#phantom phan

[missmaywemeetagain]

I’m not big into musicals and although The Phantom of the Opera is probably the most well known one, I have never fully indulged myself in it. What are some of your favorites moments from the musical and what about it changed your life?

(I figured I might as well learn about it and you seem like an amazing teacher!)

Oh, Stephanie, honey darlin’, I just LOVE this can of worms you are opening for me—thank you so much for asking!! ❤️ (Did I spend way to much time on this? yes. Did I love every minute of it? also yes. Did I cry watching the Overture clips? 100% yes.)

So, I was pretty young when I first listened to the soundtrack (only 8), and digging way deep, I’ll say that the drama of the music itself really got to me—the big orchestrations and amazing voices had me instantly hooked. Also, I was so fascinated that almost the entire musical was sung and that made it incredibly interesting to listen to because I could pretty much figure out the whole story just from the lyrics. I had been exposed to musicals prior to this, mainly Disney ones and good ole Rogers and Hammerstein ones, but this was so different. It was dark and scary (murder! crazy genius madman! problematic love story!). It was dramatic af. And it pulled at my heartstrings in a way nothing had ever done before. And I know Phantom isn’t for everyone because the opera-esque style of singing is not everyone’s cup of tea (and honestly, I am not really a classical opera fan either LOL), but I loved it cuz I’d never heard people do such amazing things with their voices before.

I saw it live for the first time just after my 11th birthday (and 12 -13 times since in various places, not counting filmed productions), and I will say I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. There is so much to look at and take in and somehow I always find something new each time I see it. It's a complete spectacle in the best way possible, honestly. It was everything amazing about theater that I longed to be a part of.

It changed my life because I wanted to be Christine Daae (lol). The more I listened, the more I wanted to sing like her and that led me to the fact that this was a musical and people could actually be in this production. So I learned as much as I could about the production and I tried to mold my little voice to be like Christine’s. And moreover, it inspired me to seek out more musicals in a similar vein, which opened an entire new world to me (hey, there Les Miserables and Evita and all the dramatic 70s/80s/90s musicals lol). Basically, Phantom turned me fully into a theater kid. I was already a dancer, and even though I was relatively shy, I thought that maybe, just maybe this was something I could do. And it set me on the path to do so! Lord knows without Phantom I may have ended up a STEM kid, but lol no. Luckily, my parents were SUPER supportive of this new passion and I owe so much to them for all the lessons and theater tickets and performances they had to sit through and for torturing them with the same thing over and over again LOL. Thanks, Mom and Dad! Anyway, I was the ultimate theater/choir kid in high school, and eventually got my Bachelor’s Degree in Theater as well.

Soooo, favorite moments! (There are many—I could go through the whole show but I’ll try to cut it down lol). 

The Overture (see links below). Seriously incredible music, sets the tone for the show, but when you see the stage production and see how the entire set transforms like magic and that chandelier rises above the audience, my god, it’s incredible. The organ kicks in and the floor vibrates and it's this (brilliant) sensory overload that will make you feel every emotion and sensation. It's magnificent, truly. And this was a HUGE deal in theater in the 80s cuz no one had done anything like it before. And let me tell you, there is nothing like watching that chandelier rise (and fall, later) right over your head! Every time I hear it to this day, I get goosebumps, but if I’m watching it, I will cry. That’s how moving it is. Here's some bootlegs of the stage production (which don't quite do it justice, but it'll have to do! WARNING: Flashing lights) Great quality BL (begins around 3:20 but the Prologue is a good watch!). Another one from Broadway (different angle)

The title song (The Phantom of the Opera) number is crazy. I’m not sure what they were thinking putting synth, an organ, strings, and electric guitars together, but somehow it works (the 80s were WILD lol). Throw in a stunning soprano cadenza at the end and it makes it both incredibly surreal and interesting. And the staging is fantastic. There’s a moving catwalk with body doubles. There’s a boat on a dry ice lake with candles rising out of nowhere. It’s just awesome. The costuming is iconic, too. 

The Music of the Night is beautiful. And it takes a major vocal and acting talent to traverse it well. I won’t get too technical vocally, but when done well, this song is so seductive and impactful. It’s a love song about music, about Christine, and it’s innocent and sexual all at once (when done well).

Masquerade (at the top of Act II) is a fabulous ensemble number and the costuming is amazing. Iconic number overall.

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again is my favorite song of the show (if I have to pick). For anyone who’s experienced loss (esp. that of a parent), the lyrics will hit you right in the heart. But I love listening to (and singing) this one so much. 

The Point of No Return is the most underrated number in the show, imo and one of my faves. It is sexy. as. hell. and a bit unexpected, really ramping up the passion btw the Phantom and Christine under the guise of this opera that the Phantom has written and is forcing everyone to perform. A good performance has a lot of nuance and will get you a little hot under the collar. 😏 I honestly don’t feel like I can explain it well enough, but a good watch/listen/reading the lyrics will get you there. 

The Final Lair is the insane climax and it’s a bit of a roller coaster but I love it. You’ll go from hating the Phantom to weeping over him in the span of the scene. 

The staging, sets, costuming, and makeup overall (of the original production). Like I mentioned above, a lot of what they did in Phantom was new tech for the late 80’s and to this day has a pretty stellar effect on stage. The chandelier rising and falling throughout the show is just super cool. The (4 hour) makeup for the Phantom was pretty cutting edge back in the day and has a wonderful effect on stage when done well. 

I highly recommend watching the 25th Anniversary at Royal Albert Hall from 2013 if you can’t see it live. The quality is amazing, the talent is fantastic, and while the staging isn’t quite the original because of the size of the venue, it gives you a pretty good idea of the vibe. If you don’t want to watch the whole thing at first, there are plenty of clips on YouTube of the major numbers via The Shows Must Go On (linked above). (If you are just watching clips, you may want to read a synopsis of the show as a whole so it makes sense what’s going on.) The 2004 film starring Gerald Butler and Emmy Rossum is actually pretty decent from a cinematic perspective (though I have some major qualms about GB's vocal performance) but if it's all you have, its a pretty good representation of the story. And listen, with 35 years of material, there are so many cast recordings and bootlegs, you're bound to find a combo of actors that you like! (I won't dive into that here though, cuz that's a whole other can of worms...)

Anyway, I could go on forever about it, but I will stop there as to not put you to sleep! If you choose to check it out, I hope you enjoy and you’ll have to let me know what you think! ❤️

[elvensworld]

It has been a crazy past 18 weeks. So much has happened. We had twins and lost one of them at 8 weeks. We then found out that Erik has some swelling, but it is getting better. Hopefully these next 22 weeks go by smoothly and Erik will arrive without anymore complications.

[krossan]

When you know your older sibling has all the chaotic energy, but you also know that if you join their "fun", it would mean the world to them.

[enigmaris]

All Father Thor, King of Asgard,

A new ruler of Hel has been chosen, the fearsome King Phantom, defeater of Pariah Dark. It is time for Asgard to prepare to pay the dues required to keep peace between the realms of the gods and of the dead. Bring the terms of your surrender to King’s Phantom’s representative on earth, Daniel James Fenton of Amity Park.

The Noble Scribe of King Phantom,

Ghost Writer

*****

“Okay so let me get this straight,” Tony Stark, Iron Man and Avenger said. “Ghosts are real.”

“Yes.” King Thor Odinson, Asgardian and god of thunder agreed.

“And they’re evil.”

“A bit of an oversimplification, but yes.” Prince Loki Odinson, sometimes villain and would be planet invader, answered.

“And the ghosts have had one ruler, the most powerful ghost in existence. And that new rulers are chosen by combat, meaning that every new ruler is more powerful than the last.”

“Yes, you’ve got the idea.” Thor said looking down at his knees for a moment.

“And since ghosts are so evil and so powerful, that means that their ruler is practically an unstoppable force of destruction.”

“Doesn’t it sound delightful?” Loki asked, to which he received a glare.

“So, for the past 10,000 years, at least, Asgard and plenty of other realms have been paying taxes to the ghost king to avoid a war. A racketeering scheme.”

“I don’t know what a racketeering scheme is but yes, the ghost peace treaty does require that Asgard pay the ghost king gold and magical weapons every century and if we fail to pay that price, then the peace treaty will be broken and Asgard will likely be forfeit.”

“That’s a racketeering scheme!”

“Well then yes.”

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. It was clear the man’s headache was only growing stronger as he walked through the information the two gods had dumped into his lap this morning. Thor and Loki both had rushed into his lab and started babbling about world ending threats and how they might possibly be absolutely screwed.

“So, now there’s a new king. Which means a new peace treaty has to be signed.” Tony said the words ‘peace treaty’ in the same way he’d say ‘nuclear bomb’ or ‘Steve Rogers’.

“I thought you said it was a racketeering scheme?” Loki asked.

“Shut it.” Tony hissed.

“A new treaty must be signed.” Thor repeated, trying to keep the three of them on track.

“And since the last king Pariah Dark was so powerful that he made the entirety of Asgard tremble, you’re pretty sure this new king, Phantom, is probably worse.”

“Pariah Dark had the power to suck entire planets into the afterlife, destroying them,” Loki said looking at his nails. “Stands to reason that a ghost powerful enough to defeat him could do much, much worse.”

“Right. Fantastic!” Tony practically shouted.

“I don’t think anything about this is fantastic.” Thor admitted, he was ignored.

“And according to you Asgard has been paying the ghost tax for both their realm and ours since we were under Odin’s protection. And since Hela and Sutur destroyed your entire planet and your entire people are refugees, now we have to figure out how to keep an ultrapowerful ghost from wiping out our home without any way of paying him.”

“Technically we don’t know if Phantom is a ‘he’.” Loki pointed out unhelpfully.

“The letter literally says he’s a king!”

“Could be a title. What do the dead have need for gender?”

“This is not the point of this discussion,” Thor cut in before an argument about the usefulness of gender and the concept of a female king burst forth. “We’re here to figure out how to make peace with King Phantom without resulting in a war that would destroy our world and our peoples.”

“We don’t even have Earth’s mightiest heroes anymore.” Loki said, referencing the painful results of the civil war and the Accords.

“We’re fucked.” Tony decided.

“Yes,” Thor agreed. “We probably are.”

[roxasbooth]

He would TOTALLY say that.

[Original under the cut!]

[roadstostray]

I like to think he wears bad death joke shirts

[ereyies]

"He's with me, even now, all around me... It frightens me."

hi guys its me elaine. inconsistent art style and i are brilliant friends. can i get a wahoo.

without effects + sketch

[a-big-mess-of-a-person]

Hey, do you live in the US and are old enough to vote?

DO IT.

Your vote matters even if you live in a normally Republican state.

If Trump gets into office he will never fucking leave and people like you and me will lose all our fucking rights.

Please go vote. And don't vote third party, I know you think Kamala isn't the best but voting third party will never work because we have a fucked up system.

VOTE

Please also reblog for more visibility

[five-rivers]

Valerie has her initials on her suit, too.

[ruoshik0]

A ghost’s core is it’s most important and only organ. It holds the true essence of it’s soul. All the emotions and all the subconciousness. Yet the core itself only acts as a power source. A rather powerful one, but ultimately, only a power source that happens to hold a ghost’s subconcious.

As such, the core does not store memories. Memories are useless to a dead being, after all. It’s not a brain. This is the reason why most ghosts do not recall any point of their living life.

Although it is possible to, if one tried hard enough, remember certian things of importance, most fully-fledged ghosts do not care enough to put in the effort.

So when Danny died yet another tragic death, filled with ectoplasm and electricity, and came back into the Realms as a full ghost, he couldn’t care less about the living world even if he tried.

Once fully dead, Phantom automatically just knew everything a ghost can do, how to do said thing, what’s the norm and what’s not, and other things that ghost know by default.

That was the norm for the Realms and it’s residence. What was not the norm was- Phantom, who had defeated the High King of the Infinite Realms whilst still somewhat alive, became the young King by default too.

The knowlegde of what to do, how to solve conflicts, and how to act kingly came to his mind all at once.

And the fully dead Phantom accepted this as his role in the Realms and immediately began his training to become a worthy king.

All his mentors from when he was alive taught him everything he would farther need to know. The history, the social hierarchy, his keep, and the resposibility that came with being king.

Gradually, his appearance started to change too. He became more… Kingly. The armor he wore when out and about was pristine. The sword he carried was elegant. The crown took form of a collapsing star sometimes, other times a galaxy. Rarely took shape of an actual crown. It had renamed itself The Crown of Ice. Taking it’s name after the current element of his core.

Pariah dark’s core changed it’s element more than a couple of times during his reign, only after experimenting with almost all elements in existence did it settle on fire. Each time, The Crown’s name changed accordingly.

Yeah, so, ghost cores need experimentation to find it’s most suitable element. So The Crown of Ice is really only temporary.

Ring of rage on the other hand, names itself after the personality of the holder. And no one other than the crown bearer cannot hold it. Pariah Dark was always angry, at almost every moment of the day. His rage did not subside.

Danny however was a peaceful one. Stern when needed to be, but almost always calm and peaceful. So the ring had named itself The Ring of Peace.

After only about 300 days had passed in the mortal realm did Danny get coronated. And after only about 2 hours had passed did he get summoned for the first time.

Infront of him were people he did not recognize personally. An orange haired young adult with teals eyes and rather big eyebags, a black haired young adult whose appearance was unkempt, and lastly, a black man who seemed to be the equal age as the black haired woman.

There was no denying that they seemed to recognize him. And there was no denying that his core hummed happily at the sight of them.

Master of time had told him his little misadventure a limited amount of time. He never really name dropped them though, only showed the past through the screen of the past long gone. And he can certianly feel that he at least knew these mortals.

For a minute or two, none spoke, opting to instead think of what to say. Eventually Danny opened his mouth. Only to then be interupted by the orange haired mortal to run up to him, step inside the summoning circle, and hug Danny tightly. The other two followed closely.

Danny did not know these people. He had duties to return to. He couldn’t spare any time humoring mere mortals. Mortals he possibly knew when he was alive but couldn’t care less about at the moment. He knew this.

Yet his core thrummed and hummed and purred happily at the unfamiliar feeling of warmth. He let his gaze wander whilst pulling up hesitant hands to return the mortal gesture. There by the door were two more mortals. One a woman with a red one-piece suit and the other a red haired, freckled man. They stood there, motionlessly and with tears pooling over their eyes.

His core practically jumped when he caught sight of them. Coming to the conclusion that perhaps he also knew them, Danny raised one eyebrow at the two. As an indication to just come here and join the hug.

The simple move was received as those two then ran up to the still hugging group and gave their own tight hug to Danny and the rest.

Not knowing what to do with these strangers he certainly knew when he was a mortal, Danny just stood there. Perhaps one day, he would come to care about these humans just as much as his core did too.

Right now though, he had duties and they hugged long enough anyway. So, he forced the hug to end and unsummoned himself.

[phantoonsoftheopera]

Had a creative itch last night and I needed to shake it off

[softstrawberrycreamcake]

[aspennntree]

soup

i saw someone else do this and it’s very inspired but i forgot their url i’ll look for it

[milaeryn]

Hold me, love me, touch me, honey Be the first who ever did

This song always make me think about Erik and Christine...

[roxasbooth]

The Embodiment of Time.