Post by Erik Lenoir on Jan 21, 2012 22:56:07 GMT -5
Erik Lenoir
"Hide your face, so the world will never find you..."
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Player Name: Rachel
Years Roleplaying: 2-3 years in various types of rp; about 7 months in the POTO rp.
Gender: Female
Contact me: PM or on my Fb account as Erik Chaney Lenoir.
Anything else?: My hobbies include: writing prose, humour or drama, poetry, even a few songs, art, music and singing, and computers.
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Basic Information
Age: 45
Canon or OC?: Canon - 1986 ALW POTO Stage Production[/size]
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Appearance
Body type: Medium height and weight. Has very long legs which makes him appear taller than he is. He is very graceful in his body and hand movements. His hands are slim with long, graceful fingers.
Eye colour: His left eye is dark blue. His right eye is a light grey, almost white in appearance. His eyes are very expressive and he can hold one captive in his gaze if he chooses.
Wardrobe: He wears a half mask on the right side, white, and made of a light ceramic material, the inside padded with leather to keep from chafing. He wears very expensive, elegant clothing of the late 19th century. His most common clothing: a black suit consisting of a tailcoat with satin collar and matching trousers with a satin stripe on each outer leg. His trousers are held up by braces. His waistcoat is black silk with a pattern. He wears a gold pocket watch, the chain of which is visible on his waistcoat. He wears black boots and stockings held up by calf garters. His shirt is white with a removable upturned collar. He wears a white silk bow tie. Outer wear: A black fedora with a 3 inch brim and a long full length black cape. He has several, some have a hood and some are plain or with sequins and diamonds sewn in about the shoulders and upper back for formal wear. He occasionally wears white or black gloves.
General Appearance: Erik has had a facial deformity since birth. It is confined to his right side. It consists of an oval shaped discoloured area on the right temple in which the skull shows through. Further down on his cheek, ugly scar like ridges and valleys appear, also discoloured. His lips are puffy and thick and coloured an odd dark red. They are twisted somewhat and continue up onto his cheek and bloom into a large red area which looks as if his mouth were turned inside out. Wearing the mask, he appears almost normal, except for the odd lips which can be seen clearly. Although not obvious, even when his mask is removed, he is reputed to wear an artificial nose to cover the gaping hole in the middle of his face where he never had a nose. The eye on his deformed side is almost white, possibly from a congenital juvenile cataract. His vision on this side is poor, but is more than made up for by the left eye which has much better than normal vision. Erik always wears an auburn or brown hairpiece to cover his head. He is almost bald, with only a few long grey hairs covering his head. This too is related to the facial deformity. He is missing an eyebrow on the right side. His left eyebrow is the colour that his hair would have been. On his left side, he appears normal, but older than his 45 years, with some lines about his eyes and mouth. His skin is light from having avoided the daylight for so long.
All of his movements are graceful, almost cat-like. He can walk without making a sound. His skill as a magician comes into play as he seems to appear and disappear at will. He uses his hands to describe what he is saying, almost an additional visual cue to anyone watching him. His touch is cold.
Played By: Michael Crawford.
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Personality
Dreams and Goals: Erik has always wished to look normal and have a normal life, to get married and have a family. His dream is of a lovely and beautiful young woman with an exquisite soprano voice who will sing for him and who will love him exclusively.
Strengths: Strengths include his intellect, strength of will, many talents, sense of humour and his kind and gentle side.
Weaknesses: Weaknesses include his trying to force others to his will, killing to achieve that end, his arrogance, his depression and self-pitying.
Fears: Fears include never being able to find a woman who will love him, fear of being alone forever and fear of rejection, which is why he hides himself away. Oddly with all of his many talents and great intellect, he has a rather poor self-image, going back of course to the facial deformity which is ever before the eyes of his mind. He also fears capture, and being exposed again to the taunts, laughter and fear of the stupid crowds of people who know nothing of his intellect and accomplishments.
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The Past
Madame Giry, who saw him caged, in a travelling show, helped him escape. She later acted as courier for his notes to various people in the opera.
History:Erik was born 19 Janvier, 1836 to Melisande Jenay Moreau, who was horrified to see she had given birth to a child so misshapen in the face that she called him a "monster," and made him wear a mask as soon as he was born, his first bit of clothing. Melisande was married to an older man who passed away just before Erik's birth. But that was not his real father. His real father was a young man that took a fancy to Melisande and she to him. When she found out she was pregnant, she told her young lover, and he left her. Her husband died without ever knowing the child was not his. Melisande never told her son anything about her husband or his real father, not even their names.
Melisande never showed the child any affection, not even a kiss, and he grew up bereft of human touch, other than a severe beating for some of his childish pranks. The child was a prodigy in music, architecture and art, indeed anything he put his mind to.
He was next seen years later, as a man, in a travelling show as an exhibit, his misshapen, scarred face and lack of a nose causing him to be displayed in the sideshow as an example of a human horror. Then, he suddenly disappeared, perhaps died. But in reality, he had escaped with the help of a woman who took pity on him, seeing his intellect rather than his face. Later it was learned that he went to Persia, where he built a maze of mirrors for the Shah. He learned to use the lethal Punjab Lasso there. Years later, he appeared as the Opera Ghost at the Opéra Populaire, where he was recognized by the woman who had helped him escape the travelling show. This was a certain Madame Giry, now the ballet mistress, who became the courier for the notes Erik wrote detailing his wishes.
Paris, 1881. Erik, the strange deformed man, had hidden himself away in a lair in a labyrinth, far below the Opéra Populaire in the city of Paris. An avid lover of music and a musician himself, a genius really, he came out only to view the opera from Box 5, which he had demanded to be reserved only for himself, along with a large salary. Believing himself the guardian of the Opera House, the slightest infraction did not go unnoticed by Erik.
Of late, a change in the management of the opera brought about more activity by the Opera Ghost (O.G.) as Erik deemed himself. The new managers, believing the rumours of the departing managers to be rubbish, were soon to be confronted with the strange and frightening pranks of O.G.
Using Madame Giry, the ballet mistress, as a courier, Erik sent hand-written notes to the managers, Vicomte Raoul de Chagny and Carlotta Guidicelli. The notes all spoke of a certain Christine Daaé, a young dancer, whom Erik had started to groom as a replacement for Carlotta, the main soprano, whom he deemed to have a horrendous voice.
Christine had not seen Erik, but had heard his beautiful voice through the mirror in her dressing room. The incorporeal voice of Erik had been training her voice and readying her to become the lead soprano. Christine, in her naivety, had decided that this voice must be the voice of the Angel of Music, which her deceased father had promised to send her after his passing.
During a rehearsal of "Hannibal," in which Carlotta was singing, a backdrop crashed loudly to the floor. Meg Giry, Madame Giry's daughter and a ballerina, with the rest of the girls, chanted the rumour again that the "Phantom of the Opera" was near. Carlotta, upset, left the production and it was mentioned that there was no understudy. Meg, Christine's friend, said that Christine could sing the piece. Her mother affirmed it, saying "She has been well-taught." Christine was persuaded to sing and, after a nervous start, showed how beautiful her voice was.
In the manager's box, Vicomte Raoul de Chagny, a nobleman, watched the rehearsal and recognized Christine as a childhood friend. After the rehearsal, they renewed their acquaintance, and Raoul wanted to take her to dinner. Christine refused saying she could not, that the "Angel of Music is very strict." Back in her dressing room, Christine discovered that the "Angel of Music" knew about Raoul already and Erik spit out some disparaging words about him, arrogantly and jealously.
At that point, Erik showed himself to Christine, coming through the mirror. Appearing in a white half mask, a fedora, evening clothes and a long black cape, he took her hand in his cold one and gently drew her through the mirror. Taking her with him through the long way down to the underground labyrinth, they crossed a lake to his lair, using a beautifully crafted gondola.
Listening at the door of Christine's dressing room, Raoul heard voices and entered the room, but found it empty.
Erik's lair, full of darkness, lit only by candles, contained his organ where he sang for Christine. She sang for him, almost in a state of mesmerization, and followed him to a covered mirror. Erik pulled off the cover and Christine saw an image of herself in a wedding gown and fainted.
Awaking the following morning in the gondola, Christine heard a lovely song being played by a strange music box in the shape of a monkey. She saw Erik playing the organ and arose. So engrossed in his music was Erik that he did not see Christine's inquisitive hands reach for his mask. She finally succeeded in tearing it off and he angrily screamed at her, but his curses turned to hopes of her seeing beyond his monstrous face to the man behind it. He then took Christine back to the opera house above.
The aforementioned letters from O.G. had been received. Carlotta had been told that her days at the Populaire "were numbered" and that she would be replaced by Christine Daaé. Carlotta believed the Vicomte de Chagny sent the letters about Christine. Firmin and André, the managers, ignored Erik's directions and in the new production, "Il Muto," they cast Carlotta in the lead and Christine in the silent role, the pageboy. The Vicomte decided to view the opera from Box 5.
During the play, the Phantom spoke. No one could discern where the voice came from, but it was clearly heard by all. Erik demanded to know why Box 5 was not kept empty. Carlotta called Christine a toad, but Erik heard her and intimated that it was Carlotta who was the toad. She began to sing and strangely enough, started to croak like a toad. The Phantom's voice was heard laughing softly, then his laughter became loud and hysterical. He said loudly, "Behold, she is singing to bring down the chandelier!" Carlotta decided at that point, she could not continue. The managers told the audience that there would be a cast change and Christine Daaé would sing the lead. After the stage was cleared, Christine, frightened, called to Raoul for help. They went to the roof of the Opéra Populaire.
Atop the Opera House, Christine told Raoul how afraid she was of the Phantom. She felt that he would kill her. Raoul still did not believe that there was a Phantom and tried to tell Christine that all her fears were in vain. Christine countered with the fact that she had been in his lair, a place of darkness. And she had seen his face, so frightening and deformed, and yet his voice was so beautiful and his eyes so pleading.
Raoul told Christine that he would protect her and she must forget her fears. He confessed his love to her and Christine told Raoul she loved him too. The Phantom overheard this exchange and felt betrayed. On stage, Christine, dressed in Carlotta's costume, witnessed the descent of the great chandelier and its crash at her feet. Erik's maniacal laughter accompanied this latest prank.
Sometime later, a masquerade ball was put on. Everyone attended in beautiful, wild or garish costumes. Suddenly, ruining the joyful time everyone was having at the ball, a bizarre figure dressed as The Masque of the Red Death appeared. In a garish red costume with a fancy jewelled hat and a death's head mask, the figure handed the score of a newly written opera entitled "Don Juan Triumphant" to a mesmerized Christine. Then the Phantom strangely disappeared.
Backstage, Raoul and Madame Giry met and he demanded information of her, for he believed she knew more than she was saying. Giry finally told the Vicomte that she had seen, years ago, a travelling show, in which there was a caged man. He was a prodigy, a scholar, an architect, musician, composer and inventor. But his downfall was that he was deformed from birth. She continued, saying that he had escaped, intimating, without really saying, that perhaps it was she who had helped him escape. Giry told Raoul that the Phantom was this man.
Christine visited the graveyard where her father was buried. She sang to him and the Phantom heard, trying to turn her heart again to his. Raoul also overheard the two singing and he tried to break the Phantom's spell over Christine. She ran to him and the jealous Phantom played one of his frightful tricks on them, spewing lightning from a skull atop a staff. Christine ran to Raoul and Erik declared war upon both of them.
Having cast Christine in the lead of Don Juan Triumphant, the managers were at this point too afraid to object strenuously to the Phantom's demands. Piangi was the actor who would play Don Juan, the lead male role. Christine, however, had deep objections, for she felt the Phantom would kill her. Christine and the others now knew that the Phantom was indeed a killer, evidenced by the finding of Joseph Buquet's body, cruelly strangled by the notorious Punjab lasso.
During the première of "Don Juan Triumphant" when Piangi is draped in the robe with a hood which covered his face, he went behind the curtain where Erik killed him and quickly dressed in the hooded robe and appeared on stage with no one knowing the difference. He gave Christine a ring which he placed on her finger. Christine slowly started to realize that the Phantom was the one in the robe. She pulled his hood back and a bit later, pulled off his hairpiece and mask in one quick movement. Horrified, Erik swirled his cloak about them both and they disappeared from the stage. The police, at this point, had been summoned to search for the murderer.
Erik took Christine to his lair again, this time treating her roughly. She bravely stood up to him. He, seeing that his hoped-for romance with her was over, placed the bridal veil on her. Then Raoul suddenly appeared on the other side of the portcullis, and he climbed it, getting out of the water. The Vicomte pleaded with Erik to free Christine. They argued, but Raoul was finally given entrance by the Phantom. And before Raoul knew it, Erik slung him up by the neck, with the Punjab lasso.
The Phantom and Christine argued again, this time for Raoul's life. Erik gave Christine a choice: Stay with Erik and save Raoul's life or declare her love for Raoul and the Vicomte would die.
Christine decided that she must save Raoul and she began to feel pity for the Phantom as well. She kissed him full upon the lips in the first kiss he had ever experienced. Astounded by this act, he was moved to free Raoul. He told them both to leave. He sadly repeated the words, "It's over now, the music of the night..."
The mob was heard coming down to the lair. Erik quickly sat on the "throne" where the Christine mannequin had been and covered himself with his cloak. Meg Giry was the first one who entered, and seeing the hiding place of the Phantom, she quickly pulled the cloak off of his figure, but all she found was his mask. She picked up the mask and stared at it, wondering...
RP Sample
It had scarce been 24 hours since Erik had made his escape from the lair. He was still in the Opéra Populaire, having accomplished what looked like a magical exit from the fifth cellar through a trap door to a secret passageway. This passageway was one of those which criss-crossed the whole opera house, and along with the almost invisible panels in the walls, allowed Erik to move stealthily from one place to another without being observed. These miles of secret passageways were the means by which Erik acted as the opera ghost for quite a long time.
There was no light in the underground passageway. At various places, there were candles and torches on the wall, ready to be lit and light the way for one wishing to see where he was going. But Erik refused the light now. He knew the passageways like the back of his own hand and needed no light, preferring the blackness. The darkness was the darkness of his soul and his mind. His one hope driven from his heart, only blackness reigned and nothing could comfort him.
And now, just yesterday, Erik had escaped this new mob looking for him, looking for the murderer of Piangi, the unfortunate actor whose life was taken by the Phantom, only so that Erik could be close to Christine, his heart so mad with love of her that he would do anything, even kill, in his quest to have her heart.
Erik's paranoiac fear of being found had its roots in his past, the jeers and laughter and taunts of the crowds passing by his cage in the travelling show... the humiliation...
After having run as far from the police and the mobs as possible, the mobs which Erik knew had entered the lair to look for him, he had stopped at a small alcove, exhausted by fear and the confusion of his other emotions. Still there was no light, only a pervasive cold which overtook him when he stopped. The darkness was comforting, the cold was not. He began to shiver uncontrollably.
That first day was spent almost completely in fear and weeping. Christine, his beautiful Christine...she had rejected him in favour of the handsome Vicomte Raoul de Chagny...and yet...Erik was certain there was some feeling that Christine had for himself...pity certainly...but was it more than that?
That ray of hope, Christine's reaction to him when he said he loved her...she wept and... She was willing to give up the man she loved just to save his life...that was love, true love indeed...to sacrifice herself and live forever with the deformed Erik... And then she kissed his horrendous face...took it in her sweet hands and kissed his twisted, bloated lips. Her kiss was that of an angel, her touch as gentle as a warm summer breeze...
Her selfless love was so incomprehensible to him who had known only rejection. He pondered upon her kiss, which seemed to be changing him. At that point he still did not realize that his own selfless act in releasing both Christine and Raoul brought on by her kiss, was the start of a change in himself, a change for the better...
Then he fell asleep on the cold floor, exhausted by the flood of emotions which left him feeling raw and strangely bereft.
He dreamt of Christine's kiss...
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