#go to sleep minette

[patron-minette]

The ‘bon ami’ quote: Montparnasse and Éponine

During the rue Plumet sequence in Les Misérables, we see Éponine employ a range of different tactics to try and get her father and the Patron-Minette to leave the property, initially attempting to again convince them that the house is not worth robbing before making her famous speech of defiance.

When it comes to Montparnasse in this scene, Éponine appears to appeal to him in a slightly more personal (and/or romantic) way than the other Patron-Minette rogues. She initially addresses him informally— “Comment ça va, Montparnasse”— and uses language throughout the chapter that indicates she shares a closer relationship with him than she does with the other members of this criminal gang, employing numerous terms of endearment such as “mon petit Montparnasse” throughout (I’ve written a separate post going into further detail on this so will not repeat myself here). In addition to this, she holds out and grabs his hand early on in the chapter: “Éponine prit la main de Montparnasse” and appeals to him specifically about not going in, saying he is a “good boy”.

All these phrases vaguely imply that these two characters are a little closer than the other figures present in the scene. However, there is one other telling phrase that I feel is of particular importance when it comes to examining the glimmers of dynamic between Montparnasse and Éponine:

“Mon bon ami Monsieur Montparnasse”

What makes this line so noteworthy? Well, because “bon ami” has numerous meanings… On one hand, and in a literal sense, it translates to ‘good friend’. However, ‘bon ami’ is also a common way one might refer to their partner or lover informally. In fact, we even see ‘bon ami’ used in other parts of the novel to explicitly refer to a lover in a tongue-and-cheek manner—specifically, ‘bonne amie’ is used when we are introduced to Babet's mistress!

So, again, here is another instance where Hugo makes an obvious allusion to the fact that Montparnasse and Éponine are likely sleeping together (the first indicator being in the “Némorin” line).

It is the “bon” in “bon ami” which is especially notable in this context. Normally, the phrase ‘mon ami’ was only really reserved for close friends— which is interesting enough anyway, as even under these circumstances it certainly indicates that Éponine perceives herself to be very close to Montparnasse. But, the added ‘mon bon ami’ indicates an even closer relationship than ‘mon ami’ does. While the term cannot be used as an indicator of any sort of formal relationship going on between Montparnasse and Éponine, it certainly is suggestive.

Why would Hugo bother using this ambiguous phrase here? Well, to me it appears to be a purposeful call-back to the couple’s rendezvous on the night of the failed Gorbeau ambush— where Montparnasse was “être Némorin” with Éponine. However, it should be noted that “mon bon ami” is a far more suggestive indication that these characters might’ve actually shared more of a ‘romantic’ relationship than the “Némorin” line does (which, in context, only really suggests that Montparnasse and Éponine slept together on the night of the Gorbeau ambush).

Additionally, in this particular moment I feel it is crucial for readers to acknowledge the semi-infrequent, potentially partially romantic dynamic that exists between these characters, as it makes things all the more crushing when we then see Montparnasse turn around and threaten Éponine’s life at the end of this scene—so perhaps that was also a motivating factor for the suggestive line to feature in this chapter.

Because of the phrase’s multiple meanings, there have been a myriad of different ways that ‘mon bon ami’ has been translated over time. I have compiled how these lines appear in every major English translation of Les Misérables below, excluding the A. F. Richard translation (1863), since it cut the rue Plumet scene. Sidenote, these below examples are really great indicators of just how different some of these translations are!:

"Mon petit Montparnasse," répondit Éponine très doucement, "il faut avoir confiance dans les gens. Je suis la fille de mon père peut-être." [...] "Mon bon ami monsieur Montparnasse", dit Éponine, "je vous en prie, vous qui êtes bon enfant, n'entrez pas!"

—In original French, 1862

"My darling Montparnasse," answered Éponine very gently, "we must have confidence in people. I am my father's daughter, perhaps." [...] "My good friend Monsieur Montparnasse," said Éponine, "I beg you, you who are a good boy, don't go in!"

—Wilbour trans., 1862

"My dear Montparnasse," Éponine replied very gently, "confidence ought to be placed in people, and I am my father's daughter, perhaps." [...] "My kind M. Montparnasse," Éponine said, "I ask you, who are a good fellow, not to go in."

—Wraxhall trans., 1862

"My little Montparnasse," responded Éponine very gently, "you must have confidence in people. I am the daughter of my father, perhaps." [...] My good friend, Mr. Montparnasse," said Éponine, "I entreat you, you are a good fellow, don’t enter."

—Hapgood trans., 1887

"Montparnasse, my love," said Éponine very sweetly, "you must learn to trust people. Aren't I my father's daughter?" [...] "Montparnasse, you're my friend," said Éponine, "you're a good lad. Don't go in!"

—Denny trans., 1976

"My darling Montparnasse," answered Éponine very gently, "we must have confidence in people. I am my father's daughter, perhaps." [...] "My good friend Monsieur Montparnasse," said Éponine, "I beg you, you're a good boy, don't go in!"

—Wilbour trans. revised by Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee. 1987

"My dear Montparnasse," Éponine replied very sweetly, "you must learn to trust people. I am my father's daughter, after all." [...] "My very dear friend, Monsieur Montparnasse," said Éponine, "please, you're a good boy, don’t go in!"

—Rose trans., 2007

"My dear Montparnasse," Éponine replied very softly, "you should trust people. I'm my father's daughter, after all." [...] "My dear friend, Monsieur Montparnasse," said Éponine, "you're a decent lad, I beg you not to go in there."

—Donougher trans., 2013

#les mis letters #lm 4.8.4 #montparnasse #eponine #eponine thenardier #les miserables #les mis #the brick #rue plumet #meta #quotes #némorin #personally I think that some of these English translations aren’t doing enough to emphasise the undertones to Éponine’s language here #(​first post in a while lol— you know it was going to be about Montparnasse and Éponine)

[cliozaur]

- There’re new facets of Éponine revealed in this chapter. Also, Thénardier is back, and he irritates me even more than usual. There is so much going on here that I don’t know where to start!

- Probably, Éponine was the last person Patron-Minette expected to meet at the Rue Plumet. But I think it was not a coincidence that she was on watch near the house. We don’t know for sure, but probably she somehow learned about the planned raid. It was the first time she followed Marius to the house (because, unlike him, she does not stalk people), and what a coincidence! It was the night of the raid! Although, with Hugo, you never know, maybe it was a coincidence after all.

- When she said, “There is a dog,” the first thing I thought was that she is talking about herself, and it turned out that I was right! Her monologue about being a daughter of a wolf, but at the same time being a dog herself, is absolutely stunning! (We already know about one “dog son of a wolf” in the Brick.) Well, after some thinking, I am not surprised that Hugo makes such a big deal out of comparing criminals to wolves. After all, even in the nineteenth century, wolves were part of French people’s day-to-day horrors and nightmares. (I will write more about it when I have time.) She is full of determination to become a “dog”—she even stopped using argot. In the same monologue, Éponine once again mentions her suicidal tendencies: she is extremely brave in this situation only because she is not afraid of dying; in fact, she wants to die, as we already know. And the way she declares: “There are six of you; I represent the whole world,” is a sign that the ideals of the barricade boys are not so foreign to her. Some descriptions related to her physical state are again heartbreaking: she is coughing her lungs out (reminding me of Fantine before her death). and this depiction of her hands “small, bony, and feeble as that of a skeleton” brings tears to my eyes!

- Patron-Minette also deserves some discussion. (Just look at them in the illustration below—aren’t they amazing?! What is it that Brujon holds in his hands? It looks like a huge screwdriver!) It’s so curious that none of the original quartet behaves as a leader here. At the beginning, it was Thénardier who led the group and insisted on breaking into the house, despite Éponine’s threats, and at the end it was Brujon who had the last, decisive word. I really like how the personality of each of them shines through their interaction with Éponine. The fucking Thénardier once again did not recognize his child and then was extremely rude to her¬. However, closer to the end of the chapter, he tried to manipulate her (as he used to do in the past), saying that the robbery would provide them with the means to exist, but this time, he did not find any sympathy in Éponine.

- Montparnasse is also extremely rude and ready to use violence against her—to grab and hold her, and even to cut her throat. (I think that there is a big chance that this is how their relations could have ended if they had continued them.) But Babet is surprisingly pacifistic: “I don’t hit a lady.”

- At the very end, they are retiring to the sewers! It’s so intriguing: “‘Where shall we go to sleep to-night?’/ ‘Under Pantin [Paris].’ / ‘Have you the key to the gate, Thénardier?’”

#les mis letters #lm 4.8.4 #les mierables #eponine #thenardier #patron minette #montparnasse #babet #javert

[minetteskvareninova]

Look, I know the go-to historical comparison with Rhaenyra is empress Mathilda, the antiqueen of England, and I'll admit, as far as historical parallels to the ASOIAF characters go, it's a good one - plus, I think it's the one that GRRM most likely had in mind.

However

Whether intentionally or (more likely) unintentionally, he also wrote her to be very similar to another female monarch I can think of.

(Of course it's a Winterhalter portrait, what did you expect? Minette is both gay and unsubtle. She's naturally drawn to the famous Painter Of Women As Pretty.)

Meet Isabella II. of Spain. Yes, there was a second one.

Parallels with Rhaenyra:

Came from an infamously incestuous family (I know Habsburgs are the go-to examples of royal inbreeding, but unlike Bourbons, they at least stopped marrying their nieces and double cousins by the 19th century, presumably learning from Ferdinand the Benevolent - which is ironic, because Ferdinand the Benevolent was actually one of the better 19th century Habsburg men, but I digress)

Was named heir by her father, but her succession was contested by a male relative (uncle instead of a brother but you get the idea)...

...which led to a civil war (though unlike Rhaenyra, she was a child when her father died, so a succession of regents, including her mother, ruled in her stead, and she actually managed to come out on top and rule for a few decades)

Was forced to marry a cousin, who, it was rumored, was unable/unwilling to consummate the marriage, or at least sleep with his wife often enough to sire an heir (historians aren't sure what was up with Isabela's cousin-husband, like he was said to be an effette nerd and maybe gay/asexual, though the fact that Isabela actually kinda despised him also couldn't have helped any)...

...which lead to rumors that her children are illegitimate (though here she kinda makes Rhaenyra look like a chump - while Rhaenyra was said to have had like two lovers in her life, three if you count her premarital canoodling with Daemon, Isabela most likely had more, though we can't be sure how many)

Her record as a queen is mixed at best (which is why she ended up overthrown by a revolution after 35 years on the throne)

Was hot as a young woman, but gained a lot of weight in her later years

I don't have a point here, I just wanted to inform the Hot D tumblr of this interesting little tidbit.

#house of the dragon #fire and blood #random history #spain

[angel-with-paper-wings]

Ten First Lines Game

Rules: Share the first line of ten of your most recent fanfics and then tag ten people. Don't have ten? Not to worry, just share what you have.

Thank you so much @sadeyedlady-writes for tagging me in this game!!! I do not have anywhere near ten published fics, so instead I chose some of my favorite first lines of chapters from my two multi-chapter works and my one-shot. All fics are about Phantom of the Opera.

Live As You’ve Never Lived Before

Chapter 1: Little Lotte Thought of Everything and Nothing

Turquoise waves crashed steadily onto the rocky shore.

2. Chapter 6: Let Your Spirit Start to Soar

A young rosy-faced ballerina scurried into the corps’ dressing room. She quickly found a friend and tugged on her arm. “Did you hear? Someone saw the Phantom!”

3. Chapter 7: Promise Me You’ll Try

The Opera Populaire stood cloaked in shadow, every room inside completely silent as its workers and dancers slept peacefully. Every room, that is, except for one.

4. Chapter 13: Threaten and Adore

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Christine sneezed.

5. Chapter 20: Anywhere You Go, Let Me Go Too

Three weeks. Never before had Christine realized how long such a time actually was. She seemed to feel each second passing, every moment seeping by as if time moved through thick honey.

An Eternity of Bliss

6. Chapter 1: What Followed

The Rue de Rivoli was quiet and cloaked in nighttime shadows, broken intermittently by the glow of a street lamp.

7. Chapter 8: Resurrection

As nighttime fell upon the small seaside village, the newlywed couple and their friend exited the church with a collective sigh.

8. Chapter 9: The Happiest of Woman (and Men)

Morning light seeped into the room past the half-drawn curtains, gentle and promising. It was not what Erik was accustomed to.

9. Chapter 12: You Will Understand In Time

“Good morning, my Angel.” The musical rumble of Erik’s voice against her skin pulled Christine from her dreamless sleep.

10. The Siren’s Song (one-shot)

The sun dipped just below the west horizon, painting the Mazenderan sky a bright blood-red.

No-pressure tags: @iseedeadsneeeple, @a-partofthenarrative, @maze-zen, @garnet-xx-rose, @emotionalmotionsicknessxx, @erik-carierre, @eriksdreamery, @shinyfire-0, @patron-minette, @granhairdo and of course anyone else who sees this post and wants to participate!!

#poto #phantom of the opera #my writing #tag game

[boy-above]

Do u have any more Minette lore :3c

minette eventually ends up with a big canopy bed as basically anything she wants at mikhail's (honestly very quaint compared to most royals) palace as well as tiny chairs alongside mikhail's huge ones but those are really more for show since she's always lounging somewhere on his person instead. he's Very reluctant about them sleeping in the same bed at first bc he's afraid he'll squish her, although he Can change his size he'd rather not have to do that while sleeping, but she fits on his chest nicely and he hasn't managed to squish her in a few hundred years.

minette gets big fluffy coats and hand muffs for the constant winter but they're honestly more for show because she doesn't actually need them, she can stand barefoot in the snow and she's fine, it's more to make the mortals around less freaked out. because her big coats go over her wings, visiting diplomats often end up very surprised once they get inside and discover she's mikhail's wife and very much not a mortal servant or something like they assumed. a lot of people end up surprised about their relationship in general, especially because of the king's very gruff prickly demeanor, they don't expect someone as scary as him to have a tiny cute wife.

most people don't recognize her as a missing heir to the sky kingdom because that kingdom was already kind of reclusive, and they scrubbed mention of her from the records because they were angry and felt it was a betrayal that she left the kingdom. the few times people do recognize her she hatessss talking about it and tries to gaslight them into thinking she's totallyyyyy just a nymph don't even suggest something so ludicrous.

she is flightless but her wings do flap when she's excited and she has to try very hard not to let them do that especially if she's trying to lie, or in the case of her first few hundred years in the snowy kingdom, trying to hide how down bad she was for the king lmao

#she's my little baby scrungle

[wilwywaylan]

That series is not dead nor finished ! (damn, why did I make so many...) It’s going on with four new ones ! (part 1 - part 2 - part 3)

Being a criminal doesn’t mean you can’t like or want a nice, well organized space. Or clean shirts without any blood. Some are just more invested into it than others.

Montparnasse, that’s not an outfit to clean in (does he even own other clothes ?)

I’m still stupidly amused by their brand of cleaning, but the pun didn’t translate (it’s “washes redder than red”, a pun on the popular slogan “washes whiter than white”).

Feat. Montparnasse and Ebène, the patron-minous !

[image ID : four pictures in chibi-style of the four members of Patron-Minette doing various cleaning tasks. First image : Montparnasse, an ivory-skinned man with slicked back black hair in an undercut and reddish-brown eyes, is sitting crossed-legged in front of a teal basin. He’s wearing a white shirt, black slacks and black shoes. He’s scrubbing at the collar of a shirt with a tiny brush. Several shirts are lying around, and a black cat is sleeping on one of them. There’s a red laundry detergent bottle with “St-Just, lave plus rouge que rouge” on it. Second image : Claquesous, a white man with long, white hair gathered in a bun and ice blue eyes, is sitting beside a box with “masks” written on it. He’s wearing black sweats, purple socks and a white mask. He’s holding two more white masks, and there are several others strewn around, along with a marker. A black cat is sitting in the box, trying to catch one of the masks. Third image : Gueulemer, a burly man with brown skin, long black hair in dreadlocks and black eyes, is whistling and carrying a nightstand on which are piled two boxes, a small chest and a potted plant. He’s wearing a light green shirt, a teal bandana on his head, denim cutoffs and bright green slippers. Fourth image : Babet, a white man with greying brown hair cropped short and brown eyes, is sitting cross-legged on the floor, smoking a cigarette. He’s wearing glasses, a white button-down shirt, dark slacks and brown shoes. He’s throwing some papers in a fire burning out of a low metal bin. Beside him is a file box labelled “Dental files”. end ID]

#les miserables #montparnasse #claquesous #gueulemer #babet #patron minette #montparnasse the cat #ébène the cat #dorks being dorks #they are all working so hard #those are so fun to do #but so long #agh #my Drawings

[local-vampire-enjoyer]

/\ Don't have many screenshots of Minette and Shadowheart, have Minette being done with everything in the Underdark ™ 

Day 7, Apple picking

Rating: Fluff.

There are spoilers for one of the endings here.

Spoilers for Shadowheart’s romance, of course.

Female Drow, Cleric of Kelemvor. Entertainer background.

Not betaed, put on your battle gear.

“How about this apple?” Shadowheart grabbed a yellow apple, and Minette smiled. Adding it to the basket she had hooked around her forearm. 

“I think the apple is called ‘Pink Lady’, I do not know much but I do know they are delicious.” Minette held the ladder to stabilize it as Shadowheart climbed down.

“I never knew the colors could be rich this time of year,” Minette admitted, she spent her years mostly in dark areas like the Underdark or in a temple of Kelemvor. Shadowheart gently intertwined her hand with Minette’s as they strolled through the land that was filled with apple trees.

“I think this is my first year being in such a place as well,” Shadowheart replied, Minette knew that some of Shadowheart's memories were lost forever because of the mirror of grief. But at least she could now make new memories and not be in Shar’s grasp anymore.

Shadowheart looked over at Minette and pushed her hair out of her face, it was growing and Minette was happy about it, “It sucks I had to cut it, but I didn’t want to risk anything when dealing with the Mindflayers.” Minette explained; remembering how it shocked everyone at camp when they saw her with short hair.  Everyone was going through changes, and possibly for the better good. 

“Well, I am pleased to see it is growing now.” 

The two elves stopped at another tree, gathering more apples of various colors. Minette made sure the apples were good and that Shadowheart did not have trouble getting down from the ladder. 

Soon sunset hit, painting the sky with orange and yellow colors. The wind picked up slightly which made both Minette’s and Shadowheart’s dresses flow slightly.

The walk back was peaceful, the house was peaceful. Scratch was sleeping on the porch next to the owlbear and Tara, Gale’s cat that they willingly took in. 

Minette slowly closed the door behind her and Shadowheart, slipping off her shoes as she entered the house.

“How hard would it be to make apple pie?” Shadowheart asked with the smile Minette melted at, “Always good to learn, if not… maybe we can find some old books Gale gave us that have… steps to make food.” Minette didn’t know how to bake, she just prayed that it didn’t burn down the house.

#shadowheart x tav #shadowheart #mentioned gale #they have his cat #is it a cat? #someone give me lore on Gale #yes i made them cottage core girlfriends #I may not just read a lot but I swear no one mentions the owlbear cub and scratch #bg3 drow #bg3 spoilers #bg3 tav #promptober #baldurs gate #not beta read #shadowheart romance #cleric tav

[jasmariswonderland]

Assorted Lore Part 11 ~ Danica And Her Dorm Leaders As Of Book 6

Hello everyone!

So, this was going to be a special birthday post for Danica, but after looking at all I have planned for her that day, I decided to share this now. 

I think it’s pretty clear by now that I am a huge Pomefiore stan considering most of my twst ocs are Pome students. And with the conclusion of my fic and the last part of Book 6 now out in EN, I thought I’d share my current headcanons for probably the most complex relationship in my twst oc universe: Danica’s relationship with her dorm leaders. 

How Danica see’s Vil and Rook is probably the thing that has gone through the largest amount of changes since I first began writing her story back in February. And honestly causes me so SOOOO much brainrot that it’s not even funny! Theirs is honestly one of the most fascinating dynamics I’ve ever written for one of my ocs, full of ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies. 

But let’s start at the beginning. Naturally, spoilers for the end of Book 6 ahead. 

🏹🦢Danica’s Relationship With Rook🦢🏹

To say Rook was immediately taken with Danica would be an understatement. They first meet after orientation and without realizing it, she inadvertently let him indulge in his favorite pastime when she snuck off and he had to hunt go find her. Though they got off to an awkward start, Danica was also taken by Rook’s charm and poetic personality and his frequent praise helped ease her anxieties. Especially when Vil was being more critical of her. In addition to frequent praise, Rook would also give her useful advice and help her out when he was able. She was grateful for his kindness and allowed him to photograph her occasionally and sometimes even watch her when she practiced ballet. 

However, Danica was not aware of how he would sometimes come to her room when she was sleeping and sing to her. Or how when he gifted her a new pair of pointe shoes, they were a perfect fit because he had measured her feet when she was sleeping. Rook also gifted Danica the ribbon rosette that she wears with her dorm uniform, though this gift was anonymous and she never realized he was the sender. Rook and Danica’s relationship stayed pretty platonic until right before winter break when his actions started to take on a more flirtatious feel. 

Danica was certainly interested in him, but she was also interested in Vil and wanted more time before deciding which one she liked best. But Rook was the first of the two to actually express interest when he “accidentally” ran into her during winter break when she was visiting Sunset Savanna to hang out with Taima and Lilianne. Rook and Danica end up spending time alone at his villa and even share a kiss. He proposes that they become lovers but she was still unsure about her feelings and asks Rook to give her time to decide. He accepts this but their relationship becomes way more intimate after this. 

Unfortunately, Rook’s actions towards the end of Book 5 ultimately forfeited his chances to be with her. There are hints to their relationship deteriorating throughout Book 5 but the major things that cause it are when Rook votes against both NRC teams and when Danica finds out that he had been flirting with several of the girls on the RSA VDC team. Most of the girls on the RSA team are non-human and Rook couldn’t help himself. Danica was especially hurt to catch him flirting with her friend Minette, a charming cat beastman. She was also very put off by his apathy towards both her and Vil’s insecurities as well as his infatuation with Neige. She began to wonder if Rook was being insincere about his feelings if he could so easily flirt with other girls. And also wondered if he was lying all the times he praised her if he can really put someone like Neige above her and Vil. Even after all the three had gone through. 

In the immediate aftermath, Danica refused to speak to Rook and had Sidonie speak to him on her behalf. However, after the charons stormed NRC and took Vil, she temporarily was forced to set aside her anger long enough to follow behind him with Epel and Yuulan. She claimed only to be tagging along for Yuulan’s sake but deep down, there was a part of her that was genuinely concerned for his safety. But even after they met up in the forest, Danica refused to speak to Rook and was even more upset when they visited another one of his family’s homes because of the bittersweet pre-book 5 memories it brought up for her. 

While infiltrating Tartarus with Yuulan and the Pomefiore Trio, they are confronted blot phantoms and have to fight them off. At one point, Rook is put in immediate danger and when it seems he’s been critically hurt, Danica breaks her vow never to speak to him when she expresses worry for his safety. This is the beginning of them repairing their broken relationship. 

Eventually, by the end of Book 6, they do manage to reclaim a small fragment of their friendship with Yuulan’s help. They are now on civil terms but will likely never be as close as they once were as Danica now realizes that Rook’s fickle nature would only result in him breaking her heart again. And whether or not Rook truly loved Danica, we will never know. 

~~~

👑🦢Danica’s Relationship With Vil🦢👑

From the start, Danica’s relationship with Vil has always been an interesting one. He was already aware of her family, had seen Fiona perform in a ballet once, and had varying opinions on Ledelle Cosmetics products. Danica for her part always admired Vil and had a girlish crush on him in middle school that she eventually grew out of. When she arrived at NRC, she continued to admire him but kept her distance so she wouldn’t seem overly fawning or insincere. But she soon caught his eye with her tenacity, goals, and personal charm. Compared to other freshmen, Danica has always been in Vil’s good graces and he’s certainly kinder to her.

But because he also saw a lot of potential in her, he held much higher expectations for her and was far from pleased with her shy, introverted nature. Over time, Vil concocted several “tests” for Danica that, while never obvious, were supposed to help her become less self-conscious and afraid of judgment. He arranged these tests not only to help her see her own potential but to discover it for himself. Vil genuinely grew to enjoy learning how talented and determined Danica was and truly wanted her to be less self-conscious. And this was long before he began taking more personal interest in her.

Some of his tests involved her performing in front of people alone, dancing for magazine reporters visiting pomefiore, and helping out with the nrc Halloween stamp rally. She passes all of these tests and eventually, under Vil’s teachings, truly learns to be less fearful and shy. After living most of her life in the shadow of her older sister (exacerbated by her death), Danica was beginning to develop a complex regarding weather or not she was truly as talented as people would say. Or if she was only talented because of Fiona.

But Vil helped her learn to see her own value and as their friendship developed, not once compared her to Fiona. While their relationship was far less flirtatious, Vil came to develop a genuine respect and interest in Danica and by Halloween, was contemplating the idea that their relationship could become more. Throughout November, Vil would seek out her attention more often and they began spending alone time together, having private yoga sessions, discussing ballet and theatre, and Vil even giving Danica her first lessons dancing pas de deux. 

Unfortunately, during winter break, Danica did a photoshoot/commercial with Neige Leblanche for her family and Vil’s anger and jealousy on the matter put a dent in their developing relationship. Vil was especially concerned about Danica interacting with Neige because, while his feelings for her were genuine, Vil was beginning to see Danica as a means to an end. 

Right before the beginning of the school year, Vil confided in his father about some of his insecurities about his constant villainous typecasting and his general insecurities about how the world viewed him. His father mentioned how his own public image softened after he married and fathered a child and doubly so when he was widowed and began raising Vil on his own. From this conversation, Vil got it into his head that the right partner for him could similarly endear him to the public and help soften his “villain” image. Vil initially tried to forget this idea because he felt it was manipulative and he honestly never thought he’d find someone to love that would meet his exacting standards. 

That is until he met Danica.

To make matters better, before Book 5, most of Danica’s traits held similarities to the White Swan that she’s half twisted from. Beauty, tenderness, and, above all, innocence. Danica seemed like the perfect candidate to help fix Vil’s image and their dance during the new years masquerade fully confirmed this when public opinion began to shift to seeing Vil in a romantic, heroic light. And truly the most beautiful one of all. 

As VDC prep began, Vil became obsessed with Danica maintaining a perfectly pure “white swan” image. Desiring to use their budding romance as a way to show the world that he was no longer fit for the role of a villain, but of a hero, a prince. Because in the eyes of Danica, his innocent white swan, he was all those things. And it was his greatest hope that Danica would win the VDC with a sugary sweet performance befitting a white swan. Typecasting her in the public eye as the ideal princess to stand by the side of a hero. Ironically, this was the exact same thing the public had done to Vil for most of his life. Unfortunately for him, Danica had her own ideas for what she wanted for herself, not desiring to be typecasted in this way even if it was more positive. 

Danica’s decision to go against him regarding her VDC performance was a devastating blow both to Vil and their relationship. Not only was he upset about his plans not working, but he also had a genuine fear that Danica presenting herself in too provocative a way might doom her to the same public vilification that he was all too familiar with. Only after his overblot, and after nearly losing Danica to the very poisoned curse he set off, did Vil see the error in his ways. He saw Danica’s disdain for Neige and realized his fears that he’d take her from him were unfounded. And realizing how much he hurt Danica also made Vil realize that in the same way the world villainizes him for his beauty, he had done the same to Danica on a smaller, but more personal scale. He now understands that Danica is already worthy of his love, faults, and all, and that she doesn’t need to be a pure and sweet princess for him to play prince for her to have value. 

Vil’s time in STYX captivity allowed him to think more about how he’s treated Danica, with the result that their reunion is an extremely heartfelt one. While infiltrating Tartarus, they didn’t have much time to discuss all that happened between them but there was a noticeable shift in how they regarded each other. And when Vil’s appearance was drastically changed after his dive into the Underworld, Danica was his greatest (and only) source of comfort as they were returning to NRC. 

In the end, Danica and Vil are two incredible people who are also very broken and flawed. But while the world might put them in narrow, unescapable boxes, only when they can see each other past their labels as full human beings can they truly be together. As of the end of Book 6, they are attempting to do just that. And while Danica is very hurt by Vil’s actions and she hasn’t fully forgiven him, she understands now why he acted the way he did. The VDC may have left their relationship damaged, but it also has the greatest potential to improve. 

And maybe, just maybe, even become romantic in time. 

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #pomefiore oc #OC: Danica #twst vil #twst rook

[maugus]

MEME. @mahamatran​ asked ;; “Don’t worry about it. I was already awake.”

Ahh , she felt . .  Bad. Minette had been trying so hard to stay quiet , she hadn’t wanted to bother anyone just because she couldn’t settle down.  They said they had already been awake but , she wouldn’t have been surprised to find they were only saying that to make her feel better about having been too loud.

“ A - Are you sure ? ” Skittishly inquired in a hushed tone as the knight adjusts the small pack leaning up against her side. Since she couldn’t sleep anyways , she was going to try and finish a sketch she had started earlier before the mental image left her entirely . . It was difficult to get close to Rishboland Tigers without getting knocked around a bit , so she needed to at least get the general form down before trying to sleep again.

It had been in the process of getting her pencils out that she had dropped a couple against the floor. They had made a fair bit of noise for it being so late . . So , when Cyno had first popped over , she was sure they were about to give her a scolding for it.

#mahamatran #ϟ ▌╏ IC. #ϟ ▌╏ASKS. #ϟ ▌╏V ; 001. #((shes too excited being in a new place to sleep..))

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony’s Stupid Daily Blog (288): Thu 29th Dec 2022

I spent most of the day reading The Sculptress by Minette Walters which has turned out to be a fucking incredible book and may be the best one I’ve read yet in my Edgar Award winners challenge. I was planning on doing my regular thing where I read ten pages of the book every hour but I was so into this book that I read over a hundred pages in a single sitting without a break. The only other book I’ve consumed this way was The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver which I read in an entire day. One weird thing I realized was that The Sculptress and the last one that I’ve read “Bootlegger’s Daughter” are detective novels which have featured protagonists who aren’t professional detectives (the investigator in Bootlegger is a lawyer and in Sculptress she’s a journalist). I can’t even remember how many years it’s been since I started this challenge to read all the novels that have won the Edgar Award for Best Novel but it’s taken me way too long. I should have finished it ages ago and moved into my next ridiculous challenge by now. However due to a combination of general anxiety, trouble at work and lack of motivation have meant that altogether I’ve only read 8 books this year which is fucking pathetic (thankfully the final two have more than made up for how boring the other six turned out to be). I have about 30 books left to read for this Edgar challenge and I’m going to try and plow through all of them so I can get this task crossed off my bucket list once and for all. 

Before bed I decided that the constant fiddling with my beard was getting too irritating so I opted to get rid of it. Before shaving the entire thing off I experimented by seeing what I would look like with a chops style beard like Lenny from Motörhead, basically a full beard but with the chin area shaved. I was shocked by how much I actually looked like Lemmy once I completed the shave. I thought I suited it and so I decided to keep it and see how I felt about it after going to work with it. It also solves the problem of discomfort when I’m sleeping since I sleep on my front. Normally the hair in my chin area leaves me feeling uncomfortable when I sleep on it but this look will allow me to maintain a beard while being able to sleep comfortably. Now I just need to know if having this beard will leave me feeling self conscious because although most will know that I’m rocking the Lemmy look some might think that I’ve got a side career in the porn industry which I don’t as I don’t know anything about antiques

[buildoblivionthenwewilltalk]

literally every barbie movie : And she was a Princess

me: oh my god she was a Princess

#i should be asleep i have an exam tomorrow #but i love these films #barbie princess and the pauper #barbie and the 12 dancing princesses #barbie swan lake #barbie the island princess #barbie princess charm school #nostalgia yall #barbie movies #musicals i guess???? #text post #go to sleep minette #vine #oh my god they were roommates

[patron-minette]

Cut content: The Patron-Minette in 'The Abandoned Quarry'

As you might be aware, there once existed a scene that was cut from Les Misérables before its publication wherein the Patron-Minette and Les Amis interact with each-other.

In this chapter, entitled 'The Abandoned Quarry', members of Les Amis, including Enjolras and Combeferre, encounter members of the Patron-Minette, including Babet and Gueulemer, in one of the abandoned quarries in the city. This scene explicitly puts the groups in stark contrast to each-other, thus revealing Hugo’s original intentions of them serving as partial foils to one another, as well as expanding upon the light vs darkness motif that we see throughout the novel.

However, there is one notable point that interests me more than all of that, and it is the "abandoned quarry" itself, a location which seems to be a regular hangout of the Patron-Minette here. The reason I want to point this out is because the "abandoned quarry" is almost certainly referring in some loose way to the Parisian catacombs!

The Parisian catacombs were constructed from the underground abandoned limestone quarries during the eighteenth-century. In 1786, a large-scale project begun wherein the remains of hundreds of thousands of deceased people were dug up + transported from the city's overcrowded cemeteries and instead placed in numerous underground ossuaries. These tunnels were mostly sealed off to the public, although small groups of visitors were permitted to enter some areas until 1833 (visitation later resumed from 1850 onwards). Of course, many of these limestone quarry and catacomb structures collapsed and sink holes were subsequently formed in the early nineteenth-century I urge you to look into this further if the subject interests you, there are some wonderful firsthand accounts of quarries collapsing out there!, and it seems as if the Amis and Patron-Minette could be meeting at the bottom of one of these sink-holes in this cut chapter, as there is an "upper opening" where light shines through.

In this scene, it seems as if Les Amis have stumbled into the 'territory' of the Patron-Minette, as the gang are already inhabiting the space before Enjolras and co. arrive. It seems a perfect detail to me that the literary villains of the Patron-Minette might collectively meet underground in these cities of the dead. It has an increasingly eerie vibe compared to the wastelands of La Salpêtrière— the gang's regular meeting point in the published novel.

Also, to dwell in this location would have been extremely convenient for the gang, for the underground quarries and catacomb networks would have easily allowed the Patron-Minette to travel to different streets without being spotted by the police. These underground tunnels even had directions etched into the walls (originally done by those mining these quarries and updated/re-etched with each new generation)! According to historian Annick Colonna-Césari, "the limestone, gypsum and chalk quarries of Paris and its adjoining departments form an underground network of galleries some two hundred and fifty kilometres long", nicely providing the Patron-Minette with endless underground travel opportunities!

The fact that the location in this chapter could potentially be the Parisian catacombs specifically also sheds some wonderful light on the following extracts (as translated into English since I do not natively speak French):

"In the darkest part of the quarry, eyes shone, some round and phosphorescent; strange heads moved in the earthen pallor of the underground; several yawned as if they had just left sleep. A semicircle of wild masks formed confusedly in the haze. These faces watched and approached. They were probably men."

To me, it just reads as a comparison to the walls of skulls in the catacombs intermingling with the shadowy faces of the Patron-Minette!

'A gallery of the catacombs', Félix Thorigny (1824-1870) [source]

Of course, I can only go so far with this analysis, as the scene refers to the abandoned quarries rather than the catacombs specifically (although the "cryptlike day" detail is particularly telling, at least to me...), but regardless the Patron-Minette were either in the catacombs with the Amis here, or at least in very close proximity to the catacomb tunnels. I think it is important to highlight that the catacombs were, unsurprisingly, a popular location to deposit shady characters in literary works of this era— being an extremely popular motif of contemporary Gothic fiction at the time Hugo was writing Les Misérables.

To add a final detail, I love how a small remanent of this abandoned quarries concept does remain in the final version of the novel, when Hugo talks about the Patron-Minette's affiliates:

"These beings were by no means happy showing their faces, though; they were not among those you see getting about the streets. During the day, tuckered out by the turbulent nights they put in, they went off to sleep, sometimes in plaster kilns, sometimes in the abandoned quarries of Montmartre or Montrouge, at times even in the sewers. They went to ground." [Rose trans.]

Of note here is the mention of the Montrouge district, as this is in this area where the majority of the old quarries were reworked into catacombs in the late eighteenth-century!

#patron minette #patron-minette #les amis #les miserables #les mis #the brick #les mis meta #cut content #meta #historical context #paris catacombs

[cliozaur]

“I have come to sleep with you,” I think it’s one of the best lines in the Brick!

The initial impulse while reading this chapter might be frustration with Marius. His seemingly aimless musings, which Hugo attributes to excessive daydreaming and lack of work, could certainly agitate the reader. However, before passing judgment, consider them as indicative of deep depression. In addition to his past traumas, the incident at the Gorbeau house was a jarring experience for him. He believes he has lost his beloved forever, can no longer even call her "Ursula," is unable to work, has lost his source of income, and his clothes are deteriorating. According to Hugo, all Marius can do is daydream. Hugo then delves into contemplations on the perils of excessive daydreaming, and he acknowledges that it can lead to tragic outcomes: “By dint of going outdoors to think, the day comes when one goes out to throw one’s self in the water” (why does it always involve drowning in suicide? Was it the only way Parisians killed themselves in Hugo’s time?) But I suspect that Hugo mistakenly takes depression for “excessive dreaming.” At this point Marius is not explicitly suicidal but just wait for it. The way Hugo explains Escousse’s and Lebras’ suicides as stemming from an excess of “reverie” also, in my opinion, underscores his misunderstanding of the situation.

However, what truly and consistently vexes me, though, is Marius' unwavering determination to pay the debt to Thénardier. Even after witnessing the despicable acts committed by this man in the Gorbeau house, this itch appears to become even stronger. To the extent that Marius has broken his personal taboo against borrowing from his friends (actually, should be singular, his friend Courfeyrac). I can partly comprehend why Hugo chose to portray abominable Thénardier as invincible and unsinkable, yet this doesn't prevent me from becoming upset and irritated with individuals who have the potential to be harmed by him and yet still inadvertently empower him by providing him money (not only Marius, but also Jean Valjean).

And of course, I should say something about Javert as he was mentioned in this chapter. It’s rather amusing that he has forgotten Marius’ name and was unable to trace him when he needed him! Javert, who is usually so sharp and almost intimately knows his Pattron-Minette and their associates, forgets the name of a lawyer who came to the police station to report a crime. This only reinforces the notion that Javert is solely interested in individuals when they are involved in criminal or potentially criminal activities. He must have been disappointed in Marius, whom he initially commended for his courage, but whom he suspected had faltered at the last moment.

#les mis letters #les miserables #marius pontmercy #courfeyrac #thenardier #javert #jean valjean #patron minette #lm 4.2.1

[minetteskvareninova]

Minette watches Medici, part 10 (Standing Alone)

- I know it’s unbelievable, but I skipped the intro. Yeah. The whole “Renassaince, but not quite” thing pisses me off so much I skipped the fucking intro to Medici.

- I only noticed it now, but Lucrezia de’ Medici dresses so much worse than all the other women in the show, it’s kind of amazing how shitty her dresses are. They won’t get better, apparently, at least if awkward-sultana’s gifs are anything to go by.

- Her subplot continues to be boring, and I call bullshit on her slapping Lorenzo for arranging her marriage to that uncharismatic rando (although honestly the guy she’s in love with has just as much charisma, if not somehow less). She’s a wealthy unmarried woman from 15th century Italy, still under custody of her father and older brother. She certainly wouldn’t get her hopes up about marrying whomever she wants, much less a guy whose family is feuding with hers, and even if she would get mad at Lorenzo for arranging a marriage for her, she wouldn’t slap him!

- Now, Clarice having the option to join the convent despite the wishes of her family I can see - it’s much more likely that a girl from noble family would be just forced to marry regardless of what she wants, but if the match isn’t absolutely crucial, it’s not out of the question her family would allow it. I suspect that cardinal Orsini can’t be that invested in the alliance with the Medici if he isn’t trying to persuade her himself and leaves it to Lucrezia Tornabuoni and Carlo de’ Medici.

- Damn, this season has too many Lucrezias. Anyway, I’m gonna call them Lucrezia T (mama Medici), Lucrezia M (her daughter) and Lucrezia D (Lorenzo’s girlfriend, we’ll get to her) from now on.

- Anyway, speaking of Carlo! Rejoice, people, Maddalena’s kid is back! And he is still in touch with his family, how nice! His friendship with Clarice is pretty wholesome, I hope we see more of them, even if he did manipulate her into marrying his nephew who doesn’t mean a good match to her and already has a girlfriend. Also, Lorenzo’s flirting skills are hilariously bad, like, in general, the guy seems to lose about fifty IQ points when he’s talking to a hot chick. “I like everything” had me in stitches.

- Is it wrong that I am super invested in this love triangle? I mean, I like Lorenzo, and both of his options are actually pretty compelling. Lucrezia D is charismatic as hell, and Clarice pretty damn likeable - honestly too likeable to have her heart broken by Lorenzo cheating, but that’s renassaince men for ya. Also, Lucrezia D’s worries that he’ll fall in love with his wife, or possibly her not wanting to sleep with a married man... Either way, she’s so real for that. At the same time, I can’t wait for the Clarice x Lorenzo, arranged marriage to lovers, 30k, slow burn etc. My only worry is that Lorenzo will act like a complete fuckboy throughout this arch, like Cosimo was pretty douchey in this regard too.

- I call absolute bullshit on Carlo’s Medici exceptionalism, let alone Clarice believing it. I did let Lorenzo being the smartest, prettiest, nicest, specialest little boy of this show slide for way too long, it really took me Carlo’s speech to see the absolute Gary Stu vibes this guy is giving off. Still, I like Lorenzo enough to let it slide, but you’re on thin fucking ice, show.

- That said, his conflict with old Piero was just as compelling this episode as I expected. At the same time, the fact that his death hit at the end of this episode’s triumphant finish (in the immortal words of Geoff from Mother’s Basement) like a loss.jpeg in the middle of a webcomic binge, made me Not Amused again.

- I would say I don’t care about Sandro, Giuliano and whatever bullshit the show has in store for them and Simonetta Vespucci, but honestly, I am way too bi for that. The guys are simping for her from the moment they see her, and for once I get it. My sole investment in this nonsense comes from wanting to see Mathilda Lutz and her angelic face (also possibly tits).

- The tourney was sooo much lamer than I expected. Pazzi’s murder plan wasn’t the worst, but the fact that the Medici learned of it AND Lorenzo then won the tourney... Yeah, this whole thing left me cold. Error 404 narrative tension not found. And just when did Francesco get morals??? The only good part was Giuliano’s 1-800-Bitch-You-Thought moment with the boring Pazzi brother. Because I am messy bitch that lives for drama like that.

- The best part of this episode was Lucrezia T being awesome. Mama Medici is my favourite character, I love this bitch so much you can’t even imagine. In fact, all female characters in this show so far rule, except for Lucrezia M.

- I haven’t read the books, but if the impression I get from the Darkling appologist fam is correct, Matteo Martari, a.k.a. Francesco de’ Pazzi has serious book!Darkling energy.

#medici: the magnificent #minette watches medici

[angel-with-paper-wings]

Crying Out Into the Night

This piece of fic comes from deep within my abandoned drafts, and is a few scenes I wrote for a Star Wars Obi-Wan x OC fic I was working on a few years ago. Huge thanks to @patron-minette for showing an interest to read this!!

Rating/Warnings: rated T, torture and violence, blood

It had been more than a day since Obi-Wan first felt the pain in his mind, and it had only gotten worse during that time. He could barely concentrate on anything that was said to him, which was what finally caused him to send Anakin off on his own and rest for the remainder of the day, in the hope that this pain would go away on its own.

Unfortunately, that did not prove to be the case. After almost an hour of lying on his bed in the Jedi Temple, attempting to sleep, the throbbing at his temples did not relent. Sighing, Obi-Wan got up and sat on his knees in the middle of his room and closed his eyes, focusing on the source of the pain. He could feel something pushing, prodding against the edge of his mind, undoubtedly through the Force, urging him to let it in. Part of him knew he shouldn’t, predicting that this was most likely a trick of the Dark Side. Yet, his heart somehow understood that this wouldn’t be happening to him without a reason, and that whatever was causing this had chosen him—and him alone—to face it.

Gritting his teeth against the distress, he reached out through the Force for the source of the mysterious power trying to tap into his mind. He sensed himself, sitting in his room; he sensed the corridors and pathways of the Jedi Temple, dotted with the Force signatures of various Jedi; he even found Anakin, a spirit burning bright in the lightsaber training area.

Obi-Wan used the Force to stretch his reach further and further, across the Temple, the city, the district, the planet, until he detected a small path leading straight out into space. It pulsed gently, calling out to him, pulling his presence towards it like gravity. Finally, he let himself be drawn into the path, and suddenly, a wave of energy swept into his soul, so intense that it caused him to gasp. Pushing past this initial shock, Obi-Wan felt the path lead him further and further away, to a distant planet, a planet covered and filled with ice, darkness, suffering, and—

Pain.

Someone was in pain and had called out to him in their desperation. In an instant, his mind recognized exactly who it was; Obi-Wan knew, because it was the same person he had seen almost every day since he was sixteen years old.

It was Meris.

He could see her, feel her presence as if they were in the same room and not entire star systems away. And what he felt her experiencing made his headache feel like mercy.

Surges of electricity shocked through her skin, agitating even the deepest nerves of her bones. The acrid smell of her burning flesh hung in the air, pierced by the residual sting of lightsaber burns criss-crossing over her arms, legs, and back. The cold energy of restraints stabbed into her wrists as she struggled to pull away from her attacker. Pure agony coursed through Meris’s veins and bled straight into Obi-Wan’s own. And through it all, she was screaming for help, out loud and in her mind, and that alone was torture enough for Obi-Wan.

When he finally surfaced from Meris’s reality back into his own, he found himself on his hands and knees, panting in the aftermath of what horror he had just experienced. His eyes burned, and he realized he had tears rolling down his face, though he couldn’t decide if he was even the one who had shed them. The ache in his skull did not matter anymore; all he could focus on was the fact that Meris was suffering, and begging for help that she knew wasn’t coming.

Obi-Wan got to his feet, picking up his lightsaber and throwing on his dark brown traveling robe. He was going to prove her wrong.

He was going to save her.

…

The Jedi and the Sith assassin circled each other, lightsaber hilts tucked against their sides. For a long moment, their gazes were locked onto each other, gauging each other’s strength like two loth-cats before a fight. Obi-Wan could not tear himself away from her eyes, rimmed in red and full of malice. He imagined Meris staring into those eyes, trembling from her pain and fear, and a surge of fury twisted in his stomach. He unsheathed his lightsaber in an instant and tracked the assassin with the blue blade. “Where is Meris?”

“You must be Kenobi,” the assassin purred, her eyes tracing him up and down. “My master has told me much about you, but he failed to mention how handsome you are.”

Obi-Wan ignored her comment. “I don’t believe I’m acquainted with this master of yours. Was he the one who orchestrated this?”

“He had a hand in it, yes.” Tsira paced around him slowly, her long talons scraping the metal of her lightsaber. “But don’t fret. You won’t have to worry about him for much longer.” A wicked grin rose on her lips. “Your friend, on the other hand…”

Obi-Wan felt his fist clench tighter around the hilt of his own saber, but he fought to settle his temper. “What do you want with her?”

Tsira raised a hand to her chest in mock offense. “It’s not what I want, although any chance to destroy a weak-minded Jedi is rewarding in itself. Speaking of which….”

In an instant, the red light of her blade was tearing through the air above him, but Obi-Wan met it with his own. He parried her attacks easily, using the Force to see her moves before she made them. Blow after blow, the Sith and the Jedi battled across the space of the hangar, the sounds of their clashing blades echoing eerily off of the stone walls.

Finally, Tsira leapt backwards onto a thin railing, so she was looking down at her opponent. “You know, she mentioned you, too,” she teased, her feet gliding along the narrow beam as Obi-Wan jumped up to meet her. Grinning, she raised a long white finger to her temple. “In here. She’s rather fond of you. Surprising, after you told her you never wanted to see her again.”

Obi-Wan’s stance faltered in shock. His mind took him back to that moment, when he had lost control of his frustration and unleashed it on Meris. He cringed as he remembered the words he had said, and it was only now that he comprehended the look of sorrow and guilt that had enveloped Meris’s face.

Tsira sneered at his moment of weakness; she slashed her blade down, and he blocked it just in time. The sparks of blue and red reflected in her cold eyes, inches from his own. “Do you think she could ever forgive you?”

Like an old wound ripping open, the assassin’s words released all of Obi-Wan’s emotion like a gush of blood. He surged forward in an attack, letting the anger coursing through his veins direct his movements. Tsira blocked his strikes with slipping control; he pushed her further backward on the beam, and she was forced to hop down to the floor. He rushed to meet her, even as she vaulted further and further away.

Obi-Wan easily held the upper hand in the duel, but the whole time Tsira watched him with a smile on her face. “Don’t you feel stronger?” she taunted, panting. “Your rage gives you power, a power the Jedi have never embraced. And it all comes from pain.” At this, she glanced behind her towards a small starship, then back to Obi-Wan. “I think I’ve taught both you Jedi enough of a lesson today.” Finally, she leapt backwards, flipping into the open cockpit of the ship. Before Obi-Wan could reach it, the ship had soared out of the hangar and into the snowy planet’s atmosphere.

Obi-Wan stood there, watching the ship grow smaller and smaller, the air in front of him misting from his heavy breaths. The hand holding his lightsaber still shook with adrenaline; he glanced down at it, contemplating every movement it had just made. A wave of guilt washed over him, before his attention snapped back to Meris. Without any more hesitation, he turned and dashed out of the hangar, deeper into the old Sith base.

Obi-Wan sprinted down the dark stone halls, letting the beacon of Meris’s presence guide him. His heart pounded faster with each step as he approached a cell and tapped fiercely into the controls to open the door.

Stepping inside, his heart felt like it dropped onto the floor as he looked upon Meris’s broken, unmoving form. She sat on her knees in front of him with her hands restrained above her head, her wrists scraped and bruised. Her clothes were singed from where electricity had touched her, and the revealed skin underneath showed raw, burnt patches crusted with dried blood. She barely moved, her breathing deathly shallow; if it weren’t for the faint trace of Force surrounding her, Obi-Wan would have thought she was dead.

He rushed forward and knelt by her side, taking her limp head into his hands and lifting it to face him. “Meris, can you hear me?” he called, ignoring the way his voice had begun to break. “Meris, please.”

When he got no response, he leaned her head forward to rest on his shoulder as he began to unbind her wrists. “You’re going to be alright,” he continued to mutter into her ear, “I’ve got you now. You’ll be safe soon.”

He finished untying her hands, and eased her limp form into his arms. At this movement, Meris let out a painful groan. Obi-Wan moved a hand up to cup her face. “Meris?” he whispered, hope and desperation saturating his voice.

Her eyes fought to open, lazily meeting Obi-Wan’s gaze. She paused in recognition; “Obi…” her mangled voice managed to form.

Obi-Wan’s heart rose back into his chest, and he had to blink back tears. “Meris, I’m getting you out of here. You’re going to be alright, I promise you.”

He didn’t know if she even heard him, because as soon as they opened, her eyes had fluttered closed again. Sighing, Obi-Wan scooped Meris into his arms and carried her out of the cell.

…

“Obi-Wan, where are you?” Anakin muttered, tucking his hands deeper into the sleeves of his robe. He stood at the top of the ramp leading into the ship, trying not to shiver and watching the snow begin to pile onto the cold metal. Patience had never been one of his strengths, something his master liked to remind him of often, but at a time like this Anakin believed he had every right to be anxious. For all he knew both of his mentors, the only two people in the Jedi Order he considered to be family, were dead.

From behind him, Anakin heard a series of worried beeps. He turned to see R2-D2 rolling over to him, the droid’s lights flickering nervously.

“I know, Artoo, he said he’d be back by now. I think I still sense him in there, but it’s hard to tell.” The astromech bleeped back something, and Anakin smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t go in there until I know there’s something wrong.” He looked back at the entrance to the temple. “How I'll know is a different story,” he said under his breath, pulling his robe even tighter around himself.

A few more tense minutes passed, and Anakin narrowed his eyes, focusing on a figure moving out of the temple. After a moment, he was able to discern the silhouette; it was Obi-Wan, carrying something in his arms. Anakin’s heart rate picked up, and he practically slid down the snowy ramp in his rush to approach him. “Master!” he called, running to his side, before stopping short. “Is that…”

“I’m afraid so,” Obi-Wan said grimly, looking down at the figure in his arms. Anakin hardly recognized Meris; she looked so weak, so defeated, nothing like the strong young Jedi he had looked up to since he was a boy.

“Were there any survivors?” Obi-Wan asked, his voice snapping Anakin out of his shock.

Anakin shook his head remorsefully. “They’re all dead.”

Obi-Wan’s jaw clenched, looking back down at the unconscious body in his arms. “Start the ship, please,” he said curtly. The Padawan nodded and quickly ran back to the ship, beginning the process of defrosting the engines with R2.

Once they were all in the ship, Anakin piloted them out of the atmosphere of the cursed snow planet and plotted their course back to Coruscant. He then got up and made his way to the interior of the ship to join his master. Obi-Wan was seated on the bench across from where Meris lay, most of her wounds now covered in soft bandages from the med pack. “Is she alright?” Anakin asked, eyeing Meris nervously.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. “She will be.”

Anakin sat down beside him, and they both stared at their friend, equally terrified. “Who would do this to her?” he asked in a small voice.

Obi-Wan looked down. “It was a Sith assassin. She sent a false distress message to the Council, and lured Meris here.”

Anakin stared at his master in alarm. “Why?”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “She tortured her; she looked into her mind and found what would hurt her the most, and used it against her. She wanted nothing more than to cause her as much pain as possible.” He glanced up at Meris’s form again, and Anakin was shocked to see tears in his eyes. “And it’s my fault.”

Anakin wanted to say something, to deny Obi-Wan’s statement, to ease his mind, but he couldn’t think of a single thing. Instead, he silently reached out and took his master’s shaking hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze.

…

Silence; it surrounded Meris, filling every sense with nothingness. She perceived nothing at all, and her first thought was that she was dead.

But then, life trickled back into her. Her body sensed that she was lying horizontally, wrapped in something soft and warm. She felt the steady rise and fall of her own chest, smelled the clean air, and heard the muffled sound of voices in the distance. Meris risked moving her fingers, wiggling the tips of those on her left hand. Her right hand could not move; it was being held still by something strong yet gentle.

Before opening her eyes, Meris worked up the courage to reach out through the Force and survey her surroundings. She opened her mind, but a sharp pain stabbed the center of her forehead, and Meris had to fight not to cry out. Instead, she opened her eyes to find herself in a blank, peaceful room, not unlike her own in the Jedi Temple.

She glanced to her right, and saw something she could hardly believe was real: Obi-Wan Kenobi, the prim and proper Jedi Knight, was sitting in a chair by her bedside, his hand wrapped tightly around hers. His head was turned away from her and his eyes were closed, but he was still the most beautiful sight Meris could have ever woken up to.

A powerful rush of relief swept over her, one that she knew he could sense. Before she could even attempt to speak, his head turned, and his bright blue eyes met hers. He stared at her in shock for a moment, before he breathed, “Meris.”

Meris parted her lips and attempted to speak. “Obi…,” she croaked out, her voice hoarse from damage and lack of use.

“Shh, it’s alright,” Obi-Wan insisted, moving closer to her and raising the hand he was holding to his smiling lips. “It’s alright now. You’re safe.”

“W-where…,” she whispered.

“You’re home. At the Jedi Temple. We brought you back as soon as we could.”

Meris forced herself to speak, ignoring how pathetic her voice sounded. “How long was I there?”

Obi-Wan’s smile vanished. He hesitated a moment, squeezing her hand before placing it back down on the bed. “You were gone three days before we rescued you.” He seemed to be in pain as he searched for what to say. “They said your injuries were…unique, and that it would take a while for them to heal.” His eyes met hers again meaningfully. “You’ve been unconscious for two weeks.”

Meris’s eyes widened at the realization. She let out a long breath, her mind racing to try to process everything he had told her. Finally, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, letting out a hiss as a wave of pain radiated from under the stiff patch on her abdomen. The leftover ache immediately brought forward memories she wanted to forget as soon as possible.

In an attempt to ground herself, she focused on Obi-Wan, but even that carried with it its own pain. “How did the Council know I was in danger? I assume they sent you to find me?”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “No, the Council didn’t—” He paused suddenly, sensing something deeper behind her words. He peered at her in confusion. “Why does that matter?”

“You wouldn’t have come for me if the Council hadn’t sent you,” Meris said with a shrug, trying to sound less hurt than she was.

Obi-Wan stared at her in horror. “Meris, what makes you think that?” he whispered.

She glared at him, her emotion almost breaking completely free. “If it was up to you, you would have left me there, wouldn’t you?”

“Meris…” His heart crumbled at the hopelessness in Meris’s voice, and his desperation started to suffocate him. “No, Meris—”

The pain in her forehead was growing now; she raised a hand and rubbed it over her face, hiding her tears from Obi-Wan’s gaze. “Stop pretending, Obi-Wan. I understood when you said I should stay away, that’s why I didn’t ask you to go with me. I had to disobey the Council, but I did it—”

“Meris, listen, please.” He reached up and gently moved her hand from her face. She kept her eyes closed, her head turned away from him. “Please look at me,” he begged softly.

Hesitantly, Meris met his eyes. 

“Telling you to stay away was the worst mistake I’ve ever made,” Obi-Wan said honestly. Meris’s face softened, and he took her silence as a cue to go on. “I can’t beg for your forgiveness enough, because it was what I said that made you feel like you had to go there alone.” His eyes grazed over the bandages on her face, arms, and abdomen. “I caused you this pain, and I’m sorry.”

Meris swallowed, which felt like broken glass against her throat. After a long pause, she spoke, “Did you mean what you said?”

Obi-Wan hesitated, looking for the right way to say the truth. “I meant it when I said you’ve been a bad influence on Anakin, and in my anger, I thought the best thing would be to distance us from you. But I see now how insensitive that was. To Anakin, to you…and to me.” He looked at her significantly. “I don’t want you to avoid me again. It would be like I never found you, and you were still in that awful place. That’s the last thing I want.”

His words hung between them for a long moment. Finally, Meris took a deep breath and squeezed Obi-Wan’s hand, which remained wrapped tightly around hers. “We’re both at fault here. I should have listened to your judgement from the beginning, and then maybe it wouldn’t have come to this.” She looked up into his hopeful blue eyes. “You’re a good master, Obi-Wan, but for all you complain about Anakin’s arrogance, you two have much more in common than you realize.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “We either make a very good team, or a very poor one,” he replied, which caused Meris to grin. For one glimmering moment, the two Jedi were apprentices again, lighthearted and oblivious to everything except each other.

As the moment ended, Obi-Wan brushed his thumb across the back of Meris’s hand one final time. “I’ll let you rest,” he whispered before releasing her fingers. The cold air enveloped her skin in the absence of his hand; a part of Meris wanted to reach out and grab it again, but the rest of her kept her body still and watched as Obi-Wan left the room. Now alone, a feeling of melancholy washed over her as she looked back down at her healing wounds, and when the tears finally came, it seemed that they would never stop.

#Star wars #star wars fanfiction #obi wan x oc #obi wan kenobi #my writing #fanfiction

[everyonewasabird]

Brickclub 4.8.4 ‘Cab Rolls in English and Yelps in Argot’

THE next day, it was the 3rd of June, the 3rd of June, 1832, a date which must be noted on account of the grave events which were at that time suspended over the horizon of Paris like thunder-clouds.

Oh NO.

Hugo even says “3rd of June” twice to emphasize the year, like he knows we know how bad this is. Or he wants us to guess how bad this is.

It’s an effective transition out of Marius’s blissful insensate fog.

Marius sees Eponine walking towards him and literally turns and walks away, while she’s looking at him, because he thinks her daring to speak to him two days in a row is too much. Fuck you, Marius. He’s progressed from awkward pontmercying to being a misogynistic dickbag--because, obviously, the reason for walking away is that Eponine is one of Those Sorts Of Women whom he avoids now, since he’s met Cosette. She's presuming to need to talk to him and to remember their acquaintance once he’s found his one true love?? How dare she!

And--he owes her a debt? Like, an actual one, not one of the ones he made up? She asked for something in exchange for showing him the house, and Marius “life debt” Pontmercy doesn’t bother remembering. Maybe it’s because he’s too in love now. But I kinda think it’s because she’s a woman--and worse, she’s That Kind of Woman.

Fucking hell, how was the popular ship when I was a kid Marius/Eponine and not Marius/Getting Punched By Eponine? And, gah, it was so popular to blame COSETTE for this?? The nineties sure were a time. (Yeah, yeah, musical canon, I know.) (But fuck this guy.)

About ten o'clock in the evening, one of the two or three passers in the Rue Plumet, a belated old bourgeois who was hurrying through this deserted and ill-famed place,

Huh, I hadn’t thought the Rue Plumet was disreputable? It’s clearly unfrequented and not fashionable, but I hadn’t thought it was a bourgeois-get-nervous-after-dark neighborhood. (I still find it bizarre that P-M are robbing the house NOW and not at any point during the previous several decades when it was uninhabited but full of rich people’s stuff.)

For the second time in just a few chapters, Thenardier fails to recognize his own kid.

The musical makes him the head of Patron-Minette here, which is a fair adaptational adjustment, I think--but also, there’s something to that, actually? We’re seeing again the thing we saw when he tried to shoot Javert, that Thenardier seems desperate and desperately hungry in a way they aren’t, and he always reaches for more than they were going to. None of them mind him overreaching, but it’s striking to see him among the supposed worst men in Paris, being considerably more uncontrolled and brutal.

I sense a sly observation about NIII somewhere.

Eponine is vastly outnumbered and physically outmatched, but she intends to stop them anyway.

First, she tries something like Cosette’s style of asking for what she wants under cover of playful feminine effusiveness and familial affection. But Thenardier doesn’t care like Valjean might.

Then she becomes Javert, naming them as they stand in line and greeting them with faux politeness, like he did. But she can’t intimidate them like Javert.

Then she becomes Fantine, and the text emphasizes her weak and bony hands and the newfound refinement in her speech as she supplicates first the man she’s been sleeping with--but Montparnasse just warns her away from his knife--and then the gigantic Guelemer, in a moment that resembles Fantine taking Javert’s hand.

But they don’t listen any better than Javert did, and there’s no Valjean to hear and intervene. In fact, by rights it should be Marius taking that role--he’s just a couple hundred yards away, and Eponine is suffering from his stupidity about “honest women” the way Fantine suffered from Madeleine’s--but Marius is in love and perfectly oblivious, as usual.

It’s worth noting that the other characters whose modes she adopts were using strategies that came naturally to them, whereas Eponine is picking them up and putting them down like a series of masks.

It’s also worth noting that none of the women’s strategies she tries ever actually worked for the other women. Hugo fails at feminism a lot, but he does sometimes manage very good points about the awful position women were in.

In increasingly desperate attempts, Eponine tries blatantly lying. Then she tries to presume on Montparnasse’s loyalty because of their relationship, but just like Marius--and I think these moments bookend the chapter deliberately--his debts of loyalty don’t extend to women. He just threatens her with his knife in an increasingly dangerous tone. His first mention of the knife may or may not have been a threat, but this one definitely is.

When all else fails, Eponine transforms suddenly into something specifically herself that we’ve never seen before. It’s an eerie, spectral mix of bravery and total indifference to whether she dies tonight--because, as she says, either her father will kill her sooner, or she’ll commit suicide within the year. Like Fantine at the end of her life, there’s nothing more that can be done to harm her--she thinks.

She’s invoking the magic system, and she pays a heavy cost for it: as she talks, she has a horrifying rattling cough that makes her more spectral and terrifying, but says terrible things about how long she’s going to live. She has become Fantine not in mannerisms but in actual spirit, exchanging her life and health to protect the person that matters to her.

It works. The men start supplicating her, but she won’t be supplicated.

And we end with the conclusion to the Montparnasse redemption arc that Hugo’s been teasing these last few chapters: His loyalty to men is real, but to women he’s an outright misogynist. He even boasts to his friends, after there’s no more reason to stab Eponine, that he totally would have gladly stabbed Eponine. He sounds young here--but he also sounds like an asshole. Even Babet--who, remember, abandoned his wife and kids and moonlights as a traveling dentist, so he’s the literal personification of all the shit done to Fantine--feels the need to say that he treats women better than Montparnasse does.

Montparnasse transforms here from a possible subject of a redemption arc back into Marius’s dark shadow--and right now, I think he’s there to demonstrate the misogyny that Marius is veering way too close to

#brickclub #lm 4.8.4 #uggh fuck marius #and montparnasse #eponine</3