PHANTOMESS OF THE OPERA

[PHANTOMESS]

PHANTOMESS OF THE OPERA



"There is nothing I cannot do, if I choose."

NAME: Erika (She does not divulge what her birthname was. It is of no importance.)

GENDER: Female

AGE: 21

SEXUALITY: Straight

OCCUPATION: Unscrupulous extortionist

FACE CLAIM: Character name, Anime/Manga - Fairy tale character name.

FAIRY TALE: The Phantom of the Opera

PERSONALITY TRAITS:
-Cunning
-Polite (No, really.)
-Confident
-Humorous (In her own way.)
-Unforgiving

HISTORY:
She was born with Hyperthymesia, a condition in which the individual possesses a superior autobiographical memory. This means she can recall the vast majority of personal experiences and events in her life from the onset of the condition. This is both a blessing and a curse, as the ability to remember means almost unlimited knowledge, yet it also makes life difficult because she often gets lost in thought remembering instead of living in the present. Also, people riddicule her as a show-off when she correctes them without thinking. It also makes forgiveness nearly impossible because she can never forget every little thing people have done to hurt her.

The condition starts taking effect in adolescence. For her, it began when she was fourteen years old. On the day she started remembering everything, she watched an old movie in school that had her entranced: The Phantom of the Opera.

This man, this being known only as Erik, as she soon discovered upon further research, had the same condition she did. And the more she knew about him, the more she empathized with and emulated him. She felt like it was destiny that she discovered him on that particular day. From then on she began calling herself simply Erika and devoted her life to studying everything that he did. As she became an adult, she found a new identity for herself in this world of fairy tale codenames....

The Phantomess of the Opera

Even before her ability blossomed, she'd always been rather different and a bit of a loner. Not out of wanting to be, but it just always turned out that way. So this interest, which soon became a total obsession, only fascilitated this way of life until it was what she craved. Like Erik, she too would live alone and despise the world that let itself go to ruins. Erika used her books and movies about the Phantom as a blueprint for her own life, fleeing to the theater and picking up where her mentor left off.

It was easy enough, really, since it had been done before. With all the necessary information provided for her, Erika let history repeat itself. The manager of the theater thought it was a laughable joke at first. The Phantomess of the Opera indeed. It wasn't even an opera house! They did perform operas from time to time, but the lineup was a mixture of everything from plays to musicals and sometimes operas. Yes, it was a good laugh for the first month. The weekly warning put a smile on his face and he threw the envelope and wax seal away. Until the "accidents" began.

At first the accidents were harmless and the show went on. Props and costumes were misplaced, make-up was switched around, little things like that. Then it steadily worsened until sections of or even entire productions had to be canceled as actors and all understudies lost their voice or went ill only to regain health immediately after showtime. After two months of not a single production going according to plan because of the Phantomess's interference in one way or another, the manager finally gave in to her reasonable proposal. Every month Erika is paid 2,000 and box five is reserved at all times. In exchange he receives a red rose and flawless productions.

Theater attendence is higher than ever as people crowd in to try and catch a glimpse of the infamous Phantomess. Stagehands and chorus girls alike tell stories of a beautiful young woman who roams the halls in the dark of the night. Show quality has gone up significantly too as Erika will accept nothing less than perfection in her theater. Any hesitation to comply with her directions is answered with "accidents" and certain failure.

WEAPONS:
-Punjab Lasso
-Sword
-Arachnids (Yes, real ones.)
-Harmful concoctions in viles (The stuff that'll make your voice croak or even kill you in one sip.)

ABILITIES:
Because of her gift/curse of remembering everything, Erika is a genius. Though she can learn anything, and almost anything interests her, she does have specific fields that she focuses on. Her obsession with the Phantom drove her to devote her life to mastering all that he did, to become all that he was. Due to years of practice, she is a master ventriloquist and can expertly wield a lasso and sword. Her studies also include a detailed knowledge of arachnids, herbal remedies and toxins, as well as magic (the magician kind), archetecture, and above all: music. Erika was also born extremely nimble. She can get around quite athletically and often without making so much as a sound.

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