#maximillian calypse

[yukonfox]

Everyone,i present thee,my favorite character that's so cute i makes me bite furniture

ohhohoho you're gonna see more of her

[duvetdaybooks]

This man is bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders and can’t even explain to his wife anything as he is trying to protect her. He is sacrificing his mental and emotional well being to protect her.

It’s not explained fully yet but this scene holds so much torment people don’t even effing realise yet….

Oh this series will break me before putting me back together again!!!!

[katian13]

[burntoutpoetsdpt]

Ruth serbel/reader

The candlelight flickered across the grand library of the World Tower, casting shadows over the shelves stacked with ancient tomes. Ruth sat at a table, poring over a thick manuscript on advanced mana stabilization, but his mind was only half on the words in front of him.

you were seated across from him, your quill scratching against parchment as you took notes from an open book. you looked as you always did—completely at ease, chin propped on one hand, And yet, Ruth could not focus. The words of the other students in the tower dining hall earlier that day which he refused to believe rang in his head.

"Did you hear? That nobleman-what’s his name-has sent a proposal to ___!" "she hasn’t answered yet, but everyone says she’s considering it." "Imagine! A duchess before she even finishes her studies."

He had nearly choked on his tea.

Now, he sat stiffly, fingers drumming against the table as he tried to ignore the gnawing irritation in his chest.

It’s none of my business. But it was his business. Somehow.

He cleared his throat. “So.”

you barely glanced up. “So?”

Ruth shifted in his chair. “That man, the one who keeps hovering around you. What’s his deal?”

you blinked at him, tilting your head. “What man?”

He rolled his eyes. “The nobleman. Blond, annoying. Always finds some excuse to speak to you.”

“Oh.” you finally seemed to register what he was talking about. “You mean Lord Kaelen?”

Ruth made an impatient noise. “Yes. Him. What does he want?”

you dipped your quill back into the inkwell, voice completely casual. “He wants to marry me.”

Ruth dropped his quill. It rolled off the table. “What?!" His voice came out louder than intended, drawing a few irritated looks from nearby students.

you raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by his reaction. “You don’t have to shout.”

He ignored that. “But-but you’re still a student here! You haven’t even finished your education yet!”

you shrugged. “You know most ladies don’t finish their education before they’re married.”

Ruth gaped at you, utterly scandalized. “That’s idiotic.” you smiled, amused by his reaction. “Oh, I agree.”

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “So what, you’re just considering it?”

you leaned back in your chair, eyeing him curiously. “What’s it to you?”

That made him falter. “I-” Ruth hesitated, suddenly aware of how ridiculous he must sound. He couldn’t tell you the truth, because he didn’t even know the truth. All he knew was that the thought of some nobleman taking you away, of you becoming someone’s wife- set his nerves on edge in a way he couldn’t explain.

He scowled, fumbling for an excuse. “I just think it’s a waste of your talent. That’s all.”

you studied him for a moment longer, your eyes gleaming with something unreadable. Then, to his immense relief, you simply shrugged. “Well, of course I’m not going to marry him.”

Ruth blinked. “You’re not?”

“No.” you smiled, reaching over to grab the fallen quill from the floor and handing it back to him. “I have far more important things to do than be some duke’s little ornament.”

Ruth took the quill from you, but his fingers barely registered it. His heartbeat was still hammering wildly, and he didn’t know why. All he knew was that relief flooded him at your words.

you returned to your book, as if the conversation had been nothing of consequence. But Ruth sat there for a long time, staring at you, the unfamiliar feeling twisting inside him like a knot he didn’t know how to untangle.

[fdg413]

Chef Riftan

The official keeps giving me inspiration...

[kennyos]

just in time for season 5's premiere, manta was kind enough to share a sneak peak into this iconic series. full disclosure: i started reading this LONG ago but happily took the opportunity to reread it so im fully ready to delve into the new season.

things are gonna be different this time tho. instead of reviewing the series as a whole, im gonna review our fl and ml bc i love them dearly.....while also sometimes side-eying the ml 👀

❗SPOILERS AHEAD❗

let's start with my beloved, maxi. i will not tolerate any slander about her, i would die for this woman.

maxi starts off very sweet and naive with a sad upbringing. due to constant abuse from her noble father, she suffers from intense low self-esteem and a stutter. she is married off to the ml, a peasant knight, as way for her father to send the ml to the dragon subjugation in his place. however, she only spends one night with him before he leaves for 3 years to fulfill his military obligations. the entire time he's away, she lives in fear that he will divorce her upon his return. however, our ml takes her back to their home and their love story begins.

maxi already caught my attention as one of the few fls with a disability at the time and my love for grew as she did.

let's start with the obvious: she is so cute and i adore her freckles. i will always fold to the fl and she is no exception. throughout the story, the only thing i wanted was her happiness and safety. she deserves to be loved and i will fight anyone who calls her weak or pathetic. she is a victim of abuse and that trauma has shaped her. readers should approach her character with this knowledge and give her some grace. her environment shaped her into a scared and insecure young woman at no fault of her own. instead of attacking her, one should cheer on her gradual growth. like i said before, i will defend her with my life.

maxi truly does blossom and comparing her at the start to where we find her at the beginning of season 5 shows just how impressive and resilient of a character she is. instead of hiding in the shadow of her husband, she goes out of her way to harness her ability as a healer and step up for the sake of her ppl and husband. she does not back down when the ml tells her to and follows her own sense of justice. the maxi of the past would have never thought herself capable of that and it really is a beautiful example of a victim rising above her trauma.

maxi, my love, here's to a well-deserved happy ending in the future ❤

aw, riftan. i both love you and want to throttle you sometimes. i will say this....his heart is in the right place but he doesn't always go about things in the right way.

and, yes, to state the obvious, he is extremely attractive. maybe that's why im so lenient with him lol.

despite maxi's fear of divorce before his return, this was NEVER on the table for riftan. he fell in love with maxi way before their arranged marriage. it always was and always will be maxi for him. gotta love a man of intense yearning 😍

however, due to his inexperience with women and kinda stunted emotional growth, the man does not know how to express himself well at times. all he wants is to protect maxi but he has a tendency to come off as overbearing and controlling. i honestly don't believe that he intends to present as such but, god damn, when he fumbles, he fumbles HARD. there are a few moments of him yelling at maxi instead of communicating his concerns and i want to fling him into the sun each time. like, come on, dude, i know you're better than that.

regardless of that, it's clear how devoted he is to maxi. he loves her so much and it's the "let the world burn" type of ml if something were to happen to her. when he retrieves maxi after three years, he immediately begins to make up lost time....if you catch my drift 😏

while riftan's growth is a bit slower (and more frustrating lol) than maxi's, it's clear that he is improving and wants to be better for his wife. his main goal needs to be seeing maxi as her own person who is capable of protecting herself and to stop putting her on a pedestal where nothing and no one can touch her. his growth is entwined with hers and it is his slow pace that quickens maxi's resolve to prove herself. he comes off unintentionally toxic but that does not absolve him of his missteps. i have faith he will become a great partner to maxi and will no longer try to shield her from a world she must experience in order to truly find herself.

riftan, my man, do NOT let me down.

all in all, under the oak tree is a staple in the romantic manhwa genre for a reason. it has beautiful art and even more beautiful character growth. there will be moments of frustration for any reader but trust the process, y'all, it's all to build up to a satisfying conclusion.

if you read this manhwa and enjoy it, i also highly recommend the original light novel. it allows for a deeper look into the characters AND has a side story completely in riftan's pov that covers the time before the story takes place.

thank you once again, manta, for this peak into another great series. this reread has reignited my love for it (and maxi) and i cannot wait for the rest of season 5!

[winter-in-anatol]

🌹

[somewhereandeverywhere]

back on my bullshit. under the oak tree discussion/spoilers below

can maxi PLEASE get a fucking win. oh my god she's punished so much for just existing i swear to FUCK

it pissed me off so much when riftan yelled at her for the boulder thing. instead of a 'oh thank god you're awake, that was reckless but you saved us' NO he gets all pissy and tells her to fuck off????? then she just. does. now her father's at the fucking estate she's resting at??????

i thought agnes would be more insightful, but again, no. 'hey your father's here, oh damn you don't look well all of a sudden what's wrong' again NOPE does NO ONE SPARE SECOND THOUGHTS

so to sum it up, her husband berates her for getting involved in battle, ships her away, she's forced to remain bedridden like a child and then when her abusive father arrives, her only friend can't be fucked to check in with why she wouldn't want to see her own father. maxi is repeatedly kicked down for trying anything on her own, and the people she loves don't give a shit about the person behind the title of lady of anatol.

gawd forbid a woman do anything in this story.

i haven't read the novel and i don't plan on it (i ain't buying that) but i really hope maxi stands her ground. properly. like no one gives her shit for it. AND that she's backed up by her friends. agnes seems to adore maxi, she needs to step up where it's important.

just,,,, maxi needs a win. capital W, big dubs, all that jazz.

if this doesn't make a lick of sense my blood sugar is low and i'm spitballing