#The Mad Women's Ball

[artfilmfan]

The Mad Women's Ball (Mélanie Laurent, 2021)

[livingfictionsystem]

-Xanthe

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: The Mad Women's Ball

Author: Victoria Mas

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2019

Genres: fiction, historical fiction, feminism, fantasy, mental health, gothic

Blurb: Dr. Charcot holds all of Paris in thrall with his displays of hypnotism on women who have been deemed mad and cast out from society...but the truth is much more complicated: these women are often simply inconvenient, unwanted wives, those who have lost something precious, wayward daughters, or girls born from adulterous relationships. For Parisian society, the highlight of the year is the Lenten Ball, deemed the Madwomen's Ball, when the great and good come to gawk at the patients of the Salpetriere Asylum dressed up in their finery for one night only. For the women themselves, it is a rare moment of hope. Genevieve is a senior nurse. After the childhood death of her sister Blandine, she shunned religion and placed her faith in both the celebrated psychiatrist Dr. Charcot and science...but everything begins to change when she meets Eugenie, the 19-year-old daughter of a bourgeois family that has locked her away in the asylum because Eugenie has a secret: she sees spirits. Inspired by the scandalous banned work The Book of Spirits that all of Paris is talking about, Eugenie is determined to escape from the asylum - and the bonds of her gender - and seek out those who will believe in her. For that, she will need Genevieve's help.

[quarterpastmidnight]

Books read in 2023: The mad women's ball by Victoria Mas

Illness dehumanises; it makes puppets of these women, at the mercy of their grotesque symptoms, rag dolls in the hands of doctors who manipulate and examine every fold of skin; curious animals who elicit only a clinical curiosity. They are no longer wives or mothers or adolescent girls, they are no longer women to be considered or contemplated, they will never be women who are desired or loved; they are patients. Lunatics.

[thebookhoard]

Title: The Mad Women's Ball

Author: Victoria Mas

Pages: 210

"The Salpêtrière asylum, 1885. All of Paris is in thrall to Doctor Charcot and his displays of hypnotism on women who have been deemed mad or hysterical. But the truth is more complicated - these women are often inconvenient, unwanted wives or strong-willed daughters. Once a year, a grand event is held - the Mad Women's Ball. For the Parisian elite, it is the highlight of the social season; for the women themselves, it is a rare moment of hope.

Geneviève is a senior nurse who has placed her faith in Doctor Charcot and his new science. But everything changes when she meets Eugénie, the daughter of a bourgeois family. For Eugénie has a secret and needs Geneviève's help. Their fates will collide on the night of the Mad Women's Ball..."

I enjoyed this book greatly, and it's no surprise that it has become one of my favourites. I do have to mention that it has two heavy scenes - I'll put the trigger warning into the tags. What surprised me, though, was the supernatural/spiritual element, but to me, it made the story even more interesting.

Here are two of my favourite quotes:

"In order to criticize, someone must be informed."

"As if intellectual constraints were not sufficient, women had to be hobbled physically. One might almost think that, in imposing such restrictions, men did not so much scorn women as fear them."

[plantdad-dante]

Book #89 - The Mad Women’s Ball by Victoria Mas

(hey. hi. intending to read this? look up content warnings, omg.) I sometimes forget what rage feels like. Rage is energy, in the sense that it spurs you into action, that it is a drive to do something, anything, to make stop whatever caused it. And I forget. Energy is so hard to come by. My brain defaults to indignation, frustration, shame, or, hell, melancholy. Anything that can feel horrible, but doesn't need energy. Seldom, my mind allows me rage anymore. I am too tired, too exhausted. It is stressful to live these days. It fucking sucks. So I like books that remind me. Not books that make me angry, no. Books that show me rage. This book showed me Eugénie. And not only did she have the rage I have missed for years and years, she knew how to use it, too. This book isn't a parable. It doesn't end with a clear "compassion gets you here, rage gets you there". It is about these women trying to choose for themselves, and getting widely different results - and only secondarily, if at all, due to their individual approaches. I feel enthralled with this book. I would not be able to fit all that I think into a single post, a single comment, a single explanation. This post, then, became about Eugénie, and rage, and, in a way, envy. Thinking about Geneviève elicits a sad, yet proud smile. Thinking about Louise is like stepping barefeet on broken glass. Thinking about Thérèse brings back the yearning - the yearning for a quiet, a peaceful life. Thinking about Eugénie feels like remembering.

[hannibalspubes]

Some of y’all could not handle Hannibal season 4 when will graham walks out with wrinkles and a  receding hairline. I’ve seen the fan art, I’ve read the fanfics- as soon as will graham isn’t “twinkable” yall would loose interest. Stop lying to yourself.

Me and my mutuals tho we want to fuck that old man

[becca-e-barnes]

I've been loving the thought of Bucky getting kind of possessive recently and honestly, it's way too hot

Because I love the thought of him dropping you onto the bed and barely giving you a second to think before his lips are back on yours and his bodyweight is pressing you into the mattress.

"Such a good girl for me." He hums between bites to your neck, letting himself take the extra few moments to ensure he's left a trail of bruises in his wake.

But he's right and you know he is. You're only a good girl for him.

One of his hands trails its way up your bare leg, starting at your knee. It moves painfully slowly, the wait making you more desperate than you thought possible in such a short space of time.

"Bucky, please." You whine, begging for more, begging him to really touch you instead of just the featherlight graze of his fingertips.

The very tip of his index finger drifts over the thin lace of your panties, admiring that they're soaked through with evidence of your arousal. "Is this all for me?" He teases, tapping gently on your clit through the slick fabric, watching your expression because touching you like that just isn't enough.

You nod but that's not the response he wants and you know it. He wants to hear you. So you indulge him.

"I'm so wet for you." You whisper, a little embarrassed but the way he kisses your shoulders reassures you.

He brings the slick tip of his finger to his lips, making sure you're watching before he lets it slip into his mouth, making a show of the way he indulges in your arousal. You hear him groan quietly before he shuffles down the bed, pulling your panties off and tossing them onto the floor.

"God, you're beautiful." He trails two fingers in gentle circles over your clit before replacing them with his mouth. His tongue flicks methodically over the most sensitive part of your body, lapping like this is all he needs. For a second, you think it might be.

Your hands find their way into his hair, desperate to pull him closer. You can't help but notice that his tongue feels so different to his fingertips, despite the fact he uses very similar motions. His tongue doesn't offer the same friction or pressure but it's a truly wonderful feeling in its own way.

Half of the excitement of this is watching the way he loses himself in the taste of you. You feel him groan against your sex, his eyes squeezed shut and you know he needs this. He needs to feel the way your body reacts to each calculated flick of his tongue. He needs to feel you come undone against his mouth and he's determined to make you do just that.

His fingertips dig into your hips and thighs, his grip matching the intensity of his mouth and everything about this feels Heavenly. You know he's going to leave you marked with little crescent shaped indentions from where he's gripped you too tightly and his blunt fingernails have bit into your flesh but part of you loves the thought of it.

"You taste beautiful. You're such a good girl." You hear him mumble, kissing the insides of your thighs, taking a second to catch his breath, his fingers taking over in his mouth's absence.

"I'm your good girl, Bucky." You whine, leaning into his touch and you feel his lips curl into a soft smile against your skin.

[himbos-hotline]

The fact that you continually misgender Adam Cole is fucking weird dude. It's not cute.

Tell me you haven't heard of a headcanon without telling me you haven't hward of a headcanon. Like-... damn sorry people are having fun-? Maybe get your head out your asshole anon. You really don't get to come into people's ask boxes with that kinda bullshit...wrestlers are playing a character. Dya know what the most common thing people do with characters? Make their own headcannons. Like sorry you don't like people writing trans people but I think that's a skill issue with you.

Also the adam cole in our system uss she/her pronouns. So if that's what you're bitching about. I'm not misgensering.

[prettyymafia]

they should have a sports anime but like. all female. and butch

[eternal-wint]

Otome Alastor. Fanart for Of Saints and Sinners on AO3 which is a wonderful fanfic, i recommend everyone to read it, it's both hilarious and moving. I learned about it through amazing fanart of it so it seemed only appropriate to put something out as well ":) No UI version under cut

[demonsfate]

OHHHHHH BOXER STEVE AND LIKELY TAG 2 LEE LOL. lee looks cool tho!!! i always luv the mesh shirt. and steve at least has some boxing gear finally.

it looks like they're also giving us alisa's classic short hair which makes me wanna buy it more. but now it makes me wonder... if alisa, nina, & xiao outfits can come with their classic hair, then why didn't Jun's tag 2 outfit come with her shorter hair????? Like I've been DYING for Jun's shorter hair again haha

also i THOUGHT the bikini was part of the battle pass, but looks like it's NOT! the top in the battle pass is a completely different item. ouguhhhhh...

[coquelicoq]

women's college ball is such a the lord giveth and the lord taketh away situation for me. on the one hand the games are so often just total routs which is pretty boring to watch. but on the other hand, the sheer number of gay haircuts you will see in the crowd...effervescent.

[lex-blogs]

And besides, sometimes one has to choose one's battles. It is neither possible nor appropriate to rebel against everything, all the time, to attack every individual or institution guilty of injustice.

Victoria Mas, The Mad Women’s Ball

[studywithjennifer]

books i've read so far in 2023 - 21/06/2023

[socialfilter]

I’ve just finished reading le bal des folles and lemme just say, genevieve was so in love with eugenie from the word go it was so obvious