#danglars and Villefort

[frsalmon]

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THESE TWO PLZ????

[romangoldendreams]

The Count of Montecristo (2024)

Sam Claflin as Edmond Dantes & Ana Girardot as Mercedes Herrera

Mikkel Foolsgard as Villefort

Jeremy Irons as Abate Faria

Harry Taurasi as Fernand Mondego

Blake Ritson as Danglars

[chateau-dilf]

[bellahunterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr]

Reasons Why The Chapter 'Unlimited Credit' is my favourite:

Danglars has FAKE ART AND it CLASHES WITH THE BEADING THAT DECORATES HIS CEILING??? What a loser 

Danglars: ‘Monsieur, no one has yet found my funds to be wanting’ Dantés: ‘so it seems I shall be the first 💅🏼

THE COUNT KEEPS A MILLION BUCKS IN HIS POCKET!!!! YOU MIGHT AS WELL GET YOUR DICK OUT AND SWING IT AROUND

‘A man like Danglars needed to be bludgeoned’ 🙃

Danglars with one last-ditch effort to show the Count how cool and rich and worldly he is: ‘i thought I was rather well acquainted with all the great fortunes in Europe; but I have to admit that yours, though it seems to be considerable, had entirely escaped my notice. Is it recent?' The Count: no hehe  

HAHAHAH DANGLARS IS LIKE COME SEE MY ART IM A CONNOISSEUR ITS REAL I SWEAR 

[ninadove]

A word on Benedetto’s father figures

Because I’ve been thinking about it all week. Have some parallels and contrasts, my friends:

Villefort:

Starts off Benedetto’s story extremely strongly by literally burying him alive within minutes of his birth. No one has ever failed their son harder.

Might have been onto something when he said crime spread around him and from him like a disease. Seriously, look at this family! It’s so dysfunctional in so many ways!!! If you’re a nature-over-nurture person, it’s not that far-fetched to suppose Benedetto got the Criminal Gene™ from him.

Literally changed his name to hide his compromising origins (as much as humanly possible in the spheres he frequents).

Burnt Edmond’s denunciation letter. Guess who else likes to burn things?

Is brought down by the literal unearthing of his biggest secret, which in turn concludes Benedetto’s arc.

Bertuccio:

Is, literally, the one who gave Benedetto life, and the emissary of Providence™ who shows up to bestow blessings upon him at semi-regular intervals.

Unfortunately, those gifts are always cursed. Surprise salvation from the grave in the garden? Only happens because Bertuccio tried to murder the kid’s father first, and results in what is functionally a kidnapping. Surprise adoption? Results in Benedetto being raised by a literal criminal, who is #shocked when his protege starts hanging out with ill-intentioned older boys and disciplines him with what we can reasonably assume from the unreliable narration is the good old belt. Surprise life-changing information about his origins that Bertuccio held onto all these years? Only revealed to cement Benedetto’s status as Monte-Cristo’s puppet.

Crumbled the second Benedetto questioned his ascendance, therefore drawing a clear link between authority and paternity and reinforcing the kid’s desire to defy both.

“Major Cavalcanti”:

Is just Some Guy™.

And yet, they have so much in common: both are impostors trapped in Monte-Cristo’s web, both are passionate about scamming rich people. There’s a quasi-instantaneous recognition between the two and, because they share the same goal, they develop a strangely wholesome understanding…? It’s forced coexistence as much as it is respect, but it’s not deprived of a weird sort of warmth, and Monte-Cristo himself comments on how much it looks like actual familial love. The contrast with Caderousse could not be harsher.

In virtue of his fake wealth and fake fatherhood, the Major becomes the Ultimate Authority™ ‘Andrea’ name-drops every time he wants to advance in society.

Caderousse:

Outwardly, he adopts all the attributes of a good father. He taught Benedetto most of his tricks! He feeds him! He talks of all the hardships they’ve been through together, like a family would!

But, of course, what he’s really doing is blackmailing Benedetto. Caderousse wants money, and it’s taken him a while to actually get his hands dirty, but he’s finally graduating to murder! And his silly young friend should help him if he doesn’t want his blood spilled on Place de Grève.

Anyway Benedetto stabs that guy real bad. I thought it was hilarious of him.

Danglars:

As Andrea’s future father-in-law, Danglars is his ticket towards the life of luxury without effort he has always wanted.

Of course, Danglars is using Andrea for the same reason Caderousse uses Benedetto: for money. Both of them lie about what they own, ergo about who they are, to get their hands on what they think the other has. This is especially interesting when put in perspective with the brutal honesty Danglars employs when talking to Eugénie, who he treats like a son and almost business partner rather than like a daughter (Transmasc Eugénie Truthers, rise up!).

… But of course, he still wants people to think of he and Andrea as family to strengthen his own nobility: if his son (in-law) is a prince, a title Danglars repeats ad nauseam, doesn’t that make him a king?

All things considered, despite losing their freedom (temporarily in Danglars’ case), money and status, both of them get a relatively happy ending compared to most of the cast.

Monte-Cristo:

BUCKLE UP THIS IS THE MOST INTERESTING.

Twice Benedetto raises the possibility of Monte-Cristo being his biological father, a perfectly logical conclusion in light of what he has done for him; in turn, Monte-Cristo recognises Benedetto as one of God’s punishers, a title he otherwise only attributes to himself.

Both of them went through a symbolic rebirth after being buried alive.

Both of them were wrongly accused of being evil incarnate, but eventually graduated to Full-On Criminals. Talk about self-fulfilling prophecies.

Escape Artists™

Both had to completely reinvent themselves, down to their names and origins, to achieve their ambitions.

Ruined engagement ceremony!!! This also draws parallels to Villefort and, interestingly, to Valentine and Franz.

THIS:

🇫🇷 « Ce calme, cette parfaite aisance firent comprendre à Andrea qu’il était pour le moment étreint par une main plus musculeuse que la sienne, et que l’étreinte n’en pouvait être facilement brisée. »

🇬🇧 « This calm, this perfect poise told Andrea that he was presently held by a hand far stronger than his, whose grip could not be escaped easily. »

Both Edmond and Benedetto know they are prisoners of people more powerful than they are, of the narrative, of a superior power that wields them like knives; both Monte-Cristo and Andrea accept their role as knives in the hope of eventually slicing through their ties. Whether or not they succeeded in the end is up to the reader’s interpretation.

[forsuperbang]

Danglars lost his fortune (and his family, but he doesn't give a fuck), de Morcerf lost his reputation and his life, but de Villefort lost his family, his reputation, and his sanity in the most brutal and cruel ways. Love that for him. My poor meow meow.

[kashilascorner]

MADAME DE VILLEFORT WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU BITCH I SWEAR HASN'T VALENTINE SUFFERED ENOUGH ALREADY

[wretchedvulgarian]

Haydée, Eugénie, and Valentine from The Count of Monte Cristo enjoying themselves, avoiding the men’s drama

[its-to-the-death]

Villain Song Showdown Bracket D Round 2

Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians) - Villain: Cruella de Vil

A Story Told (The Count of Monte Cristo) - Villains: Mondego, Danglars and Villefort

[pen-inks]

Some Count of Monte Cristo characters as bracelets

(My friend made the Dantès and Villefort ones)

[vonlipvig]

he's got a list of names and theirs are in red underlined ❌❌❌

it's about time i sat down to doodle my versions of the characters from the count of monte cristo, so here's dantès and the three beloatheds lmao.

[rainsofcamelot]

i wanna talk to whoever decided not to put this song on the english cast album. we could've had more of mark seibert as villefort. why would anyone do this

[vickyvicarious]

An absolutely stellar quote for each of the villains from 'The Hundred Days':

Villefort shuddered at the idea of the prisoner cursing him in the darkness and silence, but he had gone too far to retreat. Dantes would have to be broken between the cogs of his ambition.

God, that second line is so good. What I love about this line is how deliberate and at the same time resigned it is. Villefort will sacrifice anything to his ambition, and by doing so finds himself somewhat trapped by his own choices. He has no way out but forward. While he may cringe a bit, and dreads the idea of reprisal from his enemies, he knowingly continues to walk this path.

...his denunciation had been accurate and, like all men with a certain natural aptitude for crime and only average understanding of ordinary life, he described this strange coincidence as 'a decree of Providence'. But when Napoleon had returned to Paris and his voice, imperious and powerful, was heard once more in the land, Danglars knew fear.

While his decision to leave here does end up working for him, it's motivated by no great strategic mind; rather, he is described as having criminal instincts but not a great deal more. He fears revenge (and that last line is fantastic) but, for all his scheming, he isn't the character who sees the picture around him most clearly (except in one distinct way - he remembers Dantes, and fears him, rather than any official/larger-scale fallout. He knows the kind of man Dantes is more than the others). That's Villefort, who is described above and earlier in the chapter as being quite aware of his situation and possible future ramifications, as well as having good instincts. So Danglars runs, always hoping to rebuild anew somewhere else.

As for Fernand, he understood nothing. Dantes had gone away; that was enough. What had happened to him? Fernand did not try to find out.

Look, this guy's dumb. He's a loser. He wants Mercedes, he hates Dantes, and that's as far as he goes. His lack of curiosity or awareness of what is truly going on around him makes him in some ways the easiest mark of them all, certainly compared to the two schemers above. This quote made me laugh.

Caderousse was called up as Fernand had been; but, being eight years older than the Catalan and married, he was not recruited until the third wave of conscription and sent to guard the coast.

Okay, I admit this stretches 'absolutely stellar quote' to the limit. It's not really at all, but I do feel like it kind of sums his role up decently. He's kind of a sucky guy, but not as much as the other three. He hangs back, in terms of villainy, both in convicting Dantes and in profiting off his absence, compared to the others. While he does get drawn in to the villainy repeatedly, it is more reluctantly/gradually... but it does still happen. He succumbs to temptation. He gets used, he keeps quiet out of cowardice, he gets greedy, etc. I dunno, it's probably just because I thought some of the other lines were somewhat character-defining, but I thought this line about his eventual conscription sort of matches his role among the villains.

Also, a couple bonus lines that I love:

So it was that Dantes, during the Hundred Days and after Waterloo, remained under lock and key, forgotten, if not by men, at least by God.

The reversal of the usual phrase here, where he may be remembered by men but has been forgotten by God, is delicious.

It was not the fact that Mercedes lacked the courage to carry out this intention, but the succour of religion that saved her from suicide.

I dunno, I love the emphasis on her bravery and her genuine love for Edmond. Also the contrast of her 'hopeless expectation' driving her to suicide being held back by her religion and the comfort she recieves from Fernand is such an interesting contrast to Dantes' own suicidal thoughts in prison.

[chateau-dilf]

2024 TCoMC in create a cat NOW

Edmeow (Edmond) and The Meownt (The Count)

Kittyfort (Villefort) and Yowlnand (Fernand)

Purrcédès (Mercédès) and Scratchglars (Danglars)

Hissdée (Haydée) and Mewdré (André)

Design notes:

Edmond and The Count:

I wanted the Count to look similar to Edmond of course, but at first was really stuck since the Count is very black cat to me. I messed around with it for ages and just couldn't get it to work, so tried out a lighter design and loved it. In the book Edmond gets very pale post prison and I think it would be the same for his fur. The change in markings could be attributed to his disguise or stress (similar to how injury/stress/etc can make your hair colour change in humans, or activate skin conditions that change pigmentation.)

Villefort:

I just know he's a smug tuxedo cat.

André:

I tried a similar colour scheme to Villefort but he's so brown cat coded to me, so I kept his markings similar but changed his palette in order to hint at his heritage but still keep him looking like himself.

[bellahunterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr]

Danglars: *rolls up to The Count Of Monte Cristo's super expensive house to pay him a lil visit*

The Concierge: "Sorry, The Count is not receiving visitors right now" 😌

The Count peeping at Danglars through the window WITH BINOCULARS: "Yup, still ugly".

[rowan-e-ravenwood]

have you got any tcomc playlists? 👁️👁️

OH, ABSOLUTELY I DO

i posted them a while back but i can't be bothered to find the post, so if i do i'll delete it to keep from clogging up the tags...

as i've said before, it's been a hot minute since i've really participated in the fandom (i'd like to remedy that), so some of my views on the characters have changed a bit since i made these? so not all of the song choices are perfect imo anymore... but i am constantly tweaking these playlists so it's whatever.

oh also also, a couple of these are major WIPs, lol. ANYWAY.

putting them under a read-more cut so that nobody hates me for the length of the post, lmao

here's Edmond's:

here's Fernand:

here's Villefort:

here's Danglars (one of the ones i'm less happy with lol):

here's Caderousse (my favourite character heheh):

here's Mercédès:

here's Albert (idk this one's a WIP):

here's Benedetto (another of my favourites!!):

and finally, Valentine! (my beautiful darling sweetheart):

i also have playlists for a couple ships i like, so if you're interested in those, feel free to ask, but they're not quite as good lol