#definitely Leroux universe

[chelleinyy]

!SPOILERS!

Who do you think was the best antagonist in Criminal Case?

I wanna hear your opinions on this one. For me, I think it was Justin Lawson.

He's really well written, and so is his descent into tyranny. From wanting to avenge his fiance to becoming the tyrannical leader we saw in the end. He also stuck around with the Flying Squad as an ally for a long period of time before being revealed as the final villain in MOTP, which I really liked. But what really makes me admire this character, was the fact that in the end, he believes that he was doing what was right. He had very good motives and intentions in the beginning, which went south towards the end, and his idea of justice turned fanatical.

All in all, I like his character arc sm.

Rozetta Pierre was also really a good villain.

Personally, I thought she was an antihero when I saw the plot twist with Denise Daniels. We went from chasing her and the Ad Astrans to siding with them in the battle with Denise. She also has a really good character arc, and is so well written. It's also nice that we saw a softer and rather vulnerable side of Rozetta later on.

One of her main motivations was to please her mother, Denise, who just sadly used her. Rozetta literally created DreamLife for her mother, and that probably cost her a lot, including lives. It's also quite fascinating that despite all the catastrophe she caused, she had a part where she was truly compassionate. For example, she truly cared about Ad Astra. When Leroux and Bateman were gone, she was somewhat of a mess when the mc and Jones found her. To sum this all up, Rozetta isn't all evil, but isn't all good either. Something close to neutral I think.

Both Rozetta and Lawson had good motivations behind their actions, yet the things that they caused however, were never the definition of good. I also noticed that we can see the slow transitions of their characters. For Lawson, it was good to evil, and for Rozetta, it was evil, to siding with us.

In conclusion, in my opinion, I find these two to be the best written antagonists in the Criminal Case universe.

If you think otherwise, that's absolutely fine! Feel free to share who do you think was the best villain ^^

#wew that was a long post #im at school rn as im writing this #feel free to disagree #and share your opinions #criminal case #criminal case mysteries of the past #criminal case the conspiracy #rozetta pierre #justin lawson

[ancientphantom]

The summer is half gone but FULL of Phantom goodness nevertheless. Behold!

Alternatives by Manna Huizar is a sequel to the original story set in a slightly alternative universe (according to the author, but they don’t say what’s different so I guess we’ll all have to read to find out!). After the events of the main story, Erik flees France and has new adventures elsewhere with a new love interest.

The Forgotten Phantom by Kathryn Ann Kingsley is the Phantom’s entry in the Creature Feature series, a selection of romance novels based on romancing classic movie monsters! In it, Christine is an intrepid explorer, more like a ghost-hunter than her original role, and has been sent by her organization to investigate a hundred-year-old haunting in the basement of a crumbling opera house. There seems to be some suggestion that this is an actual ghost Phantom, and that he may be mistaking the Christine of this novel with another one he knew a very long time ago.

Gaston Leroux: The Man Behind the Mask by Lynn Santer & Rich Hosek is an unusual one - a fictionalized retelling/biography of Leroux’s life and career! It looks like it’ll come from the perspective of Leroux having actually met the Persian and received the Phantom’s story from him firsthand.

Ghost Opera by Birdy Rivers is part of a fantasy series about a young woman descended from gods and monsters who has been allowed to visit the human world for the first time, where she’s meant to remove the ghost haunting a local music academy. Of course, she has to go undercover, and of course, the school is putting on a very familiar musical by someone with very familiar initials, and of course she realizes that there’s something about her costar...

Ghostlight by Caitlin Du Bois is about a teenager named Claire, who achieves her dreams when she gets a part in the summer community musical and gains a musical mentor in a dashing adult, only to realize that things are not what she thought as his control over her begins to close in.

Medic in the Stars by Ellen Russell is the second book in a science fiction series, and revolves around a woman who has been kidnapped by members of an alien race. She finds herself in the care of the ship’s medic, a physically deformed man who feels it is impossible for him to ever find love, and romance begins to bloom. (This is our borderline entry this month, but I’m always living in hope of science fiction Phantoms...)

Mistress of Music by Evelyn Richardson is a period romance about a young opera singer desperate to make it who accidentally falls in love with the dashing young lord acting as the place’s patron instead.

Nocturne by Alyssa Wees is set in the early 1900s between World Wars and tells the story of an orphan, Grace, who hopes to be a ballerina during the depression and makes it thanks to the help of an enigmatic patron who supports her career but does it in a very mysterious manner.

Phantom Reflection by Kim Malinowski is definitely about the Phantom story, but that’s about all I can tell you. The blurb claims that it is a novel in verse and a retelling of the original story, and it’s only 82 pages in the ebook edition, so it’s probably not too long.

Pitch & Pace by Julia Blake follows opera singer Kit, recovering from a throat infection that may have ended her career, reconnecting with her childhood best friend but also suddenly thrust into a mystery revolving around several local murders and the sexy veterinarian in town.

Three Muses by Martha Anne Toll is set after the second World War and stars John, an opera singer who was forced to sing in concentration camps and struggles to perform now that he is free, and Katya, a ballerina trapped in a relationship with an abusive mentor. John one day receives an anonymous ticket to see Katya, and things begin to spiral from there.

Bonus round: we got us a fancy set of rereleases! Back in the day, C. David Stephens released a series of Phantom-based books under the names Angel of Music: The Enchanted Violin, Angel of Music: Erik, and Angel of Music: Raoul. Now we’ve got four new titles and spiffy updated descriptions to boot:

Santa Monica is set in the modern day and tells the story of an 11-year-old Christine, a homeless street performer who strives with her father to perform for enough money for food; when she meets the young Raoul, he helps them get off the street by hiring her father to give him violin lessons.

Saint-Tropez is the next book and begins with the now-teenage sweetheart separated and about to be reunited by Raoul inviting Christine to spend two weeks at his French chateau. Christine is excited to spend time with Raoul, but also meets a dangerous but interestingly mysterious boy named Erik at one of his parties.

Santa Fe follows with the death of Christine’s father and a summer with Christine and Raoul trying to recover from trauma on a ranch, only to have a mysterious intruder interrupt them. Meanwhile, Christine has started working backstage at the local opera house, which would be great except for whomever is harassing the singers and demanding she perform.

Sangre de Cristo rounds us up with Christine as a new ingenue superstar singing sold-out performances and attending a musical conservatory, and of course getting engaged to Raoul somewhere along the way. The main concern is that this ghost who keeps haunting her has crashed every OTHER event, so the wedding probably isn’t safe...

The series above, rebranded The Angel of Music with all-Spanish titles to tie it to its southwestern United States settings, appears to be the same series, at least nominally; I compared the opening text of Santa Monica against the opening text of The Enchanted Violin and they seem to be identical, although of course I can’t say for sure whether Stephens has done further editing and/or written more content for this release.

And that’s July, y’all!

#phantom of the opera #new phantom releases #c david stephens #kathryn ann kingsley #manna huizar #kim malinowski #lynn santer #rich hosek #birdy rivers #caitlin du bois #ellen russell #evelyn richardson #alyssa wees #julia blake #martha anne toll

[regina-hoang01]

My personal contemplative question about The Phantom of the Opera

It's not just a love story, it's a study of psychology. Leroux makes us search the depths of his soul for his works. Who is actually wearing the mask? Is there a single universal definition of evil or is it based on our own perspective? And as we seek these answers, we begin to question ourselves. What will we do for love? How do we define evil? Are we hiding behind a mask so we can't see our real character?

[shanghaifree]

Phantom of the opera movie lon chaney

Screenplay by Gerard Brach and Dario Argento

Dark, violent version lacks imagination.Įlaborate TV movie version of the Phantom story. Decent make-up, at least, but Englund’s performance as the Phantom underwhelms. Inferior movie tries to take advantage of Robert Englund’s NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET popularity, but Englund’s presence simply is not enough to lift this one up. Like everything else about the 70s, it’s far out, man. Chaney’s interpretation keeps getting better and better.ġ970s rock opera version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. The first half of this film is among Hammer’s best, but uneven use of flashback and the emergence of a sympathetic Phantom weigh down the second half. Not bad, and Herbert Lom makes for a sinister Phantom, at least during the first half of the movie, before he follows in Claude Rains’ footsteps and turns on the sympathy. Hammer’s foray into the Phantom universe. Memorable Phantom mask, but make-up by Jack Pierce is surprisingly ordinary. Claude Rains makes for a decent Phantom, but his sympathetic interpretation of the character is less effective and far less chilling than Chaney’s. Thoroughly entertaining movie, although I think Universal got confused when they made this remake and thought they were making a straight musical. Screenplay by Eric Taylor and Samuel Hoffenstein If you’ve never seen this silent classic, you’re missing one of the finest horror movies ever made. Chaney is the definitive Phantom, even after nearly 100 years. Certainly the most faithful, and the one which most fully captures the spirit of Gaston Leroux’s novel. Seriously, none of the remakes come close to matching it.īy far, the preeminent version of the Phantom tale. It’s the most compelling and exciting of all the Phantom films. I love this movie, from its incredible sets to its amazing Phantom make-up created by Chaney himself, to the way it tells its story. It still amazes me that the best version of this terror tale remains the original silent version starring Lon Chaney Sr. Today we look at the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA movies. Welcome back to THE HORROR JAR, that column where we compile lists of odds and ends about horror movies. THE HORROR JAR: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA movies

remains the definitive Phantom of the Opera, even after nearly 100 years.

#Phantom of the opera movie lon chaney

[tallestsilver]

001: "You're really soft." E/C

This was the second time Christine had come down deep into the cellars of the Opera House. She couldn’t quite remember the first time. No, that time was surreal, remembering it was remembering a long ago dream that one visits many times; each slightly different from the last, but with a lingering familiarity that one can’t quite place.

This was more steadfast and concrete. No hypnotism led to her arrival here, no half-truths. She was perched on the sofa in the sitting room, the air sparking with tension like an oncoming storm.

But why?

She couldn’t quite place it. Maybe since her imagined Angel of Music was a flesh and blood man everything had changed. Maybe because their current circumstances were just so… bizarre, she didn’t know what to expect.

Her fingers picked at the seam of the couch cushion, feeling the bumpy hem against the embroidered upholstery. Would Erik be in a foul mood, or had his disposition lightened since their last… debilitating encounter? She could not handle him screaming again; it was an awful sight, his ghastly visage wailing in a torment she couldn’t fathom; both agony and anger, directed at her.

Christine gave a small gasp as she realized her fingers were manipulating a downy cotton in the stead of the courser upholstery. She looked down at the small hole she had picked unthinkingly. She fluffed her petticoats to cover the imperfection and smoothed her skirts down just as Erik returned to the sitting room, tea tray in hand.She swallowed her nerves and offered him a small smile that did not reflect how she was truly feeling. She felt a stab of envy that he could hide so easily with his mask. He mercifully wore his white face-mask which was far less intimidating to her than his entirely black one. His eyes seemed more expressive. Perhaps the sockets of the mask where wider?

He set the tray down on the table in front of Christine, adjusting it ever so slightly. He sat on the opposite end in an armchair that did not quite match the rest of the furniture. Christine glanced around, trying to avoid Erik’s gaze, as he poured her tea silently.

As she looked at anything but him, she noticed something so quaintly peculiar: none of his furniture properly matched. Oh, certainly there was similar styling, but they were rather old fashioned and the mismatch seemed endearing.

That was the peculiarity above all else that unsettled her: Erik’s normalcy.

“Is something the matter?”

“No!” Christine was caught quite off guard as Erik broke the silence. She had visions of monsters in dank, cold cavernous tombs or amongst the catacombs with skeletons as housemates and decor. Terrifying spectral and toothsome creatures that craved blood and flesh living on steep mountaintops or deep down to drag victims to the depths. Erik had fit some macabre expectations of her wildest stories, and yet, diminished all of the fancifulness. She shook her head gently to shake those notions from her mind. “I was just thinking… how cozy your home is.”

Erik’s mask provided no change of emotion, even if he had one. His posture maintained its rigidity. His long fingers slipped into the teapot’s handle carefully -‘it even has a lace cozy’ and poured the liquid into Christine’s waiting cup. When he didn’t respond, she felt the need to elaborate in case he took her words as an insult.

“I mean to say, that is, I would not have assumed lace and florals to be your in your taste, nor pastels,” she stumbled trying to find the words without giving insult to what was surely an injury she had provided. Blush creeped along her face as she realized her honesty was fairly insulting, or could be taken as such. She did not know what sort of temperament Erik held, if he would even consider such remarks to be course and inappropriate. Or even worse, what his reaction would be.

Erik continued his measured silence as he poured himself a cup of the steaming tea.

“Everything here was once my Mother’s,” he said, matter-of-factly, “I suppose I never thought of redecorating. It just seemed more convenient this way.”

Christine released her breath in slight relief. “It does seem a little old fashioned,” she commented lightly, but stricken how brazen her words were. She raised her cup with its saucer to occupy her mouth so she wouldn’t embarrass herself further.Erik did not move to drink his tea. He sat, straight-backed, hands on his knees, staring at Christine. “Indeed.”

Christine sank deeper against the sofa, clutching the saucer and cup with her hands. Guilt stabbed at her. Why did she have these intrusive thoughts about Erik? He was just a normal man, after all. No, nothing about Erik was normal. They were five stories underneath an opera house for God’s sake. She sipped her tea, only to find it still too hot. She held it to her lips, blowing profusely on the steam that drifted towards her. The coolness of his gaze was piercing, and she felt terribly childish. His penetrating eyes were unyielding in their judgement and she hastily placed her cup back on her saucer the on the table with a small clink. She cleared her throat and looked to the fireplace, flickering with warmth.“And what would you think my fashioned style would be?”

The Voice returned and Christine’s shoulders eased down into a more relaxed state. Erik’s Voice curled around her and the dancing fire provided a soothing distraction.

“It is difficult to say,” Christine said softly, her voice leaving her body without her realizing it. She was captivated by the emergence of the Voice as well as the fire. She could see shapes emerging from the flames; shapes that merged into forms as they licked against the wood and brick of the fireplace.

Erik brought his teacup to his mask, carefully tilting it up to take a sip of the darkly steeped liquid. Despite his mouth being occupied, his voice still murmured in her ear. “You have more of a vibrant imagination than that. Tell me, Christine, how did you originally imagine my home?”

The fire’s glow along with Erik’s soothing voice entranced Christine, the light reflecting in her blue eyes. As the fire flickered, the shapes turned into a lord and lady, bowing before each other and dancing around the charring wood. Wisps of smoke flowed off of them as they began their promenade. They swirled in the warm haze, casting their spell over Christine.

“Heaven,” Christine said, barely above a whisper, “white marble and gilded edges, with puffy white clouds all around,” she sank deeper into the folds of the sofa, warm contentment spreading over her body. Something in her voice felt like something was left unsaid.“And then-?” Erik leaned closer to her, his hands grasping his knees, his body rigid and demanding. She didn’t notice, her gaze never faltering from the fire. A particularly large flame licked towards her. She saw Jörmungandr, the serpent of Midgard, break free from its tail and swallowed the dancing couple. “Hel, A tomb,” she mumbled, “or a cave perhaps.” The fire hummed and crackled as it began devouring itself. “Lots of black, and bats…. And spiders and skulls-” she gasped and clamped her hands over her mouth as she realized what she said. Christine looked to Erik fearfully, afraid of how he would react with his Death’s head. His grip on his knees released and he sat quietly in his seat. “E-erik, I didn’t mean that, you know I didn’t, it just slipped out, I don’t know what had come over me-” Christine stammered, trying to rectify the situation.

To her shock, Erik simply began to laugh.

His laugh began slow and quiet, sending chills down her spine, until it escalated to where he was almost yelling. Christine nervously laughed along, casting a sideways glance over to the front door of his house. A long, gloved finger slipped behind his mask and wiped a tear from his eye.

“You are far more astute than most people give you credit for, my dear,” Erik replied coolly, unfurling to his full height. Christine clutched at the couch and tried to swallow her fear when he approached her.

Erik uncurled his gloved hand to her, and she wearily took it, as he helped her to her feet. Her legs did not seem to want to work, preferring to stay stationary, as Erik lead her to an area she dared not spy: his room.“Erik, please, I’m sorry, I did not mean anything by it-” her voice quavered as he stood behind her, hands on her shoulders as he propelled her forward.“Tut, tut my dear!” He exclaimed, “Erik knows how curious you women are!” They stood at the threshold of his room and he loomed from behind her, his hand grasping hers to make her open the door. “We wouldn’t want to have another experience like last time, do we?” A touch of sinister malice dripped from his voice. Christine stood helplessly, feeling like a doll as he controlled her arm. She whimpered in response.

“No!” He answered for her, “Erik will not have that! His Christine wept such horrid tears, that Erik will show her instead!” He pressed his hand against hers on the handle, the leather feeling no longer smooth, but unyieldingly false. Her hung limply and she shook her head.“No, no, please Erik, I don’t want this I-”

He sneered at her pleas and flung the door open with a triumphant flourish. She shut her eyes and bumped against his bony chest. “I’m sorry Erik, I didn’t mean to-”

“So much of the world ‘never meant to-’” he sneered. He gripped her harshly, unable to relish the fact she was trying to seek comfort against him in a minimal way. He spun her back around to face her fate and shoved her forward.

Christine gasped, clutching her arms around her chest, terrified of what Erik might do now that they were in his room. She could never assume his underlying intentions. He strode in past her, the entirety of his bedroom shrouded in shadows, as he moved toward a wall to illuminate the gas lamp.

Harsh, choking sobs spilled out from Christine as she tried to hold them back, when she felt the glow of the lamp. She opened her eyes to find continued blackness. Her eyes had to adjust that, no, the lights were on, just everything was black or a deep crimson. Curtains draped around the entirety of the room. The canopy made it feel very intimate enclosed, but entirely luxurious. Bedside tables were intricately carved in a black wood that Christine could not place, but she did see images of woven spiders and bones. She swallowed her fear as she took tentative steps inward, in awe at the splendor of Erik’s room. A large armoire, no doubt holding his variety of suits, had a death’s head with angel rings jutting out tastefully. Her heart skipped a beat as the detailings of the macabre were at every turn. Erik stood in the doorframe, his shadow spilling into the room, as he watched her reaction. She ventured forth, inspecting all the intricacies that either took an extraordinarily large amount of work or payment for such creations.

An organ was situated against a wall, with depictions of Hell and demons at its base. Christine even spied a three-headed dog with victims of the Underworld in its biting jaws while swirls of fire licked at skeletons.

Her breaths came out in harsh pants. Christine did have a fascination with the macabre, and she was torn between horror and admiration. One thing she was curious about, where was Erik’s bed?She moved towards the middle of the room, where it should have been, to find something hidden with blankets and cloth. She took one corner of the dark satin - some of the finest she had ever felt- and stripped it away from what it was hiding. It slithered away onto the floor as she gasped in shock.

A coffin, cold and foreboding, lay before her, raised on a platform to present itself as a horrific imitation of a bed. Its wood was matte black, the lid raised to reveal its satin cushion interior, which all things considered looked rather full and soft. It was creased and worn, showing signs of use, only able to fit one body.

Christine’s eyes rolled instantly to the back of her head as blackness consumed her vision. She crumpled down as her legs gave way, and Erik instantly caught her as she fainted.

Erik’s temper had instantly cooled as he held the lifeless Christine in his arms.“Foolish child,” he murmured, his heart aching as he considered he had done this to her. Her pale skin was now stark white, her lips even losing their rosy hue. He scooped her up in his arms, carrying her over to her own private room.“This is why you must never pry into Erik’s horrid life,” he murmured softly to her as he brushed against the button to open her door and slid inside. “It is too gruesome for you. You deserve sweetness, kindness and-” he maneuvered her in his arms as he pulled back the downy covers of her pastel bedding, “everything I cannot give you…” He delicately placed her down on her bed, removing her shoes very carefully so not to disturb her. He covered her unconscious body with blankets and leaned in to kiss her head softly. Before his lips could make their mark, he stopped himself. “I will try, Christine,” he vowed to her sleeping form, “I will move heaven and earth to try and be the man you deserve. You are so gentle, so kind, it makes me want to be a better man, to be a proper suitor for one such as yourself.” He straightened up, knowing he could not kiss her, not like this, but instead brushed a delicate golden curl away from her face. Even through his gloved hands, he sighed.“You are really soft.”

#a belated prompt #but a prompt nonetheless #prompt #You're really soft #writing #E/C #Phantom of the Opera #It's not actually romantic #oops #oh well #Anon #phanfiction #Phantom of the Opera fanfiction #I try to keep them in character #and just fill in the pieces from the novel #Gaston Leroux #definitely Leroux universe #fanfiction #Christine Daae #Erik #my writing

[britishchick09]

omg i just thought of a great poto movie intro! :D

it would start off with the auction scene from the musical, but it takes place in 1908 instead of 1919 or 1905 or whenever it takes place in the musical. when the chandelier is shown, a mustached man rises his eyebrows in interest, writing something down in his notepad for a story he’s thinking of writing.

when the chandelier is up for bidding the auctioneer says, “lot 666, then- a chandelier in pieces. some of you may recall the strange affair of the phantom of the opera: a mystery never fully explained.”

“the mystery concerns a man underneath the opera house named eric, correct?” a voice asks

everyone stares at the reporter, who doesn’t get why everyone is so shocked

they then sing ‘we don’t talk about phantom’-

...jk they just stare at him and it’s awkward af.

“he lived in the underground lake, where firefighters now practice,” the reporter says, adjusting his glasses as he gives more information (not from his notepad but the extensive knowledge inside his mind). “the chandelier fell near the end of ‘helle’ act one, correct? shortly after this fine opera house opened, a fire-“

“oui, but this was an accident from many years later.” the auctioneer says.

the reporter raises his eyebrows. a new story! he scribbles down everything the auctioneer tells him.

“the phantom cut the chandelier’s cord during a performance of ‘faust’, i believe. the tragic tale that no one speaks of! ...until now.”

whispers float through the room.

a fifty-something year old raoul (NOT 70 ALW COUGH COUGH) whispers to the reporter, “h- how do you know about... erik, sir?”

“i’ve heard many tales during my time reporting here,” the reporter says excitedly. “how do you know him?”

raoul sighs deeply, his face full of remorse. “in a way i wish i didn’t.”

before the reporter can ask anything more, the auctioneer says, ‘we are told, ladies and gentlemen, that this is the very chandelier which figures in the famous disaster.”

the reporter looks over at raoul. the older man’s face flashes a look of pain. clearly he has a tragic story to tell. but what?

“our workshops have restored it and fitted up parts of it with wiring for the new electric light, so that we may get a hint of what it may look like when reassembled,” the auctioneer is saying. “perhaps we may frighten away the ghost of so many years ago with a little illumination, gentlemen?”

just as the chandelier is lit, the reporter has an overwhelming urge to seek the mysterious ghost. he rushes off just as something astounding begins to happen!

like in the 2004 movie, everything starts reverting to the past! (which is cool af by the way even though the whole overture isn’t an epic transformation) interspersed are scenes of the reporter. he searches through a book of newspapers in the opera house library, gasping as he mouths three little words... he takes a worn clipping out of his bag and compares it. it’s the same one! the reporter takes a breath and runs off! those three words confirm everything

when the overture gets to the ‘and in this labyrinth, where night is blind...’ part, we see him slowly making his way down stone steps, then a passageway. he’s totally unaware of the change around him. near the end of the song, the reporter sees something and gasps as dust surrounds him. before we know what it is, the overture ends and cuts to a shot of the palais garnier in 1881

the movie continues the legendary story in real time, but it fades into a timeskip at the end of the movie. the gasping reporter is shown. he crouches down, his hands trembling as he uncovers a ring he only heard about in legends

one thing is clear...

gaston leroux has found the phantom of the opera.

#this wouldn't be the opening scene of the rewrite since the story ends much differently than the other versions #there isn't a skeleton underneath the opera house for one thing #and it begins on a cute raoulstine moment from their childhood! :D #but this would be an epic opening scene for a different version #i was thinking of making a lalaloopsy version (after my 400th frankenstein and christmas carol remakes) #idk how i'd do it but this could definitely be the opening scene! :D #i'd probably use the movie alongside sped up reverse footage of things like flowers coming to life and the sun/moon rising #it would be awesome! :D #and it ties into the original book! #the book ends with leroux finding erik's skeleton and he began writing it in 1908 #leroux deserves so much recognition and barely gets any for his amazing story! #having him be in an adaptation would be very rewarding! #and getting the leroux family's permission/royalties or whatever COUGH COUGH ALW #you know i think i'll put a couple leroux references into the rewrite! :D #mostly the rumors he heard since he wasn't a reporter in 1881 #he was 13 then but maybe the kid himself can be incorporated too ;) #as a kid exploring the opera house mayhaps? ;) #but then he'd write the poto book in the future and that's the canon version not the rewrite #i guess it would be him in another universe then! :) #leroux being in the opening scene of a different version (and universe!) would be genius :D #too bad genius alw didn't think of it first wink wink... ;)

[emyluwinter]

Well... WELL

Absolutely I did NOT expect that Eric De Lerenier would like you so much!

Several people wrote to me in messages that their heart definitely did a somersault and a few "tudum tudum", you know what I mean. As soon as they saw this gentleman.

Who would have thought that the Phantom of the Opera is so popular. I have heard very very little about him in the networks and the environment?

But yes, I read Gaston Leroux's book. I'm sorry, I haven't watched musicals.

For some reason, this dialogue was born in my head. And I'm not ashamed at all. I love talking to characters!

what is highlighted in color and italics are my replicas.

Eric, do you have anything to say about this?

Eric, meanwhile, is lying on the sofa burning with shame and covering his face with a pillow, screams into it.

- My Lady... I will be excessively grateful to you if you remove my image with a naked torso. Where you can see my curse in particular...why did you depict me half-naked at the very beginning?!

Oh, you won't wait for that, honey. You are loved regardless of that.

- YOU are absolutely Ruthless, my Lady.... well, some explanation is required of me?

I think they won't mind talking to you.

- You have at least blessed one marriage with me...and you are absolutely NOT ashamed.

Eric swears into the pillow, throwing the most angry and irritated glances at me while I'm working.

And then he removes the pillow and puts himself in order.

- Well, I am deeply grateful to you for such great attention..I'm flattered. If you have any questions, I will try to answer them.

The most important question will probably be about your type of love. Or related to the romantic side.

- My love is music and everything connected with it, my lady. Through the melody, you can make a person tremble with every cell of the body, as if in unbearable bliss and longing, or bring them to universal horror and fear. There is nothing better than to see the whole palette of emotions on the faces of listeners. In addition, you don't have to see a musician-performer. And the orchestra conductor is not always noticeable to you.

By the way, dear, Eric is fond of knitting. ...or tying people up?

De Lerenier snorts with displeasure and elegantly raises his head.

- I only connect people when they annoy or molest me. Rook is already starting to study all my nodes and this is starting to annoy me even more....He's terribly annoying at times. When I moved with my parents, my father often had to deal with very unpleasant "fans" of my Mother...hence my experience. In order to quickly disarm the enemy and leave him without the ability to move.

Of course I can make a Celtic knot even by tying it only in simple language, but to fight?

Eric grins and points to his right gloved hand.

- I am not a fan of physical abuse, in addition, it is not very good for reputation and may damage my mask or hand. When I was little, my bones were more fragile and I wore a special corset.

And he also does a good job with crocheting and knitting needles!

- Let me correct, I'm just learning, it's very relaxing. I also want to make a beautiful shawl for my Mother...and if at least one living soul asks me to show their "shibari" skills, I swear by all the seven muses, this person will not remain alive..

What are your least favorite berries?

- Where there are a lot of seeds, I don't like pomegranate and raspberry seeds that get stuck in my teeth. Because of the mask, it becomes very inconvenient to use dental floss.

How does your curse manifest itself?

- No one still knows for sure...We have a family doctor who studies this curse of my family. In childhood, it can cause a strong fever and even ring a limb or a part of the body where the curse spreads. At birth, it looks like a large, not very elegant birthmark...Sometimes the curse reacts very sharply if I use too much power or magic...The branch of my family almost broke off several times because about 8 generations ago this curse caused necrosis and rotting of tissues and bones...which was a very painful agony..

Eric pauses, adjusting a strand of hair behind his left ear that the mask does not hide.

If you don't want to, I don't insist. You've already answered quite a lot.

- It's all right, there's no need to worry....If my stone turns black more than less than half... This could end up in a hospital. In terms of magic, I need to be more careful with blackening than others...because the curse may react more acutely and I will be bedridden for several days because of a terrible fever.

Do you have any brothers or sisters?

- I have two younger sisters, twins. - Eric suddenly becomes very confused, as if remembering something obviously awkward.

- They are charming, but they love to mess with my makeup and try to do whatever they want with my hair. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart that they don't have to deal with the curse of our family.

Do you spoil them often?

- Oh, when I come home for the holidays, we organize a marathon of various series of musicals and other things. While I'm at their house, I pamper them to the last. We get along well with each other... as long as these two don't try to sneak into my room and cause universal chaos there...

I'm sorry, I have a lot of work, because that's all for now!!

Eric makes himself comfortable on the sofa, with an elegant wave of his hand.

- We'll see you Ladies and Gentlemen again, her garden is always happy to have guests. -

De Leraigny adds more ominously. - BUT if at least one living soul tries to walk through my flowers in particular offends my Lady, it will be used as fertilizer ...at best.

Don't pay attention, he's just sulking that I didn't have time to make him even more handsome in sketches and draw more with him.

Remind me, I will tell you about Eric's attitude to the unique magic of Vil.

Yes, you know what I mean ~ * villainous laughter*

And I also need to write an excerpt about his "aggravation of the curse" I swear I need to write down everything that comes to mind otherwise my memory becomes terrible every day..

#twisted wonderland x reader #twst #twst wonderland #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #twst eric

[christinesraoul]

i know that philippe de chandon was definitely a Choice on the part of yeston/kopit phantom, but you gotta admire them for fully committing to the concept. because it isn't even the typical "ok, there are too many characters in the novel to fit in a 2-hour play, so let’s blend raoul and his brother together in order to cut down on actors we’ll need to find screentime for," no, instead they fully went with an alternate universe where christine's love interest is philippe and not raoul.

which is so funny to me because it seems like one of those ships someone in the phandom would come up with semi-jokingly, you know what i mean? like "hey guys, i think philippe/christine is the new otp. you just know he was secretly in love with her" and then it becomes a phandom meme for a couple weeks. except that this is an actual adaptation. and its great because they really got into the whole thing. like, yk!philippe is exactly what i think leroux!philippe would have been if he a) was 20 years younger and b) didn’t have 3 younger siblings to act as legal/financial guardian to. this guy is philippe de chagny, free of cares, falling in love with opera girls and charming theater administrators and generally living his best life. good for him! he deserves to be 1/2 of a crackship with an entire real adaptation centered around it! good for him!!

#phantom of the opera #christine daae #philippe de chandon #philippe de chagny #op #ship: completely adoring and new #1990 & yk

[lovely-lotte]

What is it about Erik you don’t like?

Please don’t get mad at me, this is just my opinion and how I feel, I still love, love love rp’ing with Erik role players, I love seeing the interpretations of him and always enjoy every response greatly. This is also based on musical Erik, as I’ve only read Leroux’s book once, and need to read it again to comprehend.

I knew someone would question this oh boy. well. I don’t hate his character entirely, I’d like to make that clear, but I just don’t really think he’s a good person.

I understand he had an awful and traumatic past, and it’s terrible what happened in pretty much any adaptation of POTO, so I definitely feel a lot of sympathy for him, but it doesn’t mean I forgive him for what he’s done. It explains but doesn’t excuse.

Despite helping Christine, he still manipulated her into thinking he was the Angel of music her father sent, preying on her vulnerability of her love and hope that her father had truly sent an Angel, then killed and tried to kill and harm people Christine cared about, using his love and want for her to lead as an excuse to do so.

As for his canon relationship with Christine, I don’t think it’s a good one, he lied to her, manipulated her and kidnapped her, again, along with trying to kill someone she cared about. He thought he was owed her undivided attention and love for his lessons, when she didn’t actually owe him anything.

This isn’t to say Raoul is perfect either, I know he’s definitely made very poor decisions as well, and done some things in his own self interest rather than Christine’s, while acting as if it was, but I don’t equate those things to murder and manipulation. And No, he is not a gaslighter, please look up the actual meaning before saying that. (Getting off topic sorry this just ticks me off heh)

Now, that’s why I said AU only, I think in another universe, they’d be a good and powerful couple that make beautiful music together and have happy lives, I think their personalities work well too, but due to the events and what actually went down, I don’t think they ever would’ve worked out.

#personal #lowkey scared to post this but here I go #phantom of the opera #Erik #Christine Daae #eristine #e/c #raoul de chagny

[imthepunchlord]

All your fic ideas sound so good!!!!!!!

A Siege in Paris: Okay, the name sounds familiar, but who is Armand D’Argencourt? And why/how would he bring Paris into the dark ages? 😱

Bluebird of Happiness: I would love to see more of Duusu and Marinette together! I loved “A Declaration of Love.” Ooooh would this be a double Miraculous option? Like, Marinette has the Peacock, but Fu doesn’t know that, so he gives her another Miraculous too? Chaos ensues as she has to deal with two kwamis and 2 hero identities? That would be fun!

Chasing a Butterfly: Ahhhhh I want another Butterfly!Marinette fic too! I feel like this could be a good Lukanette one - Marinette could be more withdrawn and shy and Luka hears her song despite that and knows she is just a caterpillar waiting to be a beautiful butterfly. But then, as a hero, he is wary of the new butterfly heroine. So we could see your take on the kinda love square sans Adrien lol

Claws Sunk In: I’m surprised (but intrigued) with this one! It sounds like a set up for a Chlonette fic, but I thought I remembered you saying that you didn’t want to ship them because Chloe was Marinette’s bully. Would this be a different set up for that? Or is Chlonette a no-go here too? Maybe just platonic?

Copycat: I’m always down for more Felix action! I love the way you write him, but I can’t really read Grumpy Cat because I get too sad about the ending. 😭😅 So, I would love a Felix fic from you that doesn’t involve….well. The ending of Grumpy Cat. 😂

Dodged a Beetle: It seems I’m in the minority here, but this is probably my least favorite. Probably because I dislike Lila so much. I would also hate to see Marinette wrapped around Lila’s finger. But the premise is super interesting though! I never would have thought of it! You’re right that Lila has a lot of potential. I just more see it as potential for bad lol. 😂

Never Met Fu: (Can I also just say I love these plays on words?) Ooooh this one sounds like you could improve on Fu a lot! And it would give you the option of adding heroes to the team that Fu approves of and Ladybug doesn’t know about! Ladybug wouldn’t be the one ha ding out the Miraculouses!

Unbound: I need more deets on this one ASAP. Alternate universe opens up? Magic goes haywire? Body swapping? WHAT’S GOING ON?! 😂

The Gamble of Renard Leroux: Can it be??? An OC INSERT STORY?! I never thought I’d see the day! No one else seems to like to write OC insert stories! I’d love to see your take on it. Or would it be Felix coming in with the Fox? Or maybe Alya or even Lila?

Okay, I think I covered all your ideas lol. Thank you so much for sharing them! I’m already looking forward to….we’ll, basically all of them. 😂😂😂

ASiP: Armand D'Argencourt was Darkblade and was running for mayor. No Andre taking the position, its open to be claimed. And he's got some villainy vibes to him, and a familial history that he can continue as his ancestor (also known as Darkblade) used to rule Paris.

BoH: I am going to go with no as this is meant to be a Peafowl!Marinette centered idea. I don't even know if the Butterfly would be misused as we don't have the details and history of the Agrestes and how they get them. Only for sure is that Emilie is still around so no Gabriel trying to misuse it to revive her. They could misuse it for nefarious reasons, or maybe they don't have anything if they got the Peafowl first and that clued them in on the existence of miraculous. I'm hoping the ep Gabriel Agreste will give some answers, ideally...

CaB: eeeeh we'll see. I haven't decided on a pairing just yet. More focused on trying to figure out the story direction and what to do about lead heroes.

CSI: this is definitely not a Chlonette fic. This is more along the lines of Scarlet Lady au of Chleo at the start getting one of the two most powerful and Marinette's her partner.

Copycat: well its a good thing that this isn't a Grumpy Cat rewrite.

DaB: yeah it can be dicey depending on where it goes. Only thing I can reassure you is that Marinette's not going to be wrapped around Lila's finger. Though she will be regarded as a friend and that means she'll have a lot of tolerance for things that she shouldn't.

NMF: not going to go as your picturing. outside the ending, it's going to be more of a timeskip fic.

Unbound: when LB cleanses an akuma, she severs HM's connection with the victim, and purifies them, turning what's negative positive and turns them back to normal. When Cat does it, it just servers that connection and the victim still has that power and now no item or butterfly to cleanse and HM has no means to control them. They are an absolute wildcard.

TGoRL: ...ish. kinda but not really? Only thing for sure is that Marinette shall have a wily friend coming to her aide. Lila beware and readers, brace for some Alya salt.

#ask Punchie #ml fics #Punchie writes

[lestatslestits]

Phantom of the Opera/Sherlock Holmes Crossover Masterpost

@wheel-of-fish and @jennyfair7 requested a master post of all of the Sherlock Holmes and Phantom of the Opera crossovers that I know of, so after a few days of compiling, here it is! These books range from the (fairly) well known to the rather obsessively obscure, and include any books I know of where the Holmes and Phantom universes overlap. I’ve taken this as a chance to review the ones I’ve read, and I’ll hopefully be able to update this post with more info on the others once I finish them. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Note: this is only a list of crossovers published and available for purchase, and of which I am aware. If anyone else knows of more, please let me know!

The Angel of the Opera by Sam Siciliano

This is the first Phantom/Sherlock crossover I ever read. For me it’s a bit hit or miss. The author decided to forgo including Watson, and instead included a character named Doctor Henry Vernier, a cousin of Holmes’, as the narrator. I believe that Henry Vernier is most likely a reference to Doctor Verner, Holmes’ cousin who ended up buying Watson’s medical practice after the death of Mary Watson. Which is to say, it’s a book written by a person who seemingly remembered a single line from a single Sherlock Holmes story about Holmes having a physician cousin named Verner (presumably made into Vernier for the purposes of the book’s French setting, and to reflect Holmes’ French heritage), but still managed to confuse the Grasshopper and the Scorpion, and occasionally spell Erik as “Eric.” It makes some sense, though, as Siciliano is mostly a Sherlockian, with several other pastiches under his belt. For my money, he’s not my favorite interpreter of Holmes as a character, although it could be that his choice of narrators impacts how Holmes is portrayed. Although it does tend to fall into some Phantom-centric tropes that I don’t care for, overall The Angel of the Opera is long enough to flesh out the story more fully than some Holmes/Phantom crossovers manage, and in general the style feels consistent with what you would expect from a Holmes story. It absolutely pulled me in when I read it at a young age, and I’m hoping to have the chance to revisit it soon.

The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer

The Canary Trainer is the second book (chronologically) in a trio of Holmes novels that take place during The Great Hiatus, the years between “The Final Problem” and “The Empty House,” during which time Holmes is assumed dead. The first book, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, involves Holmes meeting Sigmund Freud and undergoing psychotherapy to cope with his drug addiction. The Canary Trainer finds Holmes in France, taking a violinist position at the Opera House and coming face to face (so to speak) with Erik. Nicholas Meyer is perhaps best known for directing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The Seven-Per-Cent Solution is a well-known Holmes pastiche (which I will admit I’ve never read). The Canary Trainer is a bit more obscure.

The Canary Trainer takes on a lot of cool concepts (a story that takes place during The Great Hiatus, perspective on Erik’s time as an architect and builder, etc.), but it also makes a lot of baffling choices, such as having Gaston Leroux show up as a character, and including Irene Adler only to under-utilize her as little more than a love interest for Holmes (her lukewarm friendship with Christine is one of the most disappointing parts of the book, in my opinion). It also barely allows Erik and Holmes to interact. Erik is such a profoundly sympathetic antagonist and Holmes is capable of such extreme empathy that it’s a shame to not let them engage with each other.

Rendezvous at the Populaire and I Will Find the Answer by Kate Workman

While most Holmes/Phantom crossovers focus on Leroux’s novel, Rendezvous at the Populaire, as its name suggests, pulls heavily from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. So heavily, in fact, that a major chunk of the dialogue and descriptions comes directly from lyrics, which can be distracting. Stylistically, Rendezvous at the Populaire reads differently than your typical Holmes pastiche, drawing from multiple points of view instead of one narrator. It can feel rather rough around the edges, but I ultimately found it a fun read. It’s nice to read a crossover that features Watson, and Holmes and Erik have a nice dynamic. This book prompted a sequel, I Will Find the Answer, in which Holmes, Watson, and Erik join forces to solve the Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde. In the same way that Rendezvous at the Populaire draws primarily from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, I Will Find the Answer draws more heavily from Jekyll and Hyde than from Robert Louis Stevenson’s book. Workman’s style progresses nicely between books, making I Will Find the Answer a bit easier of a read, less reliant on song lyrics for its text. If she ever decides to publish her proposed third book featuring Holmes and Erik solving the Jack the Ripper murders, I’ll be interested to read it.

Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Opera Ghost by Steven Philip Jones and Aldin Baroza

This is two part comic is part of a series pitting Holmes against various gothic literary icons and monsters. It draws heavily from Leroux and Kay. The comic takes place after The Great Hiatus and the death of Mary Watson. The story had to be pretty heavily condensed to fit the two issue format, but it accomplishes a lot in a short space, hitting high points in the story. There is a subplot that heavily focuses on Watson mourning Mary’s death, which leads to a unique twist on the end of the story. The art style is cool and has a nice vintage black and white look. I would love to see this concept extended into a longer series, but as it stands it’s a nice, quick read. Due to its brevity it does get a little confusing at times, including a point where Mary appears to call Watson “James” instead of John (although it’s hard to fault the comics for a mistake Doyle himself occasionally made), but it’s a lot of fun and definitely worth checking out.

Angels of Music by Kim Newman

This is a crossover that breaks the mold! Instead of pitting Holmes against Erik, this book features Irene Adler (among other fictional woman, including Christine Daaé and some of Newman’s own characters from other books) working with Erik as a sort of spy. It’s Charlie’s Angels by way of The Phantom of the Opera, and I’m only a few pages into it, but I’m certainly excited to read more. In some ways Irene Adler is a more natural fit into Phantom than Holmes himself is, so I’m always interested to find crossovers that include her. I’ll likely update this post once I’ve finished the book.

The Phantom of the Opera Carmen by Regina Goncalves

I had to do a lot of digging to find any information about this book and I’m still not entirely sure what it’s about, but I wanted to include it for the sake of thoroughness. Hopefully I’ll be able to read it and provide an update later.

The Phantom of the Opera Carmen is one story in a series of educational books for young readers. The stories focus on a time traveler named Caius Zip who travels and learns about the connection between art and science. This story features Caius teaming up with Sherlock Holmes and H.G. Wells to solve the mystery of our favorite ghost while the opera house attempts to mount a production of Carmen. There also seems to be a story about Caius and Sherlock meeting some of the masters of Impressionism and learning about their art. How, if at all, this ties in with the Phantom plot isn’t clear. This book is on my list once I finish Angels of Music, so I hope to be able to report back later.

Sherlock Holmes contro il Fantasma dell’Opera by Antonella Mecenero

 Sherlock Holmes contro il Fantasma dell’Opera is an e-book short story/novella in which Sherlock Holmes once again takes a position as a violinist at the opera house in order to solve the mystery of the Phantom. I know very little about this book as it exclusively available in Italian, which I don’t read or speak. Special thanks to @letyourfantasiesunwind1981 for pointing out this story to me!

#the phantom of the opera #poto #sherlock holmes #irene adler #jekyll and hyde #arthur conan doyle #gaston leroux #phandom #phantom history #long post

[glassprism]

Re: the last star wars post, who do you prefer more, the phantom or kylo? Who do you think is more complex? Did you notice elements of POTO (albeit rare) in Star Wars (Not TROS. We dont talk about tros.)? I've heard that Rian loves POTO, so I guess it's safe to assume he did incorporate some of the stuff in there.

I think I prefer the Phantom, but mainly because, well, I talk about that character and the show he’s in more? So he’s kind of my preference by default.

I’ve certainly noticed elements of Phantom in Star Wars, probably because both deal with some pretty universal archetypes and themes, and I thought Rian Johnson might’ve channeled his love of Phantom into his portrayal of the Reylo relationship. But I think I notice more similarities when it comes to my actual favorite Star Wars character, Darth Vader. I’m definitely not the only one - see that very popular Tumblr post talking about how Darth Vader is just “Phantom IN SPACE”.

But yeah, with Vader and Phantom, we have:

appearance: mask, cape, and deformity (Phantom) / burns (Vader)

age and experience: Vader is in his late forties by the end of the trilogy, the Phantom is fifty or thereabouts

associations with angels: ”Angel of Music” vs. “Are you an angel?”

love interest: a curly-haired brunette with gorgeous costumes and a compassionate nature

increasingly possessive behavior towards said woman as they fall deeper into evil (because of “love”, or so they claim), which only end up driving her further away

a love of strangling people

from the Revenge of the Sith novelization: a rival for said woman’s love (Raoul for the Phantom, Obi-wan for Anakin - or at least, Anakin thinks Obi-wan is a rival, but we know it’s Palpatine’s manipulation)

from the Leroux novel: a slightly older and saner friend trying to balance them out who ultimately has to turn against them (the Persian for the Phantom, Obi-wan again for Anakin)

from Love Never Dies: a child they didn’t know about for years who ultimately helps save them after the death of aforementioned curly-haired love interest (Gustave for the Phantom, Luke for Vader)

See this edit I made because I was just so dang inspired by it all.

#Anonymous #GP gets asks

[gracie-p8-officialblog]

Spilling Tea On Phantom of the Opera 2004

DISCLAIMER: I just want to say from the start that it is not my intention to offendanyone, you're entitled to your opinions and I'm allowed to have mine...

Ok, so, I just watched this movie a few days ago on my laptop and it was pretty much my first time sitting through the movie. I watched a few clips of the movie on YouTube but... Then, I decided to watch the whole movie. And this was my reaction.

Don't get me wrong! There WERE parts I liked but... That was just half of the movie... But overall... Um... It was meh. Ahem. Down to business!

My opinion on Gerard Butler as the Phantom? Um, wow. And not in a good way. I feel like this was a case of a talented performer being grossly miscast as the Phantom. I think this Tumblr post best describes on what I thought of his singing.

"He's supposed to have the voice of an angel, but it sounds like he's been gargling vinegar" ~Quoted by @faded-florals

Don't get me wrong. His voice is quite good for an untrained singer but... The Phantom is one of the biggest musical theatre roles of all time! It's right up there with Jean Valjean. It's really not a role that could go a competent singer, someone who's never sang professionally before but could be good once they've been trained up a bit. The role demands a truly great singer... And he wasn't right for the part.

His voice felt too strainy, growly and rock-ish for the Phantom. I didn't like how Joel Schumacher bought into the whole "sexy Phantom" thing and cast a hunky heart-throb, who was nowhere near disfigured enough. It's meant to be a gothic thriller novel with a small romantic subplot, not a B-grade vampire romance movie!

As for Emmy Rossum as Miss Christine Daae... it's true, her voice is good. She should know though, should she wish to excel, she has MUCH still to learn (Heeeeehee. Sorry. Couldn't resist.)

Emmy's Christine had little-to-no character growth and personality but I don't think it reflects her as an actress, but reflects more on the director and casting director because of how young she was (but more on that later)

Not only that, her Christine was SIGNIFICANTLY dumbed down and oversexualized. I mean, the entire point of the story is that Christine grows strong enough to overcome the trauma of an abusive relationship and make sure that her abuser never hurts anyone ever again but still shows the Phantom compassion and sympathy. I mean, her story arc is her becoming strong-willed enough to overcome the Phantom's pull/spell/enchantment/hypnosis or whatever you percieve it as on her! And don't get me started on her costumes because of the SEVERE lack of modesty.

The chemistry was a little flat because she was underage and her two male love interests were both in their 30s (which totally isn't HER fault, of course, but the directors could easily have cast someone else older)

Her voice, too, strikes me as being much too young and undeveloped. She has a very pretty, sweet-sounding quality to her singing but she doesn't sound rich and operatic enough to be a convincing Christine. Rebecca Caine and Amy Manford do the best job of singing the way I think Christine ought to sound- a maturing opera voice! Though POTO is NOT an opera (you wouldn't believe how many people actually think it is...), it does revolve around opera, and Christine is an opera singer, not a pop star.

And now onto... Everyone's favourite vicomte!!!!!!

C'mon people, put your bottles down. It is a truth universally acknowledged (or at least in the wee Raoul Defense Squad Circle) that Raoul is one of the greatest and most underrated boyfriends to ever exist in musical theatre and it's almost impossible to hate him because of how relatable he is.

Ladies, puh-leeze. He's much more relatable than you admit and face it, we all have a little bit of Raoul in us. Failure to see things staring us in the face, saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, having a 'see it to believe it' attitude when we have little-to-no evidence on something... yeah, don't pretend you don't see a trend. Raoul is relatable whether we want him to be or not.

My thoughts on Patrick Wilson as Raoul, he was one of the few redeeming qualities of this not so great movie. Yeah, the swordfight and Tarzan leaps were a little too much but can you blame him?! And though I feel like that foppish wig made him look more like a magic elf prince than a vicomte, he couldn't control that!

His Raoul was so gentle and caring! Yeah, his acting was a bit stiff but at least his voice wasn't a chore to listen to, it has this warm, tender, comforting quality to it which suits Raoul. I really loved the way he sang "Don't throw away your life for my sake" and "I fought so hard to free you" in the Final Lair (😭😭😭) It feels like Raoul is genuinely apologising to Christine.

I know, I know... The Hadley Fraser fans are approaching with menacing expressions as we speak but let me clarify. I still think Hadley is amazing but... His Raoul kinda felt a little too shouty for me and his Raoul was closer to the LND-canon than POTO-canon (not his fault though).

Miranda Richardson (aka. Rita Skeeter) as Madame Giry is kind of weird. I mean, I know Madame Giry's supposed to be a little Strange and Mysterious. But this Mme. wasn't really Strange or Mysterious at all, or even slightly Spooky at all. She was just kind of an oddball. Popping up in random places to give warnings about the Phantom and looking at people as if she were questioning their life choices or something. As for her daughter... well, Jennifer Ellison's Meg was so-so. She's got a sweet-sounding voice and that added scene where she looked for Christine in the lair was a nice touch... But... Her Meg was kinda forgettable and uninteresting. Meg is supposed to prance around shrieking that the Phantom of the Opera is here, not whisper it in a blase manner that you half expect to be followed up with, "by the way, what's for lunch?" Not to mention, she rivaled Christine as far as low-necked costumes went.

Minnie Driver as Carlotta was spot on! Yes, I know she didn't sing the score but her acting was alright. She was very over-the-top and self-centered, which is great for Carlotta, but I felt her portrayal was a little too childish to be accurate. Carlotta is a successful middle-aged diva who's willing to scream and storm when she doesn't get her way, but she isn't a two-year-old pouting and throwing tantrums. (Yes, there's a difference.)

Ciaran Hinds and Simon Callow played Firmin and Andre, respectively. Their managers kinda felt like twits and nothing more. Also, Firmin's masquerade costume was ridiculous. The stupid kind, not the funny kind. ...Well, okay, it was a little funny.

I'm not going to touch on every song here, but I will say that "Hannibal" was beyond awful (if you thought the costumes in the stage version were a bit risque, you should see the movie ones- no, actually you shouldn't) and that "Think of Me," while very nice, was not particularly memorable. Christine's dress, however (despite its less-than-ideal neckline) was GORGEOUS, even though it looks completely out of place in a musical that supposedly takes place in ancient Alexandria.

"Little Lotte" kinda lost its charm by being spoken instead of sung. And Gerard Butler's voice in "The Mirror" was too rough and raspy for my ears and made me cringe in sympathetic shame. The title song was like a cheesy, campy B-grade horror movie tbh, trying way too hard to be spooky and chilling ("ooh, look, Phantom's Lair! It's DARK and SCARY down here!") and succeeding only in being cringeworthy. Not that I've actually ever seen a bad horror movie- or any horror movie at all, for that matter. Unless you count this one.

Christine's costume, too, annoyed me no end. She was basically wearing a corset and drawers under the dressing gown. *facepalm* The dressing gown is supposed to go OVER your COSTUME to keep it CLEAN, peeps. It's not a BATHROBE. And the amount of eye makeup she had on would terrify a raccoon. Yikes.

Though I liked the random horse because of its nod to the Leroux novel.

"Music of the Night" was so blah-slash-touchy-feely that it made me summarily uncomfortable.

I'd like to be able to say something nice about "I remember/Stranger than you dreamt it" but I have none. One thing that bugged me to no end was how Christine is no longer wearing stockings, like dude, that gives some GROSS implications. Anyways, let's skip to Il Muto!

Oh, but first I should say that "Notes" was rather a flop and that "Prima Donna" is unmemorable and indeed should probably be fast-forwarded as there's a rather unsavory bit involving a crew member showing the audience what he thinks of Carlotta's behaviour.

"Il Muto," I must say, was pretty doggone funny. Carlotta's "Your part is silent. Leetle toad," cracked me up into a bunch of giggling little pieces, and the little vignette of the Phantom tinkering with Carlotta's throat spray made her croaking later on a lot more believable.

Now for "All I Ask Of You", SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! I honestly can't understand how anyone could listen to this song and still maintain that Christine and Raoul don't belong together. He represents everything she needs- stability, protection, a guiding hand and affirmed affection. She represents everything he needs, in turn- someone to show affection to and his childhood friend.

One thing I definitely think could have been left out was the scene in which Erik kills Buquet- we totally did not need to see him being chased, terrified, through the rafters and finally strangled. Gross.

And the Phantom and his rose crouching behind that statue... I think this was supposed to be sad, but there was too much snot mixed with tears for it to be sad. It was, again, gross. So was Gerard Butler's pathetic attempt at the "all that the Phantom asked of you" line. And the lack of a chandelier crash in that scene made the song anticlimactic.

And "Masquerade" was so-so but... The Phantom's entrance is anticlimactic somehow, and his Red Death costume (if indeed it's supposed to even BE the Red Death) is unimpressive. I don't like how Raoul just runs off to desert Christine as soon as things start looking ugly (yes, I realize he was going to get his sword, but still... something could have happened to her while he was gone. Duh, did this guy learn anything from "Little Lotte/The Mirror"? Just sayin)

As for Madame Giry's flashback immediately following, I like how it gives us some of the Phantom's backstory, but it seems really abrupt. You don't even realize until she's done that she was talking to Raoul the whole time- it sounds like she's just randomly reminiscing about Stuff, and if you didn't know the story you might be sitting there thinking, "who is this strange woman again?"

Also, Christine leaving wherever-it-is at, like, five in the morning to go to who-knows-where, completely oblivious to the fact that the Phantom is driving her. Whaaaaaaaaa? How'd he know she was planning to go for a graveyard stroll? Was he watching her through the mirror again? THAT'S JUST CREEPY.

"Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" was rather mediocre and dulled down the fact that it is a Christine Empowerment™ song. Why, exactly, does Christine's father have the biggest monument in the cemetery? If he were a rich and famous violinist as his crypt seems to suggest, why on earth was his daughter struggling along as a chorus girl taking free music lessons?

The swordfight... Well... I had mixed feelings about it. Sword fights are all well and good, but... The swordfight takes away the element of mysterious danger to the Phantom. Okay, fine, Christine getting Raoul to spare the Phantom's life is a nice touch, I guess, but did it strike no one else that his "now let it be war upon you BOTH" makes absolutely NO sense after that? If she just saved his life, why would he suddenly be all, "thanks, but no thanks, I'M GOING TO MURDER YOUUUUUUUUUU"?

And "Twisted Every Way" was after "Wishing" which made ZERO sense. Plus, I didn't like how they cut most of it because in the musical, it gave Christine a spine!

"Point of No Return"? Hooooooo boy....... There are so many things wrong with this number. Let's just a list a few.

*HOW did no one recognise the Phantom through his "disguise"?! At least in the stage play, it made more sense because of how he was wearing a cloak that obscured most of his body.

*Christine's sleeves falling down over and over again were REALLY annoying.

*It was just too touchy-feely for my taste.

*The fact that Emmy Rossum was a teenager during filming made this scene gross because of the way they oversexualized Christine in this scene.

*Gerard Butler's voice in that scene made me cringe and shake my head in sympathetic shame.

*In the stage play, Christine ran from him, showing her own agenda and resistance to his pull! While in the movie, she didn't resist him!

*Now for the one that took the cake... The disfigurement! Or it would be a disfigurement if it actually made him look, y'know, deformed. Instead, as several people have put it, he looks like he got a bad sunburn or something. It's really rather pathetic. It makes him look more like a drama queen than he already is! Yeah.... I really don't like this movie.

On to... Final Lair!!!!!!!! It was a flop. From Raoul's whining and flailing around and his stringy hair flopping about (shallow complaint, I know, but it's so ugly) to Christine's sappy melodramatic "don't make me choooooooose" faces to the Phantom's prancing around with his ropes and maniacal laughter that somehow wasn't really scary at all... yeah, it was a flop. A major, major flop. And though The Kiss wasn't all that bad, all I could think of was, "She's SIXTEEN! SIX! TEEN! THIS IS CREEPY, DISTURBING AND GROSS!"

Which is why it's so difficult for me to admit that, um, I... cried at the end.

I COULDN'T HELP IT GUYS HE WAS ALL ALONE THERE IN HIS LAKE WITH HIS MONKEY AND HIS SMASHED MIRRORS AND HE WAS CRYING AND IT WAS SAD.

And then that rose on the gravestone? That single red rose? And the look on Old Raoul's face (still Patrick Wilson, by the way, under all that makeup) when he saw it and realized he wasn't the only one visiting Christine's grave? Yup, I lost it again there, too. And I really didn't want to. Because I tend to cry over movies I love, y'know? And I didn't love this movie. At all

Yet I still cried at the end. I'm not really sure why. I think perhaps it had something to do with the way the story still "got" me, deep down inside, despite the lousy casting and less-than-perfect singing and ridiculously unnecessary elements that totally didn't need to be there. It's still a tragically beautiful romance, and even a bad film can't kill that.

In conclusion, I think Mary Poppins can best express what I thought of POTO 2004.

In conclusion, I rate it a 2.7/5

#Grace spills tea #grace speaks #poto 2004 #phantom of the opera musical #phantom of the opera #the phantom of the opera #Phantom of the opera 2004 #movie review #my reviews

[dwindledglow]

001. MEET JULES

FULL NAME: jules antoine beauchamp. PREFERRED NAME: jules. NICKNAME/S: jul. DATE OF BIRTH: november 13th, 1999. GENDER & PRONOUNS: cis male & he/his. ORIENTATION: hetero. RELIGION: non-practicing christian. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: in a relationship with noémie leroux. OCCUPATION: full time university student. RESIDENCE: flatiron district, new york city.

002. CHECK JULES’ BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: saint tropez, france. NATIONALITY: french. ETHNIC BACKGROUND: french and italian. LINGUISTICS: french which is his native language and english and italian in a fluent level. EDUCATION: he studies mechanical engineering at columbia university. CRIMINAL RECORD: clean. BIRTH ORDER: second though he’s now an only child. FATHER: françois pierre beauchamp, born on june 6th, 1970 in rennes, france, currently residing in montecarlo, monaco. he is a businessman and the owner and CEO of rocamadour spirits group. MOTHER: vivienne giulia del vecchio, born on september 14th, 1974 in sicily, italy, currently residing in montecarlo, monaco. she is an italian billionaire heiress, writer and the owner of del vecchio oil group. SISTER/S: none. BROTHER/S: guillaume maxime beauchamp, born on april 17th, 1997 in saint tropez, france, passed away on july 16th, 2000 in saint tropez, france. SIGNIFICANT OTHER: noémie leroux. CHILDREN: none so far. OTHER RELEVANT FAMILY: none. EX/ES: none, he didn’t have any solid relationships before noémie. PETS: moon, a cavalier king charles.

003. GET UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

HEIGHT: 6′0″ or 183 cm. WEIGHT: between 171 lbs or 77.5 kg and 175 lbs or 79 kg. BODY BUILD: as someone who has exercised and been involved in sports from a young age, jules has always been what would be described as fit. though he’s not obsessed about his diet or his routines, he prefers to eat clean and keep up a 5 to 6 day a week work out schedule. this being said, he has an overall athletic frame with particularly defined abs, toned legs and arms. EYE COLOR: brown. EYESIGHT: his eyesight has no problems. HAIR COLOR & STYLE: he has blonde, lighter during summer, darker in winter months and usually he has his hair shorter on the sides and longer on the top so a very low maintenance look that isn’t particularly hard to style. DOMINANT HAND: right. NOTABLE PHYSICAL TRAITS: his smile which, following most people’s opinion, seems to make him seem even younger than he is. overall, if it could be considered as such, the hint of youth, often mistaken by shyness, that his features portray. as the opposition to it, the amount of tattoos scattered all over his body are a standout, as is his athletic frame.  SCARS AND MARKS: on top of the usual every day little scars and marks, jules has some which are courtesy of all the exercise he does on a daily basis. otherwise, there’s nothing that is particularly notable or that stands out. TATTOOS: he got a shhh… on the underside of the index finger of his left hand — reference. his following piece consists of a cross with wings on the back of his neck — reference — something that symbolizes his faith and personal beliefs, and definitely the one tattoo he doesn’t like to expand much on for it’s a touchy one. soon afterwards, when one of his best friends - gabrielle - decided she wanted to get inked but was reticent since it would be a first, jules ended up going with her and getting a matching piece ; gabrielle’s micro tattoo reads we’re all in the same game; just different levels split into two parts in a cursive kind of font and is placed on the inside of her left wrist, whereas jules’ completes it and reads dealing with the same hell; just different devils. - his is also split in two, the same font, except it’s placed on the inside of his right wrist. as a consequence of a night where him, léo and henri got completely plastered, he has a smiley face tattooed on his toe. later on, and as the fulfillment of something he really wanted, jules proceeded to get the first piece of what would soon become a half sleeve on his left arm. he got a roaring tiger to symbolize his independence and free spirit while at the same representing strength. a little above it, and completing the half sleeve, he has a blooming rose which has more than one meaning to him - it was chosen to complement the tiger because despite the power and strength, he wishes for balance within his life but more so, and the primary reason why he acquired it back in the day, it’s because, atop of being one of noémie’s favorite flowers, roses can symbolize hope which, truly, translated into, back when he got it, him hoping for the best and hoping they would get together one day. next to the rose and above the tiger, he has a treble clef simply to symbolize his love for music. atop of his half sleeve, on the back of his left arm, he then got two fists bumping, another matching tattoo he got with gabrielle when he was visiting her in kailua. he has a distortion clock, dali’s style, merged into the back of his half sleeve, a tattoo he got soon after noémie started dating mathis and he got his heart broken. clock tattoos often represent an endless love, the meaning stands for his, the distortion only adds to the meaning by representing how heartbroken and helpless he felt at the time. towards the end of his half sleeve, and on the inside of his left wrist, he has the geographic coordinates both to where guillaume - his older brother - was born and where he passed away. he has a diamond, also merged into the back of his sleeve, something he has gotten when he was going through a rough patch as a reminder to focus on the positivity and be strong. additionally, within the half sleeve, you’ll find some more pieces like a G., the initial of his deceased brother’s first name; an anchor, something he got randomly but that also reminds him to stay grounded and a micro tattoo saying côte d’azur meant to represent his home. lastly, merged into the back of his half sleeve, he has a blacklight tattoo that’s otherwise invisible to the eye, reading six septembre, noé’s birthdate. he has the world map with a plane flying in between continents and a compass next to it, on the inside of his right bicep, something that he got soon after realizing he wanted to see more of the world and that he wasn’t willing to, eternally, stay in south of france. as for more recent tattoos, he has gotten the quote peace of mind on his left upper arm which he has begun to shade, and thus begun to extend his half-sleeve into a proper full-sleeve tattoo. higher above the two fists bumping he’s gotten with gabrielle, and complementing the tattoo with some additional shading, he has two keys crossing over each other with a V on one of the keys and a F on the other, representing two key people in his life - vivienne and françois, his mother and father respectively and next to it, he has a tiny sashimi roll tattooed, not really meaning much other than his love for food and sushi. likewise, merged into the others with the shading and all, he has a endless knot on the back of his arm. he has the sentence mon mond fou on the right side of his ribcage, in white ink. along his left hip, he has the quote il vaut mieux faire que dire meaning doing is better than saying, which resembles the whole actions are better than words, something jules avidly believes in. on the underside of his ring finger, he has a N’s - not-so-subtly meaning he’s noémie’s - followed by a micro dix juin - which is when he and noé officially started dating. he has the quote mind over matter is magic along the outer side of his right foot, a note to self more so than anything else, and on his right side, often covered up by his arm, he has the sentence la famille avant tout vertically tattooed in micro, cursive font.     PIERCINGS: none. VOICECLAIM: fabio quartararo. ACCENT & INTENSITY: though he spends a good chunk of his time speaking english and has been immersed in the new york environment for nearly a year, there’s no hint of a new yorker accent. from his words down to his enunciation and the way he carries himself as he speaks, you can tell he’s french. the little twists and quirks attached to the words make the south of france accent peer through and the fact his closest friends and girlfriend are french as well, help keeping the accent and its intensity intact. ALLERGIES: apples and cashews.  PHOBIAS & FEARS: being stuck in the same place - he’s not claustrophobic but the idea of being confined to a space, no matter how small or how big, it tends to send him spiraling into a state of utmost anxiety. MENTAL & PHYSICAL ILLNESSES: none so far. ALCOHOL USE: sometimes, mostly on social situations. SMOKING: he doesn’t smoke. NARCOTICS USE: no, he doesn’t use drugs. INDULGENT FOOD: it’s not something jul does very often. SPLURGE SPENDING: very rarely. GAMBLING: no, never.

004. DIG DEEPER

CAN THEY DRIVE? yes, he can drive. CAN THEY COOK & BAKE? yes and yes. CAN THEY CHANGE A FLAT TIRE? yes. CAN THEY TIE A TIE? ish. CAN THEY SWIM? yes. CAN THEY RIDE A BICYCLE? yes. CAN THEY JUMP START A CAR? no. CAN THEY BRAID HAIR? badly. CAN THEY PICK A LOCK? no. EXTROVERTED OR INTROVERTED? extroverted. DISORGANIZED OR ORGANIZED? in-between. CLOSE OR OPEN MINDED? open minded. CALM OR ANXIOUS? calm. PATIENT OR IMPATIENT? patient. OUTSPOKEN OR RESERVED? in-between. LEADER OR FOLLOWER? in-between. OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMISTIC? optimistic. TRADITIONAL OR MODERN? modern. HARD-WORKING OR LAZY? hard-working. CULTURED OR UNCULTURED? cultured. LOYAL OR DISLOYAL? loyal. FAITHFUL OR UNFAITHFUL? faithful. NIGHT OWL OR EARLY BIRD? a mixture of both depending on the days. HEAVY OR LIGHT SLEEPER? not heavy, nor light. an in-between. COFFEE OR TEA? coffee. DAY OR NIGHT? night. TAKING BATHS OR SHOWERS? showers. COCA COLA OR PEPSI? neither. CATS OR DOGS? dogs. NETFLIX OR CINEMA? netflix. SHOWS OR MOVIES? shows. LAPTOP OR GAMING CONSOLE? gaming console. HEALTHY OR JUNK FOOD? healthy food. ICE CREAM OR FROZEN YOGURT? frozen yogurt. PIZZA OR HAMBURGER? pizza. LOLLIPOPS OR GUMMY WORMS? neither. BEACH OR POOL? beach. SNOWBALLS FIGHTING OR ICESKATING? snowballs fighting. LITERATURE OR SCIENCE? science. HISTORY OR ART? art. CHOCOLATE BARS OR COTTON CANDY? neither. XBOX OR PLAYSTATION? playstation. FACE-TO-FACE OR PHONE INTERACTIONS? face-to-face interactions. DRAMA OR SCI-FI? both. HORROR OR COMEDY? comedy.

005. JULES’ FAVORITES

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: working out. FAVORITE ANIMAL: lion. FAVORITE BOOK: thinking, fast and slow by daniel kahneman. FAVORITE COLOR/S: green. FAVORITE CUISINE: italian. FAVORITE DISH/ES: pissaladière, pan bagnat, gnocchi, profiterole, bananas foster. FAVORITE DRINK/S: pumpkin spice latte and plain iced water. FAVORITE FLOWER/S: roses. FAVORITE GEM: emerald. FAVORITE MOVIE: green book by peter farrelly. FAVORITE SONG: mile high by james blake and travis scott. FAVORITE SCENT/S: citrus, jasmine and musk. FAVORITE SHOW/S: brooklyn nine-nine, how i met your mother, f.r.i.e.n.d.s, the office, fresh prince of bel air, the big bang theory, new girl, the simpsons & rick and morty. FAVORITE SPORT/S & TEAM THEY SUPPORT: soccer, he supports as monaco and juventus fc, motogp, he supports yamaha moto racing, formula 1, he supports mercedes amg petronas, tennis and cycling. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR: summer. VACATION DESTINATION: banff, canada and anywhere in croatia.

#── ✰. ┊ jules : — HEADCANON. ❜

[w-itchblood]

If the Seven Families are sororities in a university, how would you characterize them (e.g. cheerleaders, junkies, nerds, etc)?

By definition I personally feel like sororities are always leaning prep - but here is a WAY too detailed list lmfao

Severin - Second oldest sorority. Preppy but not like pink/happy preppy like you know… Elitist. This is the sorority that you want to be a part of in order to get ahead in life (In the business/capitalist kind of way). You have to have incredible grades but also incredible looks because they have an Image to Maintain. Very distinctly Old Money. (So Camille is of course the ideal kind of candidate because she’s from a wealthy family + she’s pretty even if she doesn’t have the personality Type)

Lacour - an older sorority than Severin. Super huge into Black Rights Activism and on top of that has a super huge scholarship program to help get people into university regardless of what they are wanting to study. The sorority that is very much respected by the rest - even the dean respects their decisions in a lot of matters as far as improving the school. getting blacklisted by them is the kiss of death, if you do something to warrant it… basically no one in the whole school will talk to you or interact with you if they’ve decided you’re not worth their time (you have to do something very shitty for them to do that though.)

LeRoux - a very relaxed sorority much more on the happy/preppy kind of end. If you think of girls being super happy and supporting each other kind of like in Legally Blond. Very into earth activism and climate change. Lots of fundraisers. Grow their own food in a community garden and give any to students who need it. Volunteer a lot at soup kitchens.

Dupre - Very artsy students. Theater kids, music kids, art kids - all of them end up there. A lot of them are stoners. They also have really fantastic parties. But their parties on their own are nothing compared to when they team up with Lacour to have a super massive party. 

Eloi - Is the kind of sorority that you are pretty sure is just a secret witch cult. Like they are all witches but the Eloi family is the sorority where you look at like “oh those guys are DEF witches”. Intimidating on the outside but if you were actually part of it it’d be pretty chill inside. 

Moreau - at first glance seem Intimidating like the Eloi but in a different way (given the leather jackets)  but are really open/friendly so that impression doesn’t last very long. Very big in women’s rights activism (and very trans friendly) and do a lot of world relief efforts and volunteering at clinics/hospitals/animal shelters etc. ((Rumor has it if you’re wronged or assaulted you can pay them to beat up your attacker but that’s not entirely true….. they’ll do it for free))

Moran - Nerds lol, certainly the most quiet sorority. Kind of flies under the radar. but they know everything. A lot of them are in journalism and many of them work for the school newspaper. If you need to know anything about anything you go through them. 

#m answers asks #muted facts #mythos-illusions

[pentakillmaven]

The Nose Knows, Chapter 2 (NaNoWriMo 2018)

I was able to finish the chapter earlier than I expected! Enjoy!

Chapter Rating: T

Chapter warnings: Canon-typical violence, mild language, more gratuitous usage of French language and the French education system. Mild spoilers for the the season 2 episode “Troublemaker.”

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12

Chapter 2

Monday dawned bright and early, as it was wont to do; the halls and classrooms of Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier were buzzing with activity. Some students feverishly scribbled the last bits of their weekend assignments, while others caught up with their friends after the weekend before making their way to their respective classrooms.

Marinette walked into her classroom, waving at Nathaniel and Mylène. "Good morning!" she said as she took her seat.

"Good morning, Marinette!" Mylène replied. "How was your Sunday?" Mylène and Ivan had been at the movies with the rest of the group on Saturday. The two had continued to date all through high school, and according to Mylène, they were looking at finding a university they could attend together.

"Ugh, crazy busy," Marinette replied. "I was working until nearly midnight on the Philosophy project for M. Leroux. I had a hard time staying awake; Aristotle is such a bore."

"Yeah, I had to do mine on Socrates, so I feel your pain. At least they're done, though, right?"

"Exactly. And this week should be easy since we have the practice tests for the Bac next week." Marinette sighed and leaned her head on her arms on top of her desk, closing her eyes in an attempt to catch one more wink of sleep before class started.

However, she quickly perked up when she heard a familiar male voice at the doorway. Lifting her head, she smiled when she saw her desk partner saying goodbye to his girlfriend with a quick peck before he stepped into the classroom. "Hey Marinette! Alya wanted me to give this to you." Nino approached their desk and handed Marinette a flash drive with a white and orange color scheme before taking his seat.

"Oh, this must be the notes I asked for! Thanks, Nino, I really appreciate you bringing them."

"No problem, dude!"

Nino, Nathaniel, and Mylène were the only students from her class at Françoise Dupont that had joined her in the Literature track at Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier. Thankfully, some of her other friends were in the school with her, just taking different classes. Adrien, Alya, and Ivan were in the Economics and Social Sciences track, while Alix and Rose were in the Science track. The rest of their group of friends had gone on to other high schools throughout the city--Chloé, for instance, was at a prestigious private school full of international students, where she got to rub elbows with the children of ambassadors and celebrities. Max had gone off to a feeder school for one of the most illustrious engineering universities in the country, planning to go into computer science, while Kim, Sabrina, and Juleka were at another local public school. Marc Anciel, Nathaniel's boyfriend, was also at Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier, but as he was a year behind them, he and Nathaniel didn't share any classes.

"So Marinette," Nathaniel asked from his seat behind the pig-tailed girl. "With the Bac practice tests next week, do you have any study plans this upcoming weekend? Rose and Alix are coming over on Saturday afternoon after class, you're welcome to come if you want."

"Thanks for the offer, Nathaniel, but I've already got study plans with Alya and Nino. We're making a full day of it at my place on Sunday. Right, Nino?"

Nino nodded in agreement. "Yep! I'm bringing the tunes, Alya's bringing the drinks, and you're providing the snacks. And if Adrien can get away from his dad, he said he'd like to come too, if that's okay."

"Oh, y-yeah, that's fine!" Marinette's voice broke a bit as she replied, a hint of a blush crossing her cheeks. Even after actively trying to get over Adrien by dating Juleka’s brother Luka (which made her realize that the two of them were definitely better suited as friends than in a relationship), she still had feelings for the blond. She might have outgrown the worst of her obsessive crush on the model, but now her feelings were deeper, especially as the two had finally been able to become real friends. Clearing her throat, she continued, "Of course Adrien is welcome to come. I can't imagine he's going to have any problems with the Bac, though, he's so smart."

Nino just shrugged. "I dunno, Marinette, he seemed pretty nervous about it when he asked me to ask you if he could come. He's probably more stressed out about it than he lets on, especially with how busy his schedule's been lately."

"That's fair. I know his dad has been pulling him out of school more recently for work. I'm just glad Alya shares classes with him so she's been able to help him keep up with his assignments and class notes."

"Don't I know it. It seems like every day the two of them are talking about school stuff and she's constantly giving him files. If I didn't know any better I'd think the two of them were planning something behind my back."

Before Marinette had a chance to reply, the History teacher stepped in to start class. Despite her best efforts to force herself to pay attention, Marinette found herself leaning her head on one hand, the other doodling idly in the corner of her paper as her mind wandered. It had been a while since Adrien had been to her house-- she actually couldn't think of any time since collège, when he came over to practice playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III for the video game tournament. (Though he did see her bedroom during the whole Jagged Stone/Troublemaker incident, but that didn't count since he wasn't technically there for it.) When Alya came over to her place to hang out, they usually spent most of the time in her bedroom, but there wasn't exactly a lot of sitting space for four up there. And if they were going to have their books and study materials spread out, the dining room table or living room would make a lot more sense. However, being in a common area would mean more distractions from her mother--or, Lord forbid, her father, as nosy as he was--especially if Adrien did come to the study party. On the other hand, being downstairs would lead to far fewer questions about what they were getting up to, and would make them all more accountable to actually studying for the Bac rather than just goofing off…

A sudden elbow to her ribs caused Marinette to jump, looking around quickly. "Huh?"

"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, did you hear me?" Marinette flushed as she realized her teacher had been speaking to her.

"I'm very sorry, Mme. Chevalier… could you repeat that?"

The History teacher pursed her lips together as she stood at the chalkboard, obviously displeased with Marinette's lack of attention. "If you aren't going to listen to me, you may step outside until the end of class. And no getting notes from any other students," she added with a glare in Nino's direction.

"I'll pay attention, Mme. Chevalier. Again, I am very sorry." Marinette couldn't feel any worse if she tried. She knew that it was a very important time for her to be on top of her studies, as the practice exams were coming up and the Baccalauréat was the one thing that could make or break her chances of getting into university to study fashion design.

"Very well then. Could you explain the reasoning behind Napoléon Bonaparte's decision to invade the Russian empire in 1812?"

"Bonaparte had two goals for the Russian campaign: firstly, his official reasoning for the invasion was that he wanted to liberate Poland from the Russians. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, he wanted to force Tsar Nicholas I to stop trading with the British, which violated the Continental Blockade."

"That's correct." Mme. Chevalier continued on with her lesson on the Russian Campaign, but once again Marinette found she couldn't keep her attention on the teacher despite her best efforts. It came as a blessing when the class period ended without her being called upon again.

"Thank God for free periods," Marinette said as she and Nino left the classroom. "I'm going to go hunt down Alya before next period. You have fun in Music Theory!"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Nino deadpanned. "M. Berlioz has us doing oral presentations this week since the Bac practice tests are all written."

"Ouch. Well, good luck with it!"

"Thanks, Marinette. See you in Philosophy class!"

Marinette ducked into a nearby bathroom on her way to find Alya, waiting for the other girls to filter out before she was left alone as the next class period started. Once Marinette was sure she had the room to herself, she opened her purse to let Tikki out. "Tikki, did you hear what Nino said? Adrien wants to come over to my house on Sunday!"

"That's great, Marinette! I'm sure the four of you will have a lot of fun studying for your test!" Tikki smiled at her holder. "Just make sure you leave me some cookies!"

"Of course," Marinette said with a grin. "In fact, before they come over I'll make sure to bring some up to you, fresh out of the oven."

"Oh, Marinette, that's so nice of you to offer!" Tikki giggled.

Marinette opened her mouth to say something else when a sudden rumble shook the school. "An Akuma? But there hasn't been one in weeks…"

Tikki zipped into Marinette's purse. "You'd better go out and double check. You don't want to transform if it's nothing, but better to be safe than sorry."

Marinette nodded. "You're right." Closing her purse to hide her Kwami, Marinette pushed the door to her stall open, but before she could get out of the bathroom, another sudden shock wave rocked the school, knocking her off her feet and sending her careening head-first into a porcelain sink.

Hearing the thud, Tikki cried out, "Marinette? What happened?" When her holder didn't answer, Tikki phased through the purse. She gasped when she saw Marinette's lifeless body. "Oh no! Marinette, wake up!" She flew up to Marinette's head, checking for her pulse and looking for any signs of injury. There was a bump rapidly coming up on her forehead, but no blood, and her pulse was strong. Unfortunately, with Marinette being unconscious, there was no way for her to call on Tikki's power to transform.

Another rumble shook the school once again, this time accompanied by screams and a roar of pain and anger. Tikki partially phased through the bathroom door to peek outside, seeing a large, hulking form covered in what appeared to be gemstones. "I am Gemocide! Bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir, or I'll turn the whole school into crystals and crush them into dust!" the Akuma cried out.

Past the Akuma, on the other side of the school courtyard, a blonde and a brunette were sneaking away from their classroom, ducking underneath windows to avoid being spotted by anyone inside the other classes. "Come on, Alya, you know it's not safe!" Adrien hissed, following his best friend's headstrong girlfriend as she tried to get closer to the Akuma, cell phone in hand.

"Look, Adrien, you don't have to follow me if you don't want to. I'm going to get this scoop for the Ladyblog! This is the first Akuma we've had in weeks!" Alya gave Adrien her patented "just-try-to-stop-me" look as she crept closer to the courtyard.

Shaking his head, Adrien let Alya get a few steps ahead of him before he ducked down an empty hallway that led to a supply closet. He opened the closet door as quietly as possible in an effort not to catch Alya's attention. As soon as the door was shut behind him, Plagg zipped out of his shirt pocket. "It's about time! I was starting to get really bored," Plagg complained.

"Quit your belly-aching," Adrien muttered. "Plagg, claws out!"

Moments later, after a flash of green light, Chat Noir popped out of the supply closet, launching himself toward the main area of the school. However, before he could even get out of the hallway, he was stopped short by the sight of a tiny red creature with black spots floating in the air in front of him. He felt an odd sense of recognition when he saw the thing, the smell of warm cookies and sugary sweets filling his nostrils. It took him a moment to realize why it looked so familiar.

"You're Ladybug's Kwami, right? What are you doing here? Where is she?"

The tiny pixie-like creature nodded in confirmation. "Yes, my name is Tikki. Ladybug will be here shortly, but I found a student that needs help. She's in danger!"

"All right, I'm here. Lead the way!" Tikki flew back down the way she came, Chat loping along on all fours in an effort to keep up with the surprisingly speedy Kwami. When they came to the women's restroom, Chat stopped just outside the doorway. "Um, Tikki, I don't know if you know this, but I'm not allowed to go in there…"

"I think in this situation it's okay for a superhero to go into the girl's bathroom!" Tikki said, crossing her arms over her chest. "The girl in here is one of Ladybug's close friends and she needs your help!"

"All right! All right, I'm going." Adrien pushed the door open, his eyes darting around but mostly staying near the ceiling until he confirmed that there wasn't anyone screaming at him to get out. When he looked down, he gasped at the sight of Marinette lying unconscious on the floor, a nasty-looking goose egg bruising on her forehead. "Oh god! Marinette!"

"You know her?" Tikki asked curiously.

"Y-yeah, I've-- I mean, there was that incident with the Evillustrator a few years ago, and I've seen her a few times since then…" Chat was thankful that his mask hid his cheeks, otherwise he knew they would be as red as Tikki's skin. He was not going to admit to Ladybug's Kwami how often he stopped by Marinette's balcony just to check in on her. "What happened?"

"It looks like she hit her head while she was in here, probably from the initial tremors from the Akuma. You need to get her out of here before it destroys the whole school! It seems really angry about something here specifically."

"You're right about that. I heard what the Akuma said. It's not likely to leave here any time soon, so I can get Marinette to safety and then come back and keep it busy until Ladybug gets here."

Tikki nodded. "That sounds like a good plan. If Ladybug shows up while you're gone, I'll be sure to tell her where you are."

"Thanks. Her house isn't far from here, so I'm just going to take her straight there and come back." Tikki nodded again in confirmation. "Stand back-- or, well, float back, I guess?" Adrien gently picked up Marinette in his arms before carrying her toward the window. With a cry of "Cataclysm!" he melted the window, giving him a clear exit to get out of the school as quickly as possible. In his focus on getting Marinette out safely, he didn't notice Tikki phasing back through Marinette's purse, returning to her usual hiding spot.

Traveling by rooftop, it took Chat barely two minutes to make it to Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. He landed smoothly on Marinette's balcony, tugging open the trapdoor, which was thankfully unlocked-- he didn't have another charge of his Cataclysm to open it if it had been barred from the inside. He shifted Marinette's body in his arms to get her inside, settling her down on her bed before gently tracing a clawed hand over her face. "I'm just trying to get a better look at her injury," he muttered, as if trying to convince himself that his motives for touching her were entirely pure and not at all driven by his crush.

"Mm… Ad...en..." Marinette let out a soft, pained moan, shifting slightly on the bed, making Chat jump in surprise. Did she just say my name? he thought to himself. His eyes darted around, as if expecting someone to be watching; thankfully, it seemed the coast was clear.

He hopped down out of the loft, digging around on her desk for a pen and paper. He found a piece of drawing paper and a green pen, tracing out a rather crude paw print shape to let Marinette know that he had been the one to bring her home. He climbed back up into the loft, tucking the paper into Marinette's hand, giving her one last quick check to make sure there wasn't anything more serious wrong with her. "You'll feel better once Ladybug's magic has done its work, Princess," he murmured to her. Biting his lip, he reached for her other hand to bring it to his lips… only to be reminded of his imminent de-transformation by an incessant beeping. "Shit." Chat reached up to pull himself out of the skylight, practically flying up onto the roof to release his transformation. "Plagg, claws in."

When Plagg had re-materialized in front of Adrien, he looked angry. "Where are we? Why aren't we fighting the Akuma?"

"Look, Ladybug's Kwami found me"--

"Tikki was at your school? Why wasn't she with Ladybug?"

"She said Ladybug was on her way, but Marinette was hurt, I couldn't just leave her lying in the bathroom unconscious!"

"So you abandoned the Akuma to save your girlfriend?" Plagg accused, crossing his arms in frustration

Adrien had the decency to blush at that. "She's not… Tikki asked me to save Marinette, okay? She told me that Marinette and Ladybug were close friends and that Ladybug would want me to make sure Marinette was safe."  

"That… okay, yeah, that sounds like something Tikki would say. She's always been a bleeding heart."

Adrien pulled a piece of Camembert out of his pocket, handing it to Plagg to recharge his power. "Just eat quick so we can go back to school and take care of that Akuma, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell me one thing, kid."

"What is it?"

"Did you feel her up?"

"Oh god-- Plagg, no!" Adrien's face practically went up in flames from his embarrassment. "She's unconscious! I wouldn't do that to her! It wouldn't be right!"

Plagg just gave Adrien a shit-eating grin before eating the piece of stinky cheese. Within moments, Adrien called out his transformation phrase again and Chat Noir was off toward Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier.

Down in Marinette's bedroom, the young woman slowly came to consciousness, groaning in pain as she realized her head was throbbing. "What… what hit me?" she mumbled, squinting and rubbing her forehead. She hissed at the tenderness of the goose egg just along her hairline.

"You fell and hit your head on a bathroom sink at school," Tikki explained, floating just inches from Marinette's face. "Luckily, Chat Noir showed up and he was able to bring you home. I made sure the skylight was unlocked so he could get you inside."

"Chat… Noir? He came into my room? Wait, he saw you? Did he"-- Tikki shushed Marinette before she could freak out too much.

"No, no, he doesn't know you're Ladybug. I told him that Ladybug was on her way and would be at the school soon, though, so he's going to be looking for you. We need to hurry."

"Tikki, I don't think I can fight in this condition. My head is killing me-- and if I passed out, what if I have a concussion?" Marinette lifted both of her hands to rub at her face, only to realize she was clutching a piece of paper in one hand. Looking down at it, she saw a green paw print along with a short note:

You're safe, Princess. Feel better!   --C.N.

Marinette flushed red and quickly tucked the piece of paper under her blanket. Nope, not thinking about that right now. She looked up, realizing Tikki was speaking to her, and flushed even more. "Sorry, Tikki, I didn't quite catch that, what did you say?"

"I said, when you transform, the magic will temporarily heal your head, so you will be able to fight. And then your Lucky Charm should do the job permanently, since the injury happened after Hawk Moth created the Akuma."

"Oh! Well, that's a relief. All right then, Tikki, spots on!" Tikki was sucked into Marinette's earrings as she transformed into Ladybug, dashing up onto her roof and swinging her way back to school.

When she dropped onto the roof of the lycée, Ladybug saw Chat Noir dodging blows from an absolutely massive, hulking figure coated with what appeared to be large chunks of raw diamond. As if drawn to Ladybug by some mysterious force, Chat looked up at her, his face breaking out in a wide grin. "There you are, Bugaboo! I was getting worried that you were going to stand me up!"

"I'm sorry, Chaton, I got a little tied up," Ladybug said with a grin, launching her yo-yo at the villain in an effort to restrain him. Rather than winding around him, however, the Akumatized villain grabbed onto the string, pulling Ladybug off the roof toward him instead. Chat launched into action at that moment, distracting the villain with his baton to give Ladybug a chance to land properly and retract her yo-yo. The baton seemed to do nothing against the Akuma's crystalline armor, but the blow did at least distract him long enough to allow Chat and Ladybug to meet up on the ground.

"You seem to be in a paw-fully good mood today, My Lady, if you're cracking jokes like that," Chat commented as the two of them launched into a synchronized attack. Within just a few minutes, the two were on opposite sides of the Akuma, hedging him in and keeping him from escaping past the boundaries of the courtyard.

"I'm just glad to get to spread my wings a bit, you know?" Ladybug replied. "So where do you think the Akuma is at?"

"Right under his head, there's a crystal that's a different color from the rest. It kind of looks like a bow tie?"

"I see it. Lucky Charm!" Throwing her yo-yo high in the air, she was rewarded with a crossbow loaded with a flat-headed bolt. Looking around in confusion, she realized that there was a high ledge that would give her a clean shot at knocking that particular crystal off of the Akuma's body, as long as… "Chat, keep him busy!" Ladybug launched herself into the air using her yo-yo before her partner could respond.

"Of course, Bugaboo!" Chat said, turning his attention fully back to Gemocide. "Now then, it's just you and me, buddy…"

It took Ladybug a minute to figure out how to use the crossbow and another to line everything up properly. She took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth, waiting for just the right moment… there! She squeezed the trigger between breaths; luckily, the bolt fired true, the wide, flat head managing to hit the crystal bow tie just so to send it flying into the air.

"NO!!!" Gemocide screamed as Chat scooped up the piece of crystal. "Give that back! If you don't give that back right now, I'll kill you and take your Miraculous!"

"Cataclysm!" A moment later, a dark butterfly fluttered out of the broken gemstone. Ladybug, who had jumped back down to ground level, swiped at it with her yo-yo, capturing it and purifying it.

"Bye bye, petit papillon," she said as she released the purified butterfly. She tossed the crossbow into the air with a cry of "Miraculous Ladybug!" Within moments, the magical swarm of ladybugs had set everything to rights, repairing the damage to the school and restoring the poor man's bow tie to its proper place at his neck.

"Are you all right, sir?" Ladybug asked the gentleman, a rather scrawny looking fellow with curly hair and over-sized glasses.

"O-oh, yes, I'm fine… thank you for that, I'm so embarrassed…" He looked down, twiddling his thumbs, not wanting to meet Ladybug's eyes.

"If you don't mind us asking, what happened?" Chat asked.

"W-well, you see, I'm a geologist, and, I applied for a job at this school, but I was turned down after my interview... "

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Ladybug said, placing a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. "But I'm sure that if you keep looking, you'll find the right job for you soon!"

"Y-you're right… I just get so nervous… at job interviews… and then I m-mess up… my words…"

Ladybug couldn't help but feel bad for the man. "I know how you feel… Sometimes, you can never figure out the right words to say, and you end up tripping over your own tongue, right?"

"Y-yes! Exactly! How did you overcome your problem?"

"Well… honestly, I still struggle with it sometimes. I just had to remind myself to stay calm, slow down, and not let my mouth move faster than my brain. Writing down what you want to say beforehand helps, too, if you can do that."

"I'll have to remember that." Now that he was relaxing a bit, the man was speaking much more easily. He even smiled at the two teenage superheroes. "Thank you again. You two should get going, though; the police will be here any minute, I'm sure."

"You're right." As if on cue, Chat and Ladybug's Miraculous both beeped in warning. The two of them made their way up onto the roof, planning to depart in opposite directions; but before they could leave, Chat called out, "What really took you, Bugaboo?"

"I had a personal matter I needed to take care of, Chat. Unlike you, I don't lose my Miraculous." Chat flushed at the memory of what Plagg had told him in the aftermath of the Style Queen incident, how he'd used that excuse to explain why Chat couldn't help fight the Akuma. For some reason, he had a sinking feeling in his gut, like Ladybug wasn't telling him the whole truth; but he couldn't very well call her on it without any proof, so he held his tongue for the moment.

"By the way…" Ladybug continued, "thank you for saving Marinette. Tikki told me what you did."

"Of course, My Lady. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine! It was my purr-leasure to be of assistance." He gave Ladybug a grand, sweeping bow, earning a giggle and a soft smile in response. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a very hungry Kwami to take care of. Adieu, My Bugaboo!"

"Adieu, Chaton," Ladybug replied warmly before the two of them went their separate ways.

Both of them ducked into alleyways on opposite sides of the school to de-transform, neither of them the wiser of just how close they were to discovering each other's biggest secrets.

As soon as Marinette made it back into the school and found her class, Nino wrapped his arms around her in a panic. "Marinette! What happened? No one could find you! Someone said they saw you in the bathroom, but there was no trace of you. I texted Alya to see if you were with her but she said she had no idea where you were and you weren't answering your phone. We were freaking out!"

"Sorry Nino! I wasn't feeling well, so I actually went home during my free period… I heard there was an Akuma though!"

"Yeah, it was crazy. He kinda reminded me of"--

Marinette cut him off, replying, "Stoneheart, right? When Ivan was Akumatized?"

"Yeah! The big rock dude! How did you know?" Nino asked.

"O-oh, I just, you know, heard people in the halls talking about it! They said he was covered in crystals or something?"

"Yeah, and he was huge! Like, easily ten feet tall." Nino reached high above his head, waving his hand in an effort to express the comparative size of the villain.

"Wow, that's crazy! I'm glad Ladybug and Chat Noir were able to stop him."

"Definitely." Nino nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around Marinette from behind and a cheek mashed against the back of her head. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Don't scare me like that!" Alya cried out.

"Alya, I'm fine. I wasn't even here for the Akuma attack. I had a free period and I wasn't feeling well so I went home for a bit to rest."

"Oh. Well, you should have told me you were leaving, girl! Then I wouldn't have worried about you."

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Adrien said, walking up behind Alya.

"Yeah, much better actually! I think I just needed a little nap, that's all," Marinette said, plastering a weak smile on her face. "Adrien, did you see the Akuma?"

"Actually, I kinda ended up hiding in a supply closet," he replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I was going to follow Alya, but I chickened out…"

"That's probably for the best, dude," Nino pointed out. "You know how your dad gets when you're around Akumas."

"Yeah, fair. Hopefully he won't threaten to make me transfer schools again…" Adrien grimaced at the memory of how three Akumas attacked the school within a week last year and his dad threatened to pull him out if the headmaster didn't do something to improve the negative attitudes of the students and staff.

"Well, just tell him that you kept yourself safe, and that should be fine, right?" Marinette asked.

"Hopefully.. We'll see though. Anyway, we should all be getting back to class."

"Yeah… I'm glad you're all okay," Marinette said, giving Adrien in particular a meaningful look.

"You too, Marinette. I hope you feel better the rest of the day."

"I'll talk to you later, girl!" Alya said. "See you at lunch!"

"See you!" Marinette turned to Nino. "Shall we head on to the dreaded Philosophy class?"

"Yeah, I guess so. God, I'm ready for this class to be over for the year. M. Leroux is a total asswipe."

"Me too!"

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