decadentjackal: 1912

ABOUT

Following a fateful voyage across the Atlantic on the RMS Titanic, Rene learns of the death of his lover, a mysterious figure known to those he trusts as Clair Silverthorne. Through Clair's final words in ink, Rene finds Clair's estate has been left to him, along with the fate of Clair's former manservant, Salim. A pair who have long since been at odds have no one but each other with which to reconcile Clair's memory.

Or: the story of a jackal and a hound who annoy each other so much that they accidentally fall in love.

A story told through correspondence

in progress (50%) / on hiatus / 2022-current

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CAST

Clair Silverthorne

Clair bio

DOB: 16 October, 1877 || Animal: Russian Wolfhound || Height: 5'11" || Orientation: invert || Occupation: "gentleman" || MBTI: ISFJ ||
Sign: ☀️♎️/🌙♒/🔼♓ Colors: grey, powder blue, eggshell

Likes
Floral tea & elderflower liqueur; Poetry, plays and Russian literature; Pretty dresses kept out of sight

Dislikes
Family matters; Society & Politics; Firearms; Academia

René

^{A reformed thief hailing from a wild life in Paris, who has since wormed his way into a permanent residence at Clair's seaside home (much to the horror of Clair's long-time manservant, Salim, who is neither amused nor impressed by Rene's vulgar behavior.) A series of misfortunes lead to Rene's inheritance of Clair's estate upon his death, along with the fate of Salim.
He has few other amusements, and fewer distractions from his grief and guilt, so he focuses his attentions on bothering him.
It will be easy, he thinks, to toy with such a prudish man.
Salim- prends garde à toi!}

DOB: 14 August, 1881 || Animal: jackal || Height: 5'1" || Orientation: j'aime des hommes, des femmes, des autres...🚬 || MBTI: ESTP || Sign: ☀️♌︎️/🌙 ♈︎ /🔼 ♌︎ || Colors: amber, crimson

Likes
Un peu de mal; Cigarettes; ~Garçons soumis~ {submissive boys}

Dislikes
Laws (and following them); Snobbery; The English habit of repression

Salim

^{In another life, he might have been a tailor of some renown, but he contents himself with a life in the shadows, tending to his beloved Clair as his most trusted valet. After all, Clair's dazzling light is enough to sustain him, even if he cannot share the depth of his feelings. Perhaps, being just close enough to touch, but no closer- to dress him morning and night- that can be enough.

Or, it could have been.

Through a series of misfortunes, he finds that love sometimes comes from the most unexpected of places, and the most dreadfully obnoxious of people.}

DOB: 6 September, 1879 || Animal: saluki || Height: 5'6" || Occupation: manservant || MBTI: ISTJ || Sign: ☀️♍︎ /🌙 ♉︎ /🔼 ♋︎ || Colors: sepia, moss green, plum, gold

Likes
A well-tailored suit; Quiet mornings to himself; Strong Turkish coffee; Knowing everyone's secrets

Dislikes
Vulgar, untidy people; The French (one in particular); Cigarette smoke

SIDE CHARACTERS

^{While not part of the main story, they are part of Clair's family (some more than others) and exist in the background.}

Ilya Volkov

A father of three (including Clair); A Russian immigrant who married into a wealthy English family to fund his business manufacturing firearms. To his late wife, he was an affectionate husband, though to his children, there was little affection to go around. The lonely widower eventually found his match in Rosie, a young man who has clawed his way up the social ladder on charm and flattery alone. He says Rosie has made him better, but his remaining family can attest that he is far worse than ever before.

Ambrose "Rosie" McCoy

Ilya's latest fascination and current heir to his fortune. Despite his love for pretty powder-pink and lace, Rosie's candy-coated exterior hides a rancid interior. Some may say that Ilya has finally met his match in the young man, though by all accounts, Rosie is probably even more sadistic. Pretty as an arsenic-infused peach. You may look, but you may not touch.

Valentina Volkov

The middle child of the Volkov siblings, and the only one of the three with an ambition for taking over her father's business. The great tragedy of it all is that she is a woman, and her father sees no place for women in anything to do with firearms or money. Driven by spite in most things, and as much of a bully as her father, Valentina despises Rosie utterly and prays daily for his demise. She hasn't stopped dressing in black since the death of her mother, though it seems to be less an act of mourning and more a proclamation of warning to the men who would seek her hand in marriage.

Fyodor Volkov

The youngest of Ilya's children. Often passed over in his youth, Fyodor finds his passion in Marxist theory and travels to Russia in pursuit of his roots. Bolstered by naive idealism, he seeks belonging in a movement that never quite accepts him for his outsider background and class. In the end, his involvement with certain revolutionaries leads to his deportation and finds him disillusioned and dejected.

Primrose (Posie) McCoy

Rosie's twin sister, with an equally calculating mind, passion for pastels, and rotten core. Like Rosie, she has beguiled her way into the upper crust from lowly origins. Unlike Rosie, she's come into her fortune already by marrying the first wealthy older man who looked her way. He didn't last long; the oleander that bloomed in her greenhouse saw to that.

AUs & Side Stories

^{An Alternate story in which Clair is not dead, and instead washes ashore several months later as a mermaid.}

^{For unexplained reasons, Rene turns into a very large werejackal and becomes even more of a menace and a handful than usual.}

^{Salim discovers he is part of a magical line of dragons who have disguised themselves to live among humans.}

^{Rosie & Ilya share an interest in putting fine firearms in places they shouldn't be.}

^{An enchanted unicorn princ(ess) {Clair}, a cursed beast king {Ilya}, a bitter faun {Salim} and more ;)}

GALLERY

The Trio: Early Days (1906-1911)

^{Some time after settling into his manor in Cornwall, Clair meets a fascinatingly vulgar Parisian attempting thievery at a London party, and much to Salim's horror, takes the stray vagrant home with him. Worse, there is nothing Salim can say or do to get rid of the wretched boy, who makes his job infinitely more difficult and occupies far too much of Clair's attention.}

Moonflower (1908)

^{Clair waxes poetic about flowers and thinly-veiled gender metaphors to his dear and trusted manservant, who will always be nothing more than his manservant.}

Alone Together (1912)

^{Following the wreck and the death of Clair, Rene and Salim find themselves thrown together without Clair's mediating influence. Between coping with grief and, in Rene's case, distracting himself from it by employing Salim in increasingly humiliating scenarios to sate his sadistic boredom, their long-standing animosity finds its way into a previously unlikely setting: the bedroom.}

First Kiss (1912)

^{It is not entirely surprising that Salim has never been kissed in all his 32 years of life, but Rene, being Rene, cares neither for the traditional order of events, nor for Salim's feelings.}

Inside and Outside of the Bedroom (1912)

^{Feelings escalate, and Rene and Salim find themselves feeling unthinkably romantic feelings for one another, though bickering is constant as ever. Rene decides his 'hard work' training Salim in the ways of love has paid off; Salim takes a certain pride in this fact, as much as it mortifies him. What began as a sadistic game becomes genuine devotion.}

Shorts and Situations (1912-1913)

^{Domestic... Bliss? Salim continues to use his butlerly skills, even though they're no longer required of him.}

PLAYLISTS

Edwardian (Instrumental)
Vaguely Edwardian era appropriate instrumental playlist; classical, operatic songs of the late 19th-early 20th century.

A Dog & A Jackal
A Rene & Salim focused playlist. They're gay ♡

"Songs About Shipwrecks"
A general playlist for the 1912 trio and their feelings for one another.