Phantom of the Opera Meme

[marlowe_tops]

Phantom of the Opera Meme

You have lived for years in your subterranean lair, perhaps the one beneath the Opéra Garnier, watching the lives of the people above, and there is one in particular who has caught your eye. Perhaps you’ve agreed to be their tutor, or perhaps you’ve simply decided that you must own and possess them, their beauty and talent, for you alone to enjoy.
Or perhaps you’re an ordinary stagehand in the opera house, and you have an irresistible curiosity about the rumours of the ghost that haunts the place. You’ve studied every account, learned the twisting passageways of the opera house, and you have a sympathy, a fascination, for the tormented soul who believes him or herself to be alone and misunderstood. Perhaps you believe that you alone can love them.


The Rôles
1. The Tormented Genius - You are the tormented genius in your subterranean lair. Perhaps—probably—you are masked, whether to hide your deformity, your identity, or simply because you cannot bear to be seen.
2. The Ingenue - The talented rising star of the theatre, you have some skill or beauty which sets you apart and makes you ultimately desirable. But do you wish to be the star, or do you simply wish to be free?
3. The Stagehand/Chorus Girl - You’re fascinated by the phantom. You know that they are real, and perhaps you’ve even stumbled upon the entrance to their lair. They’re misunderstood and alone, but you’re here for them now. Maybe they won’t trust or accept you at first, but you’re determined to win them over.
4. The Hero - This ‘tormented genius’ isn’t a misunderstood or pitiable figure. They’re a monster, and you’re here to put an end to their reign of terror. Or, at least, to rescue one of their victims. You’re the hero of this story, stable and trustworthy, or at least that’s what you believe.
5. Other - Did you want to play the rôle of the Prima Donna threatened by the rising star? Perhaps you’re the Madame Giry who has operated for years as the phantom’s agent, and now you’re looking for some appreciation for your efforts. Perhaps you’re one of the managers of this opera house, whose livelihood has been threatened by this upstart terrorist.

The Locations
A. Le Palais Garner - The Paris Opera house, in its own form or as imagined and interpreted by dozens of movie and stage versions. Legend has it that there’s a lake beneath the opera, and a vast subterranean maze of chambers and tunnels that eventually connect out to the further mazes of the Paris catacombs and the Parisian sewers.
B. Choose your own Theatre - Or perhaps it’ll be one of the remakes and adaptations. The Phantom of the Megaplex? The Phantom of the Paradise?
C. Farther Afield - The Phantom of the Expensive Beach Resort? The Phantom of the Mall? The Hunchback Phantom of Notre Dame?

At its heart, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra is a Beauty and the Beast story. Feel free to play any related themes under the umbrella of the beauty and the beast story, stockholm syndrome, obsession and rejection, talent, deformity, genius, horror…

Comments

Mavros Shahrizai | Kushiel's Legacy | M/M

[mavros_shahrizai]

[Chorus girl. Probably either stagehand or a member of the corps de ballet. He could be the subject of the Phantom's obsession, though he's too much of a class clown to be the Ingenue or Prima Donna type.]

Madelyne Pryor | X-Men Comics | OTA

[redqueenmaddy]

[Prima donna.]

Alcuin no Delaunay ; Kushiel's Dart ; M/M

[alcuin_delaunay]

[The ingenue!]

Moira MacTaggert | X-Men (Comics) | OTA

[scottish_moira]

[The hero or the Madame Giry.]

Ashley Raventon | Lost Souls | M/M

[raventonbeauty]

[Probably the ingenue. He's a bit too frivolous to be a tormented genius, but he does come in vampire flavor for haunting operas or other buildings.]

Yukikaze | 07-ghost | ota

[undercherryblossoms]

[The Stagehand/Chorus Girl]

CRAU Dio Eraclea | Last Exile / Aather | OTA

[icarussurvived]

[The Ingenue]

seiji matoba | natsume yuujinchou | ota

[stereoblind]

[ the not so tormented genius. hey, he has a talisman eyepatch to go along with it. ]

[idioticprince]

[When Jeile joined the theatre he had been glad just to play small sub-parts that had little impact on the play as a whole. So when the big star suddenly refused to take part in the musical that had been in the last stages of rehearsing everyone panicked. Everyone except him that asked if he couldn't try to play the role instead. He had the whole manuscript memorized after all. Showing that he knew each line and movement he got the role and as the curtain closed after the play, the audience gave him a standing ovation.

After that his name got spread like wildfire and he got picked as the lead for the next play and the play after that. And to celebrate his success the managers of the theatre had set up a lavish party. There were a lot of people moving around and as the guest of honour he got little time to himself. It was all very flattering, but it was also a bit exhausting since he were new to that much attention at once.

So at a moment when very few had their eyes on him, he sneaked away down to the basement. He knew that not many ever ventured down there. it was a place he himself often went to however as it was quiet and gave him privacy to practice on his own. Now that quite and privacy served him well to take a few much needed moments to himself.]

[stereoblind]

[ ooc : just a note! i'm be using matoba's last name instead of his first name~ ]

[ Not many people know this, but beneath the large theatre lived a being hidden from prying eyes and those nosy ones. There had been rumours, of course, and some even claimed to have seen the strange man as well. But it was never proven. Either than, they tend to end up mysteriously dead, their death unexplained at all.

Matoba had been so disconnected with the upper world that he nearly forgotten the existence of humans, even if he was a human himself. How funny. But one thing that always drew him out of his hidden world was the opera. The songs attracted him, and though he wasn't much of an artist himself, Matoba appreciated the art of singing and acting. And the performances were lovely to watch from one of the special private boxes he'd found.

Recently, Matoba had heard news of a rising star by the name of Jeile. It was the first time he'd heard and seen the singer. Jeile's rise to stardom was also exceedingly fast, taking the upper society by storm. And thus Matoba had began to take note of this man, watching from behind curtains when the singer practiced his singing and acting, always making sure to stay within the shadows lest he was noticed.

However, today Matoba hadn't been feeling well. A melancholy struck him unaware, and for once, he'd skipped tonight's act. So when he heard a familiar voice, he took notice and instantly went in search for the man. Why was Jeile here? This was no place for anyone such as him. Had Jeile been coming here to practice without his knowledge? How did he missed it?

Being careful to keep his presence hidden, Matoba spoke, only his voice making himself known. ]

Who are you? Why have you trespassed into my territory? Have you not been warned to avoid this place?

[idioticprince]

[Of course Jeile were aware of the rumours. Not that they surprised him very much as most old buildings tended to have rumours of ghosts or the like. Most of the time he just laughed at those stories, but these seemed more solid somehow. Perhaps it was for that reason he had ventured down into the basement to begin with. To see if they held any truth.

And while it had been disappointing to not find anything, the quiet empty space had been his stage before he got up on the real one. He had many memories of perfecting his and the rest of the lines of whatever manuscript he currently held in his hand. He felt safe and secure down here.

So it wasn't that odd that Jeile jumped in surprise when a voice called out from nowhere, it bouncing against the walls, making it hard to pinpoint where it came from. Looking around he could see no one either, but all the light was what he had brought with him and the light from one candelabra did not stretch far.]

To my knowledge this is a part of the theatre, a unused one, but still a part of it and one I have been visiting for the past months. And as for my name, is it not polite to offer your own before demanding another's? [Jeile threw a quick glance around before he spoke into the shadows again.] My name is Jeile Eucharistia. If you don't want me here I can just leave.

[stereoblind]

[ Matoba actually stood quite a close distance from Jeile, though with the echoes around the lower grounds, it was hard to know where he was, and that was fine with him. He didn't know what Jeile would think if he revealed himself. It had happened once, but it didn't have a happy ending. The one who had caught his attention chose another instead, betraying his trust. ]

No, you can stay. I like hearing your voice. It has a very rare quality that is not found even amongst the star singers of the opera. [ A pause. ]

I know who you are. [ He finally admitted. ]

Surely you have heard about the Phantom. [ He will only tell Jeile his name once the other man had earned his trust. ] Are you not afraid of the consequences in coming down here?

[idioticprince]

[There were no point in looking around as he could not see anyone in the dark shadows of the basement and moving his head around only made it harder for his ears to find the source of the voice, so he decided to stand still and try to decide what was an echo and what wasn't. If needed be he knew the way out and could bolt for the door and the stairs.

The compliment made him blink once, but he quickly composed himself and gave a polite smile.] I thank you for that high praise.

I suspected as much as you said you like my voice. [A few sentences were not enough to get an opinion on a voice in his mind. If this stranger had listen to him perform then that was another thing.]

I have heard rumours and been given plenty of warnings not to go down here. I know that the stage-hands don't want to go down here even to just quickly fetch something stored away. I am however not afraid or I would not be down here in the first place.

[stereoblind]

You're welcome. I've been listening to your voice for quite some time now, even before you took the lead role.

[ That much was true, because Jeile had often practiced in this place even if he only held the role of a side character.

A snort echoed through the caverns. ]

Then you are either very brave, or a foolish boy. [ The accusation was not in jest, yet it was a fact that Jeile should not forget. ] However, I promise no harm will come to you. I like to hear you sing, so you're free to continue practicing here. [ And then Jeile may suddenly feel he was once again alone, because Matoba decided to leave the singer for now, not wanting to interrupt his practice. But he will still keep watch from afar. ]

[idioticprince]

Really? There is not many people that heeded me much mind before I took the lead. [True enough. No one could say what roles he had played before he broke through and became the sensation he now was. It could be far too easy to overlook the work that everyone put down to make a brilliant play.]

It would not be the first time anyone called me foolish and most likely not the last one either.

[Jeile did not get the time to say a proper thanks for being allowed to continue practising down in the basement before a most familiar silence wrapped around him. He was alone once again.

Sparing a few minutes to look around the room for any clues of who the Phantom might be or where he might have gone without much luck, he just let out a soft sigh and started to sing. No point in waiting more time then what he had to when he needed to perfect the verse he was working on.

Once done he simply left, but returned as soon as the next morning. This time he had brought a stool to put the candelabra down on so he could move around freely while reading through the whole scrip line for line from his head.]

apollo | mythology or PJO | ota

[lykoktonos]

( Either the tormented genius or the ingenue! PM me if you want to work out some specific details/hash out an AU. )

Charlie | Five Nights At Freddy's: The Silver Eyes | OTA

[springlocking]

[Could be the hero, the ingenue, or some combo of both considering the shenanigans she's pulled!]

Melfina | Outlaw Star | OTA

[soundlessday]

[Very much the ingenue.]

Hannibal Lecter | Hannibal NBC | ota

[itrhymes]

[No idea if anyone is still browsing this one, but I couldn't resist. Completely willing to set this back in PotO's timeframe and have Hannibal be living under the Paris Opera House. Physically deformed or not can be up to you and what you'd prefer - otherwise I'll play him as willingly, socially isolated bc of the whole serial killer thing and emotions being hard, and also eccentric weirdo genius alert. I'm more interested in exaggerated emotions and/or Leroux's weird detective novel nonsense than I am in smut. Feel free to message me or just drop a starter here!

non-canonmates/etc fully welcome. m/m and m/f and gen all completely fine.]

[raventonbeauty]

[Couldn't resist. I'm all for PotO timeframe, and I'm familiar obsessed with the novel, though I haven't reread it recently. Slight pref for no deformity, just willingly socially isolated. Ashley comes from a vampire canon and he is layered with vampire imagery, but he is just human (unless you'd prefer otherwise). Happy to work out plot (yay plot!) or just see where things go.]

Ashley loved ghost stories.

He always had. When he was a child, his brother Arkady would tell him ghost stories before they went to bed. And then, when he could not sleep for fear, he would crawl into his brother's bed and curl close, knowing that Arkady would protect him against any threat. He suspected, as he grew older, that Arkady did it on purpose.

The rising star of the Paris Opera stood by his dressing table, running his fingertips over the contours of the white skull that rested there. The skull had the same curve as Arkady's brow, the same sharp cheekbones.

Another performance finished. Adoring throngs awaited him. Lovers, alcohol, opium. He could have any of them, just outside his dressing-room door.

Someone knocked. Ashley ignored it.

He'd never meant to end up here. Nor had Paris expected to receive him. They laughed about his soft American accent, his Louisiana French, like they laughed about his odd manners and his boldness, and yet they worshiped him for his voice, and the beauty of his face.

The angel with auburn hair like a river of blood. They tinted the lights to enhance the illusion, because it made him look unearthly.

Vampiric, said the critics.

He'd only meant to take a part in the chorus, but his voice had turned heads, and an unfortunate accident had left them without a primo uomo.

And then he had heard the story of the opera ghost.

Only a story, of course, but theater folk were superstitious. He asked the story of anyone who would tell it, again and again. He savored the most ghastly rumors and details.

But when, at night, he trembled with fear and the shadows around him roiled, there was no Arkady to keep him safe.

Arkady had left him. Arkady had gone away to Paris to pursue his education. Arkady had died.