I Love The Way Earl Carpenter Telegraphs The Whole Range Of Erik's Thoughts And Emotions After The Kiss.

New fandom level unlocked: I officially have an AO3 account.

POTO retelling loading. And maybe I'll even overcome my trauma and restart the Jane Eyre fanfic I lost more than a decade ago when my computer was stolen.

A heartbreaking Davis Gaines hand thing.

Edit: Boots are cinema because do you SEE how this master lets the camera linger on the empty space even after Christine leaves the frame? Do you understand we give filmmakers oscars for this kind of thing?!

Filing an Emotional Distress Claim Against Jonathan Roxmouth for:

The way he sings/acts "is THIS what you wanted to see?" during the unmasking. Why is it so unique and convincing??

That reptilian neck movement in the graveyard. He is a poisonous snake. He will BITE you, Raoul!

That looooooong pause in the final lair before he whispers "you try my patience."

(3a) Sometimes a well-placed pause is more powerful than a yell--especially in a musical like POTO where everything is meticulously paced and most of the audience probably thinks they know what to expect. I thought I knew!! Turns out I did not, JRox.

His hands. I'm bringing a claim against JRox's hands alone. They just kept...doing things that made me want to cry and/or die like (see points 6, 7, 8, and 9):

Touching Christine's face in PONR.

Wrapping his fingers around the apple like that.

The flickofthewrist during the title song.

Reaching for Christine during the ring return as if this is an Earl Carpenter throwback, I am GUTTED.

The whole first lair. The whole thing.

Resting his cheek against Christine's head during the embrace between kisses like he's being soothed/mothered.

The general thoughtfulness of his interpretation. Props to him for maturing into this role the way he has, it's all so assured now! He really "gets" it, but I'm just emotionally damaged by it.

I issue a public apology for my completely private judgments of you JRox. But you will still be served papers.

To say music is your life is an understatement. Music is what makes you wake up each day—albeit always in darkness. It’s the living substitute for the family and friendships your face, a damning accident of birth, has denied you.

Then one day you hear her voice from your desolate hiding place. You discover music personified in the form of a grieving girl just as lonely as you are. You can't explain why you took the risk of revealing yourself to her; you only know that there’s no meaning in music anymore without that seraphic voice in your possession. Molding it, controlling it, is your closest approximation to happiness.

It doesn’t end well. Your desire turns to a murderous obsession that nearly wrecks her. You forget that that messiness of the human heart is only partly transposed in the sheet music of an opera. She isn't music personified; she’s just a woman who belongs to the living world from which you're exiled. 

Still, she shows you compassion. For a moment she sees you. In that fleeting fraction of time, she understands you better than you've bothered to understand her in your relentless quest to own her. And so you release her. With one last goodbye, she returns the ring you gave her and your eyes follow her long after her form disappears from view.

You’ve accepted it. You nod your head in resignation and kiss the ring that once touched her fingers. You'll be brave! You’ll think of her fondly and savor the fragments of her that live in your mind's eye.

Then you hear her voice again: that call that first summoned you from the darkness; the instrument that shaped you as much as it was shaped by you; the melody on which you'd set all your wretched hopes. It possesses your body as usual. As it radiates down your spine, you react like a cobra to a charmer's flute. The angelic sound seems to await your response.

But your face crumbles when her rescuer sings back. In the notes of their duet you hear all the things you can't give her, all the grief you've caused, and the sure certainty that you've lost her forever. You hang your head and realize that you're not brave; you're sorry. So very, very sorry, and...

You love her. You love her desperately!

More Phantoms in 1-2 Sentences

[These are like my 'unpopular opinion' Phantoms?]

Josh Piterman: He cheated the unwritten final lair rules by actually embracing Christine back, but I am SO glad he did! He has the voice and natural intangibles for Phantom.

Greg Mills: Love him as a person (on social media at least) and want to love him as the Phantom, but inexplicably...don't and I don't know why *crying emoji*.

Stephen Buntrock: Inexplicably do love him and don't know why. The voice, the vibe, and the choices just work for me and I wish there was more of him to see.

Franc D'Ambrosio: Serving face, serving drama, always so extra, but I have to be in the mood for it.

Peter Jöbeck: I truly do not understand the hate he gets; his voice is so perfectly disturbing and Joker-esque!!! And he actually seems to regret his actions at the end, not just losing Christine.

James Romick: He's very forceful/on the nose (vocally + acting), and I think the Phantom is more than just "commanding." That being said, his "I love you's" are beautiful.

Géronimo Rauch: He's scary and sexy in equal measure. Elements of his performance remind me so much of JOJ.

Jon Robyns: Don't know much about his Phantom, but want to get to know more lol.

Tim Howar: He seemed very violent with Amy Manford's Christine in the final lair, and that turned me off. The Phantom is already "yikes" so let's not add unscripted physical aggression to the equation.

Brad Little: I live for the way he's so bossy and booming in "Phantom mode" but such a damn softy during the AIAOY reprises and final lair.

Suing John Cudia for Emotional Distress for:

The way his evil laugh sounds like a wail/sob.

Looking upward during the portcullis sprawl like his soul is going to leave his body with Christine brushing up against his--

Panicking and considering CPR when Christine faints.

HANDS (see items 5-7)

Doing motions that make me squirm during STYDI of all numbers when most Phantoms are concerned with the crawl.

Clutching at everything--fabric, air, his own knees and legs--during PONR.

Balling up in a fist when Christine kisses him and then stationed like they're almost protecting his heart afterwards.

The way he slides his whole body up against Christine during PONR.

The way he slides his whole body up against Christine during the final lair kiss.

Laying ON TOP of Christine when he's spiraling during the final lair.

Turning his neck at a damn near 90 degree angle when Raoul arrives in the graveyard.

Cheekbones.

It was all intentional. Lawyer up.

“I am your Angel of Music. Come to me, Angel of Music.”

The chat next Saturday is going to be so unstable and I am totally here for it 💀

Saturday, May 3, 2025: NO STREAM

I try my best to schedule around Saturday evenings, but it's an event night! I might be back in time, but I don't want to risk it. See you next weekend!

Not sure if I'm allowed to do this (so someone tell me if I need to trash this post) but I just can't witness this Anthony Warlow near-hand touch and not do something about it.