Letters to the Phantom

[inside_yourmind]

[You may now write letters to the Phantom!

Each of you will find plenty of stationery in the drawers of your vanities, along with candles, a block of sealing wax, and a stamp with your initial on it. You can use these to seal your envelopes in style!

Letters may be dropped into the flap at the Box Office at any time. Replies will appear in your dressing rooms, occasionally quite quickly. Sitting in your room to keep watch won't let you see how they're brought; they'll just appear whenever you happen to leave or fall asleep. Yes, they can be delivered overnight. Probably don't think about it too hard.]

Comments

1/2

[justmeheere]

[Sent that first night after the Phantom made his appearance.]

Dear Mr. Phantom,

Okay, I know we all kind of ganged up on you earlier and that wasn't super great or anything but please don't hurt Christine! She's innocent and nice and good and it's really unfair that you brought her here.

[There's a weird ink splotch and a pen drag, like someone wrestled control of a pen away from Jeremy.]

2/2

[justmeheere]

Hello. Do you prefer to be addressed as "the Phantom of the Opera," or should I refer to you as "Mr. Y"? Regardless, I'm sure you're aware of my presence if you brought Jeremy here. I'd like to know your intentions in bringing us to your opera house and the chances that we might work together. My directive is to improve Jeremy's life, and I can see only one route toward that goal since improving Jeremy's life by necessity means he must be alive.

Regards,
SQUIP

[mcfife]

LET US FREE.

YOU WON'T KEEP US LOCKED IN YOUR PRISON FOREVER.

YOU AND YOUR ALLIES WILL FALL.

[inside_yourmind]

Riveting correspondence.

[37773972]

Two questions;

1. What do we call you? Just 'Phantom'?
2. I was with a group of people. What happened to them?

[inside_yourmind]

1. Phantom is acceptable.
2. They are where you left them.

[revelfree]

To My Esteemed Host,

Surely by now you've realized you've made a mistake. I may be cast out of God's favor, but I doubt He will take kindly to the abduction of one of his own. You may do well to consider releasing me, before you invoke His wrath. It may not be as dire as stealing away his true Beloved, but He will surely seek Divine Retribution.

That is, of course, unless you were put up to this, and it is all a part of our game. If so, I must say, I expected underhanded tactics, but nothing so bold.

So then, Sir Phantom, allow me to ask -- what side are you on? And if your side is your own, what can I do to entice you to allow me to join in this game?

Yours,

Mephisto

[inside_yourmind]

Dear Mephisto,

No mistake was made. The irregularities in your profile are for your benefit. Terribly hard to get people to trust you, with a name like that. How would you ever get away with anything?

I am on my own side. As to joining the game - what are you suggesting?

- O.G.

Tuesday, Week 1

[holyspit]

Dear Mr. The Phantom,

Hi there, this is Steven! Universe, not Dr. Browning. I think we might've gotten off on the wrong foot the other day, and I thought you might just want to talk!

Do you have a name besides The Phantom you'd like to use?

Sincerely,
Steven Q. Universe

[inside_yourmind]

Dear Steven,

The Phantom is acceptable.

OG

7/1

[herwiggles]

[It's already a bit funny to send a letter in the early hours of the morning, but Gems didn't necessarily need to sleep anyway. And they don't have to send letters either.

Or know how to.

But Spinel seems to have tried, and judging by the mess of wax on the sheet, repeatedly imprinted in the shape of her stamp, she was having A Time with that too.

The letter reads thusly,]

Hellooooooo

[inside_yourmind]

[..........sigh]

Yes?

[etincelledefierte]

Monsieur le Fantôme,

I'm sure you're aware of this, but we had a meeting to discuss the finer points of our situation. In that meeting, Nana and I had a most unpleasant surprise: despite being from the same place, there are four months between the last thing she remembers and the last thing I remember.

My question is this: was there a specific reason for us not to be taken from the same time? I don't make a habit of abducting people, but I would think it would be easier to take two people at the same time.

Je vous prie d'agréer mes meilleures salutations,

Claudine

[inside_yourmind]

Mme. Saijo,

It's simply a matter of your personal circumstances. Perhaps you will understand it better in time.

OG

[madgiganticfeelings]

ear Monsieur Phantom,

I hope this letter finds you well. I initially wished to speak to you in person, but I understand you are very busy. I do want to speak to you about what has been happening here, though. I was under the impression we were meant to put on a performance, but we have yet to receive any script or rehearsal schedule. I wanted to check to see if you needed any assistance! I would be happy to act as a co-director, or help you edit whatever script you have managed to create. i'm sure it's incredibly well done, if you happen to be shy about your art!

Actually, that brings me to another point, sir. You see, I notice that you are shy, or some might even say distant, regarding your selected cast. I understand these feelings entirely, but I want to try to convince you to come out of your shell! Perhaps we could arrange a small gathering, just with whoever you feel most comfortable speaking with? And we can discuss the status of this play, and a deadline for the production to be put on so we can return home. I'm sure none of us want to take advantage of your hospitality longer than we have to!

Warm regards,

Christine Canigula ♡ ♡ ♡

P.S. Sorry for the simple stationary! As soon as I can find more colourful pens, I will send you another letter.

[inside_yourmind]

Mme. Canigula,

I do not require any assistance. The performance is ongoing; much of it depends on your own actions.

Do you really believe that you can all convince me to release you by being friendly? It's a transparent attempt at manipulation. To be completely honest, I wouldn't have expected something like that from you.

OG

Wednesday Night, after the meeting, I'm sorry for this

[musacal]

[ Nana didn't intend for it to be this way, but the letter is formatted like a singspeak song because I'm extra and can do what I want. ]

Good evening, Phantom

I've meant to write you for a while now good monsieur,
With questions I hope you will be kind enough to humor

First and foremost,
Are you really... that Phantom?
The titular Opera Ghost?
The one from the famous story of French canon?

The others seem to believe you might just be pretending to be him...
But with people like Little Red Riding Hood here, I'm willing to believe you might be the real deal.
And after all, stranger things have happened...

My other question...
The date Claudine says she's from,
That can't possibly be right?
And if it is then what has become
Of my eternal Starlight?

Can I fix it?
Can I still save it?
Please help assuage
My worry about my stage...

Lastly this is not a question but...
There was some left over banana bread from the meeting today. I put some on a plate for you and left it at the box office.
Everyone else was eating it too, so I can assure you I'm not up to anything funny.
I don't know why you've brought us here, or why you're doing any of this.
But my cooking is for everyone and that includes you.
I will continue to leave some out in the kitchen or by the box office each time I make something. I hope you enjoy it.

Sincerely,
The Encore

[ true to her word, there's a plate with two slices of banana bread left by the box office, carefully covered with... idk a cloth or something WHATEVER THERE IS to keep it from drying out too much ]

[inside_yourmind]

[Well, the banana bread does disappear! No one sees anything happen to it; it just sort of isn't there the next time Nana passes through.]

Has my story reached so far?
I find your conversations on the matter intriguing...

As to your show
The eternal Starlight:

You know what you must do
To return to the place you came from
Who can say what has passed?
Perhaps you should act

OG

[At the bottom of the letter, there's a post-script! It looks like it was added after the first part, and possibly in a hurry; it's not quite up to the Phantom's normal freakish standard of penmanship.]

PS: Thank you for the banana bread. About the show - things like that really shouldn't last forever. Don't you think it'll be better to see new things here?

letter from santana

[garbageface]

Okay, "Phantom." Level with me.

Why kidnap us? What's in it for you?

[inside_yourmind]

I appreciate your directness. But you must know I'm not just going to tell you.

[revelfree]

Phantom,

Included you will find collection of information that may be of some use to you. In truth, I suspect that your brilliant mind has already discerned much of this, especially if you have observed us for as long as I believe you have. All the same, it seemed pertinent to pass along to you.

[Included are the surveys that he'd put up the day prior. They've all been re-written in his own hand.]

Yours in glorious servitude,

Mephisto

[inside_yourmind]

Mephisto,

Your efforts are appreciated. Some of them have a rather inflated sense of their usefulness, don't they?

OG

WEEK ONE, SATURDAY, MORNING

[isawallflower]

Phantom,

Should we expect to see our personal things in your merchandise booth often? What is the point of distributing them with a bunch of unfamiliar things? Are you the person handing them out personally?

~Riley Williams

[inside_yourmind]

Mme. Williams,

The merchandise booth is run by my associates. Pray don't harass them.

OG

Also Tuesday, week 1, later on

[holyspit]

HOW DID YOU GET MY MOM'S SWORD WHAT DID YOU DO TO CONNIE??

[inside_yourmind]

I got it the same way I got you. Connie is wherever you left her - I have no business with her.

Week 2 Thursday Night

[musacal]

[ Okay she’s been leaving her baking out constantly, pretty much every time she makes anything, but she hasn’t written another letter since then. This time she drops one off though. ]

Dear Phantom,

I received a copy of Don Juan Triumphant from the merchandise booth the other day. Is it yours?
Would you like me to give it back? I read through it a little, but felt kind of bad doing so. Sorry.

Sincerely,
Nana

[ She thought about signing it with “The Encore” again but he actually used her surname last time so hey why not. ]

[inside_yourmind]

[The baking has been disappearing regularly, but no further notes regarding that have been left!]

You may return it if you wish, but that is not necessary. I have no use for it.

OG

[37773972]

if we wanted someone other than who was in the photo erased

is that an option

[inside_yourmind]

I suppose it could be.

Did you have a request?

[revelfree]

[Sometime, after the trial, Mephisto will scrawl out a letter.]

Move your own damned bodies next time.

[inside_yourmind]

Oh? But you seemed to have such fun with it.

Back on Thursday

[mcfife]

How did you bring the Knife of Evil here?

What were your plans with it?

[inside_yourmind]

I have no interest in your magical knife.

WEEK TWO?? SATURDAY

[isawallflower]

Phantom,

Why do you hate Christine so much?

[inside_yourmind]

She presumes too much. After everything I did -

[His absurdly perfect penmanship does not falter; nonetheless, it appears that some words may have been carefully blotted out here.]

I am finished with trying to win the approval of Christines. Certainly, I do not want it when it is only offered based on some naive, romantic idea of who I am. I am not a character from a stage show to be fallen in love with.

7/12

[herwiggles]

Sooooo hey uh

[The writing this time is... neater. Somewhat. Like she'd put a bit more effort into it.]

Can I ask ya something? What's a phantom anyway

[inside_yourmind]

Phantom: something apparently seen, heard, or sensed, but having no physical reality; a ghost or apparition.

Is that helpful?

[likemypicture]

[Sometime on Sunday, Anne drops the first of her letters into the flap at the Box Office. The seal is neatly done, like she's had practice!]

What were you judged upon, anyway? You never did say. Were you sailed across the water and married to a man who called you Flander's Mare to all of court?

P.S. Thank you for the stationary.

[inside_yourmind]

That sounds like an extremely specific set of circumstances that has only happened to one person here, as you are well aware.

I helped someone become a success, and then I was cast aside and abandoned, very nearly killed. As if all my efforts meant nothing.

Monday week 3

[holyspit]

I'm gonna say up front that I'm still really mad at you and don't like you but also the garden is really nice and I wanted to know if you were the one who planted it.

[If the Phantom is watching them all the time he probably saw Steven go through a whole lot of drafts on this.]

[inside_yourmind]

Yes. I planted the elm sapling near the oak, the rosemary bushes, and several of the other flowers.

letter from santana, delivered after first memory regain

[garbageface]

Gotta say, that was a sloppy job, Phantom. Giving me that photo of Finn too early? Continued bad interior design at the trial? No wonder you work so hard to be ominous. You're all fluff and no substance.

[inside_yourmind]

The motive was not about you specifically, Santana. Indeed, many things are not.

Backdated to Sunday Week 3 BEFORE I FORGET AGAIN

[musacal]

Dear Phantom,

Were you the one who left the birthday cupcake for me this morning?
If so, thank you so much!
It was really yummy and I love the candle!
It made me really happy.

Sincerely,
Nana

[inside_yourmind]

You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it.

[Again, while the handwriting generally looks like all the other notes, it fails in this case to live up to the Phantom's normal freakishly perfect handwriting. The note is unsigned.]

WEEK FOUR, SUNDAY, AFTERNOON

[isawallflower]

[ Riley's been, um. Well, she's drafted a letter but the Phantom can probably also see she's made a fucking mess of her room, overturned the vanity, cracked the big-ass mirror on the wall but smashing the vanity into it... She's just really had a morning.

So that's the context with which this letter arrives. The penmanship is...less than stellar. ]

What did I you do? How many people did I kill? Tell me what happens next. You have to tell me what happens next.

[inside_yourmind]

[The Phantom's penmanship is freakishly perfect as ever!]

I have no such requirements. And you cannot reasonably blame me for actions you took well before we met.

[madgiganticfeelings]

[The Phantom will receive a paper star with this letter, as well as a plate of dumplings.]

Dear Phantom,

I'm sorry for what I said to you at the trial. I was angry. A lot of us were, and I do think what you did was wrong. But that doesn't mean I don't still believe you're a good person. I really do believe in you. And my offer for us to talk still stands.

Also, this is really off topic, but can I ask why seances are no longer permitted? I mean, if you saw what we did, I suppose I don't really need to ask, but I'm curious what counted as too far for you.

Have a good evening. I hope one day you'll believe in yourself, the same way I and Red believe in you.

Christine Canigula ღ ღ ღ

1/2

[inside_yourmind]

Why do you continue to profess this belief in me? Remember that I can see your activities throughout the day - I know full well how willing you are to kill those who displease you. How, then, can I believe what you say here?

The entity you summoned is vile and unpleasant. I want nothing of that sort in my opera house.

You do not know me. If you were to see my true face, I know you would recant this belief.