Les Chats du Cimetière du Montmartre

While meandering in the Montmartre cemetery, we came across at least six different cats. One presumes they are at least half feral, and that they are tolerated for being useful in keeping the vermin population in check. There will be a slightly longer post about the trip to Paris in its entirety, but I thought that these lovelies deserved their own entry.

This little beauty being the first one we saw, I was momentarily taken aback — tell me you wouldn't be, suddenly chancing upon a black cat in a graveyard.

This one was perhaps the most shy. None of them appeared exactly social, but neither were the others quite as quick to hide.

It seems that grave stones make good beds.

I suspect that this ball of fluff is more fur and bone than fat.

Glare. This one did not care for us in the least.

 

Really did not care for us. Human approaches, cat finds another stone to recline upon.

 

Near the gates, remaining immobile and staring at the entrance as if determinedly waiting for something or someone.

Ropecon 2014

As before, the last weekend of July brought thousands of roleplay and game enthusiasts together in Dipoli, Espoo for the biggest Nordic RP convention. I attended, obviously, and this year was part of the team responsible for card game tournaments. Lots of MtG players. Lots. The experience was different to that of the GM info team, and not entirely in positive ways—but the reason for that can be found in my own social anxiety, not any fault of the team leader's or fellow workers'. Being also in the pool of back-up personnel, I got to handle the videotaping of a lecture. The experience was not horrible.

Cosplays are diversifying, although it's kind of sad to see many of the old favourites (Naruto, Potter, etc.) dwindling. Group cosplays are still going strong; I spotted X-Men, a good number of Disney princesses, and probably some others that I'm now failing to remember. The Slenderman from last year did not seem to make a re-appearance, which I am both glad and disappointed about. Glad because he freaked me out, disappointed because I really wanted a photo. Ah, well.

Here are a few that I managed to snap during the weekend.

                                                                                                                                         

You can't see it very well, but there's a pin that says "The Doctor - Here to help" on this Eleven's jacket.

Link playing his ocarina. Zelda OoT, even though I never finished it, is still one of my favourite games.

I may have squeaked when I first spotted this pair. And look, they even have Pascal!

I'm not quite sure what is going on here, but it was fun to follow the set-up.

Now that I'm looking at these pictures, these two are definitely of the Deadpool variety. Damn tricksters.

One of the highlights of the event was definitely the water fight, which they're planning to get into the programme booklet next year. (Photo © Samuli Airaksinen)

Everyone versus everyone, and we continued for as long as we had breath to do so. (Photo © Samuli Airaksinen)

Vignette: Obfuscate

obfuscate
Syllable breaks: ob|fus|cate
Pronunciation: /ˈɒbfʌskeɪt/

verb [with object]
1. Make obscure, unclear, or unintelligible: the spelling changes will deform some familiar words and obfuscate their etymological origins
1.1. Bewilder (someone): the new rule is more likely to obfuscate people than enlighten them

Origin late Middle English: from late Latin obfuscat- 'darkened', from the verb obfuscare, based on Latin fuscus 'dark'.
***

"Obfuscator, obfuscate, make my brain as flat as a cake," muttered the new girl, tapping her sparkly pen against the page. Her book was most definitely not open to the chapter on European colonialism. Janet shifted on her chair, attempting to stretch her legs while looking at the movement of the new girl's fingers. What was her name? Helen— no, Ellen? Worth a try.

"Ellen," she hissed. No reaction. "Ellen!" she tried again, this time reaching over the gap between their desks just enough to poke the neon-green-clad elbow that jutted out towards her. Grey eyes flashed to Janet, then made an exaggerated roll in their sockets.

"It's Lena, you twit," the girl hissed back. Then she shushed Janet and pointedly turned her attention to Ms Ramsworth.

Lena. Right. Janet glanced at her watch, shrugged, and tuned in.

~

"Hey! Lena!" A girl's voice pierced through the instrumental solo currently blaring from her headphones. She simultaneously lifted an ear pad and an eyebrow, sweeping a glance over the person currently encroaching on her personal bubble. Her gaze paused briefly at the unicorn pendant dangling just above neckline, then at the lip piercing, before she flicked it up to deep yellow eyes.

Lena blinked, quirking a smile. "Nice contacts...twit," she said. The other girl blew out a short breath through her nose, her forehead scrunching ever so slightly. "You're Janet, right?" Lena steered to the side and sat on the corner of a table covered with leaflets in a hundred screaming colours. Janet the twit perched right next to her.

"Yeah. So what was that word you used just now? In class I mean."

A faint scent of peppermint drifted to Lena's nostrils, and she absently rubbed at the bridge of her nose. Then she grinned. "From what I can tell so far, it's Ms Ramsworth's favourite pastime." Janet blinked at her, and she sighed. "To obfuscate means to deliberately make something confusing."

She pushed off the table and read the direction signs hanging from the ceiling, then plucked a long red hair off her sleeve. Before she let it fall to the floor, she grasped Janet's chin with the fingers of her free hand and planted a lipstick print right at the corner of the girl's mouth.

"See you tomorrow, twit," she said.

"Later, Ellen," said Janet, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.