““Why, You Love Him! Your Fear, Your Terror, All Of That Is Just Love And Love Of The Most Exquisite

Currently imagining Erik's limp hand as Christine gives the ring back to his corpse

my version of book Erik

without the mask

He's a depressed mess here 😊

At first I wanted him to look as close to the book as possible, but then I just couldn't resist giving him this haircut and changing a few other things because why not.

I plan on drawing other characters and more of Erik too, so hopefully I'll have enough time lol.

“‘and now I want to live like everybody else. I want to have a wife like everybody else and to take her out on Sundays. I have invented a mask that makes me look like anybody. People will not even turn round in the streets. You will be the happiest of women. And we will sing, all by ourselves, till we swoon away with delight. You are crying! You are afraid of me! And yet I am not really wicked. Love me and you shall see! All I wanted was to be loved for myself. If you loved me I should be as gentle as a lamb; and you could do anything with me that you pleased.’”

- The Phantom, The Phantom of the Opera, 1909

@cuddlesforerik Thank you for tagging me!

Yay, this one is about BOOKS. Let’s see…

1. Currently finishing up The Count of Monte Cristo. (Took nine hundred pages for the story to actually start, but dear goodness, it’s so good.)

2. Next will be The Gentle Spirit by Fyodor Dostoevsky (my favorite author to ever exist). This is one of the few stories of his I haven’t read yet, so I’m very excited and have been preparing my soul to be crushed once more.

3. Les Misérables is a must. Finished Notre-Dame de Paris a while back, and I’m in love with his writing style. Truly a master at his art.

4. Bleak House by Dickens. Because nothing that man writes is bad.

5. The Turn of the Screw. A recommendation from my sister, so we’ll see.

6. And finally, Fear and Trembling by Kierkegaard. I started it a while ago, but I was too busy to give it the attention it deserves (30 pages in and could already tell it was a masterpiece), so I’m going to start from the beginning now that I have more time to absorb it properly.

No pressure tags: @angel-with-paper-wings @buccaneeering @holyspiritgirl

Tagged by @rainintheevening to list 6 books I wanna read this year!! It's my New Year resolution to read more this year so this is great!!

One Piece (currently I have Vol. 1-3 but I plan to get at least up to 12!)

Re-read Wings of Fire 1-6, then read books 7 and 8 for the first time!

Mary Poppins!! One of my closest friends gifted me the most lovely copy and I really wanna read that!

Re-read the Phantom of the Opera!!

The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban! It's been on my bed waiting for MONTHS lol

Re-read Artemis Fowl 1-3, then read book 4 for the first time!!

No pressure tags: @the-old-fashioned-girl @overthinking-with-katy @enigma-absolute @nerdywriter36 @brendadaaedestler

This is literal perfection.

My take on ALW Phantom meets Leroux Phantom.

Not just obsession, not just lust, people. That man was in LOVE. “…and love of the most exquisite kind.” What else could have prompted him to give up his one hope for life? It was an act of selflessness, aka divine love. Just read “The End of the Phantom’s Love Story,” I beg you; just look at that forehead kiss.

(Don’t even get me started about the plain gold ring.)

The Phantom of the Opera IS a love story btw. It's inherently a story about love. A lot of people still find it hard to accept it, probably because they're busy with their "I'm smarter than this beloved classic" Edgy Hot Take, this is why it's always important to remind.

It's a story about a man that, because he was abused and denied of love his entire life, he was forced to live with everything he knew about: survival.

It's a story about a man that craved so much for love, that he thought he could buy, or force it, throught talent and lies.

It's a story about compassion, redemption, and most importantly, love. Because Erik loved Christine. The ending is impactful because he loved her. His love for her didn't make him immune to be obsessive nor to hurt her. And if you don't believe Erik loved Christine, you're the one that misunderstood the relationships between these characters and why the story is the way it is in the first place.

@cuddlesforerik I am honored.

Favorite color: Honestly, black. It’s so beautiful to me. Very classy/elegant. But if that doesn’t really count, I also like a dark red, almost burgundy.

Currently reading: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (1846); The Collected Works of William Wordsworth (1793-1850); Fear and Trembling by Søren Kierkegaard (1843); AND I am about to start Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux (1909), for the first time in the original French (so incredibly excited).

Last song: “Talking About Hope” by Snow Patrol

Last film: 2005 Pride and Prejudice (in theaters, I might add. Gorgeous.)

Last series: “The Walking Dead” (original)

Sweet/salty/savory: Sour. (Guess that falls under sweet most of the time?)

Tea or Coffee: COFFEE. Black. Though, I can be persuaded to drink a flat white now and then. But only when in Europe. Which leads nicely to my last point…

Working on:

Currently: Getting home from a trip to England (lovely, lovely country, home to many of my favorite authors).

In general: Writing a novel, learning French, and preparing for grad school (daunting but full of promise and reward).

No-pressure tags: @fdelopera @forever-and-whats-left @dailykafka @mournfulroses @waistcoatntails @coatntails

Nine people I wish I knew better

Thank you for the tags @meilas and @dj-triumph!

Favourite colour: Green, especially dark forest greens

Currently reading: The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor and an ongoing read of Les Miserables by Victory Hugo. Almost finished both!

Last song: There Are Other Ways from the Circe Saga of Epic: The Musical by Jorge Rivera-Herrans

Last film: The first half of Chicken Little before bailing on it

Last series: Andor

Sweet/salty/savoury: Always a toss-up between sweet and salty for me

Tea or coffee: Coffee, but always decaf!

Working on: Goodness, a few things, and I am excited about all of them!

A new oneshot about @rose-margaritas’ bartender!AU, based on this piece specifically

My next multi-chapter fic, which is another collab with @brendadaaedestler that we started for NaNoWriMo 2024

The third and final part of Heaven Is Not Fit to House a Love Like You and I

A multi-chapter fic expanding on The Blackened Rose, my 1920s Phantom AU oneshot

Tagging: @brendadaaedestler @ablatheringblatherskite @rose-margaritas @erik-carriere @xcspy @les-gnossiennes-fantomatiques @achillmango @angel-with-paper-wings @blackghostm2o (apologies for any double tags/tagging people who’ve done this already! 💕)

me coming in from the rain before I read Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera: bit wet out there

me coming in from the rain after I read Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera: YOU'RE LOOKING AT ME BECAUSE I AM ALL WET?... Oh, my dear, it's raining cats and dogs outside!

Can we talk about ‘The Siren of The Opera’?

Plus, a doodle sketch of Erik and Daroga when they’re both in Persia…i think🥺because i luv my ghostly magician Erik

Does ANYONE have video of Erik first coming out to the Overture for the Olympics??? Because I keep hearing about it, and of COURSE I wasn’t watching that day, and I. need. to. know. if. it’s. true.