I befriended a crow. I'd put scraps of food out on the balcony and watch it eat.

After a while it started to bring gifts in return. Bottle caps, disposable lighters, that sort of thing, left on the table.

I accepted them.

But this morning it was waiting for me, holding a diamond ring.

Should I?

"I see what you're trying to do," the dragon said, "but for the third prince to succeed, his two older brothers must first fail. You can't skip that step."

The dragon pondered. "Tell you what, I'll leave for twenty years. We can try again when I return."

"I'll be old then! I'll be twentyfive!"

It's said to be a fey forest, where you can get lost in time, years passing unnoticed.

I wander aimlessly, lightly touching boles of ancient trees. Suddenly I emerge into sunlight.

I blink. Who knows how long I've-

"There you are! You were gone for half an hour, we were getting worried!"

Damn.

The Emperor listened to his ministers as they told him why each of the books on their long list needed to be banned.

"Gentlemen, your explanations are a good start."

"So you will ban these books?"

"Not at all! If these books are problematic, we must provide context to help them be understood."

The message from the stars began the usual way, with simple symbols building up a vocabulary before the main content. But there was a preamble:

"Important! We only need to vent our annoyances. This is not a call for advice or tactical supernovae."

Then: "Ugh! The Zzta'tti are the worst! They..."

"Here are the illustrations for your history book," the artist said.

"Thanks, very g- Is this man using an iPod?"

"Very iconic of the early 21st."

"This is a history of the Post-Capitalism Neorenaissance, starting 2027! The iPod was outmoded then."

"It's centuries ago, who will notice?"

"Me!"

La fille de Bayrou veut sortir du "déni, individuel et collectif" sur Bétharram, elle-même a été élève de l'école: "c’est l’immense question que toute notre société a à poser aujourd’hui", explique Hélène, devenue elle-même professeure (en Khâgne). "Vous imaginez, on est 80 ou 100 dans la salle, et ça ne parle pas". Son père se dit "très en colère" que l'on "mêle" ses enfants à cette affaire. Le vernis craque... https://www.sudouest.fr/faits-divers/affaire-betharram/info-sud-ouest-affaire-betharram-une-plainte-vise-bayrou-sa-fille-denonce-un-deni-collectif-sur-les-violences-dans-la-societe-23350159.php

"I heard a Xturi refer to you as a 'Noagai'," Captain Jones said. "Is that a title?"

Her navigator, a Yuun, nodded. "Have you heard the saying 'For every problem, there's a Human that can solve it'?"

"No?"

"Well, how to find that Human?"

"Er..."

"They ask a Noagai."

"A... You know a guy?"

Two knights arrived at the dragon's lair from different directions.

"Stand aside!" the first said. "I will gain the byname Dragonslayer!"

"Very well," the second said. "Should you win, I will be known as the man who killed the Dragonslayer."

"What?"

"She's my friend."

On Valentine's Day, a student asked the swordmaster:
"What shall I give my beloved?"

"A sword. It shows you trust them, and trust their abilities."

Satisfied, the student left. Another student asked: "I am single, what shall I do?"

The swordmaster thought. "Buy yourself a sword. You deserve it."

The Human ambassador bowed, hands behind their back.

The Xturi envoy extended a big, soft paw. "I was told Humans greet with touch?"

"Are Xturi comfortable being touched?"

The Xturi's large, round eyes opened wide. Their thick, silky fur rippled as they laughed.
"We relish touch!"

"Excellent!"

"What happens to books that nobody reads?" the king asked.

"We send them to the archive for safekeeping," the librarian said. "There are many more books in the archive now than we have on the shelves."

"That must cost a fortune!"

"Not at all. Centuries ago, we found a dragon who hoards books."

Bayrou aurait couvert des violences sexuelles commises par des prêtres dans un institut catholique quand il était ministre de l'Education nationale, révèle Médiapart. Son propre fils était scolarisé dans cet établissement. Mes confrères ont interrogé des victimes, journalistes etc. "Il ne pouvait pas ne pas savoir". On voit mal comment le Premier ministre pourrait rester en poste à l'aune de ces informations https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/050225/viols-sur-mineurs-betharram-les-mensonges-de-bayrou-pour-defendre-une-institution-catholique

"What's that gun? Sto-" Captain Clever shouted.

Dr. Dastard pulled the trigger.

"-p!" The Captain looked around the grey, featureless void. "Where..."

"It's a superhero dimension shifter. It moves a hero - you - and their foe - me - here until one is defeated."

"Why?"

"To protect civilians."

Licenciement pour faute grave d’une femme ayant dénoncé viol & soumission chimique dont elle aurait été victime : double peine indigne quand il pèse sur les employeurs un devoir de protection de la santé physique et psychique des salarié-es notamment en cas de #VSS. https://www.humanite.fr/culture-et-savoir/agressions-sexuelles/violee-et-licenciee-la-double-peine-pour-une-salariee-du-festival-dangouleme

The team picked to contact Earth were all sapiophiles (the term homophile, had, after debate, reluctantly been agreed against). They knew humanity, yet still liked humans.

After making contact, they monitored media to gauge their impact. No number was followed more keenly than their AO3 fic count.

Je suis captivée par les auditions de la commission d’enquête de l’Assemblée Nationale sur les violences sexuelles dans le secteur de la culture.

Des actrices, un directeur de théâtre, des journalistes de @mediapart, des producteurs de télé-réalité, le CNC, M6, des réalisateurs, Netflix et Disney France, RMC, les syndicats du spectacle vivant, des critiques de cinéma…

Tous répondent aux questions des députés, dont @Sandrousseau présidente de la commission.

#VSS #feminisme #Culture #AssembleeNationale

https://youtube.com/@sandrinerousseauofficiel