monsieurthemaire

[monsieurthemaire]

can i give it up to you? would that be okay?

#op the way you draw these two always makes me a little insane #like it’s SO GOOD #GOD DAMN #fanart #valvert #valjean #post-seine #les mis #les miserables #jean valjean #javert

[monsieurthemaire]

Another reason I dislike Les Mis adaptations that make Jean Valjean constantly openly angry/violent is because they miss that Jean Valjean is not allowed to be angry. The fact he is forbidden from expressing anger is, I argue, actually a very important part of his character in the novel!

One of the subtler political messages of the story is that some people are given freedom to express anger, while others are forced to be excessively meek and conciliatory in order to survive.

Wealthy conservatives like Monsieur Gillenormand can “fly into rages” every five minutes and have it treated as an endearing quirk. Poor characters like Fantine or Jean Valjean must be constantly polite and ingratiating to “their superiors” at all times, even in the face of mockery and violence, or else they will be subjected to punishment. If Gillenormand beats his child with a stick, it’s a silly quirk; if Fantine beats a man harassing her, she is sentenced to months in prison.

(Thenardier and Javert are interesting examples of this too. Thenardier acts superficially polite and ingratiating to his wealthy “superiors” while insulting them behind their backs. Javert, meanwhile, is completely earnest in his mindless bootlicking. But I could write an entire other post on this.)

The point is that….Jean Valjean has to be submissive and self-effacing, or he puts himself in danger. He can’t afford to be angry and make scenes, or he will be punished. The only barrier between himself and prison is his ability to be so “courteous” that no one bothers to pry into his past.

Jean Valjean is excessively polite to people, in the way that you’re excessively polite to an armed cop who pulls you over for speeding when you secretly have a few illegal grams of marijuana in the your car trunk. XD It’s politeness built on fear, is what I mean. It’s politeness built on a desperation to make a powerful person avoid looking too closely at you.

It’s politeness at gunpoint.

Jean Valjean has also spent nineteen years living in an environment where any expression of anger could be punished with severe violence. That trauma is reflected in the overly cautious reserved way he often speaks with people (even people who are kind and would never actually hurt him.)

So adaptations that have Jean Valjean boldly having shouting matches with people in public and beating cops half to death without worrying about the repercussions just make go like “???”

Because that’s part of what’s fascinating about Jean Valjean to me? On one hand, he is a genuinely kind compassionate person, who cares deeply about other people and behaves kindly out of altruism. But on the other hand, he was also “beaten into submission” by prison, and forced into adopting conciliatory bootlicking behaviors in order to survive. And it can sometimes be hard to tell when he is being kind vs. when he is being “polite” — when he is speaking and acting out of earnest compassion vs. when he is speaking and acting out of fear.

The TL;DR is that I think it’s important that even though Jean Valjean is very (justifiably) angry about the injustice that was inflicted on him, his anger is harshly policed at all times— by other people, and by himself. He has been told his anger is wrong/selfish so often that he believes it. His anger takes weirder more unhealthy forms because he has no safe outlet for it. His rage at society becomes a possessiveness towards Cosette and silent hatred of Marius, but primarily it becomes useless self-destructive constant hatred of himself. And while I might be phrasing this wrong, I think that’s what’s interesting about Jean Valjean’s relationship with anger— the way his justified fury at his own mistreatment gets warped into more and more unhealthy forms by the way he’s forced to constantly repress it.

#I love when people talk about Jean valjean #yes yes all the yes #this is so true!! #Jean valjean #les mis

[monsieurthemaire]

temporary with you?

#this is absolutely gorgeous #I will barf #and cry #the use of color!! esp red!!! #and the textures here are chefs kiss #and everything else #kick ass!!! #jean valjean #valvert #les mis #les miserables #fanart #javert

[monsieurthemaire]

Super late @valvertweek​ drawing, I wanted to finish this a week ago but oh well at least is done :’) (I used the chained prompt)

#THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL OP WTF #for real I’m freaking out #the way that they’re getting closer #as time moves on #as their story moves forward #like OP my brain is BROKEEENNNN!!!!! #this is so incredible #fanart #valvert #valjean #les miserables #les mis #jean valjean #javert

[monsieurthemaire]

Imagine you get arrested for a crime you didn't commit. It's super dramatic and the cop arresting you acts like you personally killed his dog the whole time and you're so confused. Eventually you go to trial and you find out the horrible crime not-you committed was violating parole. You're just about to be convicted of this crime you didn't commit and the fucking mayor sprints in and shouts "It was me! I did it!" Then proceeds to get arrested instantly. You'd be so fucking confused right

#I love les mis for doing this #I also love jean valjean #him doing this was so dramatic #everyone was so extra #les miserables

[monsieurthemaire]

can i give it up to you? would that be okay?

#screaming crying throwing up #les mis #les miserables #valvert #jean valjean #javert #op your art literally always slays me #I am going insane

[monsieurthemaire]

mini valvert comic. no crazy violent homoeroticism today but …..mayhaps some other time……..

#hahhahahaha I love this op #this is so funny #the hairless cat hahahah #the dog #he a dog!!! #les mis #valvert #jean valjean #javert

[monsieurthemaire]

based on this v

#op this is so based #hahahahhaah #incredible work of art #so true #valvert #jean valjean #javert #les mis #les miserables

[monsieurthemaire]

old old stuff that never made it to main. more to come

#op your art makes me mentally insane!!!!!!! #I love it!!!!! #so much!!!!!!! #jean valjean #valvert #les mis #les miserables #javert

[monsieurthemaire]

one day you’ll figure me out—i’ll meet judgement by the hounds

definitely haven’t been working on this since the day this mitski album came out. @valvertweek was just the kick in the ass i needed

#op your art literally always slays me #look at these tragic men #I want them to be happy lovers #les miserables #valjean #valvert #jean valjean #javert

[monsieurthemaire]

Javert's been having a tough time falling asleep.

Actually managed to make smth for @valvertweek!! Theme: darkness (though maybe a slightly goofy interpretation of the prompt)

Unfiltered ver. under the cut

#this kicks ass op!!!! #fanart #valjean #javert #les mis #les miserables

[monsieurthemaire]

i'm so normal abt this old man

#op this is beautiful #Jean valjean #les mis #look at his baby beard!!! #his green thumb energy!!

[monsieurthemaire]

Another reason I dislike Les Mis adaptations that make Jean Valjean constantly openly angry/violent is because they miss that Jean Valjean is not allowed to be angry. The fact he is forbidden from expressing anger is, I argue, actually a very important part of his character in the novel!

One of the subtler political messages of the story is that some people are given freedom to express anger, while others are forced to be excessively meek and conciliatory in order to survive.

Wealthy conservatives like Monsieur Gillenormand can “fly into rages” every five minutes and have it treated as an endearing quirk. Poor characters like Fantine or Jean Valjean must be constantly polite and ingratiating to “their superiors” at all times, even in the face of mockery and violence, or else they will be subjected to punishment. If Gillenormand beats his child with a stick, it’s a silly quirk; if Fantine beats a man harassing her, she is sentenced to months in prison.

(Thenardier and Javert are interesting examples of this too. Thenardier acts superficially polite and ingratiating to his wealthy “superiors” while insulting them behind their backs. Javert, meanwhile, is completely earnest in his mindless bootlicking. But I could write an entire other post on this.)

The point is that….Jean Valjean has to be submissive and self-effacing, or he puts himself in danger. He can’t afford to be angry and make scenes, or he will be punished. The only barrier between himself and prison is his ability to be so “courteous” that no one bothers to pry into his past.

Jean Valjean is excessively polite to people, in the way that you’re excessively polite to an armed cop who pulls you over for speeding when you secretly have a few illegal grams of marijuana in the your car trunk. XD It’s politeness built on fear, is what I mean. It’s politeness built on a desperation to make a powerful person avoid looking too closely at you.

It’s politeness at gunpoint.

Jean Valjean has also spent nineteen years living in an environment where any expression of anger could be punished with severe violence. That trauma is reflected in the overly cautious reserved way he often speaks with people (even people who are kind and would never actually hurt him.)

So adaptations that have Jean Valjean boldly having shouting matches with people in public and beating cops half to death without worrying about the repercussions just make go like “???”

Because that’s part of what’s fascinating about Jean Valjean to me? On one hand, he is a genuinely kind compassionate person, who cares deeply about other people and behaves kindly out of altruism. But on the other hand, he was also “beaten into submission” by prison, and forced into adopting conciliatory bootlicking behaviors in order to survive. And it can sometimes be hard to tell when he is being kind vs. when he is being “polite” — when he is speaking and acting out of earnest compassion vs. when he is speaking and acting out of fear.

The TL;DR is that I think it’s important that even though Jean Valjean is very (justifiably) angry about the injustice that was inflicted on him, his anger is harshly policed at all times— by other people, and by himself. He has been told his anger is wrong/selfish so often that he believes it. His anger takes weirder more unhealthy forms because he has no safe outlet for it. His rage at society becomes a possessiveness towards Cosette and silent hatred of Marius, but primarily it becomes useless self-destructive constant hatred of himself. And while I might be phrasing this wrong, I think that’s what’s interesting about Jean Valjean’s relationship with anger— the way his justified fury at his own mistreatment gets warped into more and more unhealthy forms by the way he’s forced to constantly repress it.

#yoooo omg op yes this is accurate #Jean valjean is tragically meek #like painfully so #to the point that he really starts to lose a lot of dynamic character traits #jean valjean #les mis

[monsieurthemaire]

they r special 2 me…

#I lob them op #this is so beautiful #the textures and hand kiss and expressions idk #it’s gettin to me #les miserables #valvert #les mis #jean valjean #javert

[monsieurthemaire]

new songs on the valvert playlist

✨️ please by little green cars ~

✨️ in your eyes by peter gabriel ~

✨️ the moon will sing by crane wives ~

shoutout to @glowstyc for suggesting the last one; you were SO real for that 💝

#oooooh #yes #the valvert playlist #valvert #les mis #les miserables #jean valjean #javert

[monsieurthemaire]

WHAT tell us ur thoughts on y javert is autistic???

my friend i am SO glad you asked thank you so much for giving me an excuse to talk extensively on this subject

Keep reading

#BASED content #les miserables #javert #autistic javert

[monsieurthemaire]

devoted to you as I

#the detail here!!!!!!! #op you’re killin me fr fr #like wow!!! #les miserables #javert #les mis #valvert #Jean valjean