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Description
Watchers: What?? MORE LES MIS FANART?!
Me: Yeeeeeesss

Wowsers... this took quite a long time to make...
Thank goodness for Beauty And The Beast
I needed a cold, winter-y wood for the background, so I referenced a shot or two from the movie and scribbled the trees in real quick
Those hands... killed... me... I dunno why, but it was VERY difficult proportioning her hand to his; particularly their THUMBS! UGH!!

lol

Anyways, what is going on in this little picture? Well, this is when Cosette meets Jean Valjean for the first time... I referenced a shot from the movie (cuteness overload ) and just went from there.
And... keep in mind, with musicals, there's a certain pace; you really have to keep things moving... with her meeting him, you get the gist of the emotion therein, but... it happens relatively quickly.
In the book (surprise surprise) it delves into EVERYTHING... it's actually one of my favourite chapters

It goes right into poor Cosette being forced to go into the forest to fetch water... at night... BY HERSELF!
She's freezing cold, terrified of the dark, terrified of going "home" to Madame Thénardier (who is always mere seconds away from smacking her senseless), physically exhausted, emotionally scarred, and... Like... this poor, poor kid
Then, while heaving this heavy bucket of water ( it's about a 30 minute walk for her, turned into an hour by this weight add-on), she just hits her lowest point... she starts crying. She can't take it. It hurts for her to simply breathe... She's just... so sad and so scared; everything is crumbling in her life... then suddenly... the unbearable weight from this bucket disappears; instantly, the heavy bucket weighed nothing at all! She realizes someone has taken the handle.... silently, gently, just... started carrying it for her...
GUESS WHO THAT WAS?!
I loved how it pointed out that she wasn't afraid; I mean, you usually have instincts when some random guy just takes hold of something you're carrying; it usually screams to run away as fast as you can!
But Valjean did it in such a way that was both strange and very, very comforting...

Sooo yeah... here's music that I felt REALLY fit the chapter(s) in the book --> [link]
I gotta admit, I got incredibly feels-y working on this; I have no clue why... maybe it's because I pictured a bunch of stuff from the book to this music and it just...

*sighs wistfully*

Anywho, please comment and enjoy!

HENCEFORTH, I shall leave you snip-its of the book that I felt coincided with this music Yeah, I know it's crazy long, but this is what kept the emotion going for me... I just listened to this music and invisioned these moments between them...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
00:00 – 00:11 Hardly had she gone a hundred paces when she paused and began to scratch her head again. Now it was the Thénardier who appeared to her, with her hideous, hyena mouth, and wrath flashing in her eyes. The child cast a melancholy glance before her and behind her. What was she to do? What was to become of her? Where was she to go? In front of her was the spectre of the Thénardier; behind her all the phantoms of the night and of the forest. It was before the Thénardier that she recoiled. She resumed her path to the spring, and began to run. She emerged from the village, she entered the forest at a run, no longer looking at or listening to anything. She only paused in her course when her breath failed her; but she did not halt in her advance. She went straight before her in desperation.
As she ran she felt like crying.
The nocturnal quivering of the forest surrounded her completely.

00:12 – 00:17 Then, by a sort of instinct, she began to count aloud, one, two, three, four, and so on up to ten, in order to escape from that singular state which she did not understand, but which terrified her, and, when she had finished, she began again; this restored her to a true perception of the things about her. Her hands, which she had wet in drawing the water, felt cold; she rose; her terror, a natural and unconquerable terror, had returned: she had but one thought now,--to flee at full speed through the forest, across the fields to the houses, to the windows, to the lighted candles. Her glance fell upon the water which stood before her; such was the fright which the Thénardier inspired in her, that she dared not flee without that bucket of water: she seized the handle with both hands; she could hardly lift the pail.

00:18 – 00:23 In this manner she advanced a dozen paces, but the bucket was full; it was heavy; she was forced to set it on the ground once more. She took breath for an instant, then lifted the handle of the bucket again, and resumed her march, proceeding a little further this time, but again she was obliged to pause. After some seconds of repose she set out again. She walked bent forward, with drooping head, like an old woman; the weight of the bucket strained and stiffened her thin arms. The iron handle completed the benumbing and freezing of her wet and tiny hands; she was forced to halt from time to time, and each time that she did so, the cold water which splashed from the pail fell on her bare legs. This took place in the depths of a forest, at night, in winter, far from all human sight; she was a child of eight: no one but God saw that sad thing at the moment.

00:24 – 00:39 Once in the forest he slackened his pace, and began a careful examination of all the trees, advancing, step by step, as though seeking and following a mysterious road known to himself alone. There came a moment when he appeared to lose himself, and he paused in indecision. At last he arrived, by dint of feeling his way inch by inch, at a clearing where there was a great heap of whitish stones. He stepped up briskly to these stones, and examined them attentively through the mists of night, as though he were passing them in review. A large tree, covered with those excrescences which are the warts of vegetation, stood a few paces distant from the pile of stones. He went up to this tree and passed his hand over the bark of the trunk, as though seeking to recognize and count all the warts.
Opposite this tree, which was an ash, there was a chestnut-tree, suffering from a peeling of the bark, to which a band of zinc had been nailed by way of dressing. He raised himself on tiptoe and touched this band of zinc.
Then he trod about for awhile on the ground comprised in the space between the tree and the heap of stones, like a person who is trying to assure himself that the soil has not recently been disturbed.
That done, he took his bearings, and resumed his march through the forest.

00:40 – 00:52 She panted with a sort of painful rattle; sobs contracted her throat, but she dared not weep, so afraid was she of the Thénardier, even at a distance: it was her custom to imagine the Thénardier always present.
However, she could not make much headway in that manner, and she went on very slowly. In spite of diminishing the length of her stops, and of walking as long as possible between them, she reflected with anguish that it would take her more than an hour to return to Montfermeil in this manner, and that the Thénardier would beat her. This anguish was mingled with her terror at being alone in the woods at night; she was worn out with fatigue, and had not yet emerged from the forest. On arriving near an old chestnut-tree with which she was acquainted, made a last halt, longer than the rest, in order that she might get well rested; then she summoned up all her strength, picked up her bucket again, and courageously resumed her march, but the poor little desperate creature could not refrain from crying, "O my God! my God!"

00:53 – 01:00 As he walked through the thicket in the direction of Montfermeil, he had espied that tiny shadow moving with a groan, depositing a burden on the ground, then taking it up and setting out again. He drew near, and perceived that it was a very young child, laden with an enormous bucket of water. Then he approached the child, and silently grasped the handle of the bucket.

01:01 – 01:17 At that moment she suddenly became conscious that her bucket no longer weighed anything at all: a hand, which seemed to her enormous, had just seized the handle, and lifted it vigorously. She raised her head. A large black form, straight and erect, was walking beside her through the darkness; it was a man who had come up behind her, and whose approach she had not heard. This man, without uttering a word, had seized the handle of the bucket which she was carrying.
There are instincts for all the encounters of life.
The child was not afraid.

01:18 – 01:25 The man walked tolerably fast. Cosette followed him without difficulty. She no longer felt any fatigue. From time to time she raised her eyes towards the man, with a sort of tranquility and an indescribable confidence. She had never been taught to turn to Providence and to pray; nevertheless, she felt within her something which resembled hope and joy, and which mounted towards heaven.

01:26 – 01:37 Cosette returned to what the Thénardier called "her kennel," and her large eyes, which were riveted on the traveler, began to take on an expression such as they had never worn before. Thus far it was only an innocent amazement, but a sort of stupefied confidence was mingled with it.

01:38 – 02:04 The door opened again, the man re-appeared; he carried in both hands the fabulous doll which we have mentioned, and which all the village brats had been staring at ever since the morning, and he set it upright in front of Cosette, saying:--
"Here; this is for you."
…
"Truly, sir?" said Cosette. "Is it true? Is the `lady' mine?"
The stranger's eyes seemed to be full of tears. He appeared to have reached that point of emotion where a man does not speak for fear lest he should weep. He nodded to Cosette, and placed the "lady's" hand in her tiny hand.

02:05 – 02:18 The stranger alone did not frighten her. On the contrary, he reassured her. Ever since the preceding evening, amid all her amazement, even in her sleep, she had been thinking in her little childish mind of that man who seemed to be so poor and so sad, and who was so rich and so kind. Everything had changed for her since she had met that good man in the forest.

02:19 – 02:41 The stranger took up the bundle which he had brought and untied it. This bundle contained a little woolen gown, an apron, a fustian bodice, a kerchief, a petticoat, woolen stockings, shoes--a complete outfit for a girl of seven years. All was black.
"My child," said the man, "take these, and go and dress yourself quickly."
Daylight was appearing when those of the inhabitants of Montfermeil who had begun to open their doors beheld a poorly clad old man leading a little girl dressed in mourning, and carrying a pink doll in her arms, pass along the road to Paris. They were going in the direction of Livry.
It was our man and Cosette.
No one knew the man; as Cosette was no longer in rags, many did not recognize her. Cosette was going away. With whom? She did not know. Whither? She knew not. All that she understood was that she was leaving the Thénardier tavern behind her. No one had thought of bidding her farewell, nor had she thought of taking leave of any one. She was leaving that hated and hating house.
Cosette walked along gravely, with her large eyes wide open, and gazing at the sky. She had put her louis in the pocket of her new apron. From time to time, she bent down and glanced at it; then she looked at the good man. She felt something as though she were beside the good God.

02:42 – 02:54 The stranger said tranquilly, "Come, Cosette."
He took Cosette by his left hand, and with his right he picked up his cudgel, which was lying on the ground.
...
The man plunged into the forest with the child.

02:55 – 0:46 He took her on his back. Cosette, without letting go of Catherine, laid her head on Jean Valjean's shoulder, and there fell asleep.

Description
Watchers: What?? MORE LES MIS FANART?!
Me: Yeeeeeesss

Wowsers... this took quite a long time to make...
Thank goodness for Beauty And The Beast
I needed a cold, winter-y wood for the background, so I referenced a shot or two from the movie and scribbled the trees in real quick
Those hands... killed... me... I dunno why, but it was VERY difficult proportioning her hand to his; particularly their THUMBS! UGH!!

lol

Anyways, what is going on in this little picture? Well, this is when Cosette meets Jean Valjean for the first time... I referenced a shot from the movie (cuteness overload ) and just went from there.
And... keep in mind, with musicals, there's a certain pace; you really have to keep things moving... with her meeting him, you get the gist of the emotion therein, but... it happens relatively quickly.
In the book (surprise surprise) it delves into EVERYTHING... it's actually one of my favourite chapters

It goes right into poor Cosette being forced to go into the forest to fetch water... at night... BY HERSELF!
She's freezing cold, terrified of the dark, terrified of going "home" to Madame Thénardier (who is always mere seconds away from smacking her senseless), physically exhausted, emotionally scarred, and... Like... this poor, poor kid
Then, while heaving this heavy bucket of water ( it's about a 30 minute walk for her, turned into an hour by this weight add-on), she just hits her lowest point... she starts crying. She can't take it. It hurts for her to simply breathe... She's just... so sad and so scared; everything is crumbling in her life... then suddenly... the unbearable weight from this bucket disappears; instantly, the heavy bucket weighed nothing at all! She realizes someone has taken the handle.... silently, gently, just... started carrying it for her...
GUESS WHO THAT WAS?!
I loved how it pointed out that she wasn't afraid; I mean, you usually have instincts when some random guy just takes hold of something you're carrying; it usually screams to run away as fast as you can!
But Valjean did it in such a way that was both strange and very, very comforting...

Sooo yeah... here's music that I felt REALLY fit the chapter(s) in the book --> [link]
I gotta admit, I got incredibly feels-y working on this; I have no clue why... maybe it's because I pictured a bunch of stuff from the book to this music and it just...

*sighs wistfully*

Anywho, please comment and enjoy!

HENCEFORTH, I shall leave you snip-its of the book that I felt coincided with this music Yeah, I know it's crazy long, but this is what kept the emotion going for me... I just listened to this music and invisioned these moments between them...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
00:00 – 00:11 Hardly had she gone a hundred paces when she paused and began to scratch her head again. Now it was the Thénardier who appeared to her, with her hideous, hyena mouth, and wrath flashing in her eyes. The child cast a melancholy glance before her and behind her. What was she to do? What was to become of her? Where was she to go? In front of her was the spectre of the Thénardier; behind her all the phantoms of the night and of the forest. It was before the Thénardier that she recoiled. She resumed her path to the spring, and began to run. She emerged from the village, she entered the forest at a run, no longer looking at or listening to anything. She only paused in her course when her breath failed her; but she did not halt in her advance. She went straight before her in desperation.
As she ran she felt like crying.
The nocturnal quivering of the forest surrounded her completely.

00:12 – 00:17 Then, by a sort of instinct, she began to count aloud, one, two, three, four, and so on up to ten, in order to escape from that singular state which she did not understand, but which terrified her, and, when she had finished, she began again; this restored her to a true perception of the things about her. Her hands, which she had wet in drawing the water, felt cold; she rose; her terror, a natural and unconquerable terror, had returned: she had but one thought now,--to flee at full speed through the forest, across the fields to the houses, to the windows, to the lighted candles. Her glance fell upon the water which stood before her; such was the fright which the Thénardier inspired in her, that she dared not flee without that bucket of water: she seized the handle with both hands; she could hardly lift the pail.

00:18 – 00:23 In this manner she advanced a dozen paces, but the bucket was full; it was heavy; she was forced to set it on the ground once more. She took breath for an instant, then lifted the handle of the bucket again, and resumed her march, proceeding a little further this time, but again she was obliged to pause. After some seconds of repose she set out again. She walked bent forward, with drooping head, like an old woman; the weight of the bucket strained and stiffened her thin arms. The iron handle completed the benumbing and freezing of her wet and tiny hands; she was forced to halt from time to time, and each time that she did so, the cold water which splashed from the pail fell on her bare legs. This took place in the depths of a forest, at night, in winter, far from all human sight; she was a child of eight: no one but God saw that sad thing at the moment.

00:24 – 00:39 Once in the forest he slackened his pace, and began a careful examination of all the trees, advancing, step by step, as though seeking and following a mysterious road known to himself alone. There came a moment when he appeared to lose himself, and he paused in indecision. At last he arrived, by dint of feeling his way inch by inch, at a clearing where there was a great heap of whitish stones. He stepped up briskly to these stones, and examined them attentively through the mists of night, as though he were passing them in review. A large tree, covered with those excrescences which are the warts of vegetation, stood a few paces distant from the pile of stones. He went up to this tree and passed his hand over the bark of the trunk, as though seeking to recognize and count all the warts.
Opposite this tree, which was an ash, there was a chestnut-tree, suffering from a peeling of the bark, to which a band of zinc had been nailed by way of dressing. He raised himself on tiptoe and touched this band of zinc.
Then he trod about for awhile on the ground comprised in the space between the tree and the heap of stones, like a person who is trying to assure himself that the soil has not recently been disturbed.
That done, he took his bearings, and resumed his march through the forest.

00:40 – 00:52 She panted with a sort of painful rattle; sobs contracted her throat, but she dared not weep, so afraid was she of the Thénardier, even at a distance: it was her custom to imagine the Thénardier always present.
However, she could not make much headway in that manner, and she went on very slowly. In spite of diminishing the length of her stops, and of walking as long as possible between them, she reflected with anguish that it would take her more than an hour to return to Montfermeil in this manner, and that the Thénardier would beat her. This anguish was mingled with her terror at being alone in the woods at night; she was worn out with fatigue, and had not yet emerged from the forest. On arriving near an old chestnut-tree with which she was acquainted, made a last halt, longer than the rest, in order that she might get well rested; then she summoned up all her strength, picked up her bucket again, and courageously resumed her march, but the poor little desperate creature could not refrain from crying, "O my God! my God!"

00:53 – 01:00 As he walked through the thicket in the direction of Montfermeil, he had espied that tiny shadow moving with a groan, depositing a burden on the ground, then taking it up and setting out again. He drew near, and perceived that it was a very young child, laden with an enormous bucket of water. Then he approached the child, and silently grasped the handle of the bucket.

01:01 – 01:17 At that moment she suddenly became conscious that her bucket no longer weighed anything at all: a hand, which seemed to her enormous, had just seized the handle, and lifted it vigorously. She raised her head. A large black form, straight and erect, was walking beside her through the darkness; it was a man who had come up behind her, and whose approach she had not heard. This man, without uttering a word, had seized the handle of the bucket which she was carrying.
There are instincts for all the encounters of life.
The child was not afraid.

01:18 – 01:25 The man walked tolerably fast. Cosette followed him without difficulty. She no longer felt any fatigue. From time to time she raised her eyes towards the man, with a sort of tranquility and an indescribable confidence. She had never been taught to turn to Providence and to pray; nevertheless, she felt within her something which resembled hope and joy, and which mounted towards heaven.

01:26 – 01:37 Cosette returned to what the Thénardier called "her kennel," and her large eyes, which were riveted on the traveler, began to take on an expression such as they had never worn before. Thus far it was only an innocent amazement, but a sort of stupefied confidence was mingled with it.

01:38 – 02:04 The door opened again, the man re-appeared; he carried in both hands the fabulous doll which we have mentioned, and which all the village brats had been staring at ever since the morning, and he set it upright in front of Cosette, saying:--
"Here; this is for you."
…
"Truly, sir?" said Cosette. "Is it true? Is the `lady' mine?"
The stranger's eyes seemed to be full of tears. He appeared to have reached that point of emotion where a man does not speak for fear lest he should weep. He nodded to Cosette, and placed the "lady's" hand in her tiny hand.

02:05 – 02:18 The stranger alone did not frighten her. On the contrary, he reassured her. Ever since the preceding evening, amid all her amazement, even in her sleep, she had been thinking in her little childish mind of that man who seemed to be so poor and so sad, and who was so rich and so kind. Everything had changed for her since she had met that good man in the forest.

02:19 – 02:41 The stranger took up the bundle which he had brought and untied it. This bundle contained a little woolen gown, an apron, a fustian bodice, a kerchief, a petticoat, woolen stockings, shoes--a complete outfit for a girl of seven years. All was black.
"My child," said the man, "take these, and go and dress yourself quickly."
Daylight was appearing when those of the inhabitants of Montfermeil who had begun to open their doors beheld a poorly clad old man leading a little girl dressed in mourning, and carrying a pink doll in her arms, pass along the road to Paris. They were going in the direction of Livry.
It was our man and Cosette.
No one knew the man; as Cosette was no longer in rags, many did not recognize her. Cosette was going away. With whom? She did not know. Whither? She knew not. All that she understood was that she was leaving the Thénardier tavern behind her. No one had thought of bidding her farewell, nor had she thought of taking leave of any one. She was leaving that hated and hating house.
Cosette walked along gravely, with her large eyes wide open, and gazing at the sky. She had put her louis in the pocket of her new apron. From time to time, she bent down and glanced at it; then she looked at the good man. She felt something as though she were beside the good God.

02:42 – 02:54 The stranger said tranquilly, "Come, Cosette."
He took Cosette by his left hand, and with his right he picked up his cudgel, which was lying on the ground.
...
The man plunged into the forest with the child.

02:55 – 0:46 He took her on his back. Cosette, without letting go of Catherine, laid her head on Jean Valjean's shoulder, and there fell asleep.