#watch an old les mis movie

[for-the-love-of-javert]

Keeping up with stuff I said I was going to do

Coming soon :

Comparing the song 'Stars' to the text in The Brick. I just added this little project today and will do this before I do Javert's suicide, starting today.

Comparing the song 'Javert's Suicide' to the text in The Brick

Les Mis themed mental health awareness poster. Techinically for my other blog but I'll ost it on here too.

Finish reading The Brick, only a few hundred pages left to read now

Start writing Chapter 2 of my fanfic

Watch at least one of the old Les Mis films, that's if I can find any of them online.

After that who fucking knows but I have thought about writing a parody of 'Stars' just for the sheer fun and impish fuckery of it.

[somethingsomethingcomic]

probably should've guessed

[selffagellation]

yesterday i saw a gigantic sign in the mall, eddie redmayne modeling/advertising a brand of fancy watches called "omega". is it what it was meant to be. what i saw was marius pontmercy with a gigantic omega symbol behind him. and my reaction was "yeah that figures" LMFAOOOOOOO

[hamletshoeratio]

"But no new content 😭!!" that means jack shit. We have several literal decades worth of content we can watch or rewatch. The writers and now the actors too are not only fighting for their livelihoods but for the futures and the soul of their industries.

Fuck new content, fuck the executives and producers and powers that be who make millions upon millions while the people, who create the content that make them rich, can barely make ends meet.

Here's some suggestions to anyone who doesn't know what to watch;

Nostalgia rewatch; watch old favourites, shows and movies you haven't seen in years but that stayed with you, the ones that mattered to you.

Watch the shows your parents didn't let you watch growing up because they thought the show was "too mature" for you.

Watch the shows and movies people have recommended to you that you never found time for before.

Watch indie films!!!

Look at different genres than what you've watched before and give them a go.

Try films and shows from other countries and/or in other languages. There's dubs and subtitles available and these shows and movies can be just as good if not better than their American and/or English speaking counterpart.

And remember when watching shows, that you do not have to binge them all at once, you can have your own personal tv schedule and watch say an episode a week like you would've done when/if they aired before streaming

Look at some older films and shows, why does it matter if it's in black and white or the camera quality is lower than 4k and hd, so long as it's good? And so many of those shows and films, while not perfect, have aged better than shows that have come out in the last decade, like the golden girls for instance has aged so much better than say glee (ok many many many shows aged better than glee but let's be real for a second, music was better when artists were terrified of the Glee cast doing a better version of their song on the show. I do still wish it was a show my mom didn't let me watch tho, lmao glee was fine but no, her twelve year old being obsessed with Les mis and rewatching it religiously was cause for concern 😂😭 I was just as obsessed with glee for seasons 1-4 especially).

It's ok to indulge your inner child and rewatch the classics tm. The shows and movies you grew up with. Rewatch the shows that got you through sick days from school, the tv movies you remember watching premiere, the cartoons that MADE your Saturday mornings, etc.

On the topic of animation, that's literally an unlimited genre you can tap into, which rarely gets the recognition and respect it deserves.

Don't be afraid to watch the one season wonders, the shows that networks and streamers cancelled after one season in spite of strong reviews and good ratings. Or the shows that ended abruptly around the season 3 or 5 mark because networks and streamers cancelled them because they didn't want to negotiate contracts and have to pay the actors and writers more. Get angry, remember what the actors and writers are fighting for.

The privilege of older shows that either concluded naturally or that writers were given a heads up on might be on it's last season is that you get closure, unlike with the above. That might not mean an ending is good but a bad ending is better than a cliffhanger. There's always fix its fics for a bad ending. And if the ending is good, it's typically GOOD in my experience. The fear of a cliffhanger and zero closure has already turned many against watching new content until the show is renewed for another season or is fully wrapped (and fans don't hate the ending).

Watch the shows that were in their day or are popular or critically acclaimed, they usually hold up to the hype.

Watch the old shows and movies your favs were on/in before they were your favs.

Try a soap or a telenovela, they can be entertaining af (holby city my love, Tuesdays have never been the same since the BBC robbed me of you).

If you liked a reboot or a revival of a show, try the original (in certain cases, the og is even better, see boy meets world v girl meets world).

If you like period dramas, try shows and films from other countries based on their history. A lot of times when people are telling their own history it goes far better than when Hollywood tries it (see the many times Hollywood has actors brought in because producers think they're good for box office and they then go on to butcher the accent their character should have, see Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and so many others who have absolutely butchered the Irish accent over the years for instance. There's also many many instances even recently of just blatant whitewashing see Matt Damon as the last samurai...).

Listen to recommendations, watch the shows and movies you know your family and friends loved but you never got around to watching.

[writingraccoon]

tagging @origami-butterfly bc i think you'll be interested at least

So some posts about women in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and it's adaptations have been going around, so I thought I'd give my two cents that no one asked for.

In the original novella there is one important female character I can think of- The girl Hyde tramples. I have not seen any J&H movies or adaptations, unless you count the four episodes of Once Upon a Time that had a (bad) J&H plotline, but i have a decent impression of how most adaptations treat the women they add in.

First of all, I don't think adding women to Jekyll & Hyde is necessary. It speaks to the attitudes of the time that more women are not in the original book, but the book as a whole is inextricably linked with the attitudes of the time, and separating the culture from the novel serves to strip away much of its meaning. Perhaps casting the butler Poole as a woman, or even making Lanyon a woman could be reasonable ways of putting a little more diversity into screen/stage adaptations, but the novel does not even pass the 'two men talk to each other about something that isn't a man' test.

A piece of media does not need to pass the Bechdel test to be good, or interesting. Frankenstein, J&H, Les Mis, Dracula (iirc), and the Christian Bible are all, to my knowledge, things that do not pass the Bechdel test. They are not less valuable for that.

Many J&H adaptations add a love interest to be killed or spurned by Hyde, or a sex worker to be raped or killed to display how evil he is. I hope I need not say that adding a woman to your story just for her to be fridged to say something about a male character is FAR more sexist and hard to watch than a piece of media that just happens to have a lack of women.

At it's heart, Jekyll and Hyde is a story that needs few characters to be told. There is, of course, Dr Jekyll himself, his alter ego Hyde, Utterson, the lawyer turned detective, Lanyon, and Poole. Any other people that show up in the story are unimportant except for what they say about the main characters (pretty common in fiction. the family that dies at the beginning of the hero's journey is not important in and of themselves). The girl that is trampled by Hyde is there to set up how Enfield met him, and tell the audience how evil he is. The old man who is trampled is there to shock the audience and Utterson, and reveal a new depth to Hyde's cruelty. Now, there's something to be said for the fact that the old man is named while the little girl is not.

While pieces that are less adaptations and more inspired by J&H have far more freedom in what they add and what they omit- The Glass Scientists comic, for instance- adaptations that aim to bring the book to stage or screen should actually read the book before deciding what should take place. I would say that adding a love interest not only is unnecessary, but in fact actively harms the effectiveness of any J&H adaptations. Jekyll and Hyde is simply not about that. It is not a love story, (except, you could argue, the love for Jekyll that drives Utterson to become more invested in his hunt for Hyde) and trying to make it a romance interferes with the point and themes of the story, just like switching the perspective from Utterson to Jekyll messes up the story.

The reason why so many adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde fail to capture the essence of the original novel, is that none of the people in charge of them seem to understand the novel at all. They don't understand why Gabriel Utterson is not only not boring, but why he is the lens through with Stevenson chose to tell the story. They don't understand that Hyde is not a separate person, or an evil second personality, or anything else, but that he IS Jekyll, and Jekyll is him (which is an interesting point about humanity's unwillingness to accept the presence of evil inside of ourselves but i don't think most screenwriters are doing that on purpose). And they don't understand why, to put it simply, the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde does not need the addition of a love interest, and in fact is better for the lack of one.

[justanotherhh]

What characters from helluva boss would the hazbin characters get on best with. I've seen fizz suggested for Angel and Millie for Alastor, but I've seen surprisingly little discussion of it.

Ooh yeah, funnily enough I don't know if I think that Millie would get on with Alastor that much -- I think his old-school Southern Charm might tickle her, but also lowkey she'd think he was.... kinda creepy (which, he is). Alastor would be charmed by her for sure! Her go-gettem take-no-shit attitude, her effortless sweetness, yeah. I think while I say "not get on" I don't mean necessarily in a bad way, just... cautious. Alastor has an ever-growing girl-gang around him, I could see Millie as part of it, but not like. the super friendliest

Fizz and Angel is such a no-brainer, seen a bunch of art and read some fic, these two have so much in common (showbiz! performance! abusive bosses! sex appeal! etcetc) I can't imagine them not getting on, and there's a bunch of scenarios where I think Fizz would want to help Angel out of a bad situation. yeah. there's not much more for me to say on this one that hasn't already been said

I think Cherri (who we don't know too much about in terms of various dynamics at the hotel yet, but I want her and Al to get on so badly....) and Millie would get on like a house on fire. and... set houses on fire. I also think Loona would be in awe of Cherri's whole Everything and Cherri would be kind of touched by the whole idea of "oh I'm a motherfucking Mentor now!!!!" (and they'd set houses on fire) -- but I think there could be a downside in that Loona has some anxieties around partying and drinking and while Cherri might be very helpful with the first in terms of confidence, I think the latter could go badly. but yeah. Cherri and Millie take out Loona. Millie keeps more of a watchful eye on her -- now I've written all of this, I think Millie would initially be quite taken with Cherri, but Millie is in the end a more caretaking person (not of herself, we've seen her and her sister out and about!) + as far as I can tell not super into drugs, so there could be friction there if Loona was in the mix. But it'd be a friction that ultimately works itself out

Verosika, I think, is another character who could get on with Cherri. Gosh I'm just building a Mean Girls extraordinaire group here. I think because both Cherri and Verosika are very Trash Pop Girlies (and I mean that only as a compliment) they'd have so much fun on the dance floor, they'd do karaoke together, lament shitty exes -- Angel would be there also, I cannot take Cherri out to the town and not include Angel. you know he's emo about Verosika's music + again, the showbiz connection there. Verosika so so drunk and so so earnestly telling Angel she's gotten off to his movies and he's incredibly flattered. Those three have a dream team feel to them. but watch out! (nobody to say when to stop)

Also I've written a bunch about Alastor and Striker getting on. that's my pet headcanon. aroace4aroace, both of them aplatonic and loveless, both of them with such an outsiders view of the world around them that they just... end up hanging out. they're not friends, gross, they're just people who understand the inherent terribleness of existence together over a drink every Tuesday

Charlie's difficult because she's at odds with so much of the jadedness that the characters feel in HB, but... I mean she and Moxxie and musicals is right there! I think it'd have the potential to be a very cute friendship that also provides an outlet for two very very nerdy people who frequently get judged by their peers for being rambly and overly sincere. Charlie would fuckin eat up Les Mis

Also I do like the idea that Asmodeus babysat Charlie when she was younger. nothing much to add here, just think that's Neat

Niffty! D'you know I think Niffty and Millie also? (Millie is also a Creechur) and maybe even moreso, Niffty and Sallie May? I think these sisters would be taken by the oddity that is Niffty and also feel a little protective over her. I think Niffty's habit of crawling on people she likes would be well-accepted by them and they'd encourage her hobbies. they might be a little surprised by her puppet shows, but all three of them enjoy sadomasochism

Stolas... I've seen some Stolas and Angel also, which I think would be interesting. They're both characters who are quite dissociated from their own bodily needs/wants and trying to learn about them (possibly for the first time), they've both experienced some identity-based punishment around being gay men, they've both got Style, albeit differently inspired. I think Angel might be taken by Stolas' overt constant sincerity, while Stolas... I mean firstly Stolas has also watched a couple of Angel's movies ofc, and so starts off being quite starstruck (they maybe both have this, considering Stolas is a prince) and Angel has a sweet side that takes ever less prodding to get out and I think faced with Stolas he'd take down his mask pretty quickly

Vaggie! I mean Vaggie is sooooooo difficult to get under the armour of. I think perhaps Sallie May would want to (hit that) know more about her/be quite intrigued and I think Vaggie would be pretty shy but taken with her forthrightness and once she's more comfortable Sallie May takes her hunting or something suitably violent like that. I choose in this scenario to forgo jealousy tropes, and go with Charlie is just super happy that Vaggie is making friends with similar interests!!! (the exclamation marks are Charlie).

Blitzo. Blitzooooooooooooooo. It depends on where in his journey he is I gueeess, but. Okay but what if Blitzo and Husk though, because they're both done-with-this-shit alcoholics who wouldn't need to talk, but also Blitzo is a drunk-talker and Husk knows how to get people to open up, because he's a bartender and Husk kinda feels for the guy, Blitzo's having the worst time and that sure is saying something considering Husk is literally enslaved by a deal. so Now I'm almost imagining this as one of Husk's good deeds, he talks to Charlie and the hotel takes Blitzo out for a good time

but honestly so many Blitzo dynamics would be fun here -- Blitzo and Charlie (unlikely besties, where Charlie's irrepressible optimism meets Blitzo's unstoppable depression and nihilism and he finds that he genuinely is trying not to swear around her out of politeness and it Unnerves him, but hey, you can't disappoint a kid who does puppy-dog eyes like that + her daddy's the king of hell), Blitzo and Niffty (there's a lil undercurrent of brother-gotta-protect vibes in both these shows and Niffty, for all her competency, is a Lil Creechur and Blitzo wouldn't want her to get hurt), Blitzo and Vaggie (fuck this afterlife), Blitzo and Angel (BLITZO HAS ALSO WATCHED HIS MOVIES, YES EVERYONE HAS WATCHED AND ENJOYED ANGEL'S MOVIES, and Blitzo wants to make a good impression... here comes my One Night Stand Blitzo And Angel Sudden HC. I think they would)

gosh there's still characters I haven't mentioned o-kay, knuckle down!

Sir Pentious and Moxxie -- both like machinery, both nerrrds, both dress similarly, both tinkerers, both prefer weaponry to hands-on fighting, both underestimated a lot, both very polite Gentlemen, both dating total Baddies Cherri and Millie (oh wait, there's an episode in this that ties to Cherri and Millie going out, where while the latter have a whole Arc, SP and Moxxie are just chilling so hard the entire time). Vibesssss

Octavia is another one I can see in a lot of configurations. Octavia and Charlie kind of a good one, princesses hanging out, I think initially there'd be a bit of personality friction, but I think Via could benefit from a Charlie in her life + they both have daddy issues. Via would also get on really really well with Vaggie I think, so if we've got a Cherri+Millie+Loona constellation, then we've got a parallel Charlie+Vaggie+Via one, where Vaggie kinda balances out the two very intensely in different directions energies and the three of them have a much quieter night, ultimately, than the other three (why is this all ending up as one big headcanon where everyone meets up and it's a party and some people go out and others stay in and there's a bunch of character development?)

Fizzie btw could go either way in this scenario. he has a foot in both worlds, but I read him as more of a homebody than a partygoer. he's just a very flamboyant homebody, so I think he'd prefer to do his nails with Charlie and Vaggie and Via than to go dancing/burning shit up with Cherri and Angel and Millie and Verosika and Loona. Stolas, I just realised, also hanging out and doing nails and the like, I think also good bonding time for him and Via + he and Charlie would bond over bursting into song and yearning

dyou think Alastor would be incredibly charming with Verosika also and she'd be a lil flustered by it? I want that too. like he kisses her knuckles and says he admires her work and it's a lil, oh boy oh boy (and then she asks Angel and Cherri what Al's deal is, like is he gay or what because she's been flirting with him all evening and nothing, and they're like *shrug* whatever his deal is, it ain't sex that's for sure and she sighs and says all the good guys are too busy committing atrocities, and Angel and Cherri squint, because her taste in men... clearly missing some Red Flags for her to respond to)

Octavia would be fascinated by Niffty also -- Niffty generally has the energy of that gina linetti meme in b99 where all the psychologists are hunkered around her desperate to study her:

whomst am I missing. Kinda skipping the sins+Lucifer, also the villains (minus Striker), and most of the tertiary characters. I think that's it then? *wipes brow*

feel free to add more thoughts/dynamics!

[boobo13cambridge]

Skyfall | Kylian Mbappé

Pairing: Kylian Mbappé | OC

As she gazed out of the window, her eyes lingered on the sprawling cityscape of Paris below, a tapestry of lights and shadows. With a resolute heart, she made a silent vow to herself - to live fiercely, to be the champion for those silenced in the shadows. The path ahead was fraught with challenges, but her resolve was unyielding, a debt of honor to the one who believed in her when doubt cast its long shadow. He had been her mentor, her guardian; he had taken her under his protective wing at a time when skepticism clouded her every step. His unwavering presence had been her fortress, standing valiantly by her side, a solitary defender against a sea of naysayers in those echoing halls of judgment that was the Assas.

A solitary tear, a crystal testament to her inner turmoil, traced a path down her cheek, caressing her skin like a whisper of the past. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, inhaling deeply, though the city's air was tinged with the bitter notes of reality, but mostly pollution (and was that piss?). A sudden, sharp cough, rattled her body, breaking the spell of her reverie. A rueful smile touched her lips as she mused on the cinematic trope of the enigmatic lawyer, solitary and contemplative, gazing out over a city - a scene far more inspiring in a James Bond movie than in real life.

With a finger raised towards the dark sky, the young woman whispered a prayer into the night. 'Vae victis,' she breathed, her words a soft caress against the chaos of the world, 'woe to the conquered.' Her whispered incantation rode the winds, a spectral force, stirring an unseen tremor that resonated through the city, a silent herald to those who would stand against her. 

Chapter One

August 12th, 2023

Parc des Princes

8:00 p.m.

One hour before kickoff, Laila was seated in the office of President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, wishing he would just get to the point. She had to admit, Kylian Mbappé possessed an almost uncanny ability to send the club's president into bouts of extreme hypertension. The obsession with the young French star seemed borderline obsessive to Laila, almost creepy. She often marveled at how Mbappé managed to maintain his composure and resist the urge to confront the old geezer. From a business standpoint, however, she could grasp why the PSG president was so adamant about retaining the French prodigy; after all, money makes the world go round.

Despite her desires to be anywhere else, fate had different plans. Her late mentor had insisted that she start her so-called mission with the French football club for reasons he didn’t entirely foreclose. It was in these moments, she felt a deep kinship with Harry Potter who also had a mentor who seemed to leave the world with more questions than answers despite the world going to shit. Even from beyond the grave, he seemed to enjoy watching her struggle in this unexpected role. Being a lawyer for PSG was far from what her teenage self had envisioned for her future. But such was life.

“Je ne peux pas croire qu’après tout ce que nous avons fait pour ce connard, il ne veut pas renouveler. Il veut quoi de plus put-” the president grumbled in his accented french.

“Avec le plus grand respect, Mr. le président,” Laila interjected, “vous devez comprendre que les résultats du PSG après le mercato n’étaient pas satisfaisant. Vous lui avez promis un bon mercato, et pourtant, ils ont été éliminés dès les huitièmes de finale en ligue des champions. Et pourquoi? Parce que vous avez mis tout l'accent sur l'acquisition de stars. Sérieusement, qu’est-ce qui vous a traversé l’esprit en voulant avoir Messi, Neymar, et Mbappé dans la même équipe? Et vous pensez vraiment que Messi allait s’essayer si proche de la retraite?”

The words tumbled out of Laila before she could stop them, her frustration with the president's incessant complaints reaching its peak. Sometimes, he acted like a petulant child.

“Et alors, c’est de ma faute ça ?” President Al-Khelaifi retorted defensively.

“Si vous voulez des stars dans votre équipe, Mr. le Président, vous devez avoir un entraîneur capable de gérer leurs égos astronomiques. Messi venait du FC Barcelone, et il était évident le respect qu’il avait pour le PSG. Malheureusement, un coach comme Christophe Galtier ne fait qu'empirer les choses,” Laila countered.

“En tout cas, passons à autre chose. Je veux que tu ailles voir Mbappé et sa famille et que tu essaies de le convaincre. Ils vont être là ce soir pour voir le match.” (As usual, the president didn’t want to discuss anything that put him in a bad light)

“Peut-être que la première chose à faire serait de lui dire qu’il ne sera plus dans le loft?”

“Oui, oui, dis-lui qu’il peut revenir, mais je veux qu’il reste. C’est compris?”

“Sí, señor,” she replied sarcastically, exiting the room swiftly as she noticed President Al-Khelaifi’s eye begin to twitch.

As Laila stepped out of the president's office, she let out a deep sigh and made her way down to the Salon Louvre. Truly, Nasser should’ve been smarter than this but money does have a way of blinding a person. Regardless, she had a job to do and if it meant that she had to play Nasser’s little games, she would do it. Laila knew exactly what the end goal was and she wasn’t going to get distracted. 

As she made her way to the Salon Louvre, where Chef Arnault had promised to reserve some of his renowned crème fraîche and caviar deviled eggs for her, she couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement for the match. Parc des Princes always pulsated with infectious energy and passion, which she adored. The stadium itself was incredible, and the Ultras knew how to light up a stadium. Every time she scrolled through Twitter or Instagram, she saw the tifos they made. The huge banners were truly works of art, and she deeply admired and respected the fans for the effort they put into them.

Her thoughts drifted to her three musketeers, her closest friends, and how carefree they had been before life's harsh realities had intruded. She reminisced about that summer night of August 14th, 2021, when they had come to watch PSG vs Racing Club de Strasbourg, the first match after COVID restrictions were lifted. How different things were back then. She yearned to reconnect and mend the fractures time had caused, but deep down, she knew it was perhaps a futile wish. With her eyes brimming with unshed tears, Laila wandered through the hallways leading to the salon, lost in her memories. Absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't notice the figure in front of her and walked straight into what felt like a very warm wall.

“Tabarnak-,” she swore, instinctively rubbing her nose.

“Pardon, mademoiselle,” a voice apologized.

Startled, Laila looked up and found herself face to face with the French captain. Flustered, she took a step back, momentarily at a loss for words. Kylian Mbappé stood before her, and she couldn't help but notice how strikingly handsome he was. Dressed casually in a white Dior t-shirt and paired with stylish brown pants, which complemented his athletic build. His confident posture and the easy smile playing on his lips added to his striking appearance. He naturally carried a certain air of charisma that left her with a dry throat and a racing heart.

And God, those dimples...

How was she supposed to argue with this living reincarnation of big dick energy? Much less, convince him that he would be better off staying in a club where it was quite unlikely that he would ever win a Champions League, forget a Ballon d’Or. Her professor was so lucky to be lounging in the afterlife, because when she did find him, she would make him pay for putting her in this situation.

Kylian's gaze met Laila's, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes at her evident surprise. "You okay?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.

"Yeah, just... wasn't expecting a human roadblock," Laila joked, trying to mask her nervousness. The corners of his mouth twitched in a smile, those famous dimples making a brief appearance.

"I've been called worse," he chuckled. Kylian's smile took on a knowing edge, his gaze sharp yet playful. "So, Laila Soltani, the lawyer Nasser has brought in to convince me to stay at PSG, eh?"

Laila's eyes widened slightly,  her eyebrows arching in surprise."Yes, that's me. How did you know?"

Kylian leaned in slightly, a playful grin spreading across his face. “See, now I’m more inclined to be offended. Athletes can read too, you know?” he teased, nodding towards her badge.

Laila felt her cheeks warm. “Oh, n-no, that’s not... I mean, I wasn’t—” she stammered, her words tumbling over each other in her fluster.

He laughed, a light, easy sound that seemed to echo around them. “I’m just messing around with you. Besides, it’s not every day the president hires someone specifically to deal with me. You must be quite persuasive.”

Laila laughed, a sound more relaxed than she felt. "I'll take that as a compliment, Mr. Mbappé. But yes, that's why I’m here, in part. Though, convincing someone of your caliber to stay... that's a tall order. My greatest adversary so far."

Kylian's eyes glinted with amusement. "Greatest adversary, huh? Sounds like you’re ready for battle. Just remember, I'm not so easily swayed."

"Oh, we'll see about that," Laila retorted, her own eyes sparkling with the challenge. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Looking forward to it, Mademoiselle. May the best person win."

With a final chuckle, Kylian turned and strode away, leaving Laila to ponder the intriguing encounter. She shook her head, a smile lingering on her lips, and continued her journey to the salon Louvre. As she entered, she was immediately greeted by the buzz of fans, whose enthusiasm seemed to infect her immediately. The modern design boasted a sleek and refined look, with geometric light fixtures casting a constellation of warm, ambient light across the polished floor.

She found Chef Arnault behind the mini bar, a silver-maned sage in the world of haute cuisine. With the twinkle of seasoned joy in his clear blue eyes, he beckoned Laila over with a broad grin that seemed to know more than it let on.

"Well, well, if it isn't our lawyer," he teased, the light in his eyes matching the mischief in his tone as he took in her flushed appearance. "You look like you've just spent the whole evening sweating in a sauna. Let me guess, Mbappé charm in action?"

Laila rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth turned upward involuntarily. "Is it that obvious?"

"Only to those who know," he chuckled, presenting her with a plate of deviled eggs, each a small culinary work of art with creamy filling and a crown of caviar. "Here, I made these just for you. They might just give you the boost you need for the evening to deal with the capitaine."

Laila decided to just brush off Arnault's teasing and, not wanting to wait another second, she tossed back a whole deviled egg. The taste was amazing—so good it almost made her moan right there at the bar.

With a quick thanks to the chef, she slipped through the crowd of fans as she heard Michel Montana's voice encouraging the Ultras to cheer for the team. Their chatter was just noise against the hum in her head as she moved to her seat. It was pretty close to the president's spot, giving her an incredible view of the field.

She dropped into her seat, taking in the low buzz of the stadium and the distant echo of the players getting their game faces on. The excitement was kicking in. This wasn't just another day at the office for Laila; it was like stepping onto a chessboard where every move counted. The match was about to start, and she wasn't just thinking about the football. It was game time on all fronts.

___________________________________________________________

A/N: Hello, my lovelies. I'm back 😘

[loulooser]

Here’s some things about me!

My name is Lou online

I’m lesbian aromantic agender

My favourite colour is green

I really like music, drawing (I’m not great tho), cooking, talking, watching movies, making friends, wearing clothes, being gay etc

My favourite band is twenty one pilots

I’m a massive Marvel nerd

My top five marvel characters in no particular order:

Phillip J. Coulson, Spider-Man (not including spider verse people, that’s a different tier list)(Andrew is the best of the three spider men), Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Romanoff, Loki Laufeyson.

Some of my fav books/series: Gone (Micheal Grant), Itch (Simon Mayo), all of Alice Oseman’s stuff, AGGGTM (Holly Jackson), The Angel Of The Crows (Katherine Addison), all of Darren Shan’s stuff, Skullduggery Pleasant, Ketchup Clouds (Annabelle Pitcher) etc etc

My favourite movie is fantastic mr fox

I really like Diggers (the machines)

Favourite animal is a rabbit

My favourite show is Agents Of Shield

I cry a lot

I love love love Les Mis. Watched it just under a month ago in London and I will never recover. Stewart Clarke the Javert that you are <3

I most likely have misophonia, but even if I don’t please for the love of god don’t make any noises around me

Anxiety is fun

Big fan of fictional old men from the 1800s. Shoutout to them.

I like Nintendo a lot!! Zelda and Animal Crossing my beloved. The 2DS is my favourite console ever (not the stupid 2DSXL)

I really like musicals!! Some honourable mentions: Les Mis, Hamilton, Wicked, Six, Heathers (some of it, haven’t seen the whole thing yet), In The Heights, Rogers the musical (SHHH SHH ITS FUNNY) and School Of Rock

I’m a massive nerd

My plan in life is to finish school (A levels in DT, Computer Science and IT), then start an apprenticeship in software engineering :3

Please send me asks!! My dms are always open for rants or a chat

Navigation:

- Writing posts to keep handy

- tags: (Mind you I don’t use them anymore)

#the reblogger - reblogs

#the religious text - original posts

#musical Lou - lyrics/yapping about music

#the boys from Ohio - tøp posts

#my FRIENDS - me and my friends

#marvellous tomfoolery - marvel

(I don’t have all my tags for people yet, but when I do they will be here:)

- #shreypilled sheepmaxxer -> @shreysheep

- #dizzy my beloved -> @diary-of-a-disaster

Cool posts I’m pinning here:

Disproving TERFs with biology

Wizard maze.

Shoe lacing patterns that help pains

Reaction templates

Cool art links

snapshots of my music taste:

(This is basically me putting together a playlist every first of every month that sums up my music taste and how my soul sounds if you will at that point in time)

[snapshots archive]

My cat:

Her name is April and she is very cute. No idea what breed she is

[iandarling]

WEEKLY TAG WEDNESDAY

thank you for the tag lovely @michellemisfit

Name: Katrine

Age: 25

Location: Norway 🏔️

Top sheet, yes or no? i had to google this because it’s not something we use here, so…no?

How many stuffed animals do you own? i’m a proud mother of two squishmellows

The names of your pets (and the explanations behind them): both my birds have passed at this point, but i had two budgies called Polter (a character from a kids tv show) and Romeo (because he was the handsomest little boy, sometimes we called him casanova)

Favourite colour: pastel pink 🌸or lemon yellow🍋

Any tattoos: nooOooo i’m too indecisive and i’m also scared of needles (but i would like a shark or whale tattoo one day) 🐋

How you transport your belongings (purse, tote, hands, pockets, etc.); i’m a bag/purse girl, i love a cute little bag or tote

The last movie you watched: The Amazing Spiderman 🕸️

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?: it can be anywhere from 10-40 mins, depending on what i’m doing and where i’m going

Favourite weather: a lovely april day; not too cold but not sweltering hot

Relationships status: single, but i do want a relationship (but i don’t wanna date and i don’t wanna talk to boys so you see my problem)

Ice cream flavor of choice: ice cream is my favourite thing in the world how could i choose!! hmm i guess vanilla, brownie, caramel, and cookie dough

First fandom: BBC Merlin or Les Mis

How many books have you read this year?:…i started reading TBOSAS and forgot i was reading it halfway thru, then i started rereading Jane Austen…i mainly read fanfic tbh

First 4 words of your last notes app entry: a little more than 4 words but it’s what i’m working on rn “Lip Gallagher- a life in five chapters”

And finally, if you had to change your URL tomorrow, what would you change it to?: well my first ever screen name online was “wishful fairy” but i’m no longer 11 years old, so i think i’ll stick to the ones i got now lol

Please join in!!

@mickeygifs @mickeym4ndy @mickeysgaymom @em-harlsnow @roryonic @iangallagherisadeadman @iansfreckles @iansw0rld @ianspaw @stocious

[pompadourpink]

hi mom ik you're a big fan of cinema and im lookign for new movies to watch, can u share your top 4? thank uuu

Oh dear, you're killing me.

Phantom of the Paradise - Brian de Palma (1974), a musical and the lovechild of the myth of Faust, the Phantom of the Opera, and the Shining (the soundtrack is to die for).

La Folie des Grandeurs - Gérard Oury (1971), an adaptation from a play (by the author of les Mis) about politics, the Court of Spain, love, greed - I've been in love with the lackey my whole life.

The Seventh Seal - Ingmar Bergman (1957), the story of a medieval soldier playing chess against Death to save his life (and a great source of relief when my head was playing against me).

The 101 Dalmatians - Stephen Herek (1996), not quite auteur cinema but my favourite comfort movie, at first a great reminder of how peaceful life without modern day tech was, then an amazing love story, then an investigation, a fantastic cast, perfect villains, many dogs, great music, my whole heart on a platter.

I will make a longer list and you cannot stop me:

Rear Window - Alfred Hitchcock (1954), where a photographer stuck at home after an accident grows suspicious of a neighbour whose wife has disappeared.

La Jetée - Chris Marker (1962), an experimental sci-fi short movie made by one of my favourite directors, about the scientific experiments done on a man to save the world, that later inspired Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys (that could also be on this list).

Anything? (Seven chances, Cops, The Cameraman) - Buster Keaton (1920s), my second favourite director and a firework on legs who was never afraid of a stunt.

The Host - Bong Joon Ho (2006), where lab waste thrown into the sea creates a monster that kidnaps a girl, forcing her good for nothing father to finally do something with his life.

Death becomes her - Robert Zemeckis (1992), where two middle-aged actresses fight for a man, get blinded by their desire for youth and cross paths with magic and murder.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show - Jim Sharman (1975), the meeting between a young old school couple and a group of weird creatures in a mansion (including my husband Tim Curry).

Pride and Prejudice - Joe Wright (2005), of course.

Body Snatchers - Philip Kaufman (1978), one of the four adaptations of the book and the best one in my opinion, the story of people mysteriously disappearing and returning changed and a tale about human passion.

Old boy - Park Chan-Wook (2003), the visually stunning and heartbreaking story of a man randomly kidnapped, kept somewhere for years, then released without a word.

Minority Report - Spielberg (2002), a dystopian movie about a world where the efforts of science and exploitation have put an end to criminality, at a great price.

Sleeping Beauty - Disney (1959), the most beautiful one, the only one with a composer's music, one of the best villains.

The Age of Adaline - Lee Toland Krieger (2015), the story of a woman who stopped aging and navigates the world while trying to not get caught or catch feelings.

Planet Terror - Robert Rodriguez (2007), an unserious tale of zombies, a virus, and Rose McGowan's pew pew leg.

Home alone 2 - Chris Columbus (1992), for Christmas in New York, Tim Curry, the toy store's owner, and the pigeon lady.

Electrick children - Rebecca Thomas (2012), where a Mormon teenager gets pregnant with the child of God after listening to a tape and runs away to Vegas to find the dad.

And many more I'm afraid. Hope you will like those! x

[syrupsyche]

Went to stalk Facebook for pics of me watching Les Mis when it came to my country and thank GOD for 15 y.o. me taking a pic with the cast list (though it was mainly bc an actor had the same name as me lol) so now I can look back at my very blurry memories and attach faces to the characters.

For starters, it mostly comprised of the cast from the Australian production back in 2016, with the exception of Earl Carpenter as Javert:

and opposite him starred Simon Gleeson as Valjean:

Alas I do not remember much of their performances but I do remember liking Valjean's Soliloquy and Javert's Suicide alot as well as crying at both of their death scenes so pretty sure they did something right lol.

Fantine was played by Patrice Tipoki:

I also do not remember much but I did find her death scene to be extremely haunting. The production I watched had the stage feel really bare so the coldness of it all really seeped in.

Marius and Cosette were played by Paul Wilkins and Emily Langridge:

Again I don't remember much LMAO but looking at Cosette's outfit here, it's extremely pretty! Alas I think by this production, Every Day (Marius and Cosette) had been cut out (or extremely cut down) so I didn't get to hear their rendition of it :(

Éponine at the back was played by Kerrie Anne Greenland:

I was an Éponine girlie at this age so I was really focusing on her parts lmao. She was good from what I can remember! Her On My Own was brilliant and I did cry at her death scene :')

Enjolras was played by Chris Durling:

Slight side track but WOW looking back at these pics, he is quite the quintessential Enjolras. Though Les Amis didn't catch my attention in the movie the first time I watched it, the images that burned into my mind the most from this production were of Enjolras and Les Amis. I know fans aren't too happy with the revolving barricade switch-off (and now that I know of it, I definitely agree the new scene doesn't hold a candle to it) but imagine 15 year old me seeing the guy I've been rooting for unceremoniously dumped in the wheelbarrow alone under a spotlight? It was still chilling, especially when compared to the colours and noise of the movie version. Another scene that haunted me was Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, when the ghosts of Les Amis picked up the candles left behind. THAT was good, I really loved it.

The Thénardiers were played by Cameron Blakely and Helen Walsh:

Hilarious duo lol. My favourite memory comes from Master of the House, when a young girl sitting in front of me asked her father what Mme. Thénardier was doing with the baguette during "...but there's not much there" and what the joke meant. Her father just said she was too young to understand 😭😭

Overall, this production of Les Mis was a changing point in my life. It was my first ever live musical and it expanded my interest for musicals and Les Mis ever since. I had only watched the movie previously just so I could be caught up with the plot, but iirc, this production got me to buy and read The Brick shortly after. And 7 years later, here I am still screaming about it :')

Also I found a rendition of One Day More by the 2015 Australian Cast so y'all can hear roughly what I had experienced back in 2016! Only difference is that Javert is played by Hayden Tee, Marius is played by Euan Doidge, and the Thénardiers were played by Trevor Ashley and Lara Mulcahy. Enjoy!

[fiction-podcast-lover]

Discussing with an old Korean lady, and mentioning I'm French (the interaction put short)

Her : Aah.. Jean Valjean.. you know the story?

Me : Trying to not act autistic Yes, Les Misérables

Her : Ah very good, you have read the book?

Me : internally screaming in Les mis hyperfixation I am reading it right now but I watched a few older movies, I know the story quite well :)

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

after watching your most recent post (which I love by the way you are SO talented!!)

I’ve been sucked into a hypothetical South Park musical au where they’re all apart of a musical they’re performing at school

I was wondering if you have any headcanons on who would go into each department (actors, dancers, backstage, costume, art/prop and backdrop making, etc.)

BRO the way I’ve been unconsciously waiting for this! I’m a film actor, majored in filmmaking and photography in college, deadass went to school to be a cam op before turning to acting. But in high school I WAS a theatre kid. And yes I have so hcs on that.

So yes what immediately comes to mind are both Bellwether’s “There’s a Reason Intimacy Is In A Fight Call” and “Acting On Impulse”. I ADORE Kenny as the set designer and Wendy as stage manager. Film wise I see Wendy as a 1st AD, easy. She IS the head bitch in charge and I have so much respect for the AD’s I’ve worked for. That is NOT an easy job.

Yeah a lot of the influence here is coming from those fics, but theatre wise i definitely see Bebe on costumes/props. Wendy as stage manager, Cartman as FOH and venue manager, Kenny as set designer and builder, Stan helping with that but also our leading man. Kyle either acting or handling lighting design. Butters is the choreographer. Craig I’d like to see directing, Tweek on sound design. Now granted, it’s been probably 7 years since I’ve done a stage production. I did not do theatre in college, and I do admit to having a good deal of trauma from high school theatre. In fact, I HATED musicals for a long time after that. Hadestown and The Lightning Thief were the musicals that got me to love them again. What can I say, I’m a hoe for Greek Mythology.

So yeah Hadestown is my favorite musical no question. Despite the fact that I’m a 25 year old woman my ULTIMATE goal roles are Mr Hermes, Hades, and Orpheus. Les Mis is another fave and I would HAPPILY play Javert. Phantom Of The Opera, give me Phantom, or Raul, no question there. I’m not a soprano, although I would DIE to wear Christine’s costumes. And I’ll be so fr, I used to be a much better singer in general. Depression, EDs, smoking, kinda killed that. But I’m singing again. I’d LOVE to work on a movie musical. At this moment my job is recovering from anorexia, and I’ve been focused on that for the past two months or so, but once I’m more steady, I’m SO going back to auditioning, because dude I fucking LOVE acting. I love telling people’s stories. I love telling stories in general and that’s why I write.

Thank you, SO MUCH for this ask

[lonelyroommp3]

💚💖les mis

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character? i sincerely hope people have gotten better with this since i was truly active in the fandom but ohhh my god the 2013-15ish trend of treating marius like a completely incompetent goofball. this would reliably send 16-17 year old me into an absolute blind rage i'd be fucking crytyping in my fury like HE PASSED THE BAR EXAM HE TAUGHT HIMSELF MULTIPLE LANGUAGES STOP ACTING LIKE HE'S STUPID JUST BECAUSE HE'S NOT VERY SOCIALLY COMPETENT anyway i stopped typing in the middle of writing that ^ because i just Realised. the autism...

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series? opinion about the Work Itself - i still do not get why people went sooo hard dunking on specifically russell crowe's performance in les mis 2012. i liked his acting very much. yes his vocals weren't fantastic but come on. if we've got to choose an enemy here we should be focusing on hugh jackman's high notes in bring him home. crowe was just underwhelming jackman was actively grating to me

opinion about The Fandom... i've said it before & will say it again but i genuinely think the collective modern au fanon that overtook this fandom as the movie blew up on here genuinely completely ruined the les mis fandom as a whole and at this point i'm frankly not entirely sure if it can be fixed. as someone who'd been in les mis fandom for a few years prior to that point (first on livejournal/abaisse/deviantart with the old guard, then moving over to lurk on tumblr in the 6 months or so before the movie came out) it legitimately felt like watching an invasive species get introduced and wreck the biodiversity of an entire ecosystem. like i sometimes fantasise about writing One Good Fanfiction that will remind people that actually diversity of headcanons/ship combos/etc is Good For The Fandom but then i realise how few people will probably even bother to read it at this point if it's not the same fucking combo of bland completely ooc enjoltaire and whatever background ships we've all collectively decided to bat for this year & i think. it is simply not worth my time or effort to be perfectly honest

[faustiandevil]

At the beginning of the 1931 Dracula the Hungarian spoken is authentic and is one of my favourite parts of it. I don’t know if it was ever translated, because every time I had subtitles on it usually just said something along the lines as “speaking Hungarian”. Decided to try my best at translating it, even though I feel like anyone could guess what they are saying, but it did catch me off guard when I first watched the movie and heard the language of my home country... it did feel nice though.

Itt a Földön is, mindennapi kenyerünket add mi nékünk ma… / Here on Earth, give us our everyday bread… (As I’m not Christian I just mirror translated it as best as I could. The rest of the prayer is obscured by the other conversation.)

Édesapám! Jön a postakocsi és a nap is lemenőben! / Father! The postal car is coming and the sun is setting as well!

A gyerekre vigyázz édesem. / Watch the child my dear.

Gyün már a postakocsi! / The postal car is comin’! (In the Hungarian I wrote it with the accent as it is said.)

Ó, megjöttek öregem, megjöttek! Hála az Istennek hát megjöttek, öregem! Itt jönnek már! / Oh, they have arrived my old pal, they have arrived! Thank God they have arrived, my old friend! Here they come! (A lot of it is obscured as everyone is talking and cheering at the same time that the postal car has arrived safely.)

After Renfield says that he wants to go to Borgo Pass.

Borgó szorosba? Ma este? A Borgó szorosba ma este? / To Borgo Pass? Tonight? To Borgo Pass tonight?

Te, még ma a Borgó-i szorosokba akar menni… és én félek. / You, he wants to go to the Borgo Passes tonight… and I’m afraid. (I love that the driver stutters as he says he lines.)

After the innkeeper tries to warn Renfield.

Esteledik! Nyugszik le a nap! / Night is coming! The sun’s setting!

After Renfield leaves.

Ó, Istenem segíts! Segíts! Istenem az égben a mindenható… / Oh, God help! Help! God in Heaven, almighty… (Again a lot of it is obscured, but the townsfolk are praying for the safety of the driver and Renfield.)

[gloomth-and-wanderings]

Ahoy there!

welcome to my blog! (tags/more info under the cut)

open for trick-or-treating!! 🎃🎃🎃

Free Palestine 🇵🇸 Avaunt ye racists, transphobes, homophobes, and aphobes

gender is weird but she/her works for now for convenience; call me Frankie. (if you're on les mis letters or whale weekly discord you might also know me as Walpole!)

my other haunts: @bean_valbean on ao3, @holodecks-and-hennins is my star trek fashion sideblog, @555-number is my x files fashion sideblog, @lmchaptertitlebracket is exactly what it says on the tin, and I'm PlaidFrankie on letterboxd :3

profile picture is Joseph Cotten in Journey Into Fear with the hair of Enjolras from Les Miserables Shoujo Cosette edited on; header picture is Jonathan Richman from Live on Toppop 1978; blog title is a quote from hit film She (1935)

Some tags:

#my art is my art, #frankie's creations is other stuff I've made (like edits), #frankie.txt is me yammering on. For a window into my brain check #so me and #i think about this all the time

Interests most prevalent here:

history/material culture (I tag by decade and year when I can)

Les Miserables

Star Trek

the X Files

the sea and the sky

old hollywood-era movies and old time radio, especially stuff with Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, and Harold Lloyd

music, especially Talking Heads and Jonathan Richman

I speak English, but I am also learning Mandarin and would love to practice! 我的母语是英文，但是我也在学中文，所以我很想练习！

Feel free to send me asks!

I try to add alt text to my posts but if I forget make sure to let me know.

Currently reading: Correspondence of Horace Walpole, The Making of the English Working Class, The Other Side of the Sky, The Cheese and the Worms, The Flying Classroom, Maurice again

Currently watching: The X-Files (s5), Star Trek: Voyager (s6), Doctor Who (first doctor, s2), a lot of movies (on a Harold Lloyd glasses character binge at the moment)