#and as a setting

[dolphin1812]

“Still another resemblance between Paris and the sea. As in the ocean, the diver may disappear there.”

Hugo’s never one to shy away from a drowning metaphor, and they’re never good signs. At the beginning of the novel, Jean Valjean was drowning in the negligence of society; now, he’s at a similar crisis point, but in the sewers instead of the French countryside.

(It’s also not great that the sewer is a sepulchre, both because of the general association with death and the link between this description and the convent. It’s “freedom” in that he’s escaped the troops, but the sewer might be another prison that he’s stuck in, choosing an awful form of confinement over dealing with law enforcement once again. As usual, there’s a rational element to this - especially here, where he would be killed or captured otherwise - but it’s still sad to see.)

“The truth is, that they were less safe than Jean Valjean fancied. Perils of another sort and no less serious were awaiting them, perchance. After the lightning-charged whirlwind of the combat, the cavern of miasmas and traps; after chaos, the sewer. Jean Valjean had fallen from one circle of hell into another.”

I just really love this paragraph! I think the sewer is a very fun setting (except for Valjean and Marius, of course).

“He said to himself that he was probably in the sewer des Halles; that if he were to choose the path to the left and follow the slope, he would arrive, in less than a quarter of an hour, at some mouth on the Seine between the Pont au Change and the Pont-Neuf, that is to say, he would make his appearance in broad daylight on the most densely peopled spot in Paris. Perhaps he would come out on some man-hole at the intersection of streets. Amazement of the passers-by at beholding two bleeding men emerge from the earth at their feet. Arrival of the police, a call to arms of the neighboring post of guards. Thus they would be seized before they had even got out. It would be better to plunge into that labyrinth, to confide themselves to that black gloom, and to trust to Providence for the outcome.”

I love this insight into Valjean’s thought process, as it highlights his intelligence in escaping (the image of Valjean and Marius emerging to the astonishment of random Parisians is also a bit funny). He’s very quickly able to reason through a navigation process that calls back Bruneseau’s mapping attempts, and that’s considering that this is his first time in a sewer and that he’s been deprived of the senses he would normally rely on. He makes a mistake, but his reasoning isn’t completely wrong, illustrating his cleverness.

The suspense is this chapter is also well-done. Hugo’s great at conveying the eeriness of the sewer, and watching Valjean panic over something that isn’t the police always underscores how scary it is. If even he’s unnerved by its dark and labyrinthine nature, then it really has to be horrible. And of course, leaving us on a cliffhanger with the light of the police in the distance raises the tension considerably.

[blueskittlesart]

i’ve started babysitting for a VERY christian family which is great because they pay me a lot of money but as someone who was raised almost completely agnostic it’s kind of insane. the 2 year old keeps asking me to read her stories from the bible. (why are we reading david and goliath to a 2 year old????) the 5 year old told me today that he was going to bring his legos to heaven with him. he also has repeatedly told me that the lego spaceships he builds are stronger than jesus. (not sure what to say to that. do i deny it??? are things allowed to be stronger than jesus??) had to stop myself mid sentence today because i almost told them im not going to heaven which would DEFINITELY have caused several meltdowns. they’re also both completely fascinated by my nose ring

[macbethz]

Well I like it but it’s not very well written. Also it’s a visual mess. The plot doesnt make any sense and the creators suck and its politics oscillate from mildly problematic to frankly baffling. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. However. the character

[captaincalamity]

this makes it sound like he was fucking sniffing around the set searching for lapis lazuli and that’s so much funnier than reality

[bubobubosibericus]

the guys at r/fuckcars doing the lord's work

[guiiay]

jinx and isha visit a walmart

[prompt-heaven]

a list of 100+ buildings to put in your fantasy town

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

dentist

distillery

docks

dovecot

dyer

embassy

farmer's market

fighting pit

fishmonger

fortune teller

gallows

gatehouse

general store

graveyard

greenhouses

guard post

guildhall

gymnasium

haberdashery

haunted house

hedge maze

herbalist

hospice

hospital

house for sale

inn

jail

jeweller

kindergarten

leatherworker

library

locksmith

mail courier

manor house

market

mayor's house

monastery

morgue

museum

music shop

observatory

orchard

orphanage

outhouse

paper maker

pawnshop

pet shop

potion shop

potter

printmaker

quest board

residence

restricted zone

sawmill

school

scribe

sewer entrance

sheriff's office

shrine

silversmith

spa

speakeasy

spice merchant

sports stadium

stables

street market

tailor

tannery

tavern

tax collector

tea house

temple

textile shop

theatre

thieves guild

thrift store

tinker's workshop

town crier post

town square

townhall

toy store

trinket shop

warehouse

watchtower

water mill

weaver

well

windmill

wishing well

wizard tower

[irate-iguana]

For those who don’t know, Elon Musk has recently been directing his assholery towards Wikipedia — calling them ‘Wokepedia’ due to the amount they spend on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and calling for people to stop giving them money “until they restore balance to their editing authority” —, now is a great time to consider donating to Wikipedia!

[vietsoul]

Jason Adonis Unseen, 2009 - Jet Set Productions, dir. Chris Steele

[orangepenguino]

x

[acet0xy]

miku inspired by jet set radio

[straightlightyagami]

u ever see someone with extremely fucked up views (or actions) and think wowww if a couple of things in my life went the tiniest bit differently that would have been me

[jewfrogs]

the problem with autism is sometimes you want to do something (brave) but you need someone to gently walk you through each step so you know what will happen. and people don’t like doing that

[nyaa]

I got really bored and started searching Flickr for every photo people took on September 11th 2001

[stealingpotatoes]

Tucker isn't a fan of thunderstorms.