erikdelaopera: (Default)
2018-03-25 09:41 pm
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Two demons onstage

 who: Erik (Going by Noel) & Lacie 
where/when: apparently in a world where Paganini was alive like 150 years before his time that’s cool. 
what: circus act involving music, dance, the devil and a gruesome unmasking

Maestro Antonio took the news that Noel would perform one act that revealed their true features very well. Noel tried to see if the boss seemed relieved at all, but they were unable to pick up any trace of his usual half-hearted shame. Had he NOT been planning to make a cunning display of Noel’s freakish face after all? Had Noel misread the whole situation? Had they jumped to an uneccessary conclusion? 
It was too late to ever know. And Noel decided it was best this way at any rate—the act was in their own capable hands now and no one would have a place to make demands. 

Except Lacie, of course. 

After agreeing to help Noel, Lacie chatted and discussed details of the new act until it was quite late. Noel had a new mask form to design: something realistic-looking from the audience, and preferably something that could seal around their features so that red jelly underneath would be hidden until the devil finally revealed her affect on poor Paganini.

”that’s perfect,” Noel said, looking into the middle distance and recalling their own sunken features, “I’ll Black my eyes and nose cavity so that when the mask comes off in all this gore, it will look as though you’ve ripped my face off my skull!”
erikdelaopera: (You WHAT.)
2017-07-04 03:52 pm
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Our writing styles are so different, lol

Rp that gets smutty

https://bronze-and-navy-is-creating-1.tumblr.com/post/162539218215/truth

because links are too hard on mobile

https://bronze-and-navy-is-creating-1.tumblr.com/post/162544140625/truth-part-two

And


erikdelaopera: (Default)
2017-06-28 03:37 pm
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The hours



If you follow the strict canonical hours, there is an hour every three hours from sunrise to sunset - sunrise being figured at 6:00 am and sunset at 6:00 pm. So the hours become:

6:00 am -- Lauds (Morning Prayer -- First hour)
9:00 am -- Terce (Third hour)
12:00 pm -- Sext (Sixth hour)
3:00 pm -- None (Ninth hour)
6:00 pm -- Vespers (Evening Prayer)

The day hours are the Latin words for third, sixth, and ninth -- which correspond to the ancient way of telling time, hence in the Passion accounts you have Jesus being nailed to the Cross at the 6th hour (12 noon). 

Compline (Night Prayer) is to be said immediately before going to bed, which in the monastic tradition is between 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm. The Office of Readings can be said anytime and is frequently coupled with Lauds, but in the most ancient monastic traditions, it is said in the middle of the night -- between 12 midnight and 3 am. 

Wait it can I still type? 

Fantastic i cant see. 
erikdelaopera: (Default)
2017-06-25 06:05 am
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Masks and commedia

 Nicolas was frequently trying to engineer better masks, fitting them into the roof of his mouth or nasal hollow. Charles says " don't do it it'll keep you from talking. And nic is like, why should I talk? And Charles says, "I don't think anyone realizes how smart you are. They look at the mask and assume you don't have all your faculties."

but why why should a mask lead one to that conclusion, Charles? What about a mask tells someone anything about intelligence?"

and charles is like, actually that's a good question let me look at you,

hes wearing the The face of the buffoon.
erikdelaopera: (Default)
2017-06-22 03:06 pm
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Marie giry now fits!

okay. Daroga tried this paperwork proving Erik's identity. Erik freaks out and this is where he really lets the opium start to take front seat. This is how the sultan lured him back and this is how Erik stayed in the bad circus.

Marie finds him like before. She knows he's addicted. She knows how to get him off of it. Because that's how HER BROTHER, Jules, died. His wife works at the opera and is a good sneak and superstitious

she weans him off of opium. Not yet sure how though. 
erikdelaopera: (Default)
2017-06-16 08:48 am
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Roman Republic of 1849

 1842
 
1843
 
1844: in June the revolutionary Bandiera Brothers were executed via firing squad, screaming “viva l’italia”. This didn't go over well for the papacy
 
1845: Nicolas is 10 years old. He notices how some of the older boys are changing, and it was destroying their voices. He becomes petrified, as his musical ability was the one thing he felt beautiful at. He trains like mad and reads the works of great singers.
 
1846: Determined to make of himself a more perfect instrument, he seeks the pathway of another hero of his--Farinelli-- and starts hanging out with the aging castrati who are still in Vatican City.  in June Pope Gregory dies. Pope Pious IX is controversially elected later than month. He is super liberal by comparison and generally beloved overall.
 
1847: Nicolas becomes obsessed with self mutilation as he continues to try to find a surgeon who would perform this castration. When he realizes that he can sustain an erection and even ejaculate a little, he panics. He convinces his closest friend, an older Castrati, to find him a surgeon. 
When they finally find a guy willing to do it, the doctor pressures young Nicolas to re-consider. The surgeon promises that "the love of a woman is worth all the music in heaven." Nicolas screams and rips off his own mask in fury saying, "there are no women for me so music it is!" And the child's face was so hideous that the surgeon agreed.
Nicolas first encounters narcotics.
 
1848: In February, the riots begin. In march, a constitution is declared. Erik gives his first solo performance: he makes a new mask just for the occasion and it's so life like compared to what he's grown accustomed to that he decides to sing in front. And as people began to shower him with praise, Nicolas noticed the girls about his age or a little older who were peering closely in the candle lit chapel to try and make out the face of the voice.... which one is he? 
And one of them spotted him and he watched the reaction ripple through a whole line of teenaged village girls. He nearly lost his breath when he noticed the attention. 
And was suddenly upset for the first time about his castration.
In June the pope puts his foot down and says, “NO I am not going to war with Austria! You guys are bullies and jerks and this is enough to make be stop being a liberal pope!” This doesn't go over well with the revolutionaries. 
Nicolas treats himself like Gods instrument, working on beating Farinelli's records in vocal range and lung capacity. He focuses everything to music and liturgy. He is the best and brightest. He trusts his own judgement.
He is getting into fights with the liturgy professor over appropriateness of sounds or symbols. But he is very lonely. He doesn't seem to quite interact with the other boys well and the mask puts them out of sorts. No one has managed to get it off of his face yet, because he's slippery and quick. 
When he spends time with humans, they're elderly and authoritative. So he spent most of his time alone. And it ate up at him to be so alone amongst so many people.
Nicolas heard the foreigner's violin and started really getting back into playing. He began speaking to his violin, at first in jest, but then all the time and passionately. He named her Noelle. Rossi is assassinated in November. The next day a mob attacks the pope and shots are fired. He prepares to flee Rome; goes south to Gaeta November 24th in disguise.
 
1849: February: political shouting in the Apollo Theatre. Nineth of February, the revolutionaries seized Rome. Nicolas is 14 or so. The Roman Republic lives for five months. On April 25th, 10,000 strong french army lands on shores of Rome. The revolutionaries prepare for the oncoming siege. April 27-29 the heroes are returning to Rome from elsewhere, battlements are being made, rabble is being --generally--roused. On April 30th French troops succumb to out of date cartography and can't find the entrance. The revolutionaries get them completely by surprise by disguising the first canon blast as the noon day gun. The siege begins in earnest on June 1st.  Mancini’s attempt at diplomacy was fatal to the Roman Republic. French army beats republic June 29. where ever we are there is Italy. “A truce was drawn up July first, and the revolutionaries marched out solemnly the following day. The French forces immediately got to work re-instating the power of the Holy See in Rome, but His Holiness had grown very weary of militias and liberal mobs, and stayed away from Rome until the following Spring. And by then Nicolas had gone”
Nicolas suffered a complete psychological break. Between his obsession with practice, self- mutilation, confused feelings about sex and what it meant for him as a castrated male, he collapsed in upon himself and goes completely catatonic. As he healed, he and the violin switched names. The violin took the name Nicole and he became Noel. Noel abandons mother church at the age of 14 and quickly makes his way as a street performer: always in an expressive commedia mask.
 
1850: The pope returns in April. 
 
1851:  
 
erikdelaopera: (Default)
2017-06-05 09:29 pm
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Timeline (another)

 1835-1845 Rouen. Hospitals, dark rooms, chrurches, books and music
1845-1847 Vatican City. Emasculated in 1847. Castrati focus on music, body and the church until maybe 1850
1850-1854 circus, theatre, performance. Abuses by 1853. Erik by 1854.
1855 Erik kills Donnavan, his only friend
1856: second opium war. Tonkin pirates. Punjab lasso
1857-1863: the rosy hours of mazanderan
1863-1867: Erik and Daroga in France?
1867-1870: Erik in Ottoman Empire and east and balkans
1871 siege of Paris. Paris from 1870-1875
1876-1878: Ottoman Empire. 
1879: Erik settles into palais Garnier opera house. He is 44.
1883: Christine Daae joins the opera in June. (Just as the orient express opens) Erik gives her lessons in October.
1884: events of novel, ending April 1st

erikdelaopera: (Default)
2017-05-09 02:27 pm
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(no subject)

 Erik’s timeline-- and no one has to agree with me, but I’m going to share my research anyway. As always, take what inspires, leave the rest. And au/headcanon away with whatever ages you like. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do with your fics.

The following uses only What Gaston Leroux has given us and my own research into history. (I’ve never read Susan Kay) There are very few dates that are firm in Leroux, and this was done on purpose. It’s really challenging to puzzle out all of his innuendos into historical events.
@fdelopera on Tumblr has an AMAZING timeline and argument for the story taking place in 1884 (a leap year, btw). I strongly recommend their work and really their entire blog, especially for any Lerouxian.

Certain dates confirmed by Leroux: Erik builds the foundations of the opera. There is a contest held to see who would design the new opera house in Paris in 1860. Due to the Franco-Prussian war and the revolution and the commune and the siege of 1871, the opera wasn’t completed until 1875. Erik’s foundations were utilized during the siege of 1871 as torture facilities and burial grounds and god knows what else. (During the “week of blood” that ended the siege, 20 *thousand* revolutionaries and another 877 soldiers were killed. Another 38 thousand people were arrested.) Leroux also says that the Shah of Persia liked Erik in part because he fought the Emir of Afghanistan. Most notes given in new translations of Phantom of the Opera say that this is in reference to the taking of Herat (by the British) in the 1850s, ending in ‘57. However, there is one more possibility: the Shah and the Emir began fighting again in 1863, ending with a sudden and (in this Phan’s opinion) a highly suspicious death of the Emir. Assuming that Erik is actually sent away from Persia for knowing too much *politically* (and not just too much about architecture) he and The Daroga would arrive in Paris maybe in 1863 or 1864, a fantastic time to start building the foundations. Leroux does also say that Erik “set up as a builder, the sort of builder who builds ordinary houses with ordinary bricks for ordinary people.” He does this as he subcontracts for Garnier. But work on the opera house is unsteady af because of funding during revolutionary times. Other places that Erik may have subcontracted with include the Suez Canal across the Mediterranean, and the Cadir Kiosk in Constantinople (Turkey). I mention this because Leroux says that Erik worked for the Sultan of Constantinople, building strange contraptions where there were body doubles (robots!) dressed like the Sultan (Abdul Hamid). Leroux says that a bunch of bizarre and magnificent things were revealed during the Young Turks Revolution of 1909 were indeed built by Erik. Abdul Hamid is without a doubt the Sultan that Leroux is referencing: he was paranoid af, constantly having things re-built around him with secret places to hide and replacing everyone around him for fear he would be assassinated. However, Abdul Hamid’s rule and subsequent decline into madness happens very late: after the book takes place (if you believe fdelopera, as I do, that the year on question is 1884). But, the Coup d'etat that puts him in power happens in 1876, RIGHT when Erik may have been doing subcontracting work on the East bank of the Mediterranean. So, it’s fuzzy, but CONVENIENT. And until I have a better timeline, that’s how it goes for me. Before the 1863 mysterious death of the Emir of Afghanistan, we have no certain dates. But I’ve been hypothesizing like a physics professor trying out different ages for Erik to be when he single-handedly kills the leader of a country AND for him to have had enough time for him to have learned Punjab lasso (Presumably India) Tonkin Pirates water tricks (Vietnam) and become a magician of Russia (fair at Nizhni Novgorod) known to all in the east. TLDNR: Erik doesn’t know his own age exactly, but is “51, give or take 7 years” when he meets Christine (who Leroux says is 19 or 20, same as Raoul)
erikdelaopera: (Default)
2017-02-17 05:04 pm
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Timeline LE CIRQUE and PERSIA

 1851: Noel is a fiddler and singer near Rome. He joins a group of commedia performers who need someone to play the girl parts and Noel fits the bill. He's got the most beautiful voice and while very tall has the subtle round curves of a pubescent girl (side effect of the castration). He learns stage craft, improves the music of the troupe and learns slight of hand. He learns to drink from the copious attention thrown his way by the audience, both from men and women alike. 
But Noel is a difficult person. He loves and hates his fellow performers and occasionally finds ways to trap them in compromising situations or bullying them into getting what he wants. And they abuse him too.
 
1852: the theatre group broke up over internal conflicts and Noel panicked because he thought that he would lose everything. He sided with a man who wanted to take the troupe in a new direction. Noel sides with him because he's a strong personality and also a bully. Those who stay with the troupe travel.
Everyone had to have more than one act, now: they had to make twice the show with a fraction of the cast. Noel had several. Noel became a shapeshifter in order to keep the circus going, playing beautiful music, creating a comedy act between himself and Nicole the violin, a burlesque act in mask and finally yes, the living corpse.
The corpse show became very popular and the company put pressure on Noel to do whatever it took to improve the act. The troupe leader decided to put Noel through a rigorous exercise and diet regimen to make his soft body more corpselike. Noel's obsession with self-mutilation gives the troupe leader power to control everything Noel did with his body, and Noel traded scarification and eventually permanent tattoos (done the hard way, as this was before the electric pen was invented in 1891) for more calories added to his regimen. 
 
1853: Noel is 18. He's traveled all over Europe and is fluent in all the Romance languages, plus bits of German and English. His travels take him northward and he meets a man named Erik who takes him under his wing and shows Noel how much the circus life is abusing him. Noel (all but?) falls in love with Erik, learns Swedish for him and actually leaves the circus for a time. He spends a little time building things with his hands. 
 
But one day Erik disappears. Noel never learns why, but becomes convinced that it's his own fault somehow. As he builds himself after this, he does so by finally putting himself at the center. He makes a plan for his life to become someone's court magician or court composer and re-emerges as a new Erik; ruler of his own destiny. His plan is long, but detailed. He bills himself as his own freakshow with a long and complex tale of being the ghost of Paganini so that he can perform music, display his mutilations and also frighten people. He re-enters the whole idea of circus with this new and empowered outlook and joins a large company who also employs a magician storyteller named Donnavan.
 
1854: Donnavan tries to teach Erik the ways of women and things get awkward and keep backfiring. This is where the infamous nun escapade happens. This is where Erik learns bad toxic masculine habits. Erik learns magic tricks better than Donnavan and he assists him with his act.
 
1855: their relationship became more and more strained. In the heat of a fight about a woman, Erik killed Donnavan. He panicked and fled for the east, spending a lot of the money he'd saved in the process. He started over in Indo-China and teamed up with some Tonkin pirates
 
1856: the second Opium war began, and one of the officers in the Chinese navy (Shan Ng-Tsai) was a Tonkin Pirate. Erik assisted him during the second opium war. 
Erik liked opium a lot. And kind of liked war.  He learned garroting and so-called "Punjabis lasso". Erik killed a lot of men. He made some money and --confident that he wasn't actively wanted anywhere, returned to his goal of becoming court magician. He sets up at Novgorod and gains many admirers for his incredible illusions. 
 
1857: Daroga found him in Novgorod.
Also war broke out in Mazendaran
Erik seemed to not know good from evil and the Sultana delighted in watching him work. 
He made the little Sultana laugh. 
Jayran is made a permanent wife, much to the anger of the Qajars. Nuri (the grand vizier) is the subject of serious political intrigue but becomes "irrevocable". Jayran's son becomes heir in September. 
 
1858: Daroga and Erik worked together frequently in times of political unrest. Daroga was usually the in charge of set up while Erik handled execution.
Jayran's son dies of meningitis. 
May: Nuri's nephew brings about complaint on his uncle, but is tortured.
By August, there's a coup with a staged murder to bring down Nuri. 
 
1859: Erik and the Sultana (Mas'ud Mirza's mother?) build torture chambers.
 
1860: Paris holds a contest for the design of the new, Napoleon Opera House. Erik enters the contest and is a finalist but loses to Garnier. Erik is pleased with Garnier's design and makes some inquiries about getting on the building team. 
Jayran, the sultan's favorite wife dies, is perhaps poisoned. 
(Book: ‪Liminalities of Gender and Sexuality in Nineteenth-Century Iranian Photography: Desirous Bodies‬) 
 
erikdelaopera: Fear (SHIT SHIT SHIT)
2017-02-16 11:44 pm
Entry tags:

Timeline VATICAN CITY

 1841: Vatican City-bound choirboy is Christened "Nicolas" in Paris, France on the feast day of St Nicolas, December 5th. He asked for the name Quasimodo, but gave in to the name Nicolas even though he would have preferred Noel which ought to have also been appropriate.
He and several other boys go to Vatican City to join the boys choir as foundlings.
 
1845: Nicolas is 10 years old. He notices how some of the older boys are changing, and it was destroying their voices. He becomes petrified, as his musical ability was the one thing he felt beautiful at. He trains like mad and reads the works of great singers.
 
1846: Determined to make of himself a more perfect instrument, he seeks the pathway of another hero of his--Farinelli-- and starts hanging out with the aging castrati who are still in Vatican City.
 
1847: Nicolas becomes obsessed with self mutilation as he continues to try to find a surgeon who would perform this castration. When he realizes that he can sustain an erection and even ejaculate a little, he panics. He convinces his closest friend, an older Castrati, to find him a surgeon. 
When they finally find a guy willing to do it, the doctor pressures young Nicolas to re-consider. The surgeon promises that "the love of a woman is worth all the music in heaven." Nicolas screams and rips off his own mask in fury saying, "there are no women for me so music it is!" And the child's face was so hideous that the surgeon agreed.
Nicolas first encounters narcotics.
 
1848: Nicolas treats himself like Gods instrument. He focuses everything to music and liturgy. He is the best and brightest. He trusts his own judgement.
But he is very lonely. He doesn't seem to quite interact with the other boys well and the mask puts them out of sorts. No one has managed to get it off of his face yet, because he's slippery and quick. 
When he spends time with humans, they're elderly and authoritative. So he spent most of his time alone. And it ate up at him to be so alone amongst so many people.
 
1849: Nicolas is 14. He is getting into fights with the liturgy professor over appropriateness of sounds or symbols. Nicolas hears the foreigner's violin and starts really getting back into playing. He begins speaking to his violin, at first in jest, but then all the time and passionately. He names her Noelle.
He is working on beating Farinelli's records in vocal range and lung capacity.
 
1850: he gives his first solo performance: he makes a new mask just for the occasion and it's so life like compared to what he's grown accustomed to that he decides to sing in front. And as people began to shower him with praise, Nicolas noticed the girls about his age or a little older who were peering closely in the candle lit chapel to try and make out the face of the voice.... which one is he? 
And one of them spotted him and he watched the reaction ripple through a whole line of teenaged village girls. He nearly lost his breath when he noticed the attention. 
And was suddenly upset for the first time about his castration.
 
1851: Nicolas suffers a complete psychological break. Between his obsession with practice, self- mutilation, confused feelings about sex and what it means for him as a castrated male, he collapses in upon himself and goes completely catatonic. As he heals, he and the violin switch names. The violin takes the name Nicole and he becomes Noel.
 
Noel abandons mother church at the age of 16 and quickly makes his way as a street performer: always in an expressive commedia mask. 
erikdelaopera: (Default)
2017-02-16 02:39 pm
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Time line outline BIRTH AND FAMILY

 1835: a baby boy with a severe cleft palate is born to Anselme and Delorés Carpentier in a village on the outskirts of Rouen. The baby is named by the nurses who assist Mrs Carpentier with the baby. They Christen the baby Denis Carpentier, and dedicate him to St Denis, a saint whose patronage includes the city of Paris, headaches, frenzy and demonic possession. Anselme is shocked by the sight of his own son and refuses to see him. He is convinced there is something unholy about the kid and isn't very interested in doctors or surgeries to help. But Delorés is interested, and she petitions for her sons face. Anselme agrees on the condition that everything remain a secret. 

1836: several doctors have looked into the baby's case and little Denis has already survived several traumatic surgeries, procedures, and infections. While the doctors managed to wedge together the child's mouth, Denis had no nose and only a vestigal upper lip due to infections and faulty procedures.

1837: Anselme refuses to acknowledge the boys existence and blames his wife for the whole thing. And while it's true that Delorés kept her baby alive, she frequently looks upon Denis as something more of a scientific experiment than a child. Could he live? She hypothesized he could and entreated the help of the medical community to do so, even though a lot of the nurses and locals said allowed that it would be better if the baby starved. Starvation is the most common death for cleft pallette babies, as suckling is almost impossible.

1838: Denis is 3.

1839: Delorés becomes pregnant again. Anselme becomes very superstitious and gets Delorés to make Denis masks so that she doesn't look at his face and have another one. Delorés never sees her sons face again. Denis is only allowed to leave home for the church, and only the parish priest knows about him.

1840: Once Denis tries to make speech, Delorés' academic interest picks up in him.  She employs a professsional vocal coach to examine Denis' development. 

erikdelaopera: (Default)
2016-11-20 11:32 pm

Notes Sunday night

Are you ready?

The woman in his life he always craved the approval of WAS of course his mother. He craved a woman's approval and attention so deeply and obsessively that all at once women grew to be his fear and his passion. He grew more and more paranoid of women by the year. Erik wanted some kind of perfect love that he could conduct. And he was far too careful to ever let a woman see him. His face was not fit for the eyes of ladies or The Lord. This he had known. 

The first time Christines love nearly killed him was when she actually came back. She returned to her Maestro underground despite his ferocity and his hideous face. She returned and even she admitted that she wanted to. She was moved to with pity. He was timid as a kitten back then. What was his tipping point, I wonder. At what point did he start to plan that death of everyone would be the best way to prove his perfect love.  Drop a chandelier, and your dream girl waltzes into your arms.  Association of catastrophes with positive feminine attention.  Maybe he really did kind of believe that if he killed a huge number of random people, their souls may merge or fuse together under the oppressive weight of those they murdered. He knew she wished to die. He knew her darker and mysterious thoughts. She trusted him in a way that was genuine and special. She dipped into some melancholy and he went running with it. So... what was her turning point... If Erik were threatening Raoul, she would have kept Raoul safe by letting him go to the arctic. No... Erik threatened HER. And didn't back down. Why on earth would he do that. We have no evidence of him beating her before she plans her escape. 

He he didn't hate his mother, he feared her, pitied her, loved her... Resented her. But not hate. Not really. He used to pretend that things would have been different if she had more strength of her own. Or if father hadn't been so cruel. Yes, surely it was fathers fault or grandfathers, perhaps. She taught him to believe in himself, in his own self worth. She taught him sovereignty. 

What was was her name again.  There were days that he'd wake up as if from slumber and his heart would race as he searched his heart for her name. Melody melody, no, but it did sound like music  Aria, caliopie, Celeste, no, my god was her name Lulu... like lullaby.  
Sometimes he forgot her name for days at a time.  

She he did give him music. And she did promise him his violin. 
erikdelaopera: (despair)
2016-10-21 08:48 pm
Entry tags:

The Holy City

 "Take me away, carriage! Carry me off, frigate! 
Far, far away! Here the mud is made with our tears!
— Is it true that sometimes the sad heart of Agatha 
Says: Far from crimes, from remorse, from sorrow, 
Take me away, carriage, carry me off, frigate?"---- Charles Baudlaire, Moesta et Errabunda


December, 1841
The lad was weary and wore an expression that flashed between alert and near panic to dead and distant. Young Charles was feeling sick with the burden of the little one and he prayed that there would be answers from friendly folk of the clergy, soon. He didn't like being in charge. "What are they going to call you at the Basilica?" when a stuttering silence answered him, he cleared his throat and asked, "what am I to call you?" 

The child's gaze seemed far away and Charles watched the eyes beneath the tiny mask narrow to a glassy slit. The visible cherry-red lower lip quivered and fell open, "I want to be named for the first Sunday after Easter." The words were deliberate and rehearsed. Charles felt the already painful situation grow tedious: he knew so little of the foundling before him, only that his godfather had made it very clear that he was to be delivered to clergy directly, and that his mother dismissed him in the most pathetic scene Charles had yet witnessed in his life. Exhaustion and a guilty smidge of dread overtook the novitiate's lungs and eyes. He strained to remember any kind of significance about the Sunday following the feast of Easter, and while he did, studied the landscape out the cart that they huddled in. Easter felt as far away as ever, as the first candle of Advent was glowing in every front window, proven Rouen to be as devoted Catholics as candles and tallow would allow. He felt drowsy under the thick wool horse blankets and oiled canvas that were variously strapped down or nested around them. He had forgotten when he was trying to remember when the small one suddenly offered "Quasimodo Sunday."

Tallow candles on the roadside unblurred as Charles registered those unusual words, "Quasimodo?" Charles slowly shook his head, "that won't do, not even if you are made bell-ringer. Foundlings generally gain a name from the circumstances upon which they are found," Charles trailed off. It was hard to imagine finding a suitable name for any child buried within his short story. No doubt the mask he wore to conceal his nose and mouth was some part of it. 

"Quasi-modo," repeated the young initiate, with a patient resolve, "how is your Latin, brother Charles?"

"I know what it means," Charles responded, a little defensively, "but its not proper. You'll soon learn: all the 'qu' words imply questions, insecurity.  Its not a name for a modern child."

The blankets and tarps were heavy on the young man and the tiny child. The cart rattled through the evening slush, the town growing darker and smaller every minute. "If you were a girl, Noel might do, seeing as how Christmas season has just opened."

"Noel..." the child whispered, a bit enchanted by the apparent sound.

Charles huddled closer and took the child's tiny and frozen hands, "We reach Paris Cathedral in time for the holy Feast of St Nicolas. How do you like Nicolas?"

"Nicolas..." the child repeated, clearly less impressed. 

It was the final word spoken before reaching Paris, in the frozen and bruised skies of a morning in Early December. Nicolas was born in a little foundling of some unknown age and only partially known pedigree. Nicolas had no past to speak of, bundled in thick mufflers and scarves, scurried up the stairs and into the church offices. Nicolas gave one final attempt to convince those in authority to allow him the name of Quasimodo. When the priest looked incredulous, Nicolas moved forward and with very exact and careful motions, removed the muffler from his face. 

The moisture that had condensed beneath his garments was suddenly exposed to the cold, dry air, and the sudden sensation made Nicolas' face ache from the inside out. He winced as the minister drew closer to get a better look.

"Nicolas," the minister concluded, "you shall be seen to by the nurses. Perhaps there's something that can be done for you."  He briefly addressed Charles concerning the ride from Paris to Lyon, upcoming in the next few days--the hope was to be there in time for the Virgin's Light Festival on the 8th.  The next several weeks were a pilgrimage from the soles of their pious shoes to Rome and to the Vatican--present for the Pope's Christmas address. 

Nicolas was born motherless, fatherless and wholly belonging to the Catholic Church as his red and tired eyes saw Paris for what he believed to be the first and last times in his life. He carried only one item on his person-- a worn black walnut violin case. When the nurses saw to Nicolas and his broken face, they were at turns horrified, confused and depressed. They made him tea and sent him to have a nap in a cot, but Nicolas remained awake, listening to the women gossip about his appearance. 

erikdelaopera: (Default)
2016-08-27 10:57 pm
Entry tags:

Timeline, first draft

when he meets Christine in 1884, Erik would have given his age as "51, give or take 7 years."
Years are lost in the dark with his mother.
Around 1830 born.
leaves home at ? Age. 
Castrati (maybe 1836, maybe he's 11)
gets bored at Sistine Chapel.
leaves with performers, develops abusive relationship with circus. Breaks free, reinvents himself, meets Donovan. Tonkin Pirates, India, Punjab lasso. Lost and messy years. Ends at fair in Nizhni Novgorod.  Persian is told to fetch him. "For several months his word was law" 
9june 1863 assassinated Emir of Afghanistan. 

He & persian flee to Paris in 1863. 

Erik works on various construction projects. The opera, the Suez Canal and some work in Contsantinople. There's a Coup D'etat that puts crazy paranoid guy on the throne in Contsantinople.  1876 

paris expo 1878.  Human zoos.

1884, Christine 
erikdelaopera: (Default)
2016-08-14 01:19 pm

Persia links

Shahanshah of Iran (Persia) while Erik was liking there: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naser_al-




This is a map of the capital, Tehran in the 1850s: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran#/media/File%3ATehran1857.jpg


Oh man.  From Wikipedia: Up until the 1870s, Tehran consisted of a walled citadel, a roofed bazaar, and sharestan, where the majority of the population resided in the three main neighborhoods of Udlajan, Chale Meydan, and Sangelaj. The first development plan of Tehran in 1855 emphasized the traditional spatial structure. Architecture, however, found an eclectic expression to reflect the new lifestyle.

The second major planning exercise in Tehran took place under the supervision of Dar ol Fonun. The map of 1878 included new city walls, in the form of a perfect octagon with an area of 19 square kilometers, which mimicked the Renaissance cities of Europe.[22]





erikdelaopera: (Default)
2016-08-01 08:40 pm

Chronology link

http://fdelopera.tumblr.com/phantom-chronology Absolute genius chronology. F de l'opera knows her stuff.
erikdelaopera: (Default)
2016-06-15 02:52 am
Entry tags:

Back to Babylon

The calliope was a delicious little contraption . Certainly it was not the mountain of strength that he had once grown accustomed to in the cathedral, but the Old Testament God voice was no tool for the circus. No, the charm that this instrument held was in its compact nature, indeed its stingy efficiency. How many tricks he could teach himself on such an incomplete machine of music. He tried to pull two knobs at once to see if he could manage a major seventh. It was warbled, thin and with overtones, but he still managed to do it. "Freakshow...?" A voice tried behind him. There were papers shuffling. "Erik, please," he said quietly. He toyed with a few more of the settings on the calliope. "I have your cabin assignment. You'll be staying with Donnavan, the magician for this portion of the tour." A hand appeared with a hastily written note. Show times, room assignment, and a couple of names: Donnavan Piscarro and Living Corpse. Erik took it without hesitating his tampering with the keyboard. Erik heard the footsteps depart. He looked at the note and briefly pretended that it was some sort of new music notation. Could he turn the showtimes listed into a time signature and key? How would the cabin assignment be played? What of this unsuspecting roommate? And his peculiar name with the strangest spelling. What of Erik's own continued absence of a name? What of the phrase living corpse? He tried to follow the "onna" into a place of yielding mystery, but the following tone of "Isco" proved tricky. Finally, he taught the calliope to sing the letters "e-r-i-k" as he played the words "living corpse". It wasn't a perfect tune, but it would suffice as an exercise. Satisfied, the young corpse went to go find this Donnavan.
erikdelaopera: (Default)
2015-10-08 02:25 pm
Entry tags:

The Motherlode of All Memes

JUMP TO:
appearance & body perceptionspeechemotional & mentalrelationshipsbeliefsdaily lifeassociationsratings
APPEARANCE AND BODY PERCEPTION
Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Skeletal and tall. Long, thin arms with long thin hands and fingers. Sinewy.
How old is he?
??? Under normal circumstances I'd say around 50 because cannon. But if I were being honest, I write him quite a bit younger.
Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well, or does he slouch?
Stiff, tall, upright. He's been known to slouch and bend over his work, hunching for long periods.
How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Fit in body and his hobbies keep him in shape. Due to misshapen nasal passages and sinuses, consistent sinus problems and infections.
How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
In the past, when slinking in shadows, a master of his element, he was fluid and graceful. But now that he's finally given himself the opportunity to "live the normal life" that he always wanted, Erik is pretty tense. Not quite clumsy, though.
How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
.....Um. See Cannon.
Describe his complexion: dark, light, clear, scarred?
Yellowing parchment-like skin. Still some scarring from a circus fire when he was young and everything that the plastic surgery couldn't fix.
Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
A few locks of dark hair cling to his scalp in the back.
What color are his eyes?
Amber.
Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
sharp cheekbones, upturned nose and oversized nostrils, upturned upper lip and gawd-awful teeth.
What are his chief tension centers?
Neck, shoulders, sinuses.
What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit?
Lots of black. Formal and semi-formal. He enjoyed the draping clothing customary to the middle east, especially since it allowed him to cover his face easily. He does own some of the most magnificent costumes but doesn't get much of a chance to wear them. In general more of a six of the same suit kinda guy.
Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
Erik appreciates fine tailoring.
Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
The same. He might don some kind of Persian smoking jacket at home.
You knew it was coming: what kind of underwear does he wear, if any?
Drawers. Boxers in a pinch but he's not a fan.
>> top
SPEECH
What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Sonorous and practiced. A thick and rich timbre. Versatile.
How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Elegantly composed is Erik's preference. He enjoys knowing what he will say long in advance and having time to practice. Steady, fluid, evenly. .............and in your left ear from across the room.
Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any verbal tics?
Erik frequently refers to himself in third person.
What language(s) does he speak and with how much fluency?
Erik is a polyglot and fluent in French, Italian, English, Arabic, Spanish, Roma. Conversational in German, Hungarian, Polish, Czech, Russian. He knows bits and pieces of Mandarin, Hindi, Turkish.
Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
oh hell yes. Especially if he can gain new information by taking on a new voice.
Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
If Erik doesn't have a chance to think about his words, it becomes immediately apparent.
Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Erik manages to be both extremes at any given speaking moment. When flustered (not angry so much as shocked) he is known to start and stop sentences, change tense mid thought, repeat turns of phrases. When composed, each of his words are carefully chosen. Erik finds music and poetry in the words he uses.
>> top
EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL
How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
Very book smart. Erik's street smarts aren't bad, but they're focused on immediate survivability, they are not socially oriented.
Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
Erik prefers to take time to carefully design a web of solutions to any given problem. But he doesn't freeze in a crisis, and is good at changing plans quickly.
Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Erik is intuitive and emotional. He likes to think of himself as logical and practical because he's so smart, but it's just not true. Erik's passions are what guide him.
What kind of education has the character had?
There was never any formal education. For ease of whatever we HAVE definitely decided that he has managed some kind of honorary doctorate by now. It just makes sense. Erik is self-educated. He learned from books and from various mentors he met in his travels.
What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
At John Dee University, the idea that magic and alchemy are being taught is of extreme interest.
Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
This is actually complicated. Erik has spent so much time in isolation that being out and about with people is a very draining experience. However, he's a bit of an attention whore---when its on his terms. This is why he's frequently doing thing unseen or taking on a persona an hiding behind it (The Opera Ghost, The Voice, The Red Death). Erik needs to have regular impact on people but its got to be within his control for him to be comfortable.
Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered, or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholic? Laid-back or driven?
Moody, melancholic and driven. Erik doesn't do anything halfway.
How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
Suspicious, on his guard, hiding and observing if possible.
Is he more likely to act or to react?
Erik is mostly reactionary. He does act in the sense that he uses his personal power to create his environment to suit him, but usually he's dancing around the actions that others make. The notable exceptions are the locus of plot: The move to Iran, singing to Christine when she first heard him, taking the job at John Dee.
Which is his default: fight or flight?
Flight.
Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Things that are curious and humorous to Erik are rarely humorous to anyone else. Gallows humor. Complex wit. Though I could definitely see him pulling some great pranks once he got comfortable enough.
Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If so, how does he deal with them?
Without a doubt. Probably PTSD and some dissociative disorders (the only hint of the latter I have is that he references himself in third and his attraction to taking on various personas) Maybe Sociopathy.
What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
Being forced to wear a mask by his own mother. Leaving home. Singing in a church. Leaving the church for the circus. The abuses of the circus. Going East and working in Iran as a spy and engineer. Having to escape for knowing too much And finally: Christine.
What does he fear?
Not being able to control a situation that effects him.
What are his hopes or aspirations?
For a long time, Erik's greatest wish was to "live like ordinary people." Now that he's got that wish, He's a little beside himself.
What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
Probably the Happy Pills.
>> top
RELATIONSHIPS
Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
According to cannon, his father was an architect (but Erik never met him) and his mother was exceedingly distressed. She famously put a mask on him as a baby and bade him keep it on. Erik's got some undressed may issues.
Does the character have any siblings? What is their relationship like?
In the fanfic that I wrote when I was 14, I had thought that in his loneliness, Erik might have an imaginary friend who is a big sister. Her name is Jeanette and she's followed along with him, taking up space in his brain, embodying his innocence, a sense of fun, curiosity.
Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
None known.
Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
Not really. Not at present. There were times in the past when he found himself close to one person or another, but distance always managed to avail itself.
Who is the character's best friend? How did they meet?
The Daroga was probably his only friend for some time. They met in Iran while doing the work that would later get Erik nearly killed. The Daroga saved his life. Maybe Madame Giry, depending. I like to think that the canon just scratches the surface of their relationship, but that's also a big part of the fan fiction I was writing as a 14 year old.
Does he have other close friends?
Not really.
Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
Erik hasn't had much practice in communication. He never trusts.
Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
There is literally no answer that will make any sense.
Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Erik may have performed some ritual (in the midst of an opiate-induced episode, perhaps) wherein he married himself to a dead woman. Canon is vague on this issue.
Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
No.
Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
Probably a character from a book. Latest crush.... its going to be difficult to dethrone Christine.
What does he look for in a romantic partner?
Erik never *looks*.... Love absolutely arrests Erik and takes him by surprise. He is forever a victim to his own passions, like a teenager. He is attracted to those that are both strange and kind.
Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If so, how does he relate to them? If not, does he want any?
No, and the idea of procreating is existentially terrifying to him at present.
Does he have any rivals or enemies?
Anyone in charge who is mismanaging the things he holds dear.
What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey Scale?
Erik has had so little chance to explore sexuality outside of the confines of his own mind, that it's difficult to know where he lands. If the right man were to be genuine, kind and trustworthy, I can see how Erik might fall for him. But he's got this visceral weakness for women......
How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
Sex is such a complicated subject for Erik to begin with, its difficult for me to formulate a clear-cut answer about the idea of sexuality at all. Not that he doesn't have one, I just think it might not look very human from the outside vantage point. Erik is so sexual and so passionate and has had to live in such an incredible isolation for so long that I kind of feel like the normal ways we talk about sex just aren't going to be fruitful here. He doesn't care how other people get their rocks off. He knows that they do, and he knows how they do, but for the most part he just doesn't care.
What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Ons: Soft voices, viols, lonesome sounds. Shadows or dappled light, the moon, the stars. Silks, furs. Riddles and poems. Music in general. Offs: Shrill noises, banal speech. Things that could be good but they're awful because of a couple of things that are wrong. Synthetics. Weird bedroom habits? Well, his bedroom is dressed like a funeral parlor and fairly soundproofed. He used to sleep in a coffin, but has recently moved to a real bed (though he's actually considering a coffin again because the confines are comforting). Weird sexual habits? Well. Erik's relationship to sensuality is divorced from knowledge of how real humans interact with one another. The difference between physical pleasure and physical pain are slim when applied by another human. Everything he experiences as far as touch or intimacy is concerned is so seething, searing and new that Erik can't really grasp it. There's a lot that happens to Erik (or that he performs to himself) that are very akin to synesthesia in nature... sound becomes sight becomes sensation.
>> top
BELIEFS
Do you know your character's astrological sign? How well does he fit the type?
It is extremely unlikely that he knows his own birthdate. But Erik is without a doubt a Scorpio. Or, at least he probably thinks he's a Scorpio.
Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
Erik was raised in a mostly Abrahamic culture in one way or another, but hasn't really taken on the mantle of any religion. Mostly, he's in for the music. As far as any personal spirituality goes, Erik acknowledges that there are strange forces at work in the universe, and he sometimes feels that he brushes near them, but for the most part they do not concern his conscious actions.
Does this character have a personal code of ethics or morals? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?
Erik has developed some daily rituals and personal superstitions over the years. He's unlikely to forget a kindness, or forgive an affront. None of these things are what I'd call a code-- nothing so formal as that. These are just the habits he's built over time for survival.
How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
He's pretty intolerant on the beliefs that matter to him--music, patronage, the arts...
What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational, or does he have a good reason for them?
Erik has some pretty backward ideas about women, but he hasn't had much of a chance to learn otherwise.
>> top
DAILY LIFE
What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Erik has lived all over the social structure-- dirt poor and stealing to eat to the lap of luxury. At present, in Werebox, he's living on a professor's salary.
What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
Once again, Erik has been rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief. This is the second time that he's enjoyed any kind of real status in his life, and the first time where the status has been ordinary. It has been a huge adjustment.
Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others?
In Werebox, Erik has a flat all his own. The first like it in his life. In the past he's lived in everything from circus trailers to marble halls and--of course--the Opera Cellar. Erik's home is carefully cultured.
Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend her money on?
Erik enjoys the finer things in life. He would fill his home with exquisite comforts. He wears tailored clothing. Drinks fine wines.
What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else?
In Werebox, he is the music chair at John Dee University. Its nerve-wracking.
What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
Humans and their habits. Languages. Medicine/biology. Palmistry and horoscopes. He still loves to build mazes.
What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
Due to Erik's messed up sinuses and nasal passages, he's gone long periods in his life where his sense of taste was particularly dull. Sometimes Erik will treat himself to rich foods if he's feeling particularly well, but on a day-to-day basis, food holds little meaning for him beyond sustenance.
>> top
ASSOCIATIONS
Color ➠ Burgundy. Smell ➠ Dust. Time of day ➠ The Witching Hour. Season ➠ Deep Autumn. Book ➠ Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake. Music ➠ Violin or pipe organ. Place ➠ Hiding spots. Substance ➠ Mercury. Plant ➠ Rose. Animal ➠ Red Winged Black Bird.
>> top
RATINGS
<
☆☆☆☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆☆ ★★★★☆☆ ★★★★★☆ ★★★★★★
none poor below average average above average excellent what the fuck
rate your character's...
.............
★★☆☆☆☆ Strength ★★★☆☆☆ Speed ★★★★★★ Intelligence ★★★★★☆ Willpower ★★★☆☆☆ Charisma ★★★☆☆☆ Endurance ★★☆☆☆☆ Luck ☆☆☆☆☆☆ Mental Stability ☆☆☆☆☆☆ Emotional stability ★★★★☆☆ Physical stability
rate your character's abilities in…
........................................
★★★★★★ CLOSE-range combat ★★★★★★ CLOSE-range weapons ★★☆☆☆☆ mid/long-range weapons ☆☆☆☆☆☆ communication ★★★★★☆ Survival skills ★★★★★☆ Sciences ★★★★★★ ENGINEERING ★★★★☆☆ Medicine ★★★★★★ MECHANICS ★☆☆☆☆☆ Leadership ★★☆☆☆☆ Politics ★★☆☆☆☆ Technology ★★☆☆☆☆ Trade ★★★★★★ THE ARTS ★★★☆☆☆ Alcohol ☆☆☆☆☆☆ dating ★☆☆☆☆☆ intimacy and sex is anyone's guess....
>> top All questions, provided with HTML, can be found here. Adapted from here.
erikdelaopera: (Default)
2015-10-07 11:23 pm
Entry tags:

Eventually, I will end with the memes....

 웃: what my character would leave to people in their will
He might leave his music to someone. To publish or destroy or keep secret or what-have-you. If he had a prize student I could see him leaving them the violin.
♛: the pettiest thing my character has ever done
definitely when he planned to blow up the opera house because the girl he was stalking tried to set and hold a safe boundary. 
★: five things most people don't know about my character
1) Can't cook
2) reads palms
3) Actually enjoys hiding behind a mask and playing a part. Sometimes misses the circus.
4) (in Werebox) most people don't know he's just a regular human
5) ....a virgin.
☄: the last five Googles searches my character made
You don't know because he always clears the browser history......
✉: the last five text messages my character sent
You don't know because he always manages to send it from an unlisted number
☢: how would my character fare in a zombie apocalypse?
He looks like a zombie. So. Depending on which Zombies we're going with........
☣: how would my character fare in the hunger games?
Probably pretty well. Lie in shadows. Make nooses. Wait.
☠: how my character would choose to die, if it were up to them
apparently blowing up the opera house was on the top of his list
♂: three names my character might name their son
Jason, Lazarus, Allegro
♀: three names my character might name their daughter
Aria, Calliope, Seraphina
♫: my character's five favorite songs
"songs"....... huh. Gees, what counts as songs?
No Light No light by Florence and the Machine
Volver Volver (folk song)
Polegnala e Tudora (folk song)
Bach's Toccata and Fuge in D minor
Casta Bella from Bellini's Norma
☤: the last time my character went to the hospital and why
To get his face done. Because his face.
▽: the first job my character ever had
"Dispalying himself" in the circus freak shows.
☃: what my character does when it snows
Once he watched a girl he loved dancing by herself in the snow. And once he drew another to her fathers grave in the snow.
☎: the last person my character made a phone call to and why
His dealer. Because happy pills.
♠: the riskiest thing my character has ever done
Almost certainly taking the job at John Dee. 
➹: what my character would do on their 21st birthday if they had all the money in the world
When he was 21? Hell, he woulda got his face fixed, probably. Boring answer! Um... 
☞: five things my character is good at
Music, engineering, chemistry, linguistics, spying
☜: five things my character sucks at
He sucks at cooking, expressing himself in healthy ways, relaxing, basic human interaction, table manners.
erikdelaopera: (Default)
2015-09-10 01:09 pm
Entry tags:

Another meme

This one will be much more difficult because some of these questions just. Don't. work with Erik. Or are obvious because: Cannon...

 1. Who was the first person this character fell in love with?
Probably a character in a book he read...
2. What brings tears to this character's eyes? Do they cry when sad? When angry? When in pain?
Erik cries all the damn time, but only alone if possible. Sad, yes, Angry, less often. In pain? Always.
3. Has this character had any past lovers? Who, if anyone in particular, and what happened?
Synopsis of Phantom of the Opera: Erik stalks a very young singer named Christine (who is probably a touch crazy herself) and convinces her that he is the Angel of Music. He gives her singing lessons and Paris goes ga-ga over her. Eventually he kidnaps her to his underground lair beneath the opera house. Shit gets awkward and then weird. Eventually he lets her go back to the surface world but she returns from time to time. In the meantime, her childhood sweetheart (who is way out of her league) is falling for her hardcore, but its okay because he'll be going on an Arctic expedition soon. Unfortunately, Erik starts to lose his shit just about the time that sweetheart decides maybe he won't leave Paris after all. Christine is caught in the middle, and decides that its too dangerous for her to stay there anymore. But Erik is totally stalking her ass, and he discovers that she plans to escape. He abducts her very dramatically, in the middle of the performance of Faust. Neither of them get any sleep for the next couple of days while he threatens to blow up the whole opera house unless she marries him. Foppy sweetheart and Exotic Ethnic Dude try to save the day and instead get themselves nearly killed. Christine saves everyone by promising to marry Erik, but after she consents, Erik loses his grip and lets everyone go and live happily ever after without him. 
4. Sexual orientation? And, regardless of own orientation, thoughts on sexual orientation in general?
I know a lot of people have Erik and the Daroga be lovers, but I just can't make my brain go there. Sex is such a complicated subject for Erik to begin with, its difficult for me to formulate a clear-cut answer about the idea of sexuality at all. Not that he doesn't have one, I just think it might not look very human from the outside vantage point. Erik is so sexual and passionate and has had to live in an incredible isolation for so long that I kind of feel like the normal ways we talk about sex just aren't going to be fruitful here. He doesn't care how other people get their rocks off. He knows that they do, and he knows how they do, but for the most part he just doesn't care.
5. Favorite beverage?
Burgundy
6. Physical abnormalities? (Both visible and not, including injuries, disabilities, long-term illnesses, food-intolerances, etc.)
It would actually be kind of great to just have an Erik face here going... "you're kidding right?"
Something not enough people have thought about, (and some of those who have have, have thought wrong) his sense of smell and taste might be a little affected, not because of a missing olfactory gland (because its just the cartilage that is missing) but because he constantly has to deal with sinus infections. Shit is getting trapped in his sinuses all day and all night. Plus he lives on a subterranean lake? WTF Erik.
7. How far did they get in formal education?
There was never any formal education. For ease of whatever we HAVE definitely decided that he has managed some kind of honorary doctorate by now. It just makes sense.
8. What is their favorite book genre?
Poetry or nonfiction.
9. What is their biggest regret?
fucking up the whole Christine thing. Maybe if He'd been just a teensy bit less insane, they would have bought a place out in the country and lived in solitude in the summers. Who knows.
10. Who do they see as their best friend? Their worst enemy?
The Daroga was probably his only friend for some time. Maybe Madame Giry, depending. Worst enemy? Usually someone in power who isn't running things as they ought.
11. Are they in love right now? Is it unrequited, or are their feelings returned?
He's....... taking a break after Christine
12. Is anyone in love with them? Do they know this, and is it requited?
I'm......... gonna go with no.
13. Given a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and nothing to do, what would happen?
Blueprints for a maze or house
14. Turn-ons? Turn-offs?
Ons: Soft voices, viols, lonesome sounds. Shadows or dappled light, the moon, the stars. Silks, furs. Riddles and poems. Music in general. 
Offs: Shrill noises, banal speech. Things that could be good but they're awful because of a couple of things that are wrong. Synthetics.
15. What does their bedroom look like?
he has currently eschewed the coffin, but is seriously reconsidering it as he prefers to sleep where he feels secure on all sides. He still likes the heavy drapery for blocking out any light and for sound muffling-- he needs to have the option to yell and scream and not be heard
16. Do they wear any makeup or fashion accessories on a regular basis?
Erik has a lot of experience with cosmetics, both from his background in the circus and in trying various putties to build his face up. Nowadays he probably just follows whatever dermatologist advice he's been given
17. How do they prefer to dress?
Elegant
18. If they were to have children, what kind of a parent would they be?
Terrified.
19. Do they have any daily rituals?
If every day isn't built of rituals, life becomes a long, winding dream. He keeps a specified schedule.
20. Addictions or bad habits?
the occasional happy pill. Not sure which one yet, although an opium derivative might make sense.
21. Hobbies?
Humans. Languages. Medicine/biology. Palmistry and horoscopes.
22. Religion, and how religious are they (if at all)?
Erik was raised in a mostly Abrahamic culture in one way or another, but hasn't really taken on the mantle of any religion. Mostly, he's in for the music.
23. Most cherished possession?
Violin that he grew up playing
24. How does this person express love?
Mostly by stalking...
25. Superstitions?
Hell yes. But they would be personal superstitions, rather than run-of-the mill black cats or whistling backstage or some nonsense.
26. Are they more analytical or more emotional in their decision-making?
Emotional. But he likes to think he's analytical because he's so smart.
27. Do they exercise, and if so, what so they do? How often?
He's got to. Climbing. Every night to spy on people or to get to some roof for fresh air.
28. What are their eating habits, and what's a sample daily menu of what they might eat in a day?
Erik isn't a great cook and never learned good table manners. he hasn't necessarily had ready access to good ingredients on a regular basis, either, so his meals are simple and probably over-sauced and over-seasoned. Also, you know. Sinus infections.... :-P
29. Are there any activities that they enjoy, but consider a waste of time?
Its hard for me to imagine Erik wasting his time. Like, this guy could turn candy crush saga into a complex practice engine.... So, I'm going with no.
30. Would you say that they have a superiority-complex? Inferiority complex? Neither?
Superiority
31. Is this person afraid of dying? Why or why not?
He's starting to wonder if he even can die. No, I can't say he's afraid. Erik has lived so close to death for so long its lost its horror
32. Is there anyone they admire? Who, and why?
Artists like (Vincent vanGogh or Antonio Gesualdo) who allowed their art to take priority over their sanity. Ascetics and some of the saints.
33. How would they choose to make a living (regardless of actual careers)?
Composer
34. How long would they last without human contact?
Decades
35. Do they want children? If they have children already, do they want any more?
Terror
36. Do they excel in any particular fields of study?
Some organic chemistry, lots of physics and engineering. Music, language
37. Is there anyone they miss or wish to reconcile with? Is there something they desperately want to ask?
If reconciliation were possible with Christine I think he'd die just thinking about it. What would he ask....? I don't know if he really has anything to ask her, actually.
38. If they had to, which of the five main senses (sight, smell, sound, taste, touch) would they give up?
As I said, smell and taste are already hindered a little
39. Do they have any soft spots?
Women, admittedly. (mommy issues)
40. Who would they want to have their last meal with?
All things considered, probably still Christine. Maybe Daroga.
41. What do they look for in a lover?
Erik never *looks*....  Love absolutely arrests Erik and takes him by surprise. He is forever a victim to his own passions, like a teenager. He is attracted to those that are both strange and kind.
42. Thoughts on privacy? (Are they a private person, or are they prone to "TMI"?)
omg so private. And a little paranoid. He covers all of his tracks and wonders why no one else does...
43. Above everything else, what is their worst fear?
Not being in control of a situation
44. What was their childhood like? Did they have a good childhood, or was it more traumatic?
TWAUMA
45. Do they express their thoughts through words or through actions?
Actions. He's kinda bad with words at the best of times.
46. What do they think of themselves?
Simultaneously righteous in thought and wrong in the world.
47. Do they keep any pets, and what is their favorite animal?
He once stole the Paris Opera's best horse. That was fun.
48. Who were their parents, or who raised them?
um, apparently the only thing he remembers of his mother was that she gave him his first mask. 
49. Do others listen to them, and how do they react when disobeyed?
I think that one of the reasons that Erik has consistently adopted a stalker personality is because he has serious trouble being taken seriously. If something is really special about the voice that is speaking... whether in encrypted notes or disembodied singing or subtly reminding you that he knows everything there is to know about you.
50. If this person were to get into a fist fight, what would their fighting style be like?
Punjab lasso comes to mind.  A lot of dodging and retreating to shadows, waiting to pounce.