the point entirely, but it wasn't entirely clear whether she was missing it on purpose or if it was genuine ignorance. "But since I'm here, I'll just be your make a wish celeb instead! You're prob waiting on the doc or somethin, yeah? SOOOO BORING. I entertain like, MILLIONS of people every day so I can totes keep you busy 'til the doctor shows up."

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

Les Trois Mousquetaires, Chapter 20

One of the best chapters! Hilarity, adventure, suspense, and OMG WHAT ARE THEY DOING in perfect combination.

It starts with a description of our Musketeers-on-a-mission that I just love:

"... c'était comme à la veille d'un combat, le coeur battait, les yeux riaient; on sentait que la vie qu'on allait peut-être quitter était, au bout du compte, une bonne chose.

L'aspect de la caravane, au reste, était des plus formidables: les chevaux noirs des mousquetairs, leur tournure martiale, cette habitude de l'escadron qui fait marcher régulièrement ces nobles compagnons du soldat, eussent trahi le splus strict incognito."

(I'm not going to translate all this, but it's essentially about feeling very alive when risking death, like on the morning of a battle, and about the Musketeers looking really cool on their black horses and with their martial looks. I agree.)

Then it all goes to shite pretty quickly. 😆

When they stop at an auberge for a snack, Porthos gets into a fight with a drunken stranger over drinking to the Cardinal's health vs. to the King's health. While they're pulling their swords to duel, Athos rides on with the other two, telling Porthos to "kill that man and catch up to us." Harsh.

Ominous narrator voice: Porthos doesn't catch up with them.

A few hours later, they get themselves into an ambush because Aramis doesn't want his boots to get dirty (don't ask), and Aramis ends up with a musket ball through his shoulder (and Mousqueton falls from his horse with a ball in his ass, but no one really cares.) They get away, but they eventually have to leave Aramis behind who's too injured to ride any further.

Athos and d'Artagnan, together with Grimaud and Planchet, ride on to Amiens, and Athos swears that he won't let himself get provoked into any kind of fight.

And then he does.

But not before d'Art and Athos have revoked the offer of two separate bedrooms at an inn and instead choose to sleep in a single room. (I hear you screaming THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED, and for your needs I will refer you to the countless fanfics on AO3 at this point.) Oh, and Grimaud sleeps in the stable and Planchet on the floor in front of their door, in case you wondered.

In the morning it turns out that their horses are too exhausted to ride except for Mousqueton's, and that one has accidentally been bled by a veterinarian who mistook it for the inn owner's. Sacrebleu!

"Cela commençait à devenir inquiétant", the narrator comments, and it is indeed a bit suspicious how all these "misfortunes" pile up. Could it be a conspiracy? Could it?!🤔

Then Athos, when paying for their room, is accused of using forged money, and of course he lets himself get provoked, and of course swords are being drawn - and d'Artagnan and Planchet ride off while Athos is fighting against four men.

At last, d'Art and Planchet arrive at Calais - but on the Cardinal's newest orders, there's no boarding a ship without written permission. D'Artagnan, coming up with another Plan™️ manages to steal permissions from a nobleman and his servant by provoking a duel and killing him. (The nobleman's name is 'Compte de Wardes, and, dear reader, you better remember this one!)

They finally make it onto the ship, and although d'Artagnan was stabbed in the chest during the duel, he ignores it away Athos-style ("it slid off the bone; it's just a scratch"), and they make it to London without any further disasters.

Although the Duke of Buckingham is away on a hunt, d'Artagnan finally gets hold of him and delivers the letter.

THAT was a piece of work!

And it was equally disturbing and amusing to witness how cavalier they all were about losing one after the other Musketeer brother on their journey. Like: "Oops, there goes another one. Oh well." *rides on*🤣

[kvetchlandia]

Édouard Boubat     Plutôt la Vie, Paris     May, 1968

Plutôt la vie Plutôt la vie que ces prismes sans épaisseur même si les couleurs sont plus pures Plutôt que cette heure toujours couverte que ces terribles voitures de flammes froides Que ces pierres blettes Plutôt ce cœur à cran d’arrêt Que cette mare aux murmures Et que cette étoffe blanche qui chante à la fois dans l’air et dans la terre Que cette bénédiction nuptiale qui joint mon front à celui de la vanité totale

Plutôt la vie Plutôt la vie avec ses draps conjuratoires Ses cicatrices d’évasions Plutôt la vie plutôt cette rosace sur ma tombe La vie de la présence rien que de la présence Où une voix dit Es-tu là où une autre répond Es-tu là Je n’y suis guère hélas Et pourtant quand nous ferions le jeu de ce que nous faisons mourir Plutôt la vie

Plutôt la vie plutôt la vie Enfance vénérable Le ruban qui part d’un fakir Ressemble à la glissière du monde Le soleil a beau n’être qu’une épave Pour peu que le corps de la femme lui ressemble Tu songes en contemplant la trajectoire tout du long Ou seulement en fermant les yeux sur l’orage adorable qui a nom ta main Plutôt la vie

Plutôt la vie avec ses salons d’attente Lorsqu’on sait qu’on ne sera jamais introduit Plutôt la vie que ces établissements thermaux Où le service est fait par des colliers Plutôt la vie défavorable et longue Quand les livres se refermeraient ici sur des rayons moins doux Et quand là-bas il ferait mieux que meilleur il ferait libre oui Plutôt la vie

Plutôt la vie comme fond de dédain A cette tête suffisamment belle Comme l’antidote de cette perfection qu’elle appelle et qu’elle craint La vie le fard de Dieu La vie comme un passeport vierge Une petite ville comme Pont-à-Mousson Et comme tout s’est déjà dit Plutôt la vie

-- André Breton, “Plutôt la Vie” 1923

Choose life instead of those prisms with no depth even if their colors are purer Instead of this hour always hidden instead of these terrible vehicles of cold flame Instead of these overripe stones Choose this heart with its safety catch Instead of that murmuring pool And that white fabric singing in the air and the earth at the same time Instead of that marriage blessing joining my forehead to total vanity's                                               Choose life

Choose life with its conspiratorial sheets Its scars from escapes Choose life choose that rose window on my tomb The life of being here nothing but being here Where one voice says Are you there where another answers Are you there I'm hardly here at all alas And even when we might be making fun of what we kill                                               Choose life

Choose life choose life venerable Childhood The ribbon coming out of a fakir Resembles the playground slide of the world Though the sun is only a shipwreck Insofar as a woman's body resembles it You dream contemplating the whole length of its trajectory Or only while closing your eyes on the adorable storm named your hand                                               Choose life

Choose life with its waiting rooms When you know you'll never be shown in Choose life instead of those health spas Where you're served by drudges Choose life unfavorable and long When the books close again here on less gentle shelves And when over there the weather would be better than better it would be free yes                                               Choose life

Choose life as the pit of scorn With that head beautiful enough Like the antidote to that perfection it summons and it fears Life the makeup on God's face Life like a virgin passport A little town like Pont-á-Mousson And since everything's already been said                                               Choose life instead

---

The slogan “plutôt la vie” (something more or less like “choose life,” or “choose life instead”) was taken from an André Breton poem and became one of the rallying cries of the worker/student demonstrations that rocked France in 1968.  Boubat’s photo is a simple, eloquent classic.

[pedanther]

Apart from the older translator's determination not to pick up what Dumas is laying down when it comes to Eugénie, here are a few more interesting differences between the English translations.

Here, the older translator is definitely picking up what Dumas is laying down:

Nul n'est friand de loges qui ne coûtent rien comme un millionnaire.

To no class of persons is the presentation of a gratuitous opera–box more acceptable than to the wealthy millionaire, who still hugs economy while boasting of carrying a king’s ransom in his waistcoat pocket.

No one likes a free box as much as a millionaire.

Here, the older translator omits the capper to the earlier running joke:

Le second acte se passa au milieu de cette rumeur sourde qui indique dans les masses assemblées un grand événement. Personne ne songea à crier silence.

The second act passed away during one continued buzz of voices—one deep whisper—intimating that some great and universally interesting event had occurred

The second act was played against that dull murmuring which is the response of a large crowd to some great event. No one thought of shouting: “Silence!”

A few smaller moments of the older translation trying to buff the edges off Eugénie:

—Et cette femme, M. de Morcerf sait-il qui elle est? —Mademoiselle, dit Albert, répondant à cette interpellation presque directe...

“Who is this young person, M. de Morcerf?” inquired Eugenie; “does anybody know?” “Mademoiselle,” said Albert, replying to this direct appeal...

“Does Monsieur Morcerf know who she is?” “Mademoiselle,” Albert said, in reply to this almost direct question...

and

—Elle est donc de retour, la comtesse G...? demanda la baronne. —Dans cette loge de côté, dit Eugénie, presque en face de nous, ma mère; cette femme, avec ces admirables cheveux blonds, c'est elle. —Oh! oui, dit Mme Danglars...

“Then the Countess G——has returned to Paris, has she?” inquired the baroness. “Is that she, mamma?” asked Eugenie; “almost opposite to us, with that profusion of beautiful light hair?” “Yes,” said Madame Danglars, “that is she.

“Countess G——? Is she back, then?” said the baroness. “In that side box,” Eugénie said. “Look, mother, almost opposite us; she's that woman with the magnificant blonde hair.” “Oh, yes,” said Mme Danglars.

and

«Vous êtes là avec une admirable personne, monsieur le comte, dit Eugénie; est-ce votre fille? —Non, mademoiselle, dit Monte-Cristo étonné de cette extrême ingénuité ou de cet étonnant aplomb, c'est une pauvre Grecque dont je suis le tuteur.

“You have a charming young person with you to–night, count,” said Eugenie. “Is she your daughter?” “No, mademoiselle,” said Monte Cristo, astonished at the coolness and freedom of the question. “She is a poor unfortunate Greek left under my care.”

“You are accompanied by a splendid young woman, Monsieur le Comte,” said Eugénie. “Is she your daughter?” “No, Mademoiselle,” Monte Cristo replied, astonished at what was either great naïvety or amazing insolence. “She is a poor Greek; I am her guardian.”

Finally, Albert's recital of the Count's recent deeds:

Vous donnez des attelages de mille louis; vous sauvez la vie à des femmes de procureur du roi; vous faites courir, sous le nom de major Brack, des chevaux pur sang et des jockeys gros comme des ouistitis; enfin, vous gagnez des coupes d'or, et vous les envoyez aux jolies femmes.

You give away horses worth a thousand louis; you save the lives of ladies of high rank and beauty; under the name of Major Brack you run thoroughbreds ridden by tiny urchins not larger than marmots; then, when you have carried off the golden trophy of victory, instead of setting any value on it, you give it to the first handsome woman you think of!

You give away horseflesh to the value of a thousand louis, you save the life of the king's prosecutor, you dub yourself Major Brack to race thoroughbreds ridden by jockeys no bigger than marmosets and, finally, you win gold cups and send them to beautiful women.

(My copy of the Buss translation very definitely says “you save the life of the king's prosecutor”, but I assume that's meant to be “the wife of the king's prosecutor”, or possibly “the life of the wife of the king's prosecutor” – and after typing that out I don't blame whoever got muddled in the composition.)

[insomniakingdoom]

RP Shenaningans

Ce n’est pas *encore* canon, mais c’est plannifié mdr. Je l’ai partager avec celle qui jouera Daisy et elle a pleurer. Je suis si fier de moi. | It isn’t canon *yet*, but it is planned. Shared it with the Daisy player and she cried, I’m so proud of me. _______ Waluigi regarde le plafond. Une autre nuit qu'il passera sans dormir. C'était son quotidien, il passait ses nuits à attendre le marchand de sable jusqu'à abandonné et sortir du lit pour se trouver d'autres occupations. Parfois, comme cette fois, il laisse simplement ses pensées s'entremêler. Ce n'était pas quelque chose qu'il aimait faire, il revoyait ses échecs en boucle, les moqueries qu'il subissait, les paroles blessantes. Une belle collection dans son esprit, l'une qu'il préférait taire, ignorer. Le jour, Waluigi avait de quoi s'occuper, que ce soit pas les plans loufoques qu'il concocte avec Wario ou lorsqu'il se tape l'incruste dans des évènements où il n'a pas sa place. Tout et n'importe quoi pour attirer l'attention sur lui, pour oublier. Le svelte personnage prisonnier de ses idées noires. Celles où il est obligé de réaliser que ses actions n'ont aucun sens. Il veux être apprécier, mais à défaut de ne pas le pouvoir, il se fait détester à la place. Puis il regrette. Un cycle pitoyable. Pourtant, cette série de pensées maussades s'éclaircit brusquement. Waluigi repense à Daisy, comment il était parvenu à la faire sourire aujourd'hui. Comment cette dernière lui avait dit qu'il était de bonne compagnie. Lui, celui qu'on laisse derrière, qu'on aime détester. De bonne compagnie? Il repense à son rire, ses beaux yeux bleus comme l'océan, sa voix mélodieuse qui faisait chanter son coeur. Puis, Waluigi serre le torse. Non, il ne pouvait pas se le permettre. Waluigi ne pourrait pas supporter une énième déception. Il soupire lourdement, puis poses ses mains sur son visage dans un cri étouffé. Lui qui s'était promis de l'éviter pour ne plus que ça arrive. Lui qui avait peur de se brûler à nouveau, avait laisser ce petit soleil revenir dans sa vie. Il l'aime au point que ça lui fait mal. Il aurait espérer avoir réussis à passer à autre chose. Waluigi savait qu'il ne faisait que se mentir à lui-même. Son coeur ne l'a pas oublié. Son amour pour Daisy... English translation: 

Waluigi looks at the ceiling. Another night that he will spend without sleeping. It was his daily life, he spent his nights waiting for the sandman until he gave up and gets out of bed to find others things to do. Sometimes, like this time, he just lets his thoughts intertwine. It wasn't something he liked to do, he saw his failures over and over again, the teasing he suffered, the hurtful words. A beautiful collection in his mind, one he preferred to keep quiet, ignore. During the day, Waluigi had plenty to do, whether it was the crazy plans he concocts with Wario or when he self-invite in events where he didn't belong. Anything and everything to draw attention to him, to forget. The slender character prisoner of his dark thoughts. The ones where he is forced to realize that his actions are meaningless. He wants to be liked, but since he fail to, he decide to gets hated instead. Then he regrets. A pitiful cycle. However, this series of sullen thoughts suddenly cleared up. Waluigi thinks back about Daisy, how he managed to make her smile today. How the latter had told him that he was good company. Him, the one we leave behind, the one we love to hate. Being a good company? He thinks back to her laughter, her beautiful blue eyes that shine brightly like the ocean, her melodious voice that made his heart sing. Then, Waluigi squeezes his chest. No, he couldn't afford it. Waluigi could not bear yet another disappointment. He sighs heavily, then puts his hands on his face in a muffled cry. He who had promised himself to avoid it so that it wouldn't happen again. He who was afraid of getting burned again, had let this little sun come back into his life. He loves her so much that it hurts him. He wished he had managed to move on. Waluigi knew he was only lying to himself. His heart has not forgotten it. His love for Daisy...

[madamedupigeonsalon]

Politique : les français parlent aux français , et non à Macron

Les manifestations en France qu on peut apercevoir aujourd’hui, ressemblent aux « événements de mai 1968 », un peu de colère et surtout une bonne remise en cause de la politique en France. Le président Macron passe la réforme des retraites de 62 à 64 ans. Mais est ce qu ils pensent aux métiers difficiles ? Il a dit que c est le seul moyen pour que les jeunes ne payent pas les retraites, mais , on a enlevé l impôt sur la fortune mais on vote pour passer la réforme des retraites. Est ce que le président Macron est le président des riches ?

Oui , il faut travailler dans la vie mais on devrait apprendre à penser qu il y a des gens qui n ont rien ! Faut il brûler des poubelles ? Retourner des écoles ? Tout arrêter ? Non .. à mes yeux , je n irai pas faire la guerre aux policiers dans la rue. Je dis ça parce qu il faut trouver des solutions aux problèmes au lieu de faire plus la guerre à la guerre. Trouvons-nous nécessaire de nous laisser aller ? Au lieu de ça …vivons ! Dansons ! Buvons ! Et dansons à nouveau !!! Est ce qu on recherche la stabilité ou la sécurité ? Évidemment, après avoir eu des traumatismes profonds dans la société, on ne veut qu une chose la stabilisation de nos émotions. Cherchons a l intérieur de nous mêmes pour retrouver l essence de nos vies. Vous me direz , est ce qu on que le choix entre l illusion et l utopie ? La protection sociale , la retraite , l éducation etc été acquis mais on aujourd’hui on nous le retire . Même au sein de la famille , on se marie plus pour toujours et on a des enfants hors mariages. On change de monde. Il n y a plus de filets de protections mais on peut le créer ! L avenir est incertain et on doit ré décider régulièrement des décisions prises hier mais quand on veut… on peut tout changer et découvrir de nouvelles choses.

Oui, Mr le Président , le peuple est en colère et cela reste une tragédie mais nous ne lâcherons rien. On se relèvera comme toujours ! Parce que le peuple se relève toujours.

Politics : French people talk to French people not to Macron

The demonstrations in France that we can see today resemble the "events of May 1968", a little anger and above all a good questioning of politics in France. President Macron passes the pension reform from 62 to 64 years old. But do they think about difficult jobs? He said that this is the only way for young people not to pay pensions, but, we have removed the wealth tax but we are voting to pass the pension reform. Is President Macron the president of the rich? Yes, you have to work in life but you should learn to think that there are people who have nothing! Should we burn garbage cans? Go back to schools? Stop everything? No .. in my eyes, I will not go to war against the police in the street. I say that because we have to find solutions to the problems instead of making more war on war. Do we find it necessary to let go? Instead…let's live! Let's dance! Let's drink ! And let's dance again!!! Are we looking for stability or security? Obviously, after having had deep traumas in society, we only want one thing: the stabilization of our emotions. Let us search within ourselves to find the essence of our lives. You will tell me, do we have the choice between illusion and utopia? Social protection, retirement, education etc. have been acquired but today they are being taken away from us. Even within the family, we don't marry forever and we have children out of wedlock. We change the world. There are no more protective nets but we can create it! The future is uncertain and we must regularly re-decide the decisions made yesterday, but when we want… we can change everything and discover new things. Yes, Mr. President, the people are angry and it remains a tragedy but we will not give up. We will rise again as always! Because the people always get up.

Kevin Ngirimcuti

[shalomelohim]

Ha Hallelujah… Arabic Christian Song, Egypt (Subtitles@CC)

Belle ambiance en 3 chansons.

Une pensée pour nos Frères et Soeurs du Moyen-Orient.

[A surveiller] Alors que le Ramadan va débuter d’ici quelques jours,

Que les enfants d’Ismaël reviennent à la Maison du Père qui les appelle encore et toujours.

Prions et intercédons pour le salut des musulmans et la protection des chrétiens persécutés en terre d’Islam.

Au nom de Yahshua, notre Sauveur et Roi, unique Chemin, Vérité et Vie. Amen !

Comme dirait le Roi David :

“ Tu m’élèves au-dessus de mes adversaires, tu me sauves de l’homme violent. C’est pourquoi je te louerai parmi les nations, Eternel, et je chanterai à la gloire de Ton Nom. ” (2 Samuel 22:49b-50)

♥  ♥  ♥

1ère chanson - 1rst Song : Yalli Mutti Badali

[Refrain] Ya elaahi, ana albi byusjud leek Oh my God my heart is worshiping You Oh mon Dieu, mon cœur T’adore Ya elaahi, ana albi byeKHda'a leek Oh my God my heart submits to You Oh mon Dieu mon cœur se soumet à Toi Ya Hamal mathbouH a'anni You are the lamb that was slaughtered for me Tu es l’agneau qui a été sacrifié pour moi [x2]

Yalli mutti badali He who was died instead for me Celui qui est mort à ma place, pour moi Wi shayel kulli aHmali And carried all my burdens for me Et a porté tous mes fardeaux, pour moi Bissama btishfa'a feyya In the heavens You intercede for me Dans les cieux Tu intercèdes pour moi O'mri da'a wi shtaretu My life was lost but You bought it back Ma vie était perdue mais Tu l’as rachetée Albi tah wi lae'etu wi fata Ht leya e'nayya My heart was lost and You found it, And opened my eyes Mon cœur était perdu et Tu l’as trouvé, Et ouvert mes yeux [x2]

[Refrain]

Leek elmajd wi lkaraama, welbahaa’ All glory and the dignity, honor is for You Toute la gloire et la dignité, l’honneur est pour Toi Leek a'alama sultanak beyHarrarni Your authority sets me free Ton autorité me libère Leek elqowwa weljalal The power and the majesty are Yours Le pouvoir et la majesté sont à Toi Mne-lbashar abra'a jamal You are more beautiful than men Tu es plus beau que les hommes Ne'emetak betGHayyarni Your grace has changed me. Ta grâce m’a changé.

[Refrain]

2ème chanson - 2nd song :  Inta Aali

[Refrain] Inta ‘aalii fouk kulli issme mahma ykuun You are high, above every name whatever it may be Tu es élevé, au-dessus de tout nom quel qu'il soit Aalii, fouk elssahaab wimaalil kuun High, above the clouds and filling the universe Elevé, au-dessus des nuages ​​et remplissant l'univers Aalii, hatshuuf mulkak kullil 'uyuun, 'aalii High, all eyes will see Your Kingdom, high Elevé, tous les yeux verront Ton Royaume, élevé [x2]

Malek El-Moloukk we-Galaalak maalil wujuud hawalaynaa King of Kings, Your glory overflows around us Roi des rois, Ta gloire déborde autour de nous Wejbaal betduub oodaamak, Issmak 'aalii ya fadiinaa O Redeemer, mountains level before You, Your name is high Ô Rédempteur, les montagnes s'élèvent devant Toi, Ton nom est élevé [x2] Del anhaar bitsa'af lak, kull il-aalaat ta 'zif lak These rivers clap for You, all instruments play for You Ces rivières applaudissent pour Toi, tous les instruments jouent pour Toi Wiya rabb bikelma mennak kullil muluuk takhdalak And Lord with one word from You, all kings bow down to you Et Seigneur avec un seul mot de Toi, tous les rois se prosternent devant Toi

[Refrain]

3ème chanson - 3rd song : Hallelujah

Tasbiih al-Rab ya'la wa ta'la ma'uu al-farhan Praise the Lord on High with joy Louez le Seigneur élevé avec joie Albii yaghanii al-qadiir My heart sings to the Almighty Mon cœur chante au Tout-Puissant Bi yamaanii ashuuf thuruufii hata al-sa’ba My faith will show in good times and bad Ma foi se manifestera dans les bons et les mauvais moments Ghani ya nifsi lil-qadiir I will sing to the same Almighty Je chanterai pour le même Tout-Puissant Bi-ah'lan ayamaanii shaa'if al-Hae lihu al-sultan lihu al-sultan I will declare my faith to the King to the King Je déclarerai ma foi au Roi des rois Wa min amaamii yinuul jabaalii bil-emaan bil-emaan Faith will move my mountains by faith by faith La foi déplacera mes montagnes, par la foi, par la foi Ana afrah wa ahtif magid ahlaek magid ahlaek I will rejoice and shout Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God Je me réjouirai et je crierai Gloire à Dieu, Gloire à Dieu, Gloire à Dieu

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah HalleluYAH,  HalleluYAH, HalleluYAH, HalleluYAH

Bi-ah'lan Yasuah malik wahid ah'la kul hayatii I will declare Jesus is the only King in my life Je déclarerai que Yeshoua est le seul Roi de ma vie Albii yaghanii al'Musiih My heart sings to Christ Mon coeur chante au Messie Wa bisout al-hamdu Rah ashda tathbit salaatii My voice will praise God and testify to Him to prove my prayers Ma voix louera Dieu et Lui témoignera et prouvera mes prières Ghanii bi nifsi lil-Musiih I am rich in Christ Je suis riche dans le Messie A'mrii wa hayatii kul ahdaafii lil-Musiis lil-Musiih All of my life and goals are for Christ for Christ Toute ma vie et mes objectifs sont pour le Messie, pour le Messie Wa lioum magiinu astana ashufu fi al-amgaad al-amgaad When He comes again I will see Him in Glory in Glory Quand il reviendra, je Le verrai dans la Gloire, dans la Gloire Ana afrah wa ahtif magid ahlaek magid ahlaek I will rejoice and shout Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God Je me réjouirai et je crierai Gloire à Dieu, Gloire à Dieu, Gloire à Dieu

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah HalleluYAH,  HalleluYAH, HalleluYAH, HalleluYAH

[x2]

[originalaccountname]

Fun BSD French translation details and choices - Episode 21 (by someone who does not understand Japanese but thinks the differences with the English translation/subtitles are fun)

General notes: (get comfortable, Stuff Happens and blorbo is here)

A lot of weird little things today. Kouyou said she was delivering Dazai's message to Mori "to thank the ADA for their hospitality". Mori talks like he's mistaking Dazai's tan coat for the coat he gave him years ago and is delighted Dazai still wears it. Dazai says he only recently learned about the thinkers Mori mentions. Stuff like that, that shifts time or intent slightly.

Dazai's final jab to Mori was "les monstres ont tendance à croire que les autres sont des monstres également" (monsters tend to think others are also monsters).

Soukoku's name in French in the anime is "Double Noir", literally "Double Black" (though 'noir' can mean both 'black' and 'dark'). Fun fact: on the French wiki, they are also listed as "les jumeaux de l'ombre" (twins from the shadows).

After nullifying Steinbeck's ability, Dazai says "Oh, le salopard!~" (Oh, that bastard!~), as if he's sarcastically replying to Steinbeck's shock at Dazai's ability, instead of complaining about having to deal with Chuuya.

When Chuuya asks Dazai if he knows was a Pétrus is, Dazai actually answers and says yes he knows, it's an extremely pricey bordeaux (Oui, c'est un vin de bordeaux extrêmement coûteux).

Dazai call Q "the sleeping princess waiting to be saved" (la princesse endormie qui attend d'être sauvée). Chuuya sneers "yeah, talk about a sleeping princess" (ouais, tu parles d'une princesse endormie).

"Écoute, tant que Q sera en vie, vous aurez besoin de mon pouvoir pour désamorcer le sien; je vous serai des plus précieux, et la Mafia veilleras sur moi comme une tendre mère poule" (Listen, so long as Q is alive, you will need my ability to disarm hers*; I will be invaluable, and the Mafia will watch over me like a sweet mother hen.) (*Q is a girl in the French dub)

Skk's plans are called "Remords et crapaud" (Remorse and Toad), "Pluie derrière le treillis" (Rain Behind the Trellis), "Mensonges d'une fleur décorative" (Lies of a Decorative/Fake Flower) (side note: they all sound like one of them has to hide and/or cause a diversion...)

"Listen Chuuya... I have one last thing to ask you before I die..." (Écoute Chuuya... j'ai une dernière chose à te demander avant de mourir...)

Chuuya refers to using Corruption like it's a strategy name like the other 3 were just before. It's also called Pollution, which is the same word in both English and French. It sounds less cool than Corruption (which would also be the same word in French), but it does fit the tainted+ vibe. Dazai does later refer to it as "Chuuya's corrupted form".

Ô, pourvoyeurs de pollution noire, Autorise-nous à lui fermer les yeux à tout jamais. (O , purveyors of dark pollution, Allow us to forever close their* eyes.) (*singular, unspecified gender pronoun in French)

Today's quotes:

VF: Alors c'est quoi ce tentacule? Un caprice de la nature? (So what's that tentacle then? A freak of nature?) Eng: If it's not an ability, then what is it?

Dazai: Le choix te reviens, mon vieil ami. (The choice is yours, my old friend.) Chuuya: Le choix me revient, le choix me revient... c'est facile à dire ça. En plus, je sais que quand tu prononces ces paroles, c'est que nous n'avons justement plus d'autres choix. (The choice is mine, the choice is mine... that's easy to say. Plus, I know that when you say those words, it's because we don't have any other choices left.) Eng: I'll let you choose. // You'll let me choose? Whenever you say that, I never actually have another choice.

Chuuya: Je me suis servi de ce pouvoir parce que je te faisais confiance, et toi...! Tu as intérêt à me ramener à la base, si tu veux que je... te pardonne un jour... (I used that power because I trusted you, and you...! You better bring be back to base, if you want me to... one day forgive you...) Dazai: Tu peux compter sur moi, coéquipier. (You can count on me, teammate/partner.) Eng: I used Corruption because I trusted you. You... better take me... to the extraction point... // You got it, buddy.

[questionmarkliker]

Mini encyclopedia of styles / Mini encyclopédie des styles

Just like many other types of art, tattooing has a variety of styles. Here’s a couple:

American Traditional, otherwise known as old school, emerged in the 1950s after World War II. The tattoo style is defined by its bold black lines, bright colors, lack of shadows, and simple designs. It commonly covers imagery of knives, women, roses, snakes, butterflies, pin-up girls, skulls, etc.

Neo Traditional, a play and modernization of the American traditional style, emerged in the 1970s in New York. The style was a result of experimentation with colors different from red, yellow, and blue and with line weight. The addition of details and gradients also added more variety to the style.

Watercolour is a style known for its opaque look, vivid colors, and it’s ability to imitate how watercolour would look on paper, only on the skin instead. While requiring no special technique per se, the ability to tattoo in the style requires experience and knowledge of how colours and shading work on skin.

Dotwork, a derivative of pointillism, is a style that gained its popularity in the 90s. It was inspired by the post-impressionist techniques at the time. The style is categorized from its images made with dots. The image comes to life with the help of using depth, contrast, negative space, and other things such as quantity and distance.

Comme beaucoup d’autres types d’art, le tatouage se décline en plusieurs styles. En voici quelques-uns :

L'American Traditional, autrement connu sous le nom de old school, a émergé dans les années 1950 après la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Le style de tatouage est défini par ses lignes noires audacieuses, ses couleurs vives, son absence d’ombres et ses motifs simples. Il couvre généralement des images de couteaux, de femmes, de roses, de serpents, de papillons, de pin-up, de crânes, etc.

Le Néo Traditional, jeu de modernisation du style traditionnel américain, a émergé dans les années 1970 à New York. Le style est le résultat d’expérimentations avec des couleurs différentes du rouge, du jaune et du bleu et avec l’épaisseur des lignes. L’ajout de détails et de dégradés a également ajouté plus de variété au style.

L’aquarelle est un style connu pour son aspect opaque, ses couleurs vives et sa capacité à imiter l’apparence de l’aquarelle sur papier, uniquement sur la peau. Bien qu'elle ne nécessite aucune technique particulière en soi, la capacité de tatouer dans ce style nécessite de l'expérience et une connaissance de la manière dont les couleurs et les nuances agissent sur la peau.

Le dotwork, dérivé du pointillisme, est un style qui a gagné en popularité dans les années 90. Il s'inspire des techniques post-impressionnistes de l'époque. Le style est catégorisé à partir de ses images réalisées avec des points. L'image prend vie grâce à l'utilisation de la profondeur, du contraste, de l'espace négatif et d'autres éléments tels que la quantité et la distance.