#Because Grell wanted to have both ways

[greenarrow-core]

The whole thing of "they're messy" about Ollie and Dinah was a 2000s construction by Winick. The line is also so often used to sanitize bad writing. Other line I hate is "GA is a character full of contradictions". Like, no, you are just taking bad and ooc writing too seriously.

[officialundertakersmoocher]

can u do the “being ____’s lover” thing but with grelle pls? sfw and nsfw too. have a nice day/night!!

Being Grelle's Lover may Include...

i feel like it's pretty obvious that Grelle is bisexual and doesn't really care about your gender

as long as you like her she loves you ❤️

Grelle is super hyper all of the time so she will constantly be overjoyed just to be in your presence

she would also be a big fan of playing dress up with you and trying her best to fashion you in all different shades of red

girly activities would be her favorite. you will be having tea with her and playing dress up because you love her!

grelle is always showering you with attention and love and if you can't handle it, bye bye baby!

she would be the type of girlfriend to feed you dessert off of a spoon and if you found this embarrassing, she would continue to be even more dramatic about it to tease you :)

she would love cutesy displays of affection such as swinging your hands as you walk or spinning each other in a make-shift dance

you probably won't be able to escape the inevitable moment where grelle brings you to her office and the teasing ensues

(grelle loves to talk about you to her coworkers)

she would find ways to see you almost every day as long as her work permits it

you could be minding your business and poof! here she is!

she's definitely an eccentric, and i can imagine that she would love to take on many hobbies (even if she doesn't keep them up for long)

she would also love to learn about your hobbies and even try them out (maybe fail a little- but of course you could comfort her your all your might-)

she would really love if you were to plan cute dates for the both of you to enjoy- especially something romantic like a coffee shop or book store!

grelle is also the type of girlfriend to start a small argument with you for the soul purpose off gaining your attention and so that you can both cuddle afterwards

Nsfw

i can imagine that grelle loves the chase

she would be overjoyed if you send her some steamy pictures while she was at work

she would really love make out sessions and the sensual touching that comes before sex

she's a woman, of course, and loves to take it slow

that doesn't mean, though, that she wouldn't be into anything kinky, in fact it's the exact opposite

she loves roleplay and fake scenarios

it would be her dream if you would indulge her and let her play out this kink

she also would love bondage, and she wouldn't care which end receives it

she also would love to experiment with toys and such

she definitely is a crazy girl in the bedroom, and would love to try out anything new

if you really do not want to indulge in any kinky activities, she wouldn't push it but she might make some lighthearted jokes about you being the the more vanilla one 🤍

Grelle is the type to immediately fall asleep after sex, but she would love to cuddle

she also doesn't mind doing casual sexual activities and she loves make out sessions

she could easily get bored of doing the same things in the bedroom, though, but she wouldn't keep it to herself and doesn't mind having healthy conversations about boundaries and what you both want

[whoishotteranimepolls]

why do people want to fuck grell sutcliff? she looks like a little freak who'd slit my throat in the middle of the night and drink my blood, somehow doing it homoerotically even though i'm staining my mattress. Her teeth? HORRIBLE. As a woman, i feel obligated to ask why ANYONE would want that near their pussy. they're so sharp. and widely spaced. i feel like she'd have to drink smoothies instead of eating actual food bc her teeth r fucked up. also those glasses? they are NOT helping her face shape. i mean, she already looks like a triangle, why does she want to look like a square? (sorry if i used the wrong pronouns, i looked it up but it seemed kinda smokey? idk it said that she refers to herself as a female so i just followed that, pls correct me if im wrong lol)

Defend Your Blurbo #24

Please remember this post is about curiosity and genuine fandom discourse. Be kind with your answers because this is not a debate essay, this is a discussion between fans

Meet Grell Sutcliff from Black Butler. I'm pretty sure most of you are familiar with them since they are one of the most requested characters, and Grell was one of the first characters to nearly beat Senshi

When it comes to the pronouns, Grell is definitely not Cis. I've seen arguments that they can be non-binary, but the fandom consensus seems to be that Grell is a trans woman. I received some fascinating essays with lots of evidence both ways for the pride month request, but let's not touch that here because that will turn into a fight. But if you guys want to debate that topic it is something more suited for Fandoms vs. Illiteracy.

Now, I'm curious to see if you all are going to challenge the One Piece fandom's rulership of the horny jail. So, Black Butler Fandom, Defend your Blorbo.

[emomeishibot]

First of all, I’m a proshipper; secondly, this post has no ships in it.

I drew kuro characters as a 2000s Chinese drama costume sitcom 武林外传 My Own Swordsman (no idea why is it translate to this name, the direct translation should be Wulin Anecdotes) Why I did this crossover: it’s just hilarious for me!! To help you understand my casting read further. I was like I want to send these sketches for tumblr but you can’t get this crossover so I might as well introduce it to you. I mean you might be intrigued by the referenced show, who knows? 🤭

Let me give you an analogy if you are not familiar with Chinese Kong fu themes novels: this show is a comedy kong fu drama, and a western narrative analogy for it could be if you have a team of DND characters but they never leave the tavern but instead they are the staff trying to make the tavern successful and solve all the crazy problems in this chaotic world and become family members(I hope this works)

The male lead character is a former Robin-hood-like legend burglar but now settled down working as the waiter; the female lead is an unmarried widow who came all the way to her fiancé only to find him dead and left her his mischievous little sister to look after, so she wiped off her tears and decided to buy the inn and start her business as the landlady right there and then. As for the little niece, rumors are that she’d grow up to be a murderous fiend…! But they don’t know yet…

So I drew Sebastian, Madame Red and Ciel as these roles🤲

y’all couldn’t have known how adorable it is for me without growing up with the show… btw the show goes for a relationship for the waiter and landlady eventually in the show but I drew them as work partners and friends^^Regarding how Madame Red teased Sebastian canonically makes me laugh remembering those early kuro shenanigans 😂I always hoped Madame stayed longer with us in canon, she so lovely. Imagine her running a tavern is such fun, the vibe of this show is crazy… just look at them

There’s a reckless, chivalrous former swordswoman as waitress, another former constable girl who is amiable but has no dating luck as waitress as well. I casted Jane and Mey-Rin (I really want to see Jane join the Phantomhive manor(if possible after the Breton arc)??she slays and I want to see her working with Sebastian! Also Mey-Rin is both clumsier and deadlier than her character)

And more: a fusty, nerdy moderate scholar who sold the family inn to the now landlady and now working for her as an accountant, for which I casted Grelle (her butler persona when she’s undercover is really close to how this character usually is lol but she would definitely hate how nerdy this character is, as she is working for Madame Red again in this crossover)

For the hot-headed, ambitious yet bad cook who was a constable, I cast Bard (I might redo him because I wanted to fit Finny in but I run out of the inn staff; Bard and him could be the constable master and apprentice duo from the show; Diedrich could step up as chef)

The setting is a fictional ancient China so the kong fu element is very overdramatic; also, there's a lot of modern references to the 2000s. If you watch the show's op you'll get it) And it’s a nationally beloved show of my generation^^ I hope my explanation got you interested instead of confused😳but I love this crossover and hope my kuro ppl on tumblr enjoy it😌Such long explanations for them little sketches; Thank you for coming to my ted talk???

[amethystroselily]

Ok the Undertaker being Vincent’s dad theory is really funny to me, so here’s how I think it could possibly work.

Undertaker was a reaper 70 years ago and seems properly obsessed with the phantomhive family as a whole, and met Vincent later on in his life, so I really don’t think he was married to Claudia. Plus Claudia and Vincent’s father didn’t have the same last name, so whoever he was I doubt they were married (perhaps having to do with Claudia trying to keep her title or something). So I think he had some deep attachment to a previous Phatomhive lord (perhaps he was a servant), but then the earl died or something, and then he killed himself, becoming a reaper. Then maybe he was monitoring the family for years and they kept dying so he snapped and went rogue, maybe his experiments kept failing, so then he was like woah maybe as a reaper I should see what mixing my dna in would do (probably a rule about not fraternizing with humans to avoid this), and around then the current Phatomhive family head is a woman so like great time to test it out, then maybe the relationship fell apart because of some sort of respectability she had to maintain or they were busy or something and she didn’t want him around her kids anymore, then years later undertaker gets back to stalking the phatomhives once his son is the new earl.

Maybe he wanted to use Vincent’s body because he had a higher concentration of reaperness, but then he lost the corpse (maybe bc fire, maybe bc Vincent isn’t actually dead) so he’s using ciel instead.

Also I’ve seen the theory Francis was involved in Vincent’s death, and maybe that’s why he doesn’t seem particularly invested in her side of the family. Perhaps sibling feuds are a long tradition in the Phantomhive family and it makes him think of a previous one and that’s why he keeps getting so involved.

The way Othello talked about Undertaker made him sound like he was a lot like Francis when he was younger, and I think the idea of Francis looking down on this random strange man who worked with her brother and him turning out to be her father whom she takes after in both looks and personality is so interesting.

Also I personally think he like stole some of Othello’s research on resurrection on his way out and that’s where all the tension is coming from. Because obviously Othello can’t tell Grell that, so he has to skirt around it, but there’s obviously something more going on between him and undertaker.

[noirshitsuji]

Pitching in on the O!Ciel name theories a billion years late

(Posted: 26/12/2024, Edited: 27/12/2024)

Greetings, Kuroshitsuji fandom - longtime lurker and fan here.

One of the things I love the most about this fandom is the amount of theories and how rewarding theorising has been (with regards to 2CT specifically). I've been observing people doing it for years on the sidelines, and as I've been getting back into the fandom again over the holidays, I thought I might finally put together a post about my own headcanon about O!Ciel's name. A bit late to the party, I know, but it's dear to my heart and I thought people might find it interesting.

I've had this headcanon for a few years now that's been inspired by some of the existing theories/hunches that fits best with the manga theming around the twins from what I've seen so far. I haven't this HC anywhere else, though please let me know if you have.

Without further ado - my vote for O!Ciel's name is...

...Mond Phantomhive.

Let me explain.

I agree with many people who've said that Sebastian saying in chapter 11 he 'swore to/made a vow by the moon' is significant. While in context it makes sense as a return Romeo and Juliet reference on the one Grelle makes (see this post here), Sebastian is specifically talking about the day he became 'Sebastian' and concluded the contract, i.e. swore his service to O!Ciel. There are any number of ways he could have found out O!Ciel's real name by that point, whether through the magic of the contract, manor records, or simply having interacted with people within the Phantomhive estate who remembered both twins.

In German, Mond means 'moon'. However, it is also only one letter off from monde, which is French for 'world'. This gives us two different connections to the sky (ciel) with thematic meaning. I will touch on both, though the moon one is more important - if I'm correct, though, then there's some very clever thematic wordplay here across two languages, so it makes sense to explore it!

The moon that shines in it only when it is 'night' - i.e. the darkness or death of the sky. While his brother's death was a tragedy within a tragedy, it also meant that O!Ciel could finally 'shine' after growing up feeling that he was just a spare who would never inherit the estate, or be worthy of doing so (flashbacks from chapters 130-140, e.g. the below from 132).

Ciel is another way to say the heavens in French as well - that which we look to in the sky, and also an important fixed contrast to Earth, or le monde (heavens and earth). This contrast can have many meanings, but in our case it can relate to the other-wordly (i.e. the dead/supernatural R!Ciel) and the wordly (O!Ciel, who is still alive and embodying the Phantomhive legacy). People are right to point out the connection with star symbolism - it's all part of the same astronomy-based thematic group, and O!Ciel's name being related to both the Moon and the Earth fills in more elements.

(As a bonus, both Mond and monde are masculine nouns in German and French respectively, just like how ciel is in French, so I think that they would've been a better pick for a boy's name than, say, lune, which is a feminine noun in French. My vote is on Mond because of the moon connection, though I wouldn't be disappointed with Monde. Astre does not appeal to me personally, although - point in favour - it is also masculine.)

Another interesting connection comes from chapter 149. After we see a conversation between Othello and Grelle about the blood types, with the twins tied in both in Othello's explanation and the panel art, the transition of Othello sending a pigeon messenger takes us to R!Ciel looking at a bird flying against the moon. Seeing this, he reaches towards it.

R!Ciel collapses, and tells Undertaker that he wants to go to his brother's side, and then has a vision of O!Ciel standing at the windowsill when they were little. In other words, we're given a direct parallel between reaching for the moon and reaching for O!Ciel, and then a juxtaposition of O!Ciel and the window. In a way, it also functions as a metaphor of him having escaped to the outside (where the moon that R!Ciel can't reach is) and no longer being constrained to the inside of the manor like he was as a kid - if I'm correct about the name, that is.

(Also, in using the symbolism of one twin as death and one as life in the previous panels during Othello and Grelle's conversation, we again have the supernatural/earthly contrast that heavens/earth gives us.)

Well, there you have it. I like this headcanon because a) it gives us a masculine name, b) it gives us extra wordplay across both French and German, c) it incorporates all the relevant symbolism. Also, I like how it sounds, for what preference counts.

Let me know what you think of this/if I've missed anything big.

Bonus:

We know from Vincent (chapter 132) that neither twin has a traditional English name/one common on the country's territory (which is how Pastor Rathbourne phrases it). I've seen at least one person speculate (though I can't find that post now) that giving the other Phantomhive twin a German name to cement the family's strong connection to that part of the world (via Diedrich) would make sense. I know this is isn't really based on evidence, but personally I find that a compelling extra reason as well. Rachel was the one to pick the names, and while I don't think Vincent would have been so overt in showing affection to Diedrich by giving his son a German name, I think she might've.

Bonus Bonus:

Pastor Rathbourne may have provided us with another clue, actually. The following is half-sourced and half from my own general knowledge and love for classics.

Clergymen in the Victorian era (as was the case for a long-time before that) were normally highly educated people, and certainly if they were leading parishes of their own (as Rathbourne was). Virtually all of them would've received their education at Oxford or Cambridge, which may have included some kind of foreign language (most likely: French, which was still the diplomatic language of the period) and definitely included Latin (because: ecclesiastical duty) and also Hebrew/Greek.

It was one of the easy, almost default choices for sons of nobility who wouldn't inherit titles because of the good status and education attached (which all of them would've been receiving anyway). This is why it's one of the first things R!Ciel thinks his brother might do in Chapter 132 (and not just because they happened to be at the church when they were having this conversation).

Now, this is where we enter slightly more into speculation, but bear with me. Any clergyman worth his salt would be able to, at the very least, recognise French vocabulary by virtue of it being a Romance language as well (because they all learned Latin), and be able to differentiate it from vocabulary from a non-Latin language even if they didn't know what it was.

Ciel is a very common word in French, an inheritance from Latin, so the chances Pastor Rathbourne was aware it was derived from French are extremely high. He would've probably been able to recognise any other French (or even Romance language) names as well. Yet, when he's talking about both of the twins' names, he says that they have unusual names for the region of England, not that they have French names. If both of them are French, why use a weaker highest common denominator (foreign names, which includes names derived from other languages), when the most simple and obvious alternative is to say that both names were/seemed to be French? The obvious reason is because the twins don't both have French names, meaning that O!Ciel's name is not French and can only be grouped with his brother's as part of a broader category of non-traditional English names.

A counterargument here would be that Yana was simply trying to hide that O!Ciel's name was also French, but then why engineer this conversation in this way in the first place? It serves no other purpose in this scene than to describe what the twins' names are like (and to set up something ominous with Vincent's reply about a 'new age').

Also, I don't know what the original Japanese dialogue is, but it would seem from the translation that the emphasis is on the foreignness/unusualness of the names relative to England. This leads me to think it's more likely they're both derived from foreign languages, rather than one of them being French and the other one being e.g. a very weird Germanic/Old English name that simply isn't in use anymore.

Either way, though - if I'm right and the subtle implication here is that the twins don't both have French names, then that doesn't just mean that O!Ciel's name is maybe not French, but that it definitely isn't.

(This also discounts the possibility of Monde as a potential name spelling, though not the thematic implication/wordplay).

[dayangaytransman]

So Sebastian x Ciel

We all knew why we shouldn't ship those two. There are many reasons, but I think other fans have talked about them enough. I just want to add one thing. Black Butler has so many other great ships! For example:

Sebastian x Undertaker (Who wouldn't want to ship the two most attractive characters?)

Grell x Madam Red (Both red, both wanted children but can't have them. The sad ending makes it such a great ship! Also, gay! Why not?)

William x Sebastian (I don't actually ship them. I only do when I need to write something dark, because they hate each other. However, it can be a good one if you're into something like this. Both of them are so serious and hardworking. Just go for it. It's better than "that one"!)

Sebastian x Grell (It doesn't matter if it's a one-shot, smut, or anything else; this ship is great! They are both hot and can be villains. Imagine them committing murder together or Grell helping him eat souls. I could talk about them until the day I die!)

Undertaker x Grell (This is the ship I focus on the most. I see their queerness (in both senses) as similar. Additionally, Undertaker's vibe is both mysterious and silly. I imagine him to be incredibly loyal.They can do each other's hair!)

William x Grell (This one is more canon. Yana once said that Grell actually loves William and not Sebastian. Also, it's nice to see William grow from an asshole and a transphobe to a kinder person. Or he can remain himself but still be better for Grell. Once, I read a fanfic where William was asexual, and it's so good to imagine! It even makes sense because William always denies Grell. Maybe he thinks it's for her own sake)

Undertaker x William (It seems a little odd, but since William (at least in the anime) is kind of a fanboy for Undertaker, why not? Undertaker will tease him, and he will be annoyed. It's fun)

Undertaker x William x Grell (f you want a poly ship, it could work for you. I think William is more suitable here than Sebastian because Sebastian is more likely to be sexually shippable. Romantic toward both people? He can't. But if that's what you want, then go for it.)

Claudia x Undertaker (This one is probably canon. We don't know, but it's so good, especially because of the sad ending. I even think that Undertaker wants to bring her back to life. And Claudia was the Queen's Watchdog. (Was she, or am I remembering a fanfic?) So, a brave woman and a Shinigami lover? Hell yeah!)

Of course, there are other ships too. But ships with Grell, Undertaker, Sebastian, and William in them, or at least the first three, are the best ships. When they are not human and exhibit villainy like Grell, it makes it even better. I don't know about you guys, but I love a ship with lots of blood and violence. Whether it's with each other or toward other people, it doesn't matter. And since we don't know anything about the past of these characters, there is a lot to create.

Also, something very important: I'm not saying that dark, sexual, or other themes aren't usable for the two mains (Sebby and Ciel). We all love something that hurts. Personally, I hate Ciel. I'll probably let Sebastian harm him in my next fanfic. Not shipping them doesn't mean you can't make them sexual. It's the freedom of a writer to do it. Just like people write about war and other ugly things. Why not rape? (I know it is bad in real life, but it also happens. By writing about it (as long as you don't present it in a normalizing way), you can educate others about it)Sebastian is a demon, so he would probably do that.

I also dislike the way some people say their relationship is like that of a father and son. What the heck?! Did you see Sebastian's memories? He hated that little bastard! Well, at least it's better than shipping them.

[cielwritings]

! Sebaciel Wedding HCS !

in honor of their wedding in the newest episode!

just imagine this is normal in their time lmao

Sebastian absolutely tried to get Ciel in a dress. He and Nina tried getting him into a skirt as well, but the boy refused.

The wedding was private and public... because they had two weddings. One was official, the other wasn't. The public one was the first and official one, the second being private and just for fun.

In the official one, Sebastian wore a suit, as per usual. This suit was tailored to fit the theme of royalty, being much more expensive than his normal suit. His stood out more, not wanting to blend in with the best men.

Ciel wore a white suit for the public wedding. They were considering a fancy feel to it, considering he's an earl, but they deemed it to be too close to Charles grey. Everything except for his tie was white, the suit having gold details honoring the Phantomhive name and the Funtom company.

The wedding went smoothly. Lizzy stood out as a bridesmaid. For this wedding, there were three best men and three bridesmaids, even if not needed. Lizzy wanted to come, so Ciel shrugged and decided to bring along more bridesmaids. All the bridesmaids and best men wore gray. Despite Lizzy being pouty about it, she didn't throw a huge fit.

Both the 'bride' and groom picked one bridesmaid and best man to stand out to the rest, to show how close they were. Ciel picked Lizzy, giving her white (with a soft pink) details to her dress. Sebastian picked Finny, though he was torn between him and Bard. Bard didn't mind giving the title to Finny, seeing how nervous the poor boy was.

Their cake wasn't much special, considering Sebastian wasn't the one who made it. Ciel had many pieces that night, Sebastian gently scolding the boy. "You shouldn't eat that much, you will get a stomach ache and potentially stain your suit."

Their private wedding was much different. They had the whole manor to themselves that night, the servants staying at a hotel (they did all the wedding prep, so they were exhausted). Grell kept a sharp watch for intruders, even if she was salty she wasn't the one in a dress walking down to Sebastian...

Sebastian wore comfortable clothes. Comfortable black clothes, with a hint of nobility to them.

Ciel wore a nightgown, and instead of the baby blue thin one he wore, he wore a white thick one. He had a fake white flower tucked behind his ear as well.

Instead of a ceremony and celebration, they huddled up close to each other, exchanging kisses.

Sebastian adored the way Ciel would occasionally pull away, panting softly for air. His soft whines and huffs sent shivers down his spine, quick to push his tongue back into the boys mouth.

Ciel's fingers tangled into Sebastian's hair, the knee between his legs not helping his case.

Ciel still had some makeup on him from their public wedding. Soft pink lip gloss smearing across his lips once they finished their session. Sebastian had some on him as well.

Instead of wiping it off, he kissed down Ciel's dainty figure, drinking up his whimpers.

You can decide where they went from there.

[caramel-whiskeys-writing]

William T. Spears ~ First Kiss

Black Butler Masterlist

It had been a long week for you as you had a few issues with some of your reapers, but that wasn't the worst of it. You knew that Will was going to come by and argue with you about your job and what you should've done. You sigh and roll your eyes at the thought. You were already tired and just wanted to go home without any more problems. You quickly packed up your stuff once you were done with work and made your way for the door.

You got to the door, and before you could even turn the handle to open it, someone else pulled in open. Not to your surprise, it was Will. Trying not to look annoyed, but more shocked, you kind of both just stood there until he greeted you and walked inside your office.

"If you don't mind Will, I was planning on heading out." He turned to face you and said in response,

"Not before we talk about this week." You were now really trying hard not to sigh and get him pissed off. You placed your bag back down beside your desk and sat back down in your chair, rubbing your face. You saw Will's face fall a bit. Maybe it was because you looked like shit or maybe he was having second thoughts of starting an argument. You know it was the first one when he started going off about why those reapers messed up in the first place. You let him talk it out for a good five minutes before he said something that really got under your skin.

"It makes sense that they don't know what they did wrong. They were never told plainly to do so. It makes sense why since you're not even paying attention to me right now, and you're their teacher." You stared him in the eyes and were ready to get into a heated argument with this man who always thought that he was hot shit. You cross your legs and arms, ready to bite his head off.

"William, do you really think that this is appropriate? to come in here and scold another reaper who works in the same department as you while you work with Grell, who is nothing but problems. At least my reaper's can learn and change. At least I don't talk shit in your face at the end of the day instead of finishing work." You were starting to get decently angry with him now as he acting like you are not good at your job, but you're his co-worker.

"You know, I have never seen you pull this crap with any other reaper. It seems like I'm just the only person who doesn't know how to do their job. And it's strange because you helped train me, so maybe it's your fault." Your voice was now very loud, and you knew that you couldn't stop going now. You kept cutting into him for another two minutes before he stood up, which made you stand up as you thought that he was walking away from this. He walked closer to you as you kept yelling at him, knowing that at this point, someone was probably listening.

He stared at you dead eyed for a bit before he reached out and grabbed the collar of your jacket. He pulled you aggressively into him and slammed his lips onto yours. Your eyes widened at what was happening. You still felt angry, but you were more confused than anything else. After a bit, you felt yourself ease into the kiss right before he pulled away. You stared at each other, trying to figure out what had just happened and if it should've happened. The answer is obviously no it shouldn't have, but it did. You both kind of just stood there, not talking, Will was rubbing the back of his neck, and you were holding your arms together. He finally decided to say something to you after a bit.

"I... umm... I don't know what made me do that." You glance at him, but he wasn't looking at you as he continued.

"I understand if you get even more angry with me after that. And I um..." he stopped for a few seconds before you spoke up.

"While I'm not happy with you right now, I think I can forgive you after that." You face him as he brings his eyes back to you. He knew that what he had done, both the kiss and the argument was very unprofessional of him, but something about the way you looked at him after the kiss told him that he might not get scolded for it.

[undertakerslxt]

Can I request undertaker x female reaper reader where, even though nobody thinks it's possible for reapers to get pregnant, reader starts having morning sickness, but her and undertaker just think she's sick and find out she's pregnant?

What would doting husband undertaker be like? What would he do the first time he feels the baby kick?

I like to think that this would only happen if two reapers have a love that is beyond the rules of the universe.

AND AUNTIE GRELL WOULD BE A THING!!!

YESSS!! omg i absolutely love this.

title; family

warnings; pregnancy, overload of cuteness and adrian being the happiest father-to-be alive (or unalive, technically).

It started out small, the signs. You would start feeling nauseous, especially in the mornings. At first, it was only the feeling, but then it would turn into you bent over the toilet, throwing up. Your husband was worried the first time it happened, because reapers couldn't get sick. Or, they weren't supposed to, anyway. For one to be throwing up was a bad sign. (And he couldn't help but immediately think Thorns, even if that wasn't a typical Thorns symptom.)

But then it continued. For days. Some days, you would just curl up under the blanket and not want to be disturbed. Other days, you spent a good portion of your morning in the bathroom. On week two of this, your husband was starting to suspect you weren't actually sick at all.

But how could his suspicion be right? Reapers were dead humans, without the ability to conceive or create life.

Yet that pregnancy test on the bathroom sink said otherwise.

His wide eyes stared right back at you, then slowly drifted down to your stomach. Of course, he wouldn't see any bump yet, but there was new life in your womb. Life both of you had created.

And impossibly, his dream of being a father had come true.

You both weren't with Dispatch anymore, but you were still friends with Grelle. She had been your best friend before you left, so how could you not share this news? You also wanted answers, though. How were you pregnant?

"From all I know, it has something to do with the pureness of a reaper's love," she explained one day, sitting both of you down. "Apparently, if your love is true and pure, despite all this being a punishment, you can be rewarded with a child. Nothing is more pure than a child, so it's supposed to be a representation of your own connection. A symbol, if you will, of how strong your love is that you can overcome a fundamental reaper law and conceive."

You blinked. "So... Adrian and I's love is so strong we were able to conceive?"

"Pretty much." Her eyes lit up. "I will be the best aunt your child will ever have! I'll bring them lots of presents and show them the best ways to reap and-"

"Okay, slow down," you laughed. "One thing at a time, Grelle. First, Adrian and I need to process this."

"Well, alright, but once you're done processing, let me know. We're going to get you maternity clothes!"

Adrian was the absolute picture of a doting husband the second he had the confirmation. Not that he wasn't before, but now he was practically by your side every second. You were feeling a little suffocated, yes, but to be honest, his excitement was adorable. He had come home one day loaded with books. Not the ones of the medical variety, though. Baby names. All kinds of baby names.

You laughed as he set all of them down, spread out on the couch in your living room. You wore a silk robe, one he had gotten for you after you complained your other robe felt too itchy on your skin. Nothing but the best for the mother of my child, he'd insisted.

"Did you just go out and get all of those?" You teased, one hand resting on your swollen belly. You were five and a half months along by now, and you were getting to the point where Adrian had to do much of the work around the house by himself. "Oh my god, Adrian, how many books did you buy?"

"A book merchant owed me favors," he shrugged, a silly grin on his face. "I was quite convincing when I suggested he give all these to me."

Threatened, more like. You just smiled and shook your head, watching as Adrian sat down beside you. "I thought we wanted to wait on names until closer to my due date."

"Well, why not now? We can make a list and see what feels right then!" He leaned over to kiss you sweetly, one hand rubbing your bump. "I want to be completely prepared for our child, luv."

"In that case, I cannot argue." You sighed contentedly as you laid back down. "Damnit. I forgot my water again."

"I'll get it." He was immediately up to go get it. You heard him shuffling in the kitchen for a moment, before he went quiet. Then... "Luv, no offense, but perhaps I should take care of doing the dishes from now on."

With a frown, you struggled up and walked over to the kitchen. "What? Why?"

He chuckled as he glanced towards the sink, where... Oh. You had been making a snack earlier, and put the dirty plate in the sink and the celery in the fridge. But apparently, pregnancy brain had kicked in again, because the celery was in the dirty dish pile. You didn't need to look to know the dish was probably in the fridge. "Ah... Perhaps you might be right. In my defense, I got hungry!" You whined playfully. "You can't hold this against me."

"I will certainly tease you about it," he laughed, wrapping an arm around your waist. "Nonstop."

"Hey! I am carrying your child, so I'm sorry if I got things mixed up." You pouted, making him kiss your cheek.

"And you look absolutely beautiful while doing both," he reassured you. You couldn't stay mad while he was being all doting, so you sighed and gave in.

"You'd better think so." You poked his nose playfully before waddling back to your place on the couch. You winced, suddenly. "Adrian!"

He practically came running, worried something had happened by the tone of your voice. "What?!" You just grabbed his hand and placed it on your belly, shushing him. A moment passed, then... The baby kicked again, and his eyes widened.

"Was that...?"

"That was our baby, my love. They kicked!"

He knelt in front of you, keeping his hand there. "Hi, baby," he whispered, kissing your belly. "Can you hear me? It's your father."

"I don't know if they can hear you," you teased.

"If you can, I want you to know I love you so much already. Your mother and I cannot wait to meet you," he continued, smiling up at you. Nothing came again, and you saw how he looked quite disappointed, but you reassured him there would be more kicks.

Three and a half months passed by rather quickly, leading to the birth of your very healthy baby girl.

She was the most precious thing in the universe. You stared at your daughter in awe as she slept in your arms, face scrunched up. Adrian was right beside you, sniffling quietly. Your husband rarely ever cried, but you would be upset if the birth of his own daughter wasn't one of the times he did. "She's beautiful," you whispered.

"Absolutely perfect," he agreed softly. "Both of my girls are. I... I can't thank you enough for giving me a family, my love. I never thought..." His voice broke. "I'm a father. I'm really a father now..."

"And I know you'll be the best one ever."

You went to say more, but you were interrupted by Grelle coming into the room in a flurry of excitement. "Is that her?!" She gasped excitedly, leaning over you. "She's beautiful, darling! Lots of hair for a newborn!"

You rolled your eyes in amusement, but you were happy your daughter would have an aunt. And one sure to be as crazy and wonderful as Grelle.

You loved your family.

[bihastuff]

Blue revenge arc predictions:

This is my little bingo card which has predictions of what I think will happen in the last blue revenge arc mission . It feels more about what I want to see than what I think will happen but anyway here is an explanation of why I choose some of those predictions :

So many old characters will show up : honestly I just picked the one that didn't appear in a long time ago , I choose grell because so far in this arc both Ronald and William showed up but we didn't see yet grell and it seems fitting for grell to be sent in a mission where Sebastian will be so she can bother the shit out of him lol . Also there is no way that no one will die in that hotel therefore they will have to be atleast one shinigami there . As for soma , the last time we saw him he was dealing with grief due to the death of his butler Agni , he's obviously won't return to Ciel's London villa so it makes sense for him to go to a hotel to organise his mind and think about his next step without Agni . For druitt he didn't show up since the public school arc which is weird especially after the involvement of his nephew Redmond with the whole music hall thing and I feel he was the reason why Redmond joined blavat which got the entire P4 involved in Undertaker's plan . Before chapter 213 , I thought he would be the manager of the hotel , and he will recognize Ciel but we know he is not , I guess he is so stupid to manage a hotel lol . And lately I choose Irene because I love her she is so pretty and I feel like she is rich enough to be a guest in the nectar springs hotel .

Madam red will return as a bizarre doll : I'm a big believer of madam red bizzare doll theory . Here is a post of where I explain why the return of madam red will be interesting for the story .

P4 are hiding in the hotel : last time we saw them they were on the run from the police , and the nectar hotel seems to be a safe space for them to hide in .

Polaris identity reveal : so far in the blue revenge arc , we got Canopus identity reveal which turned out to be doll and maybe Vega is Layla , and the last star we don't know about their identity yet is polaris , and it will be pretty cool to finally know who was the killer of Agni and answer a major question that has been left unanswered SINCE 2017 . PLEASE YANA TELL US .

[ladyarchiviste]

Saviour In Red

Pairing: Grell Sutcliff x Fem!reader

Summary: You're having the most horrible night in your entire life when a red clad stranger helps you

Warnings: Mentions of SA and blood, turn back if it triggers you

As the only girl in your family yet to be married, you were often faced one particular challenge. Your sisters, both older and younger had settled down with the oldest having a baby on the way. Naturally, family members often inquired and or mocked you about your lack of a partner. So much so that you couldn't have a family gathering in peace without your love life being brought up. Even outsiders would make comments here and there. It was exhausting but you didn't let it bother you too much. Of course you wanted to find your own partner to be happily wedded to but you believed you'd find that special someone when the time was right.

Though you patiently dreamt about the day that would happen, your mother wasn't as patient, which is what brought you to the very situation you're in. You sat opposite the son of a low ranking baron in an expensive restaurant. The food was good but the company could be better. You had nothing against him, he was handsome, you'd give him that, but you had no interest in the assets he was continuously boasting of. Even though he was regarded as low status as compared to other nobles, he was certainly loads richer than a commoner such as yourself. That fact had your mother practically jumping for joy when the baron's son himself had asked to take you on an outing.

According to him, he was captivated by your beauty and found himself walking over with his request before he had realized it. Unfortunately for you, your mother was with you when this happened and cut you off mid answer with an excited, 'she'll be ready!' Before you knew it they exchanged information then you parted ways; him to continue his errands and you being dragged away so your mother could make you more presentable for the night. 

"Is the food to your liking?" He asks with a slight frown

"Yes it is. Delicious indeed" you offer a polite smile 

"Hmm. Yes I'm sure it tastes good to you. As you're a commoner, this probably feels like heaven to you but for someone like me, it tastes rather bland. I should have taken you to my estate, the chefs prepare food way more appetizing than this. Of course only because they're provided with only the most quality ingredients from our rich fields. I'll take you next time. You'll be at my feet when we're done with the first course alone, begging for more"

Needless to say, you definitely didn't feel that spark. How you wished you could shove a bread roll in his mouth so he'd stop talking. Eventually, dinner was over. You humbly declined dessert, eager to just get away from him. He sat opposite you in the carriage, not saying a word. You thought it was odd. On your way to the restaurant you hadn't spent this much time on the road. It couldn't have been traffic, you hadn't stopped once since you started moving. You took a peek outside and realized something off. There were no houses and no people.

"Milord, forgive me, but I believe your coachman is taking us the wrong way."

The smirk he gives you makes you tense. He moved himself next to you and you scoot away trying to create distance between you. His hand reached for your face but you swat it away.

"Where is these vessel headed?" You ask, voice laced with incoming fear. He had you backed into the corner of the tiny space you were in

"You know, usually after mentioning a few things my family possesses girls throw themselves at me. But not you. In fact you didn't even seem interested in anything I had to say" His hand moves to your thigh, slowly pushing it up towards your regions

"What's your price? Every whore has one. Name it, I can give it to you. Anything at all, just ask. All I ask for in return is a night in my chambers" 

You slap him across the face.

"You pig! No, that's an insult to the creature. You are far more disgusting because not even a pig would act the way you do. I demand you let me off this carriage immediately!"

He scowled before delivering a harsh slap that sends you down to the carriage floor. Getting down, he flips you over and slots himself between your legs before you had the chance to close them. You lost the struggle to keep his hands off you and within seconds had yours pinned down on either side of you.

"Listen here, I tried to be gentle with you but if you wish me to be rough then so be it. I was even nice enough to offer you riches in return, but now I think I'll just use you and dispose of you afterwards."

You were absolutely terrified.

"I-if you touch me I'll go to the Yard" your threat doesn't phase him in the slightest. 

"Ha! Pathetic whore, all I need to do is pay off whoever's in charge. In fact I don't think I'd even need to. Who do you think they would believe?" He held both your hands with one of his and the other moved under your skirt.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"You'd be the commoner who saw an opportunity to take advantage of a kindhearted noble for his wealth by making up ruthless stories about him in hopes of getting him to buy your silence. I can do whatever I want to you in this carriage and no one would know and if they did, they wouldn't care" 

All he said sank into you like red hot knives. You went limp knowing he was right. There was no one who could help you. Neither now nor after what he was about to do. By the end of tonight you would be -. Tears clouded your vision.

"Are you going to cry now? What's wrong? What happened to all that fight you had in you huh? Where did that go?" he cackled.

"Please don't do this"  you plead but it only excites the male above you.

"Shhhh. I'll take good care of you. In this carriage that is"

The carriage shook violently and your attacker frowned. Standing up, he opens the little slot between him and the coachman. "What's going on out there Philip?" 

"Apologies Sir, we seem to have gone over a pothole, but it's alright now."

Before he could come down to continue his assault, the carriage jerked violently to the side before it tipped over. Screams came from all of you as the carriage rolled and tumbled. A few terrifying seconds later, it stops. The carriage is now tilted to the side but not completely. You pushed against the door, which was now slightly above you, till it opened. With great difficulty you were able to pull yourself out of the wooden structure and onto the grass.

Your body ached and you were no doubt covered in multiple bruises. You couldn't see another person or house around you. You were stranded in what looked like an open field. The nights events replayed in your head as you laid there and you found yourself sobbing in pain and relief. You heard creaking and turned your head to the side to see the carriage falling over on the opposite side. When the dust settles, you here a voice.

"Philip Watson, died at the age of 42 on October 6th, 1889. Cause of death, thrown off the driver's seat of a somersaulting carriage and into a tree after the wheel popped off because he drove over a pothole while under the influence of alcohol."

What the? 

You crawled towards the voice, hoping to find help. When you look around the carriage, you see long, flowing hair as red as wild roses facing you.

"Now this bloke." The voice says in what sounded like disgust. "Joseph Wellington. Died at the age of 27 on October 6th 1889. Cause of death, crushed to death by his own carriage after trying to crawl out of it. Well it serves him right! How dare he try to lay those filthy hands on another woman! I should cut his hands off too! Although that would be pointless now that he's dead ....... Anywho back to work."

The words the stranger spoke made you look further around the carriage and as said there was a spray of blood and the torso of a man underneath the tilted carriage.

I'm going to be sick.

"Wait a second, that woman isn't on the 'To Die' list."

The person turns around and you both make eye contact. Despite prior events you found yourself feeling all.....fuzzy the more you looked. Unbeknownst to you, the red haired stranger felt same.

Grell loved the color red more than anything. Lipstick, roses, blood, anything red she adored. There you were, a woman so beautiful she almost felt jealous. Your lovely red dress and ruby lips (and the blood trails on your face) made you look splendid in her opinion. 

"Beautiful..." you both say at the same time. You didn't hear her but she heard you and fought hard to keep a blush from showing. You take the stranger's outstretched hand, wincing when you are pulled to your feet. 

"Thank you kind sir" the face before you twisted in displeasure.

"SIR?! Do I look like-?! Ok I do. How dare-! I'll have you know, I'm a fine woman! A lovely, delicate flower unfortunately born into the body of a man!" The stranger shouts angrily with dramatic body movements.

"A woman? I'm sorry I didn't know you identified as one. Forgive me. May I ask for your name my fair lady?"

Grell blushed. It'd been so long since someone addressed her so sweetly.

"Well you certainly are a smooth talker aren't you? It's Grell Sutcliffe"

Wait what was she thinking? And what were you thinking? This wasn't the time to flirt or worry about a misgendering! Focus Grell!

"Miss Grell, may I trouble you by asking you for your help?"

You look at the broken carriage, ugly memories surfacing again. Grell watches you clutch your arm. You looked back at her with teary eyes. 

"I'd like to go home please"

You're shaking and your tears are beginning to spill. She understood. You were almost robbed of your innocence and almost died all on the same night. Anyone in your place would have broken down already. Bringing her fingers to her lips, she lets out a series of whistles and you hear rhythmic thumping. The horses formally attached to the carriage were back. You didn't even realize they were gone. You watch in awe as she tore off the leather straps with ease like it was made of paper. 

"Luckily these boys broke away before the accident."

You let out a squeak when she scooped you up effortlessly like you weighed nothing, and placed you on one of them. She rode back to civilization and you gave her directions to your home. Your mother wasn't home. She left a note on the door saying she was over at a friend's house to help take care of her sick children. You wanted to go in yourself but after insistence from Grell, you directed her to your room. 

"Thank you Grell." 

"You stay right there. Don't move."

She walked out and you sat in bed as she instructed. After a while, she came back for you, pulling you to your bathroom where she had set up a bath for you.

"It has herbs in it, it should help with your injuries. Now let's get this off you"

You flinched when she reached for you, surprising both of you. You couldn't look at the kind stranger's face. You didn't mean to, Grell knew that. You were just scared.

"I won't harm you, I promise." With hesitation, you turned around, giving her access to the zip. She pulled down gently so as not to hurt you by accident.

"I'll be outside, take as much time as you need" 

It stung when you got in but in a few minutes it wasn't as bad. You thought of random things to help take your mind off tonight but your thoughts always circled back. You stepped out of the tub, wiping the water off your body and putting on the nightgown Grell prepared for you before leaving the bathroom.

"All set?"

You nod.

You let her treat your wounds and tuck you in bed.

"Rest well"  She turned to leave and you panicked, snatching her wrist

"Wait! Don't go! Please! I don't, I d-dont-" you hiccuped before you start bawling. She sat on your bed and pulled you in for a hug.

"Shh. Don't cry. That idiot is dead, you're safe. I'm not going anywhere, no one will hurt you while I'm here." 

You sobbed harder as you held onto her.

"There, there, let it all out"

She felt her heart ache as you cried

Oh how she wished she was the one who  ended the life of the man who made you feel this way. 

"I'm here, I'm here"

She repeated as she rocked you back and forth till your sobs reduced to light sniffles. She realized you had fallen asleep when your body stopped trembling against hers. After laying you down and covering you up, she left. She wanted to stay with you, but she had work to do. She would definitely come back to check on you.

When you wake up the next morning you find a plate of your favorite food on your table. Before you conclude it was your mother's doing, you see a single red rose and you instantly knew it was your red haired savior from the night before.

[fictionfixations]

watching black butler for the first time and just have to ask

does anyone know why this is called english dub?? (on crunchyroll)

cause it has both jp and en but i spent a few moments being so utterly confused on where the jp one was because i read the title and not underneath 💀

i mean. i think theres been instances where when adding the movies they have separate ones that are the eng dub and the other in jp. so like. did it use to be that way then for some reason they made it into the same thing and just forgot to change the name??

???????

also wheres book of murder

also it was a joy to be like partway through s2 and look at the wiki of black butler then realize theres parts that are just entirely anime only and now im confused on wtf is canon and whats not. like like i was looking through it cause i wanted to see how far the latest episode manga chapters wise is and then check how many chapters there are in comparison and wow we still have a bit

it was like 1-6 thats manga and then a bunch thats filler (and some not? but still a lot of filler) except my memory is shit and i literally cant remember whats happened in specific episodes 😭😭😭

like i mean anime-only stuff can be good when done right, its just black butler is a little confusing for me even without the extra stuff.....

i kinda wish i knew this beforehand so i could just skip it (and idk maybe go back once i finish everything else but so it wouldnt affect my impression of stuff) because the way i was just so confused on what was going on 💀????

like i went into this with a very basic understanding of what happened in the story (and also some major manga spoilers lmfao? well i think theyre major spoilers i have no clue) and then.

i feel like i need to like go and look through the wiki of anime-only episodes and their summary to refresh my memory on what happened there so i can be like. no. that did not happen in the manga

so

so let me get this straight theres no angel stuff right (or at least not yet idk for all i know theres angels in the future)

theres not the the the wolf hound thing right? i dont think? he hasnt appeared in book of circus so i assume not. unless the timeline is very much out of order and it happens in the future and circus is in the past idk man

also the the ciel's parents being melded together i dont think thats canon either?

nor is i think whatever happened with the queen??????

i genuinely couldnt wrap my head around the explanation given of what happened to her so okay at one point she looks young and that might be her husbands body and then the next shes dead and then the next shes old again and apparently theres a fake which one is the fake is it the old lady or the young girl i have no clue 😭😭😭

i thought the the flower ring i think elizabeth's. ..................maid?? i forget. that she made and then it made its way to ciel i think thats cool

also i think grell came back with ..................their chainsaw (im so utterly confused on grell's pronouns because one moment they're referred to as a girl and another as a guy? i think? unless that didnt happen and i was just so tired i misread subtitles. everytime i was like okay so she/her someones like referring to grell as a guy or something and im just sat here like WHICH IS IT!?!?!? maybe genderfluid idfk. so yknow what sure get it king/queen and everything in between) but that didnt happen.

but tbh i think i just got lost in the sauce man 💀

also i dont think anything in s2 is canon? or well. a good majority isnt? tbh i watched s1 and s2 so close together i genuinely cant remember what was in which

also i have literally no clue what was about that moon drop(???) thing i retained like zero memory of what it does

also someone give ciel a break holy shit the bad touch adults are after him and now it might also be people his age????? who are kinda freaks????

or well i dont think alois(was that his name i forgot) wanted him wanted him he just kinda wanted to like torture him or something. and kill him. ...tbh i forgot. bruh i only watched s2 a day ago and my recollection of it is just gone 💀. but also still. kinda a weirdo

like ah. demon ciel. ...i dont think that actually happened also so weird to watch all that then book of circus none of it happened

.........im gonna be honest i thought it was cooler for ciel to have his soul eaten by sebastian like hes always said and stuff

also genuinely gives me like blue exorcist vibes?? like the last couple of episodes of this one season were anime only i think? and i go to next season and theyre repeating conversations and its like they never even bonded or something and im just like didnt this happen already (like there was a question about birthdays or something i think that they already had) and then i look at the crunchyroll comments and its like 'btw guys those last few episodes were anime-only' so like OH

man i miss crunchyroll comments

i think they were removed cause they were like spamming this gay anime with negative stuff but like bruh the amount of stuff id just completely miss if not for the comments dude. like

like i had no idea that jjk animators were like being treated really badly?? or like of anime hiatuses'????

or like that theres post credit scenes? dude i never check stuff after credits even if theres like a very obvious gap in the bar thatd indicate there might be something there because i just dont want to see spoilers about the next episode 💀💀💀

im not even joking ive literally done exactly that then i read something thats like about the post credit scene of this one episode and im just like WHAT

theres a WHAT????

and i went back and checked and low and behold THERE IT WAS

kinda reminds me of my bad habit where when i was new to anime i just completely skipped until after the opening. i didnt watch the beginning because i didnt want recaps and the way i missed important scenes and never realized until someone mentioned it and im just like what??

😭😭😭😭

trying to get into the habit of checking after credits now but man.

anyway if anyone has extra knowledge about black butler that i should know while watching please let me know

id usually rely on the comments for this but aha crunchyroll comments are gone so aw shucks

[azuresins]

The first thing I noticed in the chapter 204 cover art was both Finny's thorns and, the way his hairclips are arranged like Roman Numeral Eleven. (XI)... This is also a reference to Jesus Christ, which. Seemed like Yana wanted us all to know for absolute certain, that this thorn crown is specifically a Christian reference and wants us to really notice, and for us to compare Finny to Jesus. Which is interesting to me, because in the picture Finny is dressed like a vampire... I can't help but wonder, if Christ's resurrection, is meant to enter our mind, too. ...? The dead can't come back to life that we know of in the context of the manga so far, but there are Bizarre Dolls (I forgot no one calls them Weird Barbies except me and I almost typed that and left it in), and there are Death Gods, both of these are beings that were human, once and have died (more or less). We don't know anything about vampires, but now I have to wonder what Yana has in mind for Finny's fate...

Is he... fated to be die, and come back...?... is that too good (or terrible??) to be true...? Finnian is my favorite, and I know I'm actively trying to talk myself out of the hope that he's not just going to die, and thats it. But, still. That seemed a highly specific choice. There's nothing to suggest any human character will be a Grim Reaper definitively and I certainly can't make that claim off of one thing she's drawn, but Finnian in particular, always kind of gave me pause simply because. He's the gardener. He uses garden tools every day. What if that was some kind of foreshadowing, since all the grim reapers in Kuroshitsuji use a variety of garden tools and not just typical scythes ... is it possible? The only others we've seen garden to that degree, are Grelle (...lol) and Sebastian. For a human character we've known for a long time, to undergo that human to death god transformation, in real time? Before our eyes? We haven't seen that, yet. That could be interesting... but would she do that, and would she choose someone like Finnian (or any of the other servants) for that part? I don't know, but. I am looking directly at this art and I am suspicious of it. If nothing else, it's scratched my brain. Is it possible fanfic fodder, if nothing else? Yes. I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot, but I stand by that I think Finnian is extremely important and paramount to this story, there's more to him than most think... It's also worth mentioning by contrast, Snake, is dressed as a Hogwarts Wizard, right. Except... Snake, really DOES actually TALK to snakes. In that context, this frames that reference a bit interestingly... because to talk to snakes, would mark someone as a respected, feared, and powerful wizard in the context of the series he's making reference to. Our snake isn't a powerful wizard (I mean, that we know of, we really don't know much about snake yet), but that's not the point I'm trying to make. In that series talking to snakes isn't a good thing, but, it still makes his outfit interesting-- because he can actually do that. Talk to snakes. What does Finny, then, have in common with a vampire with a Jesus complex? "Super human" quality? Abused by humans? Guilt? Unwavering loyalty, to the point of martyrdom? ... is that all? Is there anything else? ???

[cedric-k-rossignol]

Hey! I love ur blog sm; also I'm sooo happy that u talked about undertaker having mental illness( even before his death) because I've seen a lottt of people seeing him as this doucebag who kills thousands of people on a ship and treats the twins awfuly cause he is this evil mad scientist or something( I think othello fits the mad scientist trope much better) but they've forgotten that all the reapers that we've seen until now have committed suicide when they were still alive, and then forced to continue living and work for centuries so they can be forgiven!?? For what? Wanting to die?😐 like ofc they are not OK. and I'm not talking only about ut but all of them; I really wished we could one day have a glimpse of the reapers past human life( even tho I know it will never happen cause its not relevant to the main story). at the end I don't see ut as a psychopath but as a person who Is utterly shattered. And it was NOT Claudia's death that made him like this but her death made it worse* in some way; and I say it again I love ur blog sm💗

Hi! You're very sweet - this message made my day.

I'm glad people seem to be resonating with my discussion of Undertaker and mental illness. Undertaker is so near and dear to my heart, he means so much to me as a character - so does o!Ciel, and it never fails to boggle my mind when people call either of them evil or a villain. Especially the traumatized 13 year old orphan - like, are we even watching the same show here lol????? Undertaker's motivations are complex, but I think you've hit the mark in calling him "utterly shattered" - he certainly isn't a psychopath. I think people underestimate what living through what he's been through would do to a perfectly well-adjusted person, let alone one who is already struggling with their mental health. I find the reapers both fascinating and heartbreaking - and I appreciate that Yana included characters like Grelle, William, Ronald, etc. They're all extremely different people who ended up committing the same final, desperate act. The idea of being punished for that is unbelievably cruel, and yet so many still label it a sin.

Don't you think it's possible we will get at least a glimpse of some of the major reapers' human lives? I'm sure hoping we will. At the very least if we don't get an extended Undertaker flashback I do intend to riot. I'll meet you on the street with a torch and pitchfork if that happens.

Thank you again for your lovely message and for reading my theories (and hopefully laughing at my memes) ❤️

[frederickabberline]

wdyt of interpreting Will being older than most Shinigami (idk maybe older than UT)? I think it’d be v interesting that when Will was first assigned to his position, he was somewhat different in personality and then he “acclimated” or something. Will has a lot more responsibility than a typical dispatch reaper; I wonder if there are Reapers with Will’s outlook? Like, def resigned, but while also moving forward. Maybe Reapers in higher positions like Will?

Hello! I think it's likely on the right track! That said, I don't think he's older than UT and Othello. I think he's in the mid-range, possibly old enough to remember Dispatch before it was half-destroyed by Undertaker but not too much older than that. I don't have a lot to base that assumption off of though, asides from his distaste for their being so short-staffed, his OVA being set in 1799 (which as a timeline choice we now know had nothing to do with Grelle, because she came later), and the line in one of his character songs that says he will "restore this system of steel" (implying to me that he maybe remembers what it was like before?)

There's also the fact that Othello name-dropped Will to UT, as if UT should know who Will is. But that could be nothing also, since UT didn't react or anything.

However, I don't think he's older than UT on account of his scythe design. UT and Othello both use sickles, William uses something more modern. If he was a very old reaper, I can't see him making the switch easily to a new model. Unless something extreme that made him change a lot and made him want to stay as far away from his targets as possible happened, that is. And if that were the case it could have been something like the OVA Thomas Wallis case or it could have been something to do with Undertaker's desertion massacre. So it's definitely possible, I'm just not sure if it's likely.

And I agree that there are likely other reapers with similar outlooks to Will, especially others in any managerial positions. Ludger, Eric (to an extent), and Alan (to an extent) all seem to be on rooooughly the same page as Will to me. Eric and Alan only being "to an extent" because of... well... you know, the whole duo desertion for the sake of their """friendship""' thing. But before all that went down, Will seemed to trust Eric and Alan and Alan seemed to respect Will, so. Shrug.

I'm also very interested to see if Will had a different personality when he joined dispatch or before he died - the way he drops into casual register when he's speaking to himself could imply a different accent or social class than what he usually presents with, but it's difficult to be certain.

Thank you for the ask :)