pulvis et umbra sumus

miserable multi-muse | semi-selective | low activity, brought to you by no one in particular — a novel-based indie rp blog for cosette, tholomyès, magnon, gueulemer, bahorel & jehan from les misérables

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

“ Maybe the only thing each of us can see is our own shadow. The same way old painters would sit in a tiny dark room and trace the image of what stood outside a tiny window, in the bright sunlight.  The camera obscura. Not the exact image, but everything reversed or upside down. ” — Chuck Palahniuk

independent les misérables multi-muse, exploring life in cracks and shadows — the hidden, the overlooked, the suppressed — transience, identity, alienation, fragmentation, shades of grey

experimental, selective, disorganised, (s)low activity

infrequently haunted by a friendly spectre used to different names (feel free to give me your own or call me staub; he/they/it, 25+)

interest tracker | inspiration | prompts | orientation | icon credits

🌈 enjoy the shade.

[blckfckinmsk]

୧ ‧₊˚ 🔪💋 ⋅  ──── There's a smile at her response and Roman gives her hand a light squeeze before letting it go. "I like you. We'll have to talk more when this little job is through. I'm sure we could do some big things together once you're free of this little burden." The woman seemed ambitious, and it's something Roman could admire along with the professionalism she seemed to carry herself with, but one that wasn't taken too seriously to make her dull.

All good things that could work with what Roman had envisioned for Gotham. And perhaps she could be a part of that. But only time would tell.

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

The corner of her mouth twitches, somewhere between humor and relief. It's the first reaction Roman got out of her that isn't calculated. A momentary slip. Because she wasn't expecting them to say that.

What they're suggesting is dangerous. They're dangerous. If Laelia isn't careful, she could jump from the frying pan right into the fire. But she'd be lying if she said she wasn't tempted.

After spending so much time under her stepfather's thumb, the idea of wielding even a fraction of the power Roman Sionis holds is beyond alluring.

She nods, the first genuine smile of the night playing on her lips. "Let's. Pleasure doing business with you, Mys. Sionis."

[songandflame]

Fantine watched Cosette in silence. She had been talking in riddles for as long as she could remember— even before Valjean. Valjean had done nothing but enforce it with his own reluctance to face the past.

The sight of Cosette wringing her hands caused Fantine's brow to draw together. Only when she went to ask what was wrong did Cosette speak again.

A shaky exhale replaced the silence, her tongue briefly wetting dried lips.

"... He did not hurt me, Cosette." Not physically at least. Whatever mental torment had come from their shared history, it wasn't particularly intentional, either. He was cruel in a way he believed was righteous; she could not blame him for behaving how he believed the system wanted him to. Or could she?

Her eyelids pressed close for a moment. She didn't want to linger too long on the morality of something long since passed.

"As I'm sure you know, he was a policeman. That is how we met... Years ago, now."

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

That should have been reassuring. It was not. It sent a shiver down her spine. She could not shake the sensation that they were barely scratching the surface of something vast and nameless — buried but breathing, rising up from its grave.

It was there in the room with them, its presence as unmistakeable as her mother's, looming over them, making the walls feel closer, the air colder and stale.

Cosette felt sick. She nodded faintly, waiting for her mother to continue. She had questions, of course. Her mother had explained nothing. Questions but no words, no voice.

[shellcollector]

So earlier this year I got really fixated on working up a translation, of sorts, of the coat song, which would preserve the original metre; this was probably prompted in a roundabout way by listening to it on repeat (that’s the best link I currently have, I’m afraid; I actually think it’s better when sung more peppily.)

Aaanyway today I was supposed to be working on another thing but I had an irresistible urge to illustrate it so that’s where we are. A Merry History Grief Christmas to one and all.

Text under the cut:

Keep reading

[blckfckinmsk]

୧ ‧₊˚ 🔪💋 ⋅  ──── "Oh, I like that. I like that a lot. I'm going to remember that one." And Roman repeat quote back in a quiet whisper to do just that. "I should get back into reading a bit more." Noted with that mostly to themself, not that Roman had enough free time for that.

"Me? Always --" It may sound like a gloat but they shift a little closer to him then, and closer, thigh touching the side of Felix's before whispering, "Honestly? It's been a little stagnant lately." Offered up with a dramatic sigh before crossing their legs. "No one really sticks around here." Because they're afraid of Black Mask -- or they die.

What a shame.

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

Ah, the dulcet tones of acclaim... Felix sits a little taller, puffing out his chest. "I could tell right away you were a..." There's a moment of panic before Felix settles on, "person of culture. Can't go wrong with Shakespeare." No one asked, but that's never stopped him before.

When he feels Roman's thigh brush his, he instinctively leans into the touch, the pleasant warmth of it. He glances down at their legs and back up at Roman's pretty face. "No? I can't imagine why. You're such delightful company."

[vitalphenomena]

LILA ROLLS HER EYES. Not at Cosette, never at Cosette, but at the fact that her sibling would get really mad at the poor girl over something so stupid. Burns has no context of what really matters in the world, but that's always been true

Lila doesn't bother adding that Burns' favorite game is certainly not Animal Crossing. It's probably TF2 or something incredibly gory and violent. The fact that she doesn't know off the top of her head pleases her.

<<If Burns doesn't like you, that's because he's stupid and he's got a rotten brain. I mean it.>>

She does! There are several things deeply, deeply wrong with that guy.

Anyway. She hopes to offer sweet Cosette some consolation even as she busies herself with guiding them both to the windowsill. She pulls out a flimsy fabric basket and lays out more eye shadow palettes next to the makeup already on the ledge. So much for cleaning.

<<This one is new.>> It's Urban Decay. <<It's supposed to be good if you have brown eyes. You always have to pay attention to colors and tones. Do you want to put some on?>>

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

Cosette hesitates. Is this sibling rivalry? Or Lila trying to reassure her? Or could it be that Lila genuinely doesn't like Burns? Either way, Cosette doesn't want to think badly of Lila's family.

<<I don't know about that...>> she replies non-committally, trying to laugh the whole thing off. It's not terribly convincing. <<He didn't seem so bad.>> Anyway, she's much more concerned with Lila liking her.

"Ooh, it's so pretty!" she says, then signs, remembering herself. At Lila's question, she nods emphatically. <<I'd love to!>> They are engaging in girl time, and all is right with the world. <<Would you help me?>>

[therelentless]

{ OPEN.

"Have you seen it? It's a tiny little thing. My jumping spider. I call it Ricardo. It might be a girl, though. Who knows. It doesn't matter. "

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

She shakes her head, trying to process the information thrown her way. "No... Oh no!" Not Ricardo the jumping spider about whose existence she only just found out! "Did he run away? I can help you look for him! I love spiders! Hmm... Were you carrying him? Maybe— maybe he's still on you. Turn around."

[potatosonnet]

:)

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

@blckfckinmsk continued from x

୧ ‧₊˚ 🔪💋 ⋅  ──── A careless shrug is given at response, their own drink brought up and the edge clinked against the edge of Felix's as if in celebration. As if something so bleak was worthy of a cheers. But it just seemed like the reality of things. Especially for someone like Roman where death was knocking on their door constantly "It's inevitable. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy the ride along the way though. It doesn't all have to be a fucking drag after all. Otherwise it'd be a pointless endeavor to even indulge in at all."

"Hm." Felix smiles as he sips his drink, pleased with the answer and, as usual, himself. "I quite agree. In the words of the Eternal Bard: If music be the food of love, play on."

His eyes don't leave Roman for long. Why would they when Roman is the prettiest thing far and wide?

"And are you... enjoying your ride as it were?"

[mcflymemes]

THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL (2017) PROMPTS *  lines collected and graciously given to me by user schattenwerfenkeineschatten and hosted on this blog, adjust as necessary

this was a magical place where the butter was beautiful and i would solve mysteries of the universe and meet brilliant women, kindred spirits who would explore this brave new world with me.

my mother fainted, then called four people, then fainted again.

i hate you for this.

why are you in pain?

never listen to me. i'm nuts.

disgraceful.

i just want her to be happy. it's easier to be happy when you're pretty.

how long are you going to be doing this, running around at night, taking money from strangers like a schnorrer?

just because there is a door doesn’t mean you use it. a door does not represent infinite possibilities.

you’re not mad? or stunned? not even mildly bemused?

it’s downtown. if you have underwear on, you’re overdressed.

a starving artist never pays.

i have to go. i have to leave. you. i have to leave you.

i'm... i'm... i'm not happy.

nobody's happy. it's yom kippur!

practice a little. try it again when you feel more confident about the moves.

i thought my life was going to be something different. i thought i was going to be someone different.

did you ever think you were supposed to be something and you suddenly realize you’re not?

i’m a con now. i’ve got a rap sheet. i’m hard. i’m a hard, used woman.

is my hair gray? it feels gray.

look at all the people. they look so happy. are they high?

did you notice i’m not wearing my own shoes? i’m not. don’t know what happened, either. now I’m just a single, gray-haired ex-con drinking hooch and eating old nuts in someone else’s shoes.

tonight was an isolated incident. there are medications i can take to make sure that never happens again.

i don’t mind being alone. i just do not want to be insignificant.

you’re not my wife.

it’s a terrible, terrible job. it should not exist. like cancer, or god.

i’m not gonna say no to you. not after i saw what you’re capable of.

[name] probably loved that first wife of his, and then she went nuts and burned the house down.

you want a smack in the face?

oh, there was crying. so much crying. a good 40 to 50 minutes of crying.

please, just stop talking.

i’m not talking. you’re not talking, either. quiet’s nice sometimes...

it didn’t work. it’s nobody’s fault. xometimes these things happen, okay? people with the best of intentions just grow apart.

hmm, do i want some iced tea? let me think... fuck you.

first you stand me up. then you bataan death march me through buckingham palace. you make me hold your kid’s filthy hand, which means i probably got 14 different kinds of cholera right now.

are those two really your children or did we just break in and kidnap a couple kids?

for one moment, i said and did things that i’ve never done or said before. but that is all a complete blur to me now. i don’t know how i got there. I wouldn’t know how to get there again.

i am not a violent man, [name]. but if i were, i would take you up to my apartment and throw you out the window.

do you know why I’m not throwing you out this window? because my window is on a higher floor and i want to make sure it sticks.

no. you do not call me [name]. you call me nothing. you don’t talk to me or look at me. if you see me on the street, you will cross the street, whether or not there is a crosswalk present. your pedestrian safety is of no importance to me anymore.

it’s the bras, right? it’s the bras. and the girdles and the corsets, all designed to cut off the circulation to your brain. so, you walk around on the verge of passing out and you look at your husband and he tells you things and you just believe them!

i used to be delicate. i was delightful. i was a goddamn flower! i smelled like roses and the sunshine shone out of my ass.

i know i must seem a bit angry and deranged to you all right now... and i am.

i’ll admit, i would like to repeatedly kick every man here in the balls over the course of the next several hours. i won’t, though. i am still a lady. and a lady never kicks men repeatedly in the balls for more than 20, 30 minutes tops. because then her girdles start to draw blood.

worst part was the blood. it was everywhere. on the walls, on the floor. i mean, look at this! he was like a fire hydrant. and I love this top...

yeah, i called her and it was awful. i mean, i forgot my own name. how the hell does that happen?

she was spinning webs around me, man. she was like an evil web-spinning spider death sorceress.

[betterto-die-thanto-crawl]

Marius waited for her words to come to her, patient to the last, because what else could he be with his angel? He looked at her, curious and worried, soft as anything as he clung to her hand, awaiting her answer...

"Oh," he said softly, thinking it over before giving a sigh of relief and a slight smile. "Well, there's nothing to that. I promise." He gave her a soft look, almost understanding even though he was certain he could not truly understand the depths of her feelings about it. "The brush may be exquisite, and it may be special because it was my mother's, but you are more exquisite by far, and more special, besides. I wouldn't want for you to worry over something so small as a brush, no matter how exquisite or special it might be." He was sure he wasn't convincing, but he meant every word, and sealed it all with another kiss to her hand. "It was merely a token of my love for you, but you have my heart, as well. And that is far grander, I think."

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

Though her anxiety refused to so readily abate, Marius' words succeeded in softening its edge.

"Of course it is," she was quick to agree, still holding his hand as she moved a little closer to him. "Then... you are not upset with me?"

[betterto-die-thanto-crawl]

God, that frown. Gabriel bit his lip and looked away for a moment, steadying himself even as he wobbled.

And then, of course, she insisted and she crossed her arms so stubbornly over her chest and he sighed. What more was there to do but let her in? Still, he stood there, his face... changing slightly. "I don't want to upset you," he said quietly. "If you come in, y-you'll, you will be upset with me." His sister's opinion of him meant so much to him, after all.

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

Again, her eyes widened slightly. This time, in indignation. She sputtered for a moment before she succeeded in constructing a more intelligible reply.

"Then, let me put your mind at ease, dear brother: I am already quite upset with you, therefore you might as well let me in. Go on. Please. The sooner you do, the sooner I can forgive you. And, do you know, I much prefer that to being cross with you."

[betterto-die-thanto-crawl]

Gabriel stumbled back a step and winced with the motion at her exclamation but didn't open the door further. He swallowed hard. "I'm, I'm f-fine," he stammered, grimacing as he shifted his hand on the wound to his side.

"I'm fine, Effie, it's nothing... I-" He cut off as her hand touched his forehead, so warm compared to his skin, and then that stern look of hers. "You can't come in," he insisted, "and besides, I, I am fine." He swallowed hard again.

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

Cosette frowned. Her beloved brother denying her entry to his room? But that was unheard of. And none of his reassurances inspired any confidence in her, besides.

"You don't look fine," she replied. "Now, be good and let me look at you. I am not going anywhere until you do." With that, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

[blckfckinmsk]

୧ ‧₊˚ 🔪💋 ⋅  ──── There's a sly little smirk before giving in with a nod back in agreement. "Deal." And hand extends to take hers in a shake to seal it with that. "It'll be a pleasure, I'm sure --" And with that in mind a thought comes to mind.

"What if my boys just snatch him up? Bring him to me. And I'll have a long agonizing time with him." Offered up, but if they're in the mood they'll follow through with that either way. It's not like Roman really needed permission.

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

This time, there's no hesitation as she reaches out to shake hands with Roman to seal the deal. But before she can celebrate...

They're just messing with her, she tells herself. Trying to get a rise out of her. She's used to these little games from Jack. Doesn't make them any more pleasant.

"I suppose you could try," she concedes, though her smile looks a little strained. "If you're not attached to your boys. And if you don't like the idea of sharing him with me... But I'm positive we'd have more fun together."

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

@betterto-die-thanto-crawl continued from x

Gabriel stiffened with a wince and hiss as he heard his sister at the door, giving a groan and a sigh before forcing himself to his feet with another groan and going over to the door, keeping pressure on his side while unlocking and opening the door with one hand and opening it just enough to peek his face out. "C-Cosette..." he said hesitantly, trying to act like he wasn't hiding something. "Hello. Ummm... yes?" He didn't open the door further. He looked pale. He knew that from looking in the glass in his room after he had gotten back. That would be the blood loss, of course. He felt like he was shaking but he was willing himself to stand still... or doing his best. He swallowed hard. Was his forehead damp? He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away, still not opening the door.

Cosette's eyes widened. "Gabriel!" she startled, still keeping her voice low. "You look terrible." She had known something was wrong when she had heard him sneak in without so much as greeting her.

"What's the matter? Are you ill? Let me feel your forehead. Oh! But you're cold. Gabriel..." She regarded him sternly, her hands on her hips. "What are you doing? Let me in. It is ridiculous to keep me here. And you look like you ought to be in bed."

[betterto-die-thanto-crawl]

Enjolras gave a huffed sigh at his friend's chuckle, but said nothing as he continued to fidget, sure that he deserved it. He felt ridiculous. "Well, of course," he startled, only to make a startled noise in the back of his throat and turn to Combeferre with a look of utter terror. "Tongue? Whatever would I use my tongue for? I thought..." He paused and gave a shudder.

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

Combeferre opened his mouth and closed it again. How was he meant to...?

"Ah, never mind that," he replied, a trifle embarrassed now himself. Perhaps that was a little too advanced for the moment. After all, he did not wish to alarm his skittish friend. "Lips are a marvellous place to start."

[schattenwerfenkeineschatten]

joining @byramone & @escapedartgeek, feel free to steal or add (templates under the cut)