#i'm not gonna guess on the phantom but i think the christine's are

[roadtophantom]

Let your S(e)oul take you where you long to be (iv) - Jeon Dong-seok

I didn't mean to write a whole section about CSW but now I'm gonna feel terrible if I say less about the other Phantom 'coz he was also phenomenal.

Jeon Dong-seok's show was the first one I got, I managed to modify my seat for three times to get a better view. It was so much easier to book for him that I got wary (did no one want him? why does he still have tickets available every night?) WHICH is an unfair assessment in the face of Phantoms with massive fanbases like Cho Seung-woo. It's still amazing that the tickets eventually sell out (or just leave very few left).

But I learned of JDS from his popularity here on Tumblr and I can definitely see how accomplished he is despite his apparent youth (I think he's the youngest of the 4 Phantoms?) That said, I haven't really listened to him, I wanted to be surprised.

So needless to say his voice blew me away. It took me 4 seconds in the Mirror scene to realize, this, exactly This is what Tumblr fandom was talking about. Because what the heck was that voice?? Like wow.

And he had Such a domineering presence too! His tall and slender physicality (186 cm tall) gave him the presence of a spook that was advantageous for a "larger than life" presence in the theatre.

He had Such an incredible vocal control and mastery too, this is a man who knows how to use his voice as an instrument, knows which part to stretch, which words to relish, which words to accentuate and expound with his vocal power. Practically effortless with the big notes. I can really believe he has the voice of a dark angel. He has been a real treat seeing in person AND watching (when he smoothed his hair *__*).

The impression I got of his Phantom is one who is definitely a young, musical genius, whose tragedy unfortunately is one that's long coming. JDS struck me as a very Byronic Phantom? I guess most Phantoms are Byronic, but I felt it more strongly for this tall, dark gent. He embodied the gloomy and broody persona but with such a passionate inner life. By inner life I mean his music and Christine who are his sole reasons for survival.

(One thing I can say for both Korean Phantoms that I love is how they created their character around Christine worship, like she is this unreachable goddess in their eyes. They are such fools for her).

What's sad about watching JDS's Phantom is how he doesn't seem to have a high regard of himself and even by the time the start of PONR was playing, he knew he was already bound to lose the girl. Jeon Dong-seok is great at playing an anguished Phantom. In the Final Lair, you make out his panic very plainly because he knows it was HIM who went past the point of no return and Christine will never forgive him and he doesn't know what to do with that information. He is so good in playing the character as a melancholic man who was bound to give everything up for Christine's freedom.

He gave me such massive emo tortured soul boys-who-cry feels. Not surprised that his roles tend to gravitate to this type 'coz he mastered it. (He has the most mournful 'Christine, 사랑해~') I feel like he could still figure out more nuances if he could play the character more. But he made such an excellent Phantom and I'm just so happy to have seen him before his Seoul exit.

Also it's so cute how he seems to be this awkward dork backstage who doesn't know what to do with his height or those poses kids do nowadays. I feel like that energy is also present in his onstage performances (I say this as someone who guiltily thinks it gives him crush-worthy material).

[ablatheringblatherskite]

Assigning dæmons to characters in the Phantom of the Opera!

Quick explanation of what dæmons are: In summary, in the His Dark Materials world, they're basically physical manifestations of the soul, just in animal form! They are most commonly the opposite sex of their human. It's also taboo and just. wrong to touch another person's dæmon, and usually only happens between lovers or in battle. You also can't move too far away from your dæmon without dying/being severed intentionally (which is. very traumatic. unless you're a witch). The relationship between a person and their dæmon is sacred—they're your lifelong companions, which I love the idea of. And, until a certain age, dæmons can shift to different animals (the age you settle (when your dæmon choose their final form) varies depending on the person).

ANYWAY enough info dumping time for my HEADCANONS for what dæmons the characters from The Phantom of the Opera would have!!

Christine Daaé: a canary named Einar

I'm just gonna say it now—I don't have much reasons for picking these dæmons other than vibes. I just believe that Christine would definitely have a little bird dæmon, and the canary just seemed like the cutest choice! Plus, according to google, canaries are "somewhat timid and shy little birds. Unlike larger bird species, they don't usually do well with being handled, although there may be the occasional exception. Canaries are charming birds..." They are also, from what I know, very cheerful and playful! Which I think fits Christine very well!

Plus, imagine the dynamic between her dæmon and Raoul's and Erik's dæmon—with one being a dog and one a cat. I don't know, I think it just adds a really interesting dynamic to their relationships!

Raoul de Chagny: a golden retriever named Lili

I think the reason I picked the golden retriever for Raoul is fairly obvious LOLL. But aside from the obvious matching personality, I thought it would be really interesting if his dæmon was a dog, especially because he's nobility. Because, according to His Dark Materials, people with dog dæmons actually usually tend to be servants. Which is very classist LOL but like. I feel like it makes complete sense to me that Raoul's dæmon wouldn't match his status in society, plus it would definitely give something extra for Philippe to be worried about regarding him. The dynamic with his social status and his dæmon just sounds like something really interesting to explore!

Plus, I love the image of Lili cuddling with Raoul whenever he's upset and/or starts crying.

Erik: a Siamese cat named Ayesha

I feel like the reason for this is really obvious LOL. Why don't I make Ayesha his dæmon?? I think it's extra sweet if she were! Plus OF COURSE Erik's dæmon would be a cat LOL. Honestly, what else would it be?? Plus, there's this analysis I found of Siamese Cat dæmons, and I think it fits him pretty well!

Plus I love the image of Ayesha getting really annoyed with Erik's shenanigans and advising against them, but still helping him with them anyway LOL.

Meg Giry: a nova scotia duck tolling retriever named Maxime

So I was thinking that, personality wise, Meg definitely would have a dog dæmon too. I was actually considering a golden retriever but I felt like it didn't really fit vibes-wise? So I looked for dogs that are similar and thought that the nova scotia duck tolling retriever looked perfect!! Plus, after I googled their personalities, I think they definitely fit Meg. I also just think it's adorable that Christine's two best friends both have retriever dæmons ehehehe

Philippe de Chagny: a red-tailed hawk named Désirée

So going with the nobility thing, I thought that Philippe would definitely have a really grand dæmon. Like the red-tailed hawk!

The dæmon forum on tumblr have actually already analyzed this dæmon, and I think the traits fit Philippe really well! Although I guess it can be argued he's an extrovert and not an introvert, but there's also such thing as introverts that are very social, so.

But yeah I just love the image of Philippe, with his hawk dæmon, and Raoul standing beside him with his golden retriever dæmon 😭

The Persian/The Daroga/Nadir: a Persian leopard named Fariba

No because I truly believe that Nadir would have the COOLEST dæmon ever. Which is yes, a Persian leopard. Like, the vibes just make sense!! Plus considering he was the chief of police, it just makes sense.

I also love the image of Nadir, with his epic leopard dæmon, and Erik beside him with his house cat dæmon LOLL

OTHER HEADCANONS FOR THIS AU:

I bet Raoul, when he was younger and before Lili settled, would often like it when Lili would shift into a red-tailed hawk, completely because he wanted to impress his brother and have a dæmon like his.

I also think that Christine and Raoul played all sorts of pretend games together, with their dæmons shifting into animals to match whoever they were pretending to be. I can also imagine them taking naps together under the tree, with their dæmons curled closely together.

I feel like when Erik was in the circus, his dæmon was handled so much to the point that he became desensitized to it. I also think he probably learned how to separate from Ayesha even if it hurt a lot to do so, but like out of necessity 😭

I feel like Einar would sit in Christine's hair a lot. I also feel like he and Ayesha would have a very interesting relationship with each other. I also feel like Einar would like to sit on the head or nose of Lili whenever Raoul and Christine are hanging out together.

I also feel like Erik would often be VERY tempted to touch Einar, and his hand might hover so close to him—but he would pull away before he ever did. But I also think that a part of Einar really wanted him to actually do it while at the same time being terrified that he does.

I also feel like, in this universe, to get Raoul, Erik actually grabs Lili so that Raoul is immediately weakened and pretty much incapacitated, and THEN he wraps the noose around his neck. I don't think he'd bother holding onto Lili the entire time—I don't think he'd like doing that either lol, considering his trauma regarding it. I also do feel like Erik would have Ayesha attack other people's dæmons, kind of like how Mrs. Coulter does it? But Lili and Ayesha have definitely had at least one fight, maybe during Wandering Child.

Everyone finds Nadir extra intimidating because of Fariba, even if Fariba is the most chill dæmon ever.

I love the idea that, after all the events of POTO, Christine and Raoul are sitting together and comforting each other, and that's when they touch each others' dæmons for the first time. And that's when their relationship with each other truly solidifies, because there's nothing more intimate than touching another person's soul.

[differenteagletragedy]

ol brainrot real, hadley fraser in phantom 25th is making me think about baxter, especially with the predominantly black wardrobe KDLSFHGLKJDH

i want him to twirl my mc around in the air after a sweet romantic duet with them 😔

LISTEN. This is so special. (And this is going to get real nerdy real fast so look out.)

A quick reference if needed for Hadley (also this video is funny lol):

Except now I'm just imagine MC as Christine, COVE as Raoul, and Baxter as (you'll never guess) the Phantom. And it is a lot to take in.

-- Baxter just has his creepy little nest in the theatre and hides away from the rest of the world because he is very damaged emotionally.

-- He sees MC perform and he's like "this one I like this one"

-- Then MC hooks up with Cove, a great guy with who is stable, and he cannot have that now can he

-- Baxter kidnaps MC for a little bit and MC ends up kinda liking it

-- The Phantom is not a good guy, he does some awful things and Raoul was an angel, but like ... come on

-- Anyway eventually MC is like "hey this Baxter guy is kind of unhinged, Cove, can we like not be here anymore lol"

-- And Cove is like "yeah, I got you"

-- And Baxter, who was creeping watching this whole conversation is like "the fuck you do"

-- But the Cove is like, "Look, MC, I know this is scary because you're being stalked by this weirdo, but let's use you as bait so we can catch him and make him start being a weirdo"

-- I wish there was a character for Derek here because he'd be like "no, that's ridiculous, let's leave," but there's not so MC is like "lol ok"

-- Baxter, who has always been able to outsmart everyone, manages to outsmart everyone and kidnaps MC again, but this time he's like "I'm gonna keep you this time"

-- Cove comes to rescue MC and he and Baxter fight over them but they kinda like it again

MC: (to Baxter) Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known? God give me courage to show you you are not alone *kisses Baxter*

Cove:

-- Baxter knows kindness for the first time and lets MC and Cove go, they run off all in love and he sits there in his little lair, "Masquerade, paper faces on parade. Masquerade, hide your face so the world will never find you. *cries* MC I looooooove yooooooou"

*Baxter disappears forever*

[phantom-of-the-501st]

For character bingo— the phantom. :)

Let's gooo!!!! (You're getting pics with this one!)

And a bit (a lot) of waffle because I have a lot to say about him rn

He may have killed a couple of people, kidnapped someone, and threatened to kill her fiance, but he's sad and lonely and I want to give him a hug. 🥺

I don't necessarily think he should be forgiven, but I think he should be understood. He's a man whose actions are all deeply rooted in fear (which is why Jon Robyns is my fave because he really digs into this side of the character).

Also, I don't think that the moment that Christine kisses him is the moment he realises that she doesn't love him like she wants her to, but that's a whole ramble for another time if people want that

And that man looks awesome!!! I mean look at this!

Ramin Karimloo (POTO 25th Anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall)

It's my favourite Phantom outfit. The bedazzled cape and the hat are 🔥 I'm just saying, if it was socially acceptable, I would be running around dressed like this so much of the time!

"If anything happens to them I will cry"

Bestie... been there, done that.

Ramin Karimloo (POTO 25th Anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall)

It's the ending... the ending always makes me cry 🥲

Also, Chrisitine is a stronger woman than I am. He killed someone and she was like "NOPE, uh uh, that's it, I'm not going back to him noooope" and I'm just like "...but you heard Music of the Night, right?"

This is a good time to share this pic of Jon Robyns and Holly Anne Hull that dropped the other day :)

📸 @my_photography_journal on Insta

I would cave in in 2 seconds ngl

But I do think that guy could do with a couple of trips around a salad spinner

I guess I'm just gonna wrap this up with one of my favourite quotes about the Phantom from the book:

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

He's a man who wanted to live a life of love; to love and to be loved. But the way society treated him drove him to living a life of hate.

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

Hello! I absolutely love your fic 'When the Longing Returns'! It's really amazing! and I keep reading it over and over again because its sooo good. I ADORE the footnotes too! and it makes me appreciate your work even more :) I love the way you describe each touch and smell... especially when Christine closed the distance between her and Erik. Her just relishing in his embrace...and Erik having his moment after Christine had her realization and chose him. When she goes down with him again in the future chapter, I wonder if she will be creeped out a little or endeared having a life-size replica of herself now that she isn't under the hypnosis of his music. I really loved how she gushed over his Red Death costume and the gown he made her! She's so cute! I don't know if this detail (the doll) will be included in your fic, but it would be interesting! (I keep wondering things. I'm sorry >< I just wanna blurt out my thoughts if that's okay)

I hate that AO3 forces everyone to give only one kudos per user, when I want to send, like, a thousand your way XD Good luck writing the future chapters and I hope work goes well on your end!

My favorite line in your fic that summarizes my every thought for Leroux/ALW PotO and PotO fics out there:

The Phantom had been her angel—truly her closest confidante—for so many years, while Raoul... well, all told, she'd only known him as a man for a few weeks when he proposed. And before that, just one summer, when she was a little girl. Raoul didn't know her; and she hardly knew him. What had they in common, other than childhood picnics in the attic?

Thank you for writing the fic! It's one of the best I've read!

OmygoshOmygoshOmygosh firstly thank you so much for all of your lovely compliments. I'm just over her doing my best and I'm so glad that you're enjoying it along with me. I feel so blessed 🥰💞 And thank you for liking my footnotes! I'm very nerdy and I love a footnote myself, so I'm happy other people appreciate those details too.

Also yes, I want a very sumptuous, sensory texture to my writing, since I like that in my reading material as well, which means descriptions galore! My favorite color is purple and it comes through in my prose lol.

Okay so I'm gonna address the doll because I feel like it's something that everyone wonders about when they go into a fic. I know we all like to make a lot of to-do about it, and the implications are certainly valid (especially in the stage version).

But

I'm just gonna go ahead and say, as a disclaimer: I do not feel that the doll being anything more than a mannequin with a wax likeness affixed to it for the purposes of holding Christine's wedding dress fits tonally with my interpretation of Erik. I can go into more detail about my logic on this in another post, if asked to, but I won't here.

So with that out of the way: is she creeped out by it? Without revealing any spoilers, she is going to get to have a good look at it. I won't say much more about it other than her feelings are mixed, but mostly positive. (She also is innocent enough that she wouldn't know to attribute any purpose to such an effigy other than him simply wanting a likeness of her to judge the dress against; whether it suits her etc.)

I also want to say: I am very reluctant to refer to Christine's experience in the first lair as her being "hypnotized" per se. This is kind of a me thing, I guess, but it's very important to me there and in the cemetery, that Christine be acknowledged as being entirely lucid. So while she absolutely was affected by Erik's music, I think the fantasy aspects of the first lair (the magical BatB sconces, the shockingly lifelike likeness, her perfect smoky eye) are all her own imagination at work, but simply because she's overwhelmed by the thrill of what's happening. She's hyping all of this up on her own.

Now her second descent is going to be interesting because obviously the passages are not going to be as clean and shiny as she remembers them, but neither are they as dank and cold and nasty as the one Meg wanders down (which I hold adamantly is a side passage off of the main one Erik leads Christine down, not the same passage "shown as it really is". I think Meg wandered quite a way before her mother found her, to tunnels Erik doesn't often use.)

Next

The Phantom had been her angel--truly her closest confidante--for so many years, while Raoul... well, all told, she'd only known him as a man for a few weeks when he proposed. And before that, just one summer, when she was a little girl. Raoul didn't know her; and she hardly knew him. What had they in common, other than childhood picnics in the attic?

Everyone really seems to love this passage. If I'm honest this chapter was a big old sounding board for a lot of my personal opinions and observations on Raoul and Christine's relationship in ALW canon (specifically the movie). There are some more details on that coming so stay tuned.

Please feel free to ask me anything on your mind, although I can't promise to answer every question you'll have for me, for spoiler reasons, but even if you walk away with just a Neil Gaiman-esque "Wait and see." Please ask anyway, I love to know what you're looking forward to. Also I just love to talk and to talk about my fic so again: speak, I listen.

Your Obedient Servant,

and Author

[erscogadatabase]

3: The Overly Long, Frequently Interrupted Chapter (Part 1)

Date: c. 3-2016 - 10-11-2016 IDST, 3-3-2016 EST

Nalitie: *in her VR room, re-enacting Phantom with Mettaton* Oh yes, keep coming this way!!! *throws a fireball at Mettaton*

Cameras: *floating around the room*

Christine: *being Christine*

Dukermin: *coming*

Nalitie: *still Phantoming* *sees Dukermin* Oh hi Du--OH DANGIT. We were SO CLOSE! *sighs* That was, what, the eighteenth time we've done that scene? And this time I managed to not hit you guys with the fireballs! *sighs again* Hey, Mettaton, wanna just take a break? Dukermin and I have some business to attend to anyway.

Mettaton: I could go for a virtual coffee break. *leaves*

Nalitie: Great. *turns to Christine* Oh, and Christine? Mettaton and I have been talking... We feel as if you just aren't FEELING the character. Like you're not giving it your all.

Christine: *confused because she's playing herself*

Dukermin: Oookay then...

Nalitie: Yes. Chrstine, while I'm gone, I need you to work on it. We need you to BE Christine. *hears herself* I need to get out of the house... Dukermin, come with me. We've got stuff to do. We still need to hold Papyrus's Royal Royal Guard ceremony and Asgore and Toriel want to talk to us about the relocation and our ground rules and stuff (and I wanna see how things have been going with Sophia), and then we need to check on the Voltas and---

Dukermin: WE HAVE SO MUCH TO DO WOW

Nalitie: Yeah... Let's go back to Pluto, start with the meeting... *grabs Phantom Staff* I'm taking this with me. If I leave it here, Christine will probabably set my house on fire or kill Mettaton or something. *takes out a lunchbox portal* To Pluto?

Dukermin: Yeah

*TO PLUTO*'

Nalitie: Great well let us go to all of the meeting them. *skips away towards Asgore's castle*

Dukermin: *follows... always*

Nalitie: *into the castle to find Asgore*

Sophia: *talking with him and Toriel about therapy stuff*

Nalitie: *approaches*

Toriel: Oh... hello again. Dukermin, would you still like that recipe?

Dukermin: Oh... Um... Yeah... Yum *takes paper from her*

Nalitie: *to Dukermin* Great! I've been meaning to make Christine and Steven a dinner thing... Mind if I borrow that sometime?

Dukermin: Yeah... you can have it now *gives it to her* I'll uh... make it another time.

Nalitie: *takes it* And Undyne said she'd get Papyrus over to my house and they'd make spaghetti for it. Now, uh... We were gonna talk about... Relocation and Erscogan government and stuff... Right?

Dukermin: I guess... I never really know to be honest...

Nalitie: Hm. Well, I guess while we're here we might as well.

Dukermin: Well It's all you I have no clue what we are supposed to say.

Nalitie: Right. *back to Asgore and Toriel* So, uh... I wanted to discuss the whole... us moving you guys into our dimension and stuff. I had an idea for a kind of government situation, if you guys will hear it.

Asgore: All right...and uh... There are no hard feelings about... all that other stuff right?

Nalitie: Hm? You mean the whole... me dying, right?

Asgore: *nods*

Nalitie: Oh, yeah, no, don't worry about that. *shurgs* I'm used to it, and besides, I'm alive now. I wasn't even trying. I mean, I threw marshmallows at you. You rate very low on my murder scale, especially after the Overmother killed me in cold blood, turned me into lunch meat, and fed me to SAM. I'd say you rate... on a scale from one to ten.... around a.... 2?

Dukermin: Anyway...

Nalitie: Right, uh... I was thinking that, to avoid a whole... overwhelmingness of responsibility, we could share the love. And also assume that any time I talk about love, I mean the good kind, not the... murderous acronym LOVE. Anyway, that we would leave the leaders in charge of their own countries/planets and then Dukermin and I could just... monitor as an overarching government. You guys would have control of your planets, but we'd have the ability to intervene if, say, war was gonna break out between two planets of ours or something.

Toriel: That sounds like a great idea... *to Asgore* Don't you think so?

Asgore: It sounds okay to me.

Nalitie: Great! I also meant to ask... how are things going with Sophia? I mean... You two are standing in the same room without... biting each other's heads off, so that seems like a good sign.

Toriel: Sophia is a brilliant therapist. Me and Asgore haven't felt closer!

Nalitie: Great! And yeah, Sophia is the only therapist I know who doesn't use the Flashcard method and isn't from Treegrass Institutes. Oh yeah, um, we also wanted to ask for building rights here on Pluto. We're establishing a Lunchbox Portal transport network.

Asgore: That's fine.

Nalitie: Great! *hiccups once and notices that she's... a lot shorter than usual?*

Asgore&Toriel: *pretend not to notice*

Dukermin: Alrigtythen...

Nalitie: Weird, I didn't think that she'd even been... *hiccups again and de-ages into a 5 year old* Rooooossssseee.

Dukermin: I suppose we... should...

Nalitie: *continues de aging until she's just a baby*

Dukermin: ...Get you to the Overmother. *finds shopping cart randomly and puts baby Nalitie into it* *stuffs shopping cart into lunchbox to Coloria and follows*

Overmother: *meets them there* Oh, dear, I knew I should have cleaned up better... That's why you're here, isn't it? *fixes Nalitie* Well, at least you hadn't ingested any more. Otherwise you'd be nothing but a cell! *to Dukermin* I used her kitchen to make breakfast this morning, but I didn't realize I had some de-aging baby food residue on my hands...

Nalitie: What the heck is it with people and my kitchen? First you, and the other day I found numerous containers of snails and spaghetti in my fridge. Not to mention the fact that I found a cake in there too, and only realized it was HUMAN SOUL FLAVORED after Christine pointed it out. *to Dukermin* remind me to ask Christine about how she knew that later...

Dukermin: Will do...

Nalitie: Oh yeah! Um, do either of you have any post it notes? We need to appoint Papyrus to the Royal Royal Guard and I don't have materials to make an actual badge.

Overmother: *shakes her head*

Dukermin: *randomly has post-it notes bc why not* *gives one to Nalitie)

Nalitie: Great. *scribbles the name on it, but forgets the "a" in the second Royal* Crap. Uh... *draws an apostrophe there* It's Meriloftian. Back to Pluto we go!

Dukermin: *all of the lunch box travelling*

Nalitie: *climbs on that rock again* *blows into the conch to call an assembly*

All of the Plutoians: *come*

Nalitie: Citizens of Pluto! Um... Hi! Will Papyrus, previously of Snowdin, please step forward?

Papyrus: *steps forward*

Nalitie: We would like to appoint you to the position of the Head of the Royal Roy'L Guard. Do you accept?

Papyrus: I DO! It's an honor!

Nalitie: And as the Head of the Royal Roy'l Guard, do you promise to... uh... do whatever tasks we come up with?

Papyrus: OF COURSE!

Nalitie: Then I, Nalitie of Erscoga, under the power of the... uh... 917th Bluefire Eclipse, appoint you to this position. *sticks the post it note on his chest, then tapes it, glues it, and sprays it with waterproof spray* Uh... Enjoy, I guess?

Papyrus: *totally cherishing the badge post-it and goes back into the crowd to show everyone*

Nalitie: That's great... He can watch our kidnapee... Or whatever they'd be called. *back to crowd* Now, one more thing... So, the Overmother has taught me how to, I guess, merge with other people, to become one entity. It works fine between two humans or at least near humans... *grabs Dukermin, merges, then unmerges* As you can see... But... I was kinda wondering... if it was possible... for one of you *gestures to the crowd* to do so... SInce.... all of the different species and stuff.. And so I was wondering if... anyone would like to try it?

Asriel: I'll do it!

Nalitie: *perks up* Really? Okay... I don't really know how this will work but, uh, go stand over there... *gestures to a spot a little ways away* and uh... try to not resist mentally if you can? I guess?

Asriel: Alright *does so*

Nalitie: great, uh... *runs at him, jumps with a hug attack and attempts to merge* *succeEds and becomes... Asralitie?*

Asralitie: *in mostly Nalitie's voice* This... is... Huh... It feels.... weird. Like, more stable than usual. Or maybe it's because we aren't both mentally insane? *trying not to

panic* *of the mostly Nalitie side* woah hey calm down now you're giving ME anxiety... I just... let me check one more thing, and then I'll split... *tries to.... see? Feel? their SOUL(s?)* *notes that they're both separate, yet there's only one shared consciousness and one body* Great um... *splits back into Asriel and Nalitie*

Asriel: That was... SO COOL!

Nalitie: Heck yeah it was! I'll... experiment with that later... *now goes back to Asgore, dragging Dukermin with her* One more thing--now that you guys are here on Pluto... um... do you have any use for the human SOULs anymore?

Asgore: Well... none that I can think of.

Nalitie: Um... do you think I could... have them? There's something I feel the need to do....

Asgore: Um...

Toriel: *jumps in* Of course!

Nalitie: Thanks... Now, uh, I don't know where they are so.... *opens portal to the castle even though it's not that far away* Come with us?

AsgorenToriel: *follow*

Nalitie: *has dragged Dukermin with her* Now where....

*in the castle*

Toriel: It's this way. *leads*

Nalitie: *follows, but falls down the staircase and bounces off the wall into a room full of coffins* *lands on the one closest to the door, back at a 90 degree angle* *laughing that slowly turns to crying* DUKERMIN....

Dukermin: *helps her up* *gives her a baNd-aid*

Nalitie: *applies bandaid which somehow heals her even though all of her bones are probably broken* Thanks. At least there's no way this could affect me in the near future! *hiccups* Now, uh... right. SOULs.

%Asgore: The SOULs should still be contained in each of these coffins.

Nalitie: Coffin raiding... fun.... Um... *tries to take them in the least awkward way possible*

Dukermin: *summons soul-stealing baloons*

Nalitie: Great... *puts the SOULs in the baloons, then locks them in her pockets* Thanks... Um... We're going to go to Coloria now.... *opens portal* Dukermins first...

Dukermin: *is first*

Nalitie: *follows, then closes portal* Let's go find the Ovemrother. Shge has these weird empty bodies that she uses to make her Sam clones, and they're currently... well... you'll see what I'm doing... ROOOOSSSSEEE!

Overmother: *appears* Oh! Nalitie and....?

Dukermin: Dukermin.

Overmother: Ah, yes, Dukermin. What are you doing back?

Nalitie: I need to borrow *counts in her head* six of your Featureless... They don't have SOULs, right?

Overmother: I don't believe so? I thought you said the Featureless were "creepy as heck and should be burned at the stake"?

Nalitie: Welllll I need them now.

Overmother: *sighs and leads them to the room where the featureless are, then prepares 6 table beds for them*

Nalitie: great. *hands Dukermin 5 of the SOULs* The Fallen Humans are gonna be back. Probably. If this works... *pops one of the baloons, then merges with a Featureless, leaving the SOUL behind* *repeats with the rest* Now, uh, while we wait, wanna get some coffee? Coloria recently built a nice little coffee shop. I heard they're really great... And that's coming from Mettaton and not talking about something of his brand? Or maybe it's just because they serve Virtual Coffee but still. I could use some lunch.

Dukermin: I think we can trust Mettaton's judgement...

Nalitie: Great. It's right down the street here. *leads Dukermin there* *gets... um... some.... milk? And... um... a bowl of... chow chow relish? Because apparently they have that?*

Dukermin: *gets coffee like a normal person*

Nalitie: *also gets some chocolate and sits down at a table* We still have a lot to do... but, uh.. eh. *offers Dukermin some chocolate* want some?

Dukermin: *takes chocolate* Okay what then...?

Nalitie: Well, after the SOUL stuff... Um... Aeuton. The Voltas have been kinda mad at me lately, and we need them for the DunkelVision, so... *consumes her stuff* *hiccups again, then gets a funny look on her face*

Dukermin: You aren't going to shrink and de-age again are you...?

Nalitie: No, no, I just... um... we need to go back to the Featureless... There's something else I need to do...

Dukermin: Um okay.

Nalitie: *grabs whatever food she wants to keep and locks it in her pockets* *to the Featureless*

Dukermin: *follows as always*

Nalitie: *turns to Dukermin* OKay I have no idea how this happened and I really don't know if this will work, but before something weird happens I need to ask you of your opinion on Chara.

Dukermin: Creepy demon child...

Nalitie: And also what about outside of a genocide route? *hiccups some more and forces... something down*

Dukermin: Um... I don't know , I don't have any opinions outside of genocide.

Nalitie: Alright, that works, and if we all die you can blame me because this is not working *hiccups and this time comes out of the hiccup attack with a SOUL (which is obviously not hers) in her hand*

Dukermin: Wait wha- oh nevermind. I should start expecting this stuff.

Nalitie: Yeah. I'm gonna, uh... *deposits the SOUL into a Featureless* Now we... wait? Wanna go, um.... See Sam-whatever...?

Dukermin: Um not really but it seems more fun than waiting. Sam clones freak me out. Sam freaks me out too.

Nalitie: Actually this one isn't a clone. She is just a little bit... murdery... but the Overmother will protect us and also there is another Sam I want you to meet because I really like her. Platonically.

Dukermin: Okay...

Nalitie: *runs out the door to the Sam Hub*

Dukermin: *you know... follows*

Nalitie: *is standing next to an almost exact clone? of Sam and also a hyper-feminine Sam who... I don't know?* So, Sam-76 and Mara.... This is Dukermin.

Dukermin: Hello.

"Mara": *waves, somehow looking even more murdery than the original Sam*

Sam-76: *also waves, but looks.... Sorta nice?*

Dukermin: *Waves back, even though it seems odd... *

Nalitie: So, *gestures to Mara* this is actually Sam's intra-dimensional self, and in some lost timeline I vaguely remember Sam being completely terrified of her! So we could use that to our advantage maybe if we can get Sam to remember!

Dukermin:.,..Wait..... *suddenly connects the dots* Does that mean "Mara" is ... Is she Samara or are there more freaky people out in the world...?

Nalitie: Well there are, but yes, this is Samara! THe one who tried to take Sam's growing baby in the Lost Timeline!

Dukermin: I'm so glad I wasn't a part of this story...but okay hi.

Samara: *playing with some toys that she apparently has on her and makes death to the dolls*

Nalitie: Now that I think about it, I think I died in that timeline as well. Several times.

Sam-76: *staring into the distance at some lady who has been lurking this whole time*

Dukermin: *Follows gaze* Are we allowed to ignore that wierd lady...?

Nalitie: Huh? *looks* Oh, her... Uh... Hey, you know what? We should go check on the SOULS and the Featureless, yep, no time to waste, they could be exploding... *pushing Dukermin away*

Dukermin: NOPE *resists* Now I'm curious.

Lady: *just lurking and sort of glaring at Nalitie and Dukermin*

Dukermin: *calls to her* HELLO STRANGE CREEPY LADY! WHO ARE YOU?! AND WHY ARE YOU GLARING AT US?!

Nalitie: She doesn't like me.

Lady: *realizes she has been discovered and, um, flees*

Dukermin: Okay, you can give me a good reason to not follow her and alleviate my curiousity (if that grammar isnt completely screwed up) Or I will, you know, run after her.

Nalitie: We'll probably end up win some weird future where we've been completely absent, since Coloria runs on its own time. Or, ran on its own time.. Or maybe it's just the lady. I haven't figured it out.. She's weird and co-owns Treegrass.

Dukermin: Okay. All you needed to say is that she's a part of Treegrass. Let's go make sure no one has exploded.

Nalitie: Yeah... That would be bad, but I'm pretty sure there would have been screaming ANYWAY. *and now we go back again*

Dukermin: * and now I follow again, you know the drill*

Nalitie: *standing in the doorway happily* DUKERMIN IT worked they're all back and now we can alleviate guilt! Sort of! Not really maybe but a little!

Dukermin: So should we bring them to their families?

Nalitie: I... don't know their familiues? And also they've been dead for several years?

6 of the Fallen Humans: *milling about*

Dukermin: Well, what do we do with them....?

Nalitie: I don't know...? Because, I mean, what if their parents are dead?

Dukermin: We could sell their story to ABC and make money. Or maybe Fox...

Nalitie: Isn't their story already copyrighted?

Dukermin: ACCORDING TO "How to read Literature Like a Professor" Every story is A PART OF ONE BIG STORY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

Nalitie: O... kay? Well, for one, I do need them to help me with one of our Plutoians's guilt... *doing a head count* UGH STAND STIll.

Dukermin: Okay then we won't sell their story. At least not yet. I might do it on my own.

Nalitie: Eh, whatever. Hey, weren't there seven SOULs? Including the one I coughed up?:

Dukermin: Um probably, I don't count what comes out of your mouth...

Nalitie: *counts again* I think there were. There are only... 6 humans that I can count and that last one is... um... not visible right now? Or, uh, at least not that I can see from here.

Dukermin: Watching these panicking people is giving me a headache so dont count on any count from me...

Nalitie: Well, let's see... *pointing to each* That one is the owner of the aqua SOUL.... There's blue... green... yellow... orange... purple.... We're missing the one I coughed up. We're missing Chara.

Dukermin: WHY DID WE NOT CHAIN THAT ONE UP OR SOMETHING?

Nalitie: I DON'T KNOW I WAS BUSY COUGHING UP THEIR SOUL AND TRYING NOT TO CHOKE.

Dukermin: WELL WE'VE GOTTA FIND CHARA BEFORE ALL THAT WE;VE BUILT IS DESTROYED

Overmother: *pokes her head into the room of chaos* Chara, you say? About yea tall, short hair, oddly vibrant red eyes?

Dukermin: Um yeah WHY DO YOU KNOW WHERE...

Overmother: *points into the corner where Chara is*

Nalitie: I KNEW I SHOULD have brought a box to stand on...

Dukermin: Well then. We should actually isolate xir though until we know what to do with xir.

Nalitie: Yeah. Why don't we bring them all back to Pluto though? We're attracting the Sams. Also, if we really need to, we can put Chara into the box with Sans and Callie.

Dukermin: Would Sans and Callie be okay with that? Because I don't want Chara to be let loose on any planet.

Nalitie: I'm vsure... Callie, at least, would be okay with it? It was in her contract. Also, Callie. She's much more deadly than you think.

Dukermin: True... Sans will just have to deal with it. Let's go.

Nalitie: Yeah. *opens a lunchbox portal to Pluto and directs the confused Fallen Humans into it* *goes in herself, taking one small glance at the creepy lady who is hiding on the ceiling*

Dukermin: *Ignores her* *away to Pluto we go*

Nalitie: *has already directed Chara into the box, claiming it is for their safety and not because we suspect them of being a murderous demon child* I'm gonna, um, go get Asgore or something. You wait here and calm the humans. *goes off*

Dukermin: Um um um. Hello lovely falle humans...

Everyone: *looks at Dukermin*

Dukermin: You are all no longer dead! You are *slips into southern accent for whatever reason* in a safe place, and *pulls out pocket watch* *starts swinging it* And you will ALL BE HAPPY HERE and become the BEST of FRIENDS.

Everyone: *slightly confused and also have noticed they're on a planet full of monsters who have all probably tried to and/or succeeded in killing them*

Dukermin: *yells* HEY YOU ALL GET BACK HERE AND LISTEN TO MY SOOTHING VOICE!!!

Everyone: *stops freaking out and stares at Dukermin*

Callie: *looks over from her attempts at making conversation with her box-mates*

Dukermin: YOU WILL ALL BE HAPPY HERE AND BE FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE AND THAT'S THAT!!!

Nalitie: *has arrived* Yeah! *looks over to the box* You too, Callie and Chara. *turns back to Asgore and Toriel* SO I know your therapy is none of my business, but Sophia was telling me that you seemed guilty of something, and I realized that it was probably the deaths of these fine humans over here. And so I was thinking, 'hey, if they're not dead, you can't be guilty of their deaths' and so I brough them... back.... *notices the looks on some of the humans' faces*

Dukermin: *intrudes on conversation* Yeah and we couldn't have brought them back if you hadn't allowed us to have the SOULs.

Nalitie: Yeah! *whispers to Dukermin* we never thoight about the fact that these humans were killed by these monsters, did we? *gestures to the probably terror on the faces of the humans*

Dukermin: Hmm... how do we mediate this?

Nalitie: *opens her mouth to respondcd, but instead dashes to the right, where one of the humans is attacking someone because they probably think they're going to die again* *intercepts the blow (even though it wouldn't have done much)*

Dukermin: HUMANS AND MONSTERS umm... NO LONGER NEED TO LIVE IN FEAR OF EACH OTHER BECAUSE IT IS... AGAINST THE LAW. There. That will DEFINITELY fix it.

Nalitie: Yeah *looks at Chara* YOU TOO, CHARA. *tries to get up off of the human, but instead accidentally merges with them because that happens a lot with her*

Double Human: *totally freaking out now*

Papyrus: *is pulling a human off another monster* *is still wearing post-it note*

DUkermin: Now that there is a single law, kind of, we might need to appoint some more Royal Roy'l Guard members...

Double Human: *way too occupied with their freak out* *in Nalitie's voice* DUkermin! Heeelllp. I'm stuck and also they must have been through a neutral route and so now they're experiencing FLowey Flashbacks

Dukermin: How the heck did you manage to get stuck like that?

Double Human: *still in Nalitie's voice* I DONT KNOW but now they;re attacking me... Sam has done it before... WE NEED A CEILING AND OW.

Dukermin: Well where's the nearest stolen house? *looking around*

Double Human: I don't know but AUGH *is now totally crippled*

Dukermin: *pulls double human to Undyne's house*

Double HUman: *in Nalitie's voice* N-now we need more people to merge with... breaking through the ceiling will disrupt the instability past the point of stuck...

Undyne: WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE!?

Double Human: *internal attack again* AUGH DYING I THINK

Dukermin: Royal business *forces Undyne to merge with them*

Whatever they are now: *in mostly Nalitie's voice* Well, I feel less attacked, but I don't htink I can say the same for Undyne... We need more! To, you know, reach the ceiling... *gestures to the fact that they're still really short*

Dukermin: *Walks outside* *yells* WHO WANTS TO MEET UNDYNE!?

Umm 5 monster kids: *run in and accidentally merge*

Undidmans?: *less attacked and panicky* *stands up, but is still only the averaged heights between their parts* NOt helping yet...

Dukermin: * finds Papyrus* HEy I have a job for you run full speed into Undyne's house

Papyrus: *Does it without asking questions* *merges*

Undyridmans: Great! Uh... more height! *is sort of taller?*

Dukermin: *walks up to Asgore and Toriel* Hey ! You guys are nice people! I need you to go into that house and merge with those people WITHOUT ASKING QUESTIONS

Asgore: Of course, but why-

Dukermin: I SAID no questions.

Asgore&Toriel: *do so because theyre JUST SO nice*

Undyridomansiel: *in sort of Nalitie's voice* Ooh! Get the rest of the humans! And also main characters! And Callie! *still average height* *in a combined voice* WHY IS THIS CEILING SO FREAKING HIGH?!

Dukermin: *whines* But not Chara right?

Undyridomansiel: UM I DONt know that's up to you?

Dukermin: *Finds wheelbarrow* *pries one fallen human off of a monster and throws them into the wheelbarrow* *finds rest of humans and puts them into the barrel* *throws confused humans at Undyridomansiel *

Undyridomansiel: *sorta taller*

Hope and Christine: *appear from a portal*

Christine: Hello, Dukermin! I came to welcome our Plutoian... guests...? *notices the chaoes* Is this a bad time?

Dukermin: There IS NO TIME AT ALL MAYBE ACTUALLY I DONT KNOW BUT YOU SHOULD PLEASE GO INTO THAT HOUSE AND MERGE

Christine: Oh, did Nalitie get stuck again? *remembers Oristinas-Melapelaay-Mevanka-Hexrn-Masterine* We'll go. *brings Hope with her and does that*

Undyridomansiel: *turns into Undyroidomansinel?* *taller than average, but not yet to the ceiling*

Dukermin: *runs out to glass box and kidnaps Callie* *Merginess*

Undallyroidomansinel: *in one collective voice* Go get the other monsters.... Undyne's ceiling is really high and we need to be tall enough to break it...

Dukermin: *takes wheelbarrow again* *runs around kidnapping more monsters and throwing them at Undallyr-whatever* *Throws all monsters except Chara because no not dealing with xir* *throws self at Undallyr-etcetera*

Napstablook: *appears from wherever they were* oh...... did i miss something......

Whatever they are nw: No! Yes... Maybe? Come join us! *now has to crouch but needs even more instability* *merges with Napstablook to become Nukerman-Sapyriel-Mettyore-Asryne-Napstid-Chorine* *in Nalitie's voice* Ready everyone? Let's hope this works... How about... on three?

*Everyone agrees with themselves because merging is confusing*

Nukerman-Sapyriel-Mettyore-Asryne-Napstid-Chorine: Alright... One... Two... Three! *stands up and breaks trhough the ceiling*

*it's raining humans and monsters*

*damage is done to Undyne's house and her dialogue is censored*

Nalitie: *catches who she can with the Force, ignoring Undyne's rampage and deciding to apologize later... And also put up her own house's forcefield* *checks her to-do list* Hey, if we're gonna be putting Homestuck into the planet, wanna go get a dimensional box from Alphys?

Dukermin: Yeah.

Nalitie: TO The um wherever she is because everyone just fell everywhere... *YEAH THAT*

Dukermin: *suddenly does a flip over THERE*

Alphys: O-okay? Um, w-was there s-something you guys n-needed?

Dukermin: Yes actually... Do you have... A DIMENSION BOX?

Alphys: Um, y-yeah, I think I m-might have one in the lab...

Nalitie: GREAT! Because now we're gonna go trap a bunch o--

Dukermin: UM HEY NO

Nalitie: I mean, uh, we're making a prison inside one of the planets so we need a way to store the criminals... sure.

Dukermin: WHaT SHUT UP Actually, maybe that sounds alright...

Alphys: I-i'll just go get the b-box... *to the lab, which is half underground accidentally* *comes back with a Dimensional Box* H-here...

Dukermin: Why thank you.

Nalitie: And in compensation, um... *reaches into pocket* *gives Alphys, um, a... box SPLARGH* Here. It's very nutritious and can be used as a defensive weapon!

Alphys: T-thanks?

Nalitie: Well, Dukermin, what should we do now? We still need to get a Best Western, trap Flowey on Riewa, steal Homestuck, and... Oh, and bring stuff to Aeuton.

Dukermin: Let's go get a Best Western. These monsters have been homeless for too long...

Nalitie: Well, I know of a great Best Western over in Michigan, and that means we don't have to go to the Ask Erik universe.

Dukermin: PLUS DOCKSIDE WATERFALL INN

Nalitie: And it's a convention center! We can have one to, uh, celebrate the formation of Erscoga! *opens portal* TO MACKINAW CITY

Dukermin: *prophesies fire and destruction* *to Mackinaw City*

Nalitie: *standing in the middle of the street, causing traffic buildup* Woah...

Drivers: *whaaa?*

Dukermin: *appears* Ooh pretty

Nalitie: Should we just take the whole thing? We could put the Best Western on Pluto but the rest of the city onto Termata. THere's a candy store!

Dukermin: What about the citizens?

Nalitie: We could... uh............

Dukermin: *yells* Is EVERYONE HERE ALRIGHT WITH MOVING TO A NEW PLANET??!?

People: *looking strangely at the two insane kids in the middle of the road*

Police: *show up because of the commotion*

Dukermin: Hello officer. I was just wondering if it would be okay if we cut this city out of the ground, flew it through space and time, then put the best western on Pluto, and the rest of it on our main planet, Termata? Here's a brochure *gives police a napkin with scribbles on it*.

{BUT FIRST, RIEWA SHIELD HAPPENED}

~•*•~

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(Table of Contents)

[marleneoftheopera]

I don’t think this has been shared here? Extended trailer of the Finnish non-replica, which returns October 22nd.

[nessie665]

hii i just finished reading Where a Thousand Lovers Cry for the second time and i was wondering if you would ever continue it, it really is such a beautiful story and its so nice to see lesbians being (semi) happy for once!! i was just really curious because its been so long since the last update and i really do love it!!!

Oh wow, I can't believe I got this ask! It's really blowing my mind that someone still cares about that fanfic! Thank you so much, I have been getting so much positive feedback for that story this year, and I'm a bit eager to reply as I'm so blow away.

And sorry I took so long to answer, but here we go

Okay so a lot had happened since my last update

I got my first work, I got intro medical school, and what finally killed my fanficion writer career was doing those 2 thing at the same time

Which is a thing you can do, I guess if you hate yourself that much, but for me was not it. It was harsh and long term unsustainable, and it wrecked my body and my heath in so many ways (that's what working 36 hours a week, sleeping 3-4 hours a night and having fried chicken as your main meal every day do to you)

So I'm dropping out after 3 semesters, and going intro a new career path. I took the decision a week ago, and it's incredible how much I changed since then, my face look different, my posture look different, I can feel my brain rewiring itself intro a more healthy mode.

So all that means, I will be college free until January, I'm still gonna be working, but I will have a lot of time in my hands

I'm planing to go back to the fanfic?

...ahh, maybe? There is SO MUCH editing I need to do, basically threw the whole story away and start again and tbh I forgot the plot at this point.

BUT, I want to use Erika and Christine again SO BADLY, my girls were so cute, I love them so much, and I don't really miss them bc I never let them go, truly.

Surprisingly chapter 5 of watlc is pretty much written in Google Docs, it's pretty chaotic tho, there are like 10 different versions of the same conversation and I can see why it was the chapter that broke me.

I have been thinking about just, go and finish it! Even if I don't know that happens next, why not, I just need to cut some material, patch some plot holes with lesbian fluff and call it a day while I think about how to fix it.

I recently starting writing with them again, just random stuff trying to familiarize myself with them again, like this super indulgent phantom spy x family au I have been writing and such xd. They have always been my main daydreaming source.

I kinda feel like a new writer stepping at middle season of a tv show, and I'm afraid I may not have what got people interested in my story anymore, but I will be happy to try

thank you again <3

[vampacidic]

hi sage!!!! I've never seen Phantom of the Opera so please tell me about it!!! ^-^

FUCK i accidentally. deleted my original response. okay. this is gonna be lengthy. sowwy. i'm uhhhh gonna give you the ALW musical plot first. the novel isn't exactly like the musical (id say the musical sexyman-ified the phantom) but it's where i started and it's near and dear to my heart. also ALW stands for andrew lloyd webber. he's the guy who wrote it.

okay. basically the start of the musical features the opera house changing hands to new owners. they're cool. they're watching the stage rehearsal for the opera they're putting on tonight (hannibal) and the primadonna (carlotta) is singing her big solo when BAM a stage set falls on her. and everyone is like fuck!!!!! and all the ballerinas think the phantom of the opera did it (he did btw) and so carlotta gets pissed off and fucking QUITS. and so everyone is panicking until madame giry (a woman who works at the opera house. she helps the ballerinas) is like hmm. christine daaé should be the lead. and everyone is like but christine fucking SUCKS but then christine sings and everyone is like oh? how does she not suck now? and so she gets cast as the lead. everything's great. opening night goes off without a hitch! in fact, christine's childhood best friend raoul is in the crowd and he falls for her!!! woah!!!!

anywya. after the show christine's good girlbestie meg is taking christine back to her room and is like. hey christine. how'd you improve so quickly. and christine is like "my dead dad sent an angel to teach me to sing" and meg is like haha good one christine! ok but how did you though :) and then the scene cuts.

in her dressing room raoul shows up and is like christine! hey! haven't seen you since you were a kid! also sorry about your dead dad. wanna get dinner? and christine is like yessss oh wait. the ghost isn't gonna like that. and raoul is like haha funny! i'll see you at dinner :) (he does not)

anywya. phantom shows off. he's fucking pissed. calls raoul a "slave of fashion/basking in [christine's] glory". and that makes me fucking lose it. anyway. he's mad. christine placates him and is like Please don't kill him. phantom is like ok. but you have to come to my sewer home <3 and she's like fine! i guess! and raoul hasn't quite left yet (he's outside the locked door) and hears this and is like. hey christine What are you doing in there! but it's too late!!! she's been taken!!!!!!!

and then they sing an absolute BANGER duet i like to analyze the lyrics of. i can overanalyze the shit out of "the phantom of the opera" from phantom of the opera. interesting dichotomy between christine's beauty and the phantom's voice. ough. it's so fuckin good. i can play it on my violin actually. anyway. phantom takes her to the sewer dungeon. there's a horse there. it's cool. he's like "ok now you are in my Dungeon i'm going to reveal my emo anime backstory" and he sings music of the night (also a banger) about how christine should embrace the darkness (him) instead of the light (raoul). i love media analysis. also she fucking passes out i guess? (tbh i would too if i got kidnapped to the paris opera house sewers) and he lays her in a bed. also depending on the show he has a wedding dress made for her. maybe he's a bit too excited about the marriage

anyway. christine wakes up and he's composing some music and she's like. huh. wonder what he looks like under his half face mask. and she yanks it off and reveals The Horror. which has a couple ways of showing itself depending on the show. sometimes he has brain showing. sometimes he just looks like todoroki from my hero. anyway he's fuckign MAD and yells at her before calming down. and then he just takes her back so she can "find the man behind the monster". this makes more sense in the book. anywya

cut to the next day. the new owners are Not having a good time because primadonna 1 (carlotta) quit and primadonna 2 (christine) is missing. and they get a note from the phantom saying not to worry and that christine is safe and won't be coming back. until carlotta shows up and she's MAD and she's like "i got a NOTE telling me to QUIT? so i won't quit <3" and raoul shows up and is like. hey guys where the fuck is christine. and then madame giry and meg show up with the final note from the phantom (he sends a lot for the record. mostly asking for money) where he says he's giving christine back but she needs to be cast as the lead or "a disaster beyond your imagination will occur". the directors ignore this and cast carlotta because carlotta threatens to quit. again.

anywya opening night is going fine until the phantom starts yelling. and he's MAD cause there's someone sitting in his booth. so he makes carlotta croak like a frog cause he thinks it's funny. and also he crashes the chandelier. also because he's mad. and also he's killed someone. oops. he's got some issues

christine gets freaked out and drags raoul to the roof to confide in him about what happened when she went missing (the phantom secretly eavesdrops on this). and raoul promises to take christine away and they sing about love and like. this song genuinely makes me cry. it makes me fucking lose it. "love me, that's all i ask of you" GRBRGGRRBRRGGRRRBRRRR. ok. they go back inside. and yknow how the phantom was listening. well he's a little mad christine doesn't want to kiss him. so he vows to make them "curse the day [they] did not do/all that the phantom asks of you" Do you see the parallel. raoul and christine's relationship is ultimately selfless; they ask only one thing of the other VS the phantom and christine where he expects her to follow his rule Shakes you like a bag of beans. Do you get it.

okay intermission. comes back and a few months have past. christine and raoul are engaged to be married. they got a new chandelier. masquerade is a fucking banger. and basically everyone's having w good time till the phantom shows up and is like. heyyy bitches. i got another note for you. and he makes a vague threat about christine

they read the note. phantom demands they play his don juan (opera about a guy that basically catfishes every girl in town for sex because he's rich. very large oversight. but you get it) arrangement. and then raoul is like. okay but what if we Kill the phantom. and everyone likes this idea except christine who's like. i miss my dead dad. so while everyone is rehearsing she sneaks off to visit her father's grave and like. kaoru hakaze song Kaoru Hakaze Song. "wishing i could hear your voice again/knowing that i never will" Crying. Wailing. Waugh. anyway turns out the phantom followed her and he's like yesssss i am the ghost of your dead father you should come with me to the dungeon again and raoul is like hey christine Don't. and christine is really fuckin sad but she returns to raoul and they go back to the opera house

anywya. plan to kill the phantom is for christine to play one of the women who don juan gets a little 😏😏 with. and so the phantom will be like I want to do that witch christine. and they have guards with guns. and it fuckin works. they sing a really horny song that slays o think. top 10 moments where i want to be the phantom (i long for the touch of a woman). anyway. they finish its chill until christine rips his mask off on stage. and like. he's a little angry. and he takes her to the basement dungeon again. also it turns out he's killed more people again.

anywya raoul is freaking out cause they were supposed to kill the phantom not let him kidnap christine again. and the opera house is in a panic. then madam giry shows up and gives him advice on how to survive the phantom ("keep your hand at the level of your eye") and meg is like i wanna help! and madame giry is like NO

anyway. now there's a mob after the phantom cause he just kidnapped a girl. and he's currently trying to get christine to marry him. remember that wedding dress? yeah well he's making her wear it now. and she's like. hey can you please let me go home. and he's like NO i have mommy issues. ("the fate which condemns me/to wallow in blood/has also denied me/the joys of the flesh" goes fucking hard though. fucking great line) anyway raoul makes it down and tries to save christine and things go Terribly wrong and so now the phantom demands that christine "start a new life with me/buy his freedom with your love/refuse me and you send your lover to his death". and eventually christine offers the phantom kindness, something hes never been given before, via a kiss, which causes the phantom to realize the error of his ways and let christine and raoul go and leave them to live their lives. also the angry mob is here now but somehow the phantom vanished before they reach his lair! the end <3

all the songs are on spotify/youtube/etc id definitely recommend listening to it. the music is fucking AMAZING and you can follow the plot pretty well just by listening. watching it is super fun but just listening sometimes. ough. Ough. also do NOT watch the 2006 movie/listen to that soundtrack it's BAD sorry i'm a POTO gatekeeper. it's the first one i watched and the uh. the singing is laughably bad sometimes

now the ALW musical is good but also funny if you think about it. because (1) the phantom is a very obvious self insert for ALW (christine was originally played by his then-wife, for instance) and (2) after ALW got divorced he wrote a uh. sequel (love never dies). in which the phantom now runs a new york freak show (mind you he spent his childhood in a freak show where he was the main attraction) where madam giry and meg work under him. and meg has a crush on him. anyway the plot of THAT is lengthy and ultimately fucking hilarious (lindsay ellis has a very good video about it) but my favorite parts are uh. 1) the 8 minute ballad about christine and the phantom having sex 2) the actor for christine's son was originally supposed to be incredibly musically gifted (hence how the phantom realizes that gustav is his son and not raoul's) and that realization was supposed to happen after gustav plays his own composition that is reminscient of the phantom's. yadda yadda. well the actor for the kid in the version lindsay ellis covered was really bad at music so they just had the kid play chopsticks and it's laughably bad. and 3) the part where uh (checks notes) meg giry, minor character in POTO, kidnaps gustav at gunpoint to commit double suicide so the phantom has to negotiate a hostage crisis ("give me the gun meg") and it ultimately leads to meg shooting christine. this makes me fucking lose it. love never dies has a less cohesive plot line that some really shitty fics i wrote when i was 12. and i adore it.

now the original novel (phantom of the opera) was written by gaston leroux. and the order of events slightly shifts but most of it is the same. and i enjoy that one even more. personal favorite events include a) the phantom stealing a horse b) raoul seeing christine get kidnapped and having to think really hard about whether she's a whore or not while sobbing uncontrollably c) the part where the persian shows up at the phantom's lair and is like "please stop kidnapping people" and the phantom is like HAHA ID NEVER DO THAT. ALSO LEAVE MY TORTURE DUNGEON. d) the very fact the phantom has a torture dungeon e) the fact christine tries to kill herself 3 separate times (once by beating her head into a wall repeatedly!) f) the many times raoul and the phantom sob uncontrollably at christine's feet while she just stares at them g) the time raoul shoots a cat while thinking it's the phantom (it's not). ALSO you may have noticed: the persian is not in the ALW musical. well that's cause webber wrote him out. and instead madame giry does what he did in the book. in the book madame giry is a comic relief character

[destiniesfic]

Not a ~blow-up-*Twitter*-inbox'-sorta night, so I'm just gonna dump this here and hope it's okay: 1. "Kills the lead actor and takes his place onstage to sing this with Christine" oH?? YOU DON'T SAY👀👀

[Does she know?Does she find out during the song,when she removes his mask?Is that what the fear actually represents]

Kay,so I've watched both versions of PTPONR &while I personally prefer Emmy Rossum's...everything [she plays it as ~I think I'm having an Awakening~ mid-song;thrilled at times+ that "I've decided" (intense eye contact) and esp "In my mind I've already imagined" *as her eyes roll back* HMM 👀👀 ], I'm guessing the other interpretation'd be a better fit for Jinx?Like Christine literally takes centre stage here from the get-go-in control,in power, all about that sensual energy [HIS HANDS - shaking as she sings&draws closer, as if her voice is beckoning to him and he physically cannot resist it,has to answer somehow

+ Touch-starved- she grabs them,intertwines their fingers- I'mfineI'mfineI'mfine]+ her fear +his heartfelt plea/ "Say you'll share with me"-😭[this guy really is the vastly superior singer] ; it's cool that they really went all in on the Death+Maiden aspect,too]

Also watched the other clip,and: "so many candles"+ OH,that's what inspired the boat ride [just randomly gonna note the way he takes her hands to help her out of the boat as they can't look away from each other] tra la la.

-the "kingdom" of music thing and his wanting her to serve it- veeeery interesting

-that said: I really appreciate your emphasis on *her*, at the end of the snippet.

[It does sound like I should watch it. And I will, esp if you're pitching camp here]

YAYYY PLAYLIST ANON AGAIN. Don't miss that I answered the second part of your ask first! Let's talk Phantom, with not SO many spoilers because I do think you should consume it for yourself, whichever version you choose:

I DO VERY MUCH SAY, YES. Sorry, that is a spoiler, it happens pretty late in the show, but yes that is what he does, all so he can sing a horny song with his crush.

Does Christine know it's him — that depends on the version we're talking about! I am reasonably sure that in the film version she knows it's him right away (because he looks different from the guy who's supposed to be singing the song, lol, and you can SEE most of him in that outfit!) whereas in the stage version I sent she definitely doesn't know for certain until late in the song, and that is why she's afraid.

I think Emmy Rossum did a great job as Christine too (and she was only 17 there!). But the two actresses play the roles pretty differently. Emmy is playing this like an ~awakening~ and subtly, and the other actress is exaggerating because she is onstage so she kind of has to. But she's also really leaning into the fact that Christine is playing a part in an opera, so part of her being very up front and in control is that, well, she is being a character! The character he wrote for her. 😏 (The actress does this at other times when Christine is playing a part, really leaning into the role, and I think it's kind of fun.) THE SHAKING HANDS REALLY GET ME... Ramin Karimloo (the vastly superior singer) is so good.

The boat is very famous as being one of the Things from Phantom. Stage boat! Stage boat! Stage boat! Get you a man who will ferry you in a boat across the underground lake to his secret lair.

"the "kingdom" of music thing and his wanting her to serve it" I mean he does want that, but he also wants to make out with her face, so when he's like "I only brought you here to sing" he is not being truthful. SIR.

JOIN US (me) (in this darkness which you know you cannot fight)

Thank you for playing, that is all. ♥️

[ablatheringblatherskite]

Hey,

Just saw your reblog wondering why some people from the Wednesday fandom still follow you. I would have sent a message but you blocked them…. You don’t have to reply publicly.

From my POV, even if you are not super active with the Weyler gang, I’m having fun seeing how passionate you are about the Phantom of the Opera. I’ve read the book in… fuck it’s been 22 years!… and I barely remember Raoul, I think I used to ship Christine and the bad guy (that ship must have a name?). Gonna have to read it again soon I guess! You are a constant reminder to pick that novel from my bookshelf and put it in my to read pile.

And I like those personal posts, those glimpses of your life you share sometimes through # or comments. I barely one year old in terms of Tumblr so I didn’t « know » people unfollowed others after a while… I don’t see why I would. You’ve always been nice to me, you wrote some interesting stuff and I’m not eager to strike people out of my life for no reason. Sorry if it’s weird for Tumblr users or whatever.

Anyway. Take care and I will try not to bother you with Weyler stuff.

Hey!!!

Really?? That's so sweet omg 🥺🥺🥺 thank you 😭 also YES it'd definitely be nice if you picked it up again!!!

Honestly, those tags are more because of my insecurities than anything else 😅 i have a hard time believing people are actually enjoying my posts and often feel like they'll move on eventually even if they are. Idk if it's a Tumblr thing or what, but I'm really truly touched that you enjoyed my writings and our interactions (I definitely also always love our interactions!!!)!!!

Also NO stop, I still love Wyler!! I'm always happy to see Wyler and Wednesday stuff on my dash. I promise you've never been a bother 🥹

I'm sorry if my tags came across as offensive or anything, I truly only meant that I'm surprised you guys actually like me! And not at all because of anything you guys could've ever done (because y'all never made me think you DIDN'T like me LOL), but just because I have a tendency to be really insecure. I'm really glad you guys still consider me a part of the Wyler community even if I'm not as active anymore 🥹 and I'm so glad y'all are still here!! thank you 🥰

[glassprism]

This is a potentially unpopular opinion but at the end, I think Christine should be the last to come out for her bows. Like I know I KNOW it's called Phantom of the Opera and he is an iconic character but Christine carries the weight of the musical, both musically and story-wise and she is ultimately the hero of the whole thing so she deserves to have the final and longest applause and this is the hill I'm gonna die on *throws mic to the ground*

Even more unpopular opinion: Raoul should get the last bow.

Okay no, that’s a joke (but oh God, can you imagine the reaction? The outrage?). But hey, you’re certainly not the only one to share the opinion, even among the professional cast members (scroll down to see some other names supporting her). While I’m fine with the order of the cast bows as it is, it would be nice to see Christine get more credit at the end - she really is the “workhorse” of the show. Or maybe we can have the Phantom, Christine, and Raoul all make their bows at the same time.

But I will say, some of the arguments I saw against it (mainly on Facebook... oh, Facebook phandom) were wildly funny, ranging from: Christine doesn’t get any development (false, she gets plenty, it’s just more subtle), the Phantom is the protagonist (false, Christine and Raoul are the protagonists and most likely the viewpoint characters), and my favorite, the Phantom is the title role and deserves the last bows because of that. Because oh yes, that logic definitely works for all shows. Guess Dorothy is getting shunted aside for the Wizard of Oz’s last bow. Guess the principal cast of Les Miserables had better skedaddle before they’re stampeded by the ensemble taking their last bow. Guess the entire cast of Rebecca is moving aside to salute thin air.

[lokiarsene]

They never straight up say Akc is dead (original game just says "disappeared") and even for the anime the director said they were keeping it open like the game. Imo if they're still being coy and not confirming it would be really shitty to drag it for 2 years+ just to kill him off again. I'm one of those people who thinks redemption = dying is cheap and a copout, though.

Yes, I know they never said he was dead. They left it vague enough that when I played it I thought “okay, so they’re either gonna bring him back right at the end, or this is the most shamelessly blatant ‘P4Golden-esque’ bait possible.” And it ended up being the latter, which... is okay, I guess, but since it gave me time to reflect on the game as I waited for that inevitable re-release, I realized that there was so much else I didn’t like about it, separate from how they handled Akechi. I think we all know that the cat’s outta the bag with P5R related to Akechi at this point, and that’s the one thing really holding my interest in it.

I mentioned my frustration with waiting for him to reappear in the main game because one of my hopes was that he would, instead of them dangling that bait in front of me so I buy a re-release in a few years. I expected better of Atlus’s writing than that based on the expectations they themselves set for me in previous games.

I didn’t saying dying = redemption. I said sacrifice = redemption. Sacrifice doesn’t have to be death. Look at the end of Phantom of the Opera: Erik sacrifices what he wants (and possibly his own life, depending on the adaption) for Christine’s happiness and what she wants. And in that one moment of selflessness we, and Christine, realize that he had the capacity for kindness all along, that while what Erik did was not condonable, it was at least understandable. That’s Akechi to a T.

[cookieswithoutcream]

One, big fan of the writing! And Two, can we get a little angst with Jeremy's squip accidentally being reactivated and the meltdown that would follow? Possibly with some calming down from Michael? (Because i'm trash for boyf riends.)

((justa small warning Jeremy is having a panic attack in this so if that bothers youI wouldn’t read! also I’m soRRY THIS TURNED OUT SO LONG I JUST HAD A LOT OFIDEAS IN MY HEAD PLEASE FORGIVE ME

Heshould’ve asked before accepting the drink he’d been given. He should’ve saidfour simple words instead of being so careless.

“What’sin this drink?” The question ran through his mind over and over again as Jeremyswayed slightly back and forth on the floor of the bathroom, a concernedMichael hovering over his right side.

GOODNESS,JEREMY. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU RUN THROUGH THAT HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO INWHICH YOU ASKED THE HOST OF THE PARTY WHAT COMPONENTS WERE FOUND IN YOUR DRINK,YOU CAN’T ERASE THE FACT THAT YOU DRANK IT ANYWAYS.

Jeremywheezed, panic swelling his throat as the air around him became limited. Heheard the distant voice chuckle.

LONGTIME NO SEE I SUPPOSE. HOW LONG WAS I DEACTIVATED? 9 MONTHS? 10? HARD TO TELLWHEN YOUR PROGRAMMING MALFUNCTIONS DUE TO THE CHEMICALS CONTAINED IN THATMOUNTAIN DEW RED YOU HAD CHRISTINE DRINK BACK AT THE PLAY. LET ME GUESS. YOUNEVER HAD A CHANCE WITH HER ONCE I LEFT. AM I CORRECT?

Jeremy,ignoring the squip at first, ran his fingers through his hair, pulling tightlyas if to rip the voices from his head. He tried to gulp down more air as hisbreathing faded into small hiccups of desperation for oxygen.

 “Jeremy?Hey, can you hear me? You ran in here right after we sat down on the couch; canyou breathe at all?” Only catching fragments of Michael’s sentence, Jeremy felthis gut sink in fear, anxiety taking over even muscle as he felt his mindbecome numb to everything around him. The loud boom and vibrations of the musicdown the hall faded until all he could hear was the voice in his head.

WOW.I AM TRULY SURPRISED MICHAEL IS STILL AROUND. SO YOU NEVER BECAME POPULAR, ISTHAT IT? ARE YOU THAT BROKEN THAT NOT EVEN A SUPER COMPUTER CAN PUT YOUR PIECESBACK TOGETHER?

“S-shutup!” He screamed out loud, not caring if anyone else heard him. After thesquip’s deactivation, talking telepathically wasn’t second nature to himanymore. Michael grew concern with the sudden outburst. 

“Jer?Are you talking to me?” 

He asked, appearing confused by Jeremy’s gaze. Hehadn’t met eyes with Michael once; he mostly had been staring at the tilesscattered across the bathroom floor and the mirror hanging above. Jeremycovered his ears.

 ITHINK THE OTHER LOSER IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING.

“Nono no no no!” He screamed, thrashing his head back into the wall. He got throughtwo hard smacks before he felt something soft break his routine. He feltfingers curl into his hair as it yanked his head forward. He pieced together itwas Michael, but he continued to yell to the squip.

“Getout of my head! I didn’t mean to reactivate you!” He heard Michael breathe in asharp gasp.

OFCOURSE YOU DIDN’T MEAN TO, JEREMY. I’M JUST NOT SURPRISED YOU DID SINCE YOU’VEALWAYS BEEN A SCREW UP JUST LIKE YOUR DAD. I’M SURE NOTHING’S CHANGED THEREEITHER.

Jeremy,unable to hold himself together, let his sobs ring out as he cried into hisknees, his own fingers still latched on to his head, now digging into hisscalp. Off in the distance, he heard Michael and someone else exchange a fewhasted words.

 “Whoaokay, so what should I do? I’ve never been on the other side of the freak outbefore.” He heard the sound of metal clanking together as it whizzed past himthrough the air. Whoever was in the doorway caught the object as Michael calledto them.

“There’sa bunch of bottles in my trunk! Hurry!” Jeremy pushed his weight forward as hebalanced himself on his knees and sat down on his legs, his arms now clutchinghis sides as he struggled to allow air into his lungs. He coughed sharply, hishyperventilation increasing. The squip had grown quiet for a few moments. Orhours. Jeremy couldn’t tell how much time had passed with the thousands ofthoughts racing through his mind all at once. Terror raced through his body ashe felt himself grow cold, his vision hazy as he trembled.

“Richwent out to get some Mountain Dew Red, okay? Okay, he’s gonna be right back Ipromise. Just focus on my voice, alright?” Jeremy, feeling Michael’s hand touchhis spine, screamed as he felt a phantom shock run down his entire back andinto his tailbone. He swatted the hand down, crying louder as he tried to backaway.

NEWSFLASH, JEREMY. I DIDN’T EVEN SHOCK YOU, ALTHOUGH IF I STILL HAD THAT ABILITYI’D BE USING IT LIKE CRAZY RIGHT NOW. DID YOU KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN SITTING ANDSTANDING INCORRECTLY EVER SINCE I STOPPED SHOCKING YOU? MAKES YOU WONDER HOWLOST YOU ARE WITHOUT ME.

 “Ohgod, Jer! I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to touch your back just…” He sensed panicin his friend’s tone.

 DOYOU HAVE PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES NOW WHENEVER OTHERS MAKE CONTACT WITH YOUR BACK?THAT MUST BE AWFUL SINCE YOU AND I BOTH KNOW HOW MUCH YOU USED TO LOVE WHENMICHAEL SNUCK UP BEHIND YOU AND SURPRISED YOU WITH A HUG.

“Justhang on a few more minutes.” He heard Michael assure him. Jeremy, stillwheezing, nodded in response. He tried to focus on Michael’s voice, or focus onanything around him that would help drown out the squip’s criticism. He shuthis eyes tightly. Still stinging from heavy tears, he heard the bathroom doorswing open again as Michael spoke up to what should’ve been Rich. A faintfizzle to Jeremy’s right startled him, causing his gaze to fix on Rich openingup the red bottle. He said something to Jeremy, but unable to grasp hissurroundings, he simply accepted the bottle handed to him and chugged it down.Almost instantly, sparks of painful throbs nipped at Jeremy’s brain as he felthis own head short-circuit. 

IWOULDN’T BE TOO WORRIED ABOUT MISSING ME, JEREMY. I’LL COME BACK SOMEHOW,BUT UNTIL THEN, I’LL BE WAITING HERE PATIENTLY INSIDE YOUR OWN HEAD.

Andwith those last words, the squip’s voice malfunctioned and disappeared underthe steady beat of music down the hall.

Writing requests are closed, but you can see other writings I’ve done here! 

[glassprism]

Hey! When do you think Phantom's (Bway) gonna get a new Christine? I like their current ones, but I'm trying to figure out when to get my next ticket and I'm not sure how soon they'll switch it up.

Well, Kaley Ann Voorhees is set to leave the role at the end of June/beginning of July, but this is because Rachel Eskenazi-Gold is returning from her break, so it’s not technically a cast change - Kaley Ann Voorhees was always meant to be there for a limited time.

As for Ali Ewoldt, she joined the show in June so her one-year anniversary is coming up, but I haven’t heard even a rumor that she’s leaving and I think it’s pretty unlikely she will do so. If she’s on a six-month contract, then the next time she might leave would probably be in December, though even then we don’t know.

So I guess if you haven’t seen Rachel EG, you can go see her. (Then again, there are speculations she might not return at all and KAV will stay on, but we’ll just have to wait until then.) Otherwise, you might be in for a bit of a wait if you want to see a new Christine.