#The Masquerades Of Spring

[charleythehouseplant]

Rivers of London fans, how are we doing in the wake of Nightingale being canonically asexual?

[travellingwiththedead]

‘I’ve never really understood what you might call physical love,’ said Nightingale. ‘But I do understand the bonds of friendship and family. You and Lucien are in love, and God knows that’s precious enough to be worth fighting for. But, more importantly, worth ignoring what polite society has to say on the matter.’

Ben Aaronovitch, "The Masquerades of Spring"

Ace!Nightingale, Ace!Nightingale ^.^

[tatzelwyrm]

Be Thomas Nightingale:

Show up to the climax of the book in a killer dress. Blow up a car. Explain nothing.

[birdylion]

It just hit me again that Nightingale has been friends with Molly since the 1920s. That's almost 100 years. Incredible. I'm never going to be normal about their friendship ever again

[jinxedwood]

I just finished Ben Aaronovitch's new Rivers of London Novella, The Masquerades of Spring, and did they just make The Nightingale canonically asexual?

I think they did!

[eruvadhril]

[twofoursixohjuan]

I would like to note that this is how I'm picturing Gussie's gown for the ball in TMoS (on the right):

(Butterick, 1928)

And this is Nightingale's:

(House of Lanvin, 1926)

[tea-andcake]

I can't stop thinking about how we meet a young Nightingale who's not traumatized by war and seeing all of his friends die. It's genuinely nice to see him just more happy in general!

And I can't stop thinking about the fact that he went out, bought a dress and then wore it to a drag party. I kind of want Peter to find out, imagine his reaction!

[philcoulsonismyhero]

I got The Masquerades of Spring, read it, Loved it, what a delight and a gift of a story

And also re: a certain dearly held headcanon about one Thomas Nightingale, VINDICATION

I Fucking Knew It

[bad-scary-like-war-and-bears]

canon ace nightingale can i get a hell yeah

[awakeagainstmywill]

Things I should have already known about Nightingale, but had deeply repressed until reading Masquerades of Spring:

Jock, but not.

Terrible pain in the ass, and not in the sexy kind of way.

Looks too dam good. All the goddam time. In anything. Any situation. Like, is this an undercover mission or is this a modeling gig, Thomas? You can't just run around looking like that, have mercy, we are all just mere mortals here, oh wait... oh. Nevermind. Carry on then.

[shakespearerants]

SPOILERS FOR MASQUERADES OF SPRING BELOW THE CUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

DID I READ THAT CORRECTLY???!! MELLENGALE ALL BUT CONFIRMED AND IMPLIED TO BE QUEERPLATONIC DUE TO THE FACT OF

CANON

ASEXUAL

THOMAS NIGHTINGALE???!!

HEAVILY IMPLIED TO ALSO BE ARO????!!!!! IN THE LITERAL ACTUAL TEXT????!!! HE SAYS IN THE LITERAL ACTUAL TEXT HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND "PHYSICAL LOVE"???!!

[birdylion]

I loved that little moment in The Masquerades of spring when

Nightingale and Gussie are in the jazz club and Nightingale is enraptured and Gussie thinks "another convert to the cause". I love that we got to see Nightingale fall in love with jazz

[shadowofaliar]

just finished masquerades of spring and omg we won so bad i’m shaking

[travellingwiththedead]

Anyway, i absolutely loved "The Masquerades of Spring"! I adore Gussie and the way he tells the story. Love all the side characters, especially Beauregard and Lucy. Very good, very queer novella, go read it!

[agardenandlibrary]

Genuinely I love a narrator who is like "look, I saw hard work coming for me and I waved at it lazily from my couch as it went by" so Gussie was a delight. I hope he and Lucy have a beautiful home in Harlem and adopt many fae children. Or jazz musicians, whatever.

Also, uhh, do we think Coco/Amelia ever gave Gussie his staff back?