#so sorry....

[nalfae]

cant believe i didn't post this one here, my bad.. kiss and makeup, sort of.

[isacksteban]

"But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the image of Marco standing at his door, bruised and broken, asking for comfort. Comfort Marc had sworn he'd give him. Sworn he'd be different than Valentino. It was foolish, really, thinking he was better than the older man. Valentino's love was the only he'd ever known. He didn't know how to give Marco the softness he so deeply craved."

[moonspirit]

What if for Armin or Annie (it's actually interesting for each of them) their love remained unrequited? No mutual pining or something like that. Perhaps an obvious refusal or awareness of it. And yet they still had to work together, ha ha… (ah, autumn mood…)

Hi anon!

Ahaha I see someone's in a melancholy mood... welp T^T

You know, that would be an extremely bittersweet way for Aruani to "end" on, so to speak. Both of them fall for each other to varying degrees in their cadet days; for Annie all the turmoil of feeling what she feels for him constantly constricts her throat until she has to forcefully turn it off by focusing on the harshest activity possible - putting herself through rigorous training, because there's nothing else in store for her except death, and most certainly a very horrible death for him too if she doesn't put a stop to these silly feelings. For Armin, it's intrigue mixed in with a happiness not like any other he's experienced, Annie makes him want to sit in the open without crawling into a shell and talk about the boring things she somehow doesn't hate. Annie makes him want to be next to her, until he can see her eyes and count her eyelashes and the little bumps on her skin from how close they are. Annie simply makes his heart light, and it's certainly a "like" even if he doesn't recognize it as "love" yet.

But neither ever speaks.

Not before they graduate, not before they part ways, not before that afternoon in the Forest of Giant Trees after which nothing is ever the same.

In his agony to dutifully report to his superiors, Armin realizes, maybe it's not just a like, maybe it's stronger, maybe it's got a tighter hold on his heart than he ever could've imagined because why is it so hard to open his mouth and say her name and put an end to this madness?

And Annie... Annie knows. When he leads her into the tunnel she knows, it's good she never said a thing, it's good she never admitted to wanting to touch his sunlit hair just once before they put on dedicated military badges. Reality is only ever cold, like this void of a tunnel stretching before her - there's nothing in store for her, nothing except death. If only she could've willed her heart to become stone.

So she becomes that stone instead. She becomes that stone because her heart cannot possibly be - her heart is too weak, so her body becomes strong, protected by a thing that nothing can ever crush.

Here, in the cold, dark basement where she remains suspended in a glass prison, Armin does speak.

And she listens.

But it remains unrequited because she cannot speak.

When finally, years later, walls come crashing down, and with them the glass into a million little pieces, Annie can speak, and Armin can listen, but she doesn't. Because believing any of it was true will only lead to more pain, for one by fear and for the other, by hesitation.

He doesn't know she heard his words, and she doesn't speak to let him listen to hers.

They fight. They survive. They lie in the smoke and dust and billowing clouds of dead giants carrying the putrefied smell of burnt corpses. They are alive.

But still.

He can't tie her down.

And she can't hurt him anymore.

And so they never speak.

All that's left, are the memories of what they had once - childish glances and lilting laughter - and maybe, that will be all there will be.

[c10v3r]

1 more request before tomorrow can you might draw Nacho and Mushroom (Animatic Battle) being Friends? Just in case :>

wowooaaag

[teatimeatwinterpalace]

Hi! I’m sorry if this is a vague question, but you seem to be the most knowledgeable person to ask.

What, exactly, was the social calendar of the Imperial family like? What sort of engagements occupied their time, I mean. I’ve heard obscure references to court processions, blessing of the waters, even a swearing in for the Tsesarevich at 16, but I can’t find any real sources for these. If true, what were these ceremonies like? Any recommendations for books or articles that cover this topic are greatly appreciated!

Hey, that's very kind of you to say so!

It is a very broad question since throughout the year they attended all sort of ceremonies, including military reviews, balls, unveiling of monuments, religious holidays (Epiphany, Easter...), receptions of foreign dignitaries, and so on. Parades were organised on various occasion: military anniversaries to honour military victories, imperial birthday, visits from foreign delegations/monarchs, church parades... There were also the celebrations of the Orders which took place on the saint's day like the Order of St Alexander Nevsky, the Order of St Andrew the First-Called, the Order of Saint-Catherine....

As for the Blessing of the Waters, it was an annual ceremony held every Epiphany on January 6. A wooden pavillion was built for the occasion with, close to it, a hole cut into the ice. When the Emperor and the clergy arrived, the Metropolitan would blessed the Neva in dipping a cross three times in the river. In the past, it had been traditionally celebrated on the banks of the Moskva. After the religious ceremony, a banquet was served at the Winter Palace. For many years, it was one of the most important court ceremonies. If my memory is correct, Meriel Buchanan gave a description of this ceremony in her Recollections of Imperial russia.

The ceremony of the Tsar's oath was held when the heir of the throne reached his majority. The Tsesarevich swore an oath to the throne, promising to serve faithfully Tsar and country. I made a post few years ago, detailing this particular ceremony (x).

As for books recs I would recommend :   

Scenarios of Power: Myth and Ceremony in Russian Monarchy. Volume One: From Peter the Great to the Death of Nicholas I and From Alexander II to the Abdication of Nicholas II by Richard S. Wortman. He made an abridged version: Scenarios of Power: Myth and Ceremony in Russian Monarchy: From Peter the Great to the Abdication of Nicholas II. (a serious and thorough scholarly book, truly a great read!)  

At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century by Hermitage Amsterdam. (BEAUTIFUL book, you won’t be able to put it down) 

The Winter Palace and the People: Staging and Consuming Russia's Monarchy, 1754–1917 by Susan McCaffray (has some interesting info!)

The Court of the Last Tsar: pomp, power, and pageantry in the reign of Nicholas II by Greg King. (i always been a bit wary of this author but it's one of the few book about this subject in English)

Then you have the account of the time: Muriel Buchanan Recollections of Imperial russia, A. A. Mossolov At The Court Of The Last Tsar, Alexander Grabbe The private world of the last Tsar and the like.

[in-love-and-jeph]

going back 2 school like hi im into mcr now :(

[mugiwara-lucy]

Guess who’s back!? =D

Not much of an excuse I can muster, haha ^_^