Quick sketches of Jean Valjean, Enjolras and Cosette

James D Gish as Enjolras on the Les Mis Arena World Tour 2024 ❤️🇫🇷🎭 (not my photos, all credit goes to lucario183265 and lesoleilshi on instagram)

antoine needs a hug

Everyone who knows about Edward Wojtaszek's Thermidor aka The CSP Went Shopping at the Goth Store and Is Trapped in a Hellraiser Dimension play explain it to @alchemyfire now: it's their birthday today, and they don't know about this masterpiece yet.

Ok so first you watch the trailer and look at the costumes and set and the fact there are unexplained hooks hanging from chains on the ceiling - no really

And they all look like Maxime turned them all into vampires and they're plotting a revolt on his vampire tyranny

And you're like:

What the fuck is this? This looks like it's going to be worse than everything, like the BBC docudrama meets Assassin's Creed Unity and it's in hell.

BUT IT'S NOT.

IT WAS ACTUALLY VERY FUCKING GOOD.

And then you look more into the photos available online

And

Oh

My

God?

They read the Stasiaverse and they understood the assignment.

Then you actually watch the play.

And you say fuck The Danton Case this is the true masterpiece here.

This play has the special thing of being perhaps the only work of literature on these guys who mention Vilate and make him such an important character. He's the key to truly understand the true drama at the heart of the CSP: they were all horny for each other. And Vilate was basically the government's kept boy.

This is Vilate in the play:

Oh boy.

So for those who don't know, Joachim "Sempronius Gracchus" Vilate was a member of the Revolutionary Tribunal who literally lived in the Pavillon de Flore.

He was arrested before Thermidor and honestly I don't know where his allegiances lie beside "I'm 26, I'm terrified, I was not meant to play this game, I just want to live". Oh, yes. He's 26 like Saint-Just. We don't know what he looked like besides a vague description but Russian Livejournal found a picture and he looks exactly like Saint-Just. If that's actually him and not a mislabeled portrait of Saint-Just. Oh, and Barère is creepily attached to him. Because of course he is.

So unlike others Vilate was not freed when Thermidor happened. He kept pathetically asking them but the Flops ignored him. He turned to Tallien and Fréron and wrote a trilogy of pamphlets for them which devolve more and more into obvious lies and insanity the more he realizes he's been fooled and he's never getting out - in the third opus he literally admits he's making shit up. Anyway you know how Maurice Duplay stayed in jail too and was put on trial with Fouquier-Tinville and everyone involved with the Revolutionary Tribunal in Year III? Yeah Duplay was acquitted; Vilate was not. He sold his soul and more, and it was all for nothing. It's kinda sad.

Anyway only Vilate's first pamphlet seem like it might still have some connection to reality at least when it comes to his own story. The others are... very unhinged, to say the least. He tells trivia like how the CSP always has double dates. Barère is a creep (no news there). Oh, and Barère and Vadier have "orgies" (very mild swinger sex with actresses and sex workers maybe; it's purposefully vague to make you think the worst) (sometimes Collot joined) and Vilate was just there to watch. He describes Collot/Billaud as a fire and ice couple. Collot reportedly called SJ "the young and vigorous athlete of the Revolution". Hérault was the most beautiful man and unlike Barère he would never have used him.

His pamphlet reads like a typical 18thc narrative on the poor innocent naive countryside person corrupted by the vices of Paris. Here we have The Tale of the Perverted Bureaucrat. It's a masterpiece itself of gay drama.

He also wrote a very pathetic letter to beg Billaud to free him before turning against the Flops. It's all very sad.

Anyway Stasia clearly read this and she got it.

Because her play is basically: the CSP Flops are aimless without their Great Leader who Has Abandoned Them and they bitch about him a lot then conspire to replace him as their dom with Evil Dom Fouché which is a Bad Idea. SJ shows up to be scary and tell them they suck. Collot tries to turn SJ to their side by lying that Maxime wants him dead in what seems like a prolonged homoerotic seduction to sow trouble in an already troubled marriage. Maxime finally shows up to interrupt. Angst happens and great speeches on the Evil of Capital are made. And then the play is unfinished.

So anyway this adaptation features Fouché looking like this:

Who acts Very Creepily with Barère while Collot watches with amusement. Vilate starts crying at one point because Barère and Billaud and Collot all bully him and Fouché Very Creepily wipes his tears with his own handkerchief. Vilate also gets manhandled by SJ after he finds out they were listening in on him and Maxime. Vilate gets on his knees and crawls (see above).

Vilate being bullied by his sugar daddies:

Collot and Billaud have drama because Billaud desperately wants to fuck Maxime:

But Barère teases him and tells him he never will coz lol he has SJ and you're ugly lol. This is what Barère looks like btw:

And this is Barere looking at SJ:

And this is SJ being a smug bitch to Collot:

Tallien visits too to have a breakdown and remind them He's Straight Really and takes his knife out:

And then Maxime shows up and they're all TERRIFIED. Well not SJ. He's into whatever Maxime is doing.

Maxime has a skull cane btw:

And he keeps rubbing it suggestively the whole time and threatens SJ with it at least twice (as seen above).

Maxime also nearly faints and swoons into SJ's arms, who catches him. They look very intently at each other and you're sure they're gonna kiss but instead they just embrace very tightly. But because this is the Stasiaverse and Stasia's Maxime is Above Such Things, he coldly pushes SJ away. It's very heartbreaking.

They have a lot of drama. SJ has a breakdown then Maxime has a breakdown. Their marriage isn't going well. But we don't know what happens next because the play abruptly ends and there's a red screen with blood falling on it.

Anyway the guy who plays SJ clearly did research and portrays him very well, better than how Stasia describes him in which he's basically like:

Which tbf is how everybody acts towards Robespierre in the Stasiaverse.

The play also kind of changed the last two years of my life as in it got me interested in reading more about The Flops.

Also Maxime you can't just start with like a real hard cane that's way too advanced and hardcore.

Ok yeah that SJ is wearing leather and studded punk boots:

But you can't just assume things, Maxime, geez.

..........you know I'm just realizing now that this is a very clear aesthetic choice in Homophobic Homoeroticism. Or Homoerotic Homophobia. Whichever. They might as well have given him a spiky dog collar.

Because you'll notice everyone has outfits that, though modernized, fit the period:

Except SJ with his leather waistcoat.

Oh boy the implications.

Ok I think I understand the symbolism/aesthetic of the chains now 💀

Anyway here's the swoon:

And Maxime having a breakdown:

And Collot manspreading:

Also Carnot is there for five minutes at the start with Fouché creepily manipulating him:

And then he fucks off forever because this play is just too gay he's not staying there to get another gay panic holy fuck that atmosphere.

I had to be high to get it but I do get it now.

The chains on the ceiling.

Vilate crawling on his knees.

Maxime slowly taking off his gloves.

The way he rubs his cane the whole time or holds it threateningly.

The way he threatens SJ twice with it.

The way he predatorily walks from left to right then left again while SJ slightly bends down on the table. (I wish I could show you that scene.)

SJ being the only one wearing leather.

Their outfit being coordinated.

I don't think it was an accident.

I think that's really the subtext.

while we're at it absolutely miss me with the idea that enjolras is a completely detached and unloving person who doesn't care for anyone or anything besides 'revolution'. you cannot convince me that this man doesn't cry and hug his pillow at night thinking about how much he loves his friends. he just doesn't know how to show it.

you're so real for this; ik he locks himself in the bathroom and sobs bc he just loves his friends so much!!!!!

Quick Enjolras sketch

that one post that goes combeferre sits with his legs crossed like a lady send tweet

THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY STAGING ALONGSIDE THE RESTAGED US TOUR

enjolras rallying based off of his entry pose during one day more

les mis arena tour two-show-day notes

Senators are going to vote on whether or not we should continue to send aid to Israel on Wednesday, November 13th. Call them, bombard their phone lines with calls. Every fucking day. We have a chance of doing something about this.

yall

Here are some of the images from the link provided

This is also an option for email:

Subject: Please Co-Sponsor S.J. Res 111-116 To Disapprove the Military Sale of Weapons to Israel

Email: My name is [your name] and I am your constituent from [full address]. I am asking the Senator to cosponsor S.J.RES 111-116 to disapprove the following military sale of certain defense articles and services to Israel. The resolution was introduced by Senator Sanders. The US has funded over 70% of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and offered a nonstop flow of weapons even though there’s indisputable proof of Israel blocking aid for over 1 year, and nearly 500 reports of U.S. weapons being used to kill and injure Palestinians. Over 60,000 people have died due to indirect deaths due to aid blocking.

Mark 24 - 30 November on your calendars for

2024 Brick Renouveautions!

Pick one scene from The Brick to recreate a modern version of! This can be a fic, art, video, or anything else you think of! We had some fantastic submissions in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 that you should absolutely check out when you get a chance!

There are no sign-ups required, but if you intend on participating it is requested you claim the scene you want on this Google Spreadsheet or PM @brickrenouveautions to update the doc with your intended scene. This is not required to participate, but it will go a long way in avoiding too many duplicate scenes! Instructions on how to claim a scene can be found here.

To summarize:

Works should be uploaded 24 - 30 November under the tag #Brick ReNouveauTions (not case-sensitive) or #2024 Brick ReNouveauTions (or you can simply tag this blog), and they’ll be reblogged here throughout the week! Our 2024 collection link can be found here for those uploading to AO3.