#valvert week 2025

[valvertweek]

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(definitely a good read because there's a lot of good inspo down here):

High Stakes (submitted by @little-linda):

maybe elements of case-fic

(I feel like this one is pretty self-explanatory)

Toulon Era (submitted by @little-linda):

Special thanks for follow ups with M-sur-M and Post-Seine. Because there's nothing better than a 30-year-long situationship

Fate & Faith (submitted by @lesbianslugreaction):

Fate in regards to soulmates, them being two halves of a whole, the way their lived experiences are mirrored, and their strangely frequent accidental meetings... You can take this into so many different directions: fluff when they're meant to be, angst when they're not, and so forth. Like Vicky put it: "When love has fused and mingled two beings in a sacred and angelic unity [...] ; they are no longer anything more than the two boundaries of the same destiny." Faith in regards to Valjean finding something new to believe in, Javert losing his long-held beliefs, and the two of them learning to believe in each other, perhaps...? After all, in most post-Seine narratives, it's the faith they have towards each other that ends up saving them both, even when they have little faith in themselves. I'm using faith to mean something like devotion in this context, but it can of course also apply to Valjean's belief in God and religious symbolism too—monstrous Saint Michael and all that. Really, I just love anything that accentuates the things they do have in common. Opposites and foils are all well and good but lack meaning without the crucial similarity that is also present. What can I say? I like my old men in agreement and head over heels in love💕

Time (submitted by anon):

passing time, time-travel, time spent together and apart, time loops, different seasons. Very flexible

The River and The Sea (submitted by @secretmellowblog):

“Man Overboard,” or “Billows and Shadows” — basically, anything to do with the symbolic ocean/drowning imagery that’s so central to both their characters! The chapter in the novel that compares Jean Valjean’s suffering to the suffering of a man who’s been thrown overboard off a massive ship, the rescue on the Ship Orion, Jean Valjean’s faked death, Javert’s actual death— etc etc., so much to take inspiration from! And people could take it in a fantasy direction really easily; there are lots of exciting water creatures.

Patterns (submitted by @redthepear):

As in things that repeat themselves, leitmotivs, but also why not go for maximalist Valvert fanart with a bunch of cute patterns :D

Coincidence/Providence/Chance (submitted by anon):

very Valvert. chance meetings and so on

'Elements' and 'Sun and Moon' (submitted by anon):

re: the previous suggestion about water; I thought about something broader, maybe all elements - "fire, water, earth" or maybe "sun and moon"

[valvertweek]

It is that time of year already lads!

I am accepting theme suggestions for the week in this blog's inbox! And I'll put them to a vote.

[la-confrontation]

I think "The River and The Sea" would be an interesting theme because i feel like we don't explore the Jean Valjean Jumps Out Of A Boat To Espace Prison And Save Cosette scene. Besides the fact that I just adore this scene and want to see more fanworks centered around it, it does work as a good parallel to Javert Déraillé, but also to Valjean's first spiritual suicide in the beginning of the book. Besides his desire to save Cosette to respect his promise to Fantine, Jean doesn't really have much to keep himself going on, and the introduction of Cosette in his life also saves his soul. Going into the water is the first step to become father and mother to Cosette, so it's sort of a baptism in some ways, which obviously works a brutal contrast to Javert's suicide in the Seine.

+ It's kind of paradoxical: the sea is supposed to be wild and dangerous, but here it helps Valjean escape the bagne; while the river is supposed to be a domesticated, controlled, urban water but it kills Javert without mercy, locking him within its black depths. Something something the harmony with nature is the harmony within one's mind and body, something 19th century french Romanticism etc.

+ It could be interesting to explore Valjean's and Javert's PTSD regarding water.

Also, I just think it's kinda funny that Jean always has to get into the water to save his loved ones like, give my man a break and some dry clothes geez.

.

(definitely a good read because there's a lot of good inspo down here):

High Stakes (submitted by @little-linda):

maybe elements of case-fic

(I feel like this one is pretty self-explanatory)

Toulon Era (submitted by @little-linda):

Special thanks for follow ups with M-sur-M and Post-Seine. Because there's nothing better than a 30-year-long situationship

Fate & Faith (submitted by @lesbianslugreaction):

Fate in regards to soulmates, them being two halves of a whole, the way their lived experiences are mirrored, and their strangely frequent accidental meetings... You can take this into so many different directions: fluff when they're meant to be, angst when they're not, and so forth. Like Vicky put it: "When love has fused and mingled two beings in a sacred and angelic unity [...] ; they are no longer anything more than the two boundaries of the same destiny." Faith in regards to Valjean finding something new to believe in, Javert losing his long-held beliefs, and the two of them learning to believe in each other, perhaps...? After all, in most post-Seine narratives, it's the faith they have towards each other that ends up saving them both, even when they have little faith in themselves. I'm using faith to mean something like devotion in this context, but it can of course also apply to Valjean's belief in God and religious symbolism too—monstrous Saint Michael and all that. Really, I just love anything that accentuates the things they do have in common. Opposites and foils are all well and good but lack meaning without the crucial similarity that is also present. What can I say? I like my old men in agreement and head over heels in love💕

Time (submitted by anon):

passing time, time-travel, time spent together and apart, time loops, different seasons. Very flexible

The River and The Sea (submitted by @secretmellowblog):

“Man Overboard,” or “Billows and Shadows” — basically, anything to do with the symbolic ocean/drowning imagery that’s so central to both their characters! The chapter in the novel that compares Jean Valjean’s suffering to the suffering of a man who’s been thrown overboard off a massive ship, the rescue on the Ship Orion, Jean Valjean’s faked death, Javert’s actual death— etc etc., so much to take inspiration from! And people could take it in a fantasy direction really easily; there are lots of exciting water creatures.

Patterns (submitted by @redthepear):

As in things that repeat themselves, leitmotivs, but also why not go for maximalist Valvert fanart with a bunch of cute patterns :D

Coincidence/Providence/Chance (submitted by anon):

very Valvert. chance meetings and so on

'Elements' and 'Sun and Moon' (submitted by anon):

re: the previous suggestion about water; I thought about something broader, maybe all elements - "fire, water, earth" or maybe "sun and moon"