i find it unbearably poetic and borderline ironic how when the Master doesn’t know/remember who they are, or simply when they don’t have to be the Master, they become heart-wrenchingly Sweet and Good
(yes I am looking at you Yana) (and at you O) (and you know what? even a bit at Delgado Master, because he was a gentleman) (and, despite evidence of contrary, I am looking at Missy too, because she deserves 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.
Yana as a cheerleader is a concept too enticing to get our heads wrapped around! Luckily, we can always revert back to this image!
"Go team! Go Smoke That Cigarette!
Go 'phuque' that girl who smokes!"
ONLY_YANA CAN CHEER
FOR US AT ANY OLD TIME!
Yana (only_yana_only) was born in the Ukraine but migrated to Australia where she has been for years. Did some work with the SmokeVision family of SF websites, in dipping her toe into the SF waters! She's an SF entrepreneur nowadays and a Social Media Smoking Darling-Social Network Cigarette Girl. A Marlboro 100s Gal, Yana was meant to be a cigarette smoker. Plus, aside from her beauty and sultriness, she is recently out of her teenage years, having entered the SF fray in 2020 . . . or was it in 2019 (COVID-19 times still blurry for it was the same day repeated over and over and over again)? . . . as a 19 y.o.!
Dual-Media 3-Post, 15-Pack Megapost!
SF Deity, upon review of this "Pinned Post" request, has decreed that, although it is post-release, Yana is now hereby promoted to "official" Honorable Mention status for the "unofficial" official Top-25 all-time favorite SF models list published on vs120shound in January 2023. "An omission this egregious only makes us look bad. Loved our series, it was great but anything can be flawed and that might be the lone "belch" within the entire project. Great job; we're correcting a mistake now. That's all; nothing else -- no hidden 'political' agenda, folks," SFD said while watching a video of smokingprincessof!
THE MEDIA!
From IG@only_yana_only on July 25, 2023 . . . .
From IG@only_yana_only on August 1, 2023 . . .
From user0726 of Smoking Fetish Kingdom on April 29, 2023 with a friend at the gym, following a workout . . .
Yana on YouTube!
(Yana's gone tubing big-time!)
From YT's "SmokeVision" webpage in 2021 . . .
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From YT's "SmokeVision" webpage in 2021 . . .
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From YT's "SmokeVision" webpage in 2021 . . .
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From YT's "Only Yana" webpage in 2022 . . .
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From YT's "Only Yana" webpage in 2021 . . .
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From YT's "Only Yana" webpage in 2022 . . .
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From YT's "Only Yana" webpage in 2022 . . .
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From YT's "Only Yana" webpage in March 2022 . . .
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From YT's "Only Yana" webpage in August 2022 . . .
I've recently seen some folks draw some TWST characters in the clothes of the Kuroshitsuji characters they look similar to in honour of the new season, so I wanted to give it a go as well! So here's Joanne Harcourt in Epel Felmiers new outfit, because it's very cool!
Joanne and Epel look very similar, but their personalities are very different imo. I do think they'd be friends despite that ^^
hi guys i still haven't recovered from the fact that as soon as silver understands his father truly does love him the BGM changes to a song that sounds like "once upon a dream" 🥲
Since Black Butler is coming back for season 4, it's high time for the fandom to come back from the dead... I summon thee, kuroshitsuji fans!!! No p3dophilia this time!