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[sajwho]

Found a listing online for the limited edition cover for Volume 19, and I noticed something interesting about it...

The back reads: 'Upstairs and downstairs and in my Lord's chamber', an amended line from the poem 'Goosey Goosey Gander'

Goosey goosey gander, Whither shall I wander? Upstairs and downstairs And in my lady's chamber.

What makes this interesting is the speculated sexual meaning of the poem, with the greylag goose being associated with fertility, and 'goosed' or 'to goose' having been historically used as slang terms for intercourse or the pursuit of a woman - particularly since the goose 'wanders' into the lady's (or in this case, the Lord's) chamber.

Hmmmm.

[sajwho]

I just saw this on twt and I am....

I dedicated that momen to sebaciel that I completely forgot to see bigger picture - who Sebastian really is?

It's not like we can't see his character leaking through butler form and some situations with Ciel, but now I am soooo curios to know Sebastian's real character. Like now, if you let him do whatever he wants to, how would he act? What would he do? That's why I find Sebastian, when he was making contract with Ciel, so interesting because he was different there.

Can't wait to get to know my "beast" better🖤

[sajwho]

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.

[sajwho]

[sajwho]

[sajwho]

Lil jm doodlie of @sajwho-art ‘s designs

Because I love them immensely

[sajwho]

Elias and Marcus 'throwing shade' at each other and smoking that I commissioned @sajwho-art to draw.

it's this scene from my fic:

“You’re looking well Marcus,” Mr. Bouchard said. “Mostly. I do think your barber is overpaid for the quality of his work and I see that home gym you bragged about last time mustn’t be getting a lot of use.”

Mr. Cutter took a draw on his cigarette, “Heh, I know, I know it’s just I’ve been working so hard, I didn’t have time to hire a new personal trainer or really get a trim lately. Just worked to the bone. But Miranda has been a big help, she gave me this stem cell cream and it just makes wrinkles -like the ones under your eyes- disappear.”

Mr. Bouchard’s contented smile faulted for a second, “Quite. It must be working very well, you don’t look a day over twenty one, you can’t get old, Matt—I mean Marcus, after all, don’t want them to think, you have experience at this.”

He smoked a bit more.

Mr. Cutter glared through the smoke, then began to laugh, “Twenty one, really?  You flatterer!  I’ve been told I’m a young thirty… I mean, not all of us can age as well as you,  that graying hair and the lines on your face, they lend gravitas to being the head of an academic institution, right? And a bit of pudge around your waist, after all you work a desk job you can’t be expected to keep in shape.”

“Don’t you also have a desk job Marcus?” Mr. Bouchard quipped. 

“You got me there!” He burst out with a laugh.  “Seriously though, I should introduce you to Miranda! She would love to help you, like she does me,” Mr. Cutter said.

“Very generous of you, but no, from what you told me …Dr. Pryce is very… busy and I wouldn’t want to trouble her,” Mr. Bouchard said with a smooth calm voice.

Rachel heard what he said but looking at him she knew he meant, ‘I’m not letting that lobotomy happy madwoman near me, ever.’`

[sajwho]

if you think about it, every time we tranquilize animals to transport them safely to another place, we are the sleep paralysis demon

[sajwho]

I now hold in my hands a physical copy of the BotA interview with Daisuke Ono where he talks about being able to interpret Sebaciel as romantic and admits that feelings Sebastian has been holding on to have been more obvious since after the revealing of his Cinematic Record.

(Also by Yana's own instruction/approval)

[sajwho]

I just like thinking about how Sebastian calls Ciel 'spoiled' when he was the one who gave him everything. Ciel was done for, in a cage and about to die a horrible death, hurt beyond comprehension and stripped of everything when Sebastian found him. It was Sebastian who rebuilt his mansion, who saved him, clothed him, fed him, gave him family, gave him power, protected him, helped him acieve his goals. I can't help but see 'spoiled' in that context as an inside joke, a nod to all they have done for each other- yes, Sebastian has been the perfect butler- but in return Ciel has shown him things no one has ever and will ever see and live to tell the tale- Ciel being vulnerable, Ciel being hurt, Ciel begging for help. I can't help but see 'spoiled' in that context as a promise and a vow, that Sebastian wants to give Ciel everything, wants to see how far his little master goes, wants to see him have everything he wants. I can't help but see 'spoiled' in that context as a snarky power play, the 'yes, my lord' that is full of devotion but also understanding that their relationship is not what it seems, that they are two equals, they made sure of that, so they can play this game to their hearts content. 'Spoiled' as the very terms of their contract. 'Spoiled' as a dumb social banter, because they both know this is exactly what they want.

[sajwho]

This is deeply comforting to me. It’s not “wait and see”. It’s “not yet.” It will happen. They will have a happy ending, and live in a little cottage in South Downs together 🫶

[sajwho]

Does anyone have invites for any nice good omens discord server that isn't too big? I'm too scared of huge places but I need to yell somewhere

[sajwho]

The more I get back into liking, loving and lusting on people, the more I'm reminded what a sanitized, segregated lie queers have been built into.

I've met the sweetest, prettiest queens who tell me "Well, I'm a transsexual. Sometimes I call myself a transman because both my trans self and my manhood are me."

New friends tell me about the sexcapades their closed polycule gets up to that they just watch because they're a kinky ace.

There's staunch lesbians who helped the love of their life transition as a transmasc, gay men begging to be topped by trans men with the fattest tits.

Older queers don't hesitate to shout "oh, like Prince!" when I tell them I'm androgyne. Vanilla questioning men will text me day after day before shyly confessing I'm their dream guy. Closeted trans women ask to kiss me because I'm their dream girl. Doms and subs who melt when they realize I'm both and neither, and they didn't know somebody like me existed.

There's vanilla lesbians on Grindr and acearos who have shown me love deeper than I thought possible and guydykes kissing girlfags and MtFtMtX elders and throuples that have so much affection that they just collectively parent babygays who got disowned.

Everybody is so beautiful! There is so much love! It is no wonder a cruel world has a vested interest in suppressing queerness when humanity is so expansive to us.

[sajwho]

huge shout out to gabriel and beelzebub for speedrunning aziraphale and crowley’s 6000 year will-they-won’t-they and then leaving for a happy ending together while aziraphale and crowley still can’t even manage to hold hands

[sajwho]

fuck this bit in particular actually

[sajwho]

aziraphale did the wing because crowley did the wing and i'm normal about it and it didn't make me cry

[sajwho]

I didn’t get a chance to say what I was gonna say. I think I better say it now. Right. Okay, yes. So.