#Hugo enrichment

[secretmellowblog]

There’s a fandom joke about the Waterloo digression not mattering to Les Mis, but I really love how all of Volume 2 takes place in its shadow. It’s strongly emphasized how everything is happening in the wake of these massive conflicts and wars.

The Ship Orion, where Jean Valjean is working as a convict, is a warship being used in the Spanish invasion. Now that Napoleon has been defeated, the French monarchy is sending their army to Spain to help violently assert the divine rights of the Spanish kings. The republic is dead, the empire is dead, and now it seems that monarchy will control France (and Europe) for a very long time.

The way that Madeleine “falls” and his town collapses without him feels like an echo of the fall of Napoleon.

Then, we reach “The Seargant of Waterloo” inn— where Thenardier has built his entire life on leeching off the legacy of Waterloo.

He made his initial fortune robbing the corpses at the battlefield, and now boasts/lies about having been a brave sergeant of Napoleon who rescued a general. He seems to worship violence and is desperate to enrich himself by exploiting anyone he can; he has all of Napoleon’s negative qualities, without any of his positive ones. Victor Hugo once insulted Napoleon III (the guy who exiled him) by calling him “Napoleon the Small”— and Thenardier feels like he could be a reference to that.

Outside of Thenardier we see other patrons of the inn talking about the Spanish wars, Napoleonic soldiers going to a fair to see a bird with coloration that reminds them of the tricolor flag, etc etc etc.

There’s this constant feeling of ordinary people existing under the shadows of this massive war, and its really fascinating to read!

#les mis #les mis letters #jean valjean #lm 2.3.2

[cliozaur]

Despite the kindness and forgiveness emanating from Bishop Myriel and, later, Jean Valjean, figures who restore faith in humanity's goodness, the Thénardiers possess the power to shatter any trust we might have in humankind. What they have done to Fantine and Cosette is arguably the gravest sin against humanity in classical literature. They exploit money from Fantine, coercing her to literally sell parts of herself, all because she believes it keeps Cosette safe and sound. If only she knew... I can’t fathom what would have become of her if she did. It is even sadder that Fantine’s money doesn't enrich these individuals; it only services their endless debts.

Cosette is abused, undernourished, and dressed in rags. This is sufficient to evoke sympathy, but Hugo takes it a step further, portraying how she was forced to perform household chores before the age of five. If you know any children of that age, you understand that you don’t want them to ‘help’ with chores, as you'll end up having to redo everything. Peasants did use child labour, but typically for simple tasks. Not for washing dishes and sweeping rooms and courtyards. If the Thénardiers had a child of five sweeping their rooms and courtyard, it's no wonder they eventually went out of business.

Villagers looking at this abused child and praising the Thénardiers for their generosity is a common occurrence in the countryside. Eugene Weber’s "Peasants into Frenchmen" gives the impression of how hardened, unsympathetic, misogynistic, and pragmatic peasants were due to their challenging and unpredictable lives.

And the last passage is absolutely heart-wrenching: “She was called the Lark in the neighbourhood… Only the little lark never sang.” Oh…

#les mis letters #lm 1.4.3 #les miserables #fantine #cosette #thenardier #bishop myriel #jean valjean

[psalm22-6]

The Continuing Saga of Les Misérables and Censorship

"Continuing" in that I continue to find out more about this one specific instance that took place in Philadelphia in the late 1890's. To recap, Miss Dalcourt, a French teacher at an all girl's high school, proposed an abridged version of Les Misérables as part of her curriculum. However, the majority of the school board voted that it should be banned, as the topic of "grisettes" was inappropriate. The story was picked up (and mocked) around the country, including in the Vestkusten and the Abendblatt (newspapers for Swedish and German immigrants, respectively.) [See here for the full saga.] @sherbertilluminated had previously translated an article for me from the Abendblatt, which told how Les Misérables was ultimately allowed in Miss Dalcourt's classroom and asked me to keep an eye out for any other German language articles on the subject. And so today Sheb and I (but mostly Sherb) bring you this opinionated piece from the Abendblatt, published the 13th of October 1897:

The decision of a committee of the Philadelphia School Board not to recommend Victor Hugo’s moral novel “The Poor and the Miserable” [Les Miserables] as a French text for the public high school for girls has aroused scrutiny and consistently suffered derogatory judgment. Superintendent Rover’s proposal to use the book in a girl’s school for instruction in the French language may appear conspicuous and could rather have deserved censure. One can find the goal of the author to introduce the reader into the lives of the lowest classes meritorious, and nevertheless need not consider the filth uncovered there to be a suitable intellectual nourishment for immature daughters. One does not lead the youth into those classes in real life, why should one then do so in school? The task of the school is to enrich the youth with knowledge, not with things whose acquaintance has a very dubious worth also for [those of] mature age. Novels will be written in order to create the largest possible draft; there the moral aim is least determinative and will be most highly followed, incidentally. And then the moral aim is not to make the uncorrupted youth acquainted with the blights of human society, but to make attentive toward suppressing these blights those who can work toward such. A teenage girl [“baked fish,” apparently a slang term?], seated at school, cannot do this. Certainly Hugo did not write the novel for school. That Victor Hugo’s books are found in our public library has long proven nothing. In our public library are found quite many books which were not designed for youth, as in our Art Institute are found quite many statues before which a chaste maiden need not linger in critical observation. One does not suit himself for all, neither in the visual arts nor in the scriptural. There are parents who would never ever, if they knew it, foist such reading material onto their children, but there are also parents who would, and those who would never ever, if they knew that Victor’s work “Les Miserables” also visited the [children] of the High School, would put it in their hands. We must thus defer to the committee. In any case, the judgment of a whole delegation, according to the trials put before them, is greater than the judgment of an individual who only admires the language in the work. The pupils of the Philadelphia High School are in any case not so advanced that they cannot know to differentiate between a work of Hugo’s and [that] of another of the better French writers. On this point we can be assured. Full respect to Hugo’s spirit and his creations, but also full respect to the discrimination of the Philadelphian committee, who, itself in danger of exposing itself to the accusation of prudery, has the courage to refuse the youth a dish which they still are incapable of digesting.

The bold parts are just me highlighting the parts I found most entertaining. Also, the whole second paragraph, where the author says that the goal of Les Mis is to effect change and that high school girls can't effect change....wow rude. I do love to read an opinionated article though, even if the opinion is not one I agree with. Anyways, thanks again to Sherb for sharing this with me! There are so many different archives online with materials in different languages, I would encourage anyone who is interested to check them out. When you find something really cool, an old article that probably hasn't been read in decades, it's an awesome feeling.

#les miserables #translation #les mis #censorship #lm in america #lm in education

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Okay, so I actually had to sit and think about which batman villains are most unfuckable, because my first instinct is to say, like, Victor Zsasz, Professor Pyg, and Dollface purely on ick factor alone. They're all gross. But also Solomon Grundy is, like, a corpse, and I'm not into bits falling off during the act, y'know? Plus consent issues, so that's a solid no from me.

Gotta say that Hugo Strange and Joker are also pretty solidly unfuckable based on personality and vibes alone. Now, if we're talking about logistically unfuckable (i.e., Mr. Freeze because of the whole must stay cold situation) that's an entirely different story. Have you considered making a tier list of unfuckability?

(Also hilarious that I haven't seen anyone say Killer Croc is unfuckable, this really is the monster fucker website lmao)

Sorry, I've probably thought about this way too much lol.

you've put exactly the amount of thought into this that I hoped people would when I purposefully dropped this live grenade in my own enclosure. this is enrichment to me.

#least fuckable batman villains

[ferociousconscience]

Javert: 2, 3, and 14 (I tried to check whether you’ve done these and I don’t *think* you have, but apologies if so.)

All for Javert!!!

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

I like everything about him tho 🥺 I answered a lot of why I like him so much in a prior ask, but another thing I love about him is his sense of humor, strange as it is to say. Voulez-vous mon chapeau?, Party's at 7?, I have the claws of a woman!, etc etc. He seems to me to be that sort of person who's so dry and stern, so when he hits you with his brand of sarcasm, it catches you off-guard. Hugo says that he never allows for a moment's fun, but I feel as if he does get a lot of enjoyment, a lot of enrichment from putting criminals like Patron-Minette away, and his sense of humor in those moments really does charm me. My friend Inspector Javert is the funniest person I know

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

I don't like that he's such a hardcore monarchist, but I genuinely understand how a man like him with his sort of upbringing (and worldview shaped by said upbringing) would fall into that sort of political leaning… conservatism is based on fear, Javert is described as "despairing" over society, and Big Authoritative Country Ruler Monarchist makes the bad thing go away…! "Power is power"… etc etc. That being said, I do genuinely think that all the characters having their own political stances is really interesting to dive into. One of the things I have planned to go over for my Javert meta is a deep dive into the politics associated with Javert, so I've been reading a lot of Joseph de Maistre. Please. Send help and ibuprofens

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

(meaningful pause) … Haha!… Yeah! Th-thanks for coming to my blog! And asking all these questions! Haha! Um… (looks left, looks right) (loud staring) ………….. Leather daddy

#teehee ! ... heehee ! running away at full speed #fc consternation tag

[pacific-coast-hockey]

To be clear if Mike Grier actually respected me and my friends' vision, and did sign both Hävelids, I think it would be incredibly enriching for all of the Cudas and several Sharks as well. The prospect of having TWO Swedish goalies to tenderly care for would cause Jacob Peterson to re-sign. Magnus Chrona has a complete mental breakdown. Thomas Bordeleau cannot tell the difference (the twins barely look like alike) and this causes huge social issues. Tristen Robins, known goalie collector, teaches himself Swedish on purpose to ask Hugo Hävelid what he would do if Tristen was a worm. And of course, giving William Eklund to twins to run experiments on would keep him happy (important to keep the future of the franchise happy) while also taking the heat off of Fabian Zetterlund, paving the way for Keebler to become an All-Star. Mikey answer my freaking texts-

#TWO hävelids. TWO OF THEM #michael i promise i will not complain for one month if you do this #kaspershark.txt #great day for me personally pat sieloff is not dead and a second hävelid has entered the chat #god i hope we get filip bystedt at some point. i would go crazy

[wayti-blog]

Our mind is enriched by what we receive, our heart by what we give.

Victor Hugo

#victor hugo #quote #love #wisdom #knowledge #experiences #understanding #feeling #thinking #heart #mind #giving #receiving #energy #attunement #awareness #acts of love #conscious love

[dolphin1812]

This chapter is super short, so I’ll just go paragraph by paragraph:

“This book is a drama, whose leading personage is the Infinite.

“Man is the second.”

The Infinite is back! Technically, it never leaves, but it’s been a while since we got an explicit reference to it. Its placement as the “hero” is interesting; this novel is very focused on “Man,” both in the sense that we follow people dealing with structures made by other people and in the sense that the apparent protagonist, Jean Valjean, is the “Everyman” in everything aside from his strength. The Infinite is less visible (although Hugo brings it up often), but with this order of heroes, it suddenly makes sense that we began with the bishop and not with Jean Valjean. The bishop is a person, of course, but as a religious figure, his role is to contemplate the Infinite even as he helps others. In some ways, he’s a bridge between these two “heroes.”

“ Such being the case, and a convent having happened to be on our road, it has been our duty to enter it. Why? Because the convent, which is common to the Orient as well as to the Occident, to antiquity as well as to modern times, to paganism, to Buddhism, to Mahometanism, as well as to Christianity, is one of the optical apparatuses applied by man to the Infinite. ”

Here, Hugo argues that analyzing the convent was necessary because it’s “universal” as a way of approaching the “Infinite.” While this is debatable (it seems like an oversimplification), it’s interesting to see this attempt at universalizing the novel (if the Infinite is the hero, then its message applies everywhere). Hugo’s done this before, in the preface; he stated that the novel will be relevant as long as poverty exists, universalizing it across time. Here, he does so across space. It’s also fitting that this happens in a digression, as although the book’s themes can be transferred across many contexts (there’s a reason so many people still enjoy it and its various adaptations today, in many different places), the book itself is very much a product of 19th-century France. This is part of the appeal as well; the places Hugo describes are so specific (whether they’re fictional or not), and the way the historical context is linked to characters and events really enriches the story. By moving towards an exploration of the “Infinite,” we’re also zooming out on this French context, allowing Hugo to remind us of his novel’s broader aims.

“ This is not the place for enlarging disproportionately on certain ideas; nevertheless, while absolutely maintaining our reserves, our restrictions, and even our indignations, we must say that every time we encounter man in the Infinite, either well or ill understood, we feel ourselves overpowered with respect. There is, in the synagogue, in the mosque, in the pagoda, in the wigwam, a hideous side which we execrate, and a sublime side, which we adore. What a contemplation for the mind, and what endless food for thought, is the reverberation of God upon the human wall! ”

I can’t tell what Hugo is referring to when he says this isn’t the place to develop "certain ideas” “disproportionately;” is this tied to the novel (avoiding yet another digression)? The state (censorship if he elaborates)? Himself (not wanting to support a total rejection of religion)? Also, while I recognize that his comments on other religious buildings are meant to mean his comments here aren’t specifically targeting Christianity (even if this is a Christian structure) but are instead part of the issue with religions that encourage good (engaging with the Infinite) while having unjust structures, it’s very uncomfortable to only see non-Christian buildings singled out in this paragraph as sites deserving of “execration” and “adoration.” Part of the issue is that, as much as this book can speak across time and space, Hugo is still very much a 19th-century French man. Hearing him reference other places (particularly outside of Europe) and religions besides Christianity could go very badly.

#les mis letters #lm 2.7.1 #the Infinite #I've read Hugo's Napoleon poetry and that's why I get very worried when he starts mentioning other religions #and other regions #I know his views are pretty horrible and unpleasant to read #but I'm also relieved to be leaving the convent digression in some way #this is still convent-related but at least it requires less convent-specific knowledge #I understand what he's saying more easily

[thephantomessoftheopera]

Eros, Thanatos and the Underworld - Death symbolism in Leroux 

One of the most striking characteristics of Leroux’s Erik is his physical ugliness, which caused him to be rejected and shunned throughout his entire life. But Erik is not „just“ run-of-the-mill ugly, he’s not “just” deformed - he literally looks like Death. And it is this very peculiar brand of ugliness that comes with a deep and rich symbolism attached. 

Other characters compare him to a „living corpse“ and a skeleton, and he is described as having a „Death‘s head“ on several occasions. At the masked ball, Erik famously dresses up as the „Red Death“ from Edgar Allan Poe‘s gothic short story - however, it is important to note that in contrast to Poe‘s „Red Death“, Erik is not just an allegory, a personification of Death. He is fundamentally human, and the death symbolism in the story serves not only to evoke horror, but also to expand and enrich the character and the themes connected with him on a deeper level.

Erik is not only strongly associated with death, but also with love and passion. This duality reflects the age-old “Eros and Thanatos” connection, where love/sex and death are perceived as two sides of the same coin. The fascination with themes of love and death obviously predates gothic romanticism, but at the turn of the century, it was very much in vogue in both the arts and sciences, and it has always been present in the world of Opera. 

But not only Erik’s physical appearance is laden with death imagery - the death symbolism extends to his entire realm. He sleeps in a coffin, and his room is furnished with funeral-style decor, which forms a stark contrast to the more conventional furniture in the rest of his house. The coffin-bed is also evocative of vampire lore, which many readers associate mainly with another famous gothic classic - Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, which was published in 1897. While Leroux had probably read Stoker, the popularity of vampires in France predates Stoker’s novel. French writer Charles Nodier is credited with introducing gothic romanticism in France. He published a series of novels centering around gothic themes in the 1820s and 1830s - works which influenced Victor Hugo and, in turn, Gaston Leroux. Nodier, through his stage adaptation of Polidori‘s „Le Vampire“, reshaped the traditional concept of vampires being nothing but “living corpses” who fed off the living into the more sophisticated, Byronesque character of Lord Ruthven and thus gave birth to the figure of the Romantic Vampire - a reinterpretation whose repercussions are still alive and well today. “Le Vampire” was wildly popular in France in the first half of the 19th century and sparked a fascination with gothic themes. 

Leroux often compares Erik’s abode and the cellars of the Opera to the Underworld, the realm of death in Greek and Roman mythology. “Lake Averne”, the name by which Erik and Christine refer to the lake under the Opera House, is an allusion to the  “Lago d’Averno” in Italy, one of the legendary entrances to the Underworld. Christine also compares the lake to the River Styx, and Erik to Charon:

“The souls of the dead couldn’t have felt more anxiety when they came to the River Styx, and Charon couldn’t have been gloomier or more silent than the man who lifted me into the boat.”

The Persian also makes a very similar comparison:

„Except for his golden eyes, he looked like the grim ferryman of the Styx.“

The name of Charon, the ferryman to the Underworld, can be translated as “with glowing/fiery eyes”. Erik’s eyes are also described as “glowing” and are only visible in the dark. Christine’s boat ride resembles the passage into the Hades, leaving behind the world of the living. Charon also moves his boat with a pole - an image that is not used in Leroux (since Erik uses oars), but was frequently used in visual adaptations such as the 1925 movie and the ALW musical.

But Erik is not just the ferryman - he is also the ruler of the underground part of the Opera, as Christine says:

„Everything underground belongs to him!“

She even ascribes almost supernatural powers to him, and suggests that he indeed possesses knowledge of the netherworld:

„He does things that no other man could do, and he knows things that are unknown to the world of the living.“

The famous Underworld myth of Orpheus is also referenced in Leroux. Not only does Christine state that she belonged to “Orpheus’ flock” when she listens to Erik sing, she also breaks the rule of “don’t look” in the unintentionally destructive act of tearing away Erik’s mask, which results in her captivity. 

 In addition to Orpheus, “The Phantom of the Opera” can also be seen as a variation on the mythological story of Hades and Persephone. Hades, the god of the Underworld, fell in love with the young and beautiful Persephone, the goddess of spring, and wanted to marry her, but she wasn’t willing to abandon the world above and go to live in the Underworld. Therefore Hades abducted her, she finally consented to marry him and became queen of the Underworld, ultimately dividing her time between both worlds. The 1858 satirical opera “Orfée aux enfers” by Jacques Offenbach, in addition to parodying the society of the Third Empire, also constituted a crossover between the two legends by having Pluto/Hades abduct Eurydike after starting an affair with her in disguise, and Jupiter leading Orpheus into the Underworld to retrieve his wife, but then tricking him into looking at her.

Although Christine never becomes queen of Erik’s Underworld, she is clearly torn between finding his world both fascinating and terrifying. 

Erik and Christine can also be seen as a literal expression of the artistic topos „death and the maiden“, which especially towards the end of the 19th century associated death very strongly with the erotic (see https://eclecticlight.co/2020/01/05/paintings-for-our-time-death-and-the-maiden/ for a very good overview of the evolution of the motif). Here, Death is usually represented as either a skeleton or corpse, or as an angel - which is very much in line with Leroux’s Erik, who also embodies both. Erik‘s music creates feelings of passion, rapture and ecstasy in Christine, and combined with the fact that Erik’s entire existence is a transgression of everything that is socially accepted, it is not a big stretch to conclude that Erik is associated not only with death, but also with sexuality. The perception of sex as both a life-creating and life-threatening force was especially prevalent at the turn of the century, expressed in works such as Edvard Munch’s 1894 painting “Girl and Death” (https://www.edvard-munch.org/girl-and-death/) or the very similar but more explicit “Life and Death“:

Death is seen as intricately tied to love and the darker feelings of passion and desire. Erik identifying with the character of “Don Juan” further accentuates his “Eros” side, while the fact that he is threatening to blow up the Opera house - and thus constituting a threat to all of society very much like Poe’s Red Death - clearly play up the “Thanatos” aspect of his character. Music in the novel also serves as a metaphor for romantic love and sex, as it is connotated with “passion”, “fire”, “ecstasy” and “rapture” throughout - and no character in it is more strongly connected to music than Erik. Erik’s teaching awakens “an ardent, voracious and sublime life” in Christine, symbolising the burgeoning romantic feelings in the young woman. She is terrified with the changes going on in her, which is also in line with how „Eros“ was originally viewed: as a frightening loss of control.

Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s musical adaptation of the original Phantom story recognized this strongly erotic undercurrent in the story and aptly translated it into songs such as „Music of the night“ or „Point of no return“. But he did not put it there - the themes were always present, and paradoxically, they have always been strongly connected to the aspect that some modern readers now perceive only as “horror” - Erik’s death-like appearance. 

All quotes were taken from the translation by Lowell Bair.

#the phantom of the opera #leroux phantom #gaston leroux #erik the phantom #le fantôme de l'opéra #erik x christine #opera ghost #phantom of the opera #christine daae #poto

[enfinizatics]

meet my projection of a single father severus snape and my harry potter original characters, his children! i used sims 4 + blender + photoshop to make it all happen.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

etna nox, a half-blood witch, was born on june 21st, 1980. she is the younger twin, with a mere 5-minute difference. etna hails from a british-american background, with her father being a british half-blood - none other than severus snape himself. her mother is a muggle american. etna's hogwarts house is gryffindor, and she identifies as bisexual.

etna enjoys various activities, such as art, drawing, and painting. she has a fondness for cats and surrounds herself with an abundance of plants in her side of the room. her interest in herbology extends beyond the classroom at hogwarts. etna appreciates muggle music and often listens to it on her walkman. crocheting is another pastime she finds pleasure in. being in nature brings her joy, and she often indulges in watching silly romcoms. mysteries intrigue her, and she holds a special admiration for ginny weasley, whom she has a crush on.

waking up early is something etna strongly dislikes. the history of magic class doesn't captivate her interest. she feels uncomfortable being alone and resents being told what to do. tidying up is not her favorite task, and she becomes protective when anyone shows interest in her brother. her father's moods can be challenging for her to handle, and she has an aversion to lies.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

hugo nox, a half-blood wizard, was born on the 21st of june 1980. he is the older twin, with a 5-minute difference. hugo, a british-american, is the son of severus snape. he identifies as transgender and belongs to ravenclaw house. hugo's involvement in quidditch shines as he plays as ravenclaw's seeker. additionally, he holds the esteemed role of ravenclaw's prefect.

hugo finds a deep interest in astronomy and enjoys exploring the wonders of the night sky. he has an appreciation for poems and is an avid reader. during the summer, he loves visiting the local library. mysteries intrigue him, and he excels in charms class. hugo values neatness and takes pride in keeping his environment clean. as a seeker for the ravenclaw team, he has a passion for quidditch. he also has a fascination with muggle science and often engages in debates with his father.

a chaotic environment is something hugo dislikes, especially when it comes to his sister's side of the room. he feels uncomfortable in large crowds. etna's tantrums can be challenging for him to handle. conflicts between his father and etna are also sources of annoyance for him. he strongly dislikes bullies and holds a slight aversion towards gryffindor. his maternal grandfather is someone he does not particularly appreciate. comparisons between him and etna, especially being told that they look alike, can also be bothersome for him.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

severus snape, a half-blood wizard, was born on the 9th of january 1960. he hails from a british background with polish roots. severus identifies as asexual biromantic and is associated with slytherin house. his expertise lies in potions, earning him the title of potions master. not only is severus skilled in magic, but he also holds a muggle chemistry degree. as the head of slytherin house, he maintains a leadership role within hogwarts. additionally, severus is the proud father of etna and hugo.

severus has a deep passion for potions and chemistry, finding solace in their intricacies. he appreciates neatness and enjoys a cuppa with a splash of milk or black coffee without sugar. chocolate is a guilty pleasure he indulges in from time to time. collecting herbs is another hobby he takes pleasure in. severus relishes in engaging in debates with others, often finding intellectual stimulation in such conversations. traveling allows him to explore new places and cultures, which he finds enriching. reading is a beloved pastime of his, particularly when it comes to mysteries. he also values the company of minerva mcgonagall and enjoys sharing tea with her. while he may outwardly express disapproval, deep down, he is actually fond of etna's familiar.

severus holds a general aversion towards gryffindors, often finding their traits unappealing. loud spaces are discomforting to him, as he prefers quieter environments. waking up early on the weekends is something he dislikes, relishing in the opportunity for some extra rest. grading papers can be tedious and time-consuming. he is particularly frustrated by etna's irreclaimable behavior, finding it challenging to handle. dumbledore's rants can be a source of annoyance for him. not having enough time to read is a personal frustration.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

and that's it for now! i have a few more ocs created for this au so bare with me, cause I'll be def posting about them as well!!

#this took longer than expected #but im happy i can finally share my babies with you!!! #i love them so much #etna's been around for 6 years #hugo's been created recently but i love him as much as etna #kudos to barry for sitting thru all of the versions of the edits #and brainstorming together #and my snape hcs...VALID #i cant draw so i use sims for references #original character #harry potter #severus snape #snape community #pro snape #pro severus snape #the sims 4 #sims 4 #simblr #sims edit #created with blender #sims render

[pumpkinspice-prouvaire]

Now that I only have 84 (!!!!) pages left in the brick I am here to bring you my definitive ranking of the digressions. This is based off a very specific criteria: how much I enjoyed them. Best to worst I'm thinking:

1. Paris street urchins- yes I am a basic bitch who loves Paris. I liked Hugo's whole "the street urchins represent everything that is good and true and they are the heart of Paris and of France!!!"

2. King Louis- Genuinely was v interesting to get the historical context around the revolution and the barricade storyline. I def have a gap in my knowledge where French history is concerned but it's something I wanna know more about so this was a good starter pack to Louis lol

3. Why riots are awesome- Because riots are awesome. This was on the list of digressions I looked up (if you expect me to remember everything Victor Hugo infodumped about in this 1200 page book that's on you), but tbh I think it's too short to really count

4. Bishop Myriel's finances- Respect to Hugo for holding off for an entire three lines before getting into his first ramble. The Bishop seems like a nice dude. He's valid.

5. Waterloo- Not as bad as y'all say. Maybe that's because I'm a former history student. I actually think the interaction between Colonel Pontmercy and Thénadier at the end is really good pay off???

6. Sewers- At this point I think I was just excited because I KNEW it was the last one. The start was interesting but it lost me pretty quickly

7. Slang- I didn't find this interesting but it wasn't actively painful and that's good enough for me

8. Convent- FUCK this digression

In summary if you can stick with them I think the digressions are genuinely worth reading!!! They really add an extra level of historical context/background to the novel and I think it def enriched my reading experience. Except the convent that one can go fuck itself. But also don't feel like you HAVE to read them, your les mis experience will function perfectly without them! Live your best life!

#i think the only one i would skip on a reread is convent #no one cares about this but this is my house and my les mis blog so

[hawkinssongbird]

@devildungeondm // continued from here.

The move to Hawkins, Indiana was crucial to the Lance family to better enrich their daughter's special abilities. Her father, Larry, became familiar of a scientist in the small town who went by the name of Martin Brenner, who learned of young Dinah's talent through another scientist in her birthplace of Gotham - Hugo Strange. It was strongly suggested they move out of Gotham, which was closing in to become poisoned with injustice and horrific corruption.

Word of what their daughter was capable of ended up in the wrong hands shortly after, and they had no choice but to leave the city in the dead of night, as raids for others like her left the city ablaze. Dinah could only pack what was necessary - all of her journals containing her artwork, and the other who she shared an unusual connection with, were the first things she packed away.

Midway into the first week of settling into Hawkins, Dinah had grown increasingly frustrated with how silent the other end of her connection became. Making her more alone than she had ever felt before. What if it only worked back home? What if her soulmate had been there the whole time, and they were too far apart?

By the end of the week, Dinah's first visit with Dr. Brenner provided some comfort. She hadn't lost her abilities, but they were suffering from the increased amount of stress, according to the test results. He was understanding and kind.

You'll sing again, Little Bird.

And sing she did. It was on the very morning when the smiley face she drew on her palm, came back with two others appearing right beside it. One sad face and one smiley face in return. She felt like she could fly knowing she still had her soulmate, and it was the first peaceful sleep she had that night, feeling like she was home again.

The following day, she was looking more like herself, singing softly away as she made her way out of the apartment and down the stairs of the building, art supplies in her arms. Her mother had been too busy with contractors to see her slip past the doors of the still being built flower shop. Her mother always dreamed of owning her own shop, and hadn't been achieved until this move.

It wasn't that she couldn't go outside per say, but she was not allowed to socialize until Dr. Brenner completed his research. Besides, everyone kept to themselves, and Dinah only ever communicated with one person these days. The only one who mattered, and it seemed like she mattered to them as well.

Immersed in her own little world, she hyper focused on tiny details to the latest edition of butterflies and bats. Over time, she learned on how to place each drawing on a specific part of her soulmate's body, and with how long they went without any contact - this was her way of apologizing. After all, the symbolism between a butterfly and bat shared a connection just like them - new beginnings.

Nice art.

The voice out of nowhere didn't startle her, but it did cause her to briefly freeze up. Tearing her gaze away from her work, to the hands resting on the table. Curious, at first, taking note of the rings on his fingers until - no. Was that? No way! It was her artwork on the inside of his arm! While the other - her pack of bats! It made her drawing hand twitch, like a spark of electricity. Fully aware of the ink style being a tattoo, causing her to beam. That was when her eyes finally looked into the ones of her soulmate, a soft smile taking over her lips, before chuckling with a shake of her head at his bewitching comment with a smirk of her own.

That wasn't her way of saying no, because she was well aware of his love for DnD. So much to the point where she reached for something that resembled a portfolio, and upon opening it up, she stood from the bench and started to read aloud with a dramatic walk around it, starting behind him as though it would cast the spell. "A witch can be a pariah in their town, cast out to fend for themselves. Other times, a witch is haunted by another spirit and they wish to be rid of it."

With that, she placed the portfolio down on the table, an invite for him to take a seat as she slid it over to him. Each of his characters for his campaigns were drawn exactly like the ones he shared with her, with additional information on the other page. He would find a date and time stamp on each corner, information and stats for each drawing, with personal blurbs of what she got out of their art. "I hope you don't find it too weird. It took me a long time to figure out that you didn't actually reign from another realm."

She was positively ready to burst at the seams to fire a million questions, but all she could do was smile as she sat back down, reaching for her journal without ever taking her eyes off of him. "I suppose that's still up for debate. If you're from another realm, or real at all. I could have made you up."

#* verse // soulmate au. #devildungeondm #tw: long post

[bookloure]

I'm Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy Genre: Memoir Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is one of the times I'm glad I gave in to #bookstagram hype.

I listened to this on Scribd this last October, and I finished it all in a day. It's one of those books that's hard to put down once you start. Plus, the narration enriched my reading experience. I like books narrated by authors, it adds to the quality of the book.

This book is similar to The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo in that it gives a lot of pathos to celebrities. I am a total snob to celebrity (A-list) culture and tend to dehumanize celebrities, given how obscenely rich they are (it seems to me). This memoir has a lot of insight, especially into child celebrity culture, and gave me much to think about. It's clearly her story to tell.

At its core, this book is about healing and how violent it actually is. When Jennette's mother died, she was left to grapple with perhaps the most difficult thing in the world—her abusive relationship with her mother and the things that that toxic relationship spawned. In this memoir, she tells this journey with humor that makes her horrific experience so much more bearable. (Look up trigger warnings before you read this!) I also appreciate that Jennette presented her mother in a way that is so nuanced; I felt emphatic towards her mother as well.

It also made me think about how important it is that therapy be accessible to all. Therapy literally saved Jennette's life. I can only hope that that option is as available for everyone, too.

And to top it off, the writing is also good! I'm looking forward to reading more from her. And I say this with all my heart: I'm glad her mom died.

#book review #i'm glad my mom died #bookblr

[ask-emilz-de-philz]

Contrary to the misconception that Andres Bonifacio, the Father of Philippine Revolution, was uneducated, he actually was.

Born in Tondo, Manila, on November 30, 1863, Andres Bonifacio y de Castro was the eldest of the six children of Catalina de Castro, a Spanish mestiza, and Santiago Bonifacio, an alkalde of Tondo. He attended Guillermo Osmeña’s private school and studied English while working as a clerk-messenger in a British firm.

He did not finish school but enriched his natural intelligence with self-education, reading books about the French Revolution, contemporary Philippine penal and civil codes, biographies of Presidents of the United States, novels like Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, Eugene Sue’s Le Juif errant, and Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

On top of speaking Tagalog and Spanish, Bonifacio was also well-versed in English, which he learned while being an employee at J.M. Fleming and Co. Reference: https://kidskonnect.com/people/andres-bonifacio/ 

(kids site yan para dali ma understand, chos /slapped pero really helpful actually sya uwub no need for big words to understand something)

#planetputo 

BLOG: ask-emilz-de-philz.tumblr.com 

If you like our work, please support us @ ko-fi.com/haimacheir

#planetputo #planet puto #rp philippines #rp emildephil #andres bonifacio

[hugogetsrawed]

this is not meant to be shady at all but i really love how most people submit asks as anons here like the only thing more embarrassing about the hugogetsrawed blog is non anonymously asking hugogetsrawed a question

what a space you’ve created here on tumblr dot com mx. rawed

this blog is just wall to wall anons and hugo sexualization with one ask from trashghetti-v thrown in for enrichment

#im crying

[seoran]

There's still time till the end of the month but I don't think I will finish anything else (if I do I will just edit the post)so gonna publish it now. This year I didn't read as much as I wanted but what I did read I wrote a bit about here:

Noc kupały by Katarzyna Berenika Miszczuk - polish fantasy book about medicine student that is on apprenticeship at the Whisperer (A folk healer). It's second book in the series. I read the first one years ago and fell in love with it but the second one was an total dissapointment. I guess my taste in books matured since then.

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin - another fantasy about a witch that tries to keep hidden from the community she grew up in and survive the world that hates women like her. It's even harder when your husband is a witch hunter. While the premise was interesting (who doesn't like enemies to lovers?) I didn't like the book that much. The main character was irritating, parrading as a strong female character (but was a poor parody of) which was a total dissapointment for me. On the other side it was an easy read.

Hurray for Marriage! by Sakunosuke Oda - I won't lie that Bungou Stray Dogs was what made me interested in japanese classics. And I don't regret it because it's a beautiful literature. Oda's book is a bitter-sweet story with very detailed descriptions of food that makes you hungry every time.

Láska nebeská by Mariusz Szczygieł - interesting collection of columns written by a polish journalist about Czech Republic. Colorful descriptions helped me imagine everything the author wrote about in the book. Photography of czech photographer Josef Sudek enriched the collection.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - as a journalism student I had to read a book written like a like an reportage mixed with an interview. Evelyn Hugo was one of the most complex characters I ever read about. If I didn't knew it was fiction I would believe she really existed.

#opinions about books #book wrap up #polish books #fantasy books #serpent & dove #seven husbands of evelyn hugo #book review #books and reading #books #fantasy #nonfiction