#laurent thierry imagine

[illjustpretend]

confidence can be coached 🗣

[mochachailattecafe]

quickest ipad sketches ive ever done of how i think team confidence and co. would look as animal crossing villagers

[badboysdoitbetter]

i’m so desperate for Great Pretender content that i’m fully about to write fanfiction myself :O

(my ask box is open request some juicy x reader requests.)

[hiphopcherrrypop]

laurent said he’d sponsor clark’s flying in case 4 so i imagine they’d have to have chats time to time

how related those chats would stay to business is another story

[macybeckham7]

You being Thierry Henry’s daughter and you and Kylian are dating. They come and watch one of your France game. You guys have a moment after the match x

They were both cheering their hearts out for you and the team, they were both repping your jerseys. They were on the rollercoaster ride with you, with every foul a player made on you, every decision that went against you, your missed chances and when you scored. They both jumped up and hug each other. At the end of the match you went over to them and hugged them both, the cameras watched you all, the proud smile on your dads face as Kylian had a playful smirk as you all laughed and joked, with the energy high. 

[moodychann]

Laurent: I’m gay

Edamura: I’m glad you’re happy.

-

Laurent: Slam me against a wall.

Edamura: I don’t want to figh you right now?????

-

Laurent: I think you’re really beautiful.

Edamura: Thanks, you too. That’s nice of you to say as my friend.

-

Laurent: Edamame, I love you.

Edamura: I love you too, no homo?

Laurent: You know what, yes. YES HOMO. FUCK YOU, EDAMAME, PLEASE ACCEPT MY GAY FEELINGS-

[ultrakinda-love]

Vampire Laurent au now

[mistabullets]

Did someone say Great Pretender? 👀 How about headcanons for Makoto and Lauren (separately) who needs to pretend to be in a relationship with S/O for a scam. Fake relationships turned into something more. Nsfw or sfw - your choice.

NOTE: uhhh it’s fairly suggestive but cw dubcon (if you squint), mentions of cuck for lulz, not sfw ish

Makoto Edamura

> The thought of pretending to be your boyfriend has him unnerved and flustered at first. While his acting has improved immensely since his first heist, the thought of being intimate just to fool some corrupt CEO has his head swimming. Especially since you, his partner for this particular swindle, just happens to be one of the most attractive people he ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on!

> You can’t help but tease the poor lad, reassuring him that all has to do is follow the script and act natural. The two of you would be presenting yourself in public so it’s not like the two of you would have to do anything further than hand holding and the caressing each other. However, the two of you do practice - you want to appear as a couple who love each other for ages when you’re out for dinner with the CEO and their spouse. So you and Makoto go on “pretend dates”. You coach him to hold initimate eye contact, put him to the test by randomly reaching out for his hands, and see how well he reacts when you go to wipe lingering crumbs near his lips.

> And it seems like these pretend dates pay off well, considering the CEO, their spouse, and everyone else always compliment what a good couple you are. Even Edamame has a few tricks up his sleeves and has seem the mastered the craft of faking relationships with you. He’s even been bold enough to kiss some cream off near your lips (and you gave a playful slap to ass for revenge). Even Laurent and Cynthia point out the two of you have gotten close since! However, Makoto brushes it off, commenting about how he is after all, Japan’s greatest con artist.

> Laurent chuckles and winks, “sureeee Edamame~”

> However, this all comes to a head when the CEO discreetly sends out an invitation... to a swing party.

> While Edamura is adamant about not attending, you force him to consider this - an opportunity to seduce the CEO and gain their trust and secrets. They had made suggestive comments and gave you rather unwanted attention and compliments. It’s a gamble that you’re willing to bet on, despite Makoto’s protest about the risk of putting yourself in danger. After a few days of going back and forth, he ultimately surrenders - while personally, he won’t be participating, he does want to keep an eye on you at all times. And perhaps that can be arrange - after all this swing party might be kink friendly, no?

> The night of the party, you and Makoto dress in your finest clothing. However, your attire leaves little room for the imagination, wanting to impress the CEO. Edamura grabbed a drink to ease his nerves - he followed you and the CEO eagerly led you to a more private area (“don’t mind him, he’s really into this sort stuff, you know?”). The Japanese man watched the way their hands went to linger on your hips, pulling you down on the velvet settee. He observed how your hands fidgeted nervously and how your tongue flicked nervously as you reached for the CEO’s crotch, eyes filled with uncertainty.

> There was a tug on his heart - his fist was painfully clenched at the edge of his seat and his pants felt uncomfortably tight. But not from the scene unfolding before him but rather wondering what it would be like to be under your touch, feeling the softness of your lips, the callouses of your hand against his warm skin, and to explore each other—shit, was he actually jealous? Did Makoto have feelings for you? And he was so willing to let this dirtbag have the pleasure of feeling you—

> Instinctually, he leapt out of his seat, grabbing you before you had the chance to unzip the CEO’s pants and dragging you to a private bedroom. Makoto ignored your angry and confused questioning and the nasally laughter of the CEO (“a cuck that’s easily jealous huh”). When he swung the door open and slammed it closed, he silenced your protest with a hasty and needy kiss. You were stunned, let out a muffled noise of surprise as your brain processed what the hell was going on...

> However, rather than fight back and yell about how Edamame just blew the chances of finding out the corrupt CEO’s weakness, you melted into the kiss, allowing him to push you towards the bed. “Geez, if you had just told me sooner, you dumbass.”

Laurent Thierry

> Upon hearing the heist layout, you’re eyeing Laurent with disbelief. You... and him...?

> Of course, you’re going to bombard him with questions! Why couldn’t it be Abbie or Cynthia? Certainly those two would have made better candidates at pretending to be a prestigious married couple with Laurent than you ever could. Hell, even Edmame would probably be better suited for this! However, the Frenchman tells you to fret not - Abbie and Cynthia are busy with other roles. Plus, Laurent wants you to see this as expanding your horizon. You can’t just go about swindles and only play the side characters. This will be a good heist to show your potential lies in greater things, he says.

> “Besides, I will be your husband so I’ll make sure to take good care of you, mon cheri~” he teases, reaching for your hand to kiss, much to your embarrassment. You sigh, reminding yourself this only a mission and both of you have the same goal in mind; eyes on the prize. Besides, it’s not you don’t think you necessarily can’t handle this, it’s more the fact you find yourself attractive to Laurent. Often times, you replay all those teasing moments, the not-so-subtle flirting, and the times he’s nonchalantly kissed your cheeks and hands. However, you don’t want to mingle your love affair with business. Despite his flirtaous nature, the logical part of your brains reminds you that he’s always like this with everyone. He’s nothing more than a business partner.

> Your interactions with the politician your group has targeted seems to be fairing well. Laurent naturally leads the conversation, helping you two weasel into the the politician’s grace and being introduced to their entourage of close associates. However, you’re always being surprised by some of his bold actions. His bigger hand deliberately placed on your thigh during dinners and being placed on the small of your back while guiding you through the elaborate hallways of a palace. He’s even taken the whole charade far by whispering honey-laced words in your ears - to further fool them or to tease you? You honestly can’t tell anymore!

> Eventually, the two of you are invited to a ballroom dance of sort, where allegedly, the politician is suppose to be meeting their backers. Certainly, you can’t miss out on this opportunity - offer to better ratings, make them desperate, gain more money.

> It proves to be successful but you still gotta linger about in the ballroom while Laurent works out the finer details. You try to best to evade conversation, anxiously waiting for your partner’s return until a certain persistent individual attempts to occupy your time. While you attempt to brush them off as curious and lonely individual, they keep asking more and more questions about your fabricated persona that you simply did not have the answers for. You try to stray further and further away from this creep, telling them you have other business to attend to...

> But they’re catching onto your little plot and observing you from afar; it’s a game of predator and prey. Eventually you leave the ballroom entirely but this person is still pursuing you! Eventually you’re pushed into a corner and forced to further entertain this person, who’s inching further and further into your personal space. You want to run, to tell them to fuck off but you’re not quite sure what this person is capable of. They begin to question who you really are, never quite seeing you before. You gulp, your flight response telling you to run and you do. But then run into someone else—

> You go to apologize, only to realize it’s Laurent! Oh thank heavens! But you can hear that nuisance’s loud footsteps approaching and he’s yelling your name. The Frenchman easily finds a solution to your little predicament, quick to pick up on whatever is going on. With ease, he pushes you against the wall and making sure to hide your smaller figure. Before you can question what exactly he is doing, he shuts you up with a fervent kiss... with tongue! His leg press in between yours, hands roaming your sides. Acting promptly, you loosen up and return his advances.

> Even after you hear the footsteps scurry pass, you don’t want to bring yourself to stop this. It’s Laurent who has to disengage and you’re readying yourself for a barrage of playful jabs only to see the man equally flustered but beaming, a smirk dancing on the edge of his lips. “Beautifully done, mon cheri... may I suggest we celebrate our swindle somewhere perhaps more privately?” He presses his knee against your heat and you let out an embarrassing moan. You glimpse up, skepticism in your eyes but his blue orbs soften. For once, Laurent is serious.

> And you can’t help but eagerly nod.

[peacesmovingcabaret]

Ok so I think it’s time we talked about Laurent. Specifically his widely unknown backstory and the fact that he’s a con artist with a savior complex! 

I took a bit of inspiration from both @edaurents and @ikbonbon excellent posts here and here and here involving Laurent’s elaborate role in the plot, a little bit on his backstory, and his past/current habits. So I’m gonna incorporate some of their theories into my meta. (Also if you already came up with some of these theories, I don’t mean to copy you and I’m sorry if it seems like I am.) I just might end up breaking this into multiple parts since it’s probably gonna be pretty lengthy. 

So without further ado. Spoilers Ahead!!!!!!

Great Pretender is a comedy/heist anime about a group of con artists or “confidence men” as they put it. Whose stories involve conning several corrupt figures out of their money with some really elaborate scams. 

And the mastermind behind those schemes is none other than our lovable, French bastard Laurent Thierry. 

Now off the bat, we can sum up this guy as this suave, charismatic, conniving, smug, super intelligent, ‘always three steps ahead of any and every one’ and ‘makes 5-6 different plans for the job while in his sleep’ kind of con man. He also has a Robin Hood complex, in that he only targets the rich and corrupted, robbing them blind and then exposing crimes to authorities. While helping honest and underpriveleged people who were victimized by those corrupt targets.  So he he clearly has a conscience and a good heart underneath. 

Now his backstory, however remains an enigma. In all three of the cases presented in the show so far, Laurent’s is the only one out of the main four characters that isn’t explored. The only tidbit of information we get from the show is that one line he says towards the end of episode 14, while holding up a ring on a chain.

“Men are such miserable creatures. Isn’t that right, Dorothy?”

Now, who is Dorothy? You might ask. Well judging by the ring, our best guess is maybe an old flame, lover or some type of significant other. Whoever she was, she was a woman who clearly impacted Laurent’s life (if him carrying what I assume was her ring on him is any indication). And I think it’s safe to say that she is no longer among the living. So this is really the only piece from the show that gives us any direct bit of info about his past.  

However, there are elements in this show that do give us some clues on his background, the type of person he was in the past and even his motives. 

And they include: His profession as a Scam Artist, this ‘Dorothy’ woman and his relationship with her and finally, his strange fixation on Edamura. 

Now judging by how intricate his schemes are along with the amount of resources and people he has on hand for his plans, we can say that he’s been doing this for a while. Like no one is this skilled and this talented at conning rich, influential people out of their money with these super elaborate plans after only a little while. No, these are skills he’s been honing for years. However, I don’t think he obtained these skills from Dorothy. I think he’s been a scam artist way before he met her.

Here’s the thing: The overall idea of scam artists is pretty scary. You’re essentially exploiting people, taking advantage of either their trust or ignorance and stealing their money. With Laurent, he takes it to another level. He doesn’t just steal money from his targets, he gains their trust, gives them a false sense of security and satisfaction, then he psychologically torments them by exposing their crimes and fucking bankrupting them. And sure all his victims were bad people, but imagine if they weren’t. Like Laurent is lowkey terrifying, his character’s like a Bond villain on the light side. Which leads me to believe that Laurent had some pretty dark, fucked up shit going on in his past in order for him to turn out that. Maybe involving some dark corrupt figures he dealt with that turned him bitter and even broken. Especially if these pictures from the Case 4 preview are anything to go by:

Now these pictures could mean a lot of things. But what’s important to note is that this is clearly a low point in his life. He’s sitting in the garbage smoking, he’s visibly drunk, and he looks roughed up a bit. He’s also noticeably younger so likely this took place in his past. Clearly he went through some tough shit. @ikbonbon Brings up in their post that Laurent possibly had a drinking problem when he was younger (in which they speculate based on some of his current lack of drinking habits in the show). I think it’s possible that some type of trauma (maybe as a result from those corrupt rich figures I’m mentioned before) took a toll on his mental health which caused him to resort to drinking and other self destructive tendencies.

Enter Dorothy.

I kinda speculate that he’s speaking to her in the first picture, but I don’t have enough evidence to back that claim. But she was someone who became a positive influence on his life (If him becoming some vigilante type who uses his cons to help others and carrying around the ring of his likely deceased lover with him is any indication). I think it’s likely that she was the one who encouraged him to help people, not only with the money he earns from his cons, but also via a sense of closure from past traumas and current struggles. Like with what he does with Edamura, Abbie and Cynthia in the three cases. It’s also likely that she got him out of that slump and played a part in his schemes to take down some corrupt, rich assholes. And after Dorothy’s supposed passing, he decided to continue with his mission in her honor.

So we now have clues on Laurent’s motives and a little bit on his backstory. Alongside who Dorothy was and Laurent’s relationship towards her. But I think there’s more evidence in the show that delves into his backstory a bit and kind of supports my theories that I’ve presented here.

And it involves his odd fixation on Edamura in the show and how he goes out of his way to recruit and incorporate him into his plans. Which I’m going to discuss in a different post because I’m gonna be in full tin foil hat mode and it’s going to be too damn long to incorporate in this post that I’ve already started.

Part 2 is here.

[skittlewaffle]

Oh! explain the dream!

*cracks knuckles*

So I think it all started in the middle of the series. Like how your friends show you season 2 or 3 of a show you haven’t seen season 1 of :P It was like I was in a version of Demon Slayer that took place across like.. from my own neighborhood to New Jersey for some reason?? I swear my own identity was changing between characters like Tanjro and Nezuko, but despite that I never stopped being me, and everyone in the dream recognized that.

First thing I remember was me having a quick flashback to my backstory (which happened later in the dream when I rewinded to season 1 lol; I’ll explain it now so it makes more sense chronologically). My mom was driving me to NJ to show me the demon slayer training camp. It was.. more militaristic than I expected...? Like literally we were driving on a dirt path in a ditch just deep enough to avoid the gunfire of people at target training overhead. I kept telling my mom to turn around cause I was scared, but she went kinda crazy and drove forward faster. I guess I just kinda clipped outside of the car before it crashed into the main building and started a fire, as well as an uprising. I was trying to find safety while people around me fought each other.. for some reason bees was a major cause of death; guess there were a lot of hives. But it resulted in HUGE piles of dead bees afterwards. Anyways, I had climbed up a wooden tower and stayed there until everything had blown over and someone told me to come down. (Also I swear Laurent Thierry was there too hdbcjsn) It’s kinda blurry, but I think this might’ve been where I first saw Giyu.

Back to where I started, we were by the driveway of my house. I think I had broken my bike after riding it a little, and I suddenly got flashbacks of my mom’s death in that car crash. Giyu came out from the driveway and asked me what was wrong. I kinda went off topic from what I was thinking and began to vent to him about how useless I was as a demon slayer, and a fighter in general. I think these were my real life insecurities making it’s way into my dreams because I’m currently having a rough time with my dad. Giyu was walking around and going off about how that’s not true, while I got teary-eyed. My laptop was in front of me so I typed while he spoke, allowing him to come back to it when he was done talking for the time being. He understood that I was too upset to say things out loud. He came back to read what I typed: that I had an argument with my dad recently and that he’s been telling me negative things about me. And Giyu said something along the lines of, “Don’t listen to him. Your dad can’t tell you what you think or feel, or who you are as a person.”

You know what happened afterwards? We hugged. We had a real hug and it felt so nice... I never get hugs like that from anyone irl except for the person who just happens to be my abuser. I often only hug my dad to keep him appeased and so he doesn’t lecture me about how distant I’ve become. So to share affection not coldly, but out of genuine love, with someone who really does care about me, was a breath of fresh air. It was a fairly long hug, too.

Afterwards, he invited me to ride out of the neighborhood on our bikes. Mine was broken so he gave me this electronic scooter I could sit down on. I felt so small compared to him as we rode out, but the good kind of small!

So we stopped at a corner outside the gas station by our house. And suddenly, we were surrounded by bullies. No bueno. Some of them just kinda stood there and watched, while others took action against us. I was still sitting on my scooter until some girl kicked me off, and I looked at her, trying to seem uninterested. I was on and off fighting people back and just standing there and taking it, like Giyu was. He wasn’t doing a thing until suddenly, he started running back towards the neighborhood. He was a little out of character, shaking his head and trying not to cry while some bullies managed to keep up with him and hit him a bunch. This is when I got outwardly angry. I shoved the girl and picked my scooter up (it turned into some fancy skateboard lol) and I whacked every other person with it while I chased after the most powerful bully on Giyu’s back, who looked a lot like Genya. Normally, in chases like these, the dream would slow me down to where I’m not able to run, but I was filled with Tanjiro’s indignation. I ran as fast as I possibly could and did that thing where they seem to teleport in their run, and once I reached the guy, that slow-mo scene happened where I kick him in the back and he falls, emphasizing the impact he makes on the ground before I chop him on the chest / shoulder on his bounce up, knocking him out.

... I think he dropped an item as they do in video games lol,, it was a box of big puzzle pieces, which I guess had some kind of significant meaning other than being a trophy of my win. Later, Giyu and I rented a little hotel room and began to settle in. We had two of these boxes, which we put on a little shelf on the dresser. He placed the demon slayer manga on top of it lol. Y’know?? We started to live a domestic life there!! We were able to comfortably talk to each other and make eye contact n such haha... When I asked him what he wanted for lunch / dinner and he answered chicken-something (I don’t remember.. some Japanese dish maybe) I said in my mind, I dunno how to make that, but I’ll cook anything for you babe ♡ When he was arranging stuff in our mini fridge and he asked me to hold the door open for him even tho it stayed open by itself,, I had to ask why. And he HECCIN complimented the way I open the door ?? He basically said that it blew his mind. Uhm, excuse me?? Normally, nothing impressed him much, especially how someone opens doors. Now that I think about it, it might be a nod to me struggling to open up sometimes, and that he was proud of me for doing so 🥺 or maybe he just thought I was beautiful in general hdncjdnx... (I was wearing colors like Nezuko’s btw, just thought I’d mention that cause I love her outfit.)

He went out of character again at the ending “Taisho Era Secret” sequence. He was with Shinobu and he accidentally started going off about how wonderful I was. His behavior was almost a toned down version of Zenitsu’s and he ran away afterwards out of embarrassment! Not something I’d normally imagine him doing, but it was sweet nonetheless. Shinobu just kinda stood there like “Oh my!” before giving the viewers the Taisho Era Secret they were waiting for. I don’t remember what it was or if it even happened lol

There might be a few things I didn’t write down soon enough to remember vividly, but still. It’s this very dream that made me simp for Giyu Tomioka. Show me emotional support (in a comfortable, sensitive, and caring way), and my heart belongs to you. And guess who did that? Giyu. And for someone as quiet and reclusive as him, it means so much to me.

[illjustpretend]

mine, all mine

[mood]

[ortofosforic]

Last night I had a strange dream, and between all the crazy scenarios that flashed before me there was Laurent Thierry who was to get married within days.

With whom you may ask? That I do not know; but Laurent was always around Edamame, flirting with him and implying that if said soybean was ever, EVER into him, that was the right time to confess, for Laurent would have gladly accepted his advances.

Now I do feel very sorry for Laurent's mysterious fianceé; but I also think this is exactly how their dynamic unraveled during the show: If Edamame had showed any romantic interest towards him, Laurent would have went for it, for sure.

I haven't watched case 4 yet but I'm pretty certain Makoto's not interested. Which is completely fine! So, if any of you is writing fanfictions about our Team Confidence please consider: create a deep friendship dynamic between these two fella, or even love interest, whatever really in the end this is just a show; although why not try and give Laurent a someone (whatever gender, whatever sex, again this is your story) who genuinely loves him? Why go around Edamame when he's clearly not into him in a romantic way?

Huh... this gives a loot of prompt both for the Laurent × Edamura and for the OC thing. Just imagine all the dynamics, jealousy stuff; missed opportunities, un-reciprocated love, every kind of trauma your evil mind could ever possibly imagine...

[weirdletter]

Imaginales: le festival des mondes imaginaires, 18ème édition. 23-26 May 2019, Ville d’Épinal, France. Poster art by Grzegorz Rosiński and Piotr Rosiński, info: imaginales.fr.

From Thursday 23rd to Sunday 26th May, 2019, more than 300 authors and illustrators from all over the world will come to Epinal, in France, for the 18th edition of Imaginales: le festival des mondes imaginaires, one of the first international exposition of Imaginative literature.  Artists, novelists and experts in the Fantasy, SF and Fantastic genres will share their stories with a varied and enthusiastic audience. Founded in 2002, the festival is free and open to the public, welcoming more than 40,000 visitors from all over France.

Guest list:

Comics and illustration – Julien DELVAL, Renaud DENAUW, Emmanuel DESPUJOL, Steven DUDA, Gilles FRANCESCANO, Laurent GAPAILLARD, Armel GAULME, Didier GRAFFET, Loïc JOUANNIGOT, Milan JOVANOVIC, Frédéric MARNIQUET, Gilles MEZZOMO, Noë MONIN, Thimothée MONTAIGNE, Frédéric PILLOT, Michel RODRIGUE, Olivier ROMAC, Grzegorz ROSIŃSKI, Piotr ROSIŃSKI, Thierry SÉGUR, Olivier SOUILLÉ, Philippe ZYTKA.

International authors – Alex BELL, Sigridour Hagalin BJÖRNSDOTTIR, Peter BRETT, Anders FAGER, Mark HENWICK, Vic JAMES, S.T. JOSHI, Hildur KNÚTSDÓTTIR, Graham MASTERTON, Sam J. MILLER, Christopher PRIEST, Sofia SAMATAR, Johanna SINISALO.

French authors – Christophe ABAS, Sandrine ALEXIE, Nicolas ALLARD, Mel ANDORYSS, Jean-Pierre ANDREVON, Jacques BARBÉRI, Isabelle BAUTHIAN, Robert BELMAS, Paul BEORN, Karim BERROUKA, Georges BERTIN, Chloé BERTRAND, Pierre BORDAGE, Béatrice BOTTET, Nicolas BOUCHARD, Clément BOUHÉLIER, Charlotte BOUSQUET, Fabienne BRUGERE, David BRY, Sabrina CALVO, Nicolas CARTELET, Fabien CERUTTI, Fabien CLAVEL, Guy COSTES, Alain DAMASIO, Grégory DA ROSA, Nathalie DAU, Lionel DAVOUST, Nicolas DEBANDT, Romain DELPLANCQ, Jérôme DIDELOT, Julie de LESTRANGE, Marie-Charlotte DELMAS, Jean-Laurent DEL SOCORRO, Patrick K DEWDNEY, Romain D'HUISSIER, Victor DIXEN, Sara DOKE, Catherine DUFOUR, Jean-Claude DUNYACH, Silène EDGAR, Manon FARGETTON, Estelle FAYE, Franck FERRIC, Fabien FERNANDEZ, Élise FISCHER, Alexis FLAMAND, Célia FLAUX, Victor FLEURY, Jean-Pierre FONTANA, Isabelle FOURNIÉ, Thomas GEHA, Alison GERMAIN, Eric GIACOMETTI, Régis GODDYN, Marie-José GONAND, Alain GROUSSET, Lauric GUILLAUD, Colin HEINE, Johan HELIOT, Loïc HENRY, Ariel HOLZL, Raymond ISS, Jean-Philippe JAWORSKI, Gabriel KATZ, Florian KIEFFER, Katia LANERO ZAMORA, Gilles LAPORTE, Camille LEBOULANGER, Fabienne LELOUP, Christian LÉOURIER, Jérôme LEROY, Érik L'HOMME, Jean-Marc LIGNY, Méropée MALO, Eric MARCHAL, Jean-Luc MARCASTEL, Johanna MARINES, Jean MARIGNY, Danielle MARTINIGOL, Xavier MAUMÉJEAN, Patrick McSPARE, Hélène P. MÉRELLE, Sylvie MILLER, Vincent MONDIOT, Pierre PEVEL, Betty PICCIOLI, Stefan PLATTEAU, Jean PRUVOST, Jacques RAVENNE, Michael ROCH, Carina ROZENFELD, Éric SANVOISIN, Stéphane SERVANT, Floriane SOULAS, Charles SUZANNE, Ketty STEWARD, Rachel TANNER, Arthur TÉNOR, Philippe TESSIER, Nicolas TEXIER, Christophe THILL, Jean-François THOMAS, Jean-Christophe TIXIER, Adrien TOMAS, Jean-Michel TRUONG, Estelle VAGNER, Laurence VANIN, Cindy VAN WILDER, Claude VAUTRIN, Flore VESCO, Frédéric VINCENT, Frédérique VOLOT, Philippe WARD, Aurélie WELLENSTEIN, Georges ZARAGOZA.

[curareblog]

Microperfumes pt. 2

{Microperfumes // A Variety // See Below}

Well, I swore to myself that I would make this a three-part series. You know what they say about best laid plans? Yeah, me neither. I think the remaining organizational scheme was going to be something like, “YouTube made me try these” and then “Wild Cards.” But because I’m fickle and impatient, I’m lumping them all together. I trust that you, dear audience, will be capable of discerning what’s been popular on YouTube, and what’s more or less random.

And without further ado, let the chaos commence!

Dolce & Gabbana / Dolce Floral Drops / 7.5/10

Say it with me, “Pissy Floral.” And we know yours truly loves a pissy floral. For those in the audience not yet apprised of my ~trademark~ saying: tart, fresh, shampoo-y/hairspray-y scents that say “I’m fresh, I’m clean, don’t tread on me” = pissy florals. An easy wear. 

And no, I don’t feel like any of the notes are discernable enough to be worth flogging the Fragrantica page to death.

Yves Saint Laurent / Black Opium / 6/10

Somehow, this is the scent of being on the precipice of greatness. Alas, the vanilla, coffee, and pear fight and ultimately morph into a strangely tart, sweet, coffee. It’s kind of like that phenomenon people describe as being both scared and aroused. Not saying I can relate, but the twisted juxtaposition seems applicable here.

Bvlgari / Mon Jasmin Noir / 4/10

I can hardly smell anything. Maybe like my grandmother inhabited a room 1 week ago and then left the windows open while some laundry was drying outside. I don’t know her.

Versace / Crystal Noir EDT / 6.5/10

As with Black Opium, there’s something perversely appealing about Crystal Noir. In fact, Crystal Noir bears a passing resemblance to Zara’s Rich, Warm, Addictive - which can best be described as “mentholated coconut.” Maybe as if somebody made menthols out of coconut water? I’m confused, she’s confused, we’re all confused. I don’t hate it, but can’t imagine an occasion to wear it.

Gucci / Flora / 5/10

Mom, pick me up - I’m scared.

It’s been a while since I’ve smelled something so brashly and outspokenly traditionally feminine by today’s modern scenting standards. And yet, I’m face to face with the towering, pink confection demon of my nightmares. Somebody’s gotta do it to ‘em, but for once it’s not me.

Chanel / Chance Eau Tendre / 6.5/10

Pissy. Floral. Even more tart and green than the last one. Also something a little indolic in there. A sourpuss face only a mother could love.

Tom Ford / Black Orchid / 4/10

Sometimes I think the Tom Ford brief is simply “Make this smell strong and distinctive.” And boy, Black Orchid delivers. Yet, it happens to contain this weird, sweet-musky-animalic component that’s usually marketed as “honey” and makes my stomach turn. Few fragrances have successfully captured the true scent of honey, and this is one that fails to meet the mark for me.

Rihanna / Reb’l Fleur / 3/10

Derivative purple cough syrup. Avoid at all costs.

Tom Ford / Eau de Soleil Blanc / 6/10

Take Neroli Portofino and buoy out the strident neroli with some prissier notes. Summer scent writ large.

Jo Malone / Orange Blossom / 6/10

I love orange blossom. The note is truly handsome, round, and just the right mixture of fresh, delicate, and sweet. Frankly, this orange blossom reads as an indolic orange blossom honeysuckle mix. It’s not awful, but the indolence would have me nervous about others’ perceptions of me.

Lolita Lempicka / Lolita Lempicka Eau de Parfum / 4/10

Weird, plasticky licorice note. Just no.

Christian Dior / Poison Girl / 6/10

Ephemeral creamsicle-lite scent. I’m not sure what’s going on here but it’s not odious.

Thierry Mugler / Alien / 6/10

They say (they being the masses) that one is either an Alien or Angel fan. Hard to say where I skew on that divide. I hate patchouli 99.9% of the time, but am trying to grow an appreciation for

[blog-bishop]

Hold-up raté

J'avoue que j'étais autant attiré par ce Doc (Hold up, vu 9 novembre, qui sort demain mais qu'on pouvait voir sur FB) que méfiant, après avoir vu sa bande annonce. Ça sentait un peu le : « on nous cache tout on nous dit rien, et : c'est quand même un peu bizarre, non ? Je n'insinue rien, je dis juste que c'est bizarre... » Bref, j'avais peur que ça se rapproche de ce qu'on entendait au moment de Thierry Meyssan, suite au 11 septembre. En fait, j'avais raison de me méfier, et tort.

Tort, parce que les premières 1h22 sont très bien, bon diagnostic posé, bonnes interventions. Du factuel, du réel. Et puis hélas raison, parce que le doc aurait du s'arrêter à 1h22. (Il dure… 2h43. Je réalise que c'est pile la moitié !) Et que ça devient vite assez décevant.

Un regret d'abord, que des contradicteurs ne soient pas présents. On n'a qu'un son de cloche critique et personnes de la team Macron, pas de membres de son fameux conseil scientifique, pas d’Attali, de Mink ou que sais-je, de youtubeurs qui pensent que tout-n’est-peut-être-pas-normal-mais-que-globalement-ça-roule, qui seraient venu confronter leurs idées.

Donc, passées les 1h22 et le bon diagnostic ça se complique et ça devient très confus. Il y a soudain beaucoup d'idées ou de pistes qui se télescopent. Sans qu'il y ait des bases solides derrière. Des sous-tendus, des insinuations, des rapprochements sans véritables preuves... tissant en gros la thèse suivante, sans qu'elle soit énoncée clairement : la pandémie pourrait être une décision. Ce qui est quand même difficile à avaler. On est d'accord, se poser des questions, ce n'est pas forcement être complotiste, mais là, les questions partent dans tous les sens et nous font relier des points, des points qui dessinent des figures pas très nettes, et qui peuvent faire s’embraser les imaginations les plus fertiles.

Par où commencer ? Qu'un scénario catastrophe ait été envisagé (Bill Gates, Rockfeller, Attali ont parlé ou écrit à ce sujet, Attali disant qu’on entrerait dans la gouvernance mondiale après une guerre ou une épidémie) ne veut pas dire qu'on est en train d'être les acteurs de ce scénario. De plus, pourquoi annoncer un plan diabolique dans un livre, si ça participe d'un complot, autant le garder secret, non ?

On nous parle d’une simulation de crise mondiale filmée, le 18.10.2019, projet soutenu par l'OMS et Bill Gates, soulignant le rôle des réseaux sociaux désinformateurs qu'il faudrait ignorer. OK. D'accord, ce docu-fiction existe, mais là encore pourquoi le montrer s’il participe d’un grand projet malveillant ? Ce serait quoi le but ? Tester la finesse d'analyse du citoyen de base et prouver qu'il est aussi stupide qu'il en a l'air ?

Que les labos se servent de la pandémie pour faire de l'argent, ça paraît évident. Qu'Attali appelle à une gouvernance mondiale, on le sait. Que Macron soit un pion utile dans cette perspective, OK. Ces gens profitent d'un affaiblissement à tous les niveaux. Il faut les dénoncer et les combattre. Ainsi que les méthodes de nos gouvernants.  « Il y a une dérive autoritaire, inquiétante. (…) Je ne voudrais pas que la population s'habitue à cet arbitraire », dit R. de Castelneau avec justesse. Mais dans le cadre de ce qui advient en France : ça s'arrête là. Je ne pense que ce soit relié à autre chose qu’aux méthodes brutales d’un petit monarque qui cherche à protéger ses arrières.

De là, on saute évidement au Grand Reset ! Le plan qui effacerait la dette mondiale, nous ferait  passer à la monnaie dématérialisée, le tout ouvrant sur toujours plus de contrôle des individus.  Une vidéo sur le sujet, qui remet les points sur les i, me semble assez juste :

Que dire encore de l'épisode avec le spécialiste du renseignement à 1h59 ? Qui a l'air d'un poivrot intégral, malgré sa voix masquée, ou alors on a masqué sa voix pour atténuer l'articulation hasardeuse ? Il aurait vraiment fallu couper ce passage inutile, qui est censé nous dire que le virus n'est pas naturel. Mon hypothèse : on lui a ajouté une séquence ADN d' anisette-51 ?

J'ai un peu de mal aussi avec l'épisode suivant, toujours sur l'origine humaine du virus. Avec un professeur Montagnier très confus, un peu à la ramasse, hélas. Même Alexandra Henrion-Caude, par ailleurs très pertinente, est elle aussi convaincue du rajout d’une séquence bizarre. Elle dit ailleurs que si le virus a été fabriqué, il ne l'a pas été pour tuer et qu’il est bien moins dangereux qu’il en a air. Nous voilà rassuré. Admettons qu’il ne soit pas d'origine animale, ça change quoi dans le plan diabolique ?

Quant au passage sur les brevets prouvant que le covid a été bricolé, avec un gars qui nous montre deux pauvres imprimés, euh… pas convaincu non plus.

Je passe sur la profileuse du générique de fin, peu sérieuse, même si Laurent Alexandre en prend pour son grade. C'est comme ces anlystes qui nous disent que si tu te grattes le menton tout en tournant les yeux vers la gauche c'est que tu envisages d'envahir la Pologne. Mouais. Trève de plaisanterie, qui est cet Alexandre ?

Justement, ça redevient intéressant vers à la fin, à 2h16, où on aborde le Transhumanisme. Très content de retrouver le passage de cette conférence de Laurent Alexandre, d'un mépris absolu, qui s’appuyant sur Harari dit clairement qui est l'élite, qui sont les dieux et les inutiles. Ceux qui décideront qui aura droit ou non aux bienfaits de l'intelligence artificielle, bref les plus riches, excluant d'emblée les inutiles (le peuple, donc, les GJ dans sa bouche) qui ne peuvent même pas aborder ni comprendre l'importance de ces sujets. J'avais vu cette séquence au moment des Gilets Jaunes, qui m'avait sidérée. On l'impression d'être dans Terminator et que L. Alexandre, lui ou un de ses descendants, sera à l'origine de SkyNet.

Hélas, ça retombe avec le commentaire suivant de la sage-femme, son parallèle avec la seconde guerre, la réduction Ad-Hitlerum, c'est vraiment trop jouer sur l'émotion, même si elle est sincère, le passage en devient très gênant.

Donc, pendant la seconde moitié du doc, on ne cesse de faire des liens entre des choses avérées, critiquables, de supputations disant que le virus est peut-être fabriqué et la pandémie voulue, pour les raisons évoquées ci-dessus, avec les acteurs pointés du doigt, incluant des éléments certes réels, mais... inviter à ce qu’on les imbrique ensemble, sans bases solides, c'est amener à construire un échafaudage bien fragile. Que l'épidémie soit une aubaine pour des gens comme Alexandre, Attali et quelques autres, sans doute. Que ce soit prémédité, orchestré, avec un agenda… et c'est quand même la petite musique qui coure à partir de 1h22… là je dis : molo !

Pour résumer, un doc à prendre sans masque, mais avec des gants, voire des pincettes. Le problème c’est qu’il risque d’être rejeté en bloc à cause de ce que je pointe comme des défauts. Ce serait une erreur. Il faut le voir. Ayant pas mal lu et vu sur le sujet, je n'ai au fond pas appris grand chose. Sauf… l'info la plus étonnante, quand même : Le 5 décembre 2019, LREM aurait fait passer un décret pour rendre légal le confinement. Le 5 décembre ! J'ai cherché des infos, mais pour l'instant : nada.

[vod19]

Day 30. “Code Unknown” (2000), dir. Michael Haneke

The briefly interrupted marathon of Haneke’s films continues. 

Chronologically Code Unknown (2000) is located almost in between 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance (1994) and Caché (2005). Structurally and narratively it indeed appears as a middle stage in the transformation of 71 Fragments into Caché, which are in themselves quite different from one another. Akin to 71 Fragments, Code Unknown consists of several plot lines, characters from which occasionally intersect. Akin to Caché, it involves a study of the nature of the cinematic medium, an anonymous message left under the doorstep of Juliette Binoche’s character as well as reflections on the post-colonial discourse. Code Unknown is a complex interweaving of narratives and issues that they raise, but as most Haneke’s films do, it pays particular attention to the relationship between the mechanically (or digitally) produced imagery and reality.

It can be said that two characters are central in Code Unknown: an actress Anne Laurent, who has the same name as the female protagonist in Caché (both played by Binoche) and her boyfriend, war photojournalist Georges (Thierry Neuvic), who reside together in Paris. As Georges returns from war zones, having immersed himself into the reality of living under Taliban or during the Kosovo War, the question of whether his “lived experience” is matched by his photographs occurs. Simultaneously, sequences depicting Anne at work demonstrate the extent to which the line between fiction and reality are blurred. For instance, in the first scene in which Anne appears auditioning before the camera it remains unclear whether she is indeed terrorised and captured in a room or is merely following the proposed script, until we see her in another sequence. In the scene in which she and her co-star produce voiceover for their film, it becomes evident that their affection on screen has migrated into ‘real life’. Two ways of thinking about visual imagery are presented. On the one hand, I see a documentary photographer who seems to believe in the medium’s capacity to reflect life (also raising a question of how ethical covert photography is). On the other hand, I witness the volatile migration of emotions from screen to life, and vice versa, for Anne, and how confusing it is for me at times to discern which is which. 

Here Haneke’s insistence on speaking about the problematics of film by means of film remind me of Beckett’s lines in one of his interviews: "Que voulez-vous, Monsieur? C'est les mots; on n'a rien d’autre” (“What do you want, sir? These are words; that’s all we have”). A crude summary of Beckett’s strategies is the rendering of language his subject in order to reflect on its impotence to reflect on trauma. A crude summary of Haneke’s strategies is the employment of a similar logic, that is, of reflecting on visual representation’s impotence to communicate suffering by means of visual representation. Unlike Beckett, he does not resort to the absurd, but attempts to render the representational character of Code Unknown explicit by means of abrupt cutting of scenes, of showing interchanging still photographs in the middle of the film, of confusing the viewer with regards to what they are witnessing: the emotions that belong to or are acted out by his characters. From the films that I have seen (Benny’s Video is still on my list), Code Unknown appears to be the most explicit reflection on the problematics of the medium. It is not, however, the most powerful.

The fragmented structure, the interrupted monologues, and cut off conversations render Code Unknown somewhat of an infinite film. Had it not been for the framing of the narrative with the opening and closing scenes depicting mute children playing charades, there could be an indeterminate number of fragments depicting quotidian lives of couples, youngsters, homeless people, of indifference towards suffering and of social injustice. On a positive side, fragmentation prevents immersion and prompts critical thinking rather than temporary compassion. On a negative side, the monotony of Code Unknown allows the viewer to imagine it not as a film with a beginning and an end, but as an excerpt from an indefinitely long film, a film that lasts as long as its characters’ lives last, and their children’s lives, and their children’s lives. 

Code Unknown does not merely force the viewer into critical assessment of visual data that they are constantly being fed, but prompts a sense of helplessness and doom that the suffering and media’s impotence to do anything but merely show it constitute a vicious circle. Que voulez-vous, Monsieur? C'est les images; on n'a rien d’autre.