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#my love letter to the phantom of the opera
melancholyymusings · 2 years
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I'm not even going to lie. I feel like crying. I absolutely adore Phantom of the Opera and this past Christmas was my first time ever making the trek to New York and seeing it live on Broadway, at the Majestic Theater. I had the time of my life and almost burst into tears when Emilie Kouatchou waltzed onto the stage and opened her mouth to sing. It was my first time seeing anything on a Broadway stage; my first time seeing my favorite musical live on stage. And seeing a beautiful brown girl play the leading role of Christine Daae was magic on earth.
My history with Phantom of the Opera is long yet distant. I was first introduced to Phantom of the Opera when I was 15. There was a girl in my digital media class who loved POTO, and when I say loved, I mean obsessed. However, this was also the time when the Twilight craze was at its peak and I erroneously believed that POTO was another vampire story. And when my classmate told me that the phantom basically kidnaps Christine, I wrote it off as a scary movie (I was an extreme scaredy cat back then) and continued to observe the fandom from afar. Always curious, but never having the guts to watch it for myself.
Fast forward to now being an adult and I finally, FINALLY, sat myself down and watched the 2004 Phantom of the Opera film and it was instant love. Instant obsession. Listening to and singing the songs day in and day out. Buying multiple copies of the book and reading it from cover to cover. Buying multiple copies of the movie. Buying the 25th anniversary stage play at Albert Hall. And then finally, traveling to New York and seeing it on Broadway myself. I was so overcome with emotion that I was finally there, seeing something I loved so much, with a brown girl that looked like me on the stage, it brought tears to my eyes.
I loved Phantom of the Opera instantaneously and passionately, and now it feels like it's all being ripped away from me just as quickly as I began to love it. I'm sure that sounds dramatic but it's true. People roll their eyes at the hold POTO has on it's fanbase, but there is a reason that it was on Broadway for 35 years and has productions in multiple different countries.
For me, Phantom of the Opera gave me something to cling onto when it felt like society and the world around me was trying to take everything away. Between disgusting politics surrounding everything, heightened racism all over the news, my own family drama that I had no control over, and my lack of having a job at the time and a lack of life direction, I was heading for a very dark place. POTO was a light in that darkness. An anchor, if you will.
I am going to do my best to get to New York to see it one last time before the final curtain, fingers crossed that I do. I will love Phantom of the Opera forever and I am so happy, so privileged, so grateful that I've been able to see it in my lifetime, and it will always remain a beautiful memory in my mind.
So, although I will have to say goodbye soon to the greatest musical to ever bless my ears, and one of the most romantic stories of love and obsession ever told, I want to say thank you. Thank you to Andrew Lloyd Webber and everyone who has ever been a part of POTO. Thank you for the film. Thank you for giving me something to hold onto when the world around me felt like it was crumbling. Thank you for giving me a reason to sing like nobody's watching. And thank you for giving me a piece of happiness that I can take with me forever. It is a memory that will never ever fade away.
Even though I am sad that POTO is ending, I am so, so happy that it happened in the first place.
May our love never die 🥀
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astrodances · 5 months
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"Now I've had the time of my life No, I never felt like this before Yes, I swear it's the truth And I owe it all to you"
This is a very, very special drawing for me. ✨
In September of last year, I watched Dancing With The Stars' "Step Into the Movies" special again, at the end of which they recreate "The Time of My Life" scene from Dirty Dancing. And that sent me on a nostalgia trip back to my high school theater days over a decade ago now, where the drama club accepted my idea to do a "Time of Our Lives" theme, and a performance for that song à la Glee. Mind you, I was mainly the stage manager/techie sort, but I did some scenes for the showcases, and participated in this song with my then-boyfriend, along with two other couples.
And while we were hanging out in the green room backstage, a friend took some pictures of us. Including the one that directly inspired this drawing of Webby + Lena.
This started out as a memory remix of that photo, after watching the DWTS special, because I thought these two lovebirds would be really cute subjects for it.
But once I got going, it turned into a love letter, for many things.
As part of the remix aspect of it, I now picture myself in Lena's spot in the photo, getting to have the short hair I wish I had had back then, and getting to wear a suit and tie! (Yes, in the original photo, I am wearing the dress and red bow Webby's sporting here, and I have long hair. 🙈 Though I will say here that the little heart necklace she's wearing is exactly like the one I had, too! :)) Drawing this was really cathartic for my nonbinary self. 💜
And as for Webby, in this remix, she represents someone that, in retrospect, I wish I had shared this moment with from back then. In many ways, she really was the Webby to my Lena. 💜💖💝
(Literally) beyond the subjects of this though, this is indeed very much a love letter to a lot of things, to passions. The background is pretty much a replica of the drama classroom wall we were in front of for the photo, at least as far as layout goes, with a few direct recreations of things that were on the wall and on the table there. Everything else was me being a passionate (theatre) nerd.
(Details (many details) of said nerdiness and alternate versions below the cut!)
I've included un-blurred and background-only versions (and a version with drop shadow lines on the girls, because why not? it's a cool effect!) below, but I just want to point out the details, because I'm so dang proud of this.
The posters/programs for The Phantom Blot of the Opera, Featherspray, Chickago, and My Fair Dewey are obvious duck-parody references to their real-world counterparts (with the latter being the exact poster they use in DuckTales, in Dewey's dream in "Nightmare on Killmotor Hill!" So thanks, Dewey! 😂). The Featherspray one was also included because Hairspray was one of the shows we did in high school! And lemme just say, creating theater posters is really fun!!
The MJ the Musical poster and the half-shown Notre Dame de Paris "Duckbill" right behind Lena's head are particularly special to me, since they (along with Phantom) are my favorite musicals, and getting to draw those two was especially fun!
The L'Orange Theater poster in the top-right is a bunch of duck easter eggs in one - the L'Orange Theater is mentioned and seen in the very first episode of DuckTales 1987, and of course, there's Aquarioon from DT17! Looks like it toured in Duckburg a long time ago. 😉
And the sheet music is the DuckTales theme! (Or at least the left side of it :P)
The "Congrats" card, calendar (the whale for upper half was my own touch), folder, page of random backstage stuff behind Lena's head (which includes little Star Trek and Darkwing Duck references), and golden "Theatre" card (with my old director's favorite quote) are directly from the photo (or at least based on what I could see through its blurriness 😝), as is the very edge of a cast photo in the upper-right. The purple note (totally not with any secret messages whaaaaat) below that, the certificate of excellence, and the little pride heart pins everywhere are little garnishes/dedications. 😊
The stage/theater diagram below the certificate is really cool, because that's a direct recreation (+ another hidden message) of a project a friend and I did for stagecraft back in our freshman year - I was even able to copy my own handwriting for the labels! 😄😂
The "Time of Our Lives" poster is a reference to the showcase I mentioned above that inspired all this, though the real-life poster looked very different, from what I remember.
The green bag below is sorta a nod to the secret pal exchanges we used to do during shows. 😉
And finally:
The Glittering Goldie show poster is me just having an absolute blast drawing her once again and coming up with something for her Blackjack days! And bonus - I'll be posting a gradient-only version of Goldie tomorrow! Really happy with how she turned out!
And the "All the World's a Stage" poster is me combining all of my theatre nerdiness with my passion for space and a good pun! 😁
ANYWAY...
I learned a lot with this drawing, about creating and about myself.
And I just had so, so much fun with it - it was all love, all passion, all happiness for this one. 💜💖💝
Wishing the same for all of you. ✨
Love, Astro 💜
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crushingcasanova · 4 months
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Yet another POTO mood board; it really is one of my biggest interests!
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bmpmp3 · 2 years
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in theory im very good at reading but in practice i cant read SHIT unless its in the perfect font with the perfect spacing so buying physical non-comic books is So difficult. why do online listings never put a picture of the page layout. i need to know how bad your paragraph spacing is. can i email my local bookstore and ask if they can take a pic of a page. is that allowed
#comics im mostly fine with (although ive realized i read some things like particularly manga easier than others)#(like if you tell me to read a superhero comic i'll die. mostly because of 'creative' font choices (whatever was going on in batman year 1))#(but comics with clear simple fonts and generous spacing between the text and the edges of the speech bubbles helps a lot)#(and a lot of translated manga is formatted that way so maybe thats why? just theorizing tho lol)#but with written novels im a MESS#i need large spacing around the text to the edge of the page (1.5-2cm in mass market paperbacks is okay but if a trade paperback doesnt have#at LEAST a inch or an inch and half around the text blocks i'll die irl)#i also need the font to be a good solid medium or smaller size so large print books are out for me#also the spacing between letters needs to be standard but the spacing between words and ESPECIALLY the spacing between paragraph breaks#needs to be a little bigger#USUALLY  sans serif fonts are better for me but a good standard ass serif like times new roman works like as long as its clear and blocky#and the printing of the words needs to be CRISP like okay i wanted to read no longer human because of its influence#so i went to the store to check out the translated copies but then i was killed on impact when i saw how fuzzy and fucked up the text was#girl i cant read that. girl help.#AND LIKE the solution is obviously just reading more ebooks BUT I LIKE reading books physically 😔#easier to remember what books im reading and where i am in them that way jfklskfjdsa#sorry its just i love reading but my reading ability is mysterious and unpredictable HJKFLDSHJDKF#im trying to get a copy of phantom of the opera and im dying. not only are there 1000000 million translations. there is also...#100000 million different printings of the oldest public domain translation JFKLDSHJDKL:Ss#pray for me#luckily 99% of the books i read at least are from the library or borrowed from someone so i can check the font beforehand#but my library doesnt have everything RIP
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yamino · 8 months
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My very first visual novel and submission for Spooktober is now available for FREE! 🖤
A love letter to Takarazuka Revue, Phantom of the Opera, and classic 70's shoujo manga, this nostalgic yuri game is but a taste of what's to come. 🖤 Please give it a play, and if you feel so inclined, consider a review!
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Quarterfinals, Match 2
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expand to see all propaganda received! (wall of text warning oh my god this is a severe cautionary message)
Lauryn Hill:
"she paved the way and was hot as fuck the whole time"
"Girl c'mon. Look at her. You're gonna try and tell me that isn't the most beautiful and attractive person alive? Okay. You're lying but okay."
"if u freaks don't give ms. lauryn hill the respect she deserves..."
"actually one of the prettiest women ever I'm such a lesbian for her. like irl I'm already a lesbian but she is helping"
Damon Albarn:
"Don’t think Damon should be here? Why don’t you get your head checked by a jumbo jet? Maybe you’ll feel heavy metal and calm down."
"If Damon is in the “some guy” category, he’s the heavenly and heartbreaking version. Damon is the sort of significant stranger I’d see on the train out of Colchester but could never speak to, just a face seen in passing yet too radiant to be real. I’d fall in love for an hour and carry the ache for a month."
"Damon sets the standard for me. I think he’s the most fascinating man alive. What I find attractive in Damon is not just his gorgeous bone structure and boyish charm, but how wholly he’s committed himself to music. Damon is an artist who walked the walk: in one of his roughest years with some of his rawest songwriting, he said he was no longer excited by anything except the creative process. He was disillusioned with the celebrity of it all, with his relationships suffering for it, and only wanted to make art: nothing more, nothing less. He would go on to compose film scores, write operas and stage musicals, produce other artists’ records, form collectives to fulfill his passion for world music, and create some of the most globally successful music of his career in a completely innovative format that placed him as the phantom behind the characters. Whenever one band takes a break, he makes a solo record or puts together a supergroup to stay busy. He’s uniquely collaborative and still writes personal letters inviting artists to record with him, and yet can function as a one-man show, acting as a multi-instrumentalist, a singer-songwriter and a producer. He’s been a constant voice of bringing British music to the world *and* bringing world music into Britain. Sure, he’s won Brit Awards and a Grammy among others, but he also has a Guinness World Record and was named an Officer of the British Empire for his services to music; his long work with Africa Express earned him respect even from peers who’d previously dismissed him, and his commitment to support his Malian collaborators in the face of violence earned him the title of Local King in Mali. There is so much talent in the world, but there is truly no one else with a career that looks like Damon Albarn’s. Damon is far more than just a prettyboy to look nice on a magazine cover, but looks are the ultimate point of this tournament, so make no mistake: he was terribly, terribly pretty. You watch him performing in the 90s, you sift through photoshoots and interviews and documentaries, and it feels *cruel* how beautiful he was. If his talent was god-given, so was his face. To put a bow on this thesis: I don’t know if Gorillaz and Damon’s musical universe would be the experimental, globe-trotting, boundary-pushing community affair it is if Blur hadn’t become such a central figure in Britpop and if Damon had not been made such a media spectacle, and I don’t know if Damon would have been that spectacle if he wasn’t so ungodly pretty. The domino effect is that Damon’s cherubic face launched a thousand multimedia art school projects for decades to come."
"I wish I was basically any bloke in the 90s so I could tongue Damon Albarn down. Damon will see a man and ask “is anyone gonna kiss that?” and not wait for a response."
"I have a pillow with his face on it. I sleep with it every night 😊"
"“I’m more homosexual than Brett Anderson, always have been. As far as bisexuality goes, I’ve had a taste of that particular fruit, or have been tasted you might say…” is just the rawest most Shakespearean statement ever"
"he is the ultimate Pretty Boy ™. his glorious golden locks, his electric blue eyes. he is if Princess Diana was a Britpop Dude. he is the Regina George of Britpop. he is if Aphrodite took male form. Zeus would come down to earth to fuck him if he knew. he is a caffeinated orange cat let loose. he is deranged. he is unhinged. you never know what will come out of his mouth. he had sexual tension with every single man who knew him. he pulled justine fucking frischmann. his aura knows no bounds. he is a siren. he is a weird guy. but being so gorgeous stunning ethereal didn't stop him from also being one of the most prolific songwriters of his generation"
"THE MAIN BLUR"
"literally where do i even begin. i could write entire essays on this man. a good place to start would be the beetlebum music video, i suppose. i'll never forget the first time i watched that music video. something in me changed, my brain chemistry was altered, my life was never the same, i view the world a lot differently now. and a lot of the viewing i'm doing is of pictures of damon albarn's face because of boy do i have a lot of those saved. every time i try to look for a photo of something on my phone i can't find it because there's so much damon. okay that's maybe an exaggeration but this man has the most unfathomable beauty ever. his eyes? HIS EYES. god dammit i love his eyes i want to stare at them until the end of time like nothing else exists. i'm so normal about this man (lying) and while i'm usually very shameless about my interests i'm actually incredibly glad this propaganda is anonymous because otherwise. yeah. but the world deserves to see damon albarn's beauty and also hear his fantastic voice because what the fuck. his voice is literally the most gorgeous sound ever produced like bro sounds like that and expects me not to fall in love? i want this man to sing his silly songs and talk absolute nonsense to me until the sun eventually blows out and the world ends. cmon damon girlies let's demolish this tournament i know there are a lot of you."
"He’s beautiful. He’s a little rat. He’s a sweetheart. He’s a dickhead. He’s a musical genius. He’s a dumb bitch. He’s a jock. He’s a weirdo. He’s real. He’s an illusion. He’s everything. He’s just Damon."
"DAMON DAMON DAMON where do I begin oh jeez I've hyperfixated on this man for a solid 4 years and still going strong. Damon makes me wish that British people are real. That says A LOT. This man created a whole ass ANIMATED BAND WITH A SHIT TON OF LORE as a SIDE HUSTLE??? Not to mention, what other man has collaborated with Stevie Nicks, MF DOOM, Del the Funky Homosapien, Snoop Dogg, AND Beck?! People, we're literally in the presence of a god. And he's STILL GOING. Anyways, TL;DR, damon is so so so neat and cool and he should definitely win this competition. Thank you."
"Okay 90s Damon is The Perfect Boy yes yes, but the people who parrot the Daily Mail and say "he's ugly now" will never understand. I would still suck every drop from him on his deathbed."
"Vote for whoever you want to. But Damon is so pretty."
"i did not spend hours admiring this beautiful man's face on pinterest just to see him lose."
"Damon Albarn just brings me joy. When I'm watching him perform, following along as the camera lingers on and adores his pretty face, I get butterflies like I'm 15 again. It's nice to still feel that totally unguarded giddiness sometimes."
"God let the intrusive thoughts win making Damon. What if he's a beautiful blond twink with eyes like saucers and dick to his knees, he reads Herman Hesse and plays footie and is insufferable about both, he'll be the most prolific musician of his generation and write operas and seminal albums in 5 different genres and also he's gonna be the dumbest bitch alive? He'll also be kinda bi, but only kinda. And send."
"when i found out about his existence, my life was changed forever. i wish i could use him like the hannah montana boot milk pillow and chuck him at the wall so he makes a loud thud"
"Think of the drama and anon fights it'll cause if Damon wins it all! And think of how quiet it'll get after Damon's out. You'll miss him when he's gone, like memories of a noisy house years after it's grown silent. Choose Damon, and keep the messy train chugging."
"Even the Gallagher brothers have the hots for him."
"Kiss kiss I love him also you can't vote for any of the Seattle men they're literally copy and paste it's not fair. We need Brit representation"
"I want to take care of him, I want to provide for him. I need to gauge his baby blue puppy dog orbs out to I can clean them with wood varnish, paint shades of Pantone 320 C in his eyes, spray eau de parfume by dior in them and sew it back into his eyes like that scene in Toy Story 2."
"Seeing as simply filling the page with ‘Damon’ written 10000000 times isn’t going to cut it 😅 may I admit/submit: I DO have him tattooed on my being (no descriptive, is this anon?); he’s inspired somewhat unhinged late night/early morning fandom conversations in which I’ve served as ‘parish’ priest hearing confessions from all manner of folk about what they’d like to do to him/receive from him; sadly I lost an essay where I detailed why the letters that make up his name suit him so well, and described him as the hot caramel sauce to Graham’s cool vanilla ice cream. He’s a faerie princess with a nose that makes people weep and a voice that feels like the warmest home and he gives amazing hugs. He loves trains and chickens and his tuxedo cat. He’s annoying and sweet and somewhat unhinged and his music saves people and all this is on top of that fantastic dick. He’s a dream yet very real and we’re fucking blessed to be on earth at the same time as him, amen"
"Damon Albarn was a beautiful, beautiful boy. The world saw that, regardless of if every individual reading this has the same taste in men; it felt like a truth of the universe at the time. They don't make celebrities that angelic in face and erratic in personality anymore."
"I need to touch his eyebrows, nose and prostate just one time JUST ONE TIME COME ON"
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basilpaste · 1 year
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Love isn't the sacrifice, it's the act of giving.
letters from medea, salma deera | giovannis room, james baldwin | all i ask of you, phantom of the opera | because dreaming costs money my dear, mitski | water lilies claude monet | bittersweet, rumi | in case you dont live forever, ben platt | quote by sade andria zabala | photo by leonardo papèra | the rockrose and the thistle, the amazing devil | radio silence, alice oseman | this is how you lose the time war, amal el-mohtar
a silly little web weave based on perrie.
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whumpthemusical · 6 months
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Whump: The Musical Prompts!!
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As stated before, this challenge will run from March 1- March 31, 2024. All fandoms are welcome to participate despite it being prompts based off of musicals. Once again, all types of media are allowed. This challenge has the standard "choose one for the day" style, but feel free to do all three prompts if that's what you want to do!! All types of whump are allowed, but please be respectful to your fellow audience members and properly tag it!! Some of these prompts are sensitive, so make sure you warn your readers correctly! There will be an ao3 collection and an FAQ post coming soon, so if you have any further questions or comments about this challenge, feel free to drop me a line. Happy writing, my beautiful ingénues, and enjoy the show :)))
The prompts will be listed under the cut for those who have difficulty reading fonts!!
Cats- Sabotage • Second Chances • "I Can Dream Of The Old Days."
Wicked- Mob Mentality • Propaganda • "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished."
Jesus Christ Superstar- Whipping • Betrayal • "Then I Was Inspired, Now I'm Sad And Tired."
Les Mis- Survivor's Guilt • Failure • "Drink With Me To Days Gone By."
Heathers- Poison • Reluctant Whumper • "Wanna fight for me?"
Newsies- Chronic Pain • Exploitation • "Let 'Em Laugh In My Face, I Don't Care."
The Last Five Years- Infidelity • Gaslighting • "I Will Not Lose Because You Can't WIn."
Hadestown- Deals • Doomed Narrative • "Doubt Comes In."
Sweeney Todd- False Imprisonment • Razors • "Have You Decided It's Safer In Cages?"
Rent- Substance Abuse • Poverty • "Feels Too Much Damn Like Home."
Bare: A Pop Opera- Outing • Religious Trauma • "Please, See Me."
Waitress- Unplanned Pregnancy • Abuse • "She Is Broken And Won't Ask For Help."
Tick Tick Boom- Atychiphobia • Working To Exhaustion • "Is This Real Life?"
Dear Evan Hansen- Deception • Broken Bone • "Words Fail."
West Side Story- Star-Crossed Lovers • Prejudices • "A Boy Who Kills Cannot Love."
Come From Away- Stranded • Aftermath • "Blankets And Bedding And Maybe Some Food."
Spring Awakening- Withheld Information • Suicide  • "I Don't Scream, Though I Know It's Wrong."
Hamilton- Hurricane  • Dueling • "I Will Kill Your Friends And Family To Remind You Of My Love."
Falsettos- Sickness • Identity Issues • "Death Is Not A Friend."
Into The Woods- Blame • Lost • "Nothing But A Vast Midnight."
The Great Comet- Abduction • Letters • "Did You Love That Bad Man?"
In The Heights- Grief • Homesickness • "I Know That I'm Letting You Down."
Be More Chill- Mind Manipulation • Panic Attack • "Everything About Me Makes Me Want To Die."
Moulin Rouge- Class Differences • Sex Work • "Come What May."
Chicago- Cold Blood • Trial • "He Had It Coming."
Six- Execution • Trauma Bonding • "Playtime's Over."
Ride The Cyclone- Unexpected Tragedy • Forgotten Whumpee • "I Hear The Anguish Of The Street."
The Rocky Horror Show- Obsession • Wrong Place, Wrong Time • "I've Seen Blue Skies Through The Tears."
Nerdy Prudes Must Die- Bullying • Ritual • "Who Will Pray For You?"
Jekyll And Hyde- Duality • Good Vs Evil • "If I Die, You'll Die."
Phantom Of The Opera- Disfiguration • Shunned • "My Power Over You Grows Stronger Yet."
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willows-escape · 2 months
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Carpe Diem - Musical!Erik x Reader
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Pairing: Musical!Erik x Fem!Reader
Summary: You'd received possibly the worst news a high status woman could receive in their entire life time, and you had only one thought and one goal in mind. Erik had a different one.
Warnings: angst, forced marriage, a lot of crying, jealousy, uninformed consent (?), almost getting caught, oral (f and m receiving), finger sucking, vaginal fingering, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, crying during sex, forced mask reveal, mentions of murder, gaslighting, manipulation, kidnapping
Words: 9570
Notes: sorry this took so long, coursework's a pain in the ass and i've written and deleted what i've wanted to write so many times. i've written seven different stories at this point and rewritten them each at least three times. i decided to pull back all the complexity of what i was originally going for and ending up with this thing.
i tried to make the phantom more submissive because i know people wanted to read that but musical!erik just doesn't feel submissive to me, at least not in this kind of scenario. he's just too much of a control freak i feel and i think he would become more of a switch later into a relationship when he grows comfortable.
hopefully i don't take so long to write my next thing in future, and i pray i continue to improve in my writing skills lol.
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You were in flight, your heart pounding a thunderous rhythm in your chest, matching the frenzied drumming of your feet against the opera house's ancient wooden floors. Every sinew in your body screamed in protest, yet you willed yourself to run faster, harder. The adrenaline coursing through your veins drowned out all thought, all reason, save for one - you have to get to the rooftop.
Your relentless fate was stealthily stalking you, icy tendrils of fear unfurling down your spine, as you envisioned the pitiless roots of destiny relentlessly chasing you, eager to entangle you within their remorseless clutches. The letter you gripped in your trembling hand was the harbinger of your impending doom, a chilling memento of the ominous vow you had once made.
As you turned the corner, your heart pounded in your chest as you darted up the flight of stairs towards the clandestine meeting point. The anticipation hung heavy in the air, matching the dusky sky's ethereal haze. As nightfall descended, it signalled the time when both of you could shed your public facades and bask in the tranquillity of each other's presence, shrouded in shadows and secrecy.
Every muscle in your thighs and calves screamed in protest, pleading for mercy as you drove yourself onward. You forced yourself through each step. As you pushed through the final barrier, the rooftop door swung open, revealing your destination. A gust of crisp, cold air met your face, a shocking contrast against the sweltering heat of your exertion. The sudden chill cut through the stifling humidity clinging to your skin, offering a brief, but sweet, respite.
"Erik? Erik, where are you?" you called out aimlessly, your chest heaving as you tried to catch your breath.
The tension of anticipation didn't linger long. Soon, the haunting familiarity of the black suit and porcelain mask punctuated your line of sight. A smile, so ignorant and blissful, graced his hidden face, while your own mirrored nothing but distress. As your eyes met, his smile faltered and a sense of panic ignited within his gaze.
"Has somebody hurt you?" The first conclusion came tumbling out of his lips as he rushed to stand in front of you, hands reaching out to caress your arms.
An onslaught of feelings of safety and security besieged you. The caress of his gentle touch, his sugar-coated words, and the purity of his love stood stark against the frigid future looming ahead - ice-cold eyes, indifferent touch, and a home that was nothing more than an glorified prison. Your vision blurred, as if submerged underwater, with briny tears carving trails down your icy cheeks. Your body convulsed with splutters and coughs, surrendering to the raw unravelling of your emotions.
"My dear, please, who did this to you?" His voice wavered, desperation tinging his plea. "I can't bare to see you like this," he confessed, his heart aching to draw you into his arms, to cocoon you in a protective embrace. Yet, his hands twitched with uncertainty, unaccustomed to offering unbidden comfort and tormented by the fear of making the wrong choice.
Struggling, you gasped for the words that seemed to evade your grasp. Finally, in a pitiful whimper, you managed to choke out the truth, "My father. It's my father."
"He has hurt you?" His words, taut with restrained fury, barely managed to mask the cataclysmic rage broiling within his core. His eyes flamed with the intensity of a thousand suns, pledging an unspoken oath that he would move heavens and earth to guard you from any harm. He would not let this happen again, his earlier leniency was a mistake he wouldn't repeat.
"No... well, yes, sort of," you stammered, every word a struggle as tears choked your speech. Your sentences, muddled and hardly coherent, tumbled out in a rush. He stood there, a silent pillar of patience amidst your storm. "The curtain had just fallen on tonight's performance, when Madame Giry found me, said someone had come to the Opera Populaire with a letter for me. I ventured backstage, and – and –”
"Take your time," he reassured you, trying to keep his tone soft and soothing when he was feeling anything but that.
"My father," you began, your voice trembling slightly, "He sent this to me," you raised your arm, presenting him with the damning parchment that bore the news, "It declares that I have a single week to make my return... and to dutifully submit to his wishes, to bind myself in marriage to a man he's handpicked for me.”
As the words tore from your lips, a deluge of sobs overpowered you, shattering your composure into fragments. You crumpled onto the frigid concrete, your body convulsing with the ferocity of your wails, echoing the raw torment festering within.
"He has already decided my fate, to wed me to Alexander Beaumont, heir to one of the wealthiest fortunes in Paris. But, Erik, I cannot bear the thought! I'd choose the most excruciating demise before even contemplating marrying him!" Your tears began to mingle with your snot, humiliation gnawing your insides, knowing he was bearing witness to your disarray. Yet, you were powerless to stop it, and no amount of snivelling could quell the impending sense of doom building within you.
Erik was consumed by a fury so intense, it was a blinding white light in his mind. Thousands of brutal scenarios played out in rapid succession, each a unique way he could annihilate the man who dared to pull you away from him. The man who had reduced you to nothing more than a pawn, a puppet to be used in his ruthless climb up the social ladder.
"I've met him before, his gaze piercing through me, speaking of me as though I were a mere fly on the wall... If I were to wed him, I'd be reduced to nothing more than a trophy wife, imprisoned within the confines of a household, expected to bear children annually until nature robs me of the ability," you choked out between sobs, bitterly recalling his elaborate discourse to your father about his archaic aspirations for a wife, a die-hard traditionalist to his core.
"The Opera Populaire, an impossibility now. My friends, forever out of reach. And you... you, I shall never feast my eyes upon again." The tears assaulted you, battering you with the unrelenting force of a tempest as the brutal reality bore down, each tick of the clock amplifying the sting of truth.
"Then don't go," he uttered, his words masquerading as a suggestion, yet ringing with the commanding tone of a demand, "Don't return home, do not bend to your father's will. There's always another escape, always."
"Oh, Erik," your voice broke, anguish seeping into each syllable, "I can't." A hard lump constricted your throat, the bitter reality of your predicament sinking in. "My father...he wields power, he has influence. If I dare not return, all of Paris would be hunting me down, a bounty on my head. I'm cornered, Erik. I'm left with no other choice."
Before he could utter another syllable, you swiftly eradicated the residue that had amassed on your skin and surged to your feet. Your eyes were ablaze with a bloodshot hue, stray teardrops stubbornly tracing a path down your face. Yet, an unyielding determination was etched across your features. You yearned for one final moment, one last poignant memory before the unavoidable reality of leaving him forever would consume you.
"Take me," you urged in a hushed plea, your gaze ensnaring him with such profound intensity that he was left with no room to misconstrue your meaning. Your purpose was undeniable, and it struck him into stillness. "Please, I beg you, do not deny me this final experience, this closing moment of exhilaration. For I am to be condemned.”
Your fragility was palpable, an image of vulnerability and innocence that made the idea of your bodies entwining, your souls merging into one, nearly impossible to suppress. Erik was gripped by a relentless thought; this encounter wouldn't be your last. A scheme was rapidly taking shape in his mind, a bold plan that he was awaiting the opportunity to enact. Yet, beneath it all, he was merely a mortal, how could he resist such a sweet opportunity laid before him?
As though your initial plea wasn't potent enough, you read his silence as a stark rejection. With a desperate urgency, you persisted, "I must experience what it means to unite with someone who harbours a profound love for me, and whom I equally adore, before time steals this chance forever. This is my final request of you, please, grant me this.”
Every trace of Erik's reservations - his mask, his insecurities, his lack of experience - evaporated in an instant. His entire being was consumed by the sight of your pleading eyes and enticing lips, desperately imploring him to make love to you. The intensity of your need, your last request born out of the fear of never seeing him again, ignited a scorching fire in his abdomen. His slacks tightened unbearably as his body responded to the raw desire coursing through him.
He didn't respond with words. Instead, his body lunged forward, crashing against yours, his lips desperately colliding with yours in an intoxicating, chaotic ballet. It was flawlessly imperfect, devoid of rhythm or pattern, yet it echoed the sheer intensity of your shared lust and fervour. A surge of electricity coursed through your veins, your skin prickling, your stomach churning with a heady mix of anxiety and exhilaration as you passionately kissed him.
Small, desperate gasps and whimpers escaped your trembling lips as they urgently sought his, the icy chill of Paris causing a cascade of goosebumps to erupt across your skin. You clung to him with a ferocity born of pure, raw fear, as if you were precariously perched on the brink of an abyss and he was the only tether keeping you from plummeting into the void. He was your sole anchor in a sea of chaos, the only force keeping you alive.
The searing heat of your skin beneath his fingertips sent his mind spiralling, the sensation of you - so soft, so yielding under his hands, a staggering, unfamiliar experience. He could feel the rhythmic surge and ebb of your chest, your breath, a hot whisper against his face as your lips clashed and fused, time and time again - he was certain he could feel the pulsating rhythm of your veins as your blood roared through your body. So vivid, so fiercely alive.
Inescapably, the mask had turned into an intolerable burden. Each movement caused it to ruthlessly scrape against your skin, the epidermis painfully inflamed and raw. With a heavy sense of reluctance, you retreated, your eyes slowly fluttering open to behold the breath taking spectacle of your angel, gasping for air, his eyes wide and darkened with intensity.
"My love," you began, your voice barely above a whisper, your fingers nervously fiddling with the lapels of his coat. "I know this is a significant request..." The tension hung heavy in the air between you two. "But, would you consider... removing your mask?" Your heart pounded in your chest as you dared to meet his eyes. "It's been catching on my skin, and it's starting to hurt. If it's too much, I understand! We can find another way. It's just that... I yearn to see all of you, unobstructed."
His expression shifted to one of grave solemnity. Deep within, he had known this moment would arrive, yet he had clung to the hope that it would be delayed, that he could savour more of you and this opportunity before you were cruelly torn from his grasp. Now, his countenance was a spectacle of terror, a sight so horrific that he was certain it would repel you instantly, forever severing any connection you could have had. It was this dread, this fear of losing you, that compelled him to deny your request.
"No," he declared, his voice cold and final, making it clear he had no intention of prolonging this conversation any further.
A lump formed in your throat, a silent reflection of the tension in the air. His features were chiselled, hardened as if sculpted by an unseen force. His eyes, unyielding and intense, bore into you, commanding silence without uttering a single word. You were far from foolish, aware that any protest would shatter the brittle tranquillity of the moment. Respecting his unspoken plea, you held your tongue, allowing the silence to envelop the space between you.
You plunged back into the fervour of your previous kisses, this time contorting awkwardly to keep your face clear of the cold, threatening porcelain weapon. With each passing moment, you fought to maintain the connection, a bizarre dance with a man whose full face you'd never seen. A wave of filth washed over you, a creeping sense you should be drowning in shame, but you found no room for such feelings. Not when his touch set your skin ablaze with desire.
His hands settled on the small of your back, gently rubbing above the fabric of your dress. You naturally moved closer, your soft chest against his solid one. Your hands wandered, touching every part of him within reach.
"Is this what you call a lovers outing, Piangi? It's cold and dirty!" The piercing voice of the renowned prima donna erupted from the rooftop entrance, slicing through the silence. You and Erik froze.
"Ah, forgive me, my love," replied her lover, his familiar Italian accent flooding through his words. His voice sounded awkward and dejected. One could almost imagine his look of shame, realizing his romantic gesture wasn't appreciated. "I wanted to look at the stars with you, but if that's not what you desire-"
"Forget it," Carlotta spat out. The echo of footsteps approaching sent jolts of panic through your veins, your heart hammering against your ribcage. Erik, however, remained calm amongst the chaos. His fingers laced through yours, pulling you urgently towards the shadowed sanctuary of the rooftop's far corner.
"If you get too cold, dear, I have my coat with me. Just say the word and I will give it to you," Piangi spoke, his voice straining with the effort to pierce through Carlotta's gloom.
As their voices clashed in petty discord, a sudden blast of searing air prickled the nape of your neck. Goosebumps erupted across your skin, your hair bristling on end. A whispered command, laced with urgency, pierced the tension, "Stay behind me and follow. Make no noise. Not even a whisper."
With a sense of increasing trepidation, you gave a tense nod. You watched, breath held, as Erik emerged from your concealed sanctuary, prowling the expanse of the rooftop with a predator's stealth. He would intermittently halt, shielding himself within various makeshift hideaways. You hastened to mirror his movements, until at last, you found yourself inside the familiar confines of the opera house. His hand ensnared yours, his grip firm yet comforting, as he urged you onwards into the unknown.
It didn't take long before he ceased his steps, drawn like a magnet to the first mirror you encountered. His grip on your hand slackened for a fleeting moment, his fingers dancing over the wall in a cryptic rhythm. There was a tense hush, then the sharp click echoed in the silence, and the mirror slid back with a menacing grace to unveil a hidden passageway.
"What on earth?" you whispered, a tremor in your voice as you gazed upon the hole in the wall where once a mirror was.
Erik wheeled around abruptly, a sense of urgency flickering in his eyes as he extended his hand to you. You paused, uncertainty clouding your features, "Where does this passageway lead? Where are you taking me?"
"Trust me," he implored, his voice barely a whisper, yet carrying an undertone of desperation.
You swallowed, your throat tight with a mix of fear and anticipation. The situation and context around it weighed heavily on your mind, a potent cocktail of potential consequences swirling before you. The silence was deafening as you deliberated, the seconds stretching into what felt like an eternity. Then, with a deep, steadying breath, you extended a trembling hand towards him, a silent acquiescence. You nodded, a solemn gesture of trust, surrendering your fate into his hands.
He responded with a nod of his own, guiding you towards the opening. The entrance was inconveniently elevated from the ground - not to an extreme where a leap was required - but enough to pose a considerable risk. With a firm grip, he assisted you as you stepped inside, ensuring the voluminous folds of your dress evaded entanglement. He trailed in your wake, the air heavy with anticipation.
With a precise touch, he activated a concealed point on the wall, causing the mirror to slide back into normalcy. The echo of silence descended, the only sound being the synchronization of your breaths reverberating through the confined passageway. A whirlwind of questions swirled in your mind, each one violently dismissed as the realisation of your shared purpose gripped you. Of what you were coming down here to do.
He steered you through a maze of bewildering turns, his whispers of caution echoing in the cold, damp air. His grip on your hand was constant, a lifeline in the suffocating darkness. His familiarity with the convoluted tunnels was unsettling, and a chilling worry gnawed at you, as you wondered what hidden dangers made him tread with such measured care.
Soon you were greeted by a lake, its misty greens and blues shimmering so bright it twinkled like glitter. The view was mesmerising, the many candles scattered around lending the stone walls a glorious golden glow that took your breath away. It was unlike anything you’d ever seen before, the foliage blending together beautifully as it decorated the walls. You gasped.
He guided you towards a gondola which was tethered to a stout wooden stake driven deep into the ground. With a steadying hand, he aided your entrance into the vessel, ensuring your balance as you nestled into the boat's hollow core. Following your lead, he stepped in with calculated caution, his grip closing around a weathered paddle, poised at the ready to commence the strenuous task of rowing.
"What is this place?" You asked, ogling at the scenery around you.
"My home, my hiding place, the Phantom's lair, the sewers under the opera house..." he drawled off, beginning to row, "whichever one you wish to call it. All apply."
"You live down here?" You questioned, your brow furrowed as the icy air bit harshly at your exposed skin. The beauty of the place was undeniable, yet it held a chilling solitude that whispered of profound isolation, making it a daunting place to inhabit.
"Since I was a young boy," he spoke as if the words that spilled from his lips held no weight.
You couldn't shake the thought that something terrifying lurked beneath the mask. He had warned you, but you'd never considered how truly terrible it could be until now. Your eyebrows shot up, eyes dilating as your mind spun wildly with grotesque possibilities. What could be so monstrous about his visage that he was compelled to conceal it in the depths of a dank cellar?
Clearly, you had no intention of broaching the topic; it would undoubtedly ruin your plans for the evening. Yet, as the journey unfolded, you became lost in a whirlwind of contemplation, feverishly imagining the concealed face beneath the mask. Your affection was unwavering, regardless of how horrific his face was you'd feel the same way, but the mystery added an exhilarating layer of intrigue that consumed you.
Within mere minutes of fervent rowing, the silhouette of land loomed ahead, jolting you from your daze back into reality. You remained in the confines of the boat as Erik disembarked with calculated precision. He secured the boat with a swift, practiced motion, restoring the paddle to its rightful place. Then, he pivoted towards you, his hand outstretched in an offer of assistance, his eyes locked onto yours.
You smiled graciously, accepting his helping hand as you stepped out of the boat. You were enchanted, looking around at his home and how it was decorated. It was beyond your wildest imagination, intriguing and enigmatic, labyrinthine and gothic.
You were struck by the vast arrangement of candles. They casted a dim, dancing light which bathed the walls in an ethereal glow, casting long, eerie shadows on the dank stone. There was a majestic, ornate pipe organ, and a big mirror off to the side. All the way in the farthest corner, you spotted a bed, grand and draped in heavy, dark fabrics. You were in awe.
Erik did not give you long to stand and stare, as he was quick to pull you in the direction of where his bed resided. After a long, unfamiliar journey, you found yourself standing at your ultimate destination.
Anxiety, like a shadowy predator, stalked and then launched itself upon you, its claws sinking deep into your psyche. Your blood surged in a torrent, your heart hammered an urgent rhythm against your ribs, and your palms became slick with cold sweat as the full weight of your hasty agreement descended upon you.
"Now, it's my turn to pose the question," Erik initiated, his every footstep purposefully resonating tension as he incrementally diminished the space between you both. Your eyes, wide and alert, mirrored the mounting suspense. "Will you do this with me? Allow us to feel each other, become one, before you are to leave and never return?"
Tears welled threateningly in your eyes, a bitter reminder to the tortuous ordeal that loomed above. A personal hell was waiting, embodied in the stony indifference of your father and the pitiless gaze of your suitor. Discarding caution and fear, you hurled yourself against him with the force of a dead weight. In the face of despair, your inner flame roared back to life, desperation clawing its way to the surface once more.
His arms coiled around you with an intensity that left your breath hitched, his lips fiercely claiming yours. With a sudden, swift motion, he hoisted you into the air, your legs automatically snaking around his waist in response. He gently, yet assertively, laid you upon the cool sheets of the bed. He loomed over you. He began to crawl atop, compelling your legs to part in silent compliance. A gasp of anticipation escaped your lips, swallowed by his own, as you felt the weight of him gradually descend upon you.
As you kissed, the inadvertent brush of his crotch against your core sent a jolt through you, driving your senses into a wild frenzy. The searing heat from his arousal, even through the barrier of his trousers, was palpable, each pulsating throb a teasing promise of what was to come. Your breath hitched, heart pounding in your chest, as saliva-slick tongues ventured into uncharted territories, escalating the tension that hung in the air.
Driven by instinct, Erik's hands made a beeline for your sleeves, yanking with an insatiable restlessness, a silent plea for their removal. You countered his advances, pushing him back, a giggle escaping you at his stubborn demeanour. Undeterred, his lips sought new territory, latching onto the sensitive expanse of your neck, peppering kisses and grazing his teeth in a seductive dance that sent shivers down your spine.
Erik's movements against your aching core grew in intensity as he realised what he was brushing against, threatening to silence you completely. Yet, if he truly desired your uninhibited vulnerability, he needed to grant you the space to shed every layer.
"Erik," you tried to infuse your voice with authority, but it faltered, punctuated by your ragged sighs and helpless whimpers, "I'm laced into a corset, it needs to come off. Release me."
He moved with urgency, moving away from your form and allowing the space for you to rise, your knees pressing into the solid mattress. With a focused precision, you began to unbutton your dress, the fabric gliding over your head with a practiced ease, your focus fully enveloped in the task at hand. So engrossed were you, you failed to notice the predatory way his gaze drank in the sight of your bared skin, or the noticeable gulp that resonated from his throat as more and more of you unfolded before his eager eyes.
Your fingers trembled, struggling against the stubborn knot that held the ties of your undergarments in a vice-like grip. It was a battle you were unaccustomed to, always having the help of someone else to aid you with your corset. Your difficulty was palpable, a silent cry for assistance. Lifting your gaze to Erik, your eyes were wide, desperate pools of plea.
"Would you... could you, do the honours?" you asked through gritted teeth, your fingers clawing fruitlessly at the defiant knot, the bulge in the string a mocking testament to the maid's overly-zealous efforts.
In a silent affirmation, he nodded his head, his hand reaching out with an unspoken authority to rotate your form, granting him unimpeded access to your corset. You felt your undergarments grow increasingly wet under his firm handling, a damp patch steadily spreading across the fabric in response to your mounting anticipation. Heat suffused your cheeks, each accidental graze of his fingers against your back as he navigated the complexities of the female attire sending a shocks of tension through your body.
After an intense struggle, he conquered the knot, crafted by your maid's expert hands. But victory left him bewildered.
"Now that it's undone, what's the next step?" His gaze bore into the corset's lacings, a new challenge awaiting him.
With a chuckle rippling through the tension, you interjected, "Allow me." Swiftly, you unhooked the busk at the front, stripping the garment from your form. It cascaded to the floor, disappearing from view.
Bare and unshielded, your form was revealed from the hips upward, only your undergarments veiling what remained. There you were, a portrait of vulnerability, kneeling in anticipation yet turned away, placing a blind faith in him, trusting his unspoken intentions.
His hands seized your hips with an assertive grip, drawing you into his sphere, letting you tumble back onto the mattress as you laid facing him. Your breasts bounded with the abrupt motion, your soft contours and supple skin devoured by his relentless gaze. He studied every detail, every curve and secret of your figure, etching them into his memory.
"You might find this... somewhat audacious," you stammered, your gaze darting around the room, evading his intense stare, "But I've come across something in a book. And I have this... this urge to experience it."
Erik seemed to snap out of a daze, his brows furrowing in curiosity. "And what might that be?" he asked.
You dropped your gaze, a blush creeping up your cheeks as you attempted to muster the courage to voice your desires. "Are you familiar with... cunnilingus?"
A silence fell over the room. Erik appeared shell-shocked, his lips parting but no sound escaping as he tried to comprehend the salacious request that had just spilled from your lips. His experiences with carnal pleasures were extensive, more so after meeting you- he'd spent countless nights engrossed in books filled with varying degrees of erotica. He'd envisioned you and him as the characters, and his fantasies of caressing, embracing, and making passionate love to you had kept him awake many a night.
"Briefly, why?" He asked, his voice steady but his façade barely concealing the turmoil within.
"I want... I want you to do that to me," you managed to utter, swallowing down the embarrassment that threatened to choke you. "My betrothed, he... he wouldn't. I need to know, just once, what it feels like."
A dark shadow passed over his face at your words, the mention of the man you were intended to wed igniting something within him. His lips met your skin with a ferocity that stole your breath away. His body was pressed against yours, a desperate attempt to meld into one, to erase the space that separated you. His kisses trailed a scorching path from your neck downwards, each mark he left with his teeth due to the simmering anger that consumed him.
His hot breath teased against your core, creating a whirl of anticipation that caused your legs to twitch restlessly, your back to curl off the bed. An tingling sensation flowed from your core to the tips of your legs, prompting your thighs to instinctively tighten. He exerted his dominance, forcibly parting your legs to the sides, his chest pulsating with a primal pride as he observed the clear signs of arousal staining your underwear. The thin fabric did nothing to veil your desire for him.
His lips embarked on a deliberate exploration around your intimate area, strategically withholding the direct contact you craved, fueling a desperate need within you. He relished in your quiet pleas, in your desperation for him, for his touch. He wanted to hear it again - your voice, filled with longing, confessing your need for him, your love for him.
A few teasing kisses and feather-light licks over the fabric of your underwear were enough to reduce you to a state of complete disarray. Your head thrown back, lips parted in a silent plea, you begged, "Please, God, please."
He was relentless, persisting in his torturously slow pace and feather-light touches. He was prepared to play this drawn-out game; after all, he'd been fantasizing about moments like this since the dawn of his adolescence. He could wait an eternity if needed.
By the time he finally conceded, you were a whirlwind of emotion, eyes squeezed shut, body writhing as you grappled with an overwhelming sense of embarrassment, struggling to voice your feelings. You appeared as if you had been plucked straight out of a painting, your body seemingly sculpted by celestial forces, the ethereal glow on your skin from your sweat rendering you nothing short of angelic.
His fingers danced along the delicate straps of your underwear, tracing the curve of your hips as he meticulously slid them down your legs. Your underwear was discarded with an impatient kick. He admired how your lips glistened with your wetness, eyes wide and mouth agape as he inspected your parts. His cock felt like it was suffocating in it's tight confinement, begging to be released. He subconsciously rubbed himself against his quilt, hips driving him harder and harder into the fabric.
He didn't allow himself to spend an excessive amount of time simply staring, his fingers gingerly parting the folds of your intimate area as he gradually moved ever closer to the spot where you craved his touch the most. His tongue hesitantly emerged, like a tentative explorer venturing into uncharted territory, testing the waters as he gradually grew accustomed to your unique taste. It was an intoxicating, addictive flavour that he found himself drawn to, your evident arousal dissolving on his tongue like the sweetest candy. As he became more familiar with your body's reactions, his actions started to grow decidedly bolder, his initial cautiousness melting away.
The smooth, cold porcelain of the mask, right where his nose should have been, made direct contact with a particular spot on your body. It was a spot so sensitive, so responsive to his touch, that it turned you into a trembling, moaning mess. Each touch was like heaven, each movement a wave of pleasure that washed over you. It was a sensation you had never experienced before, and it left you weak, gasping for breath.
He pushed himself further into you, his movements becoming more desperate, more needy. His tongue, warm and insistent, ventured into every hidden corner it could find. It was as though he was trying to memorize you, to imprint the taste of you onto his very soul. He was consuming you, devouring you in a way that was both terrifying and exhilarating.
The side of his face that wasn't hidden behind the mask was growing wetter with each passing moment. Each new wave of your arousal either swallowed by him or adding to the wet mess on his face. His eyes, dark and intense, never left your face, watching your every reaction, feeding off your pleasure.
With each passing moment, you found yourself teetering on the edge of exquisite pleasure, its intensity growing with a fervour that rendered you breathless. As cries of delight spilled from your lips, your fingers curled into the fabric of his bedsheets, clutching them with a strength that threatened to rip them to shreds. Now that you had experienced such ecstasy, you were unsure how you’d ever live without it again.
The pressure swelled within the depths of your abdomen, escalating dangerously as your eyes lost focus, surrendering willingly to Erik's touch. The burgeoning tension coiled within you like a heated serpent, until it could no longer be contained, compelling it to uncoil and release the pent-up passion that had been simmering within. Everything let go.
Erik's lips found your most sensitive spot again, sucking on it gently, coaxing a symphony of soft whimpers and quivering gasps from deep within your throat.
The intense sensations that flooded your body soon became far too much and left you with no other option but to gently, albeit reluctantly, push him away from your soaked cunt. His visible cheek and chin bore the shiny evidence of your pleasure, an erotic testament to the intimacy that had just transpired. His lips, swollen and red, were slightly parted as he laboured to catch his breath, the aftermath of your intense encounter leaving him just as breathless as you were.
He planted a single kiss on your thigh before he rose, drinking in the sinful sight of you lying beneath him. Your chest heaved, and the intimate area between your thighs was slick with a mixture of saliva and arousal, a mess he alone was responsible for. He was in disbelief at the sight before him - a woman who had pleaded for his touch, who had permitted him to venture into territory he was not meant to traverse.
You felt utterly winded, struggling to regain your breath as your mind remained in a dense fog. As you sat up, the ringing sensation of blood rushing in your ears was almost deafening. You gave him a once-over and let out a weary pout.
“Why am I naked and you are still dressed head to toe?” you playfully whined, clumsily rising up to fiddle with the buttons of his dress shirt.
A wave of panic washed over him. While a less sensitive subject than the removal of his mask, he was still hesitant about the concept of somebody seeing him disrobed. His hand swiftly intercepted yours, worried eyes looking directly into yours.
“We don’t have to do this,” you reminded him, “Removing clothes is quite necessary to engage in intercourse, so if that’s off the table, that is fine and we do not have to go any further.”
The looming threat of your sexual endeavours coming to a halt was so disconcerting that it pushed his fear of being seen nude into a corner of his mind. If you managed to bare all in front of him, then surely, he should be able to do the same. No horrifying disfigurement marred his body, save for a few scars and marks, which offered him a semblance of comfort amid his anxiety. Yet, it felt so extraordinarily odd - prior to you, people avoided him, disdaining him as a bizarre outcast to either laugh at or run away from. But you, you wanted to see him. You saw him.
With his consent, you delicately unfastened the buttons of his shirt, your fingers tracing the contours of his body as you gently slid it off along with his coat. The anticipation heightened as you unbuttoned his trousers, a sense of awe overtaking you as you noticed the visible sign of his desire pressing against the fabric of his underwear. With a slow, tantalizing motion, you slid his slacks down, pooling them around his ankles, leaving him to step out of them. The sight of him in such a state had your mouth watering, the subtle twitching under the thin fabric not going unnoticed. You glanced up, your eyes silently asking for permission before you proceeded to remove his last piece of clothing.
He was perfect - not too intimidating, yet not too modest. A balance that promised pleasure without the prospect of discomfort. A smile graced your lips as your hands were drawn to him, appreciating the prominent veins that adorned his underside and the swollen tip that seemed to crave the soothing touch of your lips. You didn’t have a second thought before you ducked down to take him into your mouth.
The moment that his length was enveloped by the soft, velvety embrace of your mouth, he felt an explosive sensation, as if he might shatter. The intoxicating blend of your warmth and the slippery wetness was an overwhelming sensory overload, causing his eyes to flutter closed as he savoured the sensation in its entirety. His low, primal groans amplified into a resonant hum of pleasure as you explored his length, your tender hand caressing the parts your lips had yet to discover.
You surfaced for air, drawing in a deep breath before giving him a seductive smile. Your hand continued to stroke him, maintaining the rhythm you'd established, "Have you heard of this one too? It's called fellatio. I've heard from men that it feels quite pleasurable, so I wanted to give it a try."
His brows knitted together in confusion and a hint of possessiveness, "Who's been talking to you about things like this?" he hissed, his fingers entangling in the roots of your hair. He didn't tug or pull, but simply let his hand rest there, grounding himself in the sensation of your touch.
“No one, I just overhear a lot,” you winked, a playful glint in your eyes.
Finding yourself drawn back to your prior task, you returned your mouth to its position, delicately licking around the sides and base of his manhood with a renewed vigour. You made a point to explore every contour, every ridge, leaving no part untouched by your careful ministrations. As you took him into your mouth once more, you hollowed your cheeks, creating a tight, welcoming space that made him gasp. You allowed your tongue to wander, tracing the map of protruding veins that decorated his length, making him shiver at your touch. You took your time, adjusting slowly but surely to accommodate his length.
Over time, you found a rhythm that was as steady as it was sensual, each movement drawing forth intoxicating sounds of pleasure from your lover. Your hand was rendered unnecessary, forgotten at your side as your face pressed closer, your nose brushing against the heat of his skin. The taste of him, the intimacy of the act, left you breathless, saliva slipping past your lips. The symphony of his escalating moans and guttural grunts echoed in your ears, signifying the mounting pleasure coursing through him.
Erik was teetering on the edge, every fibre of his being screaming for release. Time had lost all meaning; all he knew was the burning desire to break down your defences and claim you as his own. He tugged urgently at your hair, a silent plea for you to relinquish him from your mouth. His ego soared at the sight of your ravenous gaze and ragged breathing. Sweat was pooling uncomfortably beneath his mask, creating a stifling heat that was nearly unbearable. Yet, he would not — could not — remove it. For your love, he would endure any torment.
With a gentle persuasion, he coaxed you onto the plush solace of the bed, a wordless request to which you surrendered willingly. His fingers, rough yet tender in touch, traced the shape of your lips. You accepted them eagerly, lavishing them with a soft suckle until he withdrew them. Setting off on a slow, teasing journey, his fingers embarked on a path that danced across your lips, before descending the length of your neck. His touch was electrifying, a trail of shivers marking their progress.
His fingers continued their southern movement, drawn to the inviting warmth of your most intimate area. As he approached your yearning core, your breath hitched, a silent supplication mirrored in your eyes as you awaited his touch. He relished the anticipation, playfully circling the edge before carefully penetrating you with one of his fingers. The sensation of being filled by him was intoxicating, your eyes fluttering in sheer overwhelm as he moved in a rhythm that was leisurely and gentle. Every part of your being was tuned to his touch, each motion sending ripples of pleasure cascading through your body.
"Erik," you moaned, unaware of how you just moaning his name made his arms feel like jelly. He pushed through, eager to please and show you how good he could make you feel.
He cautiously inserted another finger, gradually stretching you out around his digits. He was utterly enchanted by the soft, plush feel of your walls, which seemed to welcome him in their embrace. He explored you curiously, his fingers gently probing, reaching deeper and deeper inside of you. It was like he was charting a course through a previously unexplored territory, each new discovery making him yearn for more.
The sounds that escaped your lips - cries of pleasure, of anticipation, of need - were music to his ears. The way your body responded to his touch, the way your breath hitched every time he moved, the way your fingers clung to him - everything about you made him feel weak with desire.
He didn't keep his fingers at work for very long, just enough time to make sure that you were adequately warmed up, ready for what would come next. With a simple gesture, he signalled for you to move further up the bed. He wanted to make sure you were comfortable, so he guided you to position your head against the plush softness of the pillows that lay strewn at the head of the bed.
His gaze was fixed on you, watching intently as you took the next step. Without needing any words, you communicated your agreement to what was about to unfold. You spat into your hand, a simple but intimate act, sitting up before carefully spreading the moisture over his length.
You allowed yourself to lay back down, your body welcoming the coolness of the sheets beneath you. Erik carefully positioned himself at your sopping wet entrance; his eyes, filled with a mix of anticipation and desire, locked onto yours as he began to push against you. You could feel his bulbous tip as it slowly pushed past your entrance, a sensation so new and unfamiliar that you couldn't help but squeal, your body jolting in response to the sudden intrusion. Erik's mouth hung open in a silent gasp, his breath hitching in his throat as he felt the first part of him slide inside you.
With a slow, cautious movement, he pressed forward further, sinking into you bit by bit, deeper and deeper until he was fully nestled within your warmth. Every inch of him was surrounded by you, his breath hitching once more as he adjusted to the velvety sensation.
For you, it was a fervent blaze, a primal burn that seared through every nerve. His manhood was a stark contrast to his previously tender touch, an unmerciful comparison that seemed impossible to reconcile. A soft whimper of pain broke free, a silent begging for him to pause his movements and allow your body to accommodate his invasion.
You lingered in the throes of this discomfort, each second diluting the initial shock and morphing it into a thrilling wave of bliss. It was a leisurely metamorphosis, a sultry dance between pain and pleasure, until all that was left was pure, unadulterated desire that left you gasping for air and craving more.
Once your body had succumbed to this new sensation, you gave him a silent nod of approval, a signal that he could resume. Erik let out a breath he seemed to have been holding, and his initial gentleness gave way to a carnal rhythm, each slow, deliberate thrust sending ripples of ecstasy that cascaded through your very being.
“So this is what it feels like,” you chuckled, less talking to Erik and more so thinking out loud.
Erik was so utterly focused on you and the indescribable sensations your body was offering him that he found himself unable to formulate an appropriate response. He was completely entranced by the way your intimate area, slick with your abundant arousal, enveloped him so thoroughly. He was lost in the feeling of you, engaged in an internal struggle between wanting to see the expressions of pure pleasure that danced across your face, or to look down and observe the erotic sight of his own manhood disappearing again and again into your inviting warmth.
He draped himself over you, his form a sanctuary, shielding you from the world beyond. His face nestled in the junction of your neck and shoulder, an alcove where he could inhale your scent. The cool porcelain of his mask contrasted with your heated skin, tempering the dew of perspiration that glossed your body. Underneath the mask, he endured the humid confinement - a necessary sacrifice for the exquisite torment he was bestowing upon you. Each powerful thrust sent ripples of ecstasy through you, rendering you breathless and dizzy with delight. The potent heat was all-encompassing, filling your consciousness with nothing but unadulterated, exquisite pleasure.
"I love you," you breathed out in a whisper, your voice dripping with desire. Each word was punctuated by a soft moan, the sound of it causing shivers to cascade down his spine, your hot breath against his ear igniting a fire within him.
As if his struggles weren't already overwhelming enough, your words seemed to only add more fuel to the already blazing fire within him. It was as though every syllable you uttered stoked the flames, pushing him further into a realm of passion he had never known before. His arm, strong and certain, forced its way behind your back, pulling you up to hold you close to him. It was a closeness that was almost palpable, almost too much, as he thrusted inside of you.
“I love you too,” he groaned, his words saturated with an intense, raw emotion that welled up in his eyes, the tears threatening to cascade down his face in an uncontrolled torrent of feeling.
You, on the other hand, were no better off, your own tears of sheer joy and devastating heartbreak pooling in your eyes until they were beyond their capacity to hold back any longer. They overflowed, running down your face like precious diamonds, a display of the depth of your misery. Making love to somebody who genuinely loved you back was a concept so beautifully simple, yet tragically forbidden. It was an experience that brimmed with a love so deep, a care so nurturing, and a passion and compassion so profound that it was unparalleled.
You knew you would never encounter such a feeling again in your lifetime. You were merely attempting to stave off the inevitable end, attempting to shield yourself from the stark reality that awaited your return to the surface world. Each moment was a battle against the clock, each second a desperate attempt to extend the blissful ignorance of the impending conclusion.
In that moment, you belonged to him and he to you, your bodies intertwined and connected as the flames consumed you both. You held onto him with a desperation that mirrored your own, your arms wrapping around him, hugging him close. You were a lifeline to each other, two beings lost in a sea of passion and desire, holding on to the only solid thing in a world that was spinning out of control.
With every pulsating sensation, you tried desperately to prevent the impending climax that was steadily building within you. You wrestled against it, mustering all of the strength and willpower you possessed. You didn’t want this magical night, this passion and desire, to end. The thought of the experience drawing to a close was unbearable, and yet there was nothing you could to do stop the familiar building pressure in your abdomen.
And you knew, in the deepest recesses of your mind, that you shouldn't have given in to the temptation- that you should have exercised restraint and kept your wandering hands to yourself. Despite this, you were a prisoner to your own overwhelming curiosity, a force so powerful it threatened to consume you whole.
The haze of pleasure Erik was weaving around you kept intensifying, it ebbed and flowed into every crevice of your consciousness, distorting the boundary between the tangible world and the intoxicating euphoria you found yourself spiralling into. Your hands, as though guided by an insatiable yearning that was wholly their own, found their way to the mask that resided on his head.
Your fingers, trembling with anticipation and anxiety, began to play with the thin string keeping the mask firmly in place, protecting his true form. The tension in your body was mounting, your anxiety and the impending orgasm that threatened to shatter your very being reaching the same intense peak.
The familiar ball of pleasure that had been steadily growing within you finally burst, sending shockwaves of pure ecstasy coursing through your veins. You could feel Erik's hot semen spurt inside you, marking you as his. As the intense waves of your climax washed over you, you summoned the last of your strength and ripped the mask off his face, revealing the man beneath.
You had comprehended the profound severity of Erik's disfigurement when he confessed that he had been residing here since his tender youth. Why else would somebody feel so compelled to withdraw from society? You had determined then, with unyielding resolve, to love him irrespective of his appearance. Your conviction remained unwavering as his visage came sharply into view. His eyes, dilated with raw fear, his mouth trembling on the verge of speech, and his hands, once securely encircling you, now trembled and twitched uncontrollably.
A sigh escaped you, a bright smile lighting up your face as you gazed at him dreamily. You leaned in, your hand tenderly cradling the side of his face which had remained disfigured and concealed until this moment. Tears which had been threatening to spill from his eyes now fell freely, and your own followed suit as the realization of parting hit you.
With a gentleness that belied the depth of your feelings, your fingers traced the lines of his marked skin. Your lips had found his in a passionate kiss, the tears that slid silently down your cheeks mingled with his, a silent symbol of the connection of your souls, a joining so profound that words failed to capture its essence.
With reluctance, you pulled away from the warmth of his body, rising slowly from where you were entwined with him. You wiped your tears away. A wince crossed your face as you felt Erik's softening length slip out of you, the sensation of his release dripping out of you, serving as a lingering reminder of the intimacy you had shared.
"Do you not take issue with that you see?" His voice was laced with an unnerving intensity, his eyes never leaving your form as you searched for your scattered garments. You assumed his weird behaviour was due to his feelings about your impending departure.
"Not when it's you," you confessed, a poignant smile pulling tragically at the corner of your lips, laden with unspoken emotions.
It didn't take long for you to find your garments. You fastened the corset around your waist, making sure it properly supported your bosom. Despite pulling the laces tightly, you found that you needed additional help. Each time you tried to tie the laces, the corset loosened.
"Could you lace this up for me, Erik? I'm struggling," you chuckled, turning back round to find that he had already put his underwear back on. "Corsets are tricky things. I often need someone else's help to put it on and take it off."
"You don't need it," he declared, his face a stoic mask, eyes unblinking and filled with unwavering resolve.
You hesitated, uncertain of how to respond or process his words. You thought he might not understand the full purpose of your undergarment. "I can't be amongst with people without wearing my corset. It's indecent. Without it, people could see my breasts," you said.
"And that's precisely why you don't require it," he shot back, his hardened face rigid with confrontation, eyes locked onto you as you blinked, wrestling with the weight of his words. "You aren't going anywhere."
"What? Erik, I have to leave," you leaped towards him, a wave of dread washing over you as he remained unaffected, "My father wields a lot of power and influence, a fact you're well aware of. Search parties will be dispatched and they'll hunt us down."
Erik's laughter echoed ominously around you, his jarring mirth only amplifying your unease, "He will not pose a threat, my dear. Act as though he doesn’t exist."
"How can you be so sure?" You shot back, eyes narrowing into slits as you regarded him with deep-rooted suspicion.
"Because he won't live to witness the week's end, fortunate if he survives the night," he sneered.
You were petrified, frozen in terror. The uncertain veracity of his words hung heavy in the air, but the fury etched in his gaze was unmistakable. It was a chilling declaration that bulldozed your defences, sending frigid lashes of fear snaking through your bloodstream.
“No, no,” you whispered, face twisted in dread.
"You said it yourself!" he yelled, seemingly unaffected by your flinch. You lifted your hands, ready to protect yourself if needed, but you knew that if he truly wanted to hurt you, you had no chance. "He was the one who tried to separate us, to spoil our love! How can I let him manipulate destiny? It's a sin!"
"Sin or not, he is my father!" you retorted, tearing off your corset and swiftly pulling your dress over your head. You let it fall over your figure. "I have to go."
“You forget yourself,” Erik's voice echoed ominously from the shadows, untouched by your retreat. “Was it not you pleading for me to awaken your senses to the touch of a genuine lover? Were you not weeping to me over the wreckage your father's deeds would cause in your life? Does Monsieur Beaumont need to be added to the list? Is that what you desire? I am merely aiding you!”
Trying to block out his taunting, you jammed your underwear down your bodice and clung to your corset like a lifeline. Panic was on the verge of consuming you, your thoughts spiralling out of control, too swift and chaotic to grasp. The realization of your own foolishness hit you like a punch, a bitter and unforgiving truth.
In your hour of fragility, you had sought solace in the one individual you deemed a sanctuary, a cure to your torments. But he, like a concealed predator, exploited your vulnerability, shrouding his true motives to feast upon your innocence and cast you into never ending isolation. The dread lay not in his visage, but in his very being, a monstrous revelation.
“Even if you escape, your father cannot. He has to pay for what he's done,” he hissed, his voice becoming a menacing whisper, fading into the background as you distanced yourself.
You were approaching the familiar boat, stepping carefully over the wooden structure. You untied the rope and with the paddle in hand, you prepared to set off on your journey.
CLINK, SLAM.
You froze.
“Besides the fact that you have no idea where you’d be going around the sewers and passageways and would probably end up fatally mutilated in one of my many traps,” he spoke once more, trailing off as he watched the light leave your eyes, “You don’t know how to open the gate. Unfortunate.”
What had you done?
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any feedback is appreciated! sorry it ended there, i started writing this at 12pm and it's now 5:21am the day later. i have not had a break. it had to end.
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louventcavaliersx · 4 months
Text
𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔, 𝐌𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄.
Pairing: Erik Destler x Reader
For him, a blooming rose, a letter, and a lipstick imprint.
fanfiction | The Phantom of the Opera
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Beneath the Opéra Garnier, a chill lingered, distant from its former warmth. Without you by his side, it could never be the same, since the moment you departed. His heart yearned for yours, his hands reaching out in silent prayer to clasp yours, as they always did. He pondered when you would return to him, as you always do.
The only solace he found was in the letter you gifted him for Valentine's Day. The elegant cursive script danced before his eyes, adorned with a dark crimson lipstick stain beneath your name. Not even the blossoming rose you bestowed upon him could rival the intensity of that hue; not a petal could match the grace of your written words.
His heart beat wildly in his chest, desire coursing through him uncontrollably. A smile graced his lips as he read your letter repeatedly, losing track of how many times he had traced its lines.
How could a woman like you love a man so wretched as he?
Alas, love never dies.
Erik pressed his lips to the lipstick stain, longing to feel the soft touch of your lips that once graced the paper. If only he could capture you on canvas, immortalize your beauty for eternity. He would steal the moonlight from the sky and fashion it into diamonds to fill your eyes.
Here for you, my love.
You had written to him.
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potol0ver · 1 year
Text
Masks down.
- an Erik/Phantom fluffy angst fan fic.
(I don’t write fan fiction as a hobby so if this is horrible I’m sorry, feel free to take my idea and expand on it if you wish.)
I’ve been seeing Erik for a little over a year now, I’m not sure what drew him to me, but he kept coming to see me. Leaving letters and roses for me, which led to rooftop meet up’s, which led to going down to his layer in the belly of the Opera House.
I have always had a little crush on the infamous Phantom, but until I interacted with him I was just like a teenage girl fantasizing about a book character. When I met him, it bloomed into something more, something that had actual substance and naive trust. Erik touched my hand so lightly like I was made of glass, spoke in a voice I could only dream of, and shared bits and pieces of his story with me. I was doomed to fall in love with this tormented person.
As much as I wish that he swoons for me as I swoon for him, I refuse to pry, the man has so many walls up I fear if I breathe incorrectly we’ll take a few steps back in our relationship. What I do know is that he gets into ruts, where he goes with minimal or no contact for a couple of days. Erik is currently in one, he hasn’t come up to see me in days, no flowers, no letters, deathly silent. While he usually comes back in a couple of days, it’s been almost a week and I fear the worst.
As much as I respect his boundaries, I need to know if he’s ok. Changing into a more walkable wardrobe I steal into the sliding glass entrance of the Prima Donna room. It was a cold dark walk with few candles lighting the way, but I was too focused on if Erik was ok to be bothered. As expected his organ can be heard playing twisted songs, the more I reached him the sadder it seemed to get.
Slowly walking into his layer from a back entrance, I saw him hunched over his organ in his more relaxed clothes, his wig gone but still had his mask on. Not wanting to scare the poor man, I tried tossing a pebble into the lake to get his attention. As soon as the bloop from the pebble was made, he straightened his back and looked in my direction.
“Erik I’m sorry if I’m not welcome, it’s just been too long without you, I needed to know if you were ok.” Nervously walking to him I stopped at the bottom of the steps that led to him.
“Leave,” Erik said harshly turning back to his music “forget me.”
“What? Why would I ever do that?”
“It’s not safe.” Brushing off my concern.
“Have the people from the Opera come down here? Have they threaten- ”
“No!” He suddenly snapped before softening his words “No… just please go, you’ll be better off without me.”
Oh… oh. That’s the type of rut he’s in.
“Erik I promise you whatever reason is making you think that, it isn’t true.” I saw Erik’s body tense up slightly from behind. “Erik I promise it’s ok to show emotion, there is no need to hide from me. I want to know you, even the more gloomy sides.”
“That’s the problem,” he said standing up from the organ, the chair screeching back from the force, “You’ll discover that you fear me as everyone else does, and I can’t handle you being scared of me, so please Y/N just go.” Erik’s words strained from his voice being caught in his throat.
“I’m a monster, I have killed, and I have tormented,” walking towards me in uneven steps he places his hands on my shoulders and looks down at me with his sorrow-filled eyes that are now spilling tears. “Someone like me does not deserve to be with someone like you. It would be a waste of affection. Please… go.” Erik’s voice is barely a whisper as he pleads to me.
Slowly closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. “Erik, let me tell you what I have discovered, I have discovered a man who has faced unjust harm, who doesn’t know how to properly show emotion.” His breath stuttered as I placed my hands below his jawline, trying to make sure he mentally stays present.
“While yes, he has taken it a step too far here and there, he has learned and he has grown, he still is. Even if he can be unbelievably stubborn at times.” I laugh to myself trying to coax a smile out of him, which only made him look down at the ground.
“While he isn’t perfect, I couldn’t imagine my life without being beside him, because I adore him. You caught my love way before you ever knew, I refuse to leave you Erik.”
Not waiting another moment I placed my lips on his, he took a moment to process what was going on, but soon enough he kissed back. It was deep and consuming, his arms wrapped around my torso pulling my body flush against his as he silently wept into the kiss. Pulling apart slowly I looked up at him and wiped his tears with my thumbs, my left hand going under his mask.
Erik slowly undid his mask, letting it fall to the floor before he leaned into my touch and kissed my palm.
“I am sorry, touching my carcass like face shouldn’t be the first time you see it.” He says slowly lifting his eyes to meet mine.
“Erik… don’t speak like that, looking at you I only see beauty, I see no carcass, no gargoyle. Just a handsome, stunning man.” My words instead of comforting him just made tears swell up more in his eyes. Erik slowly stepped backward, his arms against my back silently guiding me to his swan bed. Once his calves hit the side, like a kid with a new teddy bear, he gently picked me up and got into bed. Setting me down gently he buried his face into my neck, and his arms around my waist pulled me closer to him. We lay like that for the rest of the night. Silently stroking his hair and scalp, while he cried holding me close. Relaxing into each-others touch until we both faded into sleep.
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Hi! I finished up the list of songs that made it in, I still need to make the brackets, and will post those once they’re done! Complete list under the cut
A Little Fall of Rain - Les Misérables
A Little Priest - Sweeney Todd
A Musical - Something Rotten
Agony - Into the Woods
All you wanna do - Six
Another National Anthem - Assassins
Another Suitcase in Another Hall - Evita
Anthem - Chess
Any Kind of Dead Person - Ghost Quartet
Anything you can do (I can do better) - Annie Get Your Gun
Balaga - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Being Alive - Company
Belle - Notre-Dame de Paris
Brain Dead - A New Brain
Burn - Hamilton
Cabaret - Cabaret
Carnaval del Barrio - In the Heights
Carrying the Banner - Newsies
Cell Block Tango - Chicago
Chant - Hadestown
Come what may - Moulin Rouge
Confrontation - Jekyll & Hyde
Costume Party - Come from Away
Dead Girl Walking - Heathers
Dead Mom - Beetlejuice
Defying Gravity - Wicked
Dentist! - Little Shop of Horrors
Die Schatten werden länger - Elisabeth
Don’t Rain On My Parade - Funny Girl
Drink with me - Les Misérables
Dust and Ashes - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
El tango de Roxanne - Moulin Rouge
Epic III - Hadestown
Epiphany - Sweeney Todd
Esmeralda - the Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Everybody’s got the right - Assassins
Feast or famine - Black Friday
Feed Me (Git It!) - Little Shop of Horrors
For Good - Wicked
Get Down - Six
Gethsemane (I only want to say) - Jesus Christ Superstar
Giants in the sky - Into the Woods
Glory - Pippin
Go Tonight - The Mad One’s
Good Kid - the lightning thief
Heaven on their Minds - Jesus Christ Superstar
Holding to the Ground - Falsettos
How Can Love Survive - The Sound of Music
I’m Alive - Next to Normal
I’m Breaking Down - Falsettos
Ich gehör nur mir - Elisabeth
If I had my time again - Groundhog Day
If I were a rich man - Fiddler on the Roof
Inevitable - The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals
Independently Owned - Shucked
Joseon Swag (조선수액) - Swag Age: Shout Out, Joseon! (스��그에이지: 외쳐, 조선!)
Judas - Clown Bible
Juntton - Gambämark
King of New York - Newsies
Land of Yesterday - Anastasia
Le Monde est Stone - Starmania
Les Rois du Monde - Roméo et Juliette, de la haine à l’amour
Let it out - The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals
Letters - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Lilacs - Preludes
Loser Geek Whatever - Be More Chill
Losing My Mind - Follies
Love will come and find me again - Bandstand
Madame Guillotine - The Scarlet Pimpernel
Michael in the Bathroom - Be More Chill
My Grand Plan - the lightning thief
No One Else - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
No One Remembers Achmed - Twisted
Noel’s Lament - Ride the Cyclone
Nonstop - Hamilton
On My Own - Les Misérables
On the Verge - Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown
Once and for all - Newsies
One Day More - Les Misérables
Place, je passe - Mozart l’opéra rock
Popular - Wicked
Prologue - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Prologue: Tradition - Fiddler on the Roof
Quartet at the Ballet - Anastasia
Quiet - Matilda
Rebecca Reprise - Rebecca
Requiem - Dear Evan Hansen
Revolting Children - Matilda
Ring of Keys - Fun Home
Santa Fe - Newsies
Seize the Day - Newsies
Sick to Death of Alice-ness - Alice by Heart
Skid Row (Downtown) - Little Shop of Horrors
Solo - Octet
Starchild - Ghost Quartet
Sweet Transvestite - Rocky Horror Show
Talia - Ride the Cyclone
Telephone Wire - Fun Home
The Ballad of Jane Doe - Ride the Cyclone
The I Love You Song - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The New World - Songs for a New World
The Opera - Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
The Pitiful Children - Be More Chill
The Point of No Return - The Phantom of the Opera
The Song of Purple Summer - Spring Awakening
The Starry Night - Starry
The Thrill of First Love - Falsettos
The Torture Tango - Spies are Forever
The Turning of the Key - The Clockmaker’s Daughter
There! Right There! - Legally Blonde
This World Will Remember Us - Bonnie & Clyde
Time Warp - Rocky Horror Show
Tonight (Quintet) - West Side Story
Touch Me - Spring Awakening
Twisted - Twisted
Unlikely Lovers - Falsettos
Usher Pt. 3 - Ghost Quartet
Wait For Me - Hadestown
Wait For Me (Reprise) - Hadestown
Waving Through A Window - Dear Evan Hansen
Wenn ich tanzen will - Elisabeth
What would I do - Falsettos
When the going gets tough - Spongebob Squarepants
Wilkommen - Cabaret
You Gotta Die Sometime - Falsettos
Your Daddy’s Son - Ragtime
Your Fault/Last Midnight - Into the Woods
30/90 - Tick, Tick… Boom
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the moment you've been waiting for has arrived...
We have a bracket!!
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Yeah. It's a 64-person bracket, the font is small, all that. You can try to zoom in, or there will be a list of matchups below the cut.
All but the first matchup have been randomly generated, please don't complain about the seeding or having to choose between characters. It just worked out that way ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (ig you can complain about the first one)
Polls will be released Monday afternoon. The first round will once again be a week long, but after that we'll go to 24-hour polls until the final matchup.
May the best musician win!
Side A
Orpheus (Ulysses Dies at Dawn by The Mechanisms) on mandolin vs The Toy Soldier (The Mechanisms) on mandolin, glockenspiel and others
Theodore (Alvin and the Chipmunks) on drums vs Wylan Van Eck (Six of Crows) on flute vs Squidward (SpongeBob SquarePants) on clarinet*
Hitori "Bocchi" Gotoh (Bocchi the Rock) on guitar vs Vice Principal Nero (A Series of Unfortunate Events) on violin
Murdoc Niccals (Gorillaz) on bass vs Tsukasa Tenma (Project Sekai) on piano
Ibuki Mioda (Danganronpa) on bass guitar vs Jasiker (The Witcher) on lute
Grover Underwood (Riordanverse) on reed pipes vs Marceline "The Vampire Queen" Abadeer (Adventure Time) on bass guitar
Wei Wuxian (The Untamed) on dizi vs Rodrick Heffley (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) on drums
Toki Wartooth (Metalocolypse) on guitar vs Eddie (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) on saxophone
Chai (Hi-Fi Rush) on guitar vs Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes) on violin
Wirt (Over the Garden Wall) on clarinet and bassoon vs Alec Hardison (Leverage) on violin
Raine Whispers (The Owl House) on violin vs Scanlan Shorthalt (Critical Role, The Legend of Vox Machina) on lute and flute
Raiko Horikawa (Touhou Project) on drums vs Undyne (Undertale) on piano
Riebeck (Outer Wilds) on banjo vs Candace Flynn (Phineas and Ferb) on a variety of instruments that begin with the letter "B"
Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons) on baritone sax vs DJ Octavio (Splatoon) on turntables
Ronan Lynch (The Raven Cycle) on uilleann pipes vs Venti (Genshin Impact) on lyre and flute
Rocky Rickaby (Lackadaisy) on fiddle vs Hoid (The Cosmere) on flute
Side B
Sonic (Sonic Underground) on electric guitar vs Sal "Sally Face" Fisher (Sally Face) on Guitar
Demyx (Kingdom Hearts) on sitar vs Achilles (The Iliad) on lyre
Jade Harley (Homestuck) on bass guitar vs Ryan Akagi (Infinity Train) on guitar
Wednesday Addams (Wednesday) on cello vs Maki Nishikino (Love Live! School Idol Project) on piano
Sally Thorn" McKnight (Scooby-Doo) on guitar vs Hunter Sylvester (Metal Lords) on electric guitar
K.K. Slider (Animal Crossing) on guitar vs Will Treaty (Ranger's Apprentice) on mandola
Edward Cullen (Twilight) on piano vs Miguel Rivera (Coco) on guitar
William the Gonagle (Discworld) on mousepipes vs Marzipan (Homestar Runner) on guitar
The Phantom of the Opera (The Phantom of the Opera) on organ vs Dr. Teeth (The Muppets) on piano
Kris (Deltarune) on piano vs "Soul King" Brook (One Piece) on piano and guitar
Manolo Sanchez (The Book of Life) on guitar vs Greg Universe (Steven Universe) on electric guitar
Ebony Dark'Ness Dementia Raven Way (My Immortal) on guitar vs Figueroth "Fig" Faeth (Dimension 20's Fantasy High) on bass guitar
Link (Legend of Zelda) on ocarina and panflute vs Max Rebo (Star Wars) on organ
Klavier Gavin (Ace Attorney) on guitar vs Luka Couffaine (Miraculous Ladybug) on guitar
Melody (Crypt of the NecroDancer) on lute vs Musa (Winx Club) on all the instruments
Marcy Wu (Amphibia) on drums vs Victor Hargreeves (The Umbrella Academy) on violin
*due to an unfortunate counting error, a 3rd person has been added to this matchup.
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peregrination-studies · 3 months
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24 books in 2024
It is 2024, and I am here yet again with my bookish hopes and dreams!
I did this challenge last year (available here), and in 2022 (available here), and I'm STOKED to do it again this year! As is my way, I have been planning and revising this list for some time. My Goodreads overfloweth with ideas.
As always, if you have book recs, please send them my way! And, if you're participating in the challenge this year, I'd love to see your lists!
Without further ado, I gladly present to you my 24 in '24 book list:
Sci-Fi and Just for Fun :)
1) Randomize by Andy Weir (read April 2024)
2) Next by Michael Crichton (read May 2024)
3) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (read April 2024)
4) With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer (read February 2024)
Environmental Science/Ecology/Books Relevant to my Studies
5) Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by Buckminster Fuller (read April 2024)
6) Must Love Trees: An Unconventional Guide by Tobin Mitnick
7) Scientifically Historica: How the World’s Great Science Books Chart the History of Knowledge by Brian Clegg
8) Letters to a Young Scientist by Edward O. Wilson
Reading Around the World
9) The Eighth Continent: Life, Death and Discovery in the Lost World of Madagascar by Peter Tyson (Madagascar)
10) Everything is Wonderful: Memories of a Collective Farm in Estonia by Sigrid Rausing (Estonia)
11) Willoughbyland: England’s Lost Colony by Matthew Parker (Suriname)
12) A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa and Daniel Hahn (Translator) (Angola)
Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge/Classics
13) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (read April 2024)
14) The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir, H.M. Parables (Translator and Editor), and Deirdre Bair (Introduction)
15) Gidget by Frederick Kohner
16) Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Recommended by Friends
17) Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (recommended by @hedonism-tattoo and many, many others)
18) Howl’s Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones (also recommended by many people now. @permanentreverie posted about it recently tho, and that was what really made me decide to include it on this list!) (read April 2024)
19) Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson (recommended by @daydreaming-optimist ) (read April 2024)
20) The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (recommended by @kaillakit) (read May 2024)
Eco-Psychology
21) Ecopsychology by Lester R. Brown
22) Against Purity: Living Ethically in Compromised Times by Alexis Shotwell (read April 2024)
23) Radical Ecopsychology: Psychology in the Service of Life by Andy Fisher and David Abram (foreword)
24) Sight and Sensibility: the Ecopsychology of Perception by Laura Sewall
Bonus
25) Bride by Ali Hazelwood (read February 2024)
26) Open Heart Surgery by Johanna Leo (read March 2024)
27) A Short History of the World in 50 Books by Daniel Smith
28) Candy Hearts by Tommy Siegel (read February 2024)
No pressure tagging: @daydreaming-optimist @kaillakit @permanentreverie @noa-the-physicist @silhouette-of-sarah @captaindelilahbard @senatorhotcheeto @the-bibliophiles-bookshelf @skyekg @of-the-elves @obesecamels @courageisneverforgotten @willowstea @its-me-satine @deirdrerose @notetaeker @theskittlemuffin and anyone else who wants to do this!
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feudalconnection · 1 year
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The Nomination Period for the 2nd Term 2023 Inuyasha Fandom Awards is now CLOSED!!
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Hey everyone!
Below the cut you'll find a complete list of all the Fanart nominations received for this term!
The list of Fanfiction nominations can be found here!
Thank you to everyone who participated in this term for taking the time to do so. We hope you enjoyed your experience! If you do not see your nomination, please reach out to us as soon as possible!
We strongly encourage that when you view a work of art or read a fanfiction, please reblog or leave a review to let the creators know how much their work and talent is appreciated!
As a reminder, we are giving 3 weeks time to enjoy all of the creations. The voting period will begin June 5th and end June 20th.
In order to be able to vote, you'll need to register so we can keep it all neat and clear. We will be posting the link to the voting form on the first day of the voting session.
Got a question? Check out our FAQ or send us an ask. You can also message one of the mods directly!
Don't forget, we also have our Feedback Form open until the end of this term! We'd love to hear any and all feedback, suggestions, and recommendations!
Thank you to everyone who nominated for making this 2nd Term absolutely wonderful, and happy voting!
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Best Action/Adventure
“A quick sketch” by @cati-art
“Unnamed” by @amlli
Best AU/AR
“Phantom of the Opera” by @kalcia
“Valentine’s Day” by @sagiriti
“Hades & Persephone AU” by @m2moon94
“Orgullo & Prejuicio” by @m2moon94
Best Canon Universe
“InuKag” by @alasxeart
“Three years separation” by @len-barboza
“Oh Brother (Part 2)” by @mama-ino
Best Angst
“✨ Brothers ✨” by @xtaisanax
“Welcome Home” by @valgreys
Best Dark
“He’s angery” by @brain-rot-hour
Best Humor/Parody
“Magic in Bed” by @mamabearcat
“But I followed the recipe” by @daikiidokii
Best Kiss 
“Love languages” by @rubbesart
“Midnight Bribe Moonlight Bride” by @elevenharbor
“Welcome Home” by @katballesteros
“I Miss You” by @sayuri-liu
Best Character
“Naraku” by @soluryn
“Kagura” by @rhapeseuhans
“Hit the Mark” by @spiralofdragon
“Untitled” by @mama-ino
“Naraku from The Deadliest Sin” by @moonkissedart
Best Duo/Pairing
“By my Side” by @pachworldx-1
“Under the Moon” by @thepadawanartist
“Sleepy Journey” by @hycopank
“I felt him, Mama! He Moved!” by @katballesteros
Best Doujinshi
“Way of the House Demon” by @lucymorningstar257
“The Last Days” by @liquidashesart
“Nameless” by @heavenin--hell
Best Redraw
“Another redraw 🌸” by @angstiana
“Screencap redraw” by @bre-draws
“Live” by @thunderpot
“Untitled” by @geda-art
Best NSFW
“The Wolf” by @alicepupurred
“The Doubleganger” by @valgreys
“A Bit of Naked Inuyasha” by @kalcia
“Inuyasha’s Dream” by @geda-art
“Mermaid Service” by @sayuri-liu
Best InuKag Romance
“A letter from daughter” by @sollee-art
“記念日おめでとう” by @len-barboza
“Prometo Volver” by @pachworldx-1
Best SessKag Romance
“You and Me After All” by @thepadawanartist
“Welcome Home” by @valgreys
“Little Miko” by @milkfromcats
Best Romance
“She Will Always be Loved” by @elevenharbor
“Kagome Watching Like” by @brain-rot-hour
“Not to Her” by @classysassy9791
“Gift Exchange” by @izakimi
“Leap of Faith” by @ashleys-canvas
Best Lineart
“Inuyasha y Kagura” by @meliboquin
“Anyone has that urge to draw a webtoon” by @weeeting
“Did I watch Inuyasha when i was 8” by @il---re
“Sketchy sketch WIP” by @lucymorningstar257
Best Group Depiction
“Pictures of Happiness” by @memilylove
“Making Waves Family Portrait” by @clearwillow
“Oh Brother (Part 2)” by @mama-ino
“Thinking about Kagura” by @tmetta
“Happy Mother’s Day!” by @eliza-faust-diary
Best Overall
“Kagome” by @alicepupurred
“Kikyo” by @purilly
“Making Waves Family Portrait” by @clearwillow
“Under the Moon” by @thepadawanartist
“Moroha like Mutt Williams” by @nikelaos87
“Untitled” by @inumysuzue
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felizusnavidad · 4 days
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how was tick tick boom?
oh, where do i even begin...
first of all, i need to say that our polish team did an amazing job (absolutely incredible & talented cast + the translation was really good, not perfect but good enough, more about it later tho). we really have amazing actors in this shitty country tbh & that only makes me want to see more of our productions.
i need you to take a look at this amazing set, because i am just so obsessed with it:
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(if you look closely, you can spot les mis, phantom of the opera, west side story & cats on these walls hehe)
so first of all, this set, wonderful set, second of all, THE TICKING SOUND! you could hear it before the show even began and honestly i already had tears in my eyes.
let me tell you i am always that weirdo who cries at the very first song, so yes, i literally burst into tears when i heard the first notes of 30/90. it was also one of my favourite moments from the entire show, along with no more, sugar & why (and i knew i was gonna have a mental breakdown at why, because it's my favourite song from the show, but no more & sugar were a huge surprise for me because they are not my faves, the performance tho! the choreography! OMG!!! I NEED TO SEE THAT AGAIN!!!). the biggest disappointments when it comes to the songs were... green, green dress (not the performance, it's just the translation that didn't really work for me - for my polish mutuals, they translated it into "zielony cud" & i'm sorry but that's a nope for me) & boho days BECAUSE THEY LITERALLY REMOVED IT FROM THE SHOW??? the way i was blasting boho days on a loop days before seeing tick tick boom live & it wasn't even in the show, it's a fucking crime. the rest of the songs were great tho. i couldn't stop crying at come to your senses, that was the moment™️. 10/10, would recommend.
also, the theatre kid in me was literally thriving when jon asked the audience if they know who his musical theatre hero is, because he only said his first & last name starts with the letter S & a few people started screaming STEPHEN SONDHEIM! such a proud nerd moment for me! (tbh even the actor seemed to be surprised or maybe he was just acting lol i can't tell but it was so cool).
SPOILER ALERT!
i just need to mention it very quickly, at the very end of the show jon got a phone call from sondheim (which you all probably know about) & he said "you have a bright future ahead of you" & this line fucking destroyed me, like... i wasn't there for fun. i was there for jonathan larson. bright future you say... well. jon, you could have done so much more if you only had time... i will never stop crying about it, i'm sorry.
overall, it was such a beautiful show. as much as i love the movie, seeing it live in theatre is a whole other experience & it's truly life-changing. if you ever get a chance, go see it, please. it's totally worth it!
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