16 | making claims

I've been sick all day. No fevers or anything, but general fatigue and lethargy, I think I've slept half the day away at the least. My girlfriend caught something a few days back and it has been riding us like a mare since. I truly hope our entire weekend won't be completely ruined by it. Sigh. No matter what, nothing we can really do about it.



It's sucked big time, though, especially since I've been wanting to write or betaread or do something constructive with my time, but not had the spoons to. It's the worst feeling. Have managed to work a little on a Marcel flash fic as well as editing the first part of my current Marie-Claude short story, but compared to my usual workload? It's pebbles and grain.

I've had a nagging urge to continue the Marie-Claude piece. It would be my first attempt at erotic fiction in Danish and I kind of... stalled at the actual erotica, but I do know how I want to proceed, I just - again - haven't really had the mental energy. Double sigh.



Have I introduced you all to Marie-Claude? I introduced you to Marcel a few days back, and Marie-Claude is from the same general universe, bound to Marcel by her relation to Jean Louis, Marcel's lover. Marie-Claude and Jean Louis have a sibling-like relationship, both let down terribly by Marie-Claude's father, who besides his familial connection to Marie-Claude, served as mentor and substitute father figure to Jean Louis earlier in the timeline. So, they connect over their shared disappointment in him, while also both working in politics. At first, Marie-Claude worked as Jean Louis' speech writer, but eventually quit to start her own party and take her own place in the political lineup in their country. Still, they continued to be close - until it was discovered that Jean Louis had deep ties to the criminal world and had done truly atrocious things in his position as foreign minister. So Jean Louis flees the country and for a while, they're no contact. During that period, Marie-Claude becomes prime minister and takes over leadership, but when Jean Louis begins writing her in secret, she foregoes all security protocols and writes him back. Because he is still her brother in spirit and she misses him and for once in her life, she will do something selfish and stupid for her own sake.

That is the starting point of my girlfriend's and my July project. That is where the correspondance between Marie-Claude and Jean Louis begins.

We're both very excited about it, I think it will develop these characters beyond anything either of us have ever done with them before. Hopefully. I also just look forward to sharing this process with her and, I believe, producing a worthwhile piece of fiction.



If you want to meet Marie-Claude, just take a look at Sonia Petrovna in Indian Summer. She is the spitting image of how I imagine Marie-Claude looks, just slightly older. Marie-Claude is in her mid-thirties at the beginning of the novel, though she looks fairly young still.





The rest of the day, however, is going to be spent making dinner at some point soon and after that, rewatching The Prince of Egypt which is one of my favourite films of all time. True comfort entertainment. Speaking of claiming faces, Miriam could be a really good face for my version of Mary. Just saying.