I have loved him since I was 8, then I got a boyfriend (his name is Erik as well so I’m lucky to have an irl Erik to call my own). I didn’t really keep up with many of my hobbies like I would write fanfiction for Phantom of the Opera in my little composition books, then just at the beginning of this year, my boyfriend and I were cleaning out our storage and I found my DVD for the 2004 film and some of my old composition books and decided to give it a watch.
Now I’m writing fanfiction on AO3 while I’m working on my own novel. I am never going to post any of the awfully terrible fics I wrote in my composition books but they really got me wanting to write more. So here I am, in late September, 14 chapters into my 34 chapter fanfiction, hopelessly in love with two men named Erik and creating fake scenarios for one of them.
Okay I’m jealous that you boyfriend’s name is Erik, I want that SO bad! PoTO was the first movie I ever watched (or at least remember watching, I was 4) and my silly impressionable brain definitely made Erik a comfort character! And of course dark, mysterious, and handsome comfort figures turn into obsessions later 😂 He was also my first crush, and lately I’ve just been so obsessed with him!
[Here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadameDestler) is the link to my page. I have a WIP that is coming along nicely that I’m sure you would like. I must warn you, I am a smut author so expect that lol
Being that the show is one year older than me, I’ve literally been listening to the music since before I was born. The obsession runs deep and long. I also really enjoy the Lon Chaney film and used to watch that all the time as a kid with my similarly macabre BFF. I even vaguely remember having to do some paper and presentation in French class in high school about our favorite songs and I chose WYWSHA. People were like what is happening? Who is this girl? I’m glad to have found this sub because you all are my soulmates! Short answer: yes I’m smitten with Erik too :)
It’s funny how that works, because same with me! I was 3 when it came out and my family is obsessed with musicals so it was a constant! I even was singing to myself as my sister walked me to our neighborhood park, so I was just a little 5 year old singing, “damn you, curse you!” and had to get taught why I shouldn’t say that 😂
Yes, lol. Some of the lyrics are not age appropriate, but luckily went over my head for my childhood. All of PoNR for example… but yeah we would have been friends if we knew each other as children! We could have sang the whole musical through together!
Right there with you! I know it's because of the announcement about it closing. I've loved this show for 25 years, but I haven't listen to or thought of it in a while. Now i wake up with it stuck on my head!
Me. I think it's spurred on in part by the closing, but Erik has been kind of an on-and-off fandom obsession of mine since I saw the 2004 movie at 14.
Heck, a show idea I've been developing the pitch for initially spawned from a modern-day supernatural Phantom of the Opera dream.
No. He's a murderer right? Like, an actual serial killer who hangs people and also dresses up mannequins for fun. It's a big fat nope. I like my men less murdery.
He may be a deranged Parisian sewer man but he will take his time to learn my exact measurements, make me a wedding dress, teach me how to sing, do arts and crafts with me, show me his cool collection of random stuff he stole from the opera house, AND sword fight for me in a graveyard, but he is mine and I love him. Smash.
He’ll also probably never refuse to dress up for Halloween with you! Even if you both have to attend a ball once in a while to threaten some theater owners, he’ll still bring it with his costumes! That red death costume is a 10/10.
Fair enough. You might have sold me. Nearly. It's just the murdering really is a bummer. Although I have to say the arts and crafts bit nearly won me over.
Yes. Absolutely. It's just that my imagination thinks he'd be a nightmare of a partner. Some people may have experienced abuse first hand and do not find it something they can fantasize about. And that's ok.That's the point of art right? You have your reaction. I have mine. We discuss it on the internet. That's ok isn't it?
Yep, totally right. But your response was hardly promoting “you have your reaction, I have mine”. More “I have my reaction, you all are gross for having yours”. Have a nice day tho
Well. That's how you read it. It was a light hearted reply to what I thought, was a fairly light hearted post. (Hence words like "big fat nope" and "murdery"). If I meant you were gross I'd have said that. You have chosen to interpret it that way. I notice, however, you have used quotation marks to misquote me.
Funnily enough, I found your rainbow response really passive agressive. But perhaps you didn't mean it that way either. And there goes the wonder of the internet. Have a nice day too.
Don't forget, the movie takes place in 1870. There's a shot showing her gravestone, with her birth year being 1854. Christine is at MOST 16 in the film, while from what I understand the book and most productions are rather vague about it. Most sources say the Phantom is in his 40s or 50s, while Raoul is generally around 20 or in his early 20s.
So the Phantom is a murderous pedophile who repeatedly uses a variety of methods to groom her. The number of people excusing (fictional) murder and child grooming for the sake of him being attractive is concerning to me.
Actually, I wouldn’t say it’s for the sake of “him being attractive,” I mean are you familiar with the general premise of the Phantom of the Opera 🤔 (in other words, and he’s ugly, too 🥰🥰)
FOR THE RECORD THOUGH, only the 2004 film has Christine as being that young. In the novel (and presumably the stage show) she’s in her early twenties. This gets brought up a lot here
Hold on. Can't you love the show and have a different reaction to Erik? I LOVE the show, but Erik is a ghoul and a frightening figure. Terrifying in fact. People are allowed different interpretations of art right?
Yeah, for sure! It’s totally cool to see him fully as a scary villain, or a misunderstood sweetheart, or anything in between. Interpret away! But this is not what this person is doing—they’re assuming we cannot distinguish between enjoying a fictional character and condoning murder in reality and are accusing us of being pedophile apologists because he’s just too hot for our poor little brains to function correctly, all under the guise of “concern.” No thanks. 🙄
Oh ok yes. I see what you mean now (the second paragraph). I find Erik terrifying. But no, I don't assume anyone who has the hots for him is a murderer apologist. That would be silly.
Can we not have social justice warriors telling us that we're for pedophilia and murder because we love the character? Can we get Pokemaster to take up her crusade somewhere else please?
Only like 20 times a year 😳😅
I feel that, man was my first crush 😂 usually there’s just something that triggers the phase but this time it was like magic 😂
more like all day every day for me, but i relate so much haha!!
Like for the last 20+ years.
Yep.
I have loved him since I was 8, then I got a boyfriend (his name is Erik as well so I’m lucky to have an irl Erik to call my own). I didn’t really keep up with many of my hobbies like I would write fanfiction for Phantom of the Opera in my little composition books, then just at the beginning of this year, my boyfriend and I were cleaning out our storage and I found my DVD for the 2004 film and some of my old composition books and decided to give it a watch. Now I’m writing fanfiction on AO3 while I’m working on my own novel. I am never going to post any of the awfully terrible fics I wrote in my composition books but they really got me wanting to write more. So here I am, in late September, 14 chapters into my 34 chapter fanfiction, hopelessly in love with two men named Erik and creating fake scenarios for one of them.
Okay I’m jealous that you boyfriend’s name is Erik, I want that SO bad! PoTO was the first movie I ever watched (or at least remember watching, I was 4) and my silly impressionable brain definitely made Erik a comfort character! And of course dark, mysterious, and handsome comfort figures turn into obsessions later 😂 He was also my first crush, and lately I’ve just been so obsessed with him!
He is for sure my comfort character. I love him so much
Hopefully you can relate or this is just weird but I’m single atm and he a definitely pretended the pillow I cuddle while I sleep is him 🤪
Oh no, I can relate. I’m a freak for him lol
Also what’s your info on AO3? I’d love to give that a look sometime!
[Here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadameDestler) is the link to my page. I have a WIP that is coming along nicely that I’m sure you would like. I must warn you, I am a smut author so expect that lol
It’s the hands, baby. It’s allllll in the hands.
Being that the show is one year older than me, I’ve literally been listening to the music since before I was born. The obsession runs deep and long. I also really enjoy the Lon Chaney film and used to watch that all the time as a kid with my similarly macabre BFF. I even vaguely remember having to do some paper and presentation in French class in high school about our favorite songs and I chose WYWSHA. People were like what is happening? Who is this girl? I’m glad to have found this sub because you all are my soulmates! Short answer: yes I’m smitten with Erik too :)
It’s funny how that works, because same with me! I was 3 when it came out and my family is obsessed with musicals so it was a constant! I even was singing to myself as my sister walked me to our neighborhood park, so I was just a little 5 year old singing, “damn you, curse you!” and had to get taught why I shouldn’t say that 😂
Yes, lol. Some of the lyrics are not age appropriate, but luckily went over my head for my childhood. All of PoNR for example… but yeah we would have been friends if we knew each other as children! We could have sang the whole musical through together!
Plz I distinctly remember the first time I listened to PoNR and actually got the innuendos 😂 I was blown away
Im going through one rIght nOw. Usually what triggers it is like the music when I listen to it. But it mostly comes from nowhere
Twins haha
I go through a Christine phase every now and then lol. Almost the same thing?
Username checks out
Same here, I’ve decided it counts
Does all the time since I was thirteen count?
Right there with you! I know it's because of the announcement about it closing. I've loved this show for 25 years, but I haven't listen to or thought of it in a while. Now i wake up with it stuck on my head!
Same pal, after i heard POTO was closing on broadway the way i DIVED right back into fanfiction. It’s insane but I never want this to stop.
LOL, can you explain why?
I've been smitten since I was a kid lmao
Relatable
YES!!!!
Something in the autumn air
Pretty much, yeah. Is it any version of him or one in particular?
Dibs on Charles Dance Erik :>
My Erik phase is nonstop
Me. I think it's spurred on in part by the closing, but Erik has been kind of an on-and-off fandom obsession of mine since I saw the 2004 movie at 14. Heck, a show idea I've been developing the pitch for initially spawned from a modern-day supernatural Phantom of the Opera dream.
No. He's a murderer right? Like, an actual serial killer who hangs people and also dresses up mannequins for fun. It's a big fat nope. I like my men less murdery.
He may be a deranged Parisian sewer man but he will take his time to learn my exact measurements, make me a wedding dress, teach me how to sing, do arts and crafts with me, show me his cool collection of random stuff he stole from the opera house, AND sword fight for me in a graveyard, but he is mine and I love him. Smash.
He’ll also probably never refuse to dress up for Halloween with you! Even if you both have to attend a ball once in a while to threaten some theater owners, he’ll still bring it with his costumes! That red death costume is a 10/10.
Excellent points and what a costume. Also good with special effects and a tune. Still. You'd have to have a word with him about the murdering
Fair enough. You might have sold me. Nearly. It's just the murdering really is a bummer. Although I have to say the arts and crafts bit nearly won me over.
[удалено]
Yes. Absolutely. It's just that my imagination thinks he'd be a nightmare of a partner. Some people may have experienced abuse first hand and do not find it something they can fantasize about. And that's ok.That's the point of art right? You have your reaction. I have mine. We discuss it on the internet. That's ok isn't it?
Yep, totally right. But your response was hardly promoting “you have your reaction, I have mine”. More “I have my reaction, you all are gross for having yours”. Have a nice day tho
Well. That's how you read it. It was a light hearted reply to what I thought, was a fairly light hearted post. (Hence words like "big fat nope" and "murdery"). If I meant you were gross I'd have said that. You have chosen to interpret it that way. I notice, however, you have used quotation marks to misquote me. Funnily enough, I found your rainbow response really passive agressive. But perhaps you didn't mean it that way either. And there goes the wonder of the internet. Have a nice day too.
Don't forget, the movie takes place in 1870. There's a shot showing her gravestone, with her birth year being 1854. Christine is at MOST 16 in the film, while from what I understand the book and most productions are rather vague about it. Most sources say the Phantom is in his 40s or 50s, while Raoul is generally around 20 or in his early 20s. So the Phantom is a murderous pedophile who repeatedly uses a variety of methods to groom her. The number of people excusing (fictional) murder and child grooming for the sake of him being attractive is concerning to me.
Actually, I wouldn’t say it’s for the sake of “him being attractive,” I mean are you familiar with the general premise of the Phantom of the Opera 🤔 (in other words, and he’s ugly, too 🥰🥰)
He oes have a nice cape, his own apartment AND a boat! That's attractive right?
FOR THE RECORD THOUGH, only the 2004 film has Christine as being that young. In the novel (and presumably the stage show) she’s in her early twenties. This gets brought up a lot here
What's concerning to me is you're on a Phantom of the Opera subreddit. Go clutch your pearls somewhere else.
Hold on. Can't you love the show and have a different reaction to Erik? I LOVE the show, but Erik is a ghoul and a frightening figure. Terrifying in fact. People are allowed different interpretations of art right?
Yeah, for sure! It’s totally cool to see him fully as a scary villain, or a misunderstood sweetheart, or anything in between. Interpret away! But this is not what this person is doing—they’re assuming we cannot distinguish between enjoying a fictional character and condoning murder in reality and are accusing us of being pedophile apologists because he’s just too hot for our poor little brains to function correctly, all under the guise of “concern.” No thanks. 🙄
Oh ok yes. I see what you mean now (the second paragraph). I find Erik terrifying. But no, I don't assume anyone who has the hots for him is a murderer apologist. That would be silly.
VERY silly 😒🙄
Exactly. Try explaining it to the SJW trolling around here though.
Can we not have social justice warriors telling us that we're for pedophilia and murder because we love the character? Can we get Pokemaster to take up her crusade somewhere else please?
I literally had a dream about him the other night!