#phantomology

[yloiseconeillants]

FEBHYURARY 2024 :: Day 9 - Sun

The city was still spinning as the sun rose between distant gaps in the skyline. Ariadne grimaced against its warming glow, wearily shielding her eyes before ducking into the slowly shortening shadows of the towers on the opposite side of the street. She lifted her head, a headache already pounding behind her eyes, her fuzzy vision focusing at last at a balcony far above covered in hanging plants. Given the angle of the sun, she guessed she had about two hours before she was expected to give a lecture - about what? 

She stood slack-jawed on the steep ramp leading to her building’s lobby. What was the lecture about? Sexual reproduction of flowering plants, she remembered, the ghost of a childish smirk crossing her face for just a moment. Two hours, she thought, dragging her feet across the lobby to the elevator. Enough time for a shower and maybe food, but certainly not for sleep. It took her a moment to remember which floor she wanted, but the building remembered for her: a pleasant chime as the doors closed and the lift ascended to the 12th floor.

She dreaded these elevator rides. Alone with her thoughts at last, they invariably drifted back to her latest regret. She sifted through her memories, trying to sort out which happened last night, and which happened the night before, or the night before that, or some time in the distant past. So many memories to keep track of and so few (and such temporary) ways to forget.

...

He was there. Probably dragged along by his partner (or his partner’s partner, more like), his back was turned to her when she wandered downstairs from the symposium on the roof to refill her drink. She slipped behind a group of taller Phantomology students, grabbed an entire bottle of wine off a table, and slid into a storage room off the lecture hall without him noticing. She hoped, anyway. Pouring herself a glass of wine, she considered her situation. No other way out of this room. Nothing fun in here, either, just more chairs. She sighed, and opened the door. And there he was. He was still wearing his mask, though the hood had been thrown back, and covering his mouth with his hand in anticipation of her emerging from the storage room. She couldn’t see it, but she knew he was smirking.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” His voice held no trace of amusement. She bought herself some time by downing the entire glass of wine she had just poured, and poured herself another, as Hades leaned back against the wall, his shoulders slumping. He seemed to be deflating.

“No,” she responded flatly, looking for the exit as her burning cheeks betrayed her again. Maybe he would think it was just a response to the alcohol. A foolish thought. A nearby group of students shifted towards the stairs to the roof, leaving them far more room alone than Ariadne was comfortable with. Hades took the opportunity to move closer.

“I missed you,” he ventured, keeping his face turned from hers, his hand dangling dangerously close to hers. An invitation. One she should not entertain. She took another large gulp of her wine, though she couldn’t repeat her earlier performance without consequence.

“I didn’t go anywhere. I was here,” she gestured emphatically around her, wine sloshing in the glass, “the entire time.” The unsaid thing drifted in the small space between them. That was the problem.

… 

The elevator chimed again, doors opening smoothly. She stepped into the hallway and doors closed behind her again. She followed the track of soft lights down the corridor, pausing in front of room 1216. She rustled around her bag for a key, eyes unfocused on anything before she recognized a spore growing from a corner of the door frame. It wasn’t there yesterday. Probably wasn’t there yesterday. She hadn’t looked. Another one escaped. 

She unlocked the door and entered her apartment. It was pitch black, thanks in part to the dark, thick drapes she had tacked up against the windows. She’d have to redouble her efforts at keeping her specimens contained. Halmarut had given her an earful about keeping her research at the Akadaemia, but she insisted on bringing it home. At the time, she claimed it was because she needed to test spore reactions to different environments, but here, alone, she knew it was because her work kept him away. It kept everyone away, in fact - a convenient excuse to keep going out and never bring anyone home. This was her space: to be as uninviting and hostile as she wanted. 

She dropped her bag in the middle of the room and wrenched her way out of her robes, turning on the harsh light in the washroom and gazing into the mirror for a moment. Her neck and shoulders were painted in lipstick smudges, small bruises, and bite marks. She fluttered her fingertips over one of the marks, trying to remember who was responsible. Her stomach dropped when she realized it was one of his.

#febhyurary #febhyurary 2024 #azem tag #shadowbringers tag #ariadne #other ocs #the game: azem is sun-coded! #me who had been carefully constructing a labyrinth metaphor for months with my warrior of light: well FUCK- #solution: she's not azem

[highseraphs]

Been thinking about Ebrietas’s ancient unsundered self, Phosphorus. A lil abt him: He’s a professor working (begrudgingly) in the words of Lahabrea specializing in Phantomology. They were both rivals when they were younger but Hephaistos became the next Lahabrea while Phosphoros felt as though he was left behind. He specializes in light-aspected magicks.

#old man yaoi!!!!! #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv art #ebrietas #phosphorus #just as you would expect he’s just an angry and bitter all the time as Ebrietas lol #he’s been cooking for a while I made him like a month ago or so I wrote smth about him and Lahabrea and forgot LOL #He does have a crush on him but he’s too much of a cranky old man too #admit it*

[yotenotes]

gotcha !!

been forever since ive drawn my AJ main, captain rockywolf. thought id show him some love and make an art piece with him going after a phantom.

for some hint to his lore: hes a wolf created from stone by mira, so she is someone who is technically his mother. he was adopted and mentored by greely, and ended up becoming very involved in phantomology by proxy. he did end up becoming cursed, and in turn is partially phantom. his form changes to a more phantom-like one during extreme negative emotions or during moon phases. hes still a wolf, but he has phantom traits. greely caused this curse as a way to experiment the effects of phantoms on the members of jamaa, but rocky doesnt know this yet. hes also a soldier and is actively engaged in the fight against the phantom king

#oc #oc art #animal jam #animal jam wolf #animal jam oc #lore #procreate #yotenotes

[the-littlest-kojin]

Another prompt: Thalassa sees Fae for the first time. Maybe sees her when she's with Lahabrea?

Mitron and Thalassa's heads both snap up as one as an alarm fills the halls of Icthyology. Immediately, the Convocation member gets to his feet, a gesture from him directing Thalassa to place the creation they had been examining back into the water. Scant minutes later, the pair walk into Phytobiology, the source of the alarm. Halmarut, the Convocation member responsible for Phytobiology, is casting a spell of restraint upon a massive green figure, wreathed in plantlife and tentacles, giving off an acrid smell. Across the chamber, Thalassa sees the unmistakable mask of Lahabrea, flanked by his own student just as Mitron is - clearly, the alarm sounded in Phantomology as well. Looking at the woman standing next to the Speaker curiously as her mentor goes to confer with Halmarut, Thalassa tilts her head in curiosity. While the other student is masked, her cowl is down - and her hair appears to be enchanted to float behind her in a vast trail, velvet-black and shimmering with the supporting magicks. Her stance speaks of some kind of hesitancy or fear - although of what, given her mentor's infamously brusque demeanour, Thalassa cannot imagine.

As Mitron returns to her side, gesturing for Thalassa to follow him back to their own work, she quickly obeys, opening her mouth immediately.

"I saw you staring," he says, cutting her off. "Her name is Fae, and she has a gift for Phantomology that is second only to Lahabrea himself."

Slowly, Thalassa blinks. "I... Was staring?" "You were. But I don't think it was noticeable to anybody but myself."

Frowning and pulling her cowl up further, ensuring that nothing of her face can be seen, the Word of Mitron turns her mind to the puzzle this other student presents to her curious mind. What was she afraid of?

#ffxiv #ffxiv writing #thalassa #thanks for the prompt

[atdutiesend]

{ tagging @seatedsacrifice since this was written with our verse in mind u w u }

"What's happening?!" "The creations have gone mad!" "Don't go that way!"

Around the Warriors of Light, pandaemonium reigned. But in the midst of the panicking memories of ancients, a figure smaller than the rest - only coming to their shoulders - erected a barrier behind the fleeing ones with one hand, raising the other and pulling it sideways as if grasping strings. The creations running amok abruptly dispersed into aether. It was hard to notice, but their mask was black with red accents, a chain around their hips further setting them apart from the other echoes.

"Little ones, it's far too dangerous for you here--" The small ancient began, before a cry of pain sounded from deeper in the Akademia. "... Fine, if you can keep up, we have to evacuate the researchers!"

The dungeon proceeded as normal, the small ancient visibly herding stragglers towards the cleared path. Phantomology was strange, though, the ancient sealing the way behind them as each area was cleared. It at least kept them from being ambushed from behind...

"Iris, don't--" Quezacoatl was summoned regardless.

Instead of an empty dungeon, the warriors found themself in the presence of the Diminutive Amaurotine. The quartet eyed each other before Grim finally sighed and approached.

"Pardon, but... Who are you?"

The ancient paused, tilting their head inquisitively, before bowing politely. "I... Apologize for the unfortunate circumstances of your visit, young ones. I am Enyo, Master Lahabrea's assistant. In his absence, I am the acting authority of Phantomology. I am afraid that for the moment, the Akademia must be placed in lockdown until all creations can be returned to their proper containments. I really must insist that any further questions happen outside the building, after I have sealed it."

None of the group quite believed that - the mask belied their true status - but they allowed themselves to be herded out of a transformed Akademia - now it appeared a burnt out wreck, instead of merely drowned. Once everyone was out, Enyo reached out, plucking unseen strings until abruptly a barrier shimmered into existence, displaying a glyph that was half Lahabrea’s, half unknown. It had a sense of ancient power thrumming through it, something that had merely been reawakened rather than forged anew.

“Thank you for waiting,” They turned to the group, a sense of smile on the unseen face. “How may I assist?”

“You’re Azem, ain’t’cha?” Dove asked bluntly, crossing their arms and glaring upwards while their tail lashed.

The ancient paused, voice hoarse when they managed to speak again. “Yes.”

Dove’s hands clenched into fists, but before they could work themself into a frenzy of irritation, Grim spoke again.

“Why are you here of all places?”

The shade of Azem laughed bitterly. “I did not lie to you, little ones. The rest of the Convocation labors to- to bring about the birth of Zodiark, to buy us time. I labor to find a way that renders such desperate measures unnecessary - or failing that, obsolete, that we might resurrect those willing to give their lives that we might witness a future for our star.” They turned their head, unfailingly looking towards the place that the ceremony would take place. To them, it was mere hours before the ceremony would take place. Their next words were soft, more to themself than the warriors before them. “I cannot be there for him. My duty is here.”

“You can’t be there for who?” Dove took half a step forward, eyes narrowed. Why would Emet-Selch leave an echo of me here?

“You would know him as Elidibus. He is to be the heart.” Quiet agony laced the words. “But you are not here to hear my woes. Please, how can I assist you?”

Dove stood stock still, blinking in shock. It put Elidibus’ aide in the early days in a much different light than they’d assumed, after learning of his duplicity with the original Warriors of Darkness.

“We were asked to see to it that the creations escaping here were stopped. It uh. Seems you’ve done that for us.” Grim took up the slack once again.

A weighty pause, before the Echo of Azem nodded graciously to them. “Very well. I will see to it the barrier does not slip again. Go in peace, and be safe, little ones.”

#out of cryptids #about enyo #comfort creatures; ophinyo ship

[thelittlestancient]

Ancient Sosomeni: The Tale of Chiron and Morpheus

Sosomeni Tutumeni is the WoL, but he is not a shard of Azem; the final Azem died during the Final Days, only a day before the summoning of Zodiark. In fact, it was his death that pushed the Convocation over the line into action.

The final seat of Azem was Chiron, and for years prior to his ascent into his seat, he was a renowned scholar.

Chiron had not started out his life wanting to be Azem, nor to do any traveling; he was quite at home amongst his books, a student of Creation as fine as any Amaurot had ever produced. While not quite as powerful as some of the renowned masters of the art, Chiron possessed a finesse and an attention to detail few in his time could rival.

The combination of his gifts and early efforts brought him to the attentions of Athena, not yet installed as Chief Keyward, and she agreed to take him on as a student. At first, he did not question the direction of her research, nor of the studies and experiments through which she guided him. It was only on hearing the remarks of his friends as they saw the changes inflicted upon his form that he began to have misgivings, and eventually it was they who would convince him to leave Athena and her madness behind.

But it was too late to undo what had been wrought: Chiron had been made into a twisted version of himself, with twisted horns on his head and the furred body of a beast for legs, four cloven hooves where once had been only two. In shame and disgrace, he resolved to never again return to Amaurot and its rigid culture, never again practicing to the art of phantomology, instead choosing to travel to the far places of the world and impart the wisdom that had he but acquired it sooner would have kept him from traveling down this dark path.

But one more great act of Creation, it seemed, would be necessary: word of the stranger renowned in far places spread, and Chiron came to the attention of the Convocation by way of Venat, who had decided to appoint a successor. When summoned, he refused to go, but offered forth a bargain--he would, if permitted, be willing to attend by way of a familiar. Thinking he'd called their bluff and that the Convocation would never accept such a thing, he returned to his travels.

Only for the Convocation to accept his bargain.

Determined to not be outfoxed, he set to work on shaping the being that would become both his face and his messenger to that august council. Tufts of fur and shavings from his hooves formed the material basis of the body; to create the mind and will required Chiron to return in full to the study of phantomology, remembering what he had years ago forgotten.

The results of his efforts did not look quite like an Ancient: too small of the body, with an over-large head and long, pointed ears, a round face and a distinctive waddling gait. But it opened its massive grey eyes and blinked at him, and Chiron felt something fall into place; the world was right and good again, and this small being in front of him was proof that it was so.

Chiron named him Morpheus, set him astride his own back, and galloped through the fields as he explained to him all he knew of life before sending him off to Amaurot.

Morpheus served in this function for many years, existing to be Chiron's eyes and ears in the city, his voice on the Convocation. And so he lived peaceably in Amaurot until the Final Days came, when he was recalled to his master's side. The Convocation complained most heartily about this, of course, but they could not deny what Azem claimed: that in order to investigate this, he would need Morpheus, for his tiny size and fine senses would allow him to go places and perceive things that Chiron himself could not.

And so, for those final weeks, they traveled the face of Etheirys together as it burned, until a great doom indeed struck Chiron down. With his final breaths, he offered up the entirety of his remaining life-force, granting to Morpheus a soul-seed born of his own existence and his charge: the protection of the star from all who would see it come to harm.

Little has changed to this day: Morpheus was sundered, and each time he is reborn, his appearance is remarkably unchanged, as is his soul. His charge remains, as do his skin, born of Chiron's liver fur, and his hair, created from the scrapings of Chiron's black hooves.

#familiar travels: chiron and morpheus

[galaad-spectre]

A trip down memory lane in the Disneyland Paris Halloween seasons during the 2000′s. I dug up some spooky things from the past. English version available below the french text, as always.

#Phantom Manor #Phantom Manor legends #Frontierland #Disneyland Paris #Halloween #vintage #phantom cruise line #Pumpkin men #Big Thunder Mountain #article #archives #phantomology #Askthephantomologist

[operafantomet]

A new Phantomology episode is out!

This episode is devoted to John Martin Bengtsson, who’s starred as the Phantom and Raoul in four different productions of Phantom, in three different languages (no less).

But how did it all start? My favourite tidbit from the interview is that the very first musical he saw was Phantom, at Oscarsteatern in Stockholm. And some 25 years later he was starring in the very same role in Copenhagen, using the very same sets as in Stockholm. And that’s beautiful. But lots of interesting details and in-depth information appears in this episode. The challenge of singing the right lines in the Final Lair when you have played both Raoul and the Phantom, for example... Or the time he dropped the Hannibal poster into the pit... twice.. Go have a listen!

https://s111.podbean.com/pb/20a244d5eef5e610b97603fc843260bf/5e358ad8/data1/fs196/5742739/uploads/PoddJMB_KLAR_v2.mp3

#phantom of the opera #phantomology #john martin bengtsson #podcast #phandom #poto denmark #poto sweden #great episode #all the #poto mishaps #hahahahahahahaha!

[confessionsofanoperaghost]

@masksonmasks you literally said just about everything I would. And I just want to post your bit by itself because I think it's positive and compassionate. (If you want me to delete this just ask and I shall) I hope morbid is okay. I see shades of myself from the past in them, you know?

#the phantom of the opera #masksonmasks #phandom #phantomology #erik studies #Erik's redemption arc #deformity #cool motive still murder

[yloiseconeillants]

lmao okay posting some azem content because i want to share my pathetic attempt at drawing some tiny ancients but uh. featuring @azure-dragonsinger​‘s disaster (affectionate) erasmos and mentions of @lilbittymonster​‘s timoria (beloved). cw smoking????

Ariadne rushed through the humid halls of the Words of Halmarut, one arm rustling about in her bag for a concept crystal she needed for today’s lecture, the other wrapped around several rolled charts. She was running inexcusably late, as was usual whenever Timoria was back in town. Even as harried as she was at this moment, Ariadne smiled to herself, recalling the unique sensation of Mori’s latest experimental body modification: a biforked tongue. She’d have a couple more days with her before Mori’s work took her outside the city again. Resolving to pace herself this week, for once, she turned a corner and ran smack into Halmarut.

“Oh! You’re running late, aren’t you?” Halmarut laughed softly.

“Late night-” she began, but Halmarut waved his hand.

“It is important to have fun, especially at your age. Just make sure you’re not inconveniencing your students because of it.” He smiled beneath his mask, stepping out of her way. Ariadne began jogging away, before Halmarut called after her. “Oh! Speaking of your students, you have a new one!” She slowed down and turned, continuing to walk toward her destination, but backwards, cocking her head to the side in a gesture approximating a question. “Transferred from Lahabrea! Keep an eye on him, hm?”

Wonderful. A new student, and already half a bell late. The young botanists in her teaching group were used to her frequent tardiness, but this was a disciple of Lahabrea. She briefly conjured an image of a typical Phantomology student: serious, somber, driven. Lahabreas in miniature, she thought, scowling. She slowed as she approached the corner of the Phytobiology halls where her students met twice a week and peeked her head around to observe them before approaching.

The familiar botanists were undergrads, so in sync with each other as to be indistinguishable with their masks on and hoods up. They stood, huddled, observing the new student, who was significantly taller, leaning against the side of a bookshelf and watching them with a frown. His hood was off, revealing a mess of long, wild dark brown hair and, strangely enough, a goatee. Ariadne’s eyebrows knitted. An oversized Lahabrea, perhaps? What did Halmarut mean by “keep an eye on him,” anyway?

Perhaps by way of answer, the tall student produced a cigarette from his robes and lit up in the middle of Phytobiology, taking a long drag and turning away from the scandalized botanists, who tittered and whispered amongst themselves with a shaking, quiet furor.

That was definitely against the rules. She couldn’t imagine Lahabrea would ever accept such behavior from a student. As he exhaled, he caught Ariadne peeking from behind the stack. He crossed his arms, and his frown set in deeper, just as a mischievous grin began to spread across her face. A peer, she thought as she approached her students to begin lecture for the day. She’d ask him for a cigarette after class. Who knows? Maybe he was fun, too.

#azem tag #the abject indulgence of the ancient clown college au #ariadne #erasmos #timoria #~writing tag #halmarut

[absynthe--minded]

The English School of Mongolia Mini-Review (part 1)

Performance Date Unknown (video uploaded August 7, 2017) Cast Unknown (Uploaded by a Batkhuyag Gansukh)

The opening titles are all in English, with a voiceover in (I think) Mongolian - I’ve never heard Mongolian before so I can’t confirm it but considering this was made in and filmed in Mongolia I think it’s a safe bet. Before we get going we have a few lines from Music of the Night, and then the title in plain serif font against a backdrop of swirling smoke. This is professionally filmed, with the school’s logo in the top corner and well-done titles.

Prologue/Overture: - the auctioneer has a top hat - the set is relatively simple but that serves it well - the curtains open partially to reveal the auction, with the chandelier behind a scrim curtain reading ‘Lot 666’ on it and the actors arranged around it. auctioneer is stage left/house right, with three other people beside him; on the other side are Raoul and Madame Giry and a boy who I think is supposed to be Raoul’s nurse. the whole scene is done in bright light, with elements of blue and purple, and the costumes seem to be at least attempting Victoriana - behind the chandelier are several boxes (they look like instrument cases) - it gives the stage a nice “abandoned” look - this is professionally filmed, with multiple cameras - Raoul’s voice sounds really stilted, kind of stiff - a lot like a typical relatively untrained high schooler. He might be effecting a character voice due to his supposed old age, though? - the chandelier looks nice, and the electrical effects are really neat, though the lights started before the organ did - SPEAKING OF THE ORGAN there is heavy abuse of synth here. Whoever’s playing somehow missed the “pipe organ” key and decided to settle on “church organ/baseball field organ”. The effect is… interesting. - the chandelier just rises into the air and strobes, before going dark so that a scene change can be done - while I understand the necessity of a blackout in high school theater to cover over any errors or problems, I do wish we could have seen the opera house being transformed. - I think this overture is being played live, organ-only? mad props to whoever’s doing that - the rest of the orchestra joins in for the latter part of the overture and the organ completely drops out, or at least goes quiet enough that i can’t hear it, and they’re really very good. This is hard material to play for high schoolers and they’re doing a nice job.

Hannibal: - Carlotta is a little off-pitch? but her voice is good, and I get the sense that it’s just because she was completely a cappella with nothing to guide her, because she maintains a good consistency? - the costumes range from original pieces to attempting a Bjornson feel - Reyer is a woman!! a very pretty woman with short hair in a tuxedo. - the corps de ballet doesn’t do ballet? but their choreography is obviously based on the original and it’s nice to see that kind of consistency - as I see closer shots I think there might be a few pointe dancers, since I see pointe shoes? but I don’t see any actual pointe (some demi pointe maybe but I don’t know enough about ballet to say for sure) and the choreography involves minimal leg movement. - Giry is pronounced “gear-y” here but I’ll give them a pass - this a really small stage, but every inch of it is used pretty well. Things only feel crowded when everyone is in the same spot. - Carlotta sounds AMAZING with orchestration to keep her in the right key - there’s a flat elephant brought in at the end

Think of Me (Carlotta): - Madame Firmin, who already existed in the ALW show, has been turned into her husband and is one half of “the couple who now own the Opera Populaire”. I’m loving the blind casting here - Carlotta’s Italian accent is not half bad considering it’s originating from somebody performing in a language that isn’t anything close to their native one - the crown used in Elissa’s costume looks more South Asian than the tiaras used in most productions, and I don’t know if it was an intentional cultural choice or if it was accidental, but either way I like the way it frames the actress’s face - the “backdrop collapse” is done really interestingly here - the backdrops are projected onto a screen, and so when the Phantom drops one, it just switches to the next slide on the screen with some shaking animation effects, flickering lights, and a thud sound. The cast reacts very well a la Star Trek, but it is frustrating because there’s not even the slightest indication that Carlotta was close to being hurt, which was her impetus for quitting before. She even continues singing for a while in the flickering lights. - Meg, whose voice is crystal clear, begins with “He’s there, the Phantom of the Opera!” and the rest of the cast joins in, and Andre cuts them off with his ‘insolence’ line - this is really slow, and kind of ponderous, and whenever this happens it’s my least favorite part of high school productions - “If you need me, I shall be in Frankfurt!” is delivered hilariously, with M. Lefevre dashing offstage after Carlotta and Piangi make their dramatic exit (punctuated with Carlotta throwing her scarf at the corps de ballet, which explains how Christine wound up with it) while Mme. Firmin and M. Andre just look on in horror at their situation. - Meg literally shoves Christine out of the corps de ballet while shouting “Christine Daae could sing it, sir!”. That’s such a lovely friend move, there, Meg. - This Christine really sells the “nervous, terrified at first” bit - I can hardly hear her singing until “far away and free” - Christine’s voice is very nice. Not the best high school voice I’ve heard (that still belongs to Asia Stewart) but it’s light and capable of singing the notes,even if it does go sharp now and again. For those of you keeping score, “August when the trees were green” shows up here. - the most distracting thing here is the scarf choreography, because instead of the typical scarf movements (which show up in the silent bits) Christine just keeps moving her arms back and forth like she’s pulling something toward her - A lovely Broadway cadenza turns up here - why is it that so many times it’s the cadenzas that are my favorite part of this?

Angel of Music/Little Lotte: - Immediately after the song, almost before the curtains close, Christine is mobbed by her fellow ballerinas. They’re in Degas-esque costumes, though modern (and glittery!) tutus dominate, with ribbons in their hair. It’s generally adorable. - I think the Phantom is singing through some kind of filter-adding microphone here, but he sounds pretty intimidating anyway - Meg’s voice is really nice. None of these high schoolers are, like, stellar? but none of them are horrible, and all of them sound like they know what they’re doing to some extent. - I think Christine’s actress is imitating Sierra Boggess, though, and I wish she’d explore her own stylings (but that’s just because I unconsciously imitate timbre and tone in other voices I hear singing and I want to help other people be more original than mine) - The orchestra is struggling more here than they were in Hannibal - Christine’s mirror is broken, with shards of glass sticking out around the inside of the frame. I’m left hoping it’s meant to be representational, with the glass being there diagetically? Because if not, Christine would definitely be able to see the creepy secret passage. - Raoul’s voice is the real weak spot here, which is really a shame. His chemistry with Christine, because he’s not acting that well either, does seem kind of lacking?

The Mirror: - Again, the Phantom is very intimidating here. Less vocally strong than Christine (in a lot of these shows, I find that the girls are more comfortable and more capable - is it because girls are more likely to take voice lessons, or because girls are more likely to have seen and memorized ALW’s music, or…?) - that being said, the Phantom’s voice is not bad. He can hit the notes and doesn’t get lost in the mix of the orchestra. His mask is also a sparkly silver (let it be known I typed ‘orange’ there first for some reason , and he emerges completely from the mirror to get to Christine. - Raoul finally gets into the dressing room after calling for Christine, and when he sees it’s empty, he turns to face the audience and says his ‘Angel’ line in a forlorn, sad voice as the lights dim and the curtains close. Now, when our more mellow organ playing begins, it feels almost funereal, and there’s a palpable sense of loss that is surprising and jarring because it’s so new.

#absynthe watches high school phantom #phantomology

[capriciousvisage]

so i spent like the last hour or two trying to figure out what lahabrea's real name would be based on the connections to athena and erich and i really think i've come to a fitting conclusion? under the cut though because it's spoilers for pandaemonium etc

genuinely i think that erich is going to become the lahabrea we see in arr+...

he's got lahabrea's mask on his transformed self.. plus the gold part of the mask directly below the red mask is reminiscent of lahabrea's sigil, which...

...is a bigger part of mateus's sigil, whom lahabrea (ffxiv) is based off the counterpart of (the scion of light, lahabrea (ff12)), and erich is notably...

...wearing the same glyph on his robes?

pandaemonium in ff2 is also the final dungeon and is where Emperor Mateus (from which ff12's lahabrea draws upon) dwells after having overthrown Satan and became the Hell Emperor.

mateus in ff12 is also someone who was corrupted by evil beyond belief due to his greed etc which is exactly what's happening in pandaemonium

erich in greek mythology was famous for supposedly inventing the 4-horse chariot and then went on to become the charioteer constellation. he also taught the people of athens how to use horses for transportation/how to yoke them. lahabrea is often shown to like horses, teased enough that we all call him a horse girl.

so i'm really thinking that pandaemonium raids are relying on us, the viewers, to assume things. i've been seeing a lot of assumptions. i think the biggest assumption it's leading us on to make is that this is the same timeframe in elpis that we had visited before, during hermes & co quests.

i know many people assume that the phoinix in p3 is the same immortal bird in the one shadowbringers sidestory where emet has to return the wayward soul to the underworld. but themis says in pandaemonium that the concept was completed elsewhere, and implies that the phoinix in p3 is simply a prototype of sorts they were studying. some of the phoinix's move names are prefixed with "experimental", too.

themis is most definitely elidibus -- or he will become elidibus. he's part of an auxiliary group (one of which azem (us) is a part of, the one giving us orders) and assuming from his clothes + introduction, he's not part of the convocation yet.

erich says a lot of how he doesn't have a lot of magical prowess and only became a warder because of his mother, athena. i was always thinking it odd that lahabrea, his father, had taught him how to use the shackles when he was young, but his mother had actually been the one to appoint him as a warder. based on how young themis is, we can posit a theory that erich will go on and follow in his father's footsteps and become the grand lahabrea of phantomology that we all know of... as a side note, remember that the seats are filled in accordance with how well they fit the role, so every lahabrea has been gifted with creation magicks beyond others.

this dialogue exchange after hesperos is defeated is especially interesting. it's essentially a parallel to what happens to lahabrea in arr~hvw. if we continue with this as a parallel, and we assume that zodiark is not who lahabrea is trying to impress, then who is it?

i think it would make a lot of sense storywise. i think a lot of people have this impression of lahabrea being just a cold-hearted villain. even with the small snippets in akadaemia anyder or otherwise. emet says in shb that lahabrea wore himself down and eventually post himself. but we don't see the lahabrea before then.

... but if we introduce a cute young man who seems to be a little too trusting and down on himself, then show his character arc slowly progress... well, it might make the audience (me) cry. I don't think the audience would sway their (general) opinion of Lahabrea if this weren't the case, too — many people already think him as hostile and cold, so pandae is presenting nothing new if we think Erich's father is our Lahabrea. But we all know that shb and endwalker are all about flipping out expectations...

I can't see a reasonable explanation for Erich to sport Lahabrea motifs even if he's Lahabrea's son, if nothing else. The mask and glyph are too damning.

#final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #ff14 #erichthonios #ffxiv spoilers #pandaemonium spoilers #ffxiv posting #cosmic choir #ab imo pectore #lahabrea #nos cedamus amori

[andrewlloydwebber]

this exchange could be the subject of a doctoral dissertation in phantomology 

[crrahsa-yamah]

I made these for an event on twitter and I love how they turned out!

Prompts:

1 - Phantomology // Abyssal Celebrant 2 - Weight // Duty 3 - Creation // Destruction 4 - Fire // Ash 5 - Love // Passion 6 - Unified // Broken 7 - Scholar // Warrior

If you love Lahabrea even half as much as I do, you might like to check out everyone else’s entries at https://twitter.com/Lahabrea_Week. Everyone made such beautiful works!

#lahabrea #lahabrea week #FFXIV Comic

[unsundered-lahabrea]

Ooc: Here’s Lahabrea’s backstory (containing heavy spoilers and a healthy dose of headcanons), soon to be edited into a new “About” section for the ancient stink:

Once upon a time, the being now known only as Lahabrea was a child, then a young man, and through time and dedication he became a kind and capable scholar. Then, there came the End of the World.

Lahabrea was born Prometheus, and he lived his childhood and youth in Amaurot. He had a mind fit for the obscure discipline of Phantomology, for the creation and study of living beings, and this was soon made clear as he began to dabble in Creation magic, like most Ancients. He was soon taken under the wing of the previous Lahabrea, beside three other students, and for years he focused on learning, on teaching younger minds, on being the best Phantomologist he could be. He did not consider the seat of Lahabrea until his mentor decided to retire, and he announced it a century before it would become effective. A century was very little to a young Prometheus, barely ten millennia old by that time, but he did his best: ninety-five years of planning and developing a concept would grant him the seat, for he designed and brought to life -the summoning almost killed him- an immortal fire bird, a creature of power and gentleness, of fire and healing. She would become his most stalwart companion. 

He became Lahabrea of the Convocation of Fourteen, and for many millennia he did his best for the city. He was known to be grumpy and curt, passionate and easy to rile up, but nevertheless gentle to young minds and forever willing to teach. Amaurot was not perfect, nor was he, but he cared.

Then the End of the Worlds began. It was a long process, it began far away, and for centuries Lahabrea labored to stall it. When healing their world seemed impossible, they decided to do the impossible anyway: at a great cost, they would summon the will of the planet. Zodiark was designed in times of great turmoil, and Lahabrea himself, one of the oldest in the Convocation, offered himself as the sacrifice to be his heart. He knew he would never forgive himself for asking half their city to give up their lives, he could never ask even more. 

He was denied. He was needed, as the greatest Phantomologist alive, to ensure all went as it should have. It apparently did, and the disaster was halted. It would take Lahabrea time to realize how Zodiark had warped them, upon his summoning. How his thoughts were no longer his alone. Dissent was born, and Lahabrea, who had been kind if aloof, became even curter, even sharper, dangerous. The Convocation grew tyrannical, with their now thirteen seats. 

For a few years -a few centuries- Lahabrea had tried to teach the new races of their star. They lived too little, he said, broken-hearted, when he listened to Zodiark’s ever-present whispered and suggested all the new lives were sacrificed to revive their start, to bring back those sacrificed to Zodiark. 

Despite the Convocation’s best efforts, Hydaelyn was summoned. Three beings survived, Lahabrea among them. Phoenix endured, as a crystal in Lahabrea’s coat. 

Perhaps, without Zodiark, they would have attempted to rebuild. Now Lahabrea, once a Scholar, once a teacher, became a warrior. He still taught, sometimes. He devised magic systems and engineered wars, he walked among the Sundered and jumped from body to body with reckless abandon, with anger born of desperation. 

He has had a hand in many, if not most, of the Sundered civilizations. He has led to their demise. He has grown old and angry and unstable, he is no longer a creator. He has burned himself to an ember, and still he remains powerful, one of the three Unsundered, the oldest of them all. Older than the star and all its shards, and forever hearing a voice that demands blood, that will never let him consider the Sundered as truly alive. 

Forever remembering, forever guilty. Forever one of the greatest monsters the Sundered have known. 

He was once Prometheus, all that remains is Lahabrea.

#~ Out of Character ~ #(( I will write a short condensed backstory I said. I can do this I said. )) #(( 674 words. That's life for me I guess ))

[operafantomet]

Friends - the first episode of Josefine’s “Phantomology” podcast is up! She’s interviewed Mia Karlsson on both her Phantom days and other roles. She offers some unique insight and amusing stories in the interview - ENJOY! :D

#phantomology #mia karlsson #friend josefine #phantom of the opera #operafantomet #det ny teater #podcast