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abybweisse · 3 months

Note

Hey Aby ! I have a question (actually, two) for you regarding bizzare dolls that came into my mind just recently, maybe you’ve answered this question before so i apologize in advance.

Firstly, why do you think the Star Lords exist in the first place ? Like, sure, they “take care” of the blood collecting centers, but what else ? Do you think they have any purpose other than this ? Are they part of something greater ? Because as of now it seems to me they’re actually a waste of energies for Undertaker (like, you know, having to harvest blood for all of them, making sure they’re healthy and don’t lose control…)

Second and last question, why the different blood types ? I’ll explain this better, if Undertaker’s main goal is to keep R!Ciel ‘alive’ why not collecting just Sirius blood and calling it a day ?

I take this opportunity to thank you for being the literal pillar and backbone of our fandom 🫶🏻 who knows what we would be without you ! Lots of love !

⚠️ long post ⚠️

Ok, so I've sort of answered these questions before, but I'll try to be more specific and in depth about it here.

Why the Star Lords to begin with?

There are several parts to this answer, and I'll go into some more details about each one:

The star lords exist because Undertaker wants to bring back real Ciel

Even this part of the answer requires looking at a few different aspects. Real Ciel is one of the star lords, so wanting to bring him back automatically explains why he's one of them. Bringing in other individuals can serve some purposes. Such as:

So real Ciel isn't the only one; he's not alone. It gives him the added bonus of having (loyal) allies to go up against our earl and his allies (particularly Baldo, Mey-Rin, and Finny). These star lords can fight very well (though that might not be the case for real Ciel, since he's apparently only getting AB blood transfusions. More on that later. And he might naturally not be as physically inclined or well-trained). We pretty much have to assume, by now, that Polaris is the one who kills Agni. Real Ciel shooting at Soma (who mistook the shooter for our earl) and Polaris (mistaken for Sebastian, probably) killing Agni turned Soma into an enemy. Much of the star lords' existence seems to be about getting rid of our earl's support system.

The others might end up serving real Ciel in some other way, too, such as collecting blood supplies from the other facilities; we know Vega (Layla/Al) and Polaris are sent off by Undertaker to do that. At some point, real Ciel wants one of them to act as his butler, and later Polaris seems to be filling that role, even though he was away and unable to serve as one earlier. Either way, Polaris identifies as a butler "even in death".

So there's a representative for each major blood type (more on that in part two). That's about religion (or occultism), symbolism, and balance. It's also about scientific research.

The star lords exist because Undertaker wants to make a point to our earl about the choices he makes (which I find very ironic).

Choosing Doll (to represent Canopus) might have something to do with wanting to make our earl feel guilty for her death... if he ever sees her or finds out about her return. We won't know what/how he finds out until we get back to him and he's receiving reports. We aren't quite sure yet who Polaris is, but I suspect he's a former Phantomhive butler, and that could make our earl feel bad about his death, too, even though there was no way for him to prevent it. (Mostly, someone like a former Phantomhive butler for Polaris would be for the fierce loyalty that could be achieved with his "episodes".)

The star lords exist because Yana-san needs to provide more adversity.

Undertaker might also see Doll as someone who could take Snake away from our earl, because of their history. And even if Undertaker doesn't have that in mind, Yana-san sure does; it makes sense from a writer's perspective to have each of our earl's helpers deal with something that exposes their emotions and/or weaknesses. With Doll, Snake feels a sense of belonging, while Finny feels guilt. Layla/Al is good to go up against Lau and Baldo because they likely wouldn't suspect a little girl (by all appearances) to be much of a threat. Polaris is so strong, fast, and flexible that Mey-Rin and Ran-Mao have no idea how lucky they are that they were gone by the time Polaris found out what had happened. Agni and Soma weren't as lucky, dealing with Polaris and real Ciel. 😢

The star lords exist because backers of Aurora Society begged and/or paid to have dead loved ones revived.

At least that's what I think in the case of Layla/Al. I suspect she might be Baron Heathfield's dead daughter. Undertaker agreeing to help restore Heathfield's family might be why Heathfield got involved with Undertaker and the Aurora Society. Not just to find the right "soul shape" for his wife... but also to somehow revive his daughter.

The star lords exist because Undertaker is still curious about humanity (life, death, souls, etc.).

He's continuing to experiment. Even though the main purpose seems to be to revive real Ciel, the effects are much wider in scope. They really are one big series of experiments. Some elements of what he's been working on (possibly with a helper, like Druitt, on the medical aspects):

Manipulating cinematic records. He started out -- probably long before real Ciel was killed -- just adding little snippets of himself to their records, much like the BDs on the ship. He says that when he started working on real Ciel his revival techniques weren't up to snuff (not nonexistent, just not strong enough), so he needed to make quick progress. The others on the ship weren't for that purpose, so they don't really count here. The murders at Weston gave him an opportunity to improve upon record manipulation. And so do the other lords of the stars. This gives him more time to cherry pick which "episodes" to use for each one.

Blood typing and transfusion technology. It is way more advanced (than it should be at this time) because of his work... or the work of whoever is helping him in the lab. It's already led to the development of dialysis machines, too, which brings in another money-making opportunity. The star lords might not have functioning hearts, bone marrow, livers, or kidneys, so the blood transfusions are an ongoing need.

Organ transplants. Experimentation continues with organ transplants, since the orphanage staff mentions something about how hard it is to match the kids up with the star lords based on aptitude. With organ transplants, matching blood type isn't always enough. The personality test doesn't guarantee any more precision, of course, either, but that's not exactly the purpose of that test. Also, transplanted organs don't last forever, even in living humans, so they probably last even less time in a BD. As a star lord wears out their transfused blood, they probably also wear out transplanted organs and other tissues.

Soul transplants. We don't have absolute proof just yet, but I do think Undertaker is also experimenting with transplanting souls into the star lords. On the ship, he says BDs can't do anything with the souls of the people they attack. And he says he can't make souls. However, he hasn't said he can't manipulate souls that already exist; definitely, he has soul manipulation abilities that the BDs lack, and I think he's testing the limits of his own abilities. He's also got Heathfield thinking that he needs to find a woman with a soul the same "shape" as his dead wife's. As I said before, I think Undertaker might be using Heathfield's dead wife as a test subject for soul transplants. I do think he wants to transplant a similar or same-shaped soul into each of the star lords. Either Layla has Al due to one of these experiments... or Undertaker chose Layla to be one of the star lords partly because she already has Al, and Undertaker wants to study this dual personality. His reasoning might go that if he could just transplant the right soul into a star lord, then that star lord would be truly revived... would be able to pump and clean the blood that's been transfused... would be able to make more blood for themselves... would be able to make better use of the organs they've received.

The star lords exist because Undertaker needs a gimmick to lure in people to give blood (whether or not they know that blood is being taken) and for patrons to donate money.

And that's where the different blood types become even more important.

Why the different blood types?

I suppose Undertaker could focus all the efforts on just getting AB "Sirius" blood for real Ciel. But there are benefits to collecting all four types in the ABO blood grouping system (ignoring Rh factor).

AB is rare, and it would still require blood typing a large number of people to figure out who has AB. Hence why they opened Sphere Music Hall and made it a mixing space for all walks of life, placed ads for maids of all backgrounds for Heathfield, offered state of the art medical services for veterans at Athena Sanatorium. and provided a shelter and rare education opportunity for orphans at F. O. L. And people would feel unwelcome if most of them (or any of them, really) were turned away. Making the facilities as inclusive as possible (particularly the music hall and Heathfield's manor) increases the likelihood of getting enough AB blood for real Ciel.

And since Undertaker (and whoever) now also has all this blood for A, B, and O, he should do something with it. By then, probably anticipating the fact that he'd have blood supplies for different recipients, he'd have selected the other three star lords to match the remaining blood types. Each star lord just sort of falls into place, most likely. Real Ciel has AB. "Polaris" is A, so that works. This girl Layla is unusual, plus she's got type O; great, let's bring her on board. And Doll happens to be B; perfect, now all four types are covered.

In the case of Sphere Music Hall, there's also a major occult aspect to it, and having these four portray worshipped individuals works out well to lure people in and gives each visitor a purpose. Even the lesser "stars" that make up the multitudes are useful. Truth is, most of them didn't even know about the star lords; they were too caught up in adoration for the idol singers. Built-in idolatry. Layer upon layer to shroud the star lords in mystery.

For a while, there was so much extra A and O blood that they could also distribute it to renal failure patients who donated money to Aurora Society. Like those old guys in Bath.

There's also the fact that a major truth about the ABO blood grouping system has been, so far, either ignored or misunderstood within the story. When it comes to whole blood transfusions, AB is the universal recipient, so real Ciel doesn't have to "starve" from the scarcity of his blood type. All this time, he could have accepted any of them. It actually all could have been collected for him... from anyone (again, ignoring rh factor). All this trouble to collect AB blood for him could have been avoided, but either the researchers don't yet know this fact, or they know but still aren't making use of it. There is also the possibility that even real Ciel now knows this, but he's refusing anything but AB due to elitist bias. Keep in mind that they have created their own caste system within this "blue cult", despite saying how everyone is welcome and to be treated equally. There's obviously a premium put on Sirius and Canopus. And there've been a few times where individuals talked down to anyone who wasn't amongst the cult's elite and described the vast majority of participants as lesser or "dim" stars.

I'm still waiting for someone (maybe Sieglinde?) to point this out to Undertaker (and whoever is doing the bulk of the blood work). So, part of the reason to have a star lord for each blood type might be to lead up to the revelation that they went through a bunch of completely unnecessary lengths... and to maybe show them that -- for all the knowledge they had -- they still knew so little.

Well, I hope this sufficiently answers your questions. 😂 I feel like I'm forgetting something, but after typing this much, I can't think too clearly about what that might be. 😮‍💨 😅

And thank you so much!! 😊

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the-sleepy-silurian · 4 months

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New 207 prediction

Alright so with the release of the chapter 207 cover and summary I think we're going to have to amend that whole "it's time for snake's flashbacks" thing.

Last chapter was all about aptitudes and showcasing the children's skills when pitted against Doll/the staff. These of course correspond to their respective star lord:

Mabel is acrobatic like Doll/Lord Canopus

Theo is cunning and leads the others to success like r!Ciel/Lord Sirius

Oliver showcased their knife skills like Layla/Lord Vega

The only one left is Artie who corresponds to Lord Polaris. Hopefully since the focus will be on him this time we'll learn more about Polaris by extension!

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #fol kids #artie #oliver #mabel #theo #the star lords #lord canopus #lord sirius #lord vega #lord polaris #layla #layla/al #r!ciel #doll #freckles #kuro 207 #kuroshitsuji spoilers

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snowe-zolynn-rogers · 1 year

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Infero just bringing his entire family (the ones who wouldn’t normally be there) to the Lord Meeting for April Fools. Let everyone else deal with the chaotic mess he’s subjected himself to as a prank. Revenant the shapeshifting menaces, Vim the shapeshifter who managed to be labelled a Trickster God on a mermaid planet, Puppy who is chaotic and unhinged and keeps finding deadly weapons in his pockets (Foxy smuggled them in), a version of Pyre who has a nanomachine body he can pull out whenever he wants, Blacky, Tycho and Canopus, and the whole PE crew. Maybe even a couple of younger TF Lunars, too.🦇

April fools is just completely chaotic, everything that can be chaotic just is. Lord Hypernova somehow manages to get covered in paint, nobody knows how it happened.

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lostmyremembrall · 7 months

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📖

love the way you write the prompts <3 may i request prompt 18 ??

📖𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐭

𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑟𝑒: 𝐻𝑢𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑟, 𝐹𝑙𝑢𝑓𝑓, 𝑇𝑜𝑚 𝐵𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝐺𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑦 𝐴𝑠𝑠 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 1𝐾 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡! Now closed

A/N: Oh my god. I am SO sorry it took this long to get to yours. Please forgive me, and I hope you'll still enjoy this.

You surprise Tom with a cat

Tom’s eyes widened at the sight that awaited him. Four tiny paws. A ball of brown fur. Large two ears. The tiny creature stared up at him, and bared its teeth as it meowed. Tom couldn’t help but jerk his head backwards

“There he is!”

The enthusiastic voice of Abraxas greeted him when the resident Dark Lord peeked his head in through the doors of the Room of Requirement. His cautious eyes flickered around the room, reminiscent of an uneasy salamander that dared to poke its head out from underneath a rock to survey his surroundings.

“Let’s get this over with,” Tom sighed as he walked towards them, completely ignoring the birthday decorations that you, Abraxas, and Canopus had spent hours putting up.

“Of course. We won’t dare take up your valuable time any more than necessary,” Canopus responded somewhat sarcastically, approaching Tom and reaching up to put the cone hat that read ‘Birthday Boy’ on top of the disgruntled man’s head, knowing full well that he detested it. You might as well say that, for Canopus, seeing Tom in this humiliating hat was the only redeeming aspect of hosting this birthday party.

“You never fail to make my day, Canopus,” Tom murmured quietly, his eyes coldly narrowing on the black-haired Slytherin. You had to admit, despite the comically small ‘Birthday Boy’ hat perched atop the Dark Lord, his seething glare was still enough to send a shiver down your spine.

“Well, it’s tradition,” Canopus shrugged with a smug smirk on his lips, a brave reaction worthy of praise from a Gryffindor. You had no idea what it was that Canopus had: courage, stupidity, or simply a warped sense of fear. But, whatever it was, you couldn’t help but pity and admire it at the same time.

“So... Presents,” Abraxas clapped his hands excitedly, contently watching as the group sat around the sofas.

“Here, Tom. Happy birthday,” Abraxas beamed at Tom as he passed the wrapped package that was clearly a book from its size and shape.

Tom did not respond and tore open the paper wrapping.

“Oh. Actually… this is quite helpful,” Tom showed the book cover to you and Canopus; the title read ‘Dictatorship 101: A Beginner's Guide to Regime Change by Khalilah D Smith’. “Thank you, Abraxas. For the thoughtful gift,” Tom even managed a slight curl of his lips.

The blond looked quite pleased with himself, turning his nose slightly up in the air with a proud smile.

“Pshhh, as if our great Tom needs any instructions on becoming a dictator,” Canopus rolled his eyes.

“I, on the other hand, got the only thing Tom needs on his destined path to greatness: Time,” Canopus added an exaggerated flourish to his hands that gestured to the box on the coffee table, ignoring the clear annoyance that flashed across Abraxas’ elegant features.

“You should know, Canopus,” Tom raised a brow as he opened the box. “Your words bring nothing but anxiety to my already troubled mind.”

You peeked in over Tom’s shoulder to find what exactly he meant by ‘time’, as Canopus dramtically worded. To your surprise, it was packets of energy drink powder.

“Ohh… nooo, Canopus…” you murmured quietly, recalling the Dark Lord’s sensitivity to caffeine. The last time he tried one cup of coffee, he stayed up for four nights in a row. “What on earth made you think this was a good idea?”

“Shush shush,” Canopus silenced your words of terror, not even giving you a glance. “Tom, remember the coffee that you had? Imagine that, but double that.”

Tom’s eyes widened in amusement as he glanced at it. “By that logic, I could conquer the wizarding world twice as fast.”

“Exactly my point!” Canopus’ eyes glimmered wildly. “You don’t trust us with a thing. And you’re right to do so. Imagine how much you could get done if you could do everything yourself.”

Tom hummed, nodding along. “You know what, Canopus? For the first time in my life, you did not disappoint.”

You groaned, rolling your eyes. “You two are just enabling his unhealthy obsession with power!” You grabbed Tom’s shoulders, and he slightly wobbled from left to right as your seething eyes captured Abraxas and Canopus. “What Tom needs is stability. Emotional support.”

The wincing was visible on Tom’s face as you said the word ‘emotional support’, but before he had any opportunity to protest, you presented him with a medium-sized box. Tom was bewildered by the way the box seemed to shake on its own. But still, carefully, he opened the box.

“Oh,” Tom seemed lost for words. “Oh. This is… rather… unexpected.”

“Unexpected? What is it-” but Canopus did not need to finish his question, as a small tabby kitten poked his head out of the box and pressed his paws against Tom’s eyes.

Tom grew silent.

“You thought giving Tom a cat was a good idea?” Canopus turned his disbelieving eyes to you. “And here you were, telling me gifting energy drinks was irresponsible.”

You scowled at your friend, not noticing the kitten that had begun climbing Tom’s uniform like it was his life mission. “Well, I, as his friend who actually know him, happen to think that an emotionally volatile person like Tom needs a support animal.”

“Emotionally volatile?” Tom repeated to himself quietly, doubting his ears over the words that came from this supposed friend of his. At that moment, Tom was trying to ignore the kitten on his shoulder, who was pressing his paws against his cheek.

You had to admit, Tom was showing a surprising level of patience towards the kitten, a bitter realisation following closely behind that, perhaps, Tom tolerated the kitten more than any of his human friends. The tabby cat began to incessantly meow by Tom’s right ear, demanding his attention.

Abraxas was watching all of this with intrigued amusement in his pale eyes. “Well… let’s just hope that the cat will survive to see adulthood.”

You found the meowing rather adorable, but it was clear that Tom’s patience was quickly wearing thin. Even for kittens, the Dark Lord had his limits, it seemed. “Look, I only speak snake,” Tom barked, turning his head to the right, speaking directly to the kitten with frustration evident in his voice. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

The kitten only responded by pressing his paws on Tom’s lips, perhaps for the first and the last time the Dark Lord was silenced. Either from rage or being overwhelmed by the kitten’s cuteness, Tom’s cheeks turned a bright red. For the sake of the kitten, you hoped it was the latter.

“Oh hey,” Canopus’ eyes widened at the kitten’s bold move. “What do you know? He might just live to see adulthood.”

Tom growled as the kitten began his climb up Mt. Tom again. “How wonderful,” he murmured darkly, his displeased eyes following the kitten’s tail that swung back and forth in front of his face as he made his way up his head. The kitten was now wrestling with the ‘Birthday Boy’ hat, fighting for his spot on top of his head.

“Not so intimidating anymore, are you Tom?” Canopus snickered as his eyes flickered

between the Dark Lord and the cat that had settled comfortably on top of his head.

Tom’s vehement glare from behind the swinging tail was quite the sight to behold. At that moment, for whatever came over its small brain, the kitten leapt off of Tom’s head and landed on Canopus’ face.

“Agh! What’s happening?!” Canopus tried to pull off the kitten while its claws dug into his face. “Get it off me!”

“Yes. Yes!” Tom’s dark chuckle echoed in the Room of Requirement, while Abraxas watched the scene in terror, his hands elegantly covering his gaping mouth.

You could confidently say, that for the rest of your life, you would never forget the cheerful eyes of Tom when he turned to you and said, “You were right, dear. Emotional support was exactly what I needed.”

A/N: Ended up writing as a sequel of sorts to 𝒟𝒶𝓇𝓀 ℒℴ𝓇𝒹 ℴ𝓃 𝒞𝒶𝒻𝒻ℯ𝒾𝓃ℯ. Not my best writing, but hope you still enjoyed it!

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plague-of-insomnia · 6 months

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Ch 205: That Butler, Panic

The chapter is short (only 13 pages plus the cover, with a two page spread toward the end), but full of drama. The shit finally hits the fan and Snake learns what really happened to the circus troupe and what Doll really is.

My summary translation follows. Please be respectful of the work and money I put into these by not reposting without credit.

The chapter begins where the last left off, with the orphans, Finny, and Snake finding Doll being given a transfusion of Canopus blood by two of the human workers.

Snake asks why Doll looks in this condition, and the workers try to explain it away by saying Doll is getting a medical procedure for an illness.

But Theo calls them on their bullshit, saying they’re lying, recognizing the label that says Canopus on the blood Doll was getting.

He accuses Doll of being a star lord.

One of the workers basically challenges Theo back, asking what their intentions are and that they’d better think carefully before responding, while pulling a gun on them.

She fires, and Finny springs into action, protecting the orphan clones and getting hit in the shoulder in the process.

He yells at them to run, and they do, but Doll picks up a shard of glass and does a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon leap and springs over them, cutting off their escape.

Doll says now that they know everything, they won’t let them pass.

Snake is so shocked he speaks as himself, asking, begging for Doll to tell him that it isn’t true, that they aren’t a star lord.

Doll apologizes to him for lying, and says of all people, they didn’t want Snake to know the truth about them.

“I’m a monster,” Doll explains. “That night at father’s, I died. No… I was murdered. By Ciel Phantomhive.”

Doll explains how father (Baron Kelvin), Joker, and their entire family were killed like insects, and then recounts in graphic, sardonic detail how everyone died:

Wendy and Peter were hunted down and shot like prey by the maid;

Beast (and Dagger) were dredged in flour and deep fried alive;

And Jumbo was even worse— his guts and head were pulverized by the gardener.

On the final page, Doll tells Snake he’s been tricked into working for their enemy, and urges him, as family, to join them in getting revenge against the Phantomhives.

The chapter ends there, so we’ll need to wait for next month to see how Snake responds…! This also means that Undertaker must have seen what happened that night, and either told Doll or inserted it into their records….

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dulcemaiden · 7 months

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Lord Canopus, revealed

So, we have received confirmation in ch. 204 that Doll is Lord Canopus, as many in the fandom have theorized. I personally believed this too, not because Vega was most likely Layla/Al (and canopus was the only left), but because her personality fits with the japanese chart about blood type personalities. By now we know these canopus/Types B: Lizzie, Doll, Redmond, Lau, Bard, Wolfram, and all the corgi class students like Mabel and Ginny.

"Type B blood people are creative, cheerful, independent, laid-back, and adventurous. They are quick thinkers and spontaneous, as well as passionate and strong-willed. They do things at their own pace, and mostly end up going their own way because they are not good at follow orders, so they are known too as the "rule-breakers". They are honest and caring at heart, and make friends easily because they are loyal and non-pretentious. On the other hand, their negative traits include being “wild,” selfish, unforgiving, irresponsible and unpredictable. When type B blood people focus on something, they put their all into it, and they are unlikely to let go, even if the goal seems unachievable or impractical."

There are interesting things in the symbolism of canopus too:

Canopus was the helmsman of the Argo Navis, the ship of Jason and the Argonauts, who served King Menelaus. Canopus is described as a handsome young man who was loved by a egyptian prophetess, but never reciprocated her feelings. While visiting the Egyptian coast, Canopus was bitten by a serpent and died, and Menelaus then built a monument to his memory on the shore where this happened, around which the town of Canopus later grew up. In this town was worshipped the egiptian god Osiris, under a peculiar form: that of a vase with a human head. Osiris is a god who is in among other things, the Lord of the afterlife, the dead, resurrection and life in ancient Egyptian religion).

Osiris is the name of the group/company Undertaker was supposedly working with on his bizarre doll/resurrection project during the Campania arc. It is curious too the way Canopus died (it will implicate Doll's fate in the future?... although for now I see it unlikely).

About Doll's role in the plot, I don't think she will be killed (in this arc), because I think our Ciel will see her again, it would be a poor choice on Yana's part to reintroduce Doll just to kill her off so quickly, what would be the point then? And we still don't know why Undertaker revived her either. The "Stars" require a lot of work and huge amount of resources to function properly, and her blood type is rare (not as rare as Sirius but still rare), so why Undertaker gave her such preferential treatment is a mystery. I don't think he has revived her just to mortify OCiel, there must be another reason.

And some things start to make sense now, just at this part. I don't think the relationship between RCiel and Doll is good at all, since RCiel wouldn't tolerate someone who hold such a big grudge against his brother, and Doll wouldn't like the idea of dealing with the brother of the one who killed her and her family. So it makes sense not to mention Canopus as a candidate for his butler.

Besides, the butler of RCiel would need to be a fighter, and unlike Lizzie, strength in combat doesn't seem to be Doll's strong point, who also seems to be in a delicate state. Polaris fought AGNI and won, Layla(Al) almost beat Ronald if it wasn't for William's intervention, but Doll just walk and collapse? Like with RCiel, that could be because of a low blood supply.

What will happen now?

Regarding what will happen next, I was somehow expecting a confrontation between Doll and Finnian, but in her current state that seems impossible, since she probably can barely move, so the whole conflict will happen between Finny and Snake.

Doll is an important part of Snake's character. She is the first person who reached out for him, and in his memories she is the most prominent figure of his "circus family". The worst thing is that Snake has been serving loyally to the one who ordered her death, and him forgiving OCiel after finding out seems unlikely. There are inocent children involved too, so the situation is really complicated. It will all depends on what are Snake's priorities and loyalty, but I wonder if he will bear with the idea of killing Doll, I highly doubt it (I hope he and Finny save the kids though).

On the other hand, I expect Finnian not to die and return to OCiel and Sebastian, but he could learn from Doll the truth about Sebastian's nature. At first obviously not believing her words, but the seed of doubt would be planted, as he could remember Sebastian's strange behavior in the Emerald Witch arc. Finnian could confirm this later, causing a huge conflict between the servants and Sebastian, who would want to protect their master from him, and complicating things for our Ciel.

In addition, we must consider that Meyrin and Bard have already achieved 2 victories for OCiel, will this be the occasion where RCiel will win a game?

#lmao if undertaker revived doll because it was fun to him to have a bizarre doll named doll #kuroshitsuji #black butler #chapter 204 #analysis #doll #undertaker #snake #ciel phantomhive #finnian #elizabeth midford #edgar redmond #lau #bard #wolfram gelzer #mabel #ginny

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grelleswife · 8 months

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Yana’s flaunting her PhD in manga pseudoscience yet again. 🤪

On a more serious note, if the labels on these bottles shown in Chapter 119 match up with the number of stars above the kids’ heads, I think we have confirmation of each class’s blood type.

Mastiff: Polaris

Corgi: Canopus

Pomeranian: Sirius

Collie: Vega

Does this also support the notion that Layla is Star Lord Vega? It would certainly explain why all the children in Collie class were made to wear similar outfits to hers…

#kuro spoilers #kuroshitsuji spoilers #kuroshitsuji 204 #kuroshitsuji #artie #mabel #theodore #theo #oliver #layla #the f.o.l. kids

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valentinetypewriter · 7 months

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I'm obsessed with the names of The Noble House of Black

Enjoy my not so little rant about the black family names since astronomy is my ⭐️special⭐️ interest

Masterlist

This only cover Sirius Black, Regulus Arcturus Black and Orion Black

Sirius Black the 3rd

We all know Sirius - the star from the dog constellation - is the brightest star in the sky it's almost twice as bright as the star Canopus which is the second brightest star in the sky. (which is quite fitting for Sirius Black, the brightest in the family, Sirius does translate to glowing or scorching, and spoilers but the man can turn into a dog). What's insanely interesting to me about the name of Sirius (and his animal form) and his father Orion though is that Canis Major (the constellation that Sirius is a part of) and canis minor are known as Orion's hunting dogs.

Regulus Arcturus Black

The star Regulus is ranked 21 on the list of brightest stars, Regulus just so happens to be the brightest star in the Leo constellation (the fucking lion constellation, and Regulus did die because of an act of Bravery, to betray not only his family but the dark lord to try and stop him, knowing the risk of death) not to mention the star is also known as Qalb Al Asad, from the Arabic phrase meaning 'the heart of the lion'. The traditional name for the star 'Regulus' is Latin for prince/little King, more of its other names in different languages translates to things like The king, the great, the mighty. Another interesting thing is that it isn't just one star, it's actually a star system made up of around 4 stars that orbit each other due to their gravitational attraction. But while his first name is ranked 21 his middle name Arcturus (and yes I know his middle name is after his grandfather but this is about Reggie) is ranked as the 4th brightest star and is a red giant, it's also incredibly huge compared to our sun

Orion Black

(Again canis major and minor are literally his dogs.) In Greek mythology Orion was a huntsman placed among the stars by Zeus as a constellation. Another interesting link between Sirius and Orion is That in ancient Egypt, the stars of Orion were regarded as a god by the name of Sah who was known as the father of the gods. This was because Orion rises before Sirius, the star whose heliacal rising was the basis for the Solar Egyptian calendar

(Heliacal rising - the phenomenon of when a star first becomes visible above the eastern horizon just before sunrise after a complete orbit of the Earth around the Sun. What's also interesting is that the most historically import of these "morning stars" Is the rising of Sirius)It's actually very interesting to me that Orion and Sirius are named after those specific stars, they have quite a few connections to each other.

#Rosewoods rambles #the marauders era #the marauders #sirius black #regulus black #orion black #house of black #constellations #stars #astronomy #james potter #remus lupin #special interest #autism ramblings #harry potter

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xpierrotx · 11 days

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Madam red is a star lord theory. (Spoilers)

As those up to date with the manga should know, there are 4 star lords. Those being Polaris, Sirus, Vega, and Canopus. Two of which are already confirmed as R!Ciel(Sirus) And Doll(canopus). While there is speculation that Layla is lord vega I think she is either sharing this role or isnt a star lord at all. We've seen that vega's room is design to hold two people, while it logically makes sense to assume that this is her room due to the fact that she has split personalities and the fact that we've seen two voices come out of the room. I believe that might be a misdirect.

As we have seen in earlier chapters doll has said she can't sleep comfortably alone. So its not unlikely that she would share a room. This theory also overlaps with another theory that Polaris is Joker. Because Joker was also a butler whose master died, his identity is being hidden from us, and there is foreshadowing with Polaris's tears being in the same placement as Joker. All the star lords should also be people Undertaker reasonably could have gotten a hold of. So i think Polaris being the old Phantomhive butler is unlikely as most of the staff was killed and the manor was set on fire. Where Undertaker previously stated arrived when Vincent was just ash. So I doubt a butler would be fully intact. But he could have pulled Joker out before the fire completely got him.

So now that we got that out of the way lets get to why i think Madam Red is a Star lord who will be showing up at the hotel. First and most obviously, Madam red was worked on by Undertaker, is a doctor who could help him with his work, and has emotional connections to O!Ciel. Undertaker also mentioned her during the Luxury Liner arc when he was fighting Grell. But most of this theory relies on joker being Polaris to be true. This is because of this scene in chapter 95 where O!Ciel is surrounded by visions of peoples deaths who hold heavy on his soul. These people are his brother, Joker, Doll, Madam red, and his parents. If you are a fan of Yana, then you know she doesnt mess around with foreshadowing. We already know that of the people in this photo below that could be revived all have been near Undertaker and 2/4 are confirmed revived. 3/4 if you consider Polaris to be Joker. So logically Madam Red should be next.

On top of all this I believe she is going to show up at the hotel. This is because of each mission, Bards, Mey-rin. and Finny's. A shinigami and a bizarre doll have shown up in each. But all of these missions are happening at the same time and Polaris and R!Ciel are at the Manor in London. So Layla, Polaris, Doll, and R!Ciel the supposed 4 lords wouldn't be there. But this should be the closer of these missions so it should be the most intense. So what bizarre doll could show up that would make the biggest impact on O!Ciel and blend in with a high-class resort/hotel environment? Madam red. A shinigami also should be in this mission considering this trend, and if all my hunches are correct then the most impactful would be Grell. Grell most likely misses Madam Red as their relationship was that of sisters, and she most likely killed her in the heat of the moment rather than rationally thinking it through and seeing her alive would be a massive conflict to her responsibilities versus relationships.

#kuroshitsuji #anime and manga #spoilers

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fantasyinvader · 6 months

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So, the “Edelgard was designed as a rival for Byleth”-thing just clicked for me. I mean, let's look over some details.

They both have the Crest of Flames However, Byleth's came from his (I'm going to use male pronouns because Engage uses male Byleth) mother, who was an attempt by Rhea to resurrect Sothis (still believe Sitri was Sothis without her memories, a reincarnation if you will), begging Rhea to give Byleth her heart. Edelgard's came from Thales experimenting on her and her siblings to create a weapon against Rhea.

Their fathers have the Crest of Seiros and initially push their children to distrust Rhea. However, Jeralt comes to see that running away from the monastery may have been a bad idea and that maybe he should have trusted Rhea. Ionius, on the other hand, is said to be a puppet of Thales.

Byleth knows TWSITD killed Jeralt and, by default, won't side with Edelgard and them by proxy. Meanwhile, Edelgard is stated to know her father is their puppet, their influence on the Empire, and what they are doing to Ionius. She continues to work with them for her own goals.

Sothis is the ancient Greek name for Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens, and by fusing with her Byleth gains the Enlightened One class. Thales' personal class, Agastya, is the Indian name for Canopus and can mean “one who brightens in the darkness.” Thales' people became drunk on their power, viewing themselves as gods, and scorched the earth with their wars, Sothis otoh used her power to heal the damage resulting in floods. Thales creates the Flame Emperor, an allusion of Chinese folklore, while Byleth becomes the leader of Fodlan and is part dragon, much like how the Flame Emperor was defeated by the Yellow/Dragon Emperor.

Building off of 3, Rhea was the creation of Sothis while the Agarthans created Nemesis. Rhea in turn created Sitri, who birthed Rhea's successor Byleth, while the Agarthans manipulated Edelgard into being Nemesis 2.0.

Byleth has trusted allies listed under his likes (though admittedly smiles in the Japanese), whereas Edelgard was based around the idea of a lord betraying the player.

Byleth also lists helping people as one of his interests/hobbies. Edelgard, on the other hand, believes that people need to be self-reliant and that by relying on others they become weak while at the same time expecting Byleth to help her when the time comes.

Byleth is said to have the merits to lead Fodlan after being appointed Rhea's successor. Edelgard, otoh, takes credit for Byleth's leadership of the BESF to bolster her own image, needs Ferdinand to figure out how to make her ideals work (seriously, she never even thought of educating the commoers to give them a chance), Hubert to put down threats to her regime from the shadows, pilfered Agarthan tech to maintain the peace according to Byleth/Constance's ending. Byleth is appointed by Rhea to lead the Church ultimately chooses to be a the new King of Fodlan, while Edelgard complains about the responsibility thrust upon her simply because of her birth.

Byleth is a commoner, Edelgard is a princess.

Jeralt did not educate Byleth about Fodlan, leading to him needing to figure things out on his own. Edelgard's “secret Imperial knowledge” came from her father, and she ignores information that contradicts her narrative.

Byleth is a teacher, tasked with guiding his students. Edelgard is a student that wants to sway Byleth over to her side when she attacks the school.

Byleth's time at Garreg Mach results in him showing emotions for the first time in his life. He enjoys being a teacher. Edelgard's time, according to Girl from Hresvelg, causes her to grow attached to the place and makes it harder to move forward with her plans before she decides to throw it all away and start her war. However, Edelgard does not encourage Byleth's arc and instead insists he not question her when she says he is just like her in being cold and distant from others.

Byleth's paralogue is unlocked by having a support level with Rhea, but is lost if they join Edelgard.

Options that unlock Safflower are presented as “changing the story.” Byleth's story, in it's natural state, is fighting against Edelgard.

Edelgard drops her backstory in White Clouds, while Byleth learns his in Silver Snow.

Byleth's personal class is Nirvana in the Japanese, named after the path of liberation. Alternatively, Edelgard's path is called the path of the beast in Japanese, the antithesis of Nirvana. When faced as a final boss, Edelgard turns herself into a beast unit.

It really does create a narrative surrounding these two, how they are actually polar opposites to one another despite Byleth being a silent protagonist. If anything, the game plays out like this. Byleth and Edelgard are opposites, but by joining her Byleth can become like her. Byleth does not become a leader at the end. Dimitri and Edelgard are also opposites, and at the end Dimitri and Byleth lead Fodlan together. Claude is like Edelgard initially, but Byleth's influence makes him more like Byleth resulting in both kingdoms being friends with each other.

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salty-protagonist · 9 months

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Determining Star Lords with Astrology (Part 2)

This post references back to Part 1 and includes the analysis for Polaris and Canopus.

Polaris ****

Polaris is the most common blood type in the series. But what makes it special is the fact that we actually met Lord Polaris (with his identity concealed)!

I assume that Lord Polaris is male because he is/was a butler and it is traditionally a masculine role.

Polaris is the “Pole Star” that moves around very slightly compared to the average star movement has has been used as a guide to determine the direction of north over many centuries. It’s part of the Ursa Minor (Little Bear) constellation.

Polaris is known for being a trusty guidepost that leads people with a purpose. These qualities are shared with his identities as butler.

The second thing we know about Lord Polaris is that he is dead. When did he die? Was he always dead? Well, according to the fan translation I’m putting here, he was alive until very recently. (If anyone has the official copies, it would be great if you’d share your wisdom because the English translations are not sold in my region and I have no means to look for one at the moment)

Blue stars are the hottest stars (simply due to the electron jumps in their atomic levels). Here, I’m guessing it’s either to talk about Lord Sirius because he is more powerful compared to the other Lords, or to talk about Lord Sirius because it is associated with the Phantomhives who’s trademark colour is blue. (Ciel means sky in French as you all know, which is blue). A third possibility would be to talk about Lord Sirius, since it’s a white-blue star (sourced from the internet).

I would like to elaborate more on this but I will do so regarding chapter 169 in the future when Polaris becomes relevant again. I was busy at the time 169 came out so I couldn’t directly comment on it at the time.

Moving on, the reason why I mentioned the official translation is because how I understand the panel above is as he wasn’t dead at the time. So I want to make sure the meaning is as close to that as possible. Nevertheless, something has happened between RC reveal and ch169 for Polaris to have died. Perhaps when RC stopped being Lord Sirius, it also meant the fall of the Blue Star that led Polaris to sacrifice himself in a cultish way? Or RC needed an organ and Undertaker took it from Polaris?

Still, I don’t think we can create solid connections between any butler character we already know and Lord Polaris. Many new characters were introduced during the last few years so it would be safe to assume he hasn’t been seen in the story before this.

(Disclaimer: Most if this is regarding ch 169, so if any of this has been mentioned by someone else before, original credits are directed to them)

Canopus** (Doll)

This is where the theories for the orphanage arc start

I will be connecting Canopus to the dog orphanage because all the other Lord seem to have connections to one of the new settings. Although orphanage is the only one left (process of elimination), there are still some connections between Canopus and Lord Canopus who I think is Doll.

Canopus is the second brightest star in the sky (1st is obviously Sirius) and it is a part of the Carina constellation, which stands for the lower part of a ship. Carina used to be a part of the Argo Navis ex-constellation until it was divided into 3 others. Argo Navis means Argo Ship. It is the ship used for the quest for the Golden Fleece. Carina doesn’t have a legend for itself so it ties with the myth for Argo Navis. Other 2 constellations that were a part of Argo Navis are Vela and Puppis, whose names also stand for parts of a ship.

How ships and sailors tie in with Doll is through the circus which was named “Noah’s Ark Circus”. To summarize, Noah had a boat (Ark) which carried 2 of each species on Earth to conserve life after God flooded everything else.

If we consider Argo Navis as Noah’s Ark Circus, we can relate Carina, Vela and Puppis to the 3 pieces of the circus. Carina is Doll, Snake is Vela and the deceased circus members are Puppis (meaning back of the ship therefore making it seem like they’re left behind in a roundabout way).

We already know that Doll is a bizarre doll and a newer model too. So, it corresponds with the other confirmed Lord Polaris, and relates to Layla as Vega. It would make sense for Undertaker to have revived someone without any family to look for them and to have given them command over a blood collection operation.

Let’s look at the Canopus bedroom in Sphere Music Hall blood experiments wing.

Compared to the rooms of all the other star lords, it doesn’t have any personal decoration or belonging of any kind. Much like a hospital or a hotel room, it seems to be for temporary residence. A logical explanation regarding Doll would be that she was only kept here until she was able to move on her own. The bandages could be from the injuries Sebastian gave her.

The lack of any personal belonging could be because Doll is used to frequently moving around rooms in the circus. She didn’t do anything special to settle in with OC when they were roommates too.

The placement of the stool doesn’t match either object in the room. It’s too far back for anyone to have looked into the mirror (for makeup or sth you know) or for someone to have helped whoever was on the bed to take of the bandages in the orientation shown above. Maybe it was pushed away as Doll went up to the mirror and saw that Undertaker fixed her eye after ripping off her bandages by herself. (This is very deep speculation without any concrete proof)

The speech bubble belonging to Lord Canopus is impatient, wanting to begin the plan for bringing back RC. This could be about Doll wanting to take revenge on OC as soon as possible.

I would also like imagine Doll’s real name is Carina, because it’s a great name with a beautiful meaning. It peaked in the era that she is living in as well.

——————————

Thank you for reading!

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #kuroshitsuji manga #black butler manga #kuroshitsuji theory #kuroshitsuji fandom #black butler theory

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abybweisse · 8 months

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Ch204, Spoilers (part 2)

Part two of the untranslated ch204 spoilers under the cut.

It's possible that Theo is now preparing to risk his life to get to the bottom of all this and shut down the facility. He seems to have found some new resolve.

He knows they can't get off the orphanage property by the usual means, thanks to all the watchful eyes, barriers, and snipers. But he knows they have to do something.

Maybe if they grab jars of organs to show the other kids, they can get more people to help them revolt against the staff?

Finny flashes back momentarily to when he was found by the earl and Sebastian, as he escaped from a hatch in the ground. Then there's a sound coming from down the hall? Either Snake turns off his flashlight, or it loses power; idk which.

But with that light off, they can see light coming from around an ajar door down the hall. For some reason, they think this might be a way to escape? Snake (one of his snakes) says something, and the kids head to this door.

When they open it, they see Doll dressed in a toga and getting a blood transfusion.

Doll is 100% Canopus.

And I can tell that Doll says "Snake...?"

Well, well, well. What will Snake do now?

And now there's no way for Theo to pretend like he doesn't know what's going on, so how are they all going to handle this?

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is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not · 15 days

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🟣 What are your top 3 favorite planets you have visited, if you have visited multiple worlds?

🔫 If you can fight in non-vehicular combat, what weapons do you favor?

⚪ What was the first vehicle (BattleMech, Battle Armor, AeroSpace Fighter, combat vehicle, etc) that you piloted?

💚 What do techs usually complain about with your piloting?

-Dieter Marten-Steiner, Lord-Adjutant of House Marten-Steiner, Regent of Mertangard.

Hello, Dieter, it is a pleasure to hear from you. In answer to your questions, I have prepared the following responses. I may have been slightly long winded, but I have been in SLDF meetings about miniutae all morning, and needed something to pass the time, quiaff?

🟣 = I must say Terra, quiaff? Even after all it has gone through over the milennia since humankind began to leave the cradle, Terra remains a pristine jewel of a world. I have spent months traveling, going to see everything I could. I have visited the original Seven Wonders, the Eight Wonders of the Hegemony, stood in St. Peter's Square, seen Jerusalem, Mecca, Tokyo, Las Vegas, New York, Paris, and of course Unity City.

Even the rest of the system is full of wonders, from the Belt to Mars, the O'Neill Stations, and even the newly repaired Venusian terraformers. There are days I am struck once more by the revelation that I live now on Terra, her soil under my talons, breathing the air that spawned our species. And the views from my estate on Puget Sound are perhaps the most beautiful of all.

For my second choice, and this may be anathema to some of my other Clan fellows, but... it must be a tie between Solaris VII, Hardcore, and Canopus IV. All of them worlds of pure human pleasure, greed, and excess, and there is something striking about all of them.

For my third choice, I would say Coromodir. It is nearly as beautiful as Terra itself, and ruled by one of the few noble houses I have encountered in my life whom genuinely care for their people. And it was the site of the Fusiliers' great triumph, that propelled us to fame (and perhaps infamy, to some).

🔫 = I have trained extensively in infantry combat. All Clan warriors train in the basics of infantry combat and melee fighting. It was part of my regular between-deployment training with the Fusiliers - they had several Canopian ex-Ebon Magistrate commandos, a DEST commando, and (eventually) an ex-Manei Domini Banshee Delta to learn from. I am thus skilled with many infantry weapons, martial arts styles, and melee weapons. We even learned zero-G and underwater combat techniques.

As for what I presently carry: I have a JàrnFòlk-modified Sternsnacht Claymore ultra-heavy pistol as my sidearm. It fires 14mm tungsten-core armor-piercing explosive incendiary rounds, from a custom made 8-round extended magazine. It is a beautiful work of art, with platinum damascening, engraving in falcon-feather patterns, imperial jade inlays, and wood from Strana Mechty itself, which forms the exquisitely carved grips. I have used it to kill megasaurs, armored Elementals, and Blakist Zombie infantry alike. I have timed my draw and, even with the Claymore's somewhat excessive weight, have won quite a few formal fast-draw pistol competitions.

I also routinely carry a specially-made Clan Vibrosword. Unlike most straight-bladed models, mine uses a katana-style blade - the exact blade once gifted by my ancestor Turkina to my other ancestor, Elizabeth Hazen, during the DeChavalier Massacre - and yes, in a sense this means I have two genemothers. If you ever have occasion to visit Terra, I can show you the sacred talon-marks on the blade...

In my 'Mech, I carry two additional weapons. All SLDF 'Mechs with sufficient cockpit space will carry a Mauser & Grey Model 980SL pulse laser assault rifle - an upgraded and lightened version of the old SLDF issue Mauser 960, upgraded to Clantech standards, and using a variant of ER Pulse Laser tech from Clan Wolf. The ejection seat kit in all SLDF 'Mechs will also carry a Mauser & Grey built Model 995 "Enhanced" Gauss SMG. The Nest currently hoIds the prototypes for both weapons.

And of course, I have my talons when all else fails. Each of them has long since been upgraded, using a version of the Carbon-Fiber Reinforcement process common among Capellan nobles.

⚪ = the first 'Mech I ever piloted was a Hunchback IIC during my belated Trial of Position. I found it a lovely and responsive machine, the balance provided by the twin Ultra AC/20s compared well to the later Inner Sphere Hunchbacks I would pilot. I scored three kills, and nearly a fourth, in that machine. I made certain after that to ensure its targeting systems were salvaged - call it superstition, but they felt lucky, quiaff? I have had those very same targeting systems installed into every 'Mech I have subsequently piloted. They currently provide the Nest with her targeting data, linked into the Targeting Computer.

💚 = in my younger days, complaints of my pushing the machines to their limit were common. Even in my time in Turkina Keshik, then Khan Yvonne Hazen themself had to counsel me to be gentler with the machines. In my later years, the techs have begun complaining about how much time I spend tinkering with and adjusting the 'Mechs. This is where the "Old Bird's Nest" got her nickname, quiaff?

#battletech #mechwarrior #battletech ask game

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snowe-zolynn-rogers · 1 year

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Oh Infero has already adopted Tycho and Canopus and finds them precious, I forgot the s I was asking what the other lords at the meeting would think

You’re good, I was tired answering your last ask and my half-dead brain misread it as ‘would Infero adopt Tycho and Canopus?’

All of the other lords always bring their companions or one of their various companions to the meetings. Seeing werewolves would be just pure adorableness with them all petting them and loving on them. If they transform in the meeting room, that’s all the better because everyone will get distracted from the meeting trying to pet them.

#five nights at freddy's #fnaf #sun and moon show #sams #the meeting of the lords #lord infero #fnaf tycho #fnaf canopus #snoweyanswers #hi crystal

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lostmyremembrall · 11 months

Note

Prompt three please! 📖

📖𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: 𝑭𝒍𝒖𝒇𝒇, 𝑨 𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕

Will you keep it safe for him?

𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝐽𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 1𝐾 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡! Now closed

“Imagine that, you can do anything you want now!” Canopus Lestrange smirked and fell back to the couch, spilling the contents of his drink onto the shabby old seating, along with, unfortunately, Abraxas Malfoy’s lap that happened to be in its way.

The room was full of the loud chatter of your friends, some even from other houses. It was one, massive and successful party as they engaged in idle chitchat, laughter erupting from around the room as butterbeer continued to flow.

Abraxas furrowed in visible displeasure at his trousers. “Just because they’re now 16, doesn’t mean they should be following in your footsteps, Canopus,” he gave a cool side glance to his friend as he dabbed away at his trousers with a napkin.

“Lord knows how difficult my life has become just to keep an eye on you,” Abraxas sighed exasperatedly, turning his pleading eyes up to you. “I beg of you, I’m so tired.”

You grinned into your glass of butterbeer, Abraxas mirroring the gesture as an amusing shimmer returned to his eyes. “No promises, I’m afraid,” you chuckled. “You’re going to get us out of trouble in the end, anyway.”

“The Headmaster and the Ministry are already tired of hearing your names,” Abraxas chuckled warily, recollecting the number of times he had to write letters, using his connections and the famous last name. “I’m tired of your names.”

You tossed your head back in laughter before beaming at your drunk friends. It has been a wonderful birthday party orchestrated by Abraxas, though Canopus and Alphard Avery would argue that they helped by bringing the fun.

Your still-laughing eyes wandered across the room, settling on the certain, mysterious, tall, and handsome man in the corner. He was leaning against the wall in the quieter area, his Michelangelo hand holding the rim of the glass against his lips as his curious eyes studied you. His left forearm crossed in front of him, supporting the weight of his right arm as well as the glass of whiskey that he opted for. Noticing your gaze, his left brow rose in an inquisitive suggestion.

“Oh, come on, Abraxas, you love us,” you teased the blond, never taking your eyes off of Tom, to which Abraxas responded with a wave of his hand.

“I’ll need a few more drinks to admit something like that.”

“Well then, you better be more drunk by the time I come back,” you finished your glass with a swing, settling on the table beside the couch. “It is my birthday after all.”

You winked at the blond, ignoring the exaggerated roll of his eyes before manoeuvring your way around the room to your boyfriend.

“Finally,” was Tom’s first word upon reaching him. “I was wondering when I’ll get you to myself,” he smirked.

“What can I say,” your eyes shimmered in amusement. “It’s hard being this popular.”

Tom rolled his eyes, but did not care to correct your statement.

“Come on,” he kicked himself off of the wall. “Let’s get out of here.”

You felt the distinct flutter of your heart when you were with Tom. You smiled eagerly and followed him out of the double doors.

The silence that greeted you was near deafening when you two left the Room of Requirement. Tom let out a long sigh, as if a heavy weight has been lifted off of his chest. Your eyes caught sight of his gait that immediately relaxed upon leaving the room, being reminded that parties were not his scene. It showed: the mask he shed when he was just with you.

You noticed halfway through that Tom was leading you towards the Transfiguration courtyard. At the sky that opened up, he took in a deep breath of fresh air. His head dropped back as his lips softened into a smile, gazing up at the starry night.

“Do you remember?” he breathed out. “The night we met looked something like this.”

You followed his gaze; the translucent fabric of the deep nightshade blue blanketed the lines of the castle, illuminated from underneath by the orange torch flames that flickered here and there. It was an unusually cool night despite the nearing graduation; the air was crisp and chilly, aiding in cooling down the heat that rose to your cheeks from the rounds of butterbeer.

“How could I?” you murmured, relishing in the sweet memory of the night you first met the then-prefect during his nightly patrol. He was comically stoic, only responding in short hums and nods. He’s come a long way, you admitted, from exchanges of sarcastic comments to opening up about his dark deeds and his visions for the wizarding society. In the few years that he’s known you, he’s grown attached to you – protective, even.

You thoughts were interrupted when you felt the back of his hand brush against yours. It was surprising, how timid he still was in these advances. With a quick glance, you studied his features, trying to decipher his intentions in the shadows that cast over his stark features. His eyes wavered back and forth before him at the grass of the courtyard, biting his lips. He seemed to be building himself up to something.

Tentatively, he took your hand in his. It was very gentle, contrary to his usual abrupt movements. In the mere seconds, you felt the warmth of his hand spread to you. As if his circulation made its way around your body, warming you through your core, reaching your cheeks, until it was returned right at him through their hands. His palm was rough and coarse in the places that he held his quill.

You smiled against the wind, trying to conceal your blush. It was then, that a cool, sharp object pressed into your palm. Your brows knitted at the unforeseen sting, and looked down to his hand that held yours.

“What is this?”

You turned your palm, Tom’s hand slipping out of yours in the process. In the orange light of the torch, you found a ring: an octahedral black stone set into a golden band, embellished with elegant etchings.

Tom turned to you to study your expressions carefully, intent on detecting any sign of disappointment. “... your gift,” he quietly said in the end.

You blinked rapidly at the small object in your hand that still exuded grandiosity. “Tom… it’s beautiful,” you managed to whisper.

Your words seemed to encourage the Head Boy, whose eyes now held a certain glimmer of excitement. “It’s an heirloom, actually,” he continued, a hint of pride concealed in the inflexion of his voice, “about 700 years antique.”

You gasped, the ring suddenly seeming too heavy for your hand. “I–, I can’t accept this, Tom–”

“You must,” Tom’s urgent tone took you off guard, effectively silencing you. You peered into his eyes, his lips pursed and his hands nervously gripping at each other at his waist.

He almost seemed – despserate for you to keep it.

Coming to his senses, Tom tore his eyes away from you with a blink. “I–,” he searched for words. “You’re the only one I would trust it with.”

He reached for the ring that still lay flat on your palm. “I’ve cast a very powerful spell on it,” he continued in a low voice, evading your eyes. “A part of my soul – a part of me is encapsulated in it.”

Staring into his abyssal irises, you intuited a very arduous and torturous process that went into creating this gift. Tom took another step towards you, his towering figure shielding you from the wind and engulfing you with his warmth. His fingertips held your hand in the air, sliding the ring onto your middle finger. The obsidian echoing the two black lakes of Tom’s eyes. You thought the ring felt warm – whether it was the trick of your mind or the effects of the spell – the warmth of Tom’s presence contained within the ring –, you weren’t sure.

“This way, I’ll be close to you wherever I go,” he whispered, almost to himself.

Tom’s eyes softened, his eyes saccading across your features as they took you in. The corners of his lips rose in utter bliss and serenity that your presence brought him. His fingers rose to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear, his fingers tracing down your skin and lingering on your cheeks before he finally relinquished your touch.

But, your mind was too distracted by his wording to pay heed to the tender moment. Your eyes flickered between his, confusion clouding your eyes as you murmured, “Are you going somewhere?”

“Uh,” Tom bit his lips, his eyes sharpening in a slight alarm at having spoken too much. “A small graduation trip,” he hastily added.

A cold breeze suddenly seemed to infiltrate the space they held between, dampening any remnants of excitement and cheer from the birthday party. A small trip, was all he said. Not even a destination. There was a slight pang in your heart at the revelation that, for whatever reason, you weren’t allowed to accompany him, and Tom was unwilling to disclose anything more.

Tom had clearly sensed the gloom that had overtaken your features. “It’s dangerous,” Tom explained. “Very dangerous.”

“I’m dangerous,” you responded, somewhat curtly. Your gaze fell on the ring, realising with bitterness that this ring will be the only reminder that you’ll have of Tom until his return.

“Yes, I’m well aware,” Tom nodded. “Which is why I am leaving this with you,” he sighed, his eyes turning downcast as he took your now ringed finger to observe it under the warm lumination. The stone gave an enigmatic glint in the light.

“This took the destruction of two men’s souls to create,” Tom breathed out, his narrowed eyes piercing at the ring in a mixture of veneration and haunting wonder. The wince of his brows interrupted the observation for a brief moment, however, at the reminder of the heavy price he had to pay.

He slowly bent forward, bringing his lips close to your fingers. You watched in silence, frozen on the spot, as he pressed his lips against your ringed finger. It was subdued, yet somehow passionate, revealing the devotion he felt for you – and perhaps tried to hide. However brief, it left an unforgettable scorching heat on your fingers that you would come to associate with the ring.

By the time his resolute eyes rose to you once more, any hint of regret was gone. “My soul now belongs to you, (y/n),” he whispered.

His eyes softened in reverence at the sight of you haloed by the torch light. His lips pursing to contain his quivering sigh. His brows quirked nervously as he entrusted his whole life to you.

“Will you keep it safe?”

A/N: I missed writing for Tom. A bit rusty, maybe. But I love that with Tom, you can't tell whether he's just being deceptively sweet and manipulative or genuinely in love. I am sorry it took so long to get to your request. Thank you for joining in on the celebration!

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