#i want the HUMANITY! i want the RAWNESS!

[bookwyrminspiration]

no clue if you're into Les Misérables at all but i just need to yell about something for a second. and that something has to do with the english musical and the french concept album, specifically how gavroche seems So Fucking Angry in the french version compared to the english one.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS ALL OPINION AND I'M PRETTY SURE I'M TALKING OUT OF MY ASS FOR HALF OF THIS ANYWAY. THE ENGLISH MUSICAL IS GOOD I JUST LOVE FABRICE BERNARD'S GAVROCHE.

like, first off, the french version of Little People is... honestly depressing if you really think about it. like, little people is great! it's a fun song about how children are more than people think they are!

it's a lot happier than anything a french gavroche could sing.

the french counterpart is called La Faute à Voltaire [1], and i'm not even gonna try to explain that reference here because it's honestly just a Lot, but in between the chorus when it's not satirizing about Voltaire and Rousseau you get these lines:

I can't really translate these because there's lots of lines that can't be translated [2], but each of them speak about the fact that gavroche lives in a constant state of poverty with no garauntee of food and safety. gavroche literally calls himself a va-nu-pied, which is a degrading term for someone who is extremely poor (literally "go barefoot", before they don't have money for shoes.)

(fun fact, when i was trying to translate this before i gave up, i used GT to double check the basic meaning of my tl of "joyeux drilles en guenilles" and it gave me "merry ragged bitches". do with that what you will.)

needless to say, it's not exactly the same as simply being looked down upon for being a child.

Also, just listen to the difference in tone in the english and french version. (ian tucker and fabrice bernard respectively). maybe it's just me, but gavroche in the french version sounds constantly at least a little angry (mostly because this is an angry song in french!)

the other song that particularly strikes me is the french counterpart to Look Down, which is called Donnez, Donnez. (If i'm wrong about this, someone please correct me though!)

Now, Look Down is incredibly powerful and i fucking love it, and honestly I think I honestly love both versions equally. but something strikes me about fabrice bernard's gavroche, and i think that something is just how much cruder he is than english gavroche, and how much more alone he seems.

on the first note (crudeness), english gavroche does say hell, which some people consider a swear, but french gavroche uses the words "j'me démerde", which essentially means "i manage/get by", but uses 1. shortenings/skipping sounds with j'me (very much not Proper) and 2. the word "démerde", which literally has "shit" in it (merde.) So, essentially, deshit or deal with shit.

He also uses "V'la" instead of "voilà", which is another shortening and even worse, because he pronounces it not very similar to the original word. It also denotes a certain amount of uncaringness towards his family due to the nature of type of speech, whereas english gavroche says "these are my people", which is much nicer.

english gavroche also says "not much to look at, nothing posh / nothing that you'd call up to scratch" while french gavroche says "nothing in my hands, nothing in my pockets / everything in the heart of my song", which to me reads more of an emphasis on the fact that he has nothing, rather than what he does have being subpar.

back to the deshitting stuff, though, the line "this is my school, my high society", which is once again denoting a sense of at least somewhat belonging or claiming this place, is turned into "j'ai pas de sous, et pourtant j'me démerde," which literally means "i have no money, but i manage" (but in the rudest phrasing they could get away with), which is fascinating, since it's once again highlighting a lack of something!

finally, "think you're poor? think you're free? follow me!" is changed to "les timides, les caïds, suivez l'guide!" which.... i don't really know if i can translate caïds? but once again, it's much more degrading language.

Oh, and once again: good angry voice. My god. (kicks in at 1:13)

From beyond that, there's differences in the english version i can listen to and the english lyrics i can actually find, so i don't really want to get back into compairisions here, but i just want to note that gavroche basically yells "vive moi, pas le roi, ça ira, ça ira [3]", meaning "long live me, not the king", which is an interesting thing to have when the original english (as far as i can tell) actually had the words "long live us" instead!

Oh, oh, and the phrase "parce qu'à Paname, y a plus d'oseille" (when he sings about thénardier) is entirely reliant on slang, which is super cool! (specifically, paname is an old name for paris, and oseille means money, so basically "cuz in paris there's more money")

oh. and his death in both versions. good lord. SO.

in the english version, as far as i can tell, gavroche sings Little People until the end. he quite literally never gives up. it's heartbreaking and it makes me bawl my eyes out.

but french gavroche.... to an extent, he does this too, as he dies on the second line of La Faute à Voltaire, but i want to point to a specific line:

"c'est comme ça, on gagne pas, à chaque fois..." "it's how it is. you don't win every time."

this gavroche already knows he's lost. because he knows he's miserable, and poor, and never going to get better, not really. he's essentially already accepted his death. it's horrifying.

i don't really have any concluding thoughts other than "french gavroche good (english gavroche also good but not fav)", but i really do think it's fascinating that gavroche is a much more raw and beaten down kid in the french version. like i know why he's not in the english version (two words: oliver twist), but... this fits. this really fits les mis. and it's my favorite book, so.

oh shit. oh man i really wrote all that. um. whoops?

[1] the song directly lays blame at the feet of Voltaire and Rousseau for some kind of injustice, as it is a satirization of the fact that, due to Voltaire and Rousseau's influence on the revolution, lots of royalists blamed them directly for it.

[2] for example, "Je suis un va-nu-pieds / Mais, nu, le pied va quand même" is a play on words. Va-nu-pieds is a word for an incredible poor and/or homeless person (literally "go barefoot" because they can't by shoes). Gavroche calls himself this, but in the next line says "but, barefoot, the foot can still walk", which says a LOT about him tbh

[3] those "ça ira"s are a reference to a revolutionary song, literally called 'Ça ira'!

(2/2) IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE LONG GAVROCHE ASK:

if i said "ça ira" translates to "it'll do", i was wrong (though not entirely)! it's could also translate to "it'll go/it'll pass"! <- in fact, i think that translation is the correct one lol.

Okay okay. This is a lot there's even footnotes, I'm going to do my best to have a cohesive response. I am not currently into Les Mis and I have no idea who Gavroche is, but glad to be yelled at over it!

I see what you're talking about--though undoubtedly not as clearly as you do as my French is little and very rusty--and it makes complete sense with what I know about you as a person that French Gavroche is more appealing. I agree as well, the...added depth? Not shying away from making it gritty and bare and plain to see his situation instead of softening it? is almost always more of a motivating and captivating character, even when the softer counterpart is endearing.

I do also hear the tone shift you're talking about between songs! Maybe I'm being subconsciously influenced by you because you said it first, but at the very least the English version is incredibly cheery. Which doesn't match the lyrics of the second, if I'm understanding right.

Also! The slang/shortening of words and the shit thing are very interesting, I love seeing language get played with like that, so I appreciate you explaining the meanings. The i have things but not a lot vs I don't have anything is a fascinating comparison of perspective!

Which also comes up in the variations of their deaths, and I think I can get what you're highlighting about it being horrifying but also compelling and fascinating. You don't always win! I can't compare it to Les Mis as I haven't read it, but it tracks that this would fit with the book based on the very little I do know.

I also don't have any concluding thoughts because this is a lot and it's difficult to convey *sits here eagerly listening nodding along focused* in words because I'm on the receiving end of all the words and info. But this is very fascinating to see and I appreciate learning all this! I now know significantly more about Gavroche and his portrayal! I don't, however, know who Gavroche is

[sysig]

How far did you get? (Patreon)

[fumifooms]

What if we were both magic prodigies and it otherized us in different ways and we devoted ourselves to protecting a family member who has general other goals & priorities. What if we both did self-sacrifical devotion in opposite ways.

What if we were dark mirrors of each other and where I've grown overcontrolling you've grown complacent. What if, bought as a servant into a pretty loving home, ownership and control is what love looks like to me, and to you neglected and lonely growing up, love is gratefully taking any scraps of it you’re lent.

By belonging to someone, even if she comes back injured or fails at finding Delgal, she feels like she belongs and is cherished, by owning someone he feels safe in them not leaving him.

She’s what’s tethering him do you see… And he’s the only thing giving her direction and purpose in her state. She needs a compass and he needs a support.

They’re both so out of it 😭 It’s the weirdly intense and unearned mutual trust and reliance on each other?? They’re each other’s weird little comfort codependent teddy bear. Or at least they were headed towards that before SHE DIED THEN HE DIED THEN THEY BOTH FORGOT ABOUT EACH OTHER AND NEVER MET EVER AGAIN. Though she’s also the guard attack hound keeping him safe… And vice versa he heals her and can rewrite her very being with just one wave of his hand. They’re both so so mentally and physically vulnerable both but they cling onto each other. They can’t perceive things accurately but despite it all someway somehow they stumble into something closer to resembling companionship just before they both die. Falin is just that kind and Thistle is just that lonely. Overworked. We both haven’t lived for ourselves in a very long time, haven’t we.

They both have a similar devotion to the people they love but again the difference is that Thistle starts overtsepping while Falin is self-effacing. The other difference between them is that people care about Falin <3 People have given up on Thistle long ago, and he has given people reasons to, while people refuse to give up on Falin. Yaad has a mini arc about it dw about it it’s ok he’s not all alone in the end 😭😭 He reached out for Marcille’s hand but they already all wanted to help him, they just had to be given the chance to, Yaad just had to be given the chance to, it’s okay I’m okay

Hey what if we learned to get in touch with our own identity and the world around us and living in the present again through being in the worst codependent situationship ever.

Falin and Thistle sitting in a tree, sucking on flowers together because they’re h-u-n-g-r-y 💕💕💕

I bet he’s only ever thought of flowers as useless ornaments. Weak weeds. But she shows him they’re tasty and useful and good and pretty in their own right too and deserve existing without proving their worth and waaa <33 Thistles…... Did you know thistles taste sweet if you remove the thorns and eat them?

"Even as a chimera, her kind nature remains" you can’t suppress her in the way that matters. You can’t soothe him in the way that matters. It’s doomed. You’re doomed. It’s all doomed. Save me.

[givemearmstopraywith]

he has that sadness in his eyes that you only see in eastern european gay porn

[fauvester]

THE PRINCES OF THE NORTH!

i thought my little moshang kid could benefit from a baby brother

[gideonisms]

I become 300% more of both a lover and a hater when I'm on my period. just a time of the month when I have strong opinions I would say

[lilaccatholic]

Boy who broke my heart, I hope life is kinder to your daughters than you were to me

[ananxiousgenz]

god i fuck with this SO HARD!!! there is nothing I love more than an audio drama podcast that asks what it is to be human in the worst and wildest circumstances and the answer is ALWAYS that it's about fucking up and making mistakes and hurting people but still striving to fix and heal and make better!!

[a-s-levynn]

(source)

[puppetmaster13u]

Meat Marionette 7?? 8????

Thinkin of the lil robins and other kids and just, them trying to build Jarro a meat body maybe. Idk, still rotating Jarro and if he'd have one seeing as they had to build his human form via some different body parts and such...

Anyway did some sleep deprived sketches of each- though I just realized I didn't label Cullen, oh well lol. I like to think the first couple robins are all more flesh and exposed muscle looking as the Tunnels adjust to building bodies that can still, well, grow and develop. They've only just succeeded in building a body that can move and semi function with Bruce after all, and even then it takes a couple years for that body to shift into something more alive with like, a stomach and such that needs more than time in the Hive and some Lazarus water for food and hydration. And even then it's another year or so of the bodies needing to be fed via IV before everything actually becomes semi functional as well, a body.

But anyway, his eleven children!

Dick's body starts out the most simple, but is also the first that they discover that the meat marionettes can in fact evolve seeing as he starts to grow electricity-producing organs almost akin to something like an eel. Which is probably very distressing to Bruce because like, this is his baby?? Who can suddenly tase people which is fine, but what if it gets stronger?

Jason's robin body doesn't get a lot of evolution before the Joker Incident, and then it formed a cocoon to become the next form over a year or so. I do feel like his wings were fluffier and had some down still, not enough to prevent flight, but enough to slow down say, take offs.

By the time Tim & Steph comes around, their bodies have started to develop more armor similar to Bruce's. Like the bodies are slowly developing even when the Hive first creates them from the flesh walls as the Tunnels get better at building living moving bodies. Like it's still are mostly soft larva-esque chitin still, but It's still visibly learning.

And then with Cass her body is far darker, more similar to one of the Bats than the rest of the babies. There's still bits of color- bright yellows to warn for venom and poison- but it's such a sudden left turn that they're concerned about what the Tunnels might do next.

It's a relief when it goes back to more colorful designs with the next ones, even if Duke probably has ended up the most armored straight out of the flesh.

Honestly in general I feel like they're actually very soft if someone gets close enough to touch them. Like they look terrifying, especially in night when it's dark out, but compared to their parent & aunt they're like fluffy baby birds. Something the kids in Gotham are probably familiar with, because the birds will help comfort scared people and victims while Bruce takes care of whatever caused their distress. Sometimes just crouches down and pulls out a small puzzle or something from one of his bags while waiting for the police to arrive while distracting the kids, his own and not.

Jarro if he does have a body like theirs, meat marionette or made by them, I feel like it looks more like some sort of hybrid of whatever the batclan are and some sort of aquatic creature. Like an aquatic (swimming?) xenomorph compared to a runner or a drone. Visibly the same species, but looks almost like a similar caste or subspecies if that makes sense? But honestly if yall have any ideas I am open to them. ______________________________________________________________

Reminder that this Au is a combo of both mine and @phoenixcatch7 so check out their Possessed Doll au, and actually go check them out in general, they have a lot of fun ideas and drabbles <3

[carefulfears]

thinking about "you have a life" / "i don't know what i have" + "what do you want, dana?" / "i want everything that i should want at this time of my life" + the perceived shame in scully's loss of normalcy... "unlike you, mulder, i would like to have a life" + "do you believe in the afterlife?" / "i'd settle for a life in this one" + "don't you ever want to just stop? get out of the damn car? settle down and live something approaching a normal life?"

her friend ellen saying, "well, first you have to get a life." tara, pregnant with their christmas gift, saying that life before one grew inside her was "somehow...less, just a prelude," while barren dana cries in the kitchen. "i know you and dad were...disappointed...that i chose the path that i'm on."

thinking about how mulder said, "this is a normal life," and how she smiled. (he doesn't know any different). how, in the end, he said, "hey, scully? i know it's not your normal life, but thanks for coming out there with me."

(christmas before quantico, "i guess i'm afraid of making a big mistake. dad thinks i am." and missy's response: "it's not his life, dana.")

her application to adopt emily was rejected: "you're a single woman who's never been married or had a long-term relationship. you're in a high stress, time intensive, and dangerous occupation."

bill's reaction: "sounds like something your partner would say. this isn't about any little girl, dana. this is about you. it's about some...void, some emptiness inside you that you're trying to fill."

and mulder to the judge: "the fact that she can adopt this child, her own flesh and blood, is something i don't feel i have the right to question, and i don't believe anyone has the right to stand in the way of."

(that last christmas with missy before everything: "there is no right or wrong. life is just a path...just don't mistake the path for what is really important in life. the people you're going to meet along the way. you don't know who you're going to meet when you join the FBI. you don't know how your life is going to change, or how you're going to change the life of others.")

and ultimately, it all leads to a leather couch. and after contemplating that sacrifice of normalcy, what she should want, the decisions she could have made, she says, "i once considered spending my whole life with this man...what i would have missed."

she could've been a doctor, like her father wanted. she could've settled down, married waterston, had a normal life, like her friends and brother wanted. but what would she have missed?

"what if there was only one choice and all the other ones were wrong?" / "and all the...choices would then lead to this very moment. one wrong turn, and...we wouldn't be sitting here together."

[espectres]

Ppl don't understand how Toichiro is so interesting how he doesn't gaf if anything legitimately harmful happens to Shou ( due to Shou's own actions or even by Toichiro's own hands at the point of wda ) but the second anyone else is like ?? literally after his son's life ?? good old oyaji goes bonkers

[y-rhywbeth2]

Who decided the drow should have so much fucking lore anyway.

('I should've been a drow.' You can't fucking stand Cazador or your 'siblings' you would not fucking want to be a drow. Although I guess Astarion would make a fair Vhaeraunite.)

[lavender-town-radio]

[meteorstricken]

{Insert extensive grumbling noises here about half of my YouTube recs being for The Rising Tide playthroughs while I've opted to do a replay of the full game in order to fully grasp the implications of the DLC on the narrative as a whole.}

[cuntwrap--supreme]

Someone's tiny child drew a Something and they put it in their box saying the kid drew it for me. Which is cute, I guess. My mom did stuff like this when I was a small child who was obsessed with the arrival of mail. It's in the route's case to be immortalized forever.

Now to figure out how to read the drawing so I can find what I assume is treasure beyond my wildest imagination.