goth cosette goth cosette GOTH COSETTE

The fact that Valjean gave Cosette all black clothes—he really is the originator of goth Cosette

Enjolras and Prouvaire: only son (or only child?) and "rich/wealthy" , with no exact mention of what means

Combeferre: ....well he has a mother, since he forgets her at the barricade? no other solid info

Feuilly: an orphan, with no mother or father , and apparently no knowledge of any extended family

Courfeyrac: his family name is de Courfeyrac and he drops the particle, so perhaps some tension with his family? however we know nothing else about them...

Bahorel- son of peasants, who "respect" him; it seems to be mutual

Bossuet: amazing amount of family info really?? his dad was a postmaster, but has died; one of his ancestors was a servant in the palace, who minded the royal dogs; but we still don't know if he's got any surviving family

Joly: somehow we know nothing?? at all???? Grantaire : well he has a dad, anyway, who's disappointed in his failure to do Maths well...if you believe Grantaire's interpretation, which you probably never should

#aaaaand we forgot Grantaire’s sister again#poor girl mostly gets ignored#doesn’t she (via @kittycattscathy)

AFAICT, "Grantaire's sister" is referenced only in the script of LM 2012, as possibly being one of the women in Turning. This is just about book canon, though I'd be very interested to hear if there's an adaptation that actually leans into Grantaire having a sister!

everyonewasabird

I want to say we got some info from French speakers at some point that “fils unique” means specifically “only child (male)” and there are other ways to say “only son (but there might be daughters).” “Seul fils” seems to mean the latter, and maybe I vaguely remember that “unique fils” might also imply it? But I don’t speak French.

the strangest fandom hobby is plotty fanfiction, the kind that requires research, because engaging in this hobby makes no goddamned sense.

it doesn’t even give anybody masturbation material, which is at least a logical and admirable goal that contributes to the betterment of society, or at least society’s solitary orgasms.

- Even worse is the part where we learn that she is literate (she reads well and can even write - in Fantine's case, these would have been lifesaving skills), but literacy doesn't add anything to girl’s chances in life! It’s striking contrast to Marius, whose education allowed him to earn his living. I like that we are reminded that she is Gavroche’s sister, and he takes her to the theatre! It seems that this entire family (including their abominable father) has a soft spot for theatre and plays!

- Her speech about sleeping in the ditches, suicidal thoughts, and hallucinations due to hunger is so sincere and heart-wrenching. And it also evokes some vibes of Javert ("When I thought of drowning myself, I said to myself: ‘No, it’s too cold’" and “The stars are like the lamps in illuminations, one would say that they smoked and that the wind blew them out” – but this last reference is more fitting for the musical version of Javert).

Jean Valjean

Things Arthur has seen Merlin do:

Create a rainstorm over a town that was suffering from drought

Conjure food out of nothing when their rations got ruined

Speak to elemental spirits

Summon lightning from a clear sky

Heal an entire forest destroyed by wildfire

Transformed a volley of arrows into a cloud of butterflies

Turn a would-be assassin into a mouse

Turn himself into various animals including a raven, a fox, a cat, a stag, a wolf, a serpent, and a stoat

Create a 30-foot wall of fire to cut off their enemy's escape route

Address the Seelie Court

Things Arthur has also seen Merlin do:

Trip on the same set of stairs at least once a week for 10 years

Get his cloak shut in a door because he forgot he was wearing it

Peel apples to give to his horse

Cry over a litter of fox kits they found on a hunting trip (they were very small and fuzzy)

Get giggling-drunk after one (1) cup of strong wine

Play hide-and-seek with small children

Help the younger pages and squires practice their letters

Attend a council meeting barefoot because he forgot to put his boots on that morning

Carry around that scaly wingéd demon dragon hatchling in a sling like an infant because "she missed him"

Merlin: *does some Literally Impossible feat of magic*

The title of this chapter - “M. Bamatabois’ Inactivity” - is somewhat strange. The chapter revolves around his actions: he harasses Fantine verbally, then shoves snow down her dress. Of course, Hugo discusses all that he doesn’t do as well. He doesn’t work and is not very helpful or harmful in his inaction. Since he has some wealth, his unemployment doesn’t condemn him (either financially or in the eyes of society), but it doesn’t help his image, either. It’s accepted that there are men like him who don’t work, but it’s not praised, either. Since he has some status and money and is aligned with the party in power (his hat indicates that he’s a royalist), he’s tolerated by everyone around him in spite of his “inactivity.” 

This “inactivity,” then, is largely defined through his relationship with society: he’s “inactive” in that he doesn’t work. That being said, it’s also a legal “inactivity.” At the end of the chapter, Bamatabois flees before Javert can question him, leaving Fantine to him. Bamatabois isn’t seen as a criminal worth pursuing, so in the eyes of the law, he was never there except as a victim of Fantine’s aggression. Even though he spends most of this chapter harassing Fantine, to Javert, he is the “inactive” victim, while Fantine’s single reaction makes her the perpetrator.

dean + text posts pt. 2 bonus: