#fleurs.intro

[rcbespierres]

☾ — ⋆ INTRO.

* / a sword or a pen is drawn by MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE, the LAWYER of the Jacobin party. they are thirty years old and resemble JJ FIELD. their name draws whispers of being quite brilliant & undeterred, though too often ascetic & over-cautious. they would rather die than see monarchy justified.

As a fleeting biographical element he is not fond of mentioning, Max’s mother died on the child bed, most likely due to puerperal fever.

Though his father came from a very rich family ( insofar as provincial families could be ) he was raised by his maternal grandparents along with his brother. Due to economic precautions, his sisters were raised by their aunts. This quartering up of one’s idea of family led to him never comprehending the concept overall.

He was supported through private lyceum & university by his paternal family, to which he owes money to this day. During his second year he met Camille Desmoulins, several years his junior and inveterate enemy of sitting still. Even while adjusting himself to the boy’s irredeemable motility, a constant shifting like that of panels or rosary beads, he knew this was a soul he could die for.

The primary motive behind the crisscrossed, turbulent road that led to his law practice was necessity. A man born outside Paris is a man locked out of world itself - without a license, he would have been rendered unable to provide for himself or his siblings. Not only that, but he would’ve been rendered mute, and no fate is more disastrous for a mind who is capable of answering every question laid before it.

Though it is said he was briefly pledged to a family relative as a younger man, he does not admit to it, nor does he speak of her in any terms other than cordial, if at all. To every woman, in fact, he is no more than deferential, judicious, or simply detached. This led to Danton giving him bywords like Carmelite, Mother Superior, Augustine & so forth. There is no brevity to Jacobin wit as far as Danton & the Desmoulins are concerned. 

Years of arduous, brilliance-tinted studies have him believing he is not only able to comprise the world into theories, but also mold it into a different shape. He is a Zealot, carried through mundane existence by pure, pale fire, wafted on the words & deeds of his friends.

POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS:

Camille Desmoulins, his oldest and most trusted friend, the complementary counterpart to everything Maximilien is, will be, isn’t. Caustic ire where Max has only silent rumination,  prodigal child & quicksilver pursuer of women, men, catastrophic ideas.

Lucille Desmoulins, Camille’s wife & almost mythical double, partner in every endeavor and sworn idealist to the last. A coquettish thing, slip of a girl, whose bourgeois socialite duties never did sit too easily in a drawer filled with murderous novels - it’s only too well her existence was diverted by the man she would defiantly wed.

George Jaques D’Anton, unanimously called Danton because it sounds less royalist, a brute of a man with an endless capacity to subjugate & reign over. He once had an opposing lawyer faint before him in a trial which lasted dozens of hours without cessation. Belittles Max while still striving together towards a common goal.

Anais Deshotiers, the family relative he was supposedly pledged to marry in youth.

Charlotte Robespierre, his sister and the one he shares an apartment with. Never having been married, she was penned a spinster despite a set of comely features and intellectual preoccupations. Protective of Max, often to the general ridicule of their entourage.

[jacobinsongbird-blog]

Anne Theroigne: The Facts

- Anne was born in a village in Belgium. The name isn’t important. 

- Anne’s mother died when she was five years old. She was raised by a string of wicked stepmothers, cruel aunts, and grumpy grandparents. 

- Anne has two older brothers, Louis and Joseph. She hasn’t seen them in years, nor her father or anyone from her family. 

- At age sixteen, Anne worked as a governess for the children of one Madame Colbert. They moved to London, and Anne came with them. 

- In London, Anne was attacked and kidnapped by an English soldier who claimed to be in love with her. He dragged her with him to Paris, then grew bored of her, stole her money, and returned to England alone. 

- Broke, alone, and lost, Anne did what she did best- adapt- and became a courtesan. As “Mademoiselle Campinados”, her radiant looks, dazzling wit, and charming nature made her a favorite of many a man in Paris- and in Versailles. 

- That’s right- Anne (as Mlle. Campinados) has been with none other than the king of France himself, Louis Philippe. 

- Only once she became aware of the ideals of the Jacobins and the corruption of the French monarchy did she leave Louis Philippe. Besides, she’s too busy pursuing revolution and a career in the operatic arts to be Mlle. Campinados any longer. 

- She has kept her past as the king’s mistress a secret from her fellow Jacobins, fearing that it, along with her weakness for luxury, may make them turn on or abandon her. 

- This doesn’t mean that Anne is completely going to give up her life of decadence- she just believes that everyone should be allowed to have it, not just those on top. She’ll give up fine perfumes and expensive champagne for now, but she still likes to have the finest satin gowns for her performances, and no one is going to stop Anne from sleeping with whichever man- or woman!- she likes. 

[kingoffrxnce-blog]

a sword or a pen is drawn by LOUIS PHILIPPE of FRANCE, the king of france & courtiers.they are 38 years old and resemble JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS. their name draws whispers of being quite astute & vigorous, though too often dogmatic & ferocious. they would rather die than see monarchy annihilated. — { Sen, 21+, cet, she&her }

. King of France  ⇀  House de Bourbon  ⇀ Thirty-eight ⇀ Jonathan Rhys Meyers  

Louis Philippe grew out to be a strong and healthy young man who used to be very shy as a young child. He was very devoted to his education, his duty to once become king of France and didn’t care much for other things in life. Louis was especially good in Latin, History, Geography and Astrology. He when he gave himself time for pleasure, he loved to go hunting with his grandfather.

On a cold, winter day, when it was dark and Versailles was covered underneath a thick layer of snow, his father, the former king of France, walked through the marble courtyard accompanied by two of his guards, guiding him toward the carriage that was waiting at the end of the courtyard.  Suddenly a man jumped out of the dark, past the guards and stabbed the king with a knife. The king bled heavily and passed away in the arms of the Queen who had come running after all the sudden commotion.  

Louis had only been 15  years old when he was forced to succeed his father. Young, still rather inexperienced and with little knowledge about reigning just yet, he seized the throne of France. 

The young king had yearned for this moment, it was all he had lived for. Yet, he hadn’t wanted to seize the throne this early in life and not at all under these circumstances. The death of his father was devastating, kingship was a heavy burden. One of his first actions as king was the persecution of his father’s murderer. 

His mother, who has never been able to process the tragic death of her husband, died of tuberculosis a year later. Leaving him and his younger brother behind. 

Even now as the king, Louis received a rather strict education from Francois de Quelen. He was Louis’ tutor and taught him everything there was to know about reigning an entire nation and stood by his side until he was fit to rule on his own. Yet, always remained his right hand.

Louis married his queen when he was 17, only a few years after he became king. It was an arranged marriage to Amelie, the Archduchess of Austria. The couple grew to each other and they eventually had a rather good relationship. Their marriage was built on mutual trust and understanding, both realizing what they were up against. Throughout the years Louis Philippe had started to love and care for her. 

Amelia quickly fell pregnant with their first child, a son, a future king. Yet, at merely a few days old, the boy mysteriously passed away. Until this day, the cause of death is still unknown.   

Then, Amelie bore him his first healthy child, a daughter. Followed by a healthy son, about a year later. Luck wasn’t on their side after the birth of their son Henri. For no other healthy children followed. It was a heavy weight upon their shoulder, a burden throughout their further marriage. 

Louis sought his pleasures else were. Enjoying other women's company. Rumour has it he has a mistress or two. 

Possible connections:

Advisors

His tutor; someone he looked up to after his father’s passing. 

Members of the royal household 

Mistresses 

[delphinebrissot-blog]

a sword or a pen is drawn by DELPHINE ELOINE BRISSOT, the women’s rights petitioner & writer of the jacobins. they are 25 years old and resemble FREYA MAVOR. their name draws whispers of being quite ingenious & indomitable, though too often derisive & unyielding. they would rather die than see monarchy presist. 

Born in Chartres, about 62 miles south from Paris. As the fourteenth and last child she is much younger than most of her brothers and sisters. Her parents hadn’t planned on yet another child after six years. But she was welcome, nevertheless. 

Her father was an innkeeper in Chartres. Together with her mother they owned a  hostelry right in the center of the city, with the most marvelous view on the cathedral. 

She has thirteen siblings, almost all working at the hostelry of their parents. 

Delphine wasn’t one to live such boring life and nor was her older brother Jacques Pierre, a successful journalist, living in Paris. As a child she looked up to him and ‘till this day she probably still does, more than she wants to admit. 

When she was twenty, Delphine moved to Paris and her brother allowed her to live with him for the time being. 

Delphine is very straightforward and way ahead of her time. Probably even a little too ahead of her time. 

She believes the monarchy as the way it is  unacceptable and antiquated. Yet, doesn’t necessary want the monarchy to end, it just has to change enormously. 

Always wanted to do more than provide heirs to a future husband and tend to household duties. She started writing, throwing her opinion on everyone who wanted to hear about it and those who didn’t. Still often writes under her  pseudonym. 

To  avoid the discrimination faced by women, she is still often dressed as a man during  involvement in the revolution. 

Wanted connections:

Her brother;  Jacques Pierre Brissot

a Councillor of the Parliament of Paris with whom she has quite an intimate relationship with. He is very fond of her gifted her very dangerously. 

[lafayettcs]

— · ╰☆╮ · INTRO.

* / a sword or a pen is drawn by YVES DE LAFAYETTE, the MARQUIS of young nobility. they are twenty years old and resemble PETER GADIOT. their name draws whispers of being quite prodigious & fearless, though too often promiscuous & vainglorious. they would rather die than see monarchy unreformed.

this will be quite canon-divergent and before you @ me as to why, know that this was his full name: Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette 

do you see what I am up against? French history is a plague unless you dedicate all living hours to understand it. so, cast biographical elements aside, this is what you need to know about this good for nothing pup, actually acclaimed irl as ‘the hero of two worlds’ (the JOCK!)

he is very young and fully shows it; has none of the maturity that comes from fighting in a real war, mostly because victory followed him like a trained foxhound. his father had also died on the battlefield, and due to his family’s esteemed status he joined the Musketeers as a sous-lieutenant when he was no older than 14. few years after, he was given a battalion command head on, and he suffered no great losses to warn against the heedlessness of his boisterous strategies. he is conceited not because his irredeemable structure makes him so, but because life never bothered to dim the icarus-speed in his plans.

he is the golden son of landed gentry, through and through, but was born too close to the storm’s eye to ignore historical tides. he knows a great change will come about in his lifetime, and it was never a question as to which side he will find himself on. despite his boyhood fancies, he truly is a lover of people, and of all grand ideals.

after winning military victories abroad (colonies, United States, you have it) and on French soil, he was called back to Paris and given a chance at a political career. though he is not weary of fighting, he knows he needs to deliver liberty to the people; not in the guise of pamphlets and radicals, but in the light of a genuine reform. 

as political tidbit: In speeches, Lafayette decried those with connections at court who had profited from advance knowledge of government land purchases; he advocated reform.[91] He called for a "truly national assembly", which represented the whole of France.[92] Instead, the king chose to summon an Estates General, to convene in 1789. Lafayette was elected as a representative of the nobility (the Second Estate) from Riom.[93] The Estates General, traditionally, cast one vote for each of the three Estates: clergy, nobility, and commons, meaning the much larger commons was generally outvoted.[94]

[germaincs]

∘⡊✰ ˚⊹ — INTRO.

Germaine (or Minette) is the only child of the prominent Genevan banker and statesman Jacques Necker, who acted as the Director-General of Finance for Louis-Philippe. Her mother was Suzanne Curchod, who hosted in Rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin one of the most popular salons of Paris.

Suzanne had intended to educate her daughter according to the principles of Jean-Jacques Rousseau — carefully written pages which aimed to convey one’s proper place in the world. She meant to endow her with a Calvinist sense of discipline, as she herself had been taught. And to the last one, all these things were rendered ashes & hopeful dust when her husband became Minister.

At a time where the country numbered itself among the most indebted states, a financier could do nothing but uproot the King & Queen themselves. Thrown between hell and high-water, he could not borrow more money for fear of risking the people’s wrath - a force every banker knows can prove fatal. At the same time, he could not suggest tightening the royal purse’s strings, not without falling in Louis’s disfavor. Any propositions for reform were bound to meet with ingratitude at best. At worst, it meant exile, loss of titledom, or even the executioner’s block.

Bordering on two years now, Germaine has grown to know these things too well. She’s heard them hushed and howled, whispered and debated, denied and turned into hyperbolas. She’s seen them at the dinner table and the boudoir; in her own bathchamber, gliding across the water. Always, they converge to hover like Damocles’s sword over the girl’s clavicles, over her jewelry, her unpowdered hair. And she understands she needs the haven of a new family name — preferably one as close to the pulse of change as can be attained.

She is not merely seeking marriage: the word in itself is a proposal, a contract, a promise for resurgence. She is seeking the certainty that come what may, her lifestyle ( as trivial & volatile as it might be ) will remain immutable. So Calvinist propensities are thrown out the window; any principles she might have formed, out the door.

A bourgeois through and through, she attained the status of lady-in-waiting due to her father’s ascent. It taught her nothing, except that this court is a lavish pool of moonlight, and one whose days, like her father’s, are poignantly numbered. She is, as has always been, fond of milk in the morning, of dipping butter langues du chat in foreign teas. She is enamored with her few friends, back from before she served at court, which is barren in both wit and soul. She is sworn to thin-paged novels — the sort Rousseau would coin as petty — to veiled erotic poems, soft house slippers, candied fruit. The revolution will no more steal these things from her as it will budge the stars of heaven. And she would tie hands with the brute Danton himself if that ensured survival. 

POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS

her mother & father, obviously - I would not be impartial to a younger sister or brother, either !

real-life Germaine Necker evolved from a prodigious, though unambitious young girl, to a woman of wit and letters. though that is not the course I see her taking at the moment, perhaps it would benefit greatly if she met a true intellectual ( not bourgeoisie scum lmao ) to steer her on the right course? either an older man or a woman.

of course, jacobins. all the jacobins.

a friend or two from the well-to-do societé that is now on opposite sides to the monarchy & its courtiers? many bankers, architects, merchants sensed the tides of revolution turning and sided with the jacobin sans cullotes rather than risk their heads.

[luciledesmoullins]

                 * / a sword or a pen is drawn by FRANÇOISE-ATHÉNAÏS ( lucille )DESMOULINS, the journalist & revolutionary of the Jacobins. they are twenty-four years old and resemble ANNABELLE WALLIS. their name draws whispers of being quite headstrong & intrepid, though too often boastful & high-handed. they would rather die than see the monarchy continue to wield its influence. — { claudia, 20+, est, she/her }

Lucile Françoise-Athénaïs Laridon-Duplessis was born the youngest daughter of an official of the French treasury in Paris, France. Little is known of her upbringing other than she seemed to have enjoyed a comparatively happy childhood and wanted for naught. Her father’s occupation as a wealthy financier allowed Lucile to relish in luxury and sumptuousness, and placed her in a position of advocacy alongside her elder sister, Adèle Duplessis. Tragedy blighted the family when, following a lengthy betrothal, Adéle flew the coup and left the family home only to nurse her new husband through a bout of consumption. Adéle was widowed within a year, and upon her return to Paris she entertained a brief engagement to Maximilien Robespierre. However, due to a heated exchange of opinions between Robespierre and the girls’ father the betrothal swiftly drew to a close. Following this, Lucile herself forged a strong friendship with Robespierre that would later gather impetus upon her marriage to revolutionary journalist Camille Desmoulins.

Through her copious and highly romantic journals, we know that Lucile was an imaginative, highly strung, mutinous girl who delighted in throwing her family into uproar by falling in love with one of her mother’s most ardent admirers, Camille Desmoulins, a journalist ten years her senior who struggled financially and wore a reputation for philandering like a badge of honour. This will remain true in my portrayal of Lucile, although her focus on romance will be lessened in order to pave a path for her political aspirations. 

Despite her father’s initial refusal when Camille asked for her hand in marriage, they eventually received consent to be united and were duly married on Christmas Eve at Saint Sulpice in Paris with the groom’s compatriot, Robespierre, as a witness. Lucile was twenty at the time and delighted in her status as a revolutionary’s wife. She has taken a great interest in her husband’s craft and has taken to writing herself, occasionally pressing for her epistles to be publicized under the pseudonym François, the masculine form of her Christian name. The couple now resides in the Cordeliers district of Paris and live quite lavishly thanks to Lucile’s impressive dowry; they are childless and happily so. 

Lucile’s personality will be developed further as I delve deeper into her character, as I mentioned previously little is known of both her early life and disposition other than what historians have been able to glean from numerous accounts written by both herself and her contemporaries – that is to say witty, coy, glamorous, intelligent, perceptive, and troublesome. This will remain true in my portrayal, perhaps to a greater degree than what was true in her actual life, and she will certainly be more involved in politics than she was in her lifetime! Anything else, feel free to enquire within! x