#Leroux asks

[memurfevur-archive]

Leroux. If you don't mind me asking. What got you into the whole acting business?

"Some s@y child neglect and religi⨀us expl⨀it@ti⨀n and c@pit@listic greed, but I like t⨀ s@y th@t it's my ch@rm, t@lent, and n@tural g⨀⨀d l⨀⨀ks th@t g⨀t me here.

"And also my manager w⨀uld kill me if I say ⨀therwise. S⨀ ple@e discount wh@tever I s@id @t first."

[nipuni]

Once again I bring you some Eriks 😊

[the-dye-stained-socialite]

Going in for a kiss

wheelchair bonding <3

[milaeryn]

One love, one lifetime

Just an AU idea where Christine and Erik actually get married!

[soprano-sfogato]

Hi Soprano! I loved your take on Christine’s vocal technique/explanation of Bel Canto and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. In that vein, I’d love to hear your take on a male opera singer(s) who you think might have an Erik-comparable voice? I’ve always been fascinated how Leroux described his voice like thunder and that of an angel simultaneously. I’d love to hear your opinion 😊 thanks!

Hi! This is a really amazing question!

Based on several facts from Leroux’s novel, Erik was definitely a tenor. But what kind of tenor? Raoul described his voice as a very beautiful, gentle, captivating voice… but despite its lyric sweetness it was a male voice, definitely not a woman’s. Christine, at the rooftop, said that his voice was explosive when they sang together a duet from Rossini’s (not Verdi’s) Otello. So, we know that Erik had a big voice with a lyric timbre, but he could also sing more dramatically—in the novel his singing is described as highly emotional. This is a typical description of a spinto tenor. I’d also add that he was singing in the verismo style, as verismo is known for its extreme emotional expression. Interestingly, the very first verismo opera premiered in 1890, a few years after the events in Leroux’s novel, and in my opinion, this suits Erik as a character because he was always innovative.

The greatest spinto tenor was undoubtedly Enrico Caruso, who was also the best tenor to have ever lived (or at least the best among those whose voices were recorded). His voice was truly miraculous. If Erik’s voice was extraordinary and phenomenal, Caruso is the only singer I can compared him to. But if we lower our expectations just a little, other amazing spinto tenors would be Franco Corelli, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, and Carlo Bergonzi.

[cheerfullycatholic]

The characters in The Phantom of the Opera are Catholic, right? Christine had a mass said for her father and prayed for his soul in Perros, and when trying to get her to marry him, Erik told her she could either have a wedding mass or a requiem mass. I thought I read somewhere that Gaston Leroux was Lutheran but now I can't find where I read that and I can't remember if it was a dream or not. Do Lutherans have masses said for the deceased?

[grapefruit-personified]

What do you think about Sydney Leroux's statement?

I still stand behind the fact that I don't think this is about childcare at all. Syd has every right to say and think what she wants, and I don't disagree, players (cause let's remember it's not just women in the league) shouldn't have to pick between being parents and playing. But I won't sit back and agree that yes it's just childcare. It most likely wasn't, it was most likely mismanagement of salaries that they needed an excuse for, and who's going to question childcare. They know that this is something that will pull on people's hearts. And if it was 50k in childcare alone on someone's contract as a benefit then yes, it does go towards that person's overall salary package and I can't imagine Angel City didn't know that, they just hoped they wouldn't get caught. It hasn't worked for teams in the past and in other leagues and it won't work here either.

[achildsfirstsorrow]

ur phantom design is so ugly why do u draw him like that 💀 the musical exists for a reason

First of all, this is such a rude thing to say, that you could have kept to yourself? As I haven’t asked for critique.

Yes, my Erik design isn’t conventionally attractive and I choose to portray him like that because that’s my preferred way to draw him.

It isn’t meant to appeal to everyone, Erik is a character who calls himself “built up of death” (iirc), refers to himself as a corpse (see: “it is a corpse that loves you”) & is basically described as looking skeletal in different ways. I draw him like that because that’s how I enjoy drawing him, and I personally hone in on the HORROR aspect of Erik rather than attractiveness! He is meant to be physically unappealing, since Leroux described him that way and I focus on Leroux.

Secondly, my Erik isn’t meant to be based on the musical at all so this has no correlation, and clearly you haven’t looked at the content I post that is obviously very book-leaning. I may sound aggressive in this post but all the content I make is content I want to make! for myself, for enjoyment!

[neathyingenue]

💌kiss roundup part 1 of 3💌

here are 8 of the kisses i drew for what has been dubbed the "kisspocalypse"!!

Silvia and Caoimhe (belongs to @the-insouciant-scientist)

Silvia and Elias (belongs to @the-dye-stained-socialite)

Silvia and Josephine (belongs to @thedeafprophet)

Silvia and the Six-Finger'd Scrimshander (belongs to @dualclock)

Silvia and Merry (belongs to @anomaly-beans)

Silvia and Brett (belongs to @thedandy-detective)

Silvia and Vincent (belongs to @the-clay-quarters)

Silvia and Jones (belongs to @viric-dreams)

[letters-of-fire]

🎲 perhaps a kissy with elias and your choice of oc please? bio in @the-dye-stained-socialite ! they're ~4'7 when sitting, but 6'3 when laying!

18 - A kiss while laughing

[memurfevur-archive]

Mellia's theater hive is very much open to all forms of art really. Singing, dancing, acting, etc etc. You can basically cast up for whatever you want. As long as it falls under "Theatrical Arts" Which is. A lot of things. I would suggest getting in contact with Mellia. I'm not too versed in her inner workings.

"M@ybe I will. Th@nk y⨀u de@rie~ "

[paperandsong]

Hay five years ago i remwmber you where looking for specific pages of a specific phantom of the opera edition. I happen to own a copy of that edition so hit me up whwnever

Hello @whynotworms! It took me forever to find the post I believe you're talking about:

The post was from March 2021! It took me a while to even find it! I don't exactly remember why I was looking for those two pages, though I think it probably had something to do with the Paris Commune.

I think it may have been about George Perry's 1987 book, The Complete Phantom of the Opera. Perry uses Leroux as a reference for Leroux's own mention to the Commune. And Perry takes it as fact, not fiction. So I wanted to see if pages 14 and 15 of the Livre de Pouche edition were part of the introduction or something else. If you took at photo or scan of those two pages I would love to finally compare them to what Perry said! Thank you for reaching out!!

[the-dye-stained-socialite]

Elias' River-Blood

(sounds of whooping and cheering and excited hand slapping) So! Preemptively I will warn that this has spoilers for The Swan Bride ES! Also it gets put under a cut cause it's gonna be Long! I'm gonna sort this into 3 sections: How it Happened, How it's Maintained, and How it Affects Them!

How it Happened:

In the ES you help out the Swan Bride, and discover how and why she is what she is. You learn she was married to a second city Priestess in a poisoned pool in the Sere Palace, and bound to her and the rivers of the canals forever. There you have the option to allow the Bride her marriage to the Priestess, and to make the same sort of bargain the previous Gonfalonier made, and allow the Priestess to open your veins, and let the waters of the river Persephone flow through you. Your character dies and ends up going to a poison river instead of the slow river, and this is where the process happens, and you end up with the water (and specifically also the poison) of the Persephone running through your blood!! This also makes it much easier for you to win the race against the old Gonfalonier. I think it's implied that the reason the PC isn't bound to the canals like the Bride was is because the Priestess has the Bride now and is happy and content with that but... i like my blorbos possessive and this includes rivers, so. Also some parts of this ES were a touch confusing and hard to understand and I apparently didn't record all of it in my echos sadly!!!!

There's also parts where you can discover some of the lore and traditions of the Locks and it talks about guild members getting symbolically married to the waters!

(Okay so. this is the start of my oc specific speculation, meaning any of this can shift or change as I develop and thing of things further!)

How I interpret this for Elias is that they now are tied and married to the River Persephone itself, and with her waters flowing through them, they are bound to her. Not as strongly as the Bride, who was unable to leave, because i think the River knows Elias can't be contained and restrained, but it is more than nothing.

They were good at the Viol beforehand, but the Bride taught them much about it, and now it's one of their favorite forms of music.

Additionally, Elias was not nearly so KatTox focused before this. They had their work with the camera and developing chemicals on the Surface, but not much of the intimate knowledge. After I have them sort of taking her place a bit though, they have much more knowledge then before. This is when they went from esoteric ideas about the Neathbow, to actually studying its chemical properties and compositions, and becoming a pigment and dye-chemist! Before this they would mostly do field research, but had very little idea on what to actually do with that knowledge! This is when Elias got their dyes started!

How it's Maintained: Elias pretty much always feels the pull of the river, but it's akin to gravity. Most days they're pretty used to it, but some days it gets heavy and strong, and can't be ignored. The further they get, and the longer it's been since a visit, the stronger the pulls becomes, and the worse their symptoms can become (which i'll cover below). Elias must actually be upon the river for the pulling and tugging and Symptoms to subside, so just hangin' around the Locks without actually saying hello to their lovely spouse isn't going to work! They'll also often just. put their hands. in the poison waters. I think the river itself is already a bit thicker than normal water, probably being water, blood, and poison in equal measure. So most people would Not put their hands in that, especially because not wanting to risk the poison hurting them! (but also a little bit because of the whole blood thing.) Elias does this anyways because the poison doesn't affect them in the same way, because it's good bonding time with their spouse, they're a bit of a blood freak, and also they can do Fun Spooky Shit!

How it Affects them: okay fun stuff time!

So! Notably, Elias' blood is thinner than it should be! It is, in fact, nearly the same consistency as the River herself, because, well, it is! Just with a bit more blood in the ratio. About 50% blood, 25% water and 25% poison.

Having thin, watered down blood causes many issues! Notably:

Their blood does not clot easily, and when they're cut they bleed profusely and quickly. A lot of the time when Elias' wounds are high it's because they got injured and ended up very nearly bleeding out. They also lose... more blood than expected. If they were meant to have about 14 pints of blood normally, they can bleed out about 20 pints. This doesn't mean they *have* those 20 pints, moreso that the river is bleeding out a bit as well, and they are an open wound in the river.

Elias gets cold very easily, and their base body temperature already sits a little too cold for a human anyways. Luckily, moving water doesn't freeze as easily as still water, but the cold (and discordance) is still dangerous for them.

They're very nosebleed prone. If their emotions get a bit too intense (which is a common occurrence) then they can quickly end up with a very very long nosebleed. 50% luck check on if one happens or not. Usually they last an hour, and leave Elias completely wiped out afterwards. They work very hard to keep their emotions stable.

Elias also deals with anemia. Simply put, there is not enough blood in their blood! This means that while they have *fantastic* circulation, they still deal with cold limbs, light-headedness, and tire-ing very easily.

They also bruise very easily, and they'll take longer to heal

artery blood

There's also a few other quirks

Based on text mentioning the poisoned areas having 'brackish' water, this would lead to their blood being more alkaline than usual. More along the basic, higher end side of the PH scale, like baking soda, seawater, or bleach. The Swan Bride's dress trails through waters as a few points, and hisses and burns away, so! their blood is also lightly caustic (again, like bleach).

Elias' blood is also Incredbly Poisonous (which. i feel like should come up more frequently in game than it actually does, which is to say: this item has no recorded uses ;-;). There's multiple lethal toxins in the water! However, since Elias is diluted river, i think that (unless you're like. straight up drinking their blood) there's only three or four that you'd have to actually worry about, since you wouldn't be able to get a lethal dose of the other eight or nine (or so). Still, it's still likely to kill you if it gets In You, whether entering through a cut, liking a knife, or Elias making Decisions. (I have this idea of them using their blood's lethality on purpose against someone).

Elias also metabolizes toxins incredibly well! What toxins enter their bloodstream, their body takes them and stores them, and keeps them, similar to how caterpillars will consume toxic plants, and become poisonous moths! In order to properly poison them, you'd need to have something their blood cannot store, cannot keep around, or something that skips the bloodstream entirely and targets something else, like, for example, their brain and nerves. This is hard to do though, because this means the poison won't be able to travel well, so it would need multiple applications in different spots. After that though, it'll be easier to target their heart, and from there have something enter their bloodstream.

So what does all of that mean? Well. Thick leather gloves are a great idea around Elias. Unless you're part (or all) Curator, or have some Incredibly High KatTox, you're not going to be able to handle their blood. (please imagine how terrifying it is for Elias to watch someone lick their blood... and then nothing happens. horrifying!!!)

The flow of their blood is tied to the flow of the river, and vice versa. When the river is swollen and rushing, they are fast and full and energetic, and bleeding is much more likely, and much more risky for them. When it is cold, and slow moving, they become lethargic. Crashes in the water and major backups become migraines, busy days have them feeling touch and pressure, which can be either reassuring or annoying. Their mood, in turn, reflects on the water. Anxiety and worry turn into spiraling eddies, anger of frustration or, most dangerous of all, fear, turn into rushing rapids that threaten to capsize boats and flood the locks, but a happy day will have a swift and steady river, cooperative in what needs done.

Yes, this means if you Fuck Up in Elias' river, they can feel it. They have a reputation at the Guild for showing up any and every time there is an accident. The Guild doesn't know Elias is part river, though they do know about them being married (only the superstitious realize it's more than ceremony), and they are aware that Elias' working garb bears striking resemblance to the former gowns and mask of the Swan Bride. No one knows how they're able to navigate while wearing a dress and veil with a massive train that drags in the water.

Elias cannot donate blood, but receiving blood is a bit easier, though not without risk. Donating blood, even to someone with high KatTox, is a challenge, with myriad side effects. First, there is the longing. That gravitational pull, heavy as Earth, injected into someone used to no pull at all. It's easier on Zailors though, for they are used to the pull of the Zee. An intense desire to return to the Persephone, and fling oneself into her currents to float happily. After that, however, is the Persephone recognizing where she is, what strange canals she's in now. You'd better hope she likes you. If not, she'll simply escape the confines, and probably take most of your blood with her. If you've survived all this though, you'll still end up highly sick. Human veins are not meant for corrosive poison, and without the proper death and death rites, your body won't be able to adjust itself or become accustomed to it. Getting blood into them is easier, but Elias does not tolerate the composition well, it diminishes who and what they are, and will put their body in shock. in a pinch though, it can be done, provided you can treat the shock and help them feel like themself again. The best way to give Elias a blood transfusion would be to take the back to the River where they can slowly heal, or, if it needs to be done quicker, to inject the river-water into them directly.

Elias does get some fun and nifty stuff out of it though! Mainly, their communication with, control of, and strength on the water.

Well, less control in the traditional sense.

When Elias opened their veins to her, it was not just a bargain. It was marriage, a bond, and a conversation. They shared their circulatory system with her, and the organ that is in charge of all of that: their heart. They have dedication to her, and devotion for her, and that deep bond. It's not romantic love, but it is love, and a promise. They love her, and care for her.

She asks they return to her once a month, and they do so willingly. Even when they are unhappy, they will return to her, for she cannot come to viisit them. They carry her happily in their blood. If Elias is unable to visit her for whatever reason however, their anemia symptoms with gradually worsen, and their strength will diminish. It is as if their lifeforce slowly leaves them. It is not out of malice that this is done however, it is simply that the bond needs to be renewed, vows upheld. She permits them as much freedom as they have, for she knows they cannot be contained, and it would sadden them to be so far from others. So they must visit her.

Often though, Elias will visit more than once a month anyways, because they adore her so. Thus, with this bond they share, and the part of their heart she occupies, the Persephone grants them something extra.

The previous Gonfalonier had the river in his veins, yes, but he did not give of his blood back. He did not want to risk a binding, and thus he had limited abilities with the River. He could navigate more easily than anyone else, and already he had great skill, and though he control and bend the waters to his will, and she was not happy, and his success was extremely limited.

With Elias and their heart, they can communicate with her. Navigation traditionally requires an oar, however... Elias can merely touch their hand to the water, and she will know their desires. They can ask her to swell, to slow, to speed them along, whatever their heart desires. When they do this though, if they attempt anything of intensity, it does cause their own blood to run in turn. Usually a nosebleed will come first, then it trickles from their mouth and tear ducts. It doesn't hurt, but it can exhaust them if they push themself too far. On the river herself though, Elias tends to feel more alive, and less lethargic. Their aches do not touch them as much here. Unfortunately, Elias will often overwork themself because of this, so excited to do things that they forget their disabilities are still there.

Elias also still doesn't know how to swim, and while they're great at navigating their gondola... this does not apply out at Zee. They can't feel the Zee, nor do they know how to communicate with it, and they're bad at navigating using a steering wheel instead of an oar.

Overall though, they take the good with the bad, and love her regardless. She provides them freedom, a way to navigate the waters and the Upper River, where they alone are in control of themself.

[the-insouciant-scientist]

elias and the horp perhaps please? 👉👈🥺

@the-dye-stained-socialite 24. A sleepy kiss! (also doubles as 11. A kiss to the neck hehe)

[thephantomessoftheopera]

I tried to find an answer on this but I couldn’t find it. Do you know why Christine said that she gave Erik her soul and now she is dead? Why did she say it and what does it mean?

Hello and sorry for taking so long to answer! This is a very interesting ask. Let‘s have a look at the scene first where she says so. The dialogue takes place in chapter 2, where Raoul overhears it while eavesdropping outside Christine‘s dressing room:

The man‘s voice spoke again: „You must be tired.“ „Oh yes! Tonight I gave you my soul, and I am dead.“ „Your soul is very beautiful, my child,“ said the man‘s deep voice, „and I thank you. No emperor ever received such a gift! The angels wept tonight.“

After her gala performance, Christine was so weak that she had to be carried of the stage. She gave everything in that performance, and the „I‘m dead“ means that she is, literally, completely and utterly exhausted — both mentally and physically.

The „I gave you my soul“ expresses how much of her heart she put into the performance — and she did so for Erik, who is still the „Angel“ to her at this point. As the critic wrote, „he had to assume that she had just fallen in love for the first time“.

When Erik taught Christine to sing, it was not just about perfecting her technique. It was more about unlocking her soul, her passion that lay buried beneath all the grief over her father‘s death. During the gala night, Christine was able to channel all those emotions into her singing, and she did so for Erik. In the French text, she says „ce soir, je vous ai donné mon âme“, and what I find interesting is that this phrase is implicitely mirrored by Erik later. In „At the Masked Ball“, Erik sings „Nuit d‘Hyménée“, the wedding night song from „Roméo et Juliette“ when coming for Christine, and one of the lines is „Je t‘ai donné mon âme“…

(If you haven‘t listened to it yet, DO IT! It‘s a lovely song, and this one comes with subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X8LsHwJXfA)

[buccaneeering]

for the ask game, 11 and 15 :]

11- We're going to ignore the crummy make‐up of the drawing.. I rushed it.

Julien's clothes fit the model of the time(shape, style), but are described as "unbecomingly colorful" or "eccentric", he is known for his crooked ascot and bright purple coat(Which is stained all over with paints). oh! AND his fake mustache(These existed at the time, but were typically associated with crime)

He always wears boots opposed to dress shoes because he finds them more comfortable.

15- Weeeell, I don't think this could ever fit into canon(as I couldn't see this happening during the Christine debacle), and Erik technically dies of heartbreak after she leaves..

buuuuut!

In my canon, I like to think Erik went through the stages of grief for a second time?

There is a period of peace in the Opera, then he wreaks havoc upon everyone.. There is a stage where he is soothed only by the thought of Christine and the company of Daroga.. So on and so forth over the course of a year, till the rumors die down and the crowd lessens(or alternatively, the worry is too much and only the Opera's loyal clientele continues to show).

This is around the time Julien is hired.

Julien serves as both a supporting character and a love interest..

So, I guess he allows the story to continue? He and Erik get the normal life/happy ending he spoke of with the daroga(no realistic mask required)..! 💛

--

I hope this was coherent enough. It's fairly late, and I did not proofread!

THANK YOU THANK YOU ALWAYS FOR THE ASKS!! 💛💛 GAH! These make me so happy.