Phantom of the Opera

[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

Laurent of Vere | Captive Prince | M/M

[prince_of_vere]

[He's either a very prima donna sort of ingenue or the tormented genius, either way probably in hiding from his uncle. Totally open to all weird AUs and cross-canon.]

ooc

[icyflames]

[[Hi! I know this is a manga face but is there any chance of interest? Since there's a burn scar with Todo, I could see a couple roles. If not than that's fine!]]

Declan Lynch | The Raven Cycle

[sleepingpills]

[The Hero of this story. Or at least that's how he's going to pitch it to the press.]

Moira MacTaggert | X-Men Comics

[scottish_moira]

[Madame Giry figure: she manages the ballet.]

wanda maximoff (scarlet witch) | mcu

[timeo]

[Leaning more towards Tormented Genius, but could do Ingenue with the right character.]

padme amidala | star wars

[libertydies]

[Definitely Ingenue.]

dinah laurel lance (black siren) | dctv

[itnevercomesout]

[Ingenue with a prima donna attitude on the outside.]

Mr. Wrench | Fargo | OTA

[deafhitman]

[Either the Tormented Genius who is definitely killing everyone who is in his way or the Stagehand who doesn't bat an eye at this weird shit anymore. Could be the Hero under certain circumstances.]

[hersoulobeys]

[ooc: Not sure what I want, but I want it? Wrench is a delight.

Do you prefer modern or period, I'm open to either.]

[deafhitman]

[OOC: Lost this in my inbox, mea culpa! But yeeessss, I do want this too! I'm thinking modern. Let me know if this works!]

[At first, it had just been a place to hide and lay low while the police looked for the hitman. After all, Wrench definitely stood out in a crowd, so an old theater with plenty of space people seemed to have forgotten about had been the perfect place to hide. Combating boredom seemed to be no trouble. There was always something going on to hold his interest as he watched from the shadows.

In particular, there was one girl that had caught his attention. She'd started off as a chorus girl, but there was something special about the way she emoted on stage. He couldn't hear her in the traditional sense, but a powerful voice carried lots of vibrations with it, and he could feel it through the walls. Her passion showed on her face when she sang. It had led to him staying in the theater for months long after the police would have stopped looking for him. He'd recently starting communicating with her through notes left for her backstage. He had just left one for her right now, waiting for Christine to find it.]

[hersoulobeys]

[ooc: You're fine! Real life ate me, it appears, blarg. Modern is great, and what a lovely prompt!]

[Christine had rather resigned herself to smaller roles. Always stuck in the chorus, or playing second to La Carlotta. So when the notes began to arrive, she couldn't help feeling special. She began looking forward to them in fact, rushing back to her dressing room to read them as soon as she could.

This one is no different. She reads the words quietly to herself, and then again, a soft smile on her face. She sighs and presses the letter over her heart, closing her eyes. Overwhelmed with emotion. Whomever is sending these letters is wonderful.]

[deafhitman]

[Wrench had found the ins and outs of the theater, how to maneuver around without being seen. No small feat for someone of his size and stature. He waited in the shadows for Christine to find his note.

This one, he'd finally worked up to asking her if she'd like to meet. It was a risk. His face had been all over the news in months past, though this had begun to taper down the longer he was out of the public spotlight. But Wrench greatly desired to see her face-to-face and be able to tell her how much he appreciated her in person.]

[hersoulobeys]

[It's a bold move. A risky move, perhaps, to meet with a strange admirer. But perhaps if she stays within the confines of the opera house -- well that feels safer, to her.

So she writes back to meet her on the rooftop, by the statue of Apollo's lyre, and attaches the note to her mirror. If the person leaving the notes can find a way to leave them, surely they can find a way to fetch one?

Then she retreats further into her dressing room to change out of her costume, heart pounding in her chest.]

[deafhitman]

[Wrench waits until Christine leaves and then takes the note. So, she's agreed to see him. Well, this will either end very good or go extremely poor, depending on how the meeting goes. So he goes to the rooftop, face partially hidden by both the shadows and the hood of a sweatshirt he's wearing.

When she arrives, he doesn't immediately step out of the shadows. She's sure to recognize his face. He's wanted for murder in about four different states and the police have been looking for him for months now. Still, one of the reasons he's become fascinated with her is because he feels Christine will understand him without judgment. Everyone else just sees a cold-hearted hitman. Maybe she'll see something differently.]

[hersoulobeys]

[It's a ridiculous idea. Especially not telling anyone where she's going. Not that she has very many friends at the Met, or in New York at all. Perhaps that's why she feels so drawn to this person leaving notes.

She wraps her sweater a little more tightly around herself when she reaches the roof, stepping towards the statue.]

Is that you? You needn't hide. I promise I'm quite harmless.

[deafhitman]

[Wrench steps out of the shadows, pulling his hood down. Yes, that is indeed the face that was on all the news stories in months past, though most of them have moved onto more fresh, sensationalist stories by now. While he is physically intimidating in person, he doesn't seem ready to tear Christine apart like Frankenstein's monster.

His hands immediately come up and he signs to her.]

Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you.

[hersoulobeys]

[She gasps and clutches her hands together. Yes, she knows that face. The ballet girls love any sort of salacious gossip, and a murderer on the lose certainly counts.

He's moving his hands in a very purposeful manner, she can see that, and she wishes she knew what it meant.] I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying.

But -- you've been writing to me all this time. So you can't mean to hurt me. Or you would have done so by now, I think.

You write such nice things... [She stays where she is, not moving towards him yet. But not moving away, either.]

[deafhitman]

[Fortunately, Wrench always has a back-up just in case someone doesn't understand him. After all, he can't count on everyone being able to know ASL. He pulls a small notepad and pen out from his pocket. He writes something down on the pad and turns in towards Christine.]

You're right. I won't hurt you.

[hersoulobeys]

I didn't think you would. [Her smile is a little wary, but she does reach out to touch his hand, briefly.]

Can you hear me? Should I write, too? [Come to think of it, most of his compliments had been about her expressiveness on stage, and not about her singing at all. She hadn't found it odd at the time, but now it makes much more sense.]

[deafhitman]

[He shook his head at her first question. Wrench was almost completely deaf, but he could read lips well enough to get by, even if he did end up doing a lot of guesswork while doing so.

At her second question, he smiled, and wrote something else out.]

Only if you want to.

[hersoulobeys]

It would probably be more polite. [She takes the pad and pen delicately to write down her question.

And after a moment of thought, a second one as well.]

Why did you want to meet me?

What were you doing with your hands?

Tyrion Lannister ✧ ASOIAF ✧ M/F

[smallprince]

(The Tormented Genius)

Kylo Ren/Ben Solo | The Wars of the Stars

[niteofren]

[Most likely the Tormented Genius but could also be the Ingenue with the right character. M/F.]

Ben Solo (AU) | Star Wars

[jedi_librettist]

[Could be a number of roles. Most likely not the Tormented Genius. And he won't sing in public but he does write. A young man with a secret mentor for his dreams of writing for the opera house? A hero? A stage director?]

Raoul de Chagny | Phantom of the Opera

[chagny]

[The Hero, obviously! Mixing things up could be interesting too, though.]

[hersoulobeys]

[Oh Raoul, so it is you!!!

I mean -- hello. Yes. Please??]

[chagny]

[So, Christine Daaé, where is your red scarf?

Seriously though, yes of course!! Anything in particular you'd like to do?]

[hersoulobeys]

[Umum. Post-musical fluff? Or entre-act secret engagement stuff? Something where they get to be happy, poor lambs.]

[chagny]

[Both sound very good to me, so... why not both, a combination of sorts? I'll get a starter out in a bit!]

OK going secret engagement stuff

[chagny]

[An engagement should be a well-known, joyous, out in the open occasion, should it not? Raoul, being a viscount and all, figured that as the case. Needless to say, he wasn't exactly keen on his engagement to Christine being a secret...

...still, there was something nice about it. It was a tad exciting, almost like they were children again, hiding some kind of secret from their parents. Now that they're all grown-up, this little secret is far from something insignificantly silly, but still.

He wants to make it exciting for Christine, too and just because it's a secret doesn't mean they can't do anything. He'll push it, if need be!

It's a little bit after a performance. Christine should be in her dressing room so that is where he goes. After a quick knock, he just goes ahead and opens the door. Indeed, she's there.]

Christine, are you free right now?

[Even if she had something else going on at the moment, he'd have to find some way to pull some strings and get her some freetime. They need to spend time together!]

omg real life ate me I'm so sorry

[hersoulobeys]

[It's true; they've been engaged for over a month now and nothing terrible has happened. Indeed, she's heard nothing from her tutor since the night the chandelier crashed, and she can't tell if she's more grateful or frightened.

Though Raoul does give her a start when he comes barging in, and she pulls her dressing gown tight around her.]

Raoul! We may be engaged, but that does not mean you can barge into my dressing room with only a knock as a warning. Who knows what sort of state I might have been in.

quinn fabray | glee

[fabraylous]

[ the ingenue ]

Scarecrow | Batman Arkham Knight | ota

[doctor_terror]

[The tormented genius]

Michael Corvin | Underworld | M/M

[lycanhybrid]

[The object of the Phantom's affection]

yui komori ( diabolik lovers ) ota

[sanguinea]

[The Ingenue.]

Anakin Skywalker | Star Wars

[prophesiedone]

[He's probably the tormented genius, but I could see him being the hero too.]

Loretta | OC | F/F

[call_me_captain]

(Probabluy the tormented one.)

Christine Daaé | Phantom of the Opera | f/m

[hersoulobeys]

[The ingenue]

Erik | The Phantom of the Opera

[angelnorghost]

[A tortured genius who considers himself to be an operatic hero.

Also, bless you for this meme ;_;]

Korekiyo Shinguji | Danganronpa V3

[justpure]

[Definitely the tormented genius, but his expertise in various cultures and the supernatural does expand his horizons a bit. Maybe he's haunting a kabuki theatre or a museum... Or something.]