It only took me ages to get round to it! It's so hilarious, because I started writing this years ago, and then El and I got lost in that massive AU Epic that stole years of our lives, and now I've come back to this and it's kinda weird to write these characters in a different context. But the story is almost finished and I expect all chapters will be up within a week.
Porthos' POV is so useful for this, because (spoiler) I couldn't be bothered to flesh out the Political Intrigue, so we'll only know what Porthos knows, rather than what, say, Aramis knows. (And lbh it's not as if we're here for the political intrigue.)
I love his clever retorts and shameless womanising
Haha, yes, oh Aramis, never change! XD I adore Aramis in 20YA, and while this is set long before that, he's already transitioning into his 20YA character: rather more extrovert and sarcastic than in 3M, where he kept very much to the shadows. And quick to anger, too, as will soon become evident.
Athos will make an appearance tonight, and he will naturally be his magnificent self, as Athos' magnificent self is what this fic is all about. The rest is merely the furnishing. It opens with the salon setting, because I had to introduce a character whom I'll need later, but they will travel through a number of settings specifically chosen to showcase Athos' many talents and perfections XD
Marie de Gournay is someone I need to read up on! She was an early feminist writer, a translator and amanuensis to the Cardinal and the King, and everything about her sounds fabulous <3
I'm delighted you've enjoyed this so far! And thank you for inspiring me to write this :-)
Deiseach (Guest)
on Chapter 1
Sat 29
Dec 201805:37PM UTC
Athos' many talents and perfections
WHICH ARE ALL TRUE AND REAL, ME AND ALEX WILL FIGHT YOU, WE'LL FIGHT ANYONE, WE'LL FIGHT OURSELVES ABOUT ATHOS' ABSOLUTE GOD-LIKE SUBLIMITY.
No, I trust you to do full justice to the fainting maiden :-)
It's weird; objectively, I know novel Athos is a steaming mess and even more complicated in the back of his twisty little mind than Aramis and he is just not someone to admire or copy or anything, really. BUT I DON'T CARE, I LOVE HIM, EVEN IF HE TOOK AWAY PORTHOS' PINEAPPLE FROM HIM I WOULD FORGIVE HIM, THAT'S HOW MUCH I LOVE HIM! I dunno, there's just something about his "fuck the world, I'm gonna get drunk" attitude that resonates with me (also his "I found out you did something once that had nothing to do with me which you didn't tell me about and it's something I disapprove of so I immediately cast you out of my life, how dare you trick me into liking and trusting you, and forgiveness is not an option, don't even dream of it buster" resonates too because we're both prickly, secretive and judgemental. His turning his life around when he had Raoul as A Single Mother is admirable but not something I can emulate, so I admire him intensely for his "welp, got a kid now, better grow the fuck up and get responsible" change of heart).
Worry not, the entire story has been written specifically to point out the many ways in which Athos is Best! Alex would be proud.
Novel Athos rides, fences and drinks to perfection, knows the secrets of seafaring and speaks English like a native, and his manners at Court (when he graces it with his presence) are as immaculate as Aramis' hair. So he might have a leetle drinking and vengefulness problem, but that's nothing compared with his otherwise superhuman qualities, which in no way imply that he might be a son of any god whatsoever, hahaha not him, he's as mortal as they come. (Look, it's really hard to let go of the demigod thing, now that we've unearthed it and proved it beyond reasonable doubt.)
Deiseach (Guest)
on Chapter 1
Sat 29
Dec 201806:01PM UTC
Look, it's really hard to let go of the demigod thing, now that we've unearthed it and proved it beyond reasonable doubt.
As you say, this is the AU where "what if they were only mortals, ha ha yeah that's outrageous but go with me on it" fiction is written. No Teef, no Suddenly, no chyortik or thunderhands!
Vengefulness is not a problem. For us who are vengeful. For those we are vengeful against, yeah, the whole point of it is that it's a problem - your problem.
I just wanted to chime in here to offer a fist bump in the matter of Loving Athos With Complete Disregard Of Reality, because I do and it's necessary and unavoidable! I've been in love with Athos for over twenty years; and over that time I've come to realise that he's pretty much the definition of Problematic Fav, but it doesn't matter, because he's perfect and talented and cool under pressure (except for occasional murderous impulses) and unflappable (except for that time he was locked in a cellar and just drank solidly for a week and covered himself in oil instead of trying to escape???) and Noble and handsome and perfectly formed and I love him. This despite me realising that in my own game of Marry, Fuck, Kill, Athos would very regrettably have to be my Kill. (Like, what would I do with a very perfect man who suffers from bouts of melancholia and attempted uxoricide (note: I literally just learnt this word), and doesn't like women at all? Aramis would be MUCH better in the bedroom, and Porthos (BBC Musketeers Porthos, that is) would be a MUCH better husband.
Deiseach (Guest)
on Chapter 1
Sun 30
Dec 201812:56AM UTC
Absolutely Porthos is marriage material; out of them all, Novel Porthos married his mistress at the end (when she finally became a wealthy widow) so he stuck to her instead of throwing her over, and he seems to have settled down to live in domesticity with her and gained his baronetcy and his biggest problem was being slightly bored with a happy conventional life, which is why he let both d'Artagnan and then Aramis talk him into One More Last Adventure For Old Times' Sake.
Aramis is hard to get a read on; probably he did genuinely have feelings for Marie, but he does age into being the 'have conventional discreet affairs which don't mean much and are as much about political and social advantage as anything'. He does provide for his ex-lover and their (presumably but not necessarily his) offspring but also pretty much arranges that they'll never come into contact again, which is a little cold-blooded.
Athos is STAY AWAY DO NOT APPROACH DON'T EVEN DREAM OF THIS and of the two romances we hear about (and there's no sign there were any flirtations or indiscretions in between them) the first one ended with MURDERATION and the second one was "I was drunk, she was disguised as a man, she put the moves on me and by the time I realised she wasn't a man - well, that's where babies come from, Raoul" which is a hilarious story particularly when he gets pregnant the one and only time they have sex (and the way it's written, Athos is in the conventional position of the seduced and abandoned pregnant woman) but isn't really a foundation for marriage, happy or otherwise.
Then again, I'm not inclined to marriage or romance myself, so I find myself in agreement with Athos. He's terrible - he gambles, he beats his servant, he's a complete misanthrope, but I love him desperately anyway!
I just love how utterly incompetent Athos is at relationships; there's the "oops now I have to murder you" relationship; the "fuck, I thought you were a man" relationship; and the other, his first and my actual fav, "holy shit I'm in love with a statue" relationship, which Donna_Immaculata and I came to the joint and several obvious conclusion that the statue (the gender of which was never specified in the books) was a of a very pretty man.
And undoubtedly there's no excusing Athos' behaviour at all, except that the books offer so many plausible excuses and because I'm besotted, I happily swallow them all: he does gamble, but he does it with such calm coolness and never cares whether he wins or loses! And he does beat his servant and forbids him from ever speaking (what the fuck, Athos!!) but Grimaud is the most loving and devoted servant and does not actually seem to have stockholm syndrome and probably is free to leave but then is still around as his loyal Alfred Pennyworth in 20YA to pose as a jailor for months, so there must have been SOMETHING between Athos and Grimaud and I have spent a lot of time over my life dreaming up scenarios of what that something is. (I never watched series 3 of the BBC show, because series 2 was such a fucking disaster; but one of the additional reasons I never watched series 3 was because apparently they turned Grimaud into a scary villain, which just!!! What!! The!! Fuck!!!)
Deiseach (Guest)
on Chapter 1
Sun 30
Dec 201801:17AM UTC
Oh I forgot the statue, how could I forget the statue? "Dude, don't you think it's a bit weird your fifteen year old kid is talking about marrying a seven year old child?" "Oh ho ho ho, teenagers are like that, why at his age I was in love with a statue! He'll grow out of it and be completely normal, just like me!"
Thing is, I could absolutely see why he'd fall in love with a statue at that delicate age of development. Him and me, both useless at real relationships, we're made for one another! Well, made for drinking together while being supercilious about the world and the rest of the people around us! :-)
(Season three of the show was a disaster. You did well to avoid it. One or two good scenes but my God, they tried to cram so much in it split like a sausage, and they treated Milady dreadfully, and yes they took Grimaud's name and made him completely unrelated to Athos but still his Nemesis, and it would take too long to list everything wrong with it).
In fact, El and I have now identified the statue to be Antinuous. A very popular statue, as statues go, and Athos would have ample opportunity to admire him and his nipples the noble lines of his body from many angles.
apparently they turned Grimaud into a scary villain, which just!!! What!! The!! Fuck!!!
Oh gods, of all the crimes they committed this is probably the worst.
I am enjoying this immensely, thank you! It's very rare to find anything that channels the spirit and camaraderie and style of Dumas and I love this so much because of it. I think it's tempting and extremely satisfying and fun to riff on the boys and the setting buuuuut despite its many flaws and gaping holes I have a deep abiding love of the original and I love writers who can bring that out and polish it up to shine, so <3 <3 <3
I am also very much enjoying your foray into French history and philosophy, because it grounds everything so beautifully, and your prose is delightful and balances Dumas' patented purple prose with very elegant and eloquent story telling <3
I think the growth of Aramis into his 20YA charater, with all his sarcasm and power hungriness and talent for scheming and politics, is a natural continuation of his tiny 3M self. Because you could see that he already felt things very deeply in 3M, with his "you insulted me so I'm going to devote my life for the next 12 months to learning to be an expert swordsman so I can kill you in satisfying revenge" and his "I have received no letters from my girlfriend so I am going to write sombre essays on religion and only eat eggs and greens" - I think the pressure of the events of 3M and the war hardened him up so he could properly focus his passion and his loathing of being powerless and his fear of being abandoned and then you get the 20YA version of Aramis who hides and protects his weaknesses better and who has the same motivations as 3M Aramis, but I think probably feels things just as deeply as 3M Aramis ever did, when he allows himself to stop and feel them. But 20YA Aramis also has the bonus of being powerful and sarcastic, so the insults are a little easier to bear, and the feelings easier to tamp down :)
Deiseach (Guest)
on Chapter 1
Sun 30
Dec 201801:28AM UTC
I'm in total agreement about his feelings of powerlessness and his wanting to be in a position where nobody will dare insult him. I think he got taken up as a go-between in all the conspiring going on because he was young and pretty and looked innocent and seemed like a perfect cover ("nobody will take this boy seriously as a plotter, they will believe he's my toy-boy, I can use him to pass on and receive messages") and he got a taste of political maneouvring, liked it, saw how you could be influential as a power behind the throne, and noted how the Cardinal had such power as well as the shield of the Church. So whatever idealism about religion and his vocation and romance and the Court he had got chipped away gradually, and he found a way his ambition could flourish, and he went for it.
He did get hardened over time, but he is still as sensitive as ever to any hint of insult or condescension (except from Athos, he'll take it from him because well he's Athos who is So Wonderful) and still vengeful in a cold-blooded, clever, scheming way. Younger Aramis may have had a talent for churning out little verses and thought he was a poet, older Aramis knows he's not really and that his true talents lie in a different sphere, but will still indulge in verse-mongering because it's one of the expected accomplishments of a gentleman with his pretensions to status and a place in the salons as well as the chambers of power.
I agree, I think once Aramis realised that he's actually really, really good at political machinations, he devoted his energies towards that and thoroughly enjoyed all of it, but I imagine that he continued to write verses because they are his guilty pleasure and he secretly thinks that if his calling was not in political power plays (because he happens to be so damn good at it) then he wouldn't have had to be tragically distracted from his true talent of writing poetry and melancholy essays - because even 20YA Aramis is still plenty emotional and over-dramatical and I think his verses speak to his soul ;)
I also think it's fascinating how Athos is allowed to speak words of truth and sensibility to the boys when no-one else is; like being criticised by Athos is a privilege because he is so wise and actually deigned to speak to you, and any Athos in your life >>> no Athos in your life <3
Deiseach (Guest)
on Chapter 1
Sun 30
Dec 201802:00AM UTC
Yeah, Aramis is a tiny bit self-deceiving: oh, if only I were not entrapped by my duties to my flock and to politics, I could soar on the wings of inspiration to true fame! Meanwhile, he gets indulgences on account of his delicate health to avoid any of the hardships of his religious role, lives in a Little Nest o'Luxury at the Jesuit convent (while telling d'Artagnan "You see I live as minimally as a Trappist") and keeps wistful and romantic souvenirs of his military career (while, when he was an active Musketeer, he was always sighing over how he really was meant for the religious life).
I do think he most fully enjoys himself at the very end, when he's an old man, on the run for treason, and ends up as a Duke and the Spanish ambassador back to the French court - now that's getting perfect revenge on all your enemies! And all the while he's complaining over his ill health and how he hasn't much longer to live, and he survives them all! He's a tricky, scheming, ambitious and not over-scrupulous survivor, and at the back of his mind he knows it, but he enjoys deceiving by misdirection so much he even deceives himself.
And to do him justice, he does have virtues, and he did love the three (two) of his comrades very, very dearly and loyally to the end.
Trying to emulate OTT ye olde purple prose is always fun XD I researched obsolete English-words-of-French-origin 'specially to make it more purple.
You know, seeing as I plotted this fic so long ago, I don't even remember why I decided to use Descartes (who was the reason for the whole foray into French philosophy). I probably came across the info that he had been at La Rochelle and liked the idea of him and Aramis philosophising together one drunken night?
is a natural continuation of his tiny 3M self
This is very true, and I think the expression "tiny 3M self" is very apt! He was very deeply involved in intrigues in 3M, but thanks to Dumas' very skilful misdirection Aramis is never the centre of attention. He stays in the background, smiling mildly and looking like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. What happened before 3M and 20YA was that he got more confident (not to say: cocky) and no longer cares if everybody knows what he's up to. I think he focuses all his emotions - especially painful ones - into rage. He definitely feels rage very strongly and knows how to channel it (namely by stabbing someone).
I think wee 3M Aramis liked being in the shadows; i think it helped him feel Important and Smug and like he was the one who was really in control, while the rest of the world was just foolishly ignorant. And I think like we said, it’s feeling powerless that he loathes the most, so this was a good antidote for that. But by 20YA his scheming has led him to a place where he doesn’t feel powerless anymore, so he doesn’t need the trappings of secrecy and intrigue anymore, because he can straight up deal in power plays and intrigue and that brings him more power and makes him both more secure and more gleeful.
Also I love that you researched old words for this! :) I really love Dumas’ style and I think you’re pulling it off beautifully.
I did not know before this that Descartes was at La Rochelle, and now that I do, I like to think that at least a fraction of Descarte’s philosophy was influenced by Aramis, even if their “discussions” led Descartes to espouse the exact opposite of what Aramis would have said! Like maybe this quote:
'Whenever enyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it.'
was pointedly aimed at Aramis after Aramis got murderously angry at a slight insult one day and Descartes is just like whoa, dude, chill out
Oh yes, absolutely. And I do admire how Dumas wrote him and his involvement in the key intrigue in 3M, because even though we know that he is involved, we don't really realise to which extent. He smiles mildly and excuses himself with treatises that he has to write for his friend the curate (in Latin), while running errands for Marie all around Paris. By the time he's established himself in his den in the Jesuit cloister, he feels secure enough to flaunt his plotting for everyone to see.
I like the idea of Descartes being influenced by Aramis. He was big on the duality of body and mind (or mind and matter), and duality is what Aramis is all about.
was pointedly aimed at Aramis after Aramis got murderously angry at a slight insult one day and Descartes is just like whoa, dude, chill out
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