ref

It's so important to acknowledge that Sebastian's changes are completely subconscious, happening so slowly over the years that he doesn't even realize what is happening; death by a thousand papercuts. Meanwhile, Ciel's lack of change (or his changing for the worse) is 100% deliberate on his part; he is an active participant in curating who he is as a trash person. Like, just think about that for a moment: the ageless, (somewhat) immortal otherworldly creature is the one to grow and change, while the human child - typically seen as fickle and mercurial - is the one who does everything in his power to keep from changing.

And like Puppy said, I can't see this not coming to a head in the future. I wouldn't be surprised if we somehow end up with another Kelvin manor type situation, except this time Ciel is in complete control of himself and Sebastian has this 'bro, wtf is wrong with you?' confrontation with Ciel over it.

On the subject of whether the relationship between Sebastian and Ciel is positive or negative: I always wind up at least a little disappointed because I feel that these discussions often focus exclusively on whether Sebastian is good or bad for Ciel and never the vice versa. Ciel often gets benefit of the doubt because of his age but I feel like the manga has proven time and time again that this is not really the story for that with how the story routinely emphasizes that not only is he is an individual with agency but separate from the traditional categorization of "child". Ciel is quite literally a murderer and the role Sebastian fills is not to manipulate or force him down a certain path but to assist him down the path of his own choosing, for better or for worse.

And I think "for worse" has all the capacity to be at the expense of either of them and not just for Ciel. We've seen how Sebastian is capable of growth throughout these 200+ chapters and I'd argue Sebastian has done more of it at this point that Ciel has, who continues to make progressively more damaging choices. While Sebastian becomes more human, Ciel has become more monstrous and the two may very well be destined to meet before ultimately passing one another by. Despite being a demon, I think Ciel has just as much potential to be a toxic influence in Sebastian's life as he is to Ciel and that's what makes their relationship fascinating to me (and will make the inevitable ending where Sebastian mourns because he has Yaoi'd too close to the sun all the more satisfying).

Even Yana Toboso herself considers the both of them to be awful people and while this sentiment is often a point of contention among fans I'm generally inclined to agree with her. I feel like these two are uniquely made for one another and both have the capacity to contribute to a relationship that is simultaneously positive and negative in effect upon one another and I wish more people saw it the same way.

What I always liked about them is their synchronization, it eats me aliveee💙🖤

We are so robbed💔💔

can you imagine ciel phantomhive in a modern day 8th grade classroom, he’d try to blend in and learn the lingo quick and then say something like “your mewing streak is over you rizzless mouth breather” and then pull out a gun

Lycoris that Blazes the Earth 💋

I recently (FINALLY) got a copy of Kuromyu 2015 and have been watching the behind the scenes extras. Lycoris is such an important musical to me, even though Ciel and Sebastian aren't the focal point of its story which follows the Red Butler arc. I had to sketch something to put all my Big Emotions somewhere.

It was unintentional, but I ended up with going for a "tango of rejected intimacy" vibe, with Ciel almost pushing away (despite having given Sebastian a kiss), and Sebastian leaning fully into the smallest inclination of intimacy and capturing it. I also learned into the idea of Ciel falling away from his familial ties into a deeper corruption with the devil that we see at the end of the arc.

Anyway, this was a very lazy sketch. But I love them. ❤️

New episode of Black Butler is great

I actually make sure to keep Ciel his canon age in fanfiction and such because it’s the equivalent to shooting up into the air to keep the value of the neighbourhood down.

you ever see a character and go "wow, this character is so nuanced and morally gray! their actions and morals don't always align! they're complicated and make bad decisions and behave painfully realistically! I hate them and love them at the same time and that's on purpose! they're so cool! .... fan content is going to misinterpret them completely, isn't it."

The Black Butler revival will, of course, in this day and age, be the complete embodiment of pro-ship vs. anti-ship discourse, given the subject matter.

But for those of you who are watching this for the first time in 2024 (which includes myself!), there are certain things about the show you simply must understand, for the sake of media literacy.

The first is that Black Butler is supernatural gothic romanticism at its core. This genre alone should tell you that the relationships integral to the plot will be complex, messy, and toxic, by default. That is not only a huge part of this genre’s appeal, but very much the point of the story.

The themes are dark, the terrible things that happen to the main characters are dark, and therefore the relationships at the forefront (and in the background) will reflect that.

The gothic genre has been alluringly popular for over a century (longer, if you know your history) because audiences are entranced by the macabre, the tainted antiheroes, the monsters who live inside us all. It’s popular for a reason.

That being said, understand that whether you, the viewer, ship Sebastian and Ciel or not is irrelevant. Their bond doesn’t need to be understood as romantic or sexual, but it sure as hell isn’t normal. It isn’t healthy. And the audience knows that. That’s the draw. It’s what makes them compelling to watch.

Ciel and Sebastian’s relationship mirrors many gothic novels, poems, and penny dreadfuls written in the Victorian Era (the very same time period in which Kuroshitsuji takes place). The Victorian folks who read these tales for the first time ate that shit up, because it was tantalizing. It was shocking. It was inappropriate, and monstrous, and violent, and erotic, and went against societal norms. But that was the point.

A huge part of gothic romanticism is the blatant sexualization of the relationship between the “monstrous” characters and their human counterparts in the story. Sex itself doesn’t need to take place for their bond to be sexually charged. The forbidden nature of their relationship—which typically involves layers of social taboos, moral ambiguity, or simple infatuation—is what makes their interactions erotic. Sexual contact rarely ever actually happens in these stories. It’s the taboo nature of their bond that creates the tension.

One of the many reasons audiences love this genre is the constant question of morality in its themes. Who, between them, is the real monster? Could the human character have ever been saved? This genre is often associated with tragedy, because the bond forged between the characters in these stories are destined to end in death and destruction. The reader knows it can’t end any other way. How can it?

But an integral element of these gothic tales is the catharsis that comes with this tragedy. The corrupted human often gets what they want in the end, even if it’s at the cost of their own life. Whether they regret their choice to foster this monstrous relationship varies on the story, but it doesn’t change the trajectory of their descent.

Sebastian and Ciel’s relationship is the whole plot of Black Butler. Their closeness bears a grotesque ick factor, but it is deliberate. It is a constant reminder of how unnatrual their bond truly is. Rationalizing or watering down how abnormal they are about each other misses the point entirely. They will never have a normal, healthy relationship, and that’s what moves the plot forward.

That’s why you’re watching it.

When the camera pans away in the ED, they obviously kiss.

“I hope Yana does the right thing now” I hope she adds a gratuitous sex scene where there’s close ups, moans, claws marks on skin, lube dripping and a money shot and maybe you’ll learn to mind your damn business.

Sebastian when he has to bang an adult woman

😒🙄🥱😠

Sebastian when he’s grooming the shota

😏😌🥵😈

Some more cute parallels that the anime staff decided to show in the anime