#everyone talks so much it's like the opposite of victor hugo

[wellntruly]

M*A*S*H - Viewguide, S5

Are you interested in the long-running anti-war situation tragicomedy M*A*S*H (1972-1983), but there are simply so many asterisks and so many episodes?

Well I can’t help you with the asterisks, but nor can I help myself: I started watching all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H, and bringing back for you my viewing selections, chosen for The Qualities.

— — —

This season overall I'd say feels kind of, mild? Less low lows and less high highs. Just middley. I nearly included one episode almost wholly for the appeal of being maybe 75% set at night (something I would do), and secondly for the appeal of Hawkeye sleepwalking, when he's not waking from nightmares. But it's very I'll say "Season 5" in that despite this, it's just, I don't know somehow milder than I might want, especially when this set-up naturally recalls the much odder and eerier 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' from Season 2, with (and possibly even because of) its spikier swings between the antic and traumatic.

But it happened that a lot of the stronger stuff here lent itself to putting together something of a more focused character collection. So welcome to our Special Issue!, highlighting the previously maybe somewhat under-served Major Margaret Houlihan, and Captain BJ Hunnicutt:

M*A*S*H - Season 5 Recommended sequence

5x03 ‘Margaret’s Engagement’ - So fun to me that Margaret & Frank transitioning from “secret” lovers to “secret” exes is somehow the exact same mood while having the opposite content. Ending comes out of nowhere and on a pretty weak joke, but when it's just Hawkeye & BJ lounging on each other on Margaret’s bed as she hops around showing them her goofy little engagement ring, that’s the Margaret & The Boys ‘Silly Mood’ vibes I've been missing, baby. Loretta Swit is back!

5x06 ’The Nurses’ - This one made me cry??? It was written and directed by women. It’s about women having complex relationships with each other. Bechdel Test smashed, only took us four seasons! 

5x08 ‘Dear Sigmund’ - It's the context here that really has me like, haha totally. This is the first episode they’ve let Alan Alda write all himself in three calendar seasons, and he's like great, okay: can I just get down nothing but a bunch of character meta and headcanons for everyone and put that up as TV? Yeah Victor Hugo that sounds wild, please do.

5x09 ‘Mulcahy’s War’ - Father Mulcahy goes out to the front to experience the horrors (more), but amazingly the real reason I'm including this one is that Gary Burghoff’s distressed little straight man hilarity here made me laugh so, so much, and then have a staggering realization: the character of Radar O'Reilly is absolutely the progenitor of Guillermo de la Cruz.

5x10 ‘The Korean Surgeon’ - Would be worth it for Hawkeye & BJ talking to Radar in the mess tent ALONE (Gary Emmy-winning year). But also I love their kind weary surgeon friend from ~the other side~

5x15 ‘The Most Unforgettable Characters’ - At 10 minutes in I'd thought, alright this is probably just another middle sort of one, and then at 10 minutes and 30 seconds, BJ (BJ, baby??!) spontaneously proposes that he and Hawkeye spend the rest of the episode play-acting that they're fighting to entertain Frank for his birthday, inspiring Barbara Kruger four years later to go, y'know what, I'm gonna have to comment on this.

5x19 ‘Hanky Panky’ - You tell me “BJ episode where he cheats on his wife,” and I’m going to say, “hm well that’s not the kind of character development I think I want,” but I would be wrong about that! A) love her, she's great in this, B) there is one particular revelation BJ shares here that is just, exquisite information. I will say no more at this juncture (Watch Notes: Coming soon!), but in light of oh, a lot: oh my god.

5x25 ‘Margaret’s Marriage’ - Let’s bookend this! One thing I love about long episodic seasons, is that after Margaret somehow ever more hilariously saying the name ‘Lieutenant Colonel Donald Penobscott’ for 22 episodes, the man finally appearing felt like forbidden Beckett. 

And also now say bye-bye, Frank [chorus: bye-bye, Frank!]

Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Season 5 • To be continued

#M*A*S*H hours

[adorablecrab]

Villefort’s dad is still the best The Count of Monte Cristo character

“There’s a Bonapartist club a rue whatever” “I know I’m the president” :)

This is an amount of sass we should all strive for. Inspiring.

[isabellahawkes]

Defending 5 Tropes Everyone Hates In Fiction

Today  I’m going to defend the tropes in fiction that everyone hates. I’ve  been watching Authortube and Booktube for several years, and over a  period of time I’ve realized that certain tropes get more blind hate  than they deserve. So I’ll be talking about the five tropes everyone  hates — or, so they claim to — and explain why they’re really not that  bad.

1) The Self-Insert: People make fun of self-inserts because they, in theory, drag the quality of the story down. But what exactly is a self-insert? Well, it’s supposed to be a character that resembles a more perfect version of the author, typically the main character. This character is hot and can do no wrong, and defeats all of their enemies easily.

However…what is actually a self-insert? The main character. Of any novel. Especially if it’s written by a woman.  Women authors are more often than not accused of writing self-inserts,  especially if the main character is also a woman, and bonus points if  they have the same hair color. Because brown is such an uncommon hair  color. Self-inserts are typically also referred to as Mary-Sues. Here’s a  tip: Go in the opposite direction from anyone who uses that term today  unironically.

I’m  not saying that self-inserts don’t exist in fiction, or that people  don’t write “Mary Sues”. But let’s be honest, this is just another way  to dig at a woman author for not writing the just perfect and acceptable  representation of a woman. The character is likable? Self-insert. The  character is unlikable? Self-insert. The character is good at most  things? This is wish fulfillment. The character is completely  incompetent? She’s so pathetic…so she must be a self-insert.

Aside from this primarily being directed at women — even  though some of the most renowned male authors have never had trouble  expressing their own self-inserts (Leo Tolstoy, Victor Hugo, Stephen  King, etc)— self-inserts by themselves aren’t even a bad thing.  Writing a character that has the same traits as the author doesn’t mean  the quality of the story will be less than. If anything, the author  will know how their character would realistically react to any  situation.

To  be clear, I’m also not saying you should just write characters that are  exactly like you. But it’s pretty impossible to write a character that  is exactly like you as you keep writing your story. As you develop your  character, they become a separate entity from you. It’s possible that by  the end of writing your manuscript, your “self-insert” only has a few  traits in common with you. And that’s the strange thing about people  critiquing self-inserts — this is you assuming you know the author. And 9  cases out of 10, you don’t. Not even if they’re a YouTuber. So really,  it’s kind of a creepy accusation. A better critique of a main character  would be that they excelled in everything too easily, or they were so  “perfect” it was annoying…you don’t need to drag the author’s perceived  personality into the mix. Also, make sure the character is actually too  perfect, rather than you don’t expect a woman to be capable of doing  anything.

2) Flashbacks:  I’ve seen a lot of people who hate flashbacks, and honestly this is one  on the list that I can see why people do. However, I’ve seen a lot of  hate being thrown its way…and I personally love flashbacks. When they’re  necessary. I love multiple timelines, when done well. I love a  nonlinear story structure. Flashbacks tend to get hate because sometimes  the flashbacks are placed in awkward times in the story, or they don’t  seem to add much, or they just confuse the audience. These are totally  valid criticisms, but I think like with self-inserts, they’re not always  done horribly.

A  common piece of writing advice is to start your story where the story  starts, otherwise known as the inciting incident. The inciting incident is not always where a flashback takes place in the main character’s  story. Perhaps the most well-known example of this is the show  Lost. For one thing, Lost has a big cast, but it would’ve been annoying  to follow these random characters with family issues that seemingly  don’t have much of a connection until they crash on an island, probably,  what, in the third season? Sometimes a story starts with a catastrophic  event that brings up memories for the main character. It wouldn’t be  effective storytelling to start off with Jack ruining his alcoholic  dad’s reputation and then crashing on an island…that’s some out of  nowhere twist.

Also, sometimes a story needs flashbacks, typically in the mystery and  thriller genres. Maybe readers who don’t like flashbacks don’t enjoy  those kinds of stories, but I just think the flashback hate would  actually ruin a lot of cool stories.

3) The “Chosen One”:  I honestly think that people who hate the “Chosen One” storyline don’t  actually read many chosen one stories. That’s because their complaints  are bizarre oversimplifications about what the chosen one could be…but  never is. I’ve heard people say that the chosen one is randomly chosen  for no clear purpose or reason. The three most popular examples are Harry in Harry Potter, Frodo in Lord of the Rings, and Katniss in The Hunger Games is brought up a lot for some reason.  Critics of this trope act like these characters were just randomly  chosen by some all-knowing being to save the world…and that’s just not  true. All three of these examples weren’t “chosen”, they were victims of  life circumstances, as are all of us.

Harry’s parents were murdered and a protection spell was placed on him, and it was all because of Voldemort. He  made the decision to go after Harry because he heard of a prophecy that  Harry could be his undoing. It also could’ve been Neville. The point  is, this wasn’t some grand design from God, it was circumstances that  led to Harry being the chosen one. In Lord of the Rings, Frodo  inherited the ring. Gandalf and Frodo even have a discussion about how  it didn’t have to be Frodo…but that’s too damn bad, it is. And Katniss  became a symbol for the rebellion in Panem because she was the first  person in a long time to actively show some resistance against the  Capitol. Again, this was due to life circumstances.

The point of the Chosen One is never to show how incredible these everyday heroes are…in fact, it’s the opposite. The  point is that random things happen that lead these heroes down  extraordinary circumstances…and they never want it to, but it’s too damn  bad. I just think people who critique this trope aren’t  actually even talking about the trope when it’s used, they’re just  borrowing jokes from CinemaSins.

4) Teenage Heroes/Super Soldiers:  When people complain about this trope, I get really confused. For one  thing, teenager heroes are typically in young adult books…which you’d  think would be obvious. But a lot of adult YA readers don’t actually  seem to like teenagers at all…so why are you reading about them? I also  get confused when people complain about this trope because they say it’s  not realistic…meaning, it doesn’t reflect real life…they don’t buy that  young people are targeted by any particular industries because they’re  young…

Not  only does the military target high schoolers because that’s when  they’re most physically fit, their minds are also more impressionable.  Universities do the same thing. Every industry  targets the youth to mold into a good soldier, a good student, a good  worker bee, another cog in the machine, if you will. But each person  targeted feels special, kind of like a hero. Sure, it might  sound weird to have an army made of up of 13 year olds because of the  kids you see around you. But back in the day, that was the norm, it’s  only unusual sounding by today’s standards. Just Google the age of King  Tut and you’ll be surprised how wrong you are.

5) One-Dimensional Villains:  For a time, we hated seeing villains that were just evil, for seemingly  no reason. We wanted something different. We wanted villains who felt  real like we do. We wanted funny villains. We wanted quirky villains. We  wanted to see ourselves in villains. Because we wanted to feel  challenged by our material. We didn’t want the good guy to always be  right. We wanted to understand the villain’s point. So…we got a ton of  villains with tragic backstories and redemption arcs. Not one of them  can stay evil unless they’re the last season baddy. That guy’s just Satan. It’s literally Satan most of the time now.

Every  villain’s gotta have a point, or at least a sob story. It’s totally  fine for a villain to have a point, and a sob story. But it’s gotten out  of hand. We’ve gotten to a tricky place where  many writers are unintentionally trying to justify their villains’  actions through their explanations of how a villain got to be the way  that they are. Or, if you’re a writer on YouTube, let’s be  honest, you’re gonna pretend that all of your characters are  three-dimensional people…because you’re the one writing them.

But  not every reader is going to think of your character chart. So, when  you don’t have these tragic backstory reveals, or understand why the  villain is committing genocide, the reader is just going to think, “this  is a one-dimensional villain.”

And that’s okay.

Why  do we need to justify genocide anyway? When we think of some of the  real world’s most evil people, we don’t see their complexity as a human  being…we see a monster. And honestly, I don’t see why every fictional  villain needs to be humanized in every fictional story. It all depends  on the story you’re trying to tell, and your themes. But your story  definitely doesn’t need to give your villain redemptive attributes.

Those are the five tropes I’ve seen get a lot of crap about, even from people  who use these tropes. And I don’t think they’re that bad, they’ve just  been oversimplified. Most any trope can be done well in fiction, they  just need to be utilized in an effective emotional way. And if you still  hate these tropes, well, that’s okay too. Just keeping an open mind is  one of the most efficient ways to improve your writing and expand your horizons.

Also published here on my website, and here on Medium. :)

[meta-squash]

Brick Club 2.1.16 “Quot Libras In Duce?”

The battle of Waterloo as a conceptual event is barely comprehensible even by those who were there. It becomes a different thing to every person who perceives it, divided differently, with different biases and different emphases on different people or moments. Hugo said similar things in earlier chapters when he spoke about historians talking about the events. Everyone agrees it was a massively important event, the conflict is about what it was and why it was important and all that.

“In This event, bearing the imprint of superhuman necessity, man’s share is nothing.” What is important (in Hugo’s opinion) is that this entire event was the will of Providence, and the men involved had almost no choice in the matter.

Shades of conversations between and characteristics of Les Amis here. War and victory isn’t the only thing that makes a nation great. There is also literature. (I do feel as though Hugo mentioning England and Germany’s literary heroes and leaving France’s blank seems to be deliberate, since he probably believes everyone will assume he fits in that blank space for France.) There will be multiple conversations and moments on the barricade discussing literature and history and invention as well as battle. In fact, Les Amis do go further than Hugo, in that their speeches include the greatness of science and invention alongside the greatness of battle and literature.

“Often a battle lost is progress attained. Less glory, more liberty. The drum is stilled, reason speaks. It is the game in which he who loses gains.” Where’s that “I guess!” meme? I think I understand the angle Hugo’s coming from, but I’m not sure I totally agree. I mean, if you’re fighting over someone doing something terrible to their country and citizens (like WWII), then maybe that’s one kind of progress in loss. But does this count? I suppose Napoleon was going for global conquering a la Alexander The Great and therefore would have probably been real shitty to the countries he overtook. But how much progress is there in returning to a monarchy instead of transitioning into some other sort of republic?

“Waterloo is actually the strangest encounter in history.” Hoo boy Hugo, too bad you weren’t alive in the 20th century because you would have some Things To Say.

“Napoleon and Wellington. They are not enemies, they are opposites. Never has God, who takes pleasure in antitheses, made a more striking contrast and a more extraordinary meeting. On one side, precision, foresight, geometry, prudence, retreat assured, reserves economized, obstinate composure, imperturbable method, strategy to profit from the terrain, tactics to balance battalions, carnage straight as a plumb line, war directed watch in hand, nothing left voluntarily to chance, ancient classic courage, absolute correctness; on the other, intuition, inspiration, a military marvel, a superhuman instinct; a flashing glance, a mysterious something that gazes like the eagle and strikes like the thunderbolt, prodigious art in disdainful impetuousity, all the mysteries of a deep soul, intimacy with Destiny...”

...Is this Javert and Valjean? Because it sounds like Javert and Valjean. Javert is Wellington: calculated, reserved, imperturbable, absolutely correct, etc. Valjean is Napoleon: instinctive, superhuman, observant, a deep soul, etc. They too are opposites. And in the end Javert has technically “won” when he has Valjean in the cabriolet with Marius, but he also is definitely not the moral victor in that case. It’s reflected again in the next paragraph that describes Napoleon winning with basically nothing, the same way Valjean manages again and again to evade Javert and evade the law in general with mostly just his wits (and some wigs).

Hugo praises Wellington for his skills and then immediately disses him and says England is full of shit for raising Wellington up and not appreciating all the random unknown soldiers who fought for them, who are just as if not more great than Wellington. “This people, surpassed by none in might and glory, values itself as a nation, not as a people.” Ooh, burn. But also ouch because this is equally applicable to present day US.

“...this lion, whatever it be, is dispelled...” I don’t really know what to make of this. Lions are important in Hugo-speak, but this feels like Hugo rejecting it. This monument to the battle cannot and does not encompass or symbolize the battle, in his opinion, it seems.

That last line is so long. I love it when Hugo writes his sentences with a thousand commas and semicolons, because it really helps the visual of just layers and layers piling on, layers of people and scenery and actions etc. We see all these ghosts of the battle, the phantom skeletons that are Napoleon and Wellington, and then it all vanishes back into the night and it’s just nighttime again in a field, but we still feel it when we stand there.

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Not to sound stupid but are you okay in Paris? Just watching the tragic fire that is burning down Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. We are left speechless at the scale of this horror as it unfolds. Our thoughts and prayers go to the people of France at this time. How are the French coping?

It’s very surreal to be in Paris this evening. I just got back home myself with my visiting sister. 
She is asleep as I soon will be after finishing writing up this post. But I have a dram of whisky to keep me company until then.

I was running late to have dinner at one of my favourite traditional restaurants in Saint-Germain area of Paris. My uncle and his French wife and my visiting sister were waiting for me there patiently. I didn’t understand at first why there were a throng of people in my way - I felt like a trapped salmon swimming the opposite way. They were bustling through the street leading to Notre Dame; I thought it odd because it’s a small street hidden away from the tourist trap area around Saint Germain. 


Only when I sat down at the table to make my apologies to my family did the waitress and other small number of diners started to openly talk about something bad happening at Notre Dame. 


We stepped out and the small street was filling out of more people. It was surreal. It felt like there was some alien ship had landed nearby and people were going to see what was going on. It was only until one looked up into the clear Paris sky could one see the plumes of smoke and the first wisps of fire on the tower. 


It was a surreal sight. 


We stood there and watched open mouthed. In shock mostly. Around us were a mixture of Parisians, white, black, North African as well as foreign tourists of every nation it seemed. We all just stood there in shocked awe. 


We really didn’t get a great view as the police set up a cordon and everyone was pushed back. 


Many around me were in tears. Others took selfies and shared their disbelief with friends. Most watched in stunned silence. 


The thought had crossed people’s mind that perhaps it was a terrorist attack but that argument was quickly extinguished as clearly there was no explosion. 
All the signs pointed towards some disastrous and tragic accident. 


We left the scene and slowly walked to the Île Saint-Louis, the island in the middle of Paris next to the Île de Cite where Notre Dame stands on. We went back to my uncle’s apartment and had a stiff dram of whisky. We watched the French national news on television whilst also looking out of the apartment bay windows at the terrible sight of the roof and steeple reduced to an ashen shadow of itself.

My French aunt, a medieval historian by background, was inconsolable. She was in tears. Besides being a devout Catholic she has an infectious enthusiasm to point out historic things the rest of us would miss when we would often go for brisk winter walks after Sunday lunches, usually around Notre Dame. 


Here she was again but this time in inconsolable lamentation. Notre Dame de Paris was as she said the cradle of late medieval music. Much of the imagination of those involved in European, religion, culture and music is tied to this place she would never tire of pointing out. Late 12th and early 13th Century polyphonic repertory created at Notre Dame has provided an understanding of how musicians learned to capture rhythm in their notational systems. The innovative musicians Adam of St. Victor, Leonin, and Perotin were all connected to the cathedral in the 12th and 13th centuries. 


Although the building has been constantly reshaped over time, much of the architecture and sculpture dates back to the original building, which was completed in around a century beginning in the 1160s. 


It was much mutilated during both the Renaissance and the 18th century. It was desecrated during the French Revolution and by the early 19th century, the cathedral was was crumbling and half-ruined inside. 


The crowning of Napoleon as emperor followed by the success of Hugo’s novel focused attention on the building, prompting major restorations in the mid-19th century. Indeed it needed all the 19th century labours of Prosper Merimee, Victor Hugo, (Eugene) Viollet-le-Duc and (Jean-Baptiste) Lassus which allowed the Gothic art to be restored to its rightful place.

Notre-Dame de Paris is much loved by the millions of French people and foreigners who visit each year - yet they enter and go out again, I am sure, without quite understanding just what this cathedral is. 


Yes, it is the cathedral of French cathedrals, with one of the longest and richest of histories: the site of royal weddings, the consecration of Napoleon Bonaparte as emperor and the beatification of Joan of Arc. It is also where the public celebrates the lives of the great and good.

It was at Notre Dame in 1431 that Henry VI, king of England, was crowned king of France, and James V, king of Scotland, married Madeleine of France in 1537. Requiem masses were held there for presidents Charles de Gaulle and François Mitterrand.

But Notre Dame to be honest has been more revered by foreign visitors than the locals. This is not out of contempt for religion or for anything traditional. But more because of the over familiarity of having it permanently there that you forget that it is actually there. 


It’s a sin we all make with the places we live near to and even forgetting the traditions that underpin them. We just take them for granted and lazily neglect their importance of what they symbolise or represent. 


To many Parisians, the 850-year-old landmark is quite simply the heart of their city, its two Gothic square towers rising above surrounding buildings along the river Seine. But many forget - including many Parisians - too that Notre dame is the main spot from which all distances to other cities from the French capital are measured. 


And for good reason because Notre Dame Cathedral - commissioned by King Louis VII - was to be a symbol of Paris’ political, economic, intellectual and cultural power at home and around the world. The city had emerged as the centre of power in France and needed a religious monument to match its new temporal and spiritual status. In other words how much the religious life and proud traditions centred the life of a nation. But alas no more. Just as the political centre has been swept away in secularist revolution and reforms from the 18th Century onwards, so has the place of religion and tradition been blown on the winds of change. 


My suspicions are that Parisians will mourn the damage and the loss of Notre Dame but not necessarily feel the weight of the religious loss - outside of the Catholic faithful within France - in equal measure. This is the real loss. The church - whatever one may think of it - without question helped shape the idea of a French kingdom from the 13th Century onwards. So even though France has been a democratic secular state since the French Revolution, many French understand the cultural importance of Notre Dame as symbol intimately tied to the development of the idea of a French nation. As Victor Hugo put it, “La cathédrale était un lieu de refuge. Toute justice humaine expirait sur le seuil.”

My hope is out of the ashes of tragedy a spiritual as well as a cultural renewal might awaken France to respecting its roots and honour traditions that brought them greatness. As my French aunt reminded us this evening that Notre Dame was deliberately designed to inspire awe and to pull your gaze upwards, to think about things transcendent, whether it was God or the Catholic version of Christianity or the transcendent power of human engineering and ingenuity.

We need to restore Notre Dame not just to its former physical glory but to its cultural importance to help all of us to rise above pettiness of politics and think upon the transcendent values of faith and ingenuity. Victor Hugo thought of Notre Dame as a work of art authored by humanity itself, with no individual artist. It surpasses anything an individual can do and therefore becomes the best of what all of us can do.

The question that I ask myself from time to time is that how can we call ourselves culturally advanced Europeans when we lack the imagination and the ingenuity to even dream of building structures worthy of outliving us?

These are questions for another day….

Nil desperandum!

[kim-seungmine]

likewise

title: likewise (part of i am you small project) characters: reader x kim seungmin of stray kids genres: fluff with sprinkles of angst, aspiring actor!seungmin, college au word count: 3301 words warnings: language synopsis: you hate your job as a part-time librarian, until you meet a certain puppy-like boy with smoldering eyes--which is a weird combination, but you like him anyways a/n: watch Day6’s Shoot Me MV for references. Also, I suck at giving titles I’m sorry!

You believed that fate affected 40% of your life. No more, no less. The other 60% would be decisions, but sadly you had a knack for making yourself suffer. Your decisions ranged from bad decisions to don’t-even-talk-about-it decisions: taking morning classes so you had time for part-time work (bad decision), choosing the wrong apartment building to live in (very bad decision), and working as a part-time librarian (don’t-even-talk-about-it decision) in your campus.

Choosing the wrong apartment should have been the worst decision you had ever made, but now anything would be better than stacking thick, dusty books back to the top of the shelf. First of all, you weren’t on the tall side. Secondly, the old stool you were using was about to collapse. Thirdly, you had accidentally dropped three books and the three people studying on the table across you kept giving you death glares.

“We still need one more point, guys. What should it be?” A guy with a sharp jawline and raspy voice asked. You hopped off your stool, deciding to arrange the books in the bottom shelf first until these guys went home. The Sharp Jawline (very gorgeous, if you might add), stopped to look at his friends, waiting for their feedback.

One of his friends, the one who reminded you of a puppy, rolled his eyes. “It’s very simple, Changbin. The topic is whether money is everything, and our stance is no. Why do people do all the ‘useless’ shit like drawing, dancing—”

“What the fuck!”

“Fuck, sorry Felix. Didn’t mean to make it sound that way.”

The guy named Felix was furious now. His hands were curled into fists and if he had laser eyes, he would’ve made a huge hole on Puppy Guy’s face. This is interesting, you noted. You never liked eavesdropping, it was plain creepy and rude, but this was clearly more fun than your job.

“So you were saying?” Sharp Jawline interjected. Felix was no longer furious, he just looked hurt. Puppy Guy let out an (almost) apologetic sigh before rephrasing his statement, “Some of us choose to do things that we love instead of other things that have more definite future. There are a lot of living proofs of that, so I think that will be a strong point.”

A smile slowly crept onto Felix’s face. He nodded excitedly, jotting it down on his notebook. “Can I take this one? I’m sure I’ll nail it. I’m the living proof, after all.”

“Felix, you’re a Finance major.”

“Hey I’m transferring next semester!”

“Alright, but don’t use yourself as an example. Don’t choose celebrities either,” Puppy Guy said. “Changbin can take the second point and I’ll take the first one. Now we just need—”

He didn’t get to finish what he wanted to say since you dropped the fourth book for the night. All three of them gave you another death glare, but this time Puppy Guy got up from his seat and walked towards you.

“Do you need help?” he asked. In a normal situation, you would count this as a meet-cute, but Puppy Guy’s glare turned out to be scarier than Felix’s. You didn’t know how he still managed to look so adorable—so puppy like—although he was basically trying to stop himself from murdering you.

“Sorry,” you muttered. “I just started working here and I’m still not used to holding big books… it’s okay. I’ll just go to the other sections first.”

Puppy Guy stole a glance at his friends before looking at the book you were holding, Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. “Does anyone even read that book anymore,” he said; his tone told you that it wasn’t exactly a question. “Why bother taking it out when you have zero intention to read it.”

He took the book from you, darting his eyes to the other books scattered on the floor. “I’ll help you,” he sighed. You nodded, sliding the stool towards him. Puppy Guy stepped onto the wobbly stool, extending his hand out to you.

“Seungmin-ah, what are you doing?” Sharp Jawline whispered-yelled, a playful smile plastered on his face. Felix (you would’ve nicknamed him Cute Bunny Teeth if they didn’t reveal his name sooner) propped his face on his palm, wiggling his eyebrows at you.

Puppy Guy—Seungmin!—ignored his friends, fully concentrating on putting the books back to the top shelf. You couldn’t help but stare at him; he really looked like an adorable puppy, but his eyes looked fiery, like he was angry at the world. “Wow this is the worst job ever,” he grumbled, losing his balance as he put down the last book.

“Please ask them to give you a new stool. This is dangerous,” he said, dusting off his denim jacket (which looked amazing on him).

“I read Les Miserables,” you blurted out as he was about to walk away.

Seungmin raised his eyebrows, thinking for a few seconds before finally nodding his head. “Yeah, I did too,” he answered, and then something magical happened.

He smiled.

-

The rest of the week passed just like that. It was nearly midterm period, so you were drowning in assignments and part-time jobs. You never met Seungmin, Changbin, and Felix in the library again, although you were sure you saw Felix dancing at the university festival two days ago. There were a lot of attractive boys in the library (surprisingly), but none of them caught your attention like Seungmin and his soft smile.

You closed your laptop as your professor left the classroom. “Y/N, you’re still helping me to film Day6’s new music video today right?” Bang Chan, your senior who possessed the deepest dimples ever, tapped your desk.

Shit.

You completely forgot about it. Both of you were in the same Advanced Cinematography class, and your professor recommended him to one of the most popular video production companies in Korea. He was asked to choose one more person, so he chose you.

This project would boost your resume although you probably wouldn’t do much. “Oh yeah, of course! How could I forget?” You faked a smile, packing up your things in a rush. Chan glanced at his watch, his face turned pale in an instant.

“Oh shoot, we have to leave now, Y/N. I promised the director that we’d arrive earlier. Is that okay?” he asked, helping you to put your laptop into your bag. “Do you know that the male lead also studies here? He’s from the International Studies department.”

You only nodded nonchalantly as Chan dialled a number. “Yo Seungmin! Where are you?”

Seungmin? How many Seungmins were there in your campus? Was it your Seungmin?

Chan quickened his pace, waving his hand at a brown-haired guy when as you two were nearing the front entrance. You tried not to scream when you realized that it really was your Seungmin standing there, waving back to Chan.

“Y/N, this is our actor, Kim Seungmin.”

When your eyes met his, you felt somehow… relieved. He was looking at you with those smoldering eyes of his, and you were supposed to feel intimidated, but you weren’t. If anything, you felt almost giddy. “Hi, I’m Y/N. Thanks for helping me the other day.”

Seungmin shrugged. “I only did it because you were noisy as hell,” he said. Chan clapped in excitement, squeezing himself between both of you to wrap his arms around your shoulders. “Wait, you guys already know each other? That’s great!” He turned to you, “You should’ve seen Seungmin auditioned! He was born to act.”

Seungmin punched Chan’s shoulder, avoiding your gaze. “I just got lucky,” he mumbled.

“Have you been acting for a long time?” you asked, your heart did a flip when Seungmin chuckled. You wondered how he could possibly act, seeing that he didn’t even smile often. But small moments like this convinced you that Seungmin had another side you didn’t know about.

“This will be my first.”

You would be seeing Seungmin act for the first time. Somehow, you liked the sound of that.

-

You were examining the storyboard with Chan operating the camera beside you. The director was looking at the screen, nodding as Seungmin pointed his fingers at the camera and started shooting imaginary bullets. You heard the staff behind you gasped in awe, so you decided to steal a glance at the screen.

And you were transfixed.

Seungmin was sitting there, opposite the female lead, staring into the camera with teary eyes and a sorrowful gaze that you would never forget because how could someone look as angry and vulnerable like that? When the corner of his lips curled into a sad smile, you checked your storyboard, and saw nothing like that in it.

Seungmin was in his element, and he was beautiful.

Chan turned to the director, who said nothing as Seungmin continued staring into the camera. “And cut!” he shouted at last. “Good job, Seungmin. That improvisation was amazing.”

The whole room clapped, bowing to each other as the director announced that the shoot was done. Seungmin blinked, letting his tears roll down his cheeks before harshly wiping his eyes with his hand. You waited until he finished greeting everyone before running to him.

“You did very well! Everyone was so mesmerized, to say the least.” You patted his shoulder lightly, feeling a bit self-conscious when he didn’t reply. “Thank you,” Seungmin finally said, walking past you to high five an excited Chan.

“Damn it! You just outdid yourself, bro!” Chan exclaimed. The two boys continued chatting as you panicked for the second time that day. “Chan! I gotta leave now, my shift at the library starts soon!” you informed, already sprinting to the door when Seungmin said something you couldn’t make out.

-

You were ready to come up with twenty cliché excuses about why you were late, but the first thing the head librarian told you when you arrived at the library was that you got a new stool. “There are some new books at the back, make sure to put all of them to the shelves,” she said. You nodded, internally sighing as you realized that it wasn’t just “some” new books, but “a lot” of new books.

Deciding to start with fiction books first, you pushed the book cart to the fiction section. This was the exact aisle where you met Seungmin, and you couldn’t help but admit that you had a crush on him. You had fallen in love quite a lot; there were enough boys for you to make your own version of “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before”. The difference was, none of them turned out to be Peter Kavinsky.

“You got a new stool. Nice”

You grinned the moment you noticed that voice. Seungmin leaned on the shelf, taking a book from the cart. He flipped through the pages, his brows furrowed as his eyes caught some interesting words. “I’m borrowing this one,” he declared, slipping it into his bag. “I wanted to ask you to return the book I borrowed, but you bolted out the studio so fast.”

“I’m not your maid,” you pouted. Seungmin lowered his head to examine your face. “Why are you pouting like that?”

Great. Please continue being so obvious, Y/N.

“Nothing,” you mumbled. “So you’re an International Studies major? Do you want to be a diplomat or something?”

Seungmin let out a heavy sigh that made you worried. A glint of anger returned to his eyes. “Not really. I just want to leave,” he answered, his stern gaze erased whatever reassuring words you wanted to say.

“Why do you want to leave?”

“It’s easier to deal with strangers than those you know well.”

“Like who?”

He paused, keeping his gaze on the floor as you continued putting books on the shelf. He stopped you when you were about to start arranging the top shelf. “Parents?” he sheepishly said while stepping on the new stool.

“Well, mine got divorced,” you commented, trying to sound as nonchalant as you could.

“Lucky you.”

Seungmin sneezed, and you quickly put your hand on his back so he wouldn’t fall down. “How is that lucky?” you asked when he turned his head to look at you. Seungmin left your question hanging in the air for a while, arranging the books quietly per your instruction.

“It’s better for them to separate than staying under one roof but constantly trying to destroy each other,” he continued, hopping off the stool to sit on the floor beside you.

“At first I thought it would be better this way. But all the words they say to each other, to me—they burn.”

You nodded, now knowing why Seungmin was the way he was. “Wanna know something funny?” you offered as an attempt to lighten up the mood. However, before you said anything further, the boy beside you started sobbing.

“Seungmin-ah,” you called out. His body only shook harder as he cried his heart out. You rubbed his back in a calming rhythm, shutting down curious, judgmental whispers from other students with a single look. Seungmin looked up at last, his swollen eyes meeting your concerned ones. “You have pretty eyes,” he complimented.

You cleared your throat, not breaking eye contact even though you felt like dying out of happiness. “Likewise,” you replied, causing him to let out an airy laugh. “It’s true. Although you look like a sad puppy now.”

“I guess I am,” he admitted. “Is it okay if I cry again? I haven’t done that in ages.”

You smiled at him, wiping the tears along his jawline instinctively. Seungmin took it as a yes, burying his head in his knees as he started sobbing again.

So you stayed, watching his wall crumble. Listening to the words that broke his heart. Feeling yourself fall even harder for this beautiful, broken boy.

-

Day6’s new music video for Shoot Me had been released, and Kim Seungmin was now the hottest guy at campus. You had watched it for at least a thousand times, yet you still teared up everytime you did. After breaking down in front of you two weeks ago, Seungmin hadn’t contacted you at all. You didn’t expect him to, especially since you two weren’t even friends to begin with.

But still, you were disappointed.

“I think that’s them.”

You were on your way to the cafeteria, and you felt that someone was following you. “Really? I couldn’t really see them when we were in the library.”

“Can I help you?”

Changbin and Felix stopped on their tracks when you turned around. “H-hi,” Changbin stuttered as Felix flashed you his brightest smile. “We didn’t mean to stalk you, I swear!”

“It’s just—”

Felix rubbed his nape, trying to think of a good reason, but in the end he just slapped Changbin’s biceps. “This is your fault!” he yelled. “We’re just curious.”

“About?”

“About why I asked Chan for your number.”

Seungmin was standing behind you, mouthing a string of curse words to Changbin and Felix who were just grinning at him. “How dare you guys call yourselves my friends!” he protested.

“You didn’t even tell us about you getting into acting!” Changbin countered.

“We found out from YouTube!” Felix added. “You called dancing a useless shit but look at you, actor Kim. How dare you!”

Seungmin raised his hand in defeat as you scooted away. This is how secondhand embarrassment really feels!

“Since you’re here, I don’t need to text you anymore,” he said to you. “Let’s ditch these dumbasses and get some coffee? Or whatever you want, it doesn’t matter.”

You nodded, trying to suppress your giggle as Changbin and Felix yelled, “KIM SEUNGMIN, FIGHTING!!!!”

-

Your eyes snapped open when you heard your bell ring. You groaned, kicking your blanket away before making your way to the door.

“Seungmin,” you yawned, eyes widening as you realized that your boyfriend was standing at your door at 2A.M, and you looked like absolute shit. He smiled, the same soft smile you saw when you two first met. Seungmin lifted a camera you didn’t know he was holding, snapping a few photos of you with your bed hair.

“What are you doing?” you whined, snatching his camera from him. He laughed before entering your flat. “Your neighbors aren’t being noisy anymore?”

“Ah yes, I forgot to tell you. They moved out last week. Now I can sleep peacefully.” You paused, glaring at Seungmin who was making himself comfortable on your couch. “Or so I thought.”

He pulled you down so you were sitting on his lap. “I want to see you,” he said, circling his arm around your waist. You sighed as you felt yourself blushing. “How could you say something so romantic with a straight face like that?” you protested.

“It’s a fact. How is that romantic?”

You cupped his face, caressing the apple of his cheeks while staring into his eyes. “What?” he asked.

“I want to see you,” you said, mimicking his straight face. Now it was Seungmin’s turn to blush, and you giggled. “See? That’s how I feel everytime you say things like that!”

Seungmin pointed at himself. “Things like that?”

You rested your hands on his shoulders, recalling all the times Seungmin caught you off guard with his sweet gestures. “You called me ten times just to make sure I could sleep after watching Lights Out. You always drop by whenever I say I feel lonely. You bought me a tablet for my birthday present although you wanted a new camera… and this. Randomly appearing at 2A.M because you want to see me.”

Seungmin reached for your hands, intertwining your fingers together. “I do all of those things not because I’m trying to be romantic, but because I love you.”

You groaned in frustration, he had once again succeeded in making you feel giddy without meaning to. “I know,” you mumbled. “I don’t deserve you.”

He shook his head, pressing soft kisses on your fingertips. “You didn’t judge me for crying in front of you last year. You’re never mad at me although I’ve failed so many auditions. And you’re willing to see me no matter how late it is.”

“But you snagged a main role this time,” you argued. “And it’s for a webdrama!”

You suddenly remembered the time you wanted to tell him something when you two were in the library. “Wanna know something funny?”

Seungmin’s eyes lit up; they were a lot brighter now, especially after he told his parents how he really felt. The day after you two started dating, Felix almost cried when he saw his stoic best friend walked into the class with a lopsided grin on his face.

“I believe fate only affects 40% of my life. The rest are decisions. The thing is, I’ve made gazillions of bad decisions that I can’t trust myself.” You paused, glancing down to see Seungmin waiting for you to continue. “Working at the library was my don’t-even-talk-about-it decision, you know. But then I met you.”

“You’re the one being romantic now,” your boyfriend pointed out.

You ignored him, dramatically announcing, “I made one great decision.”

He snickered, pulling you closer so that he could rest his forehead against yours. “Let me guess, that’s me?”

You rewarded him with a peck on his nose. “Likewise,” he said, closing the distance between you, kissing you slowly and long. You curled your hands around his neck, smiling as he nibbled your bottom lip. You stopped him. “I love you, Kim Seungmin,” you whispered against his lips.

He didn’t respond, only pressing his lips on yours harder. Seungmin pulled away after a while, leaving your lips swollen and your cheeks flushed. “Hmmm,” he hummed, tracing the outline of your lips. “Tell me something I don’t know, baby.”

-

[bbclesmis]

David Oyelowo (‘Les Miserables’) on bringing ‘real context to Javert’ [Complete Interview Transcript] 

David Oyleowo is the latest actor to bring his interpretation to the villainous Javert in PBS’s new limited series of “Les Miserables.” Oyleowo is a previous Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor for his performances in projects like “Nightingale” and “Selma.”

Oyelowo recently chatted with Gold Derby contributing editor Rob Licuria about taking on such an iconic literary role as Javert, the most difficult scenes in this iteration of “Les Miserables” and one time he embarrassed himself in front of Meryl Streep. Watch the exclusive video interview above and read the complete transcript below.

Gold Derby: David, this series sets itself apart from previous adaptations because there’s no music. It’s not a musical. Did that attract you to taking on this role?

David Oyelowo: Actually, what attracted me more was the fact that unlike the musical, it was an opportunity to spend more time with what Victor Hugo had actually written. Victor Hugo’s book, as people may know, is a 1,500-page tome of a novel and the musical beautifully distills that down to what amounts to about two and a bit hours. But in having three times that amount of time in terms of a six-hour limited series, we had the opportunity to really dive into these fascinating characters. So for me, a character like Javert, who in the musical can, you could argue, come off as one-dimensional, very easily dismissible as the villain of the piece, I just found in reading Victor Hugo’s book and then Andrew Davies’ scripts that there was so much more going on. Of course, as an actor, that was an opportunity I really relished. I love the songs in “Les Mis” but what I loved even more was the opportunity to bring real context to Javert.

GD: He’s often seen as a villain. He’s iconic for being a villain but he absolutely is so much more than that. Anyone who’s read the book would know that. He believes in the rule of law and justice and punishment but because it’s to such an extreme degree, he can’t see through that and see reason and feel empathy. That’s my take on him. What’s, ultimately, your take on him? You obviously needed to form a view so that you could embody him.

DO: The amazing thing about Victor Hugo’s book is that he gives you all the clues you need. Where I arrived is that Javert suffers from an acute case of self-loathing. He is born to criminal parents. He grew up in prison. He hates that part of his own upbringing and the minute he makes the choice that he is not gonna be like his parents, he basically has set himself in opposition to the part of himself that he hates and he transposes that onto Jean Valjean because in some way he recognizes something in Jean Valjean that is reminiscent of himself. My theory is that he is trying to kill himself, and what I mean by that is the self in him that he loathes that he has transposed onto Jean Valjean and when he realizes that he has made a mistake in doing that, when he realizes that this is a man who is worthy of redemption, who is someone who is additive to society, who is impossible to purely dismiss as a criminal, he realizes that his pursuit has been futile and so, therefore, the foundation on which he’s built his life has been wrong. If he’s not going to destroy this other human being, the only option he has, as he sees it, is to turn that judgment that he harbors on himself. Victor Hugo describes Javert as the cub in a litter of wolves that the mother would never leave alone with his siblings. That is because he is intent upon destruction of anything that he sees coming in the way of what he deems to be justice and as you say, the rule of law.

GD: All of that culminates. It’s so poetic, really. Javert spends his whole life on this relentless cat and mouse chase and then for a lot of it, directs it towards his nemesis, so to speak, Valjean. Eventually, as you say, when he realizes the futility, he turns and throws himself into the Seine. That is so iconic in literature and obviously in all the other adaptations. I was so looking forward to seeing how this was going to be done in this series and I thought it was probably one of your absolute highlights. Take us back to shooting that scene.

DO: Whenever you do a piece of work that feels weighty, what makes it feel weighty is these moments, these moments where you know if we don’t stick the landing on that moment or these handful of moments, the structure will not hold. The audience will not feel satisfied. We will have not done justice to the story. In my opinion, in other iterations of this story that have less time to spend with the characters and the narrative, that moment of Javert destroying himself can kind of come out of nowhere. “Why did he do that? Why does he pursue this man obsessively? Why does he kill himself?” It never really lands emotionally. It just gets dismissed as, “Oh, well, he’s that weird guy and so he did something weird to himself,” whereas the challenge for us and the challenge for me was, “Can we earn that ending? Can we bring enough context that when we get to that moment, the audience may even be able to have a degree of empathy?” They may even be able to attribute a degree of humanity to Javert as opposed to, “Okay, well, quite right.” I don’t know think anyone who does that to themselves is someone who should be very easily dismissed when it comes to the complexity of the emotional life that led to that choice. When we were doing that scene on that day, and as you know, these things are often shot out of order, I always knew that whether it was coming early in the shoot, in the middle or at the end, the important thing was the buildup to that moment. It has its own power, that scene, but really, it was about whether we could earn that scene.

GD: Yeah, absolutely. It is so effective because I found myself quite shocked at how I felt for him and I empathized with the mustache-twirling Javert that we’re accustomed to seeing. So that’s wonderful. I wanna go back to the beginning. How did this role come about for you?

DO: The fairly orthodox way. I was approached through my reps. I was quite surprised to see that another version of “Les Mis” was being done but very quickly after reading the script I could absolutely see why this was different to what had come before and a great opportunity for me. Also, growing up in the U.K. on period dramas that I loved but never got to see someone who looks like me in them, I was taken aback by the fact that I was approached to play Javert. That really grabbed my attention and then it became the thing that I always look for in roles I play, which is I didn’t immediately see how I was gonna play him. It wasn’t obvious to me. It was clearly going to be a challenge and that’s what I always look for. The combination of all those things, I just felt very fortunate that I was approached.

GD: It’s funny that you say that. When I saw “Les Mis” is out again and this is something that I’m gonna watch, it’s my assignment as a journalist, I’m gonna watch this, I thought, “Do I really wanna go there again? I’ve seen it so many times.” It is such a different spin. It’s its own piece of work which is really refreshing. I wondered, for people who are playing these roles, did it ever weigh on you to not revisit previous versions of Javert so you could bring your own spin to him?

DO: I’ve been very fortunate to play a number of Shakespearean roles also, to play real-life historical figures. In both of those situations you’re always dealing with a preconceived idea of how those characters should be played, who they were, who played them best in the past, so I’ve dealt with it before and come to the point where you realize that if you are fortunate enough to be cast, you just have to get on with the job of bringing your interpretation, your level of hard work and just knowing you’re never gonna please everyone but hopefully you’ll please a lot more than you displease by virtue of the truthfulness of your portrayal. So for all of us, because it was very clear that we were trying to do something different and trying to do something that really speaks to the now, you see that in the casting. You see that in the very gritty, raw, sweaty, smelly, chewy way we do it. There’s nothing chocolate box about this production. We really lean into those elements that are very evocative of what you’re seeing in the news right now whether it’s to do to with socioeconomic disparity, whether it’s to do with the class struggle, whether it’s to do with a revolution and protest and marches against the status quo, along political lines, socioeconomic lines. One of the reasons I came onboard this project as a producer was I was very vocal about the fact that I’m not gonna be a token in this as a person of color. I truly believe that Victor Hugo set out to speak to a broad audience and the audience now looks like you and me and everything in between. That should be reflected not only in the show but also it should reflect what actually was the reality in Europe at the time. We’ve done a very bad job of really being honest about how much people of color factored into European life. The opportunity to do all of these things in this piece that is so beloved but we knew we were gonna be defying expectation just made it a no-brainer, really.

GD: That is so spot-on. “Les Miserables” is so relevant to today and this particular production really brought that to the fore for me. There’s a lot of takeaways you can take from this work. For me, in particular, it’s about redemption. That’s what I most appreciate about it and I could talk about it forever and I won’t bore you to death. I’m just wondering, what is your ultimate takeaway apart from what you’ve already so kindly explained? What do you think is the takeaway from Victor Hugo’s novel about this epic, sweeping story about poverty and class?

DO: I agree with you. I think it is the most incredible redemption story, not least because you have a character like Javert who is incredibly legalistic, who is very Old Testament, but you also have Jean Valjean who similarly sees himself as a criminal, similarly sees himself as not worthy of redemption and you watch this amazing arc of transformation which begins through the Bishop of Digne, as played so beautifully by Derek Jacobi in this iteration, whereby his eyes are opened to the potential of redemption in a society that has had to be fairly black and white because of all the sociopolitical unrest. They’re just coming out of a huge revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, the schism between the haves and the have-nots. It is a time of black and white. There is no gray. You are either on one side of the aisle or the other, not unlike we’re seeing a lot in the political climate now. So for this man in that climate to be able to evolve to the place where he’s not only able to embrace his own redemption but is truly additive to society, he is someone who finds the ability to love, to give, to raise this other child as his own and to show a level of kindness to Marius towards the end that is something that shocks Javert. He has never seen anything like it, which is why it has such a profound effect on Javert. Showing kindness to someone whose goal is to do something detrimental to you, which is how Jean Valjean saw Marius and how Javert understood the dynamic between Marius and Jean Valjean and yet, you are going to save this man’s life. That is just mind-blowing. That is the byproduct of redemption is that redeemed people redeem people in the same way abused people abuse people. To me, that is the beauty of the narrative even though you have this massive backdrop of the politics and the wars and all of that stuff. At the end of the day, it’s about this man’s journey towards redemption, which I believe is something we can all relate to.

GD: Speaking about the production, we’ve discussed the Seine jumping scene. Are there any scenes in particular that come to mind that went against your expectations or that you were most concerned about or you thought were the most challenging?

DO: Hugo’s book relies a lot on coincidence. Jean Valjean and Javert find themselves in the same town several years after their initial interaction on the prison hulks. Not only do they find themselves in the same town, they find themselves in a dynamic that is the reverse of what was the case earlier on in their relationship. The setup for drama is perfect but when you are seeing it visually as opposed to in a novel, it’s less forgiving, in a sense. A lot of my conversation with both Dominic West, who plays Jean Valjean, Tom Shankland, our director, was, “How do we overcome the fact that the audience may also think, ‘Well, how on earth can they interact several miles away from Paris, several years later on in the same place, these two people?’” You could argue it’s fate but what we ended up landing on is that rather than exactly what Hugo did in the novel, there’s a real cat and mouse within the scenes. So they are kind of acknowledging the shock of being together again while pretending they don’t know who the other person is and judiciously having moments where we the audience and between the characters might be letting each other know, “I know who you are but I’m gonna pretend I don’t know who you are, because the dynamic has changed and I’m not gonna show my cards fully until I have a full sense of where this is gonna go.” That became an amazing thing to play with Dominic because it was three layers deep. It’s what was actually happening, the subtext of what was happening and the element that we were hiding from each other. Those were the scenes I was most nervous about but ended up having the most fun playing.

GD: If you don’t mind, we’re gonna get slightly superficial because here at Gold Derby we just can’t help ourselves and talk about awards all the time. You’ve been nominated at the Globes twice, you’ve actually been nominated and received all kinds of different awards but in the U.S., the Globes are very high-profile. I always wonder what it’s like to be in that ballroom with all those ridiculous celebrities that you probably admire yourself. What was it like those two times, for “Nightingale” and for “Selma”?

DO: Oh, gosh. One of the times I was nominated it was for “Selma” and I was in that ridiculous room, as you describe it, and it’s apt, and ridiculous because it is a who’s who. At the end of the day, what we do, I like to think, isn’t for that but it’s fun. I was in that room and Meryl Streep of all people saw me and made a beeline for me and I just couldn’t understand what was happening. She had seen “Selma,” she told me that, “I bought a ticket. I went to see it in a movie theater,” she was very complimentary about my performance and I am almost certain I said a bunch of stuff that was really incoherent, not very cool and had her furrowing her brow going, “Oh, bless him. He really doesn’t know how to handle his moment.” I would say she was probably right. I didn’t know how to handle it. This is one of the greatest living actors, arguably the greatest actor of all time, so the fact that she had seen work of mine let alone was complimentary about it was insane. I will handle it better if I’m in that room again but that was definitely a moment.

GD: So exciting. David, thank you so much for your time. Thank you for your performance in “Les Miserables.”

DO: Thank you.

x

[sugarcyanide]

God Among Men

This was going to be a submission to an anthology. My life tumbled and changed and I never submitted. I am posting it here to share, for now.

A God Among Men By Sugar Cyanide

Sometimes you don’t choose your Gods they choose you…

I should preface this with a little background information about myself. I have always been a rebel without a cause and become more of a rebel when given a cause. When everyone is turning right I must go left, usually, the reason is arbitrary at best. The more someone pushes me to go with the herd the more I will fight them and I do enjoy a good fight.

Many moons ago when I was a young Gothling, a wannabe Baby Bat. I had just graduated from high school and was living on my own. While attending the local community college I fell into a group of outcasts. (As one social outcast can only find another.) I soon found what was affectionately called Freaks Corner a section of the cafeteria where all of us misfits hung out. We were there in between classes, during classes and some of us didn’t even attend school there anymore. It was here in Freaks Corner where I graduated from a research Pagan to a practicing Pagan. Freaks Corner was my Mecca, it was everything I always fantasized about in the French Revolution cafes, where writers like Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas met till the wee hours of the morning drinking and debating, right there in modern Suburbia. It was here that I met my first real-life Pagans. People who knew about the things I was just learning and not some faceless screen name half a world way via an internet connection.

They were some of the very worst kind of Pagans that I could have fallen in with. I learned much during my time there everything except what I was taking classes on. In between LARPing Vampire the Masquerade and playing Magic the Gathering was discussions on Nietzsche, Satanism, and Anarchy. This is also where I met my first Unofficial Teacher.

I say unofficial because she refused to teach me. She had taken many a student under her wing but always refused my requests. Finally, she told me that she only teaches those who are not naturally gifted. That she was the “Special Ed” teacher. I never fully accepted this flattering refusal and figured that there was another reason she would never tell me. As one who was never easily deterred, I learned much from her by simply watching and observing.

In this group of people, there were those who dabbled in things they shouldn’t. Soon their eyes started to gleam with a sheen that is a characteristic often associated with movie villains. Everyone in the group started to go off their hinges a bit and the rumors ran rampant. There was talk of demon summoning and animal sacrifice, none of which I was a part of nor saw. I shrugged most of it off as vicious gossip and did my best to not get involved.

My life took a turn as it does and I was pulled away from the group. I would not run into any of them until years later. I had just come out of the Broom Closet to my then husband and was looking for those of like mind that I could share my beliefs. I ran into the old group from Freaks Corner who had graduated to taking up space in a local coffee house. Upon running into my old mentor this time I was drawn into the web like that of a fly to a spider. She had a habit of holding court at a friend’s place around the corner where she would proceed to channel and let herself be ridden by the spirits of her choice, much to the awe and amusement to those in her audience.

At the time the things I experienced in that room was extremely convincing and scary. The things I took part of in my own ignorance. Looking back now I do wonder how much of it was real and how much of it was a great manipulation, an answer I shall never know.

It was during such a session that the name of Set was brought up. She had stated that someone in the group had caught his attention and that he would be watching them. At which point my eye was drawn upward and what did I see? It was like a great ripping of the fabric of reality someone one had pulled way the ceiling and was peering in. With big eyes and a Cheshire grin staring right at me.

Now understand I am not an Egyptian reconstructionist and never was. I did not know who Set was at the time and didn’t really know the Egyptian Pantheon. I was still searching and that was simply not a direction my quest had gone. While I am thankful for those who research and preserve the Egyptian traditions it was simply a path I had yet to cross.

That moment of meeting Set was in the fall. The following was a year of hell. Set was literally invoked into my life and he literally destroyed everything that was not needed. For those that read Tarot, it was like getting the Death card and the Tower card in the same reading. I was completely stripped bare of everything that I had built up from before that time and had to completely start over from scratch. I lost my home, my business, divorced my husband and became seriously ill. He was a sandstorm that came into my life and stripped me down to my bones. His only response to my pleas for mercy was. “I like my children strong you will survive or perish. Anything else matters not.”

I have learned that Set is the epitome of Tough Love. Sink or Swim. I do not regret that time. I learned so much in such a short time. While the learning process was painful one does not forget those lessons because the pain has etched them into your memory. And the rewards of survival the rewards of succeeding after such tribulations are great. My reward was Rocky.

Set is still apart of my life. Sometimes he visits and drops wisdom bombs into my life. Other times he just shows up for a chat.

My God comes to me at night. He whispers in my ear, “Come, you must tell my side of the story”. I pull my overly tired body from the warmth of my bed. Sitting down at my desk, I proceed to transcribe his words as they are dancing the air.  He sits beside me on my beat up cat fur covered couch in a suit cut to fit like a glove. Dark royal blue with a soft slate gray pinstripe, a crisp white shirt underneath with the collar open at his throat. His carrot orange-red hair is swept off his face as his finely woven dreadlocks fall to his waist. He smiles at me with a big toothy grin. Chewing on his cigar the gold rings flash on his fingers. It is a cross between corporate executive and old school mobster. Just enough thug, as they say, to know he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. “Write my story,” he says his voice a low rumble next to me, “tell my side.”

Today, I have a story to tell. My brother’s name has been known across the millennia and I with it, as his murderer. While his story has been told and retold across the centuries, mine has been lost. I have played my part and done my duty, but the world has changed and our names have become mere echoes of the past. My duty is over and now it is my turn to share my tale.

Several millennia ago when the world was a much simpler place, a Tribal King celebrated in the news that his Queen would give birth to twin sons. It was a joyous occasion indeed, for one son was a blessing but two was a gift from the Gods. The King was most joyous for He was a hardened man and had fought many battles. Life was difficult and many died young. Having two sons was a great boon indeed for Him and His kingdom.

The day of birth came and the Queen was in labor for hours. Eventually, Her first son arrived, he was small, smaller than normal. He barely fit across both of the King’s palms. The Midwife feared he would not make it through the night. Shortly thereafter, the next baby was born. He was significantly larger than his brother and his skin was as pale as fresh milk, his hair was bright reddish white and his eyes shone red as blood. The Midwife almost dropped the boy out pure shock after she pulled him from his mother. Seeing the mother passed out from exhaustion, the Midwife laid the babe down in his cradle and fled. She was afraid that the King would blame her for this Demon Child, (and rightfully so for that boy was me.)

It took the King’s men a matter of days to hunt her down. She gave herself away by sharing her knowledge of the King’s Demon Child. It was only natural for the King to blame her. He couldn’t blame Himself and certainly not his Lady Love. Someone had to take the blame. I wasn’t quite old enough to shoulder that responsibility, just yet.

Despite my Father’s distaste for me and my Mother’s horror, I grew up in the comfort of love that only one twin brother can have for another. We protected each other; him, me from Father’s wrath and I; him from all the larger boys that would dare bully him. We were polar opposites. I was overly large, pale, red-eyed and haired, sensitive to the sun while he was smaller, dark complected with skin as dark as night and loved to bask in the sun’s afternoon rays. Our differences didn’t matter, we loved each other. Until one day that all changed.

I always felt, that my place was at my brother’s side as his protector. I knew that he as the elder of the two would ascend the throne of our Tribal Kingdom. I felt him no envy. It’s a tedious job being King and much simpler being a soldier. I was willing to give him my life for he was the only one that loved me.

One day a Great Wise One came down out of the mountains. Upon arrival, He demanded to speak to the King. ( In my ignorance, I was surprised that such a meeting was allowed. ) He came bearing a tale of a great slithering beast that would devour us all. I merely thought he was a mad old man but my Father clearly knew better. When the Great Wise One produced a scale that was the size of a chariot and reflected the colors of dawn, I knew He told no madman’s tale. The Wise One demanded a tribute: my Father’s best soldiers to fight the beast. My Father said He would send aid under one condition. The Wise One must find a suitable wife for his eldest son. The Wise One chuckled, saying he would do better and bring wives for both his sons. At this, my Father exploded into a rage, denouncing me as his son, saying that a demon such as I could have never come from his seed. I had always known my Father’s disdain for me, but there is knowing and then there is displaying it for the whole world to see. My Father sent me with the Wise One saying he could spare no one else, fully expecting me not to return.

After having prepared for the journey; shoring off my waist-length locks, burning them as was custom. The Wise One and I set upon our journey and I said farewell to the only home I have ever known, in full acceptance of meeting my death.  Alas, that was far from happening. Shortly into our journey, The Wise One revealed his true glimmering nature. He was no old and feeble wizard but a God. He told me that it was true that I was not my Father’s son and to my surprise nor my Mother’s child. Neither was my brother, he said with a toothy grin, " I created you both from Earth and Sky, my children, and implanted you both into your Mother’s womb. Come, my child, let us fight this beast like the Gods that we are."

We had walked miles and traversed much ground. We traveled in a way no human can truly fathom. As you put one foot in front of the other, the whole earth spins,  traveling miles in one stride. At the time I was so in awe of my new situation, I was quite dumbfounded and could not properly begin to take in everything that was happening. We eventually arrived at a place in-between. It was neither of the heavens nor of the earth and yet as above so below, so the landscape mirrored what was known to me.  We had journeyed into the Underworld and boarded a sailing barge.

The Shining One had said we would find the One That Slithers in the deepest of waters.  So I stood at the prow of the barge with my spear ready. At the first sign of the large iridescent scales, I struck without hesitation. The battle ensued for what seemed like hours. As I became covered in the beast’s gore, my muscles grew sore and the ship rocked in the mighty turbulence of the waters. ( I felt myself growing weaker and started to fear I would fail when the Shining One cast his light upon me giving me a strength I never dreamed possible. )  

When I thought all was lost, with one final blow, a great sound was released from the beast and the waters trembled no more. I had won, I had defeated the beast.  The Shining One looked at me with a sadness in his eyes, “You have defeated the Great Evil and have saved the world of man for yet another day but this victory comes at a price,” as a tear slid down his cheek.

I took the head of the Great Serpent as my victory trophy. We returned as we came, the light of dawn’s first rays lighting our way. I carried the head of the Great Serpent received much attention. When we had returned to my home we had a great entourage with us creating a spectacle upon my Father’s doorstep. My Father came out to investigate what all the excitement was about. Upon seeing the head of the Beast in my hands I saw pride for me in his eyes for the very first time. “Son,” he said loudly, "you do our family a great honor.”

It was in that moment that I had gained my Father’s love that I had lost my brother’s. The Wise Shining One kept his word and brought twin sisters from the Kingdom in the lower lands. Shortly thereafter, we were wedded. After a short while of peace and celebration, I was once again called upon to defeat the Great Slithering Beast. I parted sadly with my new bride, unsure if I were to return.

Alas, duty called and I was the only one with the strength to do what was needed. This soon became an endless cycle, for this beast was of no earthly making.  It would soon recover from its most grievous injuries and I would be called away yet again.  My wife grew tired of my absences and she started looking for companionship elsewhere.

My brother, having never forgotten how I replaced him in my Fathers eyes, plotted to replace me in my wife’s. I never blamed my sweet wife nor her calculating sister. I had been gone a particularly long time and my wife was fat with child. I was tired when I returned, but seeing her full of life made my heart soar.

It wasn’t until later that I learned that I wasn’t the only possible father. After a while, it began to eat at me that my brother had taken the only thing that had ever meant anything to me. I still continued to battle the beast, for it was a never-ending war. In time, our Father passed and my brother took his place. I realized one day that the Battle Of  The Beast was the only thing I had that my brother hadn’t taken from me. After a while, I could not bear to touch my wife, which drove her even more into the arms of my brother.  As my son grew I could not see myself in him.

I came to a place where I didn’t want to fight the Demon Beast anymore and the Demon spoke to me during one of our many battles. He told me to build a vessel fit for one person and bring my brother to him. The Beast will take it as a sacrifice and I would be free of my brother and his greediness.

I was weak, I was hurt and when I came home and found my brother in bed with my wife, I did as the Beast spoke. I crafted the finest vessel, gloating how it was made for me. When my brother sought to take it, as he had taken everything else, he was trapped. I gave him to the demon serpent, who drowned him and rent him to bits. I was free from my brother or so I thought…  

The Beast did take my brother to the Underworld, where he eventually rose to be King, while I united the upper and lower Kingdoms and created peace in our land.  Until my brother’s son wanted revenge for the loss of his father and the cycle started all over again.

For I am Set, and this is my story of how I became a God among men.

[youwillalwaysfitinwithme-blog]

Les Pirates du Musain

The sea is the inexorable social night into which the penal laws fling their condemned. The sea is the immensity of wretchedness.

-Victor Hugo, Les Misèrables

It was unusual for crews to survive a fight against Patron-Minette, but somehow, these people had. She knew about them, Les Amis -or so Gavorche had talked about them in the streets of Paris long ago. The flag had given them away: a plain red cloth, the color of the revolution they sought. Éponine knew nothing about their motives, or their cause; she just knew that there was a bounty on their heads, and that was the reason they fled Paris and took their revolution to the sea. Whatever their cause had to do with Patron-Minette, she had no clue. But if they had been able to stand their ground and end up victorious in the fight, Éponine could only assume that they were just as dangerous.

Read it on AO3

17. Wish Granted

Éponine's heart sank to the floor when she recognised the ship attacking them: L'ombre. Patron-Minette. Montparnasse.

Check AO3 for warnings about this chapter.

When Éponine and Enjolras emerged into the deck, there was only chaos. Men were running and pulling at ropes, lying on the floor injured, shouting commands which were silenced by the blast of more cannonballs hitting the ship, making them fall to their feet, giving them just enough time to stand up before they were hit again. Éponine's heart sank to the floor when she recognised the ship attacking them: L'ombre. Patron-Minette. Montparnasse.

She started moving out of instinct, not really knowing what she was doing. Enjolras was lost in the crowd, she couldn't even focus to recognise the people around her, just did whatever they told her. Get this. Bring that. Hold onto this rope. Now pull. Harder. Stand up. What are you doing?

Éponine stopped obeying when she realised that L'ombre wasn't getting any closer. They were just firing their cannons. When had they ever got so many cannons? It wasn't like them, they had always favoured speed over protection. What had changed for them to compromise their means of escape? Maybe they didn't intend on escaping anymore, maybe their hatred towards her and her friends had made them so intent on vengeance that they were being reckless. Another cannonball hit Le Musain, confirming Éponine's suspicions.  They weren't getting any closer. They weren't going to board them. They wanted to sink them.

"The boats" Éponine muttered, but not even she could hear it over the sounds of the battle. "To the boats!" she screamed, only loud enough for a few men to hear; not convincing enough to make them obey. "GET TO THE BOATS!" she tried again, and this time she saw familiar faces approaching her. "Combeferre, Prouvaire! We need to get everyone on the boats now!"

"What?" Combeferre asked. Éponine set her eyes intently on his, they were wasting time.

"They aren't boarding us. They're sinking us!"

Understanding lit up their expressions, which began to reflect a panic Éponine felt deep in her stomach. They began shouting the same, and Éponine lost them in the sea of people. Her eyes began to franctically search the deck for a sign of Gavroche, but she couldn't find him. She ran towards the stairs and descended until she spotted her brother loading guns with powder, his hands dirty, his clothes smeared with blood.

"Gavroche, leave that!" she told him, and the boy ran to meet her halfway, a finished gun on either hand, "Get to the boats!" she shouted for the men who were loading their cannons. They didn't seem to listen. Just as she grabbed Gavroche's arm to lead him outside, a cannonball pierced through the wall and hit their powder barrels, the blast of the explosion sending her flying towards the wall. As she drifted into unconsciousness, the world seemed to be set on fire.

Éponine woke up to the lulling sound of waves running over her body. She was soaked, lying face down on the sand, her whole body covered in the sharp sting of cuts. She heard something else as she tried to stand up, -grunting sounds. When she looked at her surroundings, Éponine saw a horrendous scenery, one which would certainly remain stuck in some corner of her mind to haunt her future nightmares.

The beach was littered with bodies. Some dead, some barely alive, some missing members. Éponine spotted Gavroche not far from where she was. She rushed and stumbled to get to him. Éponine thrashed his unconscious body as she called his name, but the boy didn't open his eyes. She looked for any sign of a deadly wound, but there were only cuts here and there, nothing serious enough to take his life. Éponine panicked as she inspected the men scattered around, searching for help, when she noticed she couldn't recognise her friends among them.

There was no sign of Courfeyrac, Feuilly, Bossuet, Prouvaire... neither Grantaire or Combeferre, Bahorel or Enjolras... Marius and Cosette weren't lying on the beach either, and Éponine's breath caught as she held onto the thought that they were somewhere else, somewhere safe. She pushed the idea aside that they were more likely dead, drowned in the ocean, lost forever. She pushed the idea aside that Le Musain could have been sunk. Her friends, her home. She couldn't function if she let those thoughts take root, and she needed to go on breathing; she needed to wake Gavroche; they needed to find the rest.

Her mind was a mess, her whole body hurt, but Éponine continued to thrash her brother until he would wake. Before she could speak a word -call his name once more-, she felt a hard blow against her head. Éponine got a glimpse of Gavroche's chest rising and falling before it all turned black.

The room where she woke was dark. There wasn't a candle lit, neither a window that could let the sun in. Éponine could hear the waves splashing against the hull outside, but there wasn't any other sound around. Her breath hit the floor and it brought back a smell that made her heave. In the dark, she managed to sit up and stand. And then she heard the sound of iron grazing iron, and a door opened behind her, letting some light in. Éponine squinted her eyes and glanced around the empty room, until she turned on her feet, and found Montparnasse in the threshold.

"Hello, Éponine" he said, a delighted grin on his lips.

He stepped closer to the woman, and she mirrored his movements in the opposite direction, stepping away from him until her back found a wall. When she couldn't get any further, Éponine just watched him approach, the lamp illuminating the room, letting her know she had been tossed into one of the cabins they used for prisoners whose time was running up.

"It took you long to wake. I was afraid Gueulemer might have hit you too hard. Forgive him, he's still upset about Claquesous" Éponine felt her lower lip tremble. Montparnasse noticed the fear that covered her features too, and raised his left hand to brush her cheek tenderly. "I will keep him away, don't worry about him."

Éponine jerked her head away from his touch. She wanted to push him away as well, push and push until he disappeared out of the door again, until he fell off the edge of the earth; but she knew better. She wouldn't get anywhere that way, she had tried before. And she needed to know.

"I'm not worried about him." Éponine was bruised and scared, but she gathered the strenght to let the words out with a defiance she barely felt inside, "I'm worried about my friends. What have you done to them?"

Montparnasse's relaxed expression turned serious as he watched the woman.

"You seem to have forgotten" he said, pushing a lock out of her face, "we are your friends, Éponine."

"Did you kill them all?" she insisted, earning a laugh from him.

"I missed your stubborn ways. But I didn't kill anyone, mind your words. They were casualties. Some of them survived; those are locked in the cells. The others either drowned or were hit by a cannonball."

Éponine shivered at the bluntness of his words. Through her mind raced images of her friends all meeting their deaths. She saw a flash of Enjolras drowning. She saw Cosette's open eyes not seeing. She saw a dismembered Grantaire staining the sea with his blood. Her heart was beating too fast, the images repeated but the faces changed, and every one of them felt like a blow to her core.

Montparnasse's voice helped her out of her trance. "You wonder who died" he guessed, "you truly fear for them. Éponine, have you learnt nothing? The dead ones are the luckiest of the bunch. It's for the ones still breathing you should fear."

"Let me see them" she asked, holding her breath in when Montparnasse's face hovered too close to hers. She could see a spark in his dark eyes, a glistening that let her know he had come across a horrible idea. Then she felt his lips, slightly pressing hers. And unexpectedly, he simply pulled back and stepped away. Éponine let herself breathe again, although her mind was screaming at the feeling of being back under his thumb. She hated that sensation, how defenseless she was, how small he made her feel. How twisted his mind must have been to call what he put her through love.

"I have missed you so much, Éponine" he told her, taking a seat on a small stool in the center of the room and leaving the lamp to rest on the floor. "I wish it didn't have to be like this, but you have betrayed us twice already... not only that, you have killed one of us in the process. And now you must be punished."

Éponine closed her hands in fists, in fear and rage. She had been expecting this outcome, her unavoidable fate was finally approaching and it panicked her to think about whatever they would do to her... but she would fight. For her life, for answers as to her friends, and for a last chance to see them if death was what Patron-Minette had in store for her.

"Let me see them" she asked again, her voice stronger this time, his reaction less threatening. Montparnasse just sat there looking at her. Éponine didn't move from her spot against the wall. Her feet might stumble if she did, her world could crumble down, as far as she knew.  

Montparnasse smiled wickedly as he nodded, "You will get to see some of them eventually. But first, you must answer this: has it been worth it? Were those little revolutionaries worth your life? Because that is the price you'll be paying."

Éponine thought about it. She thought about her life before them, and her life with them, and her life without them, and then her life back with them once more. And it felt like different lives, lived through the eyes of different people. They had changed her world; they had changed her shadows for light ,and laughter, and love. They had made it worth something. They had made her less miserable.

Éponine looked defiantly at Montparnasse and she let him know: "Of course. I would do it all over again if I had the chance."

The man nodded in understanding. He stood from the stool and paced the room, the light of the lamp casting his moving shadow over the walls.

"Even Claquesous?" he questioned, his dark eyes set on her, his steps lowering their speed. "Would you do that again, to be with them?"

"I didn't kill him to be with them; I killed him because he wanted to kill me" Éponine hadn't intented to shout those words, but she had done it anyway. It made Montparnasse's pacing stop, and glare at her. She felt a knot in her throat, right where those words had escaped from. She saw his dead eyes again, -Claquesous- staring at the sky, empty of life. She felt the weight of the blade and how easily it had slipped inside him. She could feel her heart slowing its beating at the memories, in the same way it had slowed down when she realised she had killed him.

Éponine felt the room grow quieter and the ship creak under the man's feet as he walked towards her. She was ready to feel his hand around her throat, or his fist against her jaw. But Montparnasse restrained himself once more and caressed her hair instead. Éponine couldn't hold the tears back any longer. They escaped, pushed by the sheer force of how vulnerable she felt, how shaken by the images in her mind, how conflicted by the relief it had overcame her when she figured she would survive that night. Éponine realised then, that this was a wound she would never be able to close. It would never stop haunting her, just like Montparnasse himself would never give her up. His touch told her he had no intentions of ending her life, despite what he may have warned earlier. Éponine felt shame, powerless at the idea that his touch was actually providing her some sort of comfort. How could such a man be capable of being terrible and at the same time comforting? Maybe he really did love her, after all, in his own way. Perhaps he did have a heart in his chest, buried under the weight of all of his atrocities.

"Do cry for him, Éponine" he told her in a soothing voice, "death's overwhelming at first, but it will pass. You will grow to appreciate it. One day, without ever realising the moment in which something changed inside, you will crave it. Perhaps then you'll learn to see me too, like I see you."

Éponine felt her body freeze at his words. He was completely mad. She got away from him and ran for the door, but he was close behind and seized her arm in a strong grasp. "Stop running away!" he screamed, irritated, "Haven't you understood yet, that you will always end up back here, where you belong?" Éponine trembled, her arm hurt under his hold but she couldn't get free. "Can't you see it, now that it has all come together? You were meant to kill Claquesous. You were meant to go back to them. It was fated all along, that those things happened, just so you could bring them here to me! So they can finally pay for daring to cross us!"

Éponine felt the tears sprouting again, but this time it was for her friends. "Let me see them" she begged, and Montparnasse released her arm in disgust, his eyes filled up with anger as he looked her over, as if he didn't recognise her. As if she wasn't the sane person in the room.

"You will see them" he growled, and the words lingered in the air when he closed the door; words which sounded closer to a threat, than to a promise.

It didn't take long for a cry of pain to run through the ship, sending shivers down Éponine's spine. It didn't take long for her to hear Montparnasse's steps approaching the room again. And then he was right there, at the door, holding a plate out for her. His eyes glared in her direction, and all Éponine could find in them was madness.

"You asked to see them" he spat out, placing the plate by her feet and smirking. Éponine's breath caught at the sight in front of her, a muffled scream escaped her, "Wish granted."

Montparnasse left the room and Éponine shouted and banged at the door, crying for him to stop and torture her instead. She yelled and cried until her throat hurt, but he didn't come back. Éponine was all alone. Her friends were being tortured and there was nothing she could do.

She slid down the wall until she was sitting again, her knees tightly held against her chest, her eyes inevitably set on that plate, and the bloody fingers it contained.

The door didn't open again. Éponine was left completely alone in her cell to do as she wished. But she only wished to leave.

Once the candle burnt out, time became something she thought she had made up. The silence in her cell was only interrupted by the occasional distant cry, a sound that reverberated so often in Éponine's mind, that she couldn't tell the imagined from the real ones anymore. Perhaps it was better that way, for she found some peace in the idea that maybe she was making this up too. Maybe her friends were alright, maybe their screams only existed in her head. She couldn't tell, but she was thankful for the not knowing.

Éponine knew it had been days inside that cell when a rotting smell filled the space -a smell like rotten flesh. She vomited in a corner, adding to the strong scent of the room, sitting as far away as possible from its source. She couldn't help but wonder whose smell might it be. She knew Gavroche had probably survived, she had seen him at the beach, unharmed; but the yell that haunted her mind hadn't sounded like him. He was fine, she told herself. But maybe he wasn't, she heard herself murmur too. Maybe they had killed him, maybe she had imagined his breathing back at the beach, maybe his flesh was rotting somewhere else away from there.

Whose flesh was she sharing the space with?

Her mind went through every one of their faces and hands, trying to establish some connection, finding ways to discard them all.

She hoped they didn't belong to Combeferre, for he surely would need them to write; Prouvaire as well, he was always writing too. She hoped they hadn't been taken from Marius or Cosette, they would need them when they got properly married. She hoped they weren't Grantaire's or Bossuet's or Bahorel's, or their card games wouldn't be the same. She hoped they didn't belong to Feuilly, he wouldn't be able to cook by himself anymore, and he hated when others didn't cut the fish correctly. She hoped those fingers weren't Croufeyrac's, he needed them to sneak under the ladies' skirts, as he always did. She hoped they didn't belong to Enjolras, the world shouldn't be deprived of his caresses (oh, how she missed them). She hoped they didn't belong to Joly... if he was even really alive.

If any of them were still alive.

At some point, life seemed to Éponine as something she had made up. She didn't know how long she had been in there, but she knew she would never get out. They hadn't fed her, they hadn't even bothered to open the door to see if she was still alive. Éponine thought this was a cruel punishment, to wait for her to die, to let her starve to death, to let her alone to go mad in the meantime. She didn't deserve it. This couldn't possibly be what fate had in store, not like this.

But it didn't matter how much she abhorred her punishment; the door didn't open again.

Curled up on the floor, Éponine felt her body weakening, her soul shutting down, her life drifting away. She thought it was fitting, at least, that she would die as she had lived, melted as one with the shadows.

[bbclesmis]

David Oyelowo: ‘We had an illegal amount of fun doing Spooks. We all stay in touch’

The star of the BBC’s new Les Misérables adaptation on colour-blind casting, his love for his breakthrough show, and how playdates with Angelina Jolie’s children influenced his new film

David Oyelowo, 42, was born in Oxford to Nigerian parents and graduated from Lamda. He became the first black actor to portray an English monarch for the RSC and got his screen break in the BBC spy drama Spooks. Now based in LA with his family, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr in Selma. This Christmas, he stars as Javert in the BBC’s six-part adaptation of Les Misérables.

Were you a fan of Les Misérables? My only relationship with the story had been the film, so when I was approached about Javert, my mind went to a boo-hiss villain. I was initially trepidatious about playing that kind of one-dimensional character over six hours of television, but that concern was quickly alleviated by reading Andrew Davies’s adaptation, which is much more layered. Then when I read Victor Hugo’s book, I was bowled over by how well Andrew had captured it.

That’s exactly how I see it and that’s certainly alluded to in the novel. In some ways, Valjean represents what Javert could have been. Javert was born in prison to criminals but has chosen the opposite path. You can argue there’s an element of self-hatred there.

In your version, there’s also some beard rivalry between them. Well, yeah. And Javert seems obsessed with how strong Valjean is. I feel like they had an arm wrestle at some point and Valjean won.

How was it working with Dominic West, who plays Valjean? We’re both ambassadors for the Prince’s Trust so we’d met before, mostly at Buckingham Palace. So it was completely antithetical to meet again amid the mud, blood and sweat of the prison hulks. Dominic’s a phenomenal choice for the role and a great guy. You have to like and trust each other to be that nasty. We spend a lot of time glowering at each other but there are many outtakes of us cracking into giggles.

It’s a dramatic version, not a musical one, but could you burst into song if you had to? I like a good warble. I’ve done musicals in the past and intend to do them in future. But here I hope viewers get swept away by the epic storytelling, rather than missing the tunes.

Might people criticise the colour-blind casting as “typical BBC political correctness”? You can’t please everyone. Some people will applaud the way we’ve chosen to tell the story. Everyone else can go and read the book.

You get to wear a lot of period hats, too. There’s a whole bunch of hat work. I was nervous about the Napoleonic one I wear in the later episodes. That’s a difficult hat to pull off. A bit like wearing one of those paper boats you’d make at primary school.

You’ve just finished shooting a film called Come Away. Tell us about that.

There’s more hat-work in that, actually. I had a very period summer – parked myself in the 19th century and stayed there. It’s a reimagined origin story of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, with them conceived as brother and sister. Angelina Jolie and I play their parents. We suffer a tragedy and our children use their rich imaginations to try and pull us out of despair.

Weren’t you already friends with Angelina Jolie via children’s playdates? She’s got six kids, I’ve got four, and they’ve got together in the past to wreak havoc. I’m a producer on Come Away and really had seen Angie mostly as a mother because that had been my interaction with her. I asked her if she’d like to do it and she relished the prospect. She’d never actually played a mother who interacts with her children on screen before. We had a blast.

You starred in crime caper Gringo earlier this year. Apparently you made co-star Charlize Theron pee herself? That’s going to be my claim to fame. I’ve never actually seen that happen before – someone literally pee themselves from laughing. It was extraordinary. Lovely Charlize. I’m sure she’s very happy we’re discussing this!

You’re British-American-African. Which is worse from your viewpoint, Brexit or Trump?

Gosh, they’re both quite egregious in my opinion. At least I don’t have to choose where I live because both places are pretty challenging.

The first thing many of us saw you in was Spooks – do you have fond memories? Very. We all stay in touch. I just reached out to Keeley [Hawes] because I loved Bodyguard. I recently did Othello in New York and Matthew [Macfadyen] came to see me. It’s where my screen career started and those guys are part of a formative time in my life. We were in our 20s, not long out of drama school, and had an illegal amount of fun doing that show.

You once said you won’t play “the black best friend” or do superhero movies. Do you still have rules about the roles you take? I try to stay away from anything that feels obvious. I don’t want to do anything derivative, cliched or stereotypical because images are political. They inform how people view people like me. My other rule is not to do anything that flies in the face of how I’m raising my kids. I’ll do things that are dark in tone but I gravitate towards things that have redemptive, life-affirming qualities.

There’s often talk of who’ll be the first black James Bond but technically you were first, right? I don’t think it’s fair to count an audiobook! That doesn’t quite give me the right to stake a claim. But to me, all that conversation signifies is that the audience is ready to see different kinds of people in those roles. We’re seeing that with our Les Mis, with Black Panther, with all sorts of things. The gatekeepers have had the keys taken away and they’re firmly in the hands of viewers now. It’s an exciting time with different voices emerging.

After Martin Luther King, are there any other historical figures on your bucket list to play? I’m going to do a film about the boxer Sugar Ray Robinson – the best pound-for-pound fighter who ever lived. I’ve been fascinated by him for a long time.

Do you get a break over Christmas? I do, although I’m also directing my first film next April, a coming-of-age story called The Water Man, so I’ll be sneaking off to do some prep for that and hoping my wife doesn’t get annoyed with me.

Les Misérables starts on BBC1 at 9pm on Sunday 30 December

The Guardian, Sun 23 Dec 2018 (x)

[bbclesmis]

The Telegraph: Dominic West: 'Colette's husband smoked and had sex three times a day – it makes our vegan times look dreary'

When Dominic West was cast opposite Keira Knightley in Colette, to play the limelight-stealing first husband of the not-yet-famous French novelist, it was during his stage run of Dangerous Liaisons at London’s Donmar, playing a wicked libertine of quite another époque.

“I tend to get villains these days,” West muses, sinking back affably in a hotel armchair. To viewers of the BBC’s new Les Misérables, the remark may seem puzzling: after all, it’s not the obsessive Javert he’s playing in that six-hour, song-free version of Victor Hugo’s novel, but Jean Valjean, one of the most unambiguous heroes in world literature.

The 49-year-old Yorkshireman admits it was a refreshing change – if probably a one-off – to be offered such a morally upstanding assignment. Willy in Colette and Valmont in Liaisons are more like bread-and-butter characters; throw in his small-screen infidelities in The Affair, which has one last season of grubby intrigue to shoot, and he’s the actor most likely to be glared at on the street as an incorrigible philanderer.

Beyond turpitude, though, he spots something else these parts have in common: we watch him outmanoeuvred by the women he assumed he could possess.

“That does seem to be a theme in my career – being matched by stronger women. Which is probably the theme of my life, too. I've got five sisters, and three daughters! I’m the go-to guy for playing the male foil, I suppose.”

When did this shift to bad guys occur, if it was even really a shift? “You reach certain waypoints in your career – well, I played lovers, and now I play villains, and dads! A while ago, I played Iago, Fred West and some other horror, all in the same year. I must have a funny look in my eye? I don't know what it is. But I suppose the Devil's always got the best lines. They're more interesting to play, really, especially if you can play against the evil.”

Colette is being marketed around Knightley, by and large. This seems eminently fair: as a writer and actress in turn-of-the-century Paris, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette spent way too much of her career living in the shadow of her ruthless, slave-driving publisher – also her husband, known to the world as “Willy” – to be co-credited on her own biopic with anyone else.

Still, it’s West who snuck his way into a BIFA nomination, for best supporting actor, while Knightley was crowded out. The film relies for nuance on his refusal to monster the character. He concedes that it’s not the most flattering role. “I had three different fat-suits and an appalling walrus moustache!” But in West’s hands, an odd sympathy emerges for Willy, despite all his terrible behaviour – locking Colette in an upstairs room to write, cheating on her incessantly, and eventually selling off the rights to her novels.

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“I thought he was obviously an exciting guy to be around,” West says. “And a total shit, and a narcissist, and an exploiter. But she was with him because he was this incredible force of nature, really, and a sort of bon viveur catalyst to quite a lot of very good writers. I did, even at the end, have a sympathy for this Salieri figure, who realised, having been so famous, that he would only ever be remembered as Colette’s former husband. Which is ironic – no one's ever heard of him now. And if they have, that's the only reason.”

First hatched as an idea 15 years ago, Wash Westmoreland’s film has been an arduous one to get made. West mentions this slow gestation to explain how tentatively the dial moves, in terms of getting stories told about women’s creative achievements. Just five years ago, Knightley was essentially playing sidekick to Alan Turing in The Imitation Game; now it’s her turn to play the genius.

West sees it as “rather serendipitous” that so much discussion about women’s agency – not to mention male abuse – started to happen as the film got made. There’s a striking parallel, I point out, with the role Glenn Close plays in The Wife – as the true brains behind the operation in another literary marriage. “I bet that’s a commonplace story,” he agrees. “Misapplied acclaim. It’s interesting that George Eliot had to change her name to a man's to get published. But then, so did JK Rowling. Doesn't change much, does it?”

 As a true-blue fan of The Wire, I couldn’t possibly interview West without touching on his lead role in that series. You could argue David Simon’s Baltimore-set, 5-season HBO epic changed everything for the actor in 2002, but you’d be wrong, because it took about five years before anyone even saw it.

West, a dabbler in Hollywood back then, was deep into his “lovers” phase – he’d been an alcoholic boyfriend to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a jazz-age lothario shot dead by Renée Zellweger in Chicago, a caddish colleague to Julia Roberts in Mona Lisa Smile. He was usually the debonair party animal you had to get out of the way so the film could carry on.

And then a tape he’d recorded as a joke fell into Simon’s hands. “It was just an astonishing piece of luck,” he reflects, “because in spite of myself, I landed the lead part in the best TV show of all time!”. This casting fluke lets him lampoon himself so perfectly it’s hard not to laugh. “I spent an awful lot of time trying to get out of it! I was always saying, ‘Oh gawd, not another season.’ Mainly because I was away from home, from my young daughter. And also because no one seemed to be watching it.”

Jimmy McNulty, an alcoholic cop struggling with child support and unstable relationships, was the show’s weary constant. West’s crumpled humility gave the show a relatable centre, but it finally paid him back: the slow-trickle recognition of Simon’s sensational achievement has let everyone involved live in its afterglow.

“I wouldn’t have watched it, had I not been in it,” West admits. “My daughter told me the other day, ‘Yeah, I watched it, it's very dated, dad.’ I don't think it is, though! It's been the gift that keeps on giving.” Michael B. Jordan, now a superstar after the Creed films and Black Panther, got his break there as a tragic 16-year-old drug dealer called Wallace. “I directed him in the last season, now he’s the king of Hollywood,” West remembers.

And there was Idris Elba, as kingpin-cum-politician Stringer Bell. “What happened to Idris? I don't know what happened to Idris. Has anyone heard of him since?! It was perfect. I think he knew it was perfect. He came in, blazed it, and got out. The rest of us felt slightly like journeymen, supporting these celebrity cameos.”

West socks over this kind of self-deprecation with reliable verve. He gallantly assumes it was his dancing, not Knightley’s, which led to a polka sequence being cut from Colette. “She’s pretty easy to spark off,” he says of his co-star. “And she's certainly easy to fall in love with. I had one particular scene where I'm in despair because she's leaving me, and that was a piece of cake.”

Colette was just a 19-year-old Burgundian country girl when she met Willy, 14 years her senior, and was swept off her feet. When West talks about their vigorous sex life, which branched out to multiple partners in Paris – and some they shared – there’s a hint of performative envy to his routine. “Considering what he drank and ate and smoked every day, he was also having sex three times a day. I mean, people did that, in those days. They make our vegan times look so dreary!”

Meanwhile, his approach to tackling the almost dauntingly virtuous Jean Valjean was to find the weakness in the man. “He's so obviously someone overcoming his shortcomings. Which is the only chance any of us get to be heroes. Quite apart from all the acrobatic saving of kids that he does, his great thing is redeeming his flaws, or his dark past.”

It’s an effort for us both not keep calling it Les Miz. Wasn’t he at all disappointed that he never got to belt out “Two-four-six-oh-OOOOONE!!” in his beefiest Old Etonian baritone?

“I was disappointed, but I think everyone else was relieved! I wondered where the songs were, actually. I kept trying to sing and they kept stopping me.”

Les Misérables continues on BBC One on Sunday at 9pm. Colette is out in UK cinemas from January 11 (x)

[bbclesmis]

LES MISERABLES: Dominic West on the new PBS drama – Interview

The actor talks playing Jean Valjean

When most people think about Victor Hugo’s sprawling novel LES MISERABLES, originally published in 1862, they associate it with the hugely popular stage musical and its film adaptation. However, LES MISERABLES has been adapted as a straight drama on a number of occasions.

The newest version of LES MISERABLES, a miniseries originally produced by and aired on the BBC, begins airing in the U.S. on PBS MASTERPIECE on Sunday, April 14. Dominic West stars as reformed criminal Jean Valjean, trying to live a good life as he is pursued over decades by obsessed law officer Javert (David Oyelowo), with revolution in France looming in the background. The miniseries was adapted by Andrew Davies.

Actor West, originally from Yorkshire, England, spent four years in the U.S. on THE WIRE. More recently, he’s starred in the Showtime series THE AFFAIR, which airs its fifth and final season later this year. West’s AFFAIR character, the adulterous, substance-abusing Noah Soloway, is a far cry from LES MISERABLES’s self-sacrificing Jean Valjean. West has played a number of other conflicted souls – Valmont in LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES (the National Theatre Live production), Hector Madden in THE HOUR, Richard Burton in BURTON AND TAYLOR – as well as outright villains, including the rapacious Spartan noble in 300.

West says of being cast as Valjean, “[David Oyelowo] gets people to approach him when they want a great, good man to be played. And people approach me when they want the opposite. And so I get a lot of villains. It was so refreshing to play a hero, who is a profoundly good man, and I only want to do that from now on. Living with Jean Valjean is a wonderful experience. Living with Noah Soloway is not. A few years ago, in one year, I played Fred West, the [real-life] serial killer [in the miniseries APPROPRIATE ADULT], Iago [in OTHELLO], and some other assh*le, and it was a really depressing year. These people get to you. And I’ve discovered that although making evil is more dramatic, it’s more easily made. The Devil has the best jokes, and it’s much easier to make evil interesting. It’s much more interesting to make good interesting. It’s much harder, and I think it’s well worth it, because at the end of the day, I really realized with this, that if you believe in the subject matter, and if you really believe it’s a story that needs to be told, and that will benefit people, it really makes a difference to your day, and getting out of bed, and your motivation.”

ASSIGNMENT X: In 2014, you played a real-life good guy in PRIDE, a gay rights activist who was also a workers’ rights activist. He seemed like a very warm character who did not seem to have a bad side. Did playing him sustain you for any amount of time, or …?

DOMINIC WEST: [chuckles] Actually, yeah. The guy I played is a good friend of mine now, so he’s real. My guy, Jonathan, was the second guy in the U.K. to be diagnosed H.I.V.-positive, and he’s still very much with us.

AX: Do people you seek you out for the darker parts, or do you seek out those characters? And were you surprised to be offered Jean Valjean?

WEST: No, I don’t seek out the darker parts at all, no. But I suppose once you play one, then that’s how people see you [laughs].

AX: 300 is hard to forget …

WEST: [laughs] Yes, exactly. It is tricky, especially with a part like that, where you have to be the villain for other reasons in order to make the hero more heroic, I suppose. But no, I wasn’t really surprised to be offered Jean Valjean. I don’t know what I thought. Well, I suppose I thought, “Well, it’s been done, in the musical and the film, and why are we doing it again?”

AX: Did you come up with a satisfactory answer for LES MISERABLES to “Why are we doing it all again?”

WEST: Oh, absolutely, yeah. To my amazement, it’s only ever been given a two-hour outing for the [most part]. I think the BBC did an adaptation in the ‘60s, but even that was only five half-hours. This is actually the longest adaptation of LES MISERABLES, I think, I don’t know about French television, but I think that’s probably ever been, and therefore there’s every reason to do it, because of the scale of the book, and because, as people have said, people think of it as a musical. And as wonderful a musical as it might be, there’s more to it.

AX: Had you read LES MISERABLES as a novel before you became involved with this version?

WEST: No, I’d never read it. I didn’t really know it. It never really crossed my radar. I did try and watch the film and didn’t get too far [laughs]. So no, I didn’t know it. I read it once I read Andrew’s scripts, which got me into it.

AX: Did you see yourself in the character, or the character in yourself, right away?

WEST: I suppose in any great, very well-written part, you respond to something in it that chimes with you, and a lot chimed with me in this, because the writing’s so great, it’s universal. It’s why it’s lasted this long.

AX: How do you see Valjean?

WEST: Well, apart from the physical – he’s got to be the strongest man in the world, and the greatest superhero ever – apart from that, the psychological difficulty for me was his guilt, the level of his guilt and his feeling of unworthiness. For a long time, I couldn’t understand how you could feel guilty about stealing a loaf of bread and being in jail for nineteen years. But of course, his psychology is so well-charted. It’s the psychology of someone who’s been incarcerated and believes they don’t deserve anything better, that they’re not worthy of being loved and giving love, they’ve been so starved of love and gentleness that they feel that they’re only worthy of prison life. And that’s why he surrenders himself to Javert three times, I think, and I could never understand why. You have to get into that different mindset.

AX: Valjean starts out with a beard of Biblical proportions. Did you have difficulty dealing with the beard?

WEST: [laughs] Actually, it did most of the work for me. Sometimes great hair and makeup does that for you, and costume. And it really did do a lot, that beard. You don’t really have to do anything with that, except that, with your eyes. The wig was far more trouble. The beard, I loved.

AX: How was it working with Derek Jacobi, who plays the Bishop of Digne, the first person to show kindness to Valjean? He’s not in it for very long, but …

WEST: Well, it’s a tricky part. If you hadn’t read the book, it opens with him, and what you realize is that Hugo has written the nicest, greatest man, the most virtuous, the most wonderful, the most compassionate human being who’s ever lived, in the Bishop of Digne, and you think, who the hell can play that? And there’s only one person who could possibly do it. He was actually supposed to be played by Max von Sydow. He was cast, and we were all going, “Max von Sydow, amazing.” But unfortunately, I think he broke his arm just before [shooting, and had to bow out]. Amazingly, we got Derek Jacobi, and you think, it couldn’t be anyone else. He’s a human being who exudes goodness in some way, and it was just wonderful acting with him. And watching him off-set as well – completely contained, slightly detached, not wasting his energy. It was a real education. He’s been a hero of mine for ages, but it was just bliss, acting with him.

AX: When you realized that there’s a large population that are confused about this LES MISERABLES not being a musical, what was your reaction?

WEST: No. It’s been interesting reading the reviews and the Twitter/social media stuff on it when it was airing in the U.K. For the first episode, people were, “Where are the songs? Can you hear the people sing – no, we can’t.” [laughs] But by Episode 2, they were with us. By Episode 2, people were going, “I’m in there.” Is it Episode 2 when Lily [Collins, who plays Fantine] has her teeth pulled out? That’s the scene when everyone went, “Right. I’m here now.”

AX: When you do play darker characters, do you get try to leave it all at work and then go home and be really kind to everybody in real life?

WEST: I think you have to, yes. The worst part was the Fred West part. Anyone who was ever involved in that case, or who wrote a book about it later, had a breakdown. So you have to be very careful with these sorts of characters, and with him, I think we shot the whole thing in three weeks, and it was in Manchester, and I could go home to London and be with my kids.

AX: Now that you’ve gotten to play Jean Valjean, can you imagine yourself in your later years, playing supreme good guy the Bishop of Digne?

WEST: Yeah, I’d love to. If it works out that well, then I’ve led a good life.

This interview was conducted during PBS’s portion of the Winter 2019 Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour.

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[bbclesmis]

Entertainment Weekly: Dominic West on why Les Misérables' Valjean and Javert are like Mean Girls

Victor Hugo’s epic tale of redemption and revolution Les Misérables is set in nineteenth-century France — and 2004’s meme-generating Mean Girls is…not.

Yet, the two have more in common than one might think, at least according to star Dominic West, who portrays Jean Valjean, a.k.a. Prisoner 24601.

Valjean begins the series, now a six-part miniseries premiering on PBS’ Masterpiece Sunday, newly emerged from 19 years in prison. He begins his life anew, wanting to shed his past and build a life for himself — but the dogged pursuit of his former prison guard, the newly minted Inspector Javert (David Oyelowo), puts him once more on the run.

That obsession, which finds Javert tracking Valjean across France, reminded West of a key scene in Mean Girls and popular meme. “This is a massive case of Why are you so obsessed with me?,” he jokes. “Jean Valjean and Javert really are Mean Girls, and it’s not clear why Javert is so obsessed with him. To an astonishing degree.”

For West, one of the most difficult parts of the role was exploring that cat-and-mouse game and why these characters can’t let go of each other. He says his costar David Oyelowo slightly disagreed with West’s assessment, which is that the relationship has an element of something “psychosexual.”

He explains, “There is a moment in our TV series where I strip off in front of David, as a prisoner; I’m being released and he does cop a glance…There’s a certain sexual obsession. There’s something going on between these two men. And we didn’t want to play that too much. It’s not explicit in the writing, and certainly not in Victor Hugo, but I think with our modern sensibilities you’ve got to look for an impulse that strong. And there’s no stronger impulse than love and sex.”

West is bursting with pop culture comparisons for the new Andrew Davies adaptation of the tale, which is known most famously to people in the form of the Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil musical. This six-part miniseries, which debuts April 14 at 9 p.m., is not a musical and hews more closely to the novel.

In advance of the premiere, EW called up West to talk how much the musical inspired him (hint: not at all), why Iron Man ain’t got nothing on Valjean, and what it was like trying to keep his cool opposite Oscar winner Olivia Colman’s comedic antics.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How familiar were you with Les Mis when you signed on? With the musical’s popularity, it seems almost unavoidable, especially in Britain.                          DOMINIC WEST: I escaped it! I hadn’t seen the musical and I hadn’t seen all of the film of the musical, so I was pretty new to it all. I certainly hadn’t read it. If I was honest, I was slightly put off by the musical. I also thought, “Well it’s just been made into a film. What’s the point of doing it again?” Then I read Andrew’s scripts and I saw why it was a classic. Then I read a book, and then I decided I thought it was the greatest hero in literature and I had to do it, but before all that I didn’t really know much about it at all.

Something that struck me in this adaptation is how much we really get a sense that Valjean is a scary guy. He’s a hardened criminal who is reforming, and we see that in the ferocity you lend him in early episodes. For you, how did you tap into that and then how did you hammer out the journey to his gentler side?                          The problem with the story is the only thing he’s guilty of is stealing a loaf of bread in order to feed his starving nieces and nephews, who when he then gets jailed for that, they then presumably all die. This guy hasn’t done anything wrong. In fact, he’s been completely wronged. That’s one way you find how brutalized he’s been, how unfair he feels the world has been to him. There’s a rage in there which I found because he’s constantly being told he’s a beast, he’s a brute, he’s a good-for-nothing. Throughout the story, he’s constantly thinking of that of himself. So, he does need to be as brutish and as frightening as possible at the beginning. If he’s always been a nice guy, there’s not much of a journey to go on. It’s just more dramatic when the Bishop shows love to this guy if he’s terrifying.

I was watching the first episode the day the sentencing for Paul Manafort came out here, and it struck me that Jean Valjean got 19 years for a loaf of bread and this guy got way less for something objectively worse.                          [Laughs] Yeah. It’d be great if he got 19 years hard labor. [Laughs] It was a real problem for me getting my head around that, you just sort of think, “Hang on a second, a loaf of bread?” That is just nuts. That’s crazy. But that was one of the big things that I had to come to terms with in terms of psychological things with Jean Valjean —this sense that if you brutalize people, then they believe they’re not worthy of anything. They believe they are brutish and they behave accordingly. That’s a lot what Victor Hugo was trying to talk about.

David Oyelowo is your foil as Javert. What was that push and pull like with him?                          He took the lead on it really. I kept trying to get to know him and go out for dinner with him or something, and he kept avoiding me and ignoring me. I thought, “Oh, he’s not very friendly.” And then at the end when we finished, we went out, we had this great time and I said, “It’s such a shame we’re only just getting to know each other now.” Then he said, “Oh no, that was totally deliberate. I didn’t want to get to know you. I didn’t want to feel easy with you.” And he’s right – if you socialize with people, there is a chemistry between you, there is an ease between you, which the camera catches.

Andrew Davies is so well-regarded as an adaptor, having tackled everyone from Austen to Dickens to Tolstoy. Why do you think he has such a knack for adapting these very big books by canonical authors?                          He won’t do a book that’s less than two inches thick, I think. [Laughs] But I suppose he got good at it with Pride and Prejudice. When I was looking back at the scripts having read the novel, [I noticed] almost every significant and memorable scene that I remember from the novel, he managed to somehow get into the screenplay. And when you consider how long the novel is, that’s an extraordinary achievement. He’s just very good at selecting the nuggets and finessing the bumpy bits. Because another thing that strikes you when you try to work out what happened, there’s an enormous amount of coincidence, as typical of 19th-century novels I suppose. What he’s very good at doing is condensing the important stuff, but also of unknotting the more grating bits of structure, which modern audiences don’t really buy.

You have some great face-offs with Olivia Colman as Madame Thenardier, and you’ve both been praised for your dry wit and sense of humor on set, so what was the funniest moment you shared together while making this?                          [Laughs] Oh god, well the trouble with her is she’s so damn good that she can be roaring with laughter right up to action and then suddenly she’ll do the most devastating scene of sadness. I thought I could do that, and I thought I could run with the big leagues, but I couldn’t…There’s a big fight scene where they all pin me down on the table, [and] she gets me by the hair. She did pull my hair quite deliberately I think. Then I get a red hot iron bar out of the stove and I burn myself with it to show them how it’s nothing to me. But anyway, it’s a serious scene for Valjean. As we were preparing before action, she and Adeel [Akhtar], who played Monsieur Thenardier were doing this impression of this couple who are on British TV [on] a thing called Goggle Box, which shows ordinary people watching TV. Everyone’s crying with laughter listening to their impression of this couple. She was constantly doing impressions and cracking jokes, and I just remember that one scene where I realized I had to stop listening to her and concentrate on the work at hand.

In some ways, this story is more religious than modern audiences often see – was that an aspect you tapped into? How do you feel about Hugo’s assessment of God in this story and God’s power in Valjean’s life and destiny?                          It’s obviously central. Hugo does a three chapter dissertation on the state of the Catholic church, nunneries in particular. He’s not a great fan of Catholicism, but he’s definitely a believer in God. You can’t really do Valjean without having that dimension to him. He believes in God; he believes he’s been saved and can be redeemed. That’s fundamental to him. You can’t understand him without that. The candlesticks become a symbol of that belief in God. This Archbishop, who gives him the candlesticks, is a wholly good person and the power of that virtue is what turns Valjean into a hero. That virtue does not come divorced from his God. That does not exist in a vacuum. My faith is less certain, and more modern skepticism, but there’s not really any room for that with Valjean. Without being specific about a religion, he has to believe that there is a higher power and that that higher power has saved him.

Valjean is a very physical role in a lot of ways. Did you have to do a lot of training for it?                          Yeah, that was a nightmare. He’s essentially described as the strongest man in the world, who can fight ten men at a time. He climbs up the sides of buildings rescuing children, and in the book, he climbs up the mast of a huge tall ship and rescues a sailor who’s trapped on a yard arm and then jumps off it into the ocean and stays underwater for a full five minutes so everyone thinks he’s dead and then escapes. He’s a superhuman; he’s the original superhero. I’d like to see Iron Man do 19 years hard labor in a 19th-century prison. He’s tough as nails. That was quite daunting for me. I did a lot of boxing training; that’s the toughest training I know.

Would you be up for playing him in the musical version should the opportunity ever arise?                          I think there’s a reason you haven’t heard me sing much. [Laughs] I think I’ve got a lovely voice, and all I’ve ever wanted to do is musicals. The only one I’ve ever done is My Fair Lady. I played Professor Higgins, which is a part that’s written for a non-singer. I was constantly trying to put songs into Les Mis. As much as I would love to play Valjean in the musical, I don’t think anyone’s going to ask me too once they hear me sing. [Laughs]

x

[midnight-writing]

ᴛ ᴇ ᴍ ᴘ ʟ ᴀ ᴛ ᴇ

ʙ ʏ

dog dad

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s ᴛ ᴀ ᴛ ᴜ s • Completed

ᴛ ʀ ɪ ɢ ɢ ᴇ ʀ s • Death, light amount of blood within images, mention of bullying, and mental disorders.

ғ ᴀ ᴄ ᴇ ᴄ ʟ ᴀ ɪ ᴍ • Maddie Hasson

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ᴄ ᴏ ɴ ᴛ ᴇ ɴ ᴛ s ˎˊ˗

i Teaser

ii Name iii General

iv Appearance v Personality

vi Health vii Combat

viii Stats ix Background

x Relations xi Roleplay Info

xii Author’s Notes

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❝I’m not great at the advice can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?❞

—Chandler Bing, Friends

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ᴏ ᴄ ᴛ ᴇ ᴀ s ᴇ ʀ ˎˊ-

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Girl On Fire

“There is a girl

She is wise

and wary of flames

but still, she knows

she will survive the fire

life scorches sometimes.

she has been a phoenix before

and every time

she burns to ashes

she knows

exactly how to rise

again.

She carries

destruction grief

carved river deep in her bones

specializes in

wrecking ball

knows how to bring

the whole thing down

surveys the broken

claims it as wholeness

and names it all good

she knows well

the holy necessity

of beginning again.”

-Jeanette LeBlanc

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ɢ ᴇ ɴ ᴇ ʀ ᴀ ʟ ˎˊ-

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—full name

Kallel Hope Hartman

People don’t bug her too much about her name, besides about it being a rarer name.

—meanings

[Kallel] Laurel, Keeper of the Keys.

[Hope] The feeling that a desire will be fulfilled.

[Hartman] Strong man.

—aliases

Kallie. This is what she goes by since she’s not a huge fan of her full first name, everyone calls her this except her step mom.

Kal. Something her best friend Caleb calls her and sometimes her dad does too, there’s no reasoning behind it and she doesn’t mind it.

—age

16. She can be a bit immature at times, but most of the time she acts about her age.

—gender

Female. She was born this gender and has never really thought about changing it.

She/Her

—birth

June 6th in Minneapolis Minnesota. Gemini.

—species

Demi-god

—Godly-Parent

Nike. The Greek Goddess of Victory

—attraction

Bisexual and Biromantic

❝Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.❞

—Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

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ᴀ ᴘ ᴘ ᴇ ᴀ ʀ ᴀ ɴ ᴄ ᴇ ˎˊ-

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Kallie is only a little smaller than average height for her age, she is 5’ 3”. She is on the thinner side weighing 110 lbs. She may be a bit thin but she’s fit and has a bit of strong muscle. She doesn’t eat a ton of junk and keeps active since she is on track team.

Her Hair is a light blonde and her eyes are hazel with a strong brown hue. Her hair is straight and soft, usually up in a messy bun or a ponytail. Her eyes are darker in color and she has under eye bags due to not getting enough sleep every night. Her eyelashes are of a medium thickness and length. She has 20/20 vision and has never needed visual assistance. Her eyebrows are thinner, slightly arched and about the same color as her hair.

Her skin doesn’t really have any freckles, or birthmarks, but she has a tiny dot near the left corner of her lips. She gets blemishes ever once in a while due to being a teenager, but does not use makeup to cover it up and normally doesn’t wear makeup at all. She has a thin scar of a line going from the bottom of her left ear towards her nose. Her hands and feet are smaller and thin due to being small boned. Her hands are in between soft and rough since she plays sports and sometimes works on cars, outdoor equipment, etc…

Kallie tends to wear shorts until it becomes way too cold to. She wears a lot of t-shirts, hoodies, flannels and ripped jeans. She mainly wears darker colors and more neutral tones, a lot of black, white, and gray. She rarely wears dresses, during formal occasions there’s a stronger chance of her wearing a feminine styled suit. She doesn’t care too much about her appearance and mainly focuses on comfort.

❝She wasn't looking for a knight, she was looking for a sword.❞

—Atticus

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ᴘ ᴇ ʀ s ᴏ ɴ ᴀ ʟ ɪ ᴛ ʏ ˎˊ-

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P E R S O N A L I T Y T Y P E

ENFP-T

ᴍ ᴀ ɪ ɴ ᴛ ʀ ᴀ ɪ ᴛ s

Stubborn | Sarcastic | Independent | Altruistic

Strong-willed | Outgoing | Curious | Absent Minded

Kallie can be very stubborn at times, if she does doesn’t want to do something she will or won’t, she doesn’t let peer pressure affect her too much unless it’s over something not serious that would affect her in the long run. Being strong-willed can connect to her stubbornness since when she wants to do something she will do it no matter how difficult a task or how long it takes her. She’s friendly and outgoing to most people as long as they don’t do anything to offend her, she tries to be friends with as many people as she can. Although she likes having friends, she can be by herself for a while and do things herself since she is independent and may not feel the need of another person to be present all of the time. Due to her being both curious and absent minded she can get distracted easily. Her mind will lead to something else and may throw her off task from time to time. She also tends to ask a lot of questions about unknown things due to her curiousness. Being altruistic or selfless leads her to put others before herself, if someone else needs help she is likely to put herself in danger to help them without being in ti to benefit herself.

She tends to tap on tables or her leg without realizing it along with picking at loose threads on her clothes, peeling paint on objects, or loose stickers. Picking at things tends to happen more often when she is nervous or in a stress inducing situation. When she is happy she tends to have energy and be talkative, which becomes stronger when she is excited, she’ll be more willing to socialize with someone who she may not like as much. The opposite will usually happen when she is sad or angry, she will become less energetic and less talkative, although she tries not to let a lot of negative emotions show since she doesn’t like bothering people with them or talking about her feelings. When in social situations like parties she tends to try and initiate conversation with people she doesn’t know well as long as they don’t seem to be in a sour mood or bothered by her. If it’s her friends she’ll speak to them no matter their mood and try to make them feel better.

Kallie is claustrophobic and does not like to be within small spaces that have no area to escape from, it isn’t as bad as some people have it since she is okay as long as there is a way to get out of the small space when she begins to panic. She has a slight fear of needles but it has dwindled as she has gotten older, she can’t look whenever they are used and sometimes needs a stress reliever, she won’t pass out but she will be quite anxious during the process. There’s no real cause for these fears within her past, she just has never liked small spaces or needles.

F A T A L - F L A W

ㅤOver confidence.

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❝She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.❞

—Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor and park

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Kallie has only some visible muscles on her biceps, but she is fit and healthy. She has a flat stomach although with slightly defined abs. Overall her body is thinner since she is smaller boned and has a faster metabolism than most people. She also stays fit due to going to the gym at least once a week depending on her schedule, playing sports helps her stay fit too. She is also naturally more athletically bit due to her godly-parent. She tends to eat more snacks, but works them off.

Overall her skin is pretty clear of scarring, there are random small ones from working on things and playing outside when she was younger but she does have a thin scar of a line going from the bottom of her left ear towards her nose. She has no need for visual hearing assistance since both her eyes and ears function well.

Her immune system is pretty well and works as well as the average person, she gets sick every once in a while but due to her lifestyle being a bit healthier she tends to not catch the cold when it’s going around.

She has both Hyperactive-impulsive ADHD and Dyslexia due to being a Demi-god.ㅤ

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❝Normality is a paved road: It's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.❞

—Vincent van Gogh

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ᴄ ᴏ ᴍ ʙ ᴀ ᴛ ˎˊ-

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Kallie is pretty agile but her hits don’t do as much damage as she wished they did. She doesn’t really have an algorithm with how she fights someone yet, she just does whatever seems right at the moment and doesn’t really plan her hits. She usually only fights in self defense and usually is pretty lucky about how much damage she takes in a fight. She knows the basics of self defense since she has taken a couple classes in the past.

Kallie’s main weapons are her fists, pepper spray or anything else she can grab, but she rarely uses anything lethal. Once she is taken to Camp, her main weapon will become a celestial bronze sword, which she would find she has the most confidence in using.

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❝It doesn’t matter what you are, it only matters what you do. It’s your choice.❞

—Sam Winchester, Supernatural

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s ᴛ ᴀ ᴛ s ˎˊ-

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sᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜ

8/10

She is on the stronger side due to the influence of her mot. She is a bit stronger than an average person her height and weight naturally would be. She wants to gain strength so she can feel more confident in defending herself when needed.

ᴘᴇʀᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴏɴ

6/10

She is aware of what’s happening around her most of the time and has natural battle instincts, although since she becomes distracted easily she can lose track of events that are happening and what she is doing. She is okay at reading people’s emotions, most of the time she can interpret how they feel, but sometimes she may be oblivious.

ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴀɴᴄᴇ

9/10

Her endurance is pretty high since she was always taught to be tough and keep going even when it gets difficult. She’ll get right back up after being down, both emotionally and physically. She can run for a while longer than the average person, especially in the case of meeting a goal.She can endure quite a bit of pain, though she’s also stubborn enough to keep going even if its a lot. Emotionally her endurance is pretty good also.

ᴄʜᴀʀɪsᴍᴀ

7/10

She does very well in social situations since she is an outgoing and friendly person. She’s also pretty good at fooling people when telling a lie. Most of the time people believe what she says since she’s not one to lie about anything that would hurt anyone. She’s not much of a flirt and can be slightly awkward when it comes to romance since she doesn’t think about romance often.

ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ

6/10

She is more street smart than book smart, her lowest grade being a C in math due to the trouble she has understanding the subject. She has mainly Bs in her other classes, she tends to get As in the more hands on classes that she has as electives. Though it’s difficult to keep her grades consistent since she has moved schools quite a few times.

ᴀɢɪʟɪᴛʏ

9/10

She is very quick and flexible and has always been. She participated in gymnastics when she was younger, leading her to be quite a bit more flexible than the average person. She is quicker too since she runs a lot and focuses on being faster when participating in track practice or a meet.

ʟᴜᴄᴋ

6/10

Her luck tends to be pretty good, it’s better than the average person due to her mother’s influence. When guessing she is more right than wrong most of the time, especially when guessing who’s going to win something. She does believe in luck and that 13 is her lucky number.

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❝Being underestimated is one of the biggest competitive advantages you can have. Embrace it.❞

—Unknown

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Kallie was born into a good environment, her family loved her and they had enough money to be comfortable. At a young age she learned about hard work since her parents didn’t give her an allowance unless she did her chores and didn’t misbehave too much, the same went for her siblings. She was a very active child, she had a lot of energy, and was always wanting to play inside or outside. She would often try and help her dad fix things around the house or in the garage. She could often be found taking clocks or random electronics apart to try and put them back together again, this led her to discover her hobby of tinkering.

In 1st grade when Kallie was 6 she was diagnosed with ADHD. She had been falling behind the other kids a little since she seemed to have attention problems. This caused her teacher to call her mother and talk about it. Soon Kallie was taken to a pediatrician and was diagnosed. Around the age of 6 she also discovered her love of videogames when she began playing games with her brothers when they let her.

She also learned the lesson of grieving and strength when she lost her mother at 8 years old. Carolina had died in a car crash due to a drunk driver, both drivers had died. It was difficult for her to lose her mother since she was very close to her and didn’t quite understand what had happened since she was younger,, but together as a family they supported each other.

Kallie joined a small dance team when she was 9 and managed to make quite a few friends on the team and school but eventually grew apart from a few as she moved on to middle school. During middle school she joined the track team and the lacrosse team. She quickly figured out she was pretty good at sports and was naturally athletic. Although she had found joy in the teams at school, she found a bit of struggle in academics due to her ADHD, especially within her math classes. She had also become a target for a few girls that would pick on her weight and grades, but her friends helped her cope with it.

Once she moved onto high school Kallie had lost a few more friends but still had multiple that she enjoyed spending time with. She also met Caleb freshman year when he moved to Minnesota from England. They quickly bonded and over the years became best friends. She had a boyfriend her sophomore year that ended in a bad breakup at the beginning of that summer. During her high school years she participated in track, swim, and lacrosse, along with the dance company she had been in for years. Being on that many teams kept her busy and also added to her struggles in school, but she didn’t really mind. The bullying continued throughout high school but gradually diminished.

After highschool Kallie moved into her own apartment and began college. She picked an engineering degree and worked at a local restaurant as a waitress. Her wage and tips were the main source of her income but sometimes she would work as a handyman within her apartment complex if the landlord didn’t come to fix something quick enough or she’d help fix people’s cars if she could.

ㅤ ❝She needed a hero so that’s what she became.❞

—Unknown

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ʀ ᴇ ʟ ᴀ ᴛ ɪ ᴏ ɴ s ˎˊ-

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m o t h e r

❝N/A.❞

status: [Unknown]

Nike left Steven (her father) as soon as she was born so she never knew her mother or knew that she was a goddess. Her father knew but had made the agreement to never tell.

f a t h e r

❝He may be forgetful sometimes, but he always has good intentions.❞

status: [alive]

Steve(n) and her were really close but they’ve gradually separated. He cares a lot about Kallie but sometimes work gets in the way of spending time with her. When Nike and him were together, he was apart of a city level hockey team, though now he is a business manager.

s t e p - m o t h e r

status: [alive]

❝Her and I don’t exactly see eye to eye.❞

s t e p - b r o t h e r s

❝Sometimes he’s a bit too serious, but I still love him.❞

status: [alive]

Alex(ander) and her were closer when she was younger but they grew apart once he moved out and went off to college.They had separate mothers and he and Jason are from Diana’s previous relationship.

❝We are two peas in a pod.❞

status: [alive]

Jason and her are and always have been very close, especially since they are only a year apart. They may get in simple fights but they get along again afterwards.

B e s t f r i e n d

❝We know each other so well we can almost read each other’s minds.❞

status: [alive]

Caleb/Abe and her are really close even though they only met freshman year. ㅤ

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❝The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.❞

—Carl Jung

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ʀ ᴏ ʟ ᴇ ᴘ ʟ ᴀ ʏ ɪ ɴ ғ ᴏ ˎˊ-

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Find my rules [here] (WIP)

ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ

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❝I won't sit still, look pretty.❞

—Daya, Sit Still, Look Pretty

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ᴀ ᴜ ᴛ ʜ ᴏ ʀ s ɴ ᴏ ᴛ ᴇ ˎˊ-