The Background

My name is Ver, and I am probably on an airplane right now. This tumblr is storyboards for Volée, my jet-set James-Bond-glam Christine-Daaé-on-the-lam Phantom of the Opera story at http://fanfiction.net/~veroniqueclaire . She/Her.

[veroniqueclaire]

Volée chapter images index

In preparation for posting the Volée epilogue, I wanted to gather together all of the chapter images that were posted over the years, so that it would be easier for new readers to find them. Not every chapter had images and some were posted out of order, but hopefully this helps organize. Enjoy! For reader questions and my responses, posts about my dream casting choices, fanart and more -- those are scattered through the archives, and the easiest way to see it all at a glance is veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/archive Chapter 1: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/77960947634/story-vol%C3%A9e-chapter-1-this-is-a-bit-of-a

Chapter 2: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/628373340791488512/the-engine-revved-higher-and-dropped-then

Chapters 2 and 3: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/50892863176/story-vol%C3%A9e-chapters-2-3-interior-of-a-private

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/144322411257/i-should-just-tag-this-for-every-chapter-of-the

Chapter 7: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/51038283873/story-vol%C3%A9e-chapter-7-shiodome-skyscraper

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/55496960006/story-vol%C3%A9e-chapter-7-hotel-blow-up-hall-50-50

Chapter 8: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/51035535836/story-vol%C3%A9e-chapter-8-designer-mark

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/51037125058/story-vol%C3%A9e-chapter-8-the-penthouse-at-15

Chapter 9: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/61303447214/story-vol%C3%A9e-chapter-9-tokyo-at-night-as

Chapter 10: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/155336406662/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-10-down-the-stairs-down-a-road

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/72805073935/story-vol%C3%A9e-chapter-10-one-more-post-from-this

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/72755834731/story-vol%C3%A9e-chapter-10-it-was-the-nineties

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/72756255253/story-vol%C3%A9e-chapter-10-here-we-have-the-worlds

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/72756539592/story-vol%C3%A9e-chapter-10-the-priviate-dining

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/78859955138/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-10-so-i-had-to-revise-chapter-10

Chapter 11: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/79092949760/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-11-put-your-shoes-on-theres

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/79093411474/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-11-running-had-never-been-more

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/79093541795/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-11-it-would-be-very-nice-he

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/79093785497/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-11-the-skyline-of-istanbul

Chapter 12: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/140012640697/this-doesnt-match-up-perfectly-with-any

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/81743114854/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-12-even-with-the-stolen-scarf 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/81745547849/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-12-announcements-and

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/81747082048/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-12-this-this-random

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/81748783388/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-12-past-several-rows-of-empty

Chapter 13: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/96408607362/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-13-is-up-the-scenery-in-this

Chapter 14: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/100343691782/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-14-a-rectangle-of-bright-blue-sky

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/100344315307/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-14-the-suite-itself-was-perfectly

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/100344553617/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-14-she-thought-back-to-that

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/100345209827/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-14-this-is-less-of-a-car-and-more

Chapter 15: 

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/107902730007/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-15-panama-city-night-had

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/107904497667/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-15-she-felt-it-after-an-hour-of

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/107905718272/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-15-still-even-with-more-threats

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/107905946697/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-15-he-even-took-her-to-see-a

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/109848475457/but-most-of-the-bags-contents-were-so-ordinary

Chapter 16

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/111228770902/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-16-what-have-you-been-up-all

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/111229242782/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-16-ive-seen-you-go-through-dozens

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/111230646797/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-16-the-room-itself-was-at-the-end

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/113321910837/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-16-she-couldnt-stop-catching-his

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/111231105452/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-16-an-hours-drive-along-the

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/111232005307/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-16-unlocking-the-door-erik-swung

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/136075949842/volee-chapter-16-erik-was-ranting-on-and-she-was

Chapter 17

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/138016381747/biggrandschemeofgodsanddevils-veroniqueclaire

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/113483499092/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-17-station-after-station-went-by

Chapter 18

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/115716622097/chapter-18-is-up-it-was-dusk-when-she-finally

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/115717052217/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-18-and-so-she-stepped-off-the

Chapter 19

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/123598673607/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-19-eriks-footsteps-hesitantly

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/123599008012/max-richter-november

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/123599383937/part-3-berezovsky-chopin-etude-op104

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/123599979167/i-wouldnt-expect-to-find-loca-del-cairo-and

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/123600224512/vol%C3%A9e-chapter-19-she-awoke-the-next-morning-to

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/124270686287/viscountess-so-the-the-newest-chapter-of-volee

Chapter 20

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/134386128207/the-improvised-helipad-on-the-lawn-fell-away-below

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/134386587157/she-nodded-toward-him-and-then-turned-her-gaze

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/134387165242/perfectly-reasonable-attire-for-travel-in-the

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/134387325827/the-towncar-dropped-them-off-in-front-of-a-stately

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/145172648122/try-as-i-might-i-dont-think-i-can-work-evelyn

Chapter 21

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/136220314457/the-sky-was-almost-violet-in-the-last-moments-of

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/136221576042/idly-still-waiting-for-erik-to-come-upstairs

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/136221893357/she-had-already-wandered-through-the-bedroom-that

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/136923785212/chefsofinstagram-beautiful-white-chocolate

Chapter 22

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/139403791522/he-jerked-the-steering-wheel-hard-to-the-right

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/139403808272/the-cloud-of-smoke-was-oppressive-surrounding-the

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/139403975962/erik-yanked-her-arm-and-took-off-running-down-the

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/139403986757/huddled-in-the-back-of-a-squad-car-raoul-in-the

Chapter 23

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/142798719822/the-plane-was-massive-humbling-in-scale-no

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/142798843777/she-boarded-the-train-and-was-unsurprised-at

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/142836303307/sorelli-had-always-been-the-bad-girl-of-the

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/143019744122/hey-chris-its-raoul-so-i-know-i-cant-imagine

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/143898436377/summer-wavered-like-hot-air-over-a-car-hood-and

Chapter 24

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/151166439617/wait-until-they-got-wind-that-shed-skipped-the

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/151166837717/the-line-inched-forward-and-she-browsed-the

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/151167206777/halfway-down-the-block-was-an-archway-leading-into

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/151168115012/right-she-said-grinning-fully-now-ok-i-can

Epilogue

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/154439348537/i-dont-have-any-epilogue-chapters-finished-yet

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/156506136752/a-follow-up-to-the-dear-folks-asking-about-the

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/628377651989659648/it-was-all-so-new-the-freedom-to-touch-him

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/628400630685483009/the-perfectly-acceptable-hotel-near-st-pancras

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/628401035788025856/a-quick-detour-took-them-through-the-expanse-of

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/628401228849774592/the-elevator-doors-closed-and-the-chime-as-the

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/628401370628784128/she-gathered-the-shopping-bags-she-had-just-so

https://veroniqueclaire.tumblr.com/post/628401891138813952/the-royal-suite-earned-its-name-the-space-was

[veroniqueclaire]

… when I came across this, my first thought was, “What is even happening? Is this real life?”

https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/ang-2025-0011/html?srsltid=AfmBOoroIYIy7EOmFaeXxsunmLP36Qj9xg39r4x2u7UwUF6cWqbhCm8O

Friends: two post doctoral researchers of the English language and sociology wrote a paper about Volée and another fanfiction, got an EU grant (from a fund named for Marie freaking Curie!) to do so, and published it in Anglia — which is, as far as I know, as someone who is so far from this world — the oldest peer reviewed journal of the English language.

(What is even happening!)

To the authors: part of me wonders if I know you already under pen names here, but whether we’ve talked before or never before, please send me a message, I would love to send you my thanks, and to get coffee if we are ever in the same city.

I’m honored, I am grateful, and this was one of the nicest things to happen this year.

[rose-margaritas]

Part 5: Volée

Volée is my absolute favorite fic in the phandom, period. The author, @veroniqueclaire, describes it best: “Think of this as Down Once More: the extended, modern-day, jet set remix.” It’s easy to see why this fic is one of the most popular and celebrated modern AUs in the phandom. The writing style, the emotional depth, the slow-burn tension between Erik and Christine— I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read it in one sitting.

Veroniqueclaire flawlessly translates the characters we know and love into a modern setting without stripping away what makes them them. This Erik is knowledgeable and outwardly composed, almost wise, yet every so often you glimpse the rough edges of his past and his quiet disconnect from the world around him. This Christine is grieving and lost, but her inner strength simmers just beneath the surface, revealing itself in the moments when she stands her ground against Erik. Watching both of them grow— together and individually— is utterly magnetic, and the ending feels deeply earned and fulfilling every single time.

This story has had a profound personal impact on me, and it still does. It helped me discover my passion and clarify my career path. It gave me the courage to study abroad. It pushed me to grow not just creatively, but as a person. This fic means an incredible amount to me, and I know it has had similarly lasting effects on so many others in the phandom.

As for the Polaroid designs, I put a lot of thought into their signatures. I imagined Volée!Erik signing his name in a sharp, angular style, with a firm dot at the end—reflecting that he is, at his core, just Erik. Christine’s signature, on the other hand, would have a natural flow to it— soft, expressive, and faintly flourished, in a way that’s hard to define but unmistakably hers. If you’re wondering about the name on Christine’s boarding pass, it’s a random alias I chose since they’re traveling in disguise. I also wanted it to be a small nod to one of my favorite parts of the fic: their travels together. And yes, I couldn’t resist redrawing the beach scene. It’s wild to think it’s been over two years since I last drew it. So much has changed since then, yet this fic still means just as much to me.

I hope anyone who reads Volée has the same unforgettable experience that I did.

Frames:

[veroniqueclaire]

Friends, I have lived a life and a half since last we talked, but just logged back on again to see this exceptional fanart from the wildly talented rose-margaritas. Make sure you click through to the "keep reading" under the cut to see actual frames of scenes from the book brought to life! It's the understatement of the year to say this is an absolute gift to authors, to get to see the scenes you envisioned exactly as you envisioned them, cinematic and gorgeously drawn. Thank you!!! (And please give rose-margaritas a follow, the art is just wonderful.)

[veroniqueclaire]

Does Volée Christine ever perform again?🥺

…The videos eventually make their way online, but it is almost a year before anyone begins to connect that they are all the same woman.

The blonde in a blue linen dress in Lecce, stopping to sing a passage of O Mio Babbino Caro, alongside the astonished street musician who nearly forgets to keep playing his violin.

The woman in a crisp white coat, black sunglasses and long back ponytail, walking through a shopping center in Singapore, casually soaring up to the highest notes of the aria as she sings along with the music playing in the department store.

The redhead singing acapella from a hotel balcony in Nairobi; the figure bundled into a hat and scarf walking along a snowy path in Helsinki’s Kaisaniemen puistokuja, singing apparently to no one but herself, her voice as crystalline and clear as the winter air.

The video from the Gare de Palais in Quebec City calls her “La Coloratura Inconnue” and the name sticks, when someone eventually begins to wonder on another video if this is the same singer as L’Inconnue in Canada. She walks the same. Has the same warmth in her tone.

A small community of fans form. There are theories. L’Inconnue is an oligarch’s daughter, a self-taught savant, a Juilliard dropout. There are false sightings, and eventual phony imitators, but the fans quickly seem able to tell, and there is palpable excitement in the community whenever a genuine new singing video appears.

By the time someone finally says, “doesn’t she remind you of that singer from the Met who was kidnapped?” the community of fans has connected dozens of videos filmed across three years and six continents.

…It is at this point that Christine convinces Erik that it’s been a fun game, but it has run its course; what they really need to do is find a soprano in a role with heavy make up, who will accept a large bribe to stay in her dressing room for an entire performance.

———————

Thank you, I love this question! My answer was inspired by this old video of a busker in London being surprised when he was joined by Celinde Schoenmaker for All I Ask of you.

(And for those who are finding this post through the excitement over the video and are curious about my story Volée from the question, you can read it here! )

[veroniqueclaire]

So I have been lucky enough to see the show a lot, in many different theaters over the years, but recently I have mostly been seeing it at his Majesty’s Theatre in London, from my favorite seats — row B in the stalls, slightly towards stage right so the conductor isn’t on the way.

But this time I’m booking far enough in advance that the boxes are actually open and I’m wondering – – how’s the view?

I’ve seen Phantom enough times that I’m not going to be fussed if I don’t see the full splendor of the sets or the dance numbers; at this point, I’m going to see it for the nostalgia, (because it makes me feel like a kid again), to see the new actors’ interpretations of the characters, and to enjoy the absolute emotional gut wrenches as the story plays out.

So, my real question is, how is the view of the actors from the boxes at His Majesty’s, specifically Box One? Are there any key emotional moments that you just can’t see if you’re sitting that far to the edge of the stage?

[wheel-of-fics]

@nerdywriter36 tagged me to post the last line of my WIP, which I think is funny because my most recent writing attempt was during a COVID-induced brain fog where I gave up and broke the fourth wall:

Anyway...that's probably not going to be in the final draft.

Tagging @les-gnossiennes-fantomatiques @veroniqueclaire @emotionalmotionsicknessxx @flora-gray @paperandsong with absolutely no pressure whatsoeverrr

[veroniqueclaire]

What's a line when you could have a context-free scene from one of the eight stories and screenplays I have in progress? (Only one of them, Sympathy for the Devil, is Phantom and this is not that story, but I hope you all still enjoy! I’m trying to branch out.)

--------------------------

She types the command, and then she is cold, crumpling, shaking. 

“C’mere, I’ve got you.” His voice is rich and confident, stronger and warmer than his arms, but he lifts one around her and it is suddenly the only relief she can even imagine. She has no idea how they get from standing to the floor, but she is sitting in the vee of his legs, his back against the wall of the incident room, his arms locked around her shaking torso, her hands laid atop his own. All around the room, on the television screens, people are cheering but she feels like she is watching herself from a distance, and the only thing that really feels real is what must be his forehead, leaning against the back of her neck. This must be some calming attempt, some skin-on-skin-contact tactical maneuver to quiet the nervous system. It’s too wonderful to be natural.

“You did it. You did it. You’re amazing.” His breath is warm against her nape and his arms encircle her shoulders from behind.

She leans her cheek against his forearm, imagining, before some sense of propriety swirls in. “I must have -- wow, sorry, I got lightheaded, I think. It’s good of you to take care of me, thanks.” 

He freezes. She can feel his ribcage behind hers, drawing in a long breath and then letting it go, before he continues, his voice low. ”Do us both the decency of acknowledging this has nothing to do with teamwork. If I’ve read you wrong, I will remove myself from your personal space just as soon as you say the word -- but don’t lie and pretend this is chummy or professional. Just tell me I’ve made a mortifying miscalculation, or tell me I’m right and kiss me.”

Tagging @jennyfair7 @rienerose who I secretly hope are still wring fiction in any genre anywhere

[veroniqueclaire]

For all the times I’ve seen the show and visited the Palais Garnier, I’ve never had a clear picture in my mind of the view from the roof during All I Ask of You. This 1986 fashion shoot I just came across crystallized it for me — the epic grandiosity of the setting, but also the feeling of being a bit perilous up there, and the separation from all the lives below.

Photo and gowns by Thierry Mugler, model is Claude Heidemeyer.

I also did a bit of a double take, though, because… in the first photo, where is the statue of Apollo? Turns out it’s a bit of an optical illusion from the way the Palais Garnier is usually shot using long camera lenses and it’s much further away than some photos make it appear. It also makes so much more sense as a spying vantage point.

[veroniqueclaire]

Pinterest is like “hey you were looking at light fixtures for your patio, look at this outdoor chandelier art installation!”

And my first thought is girl, do not trust him, that thing is absolutely coming down. RUN. 🤦‍♀️

(Completely unrelated to phantom it turns out, just a random festival art piece.)

[rose-margaritas]

There was a pause, a tiny gasp as his breath caught, and she could only imagine his heart was beating as quickly as hers now; she squeezed his shin, beneath her left hand, and leaned closer to nuzzle against his neck, breathing in the scent of his cologne. He exhaled, all the contentment in the world, and slowly, tentatively, leaned the unmasked side of his face against the crown of her head, braced to see if she would pull away. Christine slipped her right arm around his waist, and the walls of his nervousness seemed to melt, his posture softening, the rigid tension of his muscles relaxing, the weight of the strong arm around her back suddenly present, steady and wonderful. She let out a sigh of pleasure, of peace.

"…the death of me," he murmured tenderly, and she couldn't help but smile. (x)

🏝️

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to convey how much I love the fic Volée by @veroniqueclaire , as I am not as articulate as the other fic commenters (which is also why I don’t really comment 😓). Like the summary provided by our lovely author, it truly is the quiet moments where the most magnificent things happen between our two beloved characters.

Personally, my favorite scene has always been the beach scene, a particularly calm occasion after what happened in the previous chapter… 😬 It was a rare moment where both Erik and Christine’s guards are down, where the two of them could actually speak their minds without much argument. In addition, VeroniqueClaire has such great talent when it comes to painting a full picture of what she hopes to project to the readers. The image in my mind was so tender that I simply had to capture it. I hope I do it justice!

[veroniqueclaire]

Can you even imagine the feeling of opening your notifications and seeing a scene so utterly familiar that you smile involuntarily, like you’ve bumped into an old friend — and then realizing that that scene has never existed in image form beyond your own head, and it’s just that someone has drawn it so perfectly that… there it is, the story you dreamt, *existing* in the world. That someone would care enough to spend their time and talent on *your* story. My god, what a gift.

Rose, you are an amazing artist and I’m so honored that Volée inspired this beautiful drawing. I’m in awe and great gratitude. Thank you!!

[veroniqueclaire]

Literally just signed up for Tumblr so I could tell you how much I adore Volée. I reread it (including your ANs!) twice in the span of about 2 weeks, after I saw POTO one final time on Broadway before closing. The way you write these characters is beyond words. I'm so grateful to incredible authors like you that keep exploring what makes these characters and this story resonate with us time and time again. Do you ever imagine what E/C would be up to in the same cities you adventure to?

Let me tell you, it’s hard not to! What you’re describing is exactly how I wound up landing then in Argentina; some places are just their places, if that makes sense. Some, like La Condesa in Mexico City, didn’t make it to this story but are tucked away for epilogues or future stories.

Sometimes it’s almost a puzzle challenge, like “how would they cope here” or “is there a version of this they would like,” because there are places I personally love in short doses (Mykonos, Ibiza, Mitte, maybe even DTLA?) that would be far too much for either of them, in their own ways.

(Although my comment in the quick brainstorm a few posts back about meeting up with Meg on a yacht to yacht rendezvous in the Cyclades without ever setting foot on land, was a personal nod to exactly such a challenge I had once given myself. 😊)

Thank you so much for asking and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the story — absolutely made my week!

[veroniqueclaire]

I have now read Volée

twice through in the space of a week. The first time I was wholly captured by the story and ravenously read each chapter. I couldn’t read fast enough to satisfy my hunger to know how these two souls would find peace together at last. The second time was with delicate care, wanting to soak in every detail and taking time to look at the photos posted for each chapter on Tumblr which added so much delightful color to an already magnificent story.

I can confidently say this is one of the best written works I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and wish so dearly that it existed (along with quite a few sequels!) in a form to be cherished on my bookshelves. The South Africa vignette you posted has me dying for more of this story.

At very least, I selfishly hope you continue writing, as I find your storytelling truly magnificent. If I can pry my mind from Volée, I look forward to checking out your other stories now and beyond!!

Oh what a gorgeous message — thank you so much! Even hearing that someone likes the story at all makes my day, but it is absolutely wonderful to hear in such detail about which aspects you liked and why.

I began to write the story because it was the type of thing I wanted to read, and there wasn’t much out there that was like it. I joked that I might find the half dozen others souls out there with similar taste. 

Hearing from others who liked this type of story, and these type of characters has been the absolute greatest delight of any creative venture I’ve pursued.  My speed of writing waxes and wanes, depending on life.

But I promise there will always be another chapter or story on the horizon, as soon as I get the chance to finish it. Lovely messages like yours are some of my best motivation to write more, so thank you again. 💖

[veroniqueclaire]

It’s so cool to hear more about Voleé again! I love it so so dearly. After the events of the story, do Erik and Christine end up getting officially married, and do they have a ceremony? Also, they probably develop a social circle of some sort, right? I’d love to know anything about any new people who might enter their lives.

There was another similar question a few months back and my apologies for not answering earlier! (Busy, busy.)

—————

For all his love of beauty, Erik is forever drawn to versions of it that are manmade, and so, when they go to Cape Town to experience one of the largest opera houses in Africa, and Christine suggests a walk to see the vast, gorgeous landscapes, she has to nearly drag him off of the boat where they are staying.

(it is a yacht, he likes to correct her, not a rowboat, and when she nudges him and reminds him about ostentation he always insists that a Riva 88’ Domino is a relatively modest yacht.

…The boat is, of course, piano black.)

But she succeeds in convincing him that a sunset and a walk on the beach would make *her* quite happy and he can hardly protest once she’s said that.

They are strolling along a palm tree lined red brick sidewalk on Camps Bay, mountains looming purple in the distance and waves crashing in the last of the day’s light, and he asks if perhaps she’d like the boat better, if it meant they could meet up with Meg?

She honestly can’t believe she’s never thought of it. Meg’s latest boyfriend Sevastyan had attempted to woo her away from the Met to the ballet company his father owned in St Petersburg with a massive boat named Empress, after his own nickname for her. And while Meg had told him she wasn’t leaving her dear mom alone in Queens anytime soon, she would certainly let him try and fail to change her mind on a tour of the Cyclades.

Christine squeals at the idea and flings herself into his arms and somehow even a year later he still gasps, as though it’s unexpected bliss to feel her. When they are walking again, it is with what feels like a new horizon ahead of them, purple and orange in the last sunlight.

Thirty minutes and many topics later, she catches his eye.

“Just so you know… The next time you propose, my answer will be yes.”

[veroniqueclaire]

Does Volee Erik ever go to therapy once he and Christine start settling into domesticity with each other? And if he does, is it because he realizes of his own accord that for things to work out he has to get ahold of his anger and insecurities, or because Christine talks him into going?

Oh my darling reader, I wish.

But while somehow I’m perfectly comfortable writing a setting that is AU AF, I don’t know if I could push the character toward that much growth. He gets better; less prickly, less hostile. But his damage runs so deep, looking inward feels like it would shatter the foundation that he’s built to prop himself up. I think it would take something drastic happening — Christine moving out, or Nadir cutting off their friendship because of some final straw with Erik — to have the rock bottom moment Erik would need to seek out therapy.

As I write this it honestly sounds like a heck of a story, so thank you for an interesting idea — but I don’t think it would be as “fun” a read as what I typically like to write, even if it would be significantly more meaningful. If someone else wants to run with it, feel free 😊

[veroniqueclaire]

I’m so so curious what it was like in Volee for Erik when he realized he wasn’t hallucinating that night he thought Christine took the sleeping pill. I know we get a snippet of that in the Down Once More sequence, but they’re quickly interrupted by all the action. Does he think more on it later, or ask her about it when they meet up later in London?

Ooo another great question!

In Paris, in the sewers, unmasked and betrayed, he cannot allow himself to believe it. She must be talking about something else, some lie to distract him, there’s no way she could know, this was his own desperately private hallucination and what he feels when he thinks about it is shame, shame made a thousand times worse by how desperately he wished it had been real, because it had felt real, so much more than every previous time he had used and imagined her while on an opiate high.

(Please remember drugs like this are nothing to mess with, Erik is not a role model, this is a wildly unhappy person with a maladaptive coping mechanism that could easily kill him.)

On the plane from Iceland to London, after he thinks to check his darknet mail and finds all of the letters where her love for him is calm and undeniable, he sits dumbfounded in an airplane seat, half frantic half dazed, fully incredulous and afraid to even allow himself to think it might be real. Her comment about Argentina crosses his mind again for the first time in months and he wonders, heart pounding, if he’s the greatest fool the world has ever known — but still, he cannot allow himself to believe, and pushes the thought to the deep corner of his mind where hope is typically banished.

During the three full weeks they spend in that London hotel suite, he thinks very little of the past, because the present is so wondrous as to seem like its own hallucination. It’s not denial so much as being driven absolute distraction every glorious moment of the day.

Several months later they are in Kyiv, ostensibly to see the beauty of the Taras Shevchenko National Opera House, but mostly spending time in the osobnyak Erik keeps in Zvirynets, because they don’t need rings to be honeymooners and an afternoon walk along the Obolonsʹka Naberezhna is more than enough to keep them entertained.

One morning she wakes up before him, a rare occurrence, but she goes down to the kitchen to put the kettle on. When she returns, she sits beside him on the bed and strokes his cheek, murmuring good morning and thinking nothing of it until the moment he opens his eyes and remembers…

———————

How’s that for a start?  😉

God, he’s going to bristle like hell about this. It’s going to turn out fine but it will take about three hours and will be the closest thing to a fight they have post reunion — but in his very moderate defense he is simultaneously embarrassed and elated at once, and lord knows he never had healthy models for how to process any of those feelings. He doesn’t explode, just gets sulky and prickly, so… growth?

Eventually she just kisses the hell out of him and mentions she had wished she could do that on that very night at the estancia, and it is very hard for him to protest beyond that.

I don’t know if this will ever make it to a formal epilogue chapter but it was fun to brainstorm on just now, so thank you for asking.

(And my choice of Kyiv as the setting for a beautiful place where they would be happy before this dramatic reveal was very deliberate, it is a lovely city and I wish I could send all the strength in the world to the wonderful people of Ukraine. 💙💛)





[veroniqueclaire]

I know you probably get this all the time but I just reread Voleé for the first time in years and fell back in love with it, and I saw that you added an epilogue, so I have to ask—do you have any plans on writing more of that story?

I initially vowed I was done with the story, to try and force myself to write new things —  but then a couple of paragraphs of the epilogue popped into my head and I wrote them down, and it sat that way for a couple of years until I finally finished the whole thing.

There is this conventional wisdom that a story is over when it’s over and sequels or eqilogues or one-off holiday specials are cringe, grasping, diminishing returns but… the very existence of fanfiction (which is in some genres better than the source material!) flies in the face of that traditional wisdom, so I don’t know why I ever believed it.

Nowadays I would more comfortably say this was my first novel I have ever written, and much like a first love, it is always with you. I don’t have concrete plans to write more chapters but… I will confess I do have three paragraphs of the next epilogue sitting in a doc. I have, in theory, three screenplays ahead of it, but… if the rest of the story comes to me, it will get written sooner. ☺️

Thank you so much for asking! It is the most wonderful thing to hear from readers 💖

[veroniqueclaire]

So I’ve gotten a couple of negative reviews and PMs lately from readers who felt that both Volée and Sympathy for the Devil were overly focused on thinness and idealizing an unhealthy body image.

If that is what anyone took away from my descriptions of Erik, I apologize and I am open for feedback on how to better convey what I intend. The character is canonically described as skeletal, and if we understand this to be a man who grew up with extreme neglect and parental abuse, the inability to know his own bodily needs for sustenance and taking care of himself can be understood part of the characterization of a survivor of that kind of abuse.

I have tried to never describe his thinness as anything other than worrying. While of course bodies come in all sizes and there are many healthy thin bodies, for this man I understand his low body weight to be a symptom of his trauma and I have aimed to present it as such. I have also aimed to present Christine as an influence of someone with better awareness of needing to eat. And I very deliberately have never described Christine’s weight in any story.

If any of this resonated wrong with readers, I’m open to hearing more, but I wanted to put my intentions out there and hopefully explain where I was coming from.

I believe that we should take care of ourselves and our bodies and support them with nourishing food, and I know that many people have been through disorders and trauma that make that hard. That is 100% of my position here.💖

[veroniqueclaire]

Nothing is normal anymore, but this is the new one,  and it’s back to the office, back to travel, back to meetings and I am out of practice with debates and negotiations that happen in person instead of over video.  A scarf in the carry-on is my classic problem-solver; good for chilly airplanes, dresses up an outfit for a business meeting with customers, makes me look a bit older, which can be useful in a male dominated industry, (which is fully bullshit but that’s a discussion for another day.)

And of course I forgot mine. Of course my luggage is a day behind, and the emergency dress I keep in my carry-on is a bit too dull without accessories. But my business trip is not to Mars; there are stores. This is a solvable problem but a bit tight on time.  Hotel is near a shopping district, I’ve got exactly 20 minutes to find something and get a car to the office. There are a couple of big department stores, but this needs to be a fast, tactical operation. A small high-end vintage store down the block will be efficient; it has a wall of pristine bags and a glass case of folded scarves, I buy the first one that looks reasonable, tie it on. I notice for a fleeting second that the design looks a bit like Apollo’s Lyre, but don’t think anything of it.

The meeting happens. A long stretch of work, all the rest of the business to be done. A long flight home.  And it’s only then, unpacking, that I notice the full design of the scarf, and that it’s labeled “Homage à Charles Garnier.” Jaw dropped. The fate!  Apparently they’ve been making this scarf since the 80s, how in all of the world of phantom-adjacent fashion have I never known about this design until now?

(And yes, this is not the first time I’ve been surprised by Phantom-related fashion!)