#opera rec

[psyche-reads]

It’s always weird to me when people try to recommend books similar to Gideon the Ninth and none of them are about lesbians. It indicates to me that the person completely misunderstands the series’s popularity. Like, the gothic sci-fi elements and the sarcastic narration are great and all, and I think Gideon the Ninth is a FLAWLESSLY written book, but I would not like it anywhere near as much as I do if the main character wasn’t a butch lesbian. That’s an integral part of the novel’s appeal and you can’t just replace it with any other book about necromancy like they’re in any way comparable

[mysticalbitches]

me after reading the same 10 Babyls teachers find out iruma has been grounded (or so they think) fics on ao3

[flora-gray]

Erik/OC Fanfics!

Now seems like a great time to share some of our favorite fanfics featuring a relationship between Erik and not Christine, not Meg, but A BRAND NEW CHARACTER 🤯

Historically, I was never a big fan of anything other than E/C, let alone an OC, but I have been converted by some incredible works written by some very talented writers.

I’m going to limit myself to just one so that others can talk up their faves, so I’m gonna get us started with this gorgeous piece by @les-gnossiennes-fantomatiques

All Imaginable Pangs (rated M, complete, Leroux-based, pre- and post-canon, canon compliant) is a beautiful story of Erik’s relationship with an aging courtesan who he hires as an art model, from her POV. Augustine is a fully-realized character with incredible depth and growth, and endlessly compelling. Highly recommended!

What’s one (or more!) of your favorites?

[les-gnossiennes-fantomatiques]

So I recently reread “Out of the Woods” by @wheel-of-fish during a really dark personal period and it made me feel so happy that I had to draw one of my favorite little moments from it. (There are many such moments within.)

And if you haven’t read “Out of the Woods”? Go read it now. It’s one of the sweetest, best-written modern AUs out there.

(Sorry for the repost, I just realized I had the wrong version up!!)

[fallenangelvexed]

Best track off of Phantomime I will fight you on this.

Links under the cut

[honey-sweet-poet]

Okay I'm listening to Phantom of the Opera and we definitely need a phantom hannibal au. If it already exists can I please get recs?

Like literally:

That's the most Hannibal thing ever

[rowanspn]

[bookyeahqueerlit]

Endless List of Queer Book Recs Part 4: Lady Eve's Last Con by @ryfkah

I knew I was getting gays doing crimes going into this but I wasn't expecting that it was JEWISH gays doing crimes and I was absolutely delighted when I found out. Ruth, the protagonist, describes someone as having a face like an etrog which is a) a very sold burn b) not something a goy would ever think to include. Also features a romantic interest that wears suits and capes and possibly one of the few times the phrase "infuriatingly handsome" can be used to describe the sapphic love interest with perfect accuracy.

[reine-du-sourire]

Opera recs that no one asked for because I'm In The Mood™️

I think @klqrambles would enjoy La Bohème very much.

@grelleswife, I can imagine loving Carmen.

Die Zauberflöte would probably be a lot of fun for @thundersongfury. Wonderfully and celestially symbolic, that one.

For @anawkwardlady, La Traviata.

Turandot for @earths-roots-grow-up, although with the amount of talking about it to her that I've already done...

[starchbean]

Phantom of the Warm Red Pavilion

Just read this great fanfic that brings Phantom of the Opera to the SVSSS universe, and I highly recommend it for people who like both of these things!

If you like shenanigans, the idea of Cucumber Bro and his bestie Liu Mingyan as 2 year olds, an ACTUAL Stallion for the Stallion Novel setting, Soft Moshang, catalpa trees, Tianlang Jun having all his dreams come true, and more, do check this out!!

[ablatheringblatherskite]

Some whump fanfics that have low-key (or high-key) traumatized me forever

(aka some of my fave whump fics I've read so far)

(will reblog with more fics the more I read!!)

You Monster

fandom: Wednesday

whumpee: Tyler Galpin

You have had nightmares for weeks, waking up covered in sweat. Tonight feels no different; but it is. There is something calling to you, deep within the woods.

By @ArchivedTrash! A second person body horror fic all about Tyler transforming into the Hyde. It's. It's just so good. Literally the first second person AND body horror fic I'd ever read and still one of my faves forever.

Who Deserves This?

fandom: The Phantom of the Opera

whumpee: the whole trio tbh, but mainly Raoul

Erik runs out of patience and lets his temper get the best of him, costing him the boy's life and Christine's pity.

By my lovely mutual @rumpletrumple. This fic messed me up good :)))

She loves a pretty face

fandom: The Phantom of the Opera

whumpee: Raoul de Chagny

Erik scars Raoul. Raoul tries to move past it, but Christine won't talk to him, and Erik won't leave him alone.

By @convenientalias! This is one of my fav POTO fics, ngl. This was just. UGH. It was so good oh my GOSH. I love me some good Raoul whump AND THIS WAS SOME GOOD RAOUL WHUMP RIGHT HERE. AUGH. Scarring, threats, manipulation, tying to a chair, sacrificial love, oh my!!

Obedience

fandom: Batfam

whumpee: Tim Drake

Something is seriously wrong with Tim—Jason just knows it. Ever since the Mad Hatter incident, Tim has been acting completely different, and the worst part is that no one believes Jason when he tells them so. But when the truth is eventually revealed, the whole family comes to realize that the situation is far worse than anyone could have ever predicted.

By @sohotthateveryonedied! This left me disturbed and with low-key an existential crisis???? With one of my fave kinds of whump, forced obedience. This fic also gave me a newfound appreciation for "Perfection whump" (whump centered around being forced to be perfect). It's just so good and whumpy AND angsty and I'm. OUGH. *CHEF'S KISS*

all the king's horses

fandom: Voltron

whumpee: Keith

It wasn’t the blade sinking into the flesh of his palm, nor the smell of wood smoke and incense permeating the air that woke Keith. Nor was it the weight of iron-wrought shackles hanging heavy from his wrists and ankles. No, it was the sinister giggle in his ear and frigid fingers carding through his head that roused Keith from a dead slumber. He didn’t remember going to sleep at all—in fact, he wasn’t so sure he’d been asleep so much as knocked out. His head ached with a throbbing pulse and he couldn’t quite bring the world into focus. The room was dark, shadows dancing along the dingy wall certainly not helping things. A groan escaped him despite himself. "Don't worry, it'll only hurt for a bit."

By @glitteringconstellations! This fic actually. was the most traumatizing thing I'd ever read HAHAHAHA. Like, not even kidding, I still haven't recovered from it. It's. Like I highly recommend it but it's VERY much horror and VERY creepy and disturbing. AND I MEAN DISTURBING. It's SO GOOD but I was definitely traumatized and not okay after :))

[hedgehog-moss]

do you ever read scifi or fantasy in french? i am trying to read more sff that was originally published not in english but it's not easy to find 💀

I do! It’s not my favourite genre but one of my friends loves it so I read a bunch of SFF books every year ahead of her birthday to try and find a gift for her. I’m glad I do this because it’s allowed me to discover N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy which was amazing, and I don’t know if I would have picked it up otherwise!

Here are some French-language authors I’ve read or plan to read (unfortunately English translations are few and far between :( I bolded the names for which I found English translations—if you read in another language you can check out the non-bolded authors, there are often translations available in other languages long before English ones)

When it comes to classics you've got Pierre Boulle (Planet of the Apes of course; also Garden on the Moon, which is (deservedly imo) less known), Jacques Spitz (La Guerre des mouches—it was translated but not into English), René Barjavel (The Ice People, Ravage, Future Times Three—I read them a long time ago but I remember them as very sexist even by French classic standards), Bernard Lenteric (La nuit des enfants rois), Alain Damasio (La Horde du Contrevent—maybe too recent to be a classic but it’s everywhere. I was surprised to find no English translation!), Bernard Werber (I feel like he rehashes the same 3 ideas again and again but some of his earlier stuff was fun), Alexandre Arnoux (Le règne du bonheur), Jules Verne of course, Stefan Wul (Oms en série which was adapted into the film La Planète sauvage—Fantastic Planet in English. I like the film better!) And some I haven’t read: Georges-Jean Arnaud, Serge Brussolo (I liked his Peggy Sue series when I was in middle school but it spooked me so much I haven’t dared to pick up any of his SFF for adults, like Les semeurs d’abîmes), Élisabeth Vonarburg.

Newer authors: Estelle Faye (L’arpenteuse de rêves, Un éclat de givre—I tend to like her worldbuilding more than her plots); Sandrine Collette (The Forests—if you count speculative fiction as SFF) (I didn’t like it at all personally but others might), Jean-Philippe Jaworski (I really liked Janua Vera; didn't like Gagner la guerre but it was mainly because I have a low tolerance for rape scenes in fantasy books) (he’s about to be translated into English according to his editor), Stéphane Beauverger (Le déchronologue)

More authors I haven't yet read: Pierre Pevel (The Cardinal's Blades—I've been told it's "17th century Paris with dragons"), Romain Lucazeau (Latium), Laurent Genefort (Lum’en), Christian Charrière (La forêt d’Iscambe), Roland Wagner (La saison de la sorcière), Aurélie Wellenstein (Mers Mortes—I love the synopsis for this one), Magali Villeneuve (La dernière Terre, trilogy)

And non-French, non-anglo SFF authors: Maryam Petrosyan (my review of the Gray House last year was that I understood maybe 1/3 of it but I liked it anyway!), Hao Jingfang (haven’t read her yet), Arkady & Boris Strugatsky (idem), Jaroslav Melnik (I’ve read Espace lointain (originally Далекий простір) but didn’t like it much), Andreas Eschbach (The Carpet Makers), Walter Moers (I read The City of Dreaming Books back when I was still learning German and found it very charming), Liu Cixin (I loved The Three-Body Problem but The Dark Forest was so sexist it made me not want to pick up the third volume), Lola Robles (El informe Monteverde, translated as Memoirs of an Interstellar Linguist), Elaine Vilar Madruga (Fragmentos de la Tierra Rota), Tatiana Tolstaya (The Slynx), Karin Tidbeck (Amatka), Emmi Itäranta (Memory of Water, The Moonday Letters), Angélica Gorodischer (I’ve read Kalpa Imperial and found it only so-so but it always takes me a while to warm up to characters or a setting so I struggle with short story collections. I’ll still give Trafalgar a try) Also my favourite fantasy book as a kid was Michael Ende’s Neverending Story, I was obsessed with it. I re-read it in the original German a few years ago and it was still great.

[thycursed]

Why is Opera music so slept on?? Where is more???

I just had the most mind-scrunching, toe-curling, eye-drenching, stomach-dropping experience as I listened to the climax of "Un bel dì vedremo"

Anyway, opera recommendations - they may be basic but don't be a snob add your own instead. Also only partial title because they can be too long for me to type out.

Puccini: Madama Butterfly, Act 2: "Un bel dì vedremo"

Barcacolle (the one with the lady's face on the cover)

Celia: Adriana Lecouvreur, Act 1: "Ecco, respiro appena...."

Puccini: La boheme, Act 3: "Donde lieta usci al tou...."

Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Act 3: "Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour"

The Flower duet (you'll probably recognise this one)

Yes, I do have a Maria Callas bias. Listen to her songs though, she has pipes.

[phantomonabudget]

He is a REAL PROBLEM. 🚩🚩🚩

Phantom Cosplay: @phantomonabudget

[phandompenny]

1990 Phantom Fic Recs

Since the lovely @wheel-of-fish's stream of the 1990 TV production of POTO, I have been unable to stop thinking about Cherik and know there are countless others who likely feel the same.

Perhaps the only thing more tragic than the ending is the fact that there's so few 1990 fics! And among those tagged many of them take some character inspiration but don't really use the unique premise and setup and characters provided in the Y/K miniseries. So I've decided to compile this list of a few of my favourites! Enjoy!

what i would best like to see by queeenciri

A much gentler and happier picnic unmasking, where Christine reacts a little differently! I love the character work in this fic; the thoughts and emotions of the characters feel so real, and it really breaks down their motivations.

Together We Dream by Anonymous

This one is brand new and I'm in love with the prose and writing style of it! An extra conversation between Erik and Christine, one that could fit into canon or be a turning point. Christine reflects on some similarities between them, and it leads to this emotional conversation with angst and joy entwined gorgeously.

How Deep the Bullet Lies by oprhan__account

This is more of a hurt/comfort and whump fic, where Erik survives the ending of the miniseries. It's mainly him processing the events of the show and musing on what comes next, and does have a ending that is pointing towards things improving! Currently listed as chapter 1/? , but it's still worth reading as a fantastic exploration of an intriguing concept.

Sunflowers by CottagecoreCandlelight

Incredibly fluffy E/C, where Christine gifts Erik some sunflowers. Filled with the adorable shyness and sweetness that this couple has, and I'm in love with the visual image of 1990 Erik and his bouquet of sunflowers. They suit him very well!

Understatement by BrendaDaaeDestler

Erik takes Christine on their first date together! Fluff including a candlelit dinner and slow dancing. This is an AU where Gerard is willing to set up such a date, but the main focus is the budding romance between Erik and Christine.

A Magical World by pippa-writes

This is actually a collection of four ficlets! They're mostly canon compliant, and range from Christmas fluff to Christine regretting the picnic unmasking. The first one is even a Phillipe centric look at Christine's grief post canon (unfortunately with the canon ending), which I find quite unique and fascinating.

Rêver by trace-of-rouge

Somewhat tragic and angsty one shot, this is Erik musing on the nature of dreams and his feelings for Christine. It's a very good short character study, and I really enjoy the insight into Erik's thoughts.

The Strange Case of Monsieur Belladova by NPennyworth

If I constantly reread my own story then I'm allowed to put it on my own phic rec list, and I am seriously quite proud of how this one turned out! I wanted to explore a happier AU where Erik gets to just work at the opera house; this is written from the perspective of the opera company as they debate whether to say anything about the mask, but it seems rude to point it out when nobody else has. Mostly humor and fluff, with background E/C.

[rowanspn]