An artist got arrested in the UK over their own art. This should TERRIFY you.
Antis are cheering, and I cannot begin to articulate how this is marking the beginning of the end for protected queer spaces; they are coming for what you deem "unproblematic" next.
WAKE. UP.
CENSORSHIP IS RIGHT-WING CONSERVATISM, AND YOU PURITANS ARE PLAYING INTO THEIR HANDS!
this unserious racist country where teachers will freely physically assault and psychologically abuse children of colour, where camhs doesn’t give a shit about kids and where right wing media consistently demonises children and the youth especially non white ones.
i truly wonder how this is protecting the children.
the children that tommy robinson can post to incite racial abuse against just because they’re brown.
the children of sunderland where a city councillor had said nigerians should be melted to fill in potholes.
a disabled black child being attacked and abused by his white peers in wolverhampton.
asian kids being filmed by a white woman in the park, scared of the grown adult looming over them.
this is all unimportant because the uk government doesn’t really care.
do the black and brown kids in the uk not need any protection? or do children simply not matter in this country? when will we actually help children here?
Ciel: Did you know that June is known as the Pride Month?
Sebas: Really? Hm... I didn't know they celebrate that kind of thing. So, it's your month to shine, isn't it?
Ciel: It's actually our month to shine. We've come a long way and I'm so glad that we have it.
Sebas: So, what month is the Wrath month? Is February a Lust month because of Valentine's Day?
Ciel: Uh, what are you saying? *getting suspicious* Out of curiosity, what do you think is the Pride Month?
Sebas: *teacher mode* It's a month to celebrate those who are proud of themselves, their heritage, or their achievements. And I'm saying this with love, but I've never known anyone who's as proud or as arrogant as you are. So, I'm glad that we have an entire month to celebrate you.
Ciel: Darling, I think you misunderstood the assignment and... WHAT DO YOU MEAN ARROGANT?! *smack!*
I don’t think Sebastian could ever leave ciel alone. Anibastian walked out on him completely and still hovered around like a guardian angel, became a fucking cat and tried to be affectionate that way. I could see him secretly coming back like he did as vicar Jeremy, or various tellers and farmers on the land, his new valet, his business associate, even a dog. Maybe he shows up as all of these new personas. Or something more pathetic: a young lady with a prestigious pedigree, unfortunately orphaned and without home, but highly connected and highly skilled, an interest in the occult. A worthy candidate for house matriarch. But Tanaka knows
i love the idea that sebastian doesn’t want to leave ciel and keeps showing up in his life, silently watching over him. but i also love the angst part, where ciel doesn’t know any of this. so it hurts both of them.
ciel thinks sebastian actually left him—because he got bored, because he didn’t care, because ciel wasn’t even worth being eaten. that everything they went through together only mattered to him, while for the demon it was just a way to pass time.
and sebastian left because he was afraid. afraid that staying would put ciel in danger. after all, he’s like a black hole—he consumes light and leads everything to ruin, and ciel is the last thing he would ever want to destroy. he’s afraid he’s taking away ciel’s chance at a normal life, when ciel still has decades ahead of him. afraid he’ll never be able to make ciel truly happy, because his presence is tied to the memory of the brother he erased and the parents ciel lost. he can’t forgive himself for how many times ciel has suffered because of him.
so he watches him from a distance, sometimes taking the form of people ciel passes on the street. he offers him a hand, just to be able to feel him for a moment, even if it only lasts a few seconds. he hears every time ciel calls his name and feels his chest tighten, repeating to himself that he’s doing this for his sake, and that in the long run, ciel will forget him.
but ciel can’t forget. not after sebastian’s presence became as obvious as his own shadow, like the sunrise every morning, like breathing itself. because a life without sebastian is like breathing with restricted air—you can manage, but not for very long.
I noticed most reuploads of the manga only had individual chapters, so here's the full volumes in both the raws and the English translations for those who are unable to buy it digitally (and aren't comfortable sailing the high seas either).
“The butler who seemed so obedient and competent… Who’d have thought I’d be wiping your ass after you played with fire?” - Chapter 215, alt translation
Isn’t that an crazy way of saying it? “Backing you up after you played with something dangerous”... He sounds way more intense in the original Japanese 🫣
I have always been of the belief that Ciel does WAY too much for Sebastian especially if you consider their circumstances (predator/prey & master/servant) and more importantly, he is Not normal about him at all. Honestly, reading the manga will have you going, “Which noble treats their servant like this???”
That’s why instead of doing my serious analyses, going through the manga chapter-by-chapter on my sideblog or even finishing the editing process of my fic, I came back to drop this long post of every single time Ciel said or did something that he did not have to do for or in relation to Sebastian. There’s a lot so bear with me. Welcome to...
Ciel Doing The Most (CDTM)
Every Instance in Kuroshitsuji of Ciel Doing or Saying Things He Isn’t Obliged To (For a Demon Butler)
Please excuse the messy panel compilations, I wanted all the bits I mention to be visible. Let me know if you can't see and I'll make sure to send you a clearer version of a panel.
BEFORE THE TURNING POINT
A look at already-generous Ciel's attitude from the beginning of the manga to the end of the Phantomhive Manor Murders arc.
At the end of the Black Butler arc (right before the Red Butler arc), we find out Sebastian has pocket money which could only possibly come from Ciel's pocket. This implies he is either paying wages or giving him a little bit of personal money, just so he isn't penniless.
During the Red Butler arc, Ciel gets annoyed at Madame Red groping Sebastian. When they go to investigate the Viscount, Ciel is horrified at the idea of dancing with Sebastian asking how he could dance publicly 'with the likes of him' (essentially pointing out his status, in the original Japanese he asks 'with a butler?') but when Sebastian says a tutor is a part of the upper classes, he agrees to dance with him. However, we know that when Sebastian was teaching him how to dance, he had no problem with it. He seems to focus on the public part more than the dancing part, this attitude is later amended.
Moving on, in the Indian Butler arc, he gets angry that Sebastian cares more about the schedule than his wellbeing after Sebastian steps up to his defence during the fencing battle between Soma and Agni.
At the end of the Circus arc, despite being angry at Sebastian (after the snake incident), he has him sit in first class with him, perhaps due to the affect that arc had on him (Joker and Doll mentioning his noble status, we also know he felt the most guilt to them other than his family members courtesy of his mental breakdown in the Green Witch Arc). This is his first attempt at fixing his haughty noble image in regards to Sebastian. From this moment on, Sebastian is always in First Class with him whenever they ride a train.
In the Phantomhive Murders arc, he tells them to put Sebastian’s cats back into his closet and to not let them out of his bedroom, even though he could have just kicked them out of the house, there was a window there. Clearly he was angry at Sebastian for keeping them behind his back but he did not mention it at all, assuming he keeps them in his room behind his back.
Let's keep in mind that in between all these acts, Ciel was also acting like this (hiring a dude to hit Sebastian in the first chapter, trying to sabotage him during the competition for the royal warrant, hitting him when he was unable to move during the murder arc):
TURNING POINT
The Luxury Liner arc where Ciel's attitude to Sebastian softens after they face an enemy that can mortally wound him.
In the Luxury Liner arc, Ciel panics at Sebastian getting hurt, defends Sebastian verbally against Ronald Knox and doesn't fall asleep even though he is freezing/suffering moderate hypothermia (falling asleep) because he sees a bizarre doll bite Sebastian, this is also where he reaches his hand out to help Sebastian onto the boat, though this is rejected. Him asking if Sebastian can do it is also corrected by Sebastian who tells him to order him as a servant.
Ciel's attitude changes drastically here, not only worrying for Sebastian but praising him and trying to make him happy. He tells him he did well that day and gives him a day of rest in which he brings him dinner and sits with him while he eats (he brings the food himself since the other servants tell him it would make Sebastian happy if he takes it to him himself). He even 'orders' Sebastian to lie down and rest since he was refusing to). Also he teases by saying all that suffering on the Campania was worth it since he got to see Sebastian in a 'rare', 'ridiculous' state.
TWISTED TRUST & CONTROLLED CONCERN
This era of their relationship spans from the end of the Luxury Liner arc to the end of the Blue Cult arc.
In the Easter chapter, he tells Sebastian that his status does not matter in a game and he should freely attack the Double Charles if he needs to. A big change from his shame of dancing with him in public while in a disguise, he yells this out in front of the Queen's butlers as himself, Earl Phantomhive, while knowing they are high nobles who might see this as a transgression.
At the end of the Public School arc, he listens to Sebastian telling him to take the servants to London for shopping, also he trusts him to go to Somerset House when Sebastian asks to make another stop and only asks what Sebastian did there after he comes back into the carriage.
In the Green Witch arc, they once again sit in first class together and he expresses curiosity in Sebastian’s past for the first time. He apologises to all of the servants including Sebastian who is very surprised about it, considering he had just aggressively attempted to eat him (even though it was all to 'shock' him out of the state he was in).
This is also when we find out that Ciel, while bestowing his affection, has absolutely no trust in Sebastian as a person, only as a tool. Yet he still treats him like a person he cares for.
He thinks Sebastian will enjoy being a wild beast (we know he doesn't), he antagonises him but still worries when Sebastian is dragged away in at the Sphere Music Hall, even trying to leave with him. Blavat, in order to convince Ciel to stay, tells him not to worry and that they just left him outside and Ciel still asks him to make it quick. In the Halloween chapter, he tells Sebastian to be careful when it comes to humans (I don't want to get too into this but the dialogue here is wild). Also Sebastian rightfully calls him out for enjoying watching him being bossed around by Nina and trying on outfits (he was sat at the changing room door laughing, to be fair) and Ciel doesn't deny it, calling him a 'dress up doll' with that expression.
WHERE WE'RE AT NOW
The overly lenient and strangely affectionate way Ciel treats Sebastian in the narrative currently.
In the Blue Revenge arc so far, he has bought tea for Sebastian while they were together in the first class dining cart of the train (which Sebastian found strange but he provided an excuse for), he gets curious about Sebastian's relationship with Modri but after Sebastian says he doesn't know him and just wants to compensate him, Ciel even agreed to pay compensation to Modri on behalf of Sebastian (this is also where the 'wiping his ass' comment is from since it can also mean paying someone's debt for them). He also bought dinner for Sebastian (which Sebastian was not expecting but was strangely happy about) then while they were eating (why did the maitre d seat Sebastian and not the little boy...), Ciel tells him to act natural when Sebastian says people remember them from the news, he even asked if Sebastian liked the food and acknowledges his palate is different.
There is probably so much I missed or didn’t think worthy for inclusion but all in all, I think that was all. Hopefully it’s clear that he is, in fact, down bad. Like DOWN down bad. It is serious, it is terminal and it is talked about way too little. Anyway, this post is my attempt to make up for my absence.
tbh i wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for sbcl. kuro is fun, but kuro with sbcl makes you unable to stop thinking about them, inventing different scenarios, analyzing the plot through their dynamic, and i literally feel insane because this ship is just that good. 20 years of serialization and it keeps getting better. it’s not just some queerbaiting where characters hug and say they’ve never had a better brother. it’s watching them go through different stages of their relationship from “we’re in this together and trying to tolerate each other” to “i’d rather die than be without you.” comparing the situation now, you can see a huge transformation, but everything happened so smoothly that you can’t point to a single behavior that feels unnatural. i’ve read romances that don’t even have half as well-developed a relationship as sbcl.
this is probably my most unhinged brainrot ever: sebastian won't let anyone steal his little master so he keeps him in the safest place.....which means inside himself
