#sebastian et mey-rin

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

( x )

Volume 33 showcases Layla from the Athena Sanatorium. For the AU, she/they and the Phantomhive household are dressed up as Japanese firefighters with Bard as the matoi holder wearing the traditional/ceremonial attire during the Edo Period together with Mey-rin (holding a fire axe) , Finnian, and Tanaka (on the ladder). The colour code, methinks, is fuchsia.

[abybweisse]

Hey Aby! In anticipation of the 205 chapter, I decided to go back and re-read Mey-Rin's and Bard's for clues of what may happen next to Snake and Finny. I noticed something interesting with both arcs - they both seem to hint at what their ultimate fates will be. While Bard's arc is all about meeting with wife and son while in a coma and he practically promises to return to them, Mey-Rin is an unwitting witness to a sex act, in an uncharacteristically graphic scene for Yana. Do you think that death is ultimately on the cards for Bard and (I guess) a marriage for Mey-Rin? Or is it all contained to their arcs themselves and does not mean anything beyond completing a mission?

⚠️ long post ⚠️

Assignments as foreshadowing?

I think that if Mey-Rin gets married, it would not be foreshadowed by her seeing sex acts through a keyhole.

She joined Qīng Bāng at a very young age and worked as a sniper, but she saw a lot going on around her. Well, as much as she could see without glasses. There were drugs, alcohol, and probably prostitution in and around the opium den, as well as throughout Limehouse district. One of her early assignments as an assassin was to shoot this guy at a hotel or perhaps in his own huge manor, right? He was a rival gang leader, and she shoots him while he's naked with some unnamed woman. He might have even been right in the middle of having sex when she shoots him. She's witnessed a lot in her young life.... Getting married to anyone would be despite the things she has seen and done. Reminds me of how Katniss finally settles down and has kids in The Hunger Games, even though she's been thoroughly traumatized by her experiences. So far, at least, Mey-Rin seems to have kept her mind pretty well intact. I hope she can continue to do so.

I think we can safely say she has somehow managed to remain a virgin up to this point, too. Otherwise, Georg von Siemens' inappropriate actions towards her wouldn't have been enough to make her question whether she was still worthy of marriage. Going by "Rin" and dressing as a boy until she joins the Phantomhive household might have been partly to protect her virtue. Good thing Haku was apparently only interested in her sniper abilities.

In Baldo's case, the interaction with Joanna and his son might be an indication he will have to break whatever promises he's made to them. At least for now. I mean, his claim he can now properly cook fried eggs is an exaggeration "Sebastian" calls out even before Baldo can fully return to the living realm.

I put Seb in quotations because I'm not sure whether Sebastian has infiltrated Baldo's coma or if he's just a nagging figment of his imagination.

Then again, maybe he will soon join them. We still don't have confirmation that he and the others safely made it out of Athena Sanatorium, thanks to a cliffhanger and moving on to the next assignment, with Finny and Snake. Next time we see Baldo et alia, they might be trying to take leave of the place... when Polaris freaking shows up, mad as all hell. Even if Ronald and William stick around and actually enter the fray (since it's another bizarre doll to take down), I don't see it ending too well. Baldo does seem to have this uncanny ability to survive, though, even if everyone else around him doesn't....

Either way, I highly doubt he will ever make it to Shanghai with the others, even if the others do. And if he stays in England and somehow still survives to the end of the series, this is most likely a false promise, as well:

Mostly because he's just that terrible in the kitchen.

I still somewhat hope Mey-Rin and Baldo end up together, despite their age difference. At least she is an adult already. Also, it was a very common practice in Victorian England for older men to marry much younger women, especially if those men were widowers. Much like Katniss again, perhaps Mey-Rin would only pair well with a man who has experienced much of the same trauma. Likewise, Baldo might now have trouble settling down with some completely innocent sort of woman. Katniss and Peeta go through the deadly and maddening games together. Baldo's been altered by war and losing his wife and son. Mey-Rin has been altered by her years as an assassin for a drug dealer and gang. Mey-Rin and Baldo have both been enlisted as servants for our earl, chosen because of their abilities and previous training; now they volunteer as pawns in this deadly game of chess against their young master's brother. Perhaps their bond will be strengthened by all this... if they live to see the end of it.

The main thing the first two assignments have in common, besides their basic instructions, is that Mey-Rin and Baldo each flashback to the events directly leading up to being offered positions as our earl's servants. Mey-Rin's flashback is triggered by Jane offering her the opportunity to switch sides. Her flashback shows us why her loyalty stays with our earl and Sebastian -- with the Phantomhive household.

Baldo's is triggered by Ada admitting her guilt as a survivor during warfare; Baldo feels much the same.

And he also develops loyalty towards our earl, Sebastian, and the other servants. Just like Jane ends up aiding the infiltrators, so does Ada.

As I'm typing this up, I realize "hunger games" describes both Mey-Rin's and Baldo's lives before: Mey-Rin is once fooled into biting a boot and is regularly given moldy bread to eat... while Baldo's battlefield starvation tempts him to cannibalize his fallen comrades. Sebastian barely arrives in the nick of time to stop him from eating the arm of Terry, or whoever that poor dead dude was, if it wasn't Terry. Sebastian shows up with a picnic basket filled with afternoon tea items and possibly more. The first thing our earl does to extend any kindness to Mey-Rin is provide her with the first hot, freshly prepared meal she's had in ages, perhaps as far back as she can remember.

Back to their assignments; they are paired with people who are in our earl's network but are not his servants. But Finny and Snake (and his snakes) are both Phantomhive servants, so do we get a major flashback from Finny, from Snake, from both, or from neither one? So far, Finny is having single-panel flashbacks and even briefly stating things he recalls to Snake and the top students. The orphanage reminds Finny of the research facility in some ways, and that could segue him into a major flashback. Since Doll is there, she could trigger Snake into one. However, before the assignments, they were the two we already knew the most backstory for, and we might never learn all that much more about either one. To deal with both characters, we might just continue to get tiny snippets here and there.

But Mey-Rin has a choice to make -- choose Jane's offer or remain loyal to our earl. She remains loyal, and Jane even helps her and Ran-Mao break up the blood collection operations there before parting ways. Mey-Rin and Ran-Mao just need to get to our earl and make their report.

Baldo still has a choice to make -- stay in England and return to our earl... or go with Lau and the others to China. Like I said before, he might never get to China, even if he tries. I do expect him to ultimately end up staying behind, possibly loaded down with fresh feelings of survivor's guilt. If Ada is still around when we get back to them, she might also decide to stay back and help Baldo take down the Aurora Society.

With Finny and Snake, I don't think Finny's loyalty could ever come into doubt. His choice might come down to whether he has to fight Snake. But I don't think Finny will see much, if any, choice in the matter if it comes to that.

Snake is probably about to hear Doll's full tale about the circus members' fates. Then his choice (and the choices of his individual snakes) is to either help Doll get revenge... or attempt to destroy her and shut down the orphanage. Snake is the last to join our earl's household, so he could end up the first to leave it (I don't think Tanaka has truly left). There's also the possibility that one of his snakes, like Emily, chooses Doll and must be eliminated.

There is foreshadowing in each assignment, but most of that pertains to what ends up happening in each assignment. I don't know what long-term foreshadowing there is in the assignments, other than perhaps some things not directly related to them... like:

The chance of Jane popping up again later because she hinted that she might

The shapes of souls and "aptitudes" hinting about soul transplants

If Layla ends up being Heathfield's daughter

If Layla/Al ends up being some experiment of Undertaker's regarding soul transplants

What I do see is each servant's loyalty being put to the test, and they must make quick, fateful decisions. Whatever choices they make during their assignments, they will ultimately affect the outcome of the story. Each assignment definitely has long-reaching consequences; they are not little bubbles of existence.

I hope I answered your question thoroughly. I stayed up too late working on this -- but not finishing it -- and have been half asleep all day.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

I’ll give one of my favourite girls the reality of her dreams where she dances the whole night away with Sebastian Michaelis.

Remember, we all like the same source material which contains dark and mature subjects! Ship and let ship and be kind to the real people voting!

What's this about?

[theplaytheroist]

For I Such Yearn Chapter 2: For I Search

Morning already hits for Elizabeth, waking up by the sunlight shining to her face. Paula appears in her room, setting up for today's morning.

"Good morning Lady Elizabeth! What are you planning to do today?" Paula claps her hands. "I actually wanted to do some investigation on Mey-rin" Elizabeth mention. "Really? What brings this up?" Paula asked. "Well, Mey-rin and I hang out in the City of London yesterday. Mey-rin remind me of Ciel but in a different way. She dropped hints for me and all, treated me with respect. Don't tell my mother about this" Elizabeth explained. "I won't, don't worry Lady Elizabeth. Good luck for researching on Mey-rin" Paula bows.

Elizabeth joins with her family on their daily breakfast. Elizabeth of course ponders about the hints on Mey-rin of what she is as a person. Though, she doesn't want her family to be suspicious of why Elizabeth acting like this today so she ignored these thoughts until she is alone. After Breakfast, Elizabeth is in her Library, looking at the books that academic that Mey-rin and Ciel would read.

"These Academic books what Mey-rin reads are usually accessible for the rich... unfortunately. But what Academic books would she read?" Elizabeth took out the Academic books.

Elizabeth notice the Academic books that reprinted them from centuries ago, especially from 15th century.

"Hmmm, Mey-rin also mention she study Demonology as well. But, there's no books about Demonology....unless we have one here" Elizabeth looks around the titles for demons on it.

Elizabeth looks at every bookshelf and still nothing about demons. She is frustrated at this, knowing that researching on Mey-rin is hard as it is.

"Man, sometimes I wish have inhuman abilities to solved everything but it'll be to easy and boring" Elizabeth comments.

Elizabeth checks on the academic books, looking at the titles and noticed the book from the 15th century that she took out, it reads 'Pour un tel j'aspire".

"That's weird, why the title is in french" Elizabeth noticed the title.

She opens the book to see Latin words on the pages above, it seems like it can still be translated. She turn the pages to see it is full French sentences. Now she can read and understand French taught by her tutors and Latin she's gonna learn soon but why this book is full French.

"This is interesting, let me see what I can read from it here" Elizabeth begins to read.

Elizabeth noticed the word frères et sœurs meaning siblings in french.

"The two demonologist who consider themselves siblings are the strongest in centuries ago, both of them disappear and never seen again. The male french inquisition and contract demon was executed by his people and female assassin goddess left her people after his brother death. It was the end of the age demonology and never brought to life again after the two siblings left their home country Saint-Zacharias, France"

"Yessh..., I feel bad for the male french inquisition, he didn't deserve that fate" Elizabeth somber.

Elizabeth checks on the author name, written by Gregory Simon. Her eyes narrows, how did her family got a hold of this book?

"Hey Lizzy! Your fiancee is here!" Edward shouts. "Huh?!" Elizabeth jolted from her brother shouting. "Yessh, it seems like your deep into your reading. Hahaha! It sounds your improving your intelligence baby sister, that's great!" Edward noticed. "Ummm, yeah right I am Eddie! Wait, why is Ciel here?" Elizabeth questioned. "I have no idea to be honest" Edward shrugged.

Elizabeth took her book to her room and place under the drawers to hide it. Elizabeth sighs, really bad timing for Ciel to come, she felt like there's something more to this book then it lead on. Elizabeth left her room, went downstairs to the entrance to Ciel and Sebastian.

"Hello Ciel, Sebastian, what brings you two here? It's a surprise that your here at all" Elizabeth asked then chuckled. "You never asked me to come here" Ciel answered. "I do want to but your busy with work and guard dog mission, how can I ask you to come and visit when you so busy all the time" Elizabeth mention.

Sebastian raise an eyebrow on Elizabeth, it seems like Elizabeth is expressing her problems towards the Young Master. It's not like it's false, the Young Master schedule have always been busy and never bother to put aside a day off or a break just to spend time with Lady Elizabeth.

"I....supposed that's true" Ciel acknowledged what Elizabeth said. "Well anyway, it's nice that your here but ummm, you two can go back home now, besides anyway Ciel, you have work to finished" Elizabeth insisted. "I can stay with you, I can work tomorrow" Ciel quickly respond. "Oh...that's nice...I guess?" Elizabeth surprised by his words.

If Elizabeth gonna be honest, she wanted to read more of the book, to know the truth why her family has that book and wanting to find out about Mey-rin. But maybe she ask what Ciel wanted to do, maybe chess and books that he likes to read.

"We play chess if you like or we can go to the library to talk about the books we've read" Elizabeth mention. "Fine by me, we can play chess in the library if you like" Ciel responded. "Okay then, great" Elizabeth shows a small smile.

At the Library where Elizabeth sets the chess at the table and set up the pieces. Ciel is black pieces and Elizabeth is white pieces. Elizabeth knowledge of chess is difficult at times, she knew how easy Ciel will beat her, she felt bad that she's not an opponent for Ciel at all.

"Checkmate" Ciel place the pawn in front with queen behind the pawn. "Good game, must've been easy for you" Elizabeth comments bitterly. "You can ask me to help you get better at chess Lizzy, I don't mind at all" Ciel narrow his eyes. "No don't worry, I don't want you to waste your time on me. Look, it's already getting late, you work tomorrow right?" Elizabeth mention. "Are you okay Elizabeth?" Ciel reacts with a concern tone. "Yeah I'm just not myself today, that's all" Elizabeth sheepishly rubbed her neck. "I noticed that, if anything you want to talk about, you can come visit my mansion" Ciel insisted.

"Yeah right, like I can believe that Ciel" Elizabeth comments bitterly.

"Of course, thank you Ciel" Elizabeth smiles warmly. "Have a good night then" Ciel left the library with Sebastian.

Elizabeth sighs in relief as she heads to her mother who is currently reading on her bed.

"Mother, can I ask you something?" Elizabeth asked. "Of course dear, it's nice that you finally spoke to me, you've been to quiet lately today, are you alright?" Francis expressed her concern. "Yeah sorry for worrying you though Mother. I need to know, why did you have book called "Pour un tel j'aspire"?" Elizabeth mention. "Oh, I figured as much, that book has been there since my mother has it" Francis close her book. "Grandma Claudia? Why does she have that book?" Elizabeth asked. "During her Guard Dog years, she actually took a demonology mission by mistake! She found the book during a raid when the Demonologist fighting off Rouge Demonologist, she took it because one of the Demonologist told her to keep it and let the person who knows this will find it some day. I never got to read it but did you read it Elizabeth?" Francis explains then asked her. "Yes I have, it was full of French, it's about two Silbings, one is a male french inquisition and contract demon and one is a female Assassin goddess, the male was executed by his people and the female left her people for good. I felt so bad for them, cause I felt they suffered so much even before reading the rest" Elizabeth informed as somber the thoughts. "Well, continue reading it, your smarter then everyone looks, whatever it is, I know you can do it, I know you can" Francis smiles at her. "Thank you Mother Elizabeth hugs her. "Not a problem dear, now have a goodnight" Francis kiss her forehead.

Elizabeth heads back to her room, opening up her drawer with her book, continuing to read in French book, a paper fall out from the book, she opens it and it's written something the caught her eyes on the message on the paper, it reads;

Ceci est mon dernier message pour vous deux, Sébastien, Mey-rin, si vous lisez ceci, je suis désolé que vous ayez souffert, être choisi comme déesse assassin et démon contracté n'est pas ce que le destin voulait être. Quel que soit le chemin que vous choisissez de suivre, j'espère qu'il vous rendra heureux tous les deux, cordialement,

Votre professeur, Gregory Simon

(This is my last message to you two, Sebastien, Mey-rin, if you read this, I'm sorry that you two have suffered, being chosen as a goddess assassin and an contracted demon isn't what fate wanted to be. Whatever path you choose to follow, I hope it'll make you two happy,

Sincerely, your teacher, Gregory Simon)

It all makes sense now, why Mey-rin is into Demonology. But also, her brother book is name is Sebastien then....what is it that the both of them did during the 15th-16th century? She highly doubt they are rouge demonologist but...she still ponders what happen to them.

"For now I know what Mey-rin is, I hope for the best she answered but still...what unknown what I got into exactly?" Elizabeth looks at the book.

Elizabeth shakes her head, trying to clear her mind for today discovery she have learned today. She put her book under the drawer as she sleeps away, this time more at ease now knowing and hopefully the answer for Mey-rin.

Here we are, something interesting is gonna happen! I hope this chapter is good enough for you all! Remember that I wrote this for fun and it somehow turn popular, I'll be shock but anyway! See you in the next chapter!

[incorrectkuroshitsuji]

Sebastian: Yes. At one point in my life, I was in a band.

Finny: Really?? I bet it was called 'Masters of the Night' or something.

Sebastian: No, Finny, it was not. And I'd thank you to give me more credit than that.

Baldroy: Nah, more like 'Nightly Nightshade'.

Mey-Rin: Or 'Dark Carousel'.

Sebastian: No, no.

Snake: ...or 'Sorrows of Blood'.

Sebastian: Et tu, Snake? You're all so cruel.

Finny: You have to tell us the real name, or we'll keep going!

Sebastian: I refuse to further enable this slander.

Ciel: It was 'Xpidercoven', with an X.

Sebastian: Young Master--!!

Mey-Rin: How do you spell 'spider' with an X?

Ciel: Goth willpower.

[miticsky]

Timeline Black Butler 1830-1889

Traduction depuis l’anglais grâce à @akumadeenglish <3 

Attention : Toutes les dates sont traduites, même celles n’apparaissant pas encore dans le manga papier sorti en français ! Il y a un [SPOIL] à partir du moment où c’est le cas. 

______________________________________ 1830, 5 avril, Claudia Phantomhive est née. 

1837, Victoria devient reine du Royaume Uni à l’âge de 18 ans.

1851, 13 Juin, Vincent Phantomhive est né. 

Vers 1853, Frances Phantomhive est née (c’est la petite soeur de Vincent)

1859, Arthur Conan Doyle est né.

1861 14 décembre, Prince Albert meurt à l’âge de 42 ans. 

1866 13 juillet, Claudia Phantomhive meurt.

1871, Prince Soma est né.(Il a 17 ans en décembre 1888)

1872/73, Edward Midford est né.

1874, Vincent épouse Rachel. 

1874/75, Elizabeth Midford est née.

[SPOIL] 1875 14 décembre, les jumeaux Phantomhive (le vrai Ciel et notre Ciel) sont nés.

Vers 1878, Sieglinde Sullivan est né (Elle a 11 ans en août 2889)

1878 14 décembre, Princesse Alice (La deuxième fille de la reine Victoria) meurt à l’age de 35 ans. 

1883, Side Story “That butler, nursing” ("Le majordome soigne")

1884, Vincent et Ciel rencontre Baron Kelvin à la fête du comte Barton.

1885, Le mari d'Angelina, Baron Barnett meurt dans un accident

[SPOIL] ]1885 14 décembre, dixième anniversaire des jumeaux/ attaque du manoir Phantomhive / Vincent & Rachel & (le chien) Sebastian meurent. 

1885 Décembre, Madam Red commence à tuer des prostituées et rencontre Grell Sutcliff.

1886 Janvier, notre Ciel fait un contrat avec Sebastian et retourne au manoir Phantomhive en tant que “Ciel Phantomhive”. 

1886 Mars, Ciel devient officiellement le "comte Phantomhive"

1886-87, Finny/Bard/Mey-Rin deviennent des serviteurs de la maison Phantomhive 

1888, commencement de “Black Butler” (Vol.1)

1888 31 août, Arc de Jack l'éventreur (Vol.2-3)

1888 8 Septembre Ciel rencontre le Vicomte de Druitt à sa fête

1888 9 novembre, Madam Red meurt (Vol.3)

1888 14 décembre, treizième anniversaire de Ciel

1888 15-19 décembre, Ciel rencontre Soma & Agni (Vol.4)

1888 23-26 décembre, la bataille du curry (Vol.5)

1889 6-8 février, mission sous couverture au Noah's Circus (Vol.6)

1889 9 février, Joker, Doll, etc meurent (Vol. 8)

1889 12-14 mars, L'arc du meurtre / Snake devient un serviteur (Vol.9-12)

1889 17 avril, le Campania navigue vers New York (Vol.12)

1889 19-20 avril, attaque zombie / Campania coule au milieu de l'Atlantique/Stoker et beaucoup d'autres personnes meurent (Vol.12-14)

1889 Avrit, Chasse aux oeufs de Paques de Lizzy, etc (Vol.14)

1889 Avril-Juin, mission sous couverture au Weston College (Vol.14-18)

1889 4 juin, Tournois de cricket (Vol.16-17)

1889 Juillet ?, Valley of Lilly (Vol.18)

1889 Aout, Green Witch Arc (Vol.18 - Vol.22) 

1889 17 août, Hilde, Grethe, Anne et d'autres villageois meurent 

1889 28 septembre, Arc de la "Blue sect" (Secte bleue) (Vol23/ chap 9 - ? )

[SPOIL]

1889 15 novembre, Agni meurt, le vrai Ciel retourne au manoir Phantomhive (Vol. 26)

_____________________________________________ Ages des personnages (en date de Novembre 1889)

Sigliende - 11-12 ans

Ciel - 13 ans (va avoir 14 ans en décembre)

Lizzy - 14-15 ans (1 an plus âgée que Ciel)

Finny - 16 ans 

Edward - 17-18 ans

Soma - 18 ans 

Snake - 18-20 ans

Mey Rin - Autour des 22 ans

Phipps - En dessous des 24 ans (plus jeune que Grey)

Grey - 24 ans 

Joker - 25 ans

Agni - 31 ans 

Frances - En dessous de 37 ans (plus jeune que Vincent) 

Alexis Midford - 37 ans (1 an plus jeune que Diedrich) Diedrich - 38 ans (même âge que Vincent)

Bardroy - Aux alentours de 40 ans

Ages des personnages en fonction de leur apparence (pas l’âge réel !)

Ronald - 22-25 ans 

Grell-William - 26-32 ans 

Sebastian - Autour des 30 ans 

Undertaker - Plus que 30 ans

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

H a p p y Chinese New Year 🧧 2023!

B l a c k B u t l e r & C H I N O I S E R I E ( Chinese New Year Edition )

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

The Phantomhive Household: Mey-rin

I haven’t professed my love for Mey-rin. The maid fascinated me ever since I saw her in the anime’s season 1 shedding her demure goofy appearance only to appear so BAMF toting guns in both hands shooting the Earl’s enemies. And in turn, her fascination with Sebastian is terribly understandable. She’s us, the audience (well many of us, I just realised lately that some people really do hate him even though he is the titular character), who desire the talented evil butler.

And because I ship everyone with almost everybody in “Kuroshitsuji” and Sebastian is a demon, who doesn’t mind being entangled with humans he sets his eyes upon according to his needs and purposes, he’s honest to goodness impressed with her whenever she meets his expectations and more.

Look at how flustered she is after she’s received a praise from Sebastian. Not only she finds home in the Phantomhive household, she’s found her usefulness and her superiors thoroughly appreciate it.

A few head canons:

• Sebastian might appear he’s had enough of the domestic helpers’ peccadilloes but at the end of the day I don’t think he minds it.

• When Mey-rin used to have a problem making the ribbon behind her uniform straight, Sebastian would have sneaked in, standing very close to her, tsk-tsked over her clumsiness, and finally arranged it for her making her more red-faced. And come to think of it, aroused, which at first bothered her, but the second time it happened, she enjoyed it.

• Sebastian from time to time loves to tease her. And so Mey-rin is puzzled by this. She is wishing, nay, hoping that the butler means it. Does he really care for her? No wonder, during the “Book of Murder OVA/The Phantomhive Manor Murders arc” she quipped, “Mister Sebastian, are you worried about me? Are you?” After the preceding scenes/panels where Lord Siemens tried to assault her and she lamented that she wouldn’t be able to get married. Poor maid.

• Does she ever think of her lost homeland? I think she does. Hong Kong, the only place she knew. She still knows how to write Chinese unbeknownst to the rest of the Phantomhive household members. And she keeps a diary of sorts in her room where she writes in her fluid mother tongue. She thinks of her dead parents. Both Irish who left their country and settled in Hong Kong only to find themselves going back to Europe and being victims of the epidemic. She used to have an Amah who taught her Cantonese and told her about Chinese folklores. That’s why it makes her happy to relay the traditions she still remembers to her colleagues (Chapter 120, The Butler, Lyrical)

• It is strange but she feels more secure in the Phantomhive household. Yes, she is now the resident sniper. Yes, she still has nightmares of her deceased friends, but with the company of her newfound friends and the handsome butler and her young Lord, she’s found a purpose and a will to live. Though sometimes, it disappoints her when her seniors don’t care at all. At least, Finnian understands.

• She might find the tailor Nina Hopkins intimidating (but hey, not that often might be enough), but give her more of these women rather than those men like Lord Siemens.

• The day she mustered the courage to ask the Butler to spend a day with her in London for her birthday, Sebastian, in kind, surprised her with a ballroom ticket, a red ball gown, and they danced the night away capping the end of her birthday and it was the best day she ever had.

• She’s jealous of the Young Master. (Mainly because the Butler is devoted to him. And they are very close.) Full stop. But that doesn’t mean she despises him. Sometimes, she has the sisterly feeling for him and she cannot help it.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Power games: Aggressor/Aggressee (Sebastian/Mey-rin; Lau/Bard)

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Emerald Witch Arc in 10 pictures. Superman. Precocious children. Failed German lessons. ’Ships ahoy. BAMF Phantomhive servants. (Part 1)

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

(Realised that an edited exposed mammary gland from a statue sculpted by Antonio Canova that I photographed from a Munich Schloss a long time ago could pose a problem.)

“I am aware. I have no intention to be rough with you. And yes… You were dressed up as a young man when we first met. Your virtue is still intact.” His voice soft to her ears. She was not trembling. Bravado. She looked in his direction and started walking. Her boldness taking over.

What happens when a demon starts to feel?

Read on AO3

What made me start this fiction was curiosity. Many of my head canons for Mey-rin are based on Yana Toboso’s illustrations and comments from the character guide. (“Mey-rin’s fervent wish if it would be granted is to spend a day alone with Sebastian in London.” ) Then there is that illustration with S and Mey-rin dancing in a hall. And everything in between. It is first and foremost a story about Ciel and Sebastian. And Mey-rin. I am probably one of the few people who appreciates Yana’s narration of the Phantomhive household back story after discovering her work officially this year. I would like to think she wanted to rectify the anime interpretation of the servants, who served as a comic relief, in order to justify their ability and show their prowess to support Ciel and S.

Deeply indebted to Andy ( @clouds-of-peach ) and D ( @thatmysterywriter ) for their cheerleading and owlish eyes.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Sebastian Michaelis’ Lament: Nina Hopkins and Victorian women’s hair

“Chapter 107: At Night, The Butler, Compelling” is another favourite chapter. It fully describes Sebastian’s pettiness when it comes to Nina Hopkins snubbing him, one of the few people who doesn’t like him, not impressed by him, doesn’t admire him. It must be the demon’s one of the many pet peeves. He values her professionalism and her sense of style but her negative treatment of him sends him to question himself : “why manifest to be a virile, young, and a beautiful man if I cannot charm everyone?” It doesn’t amuse him. It agitates him. Anyway, Nina also treats the male servants of the Phantomhive Household the same: Bard, really pissed, and Finnian, clueless. Except for Tanaka.

In the manga, Nina as a tailor admits that she loves to dress up pubescent boys. But I don’t think it has to do with her sexual preference. She adores Mey-rin’s androgynousness the first time they’ve met. True. Her declarations though have become the subject of discussion among the puritanical accounts on Twitter. Just because Yana Toboso designed her character so the “mangaka must be pedophile.” It is this ambiguity that makes reading it difficult for others.

(Chapter 17: At Midnight, The Butler, Brand New)

Anyway, difference of opinion irritates S. Nina is avant-garde and very open to changes. While S is not. For a demon, his sense of style is very conservative and clings to etiquette and protocol. That’s why his rebuke of Bard’s sexism is truly remarkable. Demons probably find it amusing what holds the people back in order to feed their bigotry and in turn their hypocrisy.

Which is why S views the hair an impeccable requirement in the Victorian society. He was so heartbroken after he saw Sieglinde Sullivan’s short hair. The demon’s reaction is one to be framed!

Hair was a very important body part during the Victorian era among women of the middle and upper classes. It was a sign of their femininity and a focus of sexual interest. No wonder, poor women, who were deprived of clean toilets and struggled with poor hygiene, were forced to sell their hair, which they normally hid with bonnets or hats.

There was a strict societal code to follow how to style their long hair. Cutting the hair was simply unthinkable. Coiffed hair was a sign of coming into age. Victorian women never wore their hair loose, but for pictorial purposes only, and when there was intimacy involved.

They did occasionally trim split ends, or even singe them, but long hair was viewed as being ultra-feminine and desirable.

In order to celebrate the extreme long Victorian hair, people catapulted it into art. One of them is incorporating the strands of hair into ornate mourning lockets, a memento mori of a deceased loved one. (Morbid Anatomy, for one, offers courses how to design intricate Victorian mourning hair lockets.)

Empress Sisi of Austria, for example, had an elaborate regimen to groom her hair. Apart from exercising to death and starving herself.

Sisi looked on her daily sessions of hairdressing as a “sacred ritual.” She used the morning hours that Fanny (Franziska Feifalik) was combing and styling her hair for reading, writing letters, and for studying Greek and Hungarian with her tutors. But daily hairstyling was only one component of Sisi’s haircare regime. Every three weeks, her hair had to be washed and dried. This was a time consuming process in itself.

…

Every three weeks it was washed with raw eggs and brandy, a procedure which took an entire day, including drying. After washing her hair, the Empress would don a long, waterproof silk dressing gown and walk up and down until her hair dried. ( x )

Her vanity, like “to be beautiful is to suffer”, caused her to have a headache, but saved her life for a few minutes, due to tight lacing of her corset.

Also calling in sick when one is cross with the employer is the oldest trick in the book. When Sisi’s personal hairstylist, who earned as high as a university professor, didn’t show up for work because of the monarch’s capriciousness, the empress admitted that she needed her: “After several such days of hairdressing, I am quite worn down. She knows that and waits for capitulation. I am a slave to my hair.”

A predicament Sisi shared with the other women during her time, but in Yana Toboso’s universe one of her characters has been spared.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Sebastian fawning over Mey-rin as the Phantomhive household cosplayed the Power Rangers.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

What do you prefer? Then and now.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

How did it come to this? With my hands bound and my undergarments almost torn, I waited. Is this my punishment for breaking the Young Master’s favourite cup? A Rothschild Bird Blue Fish Scale pattern he took a liking on his 12th birthday. It was an accident. It was not my intention to be clumsy. Mister Sebastian said he had enough. He was not shouting or anything. But there was something about his eyes and… did I see fangs all of a sudden? Anyway, the next thing I knew he ordered me to take off my uniform and stay in my room. “Only for today, Mey-rin,” in a clipped stern voice. Then he turned his back and left the kitchen. I couldn’t speak. I began to shiver and climbed so fast to my room. I took off my uniform. First the apron, then the skirt, and lastly, the dress. I retained my chemise and stockings. I freed my hair of the headdress. My head throbbed, I was fearful, worried that tears would start to fall and never stop. Minutes later, someone was knocking on the door. Wary, I turned the brass door knob. Mister Sebastian. He looked at me from head to toe.

“Well done, Maid. You can follow simple instructions after all. Tomorrow, you will go to London with Bard and pick up the Young Master’s new teacup in person from the store. You will return to the Manor with that cup still intact. Do you understand? Now, turn around.” He sniffed me, my neck, my hair. Me.

“Do you know what happens when a human being doesn’t follow my rules?”

I shook my head. What was Mister Sebastian doing? I never knew him like this.

“I taste their blood.”

Tagging @kuro-morale-events for today’s challenge: Fangs

*It is now a one-shot fiction

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

“Do you like that, Maid? These are the ones of your greatest assets too, are they not? Well, second only to your eyes, which I find admirable. You must know that they are very useful to the Young Master. To me. Your eyes, your eyes. They are incredible, impressive…”

Read on AO3

The drabble is now a one-shot fiction. There is something about Yana Toboso creating her universe of these (sometimes unbelievable) characters. And here we are sharing the playground and building, in turn, our own sand castles, our own interpretation of it. @kuro-morale-events, furthermore, helped me push to at least try it and get it out of my system. This is my first explicit work. So be patient.