#grand slam opera

[justbusterkeaton]

Grand Slam Opera (1936)

Top Hat (1935)

[keatonkeatonkeaton]

Buttery biscuit bass 😍

[busterkeatonsociety]

This Day in Buster…February 21, 1936

"Grand Slam Opera" is released by Educational Pictures.  Buster Keaton’s third wife, Eleanor, said he thought this his best from Educational - not surprising given he had a writing credit!

[regularsizedsally]

My upstairs neighbour, basically.

[friendlessghoul]

The Garage (1920) & Grand Slam Opera (1936)

[koostattoos]

➳ wait for your love || j.jk (teaser)

~ Synopsis: simply loving is not enough

~ Genre: strangers to friends(?) to lovers, college au, fluff, angst, smut, slow burn

~ Warnings: jk is a fuckboy, he plays too damn much 😔, smut (big dick!jk, unprotected sex, fingering, oral (f. receiving), soft sex, multiple sex scenes, etc.), lots of crying and pining, all she wants is to be loved 💔, she a baddie 😛, she standing on business (as she should), more to come

~ teaser wc: 1.2k

• currently play: we can’t be friends (wait for your love) by Ariana Grande and opera house by Cigarettes After Sex

A small crowd of students file into the quiet library. Books surround you with knowledge of classes that you are taking. A pencil clad in your hand as you think of more notes to write down on your notebook in front of you. Jungkook has been texting you since the day he took you out. Asking you random questions throughout the day, but to your surprise he hasn’t said a single thing about your number. 

You jump a bit in your seat when the chair in front of you screeches against the floor. When you look up you see Jungkook’s handsome face, a chuckle coming from his lips at your reaction. “Hi” he says in a whisper. Shaking your head at him you go back to writing your notes. “How did you know I was here?” He watches as you write down words on your piece of paper. His tattooed hand reaches out and starts playing with the edge of the paper and you look up at him. “I was on my way to get some lunch and saw you through the window, you don’t work today?” his head tilts to the side like a puppy dog. You shake your head, “No, I have a day off today and I wanted to spend it studying. But I can’t do that with you bothering me” he rolls his eyes and lets go of the paper. 

It’s silent for only a minute before he starts speaking again. “When will you be done?” He's like a nagging child, always in need for attention. You let out a sigh of frustration and put your pencil down beside the notebook. “You don’t have any other friends you can annoy?” a small pout forms on his lips. Sulking, because of your attitude. 

“I wanna hang out with you” he says, ignoring him you return your attention back to your paper and try one more time to focus on studying. Opening one of the books lying beside you. A loud groan comes from the grown man in front of you and you quietly slam the book shut. “Fine! What do you want to do,” placing your remaining things into your bag and you stand from your chair to pull it over your shoulder. Jungkook beats you to it, though. Placing the white tote bag over his shoulder and carrying it out with him. Puffing a breath of air out you follow him to the door.

The weather is nice today, it wasn’t too hot like those other summer days. It seems to be cooling down as it gets closer to fall. “Where are we eating?” you ask behind him. He turns his head to look back at you and slows his pace down to match yours. “This place that serves the most delicious pork belly,” his posture straight, determined to get to the restaurant as fast as possible. Before he came into the library he had already been planning to ask you out to lunch with him. 

He was originally planning on walking to the cafe you worked at, so he had been waiting a while. When you walk into the restaurant you are hit with the warm air with the scent of meat floating in the air. To your surprise it wasn’t as busy as you’d expected it to be considering it being lunch hour. Jungkook picks out a table in the middle of the restaurant. Taking a seat in front of him, he grabs a menu that had already been placed there and picks out his favorite dishes. 

“Hello, what can I get started for you guys today?” The server walks up to the table with a notepad and pencil in his hand. His attention is drawn to you first. You look up at him and give him a sweet smile. His hair was wavy and dimples showed whenever he smiled. You look down to your hands resting on the table and you look at Jungkook. His stare already on you, clearing his throat he begins to order. 

Once it is written down on the notepad the waiter grabs the menus from the table. “I’ll be out shortly with your food” You nod your head politely and bring your attention back to the man in front of you. “You still haven’t given me another hint” He brings up again. Sighing with a smile on your lips you slightly shake your head at him. “You are never going to give up, are you?” 

“Nope, I’m determined” 

“Why? Is my Instagram not enough?” You say tilting your head. 

“No, it’s not. Are you gonna give me another hint or what" Sass can be heard in his tone. Instead of having the poor boy go on for ages figuring out your number you give him the first six digits. “Fine, I’m starting to feel bad for you now. I’ll give more than one number” At this his eyes light up like the galaxy. Excitement growing in his chest and a smile that brings out his dimples appear on his face. 

Laughing at his excitement you write down on a piece of napkin you pull from the box next to you. ‘823257’ written in bold ink with a pen you grabbed from your bag. You fold it up and slide it over to Jungkook’s side of the table. “There, now you need to find the last four” Now feeling a bit more relieved he stuffs the napkin deep into the pockets of his jacket. The food is brought out and the same waiter places it on the table in front of you. 

“Thank you” you tell him with that same smile you gave him earlier. Blush begins to grow on his pale cheeks and he bows, walking away to serve other tables. Scoffing Jungkook looks away from the boy and takes the scissors from the tray, cutting up the meat. “What was that look for?” you say to him picking up a pair of utensils. “Nothing” he says you laugh lightly at his pouty lips. 

The sizzling of the meat on the grill resounds and smoke lifts into the air from the hot pan. “Do you think it’s cheating if another man helps separate your perilla leaf for you with his chopsticks if you’re already with someone?” The ridiculous question gets you to chuckle. “I don’t think so, why does it matter if you're just going to end up eating it anyway?” you say, taking a piece of meat he grilled and placed on your plate for you into your mouth. 

His eyebrows furrowed as he chews on the pork belly and his legs jump a little under the table. “It does matter! I feel like it's cheating plain and simple. If I were dating someone it should only be me helping you. Not some other guy that you happen to be friends with” 

“Whatever you wanna believe, Jeon. But personally, I really don’t care. As long as I have food in my mouth then I’m happy” you say as you stuff your mouth with rice. 

The check comes around when you finish eating. You go to grab the piece of paper but, once again, Jungkook beats you to it. “Yah, I’m the one who brought you out to eat. I should be the one paying for it” he held the paper away from you. Slumping in your seat you cross your arms across your chest. “But it’s expensive, let me help pay half” With a proud smile Jungkook signs off on it and gives it to your waiter. “Too late, already paid for” he sends you a sly grin and you let out a puff of air.

a/n: finally ya'll it's been wayyy to long since i've published a story. i have so many ideas for this one and I really like how it'll turn out!! i love you guys <33

also!! If you'd like to be apart of 'wait for your love’ taglist click this link!!

[hydrasra]

"I am no god."

SYNOPSIS: keep on insisting that you're no god, maybe they'll understand? unless proven otherwise.

DISCLAIMER: ooc moment duh. NOT BETA NOR PROOFREAD (and probably never will). reader has no gender, matey. gold blood au, don't forget about that. part 3 of NOT FROM THIS WORLD. it's 1am and I should sleep early to fix my sleep schedule but my brain said, "fuck no." probably swearing here and there (asra says after swearing)

TAGGING: @sunsethw4 @neverlandlostchild @code-roevember

iv. THE WIND KNOWS

"yo, tao!" xinyan yelled as soon as she slammed opened the door of the wangsheng funeral parlor while followed by a quiet and smiling yunjin, startling meng, who was on his way to put the documents in his arms down on the director's office and earning a glare from the ferrylady.

zhongli and hu tao were the only one unfazed as they both finished their cup of tea before turning their attention to the two that walked in, "afternoon, how many I help you?"

that earned a frown from her friend, "hey, what's with you being so fo-"

"afternoon to you too, hu tao, mr zhongli and you as well mr meng and ferrylady," yunjin greeted, and was acknowledged by the two before they went on with their work, then hurried over to hu tao and pulling xinyan along, "we came here to ask you something, director."

the only answer she received was a tilt of the head from hu tao and a curious look on her face, "was there a funeral for the impostor?"

zhongli, who was busy pouring himself another cup of tea suddenly stopped and put the teapot down, attention now on yunjin, making her a little uncomfortable though she hid it well, "what impostor?" he asked, watching as she was about to talk but got cut off by xinyan.

"you know, the one that looks like our creator and is said to be claiming to be them according to the qixing," xinyan casually said before leaning on on the director of the yun-han opera troupe who didn't seem to mind.

"I'm sorry, what?!" hu tao gasped, leaning towards her friends with her eyes wide open.

xinyan and yunjin both stayed quiet for a few seconds, staring at her before their gaze went over to zhongli who stared right back, shock written on his normally calm face.

"'m assuming there wasn't."

a few days were now gone in the blink of an eye.

how quickly time flies.

walking through the corridors of the quiet palace with only their footsteps being heard was eerily disturbing to the tianquan and her three (3) most trusted secretaries, despite having the lights seeping in through the curtains of the windows.

however, they kept on walking forward, eager to reach a bedroom.

and once in front of the bedroom they were looking for, ningguang took a deep breath to calm her nerves, her secretaries doing the same, composing themselves before the tianquan knocked on the bedroom doors.

"come in," a voice they are familiar with, that, unfortunately, held no warmth replied.

now liyue's tianquan was hesitant.

seeing this, baixiao, after sending looks of uncertainty at baishi and baiwen, immediately opened the door, slowly, to make ningguang understand that there was no use in being hesitant.

and it helped her in recollecting her thoughts and composure.

once the doors were opened just enough to let the four of them in, they all simultaneously took a step inside and looked at the figure slouched on a chair by the window.

"greetings," ningguang bowed, "we come bearing news.

the figure slowly turned around, eyes showing now signs of emotions, making the tianquan falter for the second time in under less than a couple of minutes.

"I have received a response back from sumeru, the impostor has been captured and dealt with as per your orders."

"oh my!" happiness was evident in their tone, "you should have started with that as soon as you walked in, ningguang!" the warmth was back, though it wasn't what ningguang was used to. this warmth felt... fake.

fabricated.

she brushed that aside.

"finally, we can make my grand reveal come to reality!" they sighed dreamily, lost in their own world, "I was worried about that impostor! I'm so delighted that it's been done and dealt with~"

they stood up and twirled around, before going to stand in front of the four (4) ladies. all looking at them with small, gentle smiles.

"our plan was put to a sudden halt but now," they giggled, "it can keep on carrying!"

the person in front of the liyue qixing grinned.

with your face.

sudden thunder could be heard in the distance.

the tsaritsa could care less about whether the one that got captured was the real creator or simply an imitation.

though her only regret was not being able to find the 'impostor' and form an alliance with them to throw the whole of teyvat off balance. having them under her protection after claiming that they were the 'real' creator would have meant putting all six nations into shambles and for her to have them at the tip of her fingers.

though the thoughts of that 'impostor' being the true creator did come to mind. even so, that would have been a win-win situation for her. she reveled in her small fantasy.

both at the fact that the real creator would have trusted her more than the ones that would, in their words, "bend celestia" in order "befriend" the creator and to bring justice to their name but cannot discern the real from the fake and the fact that she would fave had them in her palms either way.

"a shame," her voice broke the silence as she walked away from the window she has been gazing out of, heels clicking on the solid ice flooring of her palace. the sound reverberating off the crystal-looking walls.

sumeru had way more details compared to what technology could show you, you noted. many more birds than just finches, pigeons and parrots. a few weird creatures oddly ressembling chimpanzees and what not dangling on trees, even daring to walk on the roofs of houses.

it was... fascinating.

no titles were ever used in your presence when lumine's with you.

she didn't believe in any gods after all, even you. she saw you as a friend, someone who had helped her when she needed it the most.

you have made it clear that you aren't anyone's creator nor a god, especially to lumine. most people were the ones that kept on calling you by such imposing titles that it made you lose all hopes of making them understand.

once people started using your actual name more and more, making the use of 'your' title sparse, only used by those that were seeing you for the first time or knew you not, it felt... better.

it has been a month since nahida has made a public announcement that you were their creator. it also has been a month of no sleeping and yet not feeling tired, though, fear not: lumine did not sleep as well. in her words, "the nights and days of teyvat are shorts. shorter than what they are back home."

and once the announcement was made, everything changed.

many came to you to seek for blessings.

others came to seek for forgiveness for their sins, whatever they may be.

few came to ask for you to heal their illnesses.

those were always harder to deal with... at first.

the first time it happened, a couple came to you while you were on a stroll alone through the city, wanting to see it with your own eyes and not through a screen, came to you while sobbing. they told you about how their youngest son was severely ill. they begged you to heal their son, crying and bowing to the ground in fron of you.

you knew you could do nothing, you had no power.

yet you asked them to take you to their son.

and once their, you could only think that there was no saving him. the poor child was whimpering in pain while sweating a lot. tugging and turning on his bed.

you couldn't bare to see it but you approaches his bed nonetheless and knelt down besides him.

"hey, buddy," you whispered, gently taking his small hand in your own.

"I'm sorry you're suffering," another whisper, "I wish I could help you," and an attempt at a gentle smile.

the boy turned to look at you, eyes wide in admiration as he saw your figure.

from his perspective, you assumed you looked like a mere creepy stranger.

how wrong you were.

he looked at you in fascination as your eyes seemed to hold the stars within them and your gentle yet teary smile made him feel warm. so farm that he almost reveled in it.

you could only leave a gentle kiss on the back of his tiny hand and he giggled, making his parents gasp in shock.

and when you left, telling them to prepare for the worst, you felt crushed.

what could you do?

you were no god after all.

they came to find you at the house of surasthana the next day.

seeing them was too soon for you and you had to mentally brace yourself for their spiteful comments that were surely to come after you could not save their little boy.

though it never came.

instead, they cried tears of joy, bowing repeatedly at your feet, thanking you.

"what are you thanking me for?"

"your grace!" the husband exclaimed as nahida walked through the entrance, "our son was saved! thank you! thank you so much!"

the wife repeated the same words as her husband.

the archon of wisdom watched from afar, smiling warmly.

you were confused.

they left soon after, crying still and saying 'thank you's as well as promising to spread the word that you're a kind divine being.

"how did you heal their son, [name]?" the archon asked as soon as they left, making her way over to your confused form.

"I..." at a lost for words, you looked at the tiny archon, "I didn't... I don't..."

nahida softly smiled, "maybe you have healing powers?"

you violently shook your head, "no... no! I don't," you paused after trailing off, head down and looking at your trembling hands, "do I? but..." your voice trembled, "I am no god..."

the sound of doors opening could be heard, then running footsteps and the doors closing back up.

"[name]! nahida! wanderer!" paimon yelled as soon as she got closer.

nahida gently grabbed your hands after telling paimon and a panting lumine to stay quiet and wait as you were not feeling okay, and gently rubbed circles with her tiny hands on the back of your hands.

whatever she was doing, seemed to help.

and after running in looking panicked, seeing you like that made the travelling companions even more distressed though they stayed quiet.

nahida nodded at the traveler once and, somehow, lumine understood.

she approached you slowly before gently wrapping her arms around you, prompting you to do the same thing to her.

"you're all right, [name]. whatever it is that you need answers to, we will all help," her voice was gentle, "whatever it is that got you feeling uneasy, you're not alone to face it," she didn't know what happened to you prior to her and paimon barging in but those words felt right to be said to you.

the news that they have acquired while in mondstadt can wait.

your wellbeing came first.

you could only sniffle as you hugged her tightly.

nahida soon joined in, hugging your leg.

whereas paimon hugged your head.

══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══

hellooo thank you all for the amazing support on this sudden idea turned series(?) story of mine.

if you have any questions about anything I have in mind for this series(?) go ahead and ask, my asks are open

if you wish to be tagged, let me know tho I'm not going to be tagging more than 30 people. already at 3 so far

and the next part might be the last part or at least a chapter before the last one, for now(!!!) at least as I want fontaine to come out before I even progress even further with this story.

yk, for spice ☺️

that and I can better understand where to orient this thing 🧍🏾‍♀️

(bet people think I have everything planned out for the entirety of this series but I do not. I just write on a whim and follow the flow my brain has set)

JUST LETTING YOU ALL KNOW, IF I FIND OUT SOMEONE STOLE/REWROTE MY STORY OR CHANGED UP A FEW THINGS AND IS CLAIMING IT AS THEIR OWN, THERE WILL NO LONGER BE UPDATES

and I hope that, if it does or did happen, you will let me know privately. people who steal other's original works deserves no exposure.

[silkylious]

Lovesick (Gojo Satoru x Reader)

Fandom: jujutsu kaisen

Pairing: gojo satoru x gn reader

Cw: just lots of fluff, suggestive if you squint really, really hard, gojo is dumb and whipped

Wordcount: 1.2k

Notes: first fic in like 3 months lmao 💀 this was actually so much fun to write! hope u enjoy! also thank you @maminari for beta reading ilysm mwah <33

JJK Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Taglist

“Why am I even required to do this?” Gojo sighed into his phone, dragging his feet towards Shoko’s three in one office-clinic-mortuary. “I’m virtually invincible, and I heal myself twenty-four-seven.”

“Do you have to throw a fit every time you get a check-up?” Shoko huffed back, her voice slightly distorting through the call but conveying her irritation nonetheless. “It’s one check-up for the whole year, Gojo, just get it over with. And lose the attitude, I’m not the one doing it for you this time.”

That caught his attention.

Shoko briefly filled him in—she had a date with Utahime and wouldn’t be able conduct his annual check-up as she had been for the past few years. That was where you came in. She had mentioned you a few times in passing. You were not a sorcerer despite being able to see curses; your cursed energy was limited and your physical prowess was nothing impressive. However, you helped out in your own way. You worked part-time at the Kyoto branch, patching kids up after missions and carrying out medical examinations much like the one he was about to get.

Gojo hummed, “are they single?”

“Behave.” So that was a yes.

“Mmh, I don’t think I will,” he sang, his strides increasing in size. “Oh, say hi to Utahime for me, will ya?”

“I don’t think I will.”

Before he could retort, the line hung up. He clicked his tongue, though his mood was anything but sour at that moment. His legs carried a newfound pep in their step at the idea of a new face, a fresh victim to annoy into an early grave. He couldn’t help the dumb, shit-eating grin splitting his face, thinking about all the ways he could make this check-up as agonizing as possible. Although it wouldn’t take much to achieve that, Gojo had a natural talent for being a general nuisance after all. 

He hummed a cheerful tune to himself as he approached the office’s door, preparing to make a grand entrance that would be sure to startle you. He could sense your cursed energy through the wall—low, peaceful and steadily thrumming around you. It was practically calling for him to disturb your tranquility. Oh, how he’d love to see it spike and tremble. 

One, large hand gripped the doorknob while the other remained buried in his pocket. Without taking a second longer, he slammed the door open with all the dramatic flair of a soap opera actor, lips parting to bellow out an obnoxious greeting.

But no words came out.

Before a single syllable could even escape his mouth, you frantically turned around at the sound of the door smacking against the wall. And then your eyes met where his would be behind his blindfold. And then your pretty lips curved into a sheepish, reluctant little smile.

And he knew he was a goner.

He cursed Shoko in his head for not bothering to mention to him that you were this drop dead fucking gorgeous. 

Any attempts at human communication died in his throat while he stood there with his jaw slightly parted. You giggled nervously—he’d never heard a sound so sweet in his entire twenty-eight years of living—before extending your palm out for him to shake, taking the initiative to greet him warmly.

Realizing he looked like a big, hulking idiot just standing there, gawking at you, he swiftly took your hand in his own and silently marveled at the softness of your touch. You guided him to the examination table (Jujutsu Tech really ought to buy a hospital bed) after exchanging brief introductions, all the while he couldn’t find it in him to do anything but follow your instructions, nod his head in response to your questions and hope that you wouldn’t notice the flush rising up his neck. 

“So, Gojo,” even his last name sounded downright saccharine on your tongue, “I’ll be checking your height, weight, blood pressure, temperature, eyes and just generally asking you questions about your lifestyle. Sound good?” 

He nodded, having no fucking clue what came out of your mouth. God, he just needed you to keep talking. 

You raised a brow at his behavior. This was not what you had spent fifteen minutes mentally preparing yourself for prior to him bursting in the room. Shoko had made it abundantly clear that Gojo would not be an easy patient—whatever that meant. You expected a lot more than… this.

“Alright, let’s start with blood pressure and temperature.” You gently pulled his left arm into position, wrapping the blood pressure cuff to his upper arm. He really didn’t look like it at a first glance, but you could tell he was jacked underneath that hideous uniform he wore. You cleared your throat, trying not to linger too much on the way his biceps strained against the fabric of his sleeve under your fingertips, “Keep your arm extended and relaxed just like that while I take your temperature, okay?”

You knew you that there was no point in narrating the entire process and using verbal prods with him, he was a grown ass man, one that didn’t even need to be here at that, but his quietness left you unnerved given all the talk you’d heard about his pompous, unbearable personality beforehand. If you didn’t ramble, the silence would become too stifling.

You brushed off his odd demeanor, focusing on adding a cover to the thermometer probe. He still had his infamous blindfold on but you felt the weight of his eyes on your profile, like he could see you and see through you. Taking a steadying breath, you willed your hand not to shake under his heavy gaze. 

“Open your mouth,” you murmured. Glossed lips open to reveal a set of perfectly aligned and whitened teeth, with sharp canines that almost looked like fangs protruding from the top row. You placed the probe under his tongue and instructed him to keep it there, unaware of the havoc you were wrecking in his heart. You’d gotten closer, so close that he was able to smell your perfume and feel your cursed energy delicately flowing with his own. 

You turned to check his blood pressure and your eyes damn near popped out of their sockets as soon as they landed on the monitor. It was well above average, coupled with a very high pulse rate. You turned to face him again, worried inquiries just at the tip of your tongue only to be met with a sight for sore eyes. 

Gojo Satoru, strongest sorcerer of his generation, flushed pink from clavicle all the way up to what was unveiled of his face, tense as a rock, with a thermometer sticking out of his mouth.

The mirth that overtook your eyes was uncontrollable no matter how much you wanted to hide it for his poor pride’s sake.

“Seems like your blood pressure is high, Gojo,” you said, a playful lilt to your voice that sounded utterly sinful in his ears. You pulled the thermometer out of his mouth, all too knowing in the way you glanced at him, mumbling, “your temperature is a little above average too. Is there something stressing you out?”

Gojo’s wits finally returned to him after a solid ten minutes of absolutely humiliating himself. The mischievous grin you adorned was unmistakable, and Gojo never backs down from some good banter. 

His lips stretched into a smile so devilish it was hard to believe it belonged to someone who looked nothing less than seraphic.

“Hmm, seems so,” he said, pulling one side of his blindfold up to properly take in your expression. “Can I have your number then, doc? You know, for future check-ups.”

Jujutsu Kaisen taglist: @mumawash @koulia @katsucookie @amarvyllis @quillvinrune @sugas-sweetheart @christiansdior @ashantisheart @hoshiikos @neermozhi @hirugummies @milucient @dukina @giyyu @shoberri @sidehub @uxavity @kitanaz @quinns-wndrlnd | join my taglist here! <3

[anotherfloridaman]

Somewhere, beyond the sea~

Comment if you want more!

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Iruma~ can you be a good boy and clean the bathroom?

Iruma! Do you think you can be a good boy and put away these heavy boxes?

Iruma… we’re really low on money, and the rich people want a bear skin rug, do you think you can be a dear, and fight it for us?

Iruma, we dont have money for bait, can you be a good boy and…

Iruma…

Iruma…

Iruma, you know you need to come back to us, don’t be a bad boy! What happened to you? You were such a good boy, and now your greedy and spoiled! You know he doesnt really care about you. But we do! Thats why we had you do all of this! Come home! Be a good boy and come home!

———————————

Shivering, a cold feeling runs up iruma’s spine, and he opens his eyes ten minutes before his hellraiser clock started screaming at the room. He stares at the blanket around his shoulders and just breathes. Deep breathes. Dee–

SCREEEEEAACH, SCREEEEEEAACH, SCREEE–

“Good morning my dear grandson! How did you sleep? What did you dream about! I hope it made you happy!” The questions rattled off in iruma’s head, words bouncing around in his skull until they break into each letter, sporadically slamming into his skull until they realised they needed to be understood.

Iruma blinks, then answers “G-good morning grandpa, i slept great! But i think running around in my dreams made me really hungry, i have no idea how that happened.” Iruma scratched the back of his neck, knowing it was obvious he was trying to change the subject .

But still, Sullivan was merciful. “I think its a good thing Opera made more breakfast than usual this morning! But how about we get you dressed first?” Sullivan said the middle part a little louder than nessecary, and now wants to stall time for his cat butler, iruma concludes. Ah, poor Opera.

“Okay grandpa? I havent had help getting dressed before.” The boy is nervous, mostly because he remembers having injuries on his chest and stomach, he doesn’t even know what his back looks like.

His dream rings in his ears again, and before he can actually spiral into the depths of disaster, the egg version of his grand father comes from the abyss and says, “I think this could suit you perfectly today! Will you wear it iruma?” Its a simple t shirt and shorts, but iruma needs to go to school.

A laugh escapes the boy, then the reply “Grandpa, that’s not a uniform, and i need to stay in dress code for school! What would professor Kalego think?”

“Well, i could give you special permission to wear whatever you like! You could even go to school with nothing on!” The disgusted looks of his classmates and teachers flashed through his head as he imagined that senario.

“nothanksgrandpa…” iruma managed to stutter out, he avoided the dream, now he needs to avoid this. “Alright, lets get you into a proper uniform then!” The old egg dashed to the closet, excitedly rummaging through the identical uniforms to find the cutest one.

Iruma sighed, hoping the ‘grand reveal’ would go well. He unbottoned his shirt and pulled it away from his shoulders, waiting for the older demon to turn around.

“OOH! I think this would be LOVELY for your smile!” He spins and glances at iruma’s frame then back to the uniform… then looks at iruma’s chest, the uniform, his chest, and just sets the outfit to the side.

“Iruma, are you in pain?” That catches the boy off guard, he thought at best, Sullivan would cry for him and call him his baby, at worse, Sullivan would be disgusted and throw him to the human world. “Uh, no, not anymore. Most of these happened when i was really young anyway.” Sullivan crooked and eyebrow, “Most? If you feel comfortable, can you tell me about the ones you do remember?”

“Sure, uh…” iruma didnt know where to start, he looked at his arm and saw a pair of jagged marks, “Oh! This is from a wolf fish that was caught in a lobster trap, it had a lot of teeth… and this is when i was running from the mafia, i dont think i was able to take out that bullet…” and so it went. Iruma said where some scars came from, and others, he just said “i cant remember.”

There was one scar in particular, that looked recent, but mostly healed over. It was one, long, slightly tilted scar over Iruma’s spine, it covered over older, smaller scars and started from the base of his neck to mid-back. “And do you know where this one came from?” Sullivan inqurires to the boy, fearing someone was responsible.

Iruma reached around himself, and Sullivan saw two things…

One, he saw teethmarks on the boy’s waist, too dull to be demon, so a human bit him?

Two, he’s sure he saw something move inside of the wound. It was an instant, and he was distracted by the tooth marks, which he will be bringing up soon. “Oh yeah, i was taking out trash in a resteraunt, and a can that was open slashed my back. I guess i shouldve checked if any had their lids out.”

Sullivan didn’t know how to respond, so he took his finger and traced the outside of the bite, unintentionally tickeling the child and making him jolt away from the hand, laughing. Until he realised where Sullivan touched.

“Where-“ “i cant remember.” Iruma stared the demon in the eye, with a burning passion Sullivan had only seen in him and when training with Opera. Sullivan let it go -for now- and helped the young human into his uniform.

Opera laid down the last tray and stepped away from the tabe just as the two of them came into the room. A feast fit for three kings sat in front of the boy, steaming, frozen, or even boiled to perfection.

“Good morning Master Iruma, how was your rest?” The cat-like servant was glad they made things that were quick to serve for the extra food.

After Iruma left with Clara and Azz, Sullivan pulled Opera into his side and declaired to the feline, “Iruma needs love, make sure you give him the attention a child needs.”

“Yes Master Sullivan.” Opera was just as confused as when Sullivan brought Iruma home. They love the young master, he eats the food they make, keeps his room clean, is always polite, and never was there a problem with ill words.

“Just be sure to remind him that he’s safe with us.” That raised a flag in Opera’s head, something must’ve happened when Sullivan was alone with the boy.

Whatever it is, they hope Iruma will be well.

[glindaupland]

The Phantom of the Opera | Seoul, South Korea | 잶팬텀 x 송크리 Review 6/6

October 14, 2023 - Evening

The Phantom of the Opera | 최재림 Choi Jae-rim

Christine Daaé | 송은혜 Song Eun-hye

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny | 송원근 Song Won-geun

Carlotta Giudicelli | 한보라 Han Bo-ra

Ah, the perfect Phantom to finish my journey and relieve me from my tears after the painful two show Kim Ju-taek/Jo Seung-woo slam the day before! Yes, please erase the poor meow meow thoughts from my mind!

My 6th and final round of POTO and 1st round of 'Choi Jae-rim is a Traumatized French Man Double Marathon'. His only scheduled POTO show during my stay was the day before Les Mis opening night in Busan. So I did not have a spare day like I thought would and I had to hop cities the next morning to see him as Valjean. I originally had a seat up high, but I just had to move myself close on the floor again for my grand finale. Seeing a seat open up during cancellations near my favorite side of the stage, the side with the most action, pretty much sealed the deal. I've always wanted to see a ~scary~ Phantom so let's go out with a bang!

If you're looking for some Erik x Christine, wrong Phantom for you! There wasn't much sugar-coating here. CJR Phantom is the opposite of JSW and JDS Phantoms to me; he's the most like a dark fallen angel. He's dangerous, unnerving, and has a lot more confidence with his actions than the others.

Hannibal Rehearsal / Think of Me

The audience seemed especially hyped today lol. Park Hoe-rim always holds Piangi’s note in Hannibal for a very long time and people applaud him for it. The cheers were loud today though even though audiences usually didn’t make much noise to avoid being disruptive! At the end of Song Eun-hye’s ‘Think of Me’ there was also a very excited reaction from the audience. Love this cast showing off where they can heh

First Lair | MOTN/STYDI

He's the only Phantom to sing "넌 이곳에 오직 나만을 위하여 / You are here for me alone" as "넌 이곳에 오직 한가지 이유로 / You are here for only one reason" at the organ because he's just different and not like other girls okay During MOTN, he was was confidently luring and hypnotizing her with no hesitation or uncertainty. The way he moved his entire body, especially his arms and hands (huge hands goddamn dude), was very flashy and dramatic. He's "overdoing it", but in a way that's very fitting for his Phantom's eccentric personality. I think you can already tell something is off about his Phantom as a person here. You can hear it in his voice a bit too. It had a sort of unearthly mesmerizing quality to it. This is the closest to a mysterious dark angel out of the Phantoms. He's especially possessive, but it's more in the way you might expect and different from KJT Phantom. The way he draws her to him with his hands, the way he touches his lips when he comes around the organ towards her 👀 He even tugged her along a bit when he led her to the bride in the mirror and urged her to look at the gift. With SEH Christine it was interesting to see her slowly unwind throughout the song since she's the more hesitant of the two. A Christine like SJS is definitely easier "prey" for him

Here's a little taste of his Music of the Night. Some of his more dramatic movements are actually a little bit similar to how he moved as the Phantom in this song, but he has a specific strange aura when actually in character.

I Remember / Stranger Than You Dream It

...SEH Christine is a little too curious and innocent maybe. Because wow if I saw a big weird masked man looking like that while working I simply? Would not want to mess with him at all, not getting anywhere near him. While the music box played, he was breathing (almost grunting) very audibly and heavily in frustration. He was very tense and focused. She was very playful and even mischievous-looking as she tried to swipe at his mask. It was like a game to her. Right at the moment he seemed to find his flow, playing the music in the air with his eyes closed, she succeeded. He's the scariest one during the outburst! His voice sounded venomous at the start and his eyes were wild as he covered the side of his face with both hands. The way he tilted his head watching her was very off-putting. Actually rather than becoming sadder, he almost seemed even creepier as he got closer. My seat was very close on that end of the stage and as I saw him approaching I wanted to back away myself! But at the end, I did start to feel sorry for him. It was really pitiful seeing this magnificent and seemingly magical genius be reduced to...this. The other Phantoms appear more human here, but he truly did look like some dark being trying desperately to be like a regular human, trying to be a part of this world. The angel of music is not, in fact, an angel, but....well who knows what he is. When she returned the mask, he looked like he couldn't make sense of what was happening. I could see his eyes glistening a little like tears were threatening to fall. I think he felt especially uncomfortable looking so weak in front of her. His Phantom felt like he had everything completely under control, but he managed to be disarmed so suddenly. His face was now revealed as well as the hidden dark part of himself

AIAOY Reprise

Kinda upset that my angle made it difficult to see him because the angel wing was obstructing him the times he wasn't leaning forward enough. But also how does he even fit on there. And also how did he manage to be the one who moved the least? He must be folded like an origami piece up there. Anyway oh boy. When saying Christine's name the first time, he sounded broken and small while looking down. But the second time he slowly lifted his head giving a cold dark stare ahead and spoke in a low and threatening voice that faded off. He had this rage building up and spreading through him and began his final lines in a harsh growling voice. He's extra intimidating because he kind of just fully gets up making himself as big as possible. I was laughing during intermission when I was heading to the lobby and two girls ran by me in the aisle going "EEEEE 무서워요!! / I'm scared!" So true, girlies, so true

Why So Silent?

JDS/KJT Phantoms lift up Christine's chin when they finally address her, but he pulled her a little roughly towards him. Not a big thing but definitely got a yikes from me when I saw it!

Wandering Child

Oh he is so weird and freaky somebody's gotta push him off that mausoleum I don't like it (no I love it as an acting choice though I just mean it's uncomfortable) 😭 The way he moves his entire body so much is so creepy? How do I even describe those movements. He would crouch or lean forward in a lunging position, but also made these big gestures with his arms again and looked like he was trying to use some power to pull Christine towards him He used an odd sarcastic tone mocking Raoul like he barely even viewed him as a threat.

The Point of No Return

The trap is set and waits for its prey! ...But also, Christine, Piangi just grew like 10 feet taller turning into a brick wall of a man and you don't find this.... suspicious maybe? No? Okay... He opens that curtain and it's like:

ANYWAY He had such an eerie way of singing to me. There was this hypnotic energy again like in MOTN. Once again the hands...when he tips her head side to side with his fingers under her chin in his last lines of his verse it's like he's putting her in a trance. She actually looked a bit disoriented for a moment, but her expression was slowly changing like she was suspecting something was wrong even before she turned to him. He was scarily calm looking throughout the song. You mostly just saw his shoulders moving from his slow steady breathing. Occasionally he would slowly take a look at her to see what she was doing, but it was more like he was preparing himself than getting stressed. She touched him and he only flinched very slightly before reaching up to her completely ready to join their hands. He was practically pulling her down actually to touch her more. I think he was sure that he was succeeding. When she had discovered him, he closed in like a beast about to pounce with his hands in position to grab her in case she tried to flee. But when she threw the hood off he was taken off guard During the AIAOY Reprise "언제나, 어디든, 영원히 / Always, anywhere, forever" -> "Anywhere you go let me go too" was a painful cry as well as the word "어둠에 / (into) darkness" in "또 다시 지옥 같은 어둠에 / Once again into darkness like hell" later for Down Once More and he delivered his next lines in a terrifying voice. It was similar to the AIAOY Reprise on the angel. I have to admit it partially concerned me (just because here and Les Mis he had a few slight rough moments, he cracked a tiny bit at the very end of 'Who Am I' after an otherwise very solid note). Overall though I think he has amazing ability and it's just wear from the rough schedule he has unfortunately. The choices did work either way!

Final Lair

He is so unhinged and unstable. Now he had this rough vicious villainous tone and sometimes he used that mocking voice again like he did in 'Bravo Monsieur'. He practically hissed out the line about the world never accepting him. His gestures with his arms were so theatrical and huge and the way he moved about was so heavy, jerky, and unsettling. When he threw the noose on Raoul he had the most terrifying laugh and jumped a little spitting out his taunts loudly He stood up fast and leaned in close to her face to whisper “날 시험하지말고 / Don't test me” so very quietly before he screamed for her to choose. He said it with spite in his voice, but he was actually holding back tears when he turned around. He had been so dangerous before, but Christine managed to disarm him once again with her words. Christine dropped lower from her position on her knees with a sob. It wasn't out of fear, seeing him like this just seemed to hurt her. This kiss was an interesting one to analyze. Some people thought this part tends to make him seem unmoved? But I disagree with the conclusion some people had made around that time that his Phantom didn't change or develop. He wasn't very openly reactive to the first one, he was completely frozen. The second time he clenched and unclenched his fists until he pulled her hand away quickly and rushed off staggering and holding his head. I saw reviews saying he would simply repeat his actions over again based on his reactions. I personally just think his change is different. I think CJR Phantom thinks he knows everything and that he can control everything that will happen so it scares him when he faces something unexpected. I think this is why he started to finally unravel at the very end. He cannot predict anything Christine will do, she always does the opposite of what he would think. Love and compassion were the last things he would ever expect. I don't even think he knew what kindness looks like. But he finally understood in that moment and he also understood that he couldn't force her to be there with him now. Something I noted during this performance in particular: HGH Raoul tried to urge Christine that they need to leave, but SWG would seem a bit confused in the moment and look at the Phantom like he was trying to understand what just happened. It just especially stood out to me across from CJR Phantom because of how much of a threat he had been. He was trying to process this because of the way the Phantom was just moments before and almost looked like he maybe even pitied him in a weird way. Christine came back pretty early this time to return the ring and watched the Phantom while covering her mouth in disbelief. It was as if this was the one moment he finally showed his real human side to her. She could really see him as a regular man now. When he realized she was there, he was really startled and practically jumped away like he was bracing himself for something (perhaps thinking the mob had arrived for him?). He went over to her wondering why she had returned, but once he realized he softly sang that he loved her. She nodded knowingly trying to hold back her tears. He looked so small suddenly when she left him alone there

Please when I tell you Jae-rim got the loudest screams out of every curtain call I experienced lol. He was goofing off, but at one point the shrieking was so loud he looked a little embarrassed about it heh. Even louder than that though was his Les Mis curtain call where everyone just about lost their goddamn minds seeing him pick up and spin little Cosette (I was one of those people, I'm weak)

Anyway it's promo time! Here's some bonus videos for you to enjoy

POTO Medley in English from 2013 (Wandering Child -> MOTN -> Think of Me -> All I Ask of You -> - he could easily be in English POTO honestly since he speaks English very well. He sings the actual show pretty differently and his vocals have improved, but it's still very nice and interesting to listen to after all this time.

Ah next one is cursed I know I know...but he almost convinced me this show can be good like a very talented scammer. Please stick to only covers of this though... He's sung the English version before a few times, but here's the Korean one:

And some non-POTO promo to show off his range because he's kind of crazy

And that's it for all my Phantom reviews! 6 out of 6 shows yay! If you made it to this point thank you for reading and enduring. I hope my insanity brought you some kind of joy and entertainment. I just wanted to share everything I could so other people could have a taste in some way and so I could relive and document my memories. It was truly a dream experience for a longtime POTO fan to be able to see the show done in so many ways over just a few days.

[justbusterkeaton]

Grand Slam Opera 1936

[busterkeatonsociety]

#MovieMonday “Grand Slam Opera,” 1936 was Buster Keaton’s favorite of the Educational Pictures & it seems to be the same with fans.  The Anvil Chorus scene comes directly from the Three Keatons vaudeville act - enjoy! 

[ranticore]

I thought I'd post the sketched out map of the city before I take it in for redrawing (which will take a very long time and it's definitely a backburner project) in a decent resolution so that people can actually see what's going on. The full size version is 4800px wide so too big to actually have full res on tumblr anyway

Invergorken is your basic city built in the armpit of a bay. Although its original medieval castle still stands as the Sharps ranger barracks, the citadel north of the grand canal is where the palace sits. The main reason it was all built here, slammed up against the Ruad, an inhospitable forest, is because it was a trade hub for goods passing through the Ruad. If you look at the whole country map you can see that Invergorken is built right where the Ruad is narrowest from west to east, and also that the forest cuts off overland travel in a massive part of its range. Farmland to the north and south of the city serves it though the farms are more extensive in the west, both north and south of the bay.

Before the railways were built, goods were ferried through the forest overland (the grand canal & river on which it was built goes sharply north out of frame and does not connect with the lough). A huge amount of Invergorken's infrastructure was built to directly facilitate ease of travel between sea and lough; the canals connect major points of interest. with a pretty robust lock system, ships from the sea are able to travel right on through the city to the train station, the industrial areas, and the lumberyards lining the edge of the Ruad.

The four quarters (five if you count the citadel) are named for the ring roads that originally surrounded them, but over centuries the built-up area has expanded to all but bury their original shapes. The east ring is where most of the usual city business takes place, mixed housing and shops and markets and everything else you could imagine. It's the oldest part of the city outside the citadel. This includes the city's singular Suzette hospital which is inconveniently located as far from everyone as possible. the north ring is the heart of industry in Inver, with hundreds of smokestacks, brick yards, furnaces, and foundries all in relatively close range of their own dock system (not drawn.. i forgor). Although it's a greatly productive area, it's also the poorest; extremely crowded tenements, poor facilities, housing built rapidly and without much care to provide for the mainly immigrant workers at the factories. Although the buildings are newer than the average east ring tenement, they are not pleasant.

The south ring is the rich-but-not-noble district, it consists of relatively new buildings, as the new rich of Invergorken have only recently come about as a separate phenomenon to the gentry of the citadel. These capitalists are responsible for much of the north ring & its development. The buildings in the south ring are deceptive; they look old, built to ape the style of the ancient buildings in the citadel, as clout-chasing upper class citizens struggle to elevate themselves on the same level as the nobility. Here you will find the Stagsons' black market as well as the Barnyard opera house and its adjoining brothel. The businesses are relatively fancy and cater to upper class tastes, like the Fernery which is for anybody who wants to take in the healing properties of nature without actually having to go outside.

The west ring is another new area, mainly built up by slightly richer immigrants from the western duchy of Moya, as this is the area of Invergorken you must travel through to get to Moya in the west, as well as all of the west-coast towns. It has a new train station and the beginnings of a new railway, though no trains run on it yet. The majority of iron from the north ring foundries is transported here to facilitate the building of the railway, which stretches all the way to Aberharain.

The citadel (or, in common parlance, the Hound's Den) is where the king and nobility go. It consists of a hexagonal wall with watch towers at each point, with portcullis gates opening out to several main thoroughfares. Many of the canals in the city actually arise from the citadel; the limestone bedrock is riddled with underground caverns and rivers, and these emerge at the surface within the citadel. The citadel contains the townhouses of the nobility, to be used on a seasonal basis as the main family residences are usually far out in the countryside, as well as the largest of the monarchy's three palaces. The citadel palace tower is the tallest building in Invergorken (not counting the smokestacks). The palace has its own walls blocking it off from the rest of the citadel, and its grounds are divided into four gardens, one for each season. The citadel has every stupid luxury you could possibly imagine; marked on the map are the important family houses but also the dressage arena, north of which is an extensive golf course with an arboretum. Although the noble families often only live in their townhouses during seasonal events hosted by the king (solstice and equinox hunting events in particular), the citadel is mainly home to an army of staff year-round, vastly outnumbering the nobility but hidden away in back streets and purpose-built corridors. this gives the odd impression of a ghost town, servants making things perfect for absentee landlords, heating and lighting their empty houses.

[friendlessghoul]

The opening sequence, with Elmer taking his leave of Gopher City, Arizona by train, has Elmer and chorus singing a parody of George M. Cohan's hit song "So Long, Mary." Low-budget Educational didn't want to pay the $300 licensing fee to use the song, so Buster Keaton paid the fee personally. [W] Grand Slam Opera - 1936

[lunaetis]

▸▸ [ @maquiscursed || alhaitham & eden || plotted starter ]

─「エデン」─  the STELLARON had been loud ever since she set foot upon fontaine.

                a hiss came from the trailblazer as the gloved hands of the CHAMPION DUELIST forced her upon her knees. golden hues narrowed as teeth gritted, hands restrained behind her back and her weapon stripped from her grip. surrounded her frame was countless of destroyed clockwork meka she had fought earlier in order to give a certain someone an opening to escape the premise. after all, she couldn't have pulled the other into this mess. a mess that she was the cause despite not knowing why. the GARDEMEKS she could outrun, however, this woman ? who was she ? she could barely get a certain distance before she was effectively pinned down. what an iron grip.

                " do not move. "

                the seed of disaster inside of her was humming a little louder at that command laced with a hint of ELECTRO. something about this nation's power and energy seemed to stir the STELLARON from its slumber, and eden found herself being drawn towards the opera house as though she was following a calling. a whisper ? she didn't know. but the very moment she got close enough to THE COURT OF FONTAINE, the clockwork meka within the area started rushing at her as though they were malfunctioning. her instincts were to draw her weapon, and everything went downhill from there.

                the loud screech from the meka, the way it was jumping at her as though trying to get something within, like it had found a source of power that could overcome even the energy they were consuming and running on. self-defense was all it was ! however, fontaine system certainly did not view it as such, did it ?

                " i said it was a misunderstanding. " she could feel something metallic locking around her wrists from behind, head pushed downwards as she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching. this woman whom chased her down and apprehended her was one thing, but the AURA of this person who just stepped out was almost overwhelming. the whirring and humming of the stellaron was becoming LOUDER & LOUDER, she could hardly keep it down. what is with this place ? who is this person ?

─「蛍」─  the feel of the familiar air being inhaled into her lungs told her she had entered the city of knowledge once more. the air was whipping past her very frame as the OUTLANDER dashed through the people of sumeru, having departed from the place itself not too long ago yet finding an urgent reason to come back. with how fast she was moving, the color gold and white blurred as she zipped past any familiar faces she encountered on the street. there was only one person she was searching for.

                how long did she take to come back here ? did the trailblazer manage to escape ? no, she didn't think so. with how many gardemeks were chasing her, she knew they would catch up to her sooner or later. her breathing was uneven as she slammed the door to the grand sage's office open in full force.

                " fontaine — " she panted, hand gripping the edge of the door as gold met with EMERALD. the urgency in both her voice and expression would've told the scribe just how dire the situation is. lumine took another deep intake of breath, steadying herself and thoughts to word things proper. " — we need to get to fontaine, now. they've got eden. "

[meilas]

And now we reach the one that started it all. October 14, 1998

Act One The boot opens with Christine (Lisa Vroman) spinning around the stage and Raoul (Christopher Carl) wondering if it’s really her. “Long ago,” he sings, “it seemed to long ago, how young and innocent we were,” only to have the door slammed after he’s left her dressing room because the filmer is only here for one reason. “Things have changed, Raoul!” indeed.

The Phantom (Franc D’Ambrosio 🙌) starts bitching about Raoul, and Christine has a reaction that makes her look like she’s thinking “oh great, here we go,” because now she has to soothe his ruffled ego. He appears in the mirror looking rather ghostly. Raoul shows up outside the door and wonders whose voice he’s hearing. The Phantom spares a brief glance in the direction of the door before repeating himself. Franc is a very expressive Phantom, and it’s always nice to see the subtleties he throws into his performances. He is always actively engaged with what is happening on stage.

Raoul bangs harder on the door as the Phantom opens the mirror and extends his hand toward Christine and begins to lead her to his home. The door opens just in time for Raoul to run in and wonder where Christine has gone and who was that “Angel?” before the stage goes dark. That moment really seems like the Phantom deciding on the spot to bring Christine to his home. If Raoul hadn’t returned, I think this Phantom would have been (temporarily) content with just appearing in Christine’s mirror.

We see brief glimpses of the Phantom and Christine crossing a bridge. Franc continues his trancelike way of moving as he and Lisa cross the bridge. The stage below is lit by a truly obscene amount of candles, but then what are you supposed to use for light in 19th century Ancient France when you live under an opera house? I want to know what he’s doing for ventilation. Did he drill a bunch of air tunnels to the surface somewhere?

We see the Phantom and Christine have gotten into a boat, and the Phantom is gesturing sensually at their surroundings. (For those who are curious about the story behind the grand gestures, the segment is 52:14-53:11 https://youtu.be/Rrgz6mL4FX0?t=3134 )

He’s very careful about not catching his cape on the boat pole, and even does an elegant twirl before setting it down and helping Christine out of the boat.

He shows off his hands to her when asking her to sing, almost as if he is conducting her. He also shows off the beadwork on the cape and ensures that cosplayers everywhere get a good look at the fit and drape. He turns, wrapping himself in the cape and then swishes it open for a dramatic reveal.

(This is the point in the initial watch party for this boot that the entire chat went crazy and for very good reason. The shadows in this video are fantastic and only serve to highlight certain features like the Phantom’s cheekbone and eyebrow and pants.)

He’s not as big as the cape makes him look. He’s just a regular guy who happens to wear a mask. He takes his time ensuring the wig is smooth but rushes through smoothing his jacket and trousers.

He spins Christine around to face the audience, then dashes over to the organ to play a chord with her high note. He looks like he’s in awe of her. At last he gets to the point of why he’s brought her there: he wants her voice to go with his music. His motions make him look like he’s trying to suppress his enthusiasm, doing his best to not scare Christine away, but the intensity comes out in his voice and facial expressions anyway. He smiles when talking and looking at his music, and then slowly looks up at Christine. He blinks a couple times before he starts singing, like he can’t believe she’s there. (He does this again in the Final Lair from the exact same spot when he can’t believe what he’s hearing.)

He does a bit of gesturing at “abandon their defenses” like he’s trying to tell Christine it’s alright, she’s safe here. He slowly slithers out from behind the organ and Franc’s Italian heritage is on full display as he gestures around himself as he slowly approaches Christine. She seems ready for something he’s not. He’s got music on his mind, it’s not time for kisses. After turning her face back towards his, he gets close enough that Christine probably assumes it IS time for a kiss, only to be disappointed again when he backs away. What a tease.

His voice on “soar” is as clear as the sound of someone running their finger around the rim of a crystal glass.

Franc and Lisa make an X shape with their arms when the portcullis comes down.

He hugs her and she melts into his embrace. He may not know how to give a real hug, but it’s the thought that counts. And Christine certainly agrees because she just goes along with it. It’s definitely odd, but she can work with this.

What she can’t work with is the weird life-sized doll of her, which the Phantom proudly presents to her. He leans forward a bit, eagerly awaiting her approval, but she faints and he scrambles over to her side, showing us his unmasked awkwardness that he has done a good job of hiding up until now. He grabs his cape from the boat and covers her. Perhaps he should have grabbed one of the pillows too?

The Phantom seems to have an object permanence error because he has forgotten that he has a friend in his home and he’s now playing the organ. Loudly. He spends some time writing down what he’s written. He pauses for a moment to scratch his head and think about what comes next. Maybe the wig is itchy. He starts conducting and miraculously does not catch his sleeves on fire. No OSHA compliance in this lair. He goes back to writing and is so focused on what he’s doing that he doesn’t hear Christine wondering where the heck she is or her sneaking up on him. He sure notices when she snatches his mask, though. He lets out a “gah!” and proceeds to chase her around the room.

He’s throwing a fit, crying and contorting his face at “curse you” as he slumps to the floor. He’s calmed down a little but he’s still almost sobbing as he asks Christine if it’s stranger than she dreamt it. He starts to drag himself toward her at “heaven” implying that she is his salvation. He quickly stops where he is. He croaks a little on “secretly, secretly” like he’s ashamed of what he wants, but he’s done that every time so it’s definitely a choice. And that choice was violence. Bless his heart. He continues to drag himself towards Christine again and straightens up at “loathsome carcass” as if trying to prove that he is not actually one, he might be gross but he’s actually alive! He crawls the last few feet toward her, but still keeps his distance. When it appears to him that she doesn’t accept him, he slumps down again in defeat and turns away from her. Now that he’s not yelling, Christine can slow down and think about things. He seems pretty upset that she saw his face, so maybe if she gives him back his mask everything will be better? He looks at her in wonder as she holds the mask out to him, and then neatly takes it (not as fast as Christine was when she snatched it) and puts it back on. With his face properly covered, he can face her once again. He puts one leg up and leans very close, then shouts “come, we must return!” which startles her. I think they could have worked things out if he hadn’t done that. (Lisa actually jumps when he shouts, which she did in the boot from the night after this one.)

The boot jumps to the Phantom interrupting Il Muto. One of the ballerinas says “he’s here! The Phantom of the Opera!” followed by Christine saying “it’s him, I know it’s him!” like girl, of course it’s him, he never claimed to be the Poltergeist of the Playhouse, who else would it be? Carlotta is not happy about Christine talking during the performance and calls her a toad. The Phantom hears this (and so presumably does the audience) and he calls her out. He’s almost laughing as he says “perhaps, it is you who are the toad???”

Carlotta gamely continues with the show but gets annoyed when she realizes they already went through the part where the Countess removes Serafimo’s skirt. Her annoyance with Christine comes through at “you cannot speak.” And then she croaks. The Phantom finds this enormously funny, as he’s giggling up in the flies. Carlotta nervously begins singing again, and Christine can only look on in worry. She croaks some more, and the Phantom gestures to the chandelier as he declares she is singing to bring it down. One of the managers interrupts the show to tell the audience that Christine will be singing the part of the Countess. He looks up toward the flies as he says this, perhaps making sure that the Phantom hears the announcement.

The boot cuts to after All I Ask Of You, and the Phantom climbs up from where he’s been hiding behind the angel statue. He’s almost sobbing as he sings “and now, how you’ve repaid me…” and then he proceeds to cry Christine’s name. All that is over when he hears Christine and Raoul declaring their love for each other and he proclaims that they will “curse the day [they] did not do” what he asked them to. (Interesting to note here, we get to see the statue reach the top and then Franc turns to climb off it. In other boots I’ve seen, the actor will pull a curtain around himself so that no one can see him disembark the statue.) He shouts a drawn out “go!” and then cackles as the chandelier falls.

Act Two

The filmer gives us a brief close-up of the candelabra statue in Maskenball, and then zooms in on Raoul dancing. He looks like he’s having a good time.

The Phantom interrupts the party dressed like a Shakespeare villain and wonders why everyone is shocked into silence. Maybe it’s because his is the most tacky costume in this whole room. He rolls his R and emphasizes the T during the word “trrrrrriumphanT” and he shouts at “REMEMBER there are worse things” and points at the chandelier during his proclamation. He steals Christine’s engagement ring and then drops through a trapdoor. A second Shakespeare villain runs down the stairs, scaring everyone.

We hear a brief “Madame Girrrrrr‒” before the video jumps to Notes 2 where everyone is shouting at each other. Christine interrupts by saying “stop, I’ll go mad!” but she seems like she’s already there. Raoul naturally looks confused when Christine says “he’ll always be there singing songs in my head” and he reminds her that she said the Phantom was just a man, but while he’s alive, he will always haunt them. Christine isn’t so sure about betraying the Phantom because he wasn’t always awful, and she laments what he’s become and how she won’t be free unless she does this. And even though he’s done awful things, she still has mixed feelings about bringing about his doom. Raoul reiterates that it’s all up to her. Christine can’t take everyone telling her that she’s their only hope and she runs away. Raoul declares war on the Phantom.

The video cuts to Wishing. Christine misses her father, and she feels that the graveyard is not a place for someone who used to be so full of life. The Phantom comes out from behind the cross and begins to sing to her. He looks happy when Christine answers him. I don’t have a lot to say about this segment, so please enjoy some gifs of how amazing he is.

When he is singing “come to me, Angel of Music” Raoul interrupts them again and the Phantom briefly looks over at Raoul before focusing all his attention back on Christine. He was able to avoid the boy the last time he did this, so there’s no reason that it won’t work again.

Except it doesn’t work this time. He lets out an annoyed sound and starts firing the pew-pew stick. Raoul takes off with Christine, and the Phantom declares ware on both of them.

The video cuts to the beginning of Point of No Return, or PONR as we call it. (My traffic safety teacher once wrote that on the chalkboard before class and we being high schoolers were way too amused at the letters to realize what order they were in.)

Aminta wipes off the apple on her skirt and then rubs it over her neck and cheek while Don Juan circles around the table and trades her a goblet of wine for the apple she has. Man is hungry. Performing on a stage for the first time is hard work. He also strokes Aminta’s neck and arm with a feather-light touch, and thus begins the foreplay. He takes Aminta’s hand and leads her toward the back of the stage, but perhaps this isn’t where they’re supposed to go because Christine jerks out of his grip and goes to sit down on the table bench.

He follows her and strokes her waist. She strokes her hands down her own body while his hand rests over hers, and then he sits beside her. He runs his fingers up her other arm and over her neck, teasing her.

After that interesting blocking, Aminta goes to kiss Don Juan but he startles and pulls away. She looks confused by this, most likely because this was not in the blocking for the play. The show must go on, and she carries on. Hopefully she doesn’t start croaking like Carlotta did seventeen minutes and fourteen seconds ago. Most everything is going according to the Phantom’s plan. He’s a little nervous and rearranges his robe, making sure it covers all of him. Aminta approaches him again and he briefly turns away. “One final question,” she sings, and places her hands on his back and he moans. He reaches over his shoulders for her hands and she takes them, running them over his body before feeling the mask under the hood. He starts to drag her offstage but she throws his hands off. When he approaches her again and reaches for her waist she throws the hood off. He’s so upset about this that he almost leaves the stage without her. It seems his plan all along was to get her close enough to offstage in order to escape before anyone could figure out what was happening. He stops at the last moment and now that that plan has failed, he resorts to begging Christine to save him from his loneliness and parrots Raoul’s vow of love at her. He hands her his ring and she puts it on before snatching his mask and wig.

They’re back in the boat, and the Phantom is explaining they’re going back to his dark home, and how he’s always been shunned because of his face. It’s nice to see that he doesn’t shove Christine, rather he grabs her and drags her closer to his face and then lets go of her when he hears the mob. He doesn’t want to be bothered on his wedding night, so he sets off for his home with renewed hurry.

Having forced Christine to change into the wedding dress previously worn by the life-sized doll replica, the Phantom starts to approach Christine with the matching veil. He’s grinning until she asks if he’s had enough bloodshed and if he intends to take her. He’s confused listening to her, but explains it’s not his fault for these things: it’s all because of his face. But she put on his ring! They’re engaged now! It’s just… his face getting in the way of them living happily. He holds out the veil and begs her with his eyes and the saddest expression ever to accept it. If his face was an emoji, it would be 🥺

Apparently she won’t accept it because he continues explaining how not even his own mother loved him because his face was so awful.

A frown creeps in at this point. He’s starting to get angry. He doesn’t want Christine’s pity. He wants her to accept him wholly. It seems he gets his wish when Christine says his face no longer frightens her, and he looks at her in wonder and he grabs a bouquet of flowers to put in her hands. Except that’s not all she has to say. It’s his soul that is what is twisted and scares her. He startles a bit at the mention of his soul. He’s being faced with something he hadn’t considered before. But there’s no time to think about that, because they have a guest! Hopefully he brought wedding gifts.

No gifts, but it is Christine’s other fiancée.

(I think a rumpled-looking half-stripped Raoul is gift enough, don’t you?)

The Phantom is amused by Raoul’s request to free Christine. “Do what you like, only free her!” except those two things are contradictory.

He is less amused by being told to show some compassion. After all, no one showed him any compassion, so why should he do anyone else the courtesy of showing compassion? He’s getting tired of this uninvited guest, so when Raoul demands to be allowed to see Christine, the Phantom gladly lets him inside. If the boy wants to walk into danger, the Phantom will let him.

And it’s very dangerous to leave nooses hanging around.

The Phantom drags Christine away from Raoul to give her a new demand: marry him or the vicomte gets it. “This is the choice!” he growls as he stands over her. Fantastic reactions from Lisa here. She’s trying to push him off of herself but he’s bigger and stronger than she is and he is not listening. He runs over to his organ to play a chord and then slumps over it. (He’s toned down the marching that he did in 1993.) He slowly looks up as Christine starts speaking again about how she could have pitied him but she now hates him. “Hate?” he mouths in disbelief. This can’t be happening! How can she hate him? He’s given her everything!

He’s still processing her words as Raoul tearfully says that he tried to save her but he failed as Christine bids goodbye to any goodness she thought the Phantom had remaining. He’s ruined everything. He’s in shock, and he brings a hand up to his mouth in distress. His expression changes a moment later.

It’s too late for pity and platitudes! Christine must choose, and either way, she loses. There’s no use fighting this. She can lose either Raoul or her freedom. The Phantom leaves the organ and approaches Raoul but is held up by Christine jumping between them. She reaches for his hand, trying to calm him down, but Raoul has to add his two cents’ worth. “Why make her lie to you?” he asks, which is not what the Phantom wants to hear at this moment. Christine clearly knows this and again reaches for the Phantom, trying to placate him. It doesn’t work. He brushes her off and goes to stand by his throne. He sings a line from Don Juan Triumphant to drive home the point that Christine needs to choose and she cannot go back to before all of this. She’s past the point of no return. There is only one way to save Raoul. The Phantom looks so close to crying as he sits down on his throne again. His works his mouth, trying to keep his tears back. But that’s not an issue anymore when Christine says she gave her mind blindly. He is through with this. “You… try my… patience!” he growls at her. “Make your choice!” and his last word is almost a sob. No more delays. It’s time to choose.

And Christine chooses kindness.

He tries to push her off. What is she doing? Why is she touching him? Is she attacking him? What is this? By the end of the kiss, he stops fighting. She embraces him and he moves to return it but cannot bring himself to do so because he feels he doesn’t deserve this. He is absolutely stunned when she kisses him a second time. He may not melt into it, but he lets it happen. He staggers back when she releases him, and he can only gape at her in shock. He brings his hand to his mouth, not in distress this time but in disbelief.

He stretches his hand towards her face and then brings it back to his own again. He lets out an audible shuddering breath when it hits him. She kissed him. And he staggers back and walks past her. He still can’t believe it. She kissed him! And it was wonderful!

There’s just one problem. He can’t keep her here against her will after she’s shown him kindness. But was it really kindness? She’s just trying to save Raoul. That kindness he received was against her will. For a moment, he looks like he considers burning Raoul, but he nods at Christine in assurance. He’s going to set them both free. He burns the rope that is holding Raoul and then pleads with them to forget him, forget all of this, to leave him. He begs them to go, but they aren’t leaving and he can’t help but whimper at the thought that Christine might be caught by the mob and hurt. They need to leave! He resorts to chasing them out. Once they’re gone, he collapses on the floor right next to the veil that Christine tossed aside. He’s gasping for breath as the monkey music box begins to play, and he lets out a soft whine. He crawls over to it to listen to the melody of Masquerade. “Hide your face so the world will never find you,” he chokes out as he covers half of the monkey’s face. He looks so sad here. And then he realizes that Christine has returned! He’s overjoyed until he realizes that she has only come back to return his ring.

What can he do but take it back since she’s offering. She probably doesn’t want to remember him, but she’s not so cruel as to throw it away. And she shows him one final kindness by holding his hand. “Christine, I love you,” he tells her. She lets out a sob as she leaves. And he has to tell her again. He loves her. He slips his ring back on his finger and then stoops to grab the veil from the floor and cradle it to his chest. “I love you,” he says again. It’s all he has left of her.

And then he hears her singing and he examines the veil again before hugging it close. “You alone can make my song take flight,” he says as she disappears into the distance. He’s tired. He walks stiffly back to his throne, dropping the veil on the way. Then he sits down and covers himself, but takes one final look around. It’s over now, the music of the night.