#frances phantomhive

[ignotarts]

🤔

"Phantomhive Family"

[filosof-art]

Phantomhive family portrait, circa 1862

[cedric-k-rossignol]

How do you think Undertaker acted around his children? I feel like he was probably more serious and stoic back in Claudia’s days, so I can imagine him being a bit awkward as a father, plus being a 700+ year-old grim reaper must have influenced how he behaved, right? But at the same time, maybe he was really warm with them because they were his babies. Honestly, I would kill to see a scene of Undertaker playing with baby Frances and Vincent 😭

You know, I came across a reddit thread the other day that was voting on the worst things done by the last few monarchs of the British royal family (Queen Elizabeth II's worst thing done was Prince Andrew, lol).

Anyways they were voting on Queen Victoria, with her sucessor's worst sin apparently having been being a big ol' slut. So there was a lot of interesting talk on there about what her worst sin was - I think her response to the famine in Ireland in the late 1840s was likely to be the winner, but there was lots of good discussion to be had on her parenting, which was pretty shit. I knew she blamed her eldest son/future king for Albert's death and didn't talk to him for I think at least a year? after he died. But apparently she was also completely unsympathetic to one of daughters when her grandaughter died at the age of two, writing in a letter to her that the grief of losing a spouse was much worse than that of losing a child?

I mean I know the shit women say to their daughters after losing their husband is fucking out of pocket but Christ.

In Victoria's defense however, she really didn't want them fucking kids!! Nobody seemed to have clued her in to birth control methods of the time, and a commenter pointed out that every time she was pregnant/post-partum, Albert basically got to rule in her stead... Implying that he might have had ulterior motives for getting her pregnant so often. Gross.

All this to say - I have to wonder how much shitty parenting Undertaker has in common with Queen Victoria, what with all their other parallels. Aristocratic parenting standards of the time were pretty distant anyways. But we go back to the whole how did they even know/address him, because I firmly believe they had a different legal father.

The most realistic answer is probably that he was inconsistent as a parent for a lot of reasons - even while Claudia was still alive. I don't think it would be of a sheer lack of paternal feeling or not wanting children - though again, to be fair to Victoria, her not wanting to have children was not clear cut either.

I think Undertaker's feelings towards Frances were particularly complex (projected self-hatred) but also for a parent to know they'll outlive their children is horrible. I can see him attempting emotional distance to somehow lessen that inevitable pain, or to alleviate the guilt he might have possibly felt from their existence - as half-reapers possibly, certainly as bastards, they were in greater danger from what he had brought to the table of their creation.

But I don't think it was all aloofness or awkwardness; he's very serious when he drops the Undertaker persona, but he's also quite emotional, and has proven himself capable of expressing affection. And as we know, unstable parents lead to the most well-adjusted children!

[blxxdingstars]

Someone has noticed that a stained glass on the Campania (in the anime) is a lady with two children (probably officially it's Holy Maria), but in this case it can be also a symbolism of Claudia with her children and shattered glass falling on Undertaker would be a shattered life (his and his family).

I like this vision, no matter if it was intentional or not in the anime.

The woman even seems to look down at Undertaker. ❤️

The camera in the anime took a move from the head of the woman slowly down to Ut. Such move rarely is unintetional in directing a scene.

Absolutely love it!

[leekingsman]

How curious that of these three, the survivors of the family turned out to be the outstanding ones(undertaker is technically indestructible lol but still) Contrary with their counterparts who were supposedly the well qualified to be the head and the leader, fell in the end, 'cause of the bluster

Now dead, there are those cunning, strong and surviving, the "spare" the "second" Those behind, the marginalized, hidden in the shadows waiting for his great triumph

Claudia=Undertaker, Vincent=Frances, RCiel=OCiel

[cielizzydefencesquad]

ALERT!! UNDERTAKER WAS THERE WHEN FRANNIE WAS BORN! OMG I CAN'T BREATHE I NEED MORE ABOUT THIS!!!!

I KNOW, I AM SHOOKETH

As soon as I read it I just lobbed it into my vault of “UT must be Frances’s dad” proofs LOL 

Honestly tho, this situation both melts my heart and makes me weep because - the first thing Undertaker says to Frannie is “I feel as if you were born nary a moment ago” and it just conjures up this image in my head of UT sneaking into Frannie’s nursery after dark and finding Claudia sitting in a rocking chair, marveling at her baby girl who looks so much like her father.

And UT creeping forth and trying to make a joke about how domestic Lady Phantomhive was becoming but Claudia just rolls her eyes because “you’ve managed to state the obvious, a mighty congratulations to you” before turning to look at her newborn daughter and murmuring, “have you ever seen anything so lovely?”

And UT is about to say yes, he’s seen her and Vincent and -

Just then, Claudia folds back the cashmere blanket swathed around the baby’s form, allowing UT a glimpse of his daughter’s face.

And his breathing stops.

There she is, lying soft and sweet with rosy lips and cheeks, plump and warm with hair so fair it appears silver in the moonlight. Undertaker is transfixed - unable to look away as he unconsciously begins to count her soft intakes of breath, the way she exhales and sleeps, more innocent than anything or anyone in this world and -

He is filled with a love he cannot comprehend - it is an overwhelming tidal wave that constricts his lungs and binds against his chest. The same feeling he felt when he realized he’d sooner fall to damnation than lose the pretty countess. The same feeling he felt when Vincent was born, sapphire and sharp and so much like his mother.

And right then, the baby turns, pressing her cheek against the blanket, allowing the Undertaker to see more of her perfect features.

Even in infancy there is such a familiarity to her - the shape of her nose and mouth, her fluttering eyelashes, the pale silver of her hair.

“Would you like to hold her?” Claudia asks, careful to keep her voice low lest she trigger her daughter’s seemingly supernatural hearing.

Undertaker inwardly balks.

He didn’t hold Vincent until the boy was nearly four months old - and even then it’d been more of a staring contest between mischievous blue and amused emerald, taken in between meetings with the Aristocrats of Evil. 

“Isn’t she a bit too young to be placed in the arms of a mortician?” He attempts to jape even as he remains rooted there - unable to move or look away.

Not even heaven’s divine presence could have pried him from the spot.

Claudia chuckles. “My dear Undertaker you’re a man of the world.” She rises with perfect ease, the baby still asleep in her arms. “Surely you’ve held sleeping maidens before?”

“Not as many as you might think.” He murmurs lowly, one hand coming to rest against the countess’s waist.

“I said hold the baby, not me.” She snipes good-naturedly and, in a rare show of benevolence, bestows upon the Undertaker a rare, genuine smile. “Hold out your arms.”

“Afraid that won’t be possible—“

The benevolence vanishes. “Your arms aren’t broken.” Her sapphire eyes harden. “Hold them out.”  

The Undertaker hesitates. “And…should I drop her? What then, lovely?” 

“I’ll kill you.” The countess replies as lifts one hand to maneuver the Undertaker’s still arms into a cradle-like position before gently, ever so gently, depositing the sleeping infant into his grip.

He is dressed in a mortician’s coat, the scent of formaldehyde still lingering against his clothes and skin.

But before he can protest, before he can utter a word of goodness, countess! the Undertaker makes the fatal mistake of looking down.

And he is spellbound.

The reaper of centuries past can only watch, half in awe, half in wonder, as the small bundle of warmth shifts, head tilting so that he can see, in perfect clarity, the delicate silhouette of her sleeping visage. She is as comforting as nursery tea, as familiar as his own face. 

Even now, barely a few minutes after her birth, with Claudia standing by his side, he feels something numb and drowsy thrumming through his veins - something that feels, in the most singular way, to be a lot like love.

[chibimyumi]

Hello i hope you're doing well , my question is about Frances . I don't know how this women think but why she didn't do anything about her brother death like avenge him or try to find his killer she let everything pass like nothing happen and also she let her nephew take over the job that killed both her brother and mother she didn't warn him or stop him from being a watchdog , so for my point of view i think she's just a selfish women who thinks only about herself

【Related post: Frances and Sebastian’s hair】

Dear Anon,

Hey, I’m doing well, thank you. I hope you too.

We know very little about Frances and her actions. Her presence is huge so it’s easy to forget, but she is but a very minor side character in the series. How she behaved when Vincent and the family was murdered we don’t know, but that we haven’t seen it is no proof she did not do anything. Evidence of lack of evidence is no evidence.

Frances could have been investigating within her own power behind the scenes, but just didn’t communicate. This could be because she knows O!Ciel would otherwise probably stop her, or maybe just because such missions need to be carried out in secrecy. Or Yana didn’t show because PLOT.

There is likewise no reason to say she acts like nothing happened; everybody deals with loss in a different way. We don’t know Frances well enough to make any definitive statements, but if anything at all, I would say that somebody raised to show no weakness usually just mourns in silence. Frances was also raised in a family of Watchdogs, meaning that risk is inherent to their ‘family business’. If she had not been raised to be mentally prepared for any deaths, that would have been woefully inadequate upbringing on her guardians’ part. Many existing cultures have had warrior families; those children have always been raised with a certain readiness to face sudden loss at all times. The Phantomhive family couldn’t have been too different.

About her mother; we don’t even know whether she was murdered or not. Perhaps she died of illness; though there is no proof she was probably the Watchdog. Being watchdog comes with a lot of stress, and stress gives illness. Victorian women used a LOT of arsenic in daily products, she could have died of arsenic overdose. Alternatively, if she just fell off the stairs or choked on her tea, then what’s there to avenge?

About not warning her nephew or stopping him to be watchdog; we also don’t know whether Frances did or not. All the information we have is from Sebastian’s cinematic record, and his record can’t show anything he doesn’t know. Maybe she did try but just without Sebas’ knowledge. But even if she did, she cannot override the Queen who appointed O!Ciel personally by mail. That’d be going against the crown at the PIQUE of the Victorian reign. Bad idea. And besides, no matter how intimidated O!Ciel might be of his aunt if she tried, he’d become Sebastian’s undercooked lunch the moment he refused to step up as Watchdog and instead let Frances take over.

If you don’t like Frances that is entirely fine; you don’t have to justify a feeling. However, I would say there is too little information to support whether Frances is ‘selfish’ when it comes to the death of her family, or O!Ciel’s wellbeing.

Related posts

Frances vs the other bullies

Sebastian 1889 redesigned

[frederickabberline]

Yana’s Twitter, 18/SEP/2017, 02:47PM(Tokyo): 黒執事132話。ファントムハイヴ兄妹の会話がかけて楽しかった落書き。【枢】

TLN: “Kuroshitsuji chapter 132. A fun scribble of the Phantomhive siblings having a chat.【Toboso】”

Picture text: “Big brother Vincent and little sister Frances”