#The Bourgeois Gentleman

[hauntedbystorytelling]

Franz Löwy ~ Grete Wiesenthal (1885-1970), full-figure portrait, dancing with a glass in hand, 1918. Die Dame 16/1918 | getty images

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#Grete Wiesenthal #franz loewy #Franz Löwy #danseuse #die dame #role portrait #Tänzerin #danzatrice #bailarina #die dame magazine #Franz Lowy #glas #dancer #Molière #Moliere #Rollenporträt #Rollenfoto #1910s #The Bourgeois Gentleman

[roseunspindle]

#the bourgeois gentleman #moliere #english version

[whilstiveputdownthisfic]

Niall's IG stories

April 20th, 2023; 12:40 p.m. DST

#trainspotter #francis bourgeois #niall #niall horan #solo niall #oops i never checked this gentleman's IG account to see what he posted about Niall

[secretmellowblog]

I really LOVE the symbolism of Jean Valjean giving up his National Guard uniform at the barricade.

In earlier chapters, the National Guard uniform represented Jean Valjean’s disguise as a “respectable law-abiding citizen.” It was something he wore to reassure himself he was safe whenever he was frightened of his secret coming out.

But one of Jean Valjean’s character flaws is that he’s become unhealthily obsessed with worshiping these symbols of “bourgeois social acceptance”/ “respectability.” He worships them in large part because that shallow appearance of respectability really is the only thing keeping him out of prison. His survival depends on how well he can keep up his act. His freedom depends on whether he can look and dress like a bourgeois.

Three or four times a year, Jean Valjean donned his uniform and mounted guard; he did this willingly, however; it was a correct disguise which mixed him with every one, and yet left him solitary. Jean Valjean had just attained his sixtieth birthday, the age of legal exemption; but he did not appear to be over fifty; moreover, he had no desire to escape his sergeant-major nor to quibble with Comte de Lobau; he possessed no civil status, he was concealing his name, he was concealing his identity, so he concealed his age, he concealed everything; and, as we have just said, he willingly did his duty as a national guard; the sum of his ambition lay in resembling any other man who paid his taxes. This man had for his ideal, within, the angel, without, the bourgeois.

But not only does he see the National Guard uniform as a means to an end— as something that will help him pretend to be respectable— he also, tragically, sees it as something that will make Cosette love him.

He doesn’t understand that Cosette loves him for his kindness. He seems to think she loves him for his shallow surface-level facade of a “proper gentleman.” He looks at wealthier men on horseback with even fancier uniforms and thinks that if he had uniforms like that, Cosette would love him more:

He once chanced to see a general on horseback, in full uniform, pass along the street, Comte Coutard, the commandant of Paris. He envied that gilded man; what happiness it would be, he said to himself, if he could put on that suit which was an incontestable thing; and if Cosette could behold him thus, she would be dazzled, and when he had Cosette on his arm and passed the gates of the Tuileries, the guard would present arms to him, and that would suffice for Cosette…..

After Jean Valjean and Cosette see the chain gang, Jean Valjean is violently thrown back into trauma-filled self-loathing and terror that he’ll be “found out.” As a result, he spends the next week trying to distract Cosette by taking her out to festivals— and wears his National Guard uniform to them:

Jean Valjean donned his uniform of a national guard with the vague inward feeling of a man who is betaking himself to shelter.

The National Guard uniform is basically the symbol of Jean Valjean’s disguise as Fauchelevent. It’s the tenuous “shelter” he finds in symbols of bourgeois respectability.

So when he gives it up at the barricade, he’s finally sacrificing all of that.

The barricade rebels are in a situation that’s basically a more extreme/exaggerated version of what Jean Valjean has been living through. Anyone who has a National Guard uniform will be seen as a respectable law-abiding citizen, and be able to walk past law enforcement unharmed. Anyone who does not have that shelter of respectability will be marked as a rebel/criminal.

So when Jean Valjean gives up his coat to save someone else, it shows that he’s finally giving up that shelter. I think it’s one of our first clear signs that no matter what happens at the barricade, he will never be able to go back to being “Monsieur Fauchelevent” again.

#Les mis #les mis letters #lm 5.1.4 #Jean Valjean #unbearably sad beast :(

[probablyasocialecologist]

Many of us have always known that shitting on Palestine is a rite of passage for aspirants to political office or cable news studios.  We therefore understand that for the wannabe influencer both Israeli and Palestinian death isn’t actually a moral concern; it is a professional opportunity.  Here we see the pitiful upshot of “resistance” as an online brand:  total abandonment of an encaged population to genocide.  Knowing that the approval or even the comprehension of the professional classes will never be forthcoming is one reason why violence is essential to national liberation.  Palestinians have determined to proceed without their Western custodians.  Decolonization is a grueling project, generally beyond the acumen of those weaned in comfort.  The professional classes are stuck in bourgeois abstractions (from which they derive so many rewards) or profess a material politics they don’t in reality support.  They demand a bloodless liberation, but only without the colonizer’s blood, even as the native bleeds out in full view of the world.  They demand a revolt without consequence, a caucus of pristine victims politely asking to stay alive.  They have taught Fanon but ignored his observation that decolonization “cannot be accomplished by the wave of a magic wand, a natural cataclysm, or a gentleman’s agreement.” 

Steve Salaita, A Practical Appraisal of Palestinian Violence

#palestine #israel #zionism

[aidanchaser]

ive had kind of a bummer week so i started a new project to get some creative hits before going back to work on longterm projects. here's a snippet of the 1920s AU i've been playing with~

It wasn’t snowing, though it certainly felt cold enough to. Marinette pulled her collar closed against her throat and cheeks, keeping herself as snug as she could. She had some privacy in the dark alley that guarded the back entrance of the Lucky Lady, but the click of her lighter must have attracted attention from the street. She saw the white suit jacket and vest that was becoming painfully familiar approach. Her mask was still in place, but she did not need him getting too close. She could not risk Adrien Agreste getting a decent look at Ladybug. She stepped back into the shadow of the alley, and he took the hint, coming to a stop when he was at arm’s length from her “Pardon me, mademoiselle,” he said, voice soft enough to wring out Marinette’s heart, “but do you happen to have a light? I seem to have left mine in my coat pocket.” He sounded like the boy who had abandoned her, not the man who had returned. His voice was gentle, uncertain. There was none of the swagger she’d seen in the young man in her shop that morning, nor the cold grin he’d sported when he’d entered the Lady Luck. She took a drag on her cigarette to steel her nerves, then handed him her lighter. She risked a glance at his face as he lit his own cigarette, careful to keep her own face in the darkness. “What happened to your coat?” she asked. “I gave it to a gentleman who looked like he needed it more than I did.” The tip of his cigarette glowed orange, and he returned her lighter to her. His eyes looked warm in this dim light. She tucked her lighter back into her coat. “And what happened to your date?” “I called her a cab. I was hoping to chat with you before returning home.” Marinette could not stop a sneer from crossing her face. She hoped the darkness hid that, too. “What business do you have with me?” “I heard a rumor that if a gentleman is down on his luck, you’re the lady to see.” “I’ve been known to reverse fortunes,” she murmured. “From toppling those on thrones to lifting up those in the gutter. You don’t strike me as a man in a gutter.” He turned his head to blow a lungful of smoke away from her. The street lamp glinted off of his hair, creating a golden halo. “One man’s heaven,” he shrugged, and let the rest of phrase disappear behind a rueful smile.  Everything about it prickled against Marinette’s skin like a bed of needles, but she did not want to waste an opportunity here. Max had told her that they would need more information, so she was going to get it. “What do you want me to do?” “Only to tell you that, if you’re interested in toppling thrones, my father has staked a lot of his reputation and finances into this one sale.” “Mayor Bourgeois is the one selling.” Adrien shrugged and extinguished his cigarette against the wall. “I just balance the books. That’s all I can tell you.” “How do I know you won’t use this for your own gain? You just want me to take down your father so you can take over in his place—is that it?” The self-deprecating smile vanished. He let out a deep breath, and the warm air of his lungs collected in front of him as surely as if he had taken another drag on his cigarette. “Do it right, and there won’t be anything left for me to take over.” He tipped his hat to her. “Thanks for the light.” And he turned back to the street. Marinette waited until he had rounded the corner and was well out of sight before snuffing out her own cigarette and hurrying back inside. She could already hear Max and Nino warning her it was a trap, but she felt recklessness curling inside her chest. She had to know what else was hidden in that art exchange, or it would burn her alive. She had to tear down Gabriel Agreste, and if Adrien came tumbling down with him, well, she wouldn’t complain about that.

#miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #i actually started working on this au around the time i finished these violent delights #so yeah definitely enemies to lovers influence #its been a loose outline ive been toying with for a while but its finally making its way onto paper

[paimonial-rage]

woes of bookkeeping - zhongli

synopsis: in which the reader tries to argue contracts with the god of contracts

ship: none other than reader’s hatred for zhongli

notes: based on zhongli’s character tale. also, the author knows nothing of chinese bookkeeping, only usa bookkeeping

This is you—Bookkeeper at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. No one of importance (lol).

This gentleman before you is the most knowledgeable consultant, Mr. Zhongli.

He is well liked by many people that work for the Parlor. The ferrylady describes him as an "amazing" and "generous" person. However, after coming to know him over the past few weeks, you feel these words do not capture him well.

"Ah yes, those specimens bought a few days ago? They were of rare and high quality. The glaze work on the vases are unique to a period over a thousand years old. I presume they were works of the famed master artisan Fangji."

Yes, if you had to describe Mr. Zhongli in one word, it'd be...

"It would have been a shame not to purchase them."

... a parasite.

More specifically, bourgeois parasite whose only utility lied in providing quaint pieces of trivia on demand. However, if draining the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's bank account was a legitimate duty, you could fully say he'd be doing an amazing job.

You often questioned the necessity of his position to the director. After all, ignoring Rex Lapis, when was the last time an adeptus passed? Most of the clients barely required any hint of in depth knowledge to fulfill their clan's funeral rites! However, the director, being young as she is, waved you off in favor of bothering the Liyue Adventurers' Guild for the fifth time this month.

But this was it. You prepared for this moment. After arguing with Mr. Zhongli for weeks, you finally figured out how to pin him down. He seemed to favor tradition and appreciate the rich history of Liyue. He wouldn't be able to refute anything you say!

"Did you know, Mr. Zhongli? When one becomes a citizen of Liyue, they enter into a contract with it. In exchange for living here, the are bound to the laws of Liyue. These are the terms of the contract, you see. And of the many laws, there are quite a few that deal with the exchange of mora. Business transactions must deal with business matters, not personal. This is because this directly affects the tax a business owes. To categorize a personal transaction as a business one would be breaking the law and thus the terms of the contract. Do you see where I am going here?"

You were on a roll. He had nowhere to run. Now you all that was left was the finishing blow.

"I am often asked to conceal these expenses, ah, I mean your expenses, in the accounts. But seeing that Liyue Harbor is the City of Contracts and I am still loyal to our deceased God of Contracts, I'm sure you understand why this puts me in a difficult position."

"Yes, I suppose so."

Even though you wanted to smack that sheepish smile off his face, you couldn't help but feel a bit shocked he agreed with you. Usually he'd slithering his way out.

"It simply is not right to purchase these items on the Parlor's account, wouldn't you agree? They are not being used for funerals, so I am sure your personal funds would be more suitable."

And just like that, his pose shifted and expression changed.

Oh no.

He took the liberty to pause in thought with the grace and humor of a parent dealing with a toddler's tantrum.

Oh no.

"I understand where you are coming from, Honorable Bookkeeper, but if we are to go by your words, if the items are being used for parlor purposes, they would be considered parlor expenses, wouldn't you agree?"

Where was he going with this...?

"Yes, that would be the case, but–"

"And if they are parlor expenses, it would only make sense to use the parlor's funds, yes?"

"Yes, but we both know that–"

"Then there is nothing you need to worry about. The terms of the contract you are concerned with have not and will not be broken."

Your fists shook as you spluttered in outrage.

"Wh-What are you talking about? They are clearly personal expenses! How could they not be!?"

Oh, the look on his face. You could see it from the twinkle in his eye. He found you amusing.

"Ah, perhaps you have not been told, but the contract I have with the previous director includes purchasing supplies for future jobs. All the items I have purchased with Parlor funds have fallen under such category."

No. No no no no no, you weren't going to lose now. You weren't going to let him slip away again!

"B-But upon the appointment of the new director, such a contract would have been nullified--"

"Director Hu decided to inherit it."

You wanted to scream. The two people that spent the most Parlor funds were also the two that had the least amount of brain cells among the employees. Was this why the previous bookkeeper left after a month?

But...

You could talk sense into Director Hu, right? Sure, she never listened before, but if you showed her the state of the accounts and gave your recommendations, she would certainly hear you out, right??? You will have to get on her.

"I will have to talk to Director Hu about this matter."

Maybe if you're lucky, you'll be able to finish everything before reports are due next week–

"Ahh..."

Oh archons no. Whenever he made that pained face, nothing good ever came out of it.

"About that... I heard a few have recommended she alter the terms of the contract in the past, but she turned them down every time."

Oh.

"It will also be a bit before you can meet with her. She left on a business trip this morning and will not be returning for three weeks time."

Oh.

So that's how it was going to be. You got it. You understood. You were abandoned by the gods, weren't you?

You laughed ever so softly as your eyes welled with tears.

"!!!!!"

"A-Ah, don't worry too much about it. She'll be back soon. How about I treat you to lunch...?"

"... I think I'm going to quit."

#genshin impact #genshin #zhongli #genshin reader #zhongli x reader #but not really #this is one sided hatred #tried to make this a comedy before realizing i am not funny lol #requests open! #bookkeeping!verse

[homomenhommes]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … January 15

1622 – On this date the French playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known as Molière was born (d.1673). Considered the greatest writer of French comedy, among Molière's best-known works are Le Misanthrope (The Misanthrope), L'École des femmes (The School for Wives), Tartuffe ou L'Imposteur, (Tartuffe or the Hypocrite), L'Avare (The Miser), Le Malade imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid), and Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (The Bourgeois Gentleman), and many other masterpieces of Commedia dell'arte.

Martin Greif writes that when Molière was in his late forties he fell in love with Michel Baron and brought him home to live with him. When the playwright's wife protested Baron moved out till Molière ordered him back. When his wife made an ultimatum that the playwright choose between her or Baron, Molière chose. Three years later in 1673, when Molière died, Michel Baron was at his side.

1893 – On this date British musical comedy performer David Ivor Davies, better known as Ivor Novello was born in Cardiff, Wales (d.1951). He became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century.

Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter. He served in World War I, first as an entertainer in France, then as a pilot in the Royal Naval Air Service. During the war he composed scores for several musical comedies, but his biggest hit came with the patriotic song "Keep the Home Fires Burning" (1914).

After the war, Novello contributed numbers to several successful musical comedies and was eventually commissioned to write the scores of complete shows. In the 1920s, he turned to acting, first in films and then on stage, with considerable success in both.

Novello debuted on stage in London in Deburau (1921). He then starred on screen in Carnival (1921), The Bohemian Girl (1922), The Man Without Desire (1923), and D. W. Griffith's The White Rose (1923).

A homosexual with no desire to become a family man, Novello thrived professionally in multiple careers. His stint as playwright, and frequent actor of his own words, took off in 1924 when he wrote and performed in The Rat. Back on screen, he acted against type, playing a psychopath in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lodger (1926).

Other screen credits include The Vortex (1927), from a Noël Coward play; Downhill (1927), again for Hitchcock; and The Constant Nymph (1928). These were followed by stage runs of Symphony in Two Flats (1930), The Truth Game (1930), and I Lived with You (1932).

The press linked him romantically to Bohemian Girl co-star Gladys Cooper, but the real love of his life was actor Robert "Bobbie" Andrews, with whom he lived from 1917 until his death in 1951.

It seems everyone except the millions of women who swooned over the star knew he was gay. Novello was well-known for some of his more glamorous gay affairs. For 35 years, he was the lover of Bobbie Andrews, and he had an affair with the British poet and writer Siegfried Sassoon. Winston Churchill has admitted having a one night stand with Novello.

His sophisticated and urbane social circle was peopled with leading homosexuals in the arts, including Noël Coward, Clifton Webb, and Somerset Maugham.

It is likely that the open secret of Novello's homosexuality played a part when a notoriously homophobic judge sentenced him to a month's imprisonment during World War II for evading wartime restrictions on the use of gasoline.

In 1931, Novello went to Hollywood and co-wrote several film scripts, including Mata Hari (1931) and Tarzan, the Ape Man (1932), but he preferred the theater to movies.

Ivor Novello died on March 6, 1951 from coronary thrombosis in London just four hours after appearing in a performance of The King's Rhapsody, a play he wrote. He was 58.

1929 – On this date in 1929 Martin Luther King, Jr was born in Atlanta, Georgia (d.1968). As an African American civil rights leader he spoke eloquently and stressed nonviolent methods to achieve equality. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. In 1983, the third Monday in January was designated a legal holiday in the U.S. to celebrate his birthday. King's message was a catalyst for many in the gay rights movement and continues to be an inspiration for the GLBT community today.

African American civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, who had studied Gandhi's teachings, counseled King to dedicate himself to the principles of non-violence, and served as King's main advisor and mentor throughout his early activism, and was the main organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. Rustin's open homosexuality, support of democratic socialism, and his former ties to the Communist Party USA caused many white and African-American leaders to demand King distance himself from Rustin. When Congressman Adam Clayton Powell threatened to accuse Rustin and King of having a homosexual affair. King gave in to Powell, and Rustin resigned from King's staff. Rustin was devastated by Powell's ruthlessness and by what he saw as King's betrayal, though he continued to advise King, and they rmained friends and allies until King's assassination.

Zak Spears Then 

1965 – Zak Spears is an American gay pornographic film actor. Spears appeared in the feature film The Doom Generation (1995) using his real name, Khristofor Rossianov.

Spears was born Khristofor Lawl Rossianov in Chicago, but his German Catholic family also lived in Rochester and Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has two older brothers, one younger brother, and two older sisters. He came out to his family when he was 12, and at school when he was 16. He was constantly ridiculed with gay epithets as a result, and so he withdrew from all social circles.

After school, Spears worked as a diesel mechanic in Chicago and Minneapolis, and caught flak from the blue-collar men he worked with for being gay.

A friend took Spears to a bar called The Saloon in Minneapolis where Chi Chi LaRue was doing a show, and introduced them. Spears and LaRue became fast friends, and LaRue used him for a video called Handjobs 3 (1993). From there, Spears took off in the gay adult industry.In 1996 Spears retired from the gay adult industry after falling in love with Matthew Rush, who would also go on to star in gay adult films. Spears had hoped the relationship would be long-term, but after they broke up, he bulked up with a lot more muscle and returned to the industry in 2004.

Initially retiring from the industry in 1996, he made a return in 2004 in the film Zak Attack, sporting a dramatic image change which included a shaved head and a much bulkier build.

Zak Spears Now

Spears also appeared in the black comedy feature film Forgiving the Franklins (2006) under the name Khris Scaramanga. The film's director, Jay Floyd, said that having Spears in his film helped raise its profile. "I have one star in my movie," Floyd told The Los Angeles Times. "He just happens to be a porn star."

1968 – The Virginia Supreme Court rules that merely placing the mouth on a penis does not violate the state's sodomy law.

1973 – On this date Lance Loud came out on the PBS "series" An American Family. He bears the distinction of being the first person to come out on US national television.

1973 – The New York Division of Motor Vehicles banned "offensive" license plate combinations, including "DYK" and "FAG."

1975 – On this date The Vatican released its "Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics" which includes a definition of homosexuality as "a serious depravity."

[dolphin1812]

@secretmellowblog wrote a post on the porter that does great job of breaking down the highlight of this chapter: his refusal to give Marius more information in case he’s a police spy. Marius’ bourgeois upbringing (along with the “madness” of love) allow him to act so inappropriately without seeing how suspicious he’s being, but it’s nice to see someone stand up for Valjean/M Leblanc. The way he describes him is also interesting:

“He is a gentleman of property, sir. A very kind man who does good to the unfortunate, though not rich himself.”

He’s defined by class – “a gentleman of property” – but also by character (“very kind”). Moreover, his kindness comes from his solidarity with the poor; he’s not so rich that his generosity isn’t significant, but as a “gentleman,” it’s still notable that he cares so much for them. In the same way Valjean’s charity as Madeleine inspired a few people to defend him (his portress, Sister Simplice), his work as M Leblanc makes the porter more willing to protect him. He may not seem to be lower-class himself, but if he shows compassion for the poor, then it’s just that that compassion is returned to him (in the porter’s mind, at least).

Marius himself is really creepy in this chapter, following Mlle Lanoire without her knowledge. No wonder the porter thought he was a spy! He is, however, very oblivious. We’re told that he’s suspicious, both by the porter’s accusation and M Leblanc watching him. Marius never seems to realize this. The porter’s question doesn’t seem to register, and neither does Leblanc’s long look at him. His behavior is inappropriate, but that he doesn’t realize that even when it’s pointed out to him demonstrates the extent to which he’s consumed by passion (a popular Romantic trope).

#Les mis letters #Lm 3.6.9 #Marius pontmercy #m leblanc #jean valjean #and the best porter

[hamsteriffic]

Finally finished the artwork for The Duke and I

Excerpt from Chapter 2:

In the dance hall, she could make out several people she knew from her time in London. She looked around in awe at the room, she had never seen so many gentlemen in one room before as she held her card nervously. She had hoped perhaps not to completely the fill the card, but a respectable number of requests for dancing wouldn’t be too much to hope for?

She turned around and realised that in her daze, she had lost sight of her mother and sister who were supposed to be escorting her. Marinette was just about to leave when the unmistakable voice of the eldest Miss Bourgeois echoed through the hum of polite chatter.

“Unfortunately, the viscountess had the upper hand as the daughter of a gentleman and ten thousand pounds to her name. Anyone interested in the younger sister must pause before they make any marriage offers. What do you think the dowry of a baker’s daughter would be?”

#miraculous fanfic #miraculous fanart #miraculous fandom #bridgerton au #adrienette #hamsterdraws #hamsterwrites #hamsterdraws miraculous

[pureanonofficial]

LES MIS LETTERS IN ADAPTATION - Louis Philippe, LM 4.1.3 (Les Miserables 1972)

The son of a father to whom history will accord certain attenuating circumstances, but also as worthy of esteem as that father had been of blame; possessing all private virtues and many public virtues; careful of his health, of his fortune, of his person, of his affairs, knowing the value of a minute and not always the value of a year; sober, serene, peaceable, patient; a good man and a good prince; sleeping with his wife, and having in his palace lackeys charged with the duty of showing the conjugal bed to the bourgeois, an ostentation of the regular sleeping-apartment which had become useful after the former illegitimate displays of the elder branch; knowing all the languages of Europe, and, what is more rare, all the languages of all interests, and speaking them; an admirable representative of the “middle class,” but outstripping it, and in every way greater than it; possessing excellent sense, while appreciating the blood from which he had sprung, counting most of all on his intrinsic worth, and, on the question of his race, very particular, declaring himself Orleans and not Bourbon; thoroughly the first Prince of the Blood Royal while he was still only a Serene Highness, but a frank bourgeois from the day he became king; diffuse in public, concise in private; reputed, but not proved to be a miser; at bottom, one of those economists who are readily prodigal at their own fancy or duty; lettered, but not very sensitive to letters; a gentleman, but not a chevalier; simple, calm, and strong; adored by his family and his household; a fascinating talker, an undeceived statesman, inwardly cold, dominated by immediate interest, always governing at the shortest range, incapable of rancor and of gratitude, making use without mercy of superiority on mediocrity, clever in getting parliamentary majorities to put in the wrong those mysterious unanimities which mutter dully under thrones; unreserved, sometimes imprudent in his lack of reserve, but with marvellous address in that imprudence; fertile in expedients, in countenances, in masks; making France fear Europe and Europe France!

Incontestably fond of his country, but preferring his family; assuming more domination than authority and more authority than dignity, a disposition which has this unfortunate property, that as it turns everything to success, it admits of ruse and does not absolutely repudiate baseness, but which has this valuable side, that it preserves politics from violent shocks, the state from fractures, and society from catastrophes; minute, correct, vigilant, attentive, sagacious, indefatigable; contradicting himself at times and giving himself the lie; bold against Austria at Ancona, obstinate against England in Spain, bombarding Antwerp, and paying off Pritchard; singing the Marseillaise with conviction, inaccessible to despondency, to lassitude, to the taste for the beautiful and the ideal, to daring generosity, to Utopia, to chimæras, to wrath, to vanity, to fear; possessing all the forms of personal intrepidity; a general at Valmy; a soldier at Jemappes; attacked eight times by regicides and always smiling. Brave as a grenadier, courageous as a thinker; uneasy only in the face of the chances of a European shaking up, and unfitted for great political adventures; always ready to risk his life, never his work; disguising his will in influence, in order that he might be obeyed as an intelligence rather than as a king; endowed with observation and not with divination; not very attentive to minds, but knowing men, that is to say requiring to see in order to judge; prompt and penetrating good sense, practical wisdom, easy speech, prodigious memory; drawing incessantly on this memory, his only point of resemblance with Cæsar, Alexander, and Napoleon; knowing deeds, facts, details, dates, proper names, ignorant of tendencies, passions, the diverse geniuses of the crowd, the interior aspirations, the hidden and obscure uprisings of souls, in a word, all that can be designated as the invisible currents of consciences; accepted by the surface, but little in accord with France lower down; extricating himself by dint of tact; governing too much and not enough; his own first minister; excellent at creating out of the pettiness of realities an obstacle to the immensity of ideas; mingling a genuine creative faculty of civilization, of order and organization, an indescribable spirit of proceedings and chicanery, the founder and lawyer of a dynasty; having something of Charlemagne and something of an attorney; in short, a lofty and original figure, a prince who understood how to create authority in spite of the uneasiness of France, and power in spite of the jealousy of Europe.

#Les Mis #Les Miserables #Les Mis Letters #Les Mis Letters in Adaptation #Louis-Philippe #pureanonedits #lesmiserablesedit #lesmisedit #lesmiserables1972edit #LM 9.1.3 #TUMBLR WOULDN'T LET ME POST THIS WITHOUT THE BREAK LMAO #long post

[cultreslut]

Good afternoon gentleman,

may i have some recommends for your favorite movies?

hiiiii !!! its so nice of you to come to me for this :) here are some of my favorites , of course watch at your own discretion i dont know what your limits and comforts are :o

cléo from 5 to 7 (1962) dir. agnès varda - a french new wave film following a ye-ye singer for two hours as she waits for a call from her doctor.

theorem (1968) dir. pier paolo pasolini - an italian neorealistic film by one of my favorite directors. follows the way a man disrupts a bourgeois family. slow but so good, to me at least :)

pink flamingos (1972) dir. john waters - a classic american sleaze fest following divine, the filthiest person in the world, and her war with the couple who want that title for themselves

3 women (1977) dir. robert altman - a psychological drama following the lives of three women in los angeles, california, after two of them become roommates. intense but soso good.

true stories (1986) dir. david byrne - a silly and sentimental film about a fictional small town

velvet goldmine (1998) dir. todd haynes - a tumblr classic rock classic movie. a journalist investigates the disappearance of a popular 1970s glam rock star.

#flageblcili #thank you so much for asking ! #asks

[cometrose]

zhongli is my favorite character because there are so many things about him i find incredibly endearing.

i like his glowing hair i like his glowing arms i really really like glowing hands, I like his orange eyeshadow and the diamond in his eyes. I like his earring and the rings on his hands. I like his voice a lot. I like that he has a skinnier waist than the other tall male models.

i like his thoughtful yet very playful and mischievous nature. He is a tease but he is so refined that we just gloss over it. He loves tricking people and having a good laugh he just gets away with it

In one of his character stories you read that rex lapis used to perform in plays and I just know he's been one for dramatics for eons.

I like how open he is I love how he cherishes the past dearly he keeps all of his friends and companions close to his heart but he always wants to keep moving forward

I like how he banters with paimon but he's always so sweet with her. Like he really considers he thoughts and opinions

He is always asking the traveler how they are. He always checks up on us to ask about our adventures and if we are happy or stressed. Hes always willing to lend an ear and listen to our problems. He can't tell us what we want to hear but he tries to be supportive in his own way.

Best archon statue and i love his outfits I hope we can see more

He is unintentionally (or intentionally???) the funniest person ever especially when it comes to not having money or role-playing strangers at the group dinner with his friend barbatos. Or when he lied about not being in the chasm? Or when he asked the traveler for mora after getting a 3 million mora bill? or when the traveler and childe were having a stare down and he walked into the middle of it still talking about the ritual. Or the ever classic "you make me sound like some kind of bourgeois parasite"

He's picky and super refined he likes classics and detail and owns the most expensive things but he's always open to trying new things.

I like how he called qiqi "little miss qiqi" during the archon quest.

I love his relationship with xiao he might not say how much he cares about xiao he will show it. He didn't have to save xiao either but out of the kindness in his heart he gave him a chance at life.

his relationship with hutao is precious cause it seems like he has trouble dealing with her but every interaction between the two of them is really sweet?

I like that he argues with historians about rex lapis lore. Like there is an instance where he said "according to other researchers this happened" like he wasn't fucking there

I like that he has changed his form throughout the years and I am on my hands and knees to see his female form.

I find it super sweet that his current outfit was designed by his yaksha and that he probably has gifts and outfits from all his adepti stores somewhere

I like that while he may not have showed emotions always stayed true to his ideals and watched over humanity diligently. He was ruthless during the war but never cruel

I like that he forges weapons- the weapons of the golden majesty and primordial jade series all belonged to him or were created by him at some point. i would love to see him wield or bow or catalyst

its implied that he shows his affections through gift giving and was the type to forge weapons for his companions during the war.

He is super innovative and creative, teapots, adepti arts ,a lot of them were created by rex lapis

I think its cute that he mother-henned liyue for thousands of year and kind of broke down when he realized they don't need him to do that

hes very cute when he gets surprised by things

he's a very calm person? i know we fantasize about alpha daddy zhongli but he is really gentle and when he gets mad he can be really short with people. a very refined gentleman

he likes the scent of older women and people of liyue used to give rex lapis lots of flowers specifically silk flowers

people find him super interesting but also super weird and thats hilarious thats perfect

i like that zhongli is proficient in fashion, commerce, business and all the fun things in between but hes gonna tell you all about silly trivia about birds and rocks and flowers cause he thinks there are interesting. Like he knows everything he could probably tell you what clothes are going to be in season or what is the next trend in the business market but he insists on telling quirky little facts.

He is also really good at cooking or at least he knows a great deal about it but then again he is knowledgeable in all things to an extent

he is a LIAR he LIES i want to say he is green flag but the first thing that comes out of his mouth is a LIE. In his defense it is probably not for malicious reasons

I like his that he kicks his polearm when he attacks and I like his face doesn’t change when he attacks like he maintains a very neutral expression

when he tricked than man out of two hand-painted fans???

he loves liyue very much like extremely nobody loves liyue more than him he is so proud and happy about them all the time. He always talks positively about the people the nature the culture like you could say he has a bit of an ego but i think its fine like I wonder how the people of liyue would react if they knew how deeply their god loves them

if you dig through weapon lore and books there are many stories where it’s safe to assume rex lapis is disguising himself as a human to prompt liyuens to do something.

once beat up a man for breaking a contract and emotionally scarred another woman for also breaking a contract

"a heart of stone is a heart nonetheless"

one of his character story's end with "how can a person like him not starve?" and the immediate next story starts with "a person like him will never starve" like yes he is very poor with money and seems to spend it on whatever he pleases or simply forgets but you see there is more to contracts than money alone and I think no one understands this more than him. If zhongli wants something he will get it he just wont use his own money or money at all.

most of his emotion is in his eyes

diamonds in his eyes! liyue visions are diamonds! square cups at parties! he is man who likes a good quadrilateral

“should the day ever come that we are not together you will continue to shine like gold in my memories”

his only flaw is that he hates seafood cause i love seafood but I can eat his portions for him

#zhongli #genshin impact #this was a blorbo dump im sorry #i like him too much #I NEED TO REMOVE HIM FROM THIS GAME #*sneaks into genshin steals zhongli and puts him in a better game* #this is too long im sorry #his hair his eyes he’s so kind he’s very lovely #kyahhh what a man

[into-september]

MAIN TAG: mlb meta

SHIP STUFF

Put your money on ladynoir, kids

On the merits of imperfection (why ladrien is my favourite side of the love square)

The innage tragedy of ladrien, and why I love it

So here’s the thing: (from the perspective of character growth, reversing the love square makes no sense)

To phrase this better than I did so late at night that it was technically morning: (lukanette is a masterclass in the crucial difference between showing and telling)

The NYC special might’ve sunk lukanette before it ever had the chance to happen

if we’re using “friendship is more important than a celebrity crush” to argue against the love square…

On shipping dynamics within the love square, mainly marichat vs. ladrien

ADRIEN AGRESTE MY BELOVED

Adrien Agreste and the limelight

Adrien Agreste and the question of unmasking

Some speculation about Gabriel’s possible ways out of being Hawkmoth and how they will affect Adrien

To cross your DNA with something reptile (on sentiadrien, because who needs narrative logic when you can have angst)

Being the topic du jour and all (the show has already shown that getting his amok can’t be a ~beautiful metaphor~ for sentiadrien’s freedom)

If sentiadrien is meant to be a commentary on child abuse then someone has no idea how stories work (spoiler: it’s not, because abuse is funny on this show)

SPOILER: I’M A CHLOÉ STAN I GUESS

Ending Chloé’s story as a villain would be a vaste of screentime and that’s why they shouldn’t

This be the verse (let’s just say I’m less than impressed with how early S4 handled the Bourgeois family drama)

Some more Zoé meta

Let’s talk narratological theory to explain why Chloé is an abused child in the text even if the creator insists she isn’t

WHY LUKA ISN’T MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER

Spoiler: Luka Isn’t A Great Character Yet (written in response to some people’s very low standards after “Truth” aired)

In fact he’s so poorly written that he’s pretty much an unintentional parody

Overthinking things (they don’t mean it like that but I saw some uncomfortable sexist themes to Luka’s akuma powers, both times)

Can we please stop blaming Marinette for Luka being a simp

MIXED BAG

Paper faces on parade (comparing and contrasting Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Gabriel Agreste)

On the feminist merits of MLB

The Scarf Came Back (on “Mr. Pigeon 72″ and the meaning of its many callbacks to early S1)

Related: S4 and “Gorizilla”

Jagged Stone is… (a spoiled manchild who’d be an awful parent if he’d stuck around and they were better off without him)

“Gang of Secrets” was underwhelming and that’s a problem

I finally realised where my entire problem with “Gang of Secrets” lies

Right now my main hope for S4 is that I’ll come out of it shipping alyanette like it’s going out of style (this show should’ve put more effort into Alya like three seasons ago)

MLB and the bad rich people

Some observations and a poor attempt at analysing the depiction of wealth in Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

No, Marinette isn’t a Mary Sue (because I refuse to acknowledge linguistic drift and “Mary Sue” does not mean what you think it means)

Etymology ragepost, MLB edition

This show just can't up the stakes in battle

NOT REALLY META BUT STILL

Chloé should discover Cat Noir’s identity it’d be great

I also really want Felix to become a gentleman thief

What if all the heroes knew everyone’s identities except Cat Noir’s, wouldn’t that be super fun and not at all heartbreaking

My ideas for the Secret Sibling were way better than who it turned out to be tbh

Did you know that I have a tag devoted to Kagami being a fujoshi

Outline of the Hikaru no Go AU someone else should totally write

“Puppeteer 2″ was a microcosm of the Cat Noir-Ladybug-Nino-Alya mess of S4

Marinette is canonically bi in the Norwegian dub

GOING OFF ON OTHER PEOPLES’ POSTS

The Umbrella Scene Redux in the NYC special wasn’t about Adrien falling for Marinette but a foreshadowing of the importance of friendship going onward

Adrien’s pain lies not in unrequited love, but projecting his abandonement issues onto Ladybug

A small but heartfelt declaration to adrigami

When you have to make your characters repeatedly insist that someone is so totally in love, it’s not coming across as totally convincing to your audience

tl;dr I suspect that the reason marichat is so popular and ladrien is correspondingly disliked is about gender roles, actually

On marichat and ladrien and romance tropes

No really, ladrien is stupid and that’s why I love it

The Reveal is supremely unlikely to happen before the deciding battle against Gabriel and if it does, they won’t get together before it anyway

MLB’s got a bit of a genre problem and that’s why the plot cannot ever move

Chloé is the Loki of the MLB fandom and given how much attention the show proper gave her compared to the rest of the secondary cast, Thomas Astruc has no right to be surprised about it

Chloé can’t be Queen Bee again before she realises that she doesn’t need to be Queen Bee to do good things

More Chloé analysisin’: An irredeemable character wouldn’t need a three-episode storyline to explain her reluctant fall for the villain

Some people finding the sentiadrien narrative a healing parable about emotional abuse does not stop it from functionally annulling the actual emotional abuse the show depicted

#miraculous ladybug #for pinning purposes

[sols-dreigroschen-blog]

okay so i've been thinking about Jonathan and Celia, and what their story is...

i imagine that they married because Celia was pregnant with Polly, and that she married "down" - her parents were maybe not bourgeois per se, but able to afford a comfortable life, maybe they owned a shop of some kind, where Celia and her siblings had to help out a lot, which is probably how she met Jonathan

i see him as a beggar himself in his younger years, orphaned and left to fend for himself, keeping afloat with begging, the occasional odd jobs, pickpocketing and the likes. i also think he used to be honestly pious as a child, maybe he was raised in a convent (that would explain the very biblical name as well) but he ran away there and became disillusioned with God, because what cruel God would allow such misery and this whole shtick, so he turned out very jaded towards religion

maybe he used to beg in the street in front of Celia's parents' shop, and she saw him outside on the street and took pity on him, snuck him something to eat or gave him leftovers in the evening, and he kept returning, and one night it was very cold and she snuck him inside and offered him a place to sleep in the back of the shop, and then one thing led to the other, you know...

maybe she kept seeing him now and then, but some time after, she noticed that she was pregnant and confided in her sister, who then told her parents, and they were furious with poor Celia, her father or brother probably found Jonathan and beat him up and told him to marry her or else, and Jonathan reluctantly agreed, mostly motivated by the hope of getting into more stable circumstances by marriage, but Celia's parents basically kicked her out after the wedding, as she was now her husband's responsibility and no longer theirs

so Celia had to leave the modest but comfortable life she knew, moving in with her husband in a crammy one-room appartment in a shady part of town, where they often went hungry and cold and what not, and finally had a daughter they named Polly, and Jonathan, who hadn't cared much about his wife or her pregnancy until now was suddenly obsessed with the baby and vowed to give her a better life, and enlisted Celia's knowledge to start his own business, collecting and selling rags or whatever, but it didn't go all that well until he noticed that there was much more money in racketeering and this was the beginning of Beggar's Friend

i imagine them having other children after Polly, but all of them being miscarriages or dying in the cradle, and this is one of the reasons why Celia started drinking, aside from never quite adapting to her new life, because Jonathan did not offer her any comfort in this situation, instead being quietly resentful because she wouldn't give him a son and raising Polly as if she were his son instead

i like to think Celia bought Polly the romance books, because it used to be her favourite way of escaping her dire reality as well, and also why she fell for Mackie's ploy so easily, because she wanted her daughter to marry better than she did, and because a fine gentleman inviting her to dance in a upscale hotel was what she had dreamed of so often, and she just wanted to indulge in this other life for a moment, however briefly

#i am emotional about them #jonathan jeremiah peachum #celia peachum #celia x jonathan #threepenny opera #die dreigroschenoper

[clove-pinks]

In 1830, writer and caricaturist Henry Monnier published a volume of drawings that introduced a character called Joseph Prudhomme, who symbolized the complacent middle-class conviction that the nineteenth century represented unhindered progress. The effectiveness of the satire resulted from the accuracy of the portrait of a typical bourgeois citizen as "one whose attitudes and behavior are marked by conformity to the standards and conventions of the middle class." The French bourgeoisie had finally arrived, and a bourgeois gentleman's dress reflected the conformist ideal of a leveling of appearances. Just as this was gaining momentum around 1830, the Romantics declared their contempt for the "grayish" middle classes, at the same time cultivating certain sartorial aversions of their own.

— Farid Chenoune, A History of Men's Fashion

Above: a frontispiece illustration from the 1831 edition of Henry Monnier's book Scènes populaires, dessinées à la plume (Internet Archive).

A young woman and an artist in his studio, and two gentlemen in a salon are a few of the Scènes populaires accompanied by short stories, and of course: Le diner bourgeois.

#Eighteen-Thirties Thursday #1830s #caricatures #romantic era #henry monnier #bourgeois #farid chenoune #fashion history #fashion #joseph prudhomme #a history of men's fashion