#I mean soma did say he want to become ciel's agni

[bihastuff]

What do you mean ??? My boy soma was going to die 😭

[another-kshit-blog]

You've heard of dadbastian (and mombastian). Now get ready for...

Literal dadbastian. I haven't seen the anime, but I've seen a lot of posts about it, and I know that Sebastian fucks a nun who later shows up very pregnant and that Ciel becomes a demon at the end of season 2 somehow.

Well what if Ciel finds out about it and demands that Sebastian take responsibility and raise his own spawn?

I mean they can't just leave half-demons running around causing havoc so Sebastian better take over caring for them. I'm imagining it's a girl-boy set of twins because I think there are triplet demons in the anime, so I'm saying demons are prone to multiples in anime canon. (Also I couldn't decide if a boy or a girl would be better so why not both.)

Sebastian would drop at least 5 respect levels in the eyes of the other servants for siring bastards (I don't think servants were even allowed to marry without their master's approval back then?) and Mey Rin is devastated and her crush on him is killed forever, but they all grow fond of the kids. And the kids are clearly Sebastian's, they look just like him. Only Bard is the one who ever notices that they seem to to developing abnormally fast, they are talking and running around already? Of course Lizzie loves dressing them up and thinks they are the cutest things ever. Lady Midford takes them as another example of Sebastian's disgrace but she doesn't blame the kids for it at all, it's not their fault, and she has a soft spot for them as well, despite still loathing their father.

They are little terrors and are often found clinging to Sebastian's coattails or biting him. They love Ciel and think he's their "big brother" and cling all over him too, and no matter how many times they're told to call him "young master" it just doesn't get through to them, like he's a demon and they're (half) demons so he must be their big brother? They once asked if him being their big brother meant Sebastian was Ciel's papa too and while Sebastian thought it was funny it did not go over well with Ciel. Ciel acts fed up with them most of the time and is always telling Sebastian "control your children!" when they're clinging to the earl or biting him but he's actually fiercely protective of them. Even after they grow up they still look at eternally 13 Ciel as their big brother, which leads to hilarious situations, like Ciel warning boys away from his "little" sister who appears older than him.

Soma and Agni love them as well and Soma is always trying to get them to call him big bro but they just won't, and Agni is shocked when he first sees them because why would Sebastian do something so unbecoming of a servant as sire bastards? He quickly says that children are a blessing from Shiva or whoever and that parenting is a sacred duty and Ciel is always quietly smirking to himself when Agni goes on about how children are innocent and what little angels they are. They love Agni and call him uncle because in their minds he's an honorary demon as well, and this just makes Soma upset becae he really wants them to call him big bro.

Even long after the humans have passed on the four stay together as a unit, and even though the twins are adults Sebastian and Ciel still treat them like teenagers, saying stuff like don't be back too late, or are you really wearing that, or who are you going to be with, do I know them? And just being silly and overprotective. If Sebastian tells them no they go to Ciel because he may act abrasive but he really can't deny them, which has led to arguments and weeks of glaring demon silence between the two.

[plague-of-insomnia]

Interesting post! I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like it.

As for how Ciel is different—ofc we cannot know yet exactly what this may mean, but I have my own theories.

I think Yana has shown consistently throughout the manga that as cold hearted and merciless as Ciel can be, he also has a big heart— he cares about people even if he doesn’t always want to admit it. He will often put others first ahead of himself. (Granted, he knows he has Sebastian protecting his life, but even so.)

For example, repeatedly in the Campania arc, Ciel puts others ahead— he sends Sebastian to check on the midfords, he stays behind to help Lizzy (even stripping off her frock to save her life), he tells Snake to go ahead—and later gives him his place on the life boat.

It would have been extraordinarily uncommon for a noble of his station in this time period to give a footman his place on the lifeboat. I’m kinda disappointed that we didn’t get to see Snake have to recall all the small kindnesses Ciel did for him at the end 😥.

I also firmly believe that Ciel tried to push Soma (Agni) away to protect him, which is what makes the attack and Agni’s death all the more heartbreaking.

Ciel claims he never considered Soma a friend. Perhaps that’s true; we do know that Soma was the one who entrenched himself in Ciel’s life. We also know he’s used Soma to his advantage (like in the Weston arc).

Still, I suspect part of why he immediately turns his back when saying this is because he wants to hide his face/not give Agni the chance to read anything beyond the surface. Sebastian, on the other hand, seems to suspect that Ciel’s lying, or at least not telling the full truth.

We also saw Ciel show kindness to Sieglinde. Sure, part of why he offered to let her come with them was national security; after all, she has powerful secrets and capabilities that would be dangerous to England and potentially beneficial to the Queen. So we could dismiss that as mere duty/strategy. (He tells Sebastian that she’s merely insurance, which offends the demon, but I don’t think Ciel intended it in quite the way that Sebastian took it. He claims he trusts Sebastian least of all— but I think Germany has made him doubt the queen and her motives.)

Despite this, Ciel warns Sieglinde about what to do/say when she meets with her majesty. He essentially advises her on how she can use the queen to her own benefit, and even calls her a friend. Granted, that word was probably thrown in as a manipulative tactic, but it doesn’t change the simple fact that Ciel did not need to do that.

Ofc it’s in his interest to have Sieglinde as an ally he can rely on, another piece to use when necessary, but I suspect that this was not motivated purely based on his own plans but because he genuinely wanted to give the naive Sieglinde the opportunity to protect herself from being used by the queen— perhaps because he’s feeling a bit used himself?

Now to go back to your examples of how Ciel has handled the estate— I think the difference between him and his twin could fill a whole long post on its own— but I think it’s also a crucial part of his character.

As I said before, Ciel may have selfish motives (revenge), and he may be willing to use and dispose of people to get what he wants—but he does care about human beings. Don’t forget that he went to the orphanage at the end of the circus arc, presumably with the intent of becoming their new patron.

Likewise, I think he doesn’t see the upkeep of the estate as a chore but a core part of his duty, as his father explains in that flashback. Likewise, Ciel doesn’t treat people, even the servants, like they’re beneath him. Remember how RC won’t even speak directly to them (except when giving orders/to Tanaka), but OC often asks Sebastian for advice, and speaks to the servants fairly often/casually, even taking them out to get them necessities (like Mey Rin’s glasses).

Yana has definitely set OC up to be a bit of a paradoxical character— but I think that’s why Sebastian finds him so intriguing. He can be both kind and cruel, selfish and philanthropic. Both light and dark.

So I think when people say OC is different I think this is what they mean. He’s not purely conniving or cruel but has a true core of genuine humanity— which is lacking in most humans in this series.

a short analysis on the theme of kindness in kuro, in defence of the morally reprehensible protagonists.

i previously spoke about sebastian pulling a "not like other humans" line on ciel but the things he's actually saying in this chapter are crazy...

chapter no's and pages in alt text!!

media illiterate (most kuro fandom antis') logic is that ^this guy's^ the big bad villain of kuro, there's so much to analyse about the theme of kindness and humanity in kuro but ultimately people are blind to it because sebaciel are not the kind, happy-go-lucky type of protags many people are used to and people struggle to purify them. there are so many people in this story "more innocent" than them and less morally grey which makes them look like worse people but the fact is that they are the "worse" in a world full of the "worst". they're there to show you how despicable humanity can be but they have their moments of 'good' (otherwise they'd be lacking in likability), especially moments like this can be quite odd in this story about corruption and evil because in those pages, these two do not seem like the deplorable, manipulative and conniving characters we often see them as. this moment reminds me of another very dear chapter to me which two volumes comes after this.

this is such an interesting part of the manga (it's why the blue cult arc is my favourite arc of the manga despite all the popstar/idol shenanigans that threw a lot of people off). the way these two behave in this arc is not normal, they do not need to go above and beyond for these people. it is not necessary for sebastian to go this far for ciel AND his tenants (who it is important to note he has no contractual obligation to care for, especially not to the extent of giving them the "time of their lives") and it is certainly not normal the way ciel treats these people with zero contempt even when they 'disrespect' him as a noble. these two are genuinely weird for their time, blue cult arc also gives us an unforgettable seb moment (link).

this chapter also serves as part of the transition between the blue cult arc and the blue memory arc which is also...

one of the most intriguing parts of the manga... what's interesting here is that ciel HAS kept his tenants happy as proven by the halloween chapter (the page below from this same chapter talks of infrastructure needs having to be met and we read that ciel has fixed the roads since becoming earl and even an old donkey can transport milk from across them- that's how good the quality of the roads are). however, what i want to focus on is undertaker previously saying ciel, despite having phantomhive blood is not like his predecessors. in fact, the flashback chapter shows he's not even like his own identical twin brother!

i really wonder what exactly undertaker meant by saying that right as ciel saves joanne in the school arc and also what vincent was thinking about his sons in this flashback sequence. did vincent think o!ciel is different too? and what is it that makes him so odd? or rather, what makes him an exception in the phantomhive family? i look forward to whatever yana has in store for us and hope to see where these wonderful characters with such bizarre morality (or lack there of) end up.

i will talk about this theme more in the future but if anyone has something specific to add, please do. and even if it's not too detailed or you're unsure, feel free to tell me what you think about the use of 'good' and 'evil' for the main characters of kuro overall! some things to consider:

fundamentally why are ciel and sebastian the way they are? and more importantly, do you think yana intended either of them to be read as strictly "evil"? a lot of people make the case of the fandom purifying them but i never see that these days, usually it's only ciel that's sanitised of all sin and sebastian that is demonised (although occasionally both are demonised as solely "bad guys"). i joke about them being narcissistic and not the nicest people (which is something i genuinely believe) but i do not think they are the root of all evil; which is a take you can have without absolving them of any and all misdeed they may have committed. i think what i'm really getting at is that sebastian is not ""evil""? and he's not innocent either. but he's a force for "good" in the story. he works for the phantomhive estate and the people living on that land more devotedly than a demon with a 3-clause contract with the master of the land should and he shouldn't be excluded from the phantomfam and only seen as horrible/evil but nor should he be solely seen as a silly little cat loving parent. and you don't need to ship sebaciel to see him this way, just read the source material with your eyes peeled, really think about what sebastian does and says. he's so interesting and he's so much more than the fandom makes him out to be. but interpret him however you want, i guess.

[nataliaphantomhivesblog]

When is Prince Soma coming back?

I know for a fact that im not the only one that has been waiting for Soma to make his apperence in the manga after years of anticipation. Right now the manga is focusing on Bards backstory and Bard and Laus mission so of course it's gonna take some time before we see Soma again.

The current mental state that Soma is in right now makes me incredibly sad, to see such a happy and go-lucky character turn into a depressed and revengeful character is something that most people probably never expected to happen.

This is the latest apperence Soma has made... And by latest I mean his latest apperence in 2017...

Yeah, our prince may take another year to actually make an apperence.

It is obvious that Prince Soma will come back someday, especially now that he has gained Goddess Kali's powers and has decided to go to the path of revenge.

I don't know if anyone has thought of this yet but I will share it anyways: My theory of when Prince Soma will make his come back.

So lets talk about the last time we saw Soma: He was going to go back to India, but because of a series of unfortunate events that involved Agni's ashes being scattered, Soma made a decision to turn away from doing good deeds and focus on avenging Agni.

So if he wants to take revenge on Agni's killers than its a fact that he is staying in London. But were exactly is he staying in London?? It could be possible that Sullivan and Wolfman would happily let Soma stay but I highly doubt that is the case due to the orders o!Ciel gave to them:

Did Sullivan and Wolfman take o!Ciels words to heart? Who knows. But if they did, then its pretty likely they won't let Prince Soma in the house. It is actually very feasable to think that Wolfman or Sullivan told Prince Soma that the moment he steps out of the door they won't be able to let him in due to o!Ciel's orders.

So... If Prince Soma won't stay with Sullivan and Wolfman.... Then where is he staying? Well a safe assumption could be that he would stay in an hotel.

And where is the location of Sebastian and Ciels mission in the current arc again? A hotel.

Of course its a possibility that I may be desperately reaching for a connection here but I do think its rather logical to believe that Prince Soma is staying in that hotel.

And it will be extremely intresting to see how Ciel will react of Soma does end up being there, Will he try hiding from him? Will Soma spot him before he even tries to hide? Will Ciel confront Soma and tell him the truth about his twin? Will Soma become potentially one of Ciels allies?? Will he be able to become Ciels "Agni"?

o!Ciels and Sebastians mission being centered on not only destorying the blood-collection facility but also on o!Ciels dynamic with Soma and his inner guilt because of Agni's death would actually be something I would totally love to see.

I think its pretty evident that Agni's death affected o!Ciel and Sebastian in different ways.

@dorkshitsuji actually once talked about Agnis death and its connection to the narrative to Sebastian specifially, I think its very well-written and it strenghtens the point that Sebastian was indeed impacted by Agni and how his death will affect his own butler aestethics in the future.

Now with o!Ciel, Agni's death defienetly affected him, it made Ciel feel more guilty about the position he is in and how the people who are close to him will always end up hurt.

And if you think o!Ciel doesn't feel guilty about Agnis death then lets think about this: Ciel felt guilty over the circus troupes death, despite the bad things they did and despite the fact that they wanted to kill him he still felt guilty over their deaths. Actually, o!Ciel feels guilty about multiple deaths throughout his life.

But my point is that if o!Ciel felt guilty about the circus troupe, people he didn't know for a long period of time to even form a proper bond with—he of course felt guilty about Agni's death considering the fact that he has known him for a longer period of time and was able to feel a sense of familiarity whenever he was around him and Soma.

I have seen so many people misinterpret o!Ciels words here and immedietly deem him as cruel. But I think that if you look deeper into what he is saying, you can tell he is overridden by guilt in this situation. His words right here are the very reason why he always tried to keep Soma at arms lenght, the reason why he tried so hard to push him away. "This is why I told you not to get involved with me" is immedietly translated to "I tried so hard to push you away so you wouldn’t get hurt and you didn't budge."

Sure, o!Ciel used Soma twice for his own schemes but the schemes in which Soma was used for still guaranteed the prince's saftey. He literally used Soma to spy on a petty collage student and he used him to participate in a boy band were o!Ciels own blood relative was in as well.

Both Agni and Soma were characters whom heavily impacted Ciel and Sebastian in their own ways, and this current arc is heavily based on characters in an individual manner but since we already know everything we need to know about o!Ciel and I really doubt we will get a glimpse on Sebastians past, so its more than logical to think that Soma's comeback will come to play here and it will be extremely intresting to see.

I am more than certain that Soma will have an important role in the future and I cannot wait to see him again!!

[abybweisse]

Hey! So I have a question... What do you think Soma's role will be in future arcs? We haven't seen him in a while but well.... the last time we saw him it looked like he was willing to kill a man lol.

On an unrelated note, whats your personal opinion on Prince Soma and our earls dynamic? I have seen a few tumblrs talking abt it but I would love to know ur opinion ^^

Have a good day:D

When Soma returns

I have some posts about that, but I’m not sure I have tags for it beyond the usual #soma, #prince soma, and #soma asman kadar… plus perhaps #mother3 predictions.

First-off, I think he did kill those thugs who attacked him (and the woman and child) to steal anything of value.

There’s a lot about this topic, because of Mother3 theory, but basically… I see Soma as intended to become an adversary, due to some terrible misunderstanding. In this case, it’s mostly because he doesn’t know the true identities of the people who attacked him and Agni. He must think it’s our earl and Sebastian, since he didn’t know there was a twin. Agni hands him the torn up pieces of photo, showing there are twins, but Soma apparently never looks at it. He is convinced he knows exactly who the attackers are, and I don’t think Sieglinde explains they are not our earl and Sebastian… because she herself might not be entirely sure what’s going on. Our earl didn’t explain it to her; he only warns her and Wolfram to not let anyone in, even if it’s “him”.

Soma is grieving and angry. And he’s probably blaming our earl for Agni’s death, as well as for his own injuries. And now he has somehow gained the Right Hand of Kali, which once belonged to Agni. Agni tried to use it for good, but even he had trouble controlling the intense destructive power of it. It’s obviously not just for making great curry!

So, as I’ve said in older posts, I expect Soma to get stuck in a destructive (even deadly) rampage, much like the story he and Agni previously told about Kali and Shiva. Soma could leave a path of destruction in his wake, and someone needs to figure out a way to calm him down. Unless there’s a bizarre doll of Agni (if those ashes aren’t really Agni’s) that can swoop in and calm Soma down, the best option is for someone to remind Soma that Agni wouldn’t want this life for him. Soma needs to be given a dose of shame for this destructive behavior. Just like Shiva let Kali walk on him, which gave her a deep sense of shame, and it stopped her. Remember Agni using a stuck-out tongue 👅 symbol on the letters attached to the Nabobs who had been strung upside down? Someone needs to make Soma stick out his tongue in shame, regret, and apology. I don’t think we got that story just to explain a tongue on some letters. If Soma can be stopped non-violently this way, great.

But if he runs into real Ciel and — say Lord Polaris — before he learns the truth about the twins… what will happen? I mean, Sebastian would fight Soma and possibly struggle to stay out of harm’s way; recall how hard it was for Sebastian to fight Agni while Agni was under the samadhi of the Right Hand. But even under samadhi, Agni was no match for Polaris.

Soma’s outcome largely depends upon whom he comes across in his revenge for what happened to him and Agni.

Oh… and he might enlist the help of Sieglinde or at least use some invention of hers… but since he has the Right Hand of Kali now, he might not even think to do so.

Best case scenario: he learns the truth about the twins and the attackers (and is humiliated), but he survives, and he either returns home or perhaps travels elsewhere.

Worst case scenario: he dies. He might learn the truth, or he might not. Either way, he’s run into the wrong people, and it gets him killed.

[pain-in-the-butler]

The time has come once again

The Bloodbath

“I’m simply one hell of a butler” says Sebastian as he starts cleaning as usual

Okay so Agni’s taking no prisoners

Work Nerd, Science Nerd, and Jock Nerd team up to form the Nerd Trifecta

Team One Brain Cell joins up with Phipps, who is quite possibly their only chance for survival

Ran-Mao remembers how Harcourt beat everyone in the unfortunately deleted round and said “Not in my backyard”

So far, everyone else has simply run away unscathed or grabbed a weapon they won’t use because the game doesn’t record weapons. Rip Tanaka

Day 1

Ran-Mao bringing the canon energy by adding a second weapon to her arsenal

Phipps somehow always turns into Team Dad during these, so I’m glad to see he’s finding time for his favorite hobbies

Undertaker up to his usual Sneaky Antics

It hasn’t even been twelve hours yet. Kind of impressive honestly

Considering Harcourt lost his mace, I’ll just assume the attack Grell “escaped” from was the vicious stabbing of his trim little schoolboy fingernails

Bad vibes

It appears that Lau also brought his canon game

Sebastian in the most recent chapters be like

I’ve actually never had this event come up before and it has to happen between two of the more innocent characters in the series;;;; god Lizzie you deserve better even in the Hunger Games Simulator

Where’s a Safety Nerd when you need one

What’s better than this? Guys bein dudes

This is probably what happened after Ciel left Weston

Sebastian will take care of this for ya, huh bud

Other events:

Agni practices his archery

Wolfram goes fishing

Othello finds a cave

Soma goes ‘splorin

Edward goes huntin

Day 1′s Deaths: Tanaka, Sieglinde, Lizzie, and Macmillan. Someday one of the ladies will win

Night 1

Butler slumber party in the woods, BYOYM (bring your own young master)

It takes a lot of energy to be this blond

I’m happy for her :)

Yeah I’ll bet you probably do Lau

A tonal shift so abrupt I got mental whiplash

Can we go back to when Grell was looking at the sky pls

Thought about science too hard. Got a concussion

Thought about Ciel dying too hard. Got an infection

Aww dad :( Hope you caught some fish tho

Looks like Harcourt won’t be winning this one, gang

I stg the hunger games simulator is misogynist because the ladies always DIE /j

Ran-Mao is hopefully here to prove the previous statement wrong

Other events:

Bard gets a hatchet

Undertaker also passes out from exhaustion

R!Ciel goes to sleep in a tree

Day 2

Oh you five are SO going in my burn book for this. It’s what Grell would’ve wanted

Ahaha just like in the real manga... right guys (;

Idk about you but I’m rooting for her

I don’t think the simulator could’ve picked four people who were less likely to team up than this

I would too if I saw my best friend was palling around with an opium dealer, a grim reaper with a lawn mower, and another grim reaper that the first grim reaper doesn’t like

Other events:

Othello chases Wolfram

That’s the only other event actually

That means today we lost O!Ciel, Mey-Rin, Harcourt, and Grell. ffs, I hope Ran-Mao kills all of you

Night 2

I’ve missed you, rare pair simulator

The “unknown sponsor” was Undertaker and the “fresh food” was O!Ciel

Confirmed: Lau doesn’t get high off his own supply

Once again a ceasefire between the strong hungry boys is formed

Girl, you don’t have to do that

“Did you kill Ciel?” Sebastian asks

“No that was William,” Othello says

Sebastian punches a tree so hard that it combusts. “God damn. Fuck” Sebastian says

Wolfram just realized I put him in the Hunger Games simulator

Other events:

Phipps thinks about “Are you winning son”

Undertaker gazes at space

Ronald becomes Lost Ronald

Soma passes out

Bard gets some water

Day 3

Damn Agni who haven’t you flirted with

Finny sees that Bard has water and thinks Bard cooked it himself, so he wants no part of that (might be burnt)

What did he even have that was worth stealing? A fish?

Well I can tell you who isn’t creating that smoke: Lau

“What’s worse than two young masters? No young masters. Now get over here and make a contract”

Everything about this sentence is a fever dream

Other events:

Undertaker decides he wants a slingy shot too

Edward chases Dad I mean Phipps

Othello gets some ouchies from picking berries

Night 3

When your young master dies, you just get an infection apparently

damn Finny’s playing hardball

I don’t think anything bad has actually happened to Bard yet. It’s just been a grand frolic the whole time

I barely remember reading the first Hunger Games but Ran-Mao’s the Foxface of this journey: she deserves to win and I just know she’ll die in the stupidest way possible

Sebastian’s like a cat that can’t reach the bird it wants to attack, so it attacks the nearest other thing instead. Poor Dad

Two white-haired anime boys and a not-white-haired anime boy talk about who will die tomorrow. Anime doesn’t exist yet so the white-haired anime boys don’t know their hair color automatically spells their doom

Other events:

Edward starts a fire, which means he’s capable of smoking opium

Ronald gets some medical supplies

Othello gets a hatchet

R!Ciel thinks about winning

Lau gets an entire explosive, but he won’t be able to light it, so no it’s no big deal

Day 4

In Soviet Hunger Games, white-haired anime boy kills you

But why murder someone when you could just mess with them

Other events:

Grey scares Bard

Finny goes hunting

Night 4

Have you four even killed anyone yet

The list of “people who didn’t start the manor fire and also don’t smoke opium” now consists of Lau and R!Ciel

The mood is too light now. Someone needs to die and it better not be Ran-Mao

At last, Father Phipps has chosen his son for this round

Agni gushes about all the hot guys he’s simultaneously in love with, giving Ran-Mao a clearer idea of who’s still alive

Day 5

Girl, it’s about time, go claim some trophies

Finny’s easily got the longest kill streak and it’s a little unnerving

Father Phipps finds a new secret fishing hole

Othello doesn’t

Lau continues to put in all the efforts of a kindergarten bully

Oh no. He’s a yandere

Other events:

Sebastian fucks around and explores the arena

Bard fucks around and hunts for tributes

Undertaker fucks around and sleeps

R!Ciel fucks around and picks flowers

Night 5

I’ve never met anyone who ships Sebastian/Undertaker but I know you’re out there

Okay, maybe these four are even less likely to team up than Phipps, Ronald, Undertaker, and Lau

Edward sees I’m making jokes about people who build fires and stays hidden

Day 6

Canonically, that is the only way R!Ciel would win a fight, so

I probably could have predicted this

I hope these are the faces they made when it happened

The “unknown sponsor” is R!Ciel and the “fresh food” is an ear that fell off his own head

I’m not sure if I should be concerned or unsurprised that Bard’s Hunger Games life is more chill than his canon life

the “unknown sponsor” was the fish and the “clean water” was “fish water”

Other events:

Ran-Mao gets her third weapon that she doesn’t want to use, which is a hatchet

Finny finds a river

Agni practices archery again, but he doesn’t kill anyone because he wants this to go on forever

Night 6

Ran-Mao I beg you please. Release us from this purgatory of mediocrity

And suddenly we’re back to canon Bard

I guess not everything can be canon

Other events:

Both Agni and Phipps pass out from exhaustion. It’s 2:50 a.m. so I should really be taking a page from their book, but unfortunately everyone refuses to die

The Feast

Finny has been a stone cold killer this entire match, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the girl I wanted to win would get eliminated by him, but it still hurts ✌️😔

If you cheat on Othello, he will overpower you, killing you

Everyone else decided not to go to the Feast. Honestly, I don’t remember what the Feast is, but everyone who did go either murdered someone or got murdered, so I guess that was probably a good call

Day 7

I’ve had enough of this dude

Jesus Finny I can’t wait to see how many kills you got, I feel like you and Agni were the only two who took anyone down

Bard, Undertaker, Sebastian, and Phipps all hunt for other tributes but they’re useless and don’t kill anyone

Arena Event: Volcano Eruption

In one fell swoop, we lose Sebastian, Undertaker, R!Ciel, and Finny, jeez. But... that means it comes down to.............

FATHER PHIPPS VS. BARD

FATHER PHIPPS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow... Unlike his manga counterpart, this boy coasted the whole time and won... He basically went on vacation and he actually won... But then again, it’s Hunger Games Simulator and nothing is sacred

Well I hope you learned a valuable lesson today. I hope you did at some point before you read my post, because you sure as hell learned nothing from this. Thank you for wasting precious minutes of your life with me 😏

[animeyanderelover]

Hello there! Hope you're doing well on your holiday! This is my first time requesting oof. Could I request how Sebastian, Ash, Prince Soma and Hannah react to their darling outright asking them why they are genuinely interested in them. Darling is confused and believes they're not that interesting to even bring the attention of people like them. They're pretty closed off from others and was at first weary of the intentions they had and just finally just asked to get a firm answer. Thank you! Love your writing!

I enjoyed my holidays whilst they lasted, sadly they’re over now and I have to wait about 3 months until summer break😣.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessiveness, obsessiveness, paranoia, delusions, kidnapping, manipulation, sabotage, isolation, emotional guilt-tripping, self-harm

Why do you like me?

Sebastian Michaelis

🐈‍⬛He pretty much openly courts you by now, after his time observing you for a bit, finding out what his darling likes and what’s not, how he can get closer to his darling without any problems. Sebastian has every intention to pamper you if you don’t throw a tantrum in which case he has to be more strict on you. And the fact that you are closed off from others is such a delightful thing to witness. It makes the whole situation a lot more easier, he doesn’t have to worry too much about you being interested in someone else or dedicating your time to someone else. I personally believe every demon in Black Butler is isolating due to their posssessiveness.

🐈‍⬛He was prepared for this question of yours, he sensed your suspicions since quite some time and why wouldn’t you? Sebastian is a mysterious man for everyone. On the one hand he is charming and handsome and can do anything, on the other hand there is this mischievous and evil vibe around him that tells you to stay away. It is also a bit unnerving how he seems to know everything about you, from your favorite flowers down to your favorite color.

🐈‍⬛Sebastian is known for keeping his calm and his charm and since he expected you to ask him this sooner or later, he already had much time to prepare an answer, even though he would have been great in answering you that question even if he wouldn’t have known about this. He would give you a charming smile and be very smug about this question of yours, somewhat teasing you by asking if it shouldn’t be obvious by now. He’s trying to court you, kitten. He would find enjoyment if you would look baffled whilst also being fluttered by this answer of his, which might just earn you more playful teasing mixed with fluttering comments why he likes you.

Hannah Annafellows

🟣Similar to Sebastian, she would start expressing her interest openly to you after a while, even though she would even before that try to be a close friends with you. From all the demons in this Anime, I would say Hannah is one of the worse types to have, it’s either her or the triplets Timber, Thompson and Canterbury. She uses isolation and letting people disappear from your life as a way to draw you closer to her and trust her more. So whilst she will be definitely pleasant upon discovering that her darling is a loner, she will also have to think of another ways to make them trust her more since making important people for them disappear isn’t too possible except family which Hannah doesn’t want to kill as long as they don’t do something to annoy her. She has after all only a true place for her darling in her heart.

🟣She just senses how much you are weary of her, especially in the beginning. You have surely your reasons, after all she is from the Trancy manor and there are certain rumors about this place. Next to that she is a demon and whilst being talented in anything can amaze people, it can also scare them. And here as well the fact that she knows so much, too much about you is unnerving as well. Trying to distance yourself wouldn’t really work though, it’s as good as impossible to escape a demon and given your mistrust, Hannah will also start intensifying her strategies to make you cling onto her more.

🟣Different from Sebastian she relies a lot on guilt-tripping to persuade her darling into many things. So there is a chance she will pretend to be a bit hurt by this question, asking how you couldn’t notice. She uses this question as a chance for being so distrusting of her. She will act all saddened and upset, maybe even she’s the one or another tear. This will make you feel most likely bad for her. Secondary to that she will also tell you in a mellow and sincere voice what she likes about you, using it as a way that will hopefully make you fall for her.

Prince Soma

🍛Try to explain to him that you don’t feel the way he does and you’ll quickly discover that his lovesick brain will twist everything you say into what he wants to hear. Soma is together with Finny heavily delusional to the point where about nothing can convince him that you don’t feel the same. For that it is not even courting what he does, it is already acting like you and him are already a couple and will marry later on (which will happen in his mind anyways). Whilst Soma is someone who gets easily jealous, he also doesn’t want you to be alone. He means, you aren’t. You have him. But at the very least Ciel and Agni will become people you will often interact with.

🍛Privacy is gone the moment he fell for you and his interest is painfully visible for everyone. He starts spoiling you, giving you a lot of affection and is everywhere you are all over you. It’s highly uncomfortable given the fact that you don’t even like him and it’s only thanks to Agni that he doesn’t completely monopolies your time and makes you move in with him. But Agni is also loyal to his prince and for that will at least try to talk you into giving Soma a chance. That boy is too oblivious to realize that you are hesitant around him, he’ll just brush it off as shyness.

🍛He is confused, to say the very least. He thought you were just as much in love with him as he is with you. Why would you even ask him this? And try to guess what he will interpret it as, with that sense mind of his. Your prince will start thinking that he didn’t show you enough affection, that he didn’t make his love clear enough yet. It causes him to give you a more childish reaction, suddenly suffocating you in a really tight hug and whining. He’s upset with himself, thinking it’s his fault for making you think that way. Oh well, then he’ll have to show you even more.

Ash Landers

▫️I’m so sorry to say this, but Ash needs not a lot of time to kidnap you, the longest would be a week in which he would act at first more as a secret guardian for you. I mentioned it a lot of times before, but Ash is a lot more hesitant with giving you affection, even though he would honestly die to be able to. You’re perfection in his eyes and he does not think that he deserves you or to be honored enough to touch you. You’re gonna be isolated anyways the moment he takes you, but he would definitely kidnap you even faster when noticing how you seem to avoid people. You’re literally begging him to take you away from the filth. And who is he to neglect you that wish? He will take you and afterwards treat you like a royalty.

▫️Keep with this man always one thing in mind, he wavers very easily, too easily when it comes to you. It’s understandable that you would throw tantrums, but for the love of god, please calm down. He would never show you, but behind the scenes, Ash punishes himself heavily whenever you seem upset with him. He has an obsessive fixation on keeping you happy and safe and by acting that way, showing him how unhappy you are plus the incredibly distant acting due to not trusting him (who wouldn’t when being kidnapped?), you’ll throw him into a whirlwind of dreadful fear and shame and a good piece of paranoia.

▫️He will react emotionally and affected. Ash’s goal is it to show you how special and pure you are, to make it clear to you that you deserve more than the best. He feels like he did pretty much everything wrong if you ask him still what he sees in you, though I’m sure he held already very long speeches about why he had to take you. But it’s still understandable why you would ask. You probably thought that there were far more pure people than you in this town. It’s not the worst reaction you got to see from him though, there were far more unnerving ones. He will very likely burst out in tears since someone like you shouldn’t ask this. Will beg for forgiveness to not be more clear about it and afterwards he will start rambling in a maniac way about why you’re perfect.

[robin-the-enby]

Hello there! I hope you are fine. May I have a Black Butler matchup?

So uh I'm 17, INFP, a pisces and a pan. I have short, straight black hair with black-ish big eyes. I have an round face with chubby cheeks even though I'm a bit of the thin side.I have long eyelashes and wear glasses. So basically I have baby face and I don't show my age at all! As for my height I'm 1.70 cm.

For my personality, I'm that mom-friend that every friend group has. Need some painkillers? BAM! Need some pads? Do you need 1 or 50? You are hurt? Don't worry I have an aid kit. Your stomach or head hurts? Honey, don't you worry I have a various kind of herb teas with myself.

If someone needs a shoulder to cry on, that person is me. If somebody hurts my friends I go like "So you are saying that he/she/they broke your heart? Okay give me the names and addresses. Now."I would deal with them and then say "So do I need to break some more faces?" I'm not that violent but if they touch my family and friends.... May God help them.

But I'm actually very kind and smiley. I'm the kind of person who smiles at strangers, hold the door for them, talk with a waiter casually and smile at them as well. I never judge someone for their nationality, skin color, language, sexuality etc. And If I see someone bully another person for these reasons or another one, I stand against the bully and if needed I beat them.

I may seem like an cold and serious person at first meeting but over time I'm the biggest goofball and crackhead you can ever see! Sometimes I'm a bit sarcastic and tease my closest friends a lot- ofc I never offend them. I know what they are insecure about( if they are, WHICH isn't allowed on my watch.- and My friends always tell me that I kinda flirt with them but I never realize and When I actually try to flirt, I can't? But I also know how to be serious as well.

For the hobbies; I love watching anime, literature, myths, listening and observing people, comforting people or just listen their rantings, reading, listening music and singing.... I am not that good at gardening and stuff but sometimes I do this as well...

Thanks a lot in advance and I'm glad I found you blog!😍😘

Hi, I'm doing amazing, thanks for asking! I honestly wish every mom friend out there a very pleasant existence. Don't forget to take care of yourself, huns! I match you with:

Soma

This dude, omg. He'd declare his love for you the day you two meet.

Of course, at that time he isn't really in love with you (yet), but he definitely wants to spend more time with you.

And oh boy does he spend more time with you. As soon as he finds out where you live, he'd be at your doorstep every day, asking if you wanted to hang out.

If you'd say no, he'd give you the most convincing and iressistible puppy dog eyes that you've ever seen.

This man child is very clingy, but Agni holds him back to an extent, because everybody needs time for themselves.

Btw, Agni is your biggest shipper and fan, you have his infinite blessings from the start.

But as soon as you set some boundaries (and trust me when I say you gotta do it firmly, because he can be a bit thick, if you know what I mean), he'll become the cutest, most selfless boyfriend you've ever had.

Mans is enchanted by your kind and helping personality, but he'd rather if you both got pampered by Agni (who is honestly just really happy for you two so he doesn't mind) than you doing the work.

However, if you're insistent, he'll just sigh and later on brag to everyone (ehmehmCielehmehm) about how kind of a girlfriend he's got and how you're his entire life and he'd give up anything for you if he had to.

Have you ever forgotten to take care of yourself, since you're taking care of others all the time? Well, not anymore! Soma makes sure that if you're adamant on taking care of him and others, you will get taken care of as well!

That said, sometimes he gets jealous of Agni if you spend too much time with him, assuring that he's ok too or anything else. He'd pull you away to do something and act pouty around Agni and the poor khansama has no clue what he did wrong.

Soma plans days off for you two, be it so that you could just be lazy all day and stay in bed or have a picnic or go to a spa.

Sometimes he gets insecure about his personality, worrying that he's "too much" and overwhelming (usually after getting scolded by Ciel).

He'd love if you just cuddled him and reassured him that you won't leave him because he's too loud.

He's very handsy as well, kind of like Lizzy with Ciel, just not as forcefull. He won't yank you around, but he is the master of surprise hugs and suddenly picking you up off the ground.

He's not really a crackhead, but definitely a himbo. So your energies go very well together <3

Agni would tell the both of you stories and myths from India, sing you their songs and Soma would try to teach you some dances if you'd like. If you say yes, he's over the moon! He can't wait to dress you in their national robes, you'll look like a princess that you basically are now.

In return, you can share some myths from your country and get them both familiar with your culture in return.

Soma would just be such a great and fun boyfriend!

I can also see you with: I wanted to say Joker, because I feel like he's also very kind to those around him, but I don't have that good of a grasp on him yet, since I'm in the process of watching Book of circus. But definitely Grell Sutcliff - She loves to get pampered and taken care of. Would love it if you listened to her ramble. But she knows not to just take from someone. I feel like she'd love to spoil you almost as much as she loves to be spoiled. Like, this woman goes all out. Spa days and makeovers and shopping are a must. She'll give you her honest opinions on outfits that would look good on you and trust me, she has a keen eye ;) You just need to remind her sometimes to slow down or calm down a bit, she's very excited since there's finally somebody who gives her the love and attention she deserves <3

[chibimyumi]

Hi,hope you're having a lovely day! I was just reading your post on agni's death. If he handed prince soma the photograph of the twins to prevent his master from mistaking o!ciel to be the attacker, does that mean that soma knows r!ciel is the real attacker and his alliance w o!ciel persists?

【Response to post: Why Agni could die in relative peace】

Hello Anon, I hope you’re having a lovely day too!

If Soma is in a state that allows him to think logically, yes, I think he would have understood that the attacker is not O!Ciel and that there’s reason for him to remain an ally.

The photograph proves that there’s another person who has an identical face as O!Ciel. Soma would have to be woefully stupid to interpret the photograph as anything but Agni telling him: “who you saw is not your friend.” At that point it was basically a blatantly obvious multiple choice assignment.

Q1. Below is an old photograph of identical twins who look exactly like the younger versions of your attacker. What conclusion can you draw?

A. My attacker is my BFF, and he has a twin, so seek him out and be friends with him instead. B. My attacker is the twin of my BFF, so my friend did not betray me. C. My BFF is my attacker, he has an identical twin, so what? D. Agni just found this picture cute and wanted to cheer me up with it. E. Photoshop exists for some reason and the image of my attacker/BFF is duplicated just because.

(｡´-ﾉд-｀) ＜Pssst, the answer is B.）

There has been build-up towards Soma becoming an even stronger ally to O!Ciel before sh*t hit the fan. Though, it’s not 100% certain that he will go help O!Ciel with his cause or anything. All we can say with some certainty is that Soma understood that the face reveal of R!Ciel was a trap.

Like I said above, Soma now just has reason to stay O!Ciel’s ally, but that doesn’t mean he has no reason to leave O!Ciel’s side. Whether Soma will decide to join O!Ciel’s team depends on whether he sees value in doing so. He could just become a separate force of his own who focuses on taking out R!Ciel for his own revenge without it being for O!Ciel’s sake. I think anyone would forgive him for not wanting anything to do with the bloody Phantomhives anymore.

Reversely even if Soma does rush to the rescue, it’s also worthwhile to ask whether O!Ciel would even accept Soma’s offer in the first place. The boy has made it explicit that he didn’t want to involve innocent people like Soma, after all.

The only thing I think is unlikely is Soma actively turning against team O!Ciel. Why bother setting the death of Agni up like this then? ...or at least, I hope my reasoning is correct here ^^;;

[fragmentedshards]

The Final Curtain, Chapter Sixteen

Florentia and Theodosia

-

The next week was spent in preparation for investigating the Viscount Druitt. When Ciel received the invitation to the Viscount’s ball, he was shocked to find that the man had apparently decided to completely abandon all decorum.

“September and the beginning of autumn is nearly upon us, the season of plenty,” Ciel read the invitation aloud at the breakfast table. “In the spirit of bounty, I am opening this masked ball to the lower classes as well as the nobility. Even servants are welcome.” The earl tossed the letter onto the table and sipped his tea. “Well. I expect that means Matilda still has a chance to be the bait, then.”

Elizabeth struggled to refrain from rolling her eyes. “My previous logic still stands, Ciel,” she said firmly. “I am in the best position to do this job. Let’s have no more arguing about it, if you please.”

The earl was shocked at seeing Elizabeth’s assertiveness in this way. His cousin rarely had any qualms about voicing her opinion, but he couldn’t remember a time when those opinions had been about anything other than clothing. Had he been ignoring Lizzy’s intellect all these years? Or had she been hiding it?

While Ciel may have been stunned into silence, none of the others at the breakfast table had the same problem.

“It seems Lady Elizabeth is finally coming into her own, Ran Mao,” Lau remarked, breaking his scone in two. “This will be very interesting indeed.”

Ran Mao, in a rare turn of events, responded. “She is secretly tough. I like her.”

“Everyone underestimates Lizzy,” Prince Soma said from his chair opposite Ciel. “There is nothing wrong with being a lover of prettiness, but because she loves pretty things she is always dismissed. I am eager to see her succeed.”

Ciel remained silent, but he felt his anger well up inside him. Without his noticing, a billowing black shadow rose up behind him. The others at the table saw it, and they looked on in terror before Sebastian cleverly intervened.

“My lord,” he said, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Instantly the shadow dissipated. “We must begin your lessons now. We have a great deal to do before the ball at the end of the week. And don’t forget, you have a meeting over tea with Florentia and Theodosia Loric this afternoon.”

Ciel sighed, still angry. “Yes, of course,” was all he said, dabbing his mouth with a napkin and leaving the table. Sebastian followed him closely, watching his master through narrow eyes.

It appears I have much to teach him, he thought to himself.

~

The earl’s anger did not abate with the passing hours. He, Elizabeth, and Prince Soma took their lessons together in the library now, with Sebastian and Agni presiding over them while Paula cared for Ephraim (with help from Bryony, as she was available now as well). This proximity to each other caused a good deal of unease between all three. Music, literature, business, diplomacy, fencing. Ciel had never felt such relief when the time came for his meeting with the Loric sisters.

After Matilda had persuaded Snake to hide elsewhere, she and Sebastian set a magnificent table in the greenhouse for the tea meeting. Sebastian explained the measures they had taken as he stood by Ciel before the manor, awaiting the arrival of their guests.

“We selected a specific set of china with many patterns but understated colors, as a nod to the sisters’ signature toys,” he said, noticing Matilda’s pleased grin. “In addition, we arranged a marvelous bouquet of day lilies and pink roses, with Finny’s help.”

Ciel nodded in apparent approval but said nothing as the carriage bringing the Loric sisters came up the path. When it reached the manor, the earl and the present Phantomhive servants were able to get a good look at the man driving it. He looked rather similar to Vicar Jeremy Rathbone, who they all knew now was merely Sebastian in disguise.

“That is the sisters’ butler, sir,” Sebastian whispered to Ciel, “Apparently he is a multipurpose manservant.”

The sisters emerged from their carriage, Theodosia first with Florentia following. They looked as if nothing had changed since the night at the ballet. Even the color of their dresses were the same; aubergine and aqua. The only possible change was that they seemed even more worn-out than before.

“Thank you, Treacher,” Theodosia thanked the butler, who nodded to her in response. Snake, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and left his snakes elsewhere, guided Treacher to the stables where the horse could replenish itself.

“Treacher?” Ciel whispered to Sebastian before the sisters came too close. “What sort of a name is that?”

As they drew nearer, Sebastian addressed them. “Welcome to the Phantomhive manor, Lady Theodosia and Lady Florentia. It is our pleasure to have you.” he bowed, and the remaining servants followed suit.

“The pleasure is ours, sir,” Florentia replied, scanning the estate. “We are delighted to finally meet the esteemed Lord Phantomhive.”

“Yes, when Treacher informed us that we were to meet with you over tea and discuss a business collaboration,” Theodosia continued, smiling weakly. “We could hardly contain our joy. Indeed, we felt better than we had in months.” her smile faded.

Ciel furrowed his brow. Both sisters’ voices sounded fragile, like they belonged to women too sickly to be outdoors. Yet here they were, looking unmistakably ill but not in danger of collapsing. Pushing these thoughts aside, he gave the sisters a smile. “I have been looking forward to meeting you for some time,” he said, and found to his great surprise that for once he was being honest. “I have always admired the curios your company produces. I find it even more interesting that the two of you are, in fact, the inventors of the toys, not merely the heads of Kurios. Shall we discuss our business alliance over tea?”

As the three were escorted to the greenhouse, Ciel walked close enough to Sebastian to whisper to him. “Help me observe them throughout tea,” he said. “I’m sure they are sick, but ordinary people would be bedridden by this point, I believe. Surely whatever ails them cannot be a mere sickness of the body.”

“Yes, my lord,” Sebastian whispered.

Sebastian and Matilda had enlisted Agni to help with serving tea. While Sebastian pulled out the chair for Ciel, Agni did the same for Florentia, and Matilda for Theodosia. All four of them noticed how the sisters seemed to always grasp onto something for support, be it the back of the chair or even each other’s shoulders.

Ciel shivered. Watching the sisters struggle to accomplish basic tasks made something inside him quake. He exchanged looks with Sebastian. Something else was definitely afoot here, and whatever it was was alerting senses he didn’t know he had.

Sebastian poured the tea, saying “For today’s tea we have a soothing herbal blend known to heal most ailments.” He exchanged smiles with Agni and Matilda. The three of them had combined the healing tea and the curry bread in the hopes of curing whatever ailed the sisters. But as Ciel and the servants watched the sisters shakily take sips of tea and merely pick at the curry bread, as if they wanted to eat but simply had no appetite, their hearts sank. Matilda and Agni’s faces fell. Perhaps this would not be solved by ingestion.

Trying to ignore the strange prickling on the back of his neck, Ciel addressed the sisters. “As much as I enjoy your company, I do not wish to monopolize your time. Let’s get to business. I propose we work together first on an individual product and see how that works out before launching anything too elaborate.”

Florentia nodded in agreement and pursed her lips in thought before replying, “What if we could form a curio of Bitter Rabbit?”

“Oh yes,” Theodosia interjected, and she seemed to be trying her best to appear enthusiastic. It was clear, however, that she and her sister both were running out of energy. “And he could turn into all sorts of other Funtom creatures. Perhaps he could even turn into you?”

Sebastian just barely stifled a laugh. Ciel glared over his shoulder at his butler before raising a single hand and saying “I would prefer not to become a caricature. I like this idea in general though. If you like, I can compile a list of Funtom’s most popular character toys and have it delivered to you, and we can continue this project at a later date.”

Theodosia - whose eyes were beginning to dart back and forth ever so slightly - smiled and tilted her head. “Will we be seeing you at Viscount Druitt’s masquerade, Lord Phantomhive? If so, we could discuss the next step that evening.”

“That would be lovely-”

The earl’s reply was cut off by a coughing Florentia. The fiery-haired woman lifted a gloved hand to her mouth and coughed furiously, while her sister held her shoulders. The coughing was wracking her body violently. When she seemed finally able to breathe again, she pulled her hand away to reveal chunky brownish-red blood covering the white palm of the glove.

Matilda couldn’t help herself from gasping in shock. Unsure what to do, she produced a handkerchief from her apron pocket and extended it to the sisters. Theodosia meekly took it, nodding in thanks to Matilda and daintily wiping the blood away from Florentia’s mouth.

“I’m afraid we must be going now, Lord Phantomhive,” Theodosia apologized hurriedly, supporting her sister. “Will one of you please send for Treacher to bring our carriage around?”

Sebastian nodded and sprinted off in the direction of the stables. While awaiting his return, Agni decided to wrap the curry bread in one of the napkins for the sisters to take with them in the hopes that they would eat them later. He only knew of one instance where curry bread had not healed the sick, and that was when it failed to bring back Lord Phantomhive’s lost memories - which, he knew now, was the result of demonic activity, cancelling out the positive demonic activity of Sebastian’s recipe. Moments later the butler returned to the greenhouse, stating, “Your carriage is ready, my ladies.”

Theodosia tried to help Florentia to her feet, but she was too shaky herself to do it on her own. Ciel and the servants joined in to help the sisters on the short walk from the greenhouse to the carriage. As soon as Treacher saw them, he rushed forward to lend his hands as well.

“They just keep getting worse,” he said in an undertone to Sebastian. “I don’t know what is causing it, but every day they lose a little bit of their health, and I am helpless to cure it.”

After making sure the sisters were safely seated in the carriage, Agni gave Treacher the parcel with the curry bread. “Please do everything in your power as a butler to ensure that they eat this,” he instructed. “Even just a little of this curry bread can make all the difference.”

“I’m afraid I may have to keep this handkerchief, Matilda,” Theodosia called weakly from the carriage to the maid. “I think it is stained beyond repair.”

Matilda waved it off, insisting it was no problem. It was obvious to everyone present that Theodosia was far more terrified by what she had seen happen to her sister than she was letting on. Treacher snapped the reigns and they were off. The earl and the servants watched apprehensively, wondering what on earth would become of the Loric sisters, as the carriage thundered away into the distance.

Ciel’s eye darkened. “Sebastian,” he said, turning on his heel and storming into the manor. The butler was at his side as always, with Agni and Matilda following worriedly. Once they were inside the foyer, he looked at the three servants. “No ordinary illness could escalate that way, I’m sure of it. Lady Florentia coughing up all that blood makes me suspect a slow poisoning, but not by Treacher; I could tell his fear for the sisters’ wellbeing was genuine.”

Sebastian nodded. “You are quite right about that butler, my lord,” he confirmed. “He is a worthy butler, especially for a human. He cares for the ladies to the best of his ability. Whatever is wrong with them, he is not the cause.”

“I’m not so sure about poison, though, young master,” Matilda confessed, wringing her apron in her hands. “I would agree with you about Florentia’s blood, except... it was in chunks, as if tissue was coming out as well. To tell the truth, it almost looked like menstrual blood, but it didn’t smell the same. I was closer to her than any of you, I could tell.”

Agni rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I’ve seen curry bread heal those afflicted by the forbidden spice,” he mused. “But if those sisters are coughing up blood and tissue... I don’t know how much it will do, or if it will do anything at all.”

Ciel shifted uncomfortably where he stood. “I felt the strangest sense of unease around them,” he admitted. “It was as of something else was hovering unseen behind them, something menacing. I have no idea what, but it made my entire body tense.”

Sebastian stared at his master. There was still so, so much he had to teach him. But not here. Not now. “Master,” he began, not at all liking what he was fixing to say and knowing that Ciel would not like it either. “If you recall, during the search for Jack the Ripper, Viscount Druitt was on our suspect list in the first place in part because he has a medical license. Surely even though he is not a practicing doctor, he may possess the necessary knowledge to find out the root of what ails Lady Theodosia and Lady Florentia?”

Ciel gritted his teeth. He wanted to argue more than anything, to remind Sebastian what a butcher the Viscount really was, even though he turned out not to be the infamous Ripper. But he knew his butler was right. “It’s a good thing the Viscount’s ball is open to everyone after all,” he growled angrily. “It appears we have more investigating to do than we thought.”

[liketolaugh-writes]

Reasonable Expectations

Author: liketolaugh Summary: As it turns out, there is only one person in London who can deal with Sebastian in a temper. (Sebastian/Agni.)

“Sebastian seems scarier than usual today,” Soma confided to Agni, voice hushed into a stage whisper as if he thought Sebastian was listening just outside the door. Perhaps he did; Soma was occasionally quite funny.

Agni nodded to his prince’s words, absently refilling his cup of chai. (Soma had been feeling homesick this morning.) “He did seem in quite a temper this morning,” he frowned.

Bard had attempted to make breakfast that morning, causing a localized explosion in the kitchen and waking both Soma and Ciel over an hour early. Sebastian had then banned Bard from the kitchen for the rest of the day, and his tone had been such that Bard had not dared even stay in the house. He was currently lurking outside, weeding the herb garden for lack of anything better.

And then later, Mey-rin had attempted to dust a bookshelf in the library, but had been startled by the sudden appearance of one of Snake’s smaller and more innocuous friends, resulting in her flailing in shock and colliding with the unfortunately unsecured bookshelf behind her. Were it not for Sebastian’s timely appearance, it would have fallen into the bookshelf behind it, possibly downing half the column.

Mey-rin had then been banished to her room (outside of which Agni had actually spent some time comforting her) and Snake had been frightened into near-complete silence, making himself quite scarce.

Agni shook himself, realizing he had been silent for quite a while, and Prince Soma was looking at him apprehensively. “Would you prefer for me to stay especially close today?” While Agni did not believe that Sebastian would harm Soma, his prince was frightened of the British butler and he knew some reassurance would not be amiss.

Soma appeared to consider that for a long moment, but then he smiled, a small and gentle look that accompanied many of his kindest decisions.

“I’ll stay with Ciel today,” Soma declared confidently, rolling his cup between his hands. “He’ll yell at Sebastian if he gets too scary.” He tipped his head to meet Agni’s gaze, tawny eyes warm and bright. “You want to talk to him, right?”

Agni started, and then smiled as a deep and grateful warmth spread through his chest – he would support Soma in whatever he chose to do, but his prince’s thoughtfulness never failed to amaze him. Unable to find his voice, he nodded.

Soma grinned at him, leaning forward against the table. “If anyone can calm him down, you can,” he said fondly. “But don’t let him yell at you, okay, Agni?”

“Jo aagyaa,” Agni chuckled, and at Soma’s shooing motions, he bowed shallowly and turned to leave, seeking out his colleague with all speed.

He found him near a supply closet, a scathing snarl on his face and eyes seeming to gleam ruby red in his anger, tearing into Finny in a voice that was barely raised but carried all the way down the hall; Agni had heard him before he saw him.

“-most basic of self-control. Byy now you ought to be more than capable of such elementary feats of restraint, and the fact that you simply are not amounts to nothing less than a complete and utter failure on your part.”

Finny, Agni found, was hunched in on himself in front of the irate butler, clutching two halves of a broken shovel to his chest and trembling visibly. His eyes gleamed with badly suppressed tears, and he wasn’t even attempting to defend himself, mouth shut tight.

In a single, fluid motion, Agni inserted himself between the two Phantomhive servants, and reached back to gently grasp Finny’s free hand. He gave Sebastian a disarming smile, and the British man stopped speaking immediately, though his displeasure seemed to ratchet up noticeably.

“I’m sure the young man has learned his lesson,” Agni cajoled. It was difficult, Agni knew from experience, to master such strength; Finny was doing his best, which Sebastian knew full well. “There is no need to denigrate him so, Mister Sebastian. Would it be acceptable to embrace this as a mistake and allow him on his way?”

Sebastian glowered at him for another long moment, with more blistering irritation than he had ever directed at Agni before. Agni held his gentle smile, patiently waiting the other man out, and behind him, Finny let out a desperate, breathy whimper. Finally, Sebastian held out one gloved hand.

It took a light squeeze from Agni before Finny yelped and jolted into action, placing the pieces ever-so-carefully in Sebastian’s outstretched hand. Agni gave Sebastian a grateful smile, and Sebastian nodded curtly before turning away and taking off at a brisk walk.

Agni intended to follow him, of course – such uncharacteristic fits of temper did not come without reason, and Agni was quite concerned – but first, to mind the distraught boy behind him.

When Agni turned around, Finny was sniffling, reaching up to rub fervently at his wet eyes.

“I’m s-s-sorry,” Finny croaked, voice tiny. “I-I didn’t mean to!”

“Of course not, my boy,” Agni soothed, gently wiping some of the tears off his cheek with the edge of his bandaged palm. “You’ve been doing admirably this past week, but mistakes will happen.” Finny hiccupped, and Agni continued, brushing the boy’s hair back behind his ear, “I have had my strength for years. It is not so great as yours, but I still break things by accident on occasion.”

Finny’s eyes widened, his breath steadying a little. “You, Mister Agni? But even Mister Sebastian admires you!”

Agni tried to ignore the heat that rose to his cheeks at that and smiled. “And yet, I still make mistakes. To err is human, after all. Do not worry; you will learn and it will get easier.”

Finny gave Agni a watery smile and bobbed his head. “I’ll learn! I’ll get better, I promise!” His smile fell. “But Mister Sebastian was really angry this time…”

“I will speak with him,” Agni promised, and Finny’s smile returned. “My boy, do you know what might have upset him so? He has seemed quite mercurial all day.”

Finny bit the inside of his cheek, frowning in thought. “I don’t really know,” he admitted, ducking his head. “He gets like this sometimes, but Mister Sebastian never says anything about it.” He shrugged helplessly. “He’ll calm down tomorrow, I think, but he’s scary like this.” He shivered, huddling in on himself again.

“Ah,” Agni sighed, and reached out to squeeze Finny’s hand again, swift and light. “Well, I will see if I can calm him sooner, eh?” He smiled reassuringly. “Now, my boy, in the meantime, would you mind checking on Miss Maid for me? She seemed quite upset earlier. And then you could perhaps keep Mister Footman company.”

Finny nodded quickly, and Agni was gratified to see him straighten with shaky determination. “I will!”

Agni smiled as Finny took off down the hall, and then turned to pursue Sebastian, his smile fading as concern rose to the surface.

Sebastian was a perfectionist of the highest degree, it was true, and his temper tended to lurk just beneath the surface. But such harshness was usually beyond Sebastian, so his behavior today was quite worrying.

Sebastian was returning inside when Agni found him again, hands free of the broken shovel and still radiating nothing but cold hostility. The last thing the man wanted, it seemed, was conversation.

Keeping this in mind, Agni cleared his throat, and Sebastian immediately turned a sharp glare on him, discouraging any overtures. Agni offered him a gentle smile, trying to smooth the man’s ruffled feathers.

“Would you accept my help with today’s chores?” Agni asked, voice soft and carefully inoffensive, palms open and relaxed. “Taking them on alone would surely be tedious and lonely.”

At first, it looked as if Sebastian would lash out at him too. His harsh expression did not budge from his face, his stance deceptively loose and distinctly predatory, and his teeth beginning to bare in the trappings of a renewed snarl.

And then Sebastian closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath, and nodded once.

“If you insist,” Sebastian said curtly. “I intend to polish the staircase next. It still has traces of shoe polish on it.”

“Then I will help you,” Agni replied firmly.

Sebastian’s expression pinched in apparent displeasure, but he simply turned away and started walking, aiming for the supply closet from which wood polish and wax could be retrieved.

In quiet cooperation, the two of them cleaned and waxed the staircase, and then dusted the library, brushing away residue from books and shelves and paintings, and then moved on to the kitchen. When they had finished cleaning the ash from the kitchen, they started tea, working alongside each other but not together. It was then that Agni decided to approach Sebastian, who had calmed somewhat with the silent work.

“You never speak of home,” Agni pointed out mildly, stirring a bowl of batter with care.

Sebastian’s lips thinned, and he cast Agni an unamused, warning look. “It has never been relevant.”

Sebastian’s motions were stiff but flawless. Russet eyes refocused on his work even as he scowled faintly. Agni considered him, a small, concerned frown on his face.

Everyone got homesick sometimes.

“You place great value on precision, honesty, and patience,” Agni mused aloud, treading carefully. Sebastian actually glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow, and Agni offered him a small, commiserating smile. “Are these your own virtues, or did you learn them from your homeland?” While it was easy to assume that Sebastian was British born-and-raised, there were some behaviors of his that did not quite fit.

Sebastian scoffed. Something about the sound made Agni’s heart clench; derision decorated Sebastian’s face. “Nothing so respectable could ever come from such a place,” he muttered, draining his pan into another bowl.

“You did,” Agni said easily. Sebastian did not reply, expression still stormy and motions becoming somehow sharper, so Agni persevered. “You’ve learned much since you came here, haven’t you? So have I, and so have your coworkers.” He turned a smile on Sebastian, now more sure of the source of his problem. (Why did all of Lord Ciel’s servants seem to have such unfortunate histories?) Sebastian went briefly still, cocking a weary, skeptical eyebrow at Agni, who finished, “I expect we all have more to learn yet, as humans do.”

Sebastian did not immediately reply, but neither did his ire spike again. He simply gazed at Agni, expression unreadable, with much of the tension gone from his shoulders. Recognizing the look, Agni gave him a bright grin and returned to the final touches of Soma’s afternoon meal.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Sebastian spoke. The tightness was gone from his voice, leaving a tired, almost contrite tone. “We should not keep our masters waiting. Children become bad-tempered when hungry.”

Agni relaxed and cast Sebastian a teasing smile. “They are not the only ones.”

Sebastian smirked back, his hand brushing lightly across Agni’s shoulders as he moved past, plate in hand. “I suppose not.”

[cielizzydefencesquad]

Can you do Soma X Elizabeth? I'll like to see it since I think they can be a cute couple

Soma x Lizzy? The sweetest and purest of all couples on this planet? My heaaaart. Thank you so much for requesting this @theplaytheroist and @saemi-the-dreamer

Who is more likely to catch a cold? My precious baby Soma. But around Lizzy he doesn’t want to complain or be seen as weak and wimpy so he tries to avoid her whenever he’s ill but Lizzy—our darling bundle of sunshine—won’t let the person she loves suffer all by his lonesome (and Agni knows Lizzy will be coming over so he excuses himself for the next few hours).

She and Agni prepare risotto, pumpkin soup, and hot mulled wine.

Soma’s so touched he won’t let go of Lizzy’s hand, even as she laughs and says it’ll be harder to feed him with one hand. Soma’s reply? “That’s even better! That means you can stay here longer! I don’t—I don’t want you to leave yet.” And in a quieter voice he confesses, “I don’t want you to leave at all.” 

Who hogs the blankets? Soma XD he still hasn’t adjusted to English weather so he requires at least 3 coverlets, a cashmere blanket, and maybe an extra duvet. Lizzy, whose blood runs hot, just ends up shifting all the blankets to Soma so she can sleep without sweating.

“Aww you look so cute!” Lizzy giggled. “All cocooned up—look at your cheeks! You’re like an adorable, darling bunny!”

Soma blushed and shyly came to grasp her hand, fingers intertwining. “Are you sure you aren’t cold?” 

Lizzy shook her head. “I’m a Midford. We’re hotblooded by nature. Mother says that’s where the brazenness comes from.”

“Brazenness?” Soma rolled over. “Well if you want to be extra brazen then come here!” He held open his arms, eyes bright. “Let me give you a kiss!”

Who kills all the flowers? Soma XD he and Lizzy have a little garden all of their own at their estate, Sita Lotus (named after the Hindu goddess Sita, the daughter of mother earth and a representation of feminine power and virtue) where they cultivate lotus blossoms and basil (considered one of the most sacred plants in Hinduism).

Who eats all the candy before Halloween? Soma—it gets even worse after Edward, following his tour of North America, brings back a barrel of pure Vermont maple syrup that Agni uses to flavor his caramels. Needless to say, Lizzy had to start setting caramel limits to keep Soma from cleaning out the whole pantry.

Who takes the longest showers? Neither—they take bubble baths together. (Although it took quite a bit of coaxing on Soma’s part to get Lizzy to agree to something so…so…scandalously indecent.)

“It’s just like cuddling in bed!”

“It is not!” Lizzy protested, cheeks bright pink. “We…we would be nude in the bath, Soma—!”

“Well, you don’t bathe with your clothes on do you?”

“No, but—“

Soma wrapped his arms around her, surrounding Lizzy with the scent of roses and spicy cinnamon. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to but I really think you English folk are in need of some fun. How do you stand these stuffy summers all bundled up like that?”

Lizzy blushed. “We don’t move very much.” She paused. “We’re quite devoted to sitting.” 

Soma laughed, pressing half a dozen kisses to her forehead in delight. 

Who goes to bed at 5am but wakes up at 8am? Neither. Soma can sleep through the apocalypse.

Who makes sure the other has a healthy breakfast? Soma. He has Agni grow mangos and persimmons in their glass gardens so as to give Lizzy a taste of eastern fruit.

What pets do they have? Soma’s elephant (that they’ve named Persimmon because Lizzy’s become addicted to the fruit), a baby chick named Theodore (who’s besties with Phipp’s chicken, Cecily), three King Charles Spaniels (Ferdinand, Isabella, and Philip), a Bengali tiger named Oberon, and a white crane named Horatio.

Wedding

Who proposes? Soma does! … with an elephant parade, flower floats, fireworks, dancing gypsies, music, trumpets, and gold. A LOT of gold. (Basically the whole Elizabeth Taylor sequence from 1963’s Cleopatra XD)

During this parade Soma and Lizzy sit side by side on Persimmon while everyone (and I mean, like, 90% of high society) watch in awe (and envy) before Soma gets down on one knee and proposes with a diamond the size of a tangerine.

“Soma this is beautiful but I don’t think I’m going to be able to wear this on a daily basis.”

“As my princess, you’ll never have to lift a finger! I’ll shower you in precious jewels and Venetian silks and the love of a million shining suns!” 

“Soma—“

“Behold!” Down below four footmen dressed in identical uniforms of crimson brocade appeared carrying a wide, spherical sedan chair with a pink lotus carved on top. “Your feet shall never tire, your gowns never dirty, and I will—“

His speech, already beginning to reach a fever pitch, was halted when Lizzy pressed her lips against his.

And suddenly, Soma decided, elephants and gold glitter and trumping fanfares weren’t nearly as important as his princess’s sweet lips. 

Who actually enjoyed the planning? They both did XD in an extravagant mix of Indian and English culture to craft a wedding so pricey that it cost more than three times the prince of Wales’ parliamentary allowance.

When Soma was told of the tab, he merely smiled. “Why, that isn’t nearly as bad as my elder brother’s wedding! You don’t know how hard of it time it was to find a solid gold carriage! The entire thing was so heavy we needed sixteen white Arabian stallions to pull it! Father was quite amused.”

Would their wedding be small or grand? Grand. Just…luxurious, ostentatious, expensive, theatrical. Soma and Lizzy were married at their estate, Sita Lotus. The guest list included the English 400 (the 400 most elite blue blooded aristocrats and businessmen), Soma’s various relatives and siblings (which made up the other 300), the Phantomhive, Midford, Grey, Phipps, and Trancy heads were also in attendance.

Elizabeth’s wedding sari was of crimson silk with hand embroidered patterns of flaming phoenixes, rising suns, and hummingbirds in flight. Her gorgeous blonde hair (now grown to fall at her waist) was left loose, intertwined with lotus flowers, while a crown of gold and emeralds sat atop her head.

When Ciel saw her, he commented, “It wouldn’t surprise me if Elizabeth’s very gown and jewels surpassed the cost of the royal treasury.”

Which guest was happiest to see them get married? Agni. And Edward. And Ciel. And Finny. And Frances. And Alexis. And Paula. And Sieglinde. And—well, you get the picture XD

Children

How many children would they have? Soma hails from a large family and Lizzy absolutely adores children so most likely six at the very least.

Would they adopt or have them naturally? Naturally!

Who is the strictest parent? Lizzy. She teaches her children the value of hard work, discipline, respect for other people no matter commoner or noble, and to always devote themselves to goals they truly want to reach.

Are their children in homeschool or public school? Initially homeschooled by Agni until they’re old enough to attend Weston.

(Lizzy says no, Soma love, they all can’t arrive riding on elephants and tigers.)

Who is the favorite parent? Oh they (and Agni) are adored beyond reason by the children, who—while they may not always agree with their parents—still value and respect their judgment.

Who checks on the kids in the middle of the night? Agni! He has no wish for his prince or princess to arise after they’ve spent all day chasing after children, managing the estate, and the various businesses Soma owns around the world. (Including banks in Germany, paper mills in Finland, coffee plantations in South America, various estate managing companies, global investments, huge shares in North American canned goods—mainly maple syrup, landowning, and three publishing companies.)

(When his cousin-in-law Ciel expressed surprise at Soma’s vast business portfolio, he replied: “Mine? Honestly it’s quite a pittance compared to that of my siblings.” —> Which then caused Ciel to wonder: just how wealthy was the Kadar family anyway?)

Who decorated the nursery? Lizzy and Soma together! Gold patterned walls, wide airy windows, arched marble pillars in gem pink, white marble floors, cradles made of hand carved satinwood and painted gold, the latest toys from Funtom, and personalized Bitter Bunnies for each of their six children.

[frederickabberline]

Hi! I loved your recap post about your thoughts on the current arc. :) I rambled in the tags about the few things I personally interpreted differently but I had a few questions about some parts of the arc you didn't address if that's okay? What do you make about Tanaka's apparent lack of surprise about the twin in ch130 and what do you consider Lizzie's role to be exactly regarding the blue sect? Lastly if we consider that the guy who killed Agni was Polaris, why do you think he was so strong?

Thank you so much!!! Yes, I saw, and I was going to reblog with your tags to respond because I need discussion on my points so I can refine them, but since you’ve sent me an ask I’ll do it here -

I absolutely agree on the twins looking like Cloudia and that being what Othello is referring to, but I don’t think I mentioned it (because it didn’t feel relevant to the post and it wasn’t something I could back up). As for the lockets, I’m not sure about Gilbert either but I go with that date because it’s so close to Albert’s death. In the case that it was during the 80s, then there’s a couple of other dates that it could line up with, but… We’ll see. As for Emile, I don’t mean to imply that he was definitely a citizen of France. After all, Druitt is French, and by extension, Redmond has French ties, but I wouldn’t consider Redmond himself French, right? I should have been clearer about that.

I’ve also been assuming that Grelle would theoretically recognise UT based on a multitude of factors such as his scythe, height, weight, hair colour and length, extraordinarily pretty face, possibly even his voice after he dropped the act during Campania, and the fact that if she knew somebody matching this general description and skill level who had deserted, it wouldn’t take much to put the pieces together, provided Dispatch isn’t bleeding out like fifty new deserters every year or something. Lastly, they only started this method of blood collection this summer, if you recall that they’re attached to the Phoenix society who had that hospital and all those slaves and ex-patients who were experimented on by Rian and UT, they had access to a lot of people before this point. It was only this summer that they had to drop the hospital, too, since I’ll bet that operation has collapsed following Campania.

Moving on!

To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m really worth asking about these things, because I have a very limited focus and my method of analysis is a) does it relate to something that happened or was mentioned in the anime b) does it relate to a real life event c) can I see a pattern otherwise d) is it to do with William or the other reapers. I’m in the dark as to what’s going to happen with Lizzie, she’s not “my division”, so to speak, and neither is Polaris;;; I know you don’t really jive with the anime as a source material, I checked your blog, but I still reeaaallly want to point you to [my very long post] about the parallels, because it’s where I come from as a theorist even if it’s a weird way to go about it. I respect that others don’t view it the same way, but it’s my grounding, you know?

But I’ll start with Polaris, just to also say I have literally no clue who the other lords are, none whatsoever, not the foggiest. No clue where they came from or why Blavat has them (or rather, they have Blavat,). I’m not sold on them being characters we already know, but that’s only because I really have no idea who they could be. I do think Polaris is the one who killed Agni. Now, if John Brown is supernatural (which, he is, let’s be real) then Polaris can’t be John Brown, as Polaris is receiving blood and is therefore most likely human, unless one of the Vega twins actually has the blood type Polaris is supposed to have, and so the blood collected for him is going to one of them, but that’s just too convoluted at this point.

Polaris…. could be the being who collected RC’s body, which I think is that cloaked figure, but… Well, the supernatural thing comes up again. Because Sebastian killed every human. (…and there’s a part of me without concrete evidence that suspects the figure to be John Brown anyway…)

If he isn’t supernatural, then we have a collection of very strong humans so far as well, and if he’s been brought back to life then he could have been physically enhanced as well. Like Agni is so strong because he was so dedicated to Soma, and perhaps Polaris has a similar thing going on, maybe that’s his whole deal too? I’ve not really thought about it.

I also haven’t really thought about Lizzie, but she’s definitely being used as a pawn by whoever is running the Blue Sect. Probably it’s worth noting that this is the same arc we see Othello, so named because of that game of pieces switching sides. It’s an isolation tactic against OC, and my personal belief is this arc has a good chance of leading to him becoming isolated, confused about his revenge, and stripped of his title as he was near the end of the anime. I don’t know if that will definitely happen at the end of this arc, but I think this arc has a good chance of being at least one of the factors that would lead to this. Lizzie survived the anime, but then again so did Agni, so her becoming mortally wounded isn’t out of the question. Either way, isolation tactic, and her being a good guard is probably a side benefit for the Blue Sect.

Tanaka, however, I can get into! He knows so much! This is where I get anime on you again and point out that he knew the entire time who killed Vincent and didn’t say anything to Ciel because it was against Vincent’s wishes. Further, Tanaka and Ash were on friendly terms, even if it was just a one-off gag. Tea with the enemy. Same thing revealing itself here, Tanaka is very aware of the truth at all times but he keeps it all to himself because he’s got a strict non-interference policy. I think he wants the twins to live truthfully, at that, based on his being so active in wanting OC to slowly and gently heal in the Green Witch arc. He knew OC wasn’t RC, he knew this was the facade falling down, and he wanted it to stay on course. Based on that same non-interference vibe, though, I don’t think he’ll explicitly take RC’s side against OC except in the matter of RC technically being master of the house (and therefore commanding his service). I can’t see him attacking OC, is what I mean. 

Tanaka has seen the deaths of Vincent, Cloudia, and RC, even if RC is technically back, that makes it three generations he’s watched fall. The Phantomhive butler cannot die before their master indeed. This is the point where I point out that Alex B.’s locket puts his death date (1854 April 20) as not only just a couple of years before the Second Opium War, but the same year Japan was forcibly opened to trade with America (that part of the expedition was 13 February 1854 ~ 11 July 1854, with the treaty that opened trade happening on March 31). Tanaka is so related to all of this, he’s inextricably woven into this whole political mess that the twins are inheriting, but he’s so secretive that we only have a sliver of the full story regarding him. In short, it would be more surprising for him to be (openly) surprised, because there’s no way he hasn’t known to some degree what’s been going on, and he’s maybe hoping that what’s happening now will be a solution.

[darkspellmaster]

You really hate R!Ciel , calling him selfish and jealous when the one with such qualities is no one other than Our!ciel ! I get it , Real Ciel loves his brother in a scary way , but he is only a child . He never looked down at his brother , he even said he is proud of him already . he took care of him very well , the only thing he had done bad to his brother was asking him to give up on his dream but then he let this idea go . Stop saying bullshits just because you are Cie X Lezzi fan.

I”m honestly going to give this answer a longer one during the week since I nedd some time to gather some research on the tropes that I’m seeing in Real Ciel and why I honestly think that the kid is way darker and far more dangerous, and quiet possibly the person that may have been behind the whole situation in his parents murder. At this moment I’m going on a strong hunch and due to the fact that a LOT of Kuroshitsuji’s elements in story telling feel very much influenced by the work of Kaori Yuki, a pioneer of gothic manga, and who’s work still influences a lot of writers to this day. But in order to give you a short reply on your comments…1. I don’t exactly hate Real Ciel, I do not trust him though, and find him rather repulsive for various reasons. One being that he willingly allowed Agni to be killed by a person who was far more brutal then Sebastian has been recently, and honestly seems to have no problem with shooting an innocent person in all this, Soma. Even if he didn’t know who Soma was, he should have, at the very least, not reacted by shooting him then attacking him and wanting to kill him. This is not the actions of someone who has any good intentions. 2. He willingly is keeping Lizzy from her family. Given Edward’s reaction, I doubt that either Frances or Alexis know about what’s going on with their daughter. Now you could argue that they’re in on this, but I really don’t think that’s the case at all. So if he’s honestly a person that could be seen as caring, as Our Ciel has, he would have, at the very least, allowed her to return home with her family, or told her too. It seems that he is either being used by someone, and manipulating Lizzy due to being manipulated himself, or that he’s actually willingly keeping here there and holding her by giving only his side of the story. That is not to say that Our Ciel isn’t at fault for this either, but his actions  are very much reminding me of a character by the name of Jezebel from the God Child Saga by Kaori Yuki, which again I will get into in that longer post. To me the fact that he’s still keeping her there, even if she’s doing so willingly, says a lot about how he’s seen their relationship vs. how Our Ciel has seen her and grown with her. 3. He’s shown signs in various scenes that he’s possessive of Ciel, that he clearly doesn’t want anyone but himself to be with his younger brother. There are moments that his face, when Ciel talks about leaving and going off on his own, showing that he doesn’t want this, and clearly this is setting up for something else, because we’re not seeing inside his head. We’re seeing how he was seen through Our Ciel, meaning that we really don’t know how he perceives his twin, as we’ve only seen what Our Ciel has seen. Thus, the only thing we have is “Ciel is a good person because that’s what he outwardly shows me.” Even though we never see what Real Ciel is thinking since most of the time he’s only voicing some thoughts and not all of what he’s thinking. Second point, do I think that Real Ciel is Jealous and Selfish. Well yes, I do. Consider this…We know that he doesn’t like the idea of Our Ciel leaving him, even suggesting he become a vicar on the estate so he doesn’t go far. To me that’s very telling that he doesn’t think he can manage things without Our Ciel. Our Ciel notes that he’ll have Lizzy and others to help him and Real Ciel seems okay with it, but also not so much. Later on we see Rachel giving a talk to Real Ciel about learning things, as he doesn’t want to be the Earl. This also is important as this is used a lot in stories to give hints that the character is jealous of a sibling or other person that doesn’t have the same responsibilities. Even if Our Ciel is jealous of Real Ciel, it’s clear that he’s jealous of him too over the fact that he won’t be having to be the Earl and make the choices that, eventually Our Ciel has to make, will be very hard for him while Our Ciel gets to make toys and lead a very natural and normal life, something that Real Ciel seems to want to share with him, or want him to share in the role of the Earl. But again without seeing inside his head we don’t know what he’s thinking, and that is part of the reason I’m thinking that there’s something darker with him then what Our Ciel sees. Consequently, with dramatic story telling, usually a twin brother, who even when they are nice to the main character, in dramatic stories, will normally be the Cain to the main character’s Able. I’m suspecting that this will be Real Ciel playing the Cain part. You say he never looked down at his brother, but again this is only the memories that Ciel has shown. Yet we know that Real Ciel can be down right hurtful of others, even if he “doesn’t mean it” as we’ve seen with Lizzy when he told her that he thought that strong women were scary. You can say that that was an innocent comment from a kid who thinks his Aunt is too hard, sure, but it’s still a damaging comment and, given what role Lizzy would have played to Real Ciel, more then likely a Sebastian part in being his right hand and killing people with her skills as a swordswoman, is it any surprise that she reacted the way she did and how it harmed her. Then we see his comments to Our Ciel when he comes in. It’s sweet, but talking down to him. Saying that now that he’s here Our Ciel doesn’t need anyone else. Commenting on his illness, etc. These are not kind words, these are not words that are meant to be nice or sweet or loving. These are words that are digs at Our Ciel for not only taking the ring, but probably for surviving and going forward with his plans. This kid has been warped and clearly his love of his brother is screwing him up to the point that he, again, attacked an innocent young man who had nothing to do with his brother’s revenge plot. Yes he is proud, but being proud could have many many meanings. He could genuinely be proud, or this could be the sort of proud you give your pet when he’s not gone to the bathroom on the floor. Again this very much reminds me of characters from Kaori Yuki’s works, and how the main character Cain of the count Cain saga, had his father, who’s not a nice man at all…trying to kill his son, says that he’s proud of the man he’s become. Coming from an antagonist, which clearly Real Ciel is being set up as -again, killing Agni and shooting Soma - you then have the term proud becoming something far darker in nature. It’s the sort of proud that indicates that he’s just impressed that someone weaker and smaller then him managed to crawl up as high as he has. And given that Real Ciel is supposedly mad at Our Ciel, it seems to be likely that the proud factor comes from the fact that he managed to take on and do things that Real Ciel didn’t think Our Ciel would ever be able to do. Okay let’s take a moment and really look at the fact that we’re seeing this from Our Ciel’s memories. It seems to me that to him Real Ciel was a hero, but we’ve already seen that this isn’t the case with various shots. We know that when the suggestion of the twins going to the school was brought up to Real Ciel he commented that the other students there would be “Fake Brothers” and there was a dead eyed look to him. Then while he does take care of him, he also at the same time doesn’t exactly allow for Our Ciel’s feelings to be considered. As we saw with the whole Halloween moment. Then we have a few other moments including a questionable vanishing act on the birthday, the whole reaction in the carriage ride where they were dropped off, and him sobbing because he was “scared” his thoughts on those under him, etc. We’re shown all the good things because Yana is setting up to show that there’s darker things to Real Ciel. 

And about the whole scene of letting go. I don’t think that’s the case at all. If that was true, why be so against his brother having anyone taking care of him when he shows up. Why is he clearly jealous of Soma being in the house. He Tells him to give up on his dream, but it doesn’t look like he’s over that idea, nor does it seem like in his return that he wants to have Our Ciel be on his own. It’s damn near clear given he tried to kill Soma to get Ciel’s attention. He doesn’t want Ciel to be on his own, that is not normal behavior. It’s one thing to be like “Okay I would rather have you working with me.” and another entirely different thing to say that Our Ciel only needs him, and then kills one of his friends because he’s angry. My view of Real Ciel doesn’t come from my view of Lizzy x Ciel. While I love the relationship, I’m not basing my view on that when it comes to Real Ciel. What I am basing it on is what we’ve seen with Lizzy, his actions against Soma, his comments to Ciel as well as the side glances and actions in the flash backs, and the fact that he very much seems to be a character who has similarities to two very large looming antagonist in Kaori Yuki’s series. That is where I’m getting my views on this. Not from any ship. I hope this at least answers a bit for why I’m looking at Real Ciel the way I am. Thank you for taking the time to write to me about this. 

[midnight-in-town]

Vincent’s words in Ch108,5 ending, what's the meaning? twins or others?

Hi Anon! Did you mean this?

Actually, I think this scene refers to several things because “love” (and what’s affiliated to it) is a central theme of Kuroshitsuji.

The second part of Vincent’s sentence is definitely foreshadowing though, and not just about UT’s wish that Vincent would come back to life but also regarding the current arc since the extra chapter was published just before ch108. So, depending on what’s the truth behind the current arc, Vincent’s words can mean different things:

he might be speaking about real!Ciel’s brotherly love turned into this obsession that is to stay forever with our!Ciel

if UT is the mastermind, maybe he’s speaking about how UT’s desperation when it comes to bringing back people led to terrible consequences

if someone else is the mastermind, maybe he’s speaking of the reason behind their actions and how, again, it triggered terrible consequences

look at Agni, or even those people who died after giving their blood

who knows, maybe he’s also speaking about Lizzie herself.

Vincent’s words also fit for subplots outside of the current arc’s though…

JTR arc: Ann and her love/obsession for Vincent => it’s more complex than it looks and it’s not the only reason but, associated to losing almost her entire family, it played a role into her becoming Jack the Ripper.

Curry arc: Agni’s love for his master led to him trying to hide the truth about Mina, but in exchange he had to comply with what Mina’s husband asked of him. I believe no one died, so there is that, but he almost physically hurt Soma at some point in the arc, despite revering him so much. 

Circus arc: Kelvin’s “love” (obsession really) for Vincent and his sons => it completely triggered this insane change and he ended up joining the cult (tbh we don���t know if he was already a part of the cult before he met them, but nonetheless, his crazy transformation about becoming “beautiful” had to do with meeting the P family)

this led to Joker and co having to put up with Kelvin’s craziness and being associated with his crimes, because they wanted to protect what they thought was left of the orphanage, despite it being already gone.

Campania arc: we know UT got curious about “what’s after the end credits” before he even deserted, but the reason he is trying so hard to bring back people might have to do with him losing people he deeply cared about and becoming desperate

hence the horrific disaster, because his BDs certainly were deadly and he now is a mass-murdering bastard

also look at Stoker’s love for medicine: it took him too far as well, even blinding him to the point he didn’t realize that he wasmanipulated.

Weston arc: yes it works too, because the love the ex-prefects of Weston had for their school and traditions led to them making too drastic choices when it came to protect both. 

GW arc: Wolf’s loyalty to Sieglinde aside, her mom and the other people who surrounded her only pretended to this whole nonsense out of devotion for their country/government and its plans for a big war. 

Overall, from another standpoint, look at the Queen and her Albert: this part is still very mysterious but there is no doubt that she’s kind of obsessed with him and who knows what terrible things her love for him, even if he’s dead, might push/have pushed her to do.

also who knows if, by acquiring the technology to bring the dead back, she might not want to bring him back too, leading to more disastrous consequences probably.

…because love leading to awful disasters is a central theme of Kuroshitsuji. :)

Y’know, that’s why I say that Vincent is more observant than we all seem to give him credit for [x][x]: he described in one sentence the simplest way to summarize almost every subplot so far. That’s why he’s so hard to read, he might appear to be aloof…

but that’s definitely not all that there is to him, hence surely why he always sounded like he expected to die soon.

I hope I answered your question, have a nice day Anon!

[ewig-schatten-und-licht]

Soma and Agni with the character numbers!! Please and thank you!!

Thank you so much for asking, my friend! ^_^ (I was waiting for this question XD)

1: sexuality headcanon

Demisexual, bothof them (means – asexual towards everyone except each other). I cannot evenimagine Agni interested in anyone else except Soma. The same for the latter.(In one of OVAs – which I actually hate because it’s a rubbish, really – heshowed being interested in the Mary Sue character, but then immediately turned his attention back toAgni. I may mistake, but in such fillers all the characters are supposed to beridiculous, so their most recognizable trait is hyperbolized till the absurd.So, Soma and Agni’s affection towards each other is their most recognizabletrait, it’s canon.)

2: otp

SomAgni, one andonly.

3: brotp

Soma and Ciel,Soma and Lizzie, Soma and Joanne, actually Soma and everyone he wants (becausehe deserves more love and attention)

Agni andSebastian, Agni and servants (I actually do not know if Agni and Wolf know eachother well, but they would definitely be good friends.)

4: notp

Each one exceptSomAgni XD Just because it would look weird to me if one of them suddenly findanother person to love and care of, and the thought that this third person willstand between them just makes me sad. Moreover – each of them would be sad ifthey had to spend less time together, as for me.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

They sleep inthe same room. Like, always. Agni is afraid that someone could dare to kill hismaster at night (he’s a royal, after all) and wants to be always beside him to prevent it. Soma is just glad not to be aloneat nights and always falls asleep fast, knowing that he’s safe and cared of.Sometimes Agni tells him fairytales or sings lullabies while his master fallingasleep. And when Soma sees bad dreams, Agni holds his hand till the princecalms down.

(This is canon,yes. When Agni leaves the manor and goes to West, Soma notices it immediately – when Sebastian informsCiel about Agni’s leaving, he’s already here. How did he know if they weresupposed to sleep in different rooms?)

6: favorite line from this character

Soma: I’ll become a great man who won’t lose toanyone, and show you!

And further line(emphasized): If I’ll say it, it’llhappen!

Agni: Everybody is born with different abilitiesand purposes in life. In the context of that chapter – this is such a reassuringstatement.

7: one way in which I relate to this character

I adore them, isthere a need to add something? XD I have to admit also that they two could bean example and even ideal in many aspects. When I think about the problems withrelatives and friends – I often think “What Agni would say or do here?” When Iam about to give up something important or feel myself miserable – sometimes Soma’swords “I’ll become a great man” appear in my head and I remember that I need togo on. It is always good to refer to an ideal image of yourself in your mind,and some traits of these characters’ personalities could be included ineveryone’s ideal, I think.  

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment aboutthis character

Embarrassment - never, I am always proud of them :D Except one thing - Agni’s past. I’ve thought about it a lot, and there always was a question - how he could change so greatly. Sometimes it’shard to believe that Agni could be hanged for whatever he committed, sothis was seriously. Like “what the hell were you doing to get to this point?”And why did he so quickly turned from the supposed-to-be-evil culprit to thekindest person ever, why could he change completelythis way of thinking that he used to maintain for the almost thirty years?

He said he sawhis father “swarmed by material goods and desires” from his very childhood. Sothen he must get used to such a life, take it as normal and enjoy it – just likehis father. But – during his flashbacks in manga we don’t see any hint ofpleasure on his face. He seems disgustedby everything what’s happening. He doesn’t look like he enjoys his life –whilst his father surely does. He doesn’t believe in gods – him, a Brahmin, whois supposed to serve the gods for alife – so maybe something happened to him, something that made him disappointin this life. Because he said also that he had no affection with the world.Then – poor thing might just be offended by his life and just decided to wasteit faster.

In addition, thesedays in prison between the day of his capture and the day of his executionbroke him down and made him think his life over. Maybe there he couldunderstand finally that the way of life that he used to, is wrong and leads tonothing – literally. And then the kindness and pureness deep inside his soulcould finally show themselves. But he thought he’s doomed and didn’t noticethem – till Soma appeared. Having saved him, the prince let all the goodnessinside Agni’s soul be free. I do see it this way.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

Cinnamon roll,both of them. I actually fear about their further character development (yes,their, because it is still possible to know more about Agni as well), butanyway they’re extremely adorable during the entire manga and anime.