#THE OPERA THEY’RE WATCHING IS FAUST

[robotghostpal]

I guess you could say Bertha’s questionable deal to promise Gladys to the duke is rather…

… Faustian.

#GET IT #THE OPERA THEY’RE WATCHING IS FAUST #POETIC CINEMA GUYS #the gilded age #HBO we need season 3 #I haven’t seen this joke made yet but I’m sure it has been because it’s just so painfully obvious

[drconstellation]

When Crowley met Jesus, and the other demon at Golgotha

You know the scene. 33AD. Aziraphale is watching the crucifixion take place and certain fem-presenting demon sidles up to him.

Aziraphale greets them, and finds out they have changed their name.

"What is it now?" he asks them. " Mephistopheles? Asmodeus?"

I know most you have learnt by now that Asmodeus is the demon of lust, and this is obviously Aziraphale's idea of a flirty little joke (perhaps the first we see? because he's the one who's really as "mad as bag of frogs" after all and that's why Crowley's made an appearance, because he was probably just in the area, you know...), but I haven't seen or come across much meta about the first suggested name, which is a GO "lead balloon" moment.

Mephistopheles, Aziraphale? That's the name you thought of here? Of all places? jfc...you bad, bad angel! lmoa! This is a serious, sombre situation you are witnessing!

Mephistopheles is the name of the fictional demon sent to do a deal with the character Faust in a story that dates back to Germany in the early 1500s. Faust was a like a scientist in his day, well educated in things like alchemy and astrology and other mystical arts, maybe even having wizard powers (why not?) But he was hungry for more power so he did a deal with the devil for 24 years of assistance to achieve and gain anything he desired, and at the end of that time he would be claimed by Hell. Needless to say, despite starting off well it didn't have a happy ending. (I wont go into details as there are lots of variants, and its not that short, and they aren't all that relevant to the point of the post.)

It has been a hugely influential story ever since, appearing in many forms over the years; in opera, theater, movies, novels, adaptations such as Oscar Wilde's The Portrait of Dorian Grey, and Queen's famous song Bohemian Rhapsody. Terry Pratchett also did a parody of it in his 1990 book Eric, and readers have often noted the similarity to the Hell depicted there to the Hell in GO.

Its the origin of the idiom "to do a deal with the devil" and a Faustian bargain. The mortals that enter into the deal with a powerful supernatural entity are usually set up to fail, and we go along with it because we are so used to the trope, its one we've come to expect the bargainer to fail in some spectacular fashion. It's one that keeps being repeated again and again because it so interesting to explore - often the protagonist is looking for some form of happiness, sometimes revenge, and hopes the deal will deliver, but find out the hard way that they should be careful what they wish for because the delivery is a two-edged sword. They may find out that they don't actually want what they thought they wanted, or they get what they want in an very unexpected way.

Back to Golgotha, and our demon and angel. We learn the demon has merely modified their name to Crowley. And yes, they met Jesus.

C: "Seemed a very bright young man. I showed him all the kingdoms of the world."

A: "Why?"

C: "He's a carpenter from Galilee, his travel opportunities are limited."

This is a reference to one of the the tests of faith Jesus was put through before his crucifixion, from the Book of Matthew.

I like this modern version I found:

For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.” Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.” The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs. Matthew 4:8-11 The Message

Or, you could say: Crowley showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and offered the bargain that he could rule them all if he would renounce God and worship Satan instead, but Jesus just turned to the demonic messenger and simply told him to "fuck off!"

And there we have it, folks. Mephistopheles, and Asmodeus. Touche, Aziraphale, you sly little shit stirrer.

#good omens #good omens meta #aziraphale #crowley #hard times #golgotha #asmodeus #mephistopheles #faust #all the kingdoms of the world #going along with Hell as far as you can #faustian bargains #doing a deal with the devil #you bad bad angel aziraphale #this is no time to be flirting and cracking jokes with your demon

[teyvat-writer]

Phantom of the Opera AU

A/N: Ok so I was watching a PV for Cantarella and one of the comments said it reminded them of The Phantom of the Opera so I looked at the Wiki synopsis and then had immediate brain rot. This is v scuffed quality I'm sorry </3.

TW - stalking, murder, (kind of) Stockholm syndrome, abduction, reader is mentioned to be wearing makeup but is GN (it’s theater, everyone wears makeup tbh)

The moon is veiled by clouds and the air is crisp, carrying a chill that permeates the skin and festers within the bones. And yet, here you are, kneeling before the grave of your late father. A bouquet of roses sits between you and the stone slab.

"It's been a while since I last visited, no?"

You don't expect an answer, yet still speak all the same. It's more comfortable than sitting and staring at the cool stone slab engraved with your father's name. As you sit, you don't notice the shadowy figure approaching, yet the shock of adrenaline through your system tells you to flee. Adrenaline spikes the air upon hearing the bowing of a violin. It's a shrill sound, not enough to be grating, but enough to cause your heart to leap into your throat. There's something familiar about the tune, you know you've heard it before, but you can't quite place the name. You look around wildly to find the music's source, eyes snagging on a tall figure standing under a nearby tree. They’re obscured by the tree's shade in the soft moonlight, yet you can discern a faint shimmer where their face presumably is.

"Hello?"

No response. Electing to keep to your wits, you get up and make your way to the cemetery's gate, periodically glancing behind you to ensure the mystery person wasn't following you until you've stepped through the open gate. You sprint back home, only to toss and turn in your attempts to sleep.

Just where had you heard that song?

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

Ernesto reads over the letter, a scowl twisting his rugged features.

“Beatriz, come look at this.”

The theater’s co-owner saunters over to Ernesto’s side, placing a hand on the desk and leaning down to read the letter.

“In all likelihood, it’s nothing more than a hoax. In poor taste, yes, but a hoax nonetheless.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Ernesto crumples the letter then tosses it into a nearby waste bin.

“I agree that they're a fantastic singer, though.”

The premier of Faust falls upon the Teatro della Pergola, its owners having forgotten entirely about the threat of a curse. Box five is filled with guests and the lead actress, Laura, is in a dressing room preparing herself. You’re holed up in your dressing room, adjusting your hair and makeup. Something moves in your periphery, making your flesh rise into goose pimples. It reminds you entirely too much of the incident at the graveyard.

“Who’s there? You shouldn’t be here, you know?”

You feel stupid for even saying anything, as you’re answered by near defeaning silence-

With the fluttering of cloth, you’ve been tackled to the ground. You land on your side, the only barrier between you and potentially fracturing a rib being someone’s arms wrapped around you.

“Let me go!” You try wriggling out of his grasp to no avail, your wild swinging of fists and kicking doing nothing. You feel rough ropes encircling your wrists, tied snuggly.

“Release me or I’ll have security-” your mouth is covered with a cloth and he begins to gather you into his arms, hand firmly clasped over your mouth. He sprints to the opposite side of the room, pressing into something on the wall you can't quite see that causes a portion of the wall to fold inward like a door. Beyond is a dark, narrow set of steep stairs. He steps inside, shouldering the 'door' closed before descending with you in their arms.

Onstage, the curtains open and Laura gracefully steps on stage, opening her mouth to deliver her opening lines-

All that comes out is a croak, as though she were a toad. The audience is shocked, silence settling over the theater. Something creaks and groans, then a chandelier falls, plummeting into the crowd. It lands with a near deafening crash, the very floor shaking from the impact. Blood begins seeping from under the chandelier.

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

How long had you been down here?

"Mio caro…" He croons, voice smooth as silk. The door hinges groan in protest as it creaks open, his signature white porcelain mask adorned with intricate golden detailing gleams in the low candle light. You look at him from where you're seated on the bed, lips pressed into a thin line, refusing to say anything. He stalks towards you, his single, visible eye trained on you, unblinking. He's standing in front of you, now, lithe fingers ghosting against your cheek. He leans down to eye level, iris nearly drowned out by his dilated pupil. You're disgusted- how could this monster who abducted you look at you as though you were lovers?! In outrage, you make a wild swing for his face, colliding with porcelain. The mask flies off and surprisingly doesn't shatter, only landing with a loud clatter that rings in your ears in the deafening silence after. You aren't sure if you should be repulsed or if you should pity the poor man before you- Scar tissue extends out from the crater of his right eye socket, like the limbs of a sea beast emerging from a whirlpool.

"Well… This certainly complicates things."

He sighs, picking his mask up and eyeing it before placing it back on his face.

"Ah, where are my manners? My name is Stefano."

He does a small bow, and you aren't sure whether you're intrigued or want to smack his mask off again for having the audacity to act so cordial towards you after holding you captive for who-knows-how-long.

"H- how long have I been here?"

"About a week." You balk at his response- A week? A whole damn week?!

"Let me go!"

He doesn't even look as though he's considering your demand, so you try a softer approach.

"Please just let me go, I'll do whatever you want, just.. please." His single-eyed gaze softens, and he looks to the floor.

"Only on one condition;" He reaches into an unseen pocket in his cloak.

"You will wear my ring and stay faithful to me."

The polished gold gleams in the candle, like a small ray of sun. The crimson diamond adorning the ring casts fractals of light upon the walls that dance and shimmer as though you were underwater. Desperate for freedom, you hold your hand out.

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

"His right eye was… oh, God, it was mangled! Like a horrible crater of flesh!” Sebastian soothingly rubs your back as you recount your experience of being abducted.

“I’ll help you get away, get you far, far away from that man.” He offers, solemn but genuine.

“Thank you…”

“Let’s enact our plan tomorrow. After you perform, I’ll be backstage to watch over you and escort you out.” You nod, hope swelling in your heart and yet, you can’t help but feel that something is horribly wrong.

The final showing of Faust is upon you, and you wait at the edge of the stage with a pounding heart, rushing blood the only sound you can register.

All goes smoothly, your voice echoing through the theater, seraphic. Yet, something is keeping you from relaxing fully. The thought that the ‘phantom’ is still lurking in the shadows is disquieting, you looking over your shoulder every few seconds when off stage. Your cue comes, and you step back onto stage, opening your mouth to deliver your lines-

Only to be whisked away, back into the dark labyrinth.

Sebastian jolts out of his seat upon watching you disappear. He clambers towards the stairs leading backstage, stopped only by a tap on the shoulder. Agitated, he turns, glaring at the stranger.

“What do you want?!”

“Call me Oda. I know where he took them.” It takes a moment for the words to register in Sebastian’s racing mind but ultimately, he nods, hoping this man is true to his word.

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

“Who the hell builds this shit?” Sebastian’s voice echoes faintly in the dark, stone corridors. It’s damp and chilly, something strangely musky in the air. They come upon a vast room, almost impossible in its geometry. Nearly every inch of the room is covered in mirrors.

“I’m sorry, Sebastian. We have to go through, there’s no other way.” Oda remarks sternly. Sebastian huffs in annoyance, grabbing the other’s hand.

“Let’s stick together. Who knows what’ll happen if we get separated.”

They descend into the shining labyrinth.

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

“I thought we had an agreement-”

“You didn’t hold up your end of it.” Stefano’s voice is cold, yet possesses a searing edge.

“Wha-”

“Don’t think I don’t know of your plan to leave here, to leave me!” He hisses, accent thickening with fury. You’re silent, mulling over your response. You… care about this man, on some level- pity, really. Not even his family had loved him, and some part of you pities him to the point you do love him.

“Since I cannot have you, I’ll ensure no one can.”

“Stefano, please-”

“I’ll take this whole Godforsaken theater with me.”

“No, please! I’ll marry you, I’ll be yours forever-!” You faintly hear Sebastian’s voice, calling your name.

“Sebastian? Sebastian, where are you?!” You cry. You turn back to Stefano.

“Please, I’ll do as you want, just let him and everyone else go!” You’re crying at this point, sobs shaking your body. Stefano embraces you in an attempt to sooth you, pressing delicate kisses to the top of your head. You aren’t sure what overcomes you in that moment, but you pull away, reaching up and discarding his mask, caressing the part of his face it covered. You press a soft kiss to his thin lips, feeling him go rigid from shock. You observe his expression as you pull away, his single, icy blue eye wide, pupil a mere pinprick of obsidian. A single tear slides down his cheek, leading the procession to come. He pulls you closer, trembling.

“Mio caro…”

The door swings open, Sebastian glowering in the doorway. You give him a meek wave, ignoring his baffled expression. Oda comes up behind him.

“It appears he’s finally found love after all these years.”

“Promise me, caro, promise me you’ll return my ring on the day I die.”

“Of course.” You whisper, foreheads pressed together. You kiss him one last time before rising and joining Sebastian.

“Goodbye, Stefano.”

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

It’s been a couple years, and yet you can’t bear to forget him. At night, when you close your eyes, you envision him in all his twisted elegance. Not once did you forget your promise. Now, you’re tossing and turning when suddenly, there’s a knock on your door. You open it, revealing Oda standing before you with a solemn gaze.

“It’s time.”

You both head over to the Teatro della Pergola and he leads you into the labyrinth below, navigating as though he himself lived there. You help him haul Stefano’s corpse to the middle of a lush field. Once the hole is dug, you gently lay him within it, tears stinging your eyes. You push the dirt back into place, Oda planting a simple wooden cross into the disturbed soil. Hesitantly, you slip the ring off, placing it upon the fresh mound of dirt.

#angst #stefano valentini #the evil within 2 #tew2 #stefano valentini x reader #lol loogame writing for a mostly dead fandom like the clown i am #the evil within x reader #the evil within #the evil within 2 x reader #stefano tew

[docrotten]

FAUST (1926) – Episode 145 – Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era

“Poor Faust, why do you seek death when you have not yet lived?” That does seem kind of backward. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Whitney Collazo, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, and Jeff Mohr, along with guest host Ralph Miller – as they head for the realm of silent horror with F.W. Murnau’s Faust (1926). Care to make a bargain?

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 145 – Faust (1926)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

The demon Mephisto has a bet with an Archangel that he can corrupt a righteous man’s soul and destroy in him what is divine. If he succeeds, the Devil will win dominion over the earth.

  Director: F.W. Murnau

Writers: Gerhart Hauptmann (titles), Hans Kyser (titles), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (play “Faust”) (as Johann Wolfgang Goethe)

Producer: Erich Pommer

Cinematographer: Carl Hoffmann

Selected Cast:

Gösta Ekman as Faust

Emil Jannings as Mephisto

Camilla Horn as Gretchen

Frida Richard as Gretchen’s mother

William Dieterle as Valentin, Gretchen’s brother

Yvette Guilbert as Marthe Schwerdtlein, Gretchen’s aunt

Eric Barclay as Duke of Parma

Hanna Ralph as Duchess of Parma

Werner Fuetterer as Archangel

Featuring innovative special effects for the time, Faust, directed by F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu, 1922), is one of the preeminent examples of German expressionism. Faust is Murnau’s final German film before heading to the U.S. where he would make three more films before passing in 1931 at the young age of 42. In the movie, Mephisto sets out to prove to an Archangel that he can corrupt a man’s soul. An early example of superb cinema and intellectual horror, it is a must-see indeed. Check out what the Grue-Crew thinks of this true masterpiece. 

At the time of this writing, Faust can be streamed from the Classic Horror Movie Channel, Kanopy, and Hoopla, as well as various subscription and PPV options. The movie is also available on physical media as a Blu-ray from Kino Lorber’s Kino Classics line. If you haven’t yet experienced Faust, there is no time like the present.

If silent films are your thing, you might want to check out these episodes of the Classic Era focusing on silent horror films:

THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (1920) – Episode 13 

NOSFERATU (1922) – Episode 21

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) – Episode 42

THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927) – Episode 60

HÄXAN (1922) – Episode 79

PHANTOM CARRIAGE (1921) – Episode 85

THE GOLEM (1920) – Episode 99

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule is one chosen by Jeff. In honor of Raquel Welch’s passing on 15 February 2023, the crew’s next topic will be Fantastic Voyage (1966). Despite what you might think, the film is not based on an Isaac Asimov novel. It does, however, feature Oscar-winning special effects along with performances from Donald Pleasance and a bevy of top-notch character actors.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at [email protected]

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

Check out this episode!

[coll2mitts]

#58 Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Happy Halloween!  Let's show these industry music phonies what a REAL artist looks and sounds like by murdering everyone that goes against our vision!

I will admit, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into watching Phantom of the Paradise, and how intense its Phans are.  Its production is probably one of the most well documented out of all the movies I’ve written about on this list so far... so much so I had to cut off my research phase before the materials ran out because I never would have released this on time otherwise.  Conventions, and interviews, and painstakingly written breakdowns of every scene in the movie, oh my!

I’m going to have to release a redux version of this next year, aren’t I?

I thought this would be a weird 70s rock version of The Phantom of the Opera, which it is, but it is also Faust, A Picture of Dorian Gray, and like 3 decades worth of musical genres.  Phantom of the Paradise is directed by Brian De Palma, who is probably more well-known for his work on Carrie and Scarface.  I've never seen a single one of his movies, but that's OK, everything I need to know about him is succinctly outlined in this review of The Black Dahlia, and while you could prolly watch the entire movie in the time it takes you to watch Willie's recap of it, why would you want to?  

Apparently Mr. De Palma wrote Phantom of the Paradise after hearing a muzak version of The Beatles in an elevator and was so salty about it he had to make an entire movie about the music industry bastardizing creative genius and like, sure.  This isn't the first movie on this list to bitch about how exploitative the music and film industries can be, but this is the only one where the dude wears a metal bird helmet and murders people.

Phantom begins like any other Twilight Zone episode, with narration from Rod Serling warning us a monster may live in the opera house, but it might not appear as one in the beginning.  Then we're introduced to The Juicy Fruits, Death Records' latest retro musical act, put together by their President and first bird-related character name, Swan.  They sing a song about how some dude killed himself to sell more records, which isn't at all foreshadowing the events that happen later in the film.  After they're done recording, some Ben Folds motherfucker who was acting as their pianist starts playing exerts from his original cantata Faust.  

Swan likes what he hears and asks his lackey Arnold Philbin to get a few songs from the ironically named Winslow Leach so The Juicy Fruits can record them.  When the doo-wop band is mentioned, Winslow loses his absolute shit and insists "Faust" can only be sung by him and him alone.  Arnold is like, "Cool, dude, that's chill, just give me a few of the songs from your weirdly long 300 page sonata and Swan will think about producing your new album."  Winslow gives up the goods and Swan *surprisingly* never contacts him again.

About a month later, Winslow tries to approach Swan at Death Records, and immediately I'm reminded of greasy pop-punk kids wearing Atticus t-shirts roaming the halls of my high school.  In Phantom, this logo was awkwardly plastered over building signs, podiums, television sets, tape recorders, cameras, and whole mess of other things in post-production, and it uhhh, stood out.  

I thought perhaps this was to cut costs on props, but turns out these signs originally read "Swan Song Records", which is morbidly poetic.  Unfortunately for everyone involved, Led Zeppelin formed Swan Song Records in the time between the film finished shooting and the film being released.  To avoid a lawsuit, 20th Century Fox forced the team to edit out any references to Swan Song, and it is super noticeable and several years later people are still screaming about releasing the Swan Song cut.

Winslow gets booted from the building, and tracks Swan down at his home compound, Swanage.  TURNS OUT, Swan is holding auditions for his latest rock opera, Faust!  Winslow meets Phoenix while she's rehearsing his song while waiting and instantly falls in love.  He reveals he wrote the song, and she fawns over him in an attempt to get cast in the background chorus.  He takes her kindness as a sign of affection, and spends the rest of the movie obsessed with her.  

After Philbin tries to casting-couch Phoenix and she runs off, Winslow disguises himself as a hot chick in order to gain access to Swan.  He politely inquires what the fuck is up with Swan yanking Faust out from under him, and the confrontation goes about as well as expected.  Winslow gets physically removed, framed for possession of heroin, and lugged off to do time in the aptly named Sing Sing.

Swan, played by Paul Williams, is also the composer of this film.  He wrote songs for the Muppet-based movies that appear on this list, including "The Rainbow Connection", "Movin' Right Along", and "When Love is Gone", but also found success writing for pop acts like Daft Punk, David Bowie and The Carpenters.  While Phantom of the Paradise pretty much bombed upon release, the soundtrack went gold in Canada because 20k copies of it were sold in my motherland of Winnipeg, Manitoba.  For context, that's 40% of its total record sales.  The movie had a 18-week run in the city, and had a brief resurgence later that summer when Paul Williams played a concert there.  There have been a few retrospectives conducted to understand why exactly Winnipeg, of all places, clung to this story, including an entire feature-length documentary that I couldn't watch because you can't stream it anywhere.  There's been several Phantompaloozas hosted there for fuck’s sake.  But best I can tell, it really caught on with the kids in Winnipeg because it was marketed toward children on television.  The author of this article regaled a time where him and his other school-aged buddies would reenact scenes from it at recess, which is equal measures delightful as it is disturbing.

Winslow is having a terrible time in prison, as the Swan Foundation pulled all his teeth as part of what they called “Dental Health Research”.  6 months later, while Winslow is assembling board games as part of the government's legalized slavery program, he overhears his worse nightmare - The Juicy Fruits are going to be opening Swan's new venue, The Paradise, with Faust!  Winslow is so incensed by this, he hulks out of prison and attempts to destroy the recordings at Death Records.  He instead gets his head caught in a record press, becoming horribly disfigured with a copy of his bastardized work.  

When Winslow reappears, he is sporting a lovely metal beak and an appetite for revenge!  During rehearsals for the new 60s surf-rock branded Juicy Fruits, the Phantom starts the kill counter by blowing up a car on stage.

The fact there are not one, but two uncut shots on the screen at one time is bananas.

Swan seems generally unaffected by this, and tries to appease Winslow by offering him a job.  Swan invites Winslow to attend auditions so his vision for Faust can be realized properly.  Phoenix is there, and after agreeing to sell her voice to Swan, Winslow also agrees to rewrite the cantata with Phoenix’s performance in mind.  Winslow then signs a contract in blood without a lawyer present after Swan fucked him over once before, because it seems Winslow is incapable of learning anything from the story of Faust, even when he's currently living the plot.  

Swan begins to conduct his own secret auditions to replace Phoenix as a lead, seated at a desk that Ron Swanson would be disgusted by.

Swan settles on a showy glam-rock star named Meatloaf Beef, which presumably is the opposite of what Winslow wants.  Beef is from Transylvania, so of course they introduce him by having him emerge from a coffin growling.  On the day of the show’s opening, Swan drugs Winslow, grabs his latest version of the Cantata, and Cask of Amontillado's him into his recording studio.

Winslow hulks himself out of that, as well, and decides to threaten Beef's life in the shower, psycho-style.

For a second, Beef forgot about Winslow's whole thinly-veiled death threat thing, and he wondered how clean the plunger was.  

Beef tries to leave the production, but is convinced to stay when Arnold offers him drugs.  This was the wrong call, because moments later, after the newly 70s-updated Juicy Fruits build a Franken-Beef on stage, Winslow makes good on his threat and electrocutes him.

Then, out of the flames of Beef's corpse, Phoenix arises to sing a Karen Carpenter-esque ballad to calm the crowd down.

Winslow is comforted by Phoenix's performance, but so is Swan.  He goes into her dressing room and propositions her for sex, and she's so excited by her future career as a recording artist, she goes back to Swanage and fucks him.  Winslow watches this uncomfortably long love scene through a skylight and decides to stab himself out of grief.  The wound doesn't kill him, however, as Swan informs Winslow that because he signed a contract, he can't die until Swan does.  And also, just for funsies, Swan is immortal because he is under a mysterious contract as well.

Winslow discovers a tape in Swan's recording studio that reveals the secret of his success.  Swan, during a suicide attempt, makes a deal with the devil to stay young forever.  As long as the recording of the deal stays intact, Swan will never age, much like The Picture of Dorian Gray.  It's also revealed that all Swan learned from the Beef debacle is that crowds love murder, so he arranges to marry Phoenix on television at the end of Faust, and have her assassinated on stage shortly afterward to boost the ratings for sweeps week.  Winslow decides he needs to stop this immediately and destroys the videotape, damning himself and Swan to die.

While the records room burns, the Paradise is hoppin' in anticipation for Swan and Phoenix's wedding.  Winslow shoots the priest, which causes a mild frenzy, but not enough to keep people from partying.  He then stabs and kills Swan, which reopens his own stab wound, and The Phantom dies splayed out on the carpet with his one milky eyeball hanging out.  Phoenix can only look on in horror with the knowledge she'll need years and years of therapy to process the last 2 minutes of her life.

I saw this movie compared with Rocky Horror Picture Show several times while diving into this, and there are some parallels.  Both are rock horror musicals, both have a flashy frankenstein’s monster, and they were released within a year of each other.  Other than those surface level items, I don’t think it’s a fair comparison.  Watching Phantom of the Paradise is a weirdly unique experience, as the film acknowledges its campy nature, but still works hard to drive home the overlying message that creative industries care nothing for artistic endeavors and only want to make money.

I’m reminded of a statement former Disney CEO Michael Eisner used in a memo once, which yeah.. I know, hear me out.  He was the head of the company during the Disney Renaissance, and for all the questionable decisions he did make, those movies saved the company.  In an internal memo sent out during his time at Paramount, he riffed on a Don Simpson quote, “We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make history. We have no obligation to make a statement. But to make money, it is often important to make history, to make art, or to make some significant statement… In order to make money, we must always make entertaining movies, and if we make entertaining movies, at times we will reliably make history, art, a statement, or all three. We may even win awards… We cannot expect numerous hits, but if every film has an original and imaginative concept, then we can be confident that something will break through.”

Now, this quote was taken from Disney War, and I couldn’t get a copy of the book to verify it, but I see it floating around in Disney forums constantly to justify why Eisner was the worst CEO ever because he said money was the primary goal of movie making.  But this statement is an insightful peek behind the curtain.  Disney is a business.  20th Century Fox is a business, and if they made a ton of movies that had artistic merit, but didn’t make them money, they’d have to stop making movies.  The goal of businesses is to make money so you can stay in business.

All this to say, yes, being exploited by a huge machine who has more power and money than God is absolutely wrong.  Swan isn’t justified in stealing Winslow’s work and murdering people to make The Paradise more successful.  But hearing a Muzak rendition of "A Day in the Life” isn’t quite the horror Brian De Palma made it out to be.  The Beatles have always been making that bag, so tone it down a bit.

#100 best musical movies of all time rotten tomatoes #unwarranted opinion

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

Yo i’m kind of a newb who got into opera during the pandemic thanks to all the free livestreams. I’ve seen like 15 operas (more if you include different performances) but I know that doesn’t even cover most of the standard repertoire. Any recs for a newbie that you consider absolutely must-watches?

hey hey! so I followed up with you and asked for a list of what operas you’ve seen and what you liked. (And I commend you for your taste, your list is fabulous.) based on that list, here are my Thoughts:

your Favorites (so far) list included the following:

Salome

Les contes d’Hoffmann

Le nozze di Figaro

Don Giovanni

The Fiery Angel

The Medium

Rigoletto

SO:

-it doesn’t look like you’ve seen any other Richard Strauss operas. I’d recommend you check some out; given your list, based on what I’ve heard I’d recommend you particularly look into Elektra and Die Frau ohne Schatten. personally I’ve only seen Elektra once and didn’t really like it and I’ve never seen Frau ohne Schatten, but given that your list of favorites runs towards the darker/edgier side of things, those are definitely worth checking out.

You’ve seen Nozze, you’ve seen Giovanni, now you need to complete the trifecta with Così fan tutte, BUT that opera is best approached if you just accept that everyone in that opera is a shitbag and it is complete moral anarchy.

-I am also legally obligated to recommend Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress and will refer you to @madmozarteanfelinefantasy.

—and you MUST watch Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. absolute classic.

For things related to Hoffmann (including other potential operas you may like), I will be referring you over to Tumblr’s resident Hoffmann expert, @monotonous-minutia.

I’ve never seen either The Fiery Angel or The Medium. Based on what I’ve heard both of those are in the category of “creepy/disturbing early 20th-century operas”, and as such a few operas I’d recommend checking out are Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, Kurt Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, and Prokofiev’s The Gambler and (if you want something less disturbing and more just straight-up bizarre) L’amour des trois oranges.

Rigoletto! Hurray! Good Verdi choice. This, Don Carlo(s), and The Scottish Opera (as many of us call it) seem to be the only three Verdi operas you’ve watched so far. Good choices, all. They’re all also quite dark. Other dark Verdi operas worth looking into are (in order of when Verdi wrote them) I due Foscari, I masnadieri, Luisa Miller, Il trovatore, Simon Boccanegra, and La forza del destino. But really, as a Verdi fanatic, just about ANY Verdi opera is a treat. literally just. go pick a Verdi opera at random and you will almost certainly like it.

and for dark classic operas, you gotta watch the Gothic melodrama gloriousness that is Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.

The other operas you liked:

-Bluebeard’s Castle

-Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci

-Don Carlos

-Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail

-Faust

-Hansel and Gretel

-Macbeth

-La Sonnambula

-Tosca

-Turn of the Screw

-Vanessa

-Die Zauberflöte

I have seen most but not all of these. Some observations:

You seem to be into verismo/the general melodramatic late 19th and early 20th century operas. Pretty much any Puccini will fit the bill (I particularly recommend Il trittico, three one-act operas all on the theme of concealing death and ranging from a melodramatic thriller to a comedy). Other operas to check out include Ponchielli’s La gioconda (the source of the iconic Dance of the Hours), Giordano’s Andrea Chenier and Fedora, Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, and Riccardo Zandonai’s Francesca da Rimini. And of course, Bizet’s Carmen.

Bluebeard’s Castle is not quite like anything else in the repertoire. The Met did a great production a few years back where they paired it with Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, a surprisingly good fit. That’s an opera you should check out (although the Met production features a Certain Soprano Who Shall Not Be Named). actually, any Tchaikovsky is good even though it’s nothing like Bartók.

you’d probably like Leos Janacek—realistic plots, great music, lots of pain and suffering. I’ve seen Jenufa (which is just DEVASTATING and also infuriating) and Osud. Both are excellent.

re: Faust: check out Roméo et Juliette if you like Gounod’s music style. also if you like his music style, check out pretty much any Massenet opera (Werther is good if you like Suffering and can put up with Tenors Being Tenors). in terms of Faust adaptations, Berlioz’s La damnation de Faust (technically not an opera but yeah) and Boito’s Mefistofele are both excellent in different ways.

some of the other operas on your list suggest you like operas based on fairy tales and/or with an otherworldly feel. recommendations this include Dvorak’s Rusalka, Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, Massenet’s Cendrillon, Rossini’s La cenerentola, and (though I’ve never seen any of them) several of Rimsky-Korsakov operas are based somewhat on Russian folk tales, if my understanding is correct.

La sonnambula! I’m not a huge Bellini fan personally but this one’s a fun one. I do really love Norma if you want more Bellini. If you like Bel Canto Hijinks in general, I recommend any Rossini or Donizetti comedy. based on the specific liking of La sonnambula, I recommend Rossini’s La gazza ladra and Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore.

-other good comedies from the two of them: Il viaggio a Reims and Le Comte Ory (Rossini) and Viva la mamma!, La fille du régiment, and Don Pasquale (Donizetti).

You like singspiel! nice. German operetta will treat you well then. Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus and Franz Lehar’s Die lustige Witwe are classics and rightfully so.

you also seemed to not have a great initial experience with French operetta [specifically Meyerbeer’s L’Étoile du Nord], but do check out any of Offenbach’s operettas since you loved Hoffmann, or Emmanuel Chabrier’s L’Étoile, which is completely unrelated to the Meyerbeer opera of a similar name. also Ravel’s L’heure espagnole, which does not have spoken dialogue but which is an utter delight.

I’ve never seen Turn of the Screw but I have seen a few other Britten operas—Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. all great. you’d probably particularly like A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

sorry, never seen Vanessa either, but on the subject of mid-20th-century American operas, go check out Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti (particularly nice if you like jazz) and Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah (which is DARK).

other general points:

-if you can find a good, fun production of a Baroque opera, watch it. fun Baroque opera productions are some of the most fun things ever.

-take your time with Wagner. go whenever you’re ready. my first Wagner was Lohengrin and that wasn’t until five YEARS into my opera obsession.

-my fellow operablr friends, if y’all have anything to add, please do!

-just be curious, reach out if you need anything, and you should be just fine! don’t be afraid, we try to be a welcoming place, if you have any other questions or need more detailed recs, just let us know! ❤️

happy watching and hope this helps!

#opera #opera tag #opera asks #opera recommendations

[genevievemd]

The Newlywed Game: Halloween Edition

A/N: Not me dropping all my wips to do this template and the questions... I love spooky season!!! A huge thank you to our host, my favorite bean, @jamespotterthefirst​ 

(tagging seperately)

Favorite Song?

Genevieve: “I Put a Spell on You.”  Ethan: Let it be known, that my wife is not referring to the original, by Jay Hawkins, but rather the Hocus Pocus version.  Gen: Correct. Alright, holiday hater, what’s yours? Ethan: *rolls his eyes* Le veau d’or est toujours debout, or in English, “Song of the Golden Calf.” From the opera, Faust.  Gen: That’s not a Halloween song!  Ethan: Sure it is. Gen: Fine. But just know, I’m only letting it slide because it’s super hot when you speak French. 

Favorite Movie?

Gen: Hocus Pocus. I watch it at least three times during spooky season, and I know every word.  Ethan: She does. Mine, if I’m being forced to pick one, would be Psycho. Gen: Of course. A classic, like the old man you are. Although, I’m surprised you didn’t say of the many horror movies you’ve made me watch with you.  Ethan: Sweetheart, I don’t make you watch them because they’re a favorite of mine, but because it’s incredibly cute to watch you cower in fear at every jump scare. And flinch whenever there’s a particularly gory scene.  Gen: And also for the cuddling. Ethan: Obviously. 

Favorite Candy?

Gen: It’s a tie between Gushers and Reese’s. Although, you could argue that Gushers are fruit snacks and not candy. My husband is boring and just likes plain chocolate.  Ethan: Depending on the day, it’s varies between milk and dark.  Gen: And always from the vending machine.  Ethan: That’s mostly for sentimental purposes now. Gen: *heart eyes*  You totally fell in love with me when I got you the chocolate, didn’t you? Ethan: Perhaps. 

*couple photo for Gen is from @estellaelysian​*

What is your favorite funny costume on your spouse?

Gen: *giggles* Ethan: It was your idea.  Gen: I didn’t think you’d do it! *laughs* I jokingly told him that if he was going to go to the hospital’s Halloween party, during my second year, that he should dress up as the Riddler. And then he did and I never laughed so hard in my life, I also never felt more powerful. He just did what I said.  Ethan: *sighs* You’re hard to say no to. It also doesn’t help that we’d just kissed for the first time in months and the party was two days after your birthday.  Gen: And now look, you always do what I want or ask.  Ethan: *takes her hand* As the old saying goes; happy wife, happy life.  Gen: Your turn  Ethan: This is from before we were together, in any way. The costume night at Donahue's your intern year. It was some godawful 80’s get up.  Gen: *hides her face* Oh... yeah, that was a bad idea. Never again.

What is your favorite hot costume on your spouse?

Gen: I already know your answer. You destroyed that dress the next time I wore it.  Ethan: I’m not sorry at all. Her second year, she dressed up as a vampire. Though one could argue that the only thing that made that ensemble qualify as a costume was the fake fangs you had.  Gen: I’m gonna tell you a secret, it was on purpose. I was dressed in the tightest black dress I owned, made sure I looked seductive, just in case you did show up. So I could remind you what you were missing. Since you were taking your sweet time getting to the talk about the kiss. I fully intended on torturing you and it worked.  Ethan: *looks at her, with mild shock and a little impressed* You’re terrible.  Gen: Only when I want to be. *whispers* Or when you want me to be.  Ethan: *clears his throat* Your turn, Rookie. Gen: I’ve only seen a picture, but that like Greatest Showman-esque costume from when you were first an attending. I’m mad I never got to see it in person. Also a little mad that you dressed up with Harper in a full on costume but not with me.   Ethan: I didn’t do it willingly, G. I was forced.  Gen: Whatever. *pouts* Ethan: *laughing* You’re adorable when you’re jealous, love. Gen: Stop it. Don’t laugh. Ethan: I’m sorry, I’ll stop. *kisses her cheek* Remember who I married, love. You. Gen: That’s true.

What is your favorite couple’s costume that you have worn with your spouse?

Gen: Oh, that’s easy. I had a costume party for my 28th birthday, since it’s 15 days before Halloween, and we’d only been officially dating for about four months, but I went as modern Cinderella and my amazing husband agreed to be my prince charming. In reality, he only wore a suit he already owned, but it was the fact that he even agreed at all that makes it my favorite. He hates parties, especially costume parties, but he did it for me. And it just made me love him more.  Ethan: Mine is this past halloween, our first as an engaged couple. We went to Lahela’s party as Bonnie and Clyde.  Gen: Again, barely a costume for you. Ethan: Which is what I liked about it. I also enjoyed the skirt and knee high stockings you had on. Gen: I remember. *winks*

Monster Mash or Thriller?

Gen: I don’t really care for one over the other.  Ethan: I’ll lean more towards “Thriller”, but only because it’s marginally less annoying than “Monster Mash”

Apple or Pumpkin Treats?

Gen: Apple. Pumpkin is gross. Hard Pass.  Ethan: Either.

Fruit Candy or Chocolate?

Ethan: Chocolate, obviously. Gen: Both. All the sugar. 

Trick-or-Treat or Handing out candy?

Ethan: Handing out candy. I can stay in the comfort of my own home.  Gen: But, you’ll go out when we have kids right?  Ethan: *smiles softly, heart eyes™️* Of course, I’d never miss that. Gen: Good. Also, my answer is both.

Horror movies or kid-friendly movies?

Gen: Kid-friendly, or only slightly scary. Ethan: Horror.

Halloween party or Haunted House?

Ethan: Haunted house. I hate parties. Gen: Both. All the spooky season activities!  Ethan: I don’t know why you torture yourself with Haunted Houses every year, or haunted corn mazes. You hate them. Gen: It’s part of the Halloween fun! I’ll suffer, plus I have you, my very tall and protective husband, to hide behind. 

Creepy or cute costumes?

Gen: Depends. Some years I’ll lean more towards creepy, other’s towards cute.  Ethan: Neither. 

On your partner: Sexy or funny costume?

Ethan: Sexy. Have you seen her? She’s stunning.  Gen: I just want him in a damn costume. Ethan: If I promise to wear a costume, will you wear a sexy one? Gen: Couple’s costume? Ethan: Whatever you want. Gen: I always win. Ethan: *leans over and whispers in her ear* Seeing you in something sinful is a win for me, too, sweetheart. 

A/N: Have a safe and fun Halloween, peanuts! 

#ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x mc #open heart #the newlywed game #ethan x gen

[paperandsong]

So, I still have a few more things to say. And then I think I might be done with this topic. I write this for the record.

One of the strangest things about @phandombigotryarchive /@wjsnsfriend is how she turned on so many people who once supported her fics. She has since changed usernames on ao3 and made her Pharoga fics anonymous – but they’re still there. And you can see all the people who left kudos and nice comments who were eventually harassed and driven out by PBA/@wjsnsfriend and @trans-flint.

The only interaction I had with PBA/@wjsnsfriend before February 2021 was when I left a nice comment on her fic Tristeza não tem fim. I was excited to see that title and to read in the notes that she had been inspired by the 1959 film Orfeu Negro. The interaction we had in her comments is probably why she mistakenly thinks I am Brazilian. Because she assumes things without knowing anything.

I’ve written two posts about this complicated film here and here. It is both one of my favorite films and also a deeply problematic piece of art. So problematic that Barack Obama wrote about his negative experience watching it in his book Dreams of My Father. In other words, it needs to be viewed with nuance. Nuance PBA did not lend Madame Faust’s work.

While Orfeu Negro is a Portuguese-language film, made in Brazil with an all Black cast, it was directed by a white French man, Marcel Camus. He was married to the lead actress, the Black American Marpessa Dawn, at the time of filming.

Among many issues with the film is a really awful and racist scene involving watermelon. I mention this scene in this post. [Photo after the cut]

I don’t criticize the quality of PBA’s fic or her use of Orfeu Negro as inspiration. I think the film is important enough to transcend the racism inherent in most films made at that time. But I find it extremely hypocritical that she would excoriate another author for addressing themes of slavery and racism in fanfiction while uncritically enjoying a film made by a white French man as problematic as this one. 

What was it about Madame Faust that really bothered PBA? And let’s not forget that PBA didn’t work alone. @trans-flint/ @cenfantomeenhabitnoir /elegantidler had a lot to do with PBA’s actions in February and March of 2021. They are both responsible for trying to destroy another author and to cause harm to as many people as possible within the Phantom of the Opera fandom. I wonder how long it took for them to plan it all out? From the tags in this post it looks like @trans-flint had some idea that he was going to start hurting people at least as of January 1 2021.

Why Madame Faust? Both PBA and @trans-flint wrote Pharoga fics and MF a was a popular Pharoga writer. And she is a nice person who they rightly assumed wouldn’t fight back. Within that MF call out post there was a long tirade about how all Pharoga writers are racist and Orientalist, again making assumptions about who Pharoga writers really are, completely ignoring non-white people in the PotO fandom.

I am not a Pharoga writer. PBA never came after any of my fics. I don’t think she even reads fic – not even MF’s fic beyond searching for some quotes to take out of context. I have often wondered why I was targeted by PBA - she wrote absolutely sickening lies about me – why was I even in her sights? Here’s what I think: PBA and @trans-flint went after people who shared common interest with them. I believe @trans-flint encouraged PBA to come after me because just a week before the MF post on February 25, I made a proposal for a PotO Paris Commune Week to be held in May. Clearly, he found this intolerable.

@trans-flint makes a lot of assumptions about the phandom and about how stupid he thinks we all are. The tags are interesting. While I am politically sympathetic to the Paris Commune, the execution of their 62 hostages was the worst thing they did and it damaged their reputation in history for decades. Leroux plays heavily upon this bad reputation too. Maybe the Commune was good – but executing hostages is always vile. Commune Week went really well, by the way. Even if PBA tried to spam the tag with some k-pop reblogs, because that’s not racist or fetishizing at all.

PBA reblogged this post from @trans-flint on March 5 2021 and she again insists that I am Brazilian and again tells lies about me.

I have never tried to excuse the trans-Atlantic slave trade – and neither did Madame Faust. It’s all lies. It’s disgusting that she would say this. It makes a mockery of actual racism. There is racism in the PotO fandom, absolutely. But MF’s fic was not it.

I never complained about anything PBA did until August 2021. It took me a while to get some perspective on what happened. But I think I get it now. @trans-flint and PBA laid out that MF post like a trap. They created something so outrageous that it would horrify everyone in the fandom, even people just watching it unfold. They were probably always going to make a list – that post was just a way to collect names. If PBA actually cared about racism in PotO, she would be out here calling out those who have said awful things about Lucy St. Louis. But she’s not. Her work is done.

But they’ve already lost. Their list has been proven meaningless. It protects no one. Even PBA seems to have forgotten about it. And I think the phandom should too. Let @trans-flint drive himself crazy trying to update it without using excel. 

#phantom of the opera #le fantôme de l'opéra #gaston leroux #black sails #wjsn #racism in fandom #poto #hypocrisy #see y'all in hell #pharoga #les misérables #good omens

[thephantomessoftheopera]

Notes on Gaston Leroux’s “The Phantom of the Opera” - Chapter 14: “A Masterstroke by the Lover of Trapdoors”

<< Previous chapter

Raoul and Christine are still running away from the shadow on the rooftop when they encounter the Persian, who tells them to run in the opposite direction. Raoul makes another try at getting Christine to run away with him on the spot, but once again, she refuses and repeats that Raoul will probably need to make her go against her will if he wants to elope with her (what is he supposed to do though? Drag a screaming and kicking Christine through the opera house? Drug her or knock her unconscious and roll her up in a carpet?).

She tries to convince him that Erik has not overheard their conversation on the rooftop because he is working on „Don Juan Triumphant“, but doesn’t seem to quite believe it herself. When Raoul bitterly says how brave she was to play his fiancée, Christine reveals that she had actually told Erik all about the engagement game she was playing with Raoul, and that he was willing to tolerate it under the assumption that Raoul would be leaving for the North Pole soon.

It is also obvious that despite the kiss Christine has given him in the preceding chapter, Raoul is still unsure of her feelings, which might also be due to her speaking of it like a one-time thing:

“Are people unhappy when they’re in love?”  “Yes, when they’re in love and aren’t sure of being loved.” “Are you saying that for Erik?” “For Erik and for myself”, answered Raoul, shaking his head with a thoughtful, forlorn expression.”

To a certain degree, Christine might be asking that first question for herself, too, since she is obviously unhappy and has shown signs of crying before. Keep in mind that this is the last interaction we see between Raoul and Christine before her abduction. Raoul is still uncertain at this point if Christine actually loves him, which means that he is soon going to risk his life for a girl whose feelings remain a mystery to him. We’ve got to give him some credit for that…

In her conversation with Raoul, Christine calls Erik a “man of heaven and earth” - not a ghost, monster or demon. She has seen his face, and even though she feels horror, she apparently also sees him as a man here. Raoul is once again taken aback by how Christine talks about Erik, making him question her determination to leave. She also tells him that no matter where she calls, Erik will always hear her. This is certainly due to the acoustics of the building and its secret passageways, since Erik apparently used similar techniques in the palace he built in Persia. On a deeper level, this is a symbol of how strongly they are still bound together, and seems to extend into the supernatural.

We also learn that Erik has promised Christine to stay away from her dressing room and her bedroom in his house, and that she trusts what he says. It is quite poignant to see how far Erik and Christine apparently trust each other, and how each of them is not fully deserving of the trust put into them even if they seem to be trying. In „Apollo‘s Lyre“, Christine also mentions how she instinctively trusted Erik.

Erik has given Christine a key to his house, which must be a pretty big thing for him as he puts his own safety into her hands with this. Christine shows Raoul the key but refuses to give it to him when he demands it because it “would be a betrayal” (apparently, she doesn‘t consider what happened on the rooftop a „betrayal“ and is also unwilling to betray Erik). But then she realises that she has lost Erik’s gold ring, probably while she gave Raoul the kiss on the rooftop - which is symbolic, of course. When Erik gave her the ring, he told her that she would be safe as long as she wore it - but if she parted with it, he would take revenge. She is greatly distressed, fearing what Erik might do to both of them - but even that is not enough to get her to run away. As she seems to have lost the ring on the rooftop, and Erik has it back in his possession two days later, saying that he had found it, it is likely that he directly picked it up after Christine and Raoul left the rooftop.

Raoul then goes home, cursing Erik and resolving to save Christine while he goes to bed. In the darkness, he thinks he sees Erik’s glowing eyes watching him from the balcony, and turns on the light to see if the eyes disappear. He takes his pistol and fires a shot at Erik’s eyes, which wakes the entire household including Philippe. Philippe thinks Raoul, who is rambling incoherently, has gone completely mad and asks him who this „Erik“ is that Raoul seems to be so obsessed with. Raoul states:

“He’s my rival!”

That statement is significant because it shows that Raoul views Erik primarily as a romantic threat to himself - not just as a threat to Christine’s safety or a general nuisance that he needs to get rid of, but as a serious contender for Christine’s hand. Raoul considering him his rival also puts them on more or less equal footing. Raoul also starts to worry that he should not have been so rash because if it really was Erik, Christine might not forgive Raoul for hurting him after all.

From Raoul’s description of his glowing eyes and the fact that there really is blood on the balcony and the drainpipe, we can conclude that it was indeed Erik standing there, and that he has been wounded by Raoul’s shot to a significant degree, considering there was enough blood to have seeped through his clothing and dripped onto the balcony in a very short time. The explanation of Raoul having shot at a cat doesn’t sound very likely, given that cats wouldn’t usually slide down drainpipes to get off a balcony.

Raoul and Philippe go on to quarrel over Raoul’s plan to elope with Christine. Philippe will not tolerate Raoul marrying a girl from the opera, but Raoul seems to be determined to go through with his plan anyway and defy Philippe’s wishes.

The next morning, there is an article in the newspaper “L’Époque” revealing that Raoul and Christine are engaged and about to marry. It is somewhat strange though because we never see Raoul and Christine actually getting engaged in a serious fashion. There’s the “engagement game” of course, but it cannot be considered the same as a serious marriage proposal. In addition to that, the last time we saw Raoul and Christine discussing their elopement, there were distinctly no plans of marriage included, as Raoul promised to take Christine away and then leave her to herself, as she has decided *not* to marry. It is not clear when that plan changed, or if Christine is even aware that his plans have changed. Philippe is very much embarrassed by Raoul’s behaviour, and swears that he will stop Raoul if he still plans to go through with his plans of elopement with Christine. Raoul leaves without saying anything more to Philippe, and spends the day making preparations for the elopement until 9 pm.

There is a curious detail that Leroux draws attention to, but I’m unsure about why he mentions it at all: Raoul’s carriage is driven by a coachman “whose face was largely hidden by the long scarf he wore” (They might have picked up on this in the 2004 movie). It cannot be Erik here though, as he now appears on scene to observe the carriage while the coachman is still sitting on it. In this scene, Erik is wearing the attire we have come to associate with him because of the musical mostly - the black cloak and felt hat.

During that night’s performance of Faust, Christine appears in the role of Marguerite again, but this time, the rumours about her engagement from the morning paper cause the audience to react with hostility to her since they see her as a social climber. This gives her (and us) an idea of how Parisian society would have reacted to her if she had ever become the Viscountess (or Countess, if Philippe is dead) de Chagny (and it would most likely have been far worse if she had married the man suspected of having killed his brother over her in public). Christine is quickly losing confidence when she suddenly sees Carlotta appear in one of the boxes, and her defiant nature is awakened. Not wishing to appear weak and succumb before her enemy, she regains her confidence and sings with all her soul again.

In the final scene of „Faust“, Faust and Mephisto come to rescue an insane Marguerite from her prison cell, but even though she and Faust confess their love for each other, she refuses to escape and asks the angels to take her soul to heaven instead (you can watch it here, for example: https://youtu.be/i2C4ezHUF1I).

Final scene from „Faust“ performance at the Metropolitan Opera (image from bruzanemediabase.com)

When Christine pleads with the angels in the final prison scene, Leroux makes use of the ambiguity of the „angel“. Raoul stands up from where he has been sitting in the amphitheater (not the de Chagny box where Philippe is sitting), but the Angel of Music is quicker: the entire stage is plunged into darkness, and when the lights return, Christine is gone. A great commotion ensues, with everybody trying to explain where Christine could be, but her co-star Carolus Fonta then announces publicly that she has disappeared, and that no one knows what has really happened.

Erik’s action here is both daring and desperate. From his perspective, he needs to act now before Christine will be out of his reach forever. He has overheard the escape plan, and I guess he also saw the newspaper speculating about her impending marriage, and now sees his hand forced before it’s too late for him. The chapter‘s title calling it a „masterstroke“ („coup de maître“) highlights the extraordinary skill and boldness that were necessary to stage his abduction of Christine in the fashion that he chose. The „lover of trapdoors“ is a nickname that was given to him in Persia, as we will later learn from the Persian.

Image from wikipedia

Next chapter >>

#phantom of the opera #leroux phantom #lerouxreadingguide #the phantom of the opera #poto #erik the phantom #erik x christine #christine daae #raoul de chagny #raoul shoots erik #gaston leroux #classic literature

[hinatsu23]

List of songs from PotO 1990

I have just watched the PotO TV miniseries adaptation of 1990 !

It was very lovely and I really liked all the traditional french songs incorporated inside !! (also cherik ahah)

Sadly the songs are quite hard to find back or even to identify,, So I decided to try to regroup them and type them if possible in that post so maybe it can help some people fr some phan creations or even just sing them along the movie huhu ~ (also that way i can escape the stress of my oral in few hours,,)

Moreover, while I searched for the songs, I noticed the movie tended to modify/altern the lyrics most of the time, so I wrote the one sung in the movie by preference and the original is quoted so you can search for the original lyrics by yourself.

Sadly as I’m only French, I tried my best for the Italian operas’ ones but it’s very difficult for me to tell if some lyrics were added/removed bc of sound quality so sorry for the mistakes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

There's a song or two sadly i couldn't identify so if you have any clues about them let me know ! ✨ (also very sorry on word its very clean but on tumblr somethings went berserk and the look isn’t changeable im so sorry it looks sometimes yurk like ;;)

Finally if you want english translation for the French songs I can provide some just ask me even tho it won't be perfect as English isn’t my native language tho (for Italians ones well too bad I don’t speak it but they’re easy to find online!)

(The songs are in order of apparition)

  Song of Christine Daaé in the Attic w/ all the objects (inspired by "Auprès de ma Blonde")

“Elles viennent de chez mon père

Les lauriers sont fleuris

Tous les oiseaux du monde

S'en vont y faire leurs nids

Auprès de ma blonde

Qu'il fait bon, bon bon, bon bon

Di lala di li, La lilili la

Elle chante pour les filles

Qui n'ont point de mari

Ne chante pas pour moi

Car j'en ai un joli

Auprès de ma blonde

Qu'il fait bon, Lala ladi

Auprès de ma blonde,

La da dilili hon hon hon

Auprès de ma blonde

Qu'il fait bon dormir !”

 Song of Christine Daaé wondering around the theater - first time Cherik sees her (Inspired by Laissez-moi planter le mai, only few lyrics)

“ -does some Aah/Lala/Dululu-

En riant, tout en riant

Laissez-moi- (dululu ..)

Moi qui suis gentil galant

Bergère il faut aimer

En riant, tout en riant

Laissez-moi planter le mai

Moi qui suis gentil galant ”

 Faust by Charles Goudot : Act I - End of 1st scene, start of 2nd  - Rehearsal of Faust (Récitatif & Duo)

“ (Faust)

Maudite sois-tu, patience!

A moi, Satan! à moi!

 (Méphistopheles)

Me voici ! – D'où vient ta surprise ?

Ne suis-je pas mis à ta guise ?

L'épée au côté, la plume au chapeau,

L'escarcelle pleine, un riche manteau

Sur l'épaule ; – en somme

Un vrai gentilhomme!

("A moi!" echoing a bit until the scene is over)”

  Norma by Vincenzo Bellini : Sediziose voci di guerra – 1rst Carlotta disaster (Italian)

“ (Norma)

Sediziose voci, voci di guerra

Avvi chi alzarsi attenta

Presso all'ara del Dio?

V'ha chi presume

Dettar responsi alla veggente

Norma, E di Roma affrettar il fato arcano?

Ei non dipende, no, non dipende

Da potere umano.”

 Sonnambula by Vincenzo Bellini – Lesson w/ Cherik (Italian) I have heard it was this song but I really don’t know which one is it from the opera sorry

 La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi : Libiamo nè lieti calici (Brindisi) – 2nd Carlotta’s disaster (Italian)

“(Alfredo)

Che suscita l'amore, Poiché quell'occhio al core Onnipotente va. Libiamo, amore, amor fra i calici Più caldi baci avrà. (Everyone) Libiamo, amor fra i calici Più caldi baci avrà. (Violetta) Tra voi, tra voi, saprò dividere Il tempo mio giocondo; Tutto è follia, follia nel mondo Ciò che non è piacer. Godiam, fugace e rapido È il gaudio dell'amore; È un fior che nasce e muore, Né più si può goder. Godiam c'invita, c’invita un fervido Accento lusinghier. (Everyone) Godiam la tazza, la tazza e il cantico La notte abbella e il riso; In questo paradiso Ne scopra il nuovo dì. ”

 Le Fiacre by Jean Sablon – First song sang in the bistrot by a woman

“ Un fiacre allait, trottinant, Cahin, caha, Hu, dia, hop là ! Un fiacre allait, trottinant, Jaune, avec un cocher blanc.

Derrièr' les stores baissés, Cahin, caha, Hu, dia, hop là ! Derrièr' les stores baissés On entendait des bai-baisers.

Puis un' voix disant : " Léon ! Cahin, caha, Hu, dia, hop là ! Puis un' voix disant : " Léon ! Pour ... causer, ôt' ton lorgnon !"

Un vieux monsieur qui passait, Cahin, caha, Hu, dia, hop là ! ”

 (There’s a song while Philippe is talking but I have no clue what it could be)

Also there’s another song right after Cherik saying “I’ve never seen such perfection” I have nooooo idea what it could be but I was able to catch some lyrics (only the start bc the rest is inaudible w/ the charas voices on top of it)

“ Et que le diable emporte

Si je n’ai jamais su comment !

(S’il n’a jamais su comment !)

La deuxième et la première

Ainsi que la quatrième,

Elles pleurent

(Elles pleurent)

Je les pleure également !

Au-delà de la septième plaie(?)”

 And then I don’t hear anything oops

 Chevaliers de la Table Ronde – Last song before the Epic Opera Battle (I could catch only a line and the final one bc voices again but it seems that before the final line, the lyrics aren’t the same as what’s written online)

“(Man)

Allons soyons humble,

Chacun et portais-je

Ma vie prendre mes deux poussières ( ?? it makes no sense but i hear half of what theyre saying)

 (…)

  Sur ma tombe, je veux qu’on inscrive

« Ici-gît le roi des buveurs »

 (Everyone)

Sur ma tombe, je veux qu’on inscrive

« Ici-gît le roi des buveurs »

 (Man)

« Ici-gît ! »

 (Everyone)

« Ici-gît ! »

 (Man)

« Ici-gît ! »

 (Everyone)

Dans la tombe !

 (Man)

« Ici-gît le roi des buveurs 

Ici-gît ! »

 (Everyone)

« Ici-gît ! »

 (Man)

« Ici-gît ! »

 (Everyone)

Dans la tombe !

 (Man)

« Ici-gît le roi des buveurs »

 La fille du régiment by Gaetano Donizetti : Par le rang et l’opulence… Salut à la France – Christine vs Carlotta song

“Sous les bijoux et la dentelle, ah je cache un chagrin sans espoir

Sans espoir, sans espoir, sans espoir, sans espoir… A quoi me sert d'être si belle,

Lui seul, il ne doit pas me voir. (Carlotta then Christine)

Lui seul, il ne doit pas me voir.

Oh toi qui je fis ravir, Dont j’ai partagé le destin… Je donnerais toute ma vie

Pour pouvoir vous serrer la main ! Je donnerais

Je donnerais toute ma vie

Pour pouvoir vous serrer la main !

(Carlotta leaves)

Je donnerais toute ma vie

Ah, pour pouvoir vous serrer la…

Pour pouvoir vous serrer

La main…”

 Laissez-moi planter le mai – Flashback of Christine and Philippe’s childhood

“Hier matin je m’y levais

Laissez-moi planter le mai

Vers le bois je m’en allais

En riant, tout en riant

Laissez-moi planter le mai

Moi qui suis gentil galant

Hier matin.. ”

 Faust by Charles Gounod : Act II Scene 5 (Ainsi que la brise légère) – Christine’s disaster

“(Everyone) Ainsi que la brise légère Soulève en épais tourbillons La poussière de les sillons,

La poussière de les sillons, Que la valse nous entraîne ! Faites retentir la plaine                                                                                    De l'éclat de vos chansons ! De l'éclat de vos chansons !

(Faust) La voici ! ... C'est elle ! ...

(Méphistophélès) Eh bien, aborde-la !

(Siebel) Marguerite !

(Méphistophélès) Plaît-il ?

(Siebel) Maudit homme ! encor là ! ...

(Méphistophélès) Eh quoi, mon ami ! vous voilà ! ... Ah ah ! Vraiment ! mon ami ! vous voilà !

(Faust) Ne permettrez-vous pas, ma belle demoiselle, Qu'on vous offre le bras pour faire le chemin ?

(Marguerite) Non, monsieur ! je ne suis demoiselle, ni belle- !”

 Faust by Charles Gounod : Act V scenes – Final song w/ Cherik interfering (Mix of several scenes)

“ (Act I Scene 2)

(Méphistophélès)

Je puis contenter ton caprice.

Je puis contenter ton caprice.

 (Faust)

Et que te donnerai-je en retour ?

(Méphistophélès) Presque rien ! Presque rien ! Ici, je suis à ton service, Mais là-bas, tu seras au mien !

(Faust) Là-bas ? ...

(Méphistophélès) Là-bas... Allons, signe ! Eh quoi ! ta main tremble ! Que faut-il pour te décider ? La jeunesse t'appelle ; ose la regarder !

(From Act I Scene 2 to Act III Scene 4)

(Marguerite)

Ah ! je ris de me voir, Si belle en ce miroir ! Est-ce toi, Marguerite ? Est-ce toi ?                                                                                                       Réponds-moi, réponds, réponds, réponds vite ! Non ! non ! – ce n'est plus toi ! Non ! non ! – ce n'est plus ton visage ! C'est la fille d'un roi, C'est la fille d'un roi,                                                                                         C'est la fille d'un roi,                                                                                         Qu'on salue au passage ! – Ah, s'il était ici ! ... S'il me voyait ainsi ! Comme une demoiselle, Il me trouverait belle.

Comme une demoiselle, Il me trouverait belle.

Comme une demoiselle, Il me trouverait belle. Achevons la métamorphose ! Il me tarde encor d'essayer Le bracelet et le collier ! Dieu ! c'est comme une main qui sur mon bras se pose !

Ah, ce n'est plus ton visage, Non ! c'est la fille d'un roi, Qu'on salue au passage.

(From Act III Scene 3 to Act V Scene 4)

(Méphistophélès)

(Le geôlier) dort, – voici les clefs, il faut Que ta main d'homme la délivre !

(Faust) Laissez-nous !

(Méphistophélès) Hâte-toi ! – Moi, je veille au dehors !

(From Act V Scene 4 to 5)

(Faust) Mon cœur est pénétré d'épouvante !

O torture ! O source de regrets et d'éternels remords ! C'est elle ! La voici, la douce créature, Marguerite ! Marguerite !

 (Marguerite) Ah c'est la voix du bien aimé ! A son amour mon cœur s'est ranimé.

(Faust) Marguerite !

(Marguerite) Au milieu de vos éclats de rire, Démons qui m'entourez, j'ai reconnu sa voix !

(Faust) Marguerite !

(Marguerite) Sa main, sa douce main m'attire ! Je suis libre, il est là, je suis libre,

Il est là, je l'entends, je le vois !

Oui, c'est toi ! je t'aime ! Oui, c'est toi ! je t'aime ! Les fers, la mort même Ne me font plus peur, Tu m'as retrouvée, Tu m'as retrouvée,

Me voilà sauvée ! C'est toi bien, je suis sûre !

(Faust) Cherik

Oui, c'est moi, je t'aime !

Oui, c'est moi, je t'aime ! Malgré l'effort même Du démon moqueur, Je t'ai retrouvée !

Je t'ai retrouvée ! Te voilà sauvée

Te voilà sauvée

C’est moi, Viens, viens sur mon cœur !

(From Act V Scene 5 to 6)

(Méphistophélès)

Alerte ! alerte ! ou vous êtes perdus ! Si vous tardez encor je ne m'en mêle plus !

(Marguerite) Mon Dieu, protégez-moi !

(Faust) Both Viens !

(Marguerite) Mon Dieu, je vous implore !

(Faust) Both Fuyons ! Peut-être il en est temps encore !

(Marguerite)

Anges pure, anges radieux, Portez mon âme au sein des cieux ! Dieu juste, à toi je m’abandonne ! Dieu bon, je suis à toi, pardonne !

Anges pure, anges radieux, Portez mon âme au sein des cieux !

(Faust) Cherik

Viens, suis-moi, je le veux !

(Marguerite)

Anges pure, anges radieux, Portez mon âme au sein des cieux !

 (Méphistophélès)

Hâtons-nous !

(Marguerite)

Dieu juste, à toi je m’abandonne !

(Faust) Both but Cherik is clearly dominant

Viens, suis-moi !

(Marguerite)

Dieu juste, à toi je m’abandonne !

(Faust) ^^^

Viens, suis-moi, suis-moi !

(Marguerite)

Dieu bon, je suis à toi, pardonne !

(Faust) ^^^

Viens, je le veux !

*(Marguerite) Anges pure, anges radieux,

(Faust) ^^^

Viens, viens, quittons ces lieux !

(Marguerite) Portez mon âme au sein des cieux !

(Faust) ^^^

Déjà le jour envahit les cieux !

(Marguerite)

Anges pure, anges radieux, Portez mon âme au sein des cieux !*

*(Marguerite)

Dieu juste, à toi je m’abandonne !

(Faust)

Viens ! Viens !

Viens, c’est moi, c’est moi qui te l’ordonne !

(Marguerite) Dieu bon, je suis à toi, pardonne !

Anges pure, anges radieux,

(Faust)

Viens, viens, quittons ces lieux !

(Marguerite)

Portez mon âme au sein le ciel !

(Faust) Both but clearly Cherik at the end

Déjà le jour envahit les cieux !* ”

(* = They sing it almost at same time so I tried to write it in the order they sing it but yeah as well a nightmare to follow as to type it down while listening to their wonderful voices at least ten times)

I hope it will be helpful or will serve anybody !

#poto #phantom of the opera #poto1990 #phantom of the opera 1990 #cherik #christine #songs #french songs #italian songs #opera #faust #norma #la fille du régiment #la traviata #so much songs repeated non stop #also please carlotta stop singing its so hard to keep listening to you here #she gave me headaches with only two loops fr #i really hope it will help someone #otherwise well i know the songs now #yay #cherik intervention was beautiful in faust

[thegrandromantic]

if you ever want to have a fever dream watch “the phantom of the country music hall” episode of the new scooby doo movies. i watched it at like 7:00 am after not sleeping all night and i’m pretty sure it caused an out of body experience. almost none of the goofs seem to land, there are tons of incredibly long pauses between dialogue where characters just stare at one another, the same phrases/goofs get reused a bunch within like a few minutes of the last time they were used which is unusual for scooby doo. there isn’t even really a monster in the episode? the only things even shaggy and scooby get scared about are things they themselves caused or occasionally one of the criminal characters turning the lights out on them while they’re in a storage closet (no joke this same “scare” happened at least like 3 different times) there’s a country music star featured but he only knows one song and sings it constantly. shaggy is obsessed with the xylophone. it’s implied daphne and fred know the plot of the opera faust and that it should be common knowledge. it kind of tries to be the phantom of the opera but they just never show a phantom? i literally think i transcended watching this episode.

#scooby doo #scooby #the new scooby doo movies #the phantom of the country music hall #shaggy rogers #shaggy #fred jones #fred #velma dinkley #velma #daphne blake #daphne #mystery gang #the mystery gang #cartoon #nostalgia #quinn rambles

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #310

“i get pretty just to fuck my face up.”

Do you have a clock in your room? No. What book, movie, TV show, or video game have you been wanting to start up? I *want* to read The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, but I care more about reading Wings of Fire, so I probably realistically won't for a long time. I don't read enough for that; Sutherland will surely keep pumping out books in the series so I'll never catch up, haha. As for a movie, I've been interested in seeing Jacob's Ladder for a very long time; it served as a very large influence on the Silent Hill series, and boy, anyone who brings up video games in front of me knows SH is my SHIT. I also just know I'm bound to like it with how essentially legendary it is in the psychological horror genre, which is my favorite. Onto TV show, I'm not certain. Shows don't really interest me. I would like to keep watching A:TLA w/ Sara, but "start up" implies beginning something new, so. Lastly, video games. There are a LOT of games I want to play, but yeah, I have no operational gaming console above a PS2. I'm dyinnnngggggg to play a ton of PS4 remasters (namely the original Spyro the Dragon trilogy and SoTC), but as for a fresh game I've never experienced, Ico, which is from the same producers of Shadow of the Colossus. It's an old game, and Mom's bought it off of Ebay for me twice, but neither disc worked - they froze only minutes into the game. It's hella expensive in new condition though because of its age... so who knows when I'll actually get to play it. Do you put anything else on your grilled cheese sandwiches? Just butter. Have you ever read a book in a different language? I've read some simple fairy tales as well as the play Faust in German courses. Do you want to go to the Harry Potter theme park at Universal? I have no connection with the franchise, but I mean, I'd go if you're paying, haha. If you had a secret room in your house, how would you decorate it? I'm trying to think what kind of room I'd keep a secret... Ha, actually, IF my love of tarantulas expands so largely to having dozens (which I doubt, but I acknowledge the possibility once I get my own place), a room kept on the down low to others just for them would be pretty cool. Imagine someone not knowing they're sharing a house with like, a hundred Ts, haha. As for actual decor, I'm unsure. I'd definitely keep it generally dark for them as nocturnal creatures, maybe with some Halloween decorations, like lots of fake webbing and neon green or orange lights. Man... that sounds dope. What did you get your dad for his last birthday? I couldn't buy him anything, nor did I actually make anything since I didn't know what to create. I just told him happy birthday, of course. Do any of your relatives live in another country? No. Are you claustrophobic? In some spaces, yes. Ever seen Blair Witch? Without spoilers, you know "that part" near the end? Yeah, if you've seen it, you know. That would be a fucking NIGHTMARE for me. Even watching it made me squirm. When grocery shopping, do you usually buy brand names or store brand? With most items anyway, we just get the store brand bc we cheap. Around what time do you usually eat dinner? Generally between 5:30-6:30 nowadays. Do you have any clothing that you get dry cleaned? No. Do you like foods with coconut in it? Eugh, not a coconut fan. I don't hate it as much as I used to, but I still don't like it. Have you ever researched your family history? No, but some past relative researched our family tree. Have you ever had surgery that kept you in the hospital for over a day? No. Do you like carrots more if they’re raw, or cooked? I hate carrots. Did you play with Legos as a kid? Nah, I was more into Lincoln Logs. Which bothers you more… spelling mistakes or bad grammar? It really depends on the severity and simplicity of the spelling or grammar rule. Grammatical misuse of "there/their/they're" stand out very strongly to me, though. Have you ever bought anything off of eBay? Yeah, a good number of things. Is anybody in your family schizophrenic? If so, what is their life like? I have a scizophrenic half-sister that I've never met, so I couldn't tell you. How organized is your mind? How do you know it's organized/disorganized? My mind is running Windows '98 with multiple windows and even more tabs open, all of them not responding. :^) Why do you follow the religion that you do? I don't follow one. My personal religious journey was a train wreck liberating to jump off of. Do you feel superior to others because you're that religion? I don't care if you're atheist, Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, whatever - you are by no means superior to another person in any way just because you believe different things happen once you die. If you do, it's time for some introspection. Are you a blind believer, or do you frequently challenge your own beliefs? Seeing as I went from Catholic to Christian to briefly Neo-Pagan-ish to what I am now, just believing there's some higher power/knowledge and some form of sentience after death, I obviously challenge them. What's the greatest thing about science? Life itself. This universe, this planet, your state of just knowing is a product of science, and that's pretty damn beautiful. Are you emotional or very stolid? I know I'm too emotional. I'm trying to get better about it. Do your siblings look like you? To a degree, but not NEARLY as much as they look like each other. Ashley and Nicole have been mistaken multiple times in their lives and even asked if they're twins. How many states have you lived in? Just this shitty one. How many states have you traveled through/vacationed in? Traveled through, a whole lot. Up and down the east coast. I've stayed in New York, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, South Carolina briefly, and I think possibly Michigan as a baby. Which state was/is your favorite? I don't know. Not NC, haha. You have two weeks alone in any place in the world; where would you go? Alone? Um... I dunno. I'd get lonely through two weeks in absolute isolation. How old were you when you first moved out of your parents' home? I want to say I was 18 when I briefly "moved in" with Jason and our roommates. Did you ever have to move back in? Yeah; the apartment didn't last very long. None of us were ready. How old were you when you thought you were "in love" for the first time? I was in love at 16. I'd fight God literally for eternity to prove that fact. How many exterior doors are in your home? Two, or maybe three, depending on your outlook. We have like this deck in the back with a roof and mesh separating you from the outside, and then you properly go into the yard from the door beyond that. How many cars have you owned? I myself, none. How many email accounts do you have? Ummmm my very first one I misspelled, so I didn't use it long before making a new one with the correct spelling, then later I had no choice but to make a Gmail to use YouTube, and I know I've had at least one email specifically for school. I'm probably forgetting some other oldies I used for small things. What was the last movie you watched alone? The Shining. What (if any) one television program do you watch religiously every day/week? None. What (if any) is your favorite sport? Dance. Scoff at that shit and then try one dance session and tell me it's not one. What is your favorite musical? None. Have you ever seen a live opera production? No. Dressing up for an evening out: Pants or skirt? Pants. I don't show my legs. What do you currently hear right now? I'm listening to Dance With the Dead's "The Man Who Made a Monster." I LOVE the aesthetic of synthwave and rock mixed together, but the only problem I have with this song is that it's very repetitive. Still stuck in my head though, haha. What type of survey do you refuse to take? I'm not into bolding surveys, specifically. Do you like to run? bitch fuck no Do you think you could run the mile in 10 minutes? Zero chance. What was the longest movie you watched? Hm, I don't remember... It's faintly there in my head, I just can't identify it... Have you ever been to a job interview? Well yeah. Who was the last person to call you? My psychiatrist. Now that I'm doing the partial hospitalization program again, he calls once a week. When was the last time you talked to your last ex boyfriend? Uhhh I think around the start of this month? Missed him and felt like chatting for a bit. Is your dog mixed or full? I don't have a dog, buuuut... we're getting one soon! I'm quite sure she's a mutt. What was the last thing you and your mother did together? Rode to the pharmacy to pick up my meds. Do you take good pictures? I like to think so. What is your display picture on myspace/facebook right now? The most recent selfie I took and liked. I'm finally comfortable using makeupless photos as a display picture. :') Not that I like my body by any means, I just don't care enough to feel like I HAVE to wear makeup to be even remotely pretty in the face. As for everywhere else... ahahaha. What is going on outside right now? It's raining. Like it has been for what feels like literally weeks - and it might actually have been. There's been one or two sunny days in a huge streak of just nothing but rain. It's so gross outside by now; we've been under a flood warning for days on end. Who was the last person you kissed? My best friend, but we were dating then. What color looks the best on you? Black. Have you ever bought the wrong size because you were too lazy to check it? Oh, absolutely. I LOATHE trying on clothes. You have to essentially drag me to go do it. I don't have a good reason other than I don't want to, lol. What was the last thing you bought over 5 dollars? I put down the deposit on my tattoo. c: Do you have any mag subscriptions? No. What is something you're not scared of but a lot of people are? Snakes are probably the highest on the list. I adore snakes, all snakes. Would you ever have a threesome? No; I'm strictly monogamous and to me would be cheating even if your partner was in on it. Are you an U.S. citizen? Yep. Do you have any step siblings? I have a stepbrother, yeah, but I don't see him as my brother, honestly. He's a very quiet and reclusive guy I've had almost no conversations with, and they've only ever been short. Do they annoy you? Nah, he's fine. How many times a day do you talk to your mom on the phone? Well, we live together... What did you wear yesterday? The same pjs I'm in now. I'm changing when I take a shower later. The tank top is a Day of the Dead-esque skull pattern, while the pants are mostly navy with skulls and candy can crossbones that say "nice until proven naughty" arching over and beneath them. They were a Christmas gift from my sis and are really soft and comfortable. Really don't care that it's now out of season, I wear them anyway. I do not match colors AT ALL, but again, I don't care. What color straightener do you have? We don't have one; neither Mom or I use one. Do you listen to music really loud or really low? Turn that shit up LOUD. I'll be nearly deaf one day, but... worth it? lol Do you live with anybody other than your siblings and your parents? No. Both my sisters have moved out. I'm still here because I'm just not emotionally or financially equipped to live on my own yet. Who was your last crush? I still like my best friend, but agree with her that right now isn't the time for anything. How many tattoos do you have? Currently only six. :( What is your favorite thing to do? Car rides with Mom while I ride passenger, controlling the music nice and loud with my iPod. It's odd, considering I'm very afraid of being on the road, but it's just such a freeing, wild feeling to blare music and just go, letting your mind wander. How many pets do you own? I only have a cat and a snake right now, but we're getting a dog hopefully very soon, preferably today actually when Mom has to go to the appropriate city for her normal check-up to keep her cancer at bay. Her name is Vanna and sounds so perfect for us. Mom can barely wait. Are you close with your parents? Yes, very, Mom especially. Where do you shop the most for your clothes? Hot Topic or Wal-Mart. I'd really like more stuff from Rebel's Market; they have such a wide range of stuff that just scream my aesthetic. I got my purse from there, and it's fantastic quality and so cool-looking. Have you ever read a whole series of books? Well, one trilogy that I remember: Shiloh. I adored those books and the movies. I got very, very deep into Warriors by Erin Hunter, but then my interest in reading waned, and I'm immensely behind. I don't think I'll pick it up again, but I've thought briefly about it. When you tell someone you love them do you mean it? Yes. Are you going to walk at your graduation or just pick your diploma up? I walked. Do you ever eat anything everybody else thinks is gross? Hm, perhaps. I'd have to think for a while. What did you do for your last birthday? I just ate pizza at home with my one sister that was free that day, Mom, and a family friend, as well as opened presents. What do you plan on doing for your 18th birthday? I don't recall, but I think that may have been when I was in the psych hospital. Or was that my 21st? I don't remember. Do you have to type with good grammer? Yes. I type pretty much exactly how I talk. What is your favorite quote? It's hard to pick one singular favorite. Are you allowed to cuss in front of your parents? Dad could care less, but I try to limit myself with Mom, especially with "fuck." She's not a fan, nor does she like if I just swear too much in front of her. Like she won't yell at me or anything, she just makes it clear she wants me to stop. How long was your last phone conversation? Just a couple minutes. I didn't get the Zoom link to group therapy one day and let the place know. Turns out their email was fucking up. Which one of your friends annoy you? The family friend I mentioned a few questions above has the ability to be incredibly aggravating. I love her, but she has zero issue with inserting herself into everything (and sometimes we just don't want to see her), and she voices incredibly rude opinions literally no one asks for a whoooole lot. She's got a strong tendency to try to take control over every situation. Her being our landlord now makes it harder to speak up, and besides, no one wants to hurt her feelings. Don't be mistaken though, she truly is an incredible person with a heart more caring than probably any person I know. Have you ever lost a close friend to death? No, thank fuck. I mean, I think. I do believe one of my childhood online friends committed suicide because of sexual abuse from her own fucking brother, but I guess I'll never know. She was talking to me one night horribly depressed and scared and then just vanished. Bless her, I loved her. Do you know someone who suffers from addiction? Yes. Do you have a lot of pictures in your room? Tons of posters and artwork, anyway. I currently don't have any photographs, but I got this shadowbox thing for my bday to decorate with pictures of Teddy so I can use it in my "tribute shrine" or whatever for him, and I'd also like to frame the picture of Sara's and my first hug and maybe put it on my bedside table. Do you have Facebook? Yeah, I do. Have you ever found a dog/cat on the side of the road? I myself, no, but a friend's mom did find two poor kittens thrown aside in a fucking plastic bag... Some people are abominable. Knowing how much my family loved cats, she reached out to us, and we took them in and named them Aphrodite and... I can't remember the other's name. She disappeared kinda early. Aphrodite wound up being one of my most beloved cats and was even the mother of a kitten that same family adopted. Delilah is still alive, doing wonderfully, and incredibly loved. <3 Aphrodite, meanwhile, as well as all our other cats at the time, were taken by animal control because our neighbors were tired of them wandering, even though they were too fucking cowardly to confront us first. I've said in many surveys that I am very much against outdoor cats, but I wasn't then because I was uninformed and really didn't understand. I wailed and sobbed and just pure shrieked like a banshee outside when we came home to learn they were taken. I have no clue how any are now, and that's the worst part. Do you go bowling in your town? We are in the middle of a pandemic, lol. Even beforehand though, I rarely went. Last time I did was on a date with Girt. We had fun. Do you have a drive-in theater? No sir. What brand is your favorite shoe? Converse. Is your best friend's mom like your own? They're quite similar, yes. Both are very sweet and caring for others. Do you have anxiety or depression? Try both. What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Sonic. Do you own a pair of brass knuckles? Nah. Have you and your friends ever made up a word? Likely as kids. Do you have any embarrassing baby pictures of yourself? Not that I know of. What is the worst smell in the world? Anyone remember that survey I took mentioning my dog's old tumor? Yeah, that after he spent overnight in a diaper and inevitably peed himself in his old age. And he had a UTI. You probably can't even imagine how fucking vomit-inducing that smell was. Do you dye your hair a lot? No. :/ I really wish. I have so many colors I wanna try. Do you have anybody in your family who rides dirtbikes/fourwheelers? Not really? No one in my family owns one. My younger sister would totally go if you asked her and had one for her to use, though. She's done it plenty before. Have you ever rode a dirtbike/fourwheeler? Yeah, a fourwheeler, and it's really fun! Tell me how you got one of your scars? Hmmm, let's think of a unique one. Ah, my shins, left one especially. When I shave my legs, they get unbelievably itchy, even if I use lotion, and I would scratch my skin absolutely raw so often that I have permanent scars. It's partially why I barely shave my legs anymore. Have you ever had a friend who cut themselves? I know many, sadly. I don't know of any that still do, thankfully. I promise, it never helps. If you ever have the urge, I can't suggest enough running where you want to self-harm under cold water or slap the location (like your wrist) with a rubber band. The latter is especially helpful. It's a similar burning sensation and doesn't leave marks. It would help me refrain sometimes. What is your favorite thing to do in the summer? Swim in a nice, warm pool. Otherwise, become a hermit and wait for the outdoors to not be prepared to melt the flesh off my bones. x_x Do you go tanning or do you lay out? Neither, ugh. As you can guess from above, I hate the sensation of heat on me. What is your favorite skin lotion? I just really like cocoa butter. Smells really good and is perfectly moisturizing. Do you use a lot of hair products? The only hair product I use is shampoo, haha. Do you have a cousin you dislike? No. Well, one is incredibly brainwashed and misled by her psychopath of a father, but I love her nonetheless. We talk now and again because family is important to her. Have you ever heard Theory of a Deadman? Yeah, they're good. What is your comfort food? Absolutely ice cream. Who is your celebrity crush? Mark Fischbach/Markiplier is a perfect human being with the looks of a god and heart of a saint and you cannot convince me otherwise. What’s the song you most wish you had written? "Imagine" by John Lennon is a high contendant, for sure. Definitely something I'd write. Have you ever been stuck by someone very annoying on a plane/bus/etc? I think so at one point or another. Did you get lost at all on your first day of high school? Ha, for sure. Have you ever been interrupted during sex? A bitch knows how to act asleep if she hears a door so much as barely squeak, I'll tell you that much lmaooo. Have you ever been recorded doing stupid things while drunk? No. Has a significant other ever called you by the wrong name? No. Have you ever cooked anything and it turned out horrible? I've barely actually cooked anything in order TO fuck up. Have you ever made a bad first impression on someone’s parents? I can't say with certainty, but I think Jason's mom had her doubts about me at first because she commented on the ripped jeans I wore when I went to his house for the first time. She came to love me like her own though, and I love(d) her. I was actually just thinking about her and how she's doing the other day. What is a food that you always are in the mood to eat? Always? Perhaps sour candy, like Sour Punch Straws in specific. Ever held a newborn animal? Many kittens, yes. Do you make a wish when you blow out your birthday candles? I do, but just for the annual appeal of it. I don't actually believe it will have any effect on what I wished, it's just... normal, ig. What is the last thing you searched for online? Medical coding classes. Having trouble finding any free ones that are actually legit... Is it wicked hard for you to sleep when it's hot in your room? It's borderline impossible. Do you dunk your cookies in milk? Sometimes, and almost always with Oreos. Do medical terms make you uncomfortable? Ha, speaking of medical coding... No, not really. It's unnerving to hear "you have _____," but I understand it can be something so, so minor. Of course, it could be the exact opposite, but. I also actually find it quite interesting to learn the Latin roots of the terms. Are you afraid of failure? Beyond measure. Have you been called a bad influence? Yes, to my former friend's son. Not that that witch of a woman was a great person. I'd love to know how an infant can be negatively affected by receiving nothing but love from his "aunt," also having no concept of understanding about me being unemployed and not very "adult-ish" in general, which I'm sure is what she meant. Normally judgment hits me deep, but that shit I just rolled my eyes at.

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''bottom is a rock'' by mother mother

[lucy-ghoul]

maybe erik and christine from phantom of the opera? 💗

YES, thank you, I was waiting for a POTO related ask! (now if some good soul asked me about darth vader i shall be a happy woman) 

Erik.

do I like them: If I like him? He’s my favorite character ever. No one can compare, sorry not sorry.

5 good qualities: That’s easy! He’s got the Most Beautiful Voice in the World, he’s a genius at everything, his Cape Swish is on point, he’s snarky and witty, and his redemption at the end never fails to move me.

3 bad qualities: Well, where to begin lmao? As for Frollo, his obsessive personality, his control issues, and the murder/torture stuff. Which make him a very interesting character, but they’re not exactly good qualities lol.

favourite episode/etc: As for the previous ask, I’ll say which version of the character is my favorite: so, I love Musical!Erik, but my heart belongs to Leroux!Erik (and partly to Susan Kay’s Phantom). I just... can’t see him with a half-mask. I know it’s iconic, and for a reason, but my Erik will always wear a full-mask and look like death incarnate. (The meta I could write about his relationship with Death... ah.)

otp: Erik is my phandom bycicle lol, I ship him with everyone. I love Erik/Daroga and Erik/Meg (the most underrated crackship ever :/), but recently I warmed up to Erik/Christine, too. (I’ve always found their dynamic fascinating, and I enjoyed a lot of E/C AU fics, but I’ve never really shipped them in the way most people ship them? Idk, it’s weird.) Unironically, I’ve shipped Erik/Raoul since I watched the Devil Takes the Hindmost scene in Love Never Dies - it started as a joke, but then I got really deep into it lol.

brotp: Erik and the Daroga, especially in Kay’s book. IMHO it was the best part of the novel, besides Erik’s backstory.

ot3: Erik/Christine/Raoul FTW.

notp: I’m not a big fan of the Erik/Christine relationship in the previously mentioned Kay book, mostly because her Christine’s characterization is not my cup of tea. But to each one their own, I guess.

best quote: “You must know that I am made of death from head to foot, and it is a corpse who loves you and adores you and will never, never leave you!” and “All I wanted was to be loved for myself “, and also all the “I’m dying of love” speech after the Final Lair events. Now, I rarely cry when I read books, but I cried actual tears when I’ve read that scene. And from Kay’s book: “My mind has touched the farthest horizons of mortal imagination and reaches ever outward to embrace infinity. There is no knowledge beyond my comprehension, no art or skill upon this entire planet that lies beyond the mastery of my hand. And yet, like Faust, I look in vain, I learn in vain... For as long as I live, no woman will ever look on me in love.”

head canon: He is very, very tall. It’s actual canon in Kay’s book, but in Leroux he’s supposed to be of average height. And of course, in the musical it depends from the actor.

Christine.

do I like them: Yes, a lot!

5 good qualities: Compassionate, empathetic, brave, sensitive, loyal.

3 bad qualities: Naiveness, maybe also indecisiveness, and the way she can’t move on from her father’s death. Which is not a bad quality, of course - depression is not a bad quality - but she struggles to let go of the past, and it’s something she needs to learn to do for her own character development.

favourite episode/etc: Leroux!Christine is my favorite Christine, with her independent streak but also genuine vulnerability. She’s also kind of dramatic, which is to be expected in a Gothic heroine.

otp: Both Erik/Christine and Raoul/Christine (the first pairing is dark and intriguing, the second is just so cute and one of the very few friends to lovers ship I like; I believe both men fulfill different but equally important roles in her life), but recently I’ve also got into Christine/Daroga (thanks to @wheel-of-fish, and mostly because they are the only ones who can somehow manage Erik, so they could bond over that), and Christine/Carlotta.

brotp: Christine and Meg!

ot3: Again, Erik/Christine/Raoul FTW.

notp: As I said above, I don’t like Kay!E/C, but that’s just my personal taste.

best quote:  “I am mistress of my own actions, Monsier de Chagny: you have no right to control them, and I will beg you to desist henceforth. As to what I have done during the last fortnight, there is only one man in the world who has the right to demand an account of me: my husband! Well, I have no husband and I never mean to marry!" You go, girl.

head canon: Very deep in her subconscious, maybe she suspected that there was something... not right with her Angel, but she held on that belief with all her heart to not give in to despair and grief. I know it’s very far-fetched, but it’s just a headcanon, after all.

Thank you!!! ❤

#sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes but i'm tired and rn i can't think/write in english #also as you can see i'm a multishipper and i'm fine with almost anything in this fandom #which exempts from stupid ship wars and character bashing #i'm too old for that shit lol #lvcilla #asks

[queen--kenobi]

So we all know the Beast can sing opera, but how would he respond if somebody (say, a reader tempted by his voice) started singing back at night?

Okay, we’re breaking this up into head canons because I can’t separate my meta from a story with this one.

First, confusion?

Opera is his thing! A lot of the other residents of the woods sing, but no one else sings opera. A lot of it is due to the genre/style the person/animal/creature/whatever it may be reflects their personality, and no one has a personality like his

Obviously his genre is going to involve tragedy and sorrow, but other types focus too much on the sorrow, if that makes sense? And they don’t account for the temptation you can feel like opera does?

Okay, comparing to the blues. The blues are good and beautiful, but it doesn’t work for him because the bad thing has already happened or in the process of happening. There has to be that promise that something terrible is going to happen.

Opera has this fated feeling to it? Like it feels as if you can’t say no, the temptation is too strong. And it’s combined with the idea of “even if I say no here, down the line, I won’t be strong enough, and this is just going to happen”

TL;DR: Opera is the musical equivalent of the “We will always end up here” scene from SPN, and that’s why only the Beast sings it in OTGW

That, and, you know, Faust. The direct connection to that

He’d probably just... listen for a bit. Because, again, he’s the only one who sings it, so he doesn’t get the chance to appreciate it which is a shame because opera is beautiful

But then he’d have to find out who’s singing it and what role their playing (because he’s the Devil, so he needs to find out how he can leverage it)

I also believe that the longer someone is in the woods/close to the woods, that you get “influenced” by it. And that your music style is the first thing to go

Which narrows it down to two choices: are you a Faust or are you a Marguerite?

He’d spend a lot of time watching you, trying to figure you out. Because he almost always knows what role a person plays when they come in, but something is different about you

Basically expect to be stalked by the Beast, and beyond him following potential victims stalking. Because he only checked in on them occasionally, since he knew that the Woods have a way of wearing people down without his help

This means more involved stalking than he normally does, than he’s done in a while. It’s more involved than regular old “predator stalking prey” because he’s Interested.

Honestly? It won’t take long before it develops into an obsession

And uuuuuuhhhhhh, I don’t have to tell you that being the obsession of the literal Devil is not something you want

You’re going to start getting a lot of gifts!

Do you have something that you’ve been wanting for ages? Say you have a job that you’ve been wanting. You’ll suddenly have every person ever hiring for that job knocking down your door to try to hire you

Been craving something oddly specific? Maybe something you can’t find anymore. Boom! Lifetime supply of whatever it is

What if someone is bothering you? Next thing you know, they’re dead and gone

I mean, you will become suspect #1 because their body will be discovered basically right in your house/apartment.

You will 10000000000% have a gift-wrapped heart on your kitchen counter in the morning. And probably a gift-wrapped head in your fridge. And entrails somewhere, and so on

Once he thinks he’s figured out how to use you, he’s going to try and bribe you/buy you even more-so than he was before

Just, you know, be warned. He’s a patient bastard and doesn’t take no for an answer. He also has had years to perfect making people break, so it’s not going to be a quick process. It’s going to be slow and painful, no matter which option you choose

Congrats! You’re now a modern opera love interest! Don’t you feel lucky?

#the beast x reader #damn I haven't used that tag in a long time! #This was really fun! I liked this one a lot! #side note: I think you can find places streaming opera for free because of the virus? #I highly recommend watching it because oh my god it is an experience #but if you do you will cry like a little baby the first one you watch it doesn't matter how prepared you are #ask me how I know :p

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

pretty sure I've asked you this before, but since you've seen more operas/opera productions since, what's an opera you've seen more than one production of, and what are your thoughts on those productions? What do you like about some over others? How do you feel about the various casts? Do certain production concepts work better than others, and why?

Okay, so I’m gonna go ahead and do what I did when I hijacked your trouser role quiz post (sorry about that) to talk about a bunch of different Faust productions except I’m gonna talk about them MORE. so INCOMING:

Vienna 1985: first full production I ever watched, so it has that sentimental value. the biggest no for me is that the director decided to make Marguerite a nun??? (she gets kicked out after Act III) the production is set somewhere in the French countryside during the Napoleonic Wars and it actually works pretty well overall! not a fan of the extraneous ballet dancers, though. but there’s some really great stageplay and special effects (the golden calf is a sight to behold, and the church scene is incredibly creepy and I like it even though once again, LOSE THE EXTRANEOUS DANCERS PLEASE). the cast is really fantastic. Raimondi is still one of my favorite Méphistophélès(es?). even in the nun costume, Benackova is an amazing Marguerite. all in all: good show. lose the dancers. also the apotheosis is creeeeeeeeeeepy.

Paris 1975: the video quality was...kinda bad, not helped by the fact that the production is somewhat dingy. I like the vibe it was trying to go for but it just didn’t really work. the ROH did it way better. cast is excellent: Gedda is Gedda, Freni is Freni, Soyer is Soyer (and pulls off a baby blue suit at one point which is itself no mean feat). I like it! not my favorite though.

Geneva 1995: not great video quality either but pretty pretty PRETTY. the garden is particularly wonderful. also tries to go for the same vibe as Paris/later ROH and falls short of the latter. Samuel Ramey IS Méphistophélès. rest of the cast is wonderful too. not sure if there are any other Ramey Faust productions, but even if there are, must watch just for him.

And now for the ongoing ROH production saga:

Three broadcasts, all of the same wonderful McVicar Belle Époque Paris production. (This was the setting that both Paris and Geneva tried to get right but simply didn’t measure up). It’s a lot of fun, start to finish. Great visuals, great choreography (we get the ballet! and well done at that), great costumes (the Walpurgisnacht costume for Méphistophélès is iconic). No wonder it’s a company hit. Also this is just me personally but I fall hook, line, and sinker for any over-the-top Belle Époque aesthetic.

ROH 2004: Alagna, Gheorghiu, Terfel, Keenlyside, Koch. What more could you ask for? They’re all great (even if, sorry, that blonde wig is ugly as sin. just let Gheorghiu use her normal hair or at least a wig like it and stop trying to associate blondeness with pure heroines. end mini-rant). this is the first of 3 Alagna Fausts I’ve seen and he’s great in all of them. Gheorghiu is her amazing self, so is Terfel, Keenlyside is pure luxury casting in a pretty small role, and in Koch you see the beginning of a very nice career. the OG. it’s great.

ROH 2011: Gheorghiu is back! I liked her more in the 2004 outing tbh but she still does very well. Grigolo is Grigolo—I actually do like his voice but a) not as good as Alagna IMO and b) he’s a total creep/milker (ironically, it was a different run of this exact production that caused everyone to realize that and in turn was a pretty big scandal last year but I digress). Pape is glorious—this is one of 3 Fausts I’ve seen him do and he’s also great in all of them. Dima is even more of a luxury casting and Losièr is her utterly adorable self as Siébel.

ROH 2019: probably my least favorite overall cast of the three but still very, very good. they have tough competition. Fabiano and Schrott are my favorites in the cast (and not to be shallow but Schrott by far does the best job of pulling off the iconic Walpurgisnacht outfit IMO). Lungu is also very good (although we seriously need to lose the wig because it flatters no one). Dégoût and Fontanals-Simmons make good work of their roles.

I’m still mad that no one filmed the 2014 Calleja/Yoncheva (no wig!)/Terfel/Keenlyside/Pokupić revival.

Orange 2008: Once again a Belle Époque look, once again well-done overall. I have conflicting feelings about using such a huge space and huge forces: it feels right for some scenes but feels completely wrong for others. the effects and sets the space allows for, however, are very impressive. Siébel is sung by a tenor which is unforgivable (also the amount of abuse the poor child goes through...give him a hug). Alagna and Pape are both back and glorious. Inva Mula isn’t my favorite Marguerite but she does perfectly well. Jean-François Lapointe is a very good Valentin. not sure how I feel about this one overall.

Met 2011: the concept is kinda wonky to me (is it a flashback? is it him actually becoming young again? who knows?) and the visuals can often be off-putting, but it sufficiently works as a concept overall and makes for great theater. Pape once again proves how devilishly awesome he can be, Kaufmann is wonderful as always and I stg he MUST have actually sold his soul to the devil for That One Diminuendo (you know the one), and Poplavskaya is nothing short of wrenching. Losièr is yet again a completely precious Siébel and Russell Braun may not exactly be luxury casting but he still holds his own in a great cast.

Paris 2011: what??? the??? everloving??? hell??? is??? going??? on??? here??? seriously, this production (especially the first act and the final scene) is nothing short of bonkers. where are we??? when are we??? it’s impossible to tell. which is a crying shame because the aesthetic itself is good (a very impressive unit set) and the cast is excellent. Alagna and Mula team up again with great results, Paul Gay is a surprisingly good Méphistophélès (I had only seen him in one other production before and wasn’t a huge fan), Tassis Christoyannis is great (although I pity the nonsense stage business he has to do), Angelique Noldus is cute as cute can be, and even the smaller roles are well-cast (Marie-Ange Todorovitch and Alexandre Duhamel!). the production is just...what even, though. 

I hope that answers it!

[kcrabb88]

When She Heard You Sing

Chapter 6: With No Veil and No Lies Between Us

Summary: A sequel to the She Was Bound to Love You series, featuring a genderbent, lesbian Raoul de Chagny, and a bisexual Christine Daae. A year and a half after the events of the lair, Raoul and Christine are thriving. Christine is a star. Raoul is running the opera house. They're in love. And slowly, Paris is forgetting the scandal and the opera ghost, even if Raoul and Christine can never forget the man behind the specter. But just as Charles Garnier himself is set to attend the premiere of Faust, notes start appearing again. And some old friends have secrets.

The question remains: Is the Phantom really gone?

Chapter Summary: A ghost returns to the opera house. The tension between Raoul and Erik reaches a fever-pitch as a clue is uncovered, and Christine issues an ultimatum to her old teacher. Truths come out, lies cement themselves, and somewhere deep into the night, a new song is born into the world.

Christine turns around, clasping Raoul’s hand. “We’ll just be in your office. I’ll be fine. I promise you. Trust me.”

Raoul does. Of course she does. Christine kisses her hand and sits her down on the stairs next to Meg, who slips an arm around Raoul’s shoulders. Ismaël watches Erik with a wary eye, and so does Madame Giry. Andre goes backstage, looking for water for Raoul.

And Raoul watches the love of her life, her friend, her lover, her wife, her hero, go alone to confront the man who once claimed to be an angel. The door shuts, and she’s gone. The door shuts, and the world melts, a little.

The door shuts, and it rattles Raoul’s bones.

#Here it is the the Erik and Christine fight I always longed for #Phantom of the Opera #Raoul de Chagny #Christine Daae #Raoulstine #My fic #When She Heard You Sing #She Was Bound to Love You