☺︎ Keep on Smiling! ☺︎

Like okay multiple things prompting this post such as being deep in my own writing sauce (the ego on me!! I know!!), this post which I just came across that reminded me 'oh yeah I wanted to write this post ur reading rn!', and a fanfic I skimmed that was about how the Phantom fucks better than her husband cuz he's like (mostly) in tune with what Christine wants. I think the Phantom/ Christine angle probably doesn't need a lot of explaining like it's clearly thee most popular take in the fandom and I get it. Like he's a guy from a mysterious basement whose skill with music re-connects Christine with her love of singing after a huge period of grief. Their common interest is art. It's not hard for her to express her woes around him because he also has BIG woes he's been having them since childhood, he's outside of society in contrast with her opposing love interest who is very much the kind of person society prefers and uplifts. Raoul's biggest flaw in the musical is the fact that he dismisses what Christine says A LOT. In the musical Phantom sings a whole song about embracing the darkness and stuff (it's a banger).

I think the opposite Christine/Raoul way of seeing things is probably a harder sell in this fan base but as a BIG Raoulstine enjoyer I personally chalk it up to things like the Phantom being this figure who's intention is to whisk Christine away to some dark isolated basement where it's just the two of them the contrast is someone like Raoul who's intention is to protect her from that life so she can remain ya know amongst the sun in the big world and such. The phantom basically surveils Christine panopticon style, like she can't even go on a cute dinner with some new guy without the Phantom telling her NO in a spooky scary way. He watches her even in her dressing room. In the musical Raoul and Christine get a whole duet where he sings about light and literally gets the lyrics 'let me be your freedom'. His scenes invoke childhood playfulness, it brings out more chipper moods from Christine. I see a lot of people look at the childhood sweethearts aspect from the angle of something very pure, in like a vanilla kind of sexless way in contrast to the very alluring ~phantom~ (valid) but I do also see it in a sometimes children are still learning the rules of society kind of way. Like the book actually has a whole thing about the first time Raoul and Christine meet they really hit it off. They're really close (I think this is where most of their withstanding fond memories come from) it's on their second meet up years later once they're preteens and aware that he's a boy, she's a girl, and if they're that close it's going to be presumed to be something romantic that things get awkward around them. I guess I find that interesting too like the fact that their first meeting they wouldn't have been fully aware yet what their roles as hetero man and woman would entail and this is where they form a close bond.

There's also the whole new can of worms with musical canon being different from book canon. I don't think the musical really leans into this conflict much, but the book makes it clear marriage between Christine and Raoul would be considered really unusual due to their differing class statues, and just knowing the period and setting Christine wouldn't be encouraged to continue working due to her change in status if they went through with the marriage. This threat to her love of music would of course not be a problem at all with the Phantom. Also while I always got the vibe musical Phantom wants to keep living in the basement, book Erik actually wants a life up top like a normal man and he seems to think having a wife like Christine would be what he needs to complete his normal guy™ quest. Not to mention I think the book goes even harder on drawing parallels between Raoul and Erik, they both don't show a particular interest in Christine's wants or well being at the start of the story. Erik for- well- the obvious reasons lol (ya know the kidnapping of it all), and Raoul being more interested in wife-ing Christine up or beefing with her alternate suitor (my guy he's not an alternate suitor that's Christine's stalker :( let's show her some sympathy) They both take a little while before they can recognize this in some way. It isn't until the chapter on the roof where Raoul starts to (somewhat) get the idea that Christine's safety should be the priority and he says he'd be willing to take her away from the danger of the opera house then leave her without the expectation of marriage. Erik's moment of course comes at the end when her act of compassion gives him the clarity to see her as a whole person, let her go and stop aggressively pursuing her. It's interesting to see Leroux seems invested in exploring the way these men want to squeeze Christine into their narrow wife shaped boxes.

I know this discussion can get a little heated if it passes the wrong side of fandom but to be really clear I'm not really interested in finding who the right guy is, and which one of these takes is the ultimate right one. I guess I just find it fascinating that these two interpretations can be gleamed from the material at all. Like ain't that the most interesting thing about story telling? We're all drinking from the same well and coming out naming different drink flavours that's crazy, pretty neat stuff.

I guess what I've been finding as I reflect on these things and like write my own bullshit is that Christine is probably gaining something different from each relationship, which is why making a clear cut choice would be hard for her. (in the musical it's your classic love triangle of not knowing who to choose because they both have their appeal) (in the book I honestly some times feel like it's closer to Christine certainly has empathy for them both, but which one is the least terrible because ya know society benefits the wedded so even a woman determined not to marry is gonna be thinking about it) (....) (maybe that's an overly cynical read on Leroux's writing though...hmmmm stand by and see if I still feel this way about it next week lol) Like ya know she's living in a society as a woman...that automatically cuts one's freedom in half right there. Perhaps she has a physical freedom around Raoul (with him she can go anywhere, he isn't shown to be as exaggerated in how controlling he can be. Depending on the canon he might not really surveil her at all or try to stop her from doing much) but an emotional one with Erik (freedom to express uglier or repressed emotions, to pursue the arts, their relationship would have started just by listening to what she has to say through the walls. that's neat) and I like playing with the messiness of her emotionally bouncing back and forth to reap the benefits of both. (like I don't think all love triangles need the poly seasoning but.....like it should be at least thought of. Like you have to at least acknowledge that the trio are entangled. It's more freeing for me than acting like it's a sporting event where you pick ONE TEAM only. but that's just my two cents).

And also like we gotta acknowledge the elephant in the room like everyone's gotta get more Team Christine pilled. Definitely Andy Lloyd Webbz BUT ALSO (with love <3) Gaston - I left out Christine POV- Leroux. Like she said she doesn't wanna get married WE DON'T HAVE TO RULE THAT OUT EITHER. Maybe true freedom is not messing with those guys........

but also as a filthy Raoulstine smut writer like....love and light to all those m/f writers out there I gettttt it some times you just want your ship to sail (maybe you even want them to hook up nasty style. I love to see it) not passing judgement here. But also.....things to consider. Things to consider.......

Christine could also just start her bisexuality arc. That would be even more slay but that would require us to get more woman and yuri pilled as a society, and we're not even on level 1 lets get more Christine pilled yet so like.....it's bleak out here y'all. Like Meg and Christine aren't even friends in the book and in the musical you think there's any sort of look at how their relationship formed? not reaalllyyyyy. SIGH. Honestly go watch my personal favourite toxic yuri headcanon fodder show, Hacks, that'll give you more than Leroux or Webber could EVER give you.

I've gone off topic............................................................sorry.........everyone go love Christine Daae I guess is the note I'll end all this on.