#i may or may not be singing up to three poto songs next tuesday on a concert

[flowers-of-io]

@eri-223​ you brought it upon yourself, now I won’t shut up c:

OKAY SO

I can’t really draw neat straight lines between the two, but there’s so much aesthetic similarity to me, particularly with Toland and the Hive-Ascendancy thing. Maybe it’s just me dying for the vibes (or loving POTO in general since I was 9), but it struck me today how Eris/Toland--when it’s made a Working ship--is basically everything Christine/Erik is not. There is so much to be said about Christine/Erik alone, but to me it’s an epitome of why gothic-novel-esque dynamics don’t really work in the long run when they don’t move past being just Gothic and Tragic. And hear me out. A goodhearted, elfin woman at her vulnerable point (grief over father) meets a honey-voiced stranger and has this secret thing with him, this music they share in the dead of night, and it’s intoxicating because music *is* her passion (and something she has deep emotions over in itself, the thing that is most hers in the world) and it’s secret, and a whole other world to what she’s facing in the daytime. The mystery is intriguing, and that’s intoxicating too. And there’s an uncomfortable power imbalance but it doesn’t bother you just yet, because there isn’t really any attraction between the two--not in the romantic-as-in-love sense at least, rather this romantic-as-in-romanticism pull all dark beautiful secret things have.

And here we can shout a fucking thank you at Erik for completely ruining that beauty by being an absolute creep. But Chrissie doesn’t know that yet. And so he leads her deep down into the dark, into his world of darkness and secrecy and yet twisted beauty, and she is living the mystery now, she’s in this nighttime world they would share in secret. And she’s close enough to take a peek behind the mask, something she was so violently curious about and attracted to, a glance into the dark abyss of his soul that is so intriguing. And so she does peek, and what she finds is terrifying rot.

And this, THIS is the best moment of the entire thing to me. This story could be well off without Raoul (whom I deeply love and cherish but he ruins the gothic) because he adds this romantic tension of a love triangle (which I absolutely loathe because ugh. love triangles.) to what could have been a tale of a girl torn between the world of day and night rather than two men who each love her in a different way. There’s so much of Persephone-sque struggle in Christine’s soul that has been shunned by the story imo, and would have made the whole thing better in the long run (and maybe less grossly-abusive on Erik’s part).

So let’s circle back to Toland, another pale, bony, possibly disfigured brunet in a dark coat with a living room full of skulls and candles (the vibes, huh. he probably owned a boat and a horse too). If we take Eris/Toland as starting off before the Hellmouth (I’m really starting to tentatively test my ground on this hhhng), it feels like the same story slightly to the left. Granted, Eris has more agency, but there’s still a huge power imbalance in her and Eriana coming to Toland--an exiled genius|madman with an evil black crow (Guren) perching on his shoulder--and asking him for help, laying their and their team’s lives at his feet - him, who could probably kill them in seventeen different yet equally fancy ways were he more invested! And there is so much darkness here already because how dark it must have been in Eris’ soul to agree on this revenge fantasy, what an abyss Eriana’s eyes must have been hiding; how desperate they must have been to come to him, to even consider this, to choose a possibility of painful, screaming agony in the Hellmouth over the ache they were feeling now. And so there’s vulnerability, too, in a way - because they’re desperate, because they’re hurting, because everything has been taken from them and they have nothing else to do but this ridiculous, mad plan. And oh he can abuse this void, he can make them do whatever he wants and they’d do it gladly, and I have a feeling both Eris and Eriana are aware of that.

And so they work, in secret, cracking secrets of the Hive, tasting the rot of the forbidden fruit, hiding from the daylight with their dark, heretic, nighttime folly. I think there is a threshold at wherever it is they are meeting--be it a room or a house, Eriana’s kitchen or Toland’s disturbing “lab”--in the doorway, between the bright but empty world of patrols and strikes and dead friends and this horrid, twisted, yet fascinating realm of promised vengeance. And I think Eris learns, hungry for secrets, hungry perhaps for Toland’s eyes on her because all dark beautiful secret things have a pull, and she can’t tell if she’s more drunk on the adventure, or the heresy they’re so blatantly committing, or him. And maybe he reciprocates in his own twisted way, maybe they talk or kiss over the parchment pages, and she cannot tell--she cannot tell if his eyes are truly for her or the Hive, the mystery, the thing they’re doing. I’m thinking of what you wrote, how “he wanted Ascendance as badly as she wanted him”. But despite that--or maybe because of it--she allows herself to be led deep down into the dark, into his world of darkness and secrecy and yet twisted beauty, and she is living the mystery now, she’s in this nighttime world they would share in secret. Is it the Hellmouth? Maybe, though I think it’s a process that spans between their secret studies of the Hive and the midst of their descent, when Vell is dead and maybe they’re all doomed, and Toland’s eyes twinkle in the dark and it’s such beautiful madness she cannot help staring. And the checkpoint has come, time to show cards--and she’s close enough to take a peek behind the mask, something she was so violently curious about and attracted to, a glance into the dark abyss of his soul that was so intriguing. And so she does peek, and what she finds is terrifying rot.

I think this is Ir Yut, or maybe a little bit earlier, but nevertheless the bubble bursts and Eris is left in the dark alone and betrayed. That’s of little concern, of course, when the Hive is hunting you down and all you hear is your friends’ dying screams, but it still hurts, it’s still bitter, it’s still so, so wrong. I like to think he comes to teach her then, maybe give her the journals, and it’s a whirlwind of madness and horror and fury and gore, but he’s whatever comfort she can hope for at this point. It’s twisted, it’s awful, it’s dark-gothic rotten, it’s as wrong and horrid as Erik/Christine is as a whole.

But then they’re given the chance Erik/Christine never got. They’re allowed to outgrow the rot. There’s so much dysfunctionality and disturb going on in most gothic-esque “love” stories because it’s not love, it’s attraction taken for a spin and often grossly abused. Love is growth. I like to think of what must have been going on in Eris’ head (and Toland’s too, perhaps, though I doubt he had one at that point) when they were exchanging the letters, the dearest Eris right next to did you watch me carve out each eye; now that she’s wiser, and scarred, and not so stupid anymore--but there’s still that dark pull she can’t help, now even scarier than before that she knows him for what he really is, now that she’s seen the rot. There’s so much hurt to be outgrown, so much betrayal, but she finds he’s yet again whatever comfort she can hope for (that entry *is* called A Light In The Darkness, huh). I could wax poetic about this whole process but I think you captured it so well in STM I don’t have much else to add.

I wanted to throw quotes into it but couldn’t quite fit them into this, uh, essay (which I didn’t absolutely re-read), and I guess Music of the Night would apply here but it’s ripe with uncomfortable sexual tension?? And aside from that (which is in its entirety a trip) just consider these ah

this whole moment

also this

He'll always be there singing songs in my head  Is this Eris in the letters phase? maybe. I performed a vibe check and it showed positive

Wandering Child for how unhealthy-twisted and beautiful it is (ignore Raoul, I have no metaphor for him in this au)

For either way you choose, you cannot win  It’s just a good quote y’all

Farewell my fallen idol and false friend / We had such hopes, and now those hopes are shattered 

Angel of Music, you deceived me / I gave you my mind blindly  (HOW SHE WHISPERS THAT LAST PART IN THE MOVIE OK)

Stranger than you dreamt it  now you’re stranded in the Hellmouth good job

What warm, unspoken secrets will we learn / Beyond the point of no return

The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn

Down that path into darkness deep as hell  but Toland smiles while he sings this

And of course the classic,  And in this labyrinth where night is blind / The Phantom of the Opera is here inside my mind

Wow! I didn’t even get to the Dreaming City! It’s way more vague than the whole Eris/Toland thing because of course ships take up 80% of my brainspace but idk I just find it so incredibly fitting when it comes to paralleling Savathun/Dul Incaru terrorising the Dreaming City with what Erik does to the opera. Like, everybody knows he’s There but no one can do anything about it, he sends vague threats and kills people but nobody can catch him, and the place is just a giant playground for him to have fun and achieve his personal goals in. And whatever the hell is going on in Masquerade, like

Masquerade! Seething shadows breathing lies Masquerade! You can fool any friend who ever knew you Masquerade! Leering satyrs, peering eyes Masquerade! Run and hide, but a face will still pursue you

wow that sure is subtle. Seething shadows breathing lies, huh. Run and hide, but a face will still pursue you :) And then he crashes the party in a fucking Red Death costume. If this doesn’t have huge Dul Incaru/Siren of Riven energy I don’t know what has.

And of course the shitshow only starts when we kill Riven but the seeds have been planted long, long ago. If you listen closely, you can hear Petra screaming in confusion somewhere under box five.

I know most of this second part is a stretch, BUT! this is my au. And for the record, I know there are very mixed feeling about the 2004 POTO movie but to me personally it was a formative experience, first watched on a very crappy TV in music class at the age of 9 and not even in its entirety, but I was already captivated and shaken to the core, and there’s still, after all those years, something that screams at my soul when I hear the first notes.

And, as a treat for those who suffered with me until the end of this essay,

#i may or may not be singing up to three poto songs next tuesday on a concert #which may or may not have been my teenage dream #reply #eri-223 #phantom of the opera #toland the sarky #eris morning #eris/toland #destiny 2 #npc talk #what is this even #i have no idea how to tag this #headcanon #ships #ir yût #dûl incaru

[mortimers-cross]

Love Never Dies Rant

Well... I just came across an old blog post from when the Love Never Dies album first released. Apart from a few minor exaggerations, I still stand by most of what I said here. 

But I am still going to see it in three weeks, and that is that. 

Be entertained.

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010 Beautiful, Beautiful Notes...Beautiful, Beautiful Sounds...But a Hideous Plot WARNING: This is a musical rant, do not feel obligated to read. For those who do read, SPOILER ALERT. I basically say everything that happens.

So I have decided to post my own thoughts on the much-waited-for, much-expected, much-horrifying, much-flamed...etc, sequel to Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. 

So, Love Never Dies... Where does one begin? Well, to start, I wish to acknowledge a few things; I do not wish to appear to be merely flaming the show because I always hated the idea of a sequel, or criticizing without cause or without having even listened to it or knowing the story. Rest assured, I have listened to Love Never Dies - several times. I have also read the synopsis and listened to the album again to reconcile the two and understand what is going on. The only thing I have not done is actually go and see the show, but that is not possible at this point in time. So, I will not be able to say anything about the staging, expressions, special effects, etc. I will merely be giving my thoughts on the music, songs, the story, and what I can gather of the character portrayals.

Anyway, as I was saying, these things I wish to acknowledge: Lord Webber has said, "This is a stand-alone piece." All right, I understand that; I will not expect it to be all-consistent with POTO. And...Drats. I thought I had more to acknowledge. Now I forget. ...Maybe I already said it somehow. All right, then...onward.

I will begin with the positive: namely, the music. This show contains some miraculous orchestrations and a very interesting, wide variety of songs. There couldn't be two more different songs than "Love Never Dies" - a sweet, pretty aria - and "The Beauty Underneath" - a...Roaring, for lack of a better word, piece with a noisy-yet-strangely-beautiful electric guitar accompaniment. And then, it has songs that are so bouncy, they sound like they belong at the beginning of Beauty and the Beast. Diversity is good. Well done. We have here a very nice collection of songs, although the lyrics are often repetitive and not very creative or profound.

The vocalists are also good. They all have beautiful voices and seem quite able (aside from the ending of "Love Never Dies", in which Sierra Bogess sounds to be straining). The boy who plays Gustave has the voice of an angel.

However, all the adults, especially Erik and Christine, are cast far too young. ALW has said that this is a stand-alone piece, but he has also said that it is meant to take place ten years following the events of POTO (I guess it's still established that the events in POTO took place, even though POTO and LND are not supposed to be together...?). For Christine, this may be overlooked somewhat...she was quite young to begin with; in fact, she would probably only be in her late twenties now. Erik, on the other hand, was at least thirty in POTO. He wouldn't necessarily need to sound OLDER, now; it's conceivable that his voice wouldn't change dramatically in that amount of time, unless he did something to damage it, which, being the musical man that he is, he probably would know better. However, he shouldn't sound YOUNGER, which Ramin (although his voice is GORGEOUS) does. Raoul, on the other hand, actually sounds somewhat believable.

Perhaps the most painful aspects of LND are the plot and the character portrayals. Erik has teamed up with the Girys (I mean, I know they were acquainted and all, but if anything, he would have gone off on his own to brood and compose; whose idea was this show starring Meg? After losing Christine, I don't think he would exactly be in the mood to listen to two women telling him, "Let's go to America and start a show!!!!"); Raoul, Christine, and "their" son Gustave go to Coney Island, where Raoul drinks too much and becomes an angry, brooding fellow himself (really? I mean, really? I guess this could happen to anyone, but honestly...), and Christine is randomly invited to sing in a show. They become reacquainted with their old friends, the Girys, and Meg becomes ragingly jealous of Christine, because, guess what? Meg has been passionately in love with Erik this whole time! I'm not certain when Christine and Raoul find out that it's Erik who has hired Christine to sing, but they both have very interesting reactions. Christine shares memories with him like an old friend (and guess what? They're more than friends. Christine was unfaithful, RIGHT BEFORE her and Raoul's wedding! What? WHAT?). Somehow Gustave gets mixed up in it all, and she cheerfully introduces him to "my friend, Mr. Y." Gustave jumps at the wonderful aspect of becoming friends with a man in a mask and instantly asks to be shown around all the mysterious places, to which Erik laughs good-naturedly and assures him that "you shall see it all tomorrow." (Erik has become quite the happy, jovial man.) Next day, Gustave allows these strange people to lead him to the place where, fortunately, Erik works. Gustave plays the piano and sings, and Erik logically concludes "He sings like me. He's ten years old. He's my son!!!!!!!!!!!!" .... The scene ends with him taking off his mask (or Gustave taking it off, not sure which), Gustave screaming, and running off to mother. .... All this going on unbeknownst to Raoul. However, he does find out this much; the Girys are working for Erik, and Christine is going to sing in Erik's show. Very drunk after spending all night at the pub, he yells at Meg that "I've bested him before! I'm not afraid of him!" So, of course Erik appears and they have this whole confrontation which essentially ends in Raoul agreeing to, if he cannot get Christine to drop out of the show and leave with him, then he will leave alone and LEAVE CHRISTINE WITH ERIK. (Raoul? Really??) Well, she won't listen, so Raoul does leave. Just like that. Never mind his wife, never mind the boy he thinks is his son, just leave them with a madman who's tried to kill him in the past. He doesn't even tell Christine he's leaving, doesn't even ask, "Will you come with me or are you really in love with him?" (which, I don't know where Raoul ever got that idea...other than the fact that Erik tauntingly asks him if he's sure his son is really his...)... Just leaves. Christine has no idea and sings her song, much to Erik's delight. Happiness is in his grasp! (What makes him think that Christine will stay with him when she's already married and still professes to love Raoul? Then again, if she was unfaithful the night before the marriage, I guess there's no reason to think that she'll be faithful IN marriage...) Anyway, after her song, she wonders where Raoul has gone, and - OH! Gustave has disappeared too! She finds out Raoul has left her, and becomes distraught; Raoul left her, AND took "their" son?!!!!! She and Erik (who is very uncharacteristically a very concerned daddy... I mean, I can understand his seeing himself in the boy and being drawn to him somewhat, but really...) run around looking for him, and - guess what? He's been kidnapped by MEG!! She's holding him hostage and waving a gun around - all to get Erik's attention (in case you forgot, she's in love with him). Rather than shoving her into the water or some other sort of drastic action, Erik sweetly asks, "Give me the gun, Meg...oh, poor Meg...I'm sorry...." blah, blah... And then, and THEN! Meg accidentally shoots Christine! Oh nooooez!! Erik gets out the Punjab Lasso and.... Oops! But that isn't what happens! He kneels by Christine and says, "Giry, get help!" (I think he's talking to Mme Giry now, since Meg has run off, wailing, "I DIDN'T MEAN TO!!!!"). Oh, dear, oh, dear...it's too late. Christine manages to gasp out a few lines of a song... tell Gustave Erik is his real father, never mind the face, stay with him, he's nice, he'll take care of you... comfort Erik, who is quite calmly sad.... then, goodbye, Christine. And of course, it ends very sadly with her death, but also happily, because, OH! Father and son are reunited! Their musical tour can begin! They will be the best of friends, and live happily ever after...

Honestly, if Lord Webber wanted this to be a stand-alone piece, he should never have associated it with POTO at all. He should have re-named all the characters; they have no right to have the names of the characters in POTO when they have had complete personality transplants. But hooray for Gustave!

I know just what will happen in the next sequel... Erik will marry some lady who reminds him of Christine, but she turns out to be a horrible witch, which we don't find out until Erik dies and poor Gustave is left in the witch's clutches, but don't worry! With his magical powers of music, Gustave will defeat the evil witch and fall in love with a Broadway actress and they will live happily ever after.

#Love Never Dies #Musicals Rants #Old Blog Posts #Shovel the Fries #Paint Never Dries #Eat Seven Pies