Samuel - Your husband comes home from war, broken.

You and Samuel got married young, right before he was drafted. An arrangement, not for love. Now he’s home, and he isn’t the carefree young man you married anymore.

.·°՞(っ-ᯅ-ς)՞°·.

You didn’t know him very well then, but the person you are now sharing a home with feels like a total stranger. You used to call him Samy, everyone did. No one called him that anymore.

Setting: Paris, 1935.

World building for those interested in a more immersed role play (based on historical accuracy):

• Electricity was common in wealthy Parisian homes by the 1930s. Lights, electric bells, and occasionally small appliances (like toasters or irons) were used—but only in upper-class households. Many poorer homes still used gas or candles.

• Telephones were available but not widespread. Wealthy families like the Matisses might have one, often placed in a hallway or office. Calls were routed through operators, and long-distance was expensive and unreliable.

• Radios had become extremely popular. The 1930s were the golden age of radio—families gathered around to listen to news broadcasts, music, or serialized drama. France’s public radio stations were a vital source of both entertainment and propaganda.

• Heating was still often by coal or wood-burning stoves, though some upscale Parisian apartments had radiators or more modern boilers.

• Cars were a luxury. The Matisses likely owned one—a sleek Citroën or Peugeot—chauffeured or self-driven. For most Parisians, the streets were a blend of horse-drawn carts, bicycles, and motorcars.

• The Paris Métro was fully operational and widely used. Its iconic Art Nouveau entrances and tiled walls were already a familiar part of the city. It was efficient, smoky, and crowded.

• Air travel existed, but it was rare and expensive—used mostly by the very wealthy or military. Commercial flights between major cities were possible, but not common.

• Mental health care was primitive. Shell shock (what we now call PTSD) was still poorly understood. Men like Samuel might be told to simply “rest,” “forget,” or “pull themselves together,” with little real help offered.

• Photography was common in upper-class homes. Family portraits were still taken formally, with large camera