#MYSTERY AT THE PARADISE OPERA

[moerusai]

The fact that Netflix has the title as "ManSuang" drives me crazy because it's been "Man Suang" everywhere else until now.

so now I have to go back and add both tags for organization purposes ;;

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💖 Sapphic Books Coming Out August 2024

🩷 There's something especially sweet about a sapphic romance. Here are only a few of the amazing sapphic books hitting shelves in July 2024.

💖 Which ones are you adding to your TBR?

Contemporary 💖 Can’t Buy Me Love - Georgia Beers 💖 The Heart Wants - Krystina Rivers 💖 Hers for the Weekend - Helena Greer 💖 You Can’t Go Home Again - Jeanette Bears 💖 Worth the Wait - Kenna White 💖 One Summer in Miami - Amber Rose Gill 💖 The Last Woman I Kissed - Venetia Di Pierro 💖 Changing Her Tune - Amanda Kabak 💖 Chance Encounter - Renee Roman 💖 The Italy Letters - Vi Khi Nao 💖 Our Slice of Paradise - Tiana Warner 💖 Dancing With Dahlia - Julia Underwood 💖 Untethered - Shelley Thrasher 💖 Comes in Waves - Ana Hartnett 💖 Libertad - Bessie Flores Zaldívar 💖 The Avian Hourglass - Lindsey Drager 💖 Mamele - Gemma Reeves 💖 Mighty Millie Novak - Elizabeth Holden 💖 A Bánh Mì for Two - Trinity Nguyen 💖 Don’t Let It Break Your Heart - Maggie Horne 💖 Chance Encounter - Renee Roman 💖 Southern Lights - Liz Arncliffe

Paranormal/Horror 💖 The Curse - Alexandra Riley 💖 The House Where Death Lives - ed Alex Brown 💖 Full Shift - Jennifer Dugan & Kit Seaton 💖 The Dark We Know - Wen-yi Lee 💖 This Ravenous Fate - Hayley Dennings 💖 Come Out, Come Out - Natalie C. Parker

Fantasy 💖 The Crimson Crown - Heather Walter 💖 The Phoenix Keeper - S.A. MacLean 💖 Oath of Fire - K. Arsenault Rivera 💖 The Palace of Eros - Caro De Robertis 💖 Gentlest of Wild Things - Sarah Underwood 💖 Queen of Dreams - Kit Rocha 💖 The Sunforge - Sascha Stronach 💖 The Ending Fire - Saara El-Arifi 💖 Skyscraper - Gun Brooke 💖 Fyrebirds - Kate J. Armstrong 💖 The New Camelot - Robyn Schneider 💖 The Storm and the Sea Hawk - Kiran Millwood Hargrave 💖 Practical Rules for Cursed Witches - Kayla Cottingham 💖 Netherford Hall - Natania Barron 💖 The Duchess of Kokora - Nikhil Prabala 💖 Rise and Divine - Lana Harper

Historical 💖 Not for the Faint of Heart - Lex Croucher 💖 Accidental Darlings - Crystal Jeans

Mystery/Thriller 💖 Better Left Buried - Mary E. Roach 💖 A Midnight So Deadly - Wren Handman 💖 Death At Morning House - Maureen Johnson 💖 A Gravely Troubling Discovery - Hannah Hendy 💖 Verity’s Game - Jennifer Giacalone

Sci-Fi 💖 Time’s Agent - Brenda Peynado 💖 New Adventures in Space Opera - ed Jonathan Strahan

[broadwaydivastournament]

Broadway Divas Tournament: 2A

Donna Murphy (1959) “DONNA MURPHY (Anna) received the 1996 Tony Award, as well as Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for her performance in The King and I. She also received the 1994 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for her portrayal of Fosca in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Passion. Last summer she was featured as Dorothy Trowbridge in Mr. Lapine’s Twelve Dreams at Lincoln Center (Drama Desk nomination). Other Broadway Credits include: Edwin Drood in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Human Comedy, and They’re Playing Our Song. Off-B’way: The Whore in Michael John LaChuisa’s Hello Again (Drama Desk nom.), Rose in Song of Singapore (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle noms.), Hey Love; The Songs of Mary Rodgers, Privates on Parade, Showing Off, Birds of Paradise, A…My Name is Alice, Little Shop of Horrors. Regional work includes Miss Julie (McCarter), Pal Joey (Huntington), Williamstown, Portland Shage Co. and Goodspeed. She made her feature film debut in Jade, and co-stared (sp) in “Someone Had to Be Benny” for HBO. Other TV includes: Francesa Cross on Stephen Bocho’s “Murder One,” “Law & Order,” “A Table at Ciro’s” (PBS Great Performances), “Another World” and the American Playhouse Production of Passion. Ms. Murphy can be heard on the original cast recordings of Passion (Grammy Award), and Hello Again, and is featured on Leonard Bernstein’s New York on Electra/Noneshuch.” – Playbill bio from The King and I, December 1996.

Mary Beth Peil (1940) "MARY BETH PEIL (Anna Leonowens), before joining the 1982 Los Angeles production of The King and I, received national acclaim for her television portrayal of Alma Winemiller in Lee Hoiby's opera Summer and Smoke (based on the Tennessee Williams play), produced by PBS and the Chicago Opera Theatre. As a member of New York's Theatre for a New Audience she has apperaed in many productions of Shakespeare. A Graduate of Northwestern University and a First Prize winner of the Metropolitian Opera Auditions, Mary Beth has been featured in opera and musical theatre with such companies as The Metropolitan Opera National Company, the New York City Opera, the Lake George Opera and the Minnesota Opera. She has appeared as soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Honolulu Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, the New York Young Concert Artists and the Cincinnati Area Artists Series. Favorite musical theatre roles that she has performed include Rosabella in Most Happy Fella, Magnolia in Show Boat and Kate in Kiss Me, Kate." - Playbill bio from The King and I, March, 1985.

NEW PROPAGANDA AND MEDIA UNDER CUT: ALL POLLS HERE

"We have Donna Murphy as Dolly. We have Donna Murphy as Aurelia. What are we doing to get Donna Murphy in a Mame revival so she can hit the Jerry Herman trifecta? I need this woman back on a stage immediately and genuinely, I cannot tell you how much money I'd be realistically willing to shell out. And on a more personal note? What do I have to do to get Donna Murphy to look at me like she wants to devour me whole? The things I want to do to this woman... She has chemistry with every single person she crosses paths with. I need her carnally."

"Mary Beth Peil's hair deserves a Tony Award of its own. She started going grey almost twenty years ago and never looked back. A grey-haired octogenarian who's actively out here being hot and sexy and showing skin is quite possible one of the hottest things in the world. Let me reiterate: I want to fuck this old woman."

[adobedragon]

The Collected Works of sitehound

All my stories, in one place, listed by fandom—which means, mostly Voltron: Legendary Defender—and by romantic ship (if applicable). Ratings vary from G to E.

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

Darcy/Loki

A Morbid Taste for Ice (Complete at 200K words | Rated M | Mystery | Romance | Contemporary | Eventual Sex | Mental Health Issues)

My magnum opus! More than a decade after I started posting it, it still, IMO, holds up well.

Following the events of Loki’s attack on New York, Thor, Loki, Darcy Lewis and Jane Foster find themselves unwilling roommates, living in a crappy trailer home in the New Mexico desert.

Original Work

Elrekki Chaosbringer/Kelly Marquez

Lost in Paradise (Ongoing story | Rated M | Space Opera | Romance | Graphic Depictions of Violence | Eventual Sex | Inspired by MCU's Thor & Loki)

A bookstore owner’s life is turned upside down by a mysterious young man who turns out to be a criminal from an alternate universe.

Voltron: Legendary Defender (VLD)

GEN (No, or minimal romance, although Plance does sneak in…)

How to Impress Your Pidgeon (14K words, Complete | Rated T | Mild Violence | Dragons | Dragonriders of Pern crossover)

Pidge, an apprentice in the MasterSmith Crafthall, meets a very opinionated young dragon.

I’ll Stand by You (3K words | Rated T | Bullying | Friendship | Pre-Canon)

In which Pidge, aka Katie Holt, finds that impersonating a male cadet presents challenges she never thought of.

Three (Would-be) Paladins and a DeLorean (5.7K words | Rated T | Garrison Trio | Pre-Canon | AU | Humor | Reckless Driving | Back to the Future DeLorean)

Pidge, Lance and Hunk sneak out of Galaxy Garrison for some unauthorized R&R in the nearby town of Torre Siena. When the inevitable happens—they get kicked out of a bar—they wander the streets and encounter a very strange car.

Lance/Female Reader

A Little Artistic Nudity (9.2K words | Rated E | Post-Canon | Second Person POV | No use of Y/N)

On a planet zillions of light years away, you meet a cute guy in a café and instantly strike up a rapport.

Shiro/Keith

The Color of Joy is Brown? (7.8K words | Rated T | Mild Violence | Dragons | Dragonriders of Pern crossover | Meet-Cute)

An unwanted orphan bounced from Hold to Hold, now a murderer consigned to hard labor in the mines of Crom, Keith is grimly resigned to a short, miserable life. But when a chance encounter leads to him standing on the sands of Benden Weyr's hatching grounds, a Candidate for Impression, he dares to hope for something better.

Keith/Lance

The Scarecrow (19K words, Complete | Rated T | Mild Violence | Pre-canon | AU | Happy Ending | Queerplatonic Relationships)

In the wake of crushing loss, Keith, Pidge and Hunk, once Galaxy Garrison cadets, now conscripts in the Galra war efforts, plan a desperate escape from Sendak’s estate in the New Mexico desert.

No Good Deed… (2400 words | Rated T | Fantasy AU | Urban Fantasy | Wolf-boy Keith | Fey Lance | Ambiguous Ending)

Lance has an encounter in the woods with a wolf-boy.

Pidge/Lance/Keith

Well, There Goes Our Security Deposit (2.1K words | Rated T | Fluff)

Keith comes home one day to find that his partners in love and life have wrecked the apartment.

How I Met Your Chabbit (1.7K words | Rated T | Drunk Pidge | Fluff | Pet Adoption | Domestic Bliss)

Everyone has an origin story. This is Rogelio the chabbit’s.

Centaur’s Rising (Ongoing story | Rated M | Mild Violence | Grief Mourning | Eventual Sex | Pacific Rim Crossover)

The last place Lance wants to be is in a Conn-Pod, but it may be his best chance at a new beginning, provided he can move on from the past. A retelling, of sorts, of Pacific Rim, featuring Pidge, Lance and Keith.

Keith/Pidge

Stop Thinking (9.2K words | Rated E | Post-canon | First Times)

On a dark and stormy night, after years of waiting, Pidge Holt gets what she wants.

Pidge/Lance (Plance, Pidgance, FlirtyRobot, my OTP)

St. Elmo’s Fire (150K words, Complete | Rated M | Post-Canon | Eventual Sex | Grief/Mourning | Graphic Depictions of Violence | Eventual Happy Ending)

More than a decade before, Lance ghosted Pidge. But a chance encounter leads to a journey together in a small spaceship across the Earth’s solar system, offering the opportunity to repair a friendships and fall in love.

Mind the Hardwood (4.5K words, Rated E | Post-Canon | Cut scene from St. Elmo’s Fire)

In which Pidge and Lance get busy on in the cockpit of Pidge’s small spaceship.

Us, Only Us (5.2K words | Rated M | Post-Canon | Angst | First Fight | Makeup Sex | Romance | Cut scene from St. Elmo's Fire)

Lance stumbles upon Pidge’s attempt to comprehend and model their relationship using math.

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (11K words, Complete | Rated E | Canon | Canon Divergent | First Times)

Pidge successfully seduces Lance.

A Rain of Terror (3.6K words | Rated T | Post-Canon | Angst | Grief/Mourning)

Pidge Holt can repair anything. Except a broken heart. In the gathering fury of a dangerous Altean oort storm, she struggles with her terrible people skills, needing to get a depressed and nearly catatonic Lance out of the storm’s path.

If a Door Slams in Outer Space, Can You Hear It? (2.9K | Canon | Canon Divergent | Story in a Story)

Lance makes like a bard and courts Pidge with a good story.

To Find a Princess, You Gotta Kiss a Green Paladin (7.6 words | Rated T | AU | Actor AU)

In which Katie Holt, girl genius, finds herself cast in a movie playing an Altean princess to Lance’s Paladin of Voltron.

Turn Over a New Leaf (8.8K words, Complete | Rated T | Fix-it | S8E1 rewrite | Romance | Allura and Lance friendship)

All his life, Lance has craved attention. To be seen as more than the farm boy from Cuba. On the eve of the Galactic Coalition’s final offensive against the Galra, Lance finally learns, with a little help from his friends, that growing up means letting go of what you want and accepting what you need.

In Deep Space Where the Wallflowers Grow (2.4K words | Rated T | Post-Canon | Pidge Salsa Dances)

Pidge Holt is so done with being paraded about the universe, expected to mingle and meet and greet the Galactic Coalition's bigwigs. During a brunch on a Galra cruiser, she retreats to a quiet spot in the stateroom by a vast window to do some stargazing, but her solitude is interrupted by a certain social butterfly.

A Pidge in a Dress is Still a Pidge (5.6K words | Rated T | 1950s AU | Science Fiction)

“Just one dance,” Pidge’s mom had stated. One dance with anyone and Pidge can leave the gala at the Altean embassy, go home, take off this beautiful but totally not-Pidge ballgown and go back to being a tomboy girl genius. Alas, the only available dance partners are creeps who are trying to suck-up to Admiral Sam Holt through his daughter. It's gonna be a long evening

Shapeshifter, Shapeshifter, Shape Me a Match (6.1K words | Rated G | Fantasy AU | Shapeshifter Lance)

On a quiet little farm, a mischievous shapeshifter meets his match in a studious girl.

It Is You I Have Loved (A Collection of Plance Fanart and Short Fiction) (Ongoing project)

What it says in the title: drabble plus fanart.

The Tithe (Ongoing story | Rated T | Teen Romance | Pre-Canon | Garrison Trio | Inspired by Tam Lin | Sex Magic)

Katie Holt, masquerading as Galaxy Garrison cadet Pidge Gunderson, is on a mission: to find the truth about her family’s disappearance. But an unlikely romance leads to the startling discovery that otherworldly forces are at work in the Garrison.

I Crave None of Your Blood (Ongoing story | Rated M | Post-Canon | Graphic Depictions of Violence | Character Turned in a Vampire | Grief/Mourning | Eventual Sex | Rough Sex)

Lance, Pidge and Keith, three Paladins of Voltron, each carrying a permanent legacy of their Voltron experience, and now pawns of forces that might save or destroy the universe.

Centaur’s Rising (Ongoing story | Rated M | Mild Violence | Grief Mourning | Eventual Sex | Pacific Rim Crossover)

The last place Lance wants to be is in a Conn-Pod, but it may be his best chance at a new beginning, provided he can move on from the past. A retelling, of sorts, of Pacific Rim, featuring Pidge, Lance and Keith.

[mylifeiscomics]

Hi! I love your comics! I was wondering, what is your favorite episode for each doctor?

Thank you! ❤️

This is such a fun question, I had to take my time with it! Thanks for asking!

First Doctor - The Romans saga.

It was fun to see everyone so chill and in one place for a while. It showed the Doctor did like to hang out for a while in some places/times. Before all this running around lol! This is also peak first Doctor behaviour. He is so fun in this one- he fights a guy off while giggling and is responsible for Nero setting Rome on fire and just laughs about it. Chaotic gremlin energy and I love it.

Second Doctor - War Games saga

The concept was really cool for this adventure. Plus it was the first time we really got the lore behind who the Doctor really is. We meet time lords etc. The finale is obviously super sad but iconic.

Third Doctor - The Daemons saga

This was really hard to choose because 3 is my fave classic doctor and there are so many cool adventures he went on. Being shrunk into the alien tv/zoo thing was such a neat idea but I had to go with this because it had so many crazy things going on. The Master (best version imo) pretends to be a priest. Crazy witchy woman who over acts and blinks too much. That white gargoyle… also the devil costume- peek costuming. And how could I forget that bizarre finale? It was giving wickerman for a second. Very funny… to me, probably wasn’t the initial intention.

Fourth Doctor - The Talons of Weng-Chiang

Possibly a controversial choice but I really loved the Phantom of the Opera vibes I got from this. Also Leela is my favourite companion and she was perfect in this saga.

Fifth Doctor - Black Orchid

Simply because it was fun and it was the last time this little family had any happiness or peace 🥲

Sixth Doctor - the Mysterious Planet

Because it introduced Sabalom Glitz who was a charming character that I’m glad they brought back later on. Also it kicks of the trial saga which was essentially the beginning of the end for Six, sad!

Seventh Doctor - Paradise Towers

Very cool concept. Invented slang we use today. Beware the grannies… I just loved everything about this story. Lots of good spooky fun.

Eight just has his movie but he was so good in Night of the Doctor.

Ninth Doctor (love of my life) - Fathers Day

Such an interesting deep dive into his and Rose’s relationship. I also love the concept of a companion learning what happens if you mess with time. Very langoleers. Huge character growth for Rose (and the Doctor too).

Tenth Doctor - Rise of the Cybermen

I love this little throwback to the second Doctor adventure where the Cybermen had a very similar takeover plan. Only in this one people got changed. The idea of the Cybermen terrify me greatly and having a character as vital as Jackie Tyler being turned was… UGH! I still get chills.

And that’s where I stopped watching honestly. Once Moffatt took over I tapped out of Doctor Who. I decided at that point I liked what I saw and I was happy to leave it there. I did watch the new Anniversary specials in which Wild Blue Yonder was my favourite. Nice spooky story. But otherwise I’m just content to be a freak for Nine and the classic series lol.

Thank you so much for asking this! It was fun to remember those old episodes. Makes me want to watch the classic series again! Haha

[valerieandherweekofwonderz]

thank you for all you do! i just got into czech(o)slovak cinema because of you and was wondering if you had any favorite films on the GD that you recommend?

Hi! ❤️ Thank you for your words! I’m glad my blog has encouraged you to start exploring CS cinema! I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed 🙂

I’ll list my favourite films from each folder but you can’t go wrong with any film that you’ll find there.

30's - 40's

Divá Bára / Wild Barbara (1949) dir. by Vladimír Čech (drama)

Eva tropí hlouposti / Eva Fools Around (1939) dir. by Martin Frič (comedy, romance)

Podobizna / The Portrait (1947) dir. by Jiří Slavíček (drama, horror, mystery)

Fairy Tales

Byl jednou jeden král… / Once Upon a Time, There Was a King… (1954) dir. by Bořivoj Zeman

Jak se budí princezny / How to Wake Up Princesses (1977) dir. by Václav Vorlíček

Perinbaba / The Feather Fairy (1985) dir. by Juraj Jakubisko

Princ a Večernice / The Prince and the Evening Star (1978) dir. by Václav Vorlíček

Princezna se zlatou hvězdou / The Princess with the Golden Star (1959) dir. by Martin Frič

Pyšná princezna / The Proud Princess (1952) dir. by Bořivoj Zeman

S čerty nejsou žerty / Give the Devil His Due (1984) dir. by Hynek Bočan

Tři oříšky pro Popelku / Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973) dir. by Václav Vorlíček

Films directed by Juraj Herz

Morgiana (1972) (horror, drama)

Panna a netvor / Beauty and the Beast (1978) (fairy tale, horror, romance)

Petrolejové lampy / The Petroleum Lamps (1971) (drama)

Spalovač mrtvol / The Cremator (1968) (drama, horror)

Films directed by Karel Kachyňa

Kočár do Vídně / A Carriage Going to Vienna (1966) (drama, war)

Malá mořská víla / The Little Mermaid (1976) (fairy tale, drama)

Ucho / The Ear (1970) (drama, thriller)

Musicals / Opera

Noc na Karlštejně / A Night at Karlstein (1973) dir. by Zdeněk Podskalský

Films directed by Karel Zeman

Baron Prášil / The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1961) (sci-fi, fantasy, adventure)

Čarodějův učeň / The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1977) (animated, horror, fairy tale)

Na kometě / On the Comet (1970) (sci-fi, fantasy, adventure)

Vynález zkázy / Invention for Destruction or The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1958) (sci-fi, fantasy, adventure)

Other

Marketa Lazarová (1967) dir. by František Vláčil (drama, history)

Parodies / Comedies

Adéla ještě nevečeřela / Adela Has Not Had Her Supper Yet (1977) dir. by Oldřich Lipský

Dívka na koštěti / The Girl on the Broomstick (1971) dir. by Václav Vorlíček

Jak utopit Dr. Mráčka aneb Konec vodníků v Čechách / How to Drown Dr. Mracek, the Lawyer (1974) dir. by Václav Vorlíček

Jára Cimrman ležící, spící / Jára Cimrman Lying, Sleeping (1983) dir. by Ladislav Smoljak

Tajemství hradu v Karpatech / The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (1981) dir. by Oldřich Lipský

Recent Films

Fair Play (2014) dir. by Andrea Sedláčková (drama)

Kolja (1996) dir. by Jan Svěrák (comedy, drama)

Kytice / Wild Flowers (2000) dir. by F. A. Brabec (drama, horror, romance, poetic)

Pelíšky / Cosy Dens (1999) dir. by Jan Hřebejk (comedy, drama)

Requiem pro panenku / Requiem for a Doll (1991) dir. by Filip Renč (drama, thriller)

Želary (2003) dir. by Ondřej Trojan (drama, war, romace)

New Wave

Lásky jedné plavovlásky / Loves of a Blonde (1965) dir. by Miloš Forman (comedy, drama)

Slávnosť v botanickej záhrade / Celebration in the Botanical Garden (1969) dir. by Elo Havetta (comedy)

Slnko v sieti / The Sun in the Net (1962) dir. by Štefan Uher (drama)

Valerie a týden divů / Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970) dir. by Jaromil Jireš (fantasy, horror)

Silent Films

Erotikon (1929) dir. by Gustav Machatý (drama, romance)

TV Series

Arabela (1980) dir. by Václav Vorlíček (comedy, fairy tale, fantasy)

Návštěvníci / The Visitors (1983) dir. by Jindřich Polák (sci-fi, comedy)

Films directed by Věra Chytilová

Ovoce stromů rajských jíme / We Eat the Fruit of the Trees of Paradise (1969) (CS new wave movement)

Sedmikrásky / Daisies (1966) (comedy, CS new wave movement)

Vlčí bouda / Wolf’s Hole (1986) (horror, drama)

Enjoy❣️

[blossomhcir]

— 𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄.

bold what applies to your muse,

italicize what sometimes applies to them.

repost, don’t reblog.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS. the wildness of open spaces. withered trees with limbs like spiders.  abandoned homes. two souls that are the same. dying young. the ghost of a girl. revenge that does not satisfy.  tapping at the window.   knowing too much of the pains of others.   cruelty that doesn’t fade.  an unresolved past.  marrying, but not for love.   rolling hills. hair flying in the blustering wind.  sudden illness.  disinterment.  the deep pain of loss. carrying a namesake that is not your own.  facing a storm head on. an accent thick upon the tongue.  a figure on the horizon, shrouded by mist.  aging walls and rotting floorboards.   intruding upon the wake of destruction. wasting away. together in death.

JANE EYRE.   the madwoman in the attic.  candle-flame and burn stains.  soft laughter. a fire roaring in the hearth. silence in the halls. folded hands over modest skirts.  the pain of being wronged. a wedding interrupted at the altar. dark brows. a horse riding up the path.  the isolation of a church.   gray skies. landscape as bleak as your soul. finding sanctuary. a bird flying free from its cage.  discovering your worth.  returning to a place that feels like home.  falling in love in spite of yourself.   schoolyards full of children.  lying in bed while clasping a loved one’s hands in yours.   hopeless prayers. hiding in an alcove to read.  timid but strong.  being true to oneself above all.

FRANKENSTEIN.   grand prose. the glory of nature.  playing god. the spark of madness that drives creation.  stripped down to shirtsleeves.  the gritty streets of the city.  staying awake too long.   snow-capped peaks.  retreating from society. innocent recollections that become twisted. a lost paradise. lightning across a dark sky.  to be destined for one alone.  shouting from the top of a mountain. strewn corpses.  the implements of a surgeon scattered across a surface.  a bride on her wedding night.   books left open to gather dust, pulled from shelves. dark circles beneath the eyes. the deathly pallor of a corpse. things alive that shouldn’t be. desiring a love of your own.   feeling your soul restored with a bliss that cannot last. icy terrain.  unsatisfactory endings.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. the long, fatal crack across a mirror.  unearthly voices echoing through the dark.   a duet.  snow falling against statues of angels. the lament of a violin’s strings.  resurrected hopes. the sensation of being watched.  candles blowing out on their own.  masquerade revelers. unrequited love.  the snapping of a noose. an obscured face. the scintillating light of an ornate chandelier.  mysterious and inexplicable catastrophes. watching your dreams shatter.  curtains drawing back from a stage. devils that are angels.   a soft kiss on the forehead.   scratches of red ink.  long capes and gloved hands.  retreating to the rooftop.  being led in a trance.  love as your undoing and your salvation.

NORTHANGER ABBEY.  the turrets of a gothic mansion made of stone. portraits looming above the stairwell.  suspicion of all around you. dreaming of grandeur, awaking to normalcy.   the sound of a carriage coming up the street.  top hats and fine suits. dancing at a ball. the lavish throes of society. the thrill of being introduced. a mystery that goes ignored. chests that harbor secrets.  old love letters.  thumbing through the pages of a novel.  disappointing the one you admire.  the appearance of indifference.  having your heart played with.   grand rooms housing past memories.  mistaken first impressions.  affluent personages.  kissing in the garden.

DRACULA.   your life draining out of you. a castle on a lonely precipice.  fog spreading through woodlands. dutifully kept journals.  enthusiastic correspondence with one you love.  blood dripping down the chin.  a tongue stroking sharp teeth.  the howling of wolves coming closer.   wreathes of garlic hung about the room. rosary beads and crucifixes. violence that spans centuries. tall figures that cast long shadows.  disturbing the silence of a grave.  the sensation of leaving your homeland.   not dead, only sleeping. last wishes. a long and arduous journey.  an ominous ship at sea.   the sound of shovels in the basement. eerie lights that obstruct your path. goblets of blood red wine.  a stake through the heart. to be at peace at last.

T𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲: @dioica ( thank you ily <3 ) T𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠: @ladyruled @sigilsongs @dariaryz @vhgr @clubf8ed and anyone else who would like to!!

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

do you know any anime that is as well-written as revolutionary girl utena or princess tutu? They’re both so good and so well-written that everything seems to pale in comparison and I was wondering if you knew any other anime that were similar in terms of being well-written. It’s ok if there aren’t as many similar themes

love your and vinelle’s works by the way!! Especially loving seventh seal, how I learned to stop worrying and love the bacchanals, and for the love of Alice. I feel like for the love of Alice is going to escalate quickly lol with edward being as edward as he is

Thanks for the praise! Look, @therealvinelle, praise.

Well, my friend, you've come to the right place. Caveat that the shows I'll list vary wildly in genre and expected audience. All are extremely well written but ah... some have more violence than others.

But if you could handle the rape, incest, assault, and so much more of Utena I think you can handle it.

Though I will note, a good number of these are bleak/have rape, violence, etc.

For the uninitiated, shojou are shows traditionally aimed at female audiences and shonen are shows traditionally aimed at male audiences. They tend to have distinct styles.

If I list a year in parentheses, it's because there's more than one version and that's the version you should watch.

The Rose of Versailles: shojou historical drama, following a fictional female royal guard raised as a man to Marie Antoinette, follows Marie Antoinette's reign and the leading up to the revolution.

Berserk (1997): shonen tragedy, in a medieval quasi Europe, Guts joins a band of mercenaries.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1981): space opera, a war between two equally powered states has been raging for 150 years. Now, with the rising of two prominent generals, the balance is starting to shift. About politics, the futility of war, and pacifism.

The Glass Mask (1984): shojou drama, a thirteen-year-old girl runs away from home to pursue acting, showing great talent, but at great risk to her own physical and mental wellbeing as she obsessively pursues her career.

Shiki: horror/thriller, a mysterious family moves into a rural village in Japan and the townspeople begin dying of a mysterious illness.

Cardcaptor Sakura (1998): mahou shojou (magical girl), ten-year-old Sakura happens upon mysterious items called the Clow Cards and must find a way to recapture them all and harness their powers.

Land of the Lustrous: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in the distant future, humanity has morphed into something else, and a jewel person named Phosphyllite makes a journey of personal discovery.

The Slayers (1995): adventure/action/comedy, Lina Inverse is a powerful mage with an eye out for gold, due to a fight she was never supposed to win, she finds herself pursued by gods and demons with the fate of the world at stake.

Kino's Journey (2003): absurdism, Kino visits a series of surreal towns for only three nights each.

Casshern Sins: sci-fi/post-apoctolyptic, after the end of the world, robots are all that remain and are slowly falling apart. An android named Casshern is said to be the cause.

Mononoke: thriller/character study, the mysterious medicine seller in the Edo era of Japan seeks out Mononoke in order to destroy them. To do so, he must learn both their form and their truth.

Steins;Gate: thriller/sci-fi, a group of social rejects build a time machine in their apartment, this triggers a series of catestrophic futures that must be undone.

Wolf's Rain: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in a dying world a group of wolves race to find the gates to paradise

Gunslinger Girl (2003): thriller/crime, an organization in Italy treats dying young girls with no connections to become cyborg soldiers. The show looks at the impacts of this on the girls and their handlers.

Now and Then, Here and There: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, a boy named Shu finds himself transported to a futuristic world in which a madman reigns as king. There, he finds his pacifism tested as well as his faith in humanity.

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor: sci-fi/comedy, in the future Captain Justy Ueki Tylor finds himself captain of a broken down ship, it's unclear whether he's a genius, an idiot savant, or simply the world's luckiest madman.

Chaika the Coffin Princess: fantasy, in a fantasy world where a great war has just ended, two former mercenaries find themselves employed by the late emperor's daughter, who is seeking to find the pieces of her father's body in order to give him a burial.

Psycho-Pass: thriller/sci-fi, this is minority report but an anime. A young woman joins an organization in which criminals are sent to hunt down criminals, as it is a world in which crime is automatically detected before it can occur.

Fate/Zero: fantasy/action/tragedy, in the city of Fuyuki a great battle royale happens where mages summon figures of legend and history to battle on their behalf for the ultimate prize of the holy grail.

From the New World: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in the distant future psychic abilities developed. A group of children grow up in a rigidly controlled society and slowly learn the truth behind the world they live in.

Spice and Wolf: fantasy, a traveling merchant in quasi medieval Europe meets a pagan god looking to travel North given the spread of Christianity.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: mahou shojou satire, a satire of classical magical girl shows, follows a young girl Madoka who has the chance to become a magical girl in return for a miraculous wish.

Black Lagoon: crime, a young Japanese businessman finds himself kidnapped by pirates, his life turned upside down, and becomes a pirate himself.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, a young boy named Shinji is summoned by his father, head of a government organization, to fight apocalyptic monsters.

Fractale: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in a future where all humans interface with technology, a young boy meets a runaway priestess and the strange hologram traveling with her.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan (either version): the versions have differences but both are good, follows a quasi-Persian story about a prince who finds himself in a power struggle.

Magic Knight: Rayearth: mahou shojou (magical girl), a group of three girls find themselves transported to a magical girl where they must save the Pillar. However, not all is as it seems.

Samurai 7: sci-fi/historical, The Seven Samurai retold in a futuristic setting. The priestess of a village sets out in order to hire samurai to protect her village from bandits.

Goblin Slayer: fantasy, a priestess joins an adventure guild but finds her expectations and sense of safety dashed on her first misson: what was supposed to be a simple task of slaying goblins. She ends up joining forces with a man known only as the Goblin Slayer.

Megalobox (season 1): sci-fi/sports, a young man living in the poor part of the city enters into a boxing tournament in which he is almost certainly guaranteed to lose. There is a second season, and while it had good parts, I consider it much weaker than the first.

Vinland Saga: historical/action, it's the 11th century and Denmark is at war with England, a young man from Iceland finds himself in a Danish mercenary group all so that he might kill the man who killed his father. (I have admittedly not seen season 2 yet, so I can't speak to that.)

Captain Harlock (1978): sci-fi/adventure, the pacing's very different from modern animes but is a great anime about love, sacrifice, the brutality of war, the degradation of society, and more. Captain Harlock, a dissident and outlaw turned pirate, finds himself the only one standing in the way of an alien invasion.

Akagi: tension, a young man starts in on gambling through mahjong and slowly seeks higher and higher stakes

Kaiji: tension, a young man sinks down into the pit known as gambling and begins bartering his life away for higher and higher stakes just for that one chance to claw his way out of poverty

Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues: Focuses on the character Tonegawa and Ootsuki from Kaiji, but it's worth watching Akagi first as well. Deals with the hilarious ridiculousness of being a mobster who must please a psychopath

Lupin the Third: Part 1 (1971): A very 1960's feeling spy/action show revolving around the exploits of a phantom thief and his colleagues and enemies. Great art, music, characters and interactions, and the episodes are all extremely engaging.

Lupin the Third: Part 2 (1975): A great follow-up to Lupin the Third: Part 1 on an international scene.

[cdaae]

Why Am I Like This- Phantom Collector Edition

I’m a completionist and an obsessive so I need all the different versions of a thing so here’s a list of where I’m at right now. I wish I could say that I was anywhere near done but there’s always more phantom stuff to collect

Books

Gaston Leroux x51(This includes all 6 English translations, 8 different languages, and three levels of French)

Gaston Leroux signed by Broadway Cast

The Underground’s of the Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Bathtub

Night of the Phantom

Embrace the Night

Lessons from the Phantom of the Opera

Song of a Maiden

Madrigal

Phantom

Unmasqued

Phantom of Manhattan

Ruinsong

Roseblood

Beyond the Masque

Chanson de L’Ange

Sing Me Forgotten

The Angel of the Opera

The Phoenix of the Opera

The Phantom’s Opera

The Phantom of Paris

The Phantom’s Apprentice

Where Dreams Descend

The Phantom Cat of the Opera

Phantom Pop Up Book

George Perry’s Complete Phantom of the Opera

Phantoms of the Opera

The Trap Door Maker

Phantom Graphic Novel x2

The Phantom Cooks

2004 Companion

Geronimo Stilton

Thea Stilton

My Phantom

Phantoms in the Night

Phantom of Pemberly

Phantom of the Auditorium

Behind the Phantom’s Mask

The Phantom Returns

Phantom erotica

Book cassette

Souvenir edition OLC

Emoji of the opera

Phantom 2020

Phantom Phantasia

Songbird

The Phantom’s Lullaby

Phantom of the Little Russian Theatre

Masked Love

Treasures of Egypt

Victory

Venetian Romance

Susannah’s Secret

The Man in the Shadows

Love in the Spotlight

Let the Dream Begin

A Phantom’s Promise

Destiny’s Curse

Phantom by David Bischoff

Mini Leroux

L’Opera de Paris

Paris National Opera

Palais Garnier

Peeping Duck Gang

Out of the Darness

L’Opera De Paris Coulisses etc secrets du Garnier

Claude Rains Book

Movies/CDs/Media

Lon Chaney

Claude Rains x2

Herbert Lom x2

Phantom of Hollywood

Schell

Robert Englund

Charles Dance

David Staller

Julian Sands

2004 x17 (English x2, French x3 Germanx2, Greek, Spanish, Italian, limited(English and German), deluxe, and Ultimate, Special, Collectors(English and French)

Angel of Music

25th Anniversary

Love Never Dies

A Monster in Paris

Phantom of the Grindhouse

Anthony Mann

Phantom of the Theatre

Unmasking the Masterpiece

Love on Safari

Faust

1987 Cartoon(dvd & VHS)

Mystery Legends Phantom Game x2

2004 digital press kit(English and French)

OLC (cassette & CD)

CDs x59

Phantom of the Paradise Record

OLC small record(wywsha&motn)

Long box cd

Long box 2004

2004 VHS

Movie/book set

Long box OLC cassettes

Karaoke cassettes

Highlight cassettes

Robert Englund VHS

For Your Consideration 2004

Book casettes

Stage Fright

Props/Signed/Similar

Love Never Dies audience gift notebook

1992 tour Auction book prop

Jerry Mitchell signed LND after party invite

Phantoms Note from BWay x2

Don Juan Music from BWay x1 1/2

Ticket to 25th Anniversary Party

Majestic Theatre Phantom Barricade Cover

Photo cards, signed x16

Signed LOBs x2

Robert Englund autograph

Laird Mackintosh autograph

BWay 29th anniversary cast gift beanie

KAV’s dressing gown shoes

Manager’s BWay newspaper prop x4

Cast board name placards x3(2 BWay one Vegas)

Reopening cookies x2

London 35th anniversary rose petals and card

Il Muto page boy stockings

OBC cast member costume gloves

Printed cast member email

Cast made calendars 2006 and 2007

Full cast signed poster with Hugh

Signed trading card

Signed Michael Crawford Face mask

Signed Crawford Article

Signed 35 Poster

Signed Mask

Scrap of Christine’s wedding dress

Scrap of phantoms suit

10th anniversary invite

Opera glasses cast gift

Magazines

24/7 Magazine featuring Crivello

NYC City Guide 2014 & 2016

TODAY featuring Vegas

What’s On Vegas

Time Out New York

German LND

Theater Week 1988

In Theater 1998

Casino Player Magazine

Fate Magazine

Broadway Spotlight

Other

Megstine notebook

Mugs x7

Cups x5

Water Bottle

Ornaments x5

Phantom harmonica

Red death figure

Lon Chaney figure

Phantom Nutcracker

Phantom and Christine Barbies

Tote bag x4

Phantom creamer tops, complete set

Postcards x6

LOBs x2

Magnet x5

Stickers x12

Phantom Cat sticker set

Chibi phantom sticker set

Angel patch

Greeting cards x2

Posters x5

Art print

Calendar

Ramin based doll

Phantom doll + Ayesha

Snerik

Pen

Mardi Gras coin

Felt Raoul and Erik

Francœur bean

Small hand painted canvas

25th Anniversary limited edition boxed set

Canada gift bag

Mexico phone card

Japanese train card x2

Trading card

Lon Chaney money

Lon Chaney stamp

Pencil

Phone case

Gift bag

Japanese posters x6

Herbert Lom ad stamp

Complete LND London draft script

Blanket

Operetta

34th Anniversary blank playbill sticker sheets

Goosebumps pen

Goosebumps magnet

Goosebumps stickers x9

Bendyfigs phantom

German postcard

Angel of Music coffee

Where Dreams Descend popcorn holder

Raoul and Christine art print

Large paper bag

1994 calendar

Ireland phone card

Movie screening invite

German something?

Frame

Vegas key card

Angel of music bear

Tea towels x2

Mask sticker

Blockbuster card

Phantom press invite

Mini 2004 scrapbook

Playing cards

Assorted Japanese 2004 film memorabilia(10 pieces)

2004 film poster and booklet

1999 ticket info

2023 newspaper clippings

Gingerbread ornament

Aussie keychain

Phantom/Christine blanket

2011 wall calendar

2012 wall calendar

2013 wall calendar

Angel ornament

Universal Erik doll

Sarah/Steve Ad

1993 calendar

2004 Mylar

1995 calendar

Italy confetti

Crawford ornament

Halloween figure

Matchbox

Soap?

Heart frame

Jewelry

Pins x11

Charm bracelet

Necklace x2

Key chains x14

Replica Ring

Hair bow x2

Think of Me hair clips

Jewelry pouch

Music Boxes

Square black jewelry music box

Il Muto

Limited Edition boat scene

Boat Scene

Phantom and Christine wedding

Porcelain signs x2

Limited edition mirror scene

Mirror scene

Mirror

Limited edition MotN

Red Death

Throne water globe

Music water globe

Phantom w/ stick water globe

Rooftop water globe

Russian egg(?)

Mirror scene water globe

Phantom w/ stick

Phantom in throne

Monkey music box

Limited edition Jack in the box

Boat scene water globe(broken globe)

Russian egg (?? Missing top)

Small music box(no music)

Universal Phantom and Christine

Phantom and Christine with Marni

Opera House

Phantom Automata

Madame Alexander Christine Doll

Broken Mirror

Erik and Christine porcelain figure

Music pedestal

Clothing

Socks

Glow in the dark boxers

Night shirt

Phantom BWay x2

Sydney Harbour shirt

Christine dressing gown VTC

Peacock dress

US tour grey shirt

Christmas Sweatshirt

Toronto shirt

Candy of the Opera

1988 mask shirt

Phantom of the Opry shirt

New York shirt

Mask sweatshirt

Ghost Red Death Shirt

35th anniversary shirt

Italy shirt

Programs/Playbills/ETC

Loose understudy slips x14

Ticket stubs x11

Newspaper clippings

Mini flyers x6

Flyers x40

Ken Hill souvenir program

2004 film souvenir program

ALW souvenir programs x49

BWAY playbills x63

Signed playbills x12

Tour playbills x20

London programs x18

YK phantom playbill

World tour playbill

Melbourne playbill

Robert Englund film souvenir program

Italy program

Sweden program

Music Books

ALW piano x3(easy, intermediate, expert)

2004 film

YK phantom

LND London

I can honestly say this may not even be everything because sometimes I forget to add new acquisitions to the list. If there’s anything on the list you wanna see pics of, I’m happy to share!

[velcryons]

— 𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄.

bold what applies to your muse,

italicize what sometimes applies to them.

repost, don’t reblog.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS. the wildness of open spaces. withered trees with limbs like spiders.  abandoned homes. two souls that are the same.dying young. the ghost of a girl.revenge that does not satisfy.  tapping at the window.   knowing too much of the pains of others.   cruelty that doesn’t fade.  an unresolved past.  marrying, but not for love.   rolling hills. hair flying in the blustering wind.  sudden illness.  disinterment.  the deep pain of loss. carrying a namesake that is not your own.  facing a storm head on. an accent thick upon the tongue.  a figure on the horizon, shrouded by mist.  aging walls and rotting floorboards.   intruding upon the wake of destruction. wasting away. together in death.

JANE EYRE.   the madwoman in the attic.  candle-flame and burn stains.  soft laughter. a fire roaring in the hearth. silence in the halls.folded hands over modest skirts.  the pain of being wronged. a wedding interrupted at the altar. dark brows. a horse riding up the path.  the isolation of a church.   gray skies. landscape as bleak as your soul. finding sanctuary. a bird flying free from its cage.  discovering your worth.  returning to a place that feels like home.falling in love in spite of yourself.   schoolyards full of children.  lying in bed while clasping a loved one’s hands in yours.   hopeless prayers.hiding in an alcove to read.  timid but strong.  being true to oneself above all.

FRANKENSTEIN.   grand prose. the glory of nature.  playing god.the spark of madness that drives creation.  stripped down to shirtsleeves.  the gritty streets of the city.staying awake too long.   snow-capped peaks.  retreating from society. innocent recollections that become twisted. a lost paradise. lightning across a dark sky. to be destined for one alone. shouting from the top of a mountain. strewn corpses.  the implements of a surgeon scattered across a surface.  a bride on her wedding night.   books left open to gather dust, pulled from shelves. dark circles beneath the eyes.the deathly pallor of a corpse. things alive that shouldn’t be. desiring a love of your own.   feeling your soul restored with a bliss that cannot last. icy terrain.  unsatisfactory endings.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. the long, fatal crack across a mirror.  unearthly voices echoing through the dark.   a duet.  snow falling against statues of angels. the lament of a violin’s strings.resurrected hopes. the sensation of being watched.  candles blowing out on their own.  masquerade revelers. unrequited love.  the snapping of a noose. an obscured face. the scintillating light of an ornate chandelier.  mysterious and inexplicable catastrophes. watching your dreams shatter.  curtains drawing back from a stage. devils that are angels.   a soft kiss on the forehead.   scratches of red ink.  long capes and gloved hands.  retreating to the rooftop.  being led in a trance.  love as your undoing and your salvation.

NORTHANGER ABBEY.  the turrets of a gothic mansion made of stone. portraits looming above the stairwell.  suspicion of all around you. dreaming of grandeur, awaking to normalcy.   the sound of a carriage coming up the street.  top hats and fine suits. dancing at a ball. the lavish throes of society. the thrill of being introduced. a mystery that goes ignored. chests that harbor secrets.  old love letters.    thumbing through the pages of a novel. disappointing the one you admire. the appearance of indifference.  having your heart played with.   grand rooms housing past memories.  mistaken first impressions.  affluent personages.  kissing in the garden.

DRACULA.   your life draining out of you. a castle on a lonely precipice.  fog spreading through woodlands. dutifully kept journals.  enthusiastic correspondence with one you love.  blood dripping down the chin.  a tongue stroking sharp teeth.  the howling of wolves coming closer.   wreathes of garlic hung about the room. rosary beads and crucifixes. violence that spans centuries. tall figures that cast long shadows.  disturbing the silence of a grave.  the sensation of leaving your homeland.   not dead, only sleeping. last wishes. a long and arduous journey.an ominous ship at sea.   the sound of shovels in the basement. eerie lights that obstruct your path. goblets of blood red wine.  a stake through the heart. to be at peace at last.

Tagged by: @dioica Tagging: @imaginarianisms (sansa), @spearwa, @sappfyre, @jehikarys, @clubf8ed, and viewers like you! Thank you!

[moerusai]

SHINE (A SEQUEL TO MAN SUANG)

THE SERIES IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN BE ON CLOUD AND THAILAND'S MINISTRY OF COMMERCE.

"The premise is based on "hope and happiness". The hope of what Chat and Khem would want to be as a pair. This will coincide with Thailand's marriage equality legislation that the government hopes to pass in 2024. The series is set in King Rama's III-IV reign, when Thailand started trading with foreign countries. The idea is to subtly place Thai products from around the country in the series as a way to showcase and increase interest in them."

Apo: The film is serious, but Chat and Khem's relationship is not touched on much, there's some mysteries about Man Suang, and other characters?"

Mile: I've never brought out the romantic in me that much in past projects, so this my chance to be an all-out-romantic.

(translation by MileApo_sp)

MAN SUANG: MYSTERY OF THE PARADISE OPERA WILL BE STREAMING ON NETFLIX FEB 29TH.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💖 Sapphic Books Coming Out August 2024

🩷 There's something especially sweet about a sapphic romance. Here are only a few of the amazing sapphic books hitting shelves in July 2024.

💖 Which ones are you adding to your TBR?

Contemporary 💖 Can’t Buy Me Love - Georgia Beers 💖 The Heart Wants - Krystina Rivers 💖 Hers for the Weekend - Helena Greer 💖 You Can’t Go Home Again - Jeanette Bears 💖 Worth the Wait - Kenna White 💖 One Summer in Miami - Amber Rose Gill 💖 The Last Woman I Kissed - Venetia Di Pierro 💖 Changing Her Tune - Amanda Kabak 💖 Chance Encounter - Renee Roman 💖 The Italy Letters - Vi Khi Nao 💖 Our Slice of Paradise - Tiana Warner 💖 Dancing With Dahlia - Julia Underwood 💖 Untethered - Shelley Thrasher 💖 Comes in Waves - Ana Hartnett 💖 Libertad - Bessie Flores Zaldívar 💖 The Avian Hourglass - Lindsey Drager 💖 Mamele - Gemma Reeves 💖 Mighty Millie Novak - Elizabeth Holden 💖 A Bánh Mì for Two - Trinity Nguyen 💖 Don’t Let It Break Your Heart - Maggie Horne 💖 Chance Encounter - Renee Roman 💖 Southern Lights - Liz Arncliffe

Paranormal/Horror 💖 The Curse - Alexandra Riley 💖 The House Where Death Lives - ed Alex Brown 💖 Full Shift - Jennifer Dugan & Kit Seaton 💖 The Dark We Know - Wen-yi Lee 💖 This Ravenous Fate - Hayley Dennings 💖 Come Out, Come Out - Natalie C. Parker

Fantasy 💖 The Crimson Crown - Heather Walter 💖 The Phoenix Keeper - S.A. MacLean 💖 Oath of Fire - K. Arsenault Rivera 💖 The Palace of Eros - Caro De Robertis 💖 Gentlest of Wild Things - Sarah Underwood 💖 Queen of Dreams - Kit Rocha 💖 The Sunforge - Sascha Stronach 💖 The Ending Fire - Saara El-Arifi 💖 Skyscraper - Gun Brooke 💖 Fyrebirds - Kate J. Armstrong 💖 The New Camelot - Robyn Schneider 💖 The Storm and the Sea Hawk - Kiran Millwood Hargrave 💖 Practical Rules for Cursed Witches - Kayla Cottingham 💖 Netherford Hall - Natania Barron 💖 The Duchess of Kokora - Nikhil Prabala 💖 Rise and Divine - Lana Harper

Historical 💖 Not for the Faint of Heart - Lex Croucher 💖 Accidental Darlings - Crystal Jeans

Mystery/Thriller 💖 Better Left Buried - Mary E. Roach 💖 A Midnight So Deadly - Wren Handman 💖 Death At Morning House - Maureen Johnson 💖 A Gravely Troubling Discovery - Hannah Hendy 💖 Verity’s Game - Jennifer Giacalone

Sci-Fi 💖 Time’s Agent - Brenda Peynado 💖 New Adventures in Space Opera - ed Jonathan Strahan

[estellamiraiauthor]

All right, this was not really an official ask, but in response to the lovely @alinacapellabooks and for anyone else who’s interested, I would like to explain exactly how I “got the idea for a Phantom of The Opera retelling set in early 2000s Japan, in the tail end of the visual kei scene”.

I’ve posted some of this before somewhere but it might have been on my now-deleted Twitter?

No spoilers, but it might be a little long, so more under the cut!

I had wanted to write a Phantom retelling for a long time… I was first introduced to the story through the Lloyd Webber musical, but I read the Leroux novel shortly thereafter, and started seeking out the different movie adaptations, so I never really thought of the musical as the “definitive” version. I loved how the same core elements could be respun as romance or mystery or horror, in different settings, with characters that were usually the same archetypes but also a little different each time.

It was Phantom of the Paradise that REALLY convinced me that I wanted to do my own take on the Phantom story someday… that film is just SOOO wildly different from any other version but also unbelievably good, both as a retelling of several different stories and also just as a story in its own right. So as early as high school I had started to play around with the idea… I know I still have about ten handwritten pages of a “Phantom of the Space Station” which was supposed to be kind of The Fifth Element meets The Ship Who Sang… but the characters never really gelled as their own people, and eventually I moved on to other things.

Then in 2005, after the release of the ALW movie, I started reading a lot of fanfiction… and again, I tended to like the ones that took the basic components of the story and retold it in a different place or time. I started writing again, first with a fairly cliched “university theatre professor and student” idea, and then a Star Wars crossover where the Phantom used a Jedi mind trick to hide his face, tutored “Christine” in the Force, and she’d eventually get strong enough to “unmask” him.

The Star Wars one was starting to feel a LITTLE more like a story that maybe only I could write, but the characters weren’t really coming together and there wasn’t necessarily a lot of overlap between those two fandoms, so I was still kind of searching for an idea for “my” retelling.

Around the same time, I was sort of struggling with being a visible minority myself. Although I love Japan, I was struggling both with sticking out physically and with having something that had always been a personal strength (language) suddenly become a weakness, so I was starting to build this image of a Phantom character who was struggling not only with a seemingly hopeless love but with kind of a loss of identity.

I was also looking at gender-bent retellings, as that’s something else I’ve always enjoyed, not necessarily for Phantom specifically, but it always interested me to see how gender could change the character dynamics of a familiar story. I’d read some gender-bent fanfic, but female Phantoms were kind of a hard sell. I mean, the Phantom has almost zero self-esteem but he also has the confidence of a mediocre white man? Believing that the universe owes him a wife? I hadn’t really found any fanfics, at least, that managed to create a female Phantom who really made psychological sense as a character. (Many years later, I can recommend The Monsters of Music by Rebecca F. McKinney as a VERY different take on a straight female Phantom that I did enjoy immensely.)

But the male “Christines”? Those I LOVED… a shy, less than confident male protagonist with a heart of gold? *chef’s kiss* So I started thinking, why couldn’t they both be male? And having a female “Raoul” could help that character be the “socially acceptable” option, since nobility isn’t much of a factor in modern-day fics.

The final piece—setting it in Japan in the visual kei scene—clicked into place when I was listening to X Japan’s Blue Blood Album in the car one day. I was listening to “Unfinished” (the song Teru ends up singing to himself in the first scene), and lyrics like “Go away from me now. Just leave, and forget me. No need to be hurt anymore.” just had SUCH Phantom vibes… he loved Christine so he let her go, right??? So… visual kei Phantom. It was perfect. I’d been active in that subculture myself around that time. I hadn’t been in a band, but I’d dated a few guys who were, and had been backstage and in the studio enough times that I knew how things worked from the other side. And it was a modern-day setting where it wouldn’t seem TOO out of nowhere for someone to choose to wear a mask instead of just, facial prosthetics or something? And it’s also a subculture that places a LOT of emphasis on physical appearance, which worked with the whole idea of becoming disfigured as sort of losing a part of his identity.

Everything just came together and felt RIGHT in a way that none of the other ideas I’d had really did… and I guess the rest is history?

[rphelperblog]

Phantom of the Opera Book Quote RP Meme

part one-book by Gaston Leroux- feel free to edit quotes or change pronouns for rp purposes- inspired by @composer-of-the-night @seraphicsoprano

“All I wanted was to be loved for myself."

you have no right to control them, and I will beg you to desist henceforth.” 

she was very beautiful and he was shy and he dared not confess his love, even to himself.” 

“My lies were as hideous as the monster that had inspired them” 

“No, no, you have driven me mad! When I think that I had only one object in life: to give my name to an opera wench!”

“A ghost who bleeds is less dangerous!” 

“Come for a walk, dear. The air will do you good."

“Everything that concerns you interests me greatly, as you will perhaps one day come to appreciate.” 

“How can you talk like that? When I sing only for you!” 

“An author really ought to have nothing but flowers in the room where he works.” 

“He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar.” 

“I am dying of love. That is how it is...I loved her so! And I love her still....and am dying of love for her. - I kissed her alive...and she looked as beautiful as if she had been dead.” 

“There is also something of the arrogant vain youth in him; [...] he loves nothing more than to reveal the truly prodigious ingenuity of his mind.”

“You clearly love him! Your fears, your terror, all of that is still born of love, and love of that most exquisite kind, the kind that one does not admit even to oneself. The kind that gives you a thrill when you think of it.” 

“There is a terrible mystery around us...a mystery much more to be feared than any number of ghosts or genii!” 

“Yes—it must be the ghost!”

“As long as you thought me handsome, you could have come back, I know you would have come back.” 

“I'm sick and tired of having a forest and a torture chamber in my house... I want to have a nice quiet flat with ordinary doors and windows and a wife inside it, like anybody else!” 

“He asked only to be ‘someone,’ like everybody else.” 

“His manner, his words - everything about him told me to trust him.” 

“He asked only to be ‘someone,’ like everybody else.” 

“one after the other, there came a series of incidents so curious and so inexplicable that the very shrewdest people began to feel uneasy.

You must work at it as seldom as you can,’

"The man must be either a villain, or the girl a fool: is that it?” 

“Our lives are one masked ball.” 

I saved your life! Remember? You were sentenced to death! But for me you would be dead by now. ” 

“Tonight she's still wearing the gold ring, and you're not the one who gave it to her. Tonight she gave her soul again, but not to you.” 

"she is lost. But I shall save her."

“May one ask at least to what darkness you are returning?… For what hell are you leaving, mysterious lady…or for what paradise?” 

“Music has the power to make one forget everything save those sounds that touch your heart.” 

“There are times where excessive innocence seems so monstrous that it becomes hateful.” 

“I am the little boy who went into the sea to rescue your scarf” 

“It’s the ghost!” 

I don't lock myself up in my dressing-room with men's voices.” 

“There is some music that is so terrible that it consumes all those who approach it.” 

“Until then, in the depth of those eyes, all I had seen was the promise of death; it was the first time I saw the promise of life” 

“If I don't save her from the hands of that humbug,"

“If I am the phantom, it is because man's hatred has made me so. If I am to be saved it is because your love redeems me.” 

He is not truly dead. He lives on within the souls of those who choose to listen to the music of the night.” 

“Why, you love him! Your fear, your terror, all of that is just love and love of the most exquisite kind, the kind which people do not admit even to themselves.” 

the wall is a looking-glass!” 

“No, he is not a ghost; he is a man of Heaven and earth, that is all.”

“He loved her so much that it almost took his breath away.” 

The grasshopper, be careful of the grass hopper! A grasshopper does not only turn: it hops! It hops! And it hops jolly high!

“Everyone dies. I just choose the time and place for some of them!” 

“I am not really wicked. Love me, and you will see!”

“when a man adopts such romantic methods to entice a young girl's affections. .." 

“You must know that I am made of death, from head to foot, and it is a corpse who loves you and adores you and will never, never leave you!”

“They played at hearts as other children might play at ball; only, as it was really their two hearts that they flung to and fro, they had to be very, very handy to catch them, each time, without hurting them.” 

“Tonight I gave you my soul, and I am dead."

“I give you five minutes to spare your blushes.”

“But do you love me? If hewere good-looking, would you love me?” 

“She's singing to-night to bring the chandelier down!” 

we will go from here together or die together. “

Your soul is a beautiful thing, child. No emperor received so fair a gift. The angels wept to-night.” 

“Destiny has chained you to me forever!” 

“He laid at my feet his immense, tragic love.” 

Why, you love him! Your fear, your terror, all of that is just love and love of the most exquisite kind, the kind which people do not admit even to themselves. The kind that gives you a thrill, when you think of it.... Picture it: a man who lives in a palace underground!"

“Holy angel, in Heaven blessed, My spirit longs with thee to rest” 

He had loved an angel and now he despised a woman.” 

That night, we did not exchange another word. He sang me to sleep.” 

“Blood!...Blood!... That's a good thing! A ghost who bleeds is less dangerous!” 

“He looked up in despair at the starry sky, he struck his burning chest with his fist; he loved and he was not loved!” 

"He would commit murder for me.” 

“why do you condemn a man whom you have never met, whom no one knows and about whom even you yourself know nothing?” 

Yes, alive... I kissed her alive.... And she looked as beautiful as if she had been dead!” 

“You will be the happiest of women. And we will sing, all by ourselves, till we swoon away with delight. “

You want to see? See! Feast your eyes, glut your soul on my cursed ugliness! “

I kissed her alive...and she looked as beautiful as if she had been dead. “

“None will ever be a true Parisian who has not learned to wear a mask of gaiety over his sorrows and one of sadness, boredom, or indifference over his inward joy.” 

We cried together! I have tasted all the happiness the world can offer.” 

“Know that it is a corpse who loves you and adores you and will never, never leave you!”

“When a woman has seen me, as you have, she belongs to me. She loves me forever.” 

“We recognize the touch of the Opera ghost.” 

“Oh, my betrothed of a day, if I did not love you, I would not give you my lips! Take them, for the first time and the last.” 

Surely we must pity the Opera ghost!” 

What had become of that wonderful, mysterious artist of whom the world was never, never to hear again?...” 

Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him?”

“Nobody could see the ghost in his box, but everybody could hear him.”

“He had a heart that could have held the entire empire of the world; and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar.” 

“Are people so unhappy when they love?"

“Love me and you'll see! To be good, all I ever needed was to be loved. If you loved me, I'd be gentle as a lamb and you could do whatever you pleased with me.” 

“I moved closer to him, attracted, fascinated: in the midst of such passion, death itself became appealing...” 

Sometimes, the Angel comes much later, because the children are naughty and won't learn their lessons or practice their scales. And sometimes, he does not come at all, because the children have a wicked heart or a bad conscience.”

“You are crying! You are afraid of me! And yet I am not really wicked. Love me and you shall see! All I wanted was to be loved for myself.” 

“Little Lotte thought of everything and nothing. Her hair was as golden as the sun's rays, and her soul as clear and blue as her eyes. She wheedled her mother, was kind to her doll, took great care of her frock and her red shoes and her fiddle, but loved most of all, when she went to sleep, to hear the Angel of Music.” 

“And, despite the care which she took to look behind her at every moment, she failed to see a shadow which followed her like her own shadow, which stopped when she stopped, which started again when she did and which made no more noise than a well-conducted shadow should.” 

“Why do you condemn a man who you have never seen, whom no one knows about and whom you yourself know nothing?” 

“But you would have lots of fun with me. For instance, I am the the greatest ventriloquist that ever lived, I am the first ventriloquist in the world!” 

"forget THE MAN'S VOICE and do not even remember its name... You must never try to fathom the mystery of THE MAN'S VOICE.” 

[gellavonhamster]

monthly media recap: september 2023

read:

Angélique, the Road of Hope and The Victory of Angélique by Anne Golon - can't believe I finished this, lol. It's a pity book 14 wasn't published, but book 13 provides a conclusion to many main plotlines, so it's still a decent ending. I will always wonder if another one of my brotps was supposed to reunite in the last book, though :D For all its faults, enjoyed this series tremendously; it's the people helping and supporting each other even in the bleakest circumstances for me

Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater - Regency Faerie Tales part two, even cuter than part one. Seriously, these books are such a delight, I need to read part three ASAP

Spēlēju, dancoju / I Played, I Sang by Rainis - girl help, my Latvian vocabulary does not include that much archaic and/or poetic language, but I did understand enough to see how beautiful it is

Gaywick by Vincent Virga - I read that one liveblogging thread/channel, so I was familiar with the plot, but it was still so interesting to see it all happen. Incredible how a book can cover so many disturbing, truly Gothic themes and still be hopeful and sweet, loved it

Vadriel Vail by Vincent Virga - Gaywick Trilogy book 2, not nearly as good as the first one. Constant timeskips, important events only told in passing, one of the MCs is a boring Gary Stu and the other disgusting. Bearable thanks to the first one's wife and characters from book 1

The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton - it's not terrible and had some interesting stuff, but still felt sort of... superficial? Most of the characters felt underdeveloped, the story often felt like an outline. I bought it mostly because it was cheap and I'm glad it was.

+ currently reading Children of Paradise (Gaywick Trilogy #3)

watched:

Apteeker Melchior / Melchior the Apothecary (2023) - a murder mystery set in medieval Tallinn. Something bugged me about the dialogue, but I mostly enjoyed the plot and the familiar setting

The Skeleton Key (2005) - Southern Gothic, a grim old house, and Hoodoo magic. Enjoyed the final plot twists and how they recontextualize a lot of stuff earlier in the movie. Was rooting for the heroine but also had to hand it to the antagonists in the end, good for them

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) - so, so charming. Impossible not to hum and move along to the songs. Marilyn Monroe, of course, is a goddess, but Jane Russell tho... gentlemen might prefer blondes but I'm no gentleman

How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) - also charming and funny, though I found it a bit less interesting than the previous one; still good though

Constantine (2005) - I frequently felt like I was missing some context. Either I'm stupid or it's just because I haven't read the comics, but shouldn't a movie adaptation be understandable even for those unfamiliar with the source? Otherwise it was ok and had Rachel Weisz in it

Rebecca (1940) - not nearly as haunting as the novel, but a good film nevertheless. Mostly I just wanted to protect the narrator :( she's so cute

also, a bit unrelated, probably, but I saw two theatre performances last month - one was a live screening of Good by the National Theatre (powerful, amazingly done, probably wouldn't have decided to see it by myself, so thanks to the friend who suggested it) and the other The Three Musketeers neo-classical ballet at the Latvian National Opera and Ballet (really nice, cool stage design, I posted a trailer here)

[primordyalsoul]

GOTHIC LITERATURE.

bold what applies to your muse, italicize what sometimes applies to them. repost, don’t reblog.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS.   the wildness of open spaces. withered trees with limbs like spiders.  abandoned homes.   two souls that are the same.   dying young. the ghost of a girl. revenge that does not satisfy. tapping at the window.  knowing too much of the pains of others. cruelty that doesn’t fade. an unresolved past.  marrying, but not for love.   rolling hills.  hair flying in the blustering wind.  sudden illness.  disinterment. the deep pain of loss. carrying a namesake that is not your own.  facing a storm head on.  an accent thick upon the tongue.  a figure on the horizon, shrouded by mist. aging walls and rotting floorboards.   intruding upon the wake of destruction.  wasting away.  together in death.

JANE EYRE.   the madwoman in the attic. candle-flame and burn stains.  soft laughter. a fire roaring in the hearth. silence in the halls. folded hands over modest skirts.  the pain of being wronged. a wedding interrupted at the altar. dark brows. a horse riding up the path. the isolation of a church.   gray skies.  landscape as bleak as your soul. finding sanctuary.  a bird flying free from its cage. discovering your worth. returning to a place that feels like home.falling in love in spite of yourself.   schoolyards full of children.  lying in bed while clasping a loved one’s hands in yours.  hopeless prayers. hiding in an alcove to read.  timid but strong.  being true to oneself above all.

FRANKENSTEIN.   grand prose. the glory of nature.  playing god. the spark of madness that drives creation. stripped down to shirtsleeves. the gritty streets of the city. staying awake too long.   snow-capped peaks.  retreating from society. innocent recollections that become twisted. a lost paradise. lightning across a dark sky.  to be destined for one alone.  shouting from the top of a mountain. strewn corpses. the implements of a surgeon scattered across a surface.  a bride on her wedding night.   books left open to gather dust, pulled from shelves. dark circles beneath the eyes. the deathly pallor of a corpse. things alive that shouldn’t be. desiring a love of your own. feeling your soul restored with a bliss that cannot last. icy terrain. unsatisfactory endings.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. the long, fatal crack across a mirror. unearthly voices echoing through the dark.   a duet.  snow falling against statues of angels.  the lament of a violin’s strings.  resurrected hopes. the sensation of being watched. candles blowing out on their own.  masquerade revelers. unrequited love.  the snapping of a noose. an obscured face. the scintillating light of an ornate chandelier. mysterious and inexplicable catastrophes. watching your dreams shatter. curtains drawing back from a stage. devils that are angels.   a soft kiss on the forehead.  scratches of red ink. long capes and gloved hands. retreating to the rooftop.  being led in a trance. love as your undoing and your salvation.

NORTHANGER ABBEY. the turrets of a gothic mansion made of stone. portraits looming above the stairwell. suspicion of all around you. dreaming of grandeur, awaking to normalcy.   the sound of a carriage coming up the street. top hats and fine suits. dancing at a ball. the lavish throes of society. the thrill of being introduced. a mystery that goes ignored. chests that harbor secrets.  old love letters.    thumbing through the pages of a novel. disappointing the one you admire.  the appearance of indifference. having your heart played with.   grand rooms housing past memories. mistaken first impressions. affluent personages.  kissing in the garden.

DRACULA.  your life draining out of you.  a castle on a lonely precipice. fog spreading through woodlands. dutifully kept journals.  enthusiastic correspondence with one you love. blood dripping down the chin. a tongue stroking sharp teeth. the howling of wolves coming closer.   wreathes of garlic hung about the room. rosary beads and crucifixes. violence that spans centuries. tall figures that cast long shadows. disturbing the silence of a grave. the sensation of leaving your homeland.   not dead, only sleeping. last wishes. a long and arduous journey.  an ominous ship at sea.   the sound of shovels in the basement. eerie lights that obstruct your path. goblets of blood red wine. a stake through the heart. to be at peace at last.

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