#【 muse → danton. 】

[scriptdeviant]

... And Danton's off! Kicking. screaming, and desperately reaching what remained of his equipment in the air. He sort of ... squints, as an enormous, white structure peeks over the horizon.

Oh. Okay.

"—ANNNNNTONNNNNNN!!"

[ideas-on-paper]

A brief history of Camille Desmoulins

It's March 2nd today, which means it's the birthday of my biggest writing muse: Camille Desmoulins, 18th-century journalist, French revolutionary and the man who called the Parisian people to arms, resulting in the Storming of the Bastille.

Despite essentially causing such a major historical event, Camille is largely glossed over by historians, and not many people know about him as a result. However, that doesn't mean he didn't have any influence on the revolution, and he contributed to it the same way as famous personalities like Robespierre, Danton, and Saint-Just did. So, in honor of his 264th birthday, here's a little history of the man gracing my profile pic.

The early years

Camille was born in 1760, in the commune of Guise in the province of Picardy. At fourteen years of age, he obtained a scholarship to study at the Collège Louis-le-Grand in Paris, one of the most esteemed elite schools in France. There, he met Maximilien de Robespierre, and despite the boys being two years apart in age and having very different personalities - Maximilien was more calm and secluded, while Camille was lively and impulsive - the two bonded over their mutual love for classical history and philosophy.

After graduating from Louis-le-Grand, Camille began to pursue a career in law, being admitted to the Parlement of Paris in 1785. However, his stammer and lack of connections to the Parisian legal community impeded his success, so he instead took up writing as a journalist, with a primary focus on political affairs.

The Estates-General and the call to arms

When King Louis XVI convened the Estates-General in 1789, Camille was present at the procession on May 5th, writing a comment about the event. The Comte de Mirabeau, presenting himself as a middleman between the aristocracy and the Third Estate as well as a patron for Camille, even employed the latter as a writer for his newspaper for a time.

However, the mingling of the three estates was not well received by the king, and he tried to regain control over the members who had dubbed themselves the National Assembly by closing the Salle des Menus Plaisirs where the deputies met to them. Instead, the National Assembly held their meeting in the Jeu de Paume (which was normally used as the tennis court of Versailles), where the members from various estates swore the oath to not part until they had devised a new constitution for France.

Eventually, the king was forced to relent, but that didn't keep him from concentrating his troops in Versailles and Paris. When he dismissed finance minister Jacques Necker - who was very popular among the people and considered an advocate for their interests - the atmosphere in Paris took a turn for the worse.

The Parisians were angry, worried, and in fear, and in this situation - on July 12th, 1789 - Camille took the opportunity to leap onto a table in front of the Cafe de Foy in the Palais Royal. There, he delivered a passionate speech, even losing his usual stammer in the heat of the moment, calling the people to take up arms to defend themselves against the imminent massacre of the king's troops* and put on cockades so they recognize each other.

Following Camille's example, the people took green leaves from the trees lining the Palais Royal and stuck them to their coats. However, since green was associated with the Comte d'Artois, the conservative brother of the king, the color of the cockades quickly shifted to red and blue, the colors of the commune of Paris (white was added later to represent the king, in an attempt to reconcile the factions). Bad news for Camille's leaf cockades…

*The king most likely didn't plan to massacre the citizens, but the presence of so many troops, a good deal of them foreign, made the populace very anxious.

Journalistic career and the Girondins

After being present at the Storming of the Bastille, Camille continued to be politically active, publishing radical pamphlets and newspapers such as La France Libre, Discours de la lanterne aux Parisiens, and Révolutions de France et de Brabant. He joined the Club des Cordeliers led by Georges Danton and became part of the radical leftist Montagnards, the "Mountain" party of the National Convention, consisting of members such as Maximilien de Robespierre, Jean-Paul Marat, and Louis Antoine Saint-Just.

In 1790, Camille also married Lucile Duplessis, whom he had known for several years and harbored strong feelings for. However, despite Lucile's mother being a good friend of Camille's, her father repeatedly denied the couple his blessing, being of the opinion that Camille couldn't support a family with his meager income as a journalist. (Indeed, in the days prior to the revolution, Camille often had to live in poverty due to his difficulties establishing himself as a lawyer.) After gaining popularity as a journalist, however, Lucile's father finally allowed the lovers to marry, the marriage taking place on December 29th with Robespierre, Jacques Pierre Brissot, and Jérôme Pétion de Villeneuve being present as witnesses.

However, success and bliss were not meant to last: After the massacre at the Champs de Mars on July 17th, 1791, Camille had to go into hiding, putting his journalistic activities on halt for the time being. When he took up his work again in 1792, he wrote a few papers viciously attacking the political faction of the Girondins and specifically their leader, Jean Pierre Brissot. In his works, Camille accused them of betraying the republic and counter-revolutionary acts*, which majorly contributed to the arrest and subsequent execution of many Girondin leaders, including Brissot. However, Camille came to regret his role in their deaths: During the trial, he was lamenting "Oh my God! My God! It is I who killed them!", collapsing in the courtroom when the death sentence was announced.

*The Girondins had acquired a reputation of intending to harm the revolution with their actions, on one hand due to their pro-war attitude (the war with other European empires had taken its toll on the Republic of France), and on the other hand due to the party's indecisiveness concerning the judgement of the king (some of them argued for clemency or a milder punishment).

Vieux Cordelier and downfall

After 1793, Camille had a notable change of heart, becoming one of the voices in favor of clemency instead of terror. In what would become his most well-known and popular journal, Le Vieux Cordelier, he argued against imprisoning citizens based on the mere suspicion of counter-revolutionary activities, condemning the brutality of the Reign of Terror and even directly addressing his old friend Robespierre to moderate his approach.

However, this only ended up making Camille another prime target. Robespierre initially tried to defend Camille from the Jacobin Club calling for his expulsion, but this changed when Danton's secretary, Fabre d'Églantine, was exposed for financial fraud. This cast a poor light on Danton and his allies, including Camille, and it was what made Robespierre support legally persecuting them. Charges of corruption, royalist tendencies, and conspiracy against the revolution were brought forth against them, resulting in the arrest of Camille, Danton, and the rest of the Dantonists.

The trial itself took place from April 3rd to 5th, and was obviously aimed at getting rid of the political threat that Danton and his allies posed. By decree of the National Convention, the accused were not allowed to defend themselves, in addition to being denied the right to call any witnesses. The guilty verdict, which was essentially prescribed due to the nature of the trial, was passed in the absence of the defendants to prevent unrest in the courtroom, and the Dantonists were scheduled to ascend the scaffold on the very same day.

In Luxembourg prison, Camille wrote a last letter to his beloved wife Lucile, with spots from tears being visible to this day. However, it should never reach her, as Camille was informed that Lucile had also been arrested on his way to the scaffold. He went wild upon hearing the news, and it took several men to get him into the tumbrel. Of the fifteen Dantonists guillotined on April 5th, 1794, Camille was the third to die.

Lucile, who had been arrested on the charge of conspiring to free her husband, followed him only eight days later, being guillotined on April 13th, 1794. She left behind her not even two years old son, Horace Camille Desmoulins, who was raised by Lucile's mother and sister. In 1817, Horace emigrated from France to Haiti, where his gravestone can be found to this day.

And that is the story of Camille Desmoulins: the man who ignited the spark of the French Revolution, but eventually got disgusted by its brutality, leading to his tragic end.

Camille may be a bit overlooked as a historical figure, but that does not make him less interesting or important.

So, in all due honor: Happy birthday, Camille! 🎂

[nesiacha]

Reflections on the Comments of Maximilien Robespierre and Manon Roland on Condorcet

Nicolas Condorcet (1743-1794)

A long time ago, I found on the excellent site Les Amis de Robespierre what Madame Roland and Robespierre thought of Condorcet. Here is the link: Les Amis de Robespierre. I will translate the thoughts of the different protagonists from this article and give my personal opinion.

Robespierre's Opinion on Condorcet: Condorcet and Robespierre often attacked each other on the issue of war in 1792. Robespierre said about Condorcet’s articles that he knows "nothing worse and more treacherous." After the arrest of the Girondins, when Condorcet fled, Robespierre apparently said, "This coward Caritat, who, like his friend Brissot, fled national justice, and who no less deserved it," and "The coward Condorcet began to fear the responsibility for his liberty-destroying impostures." A few days after the last statement, Condorcet died, either by suicide, from understandable stress, or, some say, possibly murder (I personally doubt the third hypothesis, but I mention it nonetheless).

In his speech on May 7, 1794, when Robespierre spoke about religion and morality based on republican principles, he released new cutting remarks against Condorcet: "A timid conspirator, despised by all parties," and whose writings are described as "the treacherous jumble of his mercenary rhapsodies." Such violent and cutting words against Condorcet. Yet, on the insult of cowardice, someone else who was initially allied with Robespierre before becoming an enemy would join him in this term.

Manon Roland's Opinion on Condorcet: The woman who was called muse of the Gironde had harsh words for Condorcet in her memoirs. She described him as "weak of heart and health," and added, "A brief note on Condorcet, « whose spirit will always be on the level of the greatest truths, but whose character will never be above fear." She concluded about him, "Such men should be left to write and never employed."

My Reflections: I thought these were heavy words. Of course, Condorcet also said very harsh things, and it must be said that my boundless admiration for him when I was very young (especially since the activist he was for gender equality could only please the future feminist in me) was greatly tempered when I read his equally cutting speech about Robespierre. Speaking of Robespierre in this way: "He talks about God and Providence; he calls himself a friend of the poor and the weak; he gets followed by women and weak-minded people. He gravely receives their adoration and homage, disappears with danger, and is seen only when danger is past. Robespierre is a priest and will never be anything else," I need not say more about what irritated me when he spoke of women this way. Firstly, there were many politically active women who did not follow Robespierre or necessarily the ideals of Condorcet. Should we, for example, speak of Albertine Marat who declared to Alphonse Esquiros, "She then spoke to me about Robespierre with bitterness. 'There was nothing in common,' she added, 'between him and Marat. Had my brother lived, the heads of Danton and Camille Desmoulins would not have fallen.'" Even if I slightly disagree with this part that if Marat had survived, Danton's head would not have fallen (Danton being a very corrupt character and Marat starting to doubt him greatly, especially according to the excellent biography of Danton written by Frédériche Bluche), we are far from admiration for Robespierre from an important revolutionary activist like Marat's sister. And this is just one example among many. We can profoundly disagree with men and women for their political convictions, but what makes feminism and above all gender equality is not imposing a woman's way of life, whether it be thoughts or convictions. I will make a provocation by paraphrasing Voltaire to transpose what I mean: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Although personally being cowardly, I would not do it to the death, this exactly reflects what a feminist person should be. And clearly, Condorcet did not respect this part, which makes his conception of gender equality totally imperfect (to put it mildly) by lumping many women together with Robespierre's speech and mocking their political convictions. I feel with him that as long as these women were in agreement with him, it was acceptable, but as soon as they had different political convictions, he cataloged and despised them.

However, do I agree with what Manon Roland and Robespierre said about him? Is everything to be discarded from Condorcet?

Regarding Robespierre, let's not forget that he was an adversary of Condorcet, so it should be taken with a LOT of caution. And let’s not forget that when Robespierre made his speeches, he himself committed acts that can be easily criticized.

Regarding Manon Roland, let’s not forget that Condorcet had positions that were quite difficult to situate within the Girondins and Montagnards split. The group we will call the Girondins did not like to be called that way, and there were more political dissensions between them, and Condorcet did not share all the positions of the Brissotins. So, her words should also be taken with some caution, and she too has things to be blamed for.

But let’s think, would a coward have moderated his criticisms on the moderation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and the Constitution of 1791? Because he publicly showed strong criticism.

He was a fervent opponent of the death penalty and stuck to his principles to the end. While some Girondins tried to spare Louis XVI not out of abolitionist conviction or royalism – most were republicans, including some before their time, like Manon Roland – but to not further legitimize the day of August 10, 1792, Condorcet voted against the death penalty out of conviction, whereas Robespierre, who had been an opponent of the death penalty, voted for the death of Louis XVI, rejecting the reprieve. However, he also felt that Louis XVI’s high treason deserved an exemplary punishment, being one of the few to demand that he be condemned to the galleys. He also advocated very early for the rights of Black people. Furthermore, what hastened Condorcet’s end was his condemnation of the arrest of the Brissotins – although his end was accelerated by the fact that he fled, which led to his death sentence in the summer of 1793. To my eyes, a coward would not have condemned the arrest of the Brissotins publicly. He would not have voted in contradiction to his own camp for his convictions (on this point, there is a certain parallel to be made with Robespierre facing the Constituent Assembly of 1789-1791, as Robespierre often intervened against a large majority to make his political ideas and those of so many others triumph).

Of course, I find it unfortunate that in popular culture, Condorcet is often forgiven for his mistakes because he also made mistakes that endangered the French Revolution, particularly the question of war, or what he said about women when he attacked Robespierre. His Panthéonization, for me, is deserved given that he, along with others, advocated generous ideas, and in his biography by historian Antoine Resche, “a public instruction project which, if it was not taken into account under the Revolution, laid the foundations of the school as it has been conceived since the Third Republic, that is, necessarily widespread education, by degrees,” but it is unfortunate that popular culture forget, especially Louis Michel Le Peletier, who proposed a mixed, free, and compulsory primary project defended by Robespierre. When speaking of revolutionaries defending the rights of female citizens, Condorcet is highlighted but not Charles Gilbert Romme, Guyomar, Charlier, and many others. Even more so, we forget revolutionary women like Théroigne de Méricourt, Pauline Léon, Claire Lacombe, Simone Evrard, Albertine Marat, Marie-Anne Babeuf, and many others, as the list is long.

In conclusion, what do I think of Condorcet now that you know that my admiration for him as a teenager has long been greatly tempered and that he is not among my favorite revolutionaries? Well, I still have a fondness for him, a recognition, and a admiration for him like for other revolutionaries, including Manon Roland and Robespierre, although they are not in my top 20 either and not my favorites characters of the frev. They were, fundamentally, complex people caught in a complex period who made, of course , grave and even unforgivable mistakes, but as was said on Tumblr, faultless revolutionaries are quite rare ( (even if there are people in my eyes who are indefensible or rotten like Fouché, Carrier, Tallien, Barras, Charles X, etc.) especially during these during this hellish period of civil war, external and former leaders like Louis XVI who betrayed his people or émigrés who were ready to do anything to destroy the necessary gains of the revolution. . And they are still considered today in a period that is a victim of a black legend that must be constantly combated .

P.S : Forgive me is there was an article Tumblr about what said Manon Roland and Robespierre about Condorcet I checked but I might have missed it

[lemurious]

tagged by @pilferingapples

last song: Then We Are Decided, from Jesus Christ Superstar movie version :)

favourite colour: teal! Blue is a good approximation if needed.

last book: currently listening to Victor Hugo's Ninety Three and it is so good I need to find people to share my amateur musings about revolutions and people caught between two fronts (like my own family was in WWII) and the overlap between Gauvain and Enjolras and the Robespierre & Danton & Marat chapter and and and...

last movie: huh... I am really bad at watching movies. Ah! Megalopolis. it's a pretentious madhouse of a movie that is ultimately cowardly. Coppola could've made a movie about Catilina with all the war and all the sex and all the blood oaths and the last stand - and didn't.

last show: I am even worse at watching shows! I Miserabili episode II, who knows how many weeks ago. I am a word, not an image person...

sweet/spicy/savory: savory!

relationship status: (poly) marriage

last thing i googled: timeline of the Gallic Wars - I need to figure out where everyone was when they found out about Crassus's defeat in Carrhae. For fic purposes! :D

current obsession: Les Miserables, Catilina my beloved, late Roman Republic, All Things Latin, and a new special interest in French Revolutions 1789 - 1871 is absolutely beginning to rear its head. Save me, I cannot start learning French since I am not fluent in Latin yet!

looking forward to: having time!!! for reading, writing, crocheting and resting through Sunday, and not blaming myself for Being Useless (a novel idea I am trying out for the next year).

tagging: @nocompromise-noregrets @xxmarvelouslifexx @theamazingmurderrocks @combeferres-mothematics (only if you'd like to) and whoever else wants to join in!

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep2 Musings - Children of Satan/Darkness Timeline

I've already pointed out how Armand's lying/exaggerating about the CoD/S timeline in Paris--at least if we go by the source material.

"Our coven has been here since the reign of Charlemagne, but we only became a theater company after Danton was guillotined."

Charlemagne ruled the Franks from 768 - 814 AD. Armand saying "our coven" was in Paris "since" Charlemagne's reign is...uhhh...interesting; cuz in the 8th - 9th centuries it was actually RHOSH's de Landen Coven that lived in France, NOT the CoS/D.

Granted, the bulk of the members that made up Paris' CoS were indeed ABDUCTED / STOLEN from Rhosh's coven.

In AMC's version of the coven, the only members the CoD/S that were OGs when Lestat showed up in the 1700s are Basilic, Celeste, & Gustave. (book!Estelle was an OG, but AMC instead makes her Celeste's fledgling, and not present in the 1700s flashbacks).

None of these AMC vamps are members of Rhosh's de Landen coven (unless AMC grandfathers them all in to have been Turned before 1300 AD--which is impossible).

This is an important distinction to make VERY clear, cuz the whole point of book!Armand's appeal to Lestat & Louis was that Armand's OLD AF. He was Turned in 1497 (book) / 1508 (AMC). Armand didn't know ANY vampires still alive who were older than he was.

Cuz that depressed Louis even more--Lou accepted Armand's word and gave up on hoping that there was anything better out there!

And that's what made Lestat leave Armand & the Theatre, chasing rumors about Marius, cuz Lestat was desperate for answers & Les refused to accept Armand's word as the end all be all.

Also, unlike AMC!Lestat, book!Lestat didn't know who TF book!Celeste was, and book!Celeste didn't know about Rhosh's OGs either.

So yeah, Armand saying "our coven" was in France since the 8th century is just not true. RHOSH's coven was there, yes; but the members of Rhosh's coven are NOT the same as the members in the Theatre des Vampires. Esp. not when Lestat arrived in the 1700s, and definitely not when Louis & Claudia arrived in 1945. At best, Armand's just showing off how old the CoS/D are in general. At worst, either he's lying, or AMC is up to something with Rhosh's coven (which I already suspect cuz the Magnus stuff isn't book accurate either).

As for the 2nd half of Armand's quote:

"We only became a theater company after Danton was guillotined."

This is book/show accurate.

Georges Jacques Danton was a leader in the French Revolution, guillotined in 1794.

Lestat was Turned in 1794, and 1 year later he met Armand & the CoD, and then they made the Theatre in 1795.

AMC, I've got my eye on y'all! 🧐🔭

[gildead]

@emptyzone wants to see an alternate muse

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANTOOOOOOOOOOOON!"

The doors fling themselves open, giving way to a giant mole with an even more giant personality throwing herself through on her way to the former construction worker-turned-aspiring marriage counselor. Yet, there's something off with Maulbuster as she beelines towards him. She seems... happy?

"Since when were you going to tell me you were such a natural performer, Danton?" The motherly maestro practically salivates at the memory. Seeing Danton grace the stage in the Boiler City Community Theatre production of Cats was nothing short of... well, magical.

Those nimble, graceful dance moves! That confident charisma! That supple yet firm ass. She hadn't seen such talent since the days of Gene Kelly.

"You were marvelous! Simply marvelous!" Before the pathetic little green man could even protest, Maulbuster gets right into his face -- pointy snout to pointy nose. "Why, I would dare say you have all the makings of the next big Broadway Stah!"

A deep inhale.

"YOU MUST LET ME BE YOUR AGENT."

Current muse being played elsewhere: Maulbuster from Antonblast

[danton-brothers]

“…-“

Spits his drink.

“THAT TOOK A LEFT TURN BLOODY FAST- OH MY GODS HAAAAAAAA!”

He just read the news

[vicsmusehub]

@danton-brothers

@automaton-otto

[ .... -looks at Ophelia’s “Madame Belle arc” >_>]

[sonofhistory]

La Revolution Française

French Revolutionaries + name meaning.

[benjaminmoorepaint]

red: the color of...grantaire?

Figured I might do another meta post like the one I did for Marius to address the myths and misconceptions surrounding certain characters, so it's Grantaire's turn!

I'm sure we all know Grantaire quite well...a sensitive starving artist, with his Apollo as his muse, and a cynic who pragmatically points out the flaws in Enjolras's idealism, which they quarrel over.

Let's unpack that!

Grantaire is most likely middle class if not wealthy, he is certainly not poor. We don't know what he's studying (if he's studying at all) but he is nevertheless a quintessentially Parisian bourgeoise "student", much like Bahorel. "A rover, a gambler, a libertine..." As the foil of "severe in his enjoyments" Enjolras, Grantaire is a pleasure-seeker, indulging in the excesses that Enjolras disdains.

Again, though we don't know what Grantaire is studying (and I suspect he's just Bahorel-ing it) he's clearly an educated man, judging by the references he throws into his speeches, and he mentions that he once was a student of Gros.

So is he really an artist? He might have been an apprentice at some point, but it's clear he was not particularly enthused by it. After all, discipline is something that Grantaire…lacks. And because it's Grantaire, you can't completely discount the idea that he made it up just for a pun (though I do find that unlikely.) But it's a triple (quadruple?) play--it's important not to take this quote too far out of context because he's actually saying several things here.

It is a shame that I am ignorant, otherwise I would quote to you a mass of things; but I know nothing. For instance, I have always been witty; when I was a pupil of Gros, instead of daubing wretched little pictures, I passed my time in pilfering apples; rapin is the masculine of rapine. So much for myself; as for the rest of you, you are worth no more than I am. I scoff at your perfections, excellencies, and qualities. Every good quality tends towards a defect [...] there are just as many vices in virtue as there are holes in Diogenes’ cloak.

Gros was a well-known neoclassical painter of the time, and I believe Hugo's inclusion of him here is a jab at the neoclassicists, as Grantaire doesn't seem to care for him.

There's a pun! "Rapin"--term for a painter's assistant--is the masculine of "rapine"--to steal.

So he likely means he stole the apples intended to be painted for a still life, which fits his careless attitude... but he's ironically putting himself down for it too, and at the same time

putting his companions down, saying they're no better than him even if they do have more "good" qualities because each good quality has a corresponding downside, so what's the point, really?

You can see that even in this small sample of his speech that Grantaire often has layers upon layers of meaning in what he says. He's a smart guy! But that means you can't always take what he says at face value, as Hugo says, he's constantly "reasoning and contradicting" himself. So let me invite you further down into what I think his real meaning is here (though now firmly into the depths of my own conjecture, so others may have different interpretations.)

I would speculate that "the rest of you" who he professes to mock refers mostly to a specific person, you can probably guess who. After all, Enjolras is surely the paragon of virtue among them, and you could certainly argue that his good qualities edge on being flaws. I think Grantaire is right about that, and it's a sort of theme we see pop up again and again--the Bishop's generosity does hurt the women he lives with, Valjean's self-sacrifice hurts Cosette, and Javert is someone who's tipped all the way over to his virtues being vices.

But like, man, come on. Seriously. "I scoff at your perfections, excellencies, and qualities." Dude. We all know that you're obsessed with this man.

And you might notice that this is just a whole lot of Grantaire talking and talking over people, never letting anyone else get a word in. It's not a debate, Grantaire never actually debates anyone, let alone Enjolras. The idea of Grantaire debating Enjolras and making him see the flaws in his idealistic revolution is wholly a fandom invention.

The closest we get, really, is Grantaire trying to convince Enjolras to send him to the Barriere du Maine...and Grantaire doesn't come out of that looking so good.

“Do you know anything of those comrades who meet at Richefeu’s?”

“Not much. We only address each other as tu.”

“What will you say to them?”

“I will speak to them of Robespierre, pardi! Of Danton. Of principles.”

“You?”

“I. But I don’t receive justice. When I set about it, I am terrible. I have read Prudhomme, I know the Social Contract, I know my constitution of the year Two by heart. ‘The liberty of one citizen ends where the liberty of another citizen begins.’ Do you take me for a brute? I have an old bank-bill of the Republic in my drawer. The Rights of Man, the sovereignty of the people, sapristi! I am even a bit of a Hébertist. I can talk the most superb twaddle for six hours by the clock, watch in hand.”

I won't bother going too in-depth here since you're probably familiar with all this--Grantaire talks a big game and then fails to follow through. And we see one of two red waistcoats mentioned, neither of which are worn by Enjolras.

Grantaire lived in furnished lodgings very near the Café Musain. He went out, and five minutes later he returned. He had gone home to put on a Robespierre waistcoat.

“Red,” said he as he entered, and he looked intently at Enjolras. Then, with the palm of his energetic hand, he laid the two scarlet points of the waistcoat across his breast.

So yeah, it's actually Grantaire who wears red, at least canonically! I know their popular red/green color scheme comes from the musical, but it might be fun to reverse it sometimes...I think Enjolras would look great in a nice emerald green, and he'd be more likely to wear that, actually.

Why? A red waistcoat like would be a very obvious, in-your-face political statement--perfect for Bahorel, the other red waistcoat wearer, but Enjolras is actually a lot more reserved and less reckless than fandom sometimes makes him out to be. Wearing something that blatant isn't really his style.

The real question is, why does Grantaire, of all people, own one? Why has he read Prudhomme and the Social Contract and the Rights of Man?

Grantaire is not a super sympathetic character. He's a man of means, talent, intelligence...and he wastes those gifts and privileges on doing nothing, he has no aims in life, he does not aspire to do better or make the world better. He may be Enjolras's foil but I would also contrast him with Feuilly, who has spent his life dedicated to improving himself and the world despite the challenges he's faced. He's obnoxious to women, denigrates his friends for their beliefs, and is generally useless. He's given the opportunity to change and he squanders it. He's not so much cynical (because that's a belief) as he is indifferent, which is arguably worse. His indifference can certainly be read as symbolic within the group, their belief versus the apathy of the world.

But, layers upon layers...Grantaire does have a good heart hiding underneath all that. What I've been getting at all along here is that he does care; he may say he doesn't, he may even believe he doesn't, but he does, clearly, care. He says he hates mankind; he loves people. He says he scoffs at his companions; he admires them. He declares himself indifferent, yet he can't help but talk about the sufferings of the world.

Which isn't to say that simply caring absolves him of anything. Up to this point, he's still just been a useless layabout. What does absolve him (narratively speaking) is the first time, possibly the first time in his life, that he chooses to act. He chooses to take a stand. And this transfigures him, as Hugo says.

Grantaire had risen. The immense gleam of the whole combat which he had missed, and in which he had had no part, appeared in the brilliant glance of the transfigured drunken man.

At the last moment, he chooses to believe, and Enjolras finally accepts him.

One last thing: Grantaire never calls Enjolras "Apollo". Furthermore, he's actually the only one who couldn't have called him "Apollo". The only line where this nickname is mentioned is as follows:

It was of him, possibly, that a witness spoke afterwards, before the council of war: “There was an insurgent whom I heard called Apollo.”

Who could have called him that? Not Grantaire, he was fast asleep during the whole thing. So I choose to believe it was Prouvaire…he would.

[scriptdeviant]

DANTON. IT'S ME BOY I'M THE PS5 SPEAKING TO YOU INSIDE YOUR BRAIN. LISTEN TO ME BOY, LEAVE THE GIRL, WE DON'T NEED H

❝ Miss Maulbuster, not again ... ! ❞ Now she was sending random moles to do her bidding? He'd call an exterminator if he didn't despise the only one he knew... ❝ Tell her that as admittedly liberating the role of Mr. Mistoffelees was, I don't want to be an actor! ❞

Sure, he MAY have made deep bonds with other actors he'll never see again, got a bouquet or two, and earned the respect of every thespian that resided in Boiler City, but ...

❝ I'm happy with what I do. ❞ Despite Danton's scowl, his words were earnest. For all the good MB promised him, the months spent tirelessly preparing for a singular role were enough to dissuade the handyman. To make matters worse, the Boiler City Community Theatre only had enough money to put the show on for a single weekend!

Something about "the crew" needing to be paid too; a sentiment he'd understand if his efforts weren't washed down the drain so fast.

❝ It pays the bills and makes my wife happy, ❞ A beat. ❝ ...Plus, it's actually fun. ❞

When things aren't blowing up beneath him, anyway...

[styrmir]

Hi! I’m Rowan, this is my personal Blog.

I mainly post art, memes, and occasionally witchy stuff if I’m in the mood. However I run a number of rp blogs! I’ll list them here for you to check out:

@danton-brothers Edward and Luther Danton (fandomless OCs)

@xii-thalis Daniel Thalis (fandomless OCs)

@legerdcmain Edward and Luther’s parents (fandomless OCs)

@cafe-borage (I run this with a friend) Rowan Godfrey (fandomless OC)

@snakesxscalpels Dr Wynterhall and Rachelle the Venomous (Fandomless OC Villains)

@trustmichimadoctor Dr. Edward A. Richtofen (CoD:Zombie Muse)

Here’s the masterlist then folks, it’ll remain up to date for you to find where to interact! Thanks and see ya later :)

[lcgerdemain]

...

???: So now it comes to this, together now in one space.

Edward: What’s goin’ on here? This isn’t mine ‘n Luther’s space.

Luther: Edward... *Keeping close to him noticing the others here as well.*

Daniel: Hey I was at fuckin’ home, what the hell Danton?!

Edward: Hey I didn’t do this!

???: All will be made clear in time... For now, this was just a momentary opportunity to reveal the new space of where this tale is spun.

Edward: Who are you!? *He growls becoming defensive as he hears the foreign voice.

???:You knew of me once, but like so many... I was forgotten. And now... I will write your stories.

Luther: Edward- Edward?! *He calls to him before disappearing from his brother’s sight, only to reappear home, confused and instantly forgetting what just happened.* What... what was I doing again?

Daniel: This- This isn’t ok. Where am I- *He begins to panic before fading away as well returning home and breathing harshly, startling his sister who was asleep beside him.* W-What the fuck-... it... must’ve been a nightmare... it’s ok kiddo, go back to sleep... *He murmured before lying back down trying to recall what had set him off.

Edward: *As he feels himself pulled away, tries to see who is doing this, but can only spot the vague visage of someone, long silver hair, gold eyes, and a dead stare. but couldn’t see the person fully before he found himself home again, in his office. His eyes closed at once as he struggled to keep it from disappearing from his memories, repeating the same details he saw over and over, until even if the instance was stripped from his thoughts, the same three details remained ingrained into his memory of someone who he felt as if he knew once. 

???: Ever stubborn... ever fruitless in your endeavors...

(The ask box is open, feel free to come in and rp with all my muses. Be sure to read the rule and profiles and liking the pinned post so I know you’ve read through it before starting something. Thank you. :) )

[eternalshq]

𝑻𝑨𝑺𝑲                   𝑵𝑼𝑴𝑩𝑬𝑹                   𝑶𝑵𝑬         !

𝐈𝐍  𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑  𝐓𝐎  𝐊𝐈𝐂𝐊  𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒  𝐎𝐅𝐅  &  𝐆𝐄𝐓  𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐃𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃  𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆  , our   first   task   will   be   mandatory   to   ALL   members  ,   all   other   tasks   will   be   optional  .    for   this   task  ,    we   will   be   pairing   each   of   you   with   two   other   members   that   you   will   be   writing   with  .    you   will   then   create   a   starter   for   each   of   the   members   that   you   are   paired   with  .    this   starter   can   be   a   one  -  liner  ,    paragraph  ,    or   anything   you   would   like   it   to   be   --   we   will   be   giving   you   all   full   creative   control  .    if   you   are   struggling   to   come   up   with   your   own   starter  ,    some   ideas   are   that   you   can   take   these   from   an   ask   meme  ,    a   song   lyric  ,    a   quote  ,    or   using   a   generator  .    we   encourage   you   to   reach   out   to   the   people   that   you   are   paired   with   so   that   you   can   plot   with   them  .    communication   will   help   these   threads   to   have   more   depth    &    development  .    please   be   mindful   not   to   GODMOD   one   another   --   ask   the   other   mun   for   approval   before   assuming   they   would   have   knowledge   about   an   event   or   plot   going  on   with   that   muse  .    we   will   be   giving   you   NINETY  -  SIX   hours   to   post   these   starters   so   that   you   have   the   first   FORTY  -  EIGHT   to   post   your   introductions  .    please   be   sure   to   post   your   introduction   before   interactions  .    PLEASE   LIKE   THIS   POST   ONCE   YOU   HAVE   READ   IT   IN   FULL  .    the   pairings   will   be   listed   below   under   a   read   more  .

isla kade   --   finnick   &   theo   &   carter  . finnick bane   --   theo   &   renesmee   &   jared  . theo rigby   --   gwendolyn   &   celestia  . sophie soto   --   trenton   &   ianthe   &   raven  . leah clearwater   --   maeve   &   tanya   &   dimitri  . stefan maxwell   --   leah   &   isla   &   edward  . ianthe song   --   stefan   &   jane   &   heidi . carmen denali   --   tanya   &   trenton   &   chelsea  . tanya denali   --   emmett   &   bastien  . isabella cullen   --   edward   &   carmen   &   bree  . emmett cullen   --   esme   &   finnick  . esme cullen   --   rosalie   &   dimitri   &   jasper  . edward cullen   -   renesmee   &   jane  . renesmee cullen   -   isabella   &   rosalie  . rosalie hale   -   emmett   &   sophie   &   bree  . trenton priestly   --   ianthe   &   leah   &   bastien  . jane volturi   --   vera   &   sophie . celestia van doren   --   isla   &   augustus  . gwendolyn mcgrath   --   celestia   &   jasper  . maeve silver   --   gwendolyn   &   stefan  . vera fairchild   --   maeve   &   celestia  . jared cameron   --   leah   &   trenton  . bastien danton   -   carter   &   jane   &   chelsea  . carter  beauchamp   --   maeve   &   vera  . dimitri vilhelm   --   stefan  &   ianthe  . raven  maxwell   --   dimitri  &   isla  . alec volturi   --   jane   &   edward   &   heidi  .  augustus van doren   --   isla   &   vera  . heidi volturi   --   finnick   &   jane   &   didyme  . bree tanner   --  esme   &   maeve   . didyme   --   trenton   &   alec  . chelsea volturi   --   didyme   &   alec  . jasper hale   --   trenton   &   rosalie  .

[alexakeyloveloki]

To Trick a Trickster Chapter 3

To Trick a Trickster chapter 3 

Thank you all, who believed in me, I think my Muse is back. ‘bout fucking time! Also: @dangertoozmanykids101 is still my saving grace. 

Pairing: Loki x ofc (Leeanne Danton) 

Warning : non (yet - this will be slow and sweet - don’t hate me) 

The day started with a light fragrance of summer yellow roses drifting through the open window. Leeanne smiled to herself while she dressed in a dark blue dress when she heard the messenger running through the hallways yelling, "The King is back! The King is back!"

Leeanne was delighted. She really liked Thor, who befriended her at the Avenger Tower library. First she saw him as all the others outside the Avengers circle: a big teddybear, loud and overly eager with a perchant for partying, and a complicated family life. But in time, when she looked closer and he opened up a bit, she saw a man who one day would become a great King: determined, fair, fiercly loyal and brave. Of course, he was still a rough diamond, but Lee saw how everything changed after the day he lost his mother and almost lost his brother too. He become less reckless and more cunning. He rarely sought Loki's advice, but he did look at him and learned from his reactions, no matter how small or invisible for the untrained eye they were. They were brothers for more then a millennia and no matter what happened, he wanted his little brother back. Mischief, chaos, and all.

Leeanne ran off in the direction of the throne room, wishing to greet a friend – a King – and maybe hear some news from her family. She took a turn at full speed and collided with something solid. Actually, someone dressed in dark green tunic, black leather pants and boots. “Well, hello to you too, little booklover. Are you eager to meet your King this morn?” Leeanne tried to untangle herself from the Prince, but his hold only became more firm. She writhed, but could do nothing to free herself. The only thing she accomplished was a good feel of Loki's arms and chest. All that sinew, hard muscle packed in long, wide shouldered body felt far more pleasant than it should when in such a predicament, but no wonder he moved with the grace of a panther.

“Brother, I’m pleased you come to great me” – boomed a merry voice from the big double door of the nearby hall. “I see you met the newest librarian of mine “ – Thor teased. Loki tensed for a moment, but then he let go of Lee and winked at her.

“Lady Leeanne, I am pleased to see you again, your family is sending you their love. Tomorrow we will have a feast, you must attend. I need to steal my brother for a moment now.”

“Goodby puppet, I hope you will find some nice dress to wear preferably in green.” Loki teased and Leeanne ducked her head to hide her smile. She only saw the Prince a couple of time, but the guy was a shameless flirt on good days and a relentless tease on bad ones. Pair that with his voice, all dark velvet laced with dangerous purr and she could understand why all the females –and some males- of the court fell upon him if he turned his charm on them.

“Oh, I think I have something nice.” She smirked at him. “In burgundy red.” Thor laughed at loud and she curtsied to him, winked at Loki and run off.

“Loki, I think the lady is liking you.”

“Well, that is something new, that’s for sure” Loki said slightly taken aback. “But we have a lot to discuss. Thor, you know that the Light Elfs are coming in a couple of days. They said they need to greet the new King and establish a new ambassador in Asgard but you know what is the main reason?” He was a little gleeful. Thor sighed and his head sagged like he put up with all the weight of the Nine Realms. “Which Princess is coming this time?” “I think this time you need to come up with a better avoiding tactic because King Nimrod is bringing three of his daughters. I honestly think you just need to chose and end this agony… ouch!“ Thor slapped Loki on the back, hard. “Norns, no! Loki, you really need to help me here, I know that the people, the advisors, Father and now even you all want me married and settled and preferably with a heir on the way, but please. Can I get a millenia or two?” Loki looked at him and for the first time in very long period he saw not the arrogant heir, not the inconsiderate warrior, not the overhelmed King, but he saw his brother, looking at him like when they were just small kids, making plans to raid the kitchen at night.

“So, we need to start then” - Loki smiled his most wicked smile and Thor shuddered and thanked the Norns silently that he had Loki back at his side.

Leeanne ran straight back to her chamber and after she dropped to her bed she started giggling uncontollably. “I sassed the Dark Prince. I sassed the Trickster. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! My brothers were right: I couldn’t shut up even if my life was at stake! I really need to find Astrid, to tell her!” She looked in the library and in the garden and all the places she thought she could find her friend, but Astrid was nowhere to found. Like she had vanished or never existed at all. Leeanne only hoped she would find her in time to ask for advice concerning Loki.

[adustierstar]

Lawblr Book Club

Hello naughty children, it’s time for Nissa’s Opinions

Coming in RIGHT under the wire for October book club, but still. I have read the reboggles I could find on T’s tag (bc tumblr search is what it is), and now it’s my turn.

General Questions:

1 - What did you like best / least?

I liked the worldbuilding a lot - I want to know more about the Reaches and the Travelers and why everything is made of wood in Kolonya?? Least... we will get to lol

2 - Would you read more by this author?

mmmmmmmmmmaybe. Like I want to know wtf happened, but I’m also still pretty mad about the ending. We shall see.

3 (a) - If this story followed a different character’s POV, who would you pick and why?

tbh the last thing this book needs is more POVs

3 (b) - Did you like how the three different sister’s POV was used to push the narrative forward? Did it make your reading experience more or less enjoyable?

idk, it was a little slow for my tastes. I did like that the girls all had different perspectives, but I wish they’d had more different personalities. Like Ren and Akeylah are the same person, just brought up with different abuse. And if Zofi has a personality beyond anger, she’s probably the same, too.

4 - What scene stuck with you the most?

I really liked the first time Ren and Zofi confronted Akeylah in the library - it was kinda “did we just become best friends?! YUP!” but also FINALLY gave them a team vibe and distinct specialties.

5 - What kind of lingering questions were you left with (besides the obvious cliffhanger WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO ME ELLEN)

literally what was the point of this being its own book if the single main conflict wasn’t actually resolved???

6 (a) - Could you relate to the characters & their story arcs?

Meh. I mean, a little bit? But overall I didn’t find them terribly relatable.

6 (b) - How do you feel about each character’s ending?

WHAT. ENDING.

7 - Were there times you disagreed with a character’s actions / would have done something different in their shoes?

YES MANY.

8 - Were you rooting for any character or pairing in particular?

I wanted to like Akeylah best bc she seems really sincere and genuine, BUT then suddenly all of her “I’m a secret genius” calculating stuff comes up and it’s a little tough to reconcile those things. I liked each of the girls okay, but I didn’t feel like there was a clear answer to who should rule (aside from Ren’s musing about all 3 of them, maybe).

9 - Do you picture any specific fancasts when reading the book?

The only one I have any clear idea what she looks like is Akeylah, but I can’t think of anyone who looks like that, you know? I think of Zofi as looking like an angry Ice Climber from Smash Bros. And like...idk maybe Letitia Wright for Ren? Maybe Lupita Nyong’o or Gugu Raw for Rozalind, unless she’s supposed to be the girls’ age, then somebody younger, I guess? Idk.

Story Specific Questions:

11 - Did you enjoy how each girl’s secret was teased out? Do you like when authors slow-roll this kind of information?

I do like a slow rollout (”who taught him ‘rollout’?!”), I think there’s a lot to be said for setting readers loose in medias res, BUT I also think it wasn’t handled amazingly here - idk maybe it’s just me, but I felt like it was sort of stage-whispering. Like “oh no I hope no one guesses my TERRIBLE SECRET!!! I would be in SO MUCH trouble!!” It just felt very obvious to me, although the secrets themselves weren’t obvious (the first time we learned about them).

12 - Do you think each character was fleshed out sufficiently, such that you had a sense of the different personality for each sister?

Not really? Kind of. An attempt was made with the girls, but basically no one else got any dimension whatsoever.

13 - Do you have guesses on who the blackmailer is?

Not really, bc this book broke every rule of how to write an engaging mystery. Like literally the only people who could POSSIBLY be it from the information we have are Rozalind, Vidal, and Andros, none of which really make sense given everything else, but like???? I guess Rozalind is my best guess bc she was acting kinda sus re: the acolyte etc. But I think that would be a bad choice unless a lot of other things change between now and that reveal.

14 - Was Yasmin a believable antagonist to you?

Like. I thought she was SCREAMINGLY obviously a red herring the entire book. She was brusque with the girls, and there was some weirdness in the first scene where the girls meet the king where I thought maybe she was possessing him, but that’s obviously just the weird mind link thing they did, and that’s it. Like being a bitch isn’t illegal.

15 - Do you think the daughters’ secrets were defensible actions?

Kinda? Like, definitely understandable, but like, is murder ever defensible? Ren had no reason to suspect her information would be used the way it was (whether or not Danton knew is something I’m not convinced on either way), Akeylah had no reason to believe she wasn’t cursing the man she fully expected to kill her (although MAYBE she should have paid closer attention during the cursing itself?? Like, the distance seems like it should have played a role in how hard it was to find “her father”), and Zofi perhaps overreacted, but used what seemed like appropriate force at the time in defense of another’s life (or rather she couldn’t/didn’t want to  think of a way to simply restrain or incapacitate Nicolen, so stabby stabby). Was it stupid? Yes, for all of them. But they’re children (are they 18? I forget how old they’re supposed to be. Also, why are they the same age, if they are? was that just Andros’s Good Fuckin Year?)

16 - How do you feel about this unique system of magic?

WEIRD. I NEED MORE INFORMATION. WHY does the blood have to be drawn? Where does it go? What is the scarring situation with these people? What about the SHARDS OF GLASS permanently embedded in Zofi’s legs? Speaking of which, how the FUCK are Travelers out here hand-blowing glass in a mobile way??? That’s not a pick-up-and-carry craft! What’s the cooldown period for tithing? Why is it CALLED tithing? Who are you tithing TO? What negative effects are there for tithing for too long? Zofi mentions that they exist, but this is never explained. I feel like after all her reading, Akeylah should be able to answer these questions for me. BUT SHE DIDN’T.

17 - Was the theme of racism sufficiently handled?

Handled..??? If by that you mean vaguely suggested as existing and occasionally seems to have affected some characters’ lives, sure. Like, the closest we got was “Vidal’s not as racist as some other people yay!”

18 - Do you have any theories about the poem found in the library?

tbh I don’t even remember a poem in the library, just the notes about the weird echo situation.

19 - How did you feel about the cliffhanger ending?

BAD. VERY BAD. It was like the ending of Cars in that it retroactively ruined a lot of the book for me. NOTHING was accomplished in this ENTIRE book WHY