exhale;

[pierrexrenard]

xfortdesprit:

 gregoire took a small step back as the man startled from his question, he had not intended to surprise the man so he gave him some space to help ease him. the french noble watched the man’s process before finally getting a response. it brought a smile to gregoire’s face, he was more so interested in the way the man was behaving rather than what he was doing, gregoire’s light toned eyes finally met the man’s before he nodded somewhat. listening to him speak, though he was now taking in what he said, most would have probably taken the man’s words at face value, however gregoire was a man that saw deeper than most into things. he tilted his head upward some in interest before responding to the man before him, a casual smile still planted to his charming features,

“that is a interesting perspective on the season, and a rather optimistic one given the circumstances. a timely reassurance to what exactly besides the obvious change of seasons?”

The man was behaving kindly enough, and pierre’s demeanour relaxed a little, though he still fidgeted nervously with the pencil between his fingers. the other man seemed to take in his every movement, but there was nothing threatening in his demeanour and thus pierre managed a smile.

"A reassurance... that this world is still capable of freshness and beauty. it is too easy to forget - um, given -” he began, before shaking his head, “but i am getting carried away with fancy. forgive me. i, um... i do not think that we have met before - my name is pierre, pierre renard.”  

[eyres]

Ben Whishaw as John Keats in Bright Star (2009) dir. Jane Campion

[buildinghq]

alexander took use of the nice weather outside and spent a while practicing his sword skills. he has always believed that there’s room to get better at everything, and besides, it was a nice way to clear his head a little. other than that, he spotted a few ladies sitting on a bench near, and he would be lying to himself if he would say that the thought of impressing them didn’t linger in his head. he stood there, twiddling his sword in the air, and with one quick turn he nearly sliced a person that approached him. he instantly took down the sword. “dear lord!” he said, sighing with relief a moment later. “i truly apologize.“ he said with a concerned look. “perhaps it would be the time to quit the sword for today.” he said in a lighter tone.

[pierrexrenard]

Pierre squeaked as the sword swung as him, book tumbling from his hands as he cowered reflexively. it soon became clear that he wasn’t about to be chopped up during his afternoon stroll, though, and he let out a light laugh in an attempt to ease the situation after the prince’s apology, though his heart was still pounding and his breathing audibly shaky. 

"There is n-no need to apologise, your highness!” he blinked rapidly, a shy smile passing across his lips, “and there is certainly no need to stop your practice on my account! it is an impressive skill - i doubt i could even lift that sword, whereas from what i saw, um, you seem to be a highly accomplished swordsman.” apart from the whole nearly accidentally killing me situation. he knelt down on the ground to pick up his book, willing his trembling hands to steady themselves. 

[pierrexrenard]

ben whishaw, 31. have you by chance seen pierre renard, the tutor of belgium? he is in favor of forming alliances during the plague and continues to work for the benefit of their homeland. they are said to be gentle and intelligent, yet can be fragile and insecure. in the palais foncé, they are known as the milquetoast. 

pierre renard was born into a loving family, but unlike his gregarious sister he gravitated away from social interaction and retreated into a world of books and learning - rising through the ranks of academia from a pretentious pseudo-intellectual to... a pretentious intellectual...

his family are of middling social standing, so it was partly luck and partly academic reputation that got him such a coveted job as tutor to the royal children. however, despite the fact that his position is a well-respected one, he remains overtly aware of his subordinate position, and around royals and the nobility is even more retiring than normal.

despite the fact that he’s in a job where communication is key, talking is something he has great difficulty with. introverted to an extreme degree, it tends to take him twice as long as other people to stutter and stumble through his sentences. thankfully this changes when he is teaching something he is passionate about, and while he’s still not the picture of eloquence, his intelligence and love for learning break through the barrier of awkwardness. 

biG mythology nerd. if you want him to actually talk, talk to him about greek mythology (or poetry, but even though he thinks he’s got the makings of a great poet he... really really hasn’t)

very timid and insecure but once you get to know him is actually quite pretentious to an almost arrogant extent - though he’s always kind, he just has a slightly inflated secret sense of his own intelligence and creativity.

although he has some radical ideas academically in day-to-day life he’s generally just a follower and will likely do whatever he is told to do without question

honestly 1000x better with children and animals than adult human beings

his beloved older sister was an early casualty of the plague, and while he tries not to think or talk about his grief too much, it is something that is constantly weighing on him - and may cause him to snap in conversation if it comes up.

almost too sensitive to be real and cries about 5 times a day

he suffers from pretty intense anxiety and has pretty much isolated himself from everybody but his pupils so far

his last name means fox which is pretty cool i guess

tbh he needs a friend and a hug but he doesn’t help himself by acting the way he does

ooc: i’m liz, i’m 18, and i’m pretty much as socially useless as pierre but i’d love to get to know everybody and their wonderful muses! please please plot with me and this small feeble little nerd - i am literally up for anything (even if pierre isn’t) and will work with any wanted connection you want!

[ofpsvches]

There had been much to think about, from the propaganda plastered across the walls of the palace to the whispers that had been circulating about the princess he loved. All of it did little to give him peace of mind, though that seemed to be the only thing he was craving at the moment. Reading usually transported him to another reality, but he was quickly realising that he couldn’t focus enough for such a thing to happen, the same two sentences he’d been going over the past few minutes still not making much sense to him. He let out a sigh before he noticed a shadow above him, and he lifted his head to see if it was anyone he knew.

[pierrexrenard]

The library was a kind of sanctuary, books a means of escape into a wider world that was not diseased, a world where freedom leapt off the pages and kept him, (for the most part), sane. today, however, he was not alone. pierre had seen the young italian prince reading before and had quietly retreated, but an uncharacteristic rush of boldness bolstered his nerves and he stepped forwards, bowing respectfully out of habit. 

"E-excuse the interruption,” his voice came out timorous, pitched too high, and he coughed slightly before speaking again, “i merely wondered, your highness, um, what you were reading? i find myself horribly in need of distraction but - well, rather too spoiled for choice here.” 

[xfortdesprit-blog]

 gregoire walked through the gardens with his head low but his eyes scanning, he was more vigilant than ever before now with the propaganda surfacing about the palace walls. he was listening for anyone supporting or encouraging such acts of revolution. he slipped past most unnoticed due to him keeping a relatively low profile within the palace walls. most who knew of him passed him off as a simple duke, and those who knew him well enough to know he was a man to be feared, he was almost certain were too afraid to be an issue for him. being relatively unknown to anyone outside of france allowed the duke to overhear some interesting conversations for the most part, but now he was looking for solid proof within the whispers in the halls. as he walked he seemed to only be searching the faces of those he passed as if to greet them rather than reading them for any sort of off behavior. 

“beautiful day in the garden, is it not?”

[pierrexrenard]

Pierre had always felt that he had the constitution of a poet, though regrettably little of the talent. poetry, nature, art - these he tried to use to distract his mind from the horror of it all, drinking in beauty as though it were the antidote to all ills. thus, as he walked through the garden he was not observing the characters of the people he passed but the characters of the flowers, head lowered, scrawling scraps of pedestrian verse into a ragged notebook - that is, until a voice startled him from contemplation, and the pencil fell from his fingers.

"Hm?!” green eyes darted up to stare at the taller man, the tutor’s ever-anxious countenance now more acute and paranoid due to the fear and suspicion gripping the palace. revolution had always been an inevitability, but that didn’t prepare anyone for the unease that the propaganda posters brought - he hoped his furtive scribblings didn’t strike anybody as suspect, not least because he would have to explain his godawful poetry to them - but now he’d got lost in his train of thought. blinking the present back into focus, he remembered that he had been spoken to, and cleared his throat before speaking.

“Beautiful - oh - yes your grace, yes! truly it is, um,” he bent down, scrambled in the grass for his pencil, then rose again, “the most beautiful of all the seasons, spring. it brings with it hope for a fresh start, a promise of new life. i think - i think it is a... a timely reassurance.” 

his pallid face flushed a little, hoping his talk of fresh starts sounded like the words of an optimist and not a revolutionary.

[mariberlyn]

[screenshotsofdespair]

[imperialblack]

[olympain]

“he prefers toots and samuel, even our cat, who he is always petting to death.”