POTO and MSA
Since I really can’t not rant about this I decided I may as well post this weird little speech thing. And honestly this is just my opinion that hasn’t been obscenely researched, so it might not be THAT substantial.
But I’ve certainly seen a lot of Phantom and MSA art which I love the shit out of. The general theme and feel of the two things mix together quite well honestly.
Something I’ve noticed quite a lot, though, is Lewis being in the position of The Phantom. Honestly he can be worked around to look like a really neat Phantom, sure..
HOWEVER-
I feel Arthur would make a better Phantom.
Sure, Lewis looks quite dramatic and allustrious, and certainly might have a very good singing ability, but I found myself focusing a bit more on what happened to the characters instead of aesthetic of character design. I do prefer to use Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical and even the 2004 film for my AU, which admittedly makes the story much less gritty, but regardless..
The Phantom always gets the shit hand. Not only is he disfigured to a point where anyone would be afraid of him, he has to keep his talents and feelings stifled until he has an opportunity to use them properly. And Christine, someone he knew, grew with, and loved, (even if she has a bit of affection towards the Phantom) always ends up having her heart given to Raoul. He’s fueled by his (admittedly off-putting) infatuation for Christine, his hatred for Raoul and the fact that this rich, powerful man was just supposed to be with her. Not someone like him.
I don’t want to see Arthur suffer. It’s literally my least favorite thing. I just feel like it works. And I mean sure, the Phantom does end up with Christine in some instances (Gustave is a thing), and Raoul can also be a terrible person that could be considered to have gotten the short straw (Love Never Dies is also a thing). But I just feel like I can connect the dots more with personality with Arthur as the Phantom and Lewis as Raoul.
Okay- that’s the end of that.
I’ve had too much time with this damn AU.