[ SECRET POST #2436 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2436 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.
[The Book Thief, The Days of the Deer, Neil Gaiman's Sandman]


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02.
[Macklemore & Ryan Lewis]


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03.
[The Glades]


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04.
[Revenge]


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05.
[The Killing (AMC)]


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06.
[Star Trek]


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07.
[TRON: Uprising]


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08.
[Paul McCartney]


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09.
[Les Miserables]


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10.
[Mud by Yamashita Tomoko]


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11.
[The Beatles]


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 036 secrets from Secret Submission Post #348.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 2 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

09. http://i.imgur.com/khrSlkf.png
[Les Miserables]

[(Anonymous)]

I don't understand. He is a well-rounded character--why, exactly, would you get flack for this?

[fenm]

Why would that make you sound pretentious?

And, hey, let's be pretentious together! I adore Valjean. (-:

[night_owl_9]

You don't sound pretentious at all, OP :)

[(Anonymous)]

No u.

[(Anonymous)]

I love him too, but what flaws?

[(Anonymous)]

Stealing. Okay at first it was for noble reasons but still a crime. Stealing the candlesticks of the priest who took him in was a jerkass move. And, though it's not the musical, where he steals a chimney sweeps (?) earnings.

His jealousy of Cosette and Marius. Thankfully most adaptations keep this as just a father not wanting to lose his little girl but some films and miniseries have taken it into squick territory (*cough* Gerard Depardu). Sure it's gone when he actually meets Marius but at first it just seems like he wants to keep Cosette locked up and to himself. And of course you have Liam Neeson who just made him seem like a jerk when he slapped her.

Probably a lot more but those are the two that stand out for me and that I like in Valjean for not being a perfect saint. He's still human.

[(Anonymous)]

He seemed impatient, for one. He wouldn't have been in prison for so long if he didn't keep fucking up. While I understand WHY he did, he was in there for that long because of his own actions. Understandable and relatable flaws are still flaws.

[(Anonymous)]

There is also a good argument to be made for his lack of education and failure to understand the long-term consequences of waiting. Hugo describes it best - as an animal who takes the chance to escape a trap.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm be interested in hearing about some of your favorite female characters, OP, too! Seems like you have good taste!

Wow.

[(Anonymous)]

I just woke up from a dream about him four hours ago. Yay for funny coincidences!

[(Anonymous)]

"be motherly and stuff"

Uhm...don't you mean 'be fatherly'?

[kallanda_lee]

Not sure why it's a secret. Les Mis (the book) was known for it's nuanced characters even way back then. Valjean is a great character.

[chardmonster]

...isn't raising kids kind of fathery?

Don't go arbitrarily gendering basic adult functions.

[(Anonymous)]

Silly goose! If a man loves and raises a child all by himself then he's not a father - he's just a mother with a penis.

OP:

[(Anonymous)]

I just meant that he took on a role that involved him having to replace both parental figures (having to be the traditional 'strong, anchor' father and a compassionate and gentle 'mother')shows how even though he is certainly a 'manly man' it isn't shameful at all for him to act in ways that are traditionally feminine.

[transcriptanon]

[Picture is Jean Valjean and Cosette from the movie? "Les Misérables". Valjean is a man with light skin and dark hair, wearing a purple cape and a brown tall hat. (The secret maker added the word "cool" and an arrow pointing at the hat.) He is holding up Cosette, who is clinging to him with her arms wrapped around his neck. She is a young child with light skin and long blonde hair. She looks dirty and sad, with a dark dress and a green cloth draped over her shoulders They are both looking at someone off-screen.]

He is probably one of my FAVORITE male protagonists in any of the books I've read.

-HAS ACTUAL FLAWS.
-Actually shows the full spectrum of human emotion.
-Is capable of kicking ass and taking names, but also can raise a little girl and be mothery and stuff and no one gives a shit.
-Completely turns his life around.
-Gets realistically pissed at people, but can forgive them in the end.

Secret because: It probably makes me sound like a pretentious bitch.

[(Anonymous)]

Pretentious?? Fuck no, he's awesome for all those reasons. <3

[intrigueing]

I adore him too, and it's not pretentious to love him unless your reasons are pretentious and amount to "well, this is SERIOUS LITERATURE unlike those terrible characters in that TV crap that is only watched by ignorant philistines". Your reasons are perfectly sound and non-pretentious.

[iceyred]

You don't sound pretentious. You sound like someone who found a character s/he likes for very good reasons. If anybody gives you grief about this, tell them to go to hell.

[(Anonymous)]

I've cared more about him as a character than any other character I've ever encountered. Suffice to say, I know what you're talkin' 'bout, OP.

[iggy]

What shame is there in this? Is it because 90% of fandom only cares about the Les Amis?

Jean Valjean is a classic character, and he's great. He's definitely one of the better literary heroes out there, if not one of the best.

[(Anonymous)]

Les Amis and Javert, nobody care about Valjean.

[(Anonymous)]

Really? I haven't watched the movie (yet), but as someone who's read the book, I can't help but wonder what the movie is like if people don't care about Valjean.

[rbhudson]

I'm about halfway through the book right now and I really enjoy him. He's constantly evolving.