wildestranger (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wildestranger) wrote2013-10-22 05:20 pm
wildestranger) wrote2013-10-22 05:20 pm
Entry tags:
The State of the Wilde: The Revolutionary Boys Edition
In news: I have finished my Masters (Distinction, yay), lived through a temporary job involving light (but nevertheless too heavy for my crippled body) manual work, and am currently both job-hunting and trying not to succumb to despair. Neither of these is going terribly well, but I persist.
In other, considerably more interesting news, I have succumbed to a new fandom: Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and its associated adaptations, and specifically, Les Amis de ABC, that is, the revolutionary boys. This will not be news to anyone who follows me on twitter, where I can be found bemoaning the lack of good Enjolras/Grantaire fic every night. I have even started reading the book, and continued to read the book even though it is terrible. Seriously, don't read this book. There is one mildly amusing line about Marius having passionate nostrils, and everything else is boring and sentimental and oh so miserable. Except for the revolutionary boys, of course, but they seem to account for about 200 pages out of 2500.
The thing about the revolutionary boys, though, and the reason why my brain keeps coming up with new ways to mush them together, is that Enjolras, who is cold and clever and beautiful and only concerned with justice, is taunted and teased in debate by Grantaire, a cynic and the group drunkard*, who nevertheless loves Enjolras like Patroclus loved Achilles and like Hephaistion loved Alexander (these are comparisons offered by Hugo). There is canonical pining and bickering, and the potential which this offers for fiction is immense, especially considering that in the novel everyone dies horribly, so we really need to fix that.
They make me want to write things, and I don't remember the last time a fandom lit up my brain this much. I want write canon-era fic about how Enjolras knows how Grantaire feels about him, but doesn't do anything about because it would be an indulgence and he doesn't hold with those. Except once, before their final fight, he intimates this to Grantaire, who grows angry and pushes him against a wall (because why not) and says: 'I might have been content to die for you when there was no hope of anything more, but now? Nobody is dying until I've had you on every surface of this room! Let me tell you about the secret tunnels!' And Enjolras is bemused and a bit flustered, and not quote sure whether this is scarier than dying a revolutionary death. Or a modern-day fic, where they're all in their thirties and Enjolras comes back to Paris after working in Brussels for a few years, and meets Grantaire for the first time since university. There are mutual friends and adult socialising, and perhaps some mild banter and Enjolras noticing Grantaire wine-dark mouth a bit too often. But then Grantaire makes an appreciative and slightly explicit comment about Enjolras, who explodes with 'why are you still taunting me? We are not children anymore, surely you should be above mocking me for my chaste ways?' And Grantaire, astonished and quiet, replies that he is not mocking him, and that every expressed wish to enjoy Enjolras has been in earnest. Then Enjolras gapes and everybody else looks awkward, and starts leaving the room while Grantaire steps closer (and possibly pushes Enjolras against a wall, it is possible I have a thing). Or then maybe one where Enjolras is not used to being touched at all, and Grantaire notices this and begins to surreptitiously lay his hands, quite innocently, on various parts of Enjolras. Who doesn't move away, only stills for a moment, and then carries on as if nothing was happening, as if he wasn't getting more and more addicted to it. Enjolras holding himself off from all things physical and pleasurable, because such things ought not be prioritised when there is injustice to combat, but also paying increasing amounts of attention to Grantaire's hands and mouth and movements and everything. And getting grumpy about it. And then Grantaire noticing all this.
In short, there is glorious potential for fic in this fandom, but not a lot of fic, so you should all come write some with me. Please leave prompts, thoughts, and illustrative porn below.
*I was trying to explain this toemeraldgreen with 'and there's Grantaire, he's the group drunkard'. She asked 'there's a group drunkard?', to which I replied 'there's always a group drunkard!', and then realised that it's quite possible I am the group drunkard in any group to which I belong. ANYWAY.
In other, considerably more interesting news, I have succumbed to a new fandom: Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and its associated adaptations, and specifically, Les Amis de ABC, that is, the revolutionary boys. This will not be news to anyone who follows me on twitter, where I can be found bemoaning the lack of good Enjolras/Grantaire fic every night. I have even started reading the book, and continued to read the book even though it is terrible. Seriously, don't read this book. There is one mildly amusing line about Marius having passionate nostrils, and everything else is boring and sentimental and oh so miserable. Except for the revolutionary boys, of course, but they seem to account for about 200 pages out of 2500.
The thing about the revolutionary boys, though, and the reason why my brain keeps coming up with new ways to mush them together, is that Enjolras, who is cold and clever and beautiful and only concerned with justice, is taunted and teased in debate by Grantaire, a cynic and the group drunkard*, who nevertheless loves Enjolras like Patroclus loved Achilles and like Hephaistion loved Alexander (these are comparisons offered by Hugo). There is canonical pining and bickering, and the potential which this offers for fiction is immense, especially considering that in the novel everyone dies horribly, so we really need to fix that.
They make me want to write things, and I don't remember the last time a fandom lit up my brain this much. I want write canon-era fic about how Enjolras knows how Grantaire feels about him, but doesn't do anything about because it would be an indulgence and he doesn't hold with those. Except once, before their final fight, he intimates this to Grantaire, who grows angry and pushes him against a wall (because why not) and says: 'I might have been content to die for you when there was no hope of anything more, but now? Nobody is dying until I've had you on every surface of this room! Let me tell you about the secret tunnels!' And Enjolras is bemused and a bit flustered, and not quote sure whether this is scarier than dying a revolutionary death. Or a modern-day fic, where they're all in their thirties and Enjolras comes back to Paris after working in Brussels for a few years, and meets Grantaire for the first time since university. There are mutual friends and adult socialising, and perhaps some mild banter and Enjolras noticing Grantaire wine-dark mouth a bit too often. But then Grantaire makes an appreciative and slightly explicit comment about Enjolras, who explodes with 'why are you still taunting me? We are not children anymore, surely you should be above mocking me for my chaste ways?' And Grantaire, astonished and quiet, replies that he is not mocking him, and that every expressed wish to enjoy Enjolras has been in earnest. Then Enjolras gapes and everybody else looks awkward, and starts leaving the room while Grantaire steps closer (and possibly pushes Enjolras against a wall, it is possible I have a thing). Or then maybe one where Enjolras is not used to being touched at all, and Grantaire notices this and begins to surreptitiously lay his hands, quite innocently, on various parts of Enjolras. Who doesn't move away, only stills for a moment, and then carries on as if nothing was happening, as if he wasn't getting more and more addicted to it. Enjolras holding himself off from all things physical and pleasurable, because such things ought not be prioritised when there is injustice to combat, but also paying increasing amounts of attention to Grantaire's hands and mouth and movements and everything. And getting grumpy about it. And then Grantaire noticing all this.
In short, there is glorious potential for fic in this fandom, but not a lot of fic, so you should all come write some with me. Please leave prompts, thoughts, and illustrative porn below.
*I was trying to explain this to
emeraldgreen with 'and there's Grantaire, he's the group drunkard'. She asked 'there's a group drunkard?', to which I replied 'there's always a group drunkard!', and then realised that it's quite possible I am the group drunkard in any group to which I belong. ANYWAY.
no subject
Les Mis was my first fandom.
Actually, I got some recs for fics once, I can try to track that down?
A lot needs to be made of the "You don't believe in anything." "I believe in you." exchange.
Is all the after death, game show guest/ heaven fic still around?
no subject
And yes, that. So much potential!
no subject
I tracked down this email! I had to get into my old email address. This is a list given to me by someone who got it from a friend of theirs in 2006.
Well, I'd say start with Orestes Drunk and Pylades Fasting ( http://mostly.frenchboys.net/fanfic/op.html ) and work through the rest in whatever order. The rest of the list is just in the order I'm coming across them as I search.
1. Vigilance ( http://romantic.frenchboys.net/vigilance.shtml ) - Combeferre/Courfeyrac and Enjolras/Courfeyrac, silly and gratuitous and quite hot.
2. Annals ( http://romantic.frenchboys.net/annals.shtml ) - Courfeyrac/pretty much everyone.
3. Beautiful Stranger ( http://romantic.frenchboys.net/vigilance.shtml ) - Grantaire/OC - Because it'd be just like Grantaire to shag a random guy and pretend it was Enjolras.
4. Playing Games ( http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2204514/1/ ) - One of the best Enjolras/Grantaire fics out there, chock full of metaphor and symbolism. E and R talk things over.
5. Anything at all by Soujin, really. She writes cute, fluffy, G-rated Frenchboy slash, and she writes it well. ( http://silly.frenchboys.net/ )
6. Reinvention ( http://mixnmatch.frenchboys.net/enjolrascombeferre.html ) - A startlingly mature Enjolras/Combeferre fic, and not in the unsafe-for-kiddies way either.
7. If Anything ( http://mixnmatch.frenchboys.net/jolypontmercy.html ) - A wry but cute little fic with an unlikely pairing.
8. Study Partners ( http://mixnmatch.frenchboys.net/combeferrejoly.html ) - Combeferre helps Joly study anatomy. Not quite as dirty as it sounds.
9. The Saga of Christian Caron ( http://married.frenchboys.net/ ) - Only read it if you've got a spare afternoon or six. An epic, albeit one with plenty of slash.
10. Lymantria dispar ( http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2739316/1/ ) - A well-written bit of Combeferre/Courfeyrac.
11. A Wasps' Nest ( http://wasps-nest.diaryland.com/intro.html ) - If you like smut, it's a must. If you don't, stay far, far away. Really far away. Really.
12. Scar Tissue ( http://www.femgeeks.net/sandrine/fanfic/scartissue.html ) - Marius/Montparnasse. Dark and potentially disturbing.
13. Songs of the Unrequited ( http://www.livejournal.com/users/bethfrish/42674.html ) - In which Marius is strikingly oblivious.
14. What Dreams May Come ( http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2235354/1/ ) - Slash and humor. Marius has odd dreams.
15. In the Gutter ( http://community.livejournal.com/mizfic/5513.html ) - Some shameless self-promotion. ;) Enjolras and Grantaire are, as usual, dysfunctional.
In general, wretched hives of slash and villainy include:
http://www.lmffi.com/cgi-bin/lmffi.cgi?action=list&slash=1
http://www.frenchboys.net/hosting.shtml
http://community.livejournal.com/mizfic/
no subject
no subject