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k-s-morgan · 3 years

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Hi! This isn’t an ask, but more of a rambling that I deemed too long for the comments, that stems from your post claiming Book of Circus as your favourite Black Butler episodes. and to that I say - YES. Book of Murder is a masterpiece. It houses one of my favourite scenes - the one where Sebastian says: "This wasn't a scenario decided by God or fate, but one decided on by my master, with timing decided by my master. I was killed by the criminal expected by my master, by the Hione who came to torment my master", which really captures the essence of whole 'Ciel vs God' dynamic that's woven into the duration of the show.

Throughout the plot, there are three major instances in which an offering is made to Ciel - offerings of redemption. The first is from Angela - a chance to purify himself and have an afterlife - which he so vehemently rejects in the knowledge that he quite literally *is* his darkness, and therefore refuses to rid himself of it.

The second is comes from Abberline in his death, where in his final words he tells Ciel he has a chance to take back his future. And Ciel has to watch him die with the knowledge that he has already made up his mind about his fate. I don't think he's so affected because he regrets selling his soul. I don't think he suddenly wants to live, or no longer wishes for revenge. But I believe the reason he is so affected by Abberline's death is because he holds a sentimentality for him that is not dissimilar to the one he feels for Elizabeth. Ciel is cruel, I don't think he regrets the steps he has taken to get to this point, nor the ones he knows he must take in the future. But though he is cruel, I believe he has a sort of fond curiosity for the untainted goodness that characterises those like Abberline and Elizabeth. Like you said before, he feels condescension towards the man perhaps due to the naivety his blind heroism implies, but I think his attachments to him come from an underlying curiosity to see if such goodness can exist in such a corrupted world - a silent hope to be proven wrong in his cynicism. When Abberline dies, that very hope he didn't even know he had gets shattered. It brings about a sort of forced perspective that makes Ciel question himself in ways we haven't seen before.

Abberline's death had been avoidable and it was certainly in vain. Abberline had died for someone who had already made up his mind - someone who had rejected God once before and would do it time and time again as proven in the anime. Ciel is such an interesting character because, although he is dark, he still values the light and makes some sort of effort to preserve it in spite of the contempt he feels for them. It is the thought of dying in vain that seems to bother him so greatly, not death itself. No, Abberline dying isn't enough for him to want to live again, or to even think about throwing away his revenge - that was never in question. But it is enough to extinguish the lingering flicker of hope he had for humanity (despite being so distanced from term himself).

This, combined with the disappointment he feels at Sebastian's actions, causes the existential haze of uncertainty that leads to the third and final offering. And the most surprising thing is that this offering comes from Sebastian himself. He senses the doubt in Ciel and, like every thought the boy experiences, fails to understand it. He mistakes it for him second-guessing his revenge and decides to discontinue their contract. But he isn't angry - that much is clear. Instead, he wishes him to "forget everything and have pleasant dreams", with a rather wistful expression on his face. What this line ends up reading as is a bittersweet goodbye from the demon - an offering for Ciel to let go of his revenge and find happiness in the afterlife with his now soon approaching death. There is almost a strong disappointment in him, but is not resentful of it - Ciel is human and he can't keep expecting him not to be. His offering almost acts as a thank you for the moments of excitement their contract had given his monotone life and I believe that is why he makes it.

He sticks around to see if Ciel accepts his offer, though already expecting him to, and is there to witness the very moment the boy rejects it. Gone is the uncertainty of Abberline's death and the Paris crisis, and Ciel, the Earl of Phantomhive, returns to him - sharper, colder, more ruthless than ever. Sebastian realises his misjudgement and returns to his side, ready for the final battle. Killing an angel. It's laughably symbolic.

The rejections of God, the evasion of the Hope Diamond's curse (where he even wore two rings as if to taunt the fates), the references in Book of Murder - they all depict this metaphorical sort of battle between Ciel and God. And the ending of Kuroshitsuji II is the depicts how he triumphs over fate, claiming his rightful place as an immortalised creature of Hell.

I know I've gone on a bit of a tangent here in your inbox, but that one quote from Book of Murder is so symbolic to me in the way it sets up the comparison between Ciel and God (in which 'God' represents power over fate).

Before I sign off, though, I just want to make light of the existence of the show's final offering, occurring in the last few minutes of the series. This last offering has nothing too do with God, nothing to do with any complex battle between the Phantomhive and fate, but is much simpler than that. In fact, the final offering of the show comes from Ciel, and he gives it to Sebastian - it's almost poetic, is it not?

"Are you sure you don't want to pull it any tighter?"

In this single, unassuming line, Ciel is asking Sebastian if he wants to kill him, and release himself from the eternal contract they've found themselves in. Such a noble and dignified soul as Ciel would always be sure to make through on his word and, despite the loophole that now extends their contract, he would still be willing to let Sebastian kill him should he wish to do so. The man may no longer be able to take his soul, but the boy can still give the order to kill him and free himself. Ciel's respect for Sebastian is complex and contradictory at times, but what never changes is his willingness to die by his hands and see through to his side of the contract.

“Is it over? The one who plunged me into bottomless darkness… I don’t even know why she did it.”

In the episode where Angela is crushed by the Church, Ciel offers his soul to Sebastian. Even when unsatisfied with the result, his unwavering nobility led him to make good on their deal and fulfil his end of the contract. The earl faced the demon, his expression calm, and with a steady voice said “A promise is a promise. Take it.”

This unwavering dignity and nobility he holds in himself I believe is the reason for this offering and Sebastian's turn to reject it is almost a 'love confession' (as you have brought me to see it) in itself.

As a final sort of note - I just wanted to let you know that, since reading your reply to my comment on TGSTLTH (from a while ago), I brought myself to rewatch Kuroshitsuji II with your interpretation in mind and ended up really enjoying it. You've singlehandedly made me do a complete 180 on a season I previously hated - looks like I had just watched it from the wrong perspective. So, for that, I thank you

Hey! Sorry for getting to your ask just now. I absolutely loved it :D And yes, Book of Murder is a masterpiece - I still remember watching it for the first time. It was late at night, I had to go to bed, everyone was sleeping, but I kept watching because stopping just wasn't an option, I had to know what happened next.

Ciel vs God is such an interesting topic. In some ways, Ciel and Sebastian exist in their own universe where there is no place for anyone else. There is a God aka Ciel and a demon aka Sebastian. And they are both allies and adversaries at the same time - they are tormenting each other and uniting to torment others.

I agree absolutely that Ciel holds a fondness for certain people, with Lizzy and Abberline being a good example. He has a degree of contempt and irritation for them, but they do mean something to him. Ciel's curiosity is a big and detached thing, and this places him on Sebastian's level in such an interesting way because sometimes it's almost like Ciel isn't human himself - humanity intrigues him as if he doesn't belong to it. His fascination with the light just underlines his affinity with the darkness.

I have many thoughts about Ciel's behavior during the days following Abberline's death, and you certainly introduced many excellent points! My general opinion on Ciel's motives is... complicated. I agree that he never felt like really giving up his revenge and trying to live a 'happy' life - he knew it's not for him at that stage already. However, I feel like Abberline's parting words affected him a lot, even if briefly. When Abberline tells him that he can start everything from the beginning, Ciel sounds absolutely heartbroken when he confesses, "I don't have a future." The way he acts later, telling Sebastian to stop and not kill the angel, hesitating, reinforces this idea to me. I think you described it best - Ciel is having an existential crisis. It's not like he suddenly regrets his decisions, but he's temporary unanchored and unsure what he wants and what he should do. Having a dream where Abberline urges him to give up his hatred also seems to affect Ciel, but it's so telling that he wakes up and immediately says, "Sebastian." It's a fascinating arc and I can't wait to explore it.

I love your words about three offerings - so true. And I'm so happy you liked S2 when watching it from a new perspective! I used to be so confused as to why people hated it: it's not perfect, but I thought it was amazing in many ways, especially its bittersweet ending.

#black butler #sebaciel #ciel phantomhive #sebastian michaelis #my fics

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ask-matchmaker-creativitwins · 5 years

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Roman: okay i'm kinda with them on that... i think you're kind of jumping the gun here.........

Remus: Jumping the gun?! Of course Patton loves Deceit, I just don't have any evidence from Patton's perspective!

Roman: What?! Then that's not a code magenta!!

Remus: YES IT IT!!! I'M TELLING YOU! Just READ what Deceit wrote! Tell me that doesn't SCREAM magenta! Do it, do it, do it, do it-

Roman: Ugh, fine just hand it over! You're so annoying!

'Patton visited me today. He said something about wanting to discuss things between us as civil sides. Despite being my rival, I found this to be a reasonable arrangement. I had been wishing to speak one on one with him for quite some time. We met up in the middle ground and I provided tea for the two of us. He was polite the throughout our discussion but I could tell there wasn't any real warmth to it. We discussed my future hopes for myself and the other dark sides role in Thomas's decision making and despite his obvious disagreements he never once interrupted me. It was nice to be listened to for once. He promised that we would meet again in a three days time. I look forward to it.'

'Patton told me something interesting at our meeting today. Apparently, through Remus's little escapade Patton has learned that he had been being too strict on Thomas's moral code. It was a lot of the reason why he had even considered talking to me. To 'try and understand me better'. It really is commendable that despite it all he IS trying to see things from my perspective. It's all i've truly wanted of him really. I went on trying to explain some moral particularism through the use of some philosophers i've been reading up on lately but he didn't seem to really connect. I'll have to try a different approach next time we meet.'

'I've been learning so many things during Patton and I's talks that it truly boggles my mind. We can go off for what feels like hours in friendly debates and for once I don't care about winning them. I spend my days reading all about moral philosophy and yet this side has taught me so much more than any stupid book ever has. I've realized during today's meeting that I don't even WANT to lie to Patton. He's the first side to show me that there are people worth being honest with, even if it hurts me. He told me that telling the truth is like mental 'growing pains' since we're growing as people every time we tell the truth, even if it hurts a little. It's a bit silly but i've come to find out that nowadays, I rather like silly.'

'Patton and I's meetings have been quite exhilarating as of late. He's even started reading up on moral philosophy just so we can find more things to dissect. Sometimes he mixes silly things up or mispronounces names but after having spent enough time with him, I believe he's doing this on purpose. I wonder how naive Patton truly is? The question has been plaguing my mind. In fact, everything about him has been intriguing me. Recently we've started to go off topic during our meetings and just... talk about our days. As strange as it may seem I cannot recall the last time anyone has asked about my day. When the subject comes up I usually don't have very much to say. Perhaps I should fix that.'

'I'm beginning to wonder if our meetings are for business or pleasure. It always starts off with any updates about my efforts sure but without fail we always manage to get off topic. We've begun to discuss personal things, like vulnerabilities or even secrets. He's given me updates about Virgil and i'm very happy to hear he's doing well. I wouldn't trust anyone more than Patton to keep him happy in a way I never could. He even gave me some advice about how to better connect with Remus (which I was grateful for since I often have a difficult time relating to him). Patton called me 'a good dad' and despite my obvious embarrassment at such a term it made me strangely happy.'

'I don't know if i've mentioned but Patton is extremely funny. I have no clue how i've spent so many years with this side and never realized just how funny he was. There isn't a time where i'm frowning around him and the same goes for Patton. He gives such genuine smiles now. Never the stiff and uncomfortable ones from before but ones that truly reach his eyes. I didn't know it was possible to enjoy another person this much but once again he has opened my eyes. He's even called me a friend multiple times and it makes me giddy like a fool without fail. Patton is actually, truly my friend. (It still feels weird to write it down). The days between out meetings feel longer than ever.

I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm starting to think I have somehow malfunctioned. I think about Patton all the time and every time I see him I can't help but feel sick to my stomach but in a good way (how is this even possible?). I looked up my symptoms and from what i've seen it cannot possibly be correlated. I mean, I could not possibly have 'a crush' on Patton! That's stupid! We're parts of Thomas, it'd be like dating yourself! Despite all logical sense, my symptoms remain the same. I've began to be extremely awkward around him in a way I never was before. I just hope these feelings go away soon.

Update: These feelings have not gone away and by the look of things, I don't think they will anytime soon. I'm starting to think the internet was right after something Patton told me today. We were discussing the nature of our existences as sides and how strange it is for us to feel things that go outside of our purpose. I was feeling so frustrated but Patton just smiled and told me that sides don't have to make sense to anyone else. I should enjoy the fact that our existences are so complex. I think i'm going to do just that. So what if I have feelings for Patton? It won't change the quality of our friendship. I've never felt guilty about keeping a secret before but there's a first time for everything I suppose.

#roman sanders #sanders sides #ts roman #ts the duke #ts deceit #deceit sanders #patton sanders #moceit #remus sanders #ts patton

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