#she’s one of my favorite eponines forever

[granhairdo]

when i saw les mis us this year i saw the understudy for montparnasse and thought he was really good but now that im gonna see it again im hoping we get the og dude so i can see his portrayal as well

[laurapetrie]

what are your favorite heroines written by fitzgerald? and by thomas hardy? and by dickens? and by your other favorite authors? ♡

i cannot believe i’ve had this blog for 84 years and i've never done an official ranking of my girls! i limited myself to twenty characters (one per author), but if an author has more than one amazing heroine, i will be talking about all of them. so let’s start at the beginning, a very good place to start! 💗 

1.) estella havisham. my forever girl, my number one heroine when it comes to serious literature, and the blueprint for all my bitchy rich girl faves - of which there are many on this list. but no one compares to estella! you might be a spoiled brat, but have you been bent and broken into a better shape? 

2.) natasha rostova / kitty shcherbatsky. i think i would ultimately choose natasha if it ever came to that - she’s just a richer character, and one of the only major literary heroines who has a killer sense of humor - but kitty is my sweet pink marshmallow. it’s a very close call!

3.) cosette / eponine. again, i can’t choose. i think eponine is the more complex and sophisticated character, but cosette is so GOOD! she’s just loveable, which is a very hard quality to pin down. i love them both so much. 10/10 for each!

4.) eustacia vye, followed so closely by tess that the difference is infinitesimal. tess is the greater heroine (goodness made interesting - name a bigger challenge in literature!), but god, i fucking love eustacia. the chapter introducing her in return of the native is still the single best in-depth breakdown of a character’s personality that i have ever encountered in a novel.

5.) anne shirley, because she’s been with me my entire life and has taught me more about happiness than any other character i’ve ever come across. “the iron has entered into my soul, diana!”

6.) isabel archer. does she make poor decisions? yes. would she have been better off without the money? double yes! but the drama is what makes her shine. i know this book is dense, but read it anyway - because if you don’t, you’ll never meet isabel, and you will miss out on one of the richest experiences of your life. it’s not a light read, but it is my favorite read.

7.) emma bovary, my favorite mess. she’s mean and unrealistic and a little stupid, but that scene at the end where she just cracks open and all her anger comes spilling out is what makes her amazing. the french have a flair for tragedy (c'est dans le fucking titre in the case of les mis!), but nothing compares to the heartbreak of watching emma, who thinks that death will be like falling asleep, when she feels the arsenic start to work and realizes she was wrong: “oh! it is beginning!” it will not be an easy death. she is not an easy character. but mon dieu, i adore her! 

8.) catherine barkley. brett ashley is hemingway’s best female character, but catherine is the one who has my heart. she’s incredibly romantic and feminine and starry-eyed (with the most beautiful hair in all of literature!), but what makes her great is that this dreamy quality is a deliberately willed reaction to intense trauma. she CHOOSES to love. she is proof that you can be a girly girl and still be made of iron and steel. she’s so smart and courageous, and i am forever obsessed with her!

9.) sibyl vane, the girl who died for believing in fairy tales.

10.) tatyana larina rounds out my top ten for leaving onegin on read after he left her on read. the russians have the best heroines. i will not budge on this!

11.) yvonne de galais. she’s a ten (or in fournier-speak: “the fairy, the princess, the dream of love itself!”), but she can’t hold on to her man. 💔

12.) emma woodhouse. i’m not a huge austen fan, but i feel like out of all the girls on this list, emma would “get” me the most and go out of her way to befriend me. we are, unfortunately, very much alike.

13.) beatrice. do you know how much i suffered over choosing just one shakespeare heroine? an impossible task, but a girl who loves to laugh as much as bea does deserves to be number one. (it’s why the très witty rosalind is a close second, followed by the more tragically-inclined ophelia.)

14.) rosemary hoyt. this was the hardest one. i ultimately went with rosemary because she has all the qualities of the quintessential fitzgerald girl (young, fun, glamorous, spoiled, beautiful), but she’s much more likeable than rosalind, gloria, daisy, or even my beloved jordan. also in the top three are eleanor savage, who would be number one if she had her own book (“here am i with the brains to do everything - too bright for most men, and yet i have to descend to their level!”), and cecilia brady, hollywood princess extraordinaire and the west coast equivalent of nick carraway.

15.) amy march, america’s least favorite sister - and my personal favorite. this country has no taste. no wonder amy left!

16.) linda radlett. a little awful, but terribly funny and, in a weird way, kind of admirable in her single-minded ~pursuit of love. my mom wanted to watch the lily james version, thinking it would be a nice downton-esque period drama, and i had to tell her v. bluntly that there is nothing nice about the pursuit of love and that i couldn’t watch it with her because i knew she would hate linda. some things are just too sick-making!

17.) miss holiday golightly, travelling!

18.) lucy honeychurch. aside from being a genuinely cool girl who rejects the second-worst man in all of literature (the ultimate worst being angel clare), she also has the greatest name in the canon, which guarantees her a position in my top twenty.

19.) marguerite gautier, just because she’s actually marie duplessis and my love for marie is boundless and obsessively documented.

20.) franny glass. there aren’t many girls who possess the crazy level of self-confidence required to order a glass of milk in a restaurant while wearing a glam raccoon coat, but franny is one of the few. i related to her an embarrassing amount when i was a teenager, and while the association has faded, she remains my favorite glass sibling to this day.

[collecting-stories]

Cardigan - Rafe Cameron

Request: heyy for the ts anthology, can u do one for cardigan with rafe? love ur writing🤍 

TS Anthology Series | Outer Banks Masterlist

_ . ◦ ⭐︎:*.☾.*:⭐︎◦∙._

The summer you turned thirteen was the same summer your dad showed up again. Driving the same lemon of a car that he’d pulled out of the driveway in when you were six, he looked like he hadn’t aged. Or maybe you just didn’t remember him all that well because his face felt the same but you were different. When you missed your best friend’s birthday, a trip to the gymnastics gym on the mainland and a towering cake with fondant replicas of all her favorite things, she was rightly pissed.  

Thirteen felt monumental, like the movie the two of you had snuck onto your mom’s Verizon bill, and you had both made a pact that you would be there for each other no matter what. That promise included birthdays and, more seriously, dads who showed up after seven years of radio silence because they didn’t want to “miss anything else”. But you didn’t mention your dad because hers was so great and you felt a little like you were floating on an island and no one could understand you enough to reach it. But then you missed her birthday and she swore not to speak to you and that felt more crushing than the dad thing until her brother stepped in. Always the one playing referee in when you fought, Rafe was a few years older and, in your mind, a lot smarter.  

It felt pretty important that an older boy would make the time to talk to you, especially when he had to know that his sister was avoiding you at all costs. He’d just gotten his permit and, like any good brother, showed up in the car he wasn’t supposed to drive with a minor in the passenger seat, to take you around the island for the afternoon.  

“My mom said she thinks we’re gonna move.” You mentioned, less casually than you would’ve hoped. The windows in the truck were rolled down and you had your legs up, feet placed precariously on the window ledge. There was a particularly nasty bruise on your knee from falling off your skateboard three days ago and a few short hairs you’d missed shaving. You were relatively new to both shaving and skateboarding so there were bound to be mistakes, you just wished they were less visible.  

“Off the island?” Rafe asked, concern etched into his tone. You assumed the concern was for his sister, what would Sarah do if you moved? Who would put up with all her antics?

You shook your head, “to the cut.”

“Why?”

“She can’t afford the house on her own anymore and my dad has been lousy with child support.” You repeated back all the things she had said to you. Why she didn’t take him to court like the other kid in your grade with divorced parents was beyond you. Rose told her that it was the only way to ensure he paid what he was supposed to but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to hold him accountable.  

Can’t believe you’re gonna be a pogue.” He said it like it meant something worse than you moving to the mainland.

“It’s not forever. My grandma’s house is there, we’re gonna stay with her until we can get back up on our feet.” You shrugged, “at least my dad’ll stay away then.”

But you dad wasn’t the only one who kept their distance. It felt like the distinction over your mother’s life choices held a greater impact on your friends than they had let on. A year into pogue life and Rafe seemed to disappear almost completely. It had always been an odd kind of friendship in the first place but you’d thought that it could’ve withstood a change in address.  

Sarah kept in touch, unbothered by labels or mailing addresses. She’d been to your grandma’s a hundred times before you moved and she continued to go there to see you after. The two of you played in the backyard, doing tricks on the trampoline until gossiping about kids at school became more important than cartwheels. You’d lay there whispering as if someone might overhear, telling each other stories from the week that you were separated. Rafe always came to pick her up, staying in the car and honking the horn for her but never coming over to see you.  

It felt a little lonely even though you technically retained most of your friends.  

-

In tenth grade you got the role of Eponine in the teen camp production of Les Miserables that the local theatre was putting on. You were technically sharing the role with another girl your age but you couldn’t help being excited nonetheless. The boy playing Marius was in two of your classes, a senior who had lofty city dreams and a nice smile. He flirted almost constantly with you, brushing your hair back, telling you how pretty you were, inviting you out after practice. You told Sarah you were “pretty sure” you were on your way to having your first real boyfriend.  

But maybe the ominous casting of Eponine over your life should’ve been hint enough that things weren’t destined to work out that way. The boy who played Marius had an actual girlfriend, home from vacationing with her family in time to watch her boyfriend on stage, and you were supposed to accept that he was just “connecting to the character” when he was with you. Either way, your On My Own struck a different chord in you and after the show was over you didn’t join the other cast members in the lobby to greet people.  

“So when you get to New York...do I get to leak all those videos of you and Sarah doing your Genie in a Bottle routine?” Rafe asked, pulling a chair next to you at the makeup table. Yours was halfway off but you’d stopped scrubbing at your face to stare at yourself in the mirror. Self-pity was a powerful procrastinator.

“You’re supposed to be in the lobby.” You pointed out, ignoring his comment, “I look like a ghost raccoon that just climbed out of a dumpster.  

“Now there’s an analogy.” He laughed and picked up the cotton pads you had sitting on the counter, soaking one in micellar water and turning your head to face him.  

You bit your bottom lip as you tried to keep your composure. It’d been a while since you and Rafe had been alone and last time he was just your best friend’s cute older brother. Too old for you and way out of your league but you were fifteen now and seventeen didn’t feel so far away.  

But Sarah was your best friend and she would be mortified if she found out that you had even entertained the idea of her brother, let alone had serious thoughts about it.  

“I’m sorry,” you said as he swiped the cotton pad over your cheek.

“What for?”  

“I know we’re all supposed to go out tonight for dinner but I kinda just wanna go home.” You replied.  

“Sarah might’ve let it slip about-”

You groaned, “don’t even say his name.” You weren’t sure if it was embarrassment at having let yourself totally believe he liked you but hearing Rafe bring it up made you feel even worse.

“Hey, you’re so much better than that loser,” He insisted, “I’ll beat the crap outta him though, just say the word.”

-

It was that same year, just as school was ending, that you turned sixteen. A short stay in the cut at your grandma’s house had helped your mom get back on her feet. A new job, better than the one that let her go, afforded a moderately sized house back on Figure Eight and a birthday with all the friends that had left the two of you behind.  

Sixteen felt a little more important than thirteen had, especially because, for two whole weeks, time suspended and you were technically only a year younger than Rafe. You still hadn’t told Sarah that you liked her brother, though she did seem a little suspicious when the crush on your co-star dissipated almost overnight. The boys of the past had no hold over your growing infatuation with Rafe. Maybe it was foolish but you couldn’t help thinking that maybe it wasn’t.  

Especially not when he showed up at your house the same way he had when you were thirteen, though this time he had his actual license and not just a permit. He told you it was birthday drive around the island, that he was in charge of stalling you while Sarah set up a surprise party at your house.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to tell me that it’s a surprise.” You teased, sipping at the iced coffee that Rafe had brought you when he picked you up. You swished the ice around once before sipping again.  

“It’s a party either way.” Rafe replied, shrugging his shoulder.  

“So, we’re just driving around until she texts you?” You asked. Rafe turned into the Island Club, circling the parking lot once and then turning back around.  

“I’m yours until Sarah says otherwise.” He said, the words erupting butterflies in your stomach. You could practically feel yourself heat up thinking about what those words could mean if he wasn’t just your best friend’s brother.  

“Well...then do you wanna go to the beach?” You suggested, “Jaxon showed me this really cool spot on the south side that’s practically hidden.”

“Jaxon?” Rafe sounded judgmental when he said the other boy’s name, whether he meant to or not.  

“Yea, we’ve been on a couple dates. You know him, he took me to prom,” you supplied, thinking of the way Rafe had sulked on the staircase while you and Sarah had gotten your pictures taken on the front lawn of Tanney Hill. The last picture in the bunch, despite his sulkiness, was of you and Rafe. You’d asked and he had obliged, coming down onto the porch to take a picture with you before everyone left for the dance.  

It was your favorite picture, even more than the countless ones of you and Sarah or the few of you and Jaxon. He was just a place holder anyway, someone to take your mind off the thing you couldn’t have. Not that it was working, especially when you were driving around with Rafe at the moment.  

“I remember him.” Rafe replied, “so this special part of the beach?”

“It’s so pretty.” You confirmed, “Sarah and I went there a couple weeks ago but she only ever wants to sunbathe.”  

“Don’t say it like you’re surprised.” He said, pulling his car off to the side of the road when you told him to.  

You were out of the car first, letting the door fall shut behind you as you headed up the wooden ramp to the beach. The drop off at the top was a little steeper here than anywhere else, the beach mostly desolate. You stopped at the top of the walkway, turning back to wait for Rafe. He was standing at the bottom of the ramp staring up at you.  

“Are you coming up or what?” You called.  

“Yeah,” he nodded, walking up the path to you.  

“I know Sarah’s planning a big birthday for me, but I’d much rather have this...” you admitted, “just like, coming out to the beach with you...”  

“Oh yeah?” He asked, grinning down at you.  

“Don’t tell Sarah,” you joked, “she’ll be mad-”

“Why, cause I’m your favorite Cameron?”

Maybe it was being sixteen or maybe it was that you were feeling particularly bold, out here on the beach with just Rafe, no threat of prying eyes to interrupt you. Either way, you had been thinking about telling him for a while now and it felt like the time...even if getting rejected ran the risk of ruining your birthday.  

“I know I’m just Sarah’s best friend but...I really like you Rafe.” You said, “and I know it’s like a million to one that you like me back but I just felt like I would explode if I didn’t tell you.” You waited a beat for him to say something and when he didn’t you kept talking, “Sorry, I know this is so weird-”

“It’s not weird.” Rafe cut you off, “I’m just shocked that you seriously think I only see you as Sarah’s best friend.” His tone was teasing as he brushed a piece of hair behind your ear and cupped your cheek. “You’re so much more than that.”

-

It was Sarah who told you, days before your eighteenth birthday. She’d seen Rafe with someone else when her family took a weekend trip out to Chapel Hill to see a game. There was a girl there, hanging all over her brother. He swore she was just a friend, told Sarah not to tell you, but Sarah wasn’t dumb and she wouldn’t help her brother cover up an indiscretion. So she told you flat out that her brother was cheating on you.  

When Sarah first found out that you and Rafe were dating, she had been as mad as her thirteenth birthday. How could you go behind her back and date her brother? The anger dissipated slowly, over the course of the summer it became clear that were not going to leave her in the dust for Rafe. She wasn’t wholly supportive of the relationship but she was supportive of you and if Rafe was who you wanted to be with than she’d be happy for you.  

But if she had to choose, it would always be you over Rafe.  

“I didn’t want to tell you, I really thought about not saying anything but...you deserve to know.” It was the justification she used as your face fell, all the giddiness from planning your eighteenth birthday fading in the blink of an eye.  

“He cheated?” And it felt like a punch to the gut. “Are you sure?”

“He said she was just a friend but...I don’t hang on my friends like that.” Sarah remarked.  

You fiddled with the phone in your lap, Sarah’s comments turning over in your head. You could refute them, tell her that you’d just talked to him the night before and he told you how excited he was to see you, how much he loved you. He’d used the word love...that had to mean something right? You could call him, ask him straight away if he was actually cheating, but you suspected that he would only lie to you. And if he wasn’t cheating, if he did tell the truth, would you believe him? Sarah was your best friend and once she had planted the seeds of doubt in you, they seemed to flourish there.  

You didn’t say anything else about it to Sarah that night and when Rafe called to talk, like he always did, you pretended that everything was fine. But that could only last for so long. A week before your party, on the same special part of the beach that Rafe had first kissed you, things ended. Rafe had sworn to Sarah that the girl at school was just a friend but he couldn’t lie to you, and he didn’t try to either.  

“It was a mistake,” he insisted, as if it was the type of thing you could brush off.  

“But you still made it.” You replied.  

“I didn’t mean to.” Rafe didn’t have any good reasons for why he had cheated on, only that he had and that, since you now knew, he was apologetic. “I don’t even talk to that girl anymore. She meant nothing to me.”

“Obviously she meant more than we did.”  

Rafe had been it for you for a long time. He seemed so out of your league and you had thought a million times that you would’ve done anything for him. He was the ideal for everything that you wanted and for a while, when you had it, had him, it had felt like a dream. But now you were waking up to reality and it wasn’t a sunset on the beach.  

“I love you.” He said it like it was something you were neglecting to remember.  

“Not enough.”  

[richincolor]

New Releases Week of June 1, 2020

This post is a bright spot for the week. It's great to see so many new titles being released tomorrow.

My Summer of Love and Misfortune by Lindsay Wong Simon Pulse

Iris Wang is having a bit of a rough start to her summer. In an attempt to snap her out of her funk, Iris’s parents send her away to visit family in Beijing, with the hopes that Iris will “reconnect with her culture” and “find herself.” Iris resents her parents’ high-handedness, but even she admits that this might be a good opportunity to hit the reset button.

Iris expects to eat a few dumplings, meet some of her family, and visit a tourist hotspot or two. What she doesn’t expect is to meet a handsome Mandarin-language tutor named Frank and to be swept up in the ridiculous, opulent world of Beijing’s wealthy elite, leading her to unexpected and extraordinary discoveries about her family, her future, and herself. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky Penguin Workshop

In Beyond the Gender Binary, poet, artist, and LGBTQIA+ rights activist Alok Vaid-Menon deconstructs, demystifies, and reimagines the gender binary.

Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today’s leading activists and artists. In this installment, Beyond the Gender Binary, spoken word poet Alok Vaid-Menon challenges the world to see gender not in black and white, but in full color. Taking from their own experiences as a gender-nonconforming artist, they show us that gender is a malleable and creative form of expression. The only limit is your imagination. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson Scholastic Press

Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.

But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down . . . until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.

The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true? — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles #1) by Kester Grant Knopf Children’s

In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina’s life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father’s fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger–the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh–Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city’s dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice–protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow Tor Teen

Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Never mind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she’s also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won’t be either. — Copy image and summary via Goodreads

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin #1) by Roseanne A. Brown Balzer + Bray

The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death? — Copy image and summary via Goodreads

[smallblueandloud]

okay, so i’ve spent all day listening to les mis, right? and i love eponine (as all gays do). marius is like... decent. cosette is simultaneously annoying as fuck and also one of my favorite characters. She Has The Range.

anyway, my queer heart wants eponine to be happy, so logically you’d think “Marius Has Two Hands”, right? except honestly i’m not such a fan of marius except maybe when he’s chugging his respect women juice. so i propose the ideal version, which i’m gonna call “Cosette Has Two Hands” but is really “the ot3 of amazing singing”. (under a cut because i just straight-up started writing dialogue at the end, because why the fuck not.)

see, i don’t think the show really mentions this (forgive me, the only version i’ve seen in the movie and it’s been forever), but cosette and eponine grew up together! or at least, they spent their formative childhood years together. i was assuming that it was a cinderella-and-stepsister situation, but judging from the way that eponine’s parents treat her when she’s older, i’m gonna guess that they treated her like cosette even back then. (maybe a little better, but still, not great.) and honestly i don’t care what canon says? I Am The Captain Now

which leads to... young!cosette and young!eponine bonding over having the same shitty childhood situation. eponine gets slightly better treatment, but she shares almost everything she can with cosette, because they’re friends and eponine loves her! like, a lot! and wants to hold her hand! (baby gay eponine is giving me life rn.) cosette has similar feelings! but then a nice stranger comes and takes cosette away to a good (if slightly sheltered) childhood that’s only rarely punctuated by weird muttering about a javier, or something. cosette is NOT sure what’s going on there.

anyways so flash forward to paris. eponine knows who cosette is, right? i mean, her dad recognized jean on sight. (he hadn’t seen jean before, which i’m gonna handwave with “eponine is out and about more than her dad and isn’t exactly STALKING her gay crush / childhood friend but she knows where she is, okay? get off her back gavroche”.) but she hasn’t gone up to TALK to her, because eponine lives on the streets and cosette looks like a pressed flower and eponine is... kind of technically actually a criminal and she does NOT want to see disgust on cosette’s face.

but eponine’s OTHER crush falls in love at first sight with cosette! lovely! then demands eponine take him to her house! wonderful!!!!!!!!! so she takes him, but stays out of sight, so that cosette won’t recognize her, and doesn’t tell marius that she knows her. so cosette asks “how did you know where you live?”, marius says “oh, my friend found you. she’s good with the streets” and gestures at the dark shadow keeping watch at the end of the street, and then “a heart full of love” happens and eponine pines terribly for BOTH involved parties, and then they move on (thanks, eponine’s asshole parents).

now, there are two ways for this to end up: either eponine ends up VERY HAPPY or marius and cosette end up VERY SAD. i think i’m gonna go with VERY HAPPY just because i have enough fractured triads to care about, thanks so much. the way this would probably happen is: eponine is wounded pretty badly, marius holds her in his arms, says a bunch of confusing things (DO YOU WANT TO DATE HER OR NOT, MARIUS??), and she sings “a little fall of rain”, and then she passes out and marius howls with pain, cries for a doctor. she lives, but doesn’t participate in any battles because she’s resting. she comes out into the stillness to see a dark figure hunched over marius.

she runs over to him and threatens him with a knife until it is revealed that he’s the father of marius’ love - oh, thinks eponine, and does not give her name. she can’t help him deadlife marius, but she leads him into the sewers and takes him up to the exit, where surprise! surprise! they run into javert. eponine rushes forward to hold her knife to his throat, because marius is very wounded and she is not going to let him die. she “persuades” javert to let them go, and he does, and then he jumps off the bridge because obviously he’s never going to get jean valjean. or maybe he doesn’t? i really don’t care lmao.

they reach jean’s house, where cosette runs out and sees her father, carrying a gravely wounded marius, and also a figure who is hiding her face in the darkness.

“papa, you saved him-!” she says, fluttering around marius’ face.

“i could not have saved him without this lady’s help,” says jean, Full Of Justice as always.

cosette walks forward to thank her. “you can’t imagine how much i owe you for this. you have saved my happiness. [etc, etc, old-fashioned talking.] please, may i know your name? to thank you? anything you need, anything at all-”

eponine has been curling further into the wall, but finally decides fuck it, she’s going to find out eventually and steps out of the shadows. “it’s eponine, cosette.”

cosette bursts into happy tears, walks forward, and embraces her. jean decides he should probably let his daughter have a personal life, just a little, as a treat, and deadlifts marius inside to call a doctor.

“eponine-” says cosette. “eponine, i didn’t know you were in paris. why didn’t you tell me?”

cosette is crying happy tears, eponine is crying unbelieving tears. cosette has eponine’s face cradled in her hands like she’s something precious, and eponine has only felt that once before (”a little fall of rain”). “i didn’t-” she says, and gasps for air, leans into cosette’s hands. “i did not think you would want to see me.”

“i wouldn’t-?” repeats cosette, incredulous, and gently pulls her forward to kiss her cheekbones, close to her eyes. “you were my first friend, my only friend, my first-”

she cuts off, and they just lean their foreheads together for awhile.

the wedding at the end of the musical is marius and eponine getting married, because cosette has the means to live as a wealthy spinster and besides, eponine deserves it. her parents show up, unaware of who exactly is getting married, and marius punches her father in the face. marius, eponine, and cosette (wealthy spinster that lives in marius and eponine’s house to “help them with the children”) live together in happiness forevermore.

[enjol--taire]

The people have spoken, here's a review on the Les Miserables performance at the Sondheim that i saw 3 weeks ago lol

First of all the theatre is so pretty! The Queens was already one of my favorite theatres but it got even more beautiful

I went on a monday which means Luke McCall was on as Valjean and holy moly, the hot dad jumped out

He did so amazing honestly, the acting, the singing, he was so angry during look down and Valjean's soliloquy and then so soft with Fantine and little Cosette

There was a little new moment in the prologue with Petit Gervais which i LOVED so much!!

Also I would die and kill for bishop Myriel

The combination of hot dad Luke McCall and sexy Javert Bradley Jaden sure was something

This was the second time I've seen Bradley and he's so incredibly good

His hair was in a little braid during look down? Instead of a ponytail? It was a look

Miss Carrie Hope Fletcher is a goddess of theatre

Her I dreamed a dream was the best I've ever heard. 15/10. A legend

Also the factory fight seemed a lot more agressive than it did in the original production

Fantine's death really be out here breaking my heart huh

Ian Hughes and Josefina Warner as the Thénardiers were so so good

They were funny but they weren't too much? If that makes sense

Master of the house is one of my least favorite songs to listen to but i loved watching it, it was a lot of fun

I'd die for every little Cosette on the planet

I LOVE Valjean and little Cosette they make me so soft!! When he hands her the doll?? I cry

Paris got so many buildings and it was kinda a lot? The stage at the Sondheim is pretty small and filling it with huge buildings makes it even smaller idk

I don't know the name of the boy that played Gavroche but he was so good!! He was quick and funny and acted the part perfectly

I'd like to thank the les mis management team for giving me my one true love: Harry Apps as Marius

The dumbass energy was OFF THE CHARTS

He almost tripped on stage like 15 times?? Very book accurate of him

Talking about book accurate. Shan Ako is the perfect Eponine. She was rough and playing around with Marius a lot which i thought was very cute

Also there were a lot of little Eponine/Gavroche moments which is just a one-way ticket to cry town for me

During the robbery Marius was arguing with Montparnasse which i LOVED. Also Montparnesse was hot

Bradley's stars was so so so very good

The ABC cafe continues to be one of my favorite scenes and i actually really liked the changes made here especially in the set. It looked exactly the way I imagine it when I read the brick

Ashley Gilmour's Enjolras was very good however he had to grow on me a bit but by red and black I was convinced

He looked very Done with his friends while also being so fond of them and i thought that was very Enj of him

There was a bit of Enjoltaire in the ABC cafe but it wasn't nearly as good as in the original production tbh

Lily Kerhoas is a very charming Cosette. She looked and sounded amazing and she was so excited during a heart full of love. Very cute!!

One day more makes me go absolutely crazy

Ngl I miss the way the barricade came together in the original production

Shan's on my own blew me away. She added some small riffs here and there which really showed off her incredible talent

After a little fall of rain Gavroche was straight up crying and I was straight up not having a good time

Drink with me will always and forever be one of my favorite songs in this show but I will never forgive them for cutting The Hug

Ciaran Bowling's Grantaire was very good!! He fully captured his sadness and his relationship with Gavroche was so sweet

Luke McCall's bring him home made me cry like a baby but what else is new

Enj died first?? And Grantaire died last?? I cried??

Another thing I really missed so much was the barricade turning around to show Enj hanging upside down and Gavroche lying in front but it's whatever

There was a little moment where Javert bowes over Gavroche's dead body and It made me :((

Also Gav's cap fell off when they picked him up to put him on the cart and it stayed on stage all through the sewers and Javert's suicide until one of the women picked it up during turning lol

Bradley Jaden owns my entire ass when he sings Javert's soliloquy. He's so emotional?? It makes Javert so very human.

I think his new bridge is far too big tho but that's another story

Listen. I love empty chairs at empty tables as much as the next gal. But I will throw hands at whoever decided that scene should be done without a single chair or table on stage?? That don't make no cents luv

I did like the candle thing tho and Harry sang it so beautifully

I forgot how much I actually love the wedding scene idk why it always makes me smile a bit

I HATE how Fantine has her long hair in the finale now. Why they do that,,,,

The moment when they sing "to love another person is to see the face of God" while looking at the people they loved?? Amazing

Valjean and the bishop hugged when Valjean entered heaven which was very nice

Javert should be in heaven sent tweet

[auditionsuggestions]

Re-watching the newest concert (2019) of Les Mis and thinking about my ideal cast if I could pick people from across time (rather than just who fits the role at this very moment)

Valjean--Alfie Boe (2019/Now)--His Valjean is the most human one I’ve seen--every choice he makes is a struggle with himself to do the right thing. Plus his voice is perfect. Javert--Philip Quast (1995) or Norm Lewis (2013/Now) Fantine--Sierra Boggess (2012) Marius--Michael Ball (1995) Cosette-- Amara Okereke (2018/Now) She’s so bubbly and cute as Cosette--serious Disney princess vibes. Eponine--Eva Noblezada (2016/Now) Enjolras--Jeremy Hays (2012) or Michael Maguire (1995)--though honorable mention to Bradley Jaden form the 2019 Concert. This was the hardest one for me to narrow down because I adore almost every Enjolras I’ve seen (though that may be a bit of bias on my part since he’s my favorite character). Thenardier--Sascha Baron Cohen (2012 film)--this is the only one I think I’ll take from the film. I was robbed of hearing him sing Dog Eats Dog and I will forever be salty about that. Mme. Thenardier-- Jenny Galloway (1995) I really don’t have thoughts much on the children characters unfortunately--especially since they tend to be double or triple cast between multiple kids.

[theragamuffininitiative]

Given how much of a Ramin fan you are, I was wondering what your exact thoughts are on Phantom 25. Mind giving a review of the glorious perfection that was that concert?

Edit: @eponniia has informed me this ask does indeed say Phantom, not Les Mis, and I'm a moron. XD But. I'm leaving this for now lol.

I have watched it multiple times and there are things I love and things I…don’t as much. XD It’s been a while since one of those viewings though (but my dad did buy me the dvd as a gift, knowing I love it), so I don’t have a detailed review in my pocket.

I think Ramin is great as Enjolras, with all his fiery passion in both acting presence and just his voice itself - though I am forever laughing over the “guyliner” incident. XD Hadley Fraser, likewise, is a fantastic Grantaire lol, bless him.

Unfortunately I am not a big fan of Alfie Boe. He has a magnificent operatic range, but in the (admittedly few) performances I’ve seen him in, he has a tendency to just full-out belt things and drown out fellow performers and sacrifice character portrayal for personal performance. That is just my opinion, I prefer other actors’ portrayal of the character.

Norm Lewis is a genius at everything he sets his sharp acting and velvet tones to do. Heaven bless him. He’s a great Javert (though, on a related note, for this very reason I wasn’t a fan of him also being cast as Chauvelin this year, because the characters are so similar), and his rendition of “Stars” is up there among my favorites.

Look, I don’t have anything against the Jonas Brothers, but we aren’t even going to talk about that unfortunate casting. With some more direction, it might have been ok, but as this was a concert performance with very little character blocking it, uh, was less ok.

SAMANTHA BARKS AS EPONINE I can’t say enough. She’s great. Love it.

Lea Salonga as Fontine is beautiful. I feel like I remember there being something in her performance I didn’t like? But don’t quote me on that, because at the end of the day, it’s Lea Flipping Salonga.

Katie Hall was a good Cosette. Nothing spectacular or earth shattering that I recall, but she was good. (I understand she was a replacement.)

I know a few of the ensemble cast, but only just, and don’t remember their particular performances that night.

I didn’t like the half full-production, half concert-style staging. The actors couldn’t connect with the other characters as they mostly had to stay at their mic stands. Yet they were in full costume and had some blocking. It was awkward many, many times throughout the night. Otherwise, it’s a gorgeous tribute to such a colossal show.

My favorite part of the whole evening however is when the previous casts come out, and dear dear dear Colm Wilkinson is there on stage and sings “Bring Him Home” with his fellows.

(wrong concert, but like, that’s me basically)

And then - AND THEN - when they have the whole original cast come forward to sing “One Day More” and since actor who was Enjolras wasn’t able to attend, Ramin got to step forward and sing that part and he sang it next to Colm and he looked so happy and Colm was laughing and looked so proud askjfhladkjgss Best Part.

[jemsjadependant]

4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 23, 31, 34, 35???

4. The Broadway version, mostly because that’s the one I saw!

5. So Les Mis is my favorite musical, and I honestly don’t know what I’d change.  I guess I’d making the lighting a little brighter (based on the recent Broadway revival and current North American tour productions).  I’m a huge sucker for facial expressions in acting, and I’d want all audience members to be able to see the faces of the cast!

8. Top three Broadway actors (in no particular order): Ben Platt, Aaron Tveit, Michael Arden; Top three Broadway actresses (in no particular order): Christy Altomare, Lea Salonga, Eva Noblezada (also Hailey Kilgore)

12. I’m gonna say both romantic and platonic cause I can’t pick just one lol!  My favorite romantic duo is definitely Peter and Jason from Bare: A Pop Opera, and my favorite platonic duo is Esmeralda and Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

13. For Forever tbh (just based on the cast recording as the question suggests, if we’re talking actual staging in the show I’d say Waving Through a Window).

14. Boublil and Schonberg, indisputably.

15. I think it would entirely depend on which Broadway fave I was meeting because they have all had impacts on my life in different ways.  This question is also assuming I would be able to speak coherently, and if I met Michael Arden, I’m not sure I’d be able to.

18. Catherine in Pippin and Sonya from Great Comet.  Or Darlene Watkins in Titanic.  If this is disregarding singing ability/vocal range/gender, then I could also do just about anybody in Les Mis too.

23. So the first one that came to mind is a meta-ish moment that the production of Brigadoon that I’m working on has kind of added in.  Since Jeff is onstage for Almost Like Being in Love for some reason, we have him HILARIOUSLY reacting to Fiona’s entrance when she starts singing, as well as now when Tommy starts singing to him too.  We’ve been in rehearsal for over a month and it still KILLS me every time.  Also the ending of Pippin.  Oof.

31. Get ready folks.  I’m dreamcasting as many roles as I can in Les Mis.  I might use some people who have already played the roles if I have to, but I’ll do my best to not do that.

Jean Valjean: John Owen-JonesJavert: Patrick Page (I know the ages of those two don’t line up with Hugo’s canon but I need it to happen)Bishop of Digne: Colm WilkinsonFantine: Christy AltomareCosette: Denee BentonThenardier: Gavin LeeMadame Thenardier: Jenny Galloway (she is and always will be Mme T)Marius Pontmercy: Joshua GrossoEponine: Ciara ReneeEnjolras: Hyoie O’GradyGrantaire: George BlagdenCourfeyrac: Chris McCarrellCombeferre: Charlie BradyJean Prouvaire: Charlie StempFeuilly: Jay Armstrong JohnsonJoly: Nicholas BaraschLesgles: Killian DonnellyBahorel: Alistair Brammer (I know he’s technically not in the musical, but I wanted to include him because he is just as valid as the other Amis)

34. Michael Arden 100%.  His directing of the revival of Spring Awakening is what made me want to go into directing, and I’d love to thank him and just learn about his experiences as a performer and director (cause Hunchback is one of my favorite musicals).

35. Oh I’m a SUCKER for large ensemble numbers where different parts layer on top of each other and they all come together in one beautiful blast of sound and harmonies (like in One Day More, Esmeralda, or the Tonight Quintet).

This was SO fun but way more challenging than I was expecting!  I LOVE IT

[flo-nelja]

Femslash: how alone I am

A meme taken from @convenientalias and @fucktheg0ds. Basically, ranking all my femslash ships by percentage I’ve written. Only based on AO3. I tried to count the gen fics with femslash pairings too, since they appear in the tags.

Most ships I have written only one time, even if there are exceptions.

First, all the non-rare femslash pairings I have dabbled in!

Emma/Regina (Once upon a Time) : 0,01% (1/10368)

Korra/Asami (Legend of Korra) : 0,03% (1/3747)

Luna/Ginny (Harry Potter) : 0,1% (1/1047)

Willow/Tara (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) : 0,1% (1/1027)

Pearl/Rose (Steven Universe) : 0,1% (1/908)

Cosette/Eponine (Les Misérables) : 0,2% (1/594)

Belle/Ruby (Once upon a Time) : 0,2% (1/492)

Homura/Madoka (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) : 0,2% (1/463)

Jasper/Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe) : 0,2% (1/417)

Aurora/Mulan (Once upon a Time) : 0,3% (1/306)

Hermione/Luna (Harry Potter) : 0,3% (1/296)

Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar the Last Airbender) : 0,4% (1/263)

The comfortable ones by femslash standards, I don’t count the writers. Most of them are actually bigger, but they are old, and most of the fics aren’t on ffnet. I can usually find people to squee with me.

Kaylee/River (Firefly) : 1% (1/114)

Mystique/Destiny (Marvel comics) : 1% (1/112)

Raven/Angel Salvadore (X-men movies) : 1% (1/88)

Yoruichi/Soifon (Bleach) : 1% (1/74)

Utena/Anthy (Utena) : 1% (4/259)

Sakura/Tomoyo (Card Captor Sakura) : 1% (1/65)

Dorothy/Relena (Gundam Wing) : 2% (1/56)

Karolina/Xavin (Marvel Comics) : 2% (1/56)

Wendy/Mabel (Gravity Falls) : 2% (1/48)

Marietta/Cho (Harry Potter) : 3% (1/36)

Juri/Shiori (Utena) : 3% (2/71)

Mina/Vanessa (Penny Dreadful) : 3% (1/35)

Winry/Sciezska (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003) : 3% (1/31)

OK, getting into the rarer ones!

Mireille/Kirika (Noir) : 5% (1/21). This one was bigger, it’s an old one.

Phèdre/Mélisande (Kushiel’s Legacy) : 5% (1/21). Canon kinky foeyay ship! Quite big relative to the size of the fandom.

Reiko/Hinoe (Natsume Yuujinchou) : 5% (1/21). It is an old fic and it has gotten so much bigger now! I should read the new fics!

Pearl/Connie (Steven Universe) : 5% (1/21). An unwholesome ship that antis hate. ^^

Kitty/Illyana (Marvel) : 6% (6/107). Quite a big one, but also one of my favorites, so I’ve written quite a bit of it! I’m glad it got big, really (by femslash standards), it was not that much when I’ve started.

Brunnhilde/OFC (Thor movies) : 6% (1/16). I wish Brunnhilde’s dead girlfriend had a name. I’m sure it would make the ship bigger.

Artemis/Iphigenia (Greek myth) : 7% (1/15). Another creepy ship, that I love.

Retsu/Isane (Bleach) : 8% (1/13). I was deep in Bleach fandom once. I wrote a lot of combinations. Most of them were jossed.

Spinsters (Once upon a Time) : 9% (1/11). They were in only an episode, at the time I hoped we’d see more of them. I know in the fairy tale they’re sisters, but they’re also three, and I will stay persuaded that Rumplestiltskin, after him mother left, was raised by two lesbian spinsters fairies.

Mabel/Candy (Gravity Falls) : 10% (1/10). I’m honestly suprised it’s not bigger. There’s one femslash ship in Gravity Falls and it’s eating all the other possibilities.

Gamma/Zimmy (Gunnerkrigg Court) : 10% (1/10). Lots of people ship them but the fandom and the ship are not easy to write.

Gerda/Little Robber Girl (The Snow Queen) : 11% (1/9). Most people love it, but most fairy tales rewriting are published as original stories.

Te Fiti/Moana (Moana) : 12% (1/8). I’m glad it exists, even if it’s small.

Artemis/Callisto (Greek myth) : 12% (1/8). Canon sens unique, horrible ending canon aussi.

Dawn/Amanda (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) : 12% (1/8). I actually love this one a lot!

Dani/Rahne (Marvel comics) : 12% (1/8). I hope there will be potential in the movie.

Lain/Alice (Serial Ewperiments Lain) : 12% (1/8). It used to be bigger on ffnet, really.

Orihime/Tatsuki (Bleach) : 13% (7/53). Another ship where I didn’t just pass and actually stayed a lot

Leah/Illyana (Marvel Comics) : 14% (1/7). Canon in an AU!

Cassandra/Helen (Greek myth) : 14% (1/7). It was honestly for a challenge but greek myth is so easy for crack ships

Storm/Mystique (X-men movies) : 17% (1/6). The dynamics I like is AoA!Ororo crushing on Raven, and it’s very hard to find, most of these fics are FoeYay for the first timeline.

Natasha (Avengers movies)/Mystique (X-men movies) : 17% (1/6). Quite common for a crossover actually!

Cecile/Merteuil (Les liaisons dangereuses) : 17% (1/6). It’s a friend’s ship, it was nice to write!

Nancy/Yomiko (Read or Die) : 20% (1/5). Another old one.

Dante/Rose (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003) : 20% (1/5). Very visible but so creepy!

Lust/Martel (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003) : 20% (1/5). This one was a random generator.

Maria/Saki (Shin Sekai Yori) : 20% (1/5). Canon but not endgame.

Yuzu/Ururu (Bleach) : 20% (1/5). Bleach phase again. I loved this one for absolutely no reason.

Cinderella/Cinderella’s stepmother (Fairy tales) : 20% (1/5). For an exchange!

Basira Hussain/Daisy Tonner (The Magnus Archives) : 20% (1/5). The fandom is growing and this ship too!

Souma/Kendappa (Rg Veda) : 22% (2/9). Another of the very old ships! It was my first femslash fic, but I found only recently the courage to write it!

Suzie/Gwen (Torchwood) : 22% (2/9). Used to be a bit bigger, bu never as much as I wished. I have only one fic, but in French and English.

Gyokumen/Hwang (Saiyuki) : 25% (1/4).  For a kink meme!

Kushana/Nausicaä (Ghibli) : 25% (1/4). I actually really love this one and have another in progress

Chizuru/Rika (Yami no matsuei) : 25% (1/4). Characters of the tome; I’m almost surprised not to be the only one.

Kumi/Yuri (Alien 9) : 25% (1/4). Another ship I really love. I wish they ended together.

Sarah/Lavinia (A Little Princess) : 25% (1/4). For an exchange, a very good prompt asking for power games.

Rei/Nanako (Oniisama e) : 25% (2/8). Yeah, love this one too!

Storm/Yukio (X-men comics) : 25% (2/8). I will ship them forever. But they haven’t been that shippy recently. Greg Pak disappointed me.

Kotoko/Sumomo (Chobits) : 25% (2/8). It’s so cute. ^^

Acolyte/Radiant Goddess (Lady of the Shard) : 33% (1/3). The main ship! They’re so cute, but cute is not what I write easily

Chloe/Kirika (Noir) : 33% (1/3). Used to be bigger, even if it was not the main ship.

Dante/Sloth (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003) : 33% (1/3). I’m just kinky. ^^

Emma/Firestar (Marvel Comics) : 33% (1/3). Same.

Emma/Selene (Marvel Comics) : 33% (1/3). Same.

Claudine/Luce (Colette) : 33% (2/6). Oh yes, another of my favorite ones! And formative too, I was a teenager!

Gwen/Carys (Torchwood) : 40% (2/5). Whoniverse1000! Only one fic, but an English version and a French one.

Atsuko/Michiko (Michiko e Hatchin) : 50% (1/2). Should be far bigger. It’s Foeyay, and so obvious! (small fadoms curse)

Acolyte/Old God (Lady of the Shard) : 50% (1/2). The creepy mind control one ^^

Cristo Canyon/Tomie Katana (Lastman) : 50% (1/2). I’m alone with a friend.

Ozen/Lyza (Made in Abyss) : 50% (1/2). Yeah, not alone! I was surprised going back in the tag and finding another fic, actually!

Hi’iaka/Hopoe (Hawaiian mythology) : 50% (1/2). Same!

Marnie/Anna (When Marnie was here) : 50% (1/2). It is was not incest, if could be big ^^

Sistah Spooky/Mindf**k (Empowered) : 50% (1/2). Alone with another friend. This one should be huge, I’m so annoyed it doesn’t even exist. It has all the tropes I love (except that I wanted a good ending, but why are people not writing fix-it?)

Nemu/Kuna (Bleach) : 50% (1/2). I’m alone with the same friend.

Chizuru/Misato (Bleach) : 50% (1/2). Still the same friend

Cora/Anastasia (Once upon a Time in Wonderland) : 50% (1/2). Yeah, rare mentor/protegee ship! I with the only other fic was not so gen-ish, otherwise it’s good.

Mikuru/Haruhi (Haruhi Suzumiya) : 50% (1/2). It’s actually big outside of AO3?

Akira/Shiina (Naru Taru) : 50% (1/2). Very dark fandom, dark ship, I’m still so sad it’s not a Thing.

Rei/Fukiko (Oniisama e) : 50% (2/4). Romantic canon one-sided incest!

Callisto/Karima (X-men comics) : 67% (2/3). It was just so shippy in Excalibur. With tentacles. But well, obscure like all the Marvel pairings with a few brilliant scenes but no long history.

Old God/Radiant Goddess (Lady of the Shard) : 75% (3/4). Yeah! Enemies with a past, and it’s totally canon! So much my kind of ships! It could be so big if the fandom was bigger!

Dani/Hela (Marvel Comics) : 100% (1/1)

Luna/Valeria (Marvel Comics) : 100% (1/1)

Psylocke/Selene (Marvel Comics) : 100% (1/1)

Karima/Monet (Marvel Comics) : 100% (1/1). All Marvel pairings where I like an interaction once and had to write about it (for Luna and Valeria, it’s even only the potential of an interaction)

Tracy Zenkova/Annabelle Chang (Lastman) : 100% (1/1). I had to write it once, it’s canon after all, even if Annabelle isn’t my favorite.

Anlise/Renge (Namesake) : 100% (1/1). Canon mind control! But secondary characters in a small fandom. I still wish I were not alone.

Agathe/Nagîna ( Mesdemoiselles de la Vengeance) : 100% (1/1). Very small fandom, French historical children’s book. THe ending is a bit too heterosexual for my tastes.

Phoenix/Acolyte/Radiant Goddess/Old God (Lady of the Shard) : 100% (1/1). It’s the canon ending, but quite hard to write, especially when you’re more interested in a specific relationship. Small fandom anyway.

Malen/Rue (Princess Tutu) : 100% (1/1). Character of the week with a crush on the dark magical girl!

Nemu/Rangiku (Bleach) : 100% (1/1)

Chizuru/Lisa (Bleach) : 100% (1/1)

Chizuru/Rangiku (Bleach) : 100% (1/1). Bleach crack ships!

Dante/Lust (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003) : 100% (1/1). Just because it was super-hot

Empowered/Ninjette (Empowered) : 100% (1/1). More crack.

Amber/Bai (Darker than Black) : 100% (1/1). This one I really love, and I wish it would be bigger! To me, Amber is as shippable with Bai as she is with Hei, though in different ways. But it’s almost unheard of.

Jheselbraum/Pyronica (Gravity Falls) : 100% (1/1)

Darlene/Shandra (Gravity Falls) : 100% (1/1). These two are crack pairings written for a personal challenge. I’m nor surprised I’m the only one.

Harriet Jones/Astrid Peth (Doctor Who) : 100% (2/2). From whoniverse1000. Once again it’s only one fic, but I translated it, so two versions.

[nacht-koenigin]

Rules: “List ten of your favorite female characters in different fandoms and then tag ten people.”

thanks @bunniesandbeheadings for the tag :D

1. Elizabeth Bennet - Pride and Prejudice. I have to go with her! She’s really relateable, obviously--I think any human capable of empathy can relate to her--but on top of that she’s an example of an intelligent and independent woman living in a time when that was not particularly valued. That really resonated with me. Representation matters, after all, and seeing that women could be witty and fierce and clever really meant a lot to me. Plus the relationship she has with her father reminds me of my own relationship. P&P is one of the books that made me realize that old timey people were really just like us, and Elizabeth was a huge part of that.

2. Lady Sybil Branson - Downton Abbey. Yes, I watched Downton Abbey. I stopped after season 3 for obvious reasons. Sybil is another one of those intelligent, independent women who fights against what society expects of her and goes off and helps people! I just love how compassionate she is and how she tries to keep her privileged upbringing from affecting her empathy and understanding of the suffering of others.  3. Charlotte Wells - Harlots. Another JBF character! Charlotte is a fascinating character to me because she is so intense and so driven. Despite this, she hasn’t let her ambition get in the way of doing what she thinks is right. I really hope there will be a season two of Harlots so I can see where they take her vengeance plot.

4. Tess Martin - Into My Life. This one is obscure as fuck but she’s one of my favourite characters of all time so I couldn’t leave her out. I first read Into My Life when I was like, 12 or 13, and it absolutely influenced my expectations of a healthy relationship. The way Tess stands up for herself showed me how my rights and feelings as a woman matter too, and I shouldn’t brush them aside because it might make other people uncomfortable. She showed me that I should NEVER put up with bullshit, even if that bullshit is coming from the most eligible bachelor in the world. 5. Eliza Hamilton - Hamilton Musical. Listen, I know she was a real person but her musical version isn’t really the real Eliza. My favourite part about Eliza is her role at the very end, as the person who “tells our story.” As a historian, I really connected with that need for everyone’s story to be told, to be remembered for their contributions through all time. I know it’s Fashionable for historians to be dispassionate but I don’t want that! I care a lot about the people I study and I want other people to know about them!

6. The Queen of the Night - Die Zauberflöte. I just love scary queens, all right? She has some of the most incredible, technically-challenging parts of the opera, and I love her cunning. Also? In 99% of productions her aesthetic is the best. 7. Margaery Tyrell - Game of Thrones. Also, Olenna. The Tyrell women were politically savvy, and yet still more-or-less kind people. Olenna had some of the best lines in the series, and I love how unafraid she was of calling people out on their bullshit. I really dislike what the show did with Margaery but I will keep her original form in my heart forever. 8. Elizabeth Butler - Rebellion. A woman serving as a medic during the 1916 Rising, helping her nation move one step closer to independence? Sign me the FUCK up. Also Rebellion is a fantastic show, go watch it! It’s on Netflix and it’s a 5-part miniseries. Go educate yourselves!!! 9. Merrill - Dragon Age II. It’s hard picking just one woman from the Dragon Age series. I mean, if it really came down to it I might have to choose my Warden, but since no protag has a canon gender it’s hard to justify that choice. I love Merrill though, and I think her struggle with how she wants to life her life and the culture of the clan is really compelling. Add in the contrast between her general innocence and her use of blood magic and you’ve got one fascinating character!

10. Eponine - Les Miserables. If you hadn’t noticed, I love me some revolutionary women. I love how Eponine rises above her childhood and dies as somebody who fought for something important. In the musical, On My Own is one of my favourite songs because it’s beautiful and because I think we’ve all had a time where we sing that song and think of someone in particular. 

Tagging...

@suchajerk @stanzi-manzi @jagdein @mammal-that-cares @spanishsilver @harukastailfin @kroganmama   @thisispandas @oscarwetnwilde @beau--brummell

And whoever else wants to!

[pilferingapples]

Fantine, for the meme!

:DFirst impression: Thanks to my choir teacher’s insistence that the whole of Les Mis happened during the Robespierre phase of the Actual French Revolution, I thought Fantine faked her death after her lover died in battle , then took up a new identity as Eponine, then fell in love with the guy who was...in love with her daughter...who didn’t know she was still alive.....Look trying to fit all of Les Mis into a handful of years is CONFUSING 

Impression now:  A HERO AND AN INSPIRATION, and also a surprisingly solid character given her era and author?? I love her sense of independence, and how she clearly never expects another guy to step in once Tholomyes has left--she’s ready to Do This , and she COULD, if she had ever caught just one damn break and AAAAH FANTINE 3

Favorite moment: KICK BAMATABOIS INTO THE PAVEMENT, FANTINE.  I wish she could have done that to so many people in her story! **angry fighter emoji**

Idea for a story: FANTINE NEVER LEAVES PARIS, instead she stays and raises Cosette and gets to know her working-class neighbors more and gets involved in the growing political movements because wow she has so many obvious reasons for getting involved!  Also she gets to be in love just as many times as she wants and while they don’t all end in Fairytale Forever, they all end in friends and with happy memories because the rest of life is hard ENOUGH 

Unpopular opinion: **shouts in the general direction of anyone considering an adaptation** FANTINE ISN’T A WEEPY DAMSEL TRAGICALLY MISSING OUT ON BEING SOMEONE’S LOVE INTEREST, she’s a tough, daring fighter who just eventually gets overwhelmed by endless crushing odds! **redacts the beginnings of what would probably be a whole essay about Fantine as a fighter and the way Society erases non-militarized violence against its citizens okay okay** 

Favorite relationship: With Cosette, of course, but her friendship with Marguerite delights me too! Two women! Being friends! Not talking about men! See Hugo, you can do it!

Favorite headcanon: I think she had a real artistic streak--not something she would have wanted to pursue professionally, but a personal fondness for seeing and making lovely things-- and would have been the sort of person to paint flowers on her walls and embroider pretty designs on her own clothes (and Cosette’s!) if she’d ever had the time.

[silver-soliloquy]

tagged by @dreamingofeternity in the BEST MEME

Rules: List ten of your favorite female characters in ten different fandoms and then tag ten people.

Kuchiki Rukia, love of my life queen of my heart actual moon goddess (Bleach)

October Daye, my most beloved changeling disaster girl who I am SO PROUD OF (October Daye books)

Parker, thief princess (Leverage)

Ahiru my most precious birb daughter!!!! an angel!!!! so strong and brave and full of love!!! (Princess Tutu)

Inej Ghafa, WRAITH QUEEN (Six of Crows)

...I can’t choose between Eponine and Cosette, I love them both too much, they are a tie (Les Miserables)

Charley Pollard, EDWARDIAN ADVENTURESS (Doctor Who/Big Finish)

Riza Hawkeye the most amazing ever (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Rose Tyler because I’m in the middle of a text argument about how amazing she is and I’m full of salt (Doctor Who but the tv one)

Belle my forever girl (Beauty and the Beast + all adaptations)

tagging @heytherepumpkin @abibliophilehobbit @trixystix @ anyone who feels like talking about fictional ladies!!

[allons-y-to-hogwarts-713]

Newsies and Les Mis for the musicals thing!

Thanks, Katie! ❤️❤️

Newsies:

•the first song from this show I heard: sooo I was introduced to Newsies in high school chorus when we sang some songs from it and watched the movie at the end of the year, so the first song I heard from Newsies was I believe “Seize the Day"


•do I own the cast album?: I own the movie one but I don’t own the Broadway one YET, BUT I’m gonna order it… eventually… and I listen to it on Spotify a lot in the meantime


•favorite song: ALL OF THEM, HOW CAN I CHOOSE JUST ONE?!


•least favorite song: if I had to pick a least favorite, it’s probably “The Bottom Line,” but that’s probably only because I don’t know all the lyrics yet because I listen to the same few songs on repeat when I’m pressed for time and want to hear/sing certain ones


•favorite character: all of them???? Or at least all the newsies and Katherine… if I have to pick one, aaaaaaaaah, Crutchie


•least favorite character: Pulitzer, the Delancey brothers, and Snyder


•OTP: Jack and Katherine


•BROTP: Jack and Crutchie, Jack and Davey, or all the newsies and Katherine as one big brotp+


•NOTP: idk if I have one? Idk what ships there are so idk what I’d say nope to


•song I didn’t like at first but now do: I mean… “at first” for me was seeing the recording in theaters, where I loved them all. But when I started listening to the soundtrack, I didn’t play “Brooklyn’s Here” a lot because I wanted to learn the lyric changes in the songs that were in the movie first (and “Watch What Happens” and the reprise), but then I finally went back to it and love it again and now it’s in my playlists


•song I used to like but now don’t: N/A, but two I can’t really listen to a lot are “Santa Fe” and “Letters from the Refuge” (WHO MADE THE DECISION TO CUT THAT FROM THE SOUNDTRACK?!?!?) because I very quickly start crying


•is the fandom annoying?: I’m not really involved in it other than reblogging gifsets, so it’s not annoying to me


•do I read/write fanfic for this show?: nope


•favorite non-sung line: I have to watch it more to know, so for now I’m gonna say, “A girl? It’s a girl! How the hell? *is that even legal?*” within the context of the song and with Kara Lindsay’s line delivery


•favorite lyric: I have a lot, but the relatable one is, “huh, it’s a synch! It could practically write itself! And let’s pray it does… ‘cause as I may have mentioned, I have no CLUE WHAt I’m doING!”and also, just because for some reason it’s really fun to sing imo, “Here’s what I think, Joe’s a jerk, he’s a rattlesnake.” “You’re right! And you know why a snake starts to rattle?” “No why?” “'Cause he’s scared!” “Yeah right…” “Go and look it up. The poor GUY’S Head is spinNING! Why would he send for the goons? An entire army? Dozens of goons and the cops?” “You know, you may be right!” “Thank you, God!” “If he wasn’t afraid-” “Exactly! He knows we’re winning!”OH AND ALSO, “BeHOLD THE BRAVE BATTALion, that STANDS side BY side, too few in number, and Too proud To hide, and SAY TO THE OTHers who DID Not folLOW THROUgh, you’re still our brothers, and WE will fight fOR you!”And also, last one so this post doesn’t get even longer, “There’s CHANGE COmin’ once and foR ALL! You makes the front pAGE, and then you is MAAAjoor news. a NEW World is coMIN' for YOU, and Joe, we is TOO, 'till once and for AAAAALL YOU're Gone.“


•overall rating out of 10: 11/10

—

Les Mis:

•the first song from this show I heard: either “One Day More,” “At the End of the Day,” or “Do You Hear the People Sing?” back in middle school chorus; I forget what we started with


•do I own the cast album?: I own the 25th anniversary cast album (not the concert one but the stage cast one, I think partly because it had more songs on it than the others I found and liked, but I have the 25th anniversary concert on DVD)


•favorite song: can I just consider it as one really long song and say all of it? Except…


•least favorite song: “Lovely Ladies”… I shouldn’t have heard that song as early as I did (or at least it was early imo in my otherwise pretty sheltered life), and I do know all the lyrics now but that doesn’t mean I like it, I was just to lazy or preoccupied by homework to skip it enough times that I learned the words


•favorite character: Eponine Thernardier because relatable


•least favorite character: the people that creep on Fantine. But as for characters whose names I know, I’m not the biggest Marius fan tbh, oblivious dude, and everybody else dies but he’s the one who survives because he’s got heart eyes for the adopted daughter of the main character. THEY EVEN KILL GAVROCHE BUT MARIUS GETS MARRIED. Forever bitter that Gavroche and Eponine die.


•OTP: I want to say Eponine and Marius, but she deserves better if he’s just gonna obliviously hurt her feelings that he doesn’t notice. Like seriously dude, you don’t have to feel the same way about her as she does about you, but can you at least acknowledge her existence and feelings and not make her take the letter you wrote to the girl you like and just crush her heart like that?


•BROTP: I don’t know if I have one for this 🤔


•NOTP: Marius and Cosette 🙄🙄🙄 (okay fine, they’re cute-ish and their songs together are great. But they’ve got the Romeo and Juliet pining and romantic mush minus their deaths, and the Romeo and Juliet type of romance just isn’t my thing. Romeo is like dudes like Prince Humperdinck except his Buttercup said yes 😍.)


•song I didn’t like at first but now do: “Stars” wasn’t my favorite at first, and I still sometimes have to be in the mood for it to listen to it, but I love it now


•song I used to like but now don’t: idk if there’s any I stopped liking


•is the fandom annoying?: not that I’ve experienced. Again I’m not really involved and AND I’M JAVEERT is funny to me


•do I read/write fanfic for this show?: nope


•favorite non-sung line: are there any non-sung lines? (🎶There’s no talking. All of the dialog is sung in a veRY draMATic FAAAAshion.🎶) I seriously can’t think of any off the top of my head. It’s been a while since I listened to it though so idk.


•favorite lyric: “EVERY WORD THAT HE SAYS IS A DAGGER IN MEEE!” (I probably have other faves that are more… thought-provoking I guess? But that one is just fun to yell-sing emotionally)


•overall rating out of 10: 11/10

(I love both of these musicals a lot, okay?)

(Also idk if I spelled everyone’s name right, but I’m gonna post now because I’m afraid the app might crash if I close it to look them up)

Thank you again, Katie! Sorry my answers got so long lol ❤️

[rxbxlcaptain]

"Get out before I suffocate you with hairspray." - this totally made me think of a rebelcaptain Broadway AU :O also if you post on ao3, my username is starsniper :) psst congrats again and you're wonderful for doing these!

DID YOU JUST SAY BROADWAY AU. Really, though, you have no idea how happy mentioning “Broadway” makes me, little long giving me the excuse to write about it, so thanks for that excuse ;) Thank you so much for the prompt and for following :) 

So I just lovingly threw these two into my personal favorite Broadway ship-that-never-sailed: Les Mis’s Marius Pontmercy and Eponine Thenardier :) The opening lyrics are from “A Little Fall of Rain”, Cassian sings “A Heart Full of Love”, and Jyn finishes with “On My Own”! (And I’m completely biased, but I would suggest listening to them!)

Thank you for 2.5k followers! Send in a prompt so I can say thank you :)

AO3

You’re here, that’s all I need to knowAnd you will keep me safeAnd you will keep me closeAnd rain will make the flowers grow.

“Jyn,five minutes.” One of the stage hands – Luke, maybe? He’d been there less thana week so Jyn wasn’t sure – pokes his head into her dressing room to give herthe warning.

“Thanks,darling,” she replies absently, dusting blush over her cheeks. Her makeupartist would likely flip, not in a good way, if she saw Jyn doing her own touchups, but Jyn likes the finished project to have her own touch and flair.Staring into the mirror, Jyn takes a deep breath to steady herself; she may bea veteran of the stage, but stage freight knows no limits.

“A heart full of love, a heart full of song,”a voice sings from the hallway. Jyn feels the tension in her shoulders drain asCassian Andor appeared in the doorway to her dressing room. “I’m doing everything all wrong.”

“Yes,my dear Marius, you are,” Jyn tsks athim, though a smile plays on her lips. “Because you should be singing thosewords to your precious Cossette. Eponine is far too lowly to capture yourfancy.”

“Ah,”Cassian walks into the room, stopping just behind her chair, his hands restingon her shoulders. “Then they should have chosen you to play Cossette, my love.”

“Tobe helpless in my love?” Jyn scoffs as she applied her final coat of neutralcolored lipstick. “I’d much rather die on the battlefield by your side thanstay away from the action.”

“ThenMarius is stupid. Such a woman clearly shines brighter.”

Theireyes meet in the mirror and Jyn cannot stop herself from getting lost in hisdeep brown eyes. The beard Cassian grows between productions has been shavedoff and his normally messy hair has been tamed with gel to transform CassianAndor, actor and singer and her beautiful lover, into Marius Pontmercy, astudent and revolutionary and her unrequited love. Jyn sees much more ofherself in Eponine – a girl raised in rags who dreams of an escape and a chanceat love – than Cassian in Marius, but he slips into the foreign skin so easily,the true mark of a great actor.

Shespins in her chair to face him, his face now centimeters from her own. “Notevery man can be as smart as you, my love.” Jyn can feel, more than see,Cassian’s answering smile as he presses a quick kiss to her freshly paintedlips.

“Two-minutewarning!” Another stage hand shouts from the hallway. “Places, everyone!”

Jyngives Cassian’s shoulder a quick shove. “Getout before I suffocate you with hairspray.”

“Yes,ma’am,” Cassian salutes, joining the rush of actors in the hallway heading onstage for the second act of their production of Les Miserables.

Witha quick flick of hairspray over her messy curls, Jyn follows them, singingunder her breath.

“All I see is him and me,forever and forever…”

[ravenswood]

donovan and eponine aaand also newt and gardner for the relationship thing, GO

donovan/eponine

things they do together in their spare time: i mean?? what else but watching every gordon ramsay show put to screen and getting Heated about chopped and desperate housewives tbh. that being said, while eponine is perfectly content to be lazy, she also likes to go out and Do Things occasionally, and tbh whenever she does that, she usually asks donovan if he wants to tag along.

one photograph they’ve hypothetically or canonically taken together: i feel like donovan has definitely requested Selfies at some point, and while this geuninely alarmed eponine at first (it took her awhile to become fond of like…..pictures of herself), she was eventually like “oh wait hold on i look good in that can we take another one” 

one unspoken sentiment from my character to yours: honestly, she’s still really unsure of how to word what it means to her that donovan wanted to bring her back to life and have her with him forever – it’s such a huge, monumental thing for her, given that most of her life has been spent attached to people who kept her around only because she was useful in their own personal gain. donovan is like. the exact opposite of that, and while she’s told him a simplified version of what that means to her, she still hasn’t really….found the right thing to say.

ways my character shows affection for yours: physical affection is kind of a Weird thing for eponine – like, she herself would love a whole ton of it and is generally kind of attention starved, buuuut it also. requires someone she trusts not to be like her shitty dad and hurt her if she tries to Go For It. donovan falls under that category, though, and has probably had to endure his fair share of hugs and the occasional cheek kisse (she’s v french okay) but honestly eponine’s main way of showing her affection to him is just kind of…being there so he doesn’t get lonely on nights when he and elizabeth aren’t doing anything.

one relationship good end: things continue on as they do now, i guess?? donovan and elizabeth sort of….slowly do the relationship thing and either stay together or come to some sort of understanding between them, eponine stays at the cortez and they’re all just Weird Shitty Vampires Forever. the end.

one relationship bad end: i mean,,,,,separation by the rifts is probably the Worst End in this case, inevitable as it is. eponine goes back to being fucking dead, or else has to figure out how she’s gonna survive as a vampire in paris and donovan goes back to his canon where……all of That Bullshit plays out.  

my character’s general thoughts on yours/a relationship ramble: maaaan donovan and eponine are like…lowkey one of my favorite relationships that really don’t get as much attention as they should. i mean like it kind of started out as just the two of us thinking of a Wacky scenario, but?? honestly i think they’re both really good for each other – just these two really lonely people who haven’t…really had too much experience with healthy relationships/friendships but have kind of found that in each other. and like they’re?? a really nice balance of meme-y and actually having a lot of depth of care for each other and i’ve just really grown fond of their friendship.

newt/gardner

things they do together in their spare time: I MEAN wacky adventures are kind of a given here. tbh newt is usually pretty agreeable when it comes to doing whatever gardner wants to do on any particular day sO.

one photograph they’ve hypothetically or canonically taken together: tbh newt isn’t really one for taking pictures of himself, but i bet you anything sara’s snuck a picture of like the two of them In Their Element in the case. nerds.

one unspoken sentiment from my character to yours: so newt isn’t gr8 at wording sentimental things like…….at all, but i think if he were able to, he’d tell gardner just how much he reminds him of himself, with all that wonder and eagerness to experience all that this world has to offer – and that he’s perfectly willing to do whatever it takes to see that gardner gets to experience Everything he wants to.

ways my character shows affection for yours: honestly, just by like…feeding gardner’s clear desire to experience all that he can of earth – particularly the more magical bits that sara wouldn’t be able to show him, even if she tried. newt is forever willing to teach gardner everything he wants to know about the creatures in his case and share stories and notes from his travels when he doesn’t have a physical specimen to show off. they probably spent a lot of time in The Case doing just that tbh. calm down uncle monty.

one relationship good end: were you there when meeks and i were talking about like….all of the legends and newt’s squad and gardner somehow ending up in the same world and Joining Forces bc i feel like that’s the ultimate good end. for everyone but tina, ofc.

one relationship bad end: I MEAN GARDNER DYING,,,,,,which we narrowly avoided thank god. 

my character’s general thoughts on yours/a relationship ramble: SO THESE TWO ARE A NEWER RELATIONSHIP BUT LIKE man newt is already so genuinely fond of gardner and glad that this world has provided him with the opportunities that he clearly wanted so badly. the fact that he has a lot of very clear fascination and respect for his creatures helps things along, and newt honestly can’t really not be endeared by someone who finds just as much wonder in them as he does. so yeah. a+++