#Cloudia Phantomhive

[vvyvernicus]

Cloudiataker 💀💙⚰️

Is this technically a crack ship since we've never had an official Cloudia appearance outside of mentions?

Anyway, I really love this ship. It's got that forbidden love aspect to it. And it clearly ended in tragedy as Cloudia died young. It makes me wonder how these two met and fell in love, and all the aspects of their relationship.

[truedarkhunter]

Counterpoint: Undertaker not with Cloudia

While many people, including ones I respect, are fond of the Cloudia and Undertaker pairing, I can't quite get behind it. I don't hate it, mind you, but looking at things both in the period and in the story setting, it kind of doesn't work for me. Here's some of why. 1. Humans are fireflies. Undertaker is one of the oldest, and would have the least connection to the human world. Hence he finds the stage of human life "absurd". He watches it as a play while attempting to stay detached. While some of the Reapers do dally with humans (Grelle in her macaroni get-up in The Story of Will the Reaper, and Ron flirting with a girl in Book of the Atlantic), they aren't long-term things. Reapers have too much to do to easily maintain such relationships and what do you do when someone wants to ask questions like "where do you live?" and "what do you do for a living?" These are some basic things people want to know quickly to assess your social status. Not only can Reapers not easily answer those questions, when they can get away to see someone (lover or no), it could be a month later or more. When they don't have a clear answer for their absences, like being in the military or a deep sea fisherman, it would be hard to wait for such a person. If Undertaker knew Cloudia from when she was a little girl, would he really see her as a woman? Wouldn't that feel weird, like Jacob from Twilight level weird? I kind of think he'd just have the affection and desire to watch over and protect Cloudia throughout her life if he formed a bond with a bright, little girl who didn't see him as scary or creepy, but rather funny and kind. She might have been the reason he discovered the value of laughter. That would be a greater gift. 2. Virginity was still a goal in Victorian times. Remaining a virgin until death was still a goal, especially with the influence of the Catholic church. You wanted to enter Heaven pure. Those who did got a special crown. With Reapers being in Purgatory already, some may wonder if it's wise to get involved with anyone when the goal is to get out of there.

3. It would ruin Cloudia. Virginity was also important to be able to marry well, as having dalliances before marriage could kill a good match. Undertaker was not her social equal. Even if he could have vied for her hand, he couldn't have offered her the life she deserved, and people would definitely have talked. If she had a relationship with him outside of marriage, it could alter her life - i.e. alter the course of human events by keeping her from the life that was originally planned. That would not be a good thing for Undertaker to do to someone he claimed to care for, nor would it be wise given how the Grim Reaper Association might come down on him. Unrequited love? Absolutely! Feeling friendship or a kinship to the girl who then died at 36, causing him to reach the point of wondering what his own life and efforts amounted to? Sure! Getting romantic with someone when you know that giving into your passions would only hurt them, especially when you know that in 5 minutes (to you) their desires will calm down or they will be married off and those emotions can find purchase elsewhere? Not so much. That isn't love, just desire. 4. Demons don't eat Reaper souls. Neither Sebastian nor Claude showed any interest in munching on Reapers, so something fundamentally shifted in them. So even if humans and Reapers can have kids, how would that have affected Vincent and Francis? Is one of them a half-Reaper? How would Heaven and Hell treat that soul after their life ended? (Angels and humans together produced Nephilim, would the Grim Reaper Association even allow such a pregnancy to reach full term? Would the other Powers That Be?) How would that soul get judged or sorted? While having Ciel be a quarter Reaper is a fun concept it also comes with a severe complication. 5. It ruins the story. The whole premise of Black Butler is about the pact between a DEMON and a HUMAN. If Ciel was 1/4 Reaper, i.e. inedible stuff, why would that pact even form? (Let's face it, he'd be like a dog dropping sandwich. No matter how little dog dropping is in it, you don't want it anymore.) What special powers would it confer? It certainly robs the tale of the struggle that makes it poignant if Ciel isn't really a fallible mortal like everyone else. His choice to walk the road not taken and giving everyone else a glimpse into a Faustian pact where instead of pleasure and power, the maker of the pact wants revenge is what makes it interesting. If Ciel isn't fully human, maybe the pact can't be properly formed in the first place. It can undo the very premise of the show, and that makes it not fun. I like it more for an AU concept than the main one. This tale is a tragedy. We are about to see it play out as a version of Hamlet. I'm more wondering who will be the one(s) left to report that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Let's see if we get to learn Cloudia's fate. I DO suspect her death, and her close ties to the Undertaker, undid the best Reaper of the association and set him on the path of ending death itself so no one had to die anymore so he might find his own end/peace. And realize, if you do like the Cloudia/Undertaker ship, good on you. I'm still going to read posts and fan-fics about them and get some popcorn. The idea is intriguing, but comes with a lot of plot holes that I need to see filled to fully get behind the match. That said, if anyone can fill holes in plots, it certainly would be Undertaker. Ciao!

[abybweisse]

I know this headcanon is a very rare one to see in this fanbase and that exactly why I want to share it, but I personally have a lot of fun reading Undertaker as asexual! I think he would be sex-favorable and very romantic towards his partners (or past partners I guess) but still asexual. I love to see how other people headcanon him as well but this is one that I never see and if I had to guess I would say that's probably because so much of the fanbase has the hots for him hahah

Undertaker's sexual identity?

My main reason for not thinking of Undertaker as asexual is because it's very important to my theories that he fathers Vincent and Francis/Frances with grandma Phantomhive. And I doubt he'd have sex with her (or anyone) without wanting to. Forcing himself to have kids with a human just for the point of pissing off the royal family doesn't seem like a strong enough argument.

I guess you could say he's sex-favorable -- how is this considered asexual? -- and just passively accepts an offer from her, but I don't see him that way.

[cedric-k-rossignol]

In trying to explain to a friend the plot of black butler via the iceberg meme, I've become so convinced that I've figured out Cedric K. Ros-'s (aka Undertaker's) last name that I've rejoined this site to scream into the void.

At least, I haven't been able to find anything on the English/French speaking internet suggesting this theory has been floated before.

Placing my bets now that Undertaker's last name is Rossignol, the French word for nightingale. 

Of course, this is assuming you subscribe to the Cedric K. Ros- = Undertaker = Undertaker x Cloudia affair = Grandtaker pipeline. And, that you think he is of French/Breton origin (more specifically, I think he's from Plouha, Brittany...but that's a different post). 

Important to note that dates and numbers are important in Black Butler's story, both within the fictional narrative and in connection to real historical events (emphasized with the first arc lining up with the actual 'Jack the Ripper' murders). Some examples of this;

1819 is the year in which the real Queen Victoria (and her cousin-husband Prince Albert) were born. 1819 is also the year in which the name 'Cedric' first appears in the novel 'Ivanhoe'. Within the story, this is also right around the time that reaper 136649 attacks Reaper HQ.

1837 is the year in which the real Queen Victoria ascended the throne. In Black Butler, this is year in which Molly G., the first chronological locket on Undertaker's chain, died. 1837 would also be right around the time that Undertaker is noted as having absconded with his death scythe, officially deserting the organization...20 years after a workplace shooting (he must be union).

Vincent Phantomhive is born on Friday June 13th, 1851. Cloudia Phantomhive dies on Friday July 13th, 1866. She is 36 years old when she dies. If you believe that Undertaker's reaper serial number 136649 means he died in the year 1366 (an interesting time period in Brittany, what with the Breton War of Succession, the Hundred Years War, the Black Death...), this would mean Cloudia dies 500 years after he unalives himself.

Prince Albert dies on December 14th, 1861, in the real world. The Phantomhive twins are born on December 14th, 1875 - the 14th anniversary of Prince Albert's death. Vincent is 24 years old when he becomes a father. The manor is attacked on December 14th, 1885 - the 24th anniversary of Prince Albert's death. Vincent is 34 years old when he dies. There's speculation that the story will end on Friday December 13th, 1889 - the twin's last day of being 13 years old, before they turn 14 years old on December 14th, 1889, the 4th anniversary of the attack on the manor.

TLDR, dates matching up with historical events/publications is not coincidental. Yana pays attention to her numbers.

Now, back to Cedric K. Ros-

I've read speculation that the 'Ros-' must have something to do with roses, since Phantomhives are so often associated with roses (and their thorns). Guess what little bird is very commonly associated with roses? Whose song is often associated with melancholy, longing, and mourning? Who so often seems to unalive themselves on thorns?  

"the nightingale...can also be seen to provide a link to something, opening out onto something beyond the self. Heard but not seen, the nightingale represents an intangible presence; a longing that can be either terribly earthly, in the guise of sexual desire, or soaringly spiritual, as when the nightingale represents the soul, rising above."

Some fun facts about nightingales;

Female nightingales are mute, only male nightingales sing - though historically people thought the opposite, so many of the nightingales in literature are female.

It is one of the only birds that sing throughout the night (name means 'night singer').

In Persian poetry, the nightingale is a symbol of a lover who is "eloquent, passionate, and doomed to love in vain" - the object of their affections is the rose, which "embodies both the perfection of earthly beauty and the arrogance of that perfection."

The oldest appearance of nightingales in literature goes back to the myth of Philomela, who was turned into a nightingale by the Gods.

In Shakespeare's poem 'Lucrece', the titular character is inspired to commit suicide when a nightingale leans their breast against a thorn to inspire a song and ward off sleep.

The nightingale also makes an appearance in Shakespeare's 'Romeo & Juliet', when Juliet mistakes the song of a lark for that of a nightingale.

I have read a ridiculous amount of poetry about nightingales recently (there is a lot of it), but I'm going to focus on one Breton piece from the middle ages and two English pieces from the 19th century because they have the most relevant dates (which as previously mentioned, are important).

Laüstic

There is the Breton lai 'Laüstic', composed in the late 12th century by Marie de France (Laüstic' is the Breton word for rossignol/nightingale). Breton lais are a form of medieval French romance literature that often involve supernatural and fairy-world Celtic elements.

"In most of Marie de France’s Lais, love is associated with suffering, and over half of them involve an adulterous relationship... In Marie's Lais, "love always involves suffering and frequently ends in grief, even when the love itself is approved."" 

The lais of Marie de France explore courtly love, a popular theme in medieval literature that began with Troubadour poetry in southern France in the 11th century.

"The courtly lover existed to serve his lady. His love was invariably adulterous, marriage at that time being usually the result of business interest or the seal of a power alliance. Ultimately, the lover saw himself as serving the all-powerful god of love and worshipping his lady-saint. Faithlessness was the mortal sin...The courtly lover, while displaying the same outward signs of passion, was fired by respect for his lady."

Basically, courtly love emphasized the importance of a man's respect and devotion to their lover, and I don't think anyone could doubt Undertaker's devotion to his cause.

Sidenote: I think the French story 'Floire et Blancheflor', one of the oldest and most popular romances of the middle ages, is also incredibly relevant to Undertaker & Cloudia's love story. It also explores this concept of 'courtly love' (involving a fake tomb, a prince disguised as a merchant, and an attempted suicide, no less)...and the flowers associated with the lovers are red roses and white lilies...But I digress.

A plot summary of 'Laustic' from Wikipedia: 

Two knights live in adjoining houses, in the vicinity of Saint-Malo in Brittany; one is married and one lives as a bachelor. The wife of the married knight enters into a secret relationship with the other knight, but their contact is limited to conversation and the exchange of small gifts, since a "high wall made of dark stone" separates the two households. Typically, the lady rises at night, once her husband is asleep, and goes to the window to converse with her lover; whenever her lover is home, she is kept under close watch.  Her suspicious husband demands to know why she spends her nights at the window, and she says she does so to listen to the nightingale sing. He mocks her, and orders his servants to capture the nightingale. When it is caught he brings it to the lady's chambers, denying her requests to release the bird. Instead, he breaks its neck and throws it at her, "bloodying the front of her tunic just a bit above her breasts". After he leaves, the lady mourns the bird's death and the suffering she must accept, knowing she can no longer be at the window at night. She wraps the nightingale's body in silk, and embroidered with writing in gold thread, and charges her servant to deliver the bird and her message to her lover, who, in response, preserves the nightingale in a reliquary, a small vessel which he has encased with small jewels and precious stones, and carries it with him always. 

From the Wikipedia on reliquaries;

"A reliquary (also referred to as a shrine, by the French term châsse, and historically also referred to as a phylactery) is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a fereter, and a chapel in which it is housed a feretory or feretery."    "Relics may be the purported or actual physical remains of saints...The term is sometimes used loosely for containers for the body parts of non-religious figures; in particular, the kings of France often specified that their hearts and sometimes other organs be buried in a different location from their main burial."    "In Buddhism, stupas are an important form of a reliquary and may be buried inside larger structures such as a stupa or chorten." 

Interesting, because the wooden grave markers Undertaker carries/uses to conceal his death scythe are considered to be a variant of stupa (as far as I can tell). The grave markers are sotoba inscribed with sutra - also interesting to note that in Japan, nightingales are considered a religious bird because "its song is reminiscent of the intonation of a Buddhist sutra", which in turn ties into the Buddhist prayer beads he wears around his neck.

The concept of reliquaries is somewhat similar to that of mourning lockets, especially if you consider that in the context of courtly love Undertaker was whipped likely worshipped the ground Cloudia walked on and would have treated her like a saint (good for her).

"Reliquaries are decorative vessels, often in the form of a hand, cranium, or other body part that contain the fragment of a saint or someone of holy importance. Some fragments could include remnants of a garment worn by the individual or even a piece of bone that was part of their body."

A famous reliquary is the Holy Thorn Reliquary, commissioned in late 14th century France by John, Duke of Berry (this dude has relevance to Brittany and the Hundred Years War) to house a relic of the crown of thorns.

"The jewels, which would have been keenly appreciated by contemporary viewers, include two large sapphires, one above God the Father at the very top of the reliquary, where it may have represented heaven, and the other below Christ, on which the thorn is mounted."

Sapphires and a crown of thorns are not new symbols in this story - imma leave it at that because I'm getting off topic and this is already ridiculously long.

The Nightingale and The Rose

The short story The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde (snake's snakes) was published in the book of bedtime stories The Happy Prince and Other Tales in May 1888 (which lines up pretty closely with when the first chapter of the manga takes place). This is a bleak tale about the selfless and sacrificial nature of true love.

But the Tree cried to the Nightingale to press closer against the thorn. ‘Press closer, little Nightingale,’ cried the Tree, ‘or the Day will come before the rose is finished.   So the Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and the thorn touched her heart, and a fierce pang of pain shot through her. Bitter, bitter was the pain, and wilder and wilder grew her song, for she sang of the Love that is perfected by Death, of the Love that dies not in the tomb.  And the marvelous rose became crimson, like the rose of the eastern sky. Crimson was the girdle of petals, and crimson as a ruby was the heart.  But the Nightingale's voice grew fainter, and her little wings began to beat, and a film came over her eyes. Fainter and fainter grew her song, and she felt something choking her in her throat.  Then she gave one last burst of music. The white Moon heard it, and she forgot the dawn, and lingered on in the sky. The red rose heard it, and it trembled all over with ecstasy, and opened its petals to the cold morning air. Echo bore it to her purple cavern in the hills, and woke the sleeping shepherds from their dreams. It floated through the reeds of the river, and they carried its message to the sea.  'Look, look!' cried the Tree, 'the rose is finished now;' but the Nightingale made no answer, for she was lying dead in the long grass, with the thorn in her heart.  

The emphasis on the nightingale's song also brought to mind the Mother 3 theory and the importance of the music in that game - and the idea that the last names of Undertaker's lockets make a chord progression. IDK that much about Mother 3, so I can't say if there are any other further parallels to draw.

Also who would read this to a child as a bedtime story???

Undertaker. Undertaker would totally read this to Ciel as a bedtime story, who am I kidding.

An Ode to a Nightingale

Finally, there is the poem "An Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats (another one of snake's snakes). 

There is a clear theme of death in this poem, and of life after death/immortality. There is also a sense of longing for death, of the relief death brings - very relevant for all reapers.

My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk: 'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot, But being too happy in thine happiness,— That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees In some melodious plot Of beechen green, and shadows numberless, Singest of summer in full-throated ease.

The first stanza mentions 'Lethe', which is one of five rivers in the Greek underworld. "The shades of the dead were required to drink the waters of the Lethe in order to forget their earthly life. In the Aeneid, Virgil writes that it is only when the dead have had their memories erased by the Lethe that they may be reincarnated."

Afaik the only reaper to reference their previous life is Sascha, and there weren't many specifics. This could just be because speaking of their human life is painful, given they all made the choice to end it...Or is it possible HQ alters their memories?

O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been Cool'd a long age in the deep-delved earth, Tasting of Flora and the country green, Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!

The reference to Provencal song is once again a reference to the concept of courtly love (seen in Laustic) that began with Troubadour poetry in Provence, France in the 11th century.

Already with thee! tender is the night,   And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,  Cluster'd around by all her starry Fays;  But here there is no light,  Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown  Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways. 

Stars and heaven reference (Astre/Sirius & Ciel), and a reference to the moon as in the Oscar Wilde story... The Queen Moon, on her throne...

I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,  Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,  But, in embalmed darkness, guess each sweet  Wherewith the seasonable month endows  The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;  White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;  Fast fading violets cover'd up in leaves;  And mid-May's eldest child,  The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,  The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves. 

A reference to May (we will come back to this), to musk-roses (symbolizes 'capricious beauty'), and to 'the murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves'. As previously mentioned, Cloudia dies in July...

Darkling I listen; and, for many a time  I have been half in love with easeful Death,  Call'd him soft names in many a mused rhyme,  To take into the air my quiet breath;  Now more than ever seems it rich to die,  To cease upon the midnight with no pain,  While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad  In such an ecstasy!  Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain—  To thy high requiem become a sod. 

The suicidal ideation is strong here.

Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird! No hungry generations tread thee down; The voice I hear this passing night was heard In ancient days by emperor and clown: Perhaps the self-same song that found a path Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home, She stood in tears amid the alien corn; The same that oft-times hath Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.

Immortality. The last few lines immediately brought to mind the theory that Undertaker drowned himself.

The last stanza has the poet bidding 'Adieu' - the French word for goodbye forever which translates literally as 'until God'. Gotta love how dramatic the French are.

Forlorn! the very word is like a bell To toll me back from thee to my sole self! Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well As she is fam'd to do, deceiving elf. Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades Past the near meadows, over the still stream, Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep In the next valley-glades: Was it a vision, or a waking dream? Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?

From Wikipedia: 

"The nightingale described experiences a type of death but does not actually die. Instead, the songbird is capable of living through its song, which is a fate that humans cannot expect. The poem ends with an acceptance that pleasure cannot last and that death is an inevitable part of life." 

And here's the thing...Keats composed this poem in one day after a nightingale built its nest near his home. Specifically, he wrote it in one day of May, 1819 - the same month and year in which Queen Victoria was born. 

The rest might be me just grasping at straws but the connection to Queen Victoria's birth is what I find most convincing, since Yana has seemingly already sourced Cedric's first name from literature in 1819. I think the setting/plot of the novel 'Ivanhoe' and her name choice of 'Cedric' reveals a lot about Undertaker's past and his motivations, and I think the same could hold true for his last name. I am convinced his name is Cedric K. Rossignol.

God only knows what the 'K.' stands for.

[secretanimeart]

cloudia phantomhive ✨️

[tothelasthoursofmylife]

Saw someone pointing it out and went to look myself to see if there's more and yes, we're so getting Ch85 animated! Cloudia mention in the anime, here we come!!!

(The screenshots are from the Behind the Scenes video with Director Kenjiro Okada!)

[0the-duchess0]

Has anyone else noticed...

That Vincent Phantomhive has a rather stoic and sometimes even cynical look on bonds, especiallty those of (romantic) love?

So much so, that even Diedrich, his fag, questions if Vincent really understands or is capable of certain types of love? Is there something he knows about Vincent when it comes to love that we don't?

Furthermore, while undertaker was at his castle, he made a pretty obvious remark about the uniquie anatomy of humans, which doesn't even bother Diedrich in the slightest. Does Diedrich know Undertaker's true nature?

And what exactly is the bond between Vincent and Undertaker? They seem really close. Closer than the standard evil nobleman and his informant. I know a lot of people are on the "Undertaker is Vincent's father" boat, and there's a lot that checks out on that suspicion (the main event being Undertaker having that locket of Claudia Phantomhive) but.... Why would father and son sit the way they do in the picture below?

Let me know your thoughts...

[goraesang2]

The two male characters I've fallen in love with the most in my life.

They share the keyword Death and Silver Hair, and they are crazy with different feelings. And love how they drove them because of their loss for their beloved woman(Claudia.P & Marika).

[warmmilk-n-honey]

Cloudia Phantomhive probably

[cloudiateika]

3 Levihan fanfic artists I love so much

Disclaimer: I do not own the artwork and have not asked permission to Repost their work, so I will be linking and watermarking their works

Mamiya Tsukiko

Her LeviHan Fanarts are just 💋👌.

I first saw her work in Smut Doujinshi then after some searching, I found her Pixiv account and her Twitter. Here's a link to her profile card that has the links to all her socials. Highly Recommend you check out her work!

drinkyourfuckingmilk

Her LeviHan Fanarts are not just Fanarts but interesting comedic writing, it's very much a fan parody, the kind every levihan Cultist would eat up in a heart beat.

According to her Instagram, her name is Sophie. Her Tumblr page full of illustrations from as early as 2015.

helenaverse au aot

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the author at all, just that these comics were originally in Spanish and was compiled in Wattpad. Another person translated those work and also compiled in the same platform but is now long deleted. But fortunately for us, it is available in Pinterest!

[shinigami-mistress]

Claudia Phantomhive

I just wanted to draw something different.

[vvyvernicus]

Still thinking about them. I know that they aren't even confirmed canon, but this song is a soft headcanon for their relationship.

Really like the line "Start a new line on this family tree." On the family tree, it shows both children coming from Cloudia, since her and Undertaker couldn't have been officially married.

[blackbutlercharacterpoll2023]

Cloudia Phantomhive

[abybweisse]

Why is Rachel considered a masculin charecter?

Rachel's "masculine" character

That seems to be a common misunderstanding within the fandom, which I also fell victim to for a while. I think it stems from the English fan translation (perhaps even the French licensed translation?) about her in the Character Guide.

Yana-san tried to clear that up a while later, like in tweets or something, but it's still a pervasive misconception.

What Yana-san was trying to say is that Rachel is a strong-willed woman, much like Vincent says of the Phantomhive women. In "With Father" he was mostly talking about his sister and mother, but he probably chose to marry a woman who shares many of the same characteristics.

Rachel doesn't have the strongest physical health, given her severe asthma, but she's clearly (per the Character Guide and Vincent) the disciplinarian in the family, not Vincent. And we've seen her take charge of a situation when Vincent didn't know what to do or say (when real Ciel says he doesn't want to become earl anymore). She's also canonically the one who names the boys, since Vincent says so, explaining to the real Vicar Rathbone that he's no good with choosing names and that Rachel named their own sons.

She's also got a rather raunchy sense of humor (grabbing her little sister's boobs and being openly envious of her for her endowments). Madam Red might have developed her own naughty sense of humor partly influenced by Rachel's.

Idk exactly how the original Japanese words it in the Character Guide, but at least one translation came up with "masculine" to describe her personality. Like I said above, the fandom -- including me -- ran with it. I haven't deleted the old posts I made about it, but there should be reblogs or comments or both on some of the old posts, where I try to clear up the confusion. And there should be some newer posts, like this one, where I explain the misunderstanding.

Rachel's strong-willed and not particularly demure, with her occasionally raunchy and scathing wit. She takes charge of situations when her husband isn't sure what to do. She's the one who spanks the children when they misbehave, and so they fear her more than their father. Some would call this "masculine" of her... and that's possibly how the misunderstanding came about in the first place. She doesn't 100% fit gender norms of the Victorian era. But then again, who truly did?

Personally, I find characters who fit 100% to some stereotype to be one-sided and boring. Rachel strikes me as an interesting, multifaceted character. And we still hardly even know her....

[cedric-k-rossignol]

'Floire et Blancheflor' - Medieval French Inspiration for Undertaker & Cloudia (Part 2)

Part 1

Floire et Blancheflor is a romance originating from late 12th century France. It is one of the most popular romance stories from roughly 1200-1350 , and was translated into several different languages during that time. The story varies slightly based on the culture of the translation, but it revolves around the forbidden romance between the son of a pagan/saracen/Muslim king, Floire ("who belongs to the flower"), and the daughter of a Christian noblewoman, Blancheflor ("white flower").

Within the story, the lovers are represented with roses and lilies. Roses are strongly associated with the Phantomhive family, and white lilies are strongly associated with Undertaker.

Part 2 – Flowers and A Fake Funeral and A Lion Pit

So in Part 1 we covered how Floire and Blancheflor were born on the same day, Palm Sunday, and how I think both Undertaker and Cloudia were born on the 'same day', Holy Monday (albeit, 500 years apart).

The two children are raised together. Floire is intensely loyal to Blancheflor and refuses to be parted from her, so she is even allowed to receive the same education as him. As the children reach a marriageable age, the King and Queen worry that Floire will refuse to wed anyone but Blancheflor, who is an unsuitable match for the Prince (mainly due to their difference in religion, but also because her mother is essentially a slave). Their attempts to separate the pair fail as Floire grows despondent without Blancheflor at his side.

But naught he heard, and naught he saw, Joyless without his sweet Blancheflor. Much he heard, but little he learned; Scant understanding sorrow earned; Love within his mind, from the start Had planted a tree within his heart,

The King's solution is to behead the girl (why is it that plan A is always to behead the woman???), but the Queen convinces him to sell her into slavery instead. Brilliant. They sell her to merchants destined for Babylon, for 'seven times her weight in gold' and a beautiful gold cup once owned by Aenaes, elaborately engraved with scenes from Paris and Helen of Troy. Score! (This cup is actually important and holds a lot of symbolism in the story). Realizing their son is probably going to be pissed that they sold his girlfriend, they decide to build a tomb in the garden and tell him she died. And no expense is spared in this farse of a funeral!

On the tomb, in gold, cast with care, Were two children, tender and fair; No eye saw ever, wrought in gold, Such fine likenesses, e’en of old. One of the two seemed Floire, and naught A closer likeness could have caught. The other cast was fashioned too Like fair Blancheflor, the likeness true. And the image of fair Blancheflor Held out a single flower, before Floire, her true love; there it did hold, That lovely form, a rose of gold. Floire too held, before his face, A lily of pure gold, in place.

In the story, Floire is represented by the red rose, and Blancheflor (meaning literally 'White Flower') by a white lily. On Blancheflor's tomb, they are each depicted as holding the flower that represents the other; in 'death' Blancheflor holds the rose, while Floire keeps the lily.

Phantomhives are strongly associated with roses – usually white roses. White roses during the Victorian era became an incredibly popular choice for bridal bouquets, signifying the purity and innocence of the bride (Queen Victoria began this trend by having a bridal bouquest of white roses at her wedding in 1840…Undertaker suddenly likes the flower a lot less).

Red roses pretty much universally represent romantic love and passion (though in the case of the Virgin Mary, red roses represent her love for God)

Undertaker's flower is predominantly the white lily, which is a symbol of purity, innocence, sorrow, and loss, and therefore commonly seen at funerals (such at the funeral of Madam Red and at Mary Jane Kelly's gravesite in chapter 13).

Lilies are also associated with Easter (the whole Palm Sunday, named for the flowers of the day thing) and therefore with resurrection. Easter, as I mentioned in Part 1, is associated with Undertaker via the timeline of the Campania Arc, the crown of thorns on his death scythe, his obsession with reviving the dead, and if my theory is correct, his and Cloudia's shared birthdate of Holy Monday, Undertaker's in 1331 and Cloudia's in 1830.

Nothing like choking your grandson at a hooker's funeral, am I right fellas?

Lilies are also featured on the chapter cover of Chapter 13. Lilies (and what appears to be feathers...) adorn Ciel's top hat as he puckers up to a skull wearing a crown of thorns and roses (and a few feathers) and a decaying veil. I'm getting wedding vibes here, personally. Initially, my impression of this was Ciel courting death as his bride - but then, there's this combo of flowers cropping up again. The bride adorned with roses, the groom sporting lilies. Worth noting that the ring Ciel is pictured as wearing is on his middle finger - he wears his signet ring on this finger, on his right hand, even though here it is pictured as being his left hand. He usually wears his sapphire ring on his left hand - and this is also of course the hand that traditionally a wedding ring is worn on.

Also is it just me or does Ciel look... different, here. Drawn a little differently than usual? Something about the hair being shaggier, the eyes being heavier? Maybe I'm just imagining it...

A selection of crosses (and scissors, and maybe a key?) hang from Ciel's decaying bustle, which brought to mind this chapter cover from Chapter 54. Crosses hang from Undertaker's clothing (which seems to be a fancier version of his usual cassock) as he dances with a skeleton laced up with ribbons and roses, who also wears a crown of thorns.

White lilies are also associated with the Virgin Mary, in addition to red roses. Where red roses represent her love for God, white lilies represent her purity (not just sexual purity, but purity of one's soul). Good thing too, cause Undertaker's hand placement leaves me with some doubt as to the sexual purity of that skeleton. In The Old Testament, the lily represents hope and renewal (going back to resurrection), and also a bride's love for her partner.

Back to Floire -

They engrave on the empty tomb in pure gold - ‘Within this tomb lies fair Blancheflor, She whom Floire did greatly adore.’ - and plant an ebony tree above it that immediately sprouts white flowers. Ebony is one of the most expensive woods in the world (the tree does not actually sprout white flowers irl), and was traditionally used to make black chess pieces (chess makes another appearance later on).

At the head of that tomb, a tree Was planted, beautiful to see; Lovely it was, and in full leaf, With flowers fair beyond belief, Springing from every branch also, And all were fresh, and white as snow.

Floire returns, and Blancheflor's mother breaks the (fake) bad news and tells him that 'her death was for love of you'. Geez. Floire reacts badly to this – shocking, I know – and becomes suicidal.

My soul my love’s will now pursue, In Elysian Fields; seek me anew, Where I now go to seek my flower, For Love holds us yet in his power. Swiftly, I go where she has gone, For, swift as I can, I follow on. And soon her love my love shall see; In Elysium, where she waits for me.’

Elysium is a concept of the Greek afterlife, separated from Hades by the river Lethe, where the righteous and good go to live a happy and blessed afterlife. The river Lethe is also referenced in the poem 'An Ode to a Nightingale' written by John Keats in 1819, which I discussed in my theory of Undertaker/Cedric's last name being Rossignol.

Anyways, my guy Floire decides to commit suicide by lion. Metal as hell. You know that panel in the manga where all the different methods of suicide the reapers have used are referenced? Imagine one of them just being a lion mauling somebody to death. Wild.

...Except the lions are actually big pussycats who just lick his hands until the panicked king sends servants to pull him out of the pit. Floire is brought before the king, at which point Floire pulls out a silver dagger that had been given to him as a gift by Blancheflor, and makes to stab himself with it.

‘My silver dagger, ready, there, To set an end to this affair, She gave you as a gift, that I Would remember her, and thereby Might do her good service, but now I must go to her; such my vow. Blancheflor, one might rightly say: Too long have I prolonged my stay.’

The queen stays his hand by convincing Floire that he will go to hell if he kills himself, I.e. not Elysium. This references the (horrible) idea that suicide is an unforgivable sin. In Black Butler, the 'punishment' for this 'blasphemy' results in becoming a reaper. Honestly I get incredibly emotional when I remember all the reapers we've met were at one point so desperate for relief that they resorted to taking their own life, and are now being punished for it. It's heartbreaking.

The Queen then begs the King to reconsider allowing Floire to marry Blancheflor, and to tell him the truth of the matter, or else they will lose their only remaining living child out of 12. Holy crap, these people suck as parents. Maybe get rid of the lion pit guys? Just an idea.

Anyways, the king relents, and they break open the tomb to prove to Floire that it's empty.

He quit the tomb, his feet he found;   His love lay not beneath that ground; Thanks, he gave to the Lord above, Knowing that she still lived, his love. He swore no effort he would spare, But would search for her, everywhere. He claimed he’d find the maid one day, No matter how wild and harsh the way. And then he would return with her, In great joy, no more to suffer. The joy he felt made him forget The labour of finding her, as yet.

The breaking open of the tomb brings to mind the story of St Thomas, one of the 12 apostles, who broke open the tomb of the Mother Mary only to find it filled with red roses and white lilies.

Floire gathers a crew to set out and find Blancheflor. The king gives him a half red half white horse with a saddle made of blue whalebone. Very inconspicuous. The queen meanwhile, gifts Floire with a magic ring.

Interesting. Very interesting. More on that in part 3.

[eemoo1o-animoo]

I have this image of Cloudia in my head of like… her lifting up her enormous dress-skirt and stomping awkwardly over a marshy area, either probably scowling depending on the context and for the strain, with a ‘puff’ of air illustrated from her mouth… it’s very exact but I feel like half of her life was just fighting against all her extravagant poofy dresses