#mathilde blind

[dabiconcordia]

Reapers

Sun-tanned men and women, toiling there together; six I count in all, in yon field of wheat, Where the rich ripe ears in the harvest weather Glow an orange gold through the sweltering heat.

Busy life is still, sunk in brooding leisure: Birds have hushed their singing in the hushed tree-tops; Not a single cloud mars the flawless azure; Not a shadow moves o'er the moveless crops;

In the glassy shallows, that no breath is creasing, Chestnut-coloured cows in the rushes dank Stand like cows of bronze, save when they flick the teasing Flies with switch of tail from each quivering flank.

Nature takes a rest—even her bees are sleeping, And the silent wood seems a church that's shut; But these human creatures cease not from their reaping While the corn stands high, waiting to be cut. by Mathilde Blind

[notwiselybuttoowell]

Mathilde Blind by Lucy Madox Brown, 1872

Mathilde Blind (born Mathilda Cohen; 21 March 1841 – 26 November 1896), was a German-born English poet, fiction writer, biographer, essayist and critic. In the early 1870s she emerged as a pioneering female aesthete in a mostly male community of artists and writers. By the late 1880s she had become prominent among New Woman writers such as Vernon Lee (Violet Paget), Amy Levy, Mona Caird, Olive Schreiner, Rosamund Marriott Watson, and Katharine Tynan. She was praised by Algernon Charles Swinburne, William Michael Rossetti, Amy Levy, Edith Nesbit, Arthur Symons and Arnold Bennett. Her much-discussed poem The Ascent of Man presents a distinctly feminist response to the Darwinian theory of evolution.

Blind's early political affiliations were shaped by the foreign refugees who frequented her stepfather's house, including Giuseppe Mazzini, for whom she entertained a passionate admiration and about whom she would publish reminiscences in the Fortnightly Review in 1891. Other revolutionaries who frequent her mother and stepfather's house in St. John's Wood included Karl Marx and Louis Blanc. Her early commitment to women's suffrage was influenced by her mother's friend Caroline Ashurst Stansfeld, who was active in the British feminist movement from its origins in the 1840s. These radical affiliations are manifested in Blind's politically charged poetry, and in her own unbending commitment to reform. As Richard Garnett observed, in the society of political refugees and radicals Blind was raised in, "admiration must necessarily be reserved for audacity in enterprise, fortitude in adversity... anything breathing unconquerable defiance of the powers that were."

[thatwritererinoriordan]

The poets: Walter de la Mare, John Clare, Mathilde Blind, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Keats, William Cullen Bryant, Louisa May Alcott, Walt Whitman

[violettesiren]

No butterfly whose frugal fare Is breath of heliotrope and clove, And other trifles light as air, Could live on less than doth my love.

That childlike smile that comes and goes About your gracious lips and eyes, Hath all the sweetness of the rose, Which feeds the freckled butterflies.

I feed my love on smiles, and yet Sometimes I ask, with tears of woe, How had it been if we had met, If you had met me long ago,

Before the fast, defacing years Had made all ill that once was well? Ah, then your smiling breeds such tears As Tantalus may weep in hell.

Only A Smile by Mathilde Blind

[nesiacha]

No, Olympe de Gouges Was Not Executed for Being a Feminist

As @mathildeaquisexta and @robespapier already explained so well in this post, let’s be clear once and for all: Olympe de Gouges was not executed because she was a feminist, nor for any misogynistic reason.

She was executed under suspicion of modérantisme—a political stance that did not necessarily imply opposition to executions or support for clemency—and more crucially, under accusations of counter-revolutionary activity. In her writings, she advocated either a return to constitutional monarchy or the establishment of a federal republic. Given the intense internal and external civil war at the time, such views were considered dangerously destabilizing. The Montagnards, under mounting pressure, resorted to increasingly harsh measures—something that does not excuse their actions, many of which were indefensible, but places them in a broader revolutionary context.

Some sources—though I’ve yet to locate them again, so this should be taken cautiously—even suggest that she may have called for Robespierre’s death. In any case, she was far from the saintly figure some portray her as.

Did Olympe de Gouges deserve to die? Absolutely not. Was her execution condemnable, especially from a human standpoint? Yes. But from a legal perspective—however flawed the laws may have been—her writings were seen as criminal and therefore her trial was not, strictly speaking, unlawful.

Her feminism itself was full of contradictions. She opposed revolutionary women taking up arms, for instance. An interesting detail: historian Mathilde Larrère pointed out in a video that when de Gouges rewrote Article 12 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen(La Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen) for her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen (Déclarations des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne), she significantly altered its meaning.

Here is the original Article 12: "The security of the rights of man and citizen requires public military forces: these forces are therefore instituted for the benefit of all, and not for the personal use of those to whom they are entrusted."

Now Olympe's version: "The guarantee of the rights of woman and citizen requires a major utility; this guarantee must be instituted for the advantage of all and for the particular benefit of those to whom it is entrusted."

Where other revolutionary women were requesting weapons—and rightly so, given that they were at war—de Gouges stood firmly against it. At times, I can’t help but wonder if she wasn’t somewhat disconnected from the reality on the ground.

Yes, it's necessary to condemn lynchings, murders, and other excesses of the Revolution. But we must also avoid the "black legend" narrative that demonizes figures like the Montagnards, the CSP of the year II, Hébertistes, or the Enragés, just as we must reject the "golden legend" that romanticizes the Revolution. Much of the Revolution’s progress was driven by violent struggle: the storming of the Bastille, the fall of the Tuileries (which finally removed Louis XVI—a serious threat to the nation and the revolution because of his betrayal), or even the uprisings of enslaved Black people in the colonies.

These were violent acts—but how else could centuries of brutal oppression be overthrown? Enslavers were never going to relinquish power simply because someone asked nicely. The system itself was inventive in its cruelty and designed to resist any path toward Black liberation.

And yet, Olympe de Gouges, despite being an abolitionist, condemned the Haitian revolt in 1792. In a striking and disturbing passage from her play L'Esclavage des Noirs ou l'Heureux Naufrage, she directly addresses the enslaved and says:

"It is to you, now, slaves, men of color, that I am going to speak; I may have undeniable rights to condemn your ferocity: cruel ones, by imitating the tyrants, you justify them. Most of your masters were humane and kind, and in your blind rage, you do not distinguish innocent victims from your persecutors.

Men were not born for chains, and yet you prove they are necessary. If overwhelming force is on your side, why unleash all the furies of your burning lands? Poison, iron, daggers, the invention of the most barbaric and atrocious tortures cost you nothing, they say. What cruelty! What inhumanity! Ah! How deeply you make those groan who sought to prepare, through tempered means, a gentler fate for you — a fate more worthy of envy than all those illusory advantages with which the authors of France’s and America’s calamities have misled you.

Tyranny will follow you, as crime clings to those perverse men. Nothing will ever bring harmony among you. Fear my prediction — you know whether it is founded on true and solid grounds. I speak my oracles based on reason and divine justice. I do not recant: I abhor your tyrants; your cruelties fill me with horror »

Frankly, this is appalling. To suggest that enslaved people—who had endured horrors that defy comprehension—were just as bad as their oppressors is a cruel and absurd false equivalence when we know all the horrors of the slavery system and even if there were deaths on the other side who were truly regrettable, it is clearly not comparable. And what “tyrants” is she referring to? At the time, there was no formal revolutionary government in place in Saint-Domingue. There was no “major force” on their side. At that point in time, slavery had not yet been abolished, and the arrival of Sonthonax — a proponent of the gradual abolition of slavery — marked a turning point. One of the key factors behind the push for abolition was the execution of Louis XVI, which led some white royalist planters to seriously consider turning Saint-Domingue over to the British. In this context, the text appears, in my view, somewhat disconnected from the historical and political realities of the time.

In short, this is a deeply misjudged and insulting passage. That said, she's far from the only historical figure with contradictory views on slavery—Brissot and even Robespierre had their own problematic moments.

To her credit, de Gouges was lucid in other respects. She opposed the war that Brissot advocated, aligning instead—whether consciously or not—with Danton, Robespierre, and Billaud-Varenne, who foresaw the catastrophe it would bring. According to historian Antoine Resche, she supported constitutional monarchy but rejected the property-based voting system (suffrage censitaire).

Still, Olympe de Gouges was not widely known among revolutionary women of her time. Her Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne (Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen) had limited impact. The true revolutionary womens "stars" were Théroigne de Méricourt, Pauline Léon, Claire Lacombe, Sophie de Grouchy, Louise Reine Audu, Manon Roland, Louise de Kéralio, Simone Evrard, Albertine Marat, the Ferning sisters, Rosalie Jullien, Sophie Momoro (as Goddess of Reason), Jeanne Odo, and perhaps Marguerite David ( of the group of Enragés).

In fact, it’s likely that de Gouges knew of these women, but not necessarily the other way around. Even after her execution, I’ve found almost no evidence of posthumous recognition during the revolutionary period.

From Year III to IV, women like Sylvie Audouin, Thérésia Tallien, Marie-Anne Babeuf, Sophie Lapierre, and possibly Élisabeth Le Bon (widow of Joseph Le Bon) gained more visibility — though Thérésia and Babeuf were probably more famous than Audouin or Lapierre. Still, Olympe remained largely absent from the collective memory ( at least to my knowledge). So she wasn't completely unknown, but her importance wasn't as great as some people would have us believe.

According to Mathilde Larrère, Olympe de Gouges only emerged from oblivion thanks to feminist Benoîte Groult, who revived her memory and her declaration. This was a fantastic move—it's always good to recover lost revolutionary voices.

But ironically, her legacy has since been co-opted by people who hold a very dark view of the French Revolution, some even veering toward counter-revolutionary ideals—because, yes, de Gouges was a staunch monarchist. Even worse, some who now praise her aren’t feminists at all, but use her image dishonestly to discredit the Revolution as a whole.

And the tragic twist? The women who were famous during the Revolution—Louise-Reine Audu, the Ferning sisters, Sophie Momoro, Marguerite David, Jeanne Odo, Rosalie Jullien, Sylvie Audouin, Sophie Lapierre, Marie-Anne Babeuf, Elisabeth Le Bon, Louise de Kéralio—have largely disappeared from collective memory. Others have been demonized or reduced to caricatures: Pauline Léon, Claire Lacombe, Simone Evrard, Albertine Marat.

Once again, my point is not to demonize Olympe de Gouges, but to highlight the problem of turning her into the only legitimate feminist voice of the French Revolution, while erasing or vilifying all others just because they held different political views.

If people genuinely want to honor Olympe de Gouges, they should portray her in full:

Her strengths—her opposition to property-based voting, her fight for the rights of children born out of wedlock, her courage in speaking out, her revolutionary spirit, her willingness to denounce Louis XVI’s betrayal despite her monarchist leanings.

And her flaws—her rejection of women bearing arms, her naivety about nonviolent change, her harsh and misguided condemnation of enslaved people fighting for their freedom.

She was sincere in her convictions, passionate about justice, and undoubtedly brave. But she was also human, with contradictions and limits like any of us.

One day, I hope to see a real film that portrays all the women of the French Revolution—regardless of their political alignment—without distortion or demonization.

[konstantynowitz]

Mathilde Rosier (née Ollivier)

Mathilde Ollivier was born in 1943 in Paris, France, to an upper middle class pure-blood family. Growing up, she was quite sheltered, being kept away from the more liberal views of society at the time, having been raised in a conservative environment.

She was tutored at home by a governess in the early years of her education. Mathilde’s lessons mostly consisted of proper etiquette for young ladies and the values of refinement, which were deeply ingrained in her upbringing.

The young girl was also immersed in the arts and would take piano lessons from a personal instructor. Mathilde’s mother often took pride in her daughter’s proficiency in playing piano, seeing it as a marker of sophistication that would make her more desirable to potential suitors.

Mathilde’s parents instilled one singular prospect: to find a suitable husband and secure her place in society. She spent childhood envisioning herself in a grand life, adorned in beautiful gowns, hosting lavish gatherings, and having a handsome, charming husband that made her the center of his world.

In 1954, Mathilde’s parents enrolled her at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, hoping that the prestigious institution would not only hone her magical talents, but also introduce her to eligible young wizards from influential families, further securing her future in high society.

During her schooling, she pursued her passion in the arts, particularly music and dance. Mathilde became fond of ballet and often performed in theatre productions, showcasing her talent and poise on stage.

She quickly earned a name for herself, especially once she graduated from Beauxbatons. Mathilde was very popular amongst French nobility, obtaining many lead roles that not only highlighted her skill but also drew the attention of influential pure-blood families.

One of these families were the Rosiers, who had heard about the talented ballerina all the way from England. Laurent and Eglantine Rosier were informed that Mathilde would make a promising bride for their son Étienne, who, at thirty-five, had yet to marry.

The Olliviers were quick to accept the marriage proposal and prepared for their first meeting with the Rosier family soon after.

Before Mathilde’s formal introduction to her betrothed, she was to perform for him and his family, which would give Étienne a chance to see her in a more captivating light and hopefully allure him.

From the beginning, Mathilde was eager to please Rosier, as she longed to impress her future husband and gain his approval. She was a naive girl who didn’t fully understand the complexities of love and marriage.

Her youthful optimism blinded her to the deeper aspects at play, leading her to overlook the intended purpose of the union between her and Étienne Rosier.

Laurent and Eglantine were completely enamored by the girl, finding her absolutely charming and the perfect match for their son.

Étienne on the other hand, seemed to be somewhat disinterested by the whole thing. Of course for appearances, he kept his attention on the stage, watching as Mathilde delivered her performance with an enchanting fervor.

He appeared physically there, but mentally and emotionally, Rosier was detached from everything that was going on around him.

Étienne’s thoughts were consumed by the pressures of his own life and the role he was expected to play. He didn’t want to marry Mathilde, but he knew he had a duty to his family to provide an heir for the bloodline.

The wedding took place a mere few weeks later after Mathilde was brought to England. She didn’t know much English at the time, her family having intended for her to marry a Frenchman and remain within her home country, and so everything was foreign to her in the beginning.

Mathilde was only eighteen when she was to marry Étienne Rosier, while her betrothed was seventeen years her senior. In the eyes of her in-laws, she was only just a child who did not yet know what she was getting into, a naive and inexperienced girl who needed guidance and control.

They viewed her youth as a liability, a sign of vulnerability that made her susceptible to the manipulations of her new family. Eglantine and Laurent knew that they needed to expose their daughter-in-law to the reality of the new world she was brought into.

Étienne stifled her spirit and broke her, exposing her to the system her parents had willingly given her to. Mathilde would soon open her eyes to the fact that she was just a pawn in someone else’s game.

He didn’t care for Mathilde, using her only to produce heirs for the family. By 1963, the couple welcomed their first son Evan and word got out that a male heir for the Rosier family had been produced.

Everyone took comfort in the fact that within her first year of marriage to Étienne, she had already proved herself capable of providing her husband an heir.

The birth of her son earned her the acceptance of her new family, for now she was tied to them by blood and through the respect she gained by giving birth to a son.

Shortly after Evan’s birth, Mathilde suffered from postpartum depression, making it difficult to connect with her newborn. She was overwhelmed by the pressures brought upon her by her in-laws who remained cold and distant, not providing her with the comfort or familial connection she longed for.

For a while she isolated herself, finding the presence of her husband and his family daunting at times when she found herself becoming clouded by the dark fog that overtook her mind.

They saw her as being too emotional and sensitive, their attitude towards Mathilde’s mental health being unfeeling. Some even thought she was seeking attention, accusing her of being a spoiled little girl, dismissing her pain as mere dramatics.

Étienne’s lack of attentiveness began taking its toll on her and she began to realize that her husband truly didn’t care about her. She tried her hardest to find common ground with him, even taking the time to learn some of his hobbies and interests.

He did not seem to appreciate her efforts, though. Instead preferring to ignore his wife’s attempt at connection, deepening the strain on his marriage which darkened his home and the childhood of his firstborn.

Mathilde was pitied upon by Druella, who saw the spark within her sister-in-law fade overtime during the years Mathilde remained married to Étienne.

Ella knew that this wasn’t the life Mathilde had wanted for herself; she remembered the vibrant young girl who once dreamed of a fulfilling life with a loving husband. Now her sister-in-law was slowly becoming a shadow of her former self, trapped in a stifling existence.

In 1971, Mathilde had her second son Felix, but there were slight complications during the birth her baby, which would later cause her to fall vulnerable to illness. As a result, she spent weeks on bedrest, trying to recover, and while her health did slightly improve, it declined quickly once more and her life would come to an abrupt end shortly afterwards.

Étienne did not seem that much affected by the sudden death of his wife, and with her absence, he was left alone with Evan and Felix to raise on his own. Although in spite of being the only parent left for his sons, he distanced himself from them and treated them with contempt and indifference.

[jadedbirch]

I finally watched the 2023 French fanfic of my favorite book, i.e. The Three Musketeers: Milady, part deux of Martin Bourboulon's two-part adaptation of the Alexadre Dumas' novel. I talked about part 1 - The Three Musketeers: d'Artagnan - earlier, but I like to think of them of them together as one oeuvre, since they were shot as one film and then split into two cinematic releases.

Those of you who know me, understand by now that my movie reviews predominantly judge these movies not as standalone works of cinema but as adaptations. I don't ever ask for historical or canonical accuracy (which I have long ago accepted is much too much to ask for), but what I look for is that the plot and the characters serve the underlying spirit of the original Dumas novel. And perhaps this is why, more so than with other - admittedly much more terrible - adaptations, this one just makes me blind with rage. I don't know when filmmakers decided that how we like our morally gray characters is somehow justified, redeemed, and generally de-clawed. If what they were going with here was to make Milady de Winter, the murderous villainess of the novel, into some kind of a post-feminist hero, then they have failed miserably. (Lots of spoilers below the cut)

I don't usually feel the need to put SPOILER warnings on adaptations of the 3 Musketeers, but this ones veers so far off plot that I'm putting it here just in case.

Let's start by saying that it is certainly not Milady who is the main villain of these movies. It's not even Cardinal Richelieu, the man who seems to pull her strings. Rochefort, sadly, does not even appear in this adaptation, and honestly, I feel like docking a point just for that. Apparently M. Bourboulon decided that Dumas' masterpiece just wasn't interesting enough on its own, so he felt the need to "beef" it up, i.e. rewrite the narrative by taking out critical characters like Rochefort and Lord Winter and substituting them with new characters like Mathilde (Aramis' knocked-up sister), Benjamin (Athos' Protestant!!! brother) and maligning poor Gaston le duc d'Orleans by making him the main villain of the duology. Which is a damn shame, because these were all one-note characters foisted upon us at the expense of delightful assholes who made the original novel so fun to read.

And that goes for all the main characters here, including the titular Milady herself. Book!Musketeers are young, reckless assholes, who wench, fight, gamble and generally engage in very questionable behavior. You know, "boys will be boys" - and I do mean that with every possible connotation, i.e. they're horrible. By taking away their youth (excuse moi but Vincent Cassell, who plays Athos, is in his 60's LMAO), Bourboulon would have stripped their bad behavior of any of the benefit and charm of youth. So, I guess, Bourboulon decided to get rid of the bad behavior entirely, instead. Other than Porthos having an occasional bisexual threesome (bless), and Athos drinking while brooding, we don't really see any of the musketeers being the delightful assholes that I, for one, expect them to be. Strip away everything else, but do not ever take the assholery away from me! Here, they are old and they are boring, and honestly, it makes absolutely no historical or narrative sense that any of them are still in the service.

As for d'Artagnan, our hero, he is painted with such a chaste and faithful brush that I'm not actually sure - is this the same shithead who in the book fucks Milady's maid so that he can pretend to be Milady's boyfriend in the dark and sleep with her without her consent??? Hm... nope. This d'Artagnan is so faithful to his Constance, even though they barely touched hands, that he rebuffs Milady's (very assertive) attempts at (inexplicably) seducing him. Oh dear, oh dear, you might say. How is she supposed to spend the rest of the movie trying to get her revenge against him for raping her? Oh, that's right. She's not!

This Milady is no villainess but she's certainly no post-feminist heroine either. Her backstory is so cliche, it is for to weep, and I raged and ranted at great length about it here. She was forced to marry at 15! To some unnamed man who beat and raped her! And whom she killed - a totally justifiable homicide - before somehow falling in love and marrying Old Man Athos and bearing him a child (future Mordaunt? I see you, cutie!). But alas, Old Man Athos learned of her past crime - because she told him - and turned her over to the authorities, resulting in her being branded (natch) and then hanged (convenient how Athos doesn't actually get his own hands dirty). This Milady has literally Never Done A Thing Wrong. Since there's no Lord Winter, there's no poisoned husband. She never succeeds in killing Buckingham or having him killed. She never tries to even so much as look at d'Artagnan wrong, in fact, they keep saving each other's lives for Reasons of the Narrative, none of them particularly compelling. And finally, our poor Constance, I was really rooting for her to survive this AU, but alas. She ends up once again doomed by the narrative, but so stupidly, that I honestly don't know what to say. It made absolutely no sense for Queen Anne to hide her in England with the Duke of Buckingham since doing so would have implicated her in both treason and adultery. BUT WHAT IS LOGIC? Anyways, suffice to say, it's not Milady's fault that Constance ends up dead in d'Artagnan's arms by the end of the movie.

Don't get me wrong. This Milady is very hot (she is played by Eva Green, after all). But there's really nothing interesting or compelling about her as a character. She's a survivor, determined to survive. WHICH SHE DOES. Yay, it's a Milday-is-alive-at-the-end AU! And, honestly, good for her. By all means, girl, you kill that old man who betrayed you and handed you over to be hanged! He doesn't deserve you! And you abduct your own son and smuggle him out of France to teach that old man a lesson! But for the love of all that is holy, can you please, PLEASE raise him to be at least a tiny bit evil???? Please???

I am begging, can we just let villains be villains? Milady's original character was so much more fabulous not because some man beat and raped her but because of her ability to bend men to her will and whim throughout the novel. She outwits and outmaneuvers all of our "heroes," leaving a titillating trail of bodies and broken hearts in her wake, and it takes TEN MEN in the end to hunt her down and execute her. And listen, Athos spends the rest of his life trying to atone for it. THAT IS HER POWER. This Milady? Blah. And while we're here, this Athos? Double blah. I don't care, let her kill him. There's absolutely nothing interesting about this man. (And yes, I think hanging your wife for lying to you and then becoming a murderous alcoholic about it is very interesting, Athos. Very interesting, indeed.) I'd rather watch Vincent Cassell in Eastern Promises 20 more times - now THAT was a character worth his acting skill!

As for the movies themselves, it's sad to say that the only time both my wife and I felt ANY level of investment was close to the very end, when we were waiting to find out whether Constance was going to die. And most of that was due to the extremely convoluted narrative bending that defied logical sense and occasionally space and time. We did not give a shit about anything else, which does not, generally speaking, a great cinematic experience make. And where Part I at least gave us a few moments of levity and a great win for humanity in bisexual Porthos, Part II is merely dark, drab, and joyless.

Final grade for both parts: I give it a C- as a film and a D as an adaptation, in which the only thing that saves it from being an F is Eva Green's hotness.

[kerryhasastudyblog]

Been working on my next chapter/s, mostly doing some additional research. Hopefully will start writing tomorrow or Thursday.

I’ve also thought about restructuring and before EBB, I think I’m going to do a few pages on Patmore, bc his poem is so terrible I really don’t want to spend a whole chapter on it; plus he was obsessed with EBB and Aurora Leigh bc he thought it was terrible and was pissed a woman wrote it and that it got good reviews 😂 Haha die mad dick. Then I think I’ll add a few pages to my Naden chapter about Darwin (also a dick) and Spencer (yet another dick). That ties in nicely and frees me from having to do a whole chapter on their stuff, thus keeping poetry as the focus. Then I’ll work on Mathilde Blind (about 80% sure that’s who my third poet will be). This way I’ve got a nice specific time frame too. 👍

[spinsterennui]

So I’m almost done with this chapter. I have a few things to add and then tie all together, and that will bring this chapter to around 25 pages. I added up everything and once I’m done with this I have about 90-95 pages!!!! I’m aiming for the short end, about 160-170, but that means I’m progressing well and that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

My next chapters: EBB will be pretty easy (around 30), I need to do a chapter on Patmore, JSM, and Darwin (some combination of, or add them to the intro? and maybe Wollstonecraft or add her to the Poetess chapter —idk — around 20-30 combined), then I’ll choose between either Mathilde Blind or Charlotte Mew (20-25 pages) — this last one will be difficult bc I haven’t done as much research yet. Then a short conclusion and I’m done lol. Two months to get that done and hopefully then just rewrites.

Y’all, even though I have a lot left to do, just being able to see that I have over half done makes me feel so much better.

[etsicetaitmavie]

51

Aujourd'hui c'est mon anniversaire. J'ai passé une super belle journée pas du tout prévue, mon fils Pierre m'a invité au restaurant avec ma Lali, c'était un très joli moment, je me suis un peu reposée pendant qu'ils allaient nourrir le chat du pote de mon fils parti en vacances puis nous avons regardé un film et fait des Blind test pour l'apéro et ce soir mon fils Maxime est rentré de Paris et on a dîné tous ensemble. Demain je le fête avec mes 4 enfants et mon chéri le soir.

Avant, je n'aimais pas fêter mon anniversaire, jamais.

Mais depuis quelques années, c'est devenu important pour moi, ces moments partagés, ces souvenirs que je garde tout précieusement au creux de mon cœur de maman. Maintenant que Mathilde et Pierre ne vivent plus avec moi et même si on arrive à se voir tous ensemble souvent, c'est important pour moi de se retrouver autour des anniversaires. Et c'est important aussi que mon chéri soit là.

Beaucoup d'évènements ont eu lieu cette année, mon grand a quitté sa copine, ma grande a trouvé sa moitié, elle s'installe avec lui. Un peu loin de moi et ce n'est pas simple pour moi, je ne pourrais plus aller boire un café avec elle les samedis aprèm mais quand je la regarde si épanouie et heureuse alors je le suis avec elle. Ah oui et aussi elle a eu son master (avec les encouragements du jury et 14.5 s'il vous plait !). Il est possible aussi que mon grand change de ville d'ici fin d'année. Si cela lui va alors cela ma va aussi. Mon Max est en pleine tempête avec sa copine (que je déteste profondément de se comporter aussi mal avec lui). On a passé l’orage avec ma Lali, jusqu’au prochain ?

J’ai dû quitter mon travail que j’adorais et c’est encore aujourd’hui difficile pour moi d’arriver à me projeter ailleurs.

Je suis heureuse auprès de mon Chéri même si des fois je voudrais plus. Plus de temps rien qu’à nous. Plus de temps tous ensemble. Des fois c’est vraiment frustrant mais ce qu’on vit c’est tellement beau que cela prend le dessus sur cette frustration.

Je veux vieillir avec lui.

Cette année ma copine va perdre sa maman et je voudrais pouvoir  lui enlever cette infinie tristesse, je vais souvent voir sa maman et je prends le relai de ma copine (être aidant c’est vraiment difficile). Sa maman est une belle, une très belle personne.

Je ne sais pas demain alors je profite de chaque seconde avec les personnes que j'aime.

[sefalopod]

Queer Poetry Suggestions

Some classical, some not, some sexual, some not, decent variety of poems i personally love for the zero people who asked for them!!!

Cenzontle- Marcelo Hernandez Castillo

To my Excellent Lucasia, on Our Friendship- Katherine Philips

A Young Girl Seen in Church- Eliza Mary Hamilton

The Mystics Vision- Mathilde Blind

American Wedding- Essex Hemphill

suicide note #1- Luther Hughes

To the American Psychiatric Association-1973- Jewelle Gomez

Boy in a Stolen Evening Gown- Saeed Jones

Some Like Indians Endure- Paula Gunn Allen

once a marine biologist told me octopuses have three hearts- Denice Frohman

Dreaming of Lesbos- Tatiana de La Tierra

[trixie-and-ames]

"Life grows lovely where you are."

Mathilde Blind.

[violettesiren]

Bewilderingly, from wildly shaken cloud, Invisible hands, deft moving everywhere, Have woven a winding sheet of velvet air, And laid the dead earth in her downy shroud. And more and more, in white confusion, crowd Wan, whirling flakes, while o'er the icy glare Blue heaven that was glooms blackening o'er the bare Tree skeletons, to ruthless tempest bowed.

Nay, let the outer world be winter-locked; Beside the hearth of glowing memories I warm my life. Once more our boat is rocked, As on a cradle by the palm-fringed Nile; And, sharp-cut silhouettes, in single file, Lank camels lounge against transparent skies.

Internal Firesides by Mathilde Blind

[7r0773r]

The Red and the Black by Stendhal, translated by Charles Tergie

Too proud to speak of her disappointments even to her friend Madame Derville, she imagined all men were like her husband, or M. Valenod, or the sub-prefect Charcot de Maugiron. The coarseness and brutal insensibility to everything that did not concern money or station or the Cross, the blind hatred for every manifestation of reason that opposed their wishes, seemed natural to the sex, like the wearing of boots. (p. 45)

***

M. de Rênal was then walking very close to them, and his presence increased Julien's anger. Then for the first time he felt that Madame de Rênal was leaning on him. The sensation caused him horror. He repulsed her violently, disengaging his arm.

Fortunately M. de Rênal did not notice this new piece of impertinence; it was noticed only by Madame Derville. Her friend burst into tears. At that moment M. de Rênal was throwing stones at a little peasant girl who was walking over a corner of the orchard. (p. 61)

***

With that singular creature the weather was almost continually a storm. (p. 68)

***

"That's how women are," remarked M. de Rênal; "there's always something wrong with those complicated machines." And he walked away, jeering. (p. 74)

***

The great evil in little French towns, as well as in other communities ruled by popular vote, as in New York, is that people cannot forget that there exist such men in the world as M. de Rênal. In a town of twenty thousand inhabitants, such men as he form public opinion, and public opinion is a terrible thing in countries that have a constitution. Your friend, a noble, generous spirit, living a hundred leagues away, judges you by the public opinion of your town, formed by the fools or knaves whom chance has given the means of floating on the surface. Woe to him that is in any way distinguished! (p. 140)

***

"You look cross," said the Marquise de la Mole to Mathilde; "yet let me tell you, that is not proper at a ball." (p. 263)

***

When anyone offended Mademoiselle de la Mole, she could revenge herself with a remark so well turned and apparently so innocent that the wound it inflicted would be aggravated the more one thought of it. When the matter concerned her pride, she could be positively cruel. Indifferent to the aims of her family, she always seemed cold in their eyes.

After all, aristocratic drawing-rooms are nice only to speak of when one leaves; but that is all. After the first few days the chill politeness becomes an obsession; that Julien found out after his first disillusion.

"Politeness," he said to himself, "then, is only the mask of a bad temper in the vulgar." (p. 278)

***

AN ENGLISH TRAVELLER tells of the intimacy with which he had lived with a tiger. He had raised it and was always caressing it, but he always kept a loaded revolver on his table. (p. 379)

***

It was midnight when the judge of the assizes summed up the case. He was obliged to stop; the sound of the clock sounded ominously in the midst of the silence and anxiety.

"There is the beginning of my last day," thought Julien. He was soon seized by his idea of duty. Up to this point, he had mastered his emotion and kept to his resolution not to speak; but when the judge of the assizes asked him if he had anything to say, he arose. He saw before him Madame Derville's eyes, shining brilliantly in the light. "Is she crying on my account?" he asked himself.

"Gentlemen of the jury," he said, "I can brave contempt now, and I will speak. Gentlemen, I have not the honor of belonging to your class; you see in me only a peasant who rebelled against the lowliness of his station.

"I ask no favor of you," continued Julien, firmly; "I am not deceiving myself. Death is awaiting me, and that will be just. I have made an attempt on the life of a woman who was worthy of the highest respect and consideration. Madame de Rênal was like a mother to me. My crime is atrocious, for it was premeditated; I therefore deserve death, gentlemen of the jury. But if I should appear less culpable, I see men here who, without stopping to think of any allowance to be made for youth, would like to punish and discourage forever, through me, a class of young men who, born in a lowly station in life and borne down by poverty have the good fortune of becoming well educated, and have dared to mix up with what the pride of the rich calls 'society.'

"That is my crime, gentlemen, and I shall be punished with a greater severity, since I am not judged by my peers. I do not see on the juror's bench any rich peasant, but only bourgeois who are feeling they have been outraged." (pp. 424-25)

***

"I have loved the truth—where is it? There is everywhere hypocrisy, or, at least, charlatanism, even among the most virtuous and the greatest." [Julien's] lips expressed disgust. "No, man cannot be proud of man!" (p. 439)

***

". . . . Oh, nineteenth century! A huntsman discharges his fowling piece in the forest, his prey falls, and he rushes forward to get it. His boots destroy an ant hill and crush the ants, and not only the ants but also the eggs. The most philosophical among the ants would only know of a black body, immense, frightful— the huge boot that crushed their dwelling amid much noise and the flash of red flame.

"And so death, life, eternity, is a mystery. It is simple only when one can comprehend it. The ephemeral insect is born at nine o'clock in the morning of a summer's day, to die at five o'clock in the afternoon. Does it know what night is? Give it five hours more of existence and it will know all that is meant by 'night.' And so I—I shall die at twenty-three! Give me five years yet to live with Madame de Rênal." Then Mephistopheles-like, he began to laugh. (p. 440)

[shadow-laviko]

Yeah yeah yeah That's what I thought I did not make a LMdS post Well, here it is Ok, well, about the summary... This projects dates a bit (over 4 years ago :melting:), so I might rework a lot of things It used to be a project about a world after death, and how there was a war about to start there. Buuuut, given Imperium is already about it (and I never really managed to get the global idea anyways), might just end up being a slice of life or something Yeah yeah

I basicallyu still have the world building and characters, it's just the story in itself which will be changing So... I'll just give a summary of the characters? Yeah, might be good Foy and Sha : 21 years old twins who died by [redacted]. They are both very smart and with a high IQ. However, despite looking identical (just face and shape-wise), Foy and Sha are very different. Foy loves languages, and Sha, maths and physics. Foy is very protective of Sha because people used to (and still kinda do to some extent) bully him for being "weird". Also, because I find it very important to mention : Foy is probably aro ace, and Sha is pansexual and panromantic (he also uses he/they).

Dragine Louap : A totally normal man with a top-hat. He has does not hide anything. At all. Either a hair dresser or surgeon, I still haven't decided. Died by [redacted] at 23. A certain someone knows his big secret.

Silvia/Mathilde Lumbra: Founder of the "Monde des Songes", about 16 ? I kinda forgot how she died. Very kind and generally appreciated by everyone.

Eliott Lumbra : Adoptive brother of Silvia, about... darn it, I forgot. Uhh... Between 21 and 25? 22 maybe? He used to be a kind guy, but he got corrupted by power (he was the one wanting to start a war in the first version). Forgot how he died as well...

Jason : I don't know if I want to keep him Romain, Urbain and Alexandre : 21 years old Triplets who died by commiting suicide. One is mute, one is deaf, one is blind... Fun that each one has a missing sense, huh. I wonder what's up with that. (Also, Romain is gay, Urbain is bi, and Alexandre is hetero)

Léonard : Foy and Sha's butler and part-time body guard. Because, damn, the boys are rich. They live in a penthouse and all... Guess being a genious can make you pretty rich, huh. Oh yeah, he is in his 30s and died at war (he was a knight before dying).

Abigaël : (used to be an Ampora Homestuck oc lol) Also pretty kind and crafty. Very hopeful (too much so) and has a weird passion for frogs. She loves frogs. She's also crafty and is a mechanic. She's pan. Forgot how she died. She's 19

Roxane : 18 years old girl who died by having her head chopped off for stealing bread. She's Silvia's personal bodyguard and also Aby's girlfriend.

Sasha : A person who is 22 years old. They died by committing suicide. They wear a mask, clothes and different wigs all of the time. NObody knows their gender, their skin, eyes nor hair colour. Except for one of the character already previously mentionned. I sure wonder who... Maybe the person who knows for Dragine too, maybe not... Who knows? Anyway. They are my 4th wall breaker. They always appear simingly out of thin air to make transitions in the story. They are certain that they are just a character in a story (I mean, they are not wrong, but how do they know that??). they also have a huge control room somewhere, with tons of monitors to monitor the city through cameras they placed themselves. (not many people know about that).

Oliver : Used to be the MC... now... Idk, we shall see.

Isaac : A cannibal who used to be roommates with a ceratin someone (not the same as afore mentionned). Forgot how he died in his previous life... Hunger after a plane crash or something I reckon? Got executed in the "Monde des Songes" once he was found out as a canibal.

Neils : A man who works in a crematorium. He died in a fire. He looks pretty young (forgot once again).

Macbeth : A gay man working in a clothes shop (Sha's favourite shop). That's all I can remember right now. Nigel : ... Who? Macbeth's boyfriend maybe? I can not remember shit about him except from his name.

Lou : A rebellious teenage girl (15) who is angry at the world about basically everything (but mostly not having been adopted yet). She lives with other kids in Silvia's mansion-orphanage.

Mist : I'm realising this is actually beta Achroma from Imperium, lmao κόσμιρ : Or Kosmir, is the formless being which materialises the "Monde des Songes". They are kept in a room at take the appearance of your favourite person, dead or alive.

The name of the city is Muitini.

Might add things later Thank you if you read so far, and feel free to ask anything about any of them if you want!!

[duchessravenclaw]

New important characters Chapters 11-20

Albert Fawley: Lord to House Fawley, first ally of Slytherin House. Makes reparations and still comes out well with marrying his daughter in the house after some horrific family history comes to light. He is an even tempered man who never expected to accomplish much during his reign. Alexandria Fawley: Married to Lord Fawley, formerly Selwyn. Married off in a betrothal, while she does not love her husband she has come to like him a lot. They have become good friends and maintained a faithfulness that you don't find anywhere else. Nicolai Fawley: Son to Albert and Alexandria, Heir to House Fawley. Already in Hogwarts and is forced to keep the secret of the family alliance for years. This helps his cunning, and Lady Slytherin owls with him often helping bolster his confidence and begin making alliances at a young age. Helping to set the family up for the future. Gemma Fawley: Daughter to Albert and Alexandria, Secondary Heir to House Fawley. Betrothed to the future Lord Slytherin. She is raised with the Slytherin boys, learning a long with them, both their family traditions and hers. The families hope this will help them to learn to work together. They encourage her play with her betrothed but to spend more time with the secondary heir so as to not develop sibling like feelings. August Nassau: Herr Nassau, raised and lives in Germany, Holds his seat on the German Ministry, holds a seat on the Italian primary school the children attend, and the department head of the German DMLE. Introduced to the Slytherin family through Sirius. Formerly allied with the German Black Branch of the family, which Sirius holds up. Karl Nassau: Son of August and Heir to the Duchy. One year older than the Slytherin boys. Friends with them and attends primary school with them. Over protective of his younger sister. Mathilde Nassau: Daughter of August and Secondary Heir to the Duchy. She was born with an atrioventricular septal defect and born with no right forearm or hand. She is treated as a princess by both her father and brother. She is the same age as the boys. Narcissa Malfoy: Daughter of House Black, granddaughter to current Lord Black. Married to Lucius Malfoy, formerly Black. Meets Lilith at the opening of her first shop. She is Lilith's first wizarding female friend. Lucius Malfoy: Lord of the Malfoy House. Very Pompous, exceeds in gaining the upper hand but sometimes can lack a deft touch on things. Always thinks he knows everything and isn't always good with having foresight and can frequently almost mess things up if not for Lady Malfoy. Lucette Laval: Daughter to Lucienne and Lou Laval. Heiress to the Laval House. Meets the Slytherin children at primary school and becomes friends with them, the Nassau children, and the Wilhelm children. She is one year older than the boys. Lunette Laval: Daughter to Lucienne and Lou Laval. Secondary heiress to the Laval House. Meets the Slytherin children at primary school and becomes friends with them, the Nassau children, and the Wilhelm children. She is one year older than the boys. Lunette was born blind but sees far better than most do. Her family desperately tries to keep this knowledge from the public as true seers are valuable. Augusta Longbottom: The Dowager, Grandmother to Neville Longbottom. Current Regent of House Longbottom until Neville is of age. She is one who was a big believer of Dumbledore until tragedy befell her only son and daughter-in-law. Drowning in her grief she is barely able to keep up her formidable front on in public.

Neville Longbottom: Son to Frank and Alice Longbottom, Heir to House Longbottom. Lives with his grandmother ever since his parents were brutally attacked and their minds addled. Lonely young child until he is introduced to Hadrian and his brother Andras. Learns with the two on most wizarding subjects outside of the main classes they learn at school. Becomes Hadrian's best friend and good friends with Andras. Henri Prewett: Son of Lancelot Prewett and Cassiopeia Prewett nee Black. Lord to the House of Prewett after Gideon and Fabian died in the last war. Meets Lilith at the opening of her rare book store and becomes intrigued with her. Severus Snape: Heir to the Prince House, Former best friend of Lily Potter. Held under vow to Dumbledore to keep his former best friends child safe. Professor of Potions and Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts, former death eater, and spy for the Order of the Pheonix. Kaori Kikuchi: Secondary Heiress of House Kikuchi in Japan. House is a Vassal to the Slytherin family who never gave up hope of the house having a resurgence. Voluntarily serves the family to help them and gain a leg up in the betrothal department for a prime husband. Harold Greengrass: Lord to the Greengrass family. Neutral family and head of the Neutral Block. Does not side consistently on one side or the other but tries keep things more even and away from the extremes. Well known for being fair and his ability to see through lies. Emners Greengrass: Son to Harold Greengrass, Heir to House Greengrass. Went to school with Sirius, James and Lily. Good man still learning the ropes. Min Greengrass: Married to Emners Greengrass, Helping Lord Greengrass out with Lady duties since his wife died. Very sweet, comes from a halfblood untitled family. Mother to two daughters. Annaliese Greengrass: Daughter to Harold Greengrass, Secondary Heir to House Greengrass. Once Betrothed to someone who grew up to be a reckless, sadistic death eater who luckily died before she hit the age agreed upon for marriage. Well protected by her family due to this and a little afraid to die an old maid.