#napoleonic RP scene

[your-dandy-king]

RP Murat reacts to Hasegawa Murat:

....

Is that supposed to be me?

Oh my god, look at me!

My compliments to my artist! He's made me so handsome and perfect here! "A captive of your love"? Yes, that's me, really, what's so terrible about saying that?

I can look at myself all day! Tetsuya Hasegawa has captured my essence, the essence that is Murat! 😘

I respectfully disagree. The key to a healthy and balanced life is taking some time out for yourself, if you get my meaning. Like with anything else, it's better with friends!

I breathlessly await your next installment, Monsieur Hasegawa. You've given me quite the introduction into this tale of your illustrated epic!

[bow-and-talon]

[Violin playing in background.]

[cadmusfly]

the napoleonic roleplay scene presents:

the phantoms of the opera

portrayed: @askgeraudduroc | @murillo-enthusiast and two ADCs | @armagnac-army | @the-adventures-of-lydia-brown | @carolinemurat

thank you to @your-dandy-king for running this~

and thank you to @trauma-and-truffles for coming in at the end and fixing some of us up~

originally this was just going to be my guys and their fucked up reflections which is why they’re so central but then I fiddled with it more so it’s more generally the part where people just kept walking in the door

also I didn’t realise people would join us which is why. I had so many guys in there. mild regrets.

anyway it was great fun and real spooky and funny at times!

[headlessgenius]

(Disclaimer, this is a JOKE RP account by @usergreenpixel because I can’t get enough of this shit. I don’t claim to be a Goya scholar so please don’t expect complete accuracy.)

What a charming way to enter the afterlife and find out that I must share it with the French… oh well, welcome, I suppose.

*hastily arranges all the paintings*

[phatburd]

Murat may have been a fan of maximalism before that even was a word, but I decided to give his blog a minimalist, but colorful theme.

I hope it's readable!

[neylo]

Sorry not sorry for the RPF art!

There are not many things that I would be truly proud of. But one of them must be running the storyline of Ney’s Painted Paradise from the Tumblr’s Napoleonic Roleplay Scene.

For anyone who is not into RP - our favourite dead French face various difficulties in their afterlives. Sometimes it’s modern technology, other times it’s the stupid questions. And in some cases, they face eldritch horror powered by their faults and regrets. Which is the case of Marshal Michel Ney in Ney’s Painted Paradise.

I would like to thank @cadmusfly for his generosity without which we couldn’t have the art you see.

I hope you enjoy your commission which was a true challenge to me.

[armagnac-army]

—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—

Lᴇ Qᴜᴀʀᴛɪᴇʀ Gᴇ́ɴᴇ́ʀᴀʟ ᴅᴜ Mᴀʀᴇ́ᴄʜᴀʟ Lᴀɴɴᴇs

SALIUT ALL U ASSHOLES ON WHATEVER THE F THIS IS! This is your fucking excellency marshal jean lannes here, duke of montebello, prince of some fuckin place in poland but who can be bothered princing poland that place is full of mud and assholes!!

If you want to pick a fight with me then me and my boys will fuck u right back up, got it? But if youre chill than were chill.

VIVE LEMPEREUR!!!!!!!

—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—

Out Of Character

(( Hello! This is a joke RP ask blog portraying Marshal Jean Lannes (wikipedia link), one of Napoleon Bonaparte's elite military commanders and best friend, played by @cadmusfly because @apurpledust is a bad influence!

This comedic version of Jean Lannes is a loud capslocking ragingly enthusiastic blogger who enjoys sheep and has anger issues. He will not be bothered spelling things correctly. He dislikes the English and royalists, and is fiercely patriotic and protective of his friend Napoleon. The language is extremely anachronistic, slangy and inaccurate.

But he can be serious, sincere and emotional. He is filled with regrets for his marriages, particularly his second which was arranged, and how duty kept him distant from his kids. He's painfully aware that his loyalty to Napoleon brought him to his tragic and painful death. He is bombastic, but he is also filled with melancholic reflection.

While this portrayal is ahem, inspired by history, it is not intended to be accurate or faithful to the actual historical figure. This is just an entertaining parodic fictionalised version, and not meant to be actual analysis, commentary or endorsement.

If you send asks to or tag this blog, you might get an in-character response, probably in all caps! If you follow him, he might reblog your posts.

There is some Worldbuilding Lore behind Lannes' appearance in this afterlife, but it's not required knowledge to interact with him!

So yeah, feel free to send Lannes some asks or interact with him! And i also accept "magic anons" that mess with him magically, though like with asks I reserve the right to delete any or answer them at my leisure.

I also play the grumpy Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult at @murillo-enthusiast, who does occasionally appear here sometimes! ))

—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—

Organisation

DIRECTORY OF THE ASSHOLES I INTERACT WITH - tagged with their blog name!!!

OOC Discord Server for the Napoleonic Roleplay Scene

@rapports-de-combat - Posts that get too long are filed here!

#dispatches from the marshal - all of the documentation here

#letters intercepted for the marshal’s eyes - things ive been asked to respond to!

#the adc makes a visual representation of the marshal - drawings of me by the adc!

#the adc makes visual representations - drawings by the adc in general!

#portrait of the marshal - shared pictures of me!

#merino sheeps - pictures of sheeps i like

#accoutrements of the marshal - my old shit

#affairs not of state - Extramarital historically unattested relationships such as “Lannap” >;]

#guest starring the Duke of Dalmatia - For some reason, Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult is occasionally present. His communications are in orange and italicised. He now has his own letter column at @murillo-enthusiast.

#guest starring that floppy haired son of a bitch - For another reason, sometimes Marshal Bessières is also present.

—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—·—

[auguste-marmonts-only-fan]

Not sure if you are into the whole napoleonic rpf stuff going on but someone just made a marmont rp blog

Hi!

I'm not in the rpf scene at all lol

But thank you for telling me that a marmont blog exist now

I'll have to check it out ☺️💕

[sareinadale]

Opposition - Helsa!Victorian AU (Day 5)

With Anna's blessing, all that's left is Arendelle's Royal Council. But will they take her engagement news kindly, more so when consent is at stake?

An entry for HelsaWeek 2023 - Day 5 (Victorian AU) @helsaweekmasterlist

“thank you for gathering here at my request. . .” elsa began with her address, gesturing for hans to claim the reserved seat next to her ─ which nonetheless drew some attention to him. although, well, his presence alone did unsettle a few.

“i’m aware that all of you might question why prince hans is here with us today, and that is precisely what i shall be addressing.” exchanging a glance to lord peterssen— her father’s long-standing and fiercely loyal advisor, now serving for her— then a sharp intake of breath.

“i am engaged to prince hans. and i humbly seek my council’s unduly consent in our union . . . which will take place three months from now, and that day is september tenth.” 

determination steel, sweeping direct eye contact on each member as her words now hang in silence ; as if permitting them to process this news.

indeed it is a strange scene that unfolded before the very eyes of the council, so forward, their queen in asking for such consent. 

Read more on AO3

-

Due to my unoriginal self, this year’s entry is taken from my recent RP with my lovely friend who writes Hans, though it is mostly from Elsa’s POV (again because I write as her). There is a small mention of the Napoleonic War in this plot (I even downloaded a whole academia book with my uni account a few months ago on this) because I’m quite a history nerd and I just can’t resist including this bit in the story! 

This plot is set in the Victorian era due to the movie’s approximate timeline (somewhere between early to mid 1800s) and most canon events from the first movie were kept as is. I’ve also included a character from the Dangerous Secrets (spoiler if you haven’t read this) book as Elsa’s main advisor, whereas I’ve created three new supporting characters (for this scene) whose purpose is to oppose Elsa and Hans’ engagement news-cum-blessing, alongside two minor characters who are members of Arendelle’s Royal Council. 

If you’re interested in reading the entire RP thread, here’s the link — just follow through the quote tweets (yes I refuse to acknowledge the recent change) until the end. And ofc I recommend you to play this song while you read this plot!

As always, if you guys enjoyed this, please drop a kudos, like and comment! I look forward in joining Helsa Week next year <3

[limelocked]

/rp

I just rewatched Ranboo's stream again and he mentioned about altering history? He said something in the lines of history is doomed to repeat but we can alter the little things so it will be better. I saw posts about time traveler Ranboo but I remembered about Mizu. Mizu which was set in the future showing that the recorded history was full of contradiction. Is there a possibility that Ranboo deliberately rewrote certain events in history wrong? That's why everything is so muddled up because the truth and lies are mixed together. Then Ranboo kept the recorded true and accurate events solely on his family line? That's why Ranbob knows about Dream. Ranboo, what in the world happened?

This could be a reason but history itself is easily fucked up by accident and bias alone like just look at people calling napoleon short even tho he was tall or average for his time and Christian the second of denmark being called Christian the tyrant where I live even tho arguably he did some decent things for us (compared to the government that used to and currently own us)

I only watched a lil of the ooc tour of mizu where the dude squad talked about the behind the scenes and it seems they were intending for it to have been so wrong due to narrative drift

It would be funky tho if it was ranboo, the true desciple of revisionism

[rpmemesbyarat]

RP meme from Scream Queens Ep 1 "Pilot" & Ep 2 "Hell Week"(Note: Offensive content, use at own discretion)

Something really bad happened.

Did you just get your period all over yourself?

This isn't my blood.

Who told you you could have a baby here tonight?

I'm sure I can walk if I can just get some Gatorade.

I don't care if you can walk.

How are we supposed to get you to the front door without everyone seeing you all gross and postpartum?

No one wants to see that at a party.

This is super embarrassing.

I didn't even know I was pregnant.

You guys, they're playing "Waterfalls."

Is that a baby? Amazing.

I am not missing "Waterfalls" for this. "Waterfalls" is my jam.

Give the baby some mojito to quiet it down.

How do you know she's dead?

These are my minions. I don't know their names. I don't want to know their names.

I have a colonic at 10

Life is a class system.

Oh, still a lot of puke to scrub.

Yeah, you have an amazing skill at telling people what they need to hear.

I'm sorry. Did I ask you to pull down my panties and blow a compliment up my butt?

I hate sororities, and I hate you.

First of all, I'm not a lesbian.

You see, out in the real world, people just don't talk that way to other people. It's not normal.

Well, that sure sounds suspicious.

No one forced that goat to get as drunk as it got.

Historically, short people are sneaky backstabbers, like Napoleon or Paul Shaffer.

I could actually handle that you're built like a Thai ladyboy, but what I can't stand is that you think you're my heir apparent.

Don't you want me to spray-tan you?

I would honestly rather not have you around.

The police still can't figure out who filled that tank with hydrochloric acid.

It's good enough for me, and the D.A., who, last I heard, considers the case closed.

What is that skirt?

Your organization might want to find a lawyer.

I'm a pretty smart cookie.

I would not get personal with me, sweetheart.

I don't fight fair.

I am sentimental.

Look, girls are vicious, okay?

I don't have any of my own memories.

Just like we planned. Three-second silent hug, and then you leave.

Ooh, somebody call CSI, because there was a murder scene in that bathroom.

Someone puked in the sink and I'm pretty sure I saw an actual ringworm climbing up the wall. I'm not afraid of anything, but that bathroom scared the crap out of me.

This is gonna be a year of infinite possibilities.

Hold this. It's too heavy.

You didn't knock!

Look at them. They're the dregs of society.

Each one of these gashes is worse than the next.

She smells like hot dog water, and probably sprained her neck giving blumpkins down at the local bowling alley.

Look, I'm not saying that all heterosexual sex is rape. I'm saying all heterosexual sex is gross, and that deep down, every woman knows this.

All that girl's after is a whole lot of bikini burger.

Hey, girl, can I just ask you, what's up with your outfit?

God knows what they're talking about, basic bitches.

What fresh hell is this?

I need you to stay popular, 'cause if you want to stay at the top of the list of the pieces of ass I'm getting, there's criteria. And the criteria is you got to be popular.

Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there, because I'm getting really pissed off.

Stop fake crying.

Anyone you dated would be popular. I mean, they would be popular because they're dating you.

My ego, it's super strong, ok, but it's not strong enough that I can just go around dating garbage people.

Like, yes, I could find a random girl who wasn't popular, and, yes, if I started dating her she would then become popular.

But you said you loved me.

I do sort of love you.

I would love you a lot more if other people loved you, too.

Okay, I need you to leave because you're bumming me out

We're just trying to have a nice day hitting golf balls at hippies.

Pretty girls, like you and me.

That's why I'm gonna burn your face off.

Ugh! You burned the milk!

Next time, I get you fired, or worse.

Actually, I just want a regular coffee. Those white girl pumpkin spice lattes annoy me.

I like to think of myself, uh, as an investigative reporter.

I had to get a restraining order.

I tend to get a bit passionate about things.

Look, you intentionally led me on.

You kept acting like you liked me just so you could humiliate me.

Enter, ye who dare.

I love a creepy collage.

It's about kicking the living crap out of someone when they disrespect you.

I was just in your room, where I noticed you have a sizeable shrine with evil burning candles, photos of me with my face scratched out and pairs of my stolen panties.

How about I just drown you in it?

Well, of course she's dead! You just burned her face off!

You don't die from getting your face burned off.

There's a dead woman in your kitchen.

I'm going to the authorities.

That's not how I saw it. And my witnesses agree.

You're an awful person.

Who wants cocktails?

How did my life turn into this?

Have you seen the way girls dress on this campus?

I'm sitting in the same office I used to throw bricks into.

You're awful in bed. Are you aware?

I'm gonna take a pair of your panties.

I'm gonna barf on your face unless you get out of here.

Try to figure out who gave you such disgusting mommy issues.

You loaded a dead body into a freezer.

What are you proposing?

I want to help you with your exposé, secretly feed you info.

You need eyes on the inside.

I don't know what to do with the body.

Are you saying dead bodies don't turn you on?

You are so lame, you know that?

God, I love all that death stuff.

Show me the body.

Show me the dead body.

This blood oath will ensure solidarity among us. We are all related now.

I just Googled "blood oath" and this is what came up.

What does this oath even mean?

I just need you all to not say anything about what happened, and I figured a blood oath was cheaper than buying you all presents.

Wait, what about STDs?

Idiot, you don't get STDs from blood oaths.

You get STDs from dirty toilet seats and drinking the water in Mexico.

Um, "STD" stands for "sexually transmitted disease," which means that it's transmitted sexually.

When were you in Mexico?

You know what, forget the blood oath.

I can't stay silent!

I'm calling my mom, and I'm going home.

Okay, Pissy Spacek, you and I have a few differences we need to iron out.

I want you to be one of my minions.

It's the gateway to the top of the heap.

You put on a good front, but you're miserable.

Don't you think any of that has anything to do with the fact that you've created an atmosphere based solely on negativity and raw ambition?

Can we talk for real for a second, please?

I mean, you're so confident without being mean. What antidepressants are you on?

Don't you see that all that's happened isn't a crisis? It's an opportunity.

Yeah, no, I tried. See, I really tried. But all of this flowery, peace-on-Earth crap, it makes me want to puke.

You haven't even seen half of what I'm capable of!

Totally spit in your coffee, bitch.

I don't mean to be a contrarian, but I'm enjoying this.

Is that killer noises or am I hallucinating?

I'm gonna ask one more time, will you speak up?

What can you tell us about the murder?

There's an exodus right now.

The risks are real, but we need to close ranks.

I don't feel comfortable with a man protecting me. It's representative of the patriarchal, post-colonial culture that encourages violence against women.

We buy a pig and feed it the body. Pigs will eat anything.

Don't go skating on those poop lagoons, because if you fall in, you'll drown in the poop and come springtime, there'll be nothing left of your body.

Here's what you should do. Pulverize her teeth, burn off her fingerprints, and disfigure her face. Once her body is unrecognizable, we can create an incision on her inner thigh and drain out all of her bodily fluids. That'll give us more time to deconstruct the body.

Truly grinding down a body takes a lot of work. You need a really good food processor, and you run the risk of fouling the plumbing, which is why you should only do it if you know how to clear out meat and bones from a drain pipe.

I'm willing to help in any way possible.

You're obviously a psychopath and those ideas are insane!

Why are you trying to terrify us?

Can I call you Mom?

I feel so loved and protected by all of you.

Actually, it's a new pop culture trend where young women desperately in need of role models call other girls they look up to Mom.

I thought you'd be cool with it.

I mean, I did just give you several ways to dispose of a body.

Okay, fine. Just stop talking.

You are so friggin' creepy!

Someone just mowed off a deaf girl's head in our backyard.

I mean, as you can see, I'm not licensed to carry a sidearm.

Wait, so you don't have a gun?

I have pepper spray. And I have a walkie talkie that I can use to call the police, who do have guns.

What good are you?

Get the hell out of there. Run away, real fast.

Now, I would give you my number, but my cell phone is off right now.

If you want the place clean, maybe you shouldn't have burned the maid's face off.

Don't you wonder what's in there?

People have been whispering about that house for years, that it's haunted, that something really bad happened. I mean, there's no way there isn't some real-life story behind it, right?

I'm gonna have to break in.

I mean, I don't think anyone's gonna get killed in the 30 minutes we make out, right?

Can you stop talking?

You're kind of ruining whatever was good about it.

Please try to understand the situation I'm in.

I don't give a rat's ass about your job.

You know, I find good parenting incredibly attractive.

You're a snoopy little bugger.

Whose bloody clothes are those?

Supposedly, it was a super fun party.

We're all gonna pay for this.

I think it's all crap. Just a myth.

What happened to the baby?

Sometimes I picture myself like Derek Jeter, you know?

I'm gonna choke you out.

There's a serial killer on the loose.

Please don't say you want to choke me.

I'd love having sex with your corpse.

I'm sorry. This isn't working for me.

Well, I sort of am your boyfriend, and I'm protecting you by having sex with you.

No! I don't need a man to protect me.

How could I have wasted this much time?

Is my self-esteem really that low?

I'm sorry. I think we need to take a break.

I need you to leave right now!

You know, it would really help me feel better if I could just crawl into bed with you for a few minutes.

Are you gonna touch my wiener, or you gonna leave my wiener alone?

I'll leave your wiener alone.

Where are your hands?

He has a huge boner!

Why don't you go in there and ogle his big old boner?

Okay, uh, first of all, I'm not gonna go ogle his big old boner, because I'm not gay.

Look, I'm sorry everybody wants to have sex with me. Okay? I can't help that.

I'm hot. Everybody wants to get with this. Women, men, animals in the zoo, plants, probably.

You're gonna have to go right now, 'cause I am breaking up with you.

Excuse me, I broke up with you!

I regretted what I said, and I just wanted to come here and tell you that I am so sorry.

Well, I accept your apology. And now I'm breaking up with you.

Do you know why I'm breaking up with you?

You can't deal with how hot I am.

Sorry, I just broke up with you.

Can you please put some clothes on?

Um, they said, uh, I shouldn't be alone, you know, in case I fall asleep and die.

Can I just get you a robe or something though?

So you're saying I'm the killer?

Okay, this isn't about me thinking you're boyfriend material.

God, I was so gonna go to third base with you tonight, too.

What if we stapled their earlobes?

Private like the parts on a man you like putting in your mouth?

I want to publicly come out as gay on my own.

I mean, you guys have to accept everybody, right?

I actually think that's illegal.

I will come after you, do you understand that? I will destroy you.

I trust you'll consider my offer.

Name one bad thing that ever happened at a Best Buy parking lot.

You're just, like, super attractive.

Um, well, I was trying to be inconspicuous.

It's better than losing your life.

I have a thing for playlists.

Someone's got a poo belly.

Sweet Yeezus, I don't even know where to begin with you.

Bitch, I'm about to smack you so hard, your tampon's gonna pop out.

I heard screaming.

So you think the serial killer is still up there?

Upstairs to get the killer before he gets away!

You just said that you think the killer is up there, and that's where you want to go?

This is freakin' terrifying!

The killer is in the house! You hear me?

I need my damn inhaler.

What, am I supposed to be scared?

Don't even come out. We plan on getting drunk, and I don't want your bad attitude ruining it.

We're headed down to White Stallion to pick up some sluts, baby!

Yes, okay, I burned her slightly, but stop saying that I killed her.

That was a tragic accident.

I am a kind and devoted and loving friend to all.

I'm not some crazed psychopath.

Maybe you're the killer.

I will not be put on trial.

The truth is we don't know who the killer is, and, yes, I suppose it could be someone in this room.

You want to go first?

I banged, like, 50 chicks.

What took you so long?

[nixalegos]

What's the inspiration behind Nixalegos?

Nobody expects Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, a French politician and diplomat!

I had just finished reading the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, and Machiavelli’s The Prince you understand. I wanted to play something scheming, manipulative, political. A silver tongued smoozer in high halls by day who’d hire rogues to gather blackmail by night.  But I wanted someone...young, with faults. Not a measured, reasoned, experienced political figure, but the sort who’d sooner be found in gambling dens, constantly needing to borrow money from public works and other figures he’d conjoled to keep out of trouble. But things changed rather quickly. Namely, I couldn’t find an rp scene where this idea really fit or I was happy with. At the time, (Lich King) most guilds were military with a very top down style of command with little room outside their own plots, or criminal guilds that were more cults of personality, fast and loose with rules. And while he didn’t really ‘work’ in the former, he did slide in just fine in the latter.  So, from schemer, to criminal, to tyrant, to the exiled, to now.  Alot of the current “Things” that I would call hallmarks of Nix were solidified from retcons of back then. His wearing of a face concealing cowl, his engineering prowess, even his lost family at the fall of Silvermoon. All of it the results of those early formative stories in the shadow of Murder Row. And Nix wouldn’t have been here if his writer didn’t enjoy reading about a certain duke trolling Napoleon with a rabbit hunt in a public park. Thanks @videtur-existentiae <3

[sovietarchive-blog]

so i need to know what are certian things you see in illya others dont? does he fear anything? does he wish to redo anything? what is his relationship with solo & teller now? does he still see himself as a monster? how do you canon his sexuality and kgb training? is more attuned to uncle or the kgb? has he seen his parents ever again? does he lile to travel, if so best place he traveled? what was the one thing he got in trouble for the most as a child? who does he look up to?

          thank you so much for sending this in!  I love questions like this and don’t get the opportunity to answer them very often.  while I can’t say that I definitively see things in illya that other people definitely don’t  –  I do flatter myself that I’ve put an enormous amount of thought into his character and understand him pretty well, so I’m really excited to delve into all of these things!

does he fear anything?

          illya is very, very human, despite what some might think.  (see: solo’s initial comments to his superior officer after that first chase with him.)  he certainly has fears, although death isn’t among them ;  he’d much rather die with honor than live with shame.  for the most part, he’s been desensitized to fears the way most people see them, as part of his kgb training, because ultimately the goal is for these agents to have very little for their enemies to hold over their heads / threaten them with.  that said, his superiors, as exhibited in the film, actively fed illya’s single deepest fear:  ending up like his father.  in a way, I think that fear was partially artificially created by the institution which got its claws into him at an incredibly young age ;  even before his official kgb training, he attended ‘exclusive’ schools closely monitored by the government and was fed propaganda which eventually morphed his opinion of both himself and his country, which we see later.

          illya has very little concern for his own self-preservation and clearly quite a low self-image, in that he sees himself as little more than a cog in the soviet machine.  shame on himself is shame on his country  –  and perhaps more importantly than that, shame on his family.  his mother remains a deeply important part of his life and I think that he fears for her reputation as well.  solo brings up his mother’s reputation in the movie  –  and I think illya’s rage has less to do with how his father’s friends saw her and more with the fact that these were things she had to do in order to keep herself and her young son afloat.  he never wants to put her in the same position his father did, and the idea of shaming himself and compromising her in the process is also a great fear of his.  all other fears, in comparison, are inconsequential.

does he wish to redo anything?

          I’m not sure illya has ever felt like he has the sort of autonomy to be able to wish this.  even later on in life, when he’s been given the opportunity to step back from the soviets, join u.n.c.l.e., and eventually retire, even after he comes to terms with the fact that he didn’t deserve what they did to him, he realizes that things could not have ended up any other way.  he was too young to have had the opportunity to make a choice when they got their hands on him, and by the time he’s deep into the kgb, it was simply too dangerous to try to leave  –  and he has his mother to think about.  fortunately, u.n.c.l.e. provided him some relief and eventually he gets to leave spying entirely, but when it comes to wishing he could redo things?

          honestly there’s the occasional moment he wishes he could relive.  he wishes he could say something else to someone he likes, instead of being his awkward self.  he wishes he would have used a different move in a fight or a different interrogation tactic in a particular moment.  but when it comes to overarching themes of his life?  there’s not much he feels he could have done differently even if he wanted to.

what is his relationship with solo & teller now?

          I can honestly say that every dynamic I’ve ever imagined or rped with others has me convinced that, despite occasional roadblocks, illya grows to deeply care for both solo and teller more than anyone he’s ever cared for in his life, except perhaps his mother.  you see those relationships growing in the duration of the film, but illya  …  well, frankly, he’s never had anything like a functional family, nor people he feels actually care about him.  his relationship with gaby obviously progresses more quickly in the film  –  in that he’s willing to even voice his concern about her to solo later on and he’s very soft with her particularly in their last one on one scene  –  but I think that solo returning his watch is a real turning point in their relationship.  obviously, they’ve grown to care in some capacity about each other and they’re in a place where they won’t leave each other behind.  illya definitely feels some level of camaraderie with solo even before this moment.  but until then, he’s absolutely planning on killing solo for the disc.  sure, illya is aware that solo was, more or less, saving his own skin in that moment  –  but the fact that solo a) remembered the significance of the watch, b) considered that even as they were storming that island and c) thought enough of it to both recognize and take back the watch to begin with, is more thoughtfulness by far than illya is used to, despite the motivations of the exact moment in which he returns it.

          the following scene, in which they burn the disc, is by far the most egregious breach of orders illya has ever committed, but not only is he unwilling to destroy this relationship he’s built up, no matter how tenuous it remains, he’s also fully aware of the implications of either the u.s.a. or soviet union getting their hands on that disk.

          I can only imagine those strange yet strong bonds deepen with each mission.  regardless of any romantic connections, which largely rely on my rp partners, he would die for either of them, whether or not they feel the same.  he’s never had a dynamic support system like the one they offer, and frankly, I think waverly, to some extent, is included in this as well.  as far as illya is concerned, even if only on a subconscious level, this is the closest thing he’s had since childhood to a real family and he’ll do anything to protect that.

does he still see himself as a monster?

          yes and no.  having functional and meaningful relationships with other people, as we see him developing at the end of tmfu, certainly helps him understand his humanity outside of what the kgb expects of him.  I think he will always be somewhat ashamed of some of the things he’s done  –  and alarmingly blasé about others  –  and he’s certainly, to some extent, broken for the rest of his life, but having gaby and solo in his life absolutely helps him rebuild at least some of his opinion of himself, allowing him to see more than just a monster or a machine, because they help him see more than that, too.

          I haven’t written much about his relationship with waverly either  …  but I’m fairly convinced that the human way in which waverly treats them  ( shitty sarcastic jokes and all )  helps a great deal with this recovery process as well.  the way his soviet handler speaks to him is alarmingly awful, and even though waverly pokes dry fun at both the boys at almost all times, I have a hard time believing he wouldn’t be a far more empathetic boss than illya is used to  –  likely checking in on their well being, as he did for gaby, and just generally being  …  a pleasant superior in the harsh world of intelligence.  specifically I headcanon that waverly learns everything he can about illya’s skills and encourages him to use all of them, particularly those that aren’t connected to his physical prowess and rather to his intellectual side, which I think is often underutilized and underestimated by others.

how do you headcanon his sexuality and kgb training?

          since I don’t have time to go into his whole kgb training, I’m just going to kind of  …  do this as a ‘how did his training affect his sexuality’ even though I don’t know if that’s how it’s meant.  it’s really quite simple:  russia has never felt great about homosexuality, so although he’s always been attracted to men, it’s always something he’s vehemently ignored and tried to move past.  it’s been drilled into him over and over that same sex attraction is a bad thing  –  and furthermore that the government won’t hesitate to hurt him over it.  it’s something that makes him feel dirty and wrong for a very long time, at least until he’s a little more freed from their expectations.

          illya has been aware of his attraction to both men and women since he was in his mid-teens.  do I think he was ever punished for it?  no, because he’s always been quiet, cautious, and watchful.  I don’t think he’s ever told anybody up until  ( and frankly past )  tmfu canon, because before he ever had the chance to trust anyone enough to reveal it, he saw what happened to those who did and were found out.  within the ranks, it could be brutal and it put him off ever vocalizing his feelings, encouraging him instead to hold those urges back for years.

          in this way, u.n.c.l.e. serves yet another healthy purpose for him.  it gives him just a little more freedom to explore himself  –  and furthermore, an environment in which to do it.  I’m a big subscriber to the napoleon / illya ship and I actually don’t think that illya had much, if any, experience with men before he and solo started their thing  –  which again varies depending on who I’m rping with / what situation I’m thinking of.  this is something he’s repressed for a very long time, and no matter what, it takes time for him to be comfortable with his sexuality.  I also can’t get on board with the initial solo / illya hate-fucking that I see a lot, even though I really wish I could, mostly because I think that illya would absolutely have to learn to trust solo long before he’d be willing to engage with him sexually  --  because he’s terrified of the repercussions and what the russians would do to him, his mother, and his reputation as a result if they found out.

is he more attuned to u.n.c.l.e. or the kgb?

          I think that, at first, he’d like to think it’s the kgb, but he’s always been more attuned to u.n.c.l.e.  I’ve explained many of the reasons why further up in this post, but it basically comes down to the fact that u.n.c.l.e. offers him a camaraderie that the kgb never has and the people he works with in the organization actually care about him as a human being rather than just a weapon.

has he seen his parents ever again?

          he never saw his father after he was shipped off to siberia when illya was a child.  however, as for his mother, he did actually grow up with her still around and he maintains a pretty good relationship with her, although he doesn’t care for the man she eventually chose to remarry, who was a friend of his father’s.  he talks to her somewhat regularly and spends holidays with her when he can, although often he ends up being away and simply sends her a present.  he loves his mother very much and will always be available for her, no matter what.

does he like to travel?  if so, what’s the best place he’s ever traveled?

          this is another ‘yes and no’ question.  he’s spent the majority of his career traveling and I think that he has questionable memories in the majority of the world.  he equates a lot of his traveling experience with his profession and that’s not necessarily a good thing for his opinion of it.  however, he’s also an academic and he does love to visit certain locations around the world when he can.  he loves germany.  he loves vienna.  he loves egypt and scotland and croatia.  he didn’t initially like paris at all but he’s grown to truly appreciate it over the years.

          after his retirement, I think he finds much more peace in traveling for himself and thus will enjoy it more.  however, as for his favorite place, I headcanon that he purchases land sometime during his career in the black forest of western germany, a few miles outside a small town, in a very picturesque location where he can essentially just  ...  disappear.  the mystery and lore and beauty of that area just  ...  fits him wonderfully.  I think he’d want a place outside of russia in addition to his moscow flat, which he visits less and less as he gets older, and the entire area is just so lovely and fairly isolated and would give him an opportunity to really live his best life.  it’s not so much traveling, as he would live there, but it would certainly be his favorite place.  it’s peaceful and beautiful and honestly waht he deserves.

what was the one thing he in trouble for the most as a child?

          he was largely a very well behaved child, especially after his father was taken away, and I don’t think he got into pretty much any trouble after his father was taken to the gulag, because it scared him too much.  he was also always a very quiet boy without too many friends and certainly not prone to being disruptive or careless or really even particularly reckless.  ( even the recklessness we see in the film is typically very calculated. )  as a schoolchild, I think he used to get in trouble for a) not engaging well with other children and b) probably trying to read while the teacher taught, on occasion.

          when the ‘ psychotic episodes ’ began  ...  that was a different story.  I think that he unwittingly hurt several fellow students and was subsequently sent to reform / military schools.  nobody really did much to help what was happening to him and instead the government eventually took advantage of this part of him.  he has them largely under control now, but it’s still something that continues to haunt him  --  and that he continues to struggle with regularly, as we see.

who does he look up to?

          illya’s past is  ...  almost devoid of any role models, when you really think about it.  his superiors were almost always fairly cruel, and while he respected them and strove to please, I don’t really think he looked up to them.  he once looked up to his father, but that faded once he was sent off ;  frankly, his father broke his heart and betrayed him, and while he still holds love for him in his heart, I wouldn’t say he looks up to him.

          in his youth, I think that illya was guided largely by the heroes of russian literature, in the absence of anyone of flesh and blood.  grigoriy pechorin of lermontov’s a hero of our time.  pierre bezukhov of tolstoy’s war and peace.  ( oddly )  rodion raskolnikov of dostoyevsky’s crime and punishment.  university had an excellent influence on him, however, as the professors he encountered there gave him an opportunity to look up to real people, and he remains in contact particularly with his mentors from his graduate and doctorate programs, as often as he can.  university was the first time when he connected with people he felt were interested in mentoring him, rather than simply controlling him, and it was a very positive experience for him.

          I also believe that he eventually develops a real respect and admiration for waverly as a superior officer.  waverly, who is intelligent, often kind, but also firm.  waverly, who grows to understand illya’s humor more quickly than others do.  waverly, the first superior in his life who genuinely ends up being kind to him.  in his life as a spy, this relationship ends up providing him the most guidance and confidence, eventually.

[writemarcus]

Heartbeat Opera’s heroic, harrowing Fidelio hits the road

14/02/2022 by Rick Perdian

United States Beethoven, Fidelio: Soloists, Band / Daniel Schlosberg (arranger & conductor). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 12.2.2022. (RP)

Production: Director – Ethan Heard New English dialogue – Marcus Scott & Ethan Heard Movement director & Fight choreographer – Nigel Semaj Sets – Reid Thompson Costumes – Valérie Thérèse Bart & Kara Branch Lighting – Oliver Watson Sound – Kate Marvin Projections – Caite Hevner

Cast: Roc – Derrell Acon Stan – Curtis Bannister Leah/Lee – Kelly Griffin Marcy – Victoria Lawal Pizarro – Corey McKern

Choruses: Oakdale Community Choir, Kuji Men’s Chorus, Ubuntu Men’s Chorus, Hope Thru Harmony Women’s Choir, East Hill Singers, Voices of Hope

Heartbeat Opera’s reimagining of Beethoven’s Fidelio has the political bite that Beethoven’s only opera had from the beginning. Its premiere in 1805 was hardly a success: the opera’s length was a factor, but another was that Vienna, where the performance took place, was occupied by Napoleon’s forces. The French had little interest in German opera in general, let alone one in which love triumphs over tyranny.

In the twentieth century, Fidelio was co-opted for political purposes by all sides. During World War II, the Nazis apparently didn’t perceive the irony in staging it while slaughtering millions of people. Toscanini led a performance in 1944 that was the first ever radio broadcast of a full-length opera in America, and in October 1989, the premiere of a new production in Dresden coincided with the fortieth anniversary of the founding of East Germany. The chorus appeared on stage in street clothes at the end of the opera in a show of solidarity with the demonstrations that were rocking the country at that time. The Berlin Wall tumbled within a few weeks.

An artistic and critical triumph when first staged in 2018, the Heartbeat’s original production was in part a response to the Black Lives Matter movement. For the revival, Ethan Heard, Heartbeat’s artistic director, together with playwright Marcus Scott, reworked the English-language dialogue, streamlined the action and altered the ending. This Fidelio doesn’t end with a triumphant, celebratory chorus as Beethoven’s opera does.

Beethoven, however, would recognize the setting of Heartbeat’s production: prisons haven’t changed much over the centuries. This one just happens to be in the USA with a warden, Donnie Pizarro (smugly characterized and richly sung by Corey McKern), who is corrupt and brutal. The entire prison population is in lockdown. Stan, a civil rights activist, did an exposé on Pizarro that almost brought him down. Now Stan has been framed, incarcerated and is slowly being starved to death in solitary confinement.

Heard recasts Leonore as Leah, portrayed by the fierce and wonderful Kelly Griffin. Leah is trying to work within the system to free her husband, but the underfunded and overstretched public defenders’ office deems the case a loser. In a dream, she becomes Lee, a prison guard intent on rescuing Stan. Griffin soared through ‘Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin?’, displaying with her fine soprano Lee’s steely determination to free Stan.

Lee is not above flirting with Marcy, a young Black prison administrator, to further her goal. Marcy is the daughter of Roc, a prison guard, who has been complicit in Pizarro’s dirty work in the past. Derrell Acon’s Roc is totally cool with his daughter being a lesbian, and he encourages her to date Lee. Roc is the most complex character on stage, and Acon makes him real and surprisingly endearing.

Victoria Lawal as Marcy is a bright, effervescent presence on stage, who effectively gives voice to the young woman’s professional and personal dilemmas. Marcy is front-and-center for the first few scenes but then disappears from the stage, which is a shame: there was unfinished business that deserved to be explored in Lawal’s Marcy.

Curtis Bannister as Stan is seen at the very beginning of the show but not heard until the end. The clarion sound of his tenor emerging from the dark is as startling as the physical jolt of the release of the energy coiled in his body at the moment he smells freedom. Bannister makes it clear why this opera is entitled Fidelio.

The set was basic, but nothing says prison like a chain-link fence topped with razor wire. Lee and Roc’s descent into the prison’s subterranean depth on two rolling metal staircases was ingenious. The most elaborate stage equipment in the world could not have made it better.

Daniel Schlosberg, Heartbeat’s co-music director, is an amazing creative force. In his arrangement of Beethoven’s score, Schlosberg’s deep respect for the authentic is equaled by his ingenuity. He distilled Beethoven’s music to its essence with an ensemble of two French horns, two cellos, two pianos and percussion. The sounds – especially his clever writing for the percussion – were at once familiar yet fresh and exciting.

In Heartbeat’s Fidelio, the Prisoner’s Chorus provides a gut-wrenching experience. The recorded voices of more than 100 inmates and 70 volunteers from six prison choirs are heard as their faces are projected on a large white sheet. Schlosberg traveled to the prisons in Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota and Kansas to work with and record the singers.

The New York performances were the first in a four-city tour of Heartbeat’s Fidelio, originally scheduled for 2020, the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. The events of the last two years have only made the need for artistic voices such as Heartbeat Opera more urgent. This Fidelio is powerful stuff – heroic in fact.

Rick Perdian

For more information on Heartbeat Opera’s February 2022 tour, click here.

[wuhnona]

ahhh i finished another napollya fic so i’m like... what to finish next. i want my fic wip folder EMPTY. i’ve also started writing... a little bit... of law and order svu barisi fic because... i can’t resist... still mostly have napollya but now i have a few barisi fic oops. list of all the fics i’ve got that are actually of substance rn 

also note i have never used a beta;; but might be open to it? 🤔 if anyone wants to read this junk and talk about it;; ... also i guess if you want to RP these pairings, that might be fun. 

NAPOLLYA

ACTUALLY ALREADY IN PROGRESS... Wedding/Rom-Com AU [Currently at 25k. Most of a plot. Mostly written. Not ended.] Lovesick Sequel (LoveSeq) [Currently at 22k. Most of a plot? Am considering rewriting/chopping it up and piecing back together somehow.]

SORT OF IN PROGRESS... 

Magic/Fantasy/D&D AU [Mostly concept & a couple scenes] Inception/Dream Corp LLC AU [Mostly concept, a couple scenes.]

Lil Gaby [Short fic- Child prodigy Gaby, Illya & Napoleon are recruiters from rival universities.] Memory [Short fic- Napoleon & Illya having lived a long life together, Napoleon's granddaughter learns his memory is starting to go.] In Sync - [short fic- Morning routine/Napoleon is hungover/Gaby thinks they're so cute it's disgusting.]

BARISI - a much shorter list lmao

Soulmate AU- the one with the writing-on-skin-mirroring thing. Shortfic. Mostly done actually. Louie- shortfic. Carisi has a cat named Louie. Comes home from being UC to unexpected company, pre-relationship. Even More Cats - an AU where after leaving the DA’s office, Barba rescues KITTENS!!!!!!! i don't know. I JUST DON'T KNOW.  Sonny Comes Out of the Closet, it’s exactly like and not at all what it sounds like. shortfic.

[armagnac-army]

OOC post: multiple versions of people are cool!

(( Just wanted to clarify something that I was holding as a general expectation but perhaps didn't make explicit - multiple versions of people/characters are perfectly okay! In fact, I was expecting it to happen to some extent!

In previous Tumblr roleplay scenes, multiple versions of characters were expected and embraced - I even actually did some joke selfcest RP - so I'm running with that expectation too

What was cool to me was seeing different people's takes and interpretations on the same characters, and I still like seeing that!

Basically, this is a weird afterlife where Bessie laid an egg, Soult and his ADCs are stuck as their Napoleonic War selves despite dying later, Lannes turned into a werewolf, so basically everything goes, multiple alternate versions of people running around is definitely plausible and has already been hinted at with @askgeneralduroc's Napoleon stating that he was not the Napoleon that showed Junot and Lannes the positive pregnancy tests lol

Honestly, if someone else wants to make a Lannes or Soult blog or send Lannes or Soult anons, go ahead! The more the merrier I say

As long as we're having fun and keeping it chill, it's all cool!

Thanks for hanging, and hope you're enjoying the show!

-- Cadmus Fly, ADC of this blog ))