#peyrolles

[gonzague-if]

Peyrolles may have the most sexual experience out of the main characters. They are confident and directive in the bedroom.

More than Chartres?? :o I thought he was the resident libertine/hedonist!

Well… now that I think about it they may not have *more* experience per say, it’s hard to compare. But let’s say they have more knowledge and skill than him.

[jpriest85-blog]

I've recently learned that Paul Féval in addition to writing swashbuckling stories like "Le Bossu," also wrote vampire fiction. Which is perfect for the Vampire AU I imagined for @gonzague-if characters and setting, where my Prince Gonzague,Médée, is a vampire posing as a French noble of "delicate health" with her devoted Peyrolles, and of course Lagardère as a persistant vampire hunter. That and being October, I was inspired to doodle a sketchy comic of Médée feeding from a very willing Peyrolles.

Médée: That damned Lagardère! I've dealt with persistent Hunters before, but he's been especially vexing.

Peyrolles: You've been unable to hunt because of him. Monseigneur, I am concerned you've gone too long without feeding.

Médée: (thinking) They're right. I've had to avoid drawing unwanted attention. If this keeps up, it'll be too dangerous if I don't drink blood soon. Peyrolles is a possibility, but I don't want to endanger their health. I've grown to depend on them for so much. Although if I don't feed soon, I may lose my self-control to hunger and wind up killing them! Should I just ask them? Even if they say no, Peyrolles is resourceful. They can help find an alternative until it's safe to hunt.

(Speaking) Peyrolles, I have a request, and you are free to decline. Would you...

Peyrolles, already removed their waistcoat and cravat, half reclining on a nearby couch with their shirt half of in an enticing fashion: Yes!

Médée, surprised and then intrigued: Oh? My little Peyrolles is so eager and efficient. Not even any objections or hesitation. Yet I will still ask, are you willing to allow me to bite into your flesh and drink from your blood? I would prefer not to cause you harm, but even taking a small amount of blood is still a risk.

Peyrolles: I have already bound myself to you of my own free will. Whatever ma maîtresse needs of me, I will gladly offer, even my soul.

Médée, smiling at Peyrolles with genuine affection: You truly mean it? How lucky I am! My little Peyrolles' devotion would put the Pope to shame.

(Médée joins Peyrolles on the couch, crawling into their lap with a hungry expression, then bites and drinks from their throat in an intimate manner.)

Granted Peyrolles will be anemic for the next few days, but they'd probably feel it was worth it. Médée would also ensure Peyrolles is able to rest and recover afterward, so she suspends their duties for a while and makes sure they're well fed. After all, she wants Peyrolles around for a long time. Immortality can be quite lonely after the first century.

[vintagepipemen]

French intelligence officer Gilles Sidney Peyrolles, 1985. 

[gonzague-if]

@gothvis made this absolutely stunning sketch of Peyrolles!!! <333

They look so good in their style I can't stop looking at it. <3

[gonzague-if]

Peyrolles

Monsieur de Peyrolles is a minor noble at the Prince’s service. Gonzague has blackmail material that ensures their loyalty. Despite the unsavory circumstances of their partnership, Peyrolles stays Gonzague’s only true ally.

Peyrolles is taciturn, blunt, but always courteous. They accomplish the gruesome tasks Gonzague entrusts them with without enthusiasm, but without complaints either. If anything, they enjoy a job well done.

[gonzague-if]

volumes, mayhaps, with dearest Peyrolles?

Thank you! <3

volumes .   gaze  at  my  muse  in  a  way  that  silently  says  ‘i love you’ .

It had been a long evening and you had grown annoyed with the imbibed courtiers, becoming overfamiliar with each other and even with you. You slapped one last straying hand away from your waist and made your way toward the Château de Saint-Cloud’s exit without saying goodbye to the Duc de Chartres. You were certain he was plenty busy anyway.

It was bracingly cool outside after the damp heat of the gathered bodies in the palace’s reception lounges. The dark of the night was soothing against the bright multitude of candlelights at your back. You took a deep breath of fresh, invigorating air and stepped down to the gravel path, the small pebbles crunching underfoot.

To your surprise, a carriage appeared in the castle’s glow, horses trotting up to you before turning to a stop. It was your equipage, you realized once your eyes started getting used to the darkness. The door facing you opened and Peyrolles jumped down. They held the door for you.

You smiled even if they probably could not see it.

“Ah, little Peyrolles,” you said as you climbed aboard. “Ever so reliable.”

You sat at the back of the coach and your factotum took their usual place in front of you. The driver spurred the horses forward and the carriage swayed gently as you made your way down the path, away from the Château de Saint-Cloud.

“How did you know I wanted to leave?” You asked Peyrolles after sitting quietly for a couple of minutes. “I saw monseigneur through the windows. You seemed about ready to leave.”

You narrowed your eyes at them, trying to gauge their expression. It was all but pointless, their face was entirely obscured by the shadows of your carriage.

“Were you watching me, Peyrolles?” “I thought I saw someone creeping around the palace, I was investigating.”

You perked up at that, linking your hands together and leaning forward.

“Really? What did you find?”

They hesitated.

“Nothing. It may have been my imagination.” You straightened your back, resting it against the plush seat. “I am glad you looked into it, regardless.” You saw them nod. “Of course, monseigneur.”

Another quiet moment passed, the coach finding the road back to Paris.

You sighed contentedly as you relaxed on the bench, stretching your legs until your knee bumped into Peyrolles’s. You thought you saw them stiffen, but you could not be sure in the night’s gloom.

“I am looking forward to being back home,” you declared. “With nothing but me, a good book and your silence, a perpetual companion.”

You grinned at them, even though you could not tell if your teasing was affecting them in any way.

“What about you Peyrolles? Are you happy to return to the hôtel? It must have been dreadfully cold to stand around like that in the middle of the night…”

Maybe you had too much to drink as well. You were awfully talkative tonight.

“I have no problem enduring a mild discomfort if that means monseigneur is safe,” Peyrolles replied evenly.

They were always constant in their answers, always repeating the same words, their tone unwavering. You always thought they were simply acting professional, indulging you politely, probably bored of your antics. But tonight… Tonight, as the alcohol warmed your limbs, making you feel loose and open, it rang differently.

It was familiarity. Reassurance. Comfort.

“You did not answer my question,” you said softly. “Are you happy to come home with me?”

Silence.

“I’m always home with you, monseigneur.”

Your heart started thumping harder in your chest. You could not see them, you wanted to see them. Then, as if the heavens heard you, the carriage turned and moonlight fell through the window, lighting steel eyes, staring back at you steadily. Always the same eyes. How had you never noticed it before?

[gonzague-if]

i just played both demos of gonzague and i was wondering if there’s any way to actually kiss peyrolles at the end, or if it’s inevitable that they pull back ( ╥ω╥ ) i tried both resisting and giving into gonzague’s worst instincts and nothing changed, so i was curious if there was something i was missing if it is possible.

on that note, does it negatively affect peyrolle’s route if gonzague gives into their worst instincts? what about if they refuse to read aurore’s letter, get angry after reading aurore’s letter, or lose their temper after reading the blackmail letter? i don’t want to negatively affect peyrolles’ route but i love the scene where they bandage up gonzague’s hands (￣▽￣*)ゞ

i was also wondering if peyrolles is amab? i understand if you don’t want to answer that or my previous questions in order to prevent spoilers, though! so, here are my other, (probably) not spoiler-tempting questions:

- do chartres and peyrolles like kids? matter of fact, do aurore and nevers? i would assume so, since they have one, but liking kids typically isn’t a requirement to have them so it’s still a question worth asking i’d say. what would they all do if they had to interact with a child (whether they like kids or not)? peyrolles, to me anyway, seems like they could be either very intimidated by children or very good with them, and chartres seems like he’d get bullied by children.

- in a modern setting, what do you think aurore, chartres, nevers, and peyrolles’ jobs would be? what about gonzague?

- in a modern setting, how would they all meet?

- what are all of their hobbies in canon? what would their hobbies be in the modern world?

i really love gonzague, and i don’t know the original series (i didn’t realise it was actually based on and not just inspired by a novel until i was scrolling through this tumblr) but you’ve really made it your own! i hope you have a good day and best of luck (⌒▽⌒)♡

(p.s. is the gonzague from the novels the real phillipe de gonzague, or did he also murder his brother like your gonzague did? i’m not finding a lot about the plot online, so i can’t really tell.)

Hi anon! That's a lot of questions you got there! Thank you so much for your interest. <3

I'll answer them under the cut to avoid the post to get too long.

First of all, in the current demo you can't kiss Peyrolles regardless of your choices, the near-kiss is all you're going to get for now! Their romance will need to progress a bit before any real kiss happens.

Peyrolles is the one character whose romance is not too affected by your choices of giving in or resisting to your worst instincts. They're accepting of most MCs and only how you treat them personally will affect your relationship with them. None of the choices in the demo so far will prevent you to romance them.

Peyrolles is amab, yes. Gonzague knows it, so I figure I might as well confirm it. They pass as a man for the rest of society (at the moment anyway), few people know they don't identify as a man and Gonzague is one of those few.

Actually, Chartres has already 2 daughters by 1699, when the story starts, you'll see them in the next chapter! But he's actually pretty good with kids and gets along very well with his eldest daughter. Peyrolles has been around some children in their past, but they were never very comfortable with them. They prefer avoiding them as much as possible. Not that they don't like them, they just don't know how to interact with them. Nevers loves kids and enjoys playing with them. He definitely has some 'fun uncle' vibes lol. I think he would be a pretty good father, not a perfect one (who is?), but he'd do his very best. Aurore doesn't really know what to think of children and hasn't been around any until her daughter was born. She's got a lot of mixed feelings about the whole thing that we'll explore later. But I can tell you she's terrified of being a bad mother.

It's hard to envision those characters in a modern setting, their lives and characters are very much shaped by the world they live in. I don't know how they would meet but I can take a guess at what jobs they would have. Peyrolles is not very artistic in their original setting but that's mostly because it was an interest that was inaccessible to them in their youth. So I think in a modern setting they would at least try their hand at being some sort of artist. Maybe an independant movie maker. Chartres, being the rich, aristocratic brat he is would likely have access to high diplomatic or political positions. That he probably would try his hand at for a little bit before dropping it all and trying something else. Maybe influencer lol. Nevers I could picture as a professional athlete. Maybe even a fencer lol. For Aurore, the possibilities would multiply in a modern setting, so much so that she would probably feel a bit overwhelmed by it. Considering her interest in reading, I feel like she would lean towards something academic, but also something that allows her to get out and be active. Maybe archaeologist?

In the current setting, some of their hobbies are: Nevers: fencing, obviously Chartres: partying lol, drawing, playing music and composing Peyrolles: playing with knives <3, people watching Aurore: reading, learning I don't think their hobbies would be that different in a modern setting.

In the original book, Gonzague is the real Philippe de Gonzague, yes, there aren't any stories about a brother, it's an addition of mine. I added this backstory both to humanize the character and allow the player to choose their gender.

Once again, thank you for your questions. <3

[jpriest85-blog]

Some more @gonzague-if art featuring my Prince Médée, Peyrolles, and quotes from her namesake Greek tragedy.

"Terrible things breed in broken hearts. And I see in my Mistress' eyes a fury that won't be calmed... It can’t be long until her sorrow turns, as sorrow always does, into rage." -Euripidies, Medea

Playing as a female Gonzague is interesting because while Médée is still cunning, charismatic, and envious like her literary counterpart, her motivation for literally stabbing Nevers in the back hits different. Losing everything and becoming destitute is terrifying even today, but it would have been even more dire situation for Médée. She's been able to ensure both her survival and freedom because of her title as Prince, while most women during this time period would have to have very limited opportunities to be financially independent. She's very aware of what can happen if she loses everything, and having the title of Prince won't count for much if she's out on the streets. Securing this marriage is literally life or death situation from Médée's perspective!

Lbr if she hadn't taken her brothers name and inherited his title, she would have easily wound up like Aurore, or ironically even becoming Aurore's stepmother, as the Marquis de Caylus seems like the type of man Médée's father would have married her off to. Which just fills her with so much guilt and rage about this whole situation with marriage, Aurore, and Nevers.

As much as Médée loved Nevers, she's not willing to risk giving up her life or freedom to become his wife. Likewise, while she knows her intentions of marrying Aurore where more for financial gain, but she does care and emphasize with her enough to try and make their Marriage of Convenience be mutually beneficial by giving Aurore freedom to live her own life for once. Sadly, things don't work out as planned.

Médée's relationship dynamic with Peyrolles is fascinating, though, because while it started out as securing a useful asset via blackmail I could easily see them eventually becoming partners both in schemes and in life. I learned from recent asks that Peyrolles is drawn to people considered outsiders by society, and when they become romantically involved with someone, they're emotionally devoted to them. Tbh Médée would need someone like that in her life. She's become so accustomed to her affections being unrequited or rejected, it'd be refreshing for her to finally realize that she can depend on Peyrolles not just to take care of her business, and secrets but also her emotional needs as well. You know, in addition to helping her cover up the murders and conspiracies....

Oh dear Médée's potential relationship with Peyrolles will probably involve a lot of enabling and unhealthy amount of codependency for both of them 🤔😰