Honestly, As A Dadbastian Enjoyer I Can't Exactly Pinpoint The Exact Reason Why I Enjoy It So Much. (Honestly,

Honestly, as a Dadbastian enjoyer I can't exactly pinpoint the exact reason why I enjoy it so much. (Honestly, the most I could really say is I like the trope of an omnipotent threatening bloodthirsty edgelord softening and forming a famalial bond with the orphaned kid they found on the streets.)

This is coming from someone who also enjoys seeing said omnipotent threatening bloodthirsty edgelord being put through emotional hell. Call me a sadist, I know I am.

As for Sebaciel... well, honestly I wouldn't wanna touch it even with a nine foot pole. 😬

Sebaciel vs. Dadbastian, an analytical essay (not really)

Oh boy am I excited and terrified to start this discussion.

I’m just going to say right off the bat that I am absolutely biased towards one interpretation of Sebastian and Ciel’s relationship over the other, that being Dadbastian. However, my goal is not to criticize, but to analyze and point out the differences and, yes, correlations between the two versions of their relationship.

I’m going to start off by making a disgustingly blatant assumption about the reason why I believe both of these pairings exist in the form of a theory...Both the idea of Sebaciel and Dadbastian are coping mechanisms taken on by fans of the series to grapple with how dark the character’s canonical relationship truly is.

Now, I can’t speak for how much this really applies to Sebaciel shippers, as I am not one. But it certainly applies to me as someone who enjoys the idea of Dadbastian.

Let's start with the correlations that support this theory. Both of these concepts are versions of Sebastian and Ciel’s relationship that is more positive than it actually is. The plot of black Butler revolves around the fact that Ciel sold his soul to the demon he named Sebastian, and that upon their contract's completion Sebastian will kill Ciel and consume his soul as compensation. It’s a relationship that is predatory, manipulative, and just simply toxic for a plethora of reasons. While the manga is still ongoing so we have no definitive way of knowing exactly how their story will end, I don’t think it's controversial to say that it's very unlikely to have a happy ending.

Even so, black butler is a comfort series for many, including myself. But how is that possible?

By looking at the series as a whole and the characters through different lenses. A pro and con of black butler is that it’s very easy to interpret in many different ways, and the same applies to the relationship between Sebastian and Ciel.

I’d say there's 2 to 3 main ways that people have interpreted their relationship. In no particular order… - As it is in the series, where it’s strictly based on business and mutual benefit. They work together so that Ciel can get his revenge and Sebastian gets his soul. - Them being friends / frenemies - A ship, where they have romantic feelings for each other. (I’m not going to be discussing how people ship them for sexual reasons, as that's a topic for a different day.) - And Parental, where Sebastian serves as a father/mother (no I'm not specifying which) figure towards Ciel. I'm focusing on the latter two, obviously.

There’s one commonality between these two interpretations; Sebastian caring about Ciel (and vice-versa, but you'll see in a moment why that's not as relevant). There is loving nature to both, but romantic and parental love are not the same thing. So why, baseline, do both these versions exist?

My thought is that they both remove the main cause of distress in their canon relationship. Which is, you guessed it, Sebastian. More specifically his feelings/intentions towards Ciel. By creating scenarios where something changes his intentions of ultimately killing Ciel, it creates the illusion that there's a possibility that the series could have a happier outcome in the end, and a happy ending for Ciel.

Which brings in a new idea. Ciel, being the main character that we follow, despite having his own complex character, serves as the…how should I put this…automatic ‘self-insert’ for people. He goes through/has gone through trauma & struggles that people can relate to and see themselves in. That's why there is a strong desire to see him have a positive outcome through these two different relationships with Sebastian, because as a reader/viewer it will feel like we ourselves are experiencing that positive outcome.

See? Coping mechanism : )

Now here's where things get tricky…Discussing the differences between these two types of relationships. Ok, I could probably find a way to say this that's long and fancy, but I’m just going to be super straight forward. This is as an absolute read, I apologize :’) People ship Sebaciel because they want someone to love them, where they picture themselves as Ciel with Sebastian as the one loving him romantically. People like the idea of Dadbastian because they long for a parent's affection, where they picture themselves as Ciel being cared for by Sebastian.

Now, this is definitely just a theory, and absolutely not the only reasons why people come up with and enjoy each of these interpretations. But the Dadbastian one most definitely applies to me.

Here’s where my own opinion comes into play. Only one of these relationships is really ‘positive’ in nature. Both of these relationships when applied to the canon would be problematic in their own ways, but when looking at it outside of the context of the series and its plot, a parental relationship between Sebastian and Ciel, a thirteen year old boy and an adult figure, is more healthy than a romantic relationship between a thirteen year old boy and an adult figure. Please don’t make me explain why :’)

I’m really hoping this reaches the right audience. I’m not trying to start a war or offend anyone, just share my thoughts and an outlook that I haven’t really seen from the black butler fanbase before.

This is impressive! 👀

Y'ALL

LOOK AT THIS!!!!

I found this on reddit and I am STARSTRUCK!!

u/Busra_craft did this beautiful hand embroidery of our dear sebastian and I just had to show everyone.

I need every inhabitant of the kuro fandom to see this because oh my god, i can't imagine the work that went into this!

This isn't an ad or anything and I don't know OP personally, but they gave me permission to share.

Here's their reddit post!

Nimona Shrek AU with Nimona and Ballister as Shrek and Donkey (idk who would be who) and Ambrosius in the Fiona role who falls in love with Ballister and they become Nimona's new dads.

(Also can we talk about how "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett fits Nimona SO well?)

"What I'm doing is wrong, I know it's wrong, but I'm gonna do it anyway." —The Mysterious Mr. Enter.

Man your coloration and shading is phenomenal 👀👏

It's been a damn long time since I've drawn them all and I decided I needed to make a reference to their heights. xD

sooo kinda wip?

So I found this cute RPG chibi picrew and decided to make a few of my Kuro OCs + Ciel and Sebastian.

Take a look at them!

For those wondering what the Sinclair Inn Servants (aka Tobias, Napoleon, & Maria) look like, here's a basic idea!

The only thing that's most wildly inaccurate is Tobias' hair color (it was either this or making it bubblegum pink so lmao. Just pretend it's more of a dark red violet. Like a maroon almost.)

Link to picrew if ya'll wanna give it a try:

Picrew

도트 인포 메이커

캐릭터 소개창을 만들어보세요! 아래와 같은 기능이 제공됩니다... 캐릭터 커스텀 / 소지품 6종 / 스탯 3종 / 타이틀·이름 일부 아이템은 다른 색상을 선택하시면 더 많은 외형을 확인할 수 있습니다. 글자 입력 시 색상 변경과 위치 이동으