handed in the wrong version of my essay and just edited my submission 3 hours later because my friend noticed I cant breathe

if you're wondering what the big deal is about the louis-philippe sentence in les misérables, it is, in the original french, 760 words long. the subject of the sentence doesn't appear until 95% of the way through, at word #711; the main verb is word #712. the sentence contains 91 commas and 49 semicolons and is almost entirely a list of laudatory adjectival phrases describing the erstwhile king of france. this is perhaps especially notable because les mis is, shall we say, not known for being particularly gung-ho about the monarchy.

this sentence copied and pasted into Word takes up more than one page single-spaced. in the 1800-page folio classique edition, it is fully two and a half of those 1800 pages. that means that les mis is 0.14% this single sentence. more of les mis is made up of this sentence than earth's atmosphere is made up of carbon dioxide (0.04%). if the page count of les mis stayed the same but every sentence was the length of this one, les mis would consist of only 720 sentences total.

incidentally, guess who named hugo a peer of france 17 years before the publication of les mis?

Reading Barrayar I felt trapped in Cordelia’s head. It’s incredibly effective for the dread of war as a civilian. Plans and machinations happening beyond you, with no input. Hearing of things happening that seem far off and like yeah that’s awful but then suddenly it dominoes in a way that destroy your life and it’s not your fault and you could've done nothing at all to prevent it. Especially the tension of being hunted in the Dendarii mountains with no idea how the war is going, if they’ve already lost, if it is already too late. Cordelia is doing actively important things in service of the war by sheltering Gregor, yet there's this pervasive feeling of helpless lack of control. She spends most of the book with this dread of not knowing when the next threat to their family will come, and I don’t think it could’ve been done so effectively if we had access to the information Aral had. I found it frustrating at times, since it felt like Cordelia was swept up in events with little agency (at first; obviously our dear captain didn’t remain there). I wanted so badly to be with Aral seeing and knowing and making the decisions.

But that’s the point! Most people have absolutely zero agency in those situations and little information and it’s terrifying. Barrayar captures the feeling of being a civilian in war where so many narratives narrow in upon the heroes and 'men of history' that control conflicts. That's what readers expect. I think that’s why I loved the ending so much. After so long trapped with Cordelia, just trying to survive the larger machinations of Barrayar’s bloody politics, it felt so, so good to finally be on the offensive, to have information the opponents don’t, to finally have power and the means to control what happens. It's a relief to the constant tension of having no agency in a giant conflict that frankly Cordelia had no business being affect by, yet was swept up in because of her love of Aral.

Which is the second thing I deeply enjoyed in Barrayar. I love how the war is made so human. A messy tangle of human relationships control it. I can’t stop thinking about the hostages. There are just so many children being used because the war holds the future hostage. Tiny precious Miles utterly incapable of comprehending how large a pawn he is. Young grieving Gregor vital to the plans of both sides whether dead or alive. Elena, who should be of no importance but she is because that's the kid of an unimportant soldier, just like every other hostage is another piece in the web of the war. I keep thinking about the relatives of Aral’s men caught in the capital. The hostages that Aral refuses to take. Everyone just trying to take care of those they love, and the points where they must put other priorities over their relationships are heart wrenching.

Barrayar looks dead on at how little people try to survive a civil war. From the mountains where the fighting seems so far, and information is slowed to a trickle of the singular mailman. The invasion of forces that disrupts people who may not even know there’s a war yet. The scientists and the genius lost in a single blast that goes unnoticed. The urban populations trying to sneak in food and people and keep their heads down. Random citizens debating who to sell out, weighing risks and bounties, if it will get them the favor with the occupiers that will help them survive. All so small in the grand scheme of things, and yet they are who Barrayar concerns itself with.

Cordelia’s uncertainty and fear would’ve been undermined if we were allowed to see in the heads of people driving the conflict, because Barrayar isn’t about those people. It is the desperation of two mothers, powerless and kept in the dark, that topples the regime.

Addendum: Cordelia’s relationship to Aral firmly places her in an upper class position that is important to note when discussing the role of civilians/‘little people’ within this analysis. But as a woman on Barrayar she is extremely limited in the power she is allocated, especially compared to someone like Aral, which would be the military leadership POV that novels more focused on the grander scope of war would utilize. Again not to say Cordelia has no agency or power, but it is not to the degree of the people in charge. Thus I place her alongside the average people swept up in a war outside their control. Still, her position as a Vor Lady gives her some access knowledge and connections that she turns into power, which while limited are far more than the average citizen. Her significance to Vordarrian is exclusively viewed as yet another hostage, an underestimation that Cordelia readily exploits, but still afforded only due to her status. Cordelia occupies a position of importance but not power beyond the scope of the people she’s formed direct relationships with, which only further ties into the essay's thesis.

never forgive me. never forget me.

original prompt & following reblogs by @im-totally-not-an-alien-2 | ao3 ficlet

Too much of “Tim is Martin’s wingman and Sasha is Jon’s”, not enough of “Sasha is Martin’s wingman, Tim is Jon’s”

Doctor: Huh, is that who I am now?

Donna: It was never that far from the surface, mate.

Doctor: frowns Yes, it was! You know I used to be a woman. And that made people... assume all sorts of stuff. And - and pretending to be Graham's wife for five minutes was bad enough but - Byron? That was torture. Does the man ever stop talking?

Donna: Takes one to know one

Doctor: Oi! I just mean, there were all these men people assumed I would be into and I - and I just - I just wanted -

Donna: I know, darling.

Doctor: softly I just wanted Yaz.

Donna: I know. - There was one man, though, remember?

Doctor: No, there wasn't! I don't fancy the Master!

Donna: ...

Doctor: Okay, fine. But the Master isn't a man. He's like me! Flexible - uh - timelord gender and stuff.

Donna: Sure.

Doctor: So, anyway, I have always been primarily into wom-

Donna: What about Jack Harkness?

Doctor: - Jack doesn't count, everyone fancies Jack.

Donna: ...fair enough.

Adhd will be like “you’re not dyslexic, you just don’t read the whole word. Good luck with math you dumb fuck”

Holy cow.

TIL the word for how a word or a name is pronounced is written as "pronunciation". I really thought it was "pronounciation".

Pro-Nun. Well I love Arknights Specter.

That reminds me some years ago I was absolutely bamboozled by "similar" & "available", I thought those were written as "similiar" & "avaible" .

My life is a lie.. all this from being curious on how to pronounce "Berrien County Jail".

Kaeya wasn’t one to really get angry as a kid, but the very few times when he genuinely did, it was extremely obvious to everyone, in the way he carried himself.

.

"i like you and i blame you for making me feel this way" he said

i still think about it

Find The Word Tag

Thank you for tagging me, @dotr-rose-love! I'm sorry it was ages ago :') I got tagged two times with little, garden, dream, car and why and then world, space, heart and lose. I didn't have car (which is not that surprising as it's set in a world where there is no cars).

I'll tag @aohendo @kainablue @mariahwritesstuff @faelanvance with words green, no, word and night.

little

Valeri carefully pulled each layer of clothing to reveal his side. Agrippa winced and closed her eyes. Then she slowly re-opened them and seemed to force herself to look at the wound. "Rinse it with water. Do not touch it. Then press some bandages on it and wrap the rest tightly around my torso." He spoke on a low voice to cause as little tension on his side as possible. "What about the bullet?" Agrippa asked, her voice shaking. "You let it stay there. Right now it's blocking the wound and keeping my blood inside me. I will die out of blood loss much quicker than out of infection or lead poisoning, so keeping my blood inside me is the priority here."

garden

Fiolew looked carefully as the soldier opened the door for a footman. A footman's suit might work here. The Spring Palace must have loaned additional people to their own staff tonight, so the guards certainly wouldn't recognize every footman. He would need to get the right kind of wig and their footman's jacket from somewhere. He already had an idea how to acquire them. He could make this work. With a self-satisfied smile he straightened up from leaning on the railing. It was already pitch black outside, which was perfectly fine with him. He quickly glanced around before slipping into the shadows of the garden.

dream

"Where did you get the ring, captain?" The man spoke in a soft voice under which cold rage was brewing. Valeri forced himself to look up. The man's face was right in from of him. His heart skipped a beat. It must have been a dream. "Father?" he breathed in Cerfi. For a brief moment he could have sworn he was looking at his father, but after blinking Valeri recognized the face. He had barely changed at all. That long face with sharp features and those deep set eyes were exactly as Valeri remembered. Though his hair was graying and shorter, the hairline had receded a bit and some new wrinkles had appeared on his face. "Ignatus?"

why

"I told them you're my guard", Agrippa whispered. Valeri raisen an eyebrow. "Why?" "I didn't dare go there alone." He didn't blame her. The oracles sent cold shivers down his spine. "So now I have to act like your personal guard?" "Well you were before, right?" Agrippa grinned, but the concerned wrinkle between her brows didn't disappear. "I can always fire you, if you want." "I just got a new job and you're already firing me?"

world

"Along the Vuolhú River the cities of the dead are always on the northern side of it", Agrippa said. She leaned forward, animated as she spoke. "Vuolhú is the gate between the worlds of the living and the dead and north is the land of the dead." "Isn't then most of Dir'ahin land of the dead?" Valeri asked. "No." The levity had disappeared from Ávra's voice. "The land of the living is only occupied by the enemy." She raised her eyes at Valeri. She was smiling, but there was fire in her eyes that Valeri knew all too well. "For now."

space

At the campus Fearathos took the route to the history department. It was in one of the oldest building of the university, from the times of Amarian Empire. The style then had strong Amarian influence. Ornamental pilars and straight columns. Faerathos had only been there once, but remembered well the grandiose entrance with a row of massive pilars behind which large entrances led to the central hall. In the middle of it was a shallow rectangular pool the same size as the hole in the roof. The hole let in a large beam of sun that moved through the day and filled the space with sun light.

heart

The general's expression was perfectly stale, impossible to read. "That's not true -" "No! Don't you dare tell me another lie!" "Agrippa dear..." "Silence!" Her hair and skin flamed. She radiated white blinding flames. The heath burned hot on Valeri's face and he backed away as terror gripped his heart. The flames were gone as quick as they appeared. Only some embers were left smouldering in her clothing.

lose

"'Pretty good'?" Marcus gave a laugh. "She has never lost a single duel. I'm pretty sure I'd lose to her." "You?" Faerathos asked with disbelief. "You're the best swordsman in the Empire, if not the world. Everyone thinks so." "Sure, but I'm not a duelist. I can duel of course, but I'm much more intimately familiar with techniques more useful in a battlefield than a duel. She on the other hand is expert on duel techniques. I actually saw her duel in a party. She was toying with the man. It was a performance to her, but it was clear that he would have been dead, if she'd wanted him dead." "There was a duel in a party? I don't remember that." "Unsurprising. But yes there was. Easily the best party I have ever attended. I think some foolish lord had caught his wife on the arms of Lady Moireau, or something." He chuckled. "I would like to duel with her. No one has beaten me since..." His voice trailed off and a shadows fell over his face. He didn't need to finish the sentence, Faerathos knew he was talking about father.

Heya clus - I hope you're keeping well! :D for the '3 things' ask (I've sent three in keeping with the theme!):

6. 3 characters that inspire you

9. 3 things you like doing on a rainy day

24. 3 places that makes you feel peaceful

Hi Sea !! I'm doing well thank you, how about you ?? Thanks for the asks ! :))

6. This one was so hard to answer fbkzbd mostly because I'm not sure I'm answering this right, I mean these characters inspired me but maybe not in the way the question implies it, but anyway, here they are :

The whole story of Pandora hearts and all the characters really marked me and inspired me a lot, this manga means so much to me ! I'll go with Gilbert for this, he's (I think) a fantastic character, very human and full of tenderness in a rather violent world. I thnik characters that are kind in a very clumsy and human way are my weak spot, and Gilbert's emotional, can be nervous and clumsy but is still so important to everyone else and I don't know I just love it. (when I first read it it made me feel so much better about myself haha)

the whole cast of bungo stray dogs honestly inspired me a LOT, but in the same way ; it made me want to succeed in portraying the characters through my drawings, and in fact, it's what gave me the courage to post my stuff on tumblr haha, so I owe a lot to this series. It also made me want to analyze certain characters in greater depth, to indulge more into series in general, but I can't pick only one character from it !! (But tbh it's mostly the DOA)

And I obviously can't answer this without speaking about Reigen and mp100 in general ! I think I watched it at the perfect time in my life. It is a series so dear to me I don't even know where to start, but sincerely, it's a heart-warming anime, so many touching and endearing characters with their flaws but who are full of humanity, a little (a lot) weird, and there's something fundamentally kind, gentle, soothing and an acceptance for others that's missing a lot these days I think, and it did me so much good to get into that world ! I'm having a really hard time finding the right words, but I love this series so much bdjvzd For me, Reigen is the character who best represents this whole feeling of humanity, full of flaws but so full of gentleness and good intentions, and all his talk about Mob's place in the world, and that we're all special on the same level in the end, that no one is above the others and that there's no point in trying to be "special" at all costs, because we already are by being ourselves, and that everything's going to be fine and it's such a healing point of view of the world that I desesperatly needed, so thank you a Reigen !!

9. First thing I do is running to my window to see if there's a storm coming or no, then I proceed to stand here and watch it (if there's one), and if there's no storm (-lame-) I still like to watch the rain approaching, and how people handle it ; sometimes it's very sudden, and since my apartment is above a large patch of grass where people come to rest I have a direct view on the panic slowly setting in lol, but honestly most of the time I just stay inside with a hot chocolate or a tea and I go on with my day !

Or if I've been outside in the rain I complain about being wet

24. Tricky one !! There's one specific place where I can feel really peaceful, and it's at my grandparents house. It is a big home a bit up in the mountains in the south, and there's no close neighbors, no city noises, just so much calm and sun and peace !! I like to go up there just to sit in the grass and bask in the sun like some kind of plant, petting the cats. And speaking of cats, it's not really a place but I feel peaceful whenever there's a cat purring in my lap or in my arms (especially if it's my old kitty cat), it is just the best feeling in the world and it helps forget everything bad that ever happened to you <3 and for the last place it's gonna sound weird I guess but whenever I start to feel very anxious in some sort of social setting I go to the bathroom/toilets just to calm down and it's mostly because no one is going to come annoy you in bathrooms lol, so yeah toilets are a peaceful place to me (and basically places where I am sure that no one will disturb me, where I can lock the door and be in peace)

ive been a little upset about it all night so i need to write out all the things that happened at work today and are bugging me so i can TRY to get it out of my head and actually RELAX bc i just keep pacing in circles around it instead of just accepting it and moving on

Being bilingual is great bc I can justify watching the same 6 hours of content for the third time in 10 days to see how they translated the dialogue <3

♻️

♻️ A scrapped idea for your current WIP

ooh, a strangely difficult question! for A flip-flop state of mind i did end up discarding some early ideas, mostly because it just didn't end up fitting naturally into how things took shape - steve and danny never went surfing, they didn't play Go Fish, they never met the housekeeper (who was going to assume they were a couple, of course, in classic fic fashion). there's also one specific section of dialogue that i took out of the upcoming chapter (a rare occurence!), because when i started filling in the rest, it felt like they were just saying things i'd already made them say in slightly different words a little earlier - but i guess deep down that means it wasn't even truly scrapped, it was just accidentally rewritten.

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send me an emoji to help me procrastinate on my writing! ✨