The Phantom Of The Opera (100 Books, 100 Essays Challenge)

The Phantom of The Opera (100 Books, 100 Essays Challenge)

Book essay number one, The Phantom of The Opera by Gaston Leroux.

"You are crying! You are afraid of me! And yet I am not really wicked. Love me and you shall see!" -The Phantom

"Does he love you so much?"

"He would commit murder for me." -Raoul and Christine

I find this book especially interesting as it seems to be one of the (if not THE) first times a yandere appears in English literature. The romance thriller follows the young Viscount Raoul de Chagny as he unravels the mystery behind his childhood friend, the opera singer Christine Daae's*, strange behavior and her connections to the Opera Ghost.

It can be difficult to read at times, being an old book that uses old-fashioned dialogue and punctuation, and Raoul's interactions with Christine can be frustrating (to me) at times as he can come across as controlling; though deep down, I know he is really just concerned for her well-being (and maybe a little jealous).

Anyways, once I got into this book, I could hardly put it down. It has that sort of captivating writing style you often find in old books and seldom find in modern stories. I don't know how else to describe it, but H.G. Wells' books all have it, as well as The Lord of The Flies, and so if you're familiar with any of those, then perhaps you'll know what I'm talking about.

My favourite character is probably "The Persian", as he is called. He is mentioned several times before he finally makes appearance and serves as a guide to Raoul towards the end of the book. Basically, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have our happy (bittersweet) ending. I also like Erik, himself as my second favourite character. For all his evil-ness, you can't help but pity him, and they say so in the book.

All-in-all, this was an enjoyable read which I was able to finish in the span of a few days (so it isn't time-consuming). I'd give 10/10 and recommend it to those of you who enjoy classic literature.

reblog the money pigeon for a financially stable future

Concept art for a side character in my sci-fi fantasy comic.

Name: Maz

Age: Undecided. Probably somewhere from 18 to 22.

Race: Elf/Goblin hybrid (hence the purple hair/eyelashes, orange eyes, and pointy ears and fingertips)

Maz is a side-character that will probably be introduced at the beginning of the second act in my story. She is a chronic soda-pop drinker with a chill-yet-sassy attitude who specializes as a spaceship pilot but knows enough about how to wield a raygun. Her best friend is her pet... thing, Rex (I'll post art of him later).

The art style was inspired by modern cartoons (mainly Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as well as much of Liam Vickers' works.

Let me know what you think of her!

@ayloverlove

a real king out there

The Curse of The Mismatched Socks

This is a short silly story based on a joke made by my best friend many years ago...

Once upon a time, in a small town, in the middle of Nowhere, there lived a large family in their adequately sized house. Despite having a surplus of children, they managed to live in harmony.

One day, in the basement, the two oldest children, myself and my younger sister, Mary Lou, were folding the laundry. A perfectly normal task for the average child. Unfortunately, today there were... complications. Let me explain.

We had just finished the first basket when my third sister, Gemma, came down the stairs wearing a pair of mismatched socks. Mary Lou was focused on a shirt she was folding at the moment, so I was the only one to see.

"Uhhh, you might wanna take those off." I commented. Gemma shot me a look.

"Why?" She asked.

Mary Lou, hearing us converse, took one look at Gemma's feet and screamed.

"WHY ARE YOU WEARING THOSE?! DON'T YOU KNOW IT'S BAD LUCK TO WEAR MISMATCHED SOCKS?!"

Gemma and I winced in pain at her volume. Gemma was the first to reply.

"Calm down, sis! They're just socks." She rolled her eyes.

"No good will come of this." Mary Lou declared. "We are cursed."

Gemma and I shot each other a look before we all continued folding the laundry.

About half an hour later, we were finished (large families have a lot of laundry). I stood up, cracking my neck with a sigh.

"Finally," I smirked. "Hey, I'm going to my room to relax. If anybody needs me, I'm not available." Just as I was about to leave, our mother's voice boomed down the stairs.

"KIDS, WHY HAVEN'T YOU DONE THE LAUNDRY?"

"But we have! We just finished!" I called back.

"HA! TELL THAT TO THE MT. EVEREST PILE OF TOWELS IN THE BASKET!" She replied.

Gemma and I exchanged quizzical looks while Mary Lou just smiled. "I told you we were cursed." She said.

"Nah, you probably just missed some!" Gemma laughed nervously.

"Whatever, let's just finish this so I can get back to reading." I snapped my fingers to urge them to move faster.

"You'll see, just you wait..." Mary Lou muttered ominously.

An hour later, the towels were washed, dried, and folded. We thought we were done, but then I tried to open the door and was immediately swept away by an avalanche of laundry.

"What?! Where did this come from?!" Gemma asked.

"I told you. We're cursed." Mary Lou sighed.

We were stuck down there all day, sorting, washing, drying, folding, and putting away laundry. All because of a terrible fashion choice.

The End

(There's an extended ending, but it's not necessary to the story.)