#i'm genuinely starting to dislike erik

[skam-in-every-language]

The way Erik showed more concern for Felix this episode than he did for Mathias when Felix literally assaulted him and called him a slur is fucking wild.

[dross-the-fish]

First of all I just really want to say I absolutely LOVE your art and specially the way you draw Erik, Leroux-Erik my beloved 😭💕

Ok ANYWAY. I saw your posts discussing about Erik and how the Phandom portray him and Raou, and I really want to point out some of my views (in the healthiest and most polite way possible!!!)

I'm not trying to deny Erik's flaws nor that I have an obvious bias since he's my favorite character ever AAAND Raoul is a character I dislike a LOT for multiple reasons lol but, I want to adress that: Erik is a person that endured multiple ways of abuse and humiliation in his life, since he was a child. He has multiple scenes of trauma response and, as you pointed out your post, acts impulsively many times and also shows clear remorse for his actions. What I think separates him from Raoul is (aside from the obvious class diference and the fact that Erik has a whole history of trauma and evidences of mental illness) the fact that Erik learns something from his selfish, self-destructive behaviour. He *had* a chance to end up with Christine if he didn't so shitty with her, and this is very impactful in the end specially because Leroux didn't treat him as a villain who deserved punishment, but as a traumatized AND completely abandoned person who fucked up pretty bad

Obviously, despite my personal beef with Raoul, I don't think he's some sort of abusive devil or any shit like that. I just think Christine would be better at her own. Forgetting Erik's flaws for a minute — Raoul *is* very manipulative, childish and uncaring towards Christine. He, unlike Erik, doesn't learn from his mistakes and presents the same behavior until the end of the story. Idk my girl Christine could be better at her own, single, following her career. The fact that Raoul was born in a rich family in the 19th century and didn't face any of the poberty or struggles that lower-classed people like Daroga, Erik and Christine had also make his character waaaay more difficult to like in my point of view. I'm NOT SAYING THAT "being rich makes you evil" (duh) nor that Erik's actions are ok, just to be clear! It just bothers me how so many people treat Raoul like a saint little puppy and Erik as a monster, like COME ON

Now, back to Erik: I'm not saying you intended to mean that, but I have a huge problem with how part of the Phandom thinks Erik had malicious intentions when approaching Christine, or that his feelings for her are fake. The "Erik knew precisely what he was doing since the start" really makes sense considering how his redemption arc went in the novel. Obviously this changes a lot in many adaptations (for example he's clearly much more self-aware and manipulative in the musical). But Leroux-Erik *genuinely* believed he was doing the right thing. Maybe he had an idea of "uuuugh maybe this is pretty bad maybe i should stop" but the self-destructive-fear-of-abandoment-everything-is-fine voice spoke louder. Let's not forget that what turned Erik into having such a violent mental breakdown was not "Christine doesn't love me and I must punish her" bullshit, it was when he heard her speaking not so many cool things about him and his appearance at his back (NOT BLAMING OR HATING HER, I love Christine, I'm talking about Erik's pov). If Erik didn't love Christine, or if he was a monster, he wouldn't feel any guilty for his actions. The most impactful thing in the ending of POTO is that Erik realized he had treated the woman he loved like trash and even still she showed him the compassion he needed

Ok ending this long ass text, I just wanted to state that I agree with a lot of your points specially how the Phandom tends to summarize everything to black and white even though most of the characters are all morally grey. I wanted people to stop dehumanizing a mentally ill abuse survivor like Erik while also stop hating on a poor woman who never asked to be put into Raoul's or Erik's bullshit lol thanks for having the patience to read, I'm really curious to know what your thoughts about this are 💕💕💕

I appreciate your courtesy, I understand where you are coming from but there are a few points i'm not sure I fully agree with. While it is fair to depict Erik as traumatized or mentally ill, I feel these are ultimately reasons for his behavior, not justifications. I agree that he is a sympathetic character and his story is a tragic one, I also agree that Erik had a great capacity for good under better circumstances. Leroux says "he had a heart that could hold empires but had to content himself with a cellar," or something to that effect and I believe that's true. But some of Erik's behavior cannot be written off as impulse or trauma response. He was still an assassin who built torture chambers and even when no longer in Persia he still had a torture chamber in his home that he made use of. He has enough agency that he can still be held responsible for all of the death and destruction he caused even as we acknowledge that he doesn't enjoy killing and feels remorse. How he deals with his remorse in particular is a bit of a sticking point for me. Erik's consistent ability to willfully "forget" what he does or completely deny the severity of his crimes is very likely a product of guilt but the presence of guilt is not a sign of virtue and after awhile it starts to feel like he is first and foremost dodging accountability. He never feels guilty enough to stop and prefers instead to alleviate his internal discomfort by emotionally distance himself from his actions. I also think it's important to acknowledge that Erik is a villainous character and he is violent with Christine. He does try terrorize her and coerce her into marrying him by threatening to kill her and everyone else. To be honest that's why I like his redemption, because he actually NEEDS to be redeemed. You can't redeem a character that never fell from grace. If we can't hold him accountable for his choices and acknowledge the full harm he did then his redemption is hollow. On the subject of Raoul, Leroux tends to write him as being kind of young and stupid and most of his boorish behavior the product of youthful impulse and the older I get the more I'm inclined to agree. This doesn't make Raoul right or even necessarily likeable but if we're giving Erik grace based on the author's sentiments towards the character we should probably give some to Raoul as well. Ultimately I feel Raoul redeems himself by proving he's willing to die for Christine. He throws himself into mortal peril to save her because he does love her. Yes, he has a lot of privilege compared to other characters and it certainly contributes to him coming off spoiled and bratty at times but at the end of the day he and Christine do love each other and he is who she chose. I'll admit I sometimes feel compelled to defend Raoul even if he's not remotely close to my favorite character just because the fandom tends to over inflate his flaws and hold him to the worst faith interpretation while making every excuse under the sun for Erik. The phandom will go to great lengths to see nuance and humanity in Erik's behavior but not in Raoul's and, while I have my own character preferences and Erik is certainly my favorite by a long shot, I try to be fair and empathetic to ALL the characters in the story, whether I actually like them or not.

[solari-writes-things]

Happenstance

🛑 WARNINGS: Language. 🛑

✧ requested by: anon

✧ erik 'maverick' thorn x reader // reader and maverick have an interaction at R&D.

✱ “Please stop rolling your shirt sleeves up, it’s terribly distracting.”

✧ Solari Says: Hey, love! I hope you enjoy! It's my first time writing for Maverick, so I'm sorry if it's not as expected.

gif credit to the OP.

masterlist. // rainbow six. // request here.

Your head was low as you had been fiddling with the remnants of your gadget splayed out on the table in front of you. Everything about it was perfect, in most senses of the term. It excelled in shoot houses, was reliable on missions, and has even saved a few operations. After all, a mobile camera jammer was something that shockingly few had done on the team.

However, it could have been so much better. At least, you had believed it could be. Maybe you could improve the duration, the jammer range. Something that could make the visibility even less so, and the effect much more notable than it already had been.

You groaned a bit to yourself after staring at the internals for some time, opting to drop your head with a soft thump. You couldn't piece it together, not yet-- and it was starting to become frustrating. Maybe you needed more coffee, maybe you needed more sleep. It was getting late after all, you were at the lab later than most sane individuals.

You huffed, sitting yourself back up after a few minutes of self-analysis. You were fixing to put your jammer launcher back together, picking up the first few pieces of internals before you heard a noise behind you.

You turn, subconsciously placing the fragment back onto the table as you checked what was going on. Just across the room, not paying mind to you either, was Erik Thorn. You had been on a few missions with him, chatted with him enough to get to know who he was. What his story had been-- which surprised you, considering he had been quite reserved to others who had asked him the same questions.

You didn't know what you had done to earn his trust, but it wasn't something you had intended to break. In fact, the more you learned about him, the more you began to envy him. Appreciate him and his dedication to what he loved and the history he left behind in Afghanistan.

You recall him being quite good with tools. Maybe he had a brain for tech as well. After all, most operators in this CTU had been quite multi-talented. You contemplated walking up and asking him for a moment, considering he seemed to be quite busy with his own pet project as well.

Maybe it was something with his Breaching Torch. Considering the simplistic design of it, Erik hadn't been found in the labs all too often.

You swallow the little bit of nerves boiling up in your throat, pushing yourself away from your station and standing up straight. Your eyes seared into the back of his blonde hair during your approach, trying not to pay attention to anything else that could be considered unprofessional. You'd be lying if you didn't admit he was a looker on most fronts, leaving a lot for the eyes.

You were close to him now, reaching out your hand to give him a gentle tap on the shoulder. When he spun around in startle, you raised your hands in innocence. It was meant as a warning of you approach, considering the nature of many in the CTU. Surprising them was not the best of ideas in most cases, and you didn't want for him to dislike you for not having that courtesy.

"Sorry," you spoke openly, your eyes apologetic enough for him to relax his shoulders and offer a small smile.

"[Y/N]," he replied. "You scared the shit out of me."

"You were tunnel-visioned. I do it all the time, but... I was wondering if you could help me with something?"

He almost looked a little skeptical at first, his brow arching up in question for a couple seconds before you assumed he read the genuine expression on your face. He was good at that, reading people-- and it was startlingly so. You had hoped you had been saved from that, all things considered. You were trying your damndest to hide the fluster from your face and force back the warmth from creeping to your cheeks.

His blue eyes lightened up when the skepticism faded from the small details of his face, offering a nod of his head. "Sure, yeah. I have all night."

"Slow day?" you asked.

"Can't sleep," he responded.

Right. Erik had always had a problem falling asleep at night, he had confided once during your interactions. You thought it was maybe the racing of his head, or maybe his history coming swimming in circles. You had hoped he'd disclose the real reason, if he had chosen your company more often.

"Got it," you opted to respond, trying not to pry in business that wasn't yours.

"Anyway, show me the issue," he changed up the subject, not that you could blame him. That was the reason you bothered him, after all.

You nod your head in the direction of your station, turning on your heels to head to the location. You heard him following, allowing yourself to crack just a bit and let the heat rise to your face. Even if it was only for a moment, it would help to ensure it wouldn't happen again.

When you got to the station and the business was in front of you, the color faded from your face. You extend an invitation in the form of your hand, gesturing towards the picked-apart mess laying on the table. "You think you have any sort of ideas? I want to improve the range on it or how long the shit lasts."

On the computer was some coding for the processes of the jammer. You had thrown it up for your own reference, in order to see what you could change up.

Erik took a second to look at it, humming in thought to himself. His entranced eyes and contemplating furrow of his brows made your heart skip a beat for a bit, always finding it alluring when someone was in their zone. Doing something that they could be considered passionate about.

He had been donning a simple white long sleeve for the colder weather, closing the distance between himself and your list of codes. He hunched over the keyboard for the computer, opting not to take a seat just yet as he read.

You watched in awe as he whispered to himself, drinking in the details of your codes and mechanics of the gadgets. What had taken you days to fulfill had seemed to only be taking him mere minutes to understand, and it was a sort of intelligence that you wished to get to know better.

Knowing the man with said intelligence would be a massive bonus.

His hands raised as his eyes stayed trained on the screen, his fingers interlocking with the sleeves as he pushed them up over his forearms. Revealed now were the muscular forearms of your fellow operator, along with the tattoo that he had gotten while in Afghanistan displayed in the open. It caused the color to creep back to your face, and you could only pray he had been too focused for him to notice in his peripheral.

Judging by the sly smirk tickling the edge of his lips, it wasn't successful. Rather than be embarrassed about it, though, you had opted to roll into the realization that you were made.

"Please stop rolling your shirt sleeves up," you began, your eyes falling to the tattoo on his forearm, "it's terribly distracting."

He let out a chuckle, his attention forgetting the task at hand for a moment as he opted to respond immediately. "And you standing so close to me is just as bad."

The color deepened in your cheeks, a small grin crossing your face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, absolutely," he immediately retorted. "I'll be the first to bite the bait, then, since we both can't seem to focus with each other around. They say practice makes perfect, after all. Me and you, grabbing a couple of drinks so we can practice interaction?"

You were almost floored at how easily he had rolled into the idea, all without you really needing to initiate. But considering how quickly he seemed to have taken to you, you shouldn't have been all-too surprised. He probably knew from the start how you felt.

Maybe you hadn't been as sly as you had thought.

"As long as the first rounds on you, I'm absolutely willing," you joke in return, offering a grin.

When he flashed one in return, your stomach had been doing flips.

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[agentofmischief]

Birthstone Legacy Part 7

We're coming to the end of Pink Tourmaline and starting on Citrine. A lot happened during this play session, and I'm 2 days from aging up Aelia. So, here we go.

First, Azalea finished the final children's book and reached level 7 in her career. This was just before Thanksgiving where ...

Aelia cooked an excellent Grand Meal!

And the kids dealt with gnomes.

After that, I worked hard on Azalea's charisma, since she was 2 points away from completing her aspiration. And ...

So, with that out of the way I worked on Azalea's work needs for another promotion (spoiler alert, it hasn't happened yet, even though I've met all needs 3 work days before calling it). So, Azalea and Aelia went to the city so Azalea could gather donations, and Aelia tried some food stall food.

I also changed the house by building a basement and fixing the upstairs. And updated everyone's looks.

After that I focused on the teenagers' love lives. You'll notice Will's looking quite different. He's had a glow-up. Well, I changed his hair, because I noticed his beard would grow in much darker than his hair, and it made him look like an npc. When I checked his eyebrows, I noticed his hair is more brown than red. So, I changed his hair to a reddish brown, which works with his complexion better, I think. He's also slimmed down, which was all him. Shortly after growing into a teenager, he began to fall in love with fitness, frequently wanting to either jog or box. He's now obsessed with fitness, and is on level six of the fitness skill. He's done most of that without me telling him to do it.

So, Will was the first to find someone, although not entirely serious. I'm not sure what's up. I said in the previous post, I randomize likes/dislikes/attractions. Neither Will nor Erik find anyone attractive. The most they find their peers is basic looking.

So, Will went on a hangout date with a girl named Nani, which turned steamy.

However two days after this, Nani aged up into a Young Adult, so this is as far as it went.

Next there was Erik. There was a girl he did find attractive, but then he found out she was evil, and she started trash talking him and Aelia on Social Bunny.

Realizing his taste isn't great, he opted for a blind date from Simda. Her name was Chana Springer. While he found her basic looking, he couldn't deny that they were fairly compatible. So, he asked her to prom as friends, and she agreed.

Lastly, Aelia. For the longest time, she had a crush on a boy named Alijah and then another boy named Sidney. But, after checking out their attractions, they both turned out to be gay. She had a big crush on Sidney, that took her a while to get over.

Yet, the best love story was slowly unfolding. There was one boy Aelia found strikingly beautiful at school. Jeb Harris.

At the start of their school years, they hated each other. She was shiny and happy, trying to be friends with everyone. Jeb had never met anyone so nice, and assumed she had ulterior motives. Eventually, they struck up a conversation in class, and she told him about the new gourmet recipes she learned in the city, and he admitted that he wouldn't mind trying it, but doubted he could, because his family isn't well off. She immediately offered to make it for him if they hang out. Jeb realized he'd been wrong about her, and she was genuinely friendly.

He agreed to add her on Social Bunny, and they became fast friends. They traded jokes. She told him about her two failed blind dates and resigning to be single forever. She invited him over for that promised meal, and they got to talking. She accidentally let slip he was the cutest guy in school, and he couldn't believe it, because he thought she was the prettiest girl in school.

So, he asked her out, and she eagerly agreed. He took her to Salty Paws Saloon to get to know each other better.

She asked him to prom, and he agreed happily, surprised she even asked him. He struggled to find a suitable outfit, and decided for the night to lose the bag and show his face.

They danced, kissed, and admitted they loved each other, and traded promise rings.

Erik won Prom Jester, while Aelia was made Prom Queen.

After such a wonderful night, Aelia invited Jeb home, since he didn't want to wake his father so late at night. And ... well ...

At this point, they are two days away from becoming Young Adults, so I think Jeb is more than just Aelia's high school sweetheart. They are both completely smitten with each other, and consider each other their best friend.

Aelia has already been contemplating him moving in, since he hates his home so much. But that is for later.

We end with Traeth finally becoming a teenager. I had a feeling Traeth was going to be gay, or at least bi, from some of his interests as a child, but as I randomized his attractive interests, his sexuality solidified. He's less punk, and more boho. He likes outdoorsy, family sims, and he's a bit of a prankster. He loves pink and black, and hates blue. And he's attracted to sims with small butts, pink hair, jewelry, and beards.

So we embraced his identity. He's pretty.

So, as far as the challenge goes:

Pink Tourmaline Goals:

-Complete the Politician career as a Charity Organizer. (7/10)

-Complete Friend to the World aspiration.

-Adopt 2 kids (Do not have to be legacy continuation).

-Max out friendship/be best friends with 4 sims before becoming an Adult. The friendship must be maintained throughout life.

-Have a rose garden.

-Write 5 Children’s books.

-Volunteer with family 5 times. (5/5)

Citrine Goals:

-Complete Culinary Career. (Start at YA)

-Complete Culinary aspiration. (1/4)

-Master Cooking and baking skills.

Cooking (9/10) 

Baking (2/10) 

Gourmet Cooking (1/10)

-Own a fruit and vegetable garden with every possible fruit and veggie in your game.

-Own a Bakery or Restaurant. (YA)

-Cook an Excellent quality Grand Meal.

-Learn 10 Food Stall recipes. (2/10)

And the family looks like this, for now.

Again, Aelia and Erik are two days away from Young Adult. Aelia will live with her parents until Azalea completes her career, under the guise of saving up to buy a house, like Azalea did in the apartment. So, should be only one more post for Pink Tourmaline Gen, and next post will be the first official Citrine.

I do have a lot in mind for Aelia and Jeb, from where they'll live to where Aelia will have her restaurant, and when pet they will get when they move into their house. But, until then, Happy Simming!

[strangestcase]

Hello! If you've been asked something like these before I apologise, but I'm very curious - in your version of J&H, what are the reactions of Lanyon and Utterson to the Hyde revelation? Do they ever find out, or do any of the other characters find out instead? If he gets to continue the Hyde persona much longer than the book, how much does it impact Jekyll's work? Does he ever get to publish his findings in any way or get recognition for his Jungian findings or would that give the game away too much? Are there any conflicts with how Jekyll treats someone and how he truly feels about them as Hyde ie. If he gets annoyed as Jekyll but suppresses it and then seeks them out as Hyde? Does Utterson ever give up about the will or does it stay a point of contention between them? How much does Jekylls self hate manifest in Hyde - how self destructive can his behaviour become, if at all?

Sorry this ended up being a lot more questions than I anticipated and I'm stopping before I go completely overboard, thank you for your time!

AAAAAH THANK YOU!!! I DONT MIND! These are very interesting questions and I would love to answer them all!

Lanyon (he/she btw) doesn’t take the reveal well, as in, grows terrified of Jekyll and eventually dies of fright. Other than the fact that she was one of Jekyll’s biggest detractors in terms of psychoanalytical theory, Lanyon was one of the people responsible for this experiment being veto’d at Bedlam.

Utterson takes it better. Jekyll reveals it willingly, asking him to go fetch his confession at the lab. The discovery completely shatters his view of both Jekyll and the world. But the feelings of betrayal overpower the fear. Utterson gets angry at them, and rightfully so, then avoids him for a while, and only after they bump into each other at a common friend’s dinner party they reconnect. He still can’t forgive Jekyll for what he’s done, but he’s willing to understand and help.

Adam Frankenstein (he/it), Carmilla, and Dorian Gray find out when they accidentally walk into their friend Hyde “getting ready for the night”… something they shouldn’t have seen. Adam is angry that Hyde has been, well, hiding that information from it. Carmilla is curious. Dorian is slightly disgusted at first, but soon comes to start and tease Jekyll by reminding them he likes a certain part of him much better than the whole. The three of them take it well since they’re already monsters.

Erik Sinombre aka Opera Ghost aka Phantom finds out after seeing Hyde turn into Jekyll as the aftermath of a torture session. He’s as sickened as one can be, and promptly uses this to torment him.

James Moriarty aka Agent M finds out… well, he won’t say how. It’s as if he just knew…? Other than that, he and the members of the League don’t really care. I don’t plan on more characters finding out YET.

As for his findings, don’t worry! Jekyll had published his Aspect Theory long before the experiment took place, though 1) the scientific community found it a bit too “fantasy-flavored” for a psychological model and 2) that had taken decades of development already! However, he does use it as… a justification for keeping Hyde around. See, Jekyll claims Hyde is one of his patients, one he is fixating on studying to better adapt his theory to psychopathological processes. Basically, how does the model apply to mentally ill people. Most hear this, then meet Hyde, and assume he’s just some nutjob that is blackmailing Jekyll, but they don’t say that part out loud.

Usually, Jekyll feels neutral towards everybody as a baseline, or more accurately kind of dislikes everyone a little. He'd be way happier if he didn't have to do this awful thing called "socializing", thankyouverymuch. Since being Hyde messes with his brain... a whole lot, really, their emotions get heightened. Mostly the negative ones. And as a result... they hate everybody. Not everybody, actually, but what as Jekyll is a mild annoyance you can suppress, becomes a genuine and uncontrollable dislike as Hyde. His friends he will be bitter at, and his enemies... well... the one thing that is keeping them from killing every single person that has ever slighted them is because, at the end of the day, Hyde is a massive coward and about 30% of his personality is bluff by volume.

For as long as the sole heir remains this weird asshole that goes by Edward Hyde, the will is a constant source of tension between the two friends. Utterson tries to talk about it as often as he can, though it comes to a point he has to accept Jekyll won't fucking listen, because if there's one thing this man is, is HEADSTRONG AS FUCK. Funnily enough, the will thing... eventually goes away! The will is redacted to include Utterson instead of Hyde, and ever since the former suspects the latter might murder Jekyll the first chance he gets. Occasionally, it is brought up again. Henry isn't proud of that move, to say the least.

Oh BOY. Mostly, Hyde’s self destructive tendencies manifest as trash-talking and insulting Jekyll (they follow a twisted logic of “if I pretend I’m someone else it is NOT that unhealthy, right? Like it is allowed right?”). When it gets worse, he’ll go through his (Jekyll’s) personal belongings and destroy or deface them. They’ll also try to pick fights he can’t win and try to scurry away last minute like the rotten coward he is. Don’t get me started on the substance abuse; that’d fill up an entire book.

Sorry I took so long to reply! This was a lot to think of!

[gracie-p8-officialblog]

Defending Christine Daae

I never thought I'd have to write a post with that title, let me tell you.

Because when I first heard of Phantom of the Opera, I was under the impression that everybody loved Christine just as much as I did. I mean, how could you help it? Well, I was wrong. It would seem that there are, in fact, people out there who don't share my exact opinion (shock of shocks) and who dislike Christine for various stupid reasons.

Now, I'm not here to point fingers at anyone or to belittle anyone's opinions in anyway, and blah-de-blah [fill in the rest of long boring disclaimer any way you wish]. But I AM here to defend one of my favourite female protagonists in a work of fiction! And defend her I WILL! IN THE NAME OF THE MOON!

Um, pardon me. Don't know how that last sentence got in there.

Now, on the internet, I've heard some flak about Christine, and though I'm not here to make anyone feel bad (see above) I do want to refute those points about her, point-by-point. (Hmm. Redundancy.) One of the biggest points against Christine is her choice to be with Raoul instead of the Phantom, who *ahem* TOTALLY needed her because he had a bad life and he taught her to sing! My opinion?

I don't think that means Christine owes him love. Appreciation and thanks, yes. But not love. The only thing he ever did that was worth any kind of love was letting Christine go. And she isn't some sort of consolation prize! It's NOT her job to fix the Phantom, only he could fix himself!

C'mon people! The two pretty much fit the qualities of an abusive relationship (emotional manipulation, throwing her around, restricting her from seeing other people etc.) And it’s kinda disturbing. “BUT!” You cry, “CHRISTINE REJECTED THE PHANTOM FOR A SHALLOW REASON! HE WAS UGLY!”

While I do understand what you’re coming from, I would like to inform you that it was actually his toxic behaviour towards her and murderous qualities that drove her away from him and made her choose Raoul. In “Final Lair”, she said one of the biggest burns in Gothic thriller history “It’s in your SOUL where the TRUE distortion lies...”  The Phantom's problem isn't with his disfigurement. No, the problem is with what he's allowed his disfigurement to make him. He's become so obsessed with the idea that no one loves him and no one will ever really care for him that he believes anyone who stands remotely in his way is just out to get him. So what does he do? He murders people whom he gets annoyed with. First Buquet, then Piangi, and finally (almost) Raoul. And that is DEFINITELY not okay! 

I think Christine saw him as more of a teacher, or a friend, or a... father figure, in a messed up way... which is more evident in the book on how she is both afraid and sympathetic for the Phantom. 

While not condoning his actions,  I do wish the Phantom could have found someone to love him. Good gracious, his final lines “IT’S OVER NOW THE MUSIC OF THE NIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGHHHHHHTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” makes me tear up every time.  Gah. I'm in danger of sobbing, too, but I really want to get this post done, so I will conquer myself and think of something Funny instead. *thinks* I know! Gerard Butler’s version of the “All I Ask Of You (Reprise)”. That’ll cheer me up and make me laugh XD!

In all seriousness, I know that Erik is unstable and violent. But I also know that he really IS a gentle, misunderstood soul. You can be both, you know. The unstable and violent side of him, unfortunately, triumphed- and his dreams, his desires for love, his castle on a cloud came tumbling down because of it.

And so... onto the next point, another common argument used to bash Christine is that she’s considered to be flat, boring and goes through ZERO development! But in actual fact, there’s so much going on in her head and goes through quite an emotional travesty that it’s almost impossible to call her bland!

She is deeply wounded by the loss of her father, and has this incredible musical talent which stayed in a state of diamond in the rough before being discovered by her “Angel of Music”. He trains her, not realizing that she is becoming the center of an unhealthy obsession, genuinely believing in her naivety that he is some benevolent spirit sent by her father, therefore bringing her a sense of comfort. She is a pious girl, after all, and being religious myself, well, such a reaction from someone who believes like her is believable though naive. Can we blame Christine for that? NO. How is she supposed to guess?

And now, let's talk about "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again", aka. The Christine Empowerment™ song! I feel like the difference between a good portrayal of Christine and a great portrayal of Christine, is based on how good their rendition of this song is. It is a crucial part of the plot. One of the reason The Phantom and Raoul appeal to Christine is because of the connection they represent to her dead father. Of course, Raoul actually knew her father and the Phantom uses his memory to manipulate her. At this point in the show, Christine has become disillusioned with Raoul and is afraid of the Phantom. She realizes through the song that the only way she can’t move forward is through letting go of the past, and getting over the death of her father. This fuels her actions through the rest of the show as it makes her realize that if she wants her happy ending, she must take charge of her destiny and earn her own agency! And the Phantom, trying to use her in the moment where she was probably at her most vulnerable since she is questioning herself about her entire life, only catalyses her decision. She performs in Don Juan Triumphant, because she knows that everything is up to her, and that she cannot let the Phantom keep on destroying her life.

As for her unmasking the Phantom in "Point of No Return", Christine did this in a way to show him that she refused to be controlled by him any longer. It is certainly not the most intelligent thing to do, nor the nicest, but again, her behaviour is explainable. But as said above for Erik, it doesn’t excuse her. And it shows how she was beginning to be able to resist his pull/spell/enchantment/whatever you like to call it on her!

I adore and admire Christine Daae as a character so much, and it was her actions and story arc that really started my love for this story. Christine's ability to love unconditionally and selflessly is so profound. Even though the Phantom put her and everyone else through lots of horrors, she still doesn't hesitate to show kindness towards him but makes sure that her abuser NEVER hurts anyone EVER again. She loves Raoul so much that she's pretty much willing to sacrifice her freedom and happiness so Raoul could be free. No matter what circumstances she is given, she will still put the ones she loves before herself no matter what, even if it means giving up a chance to save herself. I know most of us won’t ever be put in such an extreme scenario but Christine is such an inspiration of how to love others and believe in them despite flaws and bad sides. She inspires me to see the good in people. It’s so easy to be cynical and hardened in this world, and I think that Phantom of the Opera reminds us to have kindness and light in our hearts, even in challenging circumstances.

I would also like to add another moment of character. Think what it must have taken to prepare for the female lead role in a 3-act opera. Christine wasn’t even an understudy. In a matter of minutes, she went from member of the ballet corps to the lead role, and she had to rehearse and remember new music, character, blocking, and vocals. Not only did she prepare in time, she performed so well that she became a hit. This reveals, not only the skill and beauty of her voice, but also her concentration, diligence, and acting capability. Everyone hails the Phantom as the ultimate musical genius—and he is—but they overlook the implied extent of Christine’s skill.

She went through the loss of both parents, manipulation, being stalked, and knowing that the person she loves most has his life on the line - because of her. And then she literally gets off of her knees and shows her abuser the first form of kindness he has ever known. Not even the Phantom was strong enough for that; he gave up on the world far too early. Christine is the embodiment of courage and kindness; she teaches us to love and forgive those who have been awful to us, and to protect those we love even if it means our own suffering. But she no longer succumbs to the Phantom and makes sure her abuser never hurts anyone EVER again. Seriously, this girl is AWESOME! And this was in the 18th century! It's really sad that such a great character is overlooked by many...

It seems that Leroux really understood women... That we can be emotional, we are vulnerable but not weak... And emotion really helps us when we keep them in control!

Christine, in a nutshell, is a kind, observant, compassionate, trusting young woman–a too trusting at first–but with a spine of steel and determination once she’s drawn the line. She loves people deeply, but she picks up quickly on the realities of the situation. She has the strongest character arc in the story and makes the choices to grow and to move on. Yet she remains gentle and compassionate, uses her love to bless and not manipulate. She’s a layered character who grows. And there’s so much more to her than meets the eye.