#does this count as valvert

[ofrionstage]

This is a friendly reminder that someone in the 70s discovered asteroid number #24601 and named it Valjean

[anglerflsh]

mercy and law

[stars278]

So I’m by no means an artist and I’ve never sketched much before, but I was so inspired by @minty-didoodle’s sketches of Stewart Clarke’s Javert and the West End Live pics that I felt compelled to try and draw something and I’m kinda happy with how they turned out! 😊

Featuring Valvert in sunglasses texting each other, a smiley Javert, a grumpy Nick Rehberger-inspired face and an old whiskery Javert in the corner inspired by a fic I read. (I have no idea how the Elf Cop open-shirt sketch appeared on the page… it seems that picture is forever stuck in my brain now! 😅)

[lesbianslugreaction]

This Brick quote from 2.1.16 is just incredibly Valvert-coded, right? That's the Valvert thesis right there. It's not enemies to lovers, it's opposites who have more in common than they thought to lovers.

Please ignore that the line is actually about Napoleon and Wellington

[javussyannihilator]

You're the only Les Mis blog whose Valvert takes I trust🙏 We, as a fandom, have had enough of Javert bashing already, so I just appreciate the Javert appreciation here.

oh man, that’s a heck of a compliment, thank you!! i would love to be remembered always as a blog to go to if you want a safe space for javert, valjean, and the old men together 💓

to be honest, the main reason i wanted a blog to post silly les mis things is because i got soooooooo tired by a lot of the posts out there that were like…

so wildly, disproportionately hateful toward javert (i still haven’t forgotten the ones that would randomly pop up in the main javert tag to talk about chopping him into pieces!!!!)

had such flat and one-note takes about valjean (“he’s so flawless and saintly and perfect and never does anything wrong ever ever ever uwu 🥺”), that are not only out of character and disingenuous, but they’re just straight up boring, and preclude any further character development or story arcs

only discussed valvert if it was like… javert one-sidedly obsessed with and devoted to valjean. but where are valjean’s affections and desires in that? doesn’t jean valjean, of all people, love the person he’s with too? shouldn’t a ship about two middle-aged men finding love later in life involve… both of them, and their wants and desires, not just javert basking in some scraps valjean throws his way? how is valjean punishing himself to be with javert or javert subsisting off morsels of affection like, a good dynamic for either of them? like toxic yaoi has its place for sure!! but it’s not really valvert’s vibe outside of lm98 or, you know, a darker fic AU.

so anyway, i kept thinking “i could just make the kind of valvert posts i want to see” and eventually just put them here 😊 

and honestly everyone who interacts with these posts usually leaves such great comments and tags, and really helps to bring a lot of fun and positivity to valvert together, as well as javert and valjean individually, and it really does help, like… okay there may still be hateful posts in this fandom—what can you do, eh? but it’s good to know and be reminded that there are fans who just want the old men to Both be happy and in love.

[lesmisshippingshowdown]

Introducing: POLL STEALING

Woah! The Les Mis Shipping Showdown, introducing a whole new gameplay mechanic when the tournament's already started? Say it ain't so!

Well. It's so.

Inspired by @hbowartournament (idk if they originated this idea, but it's certainly where I saw it), starting with the Round of 16 you will have the opportunity to earn back percentage points on any given poll by creating fanworks - fic, art, gifsets, fanvids, etc - for your ship of choice and letting us know about it. A full breakdown of how this works is under the Read More at the bottom of this post, and we'll also make a separate explainer post to link in each new poll.

To give you all a head start on your creations, we will be slightly delaying the Round of 16 poll drop to the evening (GMT/UTC) of Monday 10th March. Be there or be square!

This does, of course, also mean that we will be completely ignoring the entirely democratic results of our earlier poll and keeping each poll's running time at a week to give you the most time possible to get your fanworks finished and submitted.

Q: Why? Simple! I realised while searching for visual aids for the ships in the Round of 32 that this bracket contains a lot of surprisingly niche pairs for whom there's not actually a whole lot of content. 47% of the pairings that made the bracket have fewer than 150 works on AO3! So actually, this tournament could be a great opportunity to highlight & spur on a new outpouring of love for some of those rarer pairings, some of which haven't really been in their heyday since like, 2014. I kind of was operating along these lines already when begging you guys for fanart submissions every other day, but then I figured adding the competition element makes it more fun and gives you guys more of an incentive to participate!

Q: But my ship's just been eliminated from the round of 32 :( Now I don't get to play :( Fear not. Because I have a solution.

Q: Can I submit a fanwork I've already created? Ideally, new fanwork is the dream here, but we get everyone has time constraints and we're announcing this all pretty last minute. If you want to subtly rework the WIP you've had lurking in your Google Docs for the past 6 years, or tweak an artwork you already posted on here in 2013, we'll turn a blind eye. However, in the interest of both fun and fairness, we ask that you prioritise new, or at least newly updated, work (new chapters of existing multichapter fics count!) and do not just spam the tag with your entire back catalogue of 172,000 words of [insert ship here] fanfic. You can still post your back catalogue as propaganda, but it won't count towards the steal.

(PS. We're aware that some sections of this fandom have just had big creative output fests e.g. Valvert Week, and may therefore be all out of fresh ideas for this tournament. In the interest of not overworking you guys, if you'd like to repurpose any work - for any ship - published since February 1st, 2025 as a Steal Work, you are absolutely welcome to do so. Just be sure to send us a link and let us know that this is your intention.)

Q: Is there anything I can't submit?

Once again, we politely request no AI generated art or fiction.

NSFW is absolutely fine, but please ensure it is suitably tagged so anybody who wants/needs to avoid it is able to do so.

We know that with the presence of certain ships in this bracket (*cough* turnchetta) it's completely impossible to avoid parody/troll/shitpost content, and banning it would be antithetical to the point of some of these noble ships. Plus, some of the greatest creative works in Les Mis fandom history (*cough* the Enjonine rap) have been works in this vein. So you're welcome to goof around, but please be aware that at the mods' discretion we may discount anything we deem to be especially low effort or in particularly poor taste.

Q: You said the new round of polls doesn't start until March 10th - can I start posting Steal Works before then? Be our guest! If you've got things ready to go then you can post them as soon as they're done. Just make sure they're tagged appropriately (see under the cut) so that we know they're meant for this purpose.

Q: So how does all this work? I'm glad you asked! Please see below the cut:

(once again, all scoring & rules lifted absolutely wholesale from the hbowartournament. they changed the game with this and i'm not even kidding)

Writers:

Post a fic (or new chapter) of at least 100 words to AO3. The pairing of your choice must be the primary relationship tag (and remember this poll is for romantic relationships only)

Link your fic here, tag it #lmss steal, and send us a link to the post via asks/submissions. If your piece is part of a larger, previously established fic, please include in your message the word count of the new chapter.

Earn 0.1% for every 100 words, rounded to the nearest hundred

Artists:

Post your fanart to tumblr, tag it #lmss steal, and send us a link via asks/submissions.

Earn 0.1% for a sketch, 0.3% for linework, and 0.5% for a full colour piece.

Fanvid Editors:

Post your video to tumblr, tag it #lmss steal, and send us a link via asks/submissions.

Earn 0.3% per 10 seconds for an AMV/fanvid using existing footage, and 0.5% per 10 seconds for an animatic.

Photo/Gifset Editors:

Post your photoset/gifset to tumblr, tag it #lmss steal, and send us a link via asks/submissions.

Earn 0.1% per edited photo and 0.5% per gif/collage.

Playlist Curators:

Post your fanmix - consisting of at least 8 tracks (iykyk) - to Spotify (or create a YouTube playlist if you do not have a Spotify account).

Link your playlist here, tag it #lmss steal, and send us a link via asks/submissions.

Earn 0.1% per 8 songs on the playlist, rounded to the nearest 8

Earn 0.1% per 200 words of liner notes expanding on the selected songs

If you're struck by creative urges not listed above, just drop us an ask and we can figure out what category it falls into and/or approximate percentage conversion rates if it's something totally new.

No matter what you're posting though, the same applies - make sure to tag it #lmss steal so that we know it's part of this tournament, and send us a link to your post so that we don't miss it!

[hadleysmis]

Inspector Javert singles out Jean Valjean

Beedala Patlu (1972)

Guys does this count as Valvert content? No, he gets whipped right after this scene.

[just-a-soft-enby-mess]

Sometimes I remember that I subconsciously based the only song I ever wrote on “Javert t’es amoureux” and you know I feel like that sums me up as a person pretty well.

[piierogis]

I COULDN’T FIND ONE OF THESE WITH VALVERT AND COSETTE AND IT HAD TO EXIST SO UHHH HERE IT IS

[credit for the thing]

[yezzbub]

Things I noticed after rewatching TAC for the nth time:

- Philip Quast's eyes were shaky af. He kept on looking thru the crowd in high speed and his eyes looked as if he's kinda scared?? OH btw, he said he has a terrible stage fright so it must be its manifestation of it His eyes were shaky especially during Fantine's Arrest. And Quastvert's eyes started to get steady starting from Confrontation to his succeeding appearances

-PQ is fidgety and he's fidgeting with his baton. I noticed that he's one of the few with a hand props so I initially thought that they don't really need to bring their props. But PQ has his trusty baton because maybe he needs something to fidget on???

-Also hhhh this one is cute and adorable!! Look at how PQ sits like that to keep his baton in place while he clapped for Ruthie after her I Dreamed a Dream. Prim and proper Quastvert 😭

-Quastvert widened his eyes to emphasise that he won't take any protestations from Fantine during her arrest.

-Colm and Philip were so synchronized at the last piano bit of the Confrontation after the I am from the gutter too part, it's so darn cute. They both staggered backwards or something and they're so in synch lmaoo

-Michael Ball and Philip Quast kept on laughing in the back during Master of the House xD it's so adorable!! Michael looks like your classmate who would talk to you endlessly even if you wanna listen to the lesson completely distracting you😂

-Rare moments that PQ smiles in the bg bec he always have this =_= look almost the whole time

-PQ hid his face under the brim of his hat before waiting for his turn to sing Stars. The man was internalising and calling Javert's spirit to possess him for that performance 😭He sat on his seat unmoving like a statue for a few seconds before Colm patted his knee. VALVERT CRUMBS???!!

-PQ didn't just adjust the mic subtly like what he did during Fantine's arrest but he dead ass took the whole mic and put it on a podium so it's close to his mouth before he sang Stars😂😭

-Oh that face PQ made during MUST PAAAYYY THE PRICCCCCEEE is chef's kiss. And his eyes are so pale-- I love it😭💞

-Quast never broke character, Javert didn't leave his body even after earning a big round of applause after his Stars performance which lasted for a lotssss of seconds.

-Michael Ball is sooooo cute and precious whenever he talks about Cosette during Red and Black. So the face he made after Enjolras told him that their little lives don't count at all is akin to a kicked puppy🥺 Oh Marius....

-Michael Maguire kept on wrapping his arm around Judy Kuhn's (Adult Cosette) seat. Maybe he does that for comfort so he wouldn't cramp himself in his seat because all their seats were way too close to each other, it was probabky uncomfy for them.

-Colm and Philip lookin like husbands checking out their daughter's suitor during In My Life. They're both leaning near each other and smiling at Michael while the latter straightens his coat.

-Michael sweats a lot!! Especially during Heart Full of Love. And again, Colm and Philip smiling so proudly at Michael and Judy when they went My name is Marius Pontmercy~~and Mine's Cosette. IT'S SO FCKIN CUTE!!! What are they proud dads?? 😭💞

-Mme. Thenardier elbowed M. Thenardier to stand up before the gang robs Valjean's house😂😭 I'd like to think that Jenny did that so Alun won't miss his cue

-Okay so during One Day More, all those who shares a mic were standing next to each other, close to each other, except for Valvert. Quast was standing a step behind Colm and he only stepped beside the latter when Maguire started singing.

-Quast broke his character after One Day More. He was smiling from ear to ear when they all bowed signalling the end of first act.

-Okay. Quast again. So he's a tall guy right? Tall guys = long legs right??? I laughed how he stood up and did this quick and long strides from his seat to a mic when he's about to feed the students some wrong info about the barricade attack. It was so quick and it took him like 3 big steps from his seat to a mic😂😭😂😭

-I never really paid much attention in anything without Valvert before. So it is only now that I noticed the chemistry between Michael Ball and Lea Salonga🥺

-Lea was clutching onto Michael during A Little Fall of Rain. She would also flinch and gasp and hold onto Michael's arm like greatly showing to the audience that Eponine didn't wanna die alone, she's scared to die alone. And she felt the need to hold onto someone tightly to know that she's, in fact, not alone.

-Michael would also hold her tightly as if to say I'm here, you're not alone. And my heart😭😭 it's making me cry buckets hhh

-Alun was sitting all alone in the back during the barricade scene.

-OHHH!!! Quastvert lookin like he was a kitten grabbed by its scruff when Gavroche denounced him as a spy😭😭

-So I always go ooga booga whenever I watch Stars because we all know that Quast has one big set of a lungs. And bec of that I always forget that Colm has a big set of lungs too and that his last bit of Bring Him Home is a proof.

-Colm can shape his lips into a heart😭

-A few minutes after Javert's suicide, Quast was wraping his arm around Colm's seat while they talked like hhh it's so cute :')

-During Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, the part when the fallen barricade boys were like parading behind Michael while the latter was singing his heart out, we could see some Valvert moments right there again izzo cute😭💞 sorry my heart is somft for the old men,, for the Valvert :'3

-Michael also have this adorable way of standing up and I'm living for it🥺💞 he's like leaning backwards while standing I I can't explain it but it's so cute too

-During Dog Eats Dog, that part where the tune and melody is similar to Master of the House, I saw Quast crossing his legs like what he and Michael did during Master of the House. Him and Michael were laughing😂😭😂😭 istg I could see Marius and Javert being besties bec of them

-During Beggars at the Feast, Philip Quast is at the background being a cute blowfish😂

-Young Cosette was in the last song. The one in barricade heaven but hhhh Javert wasn't there. I mean I know he committed suicide and it's basically a sin and that would forfeit his place in heaven but hear me out!! If Young Cosette who wasn't dead, bec obviously Adult Cosette was still alive and happily married to Marius, is in the heaven part, I'm guessing the directors?? did that for idk performance purposes?? Aesthetic??? Then why didn't they just let Javert, why didn't they just let PQ sing with them instead of sitting awkwardly in the bg, looking behind him (in the orchestra???) why oh why??? Don't you want another majestic voice singing along with everyone else? 😭😭

-Lea Salonga was like the ultimate fangirl for all the cast😂💞 she's so cute and she's the one who claps like there's no tomorrow and she keeps on whoo-ing in the bg for everyone😂😂

-Michael Ball was like whooping his arm when Colm bowed during the curtain call, Philip Quast did this little jump for Colm (while clapping) and so in summary: the two men were so hyper lmaooo😂😂

-Poor Judy Kuhn was stuck between MB and PQ like :3 while the two were being the biggest fanboys for Colm. Ruthie was whistling while Lea and Michael Maguire were clapping calmly😭😭

-So there were like 17 Valjeans that will do the encore right?? These Valjeans came from the back of the audience. They were the only ones I noticed before and I didn't notice the little Gavroches bearing each of the Valjeans' flags hcnxjsksks izzo cute. It's like a nightmare for Javert, imagine 17 Gavroches in one place???? Chaos. Nightmare.

Bonus: Precious Valvert!!

[chaostheoryy]

Fallen Star [A Valvert Drabble]

Summary: After Valjean spares his life and he finds himself unable to kill the convict at the sewers, Javert makes the decision to throw himself into the Seine. Before he can end his life, however, Valjean intervenes. Is this a torture brought on by the fallen in Hell? Or does God have something planned for the faithful lawman?

Word Count: 1,252

Rating: Teen

Warning(s): Suicide attempt, mentions of blood

A/N: This is my first time writing for Les Mis and Valvert and it’s certainly been a long time coming. I’m actually considering expanding on this piece and turning it into a longer fix-it fic so I’m very eager to hear what you think about it. If you enjoy it and want to read more, please consider commenting or sending me a message with your feedback! Thank you.

I am reaching, but I fall

And the stars are black and cold

As I stare into the void

Of a world that cannot hold

I'll escape now from that world

From the world of Jean Valjean

There is nowhere I can turn

There is no way to go on

Javert closed his eyes and exhaled. The sweat on his brow mixed with the blood still caked against his temple, oozing down the side of his face like some cursed stroke of watercolor paint. Crisp evening air tickled the hairs on the back of his neck and gently coaxed him forward. One step was all it would take. One step and his nightmare would end.

With a clenched jaw, he took the step. The entirety of his body weight fell forward, his feet instantly clearing the safety of solid ground. Rushing water and sparkling mist called his name down below and Death himself finally opened his arms to welcome the inspector with a warm embrace.

But the embrace never came.

Javert had fallen only a foot or so when something drew his descent to a halt. His collar grew tight around his neck as he dangled there over the Seine’s violent waters. Had it not been for the deep grunt of a man overhead, he might have actually believed God was holding him up amongst the stars.

Startled, the inspector opened his eyes just as he felt himself being hoisted upward. An arm hooked underneath his own and a large calloused hand latched onto the breast of his waistcoat. Even without seeing the bearer of that hand, he knew perfectly well who it belonged to. And even surer he became when he heard his savior cry out from the exertion of lifting him skyward.

The second Javert’s legs cleared the railing, the hands at his waistcoat fell away. He collapsed onto his backside, the impact of his shoulder blades against the hard ground forcing a sharp breath from his chest. For a moment, he lay there, eyes locked on the Heavens above. The stars stared right back, just as they always had. But whether they looked upon him now with pride or shame, he simply could not comprehend.

From underneath the roar of the waters, heavy panting seeped into Javert’s ears. He knew that breath, knew those exhales of relief. He’d heard them so many times before: in the factory office after long days of bookkeeping and busy work, in the shipyards of years past when chains fell slack around wrists and the merciless labor of the shift was through. Yes, Javert knew that breath well. Just as well as he knew the voice that went along with it.

“Is this really what you want, inspector? To throw your life away in the name of justice?”

Javert finally looked over at the figure who intercepted his fall to find Valjean propped up against the railing. He looked confused, his face twisted into a scowl. His chest rose and fell beneath the stained uniform as he fought to catch his breath.

“I have spent nearly a quarter of my life chasing you,” Javert said, “Wanting nothing more than to see you rot behind bars. You have fled to the ends of the Earth, changed your name, taken up the care of a child. The Heavens see you wage this war and grant you the chance to end my life but you don’t take it.” He shook his head, still in complete disbelief over the encounter at the cafe. “A convict with the opportunity to end his pursuit by killing the man he hates chooses mercy. How can a lawman such as me continue to uphold justice when justice itself is but a shadow?”

The last thing he expected in that moment of vulnerability was laughter. Valjean was not a man of disrespect, Javert knew that much. Even in the face of isolation and punishment, the man always remained sympathetic and sure. And yet, there he was scoffing. 

Javert’s brow furrowed.

Valjean waited for his chuckle to fade before speaking. “Javert, I could not hate you no matter how hard I tried. And, believe me, try I did. The first few months on my own, all I did was seethe. I lied and I stole and I set myself ablaze with hatred. But it was a flame that could only burn for so long. By the time I had stumbled upon Montreuil-sur-Mer, the wick of my anger had burned away. All I wanted —all I have ever wanted— was to help those less fortunate than myself, to help to their feet those that feel they have no strength to carry on.”

Javert wanted nothing more than to mock the old man. After all, he was a fool wasn’t he? A man aiming to help the poor and the helpless when he was just as unfortunate as them? Even the literary greats could not have written something so tragic.

But Javert couldn’t laugh, couldn’t taunt the man that sat across from him. Valjean’s desire was that of the angels: selfless and warm. Misplaced as it may be, it was a gesture God would have praised. And who was the inspector to question the work of the almighty?

“And so I become the less fortunate,” Javert mused, turning his attention back to the twinkling stars above. After years of devotion, I too have fallen.

Valjean groaned and the scuffling of heavy boots against stone alerted Javert that his counterpart had risen to his feet. Two bold strides and he was standing over the inspector. For a moment, he said nothing. His eyes scanned the horizon, took in the beauty of the cathedral just beyond the Seine. Then, with a sigh, he held his hand out toward Javert.

“Come.”

Javert was unsure whether the man standing above him was from Heaven or Hell. Every defensive instinct that had been engrained in him over the years told him it was the latter. And yet, when he looked up at those gentle eyes framed by graying curls, all his brain could picture was feathered wings and a halo of pure light.

Without uttering a single word, Javert seized Valjean’s waiting hand and allowed the sturdier man to hoist him off the ground. Once the inspector was on his feet, Valjean clasped his shoulder in solace.

“Wash up at my home. Cosette and I shall make you a warm meal and strike a fire. Should you choose to stay the night, there is an extra bed down the hall and plenty of blankets to spare.”

“Why are you doing this? Why would you help the person who has done nothing but cause you pain?”

“Because I believe in second chances, inspector. Every man deserves them,” Valjean explained, “Especially those who feel they do not.” Valjean’s hand slipped off of Javert’s shoulder, but the warmth it had brought with it remained. “Now, come before the rains wash us out.”

Valjean started off toward Rue de l’Homme Arme and Javert followed suit. The figure that guided him down the dark Parisian streets that night did not bear a crown of light or boast a wingspan of golden feathers. Nonetheless, Javert was convinced that Jean Valjean was not of Earth. For what purpose he was saved, the inspector did not know but there was no doubt in his mind that the Heavens had sent an angel to ease his pain. 

Perhaps, Javert thought, a fallen star can rise to the Heavens once more.

[captainenjolras]

I was tagged by @kadetwxnk :)

Rules: answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs you’d love to know more about!

Name/Nickname: Ari/Azi/Arzi/Apolla

Gender: genderfluid and I use she/they/xe/it pronouns!

Star sign: Sagittarius :)

Height: 5’2”

Time: 9:20 PM

Birthday: December

Favorite bands: Mother Mother, Queen, AC/DC

Favorite solo artist: Gwen Stefani or Rihanna

Song stuck in my head: “Oh Ana” or “Burning Pile”

Last movie: Anastasia!

Last show: The Office

When did I create this blog: I honestly can’t remember lol

What do I post: Les Mis and a loooot of Valvert

Last thing I googled: Artbreeder.com

Other blogs: none

Do I get asks: sometimes!

Why I chose my URL: I was originally a Marvel blog, so I combined Captain America and Enjolras together

Following: 743

Followers: 140!!!! :D

Average hours of sleep: 8-12

Luck number: 7

Instruments: I have a kalimba and I’m looking to take up guitar! I’d also love to play violin

Dream job: actress

Dream trip: does traveling back in time count? Probably a province in France

Favorite food: brownies

Nationality: American (gag)

Favorite Somg: “Body” by Mother Mother

Last book read: “Pride” by Ibi Zoboi

Top three fictional universes I’d like to live in: Les Mis, Marvel, Percy Jackson

Tagging: @depresso-espresso-5150 @charlies-current-obsession @blue-nosed-fae @queer-cosette

@elrondsscribe @yourfaveisgoingtosuperhell @queer-lokean @grantaire-the-drunken-artist @dauntless-sakura @shitpostingfromthebarricade @ibeautifulbeard @trans-valjean @vejiicakes @just-french-me-up @incorrectgreekquotes @enthusiasticmusicalquotes @dyinglikeicarus @ladysybille @corvid-skulls @mali-umkin

[lawisnotmocked]

I Read Sky Without Stars! Here’s A Review!

I’ve mentioned it a few times before on this blog, but Sky Without Stars is a YA sci-fi retelling of Les Mis that I’ve been (very slowly ^^’) reading since it came out earlier this year. Anyway I finally finished it the other day so it’s once again Time For Sirius’ Opinions!

In short, SWS is basically the authors’ les mis space au fanfic, and I’ve read better les mis fanfic, but it’s pretty good uwu

The story follows three main characters, Chatine/Theo (space Eponine), Marcellus (space Marius) and Alouette (you guessed it, space Cosette). It’s a revolution love triangle book, and the beginning of the first book is mostly world building, but the story starts to pick up the further along you go. 

There’s lots of les mis references in the story (brick and musical) which were fun to pick up on and Myriel, Valjean, Javert, Azelma, Gavroche, Thenardier, Mme. Thenardier, Gillenormand, Claquesous and Gueulemer all have their space au counterparts. 

All in all, I enjoyed it and it was good enough, and like I said I’ve read better fanfic and if it sounds like something you might be interested it I’d definitely give it a try! That said, the second book in the series Between Burning Worlds comes out next year and I’m absolutely buying it and also singlehandedly running the SWS fandom because oops I’m attached to these dumbass characters now!

Anyway, I’m going to do a longer review under the cut with spoilers so join me for more screaming if you wish uwu

Alright so here are some thoughts in some kind of order!

- The first thing I noticed about the writing was that there’s random French words scattered throughout dialogue and it kind of threw me off and interrupted the flow of the story before I got used to it happening. I was listening to the audiobook for most of it instead of physically reading it because I’m illiterate which may have impacted this but it still felt kind of weird. All the characters also have French names but it’s also cannon that the Vangarde write in English and Alouette’s nickname is literally ‘Lark’ in English so???? I’m choosing to headcanon this as a weird French/English hybrid language that’s evolved on Laterre but also it was weird!

- Chatine/Theo is transmasc because I said so fuck you 

- I find heteronormative love triangles an annoying trope and I wish the authors had taken the opportunities that were there at multiple points in the story to add queer elements but they didn’t so f I guess!

- That said Alouette and Marcellus are really cute when they first meet and Chatine/Theo realising she was in love with Marcellus was cute too ;w;

- ‘Alouette you’re so fucking stupid’ I say, loving and treasuring her 

- Like I said before, the story does start out kind of slow but really picks up as you go on and gets more engaging once the major worldbuilding is out of the way

- Apparently the events of the book take place over the course of only one week? That threw me off at the end because I thought it was more like a month ^^’

- There’s ANIMAL SYMBOLISM which is EXCELLENT because we all know that’s my hyperfixation ;,3 To quote some of my favourites, the Thenardier family name is Renard, a reference to Thenardier’s brick fox symbolism, lots of lark symbolism for Alouette (I mean, her name is literally lark in French so :,3), the upper classes refer to the lower classes as ‘fret rats’ (the frets being the place they live), and Hugo’s wolf = criminality metaphor is also referred to. Valjean and Javert also have their own animal symbolism but I’ll talk about that in a minute uwu

- For the amis fans who might be interested, there’s currently no space au amis characters, but there is a chance there will be in the sequel since the synopsis talks about a new militant revolutionary group emerging 

- For the valvert fans who make up most of my follower count, this next part is for you uwu

- I’m just gonna do a whole analysis of space au Javert’s character now so skip this bullet point if you’re not interested in this ^^’ Javert’s character is called Inspector Limier and he’s the cyborg head of the Laterre police force who has circuits in his face that flash when he feels things and I love him. His name is probably my favourite part of animal symbolism in this book because ‘Limier’ translates to both a bloodhound or a police detective did I mention I have a hyperfixation? He rightfully has lots of dog symbolism but my favourite is going to have to be when he was described as the patriarche’s hunting dog and the funniest was when he sniffed Marcellus like a scenthound :,3 Initially I was worried about him being a cyborg because we have Many Issues With Javert Characters Being Mischaracterised but his characterisation was actually pretty good throughout most of the story. He was a sassy bastard yet respectful of authority, driven, dedicated, and absolutely fucking feral. There was a part near the end of the book that I didn’t like where the authors clearly tried to make a musical reference by having him literally say ‘I am the law’, but in the context of him being above the law and the whole piece of dialogue was contradictory and like,,,, anti-javert. They didn’t go so far that they can’t bring him back to a Javerty character again if he’s in the sequel, but it was still frustrating after I’d liked his character the whole way through.

- Valjean time! The first name we’re introduced to him as is Hugo Taureau which is dumb and I adore it :,3 Hugo is clearly a Vicky H reference and Taureau is his animal symbolism (bulls!) and basically animal symbolism names Good. Also his real name is Jean LeGrand :,3 He’s an escaped convict who ran off with his adoptive daughter and now lives in a space au convent. His characterisation is good and solid and Valjeany for the majority of the time and the authors even did me a solid by describing how thick his thighs are uwu We also get Some Goddamn Communication Between Him And Alouette Thank You Bless You Authors at the end of the book! Which was good and nice! Thank you for my space au fix it fic! 

- Yes there are a few homoerotic moments between Jean and Limier where Limier is described as a hunting dog yes there should have been more

- At the end of the book Jean runs away to Reichenstat (a nearby planet) and Limier,,,, runs off in the woods I think? :,3 Anyway it’s kind of left open as to whether they’re going to be in the sequel or not, which I hope they are because they’re the characters I cared about most dsdsdds

I could probably say more about this but I think that covers everything important uwu 

Please feel free to share your own opinions if you’ve read or are reading sws I’d love to hear them!!

[alicedrawslesmis]

Sketching Chapter 1.6.2 - How Jean Can Become Champ

1. This is the first explicit confirmation that Javert is 100% a virgin. Like, stated virgin. And yes I absolutely had to say this before anything else.

2. Javert comes into Madeleine's office and he is all 'I need to denounce indiscipline from a member of the police force toward a magistrate. The member of the police force is me. And the magistrate is you. I must be punished'.

3. Valjean is also explicitly giving Javert the silent treatment because of Fantine and pretending to be busy while Javert talks to him. This chapter is a lot. This is fodder for a million Valvert fanfics. Everything Javert says and the way VH describes the action already sounds like a kinky fanfic.

4. ... so anyway, Javert was angry and he acted out by denouncing Madeleine of being an escaped convict to the police without proof, only to be told he is crazy and that Jean Valjean was already caught. He then proceeds to explain the reasoning behind thinking Champmathieu and Valjean are the same and the "proof" they came up with is even less then he had of Madeleine being Valjean. And then he explains how Champmathieu's confusion is a very advanced tactic to throw off the police. And with Valjean being an escaped convict and the three witnesses who identified him (four if you count Javert, although he was sure Madeleine was Valjean until yesterday, but whatever) Champmathieu is probably looking at a life sentence.

5. VH said before that Javert is educated and that can be seen through a certain pomposity in his speech. This chapter has a lot of that. Also he now mentioned that Javert is educated but not 'enlightened'. Javert inhabits that grey area of 'can read but maybe can't fully intellectually grasp text'. I think it was Edgar Morin that said that for you to know you've fully adapted to a space you need to comfortably be able to play/bend the rules to your advantage. In my experience this is something policemen tend to do - talk with a certain pomposity that feels more like a lack of comfort with expressing themselves. Young students do that too.

6. Madeleine was very strangely affected by the fact that Jean Valjean was caught? I wonder why that is? Does... does Madeleine have something to do with Jean Valjean?? Weird

7. Champmathieu's trial is the next day, you know what that means? Besides that we're gonna have more Hugoan shenanigans with cart schedules and horses and hair that turns grey overnight and shady trials and drama? WATERLOO IS SO CLOSE NOW I CAN ALMOST TASTE IT

[kainosite]

Les Misérables 2018, Episode 4

If I post the review before the next episode airs in the US that counts as “timely”, right?

The Good

• Extremely South London Éponine is the best thing in this series.  From the moment she steps into Marius’ room, their interactions are absolutely perfect.  Her crass attempt to offer herself to him and her delighted wonder when it fails, Marius’ appalled, half-paralyzed bewilderment at the whole situation and his awkward charity, Davies’ made-up slang for the écu, “You’re a star, are you sure!?”,  Éponine code-switching at the end and then grabbing the bread on her way out, even the noncanonical, nonconsensual kiss – the whole scene is spot-on from start to finish.

As is her reunion with the rest of the Thénardier clan.  The coarse sisterly banter and Azelma’s look of joy when Éponine hands her the stale bread, Thénardier’s petulant ranting, his violence towards Éponine and Mme. Thénardier’s weary indifference to it, his immediate attempt to crush Éponine into submission when she shows any sign of independence or self-worth – it all paints a vivid picture of Éponine’s world, and the juxtaposition to the scene with Marius makes it very clear that her infatuation with him is not about a crush on a boy but rather about getting the hell away from all this.  And I love that she grabbed her five francs back at the end.

• It’s interesting that the miniseries with the most graphically awful Toulon also has the most determinedly reclusive Valjean, and it’s consistent with his experience in Montreuil-sur-Mer as well.  In the novel Madeleine’s fall is precipitated by his carelessness towards his subordinates, first with regard to the consequences of his factory’s morality policy and then with regard to Javert’s feelings.  But that’s all pretty indirect, and Brick Valjean could reasonably feel that he was the victim of an arbitrary misfortune and that if he’d been a bit luckier everything would have worked out fine.  Westjean, on the other hand, was hunted from the moment Javert showed up in town and was personally responsible for Fantine’s downfall.  From his perspective, his attempt to participate in society must seem like a catastrophe.  He might well wonder whether it’s possible for someone in his position to do any good at all, given the debacle in Montreuil.  Both guilt and prudence suggest it might be better to just give up and become a hermit.

• Cosette’s little convent friends.  This miniseries has consistently gone out of its way to place the female leads in community with other women, and it’s nice to see.

• Rivette continues to be excellent even with a silly moustache.

• The Mabeuf + Marius timeline continues to be nonsensical, but I enjoyed their meet-cute and Marius was charmingly obtuse.  I also enjoyed Davies’ commitment to Georges Pontmercy/Mabeuf, which is the only explanation I can think of for why Mabeuf might keep a collection of old newspaper clippings about Georges in his attic.

• Gillenormand is still pitch-perfect.

• This episode was not Quinjolras’s finest hour, but he was extremely done with Marius’ shit, which though not particularly Brick-accurate is a quality I always appreciate in an Enjolras.  Giving him Combeferre’s “To be free” line was inspired.  I’m also impressed by his ability to adjust his rhetoric to match his audience – “Think of the poor veterans living in poverty!” is the way to win Marius to the side of revolution, if anything will.

• The juxtaposition of Javert’s lonely, cheerless bedtime routine and Valjean broodingly watching Cosette at the piano could have been filmed by a Valvert shipper (Look!  They’ll never be complete without each other!), which in a way I suppose it was.

• The police patrolling the Luxembourg Gardens while Cosette is looking around in raptures was a nice subtle touch.  This series plays up the Valjean vs. Cosette conflict more than I might like, but it does a very good job of showing you where they both are coming from.

• THE HANDKERCHIEF SCENE!

• I do appreciate Westjean’s ongoing commitment to self-branding.  Also the fact that they included the chisel scene makes the Coin of Shame a nice piece of foreshadowing.

The Meh

• I suppose it makes sense for a Cosette raised by Shouty Valjean to shout a lot herself.  This Valjean + Cosette pair actually articulate their needs and desires and communicate them to each other, instead of repressing everything and sinking into silent depression.

On the one hand, that’s healthy.  Good for them.  I know people are concerned about the tenor of their relationship, but frankly Westjean has done a better job than Brick Valjean of raising Cosette out of the unquestioning silence of her abuse.  They both adopted a kid who “had suffered so much that she feared everything – even to speak, even to breathe”.  Only Westjean has a kid who doesn’t exhibit the exact same trauma symptoms six years later.

On the other hand, who are these people?

• I do not appreciate Javert’s medal, but I very much appreciate Javert’s resentment of his medal while there’s still a Valjean on the loose.  If we’ve gotta go Bread Crimes let’s really commit to it.

• Sister Simplice is convinced the outside world has become more dangerous.  Sure, I guess?  1823-25 when they came into the convent was a relatively calm period, and there has just been a successful revolution.  Still, this seems like a good time for the show to mention that.

• “Wow,” I thought, “What a perfect choice for the Rue de l’Homme Armé!”  Oh wait, it’s the Rue Plumet which is still mostly orchards at this point.  That said, the garden is fantastic.

• Marius’ wet dream was actually okay.  After the Éponine Peep Show Incident I feared the worst, but there was nothing terribly wrong with it.  Marius had vaguely sexual thoughts about Cosette, his subconscious pulled a bait-and-switch and transformed her into Éponine, at which point he went “Nope nope nope DNW!” and awoke in a cold sweat.  This is not at all an unreasonable thing for Marius to dream, especially in an adaptation that’s dangling Éponine’s sexuality in front of him as aggressively as this one is.  The key theme of Marius/Éponine from Marius’ end, which is that he’s not attracted to her because he understands it’s immoral to fuck starving child prostitutes, comes through loud and clear.

• What a weird way to do the Chaîne scene.  I can see it happening: most Valjeans would never intentionally expose Cosette to a sight like this, but because Westjean is stuck with a Cosette who actually asserts her needs, he has to push back much harder than usual in order to maintain their secrecy.  He doesn’t show her the Chaîne to punish her or upset her – it’s clearly an ill-judged attempt to convince her The World Is Bad and win their argument from the day before, and perhaps also to start a conversation about his own past which will explain why he’s a paranoid recluse.  A bit manipulative perhaps, but that’s well within Valjean’s repertoire, and he’s thoroughly punished for it by the narrative since the whole scheme ends up backfiring horribly on him.  Cosette is not just appalled by this glimpse into the brutality of their society but repulsed by the convicts themselves, and the viewers get an explanation for why Valjean will be so adamant later that Cosette must never learn his true history.

I do think the Chaîne scene is important for explaining Valjean’s Cosette Issues so I’m always glad when an adaptation decides to include it, but on balance I think it works better when they stumble across it by accident.

• The attempted kidnapping at the Gorbeau tenement was fine.  Points for including the chisel and all the “neighbors” slipping into the room, minus points for Valjean punching everyone.  I’m not sure why Valjean thought paying off Thénardier would help anything, but then Valjean has never been the king of good decisions and this Valjean less than most.

The Bad

• I appreciate Valjean’s aspiration to spend the rest of his life hiding in a hole.  I do not appreciate the hard sell on Cosette taking the veil.  It just makes him seem selfish and inconsiderate of her needs, to a degree that he isn’t in the novel.  His “I thought we’d found a home here together where you could grow up and I could grow old, and you could grow old, and I could die, and you could die, and we’d be buried and we’d be together forever! :D :D :D” line is hilarious and adorable in the way it expresses the tragic limits of his aspirations, but I would sacrifice it in order to lose this scene.

• After holding down the fort on costumes and set design for two episodes, the Prefecture of Police sadly let us down this episode.  You guys were doing so well!  No uniforms, no illegal tricolors in 1823 like some adaptations we could mention *cough2012cough*, but now it’s 1832 and suddenly everyone is dressed like an officier de paix and Javert has a medal and they’ve still got the fleur-de-lys up.  Also that blah jacket of navy serge is not what the Prefect of Police’s uniform looked like in the 1830s, lmao.  I mean, for fuck’s sake, it’s fancier than that now.  That thing Chabouillet was wearing in the 1978 movie is also not remotely what the Prefect’s uniform looks like, but at least they bothered to slap some gold braid on it.

I will grudgingly accept the uniforms as a visual representation of the increasing professionalization of the police, Not!Gisquet’s Légion d’honneur is a reasonable reward for him apparently allowing the July Revolution to happen, and I do appreciate them swapping the portrait of Louis XVIII for Louis-Philippe inside, but there’s no excuse for Javert’s medal or the flag.

• Surely the entire purpose of casting Josh O'Connor as Marius is so Marius can be shy and stiff and awkward, and emphasize these qualities by having a face that consists primarily of nose and ears?  Otherwise you could cast someone who actually looks like Marius.

I know everyone shouts a lot in this and he probably needs to be able to shout back to keep up with Cosette, but from his very first words to Gillenormand he’s far too assertive and confrontational.  Part of the charm of Marius/Cosette is how isolated and naive they both are, and how these victims of childhood abuse are able to find in each other a safety they might not find in anyone else.  (Marius’ damage is obvious, and while Cosette’s is more subtle her tendency towards unquestioning acceptance would leave her incredibly vulnerable to the Tholomyèses of the world.)  This adaptation portrayed this kind of mutual refuge very well with Valjean/Fantine, of all things, so it’s weird they didn’t think to do it here.

Of course, Bambersette is healthier than Brick Cosette in some ways so maybe she doesn’t need it so much, but they still need to sell us on the pairing somehow.  Meet-cutes in the Luxembourg are all very well, but handkerchief sniffing can only get you so far.

• I see Fantine’s inability to put her hair up like a respectable woman is hereditary.

• If we have to see this much of the principal-tenant of the Gorbeau House I want to see some parrots, dammit.

• Éponine has a job and we have no reason to assume she’s bad at it, so I’m not going to say she wouldn’t do a sexy peephole dance for her new neighbor the law student.  At this point she knows nothing of Marius’ virtuous chastity; all she knows is that he’s young, male, richer than her, and she’s probably going to be forced to sleep with him for money at some point.  This scene could happen.

But we sure as fuck didn’t need to see it.  Stop sexualizing the starving child prostitute, Davies.  It’s disgusting.

• Speaking of things not to sexualize, why the hell does the dressmaker assume Valjean is Cosette’s sugar daddy and not her actual relative?  It made sense that everyone thought so last week because Valjean was being super shady.  It makes sense for Thénardier still to think so, because Thénardier is Thénardier.  It makes absolutely no sense for random strangers to assume it.  It’s the nineteenth century!  People die in childbirth!  There’s a cholera epidemic!  Teenage girls need their fathers to take them clothes shopping because all their female relatives are dead.  This is not such an unusual scenario that anyone would remark on it, or make highly offensive insinuations about a customer.  And why doesn’t Valjean just introduce himself to people as her father???

Mild, mild Valjean/Cosette is Brick canon and I don’t think we can justly criticize an adaption for including it, but every random passerby shouldn’t be remarking on it.

• On my first viewing of this episode, I assumed that its portrayal of the Amis as tiresome drunken louts could be explained by the fact that Andrew Davies simply didn’t like Enjolras, and probably not the other Amis or the June Rebellion very much either.  The superb barricade sequence in the subsequent episodes demolishes that theory.  Never has it been portrayed so well, and certainly not in any English language adaptation.  But that leaves me at an absolute loss to explain what Davies was doing here.  This is our first introduction to the Amis: they should be likable, so that we will like them.  They are not.

The irony is that it’s not particularly hard to prosecute a case against Enjolras, if you want to complicate his heroism a bit.  Enjolras is ridiculous and slightly insufferable!  Enjolras is a guy who thinks “Citizen, my mother is the Republic,” is a coherent and comforting response when his best friend musically drags your Napoleon eulogy.  I mean, just look at these twats in hats in the Théâtre de la Jeunesse adaptation.  They are highly mockable!  And on a more somber note, Enjolras led a revolutionary cell that misjudged the public mood so badly it got a hundred people killed to no useful purpose.

But Enjolras is not deliberately trying to orchestrate a battle to the death over France’s system of government.  Enjolras had the chance to battle to the death only two years ago, and he’s still here.  What Enjolras wants is to jump up on Lamarque’s casket and have all the National Guards and the troops of the line wave their muskets in the air and say “Yeah, fuck that pear-faced buffoon!  Down with the king!  Vive la république!”  That’s why his side have been quietly trying to propagandize and subvert every military unit in Paris for months, which Davies knows, because Enjolras mentions it himself in Episode 5!  If the monarchy could be overthrown without any bloodshed at all, that would be ideal.

And Enjolras has too much dignity to throw food at anyone, even Grantaire.  If we must take a swipe at Enjolras through the medium of food fights, Courfeyrac should throw food at Grantaire and Enjolras should give him a pious lecture about wasting food when so many are starving.  That wouldn’t be in character either, but it’s at least within shooting distance of proper characterization and it highlights annoying qualities the characters actually have.

• Speaking of annoying qualities characters don’t have, when Courfeyrac is coming off as sleazier than Tholomyès you are doing it wrong.  Courfeyrac knows girls you don’t have to pay, beyond the usual ‘showing them a good time’ expenses.  He does not have to take his dorky virgin friend to a brothel to get him laid!

• Grantaire is a drunk, but he’s a grandiloquent drunk.  That is... his entire characterization.  How could anyone get this wrong?

• That fucking brothel scene.  WHY.

If you must do a Sexual Awakening of Marius plotline, and evidently Andrew Davies must, I think the correct sequence is this: Courfeyrac and Grantaire take him out beyond the barrières and try to set him up with cute girls.  Marius is having none of it, of course; he’s too shy and awkward, girls are scary, he doesn’t want a fling.  Then he sees Cosette in the park and he’s smitten.

A visit to a brothel Courfeyrac is too classy ever to patronize is not in the cards.  The sole redeeming feature of this scene was the fact that Enjolras declined to attend.

This episode was a return to form, and by form I mean the Thénardiers were fantastic and everything else was incredibly fucking uneven.  While I can’t say that this Gavroche will make fun of Enjolras’ rubbish beard, I can say this Gavroche would make fun of Enjoras’ rubbish beard, and that’s what really counts.

[esteliel]

2018 Fic Review Meme

Total number of posted stories in 2018: 23 - including Sold to the Law. Which is more than I managed in 2017, which was completely eaten by slavefic, haha.

Total word count: 468k - a really good year, even though I was pretty depressed fandom-wise for much of it, and then December has just really been Anxiety for some reason. But I’m so so ready now to throw myself fully into whatever inspiration all those chains will bring this year.

Fandoms written in: American Gods (TV), Love Nikki and 3 different Les Mis canons (the Brick, Dallas and BBC 2018).

Fandoms I wouldn’t have expected to write this year: Love Nikki, but then most of the fandoms I offer/ask for for Yuletide are a surprise, because I’m monofannish enough these days that there are usually just 2-3 new things per year I get interested in enough to want to write or read. And I guess Les Mis 2018 was a surprise too given that it hadn’t even aired ahaha - but sometimes you just need Toulon bjs to cheer yourself up.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted? Around 130k of fic, which is probably less than I thought I would write this year, but turned out to be a nice and sustainable amount.

What’s your own favorite story of the year? Sold to the Law. Again. But there’s just something to a story of that length - sometimes you just need to invest 100k words into a slow build of your Sad Old Men relationship to then wring all the emotions from it, and I definitely got all the emotional payout from it that I’d hoped for. <3

My best story of this year:  Masochism Sanctified I think, because that was really different in how Javert is so distant and detached as a narrator, but it actually came together in just the way I’d hoped it would.

My most popular story of this year: Including the slavefic, Sold to the Law, which isn’t really a surprise because that’s 2 years worth of chapters. /o\ Excluding the slavefic, it’s The Price of Purity - wow, that is a surprise. I feel like the audience for handwavey canon era cock cages is quite small, but apparently I’m wrong. :D (But it also has the 2 chapter bonus.)

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Probably Reasonable Men but for understandable reasons, because it’s Thénardier/Valjean, haha.

Most fun story to write: No Strangers - Dallas handcuffed-together bed sharing tropey fic that was so much fun to write! And it was a different setting which was also fun to experiment with! I love that Dallas in general just lets you experiment with whatever you want, and this time it was a dystopian near-future setting, seen from the more domestic angle of Javert’s apartment. 

Sexiest story/story with the single sexiest moment: I cannot decide between Masochism Sanctified and The Tricks of a Bagnard. Candle object insertion versus enemas and slapping and washing Valjean’s mouth with soap? I couldn’t possibly choose. /o\ But I’m so grateful for all the exchanges this year with all these amazing porny prompts. <3 

Hardest story to write: Hmmmm. Probably Sir . Mainly because the entire premise is so inherently OOC, but I had been craving OOC BDSM romance Dallas Valvert for months by that point, so that was the only way to get it out of my system. And it was fun writing this, just way more work than usual to get the annoying voice in my brain to shut up.

Did you take any writing risks this year? The Love Nikki fic Feifan Tentacle Party probably was, because it’s so unlike what I usually write, and I know so little Shade lore yet. But having so little to go by is really freeing, especially since I was pretty sure that shadow wasn’t going to judge my entire worth as a person based on a fun little porny treat (not that I think anyone really does that, but my brain loves doing that to me), and sometimes writing is just FUN if you can play loose with the silly little canon you love.

Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year? I went with a 300k goal for Get Your Words Out last year which I hit easily, so this year I went with 350k. If I really push myself I should probably be able to do 500k - and by ‘push myself’ I mean drown in a wave of BBC-induced chains cravings and write another slavefic epic, ahaha. (More likely than you might think; the trailers alone have already created two fully-fledged scenarios in my head. /o\)

Stories I haven’t yet written, but intend to: ALL the BBC fic. ALL the sexy mean Oyelowovert. And, umm. I’ve got this niggling idea in my head for a Montreuil punishment PWP, but first I need to see their actual Montreuil interaction to see if Oyelowovert would...