#although people do it all the time with the poto musical so... ;)

[pfannkuchen07]

The Changes from POTO Italy in Monaco- Monte Carlo

I've seen no one talk about it, so I'm gonna talk about it!! I was at the POTO Italy showing in Monaco on the 20th December 2023, and they made some interesting new changes for that show 👀 Beforehand I gotta say, I was also at the showing in Trieste in July 2023 and haven't watched ANY other of the productions, so I'm not too sure what may be new for people who only saw other versions :'D (well besides the anniversary version from 2011) But if you have any questions, just ask them! Also I'm gonna post my super secret complete audio recording of the show on another post, so look out for that hehe

In The Music of the Night Ramin's Phantom did that candle thing again, where he (in Trieste) would take one of his candles from the organ and blow it out, but this time he took the candle (somewhere at the start of the song) and placed it on the ground in front of Christine. She than sat in front of it and stared at it, like she was hypnotized by the light and by his singing promising her all these things she never even dreamt of, until finally he came to her, crouched in front of her and blew it out. "Close your eyes, let your spirit start to so~ar. And you live *candle blows out* as you never lived befo~re." From then on she was under his spell. For the rest of the song, anyway. Later she woke up in the Phantom's four-poster bed and proceeded to find him.. sitting thoughtfully on his piano bench. I guess inspiration for his music where to be found floating somewhere in the direction of the audience. They probably did that so that we could easier see when Christine snatched the mask from his face, but it was funny to see nonetheless. Just imagine this epic shadow man of gothic stories than can basically appear and disappear wherever he wants, truly a master in every craft, and he gets bested because a ballet girl sneaked up on him. :'D Anyways.

Later after the first chandelier got destroyed, Christine ran off to the rooftop and stood on the edge of the precipice. Just one jump and the Phantom might not kill again... but thankfully Raoul came before she could have acted on any of her wayward thoughts. Although Raoul only climbed up to the end of the roof ladder and Christine was scarily near to the edge. Why Have You Brought Me Here became a song to talk to Christine about what scared her and hopefully get her down from the roof. After one almost jump at the end of the song Raoul finally got off the ladder and scooted to her, to bodily keep her from any other near falls. He comforted her with All I Ask Of You and they end up kissing and engaged. Yay.

Now fast forward to The Point Of No Return. They do their intrigue thing where they try to find the Phantom somewhere IN the opera, because he must be somewhere to watch them present his masterwork. Unknowingly he changes positions with Piangi (which looked very smooth. With his hands on the curtain during the switcharoo and all that). Lots of cool outfits during this scene. It must have been very hot, especially when I first saw it in Italy during a heatwave when it was like 30°C outside. Luckily they had air conditioning. Also I love that Ramin went all out in his attempt to make the Phantom sound more like Piangi in this scene and have the accent full on. Makes the switch that much more surprising when you don't know that it is coming since he does a really good job of imitating him. And I kinda love how he sounds with it hehehe The interesting thing though is that the Phantom loses the accent as the song The Point of No Return really starts as if to show Christine who really is behind the costume. You can here it on the first "Our games of make believe are at an en~d." especially well. He drops the accent and goes from his chest voice back to his more typical register. Also he gets his signature "whine" back. He kind of goes in and out of it as the verses go on. Fighting his desire to be with Christine with his need to keep the ruse going. Maybe he needs to be with Christine, maybe he needs to finally come clean, whatever it is, it made him take the disguise off at the end of The Point Of No Return and look guiltily at her while she sadly looked on. Christine herself didn't even try to look under the costume during TPONR and unmask him. Even when clearly she must have know that he was under it. I mean yes, during the song she didn't touch him as much as I know she does in the anniversary version (which here sadly takes the sensuality out of the scene for me because most of the time they stood with a few meters in between them or walked around the table :c), but she knows his voice and clearly heard him change his accent. One could argue she might know his voice like this (without the visuals) even more intimately then with. So I'd be easier to pick out for her. Not sure what I think about this change. After the Phantom runs away with Christine, and the police and audience is in chaos, Firmin and André let some lanterns fall down and proceed to burn down the Opera house because well, insurance doesn't cover maniacs but hopefully it does fires? As long as no one from the audience tells on them, I guess. The funniest thing about this show was the end In The Lair when Raoul gets hung up on a rope (by the Phantom's bed ;))) 90% less wet than he was in Trieste but 80% louder with his yelps and moans of pain. After some minutes he even goes still and passes out. And the show ends with the Phantom magically disappearing under the blanket on his bed. I do wonder how they did that, since I could very clearly see under it to the wall. Hmm... All in all, very fun to see tho. c:

[silvermillenniumqueenneptune]

Writers vent re: assumptions (Please COMMENT if you like, but do not reblog)

Note: Names are changed to protect the people involved. * indicates a changed name. Post is long and will be below the cut. TW for mentions of violence, SA and other issues.

I have a dear friend, Mandy*, who is an aspiring author. I've posted about her before, giving her varying ages because I was never sure until recently how old she actually was.

Mandy will be turning 30 this year. She is a mixed (half white, half-Afro Latin@), supposedly Orthodox Jewish woman living in California with her mom, brother and grandmother. When she was around twelve years old, Mandy began writing a fanfiction with a friend centered around her obsession with the musical Phantom of the Opera.

By the time I met her in 2019, she claimed had been working on turning the fanfiction into an original novel for close to 10 years. The problem is that Mandy believes that she can get by without researching things for her novel because she has friends she can ask.

Initially, Mandy's main character was a mirror of herself, a young Jewish woman who was sexually assaulted as a teen by a peer in the LDS community who she believed she was in love with at the time. Her character's father, according to her, is an Iranian pagan "gypsy" who changes after falling in love with a Russian prostitute. She was so connected to the POTO idea that the MC's parents were originally named Erik and Kiersten MacNamara. She's included characters for all of her close friends, including me (without my initial consent), her gay best friend Nick*, our other friend Nicole* and her Muslim friend Maha*. The story also includes violent mob activities, rape and sexual assault, murder, etc, Unfortunately, Mandy believes that just talking to people who fit her characters' backgrounds is enough "research" to properly write the characters. For example, Erik raises his sons to believe that their wives should (in Erik's words) "work only to amuse themselves", because Mandy has heard from "several Muslim male friends" that this is a common school of thought for all men of Iranian descent. [Ironically, Erik shows no indication of being Muslim--he's closer to straight up pagan in the beginning of his book-- and later converts to Roman Catholicism, changing his last name to blend in and become only slightly more Americanized.]

The book is a dark romance, although it does heavily focus on the family dynamics and legacy, as she plans to make it a series where each of the children gets their own book about their journey with their lover. Mandy has asked my opinion several times throughout, and I've told her consistently that she needs to do more research, or she will be ridiculed. Nick, Nicole and Maha all love what she's doing, and I seem to be the only one who realizes Mandy is treading on thin ice with the concept as it is. She's admitted to me in the past that parts of the work are "autobiographical" and has fluctuated wildly from "people are going to want to kill me for the content" to "no one will care." Mandy is also epileptic and has mental health issues including depression and Reactive Attachment Disorder, for which she is in therapy]. I've seen the amount of work she puts into these books affect her health to the point of sending her into depressive spirals if she stops working, because she trauma dumps onto her characters rather than feel her emotions herself. It's gotten to the point that she wants me to roleplay as the characters with her, and she has developed unique voices for all of them--literally. It feels like I am talking to a person with either multiple personalities or dissociative identity disorder, and she can and does switch into character at random. Unfortunately, I've also been told by Nicole, who is a nursing assistant and phlebotomist, that I'm "making things worse" when I tell Mandy she needs to drop the work, even though she will admit I may be right. What Nicole doesn't know is, Mandy spends 2-4 hours at a time Skyping with me role-playing her characters--and won't listen if I try to refuse. It's gotten so bad that some days I have to appear offline just to have room to breathe.

Nicole and I both are also at a disadvantage because we only know Mandy online-- she grew up with Nick and Maha, neither of whom see what we see.

I've tried distancing myself but it's not working. Any thoughts or advice are appreciated.

[britishchick09]

OMFG POTO 1925 IS PLAYING AT THE ORPHEUM ON HALLOWEEN EVE!!!!!! :D

[melancholyymusings]

I'm not even going to lie. I feel like crying. I absolutely adore Phantom of the Opera and this past Christmas was my first time ever making the trek to New York and seeing it live on Broadway, at the Majestic Theater. I had the time of my life and almost burst into tears when Emilie Kouatchou waltzed onto the stage and opened her mouth to sing. It was my first time seeing anything on a Broadway stage; my first time seeing my favorite musical live on stage. And seeing a beautiful brown girl play the leading role of Christine Daae was magic on earth.

My history with Phantom of the Opera is long yet distant. I was first introduced to Phantom of the Opera when I was 15. There was a girl in my digital media class who loved POTO, and when I say loved, I mean obsessed. However, this was also the time when the Twilight craze was at its peak and I erroneously believed that POTO was another vampire story. And when my classmate told me that the phantom basically kidnaps Christine, I wrote it off as a scary movie (I was an extreme scaredy cat back then) and continued to observe the fandom from afar. Always curious, but never having the guts to watch it for myself.

Fast forward to now being an adult and I finally, FINALLY, sat myself down and watched the 2004 Phantom of the Opera film and it was instant love. Instant obsession. Listening to and singing the songs day in and day out. Buying multiple copies of the book and reading it from cover to cover. Buying multiple copies of the movie. Buying the 25th anniversary stage play at Albert Hall. And then finally, traveling to New York and seeing it on Broadway myself. I was so overcome with emotion that I was finally there, seeing something I loved so much, with a brown girl that looked like me on the stage, it brought tears to my eyes.

I loved Phantom of the Opera instantaneously and passionately, and now it feels like it's all being ripped away from me just as quickly as I began to love it. I'm sure that sounds dramatic but it's true. People roll their eyes at the hold POTO has on it's fanbase, but there is a reason that it was on Broadway for 35 years and has productions in multiple different countries.

For me, Phantom of the Opera gave me something to cling onto when it felt like society and the world around me was trying to take everything away. Between disgusting politics surrounding everything, heightened racism all over the news, my own family drama that I had no control over, and my lack of having a job at the time and a lack of life direction, I was heading for a very dark place. POTO was a light in that darkness. An anchor, if you will.

I am going to do my best to get to New York to see it one last time before the final curtain, fingers crossed that I do. I will love Phantom of the Opera forever and I am so happy, so privileged, so grateful that I've been able to see it in my lifetime, and it will always remain a beautiful memory in my mind.

So, although I will have to say goodbye soon to the greatest musical to ever bless my ears, and one of the most romantic stories of love and obsession ever told, I want to say thank you. Thank you to Andrew Lloyd Webber and everyone who has ever been a part of POTO. Thank you for the film. Thank you for giving me something to hold onto when the world around me felt like it was crumbling. Thank you for giving me a reason to sing like nobody's watching. And thank you for giving me a piece of happiness that I can take with me forever. It is a memory that will never ever fade away.

Even though I am sad that POTO is ending, I am so, so happy that it happened in the first place.

May our love never die 🥀

[sloanedestler]

Fanfic Writer’s 20 Questions!

Thanks to @pagesofangels, @aphaea21, @nerdywriter36, and @i-penna for tagging me for this!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

26

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

122,316

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Just Phantom of the Opera, baby

4) What are your top five fics by kudos?

Second Chances

Music Lessons

Lessons and a Kiss

An Angel Revealed

Beneath the Opera House

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! My main reason for writing these phics in the first place is to have fun, and getting to talk to people is probably the most fun thing about it. I have friendships that very much got their start in the AO3 comment section :)

6) What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Well, it’s mostly happy endings only over here, but What Do You Offer would probably come the closest

7) Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you've written?

No, I wouldn’t even know where to start with a crossover

8) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I haven’t

9) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Ahaha, yes I do, although it’s surprised me as much as anyone - I never pictured that I would (same with writing humor - you just never know, I guess). As far as what kind...I would say mostly romantic, but there is a pretty wide variety of choices on my AO3 page :)

10) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope, or at least not that I know of

11) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, the lovely @smalllotte has been kind enough to translate three of my fics into Spanish!

Lo que ofreces (What Do You Offer)

Hogar (Home)

Deseos Oscultos (Hidden Desires)

12) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not

13) What's your all-time favourite ship?

Probably not a surprise to anyone: Erik/Christine

14) What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

The closest thing I have to fitting this one is an E/C smut fic that I have had in progress for months, but can’t seem to motivate to finish. I have every intention of finishing it one day, though.

15) What are your writing strengths?

This is a tough one. I don’t know if it’s actually a strength of mine, but I do enjoy writing dialogue. And one thing I’ve had several people remark on is an ability to keep our favorite poto characters in-character - which is probably only useful in writing fic, but since that’s all I write, it works for me!

16) What are your writing weaknesses?

Haha, there are probably more than I even know, but one thing I feel lacking in is scene description, painting the little details, etc. Another thing would probably be pacing: with my two longer multi-chapter fics (Second Chances and Beneath a Mountain Sky), I’ve worried that they’ve been too fast and too slow, respectively - so there you go.

17) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

I’ve never had a need for it arise in something I’ve written, but I think it’s good when needed for a story.

18) What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

That would also be Phantom of the Opera. In fact, when I decided to try to write what became Lessons and a Kiss in June of 2020, I had never written anything before (with the exception of a regency romance I tried to hand write in a notebook when I was about 14, although I completed less than a page so I’m not sure that counts).

19) What's your favorite fic you've written?

Second Chances, for many reasons, some which don’t even involve the actual fic - that story, and the things it led to, really kept me going at times through the pandemic, as over the top as that sounds.

20) Who do you tag?

Tagging (absolutely no pressure) @cherryflavoredtrasheater, @shinyfire-0, @catcorsair, @maze-zen, and @behindthemirrorofmusic (sorry if any of you have already done this and I missed it, also).

[paperandsong]

The rue de Rivoli after the Paris Commune, Paris 4th arr. In the background, the Hôtel de Ville de Paris.

Commune References

Summer 2020 I wrote a Phantom of the Opera fic set during the Paris Commune. Here I’m sharing the references I used, in case they can be helpful to anyone contemplating creating fics or art for POTO Commune Week, May 21 - 28, 2021. Note: These are all English-language references because I don’t speak French. There is much more material available in French. If you want to add to this list, just put it in the notes and I can update later. 

Jerrold E. Hogle has written several academic pieces about Phantom of the Opera. He specifically discusses Erik and the Commune in his book The Undergrounds of the Phantom of the Opera: Sublimation and the Gothic in Leroux’s Novel and its Progeny and also in a chapter of the book European Gothic: A Spirited Exchange 1760-1960. I was able to find both of these books and the relevant Commune sections via google scholar. 

I found Hogle’s analysis very interesting and helpful to understanding some ways in which Leroux may have been using Erik’s relationship to the Commune symbolically. My only complaint is that Hogle takes Leroux’s word for it that these “remnants of the Commune” really do exist under the Garnier, although it is really Leroux’s narrator, GL, who tells the reader these things. I don’t think we should take GL’s or Leroux’s word for anything. But that will be another post.

Moments musicaux: High culture in the Paris Commune, by Delphine Mordey, was a really important article for my fic. The Communards occupied the unfinished Garnier for almost the entirety of the Commune. But the Garnier was not yet the home of the Paris Opera. That was the theater on the Rue le Peletier (of which Sorelli’s mother “had known the glories”). The Communards also occupied the Peletier and held a concert series at the Tuileries Palace (before they burned it down). The last paragraph of this article has the most bizarre anecdote of all the research I did on the Commune. I’ll probably make a separate post about. Note: I used a lot of this material for my story, but I’m sharing it and I have no concern about overlapping stories. Take all this research and do whatever you like with it! 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41300500?seq=1

Quote from the New York Times,  May 26, 1871:  “At 5 o’clock in the afternoon, the Versaillists carried the Opera-house. The people rush out clapping their hands, and give wine and money to the troops.”

New York Times - Paris Agony:

 https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/insider/1871-the-paris-agony.html

The New Yorker - Fighting over the Paris Commune: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/22/fires-paris

Freedom News: Images and Mirages of the Paris Commune and the Pétroleuses:

https://freedomnews.org.uk/images-and-mirages-of-the-paris-commune-and-the-petroleuses/

Narrative Account - One Day Under the Paris Commune by John Leighton, 1871 (includes the barricade at the Madeleine - yes, that Madeleine):

https://paris10.sitehost.iu.edu/ParisOSS/Day8%20War_and_Commune/d4commune/Leighton_One_Day.html

Narrative Account - Last of the Commune Barricades Surrender by Gabriel Hanotaux, 1903: 

https://historyweblog.com/2020/01/last-of-the-commune-barricades-surrender/

Soviet silent film: The New Babylon, 1929: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWbK412Xx_o

So, I know this is a propaganda film - and sometimes the propaganda really shines through. But if interested in the Commune, it’s worth watching. The visuals are hallucinatory, and the particular copy linked here is special. The original score that would have been played during the silent film was lost and this version has a modern, improvised soundtrack that only adds to the dreamlike/nightmarish ambience. Musical fanfic for Soviet propaganda. Russian actress Yelena Kuzmina’s portrayal of Louise (not the Louise Michel, but clearly a reference to her) is so intense and passionate it is worth watching for her alone. 

Commune music:

Le temps des cerises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edXFWik4ODA

La Canaille: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=811-eXgctSc

Rosa Bordas sang this at one of the Commune sponsored Tuileries Concerts.

[marshmallowprotection]

Oh my god, I just binged the whole 25th anniversary of The Phantom Of The Opera for like the 100th time and currently suffering from phantom!Ray brainrot 😩 I love POTO to the death, so when that Halloween art in 2018 first dropped I lost my MIND. Ray as the Phantom is SUCH an interesting and fitting idea! I really recommend listening or watching the 25th anniversary, while imagining him as the Phantom, if you hadn't already!

Like, 'The music of the night'? The lyrics fit him so much! I can just imagine him singing it to his MC. It's intimate, dangerous, yet so alluring... He wants us to stay with him and join him in Paradise. Oh, I recommend watching it on YouTube, since it was uploaded there, as well as some of the other songs from the anniversary! There's so many little details in the acting, which tell such a big story... Like, the way he never quite touches Cristine, sharply pulling away, when she tries to get close to him... As if he's afraid of her finding him repulsive, being rejected by her because of his face... He never was touched like that in his entire life, after all. Everyone were always disgusted, or scared of him. He tries to appear strong and attractive, in hopes of his MC choosing him and staying with him forever... Aaand now I'm babbling 😬😬😬

I really love POTO if you couldn't already tell, haha. Angel of music, The mirror, The phantom of the opera, I remember/stranger than you dreamt it, All I ask of you reprise, The point of no return... The whole finale... All of them fit Ray/Saeran so much that I cry literally each time I watch/listen to POTO, since I always imagine him as a Phantom.

Oh! There's also a fangame for this au! Although I never got to play it, sadly. I'll try to find it in my free time!

See, I've never actually finished watching the film in length before and while I'm familiar with many of the elements, there are some pieces that I haven't had the time to put together. So, I can't get too in-depth with an analysis with but I do love hearing this from other people.

But, I very well understand the connection between the two and it's fitting given that they were not only trying to speak to the dangerous aspects of Ray but to the illusion of the scar that VAE Ray comes to carry and I just think that was such a neat throwaway since it left us to theorize back in the day about his safety in V's After Ending.

Just. Sobbing.

[timebird84]

🎄 PotO Advent Calendar 2020 🎄

By @sloanedestler​

Mistletoe

 December 23rd

 “Thank you for such a lovely dinner, Erik.” Christine gave him a beaming smile as he opened the car door for her, leaning toward him just enough that he considered stealing a kiss, but he lost his nerve and merely helped her into the vehicle.

 Unbelievably, it had been exactly two weeks since he and Christine had had their first official date, and if her happy demeanor just now was any indication, he was hopeful there would be still more of them. When Erik slid into the driver’s seat and fastened his seat belt, she looked at him earnestly. “I was thinking maybe you could come up to my apartment when we get back there?”

 There was no chance he would say no to that invitation. Not only would he leap at any opportunity to spend time with Christine, he had been hoping to give her the Christmas gifts he had gotten for her tonight. While they planned to spend Christmas Day together, having been invited to spend the holiday with Meg and her mother, the thought of giving Christine her gifts in front of an audience made him apprehensive.

 “I would love to.” Unable to control the thrill that shot through him as her smile got even bigger, he continued, “but first, I had something else planned.”

 Christine giggled, knowing she was probably acting like a girl on her very first date, but she simply couldn’t help it - she had had feelings for Erik for so long, and now that she no longer had to hide them, it seemed like happiness was just bursting out of her. “Oh, really? What?”

 Erik shook his head, but she could see a slight grin on his thin lips. “It’s a surprise, my dear.”

 “Ooh, another surprise? You already remembered my favorite restaurant tonight.” Despite the difficulties Erik had in being around people, he had taken her to the same Italian restaurant that her father had always taken her to on special occasions, which she had just happened to mention to him months ago when they chatted after one of her voice lessons. As they had pulled up to it earlier that evening, she had fallen for him even more when she realized that Erik must have taken that bit of information about her and filed it away, even if he had thought he would never have the opportunity to actually take her there.

 Although she was dying to know what the surprise was, Christine decided to just savor the anticipation of whatever he had planned, and to continue to enjoy being with Erik like this, but as he drove them toward a residential neighborhood, her curiosity was nearly getting the better of her.

 Just as she was about to break down and ask him what he had planned again, Erik turned down a street seemingly at random, and began driving slowly down it. “You’re the expert, Christine. Does this look like a good street?”

 “A good street for what?” she asked blankly. She was crazy about Erik, but that didn’t mean that she always understood what he was talking about.

 “For Christmas lights? I remember you said you and your father used to drive around and look at people’s Christmas lights every year, so I thought maybe you would like to do that tonight.”

 When Christine didn’t answer, he glanced over at her, wondering if he had done something wrong, feeling his familiar insecurities rise up despite his best effort. When he saw the way her eyes were gleaming, his heart sank as he saw that he must have, if the tears in them were any indication.

 “Christine, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I can take you home now.” Already berating himself for ruining what had been a perfect evening, he started to make a move to turn the car around, but she stopped him with her small hand on his arm.

 “No, Erik,” she said huskily, “I would love to look at lights with you. I was just...surprised you remembered that I told you that. It was so long ago.”

 Erik met her gaze, his yellow eyes burning behind his black mask. “I think I remember everything you’ve ever told me, Christine. Every conversation we had after your lessons, you have no idea what they meant to me, what your friendship meant to me.”

 How she adored this strange, intense man. “Oh, Erik, it meant so much to me, too.” She nearly added that those conversations were what had led to her falling in love with him, but she held back, thinking it was too soon to tell him she loved him. Even though Christine knew without a doubt that she did.

 *****

 “You can still come up, right? I’ll make hot chocolate,” Christine asked once he parked in front of her apartment building, stealing a sideways glance at him. Although the mask made it difficult to read Erik sometimes, she thought she detected a happy gleam in his eye at her invitation.

 “Of course, Christine. I would love to.”

 Erik reached in the back seat on his way out of the vehicle and picked something up, but she couldn’t tell what he was holding until he came around to her car door. Even though it made her feel a little silly, Erik seemed to get so much enjoyment from opening doors for her that she didn’t have the heart to tell him it really wasn’t necessary. When she got out of the car, though, all thoughts of doors flew out of her head.

 “Erik!” she exclaimed happily. “You got me a present!”

 Seeing Christine’s excitement over the elegantly-wrapped boxes in his hand temporarily robbed Erik of any coherent thought. “Yes,” he agreed with her, “two, actually.” He immediately cringed at having stated the obvious, but his stupidity didn’t seem to bother her, since she slipped her hand into his free one for their short walk up to her apartment.

 When they got inside, Christine hung his coat up next to hers and led him over to the couch, where Erik placed her gifts on the coffee table in front of it. He sat, hoping she would join him, but instead she moved toward the kitchen. “I’ll just get the hot chocolate started, all right?”

 Erik would much rather have the opportunity to cuddle next to her on the couch, but Christine had brought up hot chocolate several times, so maybe it was important to her. “That sounds nice,” he said politely, if not entirely truthfully.

 Just when he started to wonder if he should have offered to help her, she called to him from the kitchen, “Erik, can you come in here?”

 Rising quickly, he made his way to help her, but to his confusion she met him in the doorway, hands empty. When she just looked at him and smiled, Erik started to feel self-conscious. “Did you need help, my dear?” Why was she looking at him like that?

 Still staying silent, Christine raised her gaze to the top of the doorway, and Erik realized there was something hanging there, some sort of Christmas decoration like the ones scattered all over her apartment. He stared blankly at her for a moment longer, and then suddenly realized what she wanted from him.

 Christine blinked in confusion when Erik reached for the mistletoe hanging above them instead of leaning down to kiss her. “Erik, what are you doing?”

 He paused, confusion in his eyes. “I...thought you wanted me to move this for you? Since I’m so much taller?”

 Just managing to bite back her amusement, not wanting to hurt his feelings, Christine shook her head. “That’s mistletoe, Erik.” When he just continued looking at her in confusion, she continued. “You know, when you meet someone under it, you’re supposed to kiss.”

 That certainly got his attention. “You...want to kiss me?”

 Now Christine was the one feeling confused. “Of course?” She and Erik had kissed multiple times over the last two weeks, and she was reasonably confident she hadn’t given him any reason to think she wouldn’t want to repeat the experience. “We’ve kissed quite a few times by now, Erik. Why would you think I wouldn't want to?”

 He glanced away, embarrassed. “I just thought...I wouldn’t want to presume anything.”

 Christine’s heart clenched as she heard what Erik wasn’t saying. Before her attempt to flirt with him under the mistletoe derailed any further than it already had, she simply reached up and pulled him down to her, meeting his lips with hers.

 Although Erik was stiff at first, he soon wrapped his arms around her and began kissing her in earnest, thrilling to the feeling of how tightly Christine was holding him as she eagerly returned his kisses. After a long period of time where they proceeded to get more and more lost in each other, she finally drew back with a shaky laugh, dropping her forehead to his chest.

 “I think the hot chocolate is probably cold by now,” she said with the most musical giggle Erik had ever heard. Truly, every sound she made was perfect to him.

 “I don’t mind,” he replied truthfully, but she laughed again and pulled away as he reluctantly let his arms fall from around her.

 “I’ll heat it back up. Meet you on the couch?”

 Unable to say no to her, he simply nodded.

 *****

 When Christine entered the living room and set the hot chocolate on the table, Erik expected her to sit beside him, but instead she went over to her small Christmas tree and pulled a brightly-wrapped package out from underneath it. Smiling shyly, she brought it over and sat it down next to the presents he had brought for her. Surely it couldn’t be...had she gotten him a Christmas gift?

 Christine smiled at him sweetly after she sat down beside him. “Do you want to open yours first?”

 Erik stared at the gift in shock, unable to believe that this lovely girl had taken the time to buy a present for him. “Open it?” he asked her blankly.

 “Well, yes, that’s what you do with gifts. Haven’t you ever gotten a Christmas present before?” Christine’s grin told Erik she was joking, but he decided he needed to try to collect himself before she realized the sad answer to her question.

 “Why don’t you go first?”

 He didn’t miss the eager gleam in Christine’s eyes. Erik filed away the information that his sweet girl liked receiving presents for future use.

 Christine reached for the smaller of the two boxes, but Erik stopped her by handing her the slightly bigger one first. Wondering if that meant what was in the small box was the better or worse gift, Christine took the package from Erik and tore the lovely paper off.

 “Oh!” she exclaimed happily when she saw that the present was a box of her favorite cookies, from a specialty shop in New York. “Erik! You remembered this, too!” Christine recalled raving about these specific cookies when she had described her last trip to the city to him. How sweet it was to think that Erik had been so attentive to all the little things that she had told him, even when he thought she would never be anything more than his voice student.

 When she picked up the smaller gift, she noticed that Erik’s always-straight posture became even stiffer. Was he nervous about whether or not she would like this present? Intrigued by what that could mean, she peeled the paper of it eagerly, but when she saw the tiny velvet box inside, she started to feel a little nervous herself.

 Was Erik going to propose? Christine knew she loved him, but this...was too sudden.

 Gingerly, she popped the little box open, nervous to see what was inside it. Christine’s first reaction at seeing earrings instead of a ring was relief, but she soon realized the beauty of the pair. Nestled in the box was the most gorgeous jewelry she had ever seen in person, each earring consisting of a round sapphire surrounded by tiny diamonds. This...was decidedly not costume jewelry. Erik must have spent a fortune on these, she thought distantly.

 Erik watched as Christine examined her gift, nervously hoping that she liked the earrings, but when she raised her wide-eyed gaze to his, his heart plummeted. She obviously didn’t like them, or thought they were too much, or maybe she didn’t like him at all and had only agreed to a few dates with him to be nice, and now didn’t know how to tell him that after he had foolishly spent several thousand dollars on jewelry.

 “I’m sorry, Christine,” he said hopelessly, as he started to rise from the couch so he could leave her in peace, but she grasped his arm to stop him.

 “What are you sorry for?”

 “I...it’s obvious you don’t like them. I’m sorry,” he said again. “It was too much. I-”

 To his surprise, Christine stopped his rambling by placing her delicate fingers on his lips. “Erik, I love them. They’re absolutely beautiful.” And to his surprise, she replaced her fingers with her lips, kissing him sweetly and sliding her arms around him.

 As their kiss started to deepen, Christine pulled back just a fraction, and Erik had to bite back a moan at the loss of her lips on his, but she was merely reaching for his mask. However, instead of tearing it off as she had in the past, she paused just before touching it to gently whisper, “May I?”, waiting for his slight nod before untying it.

 She turned away just long enough to set the mask on the coffee table, and then Christine was right back in his arms, but instead of instantly resuming their kiss, she pressed her soft lips to his forehead before kissing his wasted cheek. Even though he knew it was too soon, he couldn't stop the words that left his mouth, prompted by the sweet way she was treating his horrible face.

 “Christine, I love you.”

 The sweet angel in his arms froze, and Erik cursed his stupidity. It seemed he was determined to frighten her off one way or the other tonight. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I know it’s too soon, but I thought you surely knew anyway-”

 Once again Christine cut him off, this time by briefly pressing her lips to his, then pulling back to say, “Erik, it’s all right. I mean, obviously I suspected that you did.” She leaned in for another quick kiss. “And, Erik, I love you too.”

 Erik was completely stunned into silence by the words he had never dreamed Christine would say to him, but she spared him the need to answer by pulling him into another kiss. This one lasted quite some time, until she pulled back for air, leaving her forehead pressed against his.

 Suddenly she gave a little start. “Oh! You haven’t opened your present yet.” Turning away, she reached over to pick it up and hand it to him. Erik took the package from her and merely admired it for a moment, savoring the thought that the girl he loved had actually gotten this for him. Part of him wanted to simply leave it wrapped just like this so he could always have the reminder that Christine had cared enough to get him a gift, but he knew that would not be what she would consider normal behavior.

 When Erik began to carefully remove the paper from his gift, Christine was struck by a sudden thought: he had gotten her both an incredibly thoughtful gift and an extremely expensive, absolutely beautiful one, and she had gotten him-

 “A sweater! Christine, it’s perfect!” Cringing that Erik was being so sweet when she had gotten him the most cliché gift ever, Christine awkwardly tried to explain herself while Erik examined the fitted black garment as if it was the most delightful thing he had ever seen.

 “Sorry, I know a sweater is a little...boring, but I just thought it would look nice on you. And it’s your favorite color,” she finished lamely.

 “Christine! Why would you apologize? This is by far the nicest gift I’ve ever received.” No need to ruin the evening by mentioning it was also the only gift he’d ever received. In a sudden burst of inspiration, he added, “Because it came from you, of course.”

 That was apparently the right thing to say, as Christine threw her arms around him and drew him in for more kisses, the hot chocolate completely abandoned on the coffee table by this point.

 When they finally pulled apart, Christine nestled up against his side, laying her head on his shoulder. “I really am sorry your gift wasn’t more exciting, Erik.”

 “Christine, truly, I love it. I can’t wait to wear it to our celebration on Christmas Day.”

 “Oh, Erik, that is so sweet of you.”

 They lapsed into silence for several minutes, simply holding each other close, until Erik spoke again.

 “Christine?” he asked hesitantly.

 “Yes?”

 “Do you...think you might wear the earrings on Christmas? Do you really like them?”

 “Of course I do, Erik! And I can’t wait to wear them on Christmas.” Christine squeezed Erik’s thin waist in a hug, hoping he could feel just how sincere she was. He responded by wordlessly burying his face in her curls, holding her just as tightly as she was holding him, before finally breaking his silence.

 “I’m so glad you like them. Merry Christmas, Christine.”

 “Merry Christmas, Erik.”

[lady-star-strings]

DNF/Georgebur PotO & LND AU

Okay, to begin with, thank you so so much for giving me the chance to blab about this @dtvibez because I’ve always wanted to work with this AU, but I’ve just never had the characters to do it with and my musical nerd heart is thriving right now. Alright, anywhodilydo, geek-out over, let’s get into it - just a warning kiddos, this is gonna be a long one so strap in and hold on...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roles

To start off, let’s address the roles here for how I believe these plots would fit best with the characters involved - it’s purely up to individual interpretation, but these are my thoughts as an in-depth lover of these musicals.

Obviously, our dear George is the leading lady Christine Daae in this story, that was pretty much a given - let’s just be honest here guys, he’s the simp-bait through and through and if that wasn’t Christine, I don’t know what was. Meg - Christine’s friend - and her mother Madame Giry I’m going to combine and make Fundy for reasons I shall disclose later in this post, and Sapnap will have a role to discuss later down the line too, just lemme get there. Now as for the love interests, I can easily say that Eric/The Phantom is Dream and Raoul is Wilbur in this situation. Some of you might be questioning why it wouldn’t be switched because Raoul was her childhood friend and Eric was a gifted musician, but I have answers for you ahead on that, don’t you worry~ ;)

Phantom of the Opera Arc

After studying under Dream - or the Nightmare of the Opera as people prefer to call him - for years to be the star singer he was always destined to be, George is finally granted the chance to do so when some strings are pulled behind the scenes to give him a leading role in an opera. There isn’t anything George wouldn’t do for his Angel of Music after giving him such a chance at success, and Dream is practically preening with pride over how astounding his Georgie has turned out to be. Before Dream can whisk George away in triumph, however, his childhood friend Wilbur shows up out of the blue to shower him in praise and remind him of the puppy love they shared as children before George moved to the opera house. George is smitten with nostalgia, to say the least - it’s nice to put a face to the affection for once.

Needless to say, Dream is hardly pleased with this turn of events and actively tries to keep George not only away from Wilbur, but also to himself because George is quite literally all he has in the world - not even his music can compare to how much George means to him. Of course, the way he goes about this is hardly morally right and only serves to drive George further and further away from him and into Wilbur’s arms as a safe haven from all of the horrors. In the end, though, even after so much heartbreak and all the terrible things Dream’s done to keep him hostage as his muse and love, George finds it in his heart to forgive him for being how the world made him to be and genuinely offers to give up his freedom if it means he won’t be alone in that darkness anymore and Wilbur won’t die.

As expected, Dream realizes he really can’t do that George when it comes down to it - he simply loves him too much to force him to stay if it means he’d wind up hating him for it in the end. He’d rather let him be free and live the life he’s been dreaming of with Wilbur than have him stay and live the rest of his life resenting him. Even so, George is surprisingly hesitant to leave and can only offer to return the wedding ring Dream gifted him as a final goodbye and a silent show of his remaining love for him before he let’s him go in return and goes off with Wilbur. Following that night, Dream disappears from the opera house altogether, never to be heard from again...

Love Never Dies Arc - *SPOILERS*

...Or so the story goes in Paris 10 years ago. Little did anyone know, Fundy actually helped Dream steal away from the opera house when the mobs came searching for him and was unyieldingly by his side as they made their way to America for a fresh start. Once there, Dream - with a little seedy behind-the-scenes help from Fundy - founded a successful side show on Coney Island where he and others like him such as Sapnap and Punz - Miss Fleck and Dr. Gangle - are able to live freely and are treated with respect for their unique traits. Fundy has actually taken to training under Dream to be a successful singer in his own right with a well-known show in the attraction, his only goal to gain Dream’s favor and hopefully prove he’s able to replace George in his life. Dream unsurprisingly has no interest in anything of the sort and still actively mourns the loss of his muse - not even his music brings him joy anymore because it only reminds him of what could’ve been, and Fundy will never be his Georgie despite how much he insists otherwise.

But Dream is a clever thing, and he winds up securing a contract for George - who is now married to Wilbur and is raising a 10-year-old son with him - to come perform at the side show for one last performance. George takes the contract with little to no thought as to the odd pseudonym on the paperwork because Wilbur has lost himself to gambling and alcohol over the years, and they’re desperate for money to survive. At first, George is irate and somewhat heartbroken to learn that Dream’s been alive after all these years, especially after how their lives have turned out following the one night of passion they shared before he disappeared. He admits he still loved Dream when he left and would’ve gone with him, but because he thought they couldn’t be happy and left without him, that ship has long since sailed. They both wish things could have been different, but also accept that what happened happened and all they can do now is move forward with the choices they’ve made.

Much to everyone’s immense shock, though, George’s son is actually Dream’s and not Wilbur’s - a fact which Dream deduces on his own after connecting the dots between his age and musical prowess. Unfortunately, the child is terrified of Dream’s true face just as George once was and after getting the truth confirmed about the child’s real parentage, he begs for him to never know. George ultimately blames himself for what’s happened, and although he can’t take back not telling Dream of their child and the fear said child feels toward him, he swears to perform for him one last time to make up for it before they return to Paris to avoid hurting him further. Meanwhile, Dream vows everything he’s worth in the world to be the child’s once he’s gone even if he can’t be his father, and Fundy isn’t happy to hear that in the slightest because he will have nothing after all the sacrifice he’s made for Dream. All of the sleazy deals and late nights in his dressing room plying people for Dream’s success, and he will get nothing - his mind is just too fragile to face that reality at this point without doing something rash.

Naturally, Wilbur has no clue about any of this at first and makes a drunken deal with Dream regarding George - if George sings for him, he and the child will stay with Dream and Wilbur will leave. If George doesn’t sing, he and the child will leave with Wilbur with all of their debts wiped away as not to burden their family further with his problems. Wilbur then proceeds to try his best to convince George to stay with him by using nostalgia yet again since he now knows who the child belongs to as well, but in the end, George realizes that although he may have loved Wilbur at one time, his love for Dream transcends all that and has never once wavered despite everything they’ve been through. Throughout everything, Dream has always been there waiting for him and wants nothing more than for George and their child to have the life they deserve - Wilbur lost all of that a long time ago. George makes his choice, and Wilbur leaves as promised with the acceptance that he while no longer makes George happy, Dream does and he’ll take care of him - but the child, however, leaves with a distraught Fundy seeking to “right his problems.”

They manage to catch up to Fundy in time to avoid disaster, but not completely as he still views George as the reason he could never be happy with Dream and winds up fatally shooting him in the midst of a mental breakdown. Dream can do nothing but hold George - the man he loved and was finally loved by in return  - as it’s revealed to the child who his real father is, only for him to flee the scene in horror of the truth. For once, Dream is at a loss for what to do because there isn’t any more time for them to have their happy ending and he hasn’t any idea what to do about their child without George. In his dying moments, George soothingly reminds him of one simple fact: Love never dies, and the best thing he can do is just live and give everything he can for both himself and the child now as all they have is each other. With a final kiss, George slips away and a sobbing Dream is left cradling his body when the child and Wilbur - who he ran to find to help George after he was shot - arrive on the scene. 

Dream isn’t cruel. He understands how Wilbur must feel in the same situation, so he allows him to mourn the loss of George in his own way with the child as he contemplates whether or not he can continue on. While he debates what to do with himself, the child slowly comes to him unafraid and willing to face the man he now knows to be his father in a new light. In his eyes, Dream can see George, and that’s more than enough for him to stay just a little longer in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry if that’s a lot to process and read through, but it was a lot to get out and I wanted to be crystal clear on things as not to confuse people. This is for the most part just hitting the main plot points of the musicals, however, tweaking and adjustments and further deep-dive analyses can be done now that I’ve gotten the main idea out of the way. I definitely don’t want to stick too strictly to it myself and want to tailor it more to the SMP events and characters, but I’ll save that for later since it’s already super late and I should be writing my fic instead.

Happy writing kiddos, thank you for letting me indulge myself with this concept and I hope you enjoyed it~ <3

[marybeatriceofmodena]

One thing that annoys me so much about POTO sequels in general (those for the musical specifically, and not just LND) is that when it comes to Raoul and Christine’s marriage, it’s either that Raoul cannot stand how amazing Christine is and the marriage goes to shit because only Erik can really understand her, either that they live happily ever after without anything troubling their happiness. 

And of course, I know people spoke AT LENGTH that Christine is not at all in the same social class as Raoul is - Raoul is a nobleman, Christine is a dancer turned opera singer, which did not have the same prestige at the time as it does today - but to assume those two are going to have a happily ever after, or that Raoul will see himself as lesser... that’s forgetting two important points. 

Of course, there’s no denying Christine and even Raoul will suffer from PTSD for a very long time, especially that they probably won’t get proper care for it as it is the 1880s and psychology wasn’t there yet (PTSD became a thing mostly when they examined traumatized soldiers after WWI, although I could be wrong on that one). 

But the 1880s-1890s is a really interesting time because you have noblemen in the UK, meanwhile, who are marrying American ladies - the Gilded Age Heiresses, as they are called. It was at a time where some English lords were starting to realize their income wouldn’t be enough to sustain their properties (see Downton Abbey, also Winston Churchill’s own mother, Jennie Jerome). 

Obviously, Christine doesn’t quite measure up to the American Dollar Princesses: they have money, and she doesn’t. But you can guess some people in the good British society didn’t exactly welcome those ladies with open arms, although there was no denying that times were changing. 

I don’t know how French noblemen were faring at the time, although my guess would be that for many of them, their position would be a lot more precarious since France isn’t a monarchy anymore, unlike the UK. But again, I’d have to dig it into it. 

Anyway, just Christine trying to adapt to a whole new society entirely, which is the upper class, not as a potential protegee but as an equal by marriage, bringing along her trauma baggage in the lot, makes a fascinating story in itself I haven’t seen developed in any fanfic. It’s a time where being a noble birth isn’t a requirement anymore to marry into nobility, and society is changing as they enter the 20th century. It would be a Cinderella story of sorts, but with a lot more realism than most stories of the type. Of course, Raoul would back her up, but she’d have to face brand new challenges, and probably have to change again as a person. 

Can someone actually please write that fanfic before I start doing research and outlining it and writing it while I have zero time to do so

[boxfivetrades]

POTO 9th September 2019 (First performance of new cast!)

First evening for the 2019/20 cast; Josh Piterman’s first show and Danny Whitehead’s first as principal Raoul.

Show went very smoothly this time compared to the 07/09/19 matinee I saw. Apparently they’d installed a whole new radio mic system in the one day between my two viewings of the show. (Someone heard my complaints! lol) No near-accidental unmaskings, and the fire stick was working again - hallelujah! The Don Juan score was tossed with too much vigor though, Andre failed to catch it and there was a crash and some scrambling about. 😂 The music and pacing seemed a touch slower/drawn out which at key scenes made me feel spellbound, which I loved. But that also meant some people and musical instruments occasionally coming in too early, then having to play catch up with the rest of the orchestra. Josh- bless him- also sang ahead of the music at times, whether intentional or not, it will probably be less glaring in time as he settles into the role.

Although… someone’s phone freaking went off during the pin-drop moment- right after the Phantom screamed “Go now and leave me”- when he was at his saddest and most vulnerable……. wHY… then that same person’s phone rang AGAIN seconds after the Phantom hid himself away in his throne- my recording picked up a very annoyed “shut up!” from my row neighbor ha- like coME ON just switch your phone to silent; letting it ring a second time while the rest of the audience is feeling Proper Feels is CRIMINAL. Jeez.

Onto the leads! All three sang well, you could tell Josh in particular was very focused on getting his singing and blocking right, as his acting was much more subtle and controlled than, say, Tim’s from 2 days ago. He definitely had a captivating presence- the suspense was crackling just before his triumphant entrance in the Mirror scene, and he remained enthralling throughout the First Lair. What stood out for me was that he carried himself in a very fluid and elegant cat-like manner; every move, small or large, was considered and made with intent. As the show went on and events spiraled out of control, his body movements became more twitchy and haphazard, the Phantom’s composure mirroring his world disintegrating around him. He did throw Christine around and grab her hair during Final Lair, but I attributed it to his momentarily losing his self-command in a moment of desperation, rather than violence for the sake of being violent. As someone who appreciates restraint over exaggeration acting-wise, I really enjoyed picking up on this subtle progression leading to the climax of Act II. Re the singing, I normally prefer baritone Phantoms but Josh hit all the notes nicely and his voice was appropriately powerful/tender depending on the scene. A while ago I read something pointing out a lovely shift from chest voice to head voice that Ben Lewis (one of my faves) does when he sings “close your eyes…” both times in MOTN- Josh does the same and equally beautifully- so that was a big yes from me. However: although I appreciated his subtle take on acting, I thought his singing was far too restrained- almost too careful- he has a good voice and I’d love to hear him let loose with his emotions a bit more. I want to hear him belt and sob and growl as his intimidating and confident facade crumbles, revealing a human who simply craves compassion and acceptance. All in all a fantastic start, I’m excited to hear him grow into the role in the next few months.

Kelly was good (as expected), this was my first time seeing her live after hearing so much about her, and she definitely plays a more modern, confident Christine than the sweet, childlike interpretations that other have taken. She’s stunning- omg her cheekbones- and has a beautiful, clear voice that lives up to the recordings. Acting-wise she’s not “subtle”- she just… acts less? I suppose she chooses to act through her singing, so when she wasn’t doing her major solos she came across a little bland. She’s far from wooden, though, don’t get me wrong. You can tell her Christine is more mature as she doesn’t immediately flee the lair once freed, instead lingering for a long embattled moment- obviously worried about the Phantom being left behind to be found by the mob- Raoul has to literally drag her out of the place. And she was very, very gentle, but not hesitant, when taking the Phantom’s hand in hers to return his ring.

Danny was the sweetest, most baby-faced and lovestruck Raoul- the first time I felt sympathy for this character! Compared to two days ago when nothing about the Raoul stood out, Danny incorporated the nicest little details in his acting: tapping his hand to the rhythm during Il Muto as he watched Christine adoringly from Box Five, being reassuringly caring on the rooftop and fiercely protective in the graveyard, and sounding truly terrified (“no…no please don’t!”) as Josh was lunging at him with the candle to free him. He has a deep but not overly brassy voice which blended well with Kelly’s, and sounds great during the trio/ensemble songs too. You genuinely feel for his Raoul; I’m happy he’s made principal this year.

So… that’s about it with my initial thoughts. Should someone with actual theatre commentary experience/who also saw the show read this give me a shout if I interpreted anything horribly wrong, lol. Mainly write these for myself to document the performance.

Edit: Super happy to have seen 2 completely different trios in 2 days. :)

[sentientpaperbag]

Do you like any other horror movie series or is it just Jason?

Oh yeah, horror is my fave genre of movie lol

The f13 movies are just my fave cuz of Jason and how over the top they are. Cuz they’re really fun.

But I also like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, the Puppet Master movies are really fun and I have a soft spot for them, I like the first two alien movies and the Predator movies although they’re technically sci-fi moreso than horror, some classic movies like Dracula and Frankenstein are fun, and the Wolfman is one of my all-time favorites. The Mummy, the original one with Boris Karloff, is pretty good. I enjoyed both the Japanese and American versions of The Grudge and The Ring (although the American sequels are laughably bad. I watched Rings in theaters and had to fight laughing the whole time, and I knew it was gonna be that awful lol)

I’m also a big fan of really over the top cheesy b-movie horror films, like The Mantis, holy shit that one’s funny, and this kinda obscure British horror movie called Island of Terror, my sides hurt from laughing the first time I watched it.

I also like the more psychological horror films too, like the original Psycho is still really interesting when you go into the movie through a psychological perspective.

Foreign horror is probably one of my favorite genres of horror though. American horror is usually crude and bloody, although I’ve noticed Italian horror is… like that but times 10 in the blood territory. Japanese horror movies are so vastly different from American horror.

Listen I could talk for hours about my love of the horror genre lmao

OH and how could I forget about horror musicals?! Little Shop of Horrors, Phantom of the Opera(i like the 2004 film despite its...many, many flaws), Rocky Horror Picture Show, the works! I love musicals as much as I love horror films lol.

Fun fact about me and Phantom of the Opera, it’s literally my favorite musical of all time, and I’ve been trying to collect every version of the movie to ever exist. I’ve got the original 1925 silent film, the 1962 film, an obscure version with Robert Englund of all people playing the Phantom that came out in 1989, I like that one a lot cuz it really plays up the horror movie tropes, the 25th anniversary DVD of the musical, and a DVD of the Australian production of Love Never Dies, PLUS the original 1986 album of the original musical cast of PotO and the first official soundtrack for LND. I also have the original novel and one of the oddly many unofficial sequels. Unfortunately it’s Phantom of Manhattan and I don’t like that one cuz it’s the one that got kind of adapted into Love Never Dies. Anyway, I’m still on the search for as many PotO movies as I can get! I also have a really cool snowglobe and I got to see the musical for the first time live back in January.

Sorry I went off on a tangent

Also I named my car Christine but that’s because of the Stephen King story lol

[peaches-of-1]

Training: Golden Dicks Award (part 1)

Couldn’t finish POTO on time, so have lewds instead!

So yeah, I did write this in January. Anyways, please enjoy this story which includes hypnotized sex, orgys, sex with “strangers”, chastity, girl on girl, Mommy kink, femdom, biting, basically all the kinks. ^_^ if you need anything specifically tagged let me know.

ALSO: Try to guess who is who!

“You want me to be what?” You stopped with the cup halfway to your lips.

Tae repeated what Jin had said only seconds ago, “Hypnotized during sex.”

Your eyes bore into his, “Why the fuck?”

The seven of you were were eating dinner while Jimin crashed after an extra long rehearsal. Pizza and cold chicken noodles. Beer cans and sodas poured respectively. Jin had asked a not so hypothetical question about you having sex while hypnotized and if you’d be into it or not.

Namjoon explained, “It’s this thing, you see. At award shows and especially since it’s award season, there are a lot of sexually pent up idols. Backstage at those shows, there is a person or two the idols can have sex with to release said frustration.”

“Mm-hmm” You said to encourage him to keep going.

“Those people are often the ‘pets’ of a specific idol or idol group. Since blindfolds are too easy to take off and some pets have qualms about having sex with an idol in a relationship, they’re hypnotized to make sure they can’t remember who they had sex with.”

Hobi spoke up, “The pet had to consent to being hypnotised, of course, as well as having so many partners.”

You nodded, “So you volunteered me?”

“I was talking to Kihyun.” Yoongi spoke. “And he told me they got a new girl to play with. Then he asked about mine...ours...you. He said he wanted to play with you because of how much I brag about you, but there’s never been a moment for our schedules to line up for the chance.”

Min Yoongi bragging about something other than his music was a big deal. Of course they’d want to experience something he bragged about. Your cheeks got warm. Even after spending so long with them, they still mad you feel special.

“His other members overheard and agreed about wanting to have playtime, and then they talked to EXO about it so we said we would see if you’re into it. Award shows are literally the only time we have the chance to do this thing so easily.” He had a hard time looking into your eyes. Still as shy as ever.

Jungkook added, “If you don’t want to, it’s completely ok. There’s a whole monitoring system set up to make sure no one goes too far. Rules and safewords to keep you safe...if you say yes, that is.”

Taehyung nodded, “We’d never put you into danger on purpose.”

You bit your lip, “I’ll do it. Sounds interesting, and I’ll try anything once.”

They thanked you and gave you the consent forms to read over before signing. Yoongi helped explain the technical parts to you while the others got ready for bed. The boys probably wouldn’t sleep but go over lines and schedules and dance moves until they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

You signed all the forms before doing your nighttime skin care and cuddling him to bed.

----------

The next day was outfit planning. BTS were choosing suits and harnesses while you picked out lingerie and makeup. It had to be waterproof and sweat proof. Since it was the Golden Disc Awards, you decided for that to be your theme. Golden lingerie to be torn off by hungry partners. A shiver went up your spine at the thought.

Hypnotism. Reading the forms, you’d have to show up early to get it done and to make sure it worked. The hypnosis would make you more agreeable and make sure you couldn’t recall who you’d fuck. They were celebs after all. Some were married or dating. Although you really didn’t wanna have sex with someone in a relationship, you wouldn’t know or care while in a trance or even after to be honest.

You were called in to the living room by the boys when they got home. They showed the outfit you’d be wearing. A golden collar with the BTS logo etched to it and embedded with diamonds! A long and large butt plug made of soft gold to train your asshole.

“You’ll need it in case anyone is bigger than Daddy.” Namjoon explained to your shocked expression.

You squirmed at the thought. Cuffs for your wrists and ankles in case someone needed to tie of lock you to something. There were shimmering temporary tattoos that would go around your body, around your breasts. Jungkook had you try on the collar to make sure it fit. You moved your hair out of the way as he clasped it. The collar went beautifully with the sheer white nightgown you currently wore.

The boys bit their lips in agreement. They all looked like wolves and you wanted them to eat you up. Jimin tightly gripped Yoongi’s hand.

“One more thing, (Y/N).” Jin said. “We wanna make sure you remember who you belong to while you’re in there, so we have a mission for you.”

It was a golden chastity belt. Your heart rate picked up as you searched their faces, unsure what this meant.

Jimin answered, “You’ve gotta get 7 different loads in your ass before we will take that off.”

“W-what?”

“That’s right, Princess.” Joonie, purred. “Not just seven anywhere, but in your ass. You’ll have a lot of partners, and we don’t want you getting swayed by a good screw.”

You replied, “I could never forget you or want anyone else more than you guys.”

Hoseok said, “It’s happened before. Not to us, but it’s just to make sure…”

“Alright then. More fun for me.”

~~~~~~

You entered the building freshly washed and shaved everywhere you wanted to be. The hypnotist was not to be seen, but you heard her voice. You sat in the empty waiting room and her lullabye began. A quick glance at the clock, 1:30pm.

Next thing you knew, you were out of breath and going through one of the most intense orgasms ever. Your thighs tensed and your eyes rolled to the back of your head. Blinking a few times, you saw the ground was soaked and you were deeply settled on a dildo chair. It was now 4pm on the dot.

“Now sleep for 10 minutes. When you wake up, your body will be refreshed. All exhaustion will disappear from your body, all tiredness will vanish, and you will be eager to see your owners again. Ready to feel refreshed?” It was familiar but just distant enough for you to not recognize it.

“Yes.” You replied with no hesitation.

“Good girl. See you later, alligator.”

Your eyes closed tight, “In a while, crocodile.” And you fell asleep.

...

When you woke up, your head was on Jimin’s lap. It felt like forever since you saw him! You quickly got up and placed kisses all over his face and his lips. A chuckle and you noticed the others. Bear hugs and long kisses for everyone. You were so eager that you forgot to ask if it was ok. It’d be hard to hide kiss marks and fix makeup if they were en route.

“You’re gonna make me hard again, (Y/N).” Hobi chuckled.

“Puppy.” Tae giggled.

You tilted your head, “Again?”

“No one could stay soft after hearing you moan like that while playing with all those toys. Ah fuck.” Kookie gave you pleading eyes.

Namjoon pulled you into his lap, “I would have thought you’d be tuckered out after cumming so much.”

“How many? I only remember once...and it was good~” You curled up into his chest.

“Twenty total.” Jungkook said. “Once every 7 minutes.”

Yoongi piped up, “Three were anally.” He grinned. “You’re gonna have so much fun tonight, jagi.”

The car stopped. Everyone got out to get ready. The usual chaos ensued. This time, you only had Jihye to help you get ready. Other than the golden treats, you’d be nude. She helped get you tatted up and secured the long glittering red long sleeved dress on you once things dried. Then hair and makeup and into the care you went with Jihye, a Van Christmas plushie, and a bundle of nerves.

All the boys said good luck and assured you they wouldn’t be jealous. They had your heart and soul. They messaged the group chat, still praising the selfie you sent showing how you looked under the easy to remove dress. Soon the building loomed above you. Then you were blindfolded.

You wouldn’t be able to stand all the stares, so you wouldn’t see them as Jihye led you to the room. It was dazzling.

[image here]

She removed your red dress and replaced it with a see through black robe with fuzzies around the sleeves. Then you sat on the bed and eyes the golden rigging and tried to ignore the chastity around your waist. Her voice told you that the cup of water on a nearby nightstand was an aphrodisiac. You took it.

More commands followed, “Remember your owners’ mission. Remember the safe word. I’ll be watching to make sure you stay safe.”

“My mission is to get seven loads in my ass and make sure it stays in until Daddy or Oppa clean it. The safe word is Santa. You’ll be watching to keep me safe.”

“Good girl” The voice praised you. “What percent are you at?”

Opening your legs, you saw a small puddle leaking past your chastity., “80%”

“Get yourself to 90% and then I’ll let the first guest in. Ready?”

“No.” You said. “Tell...tell my owners I love them and then I’ll be ready.” Even with all this security, you were still nervous.

A few seconds later, you heard the voice mumble something. You thought to yourself how you were in a weird in between. Not completely yourself but not a total hypno bimbo either.

“We love you too, (Y/N)!” Seven voices chimed.

You couldn’t help but smile. Your heart was instantly happy at the sound of their voices. Seven boys who you loved and they loved you back.

“Be a good girl for us, alright?” It was Jimin who had been feeling more of a dom this past week.

“I will!” You replied, all doubt gone from your mind.

“Ready?” Her voice returned as clearly as before.

You touched the diamond emblem on your collar, “Yes.”

6:21pm

“See you later, alligator.”

“In a while, crocodile.” And you were out like a light.

You woke up when the door opened. The face was blurry, but your subconscious let you know everything was fine. Horny. You were very horny.

Command #1.

You stood, “Hello, what do you want me to call you?”

“Your King.” He replied. “I am a he. One of the hosts of the show tonight.”

You smiled, “My King, what will you call me?”

A chuckle, “Your pretty is at your service, my King.” You bowed low. “Will you please play with me?” The words were your own, but said with such a desperate voice.

“C’mere.” He said.

Without a second of hesitation, you left the area which you stood and went in front of the sweet smelling man. He held your hand to pull you closer. A finger on your chin made you lift your head. So close and you had no idea who he was.

“So you belong to BTS, huh? You know I worked with [redacted] while we played [redacted] on [redacted].”

“Of course, my King.” You were not allowed to remember who they were or any facts to recall them by other than the names.

He looked to his left, “Seems I’m not allowed to kiss you.” The man sighed and then sat in the chair nearest the bed, unzipping his pants. “It’s fine. I have another use for those lips of yours, my pretty.”

You rubbed your thighs together, “What is it, my King?”

“Clean my sword, my pretty?” His voice was like velvet and his tall frame invited you closer.

Not even realizing it, your knees hit the ground and you took his thick length into your mouth.

“Of course, my King.”

Your makeup mad been set but your gold lipstick would probably rub off a bit on his cock. Your King’s hands soon went to your hair. You kept sucking. His sweet scent mixed with his natural musk. So this is what this singer’s cock looked like.

Even before you became Bangtan’s pet, you had listened to his group’s music for years. Right? Your brain was too hazy to recall the facts right now. Your King said he’d be busy for most of the night, so this was his only chance to try you out tonight. His good spots which made him moan the loudest were easy to find. He struggled not to buck his hips and apologized everytime.

“Sorry, just so good! Your mouth is so hot!” Your King’s grip tightened. “I’m fuck--! Gonna shoot!”’

You needed it in your ass, so you tried to speak. He shoved you right back on.

“Don’t have time...for new...position…” he groaned out. “Ahh~~~~” He came with a broken moan.

His heat coated your tongue with its tang, and you didn’t stop sucking.

“Look at me, my pretty.”

Your eyes met his. He smiled and then collabs back into his seat. Command 10. You swallowed the white thickness and showed him.

“Good girl.” He pat your head and then stood. “I gotta go. Hopefully we can play again.” He zipped up his pants and fixed himself up in the mirror by the door.

“Mmmmm…” You tried to call out his name, but that wasn’t the one he gave you to call him. “My King, I hope so too.”

The door closed behind him. Blinking, you cured yourself for not having secured his load in your ass. You were still dressed completely. You sighed and cleaned up. Commands 20 and 22. Get wipes to clean and pop a mint.

Not even 7 yet. An hour and two other men had come and gone only for a quick succ. The last of this newest mint dissolved when you heard muffled conversation. Then the door opened and two men entered. One with beautiful thick lips and the other looking down at the ground.

“Hyung, are you sure about this?” English. The shy one spoke English.

“You’re the one who begged me to come with you since you didn’t wanna do this alone.” Then he scoffed. “You’re not even looking!” You stood and saw his eyes looking you up and down. “Trust me, this is a sight to see.”

The other refused to look at you. Tight black pants. White dress shirt. Black leather chest harness...you’d probably forget later, so you stopped taking notes. The confident one began to strip and hand his clothes up, leaving his buddy in order to tend to you.

“Hello, what do you want me to call you?”

He thought for a moment, “Call me 여보, and call him 자기 야. We wanna roleplay.”

You smiled, “My dear husband, what if your name for me?”

“You’re my wife of course!” He returned your grin.

“Of course, how silly of me. 자기 야 what about you?”

He looked away when you tried to look at him, “Umm, babygirl?” That name sent more shivers up your spine than usual with that accent of his.

Your husband kissed your cheek, asked what you had done while he was away. You gave when you believed to be the most Thai Korean housewife answer. He noticed your collar and grinned. You were pleasantly surprised when he slid his hand into yours and slowdanced with you a bit. At  least he was a bit of a romantic. You asked about his work which he said was hard.

“Brought a coworker home to join the fun if you don’t mind.” Both of you looked at the nervous platinum blonde in the corner.

You grinned, “I don’t mind one bit.”

“I...I’ll just watch if you don’t mind.”

“He’ll join sooner or later, wifey. Let’s get you undressed.”

You husband took off your robe and had you lie on the bed. He asked what you were wearing. Right. The chastity. Command 32.1a.

“My ass has been feeling rather empty these days, so I thought a few hot cocks would help fill it.”

“How many?” Hubby asked, caressing your arm tattoos.

“Seven.” You replied breathlessly. His gaze was so hungry.

He smirked, “Wow, but of I should’ve known.”

“Seven?” The new kid asked, stunned. “At once?”

Your husband chuckled and replied, “Probably not, ya dingus! She means she has to have seven loads of cum in her ass before she can play with her pussy.”

“Ohhhh…”

Hubby had you turn over and saw the golden plug in you. He took it out and said how nice and clean it was.

“Guess this means she can fit you and [redacted], maybe even at the same time.” He set it on the nightstand. “Hand me the lube and take off your pants. There’s a chair right there.”

The other did as told. Your ass got nice and lubed up allowing your husband to slip inside without trouble. His thrusts began slowly. He asked how much you could take.

“As much as you give me, my husband.”

He chuckled, “Have you cum yet?”

You shook your head. Wow, this guy actually cared. He said proudly that he’d make sure he’d be the first one to get you to orgasm tonight. Then your husband whispered for you not to cum until his friend wanted a turn. Such a nice guy.

“Now be a good wifey.”

His hips sped up as his condom covered tip hit your insides. Felt--really--good. Made you drip on your belt even more. He did his best to keep quiet. From the corner of your eyes, you saw his coworker start to stroke himself.

“Her face is so good, hyung.”

Only cuz it felt so good to finally be penetrated. You wanted to cum because you felt like you were gonna burst, but your husband had told you not to. Not yet. And you were such an obedient wife. With a glance, you could tell the friend had contacts in. Light blue? White? Your husband hit such a good spot inside of you that you gave out a moan and smiled.

The vouyer was so obviously turned on, his cheeks had gone scarlet. You really hoped he’d say something and let you have release, but he stayed quiet. Even his moans had an accent. What was it? It was hart to think with rock hard cock up your ass.

“If you want in, all you gotta do is ask. Umph!!”

“Fuck! 여보!” You cried out at a particularly rough thrust.

“I want...her ass.” The other grunted. “Please, hyung. It looks so good.”

“Finally gonna join, 자기 야?” You panted out.

He nodded and slipped on a condom, but you him to give you everything. “You’re clean, right?” You asked.

“Yeah.”

You grinned and wiggled your hips, “Then raw me, 자기.”

He grabbed your hips and let you slide on slowly. You buried your face in his chest as your body shuddered through your first orgasm of the night. You caught your breath.

“You ok?” Jagiya asked.

“Yeah. More than ok.” You giggled. “I just came.”

As you bounced on your love’s cock, your husband winked at you. Good job. You love was on his back while you rode him. The smug look on his face was so cute especially with his bright red blush showing through his foundation.

The other was shocked, “Already?”

“Mmmhmm. Your dick is so good, 자기 야~”

“You made my wife cum before I could.” Hubby pretended to be annoyed. “Guess I should just watch you two, now.”

The younger asked his hyung to join, to fuck your mouth. He happily agreed and the fourth meaty tip entered and got pampered by your tongue. He praised your technique. You were glad that they had more time to play with you, and didn’t have to jet before filling you up. They’d better fill you up in the right spot.

“God, you look so fucking hot with hyung’s cock making you drool all over yourself.” He flicked your nipple and chuckled as you tightened. “Oh, so your nipples are sensitive, huh?”

He teased your breasts and you moaned on the dick that was now fucking your throat as you bounced, getting excited with every twitch. You felt so fulfilled and safe. You husband’s coworker had warmed up quickly after seeing how it was done. He could do anything with you.

Your nipples were so hard as they were now being sucked and tugged on between his teeth. So that’s how this rapper did his job so well. Wait...rapper? Was he a rapper? Either way, his friend, your husband from a whole different group from the same company was just watching as he didn’t wanna cum yet but your mouth was so good.

“Y-you’re twitching a lot, 자기 야~”

He laughed and let his moans drip from his lips, “Yeah. I am...gonna...gonna cum!”

His hands grabbed your thighs and held you down on his large cock as he came inside. You felt the heat inside, but it wasn’t the only one. Your husband had to come too, so he shoved his dick inside after lifting you off his friend’s. Your breasts landed on his face as more white heat coated your insides. Moans and deep grunts soon turned to heavy breathing as you were plugged up with gold once more.

The younger one held you up while the older got you water. They made sure you were ok, cleaned up for you, and then left. Fifteen minute nap.

It was a long break before the next interesting group arrived in heels and lace. Night ponytails and lipstick. Three girls. Blurry faces. Stronger than before. Must’ve been easily recognizable. All you knew is they weren’t all from the same idol group...⅔.

“She’s so pretty!” One of them said.

You instantly blushed. Compared to her you were pretty? “Hello, what do you want me to call you?”

The most mature aura spoke, “I’m Mistress.”

“Princess.” Said the one with a soft voice.

“Call me Mommy.” A stern but young voice said.

“And you’re our darling.” Mistress replied. “Our darling sub, so don’t even think about muffling your noises, ok”

A shiver, “Yes, Mistress.”

They got undressed and looked at the rules. Said it was a shame they could kiss any of your lips, but you could kiss thiers.

“Now come to Mommy!” She spread her legs and beckoned you to her.

Although you felt a bit shy, you did as told. She tasted so sweet. The others began frolicking and smooching. You couldn’t kiss anyone until one of your owners visited you, but also you were sure they wouldn’t visit until it was time to unlock you. God, their lips looked soft.

“Focus, darling.” Mommy shoved her head back into her crotch.

“Sorry, Mommy.” You said and began to suck on her nub, making her moan.

“It’s...ok, darling.” Her fingers traced the nape of your neck, making you feel giddy.

Lips kissed up both your legs and left dual trails up your back. Your cheeks felt like they were steaming. The boys hadn’t had you play with many girls, so you were super excited to have these playmates.

Mistress spoke, “Princess, you wanna trade places with our golden toy, so I can try her out?”

Mommy’s golden brown high ponytail fell against her shoulder as you looked up to see her smiling at you. She caressed your face as she let out a breathy moan. Soon, you were pulled back and dark brown hair of her fellow member now resided between the dancer’s legs.

“So, what’s this?” Mistress asked as she poked at your butt plug.

“My owners said if I get and keep 7 loads in there, they’ll unlock me.” Why did your voice sound so desperate and far away? Were you really so turned on?

A grin spread across her red lips, “How badly do you want your pussy to be pampered?”

“So badly, Mistress! AH!” You gave a short shriek as she twirled your nipples between her fingers.

You wanted to kiss her...but you couldn’t. Instead, you closed your eyes and let pleasure take over. Such a beautiful strong woman playing with you like this.

“Then we’ll get you closer, subby, don’t you worry.”

You nodded and let out another moan. Mistress licked her lips and tasted Mommy’s essence. Technically, it wasn’t a kiss.

“More, Mistress. Please?” You felt like sobbing because with every tug, lust shot straight to your lower stomach and a nice climax was building up so surely.

“Not yet.” Was her stern reply. “Unless you do a good job of showing me how much you want it…” Mistress sat on the edge of the bed and made you face her.

She made you straddle her leg and told you to cum by humping it. But...you couldn’t...the belt. Her eyes told you it was no use to try to ask for another way, so you started moving. You felt nothing. No stimulation other than your legs grazing her’s. This time you did sob while leaning on her shoulder.

Taking a peek, you saw the soft spoken Princess pleasing her group member who was writhing and panting. She giggled as she saw your desperate state.

“You’re too mean, [redacted]. I thought you only tortured boys like that.”

“True, but I just wanna tease her~ She’s too cute not too~” she kissed your cheek and you whined.

Begged, “Please, Mistress, I need more. Please? I can’t cum like this.”

Princess giggled as she seemed to return to the bed with a basket. Mommy pulled the purple strap on with ridges. You hips worked harder as you saw them start the next level. You wanted that to be you.

“She looks so jeal-OUS! FUCK [redacted] be more gentle!”

“You like it when I do that”

Princess pouted, “Yeah, but still.”

Mommy kissed her on the shoulder and started thrusting as she gathered her bottom’s hair into her hand. You were still losing your mind trying to get some sort of relief.

Your head was shoved in Mistress’s chet, “If you’re going to suck at something, it should at least be useful.”

And so you licked and sucked at her breasts and she threw her head back with a moan.

“That’s more like it!”

Minutes of sweet torture passed. Moaning of three different girls enjoying themselves and none of them were you. At least, not the same way. Your head was pulled back to see a toothy grin and then you were face to face with Princess. You were told to stay. The squirt of a lube bottle filled you with joy. Ironic for some reason.

“Is it--oh, oh yeah~ Is it true you don’t even recognize us?” Princess asked.

Mommy replied, “She knows who we are, but the hypnosis has lots of little programmings in it. Probably even more than when I did this one year.”

“You did this?” Mistress asked.

“It was for a different event, but yeah. Helped me learn Korean faster.”

“Who am I?” The bottom asked.

Her name. You knew it. Wanted to say it’s natural beauty, but “Princess.” was your reply.

She giggled and called you cute once more. Now something was sliding into your ass. Finally! A smooth but thick strap on was thrust into your ass. Mistress was so good and gentle with you until she licked your shoulder. More sporadic. Princess’s pert nipple between your lips while Mistress made you see stars. Called you dirty little praises. Growled in gorgeous.

You’ve never moaned so much before in front of complete strangers! It felt like your body was on fire! Kisses on your neck and nibbles on your ear. You knew she wanted to bit your shoulder by the way she kept licking the same spot.

“I...it’s ok, M-M-Mistress.” You replied between breaths and whimpers. “Mark me. Wreck me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” A swift reply.

Her teeth sunk into you shoulder and you clawed at the pillows between your thighs. It hurt so good. It was as if one of those sticky hands had been slammed against a wall as your orgasm raced through your veins. You wanted to do werewolf play with the boys again soon. So wet as she slid out of you and pushed her hair back.

“Fuck, Mommy! I’m gonna cum!”

You felt your tired body move. Ass high. Something new was stuck in it.

“Get her to squirt into the funnel. We’ve gotta give our subs the proper rewards.”

The fog from cloud nine was still too thick for you to wonder if this counted. It better. You thought. A high pitched moan. Heavy breathing. A knock. They kissed your cheeks goodbye and had to go before clean up. With weak limbs, you made sure the plug was back in before you knocked out.

When you opened your eyes, you saw long hair. Was it really?

“Glad you’re finally awake. Of course...you’re not actually awake are you?”

You shook your head. Still hypnotized. He chuckled and took off his blazer. Rolled up his sleeves. You were suspended on a rig by your arms.

“Like I said.” He looked at his selection of toys. “Y’Know, when I heard Bangtan’s latest pet was the one volunteered to be fucked this year, I thought ‘No way! Those boys are way too nice to have such a pet. There is no way they’ll hold up’ but I also knew I had to see you for myself. So here I am.”

Command 1. “Hello, what would you--”

“Right.” He interrupted. “Call me...oppa. I don’t hear it much anymore, so it’d be nice. And I’ call you 애인. Ok.”

“Yes, oppa~” You crooned.

He smiled, “Oh, this is gonna be fun.” He grabbed a longer than average flogger.

You were locked to what seemed to be like a clothing rack. Your front and back were exposed and you couldn’t move your arms or legs.”

“What’s the safe word?” Oppa asked as he stalked towards you.

“Santa.” You replied. “Santa is the safeword, Oppa.”

“Good job, 애인.”

Leather stung your back. You had wondered before if he knew how to use such a toy. The answer was yes. The biggest yes ever.

“Don’t hesitate to use your safeword if you don’t think you can handle it. I’ve played for many years. Broken a lot of pets. I wanna do it safely.”

“Ah!” You cried out from another lashing.

He laughed, “Understood, 애인?”

“Yes, oppa.” You giggled. “But if you’re trying to break me, I expect actual effort.”

“What’s that?” Several lashings in a row.

You were reminded of your training week with Yoongi as you swallowed down air.

Such a confident man just pulled out the Brat in you, “You’re going easy on me, Oppa~”

He cracked his knuckles, “Is that so?”

Oppa switched to a riding crop. You were gonna be so red! But nothing you couldn’t handle. Thwap! He used his bare hand to smack your ass. It stung. You wanted him to do it again.

“Harder, Oppa!” You giggled.

He went harder, slapping your ass with everything he had and then some. It wasn’t enough. You wished Jungkook or one of your Daddies were doing it with their rings on. “They’d mark you up real good.

“Oppa?” You pouted. “Do you want me to behave?”

“It’d be nice.” He replied.

You grinned, “It’s be nice if you actually made me.” and you stuck out your tongue.

There was a fire in his eyes now. For a second you were nervous as he scanned you. The intense gaze made you squirm. Oppa approached the freezer. Yep. The room had literally everything.

You couldn’t see what he pulled out until he turned around. Yeah. You were screwed.

“I was gonna play nice and warm these up for you, but since you wanna be all sassy to your Oppa.”

He clipped the cold metal to your nipples slowly and you tried so hard not to move. So fucking cold! You were so bad at temp play, especially cold. And your sensitive tits. Oh god. You became a whimpering and squirming mess within seconds.

“Where’s all that fire gone, 애인.?” He chuckled and got ice to rub all over you.

With every touch, the ice glided on your warm skin gnd made a trail of goosebumps spring up. The fire had been snuffed out by the water from melting cubes of ice. You whined.

“애인.~” He crooned. “Use your words.” His hands tugged at the nipple clamp chain.

The shock make you throw your head back and moan embarrassingly loud. “OPPPAAAA~~”

He had a deviously giddy grin, “Yes, 애인?”

“Please, umf, please. I need….”Suddenly, you were very embarrassed to be so needy and got quiet.

“What do you need, hmmm?”

You bit your lip, “I need...inside me...please oppa. I’m so--AHH!”

Mature hands placed ice cubes right on your nips and rubbed in small circles. The sudden frost dripped lust right into your building orgasm.

“I didn’t hear you~” Oppa chuckled.

“I need something inside of me, Oppa! Please! I can’t stand being so empty~.” colden chains rattled as you tried to shift. “My ass needs you, Oppa~”

Your tone was now sweet and desperate, but you had not been broken. Maybe a little bit of you had bene tames, but it wasn’t what your Oppa wanted. He wanted you crying and begging for more of whatever he gave you. Wanted you desperate for his very existence as so many of the idol world was already.

Oppa rubbed the ice up your neck and down your legs, “Not yet. You’ve yet to apologize for being such a bratty girl. Anything said now would just be cheap, so…” The last bit had melted, “I need to punish you.”

“I understand, Oppa.” Your golden lips formed a pout.

His hands lifted your chin to look into his brown eyes, “Don’t look so sad. If you’re good, the punishments won’t get worse.” Cold air hit your lips as he held an ice cube near. “Open up, 애인.”

You opened your mouth and in the ice cube went. He told you to hold it between your teeth and not to break it or let it drop. Then he grabbed the flogger once more and stood behind you, but not before taking off the rest of his clothes to let dry. He put on your lace robe instead.

Your inner brat wanted to make a joke about how he was used to dressing up in “women’s” clothing, but you weren’t in the position to speak. His cock. You had to have itins ide you.

“Remember the safe word?”

You nodded.

“Wanna use it now?”

You shook your head. The anticipation of leather hitting your skin. You wanted this. When it connected, you struggled not to bite down too hard. It was so much more effective with your guard down now.

“That’s more like it, 애인.” Twack. Twack!

You focused on the ice cube, on not breaking it and not letting it go. It was the only thing keeping you from reaching your climax. Then Oppa was in front of you once more.

“Do you wanna get fucked by me or not? I could be pounding you into a mattress by now if you’d just break it of drop it on the floor.” He held his hand out. “Release.”

The ice cube dropped and you were panting. Dripping. You looked up at the older idol expectantly. He looked at you up and down. Your sagging limbs and desperate gaze. The water glistening on your skin. He kissed your cheek.

“Fine.”

You were released into his arms and he got you to the bed. Hot kisses on your skin. Lube. Another cock inside your cum filled ass.

“Oh, 애인, you’ve been hiding this.”

Words tried to leave your mouth, but he sushed you. Oppa loved to kiss the back of your neck and all you could do was moan. You tried to call out his name, but only “Oppa” came out. He was so good! It was if you’d give up all your breath if he could keep fucking you like this. Your face was sideways on the bed.

“You love this, don’t you? Trying so hard to hold on and not let yourself beg. I know you want to.” A firm slap on the ass. “I’ll take good care of you.”

“What?” You asked .There must’ve been something you missed in your dazed state.

He stopped thrusting and turned you to face him, “If you cum before I do, you’re coming home with me. Deal?”

Although you weren’t sure you could make it, you were a bit cocky, “Deal.”

The glint in his eyes got sharper. You were in deep trouble. His hand grabbed your hair like a pro, and he pulled your head up, making your back curve. The boys had put you in this position before, making you feel oh so good that your body even buzzed in its sleep. However, he hit a spot inside your ass that made you yelp.

“So cute…” Oppa giggled. “Also, dry orgasms don’t count, so shiver all you want.”

“Ok, oppa~” you replied, gripping the gilded headboard.

Hot kisses and deep growls offset your desperate mewls. Although the angle made you see stars, you tried your best to ground yourself. There was no way you were cumming first. So what if you forgot how to speak and only drool was coming out of your mouth?

“Santa!” You called out as a wave of an orgasm threatened to break.

He stopped, “Are you ok? I’m sorry, 애인.”

“Nnnnooo--fine--it-ah!” You spoke through your shivers and knew it was dry. Just intense. “Yoongi oppa.”

You couldn’t recall the words you had just said.

Oppa grabbed your hand and rubbed circles on the back with his thumb, “It’s ok. I’m here.”

When you caught your breath and regained most of your senses, you got him to continue. He grabbed your waist and pounded your behind. Oppa told you to hold on and began to curse and mumble under his breath. He was twitching like crazy. Was he already--?

“애인! I! Ah fuck! Cum-ming!”

Liquid warmth filled your ass. You both panted as the high wore off. Then oppa slid out and plugged you back up. You were rolled onto your back. All you could do was look up at him and grin.

“I won.” You said drowsily.

Oppa chuckled, “Yes, you did.” He kissed your cheek. “Good job, 애인. BTS is lucky to have someone like you.”

Then he got some wet wipes, cleaning you off first. He took his time asking if you were ok and looked you over. He rubbed lotion all over the whip marks and kissed them as you recalled how to breathe properly.

“You should’ve told me that you were in love with them.” He said, fixing his tie in front of the mirror. “Then I never would’ve made such a stupid bet.” Smoothed his lapels. “See you around, (Y/N).”

You blinked and the door closed behind him. It wasn’t long until a group of five were your next toys. One of them had lost a bed, so he got pegged by you. His cheeks were red, but he couldn’t hide his enjoyment.

The other members had an orgy of their own while he learned something about himself. You were glad you got to be a domma. One of the others wanted to try as well. He began to cry because it felt so good.

“We’ll talk to your owners and set up a proper play date.” The first one said.

They both thanked you and left. It was break time, so you were put into proper clothes and went to eat. It was funny. You knew what you had done, but you couldn’t recall who it was with or many of the sensations now that you had returned to your own mind. Like you had watched it through a Go Pro and not yourself. Probably safer that way.

While being moved backstage, you saw Got7. Because they were close with BTS, you considered them friends and snuck up behind BamBam to finger taze his sides. He jumped and them smiled once he saw you in your red dress.

“(Y/N), glad that we got to meet a second time today.”

You cocked your head, “What do you mean? THis is our first time meeting in two months cuz of your tour.”

“Ah, right. My mistake.” He chuckled and pat your back before you continued on your journey for a good meal.

As you were ushered along, you looked back at BamBam and accidentally ran into one of the Stray Kids Aussies.

“Oh, sorry, Chan.”

His face got super pink, “Errr..no...no problem.”

You bowed to each other and parted ways. Oh, you couldn’t wait to see what there was too eat. Apparently, hypnotism made you hungry.

[timebird84]

🎄 PotO Advent Calendar ‘19 🎄

The Christmas Rose

by @a-partofthenarrative​

"Papa!

The small, shrill voice startled him out of his focus and Erik lay aside his quill with a defeated sigh. “In here, ange.” A curly brown head and two sparkling eyes appeared in the doorway of the music room and the Opera Ghost suppressed a smile. “Shouldn’t you be in bed, Ariane?”

Those eyes blinked up at him as she drew closer, chewing thoughtfully on a lower lip. “Maman said I could have a bedtime story first.”

“Ah, did she now?” Erik straightened the pages of sheet music on the piano before leaning down so he met this new gaze at eye-level. “And does Maman plan to deliver on this particular request?”

A fierce shake of her head sent brown curls flying. “She said you would tell me one because your’re more dramatic.”

“Is that so?” he replied with a touch of wry humor. When he received another affirming nod, he could not stop the affectionate chuckle that fell from his lips. “Well, then I suppose I don't have any choice in the matter, now do I?”

HIs daughter only shrugged, studied him for a moment and then flounced from the room. Erik watched her go, then rose from the bench, ignoring the protesting creak and snap of his bones. He spotted his target as she rounded the corner into her own bedroom and followed suit, entering the small space as she hoisted herself onto the bed.

She met his gaze with a grin as he took a seat beside her, toeing off his shoes before stretching long legs out before him and his heart threatened to burst as it did every time she snuggled trustingly into his side. “Comfortable, ma belle?” When she nodded, he settled himself against her enormous stack of pillows- a habit encouraged by her mother, no doubt - and asked, “Very well then. Which type of story will suit your flight of fancy tonight?

Ariane looked thoughtful for a moment. "A romantic story." she said dreamily

Behind the mask, Erik arched a brow. "A romance?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes Papa! A romantic story!"

His knowledge of those stories appropriate for a five year old was severely limited. "Alright. What would you like me to tell you? Cinderella, perhaps? Or would you prefer to hear Sleeping Beauty once more." HIs mind raced as he attempted to take inventory of other stories he had told her in the past.

Ariane shook her small head vigorously, ace scrunched in distaste. "Not those stories. A romantic Christmas story!"

"A Christmas romance on Christmas Eve. How unoriginal." Erik grumbled, but nonetheless pondered her request for a moment before a sly smile spread across his features. "Ah, but then I think I know just the story."

Ariane’s smile was brilliant. "What is the story about, Papa?" she asked as she yawned, but quickly covered it with her hand, hoping her father wouldn't see it. “Is there a princess?”

He had, but pretended not to notice. "No princesses, Aria. But there is an Angel," he began. "Now, this is a story passed on to me by a very reliable source. I say that because in all of my life, I have found very few of them. Therefore they few that I do meet, I trust with my very life. They have told me that this is a true story, full of magic and surprise, much like the fairy tales you love so much.” Pausing for dramatic (ha!) effect (Far be it from him to disappoint the girl, after all), he finished with a theatrical wave of his hand. “The story of The Christmas Rose"

"Tell it to me!." She gazed up at him with rapt attention in those deep amber eyes, so much another pair he adored.

He chuckled. "I am about to, my love." Mollified for the moment, Ariane relaxed against him as he closed his eyes. "Let me see now. How do most of your stories begin? Oh, yes. 'Once upon a time…'"

….......................

Once upon a time there lived a Man. This was no ordinary man, mind you. No, this man was an outcast upon the people. Abandoned at an early age, he had been forced to fend for himself, stealing when necessary for the sole need of survival. As he grew, he had been many places and seen many things, yet longed for the one thing that would make his life whole. The only thing he ever wanted or cared for in his life. He wanted to love and be loved in returned.

Hardly a request to yearn over, you say. Surely it was fulfilled with no remorse, you think. You are wrong. No one, not even the Man's own mother had ever shown him one shred of affection. Because of this, the many marvelous things he saw and experienced held nothing for him, for he had no one in which to share their beauty. 

Therefore, the Man became a recluse. He made his home where no soul would ever dare to look. He went without human contact for many years, relying on one person alone to maintain his knowledge of the outside world. In many ways, she became his mother and only friend and although he would never admit it to a living soul, he came to trust her implicitly."

……………..

"Pa-pa?"

A new voice caused both sets of eyes to fly open as a third member of the party toddled into the bedroom, pausing by the bed to pierce each of them with her best attempt at Erik’s menacing glare. “I wanna story too!”.

Ariane huffed while her father simply chuckled. “My humblest apologies, Sabine, ma fleur. How very foolish of me to begin without you.”

“Maybe I want to be a flower too.” Ariane huffed from his left side.

“Ah, but you are both the most exquisite of blossoms,” Erik soothed, lifting his younger daughter to join them. “And as there is plenty of room in the garden for a multitude of blossoms, there is also room for both of you at my side.”

Ariane blinked up at him as Sabine settled herself happily between Eriks knees. “She’s in your lap, Papa,” she deadpanned.

“All the same, my darlings,” he replied. “Now, as I was saying…”

……………………………..

Years went by. Many things changed, yet the Man's life remained exactly as before. Until one day, that is. 

 One day, something happened that would change his life forever, both for the good and the bad; Something that he would never forget.

The Man fell in love.

How could that possibly be bad, you ask? I will tell you. The Man did not fall in love with just anyone. He fell in love with an Angel with a heavenly voice. The Man trained her voice, becoming her teacher and eventually her friend. Their relationship continued for some time, the Angel never knowing the depth of the Man's love for her. Perhaps it was his own mistake that he never told her, but as time went on, she found herself in the company of a handsome Prince.

The handsome Prince was fine indeed, blessed with wealth, beauty and influence. The son of a nobleman, he held the world at his beck and call. Surely he was perfect, much to the ire of the Man. The Prince was everything the Man was not and he was certain he could feel his Angel slipping away.. As such, the Man realized time was running out. 

Mustering all of his courage, he brought her to his home once more, where they had spent countless hours lost together in their world of music, he made his feelings known to her at last.

The Angel knew she had a choice to make. She held the hearts of two men in her hands. One she would take for herself, the other she would crush forever. Should she choose her handsome Price and live in luxury all her life? Or should she choose the Man, her teacher and friend who had given her his greatest gift he had to give? Oh, how she agonized over the choice, but she knew it had to be made and finally, it was.

She chose her handsome Prince.

…...........................................................

“I don’t like this story.”

Erik glanced down only to be met with Ariane’s disapproving frown. “That’s a bit presumptuous, don’t you think?”

When she only shrugged, he shifted attention to his youngest. “And you, Sabine? Will you also pass judgement so quickly?” 

Gemstone eyes under a mop of black curls in his lap tipped up to look at him, then found the sour face of her elder sister, sealing her opinion in the like. “No good, Papa,” was her solemn reply.

“Perhaps the both of you have a few too many of my genes” he muttered, sotto voce before forcing the brightness back into his voice. “What if I were to tell you that this is only the beginning?”

Ariane ached a brow. “Then there is a happy ending?”

“I’ve yet to find a Christmas romance that did end that way.”

She waved a careless hand, a gesture that should be well beyond her half-decade of life. “Then keep going. I trust you, Papa.”

Erik pressed his lips together, just for a moment. “As you wish.”

…...................................................

Needless to say, the Man's heart was broken beyond repair. The one chance in his life he had ever found to love and be loved had been ripped from his hands and with it, his hopes destroyed. Unable to stand the thought or sight of the Angel with her Prince, he left the country at the first available opportunity and went as far as he was able in order to forget any shred of hope he may have once had.

As is its way, time passed. The Man, unable to stay in one place for very long, had spent that time moving from place to place, finally beginning to heal from his emotional wounds. He still loathed human contact of any time, unable to trust anyone after what had happened. After months of aimless wandering, he finally returned to the country where he had spent most of his life and was shocked at what he found upon his arrival.

A new scandal had arisen- the talk of the town, if you will..The Angel had left her Prince! Some said his family drove her away. Others said she was in love with a ghost. Still others said she had led him on from the beginning. The rumors were everywhere. For a split second, hope sparked somewhere in the depths of the Man’s icy soul. Could he have a second chance at what he had longed for all of his life? Could he risk his heart again? The questions hounded him as he walked through the streets.

Upon reflecting on his past, the Man decided against it. He had been burned before; he would not be burned again. He shut himself away just as he had in the early part of his life, not that he was old now. He turned away anyone who attempted to see him, including the Woman, his sole friend who had been his contact to the outside world. His heart could not take another rejection. He would surely die if it were to happen once more and it was not a risk he was willing to take.

….................................................

“...Are you absolutely sure it gets better?” Ariane’s tone indicated she was not holding out much hope for her promised happy ending and even Sabine looked doubtful as she peered up at him.

“Trust me, bel anges” he murmured, working very hard to suppress the smile that seemed almost second nature these days. “Have I ever disappointed you before?”

Ariane tossed another doubtful glance at her sister, but blinked up at him expectantly. Erik sighed, knowing that was as much of an answer that he was going to receive and continued...

…............................................................

The Man had a visitor one day. It was the Woman who had been his only friend the majority of his life. At first, he would not allow her entrance to his home, but she stood her ground, threatening to bodily break in if necessary. Not wanting to be responsible for the injury of an old woman, he finally relented and allowed her to enter.

She seated herself in his parlor and asked him where he had been all of those months. He did not reply, but she was not swayed. You see, this Woman had the ace in the proverbial card game. She was also like a mother to the Angel. The girl had been orphaned at an early age and the Woman and her daughter had taken her into their lives and now, their home. The Woman smiled at the Man and invited for Christmas Day as it was the next day and he had no where to be.

At first the Man balked at her invitation, flatly refusing any and all offer of hospitality. The Woman let him rant and sulk, staring at him with pursed lips and calculating eyes. It was only when he fell silent that she seized the opportunity to play her ace.  She proceeded in inform him that the Angel would also be present for the holiday festivities. Again the Man refused, knowing that the sight of her would only deepen the pain in his heart that he had dedicated his life to forgetting. To see her again would be his undoing. 

Once again, Woman listened quietly before giving her reply. Once he had finished, she took the opportunity to verbally thrash him within an inch of his life. She told him of the Angel. How she thought that the Man was dead, how she had only ever really loved him; that being the reason she could not bring herself to marry the Prince. 

The Man had not weakened. If she had truly loved him, why did she choose the Prince? The woman was quiet for a moment. She then answered that the Angel had been horribly confused in her situation. A heart cannot be forced to choose, nevermind choosing wisely in the short amount of time that she had been given.

With a glare, the Woman stood, ready to take her leave, but advised him at this point in the road, he had two choices. He could put his foolish pride on the shelf and take a chance of love again or he could feel sorry for himself, stay put and rot away with no one to share his life with. The choice was his and his alone. 

He sat in silence as the Woman brushed past him and left his house without a word. Her words had left him speechless. Had she truly cried when she thought him dead? She loved him enough to leave the prince, even with him supposedly dead? He knew he had to make a choice. He wanted to be with her, yes, but he was a proud man. Not someone to easily admit his mistakes.

And yet...

With a resigned sigh, his choice was made. To hell with his stubborn pride. All that mattered now was getting to the Angel. 

Bursting from his chair, the Man made his way to the desk. Sitting down once more, he took out a piece of paper and penned a letter to the angel. Securing his cloak, he made his way to the Woman's house and sought out the Angel's room. It was late at night and he knew she would be sleeping. Very quietly, he snuck into her room and placed the letter and a snow-white rose on the vanity and took his leave.

…………….

“Papa, down!” Sabine’s slaps to his thighs broke the spell. “Milk!”

“You want milk?” Erik clarified as her small head bobbed vigorously. “Very well. Let me just..”

“No, Papa” She stopped him with another light slap to his leg. “I get. Be right back”

“Oh…” He watched, stupefied as she carefully slid out from between his legs, off of the bed and scampered down to the kitchen. 

At his side, Arine let out an impatient groan. “She always has to run off during the good parts!”

“I’m sure she’ll return in no time,” he placated, taking the opportunity to squeeze his oldest a bit tighter. “But it is good to see I’ve managed to win you over, hmmm? Ah, here she is now.”

“Hurry up, Saby,” Arine whined, but took the cup so her sister could settle herself again. With the younger girl sipping contentedly and the older nearly bursting with anticipation, Erik allowed himself a knowing smile as he brought his story to its conclusion.

………………...

The next morning, the Angel awoke. She was not very cheerful, as it was Christmas, yet she had no reason to celebrate. She stretched and her gaze fell on her vanity, where she saw what the man had placed there the night before. She leapt from the bed, ran to the vanity and carefully picked up the rose. She breathed in its scent, closing her eyes to savor its sweetness. The Angel then picked up the letter, searching and scanning every line for his words until she saw his instructions directing her to the parlor.

Quickly throwing on a robe, she flew down the stairs and into said parlor where Woman and her daughter sat, their faces bright with conspiratorial smiles. The Angel blinked, perplexed. She knew the handwriting of the letter, yet saw no one else in the room. Her eyes flicked around the space for a moment before questioning the woman as to the purpose of the letter. The woman did not answer didn't answer, only handed the Angel another letter bearing the same seal.

The Angel quickly tore open the second missive, eyes moving furiously over the parchment. This one instructed her to go into the garden. Not even thinking to change out of her nightclothes, the Angel threw on boots and an overcoat and hurried as fast as her legs would carry her. She reached the garden, panting heavily from the run. Glancing around frantically for any sign, her gaze finally settled on the willow tree at the far end of the yard.

Under the tree stood the Man, waiting patiently for the Angel- his Angel- to take notice to him. The Angel's face broke into a large smile as she raced to the Man, launching herself into his embrace. To a casual observer, it was quite a contrast: she in her nightgown, he in the finest of evening wear, yet neither cared. 

The Man gently set the Angel back on her feet and reached into his coat. Out of his coat he pulled a rose as red as blood and her eyes widened. He told her it was a very special rose indeed: A Christmas Rose that would bring a great happiness to whoever received it- if it were accepted with an open heart. Speechless, she took it from him with tears in her eyes.

Before she could embrace him again, he reached once more into his coat and withdrew a small box. Inside that box was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Right there in the snow, the Man dropped to bended knee and asked for her hand. The Angel’s reply was to leap into his arms, knocking him flat on his back in the snow. As she kissed him, then and there he knew his life had at last changed for the better. And oh, yes. What is that you say? They did indeed live happily ever after."

………………………....

"And that, my dears, is the story of the Christmas Rose. It is a fantastical tale of pure love with no-" Erik stopped mid-sentence when he failed to hear the twin sighs of happiness that usually accompanied one of his stories. “Girls?” It was only then that he glanced down to find both of his daughters sprawled against him, fast asleep and looking quite content. 

The masked man chuckled and, after carefully extracting himself,  pressed a kiss to her Ariane’s forehead as he tugged the blankets to her chin. "Good night, ma belle.” Lifting Sabine into his arms, he carried her across the room, where he deposited her in her own bed, repeating the process as he had with Ariane.”And to you as well, ma fleur. Merry Christmas, mon chers."

Slipping silently from the room, he had barely set foot in the hall before he felt two small slide around his middle and a slight form settle against his back with a sigh. His long fingers twined with the smaller ones as if by magic and he chuckled slightly before advising. "Well played, mon ange.They’re finally asleep."

Christine’s soft smile was brilliant as he turned in her arms, enfolding her and knotting large hands at the base of her spine.. "It's about time. What kept you so long?"

Erik’s hold on her tightened. "Ariane insisted I tell her a story. An idea, I might add, which you aided those tiny imps in hoodwinking me.  But I suppose it is Christmas Eve."

She nodded, ignoring his jibe. "What story did you tell them.?"

He could not keep the wry grin from his face. "The Christmas Rose."

A secret smile spread across Christine's face. "Ah, I’ve always liked that one...and rather fitting if you ask me." 

Erik chuckled leaning down to steal a kiss from that upturned mouth. "As you say, love." Still, he followed her gaze to the shadow box that hung on the wall next to their wedding portrait- a dark mahogany framing Venetian glass that held two pieces of paper, written in a scrawled hand, as well as a handful of rose petals, a beautiful duet of blood and snow.

Christine glanced up at him, then tipped her crown against his shoulder, giving his waist a squeeze for good measure. “How long do you think it will be?”

Erik caught her meaning immediately and gave a helpless shrug. “Who can say?” he mused. “But something tells me the girls will come to realize, much sooner than either you or I could ever believe, that truth is stranger than fiction.”

[meg-louise-giry]

🎭

How big is your PotO obsession? - Ask Meme 🎭

Please send some numbers or the 🎭 emoji for all the questions to be answered!

01. Does the name “Erik” get your attention, no matter where or in what context you hear it?  

Yes. I also view EriK as the correct spelling, as opposed to EriC.

02. Would you travel or have you traveled to certain places only because they were PotO-related? Which ones?

Yes. I would love to go back to Paris and view the Opera House.

03. Would you see the musical by yourself because your friends or family weren’t in the mood to go with you? Have you done so already?

I have almost always been alone when I have seen the musical. I met someone I knew once, but we were both there by co-incidence and hadn’t intended to meet.

04. How often have you seen the musical?

I want to say six times... might be seven, I forget.

05. How much PotO stuff do you own?

Too much, and not enough. Jewellery, apparel, a monkey music box, Wishing fabric, programmes, brochures, mugs, bags, pens...

06. Have you had dreams about the Phantom or other characters? Do you remember any in particular?

I definitely have although I don’t remember enough to describe it. I have them when I am writing my Phantom novels, mostly.

07. How many times have you read the book?

Dozens.

08. How many songs from the musical could you recite from memory? (Or just sing along to?)  

The entire soundtrack, start to finish.

09. Do you randomly quote lines from the book or musical in real life?

Yes, and it confuses people because I do it All. The. Damn. Time.

10. Have you ever met up with another phan?

Yes! A special mention to @thegirlfallsfromthesky

Brought to you by @ofbeautsandbeasts and @timebird84

[im-fairly-whitty]

If you've heard the "All I Ask of You" Reprise from POTO, it really does sound like something Hector would sing to Ernesto! "I gave you my music, made your song take wing, and now how you've repaid me, denied me and betrayed me...."

That line does seem to match, perhaps some kind of vengeful spirit Hector? 

Overall POTO is an au crossover that I’ve seen a lot of people try to tangle with, but it’s an awfully hard match to make beyond one or two lines at a time since the plots are so staggeringly different. 

Although I do enjoy laughing over @upperstories POTO/Coco headcanon as found here, and I adore the gorgeous Phantom Ernesto fanart from @erncsto that came from it.