#jeanne is not thrilled about it

[trickcomic]

Chapter 1: Page 10

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Archive | Comic Fury (High Res)

[tomicscomics]

05/31/2024

Continuing from the previous cartoon, St. Joan of Arc's sleepover reaches its THRILLING CONCLUSION?! (Yes, this is based on an actual true story.)

___

JOKE-OGRAPHY:

1. Source: After all this time, we finally see the full picture. Now witness the full source from which this ridiculous-but-more-or-less-authentic story arc was spawned -- a portion of St. Joan's trial (translated by W. S. Scott): "Asked if she knew Catherine de la Rochelle, or had seen her, [Jeanne] said yes, at Jargeau; and at Montfaucon-en-Berry. Asked whether [Catherine] had shown her a woman dressed in white, who she said sometimes appeared to her, [Jeanne] answered no. Asked what she said to her, [Jeanne] answered that this Catherine said to her that a woman appeared, a white lady, dressed in cloth of gold, who told her to go through the good towns, and that the king would give her heralds and trumpets to proclaim that whoever had gold, silver, or treasure should at once bring it forth; and that she would know those who did not and those who had hidden it; and would know where to find the treasure; and it would serve to pay Jeanne's men-at-arms. To which she had answered that she should return to her husband, and look after her household and children. And, in order to be certain of the truth, she had spoken to Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret, who told her that this Catherine was mad and a liar. So she wrote to her king that she would tell him what ought to be done. And when she arrived, she informed him that Catherine was only a fool and a liar. However, Brother Richard wanted them to set her to work, which she [Jeanne] would not permit, wherefore Brother Richard and Catherine were displeased with her. Asked if she had spoken to Catherine de la Rochelle concerning going to La Charité, [Jeanne] replied that Catherine did not advise her to go there; saying that it was too cold, and she ought not to go. She said also to Catherine, who wished to go to the Duke of Burgundy to make peace, that it was her opinion that they would find no peace save at the lance's point. She also asked Catherine if this Lady appeared every night; and if so, she would sleep with her. And she did so, but kept awake till midnight; saw nothing, and then went to sleep. And when morning came, she asked if the Lady had appeared. And [Catherine] answered that she had come, but [Jeanne] was asleep, and she had not been able to wake her. So [Jeanne] asked her if the Lady would come the next night. And Catherine said yes. On this account Jeanne slept during the day in order that she might keep awake at night. And she shared Catherine's bed again the following night, and kept awake throughout the night. But she saw no-one, although she often asked, Will she come soon? To which Catherine answered, Yes, soon."

2. Explanation: In short, Joan met Catherine, and while the two might have gotten along at first, their visions eventually told them very different things, and Joan started to distrust Catherine. Eventually, Joan asked Catherine if her visions were visible to everyone and if they would appear every night. Catherine said yes, so Joan stayed over to see the vision. After falling asleep at midnight the first night, she managed to stay away the whole second night, but saw nothing. She took this to mean Catherine was a liar and a madwoman, and that was that.

3. Pun: In the fourth panel, the second narration says that Catherine was "lying" beside Joan. There are two kinds of "lying": one means "resting on a surface," and the other means "deliberately saying something untrue." Because Catherine is lying (resting) on a bed, but also lying (untruthing) to Joan about the White Lady, both definitions are valid AND grammatically correct. Hence, this is a perfect pun, and I demand all due compensation.

[stardustizuku]

Why Miraculous LadyBug Is the Worst Thing To Happen To Magical Girl Genre in All Its History.

It would be easy to sit here and tell you all the logical reasons why Ladybug is a bad show. It has horrible pacing, it has low stakes, repetitive episodes, and a dialogue that is cringe worthy enough to get its own tiktok sound.

But saying that, would be beating a dead horse at this point. Everyone knows this show is a bunch of wasted potential, only made worse by a director who keeps thinking he created gold, when in fact he messed up in a lot of areas – particularly the fact that he’s a grown man who thinks he knows what little girls want.

I’m not here for that.

Particularly, because I can be quite forgiving to shows like this. I mean, they’re kids' shows! Meant for little girls, and I haven’t been one for a few years now. But I still enjoy them.

Why? Well, cause I’m a massive fan of Magical Girl animes. I love the glitter, the sparkles, the silly adventures with friends, and the transformation sequences! Even with all its flaws, I really like them. So, stories or shows that borrow from them, get a pass in all these things. 

I mean, I have fun re-watching WINX Club, I love Star Vs The Forces of Evil despite its flaws. Steven Universe holds a deep place in my heart and She-Ra is…She-Ra is in its very own league of how amazing it is.

So, no. Be it a very dumb show or a very smart one, I can have fun. It’s very rare when a show with, you know, glitter, girly stuff and animals CAN’T hold my attention.

But, well, MLB failed at that.

It’s just, not a good show.

I mean, it could be. But the age demographic would need to drop several, several age groups just to be barely watchable – and even then, I seriously doubt that it would be good for young girls to watch it. The lessons it teaches are concerning, to say the least.

And at this point, you may be thinking,

"Why do you care so much about this show? It’s dumb and you’ve acknowledged it treats its demographic as toddlers. Why do you care so much?"

Well, because I've been here... for a very, very long time.

Listen, I started watching Miraculous Ladybug, back when I was in high school. Maybe a bit old, but, hey, a lot of unique cartoons came out around that time. (Star Vs, Steven Universe, etc). So, I was hopeful. Really hopeful.

Mainly, because I was here before it EVEN premiered. I remember it. The original PV was 2D animated and it had this vague Princess Tutu vibes that JUST I couldn’t resist. It was clear as day that it borrowed a lot of its inspiration from magical girls from the 90's, probably even 80's.

The premise looked similar enough to Kaito Jeanne, and Kaito St. Tail for me to draw those conclusions.

It had a dynamic very similar to Princess Tutu and seemed like a mix of silly and dark like that one was.

To be honest, I could even see hints of Sugar Sugar Rune with Pierre and Felix.

Not to mention, the animation was beautiful.

I will never, never forget that scene with Chat looking at Ladybug starry-eyed under the Paris Moonlight. That was so beautiful, a genuine touch of romance that rang so similar to the Magical Girl animes I grew up with.

I was thrilled, I was excited. I wanted this show to succeed, before even the premier had dropped.

This is all to say -

I never came to this show with the intention for it to fail.

And I didn’t expect nor want it to be ground-breaking or a giant of the genre. I just hoped I could have a fun time.

I didn't want subversions, I didn't want it to be dark, or deep. All I wanted, was sparkles, fun and a good time.

So, when it first aired, I tried to stay positive. I tried to like it, even when it had all these massive red flags.

I’ve never been a big fan of 3D animation, and especially not how it’s used in Magical Girl animes. (We all know the disaster the first season of Sailor Moon Crystal was).

But I swallowed it down.

The characters were different from the original PV

But I swallowed it down.

The background scenery was bland and generic and hardly felt unique.

But I swallowed it down.

I was here since day 1. I was here when Stormy Weather premiered. I was here before many of you were, and

I swallowed it all down.

Because I really, really wanted this to be good.

And I really thought it would.

But things should have been made clear, when they fucked up the one thing they shouldn't. The one thing that held this all together. The one thing that kept me here even as everything was burning to the ground, and I was too naive to realize it.

They fucked up the thing that started all this, to begin with.

MasterList >> NEXT

[confused-french-noises]

Johnny loves Ziggy, the way you love a song.

He is music trapped in a human body. He's bright and bold, and, to Johnny only, soft in the way only a serenade can be.

Loving him is easy. They sing in the clubs Ziggy loves so much, until the morning comes, and kiss in dark alleys. They talk in the underground café, drinking until neither of them walks straight and Marie-Jeanne has to kick them out. They share secrets and labored breaths, alone at night.

Their love is an escape from the mess that Monopolis has become, one they both swore to keep a secret.

***

Johnny loves Sadia, the way you love the ocean.

She is a hurricane of passion and determination, ready to sacrifice anything to get what she wants, impetuous as waves crashing down.

Loving her is thrilling. They dance around bullets, laughter erupting in the middle of gunshots. They talk about their schemes for the étoiles noires' operation, voices rising in excitement as they figure out what had been wrong with the previous plan. There is passion in everything they do, from rioting to kissing to fucking; they even dream too big for themself, but, it feels just right, to imagine a world, their world, one where they can both walk under the sun.

Their love is a strange harmony, born from their mutual chaos, to be shouted over rooftops.

***

Johnny loves Cristal, the way you love the Sun.

She is warm as a candlelight, smart and witty. She might seems naive, but Johnny knows she can be harsh and impulsive, like fire catching.

Loving her is heavenly. They plan for what is to come - overthrowing Zero Janvier, sure, but even after that. They talk about their lives, their past, and it feels like fate brought them together.

Their love is a door open on a brighter future, a dream come true.

***

Johnny has loved Ziggy. He has loved Sadia. He has loved Cristal.

Cristal is dying, right there, in his arms, because he failed to protect her from the violence he brought her in.

Sadia has played him, right from the start, left him, and everything they believed in - or so he thought.

Ziggy followed the dream Johnny couldn't believe in, built something else, a life with no room for the boy who abandoned him - no room for anyone, really, if what he heard about MJ is true.

And Johnny knows he has lost everyone he has ever loved.

Call him selfish if you will, but he's almost glad when the bomb goes off.

[aviel-the-trans-bucket]

Oc introduction, Alexander Hays

Full Name: Jeanne-Alexander Paige Hays

Pronouns: He/They

Birthdate: July 17th 1992

Age: 32

Starsign: Cancer sun, Libra moon, Gemini rising

Height: 5’2

—————————————————

Personality: Alex can come off as sarcastic, cold, aloof or crass to those he’s doesn’t know well. He’s got a flat monotone way of speaking, and a very dry macabre sense of humor. He can vary widely from being very relaxed to being very high energy and high strung. Deep down he’s deeply loving and caring of those he considers friends or family and feels things very deeply, he can be downright doting at times. He’s very socially anxious and fears rejection tho he usually doesn’t show those traits. He loves performing music, and the thrill of being caught up in the crowd. He’s highly empathetic and sensitive to emotion, and boasts a high degree of emotional intelligence even though he himself is a bit of a mess.

Interests: Alex loves making things with his hands, anything from wood carving to sewing to painting to jewelry making. Anything that can get his hands involved is something he takes to very well. Alex also enjoys music and is skulking in piano and violin and drums but his real love is electric guitar and bass. Alex can draw, rather well. He’s skilled in both traditional and digital art and has dabbled in animation before. He loves punk/pop punk music, and before you ask yes the hair is because of Gerard way. Alex loves to cook and bake, again because it gets his hands involved and also because he loves to play with flavor. Alex absolutely loves animals, birds especially.

—————————————————

General overview:

Alex is a nonhuman extra dimensional being known as a chimera, a race of people noted for having bird like wings but also horns and tails. He’s a skilled shapeshifter and mage, as well as a proficient warrior. Alex’s has the unique ability to traverse the rift between dimensions and end up in entirely different worlds, this skill is unique to him and is not found in most chimera. Alex usually keeps his tail and horns hidden due to being raised by regular humans, as such still feels a small amount of internalized shame about them.

Alex lives with his cousins Johnathan (Johnny) and James (jimmy) ghost, his only living blood relatives he’s still in touch with and also his legal guardians growing up. They also stay in touch with his old roommates Johnathan toast, Christopher Colon, and Fred “Spooker” Creedy.

Currently Alex resides on Tamriel within the second era seeking to fulfill his self proclaimed purpose as a guardian of nirn’s natural order. His closest associates being lyris titanborn, sai sahan, and the members of house ravenwatch of rivenspire

Dimensions visited:

Alex has traveled to many worlds and seen many people in his travels he’s encountered the worlds of

Hyrule

Nirn

Alrest

Midgar

Eos

Eorzea

And many more

——————————————————

Relationships:

Johnny: his cousin whom he loves dearly but has some complicated feeling towards due to words and actions from their youths. He’s ride or die, they may not be joined at the hip anymore but he’ll always be there for Johnny and Johnny will always be there to support his baby cousin

Jimmy: Johnny’s more feral and impulsive twin. He cares about him a lot but is often taken aback by some of his antics. He often feels like he acts like more of an adult then him at times which is really saying something. They’d be the type that would commit crimes with eachother.

Johnny T.: Johnny G.’s partner both in business and romance, he’s been around since Alex was a kid and he considers him a dear childhood friend. He finds him kinda childish and goofy but he’s has a good heart even if he acts kinda dumb. He has committed arson with this man before for the sake of his cousin, they’re both ride or die about Johnny.

Colon: colon was one of the teams roommates when the financial situation was dire, he thinks of him as a friend but they were never really that close. Spooker’s partner.

Spooker: spooker was the first roommate that showed up besides good ole toaster, he was younger than the others but still older than Alex by several years. Alex again finds him kinda goofy and childish but it might have been the stress of him having to grow up too fast talking. All in all he thinks he’s a pretty chill pleasent guy.

Lyris: Alex respects the hell out of her, they have a warriors bond. Alex would consider them old and close friends even if lyris isn’t the type for closeness or emotional vulnerability. She’s saves his ass more times than he can count and the same goes for him. Forged in fire those two

Sai: sai is a person Alex both respects and would seek to learn from. I think he would appreciate his temperament and levelheadedness. He never really got as close to him as he would have likes, but then again he wasn’t that close to lyris or abnur either.

Verandis Ravenwatch: this is a complicated one. Alex has issues with authority, a sorta built in deference to his betters he just can’t shake. So while verandis may have seen him as a peer Alex was struggling with seeing him as a superior. As they got close that then morphed into the uncomfortable feeling of weather on not he had a bit of a crush on him, or if he (god forbid this boy has so many daddy issues) saw him as kinda a father figure. In the end I think he settled in friend and peer. Needless to say both of his “deaths” deeply emotionally scared him

Gwendis: the kinda shithead kid sister he never had. Alex was always having to look out for others before Johnny got custody of him. This is like all of that unhinged sibling energy finally having a place to go. They pull pranks, they tease eachother in a lighthearted way, they care about eachother. It’s not all fun and shenanigans though, he sees her as a capable rogue and someone he trusts to watch his back. In the end alex would die for gwendis and really any of the ravenwatch.

Adusa: adusa fills the older sibling he looks for for approval niche, he respects her and her judgment in often to the degree he can forget to relax around her. Alex desperately seeks validation from those he cares about, he can have a tendency of once again viewing her like his boss. They talk mad shit when his is able to relax though, a pair of real gossips those two. Adusa is also Alex’s preferred sparring partner when he wants a bit more of a challenge.

Fennorian: oh fennorian, he’s head over heals absolutely mad about him. He just can’t get the words out to tell him, and he wants to oh so badly. Besides that he would consider fenn one of his closest friends, it just comes so easy to them. They’re so at ease around each other, the conversation flows naturally, and Alex love having the chance to make fenn laugh with a dumb joke or make him flustered with an off the cuff comment. They really get each other. Alex especially loves sitting in his study sketching while fenn is busy. They don’t even need to be talking, just being in the same room existing is enough.

——————————————

Well that’s it, my beloved boy. Feel free to ask me any questions regarding his or his past or anything.

[auburnflight]

VnC 60: Jeanne, Agency and Heteronormativity

In this chapter, we had… uhh… some things thrown at us. And I’m not clear how we should be taking those things. Serious, goofy, the calm(?) before the storm? So I’m going to approach this post not from within the text, but with an idea in IRL society, which affects the text: heteronormativity. Specifically, compulsory heterosexuality: the idea that if you’re a woman, feeling anything toward a man, that has to be a crush. And anything you’re feeling toward a woman is never romantic. Right?

The societal scripts we’re raised with in a heteronormative society dictate how we interpret our own feelings and how we act upon them. What we do with our feelings is often premeditated, rather than genuine. For example, asexual people can often relate to the act of consciously picking people to have “crushes” on when they were growing up, forcing something just because they were taught they had to fit into that framework. In essence, we aren’t given a framework to have full agency over our emotions. (My previous post on Jeanne and the theme of agency in relationships is in the source link if y’all are interested).

This is why I love the freedom that’s at the essence of this moment:

Here, given the opportunity, Jeanne is genuinely and spontaneously expressing her feelings. There was no reflection immediately prior on societal scripts about romance, as there was on her “date” with Vanitas, and as there are for many of us growing up queer in a heteronormative society. It’s plainly just what she’s feeling, and the clumsiness of the delivery only highlights the moment of freedom that she and Dominique are experiencing.

I’m not here to make a judgment on, between Vanitas and Dominique, which of her attractions (regardless of the type) are “true” or “false”. …Okay, maybe there is a bit of a Domijeanne agenda here. But the point I’m trying to make is, once again, we are seeing how Jeanne’s relationship with Vanitas takes away her agency, whereas her suddenly sweet and …canon??? relationship with Dominique gives her back that agency. Breaking out of those heteronormative scripts can be so freeing and thrilling, if a bit scary, and it can ultimately lend us more comfort and happiness with being our genuine selves than trying to force ourselves into heteronormative boxes ever could.

I saw a bit of my younger self finally discovering she was sapphic in Jeanne's little outburst here, and whether it's a genuine development in the story or it's supposed to be taken more humorously, it just made me really happy to see such a radiantly queer moment.

[mrmissmrsrandom]

👉👈 asahoku in either B or D flavors?

B: Biting/Begging  or D: Doggy Style/Domination/Denial (actually you get and here!)

“Aah– A-arthur–!”

Hawk, in hindsight, should have not agreed to sex first thing in the morning. Compared to his and his husband’s usual trysts at night, when the large and far between farms that were their neighbors had long gone to bed, sunlight streamed in through their (partially parted) curtains, and Hawk could hear birdsong outside between the sound of their bodies connecting. 

But when he had awoken that morning to Arthur’s gentle kisses across his face, and his morning wood pressed into Hawk’s thigh, he hadn’t found the heart to refuse.

Hawk heard Arthur moan beside his ear as his hips worked faster, before his teeth sunk in again to his throat, sending another piercing thrill of arousal through his mind and body. His thighs trembled while he tried to keep his body supported on his hands and knees as Arthur fully enveloped him. 

“Hawk, Hawk, ahh, we should do this during the day more often...” Arthur said and Hawk could hear the obvious smile in his tone. “You’re so gorgeous, I get to see all of you. I think— I think you’re even louder too—” 

A blush of embarrassment spread across Hawk’s face, reaching the tips of his ears. 

Surely—surely he wasn’t that loud–?! 

But as he tried to dip his head down, only to have Arthur’s fingers grip his chin to pull him back while he nipped his ear. 

“No hiding. I want to see you.”

One of Arthur’s hands pressed against Hawk’s stomach, as if searching for the feeling of his cock fucking into Hawk. 

“Maybe we should do it the other way.” Arthur crooned, his voice getting rougher. “Shift so you’re in my lap, bouncing on my—”

Arthur’s very vivid imagination was interrupted by the sound of knocking at their front door. For a moment, both of them went still, and Hawk’s mind flooded with panic. 

He was the first to whisper. “Arthur, we— we need to get the do—ngh?!”

The fingers holding Hawk’s chin had moved to shove into his mouth.

“Sorry, I will, I promise, but I can’t— stop, not now— sorry, sorry!” Arthur whispered, kissing his ear while the hand that had been on Hawk’s stomach had gone to fist Hawk’s cock. “Just— just a little more—”

Hawk was feeling a mix of further embarrassment and arousal as Arthur’s hips moved faster. He also felt irritation as Arthur called out “in a minute!” To another knock at the door, before Hawk had to bite down on Arthur’s fingers as he came.

As he regained some of his thoughts, he wanted to tell Arthur to pull out when he came, only to let out a garbled response before Arthur mumbled some drivel about him “tightening so well” as he came inside him.

Two minutes later, an obviously ruffled but somewhat presentable Arthur answered the door as Hawk was wrapped in their blanket, seething.

It thankfully was a request for pickup on some herbs Hawk had already prepared, but even when Arthur promised to get the bath ready for him, he spent much of his time wrapped up with seed dripping out of his ass forming a plan on how to get back at Arthur. 

—

The chance came with a gift from Agusti, from one of his best and dearest friends, in the shape of a new staff.

Heard you two don’t have much in regards to protection out there, so this might come in handy! Brand new arcane set up, but since you’re a pro with staves you should figure it out well enough. It’s called ‘Freeze.’ Shouldn’t be too serious, but should slow down any annoying brigand who decides to sniff around your place until Arthur zaps him.

Let me know how it goes if you test it!

Jeanne.

Hawk looked over the elegant staff resting in his hand— and a pleased smile crossed his face. He took the time to see that the staff did, indeed, do what Jeanne promised, and then he put the final touches on his plan. 

—

A few nights later, when dinner and the work of the day was done, Hawk beckoned Arthur to their bed with a few coaxing glances. Arthur was sitting with his back against the headboard they had carved for their bed a season ago, and Hawk was sitting in his lap as they passionately kissed. 

“I have a surprise for you.” Hawk said when he felt Arthur’s cock rise underneath him. “Stay right there.”

And Arthur stayed where he was, an eager smile on his face, as Hawk leaned over the side of their mattress, and pulled the staff hiding underneath it. Arthur’s expression immediately changed once Hawk uttered the incantation, his body going unnaturally rigid.

“H-huh?” 

“How do you feel, husband?” Hawk asked.

“I…” Arthur seemed to struggle, but neither his arms or legs moved. “I can’t— move, Hawk?”

“That means this staff is working appropriately.” Hawk smiled. “A gift from Jeanne. Isn’t it nice?”

Arthur was still too confused to give a proper response. “Yeah, but, why did you—?”

“Do you remember the morning you answered the door for me, while I was indisposed?” 

The memory came back, and Arthur had to wherewithal to at least look sheepish.

“Come— come on, we were both panicking, and I know it takes you a bit after we do it to come back to yourself—”

Hawk smiled as Arthur continued to flounder for an excuse, only to eventually give in. 

“Okay, you got me, I give. So is this the punishment: you getting me hot under the collar and leaving me aching for the night?” 

“Mmm, you might luck out: I don’t think this staff is very powerful, so it might only last an hour or so. But this is only the first part of my revenge.” 

Arthur still had enough power over his body to blink. “Huh?”

—

Hawk’s mouth had grown sore as he worked over Arthur’s erection, rubbing soothing circles into Arthur’s thigh while his tongue swiped over the angry red tip of his cock, unable to milk even a drop of precome from it. 

“I should take notes,” Hawk mumbled as he rested his cheek against the sensitive flesh. “It gets so red. I can tell you're straining, but your muscles are still under Freeze’s effects…”

Arthur had screamed himself hoarse, and was now talking in broken, pleading sentences while tears dripped down his cheeks. “Hawk… Hawk it’s too much, I can’t…”

“You can’t?” Hawk said, stroking up his shaft while Arthur keened. “Don’t you want your reward? Don’t you want your thick, hot seed to come all over me, all over my face?”

Arthur’s eyes squeezed shut, and in his agony not realizing he was furiously shaking his head, as if to ward away the image Hawk just planted in his head.  “This isn’t helping!”

“Mmm, I’m sorry.” Hawk said, genuinely feeling for Arthur. “But there’s nothing I can do, and since you can’t touch me, all I’m left with is this.”

Hawk punctuated the last word with another stroke of Arthur’s cock, making Arthur cry. 

“Sorry, sorry, please, please Hawk let me cum, I wanna cummm…!” 

Hawk was about to respond, only to feel Arthur’s thigh jerk underneath his fingers and suddenly he got a face full of Arthur’s reward.

Arthur hiccupped and sobbed as his cock continued to spurt aftershocks of cum, his body limp even when movement had returned to his limbs. Hawk wiped his face before gently taking Arthur into his arms and running a soothing hand through his hair. 

Hawk felt a pleasant warmth as he looked down at the state of his love, even as he gently encouraged him and assured him as Arthur began to snuggle into his embrace. He knew his plan had gone perfectly, and he got to see how adorable Arthur could be when he was begging from a new perspective!

“No…. no more…” Arthur mumbled.

Hawk kissed his sweat-soaked brow. “Don’t worry, no more. My revenge is complete.”

[nvrcmplt]

There's a soft greeting over the phone, the late hours having turned even later on the detective's end there she finds herself in a moment seeking peace from the never-ending paperwork. What was meant to be a dinner were moved once again, and what was meant to be another dinner had to be moved a second time.

"Have you eaten yet?" Jeanne asks, leaning against the windowsill of the office, glass of bourbon resting loosely in her grip. An ironic question to ask for someone whose invitation to dinner has fallen through twice now. "I'm still working on the case, thought I had a lead but it turns out that it was a dead end."

A bother, both of these outcomes. Dinners and plans that never quite manage to fit in with the demand of the job Jeanne holds so close to her heart and being, affairs and runaways never quite landing on times more appropriate for her and the life she attempts to live. It's never been easy, existing outside the title of a detective, even less easy for someone like her whose job has always held a more prominent role in her life, if not going as far as being her life. Late evenings, way too early mornings, an array of hunts that draw her away from anything deemed comfortable and needed by most.

Jeanne doesn't work like that, she never has.

But of course, there she stands ear to phone and glass twirling in hand, she does find herself wondering if she could work like that, even for just a moment. "Once I finish this case I'll make it up for you, Jie Ae." Glass raises slowly to thin lips, a warm sip taken.

"Tell me about your day? I could use the distraction."

Promises in the professions like theirs was something akin to a loose thread on a shirt. It was there, in the back of the mind and whether you had the time to cut it loose, pull it out or just leave it be for the next month space of brain power left, it was hard to say. Busy hands and busy minds kept the intentions of expanding more of their lacking of free time together was rare, the idea of having Jeanne in her apartment at any point was a thrill and desire Ji Ae loved to think about, but it was far and few between. The rush of meeting her for the first time, the rush of meeting someone within the same sexuality and mindset of a business woman was something that really ignited her desires… A few flings, a few sessions of her own mind and wine in her gut and now it was the fizzling of two busy women.

It was amazing whilst the rush lasted, being able to risk it all by visiting the office of the PI. The rush of meeting outside of her apartment or in the streets on the off-chance, the lasting touches of hands in the open or the subtly of watching each others mouths when speaking in public was something worth the wait. So - when Ji Ae had time to relax for once after a 80 hour week, she was thinking of her Jeanne. That thrill and want of having her in her apartment. Smoke-touched and wine-stained lips, the shoulder to rest her head upon and watching TV with, the bed that felt cold ever since they've shared it a few times now. It was a wonderful change but a change that even they couldn't push beyond this.

As dinner plans were cancelled, Ji Ae did feel a little let-down but she had to remember; this was the life of business. Jeanne was a wonderful detective, she had a nose of a bloodhound and drive to hunt what's been given to her. Ji Ae was only able to praise her delight for that but it wasn't inhuman of her to feel down. Sat at her table and watching the candle flicker, attention wavering from dinner plates empty and take-out long cold. She sucked it up, moving to plate herself a small portion to quell the wine drank and refrigerate the rest for a later hour snack or tomorrow's dinner itself.

As her phone rang, attention moved from the TV to the device on the table, knowing the tone and with ease did she move to reach for it. Placing her empty plate aside and stretching out on her cushions to cradle one under her head and another to her chest as she lay the device on her ear. "Hello love." Soft, welcoming and not a hint of her disappointment that was deep in her full gut but it was to subsided, it wasn't to be shared, not until they were in person and they could be adults in the same space to talk things over. For now - she swallowed the sadness of not being able to share another plan with Jeanne but she knew it wasn't from anything she had before. Woman scared of their own shadow, experimental women that wanted just a taste but still got gold feet… Jeanne wasn't like that. She was confident and she wanted her, Her of all boring Koreans.

Conversation was gentle, a lulling similarity of just knowing each others personalities even on the other ends of the phone. For Ji Ae, she felt like she understood Jeanne more through technology than in person and that wasn't a bad thing. Just that sometimes, when you aren't staring at each others lips and picturing each other naked in person, it was easier to be less of a horn dog and actually talk with true intentions. It was amusing to think back on. Still, Ji Ae's mind was fuzzy, her heart full and stomach settled. This, was nice. A peace she wished she could share with Jeanne. "You don't have too, Jeanne. It's only dinner… I was more saddened by the lack of you here to cuddle afterwards." She shared with a low hum. "It must be busy there though, Jeanne. Are you taking care of yourself? As you always tell me to take breaks, I hope you are too, love?" An itch in her throat and her comfortable placement was stood from, phone taken with her as she entered the bedroom to gather her cigarette and lighter to take to her balcony.

Shuffling on her house-coat and taking a seat, she sparked up with a shiver from the chill but welcomed cool to her heated skin. Closing her lashes as she took a drag of the nicotine stick with a need of that fix. "My day?" She chuckled lightly, leaning back with her addiction settling and legs crossing. "I chewed out my staff today for over stepping their boundaries with some sensitive cases. As you know we've been going through some troubling ownership and abuse cases at the hospital…" She began, happy to talk on her over passionate staff doing the best of their hearts but also nearly screwing up several in the works cases.

[akirawrites24]

Day 7: Day Night

@theocxcanonweek Fandom: Persona 5

Canon character used: Ren Amamiya

Fanmade Character used: Tammin Mikuriya 

Ship: Tammin x Ren

______

The two of them are sparring in Mementos, just like how Ren had promised a while ago. But he could see that Tammin was losing control, only the desire to win getting the best of her.

“Calm down Star, being reckless won’t help you in any battle.”

“I am not reckless! I just like the thrill”, Tammin said as she tried to get a hit, but her dagger was missing the entire time.

“JEANNE”, she yelled, calling upon her persona. 

“SONIC WAVES!”, unfortunately, she missed the attack again, her eyes full of rage. Ren noticed that, luckily.

When her mask went back on her face, she tried to go for a physical attack, but he managed to catch her first. 

“Yeah, sure”, he said as he let her go. Tammin sighed and sat down. “I know, I know…This damn adrenaline and rage is taking over and I can’t control it at all-“

“It’s not that Star, it’s you all getting worked up and not taking breaks of everything, that’s not great for you, you know?”

“Here who is talking! Mister ‘I ignore my needs and put everyone else's first’!”, Tammin said to him and he gave her a playful nudge.

“We both need breaks if I may say”, she continued, leaning on his shoulder.

“Then what about this? This weekend, we will spend it together and relax? Like going to the movies or anything?”, Ren asked her.

“That sounds great, really.”

“Is that a date then?”

[mothknight42]

no but seriously tho lol I'm curious about the processing fic, eulogy for roses, and blessed art amongst women?? VERY CURIOUS I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THESE ARE!!!

Also super excited for all of these!! YOU GOT THIS MY FRIEND!!

processing is my forever in progress t4t bayojeanne fic, set post B1 <3 <3 here is a small snippet:

For the first time in years, she wakes up feeling thrilled to start the day. The world has taken on new color with Jeanne in her life.  She wrinkles her nose at her own nauseating sentimentality, and adds a plump grapefruit to her cart. It is nice to get in season produce, and she thinks Jeanne might appreciate the bitter taste. The woman had the oddest preferences. Tart and bitter anything were her go-to, with a disdain for sweetness. Bayonetta will never forget the dramatic scoff Jeanne had let out upon seeing the impressive selection of fruity tea housed within her cabinets. What an odd duck - a witch without a sweet tooth? Nonsensical, if you ask her. Umbra thrive on magical candy, for goodness sake. She gets clementines for herself, a perfectly reasonable choice. 

eulogy for the roses is a sequel to fleurs funéraires, my post B3 hanahaki AU fic!! this fic is from viola's POV. (I had completely forgotten about it until now lol). here is a small snippet:

“Again, kitty.” Viola spits the mud out of her mouth, face crinkling in disgust. Everything aches - this is the fifth (sixth?) time she’s been thrown across the clearing, skidding painfully across the damp earth face first. From within the sword, Cheshire growls in a register akin to laughter. At least someone is having fun. “Asshole,” she mutters, pushing herself up on unsteady arms. Her forearms burn with the exertion, and she flops back to the ground unceremoniously, groaning pitifully in the back of her throat. She can hear Jeanne’s disappointed sigh from all the way across the clearing. Fucking great.

blessed art thou amongst women is actually a Barbara/Melissa fic for Abbott Elementary, and a sorta sequel to my fic sunday best. here is a small snippet of that as well:

It’s getting late. Not that Melissa has obsessively been watching the clock, or anything. She most certainly has not been lying here for the past hour and half in a state of dread and disappointment and self flagellation for said dread and disappointment as the minutes ticked by.  She doesn’t know if Barbara even realizes, curled up against her chest, eyes trained on whatever Lifetime movie she’d put on. Every so often she’ll speak, voice heavy as molasses, and make some witty remark or scathing commentary about the absurdity of the whole film while Melissa strokes an idle thumb against her neck, her shoulder, her ear, humming in agreement.  She seems content, in Melissa’s arms. Wonders will never cease. It would be easy to fall asleep, just like this. Barbara warm and weighty against her frame, the softness of her worn-in couch, the low volume of the TV serving as the perfect white noise. She could close her eyes and drift off, right here. But.

I need to complete some of these WIPs......help. HELP! Thank you for the vote of confidence my friend o7 I hope you enjoyed the small snippets :D

[never-rpg]

Welcome to NEVER RPG! Please send in your url within 48 hours. Be sure to look over our checklist, latest plot drop, & check out our past tasks in case any of them spark your interest. We hope you enjoy, or at least survive, your time on the island!

Welcome to the island, EM! You’ve been accepted as ACE with the faceclaim of Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Ace is such an important facet of the Lost Boys as a group and also as a mythos at large! Through reading your app, I feel like you really clocked all the different reasons why Ace is one of Peter’s favorites and why he’s been able to last on the island and thrive for so long compared to the others: ‘Ace loves Neverland and he loves the Lost Boys and he loves Peter. Losing that frightens him, but being forced to go back to the Other World is a fate worse than death, and he will do what he always has to survive’. I know you’ve already got a handful of plot ideas for Ace and I can’t wait to see them shake out!

Welcome to the island, HARPER! You’ve been accepted as TINKER BELL with the faceclaim of Jeanne Goursaud.

Tinker Bell is an absolute force of nature in your hands and I am so thrilled and wonderfully terrified about that: ‘Laughter is her strongest form of mockery, and though she is hardly taller than a mossy stone from the lagoon, Tinkerbell’s laugh is one that could rustle the branches of trees from miles away’. Is there anything more ominous or chilling than distant laughter on this island?! You’ve got such a talent for writing in a way that is so intrinsically charged with emotion and I simply cannot imagine anyone else in charge of now two of our most emotionally volatile characters!! I am so excited to witness the mayhem and heartbreak Tink is sure to bring!  

[asprinterandamarathon]

BOTR - Day 16 - June 30, 2014

Marathon Day!

My alarm went off at 3:30am. I got out of bed a few minutes later and went downstairs to start the ritual of force feeding myself so that I’d have the calories necessary to run for 4+ hours. Jane appeared a few minutes after. We both did our food prep and started eating to the extent we could considering our lack of appetites at that hour.

Around 4:00am, Sally came downstairs ready to drive us to the shuttle bus pickup point. We had to drive about a mile. As we got closer to the pickup more and more runners appeared. We walked with them across a bridge towards the University of Montana campus and the buses.

It’s amazing how wide awake people can be on a bus at 4:30am headed to the start of a race. All we heard was chatter all around us. People were introducing themselves to their seat mates, talking about this race and others they had done, lamenting injuries, bragging about personal bests, and more. Energy buzzed throughout the bus.

Pic before the start!

It took almost 30 minutes to get to the start. When we arrived at just before 5:00am there were fewer than 100 people milling around. If needed, we had our pick of the port-o-johns. At 5:00 on the nose, fireworks lit up the sky to indicate that we had one hour to go. This happened every 15 minutes until the start. By 5:15 there were hundreds more runners in the staging area.

While we waited we talked to a few people. We met one retired gentleman from Freehold, NJ who hadn’t run a marathon in over a decade. Another gent was wearing a Boston Marathon cap so I asked him when he ran it. 2004 was his answer.

Shortly after the 15 minute warning, Jane and I lined up at the start. It was hard to see the pacers line up ahead of us. I had been working towards a specific goal time but I knew it wasn’t possible with the pain I was suffering.

At 6:00am a larger barrage of fireworks filled the sky to signal the start of the race. I kissed Jane and wished her a good race! I needed to move away quickly as I choked up over the thought of her doing her first marathon and knowing she was going to do well and enjoy it. I looked forward to seeing her at the finish.

Diane, Sally, Adriene, Jeanne, and Galen all cheered us on at various places along the course. It was great to see them and it certainly energized us when we needed it most. We really appreciated them hoping from place to place and waiting for us over the hours that we were running.

Pure joy!

Grrrr.

Still lovin’ it!

Sprint to the finish!

Later I was thrilled to see her cross the finish with great form and a huge smile on her face! We celebrated with the family all afternoon and wrapped up the evening with a kick ass game of Phase 10.

Done!

Family cheering section!

Onesie for baby Thoma! Matches Jane’s race sweatshirt.

Every race needs a lap chicken and a sheep on a leash!

I’d like to say I slept well after but my running aches and pains amplified as the night went on. Regardless, it was a great day.

[7r0773r]

A New Path to the Waterfall by Raymond Carver

I think in this regard that a passage he had marked in Milosz's Unattainable Earth may illuminate Ray's inner objectives:

Jeanne, a disciple of Karl Jaspers, taught me the philosophy of freedom, which consists in being aware that a choice made now, today, projects itself backwards and changes our past actions. (Introduction, p. xxiii)

***

On a piece of scrap paper near his typewriter he had written: "Forgive me if I'm thrilled with the idea, but just now I thought that every poem I write ought to be called 'Happiness.'" (Introduction, p. xxvii)

***

LOOKING FOR WORK

I have always wanted brook trout for breakfast.

Suddenly, I find a new path to the waterfall.

I begin to hurry. Wake up,

my wife says, you're dreaming.

But when I try to rise, the house tilts.

Who's dreaming? It's noon, she says.

My new shoes wait by the door, gleaming.

***

ANOTHER MYSTERY

That time I tagged along with my dad to the dry cleaners— What'd I know then about Death? Dad comes out carrying a black suit in a plastic bag. Hangs it up behind the back seat of the old coupe and says, "This is the suit your grandpa is going to leave the world in." What on earth could he be talking about? I wondered. I touched the plastic, the slippery lapel of that coat that was going away, along with my grandpa. Those days it was just another mystery.

Then there was a long interval, a time in which relatives departed this way and that, left and right. Then it was my dad's turn. I sat and watched him rise up in his own smoke. He didn't own a suit. So they dressed him gruesomely in a cheap sports coat and tie, for the occasion. Wired his lips into a smile as if he wanted to reassure us, Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks. But we knew better. He was dead, wasn't he? What else could go wrong? (His eyelids were sewn closed, too, so he wouldn't have to witness the frightful exhibit.) I touched his hand. Cold. The cheek where a little stubble had broken through along the jaw. Cold.

Today I reeled this clutter up from the depths. Just an hour or so ago when I picked up my own suit from the dry cleaners and hung it carefully behind the back seat. I drove it home, opened the car door and lifted it out into sunlight. I stood there a minute in the road, my fingers crimped on the wire hanger. Then tore a hole through the plastic to the other side. Took one of the empty sleeves between my fingers and held it— the rough, palpable fabric. I reached through to the other side.

***

LETTER (excerpt)

 . . . . "I understood something about identity once," Ruth said, recalling her training days, "all of us young medical students gaping at the hands of a corpse. That's where the humanness stays longest—the hands." And the woman's hands. I made a note at the time, as if I could see them anchored on her slim hips, the same hands Ruth let go of, then couldn't forget.

***

ON AN OLD PHOTOGRAPH OF MY SON (excerpt)

. . . . But don't worry, my boy—the pages turn, my son. We all do better in the future.

***

LATE FRAGMENT

And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so? I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the earth.

[nanshe-of-nina]

There is also a frequent misconception in fantasy and historical fiction that agnatic primogeniture was the One, True, and Eternal method of inheritance in medieval monarchy. This was not the case.

Agnatic primogeniture did not start becoming common until the High Middle Ages (that is, after 1066) and even only then in Western Europe. Older methods of inheritance were:

Agnatic seniority: The oldest male of the dynasty inherits, which usually means that brothers inherit before sons. This was practiced in Scotland, Ireland, the Kievan 'Rus, and Lithuania. In Gaelic locations, this was known as tanistry — though tanistry at least in Ireland also seems to have involved some degree of elective kingship. Though tanistry faded fairly quickly in Scotland, it was invoked by Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale for why his claim to the Scottish throne was superior to that of John Balliol. This was ignored, however, and Balliol was chosen as king, but then found himself constantly undermined by Edward I of England and eventually forced to abdicate. In the Kievan 'Rus and Lithuania, in particular, their respective head honcho seems to have been more regarded as the "first among equals" rather than holding absolute authority over his dynasty.

Elective: Exactly what it says: the monarch is elected. However, the electors were almost always important magnates, both religious and secular; peasants did not get a say. This could be found in Anglo-Saxon England, Visigoth Spain, Scandinavia, and the Holy Roman Empire, but was also found in West Francia. (For instance, the Robertians/Capetians were first elevated to royal status when they were elected by the Frankish nobility.)

Partible: The monarchs' holdings are divided between his sons, who then become monarchs of each part. This was practiced by the Merovingians, Carolingians, and also in Kievan 'Rus and sometimes the Iberian kingdoms — most notoriously when Fernando I, King of Castile, León, and Galicia split his three kingdoms between his sons, Sancho, Alfonso, and García. This worked out about as well as you'd expect and it ended with Sancho deposing his brothers, then getting murdered while besieging his sister, and Alfonso getting everything and keeping García imprisoned.

Even when primogeniture started becoming more the norm, it frequently was not clear whether brothers or sons should inherit first and things got especially messy when inheritance rights of women came into the mix.

The so-called Salic Law of France, for instance, was originally an ad-hoc justification made by Philippe V of France for why he had the right to inherit over his five-year-old niece, Jeanne. It was not a foregone conclusion that he would inherit over her and Jeanne's maternal grandmother and uncle were both initially supportive of her claim. The denial of the French throne to Edward III of England was also such an innovation: much of the French nobility perceived him as a foreigner and weren't thrilled at the prospect of him as their king.

Quick worldbuilding hack, if you want to make a coherent political system for your fantasy world:

Basically, between the fall of Rome and early modern times, in Europe* most political organization wasn't actually kingdoms ruled by One True King like it's usual in fantasy, but something like this:

Feudalism: here, the center of power was not the nation (there was little concept of such thing) or the state, and not even the King, but the landowners (from kings to dukes to counts...) and their network of vassalages to each other. There were no "countries" but rather hereditary titles, and the people who held them. There was little of a true state besides what individual rulers did; they didn't even have formal armies as such, but rather the vassals who provided them, they and could have multiple allegiances. Examples are of course the Holy Roman Empire (neither holy, etc. etc.) France (note that the 100 Years War was a dispute about titles rather than France vs. England), Spain (actually a bunch of kingdoms and crowns rather than a country), etc...

"Empires": A state where a central goverment exerts power over other territories and peoples. These are rather familiar to us, because a formal state exists here, and the ruler is more powerful and often does have a standing arming and administration instead of relying on vassals. Here, there is a bureacracy and a claim to rule a territory, and while they might have vassals and prominent artistocratic families (everyone did) their administration was state-based, not allegiance based. The Roman Empire is the most imperial empire, as well as its cringefail successor the Byzantine Empire, but note that the great Islamic empires also had this kind of administration, with governors appointed and confirmed by the imperial court.

City-States: Basically a powerful city (though they were often the size of small towns, still, very rich) ruled by a local aristocracy, sometimes hereditary, sometimes elected from a few families or guilds, or a mix of both, and in some cases ruled by religious authorities. These could be independent or organized in alliances, but were often vassals of more powerful goverments such as above. Cities are in many way the building brick of larger states; of note, in the Ancient Mediterranean before Rome conquered it all, leagues of city-states were the main powers. Medieval and Early Modern independent city states were the Italian city states of course, and a famous league was the Hansa (many of its members themselves vassals of other powers)

Tribes and Clans: Every culture is different with this, but basically here the centre of power is the relationships between families and kinship. If this sounds familiar to Feudalism, you've been paying attention; Feudalism is what happened when the Roman empire and administration fell, and it was replaced by landowners and their ties of vassalage and allegiances.

Now, besides the history lesson, why is this important? Because there are reasons why rulers had their power, and you should know that.

A king never ruled alone. He was only the head of nobles tied by vassallage (feudalism), or the head of a inherited state bureaucracy and army ("empire"). If you killed the king, another one would rise from the prominent families. Often by bloody civil wars or conquest yes, but the system overall would stay. A king did not reign by its own power or virtue, but because the system itself supported him, and of course, he maintained the system.

A new king who wants to replace the bad old king (a common fantasy storyline) needs to also deal with the allegiances of all its vassals (who would probably rather kill him and take the throne themselves) or build a bureaucracy and an army, supremely expensive endeavors in those times, which took decades if not centuries to build. In fact, the Byzantines and the Arabs inherited most of their state aparatus, in one way or the other, from the Romans.

This is also why these systems lasted so long, too. The appearance of modern republics and other systems of goverment needed the coordination of people and revolutions that did not just kill the king, but also replace it with something else, and for that you need literacy, economic changes, an empowered populace... But that's for another time.

I hope this is fucking helpful because I don't want to spell allegiance ever again.

*I would love to do more about goverments outside Europe, especially Precolombine American ones like the redistrubitionist state-based economy of the Incas, or the Mesoamerican city-states. But that's for another time.

[readitreviewit]

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[project1939]

Day 28- Film: Belles on Their Toes 

Release date: May 2nd, 1952.

Studio: 20th Century Fox 

Genre: Comedy 

Director: Henry Levin 

Producer: Samuel G. Engel 

Actors: Myrna Loy, Jeanne Crain, Debra Paget, Jeffrey Hunter, Edward Arnold 

Plot Summary: This is sequel to 1950’s Cheaper by the Dozen, about an eccentric family in the 1920s with 12 children. Now that the family patriarch has died, Mrs. Gilbreth must support the entire family herself, but not many people will consider hiring a woman with a PhD in engineering. 

My Rating (out of five stars): *** 

I was really looking forward to seeing this today. Not because I’ve seen the film this is a sequel to, because I haven’t, but because I love Myrna Loy so much. (She was one half of the coolest married couple in Hollywood film history, as Nora Charles in The Thin Man movies. And that’s just one thing!) 

Sadly, this movie didn’t really thrill me that much. It was basically just a bit of family fluff. I’m sure if I had seen the first film, I would have found it more enjoyable. I didn’t dislike it, but I just don’t think it stands up very well on its own. 

The Good: 

Myrna Loy’s character. As the mom of the family, trying to support 12 kids on her own, she was not a “typical” Hollywood mom. Lillian Gilbreth was a talented engineer with a PhD! That would be remarkable in 1952, but the real character was living in the 1920s! She had to put up with serious sexism in the movie, but I’m sure it was way worse in real life. 

The cute random little bits of singing throughout the movie. It’s really not a musical, but there were several times where something akin to an informal musical number happened. 

There was definitely a sweetness to it, but it never really went off the deep end into sticky sentimentality. 

Doctor Bob Grayson, the romance for Jeanne Crain. He wasn’t the greatest actor in the world, but he was exquisite blue-eyed eye candy! 

The Bad: 

The plot was barely a plot. It was more like a series of vignettes with the throughline of- “Will the family find a way to stay together given their financial woes?” 

With 12 children, none of them were really developed much as characters. I only learned the names Frank, Anne, Janey, and Ernestine. The other eight? No idea. 

Please let me say it again- I adore Myrna Loy, but it kind of felt like she just phoned this one in. The usual sparkle I find in her wasn’t often there. Granted, the script didn’t give her a ton to work with. 

Why did they do such an awful job with Myrna Loy’s makeup? I like that they didn’t glam her up into Mildred Pierce, but would it have been so hard to give her some color? The utter lack of makeup was not only unflattering, but it was distracting because her face was just a monolithic beige.