#i want to do it mostly for me. and also because. i don't know. ciel might be proud of me.

[outlying-hyppocrate]

well. did you fucking miss me.

[sebadztian]

I have a bit of a random question? Why is green witch arc considered the s*bac*el arc? I don't mind the arc, but I'm just afraid non-manga reading fans are going to heavily ship Ciel & Sieglinde due to their ages. If anything I think it will cause a bigger rift amongst the ship/fandom. I personally found something like the Book of the Atlantic to be more SC coded, so I was just curious if there was something crucial I wasn't understanding?

Hello, anon!

So sorry it took me ages to answer your ask.

Essay below...

Right, I can see why people might see GWA as Cielinde and if they see it that way, that's totally valid. Will it create more discourse in the fandom? I don't know.

However, for me personally, when I first read this arc (that was BEFORE I got into Sebaciel), I actually ended up shipping Sieglinde/Wolf 😔🙃

But why I see GWA as Sebaciel coded is because this is where their relationship takes a big leap forward. I talked about it in this post and this one too.

I can see why you see BoA as more Sebaciel coded, and no, you're not missing anything. And I agree with you. Both arcs are Sebaciel coded (almost the entire manga is SC coded if you want to see it that way), but they're different.

In Book of Atlantic, we see their past, how they learned to be an earl and his butler from a spare and a demon, as shown in Sebas' cinematic record.

In the 'Tango on the Campania' (the musical) Sebastian made it even more clear that at the beginning of their contract, Ciel was just 'any other child' and Seb himself was 'just a demon'.

At the end of his record, we see how Sebas chose to serve Ciel because he's fascinated by his beauty and his foolishness.

In GWA, it was Ciel's turn to choose Sebastian as shown in these panels.

Add those to the posts that I've linked above, I think we can say that this arc plays a very significant role in the development of SC relationship.

The way I see it, BoA is the basic foundation of their relationship, mostly in relation to their past. It was also the first time that Sebas realized that he could lose Ciel.

GWA builds on that and it solidifies their relationship. This is necessary, and even important, to prepare them for the future (The Boyband arc, the Zombie Brother arc, and the rest of the manga).

If what happened in GWA hadn't happened the way they did, Sebas wouldn't have realized how much he cared about Ciel.

In GWA, he almost lost Ciel (again) and this time, it was worse because this time round, he had to depend on others (Sieg & Finny) to save & take care of his master. For once, he was powerless, and more importantly, Ciel has rejected him. Without those events, he wouldn't have realized just how important Ciel is to him and it also takes him down a peg or two and I'm always down for that.

On Ciel's part, without GWA, he wouldn't have been able to face his zombie brother like he did. It was during his... inner turnoil that he realized why he's doing this and it was then that he has chosen Sebas, above his own family, above his trauma, his guilt, and even his brother.

This is an important turning point and a big leap for the both of them, both individually and as a unit. They went through their own individual character development in relation to each other, unlike in BoA where they both developed together as a team.

So, yes, both Book of Atlantic and GWA are Sebaciel coded, but in different ways.

Also, the result of GWA? My most favourite panels in the entire manga...

My point is, there is no right or wrong answer/way in looking at each arc. What I share with you here is just my own way of looking at this arc through Sbcl lens. Some people might look at it differently and they might not even see the significance of GWA in relation to Sebaciel, and that's completely okay.

Thabk you for the ask!

[midnight-in-town]

A hypothetical question about kuroshitsuji. Hope u don't mind. Well, I read a certain anon's wonderful long post about Tanaka. And there was that one question that really intrigued me.

What if the person you are supposed to be taking revenge on is dead or doesn't exist anymore?

Now, I know that you think that the culprit was a supernatural being or a demon. But, what if, it wasn't? Do you by any chance give me a hypothetical answer to that? Do you happen to know that where could the story go if that was the case? Just your opinion.

Hey Anon! So about what I said here, while I believe our!Ciel's main target of revenge is indeed alive and includes a supernatural being (aka the Queen and JB), the circumstances behind Ciel's revenge may actually be mostly about dead people (that aren't even bizarre dolls).

First of all, Kuroshitsuji as a series really emphasizes that being unable to move on is a flaw that hinders growth. That's why revenge is thematically presented, in my opinion, as the wrong choice to make / the choice to make for wrong reasons [x][x].

The Bizarre Dolls project being such a big part of the plot also is there to make us understand that focusing on the past rather than present and future is destructive (the Under-"hello darkness my old friend"-taker himself).

Keeping that in mind, I believe Victoria is the big bad yes, so she gave the order to get rid of Vincent and John Brown, as her bound demon, orchestrated a gruesome massacre using real!Ciel (the RCMT). Yet the reasons why she ordered it are still shrouded in mystery.

I actually proposed not so long ago that Vincent had become a political enemy of Victoria and that it was probably related to that. However, Vincent isn't the only Watchdog Victoria probably murdered. Indeed, before Vincent there was Claudia and a few hints in the story imply that she too had a rather sad end.

So, was Claudia a political enemy of Victoria too ? We don't know at all, but I think it's more likely that Claudia's death was more personal and could be related one way or another to Prince Albert's death.

All that to say maybe Ciel's revenge against Victoria stems from several vendettas that Victoria exacted on Ciel's predecessors. See now what I mean about the circumstances behind Ciel's revenge being mostly about dead people, Anon ?

Taking even into account the possibility of the RCMT : if real!Ciel was manipulated by the Queen which led to Vincent's murder (planned), as well as the whole massacre of the manor (unexpected in real!Ciel's mind), then, since real!Ciel was brought back as a BD, obviously seeking the truth from him is part of our!Ciel's journey (even if our!Ciel probably doesn't suspect it yet).

Lastly, going back even further, if my theory that the Watchdog's duty is a curse that the Phantomhive family got because of their special lineage, then it goes even beyond Vincent and Claudia : Ciel versus Victoria is ultimately also about biting back, as a reminder that many generations of Watchdog got their hands dirty and died, without any freedom, fated to do as the royal family commanded.

So "what if the person you are supposed to be taking revenge on is dead or doesn't exist anymore" ? In my opinion, that is precisely what our!Ciel vs Victoria is all about.

Our!Ciel wants revenge on the one person who targeted his family -> narratively it's the wrong choice to make because, even if Victoria is indeed alive, he currently ignores how many dead people and vengeful plans his own revenge is actually built on. So, if he eventually goes on with it, he'll just perpetuate the cycle and die a meaningless death. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Meanwhile, Victoria sees our!Ciel as a threat, but not so much because of the small scale he acted on against her (Seb's threatening presence aside). Mostly its because his two predecessors were her personal and political enemies ; they defied her so they had to die and Ciel won't be any different -> it's the choice to make for wrong reasons, because she's knowingly choosing to target them, as she believes her power gives her the right to (like several kings or queens before her forced their Watchdogs to dirty their hands and die for their sake).

All in all, it's why I think that Kuroshitsuji is more or less a tale of generational trauma, but that our!Ciel has a good narrative chance to be the one breaking that big cursed revenge cycle, especially if he chooses to give up on his own revenge.

Sorry for rambling. I hope it more or less answers your question ? Thanks for reading and have a good day Anon. :))

[wonderer399]

Sebastian x Ciel 🥀❤️‍🔥🖤💖🌹👄 Astrology analysis (Synastry) Part 1a ✨🔮🌌

*⚠️Non Shippers PLEASE IGNORE MY POST AND STAY OUT! I don't want your negativity in my blog! If you don't like it, then don't engage with it...as simple as that!!⚠️*

I wanted to make a really unique, fun and interesting post related to sebaxciel. I have been studying astrology for the past 8 years now and I can tell you that its not a joke and actually can be very somewhat creepy like how do they know about me so much like wtf! stop exposing me!💀 Astrology is very vast and very in depth knowledge if you want to look at it further. So I thought why not lets make a synastry and composite chart about seba x ciel and how their relationship dynamic works astrologically and how their relationship is still evolving. I have also made their numerology chart and its fun! (I'm still learning astrology and numerology , so if I make any mistakes please kindly correct me!)

Out of my curiosity I just wanted to look at Seba x Ciel 's synastry, composite and numerology chart report and analysis and BOY !!!! I WAS SH👀K !! LIKE WTF!!! HOW!?!? HOW CAN THIS BE 💯% ACCURATE!! Now its giving me creepy vibes like did Yana purposefully picked their birthdays ?!?!? SO HERE I AM BLOGGING THIS ✨ ASTROLOGICAL MIRACLE ✨ and you are reading it!! GET READY TO GET SH👀K !! CAUSE YOU KNOW SHARING IS CARING!!

In this Part 1, I will only discuss about the planetary and asteroid Synastry aspects ( synastry chart means that you take 2 different people's chart and superimpose it on top of each other to see how 2 different people act with each other between their relationship dynamic ) ( this part 1 is getting really really long, so I decided to break it down into many mini parts ( like part 1 a,b,c..I don't even know how many mini sub parts of part 1 I will write, but it is more than 2 ) , Its like writing an AO3 ...you can never stop writing lmao! In part 2 I will go further into the Synastry and the details of the House placements and how the house overlays gives their relationship dynamic more definition! Part 3 and Part 4 will be based on composite charts! ( composite chart means you combine 2 different people's chart to see how they work together as a team or as a 1 person ) Part 5 will be about Numerology and if I'm able to find out more interesting astrological facts about them then I may make part 6 ( mostly Natal analysis )...I'm gonna expose everything about SebaxCiel dynamic and their real personality and how their relationship works and how its evolving and what do we expect to see in the future especially in the manga chapters! *EXCITED*

The birthdays, time and location I used :

Sebastian : 18th January, 1886 ( 6:30 am ) London,UK

( I was extremely skeptical about Sebby's date, however after doing lots of research and some analysis, I have come up with this birthday as it is very accurate...at least I tried to make it accurate! , also I used this bd for sebby because whenever a demon a manifested in this 3d human realm, it is 'reborn' again...obviously he a thousand years old I'm not using that B.C. date lmao! )

( okay I know none of them were actually exactly born in London,Uk however I do not really know where the mansions located...so I used London as a general location and England isn't that big enough like the states lol ..so it wouldn't affect the reading and analysis much at all I think! lol )

Ciel : 14th December, 1875 ( 7:30 am ) London,UK

Synastry Chart below! I'm going to explain now what planetary and asteroid aspects creates their LOVING, STEAMY , SEXY AND IRRESISTIBLE synastry !

✨ Ciel is Deep Blue and Sebastian is Deep Orange ✨

Just like their Eye colors! *GASPS* that was a coincidence! SH👀K !!

✨KEY ASPECTS ✨

Their positive aspects :

Their negative aspects :

( these two images illustrates their dynamics of both positive and negative sides of the same coin )

I'm gonna talk about *positive aspects only ( mostly conjunctions, as trines and sextiles are very watered down version of conjunctions, its still positive though )* cause I don't wanna ruin the *rose-colored glasses* mood we all sebaxciel shippers have it on right now! I don't need to talk about *negative aspects* cause they don't really fight much...its just the power chokehold they have it on each other kinda like BDSM not physicially but psychologically and I kinda find that really really hot! *negative aspects* ( Oppositions and Squares ) aren't necessairily that bad they are just 'necessary evil' for realtionship to grow, improvise, evolve, survive and thrive . If you guys find more aspects you can reply or reblog!

*Website used : Astroseek.com*

Jupiter - Juno ( 👰🏻🤵🏻 ) : *HAPPILY MARRIED, THE ULTIMATE HUSBAND - WIFE DYNAMIC*

Jupiter, the planet of expansion, faith, hope, good luck, opportunity, wealth, philosophical and spiritual values and financial gains. It's also known as the Great Benefactor because it's larger than all the other planets in the solar system. Jupiter the god and husband of Juno according to the greek mythology. Juno, the asteroid of loyalty, intimate, serious and long term relationships and partnering. Juno is the goddess of marriage and protector of women, who was known for her loyalty and protection of women. Jupiter and Juno were a married couple. Juno is Jupiter's most prominent wife and is often depicted as a beautiful queen-consort. Juno is the queen of the gods and is worshipped as the protector of marriage and homemaking. Jupiter is also known for his infidelity and he had many other affairs lol.

When Jupiter and Juno tightly conjuncts in a synastry like this, both the juno and jupiter person wants to have a strong and powerful commitment towards each other. Jupiter brings happiness in juno person's life. Jupiter's optimistic approach in life boosts the ego and confidence of juno person. They both think they have found their 'ideal match' as Juno is extremely loyal, supportive and devoted to Jupiter person's interests and goals. Jupiter helps juno through expanding Juno's vision for their future goals and Juno helps Jupiter by grounding themselves in practical day to day life. Jupiter person also helps juno to succeed in careers to achieve BIG GOALS. Juno is tolerant of Jupiter just like a loyal, devoted and faithful wife!

Its a very stable and long lasting and perfect synastry for marrige! Jupiter brings out Juno’s desire for marriage and commitment in a big way. Juno wants to get married to Jupiter right away, like juno wants to make the 'OFFICIAL CONTRACT' immediately ! or Juno wants to desperately have a family with the Jupiter. Juno's characteristics is very protective, possesive, loyal and devoted in nature, and jupiter expands or amplifies juno's these qualities or characteristics on each other and jupiter can feel its effect.

According to this synastry, Sebby's Jupiter tightly conjuncts Ciel's Juno in libra. Libra is zodiac of relationships, ruled by Venus , the planet of Love, Beauty and Harmony! Their main focus would be their relationship with each other is their #1 priority! They prioritzie to make their relationship more lovely, harmonious, compatible, diplomatic, graceful and beautiful from both inside and outside. Sebby is very important for ciel's career and his BIG GOALS in life and they are both very loyal and devoted to each other. And Sebby helps Ciel by expanding Ciel's future vision and plans!

Venus - Mars ( ❤️‍🔥 🥵🛏️👄) : *BAD BOY ON A BIKE MEETS THE SEXY VICTORIA'S SECRET MODEL, PASSIONATE, MAGNETIC AND IRRESITIBLE ATTRACTION AT 1ST SIGHT*

'Let's fuck'....This conjunction is like a ticking time bomb 💣 💥 and the explotion of the excitement would be the bed breaking session! They can't help but to get pulled by each other to do that deed...THEY LOVE TO FLIRT WITH EACH OTHER 24/7! There is no other way to describe this dynamic! Its a great synastry to have a very , BED BREAKING LOUD SEX. ( Conjunctions and Oppositions will mostly feel this, but in oppositions fights will be frequent, trine and the sextile won't be that strong ) Especially if the man is mars and the women is venus...the bed breaking session will go on all night long! their passion is just stronger..if its the other way around the 'man' in this relationship may feel emasculated or may even feel slightly uncomfortable by the women, but the passion is still there but the women might be very forceful sexually towards the man.

This synastry doesn't give enough stability for relationships to last, but this synastry is perfect for a quick fling and passionate romance. Mars, the planet of ( very masculine energy ) Aggression, Power , Temper, hot headed, SEX, impulse, War, Aries and Scorpio ruler and Fiery planet meets the Venus, ( very feminine energy ) planet of Beauty and Love, Peace, Harmony, Joy, Luxury, Riches and Diplomacy ruler of libra and taurus.

Mars can't help or stop thinking about the passion and they also want to have Venus in their life even if its for a very short fling type thrilling relationship, MARS WANTS TO HAVE THE UPPER HAND ( like controlling or owning Venus ), MARS WANTS TO MAKE THE MOVE 1st AND IMMIDIATELY AS IF VENUS IS THE SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION STUFF WHICH WON'T STAY FOREVER IN THE MARKET ! MARS WANTS TO MERGE WITH VENUS TO FEEL THE PASSION AND THE RAW BURNING DESIRE THEY CRAVE DEEP INSIDE FOR EACH OTHER. And if Venus wants Mars as well, Venus will let Mars do whatever Mars wants...venus also secretly wants to get dominated by Mars! You know the saying goes, 'Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus'..its the merging of masculine and feminine energy we are talking about.

Even if it is between platonic relationship rather than a romantic one, the 'platonic' friends will still feel some tension...and their other friends might notice it and will tease them by saying 'u guys r so gay/lesbian for each other' lots of inappropriate touching going on between these 'platonic' friendships even if they already have a bf/gf....if its the dynamic between parent and child, they will show lots of passion and affection through touching all the time.

In this case, Sebby's Venus tightly conjuncts Ciel's Mars in Pieces. If noticed carefully Ciel always wants to have the upper hand and they are becoming very 'touchy touchy' by each manga chapter, especially it is more noticeable in the Emerald witch arc...like after waking up from the psychic trauma Ciel compensated his lost touching time with sebby as Ciel and Sebby both were excited to be able to stay 'near' each other again! Also, Mars do love get bathed by Venus!!... They were constantly flirting with each other with Victorian aesthetics in Emerald witch arc, especially when ciel was in a dress and sebby called him 'my lady' while fighting with Germans! and also the train date!...Mars CRAVES the touch of Venus!

Don't let Ciel's 13 old appearance fool you, he is very forceful and demanding towards sebby ( Its an Order SEBASTIAN! LMAO ) and Ciel CRAVES sebby's affection, excitement, passion and touch! Ciel as being a Mars in Pisces is drawn to more romantic and sensitive partners who are compassionate, creative, spiritual and will listen to him and Sebby as being a Pieces venus, he wants passion, true love, and a partner that is emotionally invested in the relationship. And Ciel exudes his passion and desire for 'revenge' and very much invested in Sebby! And we got to see the constant flirting going on between them on the lastest 212 🌹 train date🌹 chapter!

Pluto - Neptune (❤️‍🔥 🥀🖤) : *ALWAYS EVOLVING, LOOSING & FINDING EACH OTHER AGAIN THROUGH THEIR DEEP & INTENSE SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION : A THRILLING ROLLER COASTER RIDE OR A CONSTANT DEATH & REBIRTH CYCLE?*

Rarest conjunction EVER!!! It takes around 250 years ( more or less ) for Pluto to even complete 1 cycle and it takes around 165 years for Neptune to complete 1 cycle. Pluto and Neptune conjuncting like this happens only once in around 500 years!! Last time it happened in 1891 , and the next time it will happen in 2385. And it is even more rare to observe it in the synastry! Therefore, its really hard for astrologers to even describe such synastry dynamics! Both Pluto and Neptune are considered generational outer planets and they are extremely slow moving...Pluto the planet of the underworld ,the mafia boss, the thug you don't wanna mess with, always Schemeing and Plotting, death and rebirth, power to control, deep dark secrets, intense earthly desire and transformation..( lmao I always think if pluto was a person that would be that anime character from jjba Goirno Giovana like Italian mafia boss ) ...sounds very scorpionic in nature as pluto co-rules scorpio with mars...on the other hand, you have Neptune the planet of illusion, delusion, manipulation, confusion, dreams, fantasy, out of this known earthly realm ( Isekai world in anime term ), spiritualism and psychics etc etc is the theme of Neptune...Neptune rules Pisces.

When these 2 planets are in conjunction with each other in a synastry like this, Pluto person will try to dominate and control the Neptune person, Pluto wants to transform the neptune and its theme...Pluto will breakdown and destroy Neptune and will help rebuilt Neptune back better than before...now this transformation can be very painful if the Neptune person resists...the annoying thing about this transformation is that it just constantly occuring , the cycle never stops...and if the Neptune person stops the 'evolution' or does not want to transform spiritually, mentally or psychologically...they will end up having very dissapointing 'reality check' which can be very devastating and life threatening to them because Neptune is the 'Illusion' Neptune can't see past the delusion they are living in...In other words, Neptune has no other choice but to listen to pluto no matter what...if Neptune wants to transform and wants to stay committed to pluto...Pluto is very protective over Neptune person and have a very strong mental and psychological and sometimes emotional attachment to Neptune. Pluto doesn't and won't let go off the Neptune person, pluto's grasp on neptune is very tight as it wants to hold onto it desprately...it can also be other way around as well if the pluto person doesn't do what they are supposed to do, like help transforming Neptune into realigning with their reality, pluto person might get into a big trouble as the confused neptune will try to manipulate and the pluto will retaliate as pluto is very grounded into the reality and will not tolerate neptune's manipulation and psychological warfare...eventually either pluto will leave neptune alone or Pluto can stay strong keep staying 'grounded' into the reality so that it can help evolve and transform neptune as much as it is needed for neptune's realigning with the reality.

Another positive side of this synastry conjunction is that there are always a space for forming an extremely strong mental, psychological and emotional attachment with each other. Overtime they will both feel the extreme affection and empathy towards each other, if both pluto and neptune do their spiritual work and transformation and don't resist the process, instead they should trust the process, as they are both transforming spiritually. And only then they will be very affectionate and empathetic towards each other. They will also have a sense of compassion, will be able to sync with their emotional needs, they will eventually learn how to be emotionally vulnerable with each other...

In this synastry Ciel's pluto conjuncts Sebastian's Neptune. Ciel had to transform sebby mentally, psychologically, spiritually over and over again throughout their journey so far..so many trial and error going on..still the good thing is that sebby is committed...even though he was somewhat injured in the book of murder and book of atlantic...both times when he got injured, he wasn't expecting he was overconfident and slightly delusioned of his demonic superpowers...he underestimated undertaker and it cost him a lot of trouble for both ciel and him...and in the emerald green witch ark , ciel being the pluto person temporarily stops functioning due to his trauma and sebby being the neptune person tries his best with his dangerous manipulation and psychological warfare on ciel and it worked as ciel being the pluto did not tolerate his disrespectful act and retaliate back asap which was very much needed at that time...also, at the book of circus at the asthma scene ciel was embracing his own transformation and managed to overcome his fear at the end that's why sebby looked so excited... so as long as they are with each other, transformation like these will keep occuring!

Also, through that transformation, their bond keeps getting stronger through each transformation and they have gained enough empathy, affection, emotional and psychological attraction towards each other as it shows how proud ciel was when he acknowledged sebby's dedication at the end of the book of atlantic on the boat when ciel said 'You did good work today, when we reach the manor I want you to rest to serve as phantomhive butler properly'...and also when ciel woke up from psychological trauma in the green witch...they both were extremely affectinate towards each other as if its their one of the big relationship transformation...

Also, on the side note, both their pluto and neptune conjuncts at the zodiac Taurus, Taurus in pluto will be obsessed with their material possesion, finance, money, will be determined and enduring and Neptune in taurus will be very artistic, being good with food, will have a natural talent for creating beauty like pleasure seeking...both their planets conjuncting in taurus would challenge and transform their view on material possesion, pleasure seeking tendencies, money, loyalty and determination...this is exactly what we see happening during the blue revenge arc when R!ciel came back and took away everything from our ciel! And as a pluto in taurus, our ciel was extremely mad and his reaction at lau's place was extremely valid.

Juno - Ascendant (✨ 💘 ) : *ARE YOU MY HUSBAND/WIFE?*

Most common synastry among married couples!!! Its a love at 1st sight connection! When one partner's juno conjuncts the ascendant of another partner...the juno person sees the ascendant person as their ideal mate like their entire exsistance is perfect for the juno person to be considered at their significant other. Juno, as I mentioned earlier, the asteroid which is like a very loyal and devoted wife can be very possesive of their partner at well. Juno ( sebby ) person knows very well that ascendant ( ciel ) person will be very important in their life and juno dreams and even fantasies about having a life with ascendant person and how exiciting it will be...the ascendant person will immidiately realize that the juno person needs to be in a commitment with ascendant person...its a inner calling which the both juno and ascendant person realizes from deep within..both juno and the ascendant works together to succeed and accomplishing their mutual goals. Juno person is happy to provide a solid support in order to nuture ascendant person's future goals...Ascendant sees Juno as the stable and committed source of love and asc uses it to their advantages in order to achieve their desired goals...This synastry can show that the asc person feels like a wifey/hubby material to their juno partners and the juno probably proposed to them a lot or talk about marrying them every now and then. The juno person can be overly possessive and controlling over their asc partners as well.

In this synastry Sebby's juno conjuncts Ciels ascendant very tightly! And sebby shows all these possesiveness towards ciel and their small flirting here and there is a huge indicator!

Moon - Saturn ( 💏💍 ) : *I'M BOUND TO TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES ALONG WITH THIS MARRIGE*

Another really common marriage indicator between most couples...Moon the planet of emotions meets the saturn the planet of restiction, authrority and strcuture. Saturn is like a benevolent restrictive father figure and the moon is that inner child. Saturn may sometimes think that moon is really childish...Saturn isn't complaining though they are happy to take the responsibility that comes along with the moon...Saturn is very mentally and emotionally mature...and moon is very moody...which can sometimes annoy saturn....moons is always emotionally ups and downs like they are always in an emotional wave of 'feelings'...They both want the same thing in terms of commitment...Moon approaches with the commitment very emotionally and Saturn with a sense of responsibility, maturity, or practicality. Doing anything in their power to keep the bond secure. Its a really stable and long lasting synastry between married couples. This synastry is very solid and strong and provides a solid base for mutual understanding, respect and commitment between couples..

In this synastry Sebby's saturn is in conjunction with ciel's moon...even if the orbs are wider, the energy is still felt and..the moon can have wider orb in conjunction...it is very evident that how bratty can ciel get from time to time and how childishly he tests sebby just so that he can annoy him...and sebby quietly endures everything ciel throws at him along with his bratty tantrums...and how sebby is very strict with his learning lessons later on how ciel took revenge by pouring the hot tea on sebby's hands LOL so petty of being cancer moon!

Juno - Sun ( 💕💖 ) : *I WILL PROTECT YOU NO MATTER WHAT*

Devotion, loyalty and possesiveness to the maxxx!!! As I said earlier that Juno, the goddess of marriage is also very possesive, loyal and devoted.... In this synastry, juno conjuncts with the sun ( which is the ego the core personality )... Juno is very protective, possesive, loyal and devoted to the Sun person...Juno sees the sun person as their ideal mate ....the one and only...Juno's ideals and Sun person's ideals are matching with each other...They have deep understanding of each other's desires...Sun person's ego is ideal for juno person...juno finds it very attractive...Juno will do anything to protect the sun person from any harm...They have similar ideas about family, home, career and children. They are always there for each other. There is a strong sense of admiration, mutual respect and attraction towards each other. They see themselves in a committed and fulfilling relationship with each other. They have strong foundation to build a life, family and home together. This is a very strong and stable relationship for marrige..one of the common placement found in most married couples...Juno is everything the sun person could wish for to find in their ideal mate...

In this synastry, sebastian's juno conjuncts ciel's sun. Sebby would go in extra length to devote himself in order to protect ciel and there are many small small indications in the manga that sebby is possesive , loyal, devoted to ciel. Sebby will do literally anything to protect ciel like and his possesiveness shows that how panicked he gets when he sees ciel is injured ...in the green witch and the blue cult arc! Sebby so protective that he even forgets his own injury to protect ciel...that's how deeply devoted and protective this synastry aspect between juno and sun can be.

THIS IS SOO LONG!!! I did not want to make it into a huge thesis LMAO!! sorry for wasting your time! thank you for reading though😭😭😭 my other parts won't be that long...it took me 3 days to write lol...I just got carried away by their dynamic! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!! AGHH!! I felt like I had to explain astrologically!

[pebblysand]

hello! welcome to the castles playlist explanation post, part three!

<LINK TO PART ONE> <LINK TO PART TWO>

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Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa by FINNEAS: this is the era/chapter of love songs, lol. i love this one, it's so happy and symbolic of the first half of this chapter - harry and ginny enjoying the honeymoon phase haha.

Room Service by Holly Humberstone: i can't recall how i first heard this song but i always thought it had such hinny undertones of that era in castles, covering both this chapter but also the one before - this quietness of a refuge found in bedrooms and hotel rooms just the two of them. the love that transpires. i am burying the things that hurt you. i'm digging holes in the garden, babe, i made a tomb to put them in - everything. i also love the part that goes 'cause you've lost too much sleep for one lifetime - that really speaks to the two of them and their nightmares.

Rosie by Passenger: another cosy song for this cosy chapter. funny story but passenger said he wrote that song as a lullaby for his cat who was scared of the storm. it's a beautiful ballad about not worrying and being protected. i adore this song, it always gives me hope and feels whenever i hear it.

Party Tattoos by dodie: continuing with the cosy feeling, but this song is also about social anxiety and taking leaps of faith to actually do things, which i think speaks to harry and ginny finally enjoying themselves in this chapter. that being said, i mostly picked this song for this iconic line: they're not bruises, they're just party tattoos. that really spoke to me in this chapter, not in the context of the song specifically, but more in the context of the "bruises" and "wounds" that harry and ginny are working to heal together, and this concept that they're not bruises, they're just party (or maybe life) tattoos. i love that idea and the metaphor, which is why i included the song here.

Petite Marie by Francis Cabrel: and, again, we finish with a love song. probably one of the most beautiful of all. sorry for those who don't speak french, you're missing something. je viens du ciel et les étoiles entre elles ne parlent que de toi. (i come from the sky and amongst themselves, the stars only speak of you.)

Young In America by Barns Courtney: i (obviously) love barns courtney, and i think this song is the perfect theme song to the beginning of this chapter, which centres on harry & ginny towards the end of their "honeymoon" phase and into adulting. there's their relationship and their jobs and the stability they both were so eager for. i love this song because it carries both this aspect of nostalgia (they were indeed, once upon a time, "young in america") but also this satisfaction of "two kids from nothing, guess we did alright - my dear, my dear". i love both aspects of the song, and it fits remarkably well with the start of this chapter.

as good a reason by Paris Paloma: ah. if you're on tiktok, i'm sure you already know this song. funnily enough, i knew the song already when i wrote this chapter, but i wrote the "spite" line without it being a reference to the song in my head. it's just a few weeks later when i was listening to paris paloma and was like oh. was it a dormant thought in my head? maybe. but also, i think for a very long time when writing castles, people kept asking me what drove me to kept going and my default response was "spite" lol. so, maybe both things inspired ginny's quote haha. it's a very castles-y song, regardless.

Suic*de by Ren: this song is two things. first, it's the very literal inspiration for the suicide scene at the bridge in castles. but i also really wanted it in the playlist because it really relates to post-war harry as well. "treading on the tracks at the nighttime, it never felt like the right time." i've obsessed over a lot of Ren lines over the years (he's such a haunting writer, some of his stuff makes me angry i didn't write it) but that concept of "it never felt like the right time" is so quintessential to harry's self-harm tendencies in the fic, and lily's later on. i sort of imagine her walking around london listening to this song after she comes home, and it never feels like the right time for her either.

Rupture by Laurie Darmon: this song is SO CLEVER. i remember listening to it the first time and being blown away. the rhyming!!! ugh it's so good. the story of a break up. obviously, this is one is for Hermione.

Dial Drunk by Noah Kahan: aaaand, this one is for Ron, haha.

Queenstown by Passenger: aaaaand, this one is or Harry & Ginny haha. i love the mood of this, but i also like that it's a break up song cause it also reflects the situation of Ron & Hermione. it's two birds with one stone, really.

Chalk Outlines by Ren & CHINCHILLA: can you tell i was going through my Ren obsession while writing 18 & 19 😅? i like to think of this song as the one playing to harry and hermione talking on the couch, when she says she's not alright. the recurrence of trauma and all.

Him by Lily Allen: obviously, the one for the end of this chapter.

You And Whose Army? by Radiohead: this song is two things. firstly, it's an intensely Peaky Blinders song, which obviously is a show that heavily inspired this fic. secondly, obviously, in the context of this fic, it refers to 9/11, and the illusion of fighting back. i love the tone of the song, the sort of jokingly derisive tune to the angry lyrics. it's pathetic almost, the best contrast.

Lion by Saint Mess: i think this song works so well for both that era of war and post-9/11 mess, but also for the world cup? Ginny's success as a Quidditch player? i love it.

Big Weenie by Eminem: hahaha this is a funny diss song. i like to think this is Ginny finally getting her "revenge" on the press during the world cup.

Sick Boi by Ren: ugh. you get a YT link here because Ren is unfortunately in a petty copyright dispute with the guy who did the beat for this, thus the song has been taken off Spotify. obviously, listened to this absolutely on LOOP while writing the second part of this chapter.

Eat Your Young by Hozier: this song is obviously fairly recent but it applies so well to all the wars and conflicts that have been happening since 01, really. it works for Iraq... so well. music to listen as Harry brainwashes himself.

How to Be Me by Ren & CHINCHILLA: uggggggh. 😭. tears, tears, tears, hot tears. very self-explanatory - Harry at his lowest point, really.

La Corrida by Francis Cabrel: fellow french people, you may wonder, why the f is this here? right? well, i will say one thing: je les entends rire comme je râle, je les vois danser comme je succombe, je pensais pas qu'on puisse s'amuser autant autour d'une tombe. voila, voila ✌🏻😅.

Kabul Shit by Lily Allen: this one is obvious. it's one of my favourite, most-listened-to Lily songs, it's tragedy that it was only the B-side to the Japanase edition of The Fear or something. i stole her wording of we'll blame it on the terror, also known as religion, in the fic itself.

La Boulette (Génération Nan Nan) by Diam's: lmao, such a 00s song but also, you know, she had a point. justice for Mélanie. me demande pas ce qui les pousse à casser des vitrines, j'suis pas la mairie 💀.

Wake Me up When September Ends by Green Day: well, isn't this one self-explanatory? Green Day, 9/11, the war in Iraq. everything.

Rockabye by Clean Bandit, Sean Paul & Anne-Marie (cover by Ely Lee): i wish i could have used the "real" song here but i couldn't find an acoustic version and the actual beat of song doesn't really fit the mood. the lyrics do, but i had to settle on the instrumental. to me, it plays in the background of the end scene at the end of the chapter 🥰.

La liste by Rose: i think this song sort of carries one the happy, loving vibes of the end of last chapter/beginning of this one. the list of everything i want to do with you. i love the musicality of this song, and also the avoir une petite fille bit of the list, which in my head was always also a nod to lily.

"99" by Barns Courtney: i LOVE this song for this chapter, it works SO WELL with the whole happy-we're-having-a-baby vibes at the start of the chapter, but also the nod to "we're gonna live like it's 1999". to me, it's a direct callback to the trip to the US, followed by their "honeymoon" period. it makes me so happy. they've literally living like it's 1999.

Hi Ren by Ren: and.... the crash, lol. i really hesitated to include this song here. i think on the one hand, the actual subject matter (Ren's struggling artist vibes) is obviously very off-topic. on the other hand, i love how this song deals with the recurrence of darkness in our lives, to me it's the barn creeping back in after so many months of harry just being like "oh, it's great, we're having a baby, etc." it also has a lot of quotes that were so key in the crafting of castles, and which fit so well that it needed to be there. i also love the message of hope at the end, it's foreshadowing of the end of the story itself: life is hard sometimes, but we rebuild, you know? that line "some people might know me as hope, some people know me as the voice that you hear when you loosen the noose on the rope" just lives rent-free in my head and also reflects on harry's somewhat suicidal tendencies. this song was very important in writing the end of castles, and its last arc.

Tu connais by Volo: i got obsessed with that song as i was writing chapters 20 and 21. it deals with the idea of getting into a relationship and learning to know (like, really know) someone. there is that beautiful quote in it which i ended up rewriting but stealing the concept of in chapter 21: si c'est le temps qui passe qui fait qu'on se connait, je veux que le temps passe et ne s'arrête jamais. (if it is time that means we know each other, i want time to pass and never stop). i love this as a song that ties the concept of the very intimate conversation harry and ginny have at the end about ginny's parents and harry's upbringing, and the kind of parents they want to be. there's really such a trust between them to be able to talk about these things, i just absolutely love it.

Mon p'tit gars by Christophe Maé: i know, i know. look. it's sweet, okay? je te vois comme un grand guerrier qui rit aux éclats devant toute une armée. pour demain je ne souhaiterais qu'une chose, que tu laisses tomber les soldats 🥹

Golden by Barns Courtney: i think this song sort of continues the theme of the previous chapter, the sweet, loving bliss of harry and ginny being happy and forming their family. the days were most things are good, happy and golden.

Till Forever Falls Apart by Ashe & FINNEAS: again, same vibe. this idea that if the end of the world hits, we're together and nothing else matters. i also love the "current-ness" of this song, the fact that yeah, a lot of things are not great on the outside (here, the end of the world - in the fic, terrorism and Iraq and the financial crisis, etc.) but we've had this time together and we're in love and i'll know i had the best time falling into love. i think it's also pretty representative of harry and ginny choosing to have kids and choosing to raise them in a world they're trying to make better little by little.

Hometown Glory by Adele: there's two London songs in this section of the playlist. this one is a bit sadder but also a lot letter, and i sort of see it as the background music for the scene at the beach.

Money Game by Ren: i chose this song for the more political angle of this chapter. the conservatives coming into power, kicking Kingsley out, but also later in the chapter: corruption coming in, then getting ousted again, etc. there's also all of quidditch money politics. it covers a lot haha.

Sad Season by Crying Day Care Choir: ah, the wedding. i love this song so much. it's so castles!hinny.

Je l'aime à mourir by Francis Cabrel: another wedding song. if you are spanish-speaking, you probably know a very different-sounding version of this song haha. this is the original, and it's again a very, very beautiful love song. i love the undertone re:ginny as well. je suis le gardien du sommeil de ses nuits and elle a fait de ma vie des éclats de rire and elle a du faire toutes les guerres de la vie. 🥹 (i am the guardian of her sleep at night // she turned my life into bursts of laughter // she has had to fight of all life's wars).

London by Mackenzy Macday: this is them choosing London in spite of everything, isn't it? also a bit political, which obviously wraps into the rest of this chapter as well.

Birds That Flew and Ships That Sailed by Passenger: idk, i'm kind of feeling this song in line with harry's crisis of confidence in his career? for the most part i forgot what i wanted anyway? it's maybe the theme to his turning-thirty crisis.

Rome by Solann: god. solann. if you're french and on tiktok, you've probably heard this song too much already. think of her as the french Paris Paloma, haha. the female rage. i also love the slow build of the song. i see it as the bridge between this chapter and the next. the lyrics are SO GOOD. it makes me mad i didn't write it. j'me sens comme un agneau qui dit pardon au loup d'avoir été trop lent à lui offrir son coup 😭. (i feel like a lamb apologising to the wolf, for being too slow in offering its neck) // les putes comme moi portent les rêves des hommes (whores like me carry the dreams of men) // and this one especially for ginny: certains me doivent des mea culpa à genoux mais préfèrent cracher leurs venins debout et je mangerai leur langue si c'est le prix du silence. (some owe me mea culpas on their knees but prefer spitting their venom standing, and i will eat their tongues, if that's the price of silence). i love her so much.

De honte et de pardon by Coeur de Pirate: i've always loved this song - the melody and the melancholy of its lyrics - ever since hearing it on Beatrice's album when it first came out. but, for a long time, i didn't understand what it was about. it sounded a lot like an abusive relationship, where the abusive partner may have caused a miscarriage or something (tes lèvres quittent les miennes, te rappelles-tu les siennes, celles qui n'ont jamais pu énoncer ton nom), and the guilt the female victim felt about it, not being able to prevent the death of the baby, but it never quite fit. actually, i discovered listening to an interview semi-recently that this song is about #metoo. Beatrice dated someone who was later accused of SA on someone else and she wrote this song relating her feelings about it. it's true that the lyrics make a lot more sense like this, but also, god is it beautiful. et quand surviennent leurs cris, dans l'air du temps, l'enfer sourit car tu as usé de mes peurs pour taire ses pleurs (and when they start screaming, in today's times, hell smiles because you used my fears to quiet her tears). i wanted to open the playlist for this chapter with it because it's topical, and because it tells the story, really.

Seven Sins by Ren: whilst there are some lyrics of this that resonate with this chapter (Ren is all about trauma, generally, and this is about trauma lol), i think what really mattered for me with this song for this chapter is the rhythm of it. i listened to it on quasi-loop when i was writing, especially the first part before ginny makes the decision to write the book (and the second part before the book comes out). i wanted this sort of relentless, endless, breathless pace to the words and the story, which you have in the song, figuring how "everything's alright" but also everything's not, and #metoo is like nagging and nagging and nagging at them before the explosion. it's haunting and it's a loop of a beat that sounds very quick and siren-y, and won't leave you alone. i don't know if i succeeded, but i basically wanted the chapter to sound like this.

Encore et encore by Francis Cabrel: (yes, all of Cabrel's classics seem to be in this playlist, sue me, my mum is from the south-west, okay??💀). the one thing i will say about this song is: yes, i know it's about a car accident. which, sort of beautifully overshadowed lily's story too. but if you speak french, i urge you to re-listen this song with ginny and amycus in your mind. like, literally every verse is so on point. [1] t'entends à chaque fois que tu respire, comme un bout de tissu qui se déchire. (...) les heures s'allongent comme les semaines, tu te retrouves assise par terre, à bondir à chaque bruit de portière. (you hear every time you breathe, like a piece of fabric tearing. (…) the hours lengthen like the weeks, you find yourself sitting on the ground, jumping at every sound of a door.) [2] la même nuit que la nuit d'avant, les mêmes endroits, deux fois trop grands. t'avances comme dans les couloirs, tu t'arranges pour éviter les mirroirs. (the same night as the night before, the same places, twice too big. you move forward in the corridors, you manage to avoid the mirrors.) [3] faudrait que t'arrives à en parler au passé, faudrait qu'tarrives à ne plus penser à ça. faudrait qu'tu l'oublies à longueur de journées. dis toi qu'il est de l'autre côté du pôle, dis toi surtout qu'il ne reviendra pas. (you should learn to talk about it in the past tense -- yes, i stole this from the song -- you should learn to stop thinking about it. you should forget about him all day long. tell yourself that he is on the other side of the pole, tell yourself above all that he will not come back. 😭) like, even the last verse that is more about missing him is on point [4] tu comptes les chances qu'il te reste, un peu de son parfum sur ta veste. tu avais dû confondre les lumières d'une étoile et d'un réverbère. (you count the chances you have left, a little bit of his perfume left on your jacket. you must have confused the lights of a star and a street lamp.) to me, it even roots to the slight empathy she has for him and the weird sadness of the realisation that this wasn't what she thought it was. and the overall loneliness in the choruses as well!!! i just fucking love it!

Unattractive by SOFIA ISELLA: i've always found it interesting that i didn't get a single comment (literally not one) about what to me, is probably both the worst scene i've ever written in terms of how much it makes my skin crawl, and one of the most important, for many reasons. the "day after" scene. i think it's because it's such a horrible scene that no one wants to talk about it. totally respect it, though i would love to one day have the excuse to do a line by line commentary haha. anyway, this song is the mood, isn't it?

hell is a teenage girl by Nessa Barrett: or, the revenge of a former teenage girl, perhaps. there, ginny decides to write the book.

Martyre de la cause by Mathilde: ah. this was very important in the way i envisaged ginny's decision to write and to speak out. c'est avec joie que je serai une martyre de la cause (it's with joy that i'll be a martyr of the cause). the fight she chooses to take on cause she can't not anymore. a very gryffindor song.

I Am Here by P!nk: i love P!nk. i went to see her live in Dublin a few months ago (a bit before writing this chapter) and idk, when she sung it live, this song in my head resonated with the last part of this chapter, this sort of feeling of "we are here, we're alive, we've made it"? that's how i see it.

La symphonie des éclairs by Zaho de Sagazan: not only is this such a beautiful ode to life and emotion and just thriving through the clouds, but it's also in my head the song harry and ginny dance to at the end. i know it came out too late so it's not contemporary, but fuck it.

The Age Of Anxiety by Jamie Cullum: jamie cullum is one of my first musical loves - my mother is a fan. i basically grew up on his early jazz stuff. i remember hearing that song for the first time when it came out, and i think i've rarely ever connected with a song the very moment i heard it. the phrase "i've kept all my texts from amy" haunts me. obviously fits with this chapter and its overall theme for obvious reasons.

What They'll Say About Us by FINNEAS: this song was very important in writing some of the castles chapters, especially IIRC chapter 17/18, but i also felt like it never quite "fit" the playlist at the time. it's a covid song, also a political song. actually about BLM but i think you can also liken it to hermione's campaign and first few months/years in office here. the hope and need for political change, but also the shortcomings. and, obviously, covid. i think the theme of death can also be likened to the war in Mongolia and the will to fight for freedom - it fits rather well here.

Another Love by Tom Odell: i am baffled that this song, which i've frankly adored for about a decade, has taken on a second life on tiktok as a rebel song. it's bizarre - clearly, it's not a rebel song haha - but it works? so, anyway, i really wanted to have this in for the mongolia episode, and its parallels with ukraine, gaza, iran, etc.

Knife by Lenii: i added this song the other day, i was looking for a "transition song" between the first part (mongolia, politics, etc.) and the second (the protest and its aftermath). this one was in my top songs for 2023, and obviously, it fit for the harry/hermione situation 😅.

Police On My Back by The Clash: this one is obvious. here goes the protest haha.

Police (Live) by Suprême NTM: lmao. okay. so another french rap song about how much the police sucks. it's a classic. i think i love this version even more because it's a live that was recorded very recently (the band is originally from the late 90s) and 1) it has the "assassins de la police" loop which wasn't in the original version but 2) (and most importantly) the end just KILLS me. the way Joey Starr is like, after everything (and especially, there's a lot of NTM lore, like the rappers have been arrested more times than i can count - not really good people, in fairness), "après bon, c'est comme les transports en commun, on en a b'soin" (but then it's like public transport, you kind of need them" 💀. i feel like it's this adult take on this very very angry anti-police song that they wrote 30 years ago and really symbolises the whole growing up theme of castles, and harry's situation here. it'll never not make me laugh.

Medieval by FINNEAS: harry's press and publicly downfall, obviously.

One of the Brightest Stars by James Blunt: you know what, i think my most controversial musical take is that i actually love James Blunt. i'm sorry. i think this song is so, so beautiful. same theme as the previous one.

Love Music, Pt. 4 by Ren: i was looking for a "comeback" song, and i think this one really resonates with the moment. it's not really the topic, it's more the tone. i love the way it starts with this blasé "alright. love music pt4" i think it's very harry in that moment when he's sort of dealing with coming "back" and taking over cashcow - at the beginning, it's a bit defeated and blasé, then he ends up actually liking it. i think it really works here, and it's a fun song, in the end.

Not Afraid by Eminem: same thing with the comeback, and i had originally but Without Me in the playlist here, but upon reflection, i think it's more of not afraid comeback here? again, a bit more hurt and jaded, but also a bit more political? like, im not afraid to take a stand? there's something a bit more harry/hermione here. a bit more deep. to me it's the continuation of the love music pt4 vibes.

Doom Days by Bastille: i would not be surprised if this turns out to be my top song of 2024 on spotify. i see it as the end song, the harry and hermione reconciliation, and the vibe of believing in it again. doing the right thing. having each other, at least.

Intros & Narrators by Bastille: i'd previously decided i wouldn't put two songs by the same artist in a row but all rules are meant to be broken. this one came out just in time for me to finish story. this one isn't really about castles, it's about me. i guess i'm allowed one song on here.

On the Flip of a Coin by The Streets: this song, weirdly, has always been about the cave in HPB. i thought it was a good full circle moment for this chapter, it's incredible topical as a song, and also because the streets are mentioned on here. two birds one stone.

Mistral Gagnant by Renaud: if you are french, you already know why this is here. in fact, you'd have been disappointed if it wasn't. if you're not french, i'm sorry, this is most beautiful song in the world, and therefore it is untranslatable. te dire que les méchants c'est pas nous (...) te raconter enfin qu'il faut aimer la vie, l'aimer même si le temps est assassin et emporte avec lui les rires des enfants, et les mistral gagnants. it's the background song to the first godric's hollow scene for me.

Two Tales by Passenger: this song played one random night as i was walking my dog. i knew it, but had never really paid attention to it. it was the song that gave me the idea for lily going to war (and for the scene of her getting into a car accident). i can't explain it, it was a lightbulb moment. to me, one of the most foundational songs in the whole of this playlist. we've kept her bedroom exactly the same, winters they followed and summers they came. he'd bash around, banging down on the floor, i sit alone with an eye on the door.

Joséphine by Volo: i think the spotify algorithm fed this song to me cause it's my first name cause i don't know any other songs by this artist. i would say, without hyperbole, that apart from the title song castle, this song is probably the most important and foundational in for this story in this playlist, specifically in the idea of the intergenerational trauma, etc. basically, there's that one quote in it that says: je ne t'espère ma puce même pas de fleuve tranquille, j'en demanderai pas plus et même si ça existe, comme tu devras bien sûr apprendre à être triste ("i don't even wish for a quiet river for you, my darling, i won't ask for more and even if it exists, as you will of course have to learn to be sad"). this concept of kids having to "learn to be sad" was incredibly important in me coming up with the last chapter and in the whole direction of the fic, and it's of course a quote that both harry and ginny say/think at different points of the fic. that sentence has haunted me for years, and is basically one of the main reasons i wrote this fic.

The Isle of Arran by Loyle Carner: full disclosure, i'm a massive loyle carner fan, i saw him play live last summer and it was honestly one of the best experiences of my life. i actually remember playing this song a lot as i was writing the beginning of castles, but idk, it never quite fit into the playlist. then as i was writing last august, i guess it came back to me when lily mentions loyle carner (shameless self-insert here i'll admit) and i actually think this song fits very well here. it's about faith and death, and hanging on through tough experiences, in my head, i see it as the lily-going-to-war song, and potentially also her finally coming back? there's - again - something very full circle about this.

Mockingbird by Eminem: i mean. do i need to explain that one? this song has haunted me for twenty years. hailie's recently said this song always makes her cry and i was thinking to myself, like: imagine that song being about you? it's wild to me.

U-Turn (Lili) by AaRON: french people - do you remember that song?? it was everywhere! it was in a film or something, right? anyway, it's wildly on point here as lily comes back.

Passing Afternoon by Iron & Wine: i have always LOVED this song every since it featured on House, though i can never quite tell what it's about. i love the she chose a yard to burn but the ground remembers her for lily coming home and rebuilding the house in godric's hollow. there's a sense of peace and finding you Place in that song, physical and in the world (also, the phrase "our endless numbered days" haunts me) - idk, i just love that song and it felt right, here. she's chosen to believe in the hymns her mother sings - i love the parallel between lily and ginny too.

Pink Skies (feat. Watchhouse) by Zach Bryan & Watchhouse: idk, this song is both so off topic but also so spot on. it's not the funeral thing - it's the vibe. this is the kids' closure, i feel. it's the kids all grown up and okay 😭. it's harry walking back into the house - everything. i particularly like the extra watchhouse verse: your pocket knife, it went missing, i think we know who got that one. you used to let her cut the ribbons on all her own presents - it made me nervous but now i see we just taught different lessons. this is so beautiful and so very harry&lily.

Tea & Toast by Lucy Spraggan: this song is basically the same vibe as the one before - but very british haha. it makes me tear up everytime. so symbolic of castles, the sunshine through the tough times. this is to me such a harry/ginny song - it's the perfect ending for them. that's their closure.

Arose by Eminem: and, lastly, i suppose, harry's closure. this is a harry fic, so it's fitting. this song is part 2 of the title song, castle, with a happier ending this time. it's throwing the pills in the toilet. now, i know.

[sebaztianlovesgeek]

(don't read if you don't want to be spoiled for Black Butler or JoJo's Bizarre Adventure part 1)

The best thing about being both a black butler AND a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fan is because of the potential the 2 stories have in a crossover fan fiction.

Think about it, JoJo's part 1 (Phantom Blood) and the first few arcs of Black Butler take place IN THE EXACT SAME YEAR (1888), they also take place in the same country and the same city and they both have sort of the same supernatural and horror elements in it.

Not to mention in both stories there's a part where the characters are on a happy boat cruise and suddenly a bunch of zombies start attacking them.

I think the only thing that drives these 2 universes apart is the fact that Jack The Ripper is different in both stories. In Black Butler he (or she) is both Madame Red and Grell working together, in JoJo's he's just a random dude who later is turned into a zombie by Dio (and then is killed within like 5 minutes lol).

But I guess that can just be excused by saying Dio found the wrong Jack the Ripper and just found a random guy who coincidentally also killed prostitutes, and meanwhile Grell and Madame Red were doing their own thing.

I'm honestly very confused why I barely see any JoJo's x Black Butler fan fiction, I'm not sure if it's me just not looking hard enough or if not many JoJo fans are also fans of Black Butler or vice versa. I've met some people who are both JoJo and Black Butler fans (mostly online since where I come from, anime and manga, especially less popular stories like Black Butler, aren't well known) but most of the time when I meet someone who is a fan of one of these, it's just the one and not both.

Anyways, I'd also just love to see the interactions between the Black Butler and JoJo characters. I know a lot of the characters in JoJo's part 1 are less memorable than those in other parts, the only really memorable characters are JoJo, Dio, Speedwagon and Zeppeli, and sometimes people can remember Erina, Poco, Dire and Straizo but they usually only remember the first 4.

(I actually like a lot of the Phantom Blood characters, and despite it being one of my least favourite JoJo parts I still like it, I love the aesthetic of it, plus if Phantom Blood never happened we would have never gotten better parts like Stardust Crusaders or Diamond Is Unbreakable.)

Black Butler, meanwhile, has a wide range of amazing and memorable characters, though this is probably because Black Butler is a lot longer than JoJo's part 1 for obvious reasons:

Phantom blood was the first part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and is the shortest part, in the anime only being 9 episodes long while most parts are 20-40 episodes long, JoJo's is a story told through different parts which usually take place years and eras apart, every part also often takes place in different countries and every part the main character (or as the JoJo fandom knows them as... The JoJo's) changes because each part is the story of someone descendant of the Joestar family.

So therefore in each part we mostly get new characters and only a few reoccurring ones.

Black Butler was designed to only be told within one whole big story line, with the same main characters, therefore we'd be seeing the same characters every arc, the story mostly takes place in one main setting (London city, England) but on occasion the settings can change:

Like when Ciel and Sebastian joined the circus and left the city, the anime only version when they went to Paris, the emerald witch arc which takes place in Germany, we also sometimes get flashbacks to other countries like India.

So how would the Black Butler and JoJo's characters interact?

This question can be interpreted in many ways depending on how you see the characters from both stories.

Ciel and Jonathan are quite similar, they're both rich nobles who live in Victorian era London, their parents died, their mansion burned to the ground, their brother is an antagonist in their story. Heck they both even have blue hair (well in the anime for JoJo's at least because apparently in the manga Jonathan's hair is brown).

Personality wise though, Jonathan and Ciel are very different. Jonathan is a kind, loyal gentleman who just wants to protect his friends, family and the innocent, meanwhile Ciel has experienced a lot of trauma from a young age, his family was killed, he was kidnapped, abused, watched his twin brother die, made a deal with a demon who only wants his soul and so much more I could write a whole other post on.

Because of this trauma Ciel, despite being 12-14 is a cold, miserable, depressed and sometimes a bit cruel.

Of course Jonathan went through a lot trauma during Phantom Blood but since most of it didn't happen when he was a child, him and Ciel react to their traumatic pasts differently.

Jonathan would probably want Ciel to open up to him, but Ciel just isn't having it, this could lead to some interesting dialogue between the 2 protagonists because of how similar but also different they are character and personality wise.

What about other characters, more evil characters such as Dio and Sebastian?

Now I don't think these 2 would get along, because since in my mind Ciel would be an ally to Jonathan, Dio would want to be rid of him as well, so Sebastian would have to protect Ciel at all costs.

However, these 2 are both supernatural creatures (Sebastian being a demon and Dio being a vampire) so they'd probably like.. I dunno tease each other when fighting? Like they wouldn't just be yelling angrily at each other they'd make fun of each other.

(okay maybe Dio would yell angrily if he starts to lose because in Phantom Blood he's a bit of a manchild compared to him in Stardust Crusaders in my opinion, I don't hate Dio, he's in fact my favourite JoJo's character ever but we can definitely see how his character developed after all the mistakes he made in Phantom Blood)

Sebastian probably knows about the existence of vampires, the mask, hamon and the pillar men, he's existed for thousands of years afterall, possibly since time began itself, heck he may have even been friends with some pillar men.

I don't think demons are affected by hamon, since hamon comes from the sun and we see Sebastian and other demon characters are definitely NOT affected by the sun unlike vampires.

Undertaker and Grell would probably both be interested in Dio, for different reasons.

Grell would probably be attracted to Dio romantically and sexually, because...

1: she's a simp

2: Dio is canonically very charismatic and handsome which is why he literally has so many servants and minions in part 3

Dio would probably be annoyed by Grell, but Grell is a fairly useful and strong character with her being a grim reaper and her thirst for blood, so he'd probably manipulate her and just try to put up with Grell being an obnoxious fangirl

Undertaker would probably be interested in Dio's ability to turn people into zombies, I don't think he'd want to join Dio's side but he'd probably do it anyways for his own gain. He wants more knowledge on the cinematic records, he may even kill one of the zombies to see what their cinematic records are like, if they ended when they became a zombie or if they continue since they're neither dead or alive. Undertaker also wants to get inspiration for his own bizarre dolls and how to make them more life like.

The grim reapers in general probably also know about vampires and hamon (though I'm not sure if they'd know about the history with the stone masks and pillar men) and would probably treat them the same way they treat demons, obnoxious creatures who interfere with soul collection.

You're probably wondering "But vampires and demons are not the same, the reason the grim reapers hate demons is because they eat souls, and therefore don't let the grim reapers collect them. Vampires don't eat souls, they drink blood"

Well I feel like when vampires turn people into zombies, it sort of corrupts both of the cinematic records and the soul, the zombies still have records and a soul, but after being turned they're just broken and not worthy of the reaper's time unless it's for experimental reasons when it comes to characters like Undertaker.

I feel like if Black Butler and Phantom Blood were to ever have a spin off crossover anime show (which definitely will NEVER happen because they're both owned by different companies and both Hirohiko Araki and Yana Toboso probably wouldn't have an interest in that, but pretend we're in an alternative time line where Araki and Toboso's works are owned by the same companies and they are both very interested in each others works and have all the legal rights to make a crossover series) It would definitely be a lot longer than Phantom Blood, not as long as Black Butler is but probably about 20 episodes+ , I'm not sure how many seasons or arcs there would be, but I'm guessing 1 or 2 seasons and a few arcs.

So I'm guessing they would be in Japan specifically, in other countries? Well despite me coming from the same country as Jonathan and Ciel (England) both Black Butler and JoJo's are sadly not that popular here, it's a pain in the arse trying to find merchandise for both animes even in anime based shops, the most I usually find of them is manga, and even then they usually don't even have majority of the volumes.

Would it be popular? Well JoJo's and Black Butler in Japan are rather popular (JoJo's is definitely a lot MORE popular with some describing it as around the same amount of popularity as Star Wars does in the West in Japan, but Black Butler is fairly popular as well, I'm guessing JoJo's is more popular because it's been around since the mid 80's and Black Butler has been around since the mid-late 2000's)

I just think this whole concept is really cool and I'll probably talk about it a lot

[villain-in-love]

2 and 10 for the general self ship ask game!!! Also 8, if you're interested in answering it! I'm just curious if you have any crushes or potential f/os, I'd love to hear about it! 👀

(Also doesn't need to be about Touchstarved, but while you're posting about it... you made me realise I have a small teeny-tiny crush on Vere lmao. I hate that sly fox boy. It's an awesome game from what I've seen in the demo, love that you're getting interested in it!)

Okay, I'm back again and ready to answer this!

2. Two headcanons/facts-- one from your newest F/O and one from the oldest.

Oh my gods… Ciel! Come back here, I need you again!

Thistle: Once again, a headcanon based on what I saw in canon... I think that Thistle does, in fact, have a sense of humour, it's just pretty dark. His idea of making jokes as a jester was mostly insulting people in creative ways (well, still is). And I feel like that gag of presenting dead main characters as dishes in reverse to what they've been doing to his monsters is also a perfect example of what Thistle thinks is funny (I'm convinced that it would have been his idea)

Ciel: ...if I had a nickel for every time Ciel set a building with children on fire, I would have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but funny how that happened twice. To be fair, he only meant to kill everyone the first time. The next time the idea was to just force everyone out of the building. But still.

10. Please rave about your F/O(s)! Why you like them, why they like you, a fact or headcanon you haven't shared, whatever you'd like to answer with! (:

Can we talk about Xerxes Break? Let’s talk about Xerxes Break, because we should definitely talk about Xerxes Break.

One thing that not many people understand, but also the thing that I adore about him, is how he doesn’t give a single flying fuck about being socially appropriate. So, he wouldn't try particularly hard to maintain a decorum and act nice, if he doesn’t like you - he will let you know. This man must not be allowed to hang around the high society, yet there he is. Insulting nobles.

And take a look at this:

Break can either say things politely with a sourest face, or smile pleasantly while telling you to go fuck yourself (Words cannot describe how much Break hates Vincent)

Or sometimes he will just insult you through his doll, as if it wasn't him, just because he can.

It's actually canon that he has... questionable reputation. It was mentioned by Sharon in one of the chapters, that Break's colleagues in Pandora talk behind his back because of his arrogance and shitty attitude...

I just think it's funny how, of all things, this is the type of situation where Xerxes almost always choses to tell the truths of what he thinks.

He's so mean and rude, I'm in love with him.

8. Anyone you don't have an F/O but like (be it a crush or just affinity)? Why aren't they an F/O? Can you imagine them ever being one? Why or why not?

For the record: it’s been almost a year since I got into Touchstarved, actually. I just didn’t talk much about it before… Partly because it’s still in development and I prefer not to run ahead of the train and get too invested in the fanon (of which most of the fandom consists right now), to avoid getting disappointed when canon information will get revealed. So for now I am eagerly awaiting the day of the release, because the game IS amazing, and I need more of it.

So. Kuras and Mhin. Since I myself actually want to clarify what is going on.

As I already said, the two criteria needed for a f/o is this: 1. I have to be in love with the character; 2. I have to be able to create a proper lore for the self ship with them.

And, well, because the game is still in development, Kuras and Mhin have yet to fulfil those criteria... But I am indeed attracted to them, even if not as intensely as to my official f/os, so right now they are placed in the separate list of crushes.

To be honest, I do have some ideas for self ships with them already, and I already have a s/i... Just not enough to consistently make content about it here – not enough information, I don’t even know how the plot of the game will go and who they truly are as people!..

But. If you are curious, I can surely post more about them, my Touchstarved s/i, and my ideas for the ships!

P.S. Crushing on Vere, huh? Funnily enough, he's a favourite character of my best friend, but I myself like him the least out of the main cast. Though that's mainly because I find him so difficult to deal with. As a character, I think Vere is great (and frustratingly pretty), it's just that I don't understand him at all... However! I am now curious of how you perceive him and what could be his dynamic with your s/i.

[someidiotwithalaptop]

In today's installment of unnecessarily complicated bullshit coded by your local compsci reject at 5am: literally every* rwby ship tag ID on AO3

If you've ever wanted to be able to search for all fics tagged with an OT3 or all three of its composite pairings, well. uh. here's how to do it

Long post incoming!

Tag IDs are unique numbers associated with each tag, and if you chuck this:

filter_ids: 12345

into the "Search within results" field on AO3 (or "Any field" if you're in the Advanced search), it will filter for all fics that have tag #12345. This is basically useless unless you know what numbers go to which tags (we'll get to that in a sec), but if you do, then you can do fun stuff like this:

filter_ids: 1072769 OR filter_ids: 994409

(Which translates to Bumbleby OR Whiterose)

This lets you search for fics with either tag A or tag B instead of only fics that have both. Afaik not something the nice filtering UI is able to do.

Searching for Bumbleby AND Whiterose just involves tossing two of those "filter_ids" thingies into the search together like this:

filter_ids: 1072769 filter_ids: 994409

You can also combine them like so:

(filter_ids: 1072769 filter_ids: 1325904 filter_ids: 1059208) OR filter_ids: 2397525

((Bumbleby AND Freezerburn AND Monochrome) OR Bees Schnees)

to look for all fics with either both of the first two tags or the second tag. I've been messing around with this a bit and so far it's been letting me make my searches as long and complicated as I want.

(EDIT: okay so trying to put 683 tag filters in at the same time will return an error...)

Anyways, getting back to what the fuck are these numbers even, I put an explanation of how I found them over here (sort of, in practice I used python to do most of the legwork because jESUS FUCK THERE'S OVER 2,000 OF THEM). But for those who don't want to spend ages poking around in html code, I present:

The Fuckoff Giant Text File Of RWBY Relationship Tag IDs

It should be possible to download it if you'd like, but at least for me google docs is willing to show a searchable preview! Just hit ctrl+F and type in the ship you're looking for.

Keep in mind that these are mostly** going to be listed the way the canonical tag appears on AO3, i.e. "Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long" will get a hit, but "Yang Xiao Long/Blake Belladonna" is not in the giant text file at all.

**(I did get rid of parentheticals clarifying the fandom, i.e. "Summer Rose (RWBY)/Reader" is listed as just "Summer Rose/Reader")

Also, these are sorted by tag ID, so this is (I think???) a list of every ship tag in this fandom in chronological order of when they were first tagged, since the tag IDs are assigned sequentially.

*(this file contains every single ship to the best of my knowledge. I probably did miss some and I could only scrape the ones that had already been created at the time but. but.

Amber/Ilia Amitola/Blake Belladonna/Maria Calavera/Elm Ederne/Pyrrha Nikos/Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose/Salem/Weiss Schnee/Ciel Soleil/Emerald Sustrai: 101267707

but I REALLY DID GET A LOT)

so uh. yeah! someone take python away from me askjdflskjdf

[abybweisse]

The think I don't like about rciel mastermind theory is that it just ....doesn't make sense. I'm not saying rciel is a good person or not but he was a child and also it's very predictable and a boring storyline,I think there is much more behind the fire of that day, but I do think maybe he knew somethings maybe he had over heard things because of his expression is some panels. But overall the idea of a 10 year old planing and bringing down his own family is just a bit funny to me😂

RCMT nonsense?

Yeah, it really doesn't make much sense. Of course, there are different versions of the theory, but they usually include some type of secret deal being made between real Ciel and the queen or her servants, and -- to me -- it also makes no sense for a ten year old to be making deals like that, especially managing to keep all of it secret from his family. How would Vincent know something's up and plan for his own demise but not know his own child was involved? How would Tanaka not know way in advance? And let's not forget that the twins were mostly raised by Rachel and Aunt An until the attack. These kids were doted on, not neglected or left alone to their own devices. If anything, our earl is the one who seems to have any alone time. Regardless of why the queen and/or her servants would target the Phantomhives, why on Earth would they involve the ten year old heir of their target and actually entrust him with any of this knowledge?

Ambition is one of the major motives mentioned by individuals who support some version of this theory, but this is a child who clearly acts like a child, despite whatever evil streak he possesses. I see no reason for the queen to be interested in including real Ciel in any plans she might have to make him the next watchdog sooner than later, plus he was obviously not ready for the responsibility yet. I should think if he approached any of her staff about wanting to become watchdog sooner, they'd laugh it off. There's also no evidence yet that real Ciel has ever met the queen herself. And if he hoped to avoid becoming watchdog altogether, this definitely isn't the way to go about it. He'd be better off running away or flat-out refusing to take the post.

Another motive mentioned in versions of the theory is to get rid of their parents so that real Ciel can make his brother stay with him forever. For one thing, I cannot envision any way for that to not backfire, even if the whole thing had gone exactly as planned. One can argue that he's ten and just doesn't see that clearly, but I'd just say "Yeah, he's ten... and if he can't see that plans like that won't achieve his goal, he's also not likely to be able to even plan stuff like that, let alone try to carry it out". There's also the fact that we've seen Rachel show real Ciel how he can still be close to his brother and help him out. Rachel even suggests that our earl would be largely dependent upon the help of his older brother, the one who will be titled and will hold the key to the family coffers. So, all real Ciel would need to do is enjoy the remaining time with his family and, when he's earl, make it so that his brother spends as much time with him as possible... even if it means holding funding over his head to keep him around. Both boys likely would have been sent to Weston, too, since some other students there are second (and possibly third) sons. At such a young age (when they turn 13 and go to Weston), he wouldn't be ready to go off on his own to London, or whatever, so our earl would be happy to attend school with his older brother... and learn whatever he could that might help him later set up and run his toy business.

And when people talk about the fire, like who might have started it, I have to remind them that our earl doesn't even know about the fire until he returns to the manor and sees the burnt ruins for himself. Chances are, that fire wasn't started at all until after the boys were crated up and carted off.

The whole idea of RCTM strikes me as poorly thought out in every aspect. Less funny, more sad.

[outlying-hyppocrate]

seriously considering telling my therapist the One Thing i have only ever told one person in my life ever. but it doesn't feel real because nobody's actually worried and also it hasn't affected me physically or mentally in a somewhat debilitating way yet so. {:

[azuresins]

I enjoy your theory and I see the connections you've made. To R!Ciel it would be more about power and control, over his brother. He doesn't fancy the idea of him becoming a man of his own right someday at all, he wants complete access at all times and to know exactly where he is. Ironic, but almost like to R!Ciel, his brother is his favorite toy. I still have a question, that's bothering me though? You don't need to answer this because I have a feeling what you'll suggest but. Who do you think might have began to "help him" achieve his goals only to betray him in such a violent way?

Power and control, yes. You get it. This is a long reply... I believe the Queen / John Brown were the ones who were looking for any excuses at all, to launch an attack on the Phantomhives because for one, they like to do it to test them, the ones that do test them seem to enjoy it. The Queen and her servants just came full-throttle the moment they thought, oh wait! This is actually a deep betrayal worth taking them all out in fell swoop, actually! Let us not forget what we learned, in the Book of Murder Arc. Even when the Queen was allegedly, on good terms with O!Ciel... Just for being mildly displeased with him, and how he handled the Circus Arc. That apparently warranted... Grey (and Phipps, but mostly Grey) introducing themselves by violently breaking into the Manor, and immediately engaged Mey and Bard into a fight. A fight that was serious enough to draw blood, involved lethal weapons, and was able to do serious damage to both Bard and Mey, before Sebastian had to intervene and stop it (with a CREAM puff? No less). They did this, just to test the security of the Manor.

Grey, eventually as we all remember, tried full-on murder Sebastian. So, why ... wouldn't any of the Queen's servants subject Vincent, to the same kind of treatments, when he became the Watchdog? If I recall correctly, he was also pretty young when he took on responsibility? I'm sure they did. I'm sure he was constantly being tested. Vincent was confident about his own security, I don't doubt that part. While he knew it was possible, that he wouldn't live a long life and something could happen to him (He said as much to Dietrich, and it's also not-out-of-the-question considering his Mothers life ended earlier than most) ... I don't think he saw "that day" coming, not in the way that it did, obviously.

Therefore I don't put it outside the realm of possibilities that Vincent couldn't have possibly predicted, something like that happening at all. That perhaps love, clouded any hope or prayer of Real Ciel's motivations being noticed, that it was dismissed as nothing but mischief. If someone hated Vincent enough to manipulate his own son, to get his child involved in such a dark and terrifying matters. Who. Well... I imagine a lot of people hate Vincent for his position and he had a lot of enemies. But it had to be someone close, and someone who could make direct correspondence to the Queen.

Vincent dealt with a lot of shady people, some rich and powerful, much like Our!Ciel does... and I imagine, he tried to keep them away from his family as much as possible... but that's a lot easier said, than done. Especially if there's an ally in your mist that you trust enough to let in that close, but is actually out to betray you. Look at Madam Red. Our!Ciel didn't see it coming until all other possibilities were eliminated. I'm sure he didn't want it to be her, someone so close and dear to him, but it was. It was.

I'm sincerely sorry that I keep saying this because I understand people don't like it, but it needs to be said that. Alexis Midford is someone who also works for the Queen and outranks the Phantomhive Family in social status. Alexis was Dietrich's fag, at Weston. Alexis then married Vincent's sister, and had two children with her. I imagine Vincent felt he knew everything he possibly could about this man, and could trust him no matter what. He became family. That ... does give me pause. "But Alexis loves our!Ciel!" So it would seem. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I don't take anyone in this manga, at face value. Even a seemingly happy and upbeat character like Elizabeth, was harboring a huge secret about herself. Did anyone actually predict Grelle's twist? ... I doubt it. There's always been more to key players in this story, than meets the eye, it's a common running theme. There's also two other prefects, from Vincent's Weston College days we don't know much about at all and whether or not they had much to do with what happened. (Who the HELL, is Lord Polaris? I'm sure a lot of people want to know.) There's one prefect shown for Violet House, with concealed eyes ... and the other, from the snooty-upperclass-I'm-rich-and-everyone-loves-me Red House. I'm not sure I enjoy, the way this nameless Red House Prefect was shown, holding onto Vincent's chair like that, almost with more familiarity than Dietrich in the photograph. Who the hell is he? A relative of Druitt, maybe? If so. I don't trust Druitt, or anyone in that family. The entire Red House, gives me pause. Druitt gets dismissed a lot now as comic relief, but let us not be so quick to forget his black market auctions and that he was willing to drug people at his parties... that he was willing to sell a what he thought was a little girl on the black market, and he managed to get away with it ... because he has money. Come to think of it (this was pointed out by a non-fandom blog, but they don't want to be tagged and I will respect it) What the fuck, WAS Lizzie doing, unoccupied at Viscount Druitt's party? Madame Red didn't seem to know she was there. Paula was no where to be seen. Edward was no where to be seen. Our Ciel didn't know she was there. Sebastian didn't expect her to be there. She was a JUMP scare. Francis likely wouldn't have allowed her to come by herself, to a party like that, thrown by a man with such a reputation -- Madam Red suspected Druitt was sleazy, so clearly, she would have too. WHO, then, pray tell, did she come to that party with and was happy to take her there? Someone let her ride in a carriage all the way to Druitt's nasty house of horrors... and seemed confident, she'd be safe. It's not helping Alexis out. He's not beating my suspicion, alright? It could be any number of people, there's a lot of options, but I am staring at him and I don't trust him because at the end of the day... the shoe fits. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced he had something to do with it.

(As a side note: I also don't know why people give UT so much crap, for not being able to stop the slaughter, or find the twins... his mental state is shot to hell and his moral compass is a little out of wack with his dolls and how he sees them. But he's strong, and he's motivated by love and we know that, but clearly, the Queen has someone stronger around her, at all times. Our!Ciel can not be, the only person who wants/wanted her dead. If it was suspected that Undertaker might have tried to intervene, someone would have stopped him before he even got within miles of the Estate. Perhaps, even John Brown himself. This was a well calculated attack, they even tied the DOG up and muzzled it -- someone did that from inside the manor, knowing what would happen. I am extremely suspicious, that we have yet to see John Brown's eyes... and the way he coddles Victoria with that stupid little puppet. I also find it interesting that Grey, Phipps, and Brown all have this white hair and pristine white clothing... and the Undertaker also has this same white hair, but in contrast, he seems to have strong distaste for the queen, dresses...like that, and lives like a damn raccoon. Yana said when she draws his hair she tried to make it clear that it's a little unkept and dirty. It may mean nothing... but it is an interesting design choice, and it was also interesting narratively that up until the Campania Arc, we didn't see Undertaker's eyes. I think Yana did that on purpose, to make us realize, heyyyy, eyes are important! There's another character who's eyes we haven't seen yet! . . . why is that?)

[midnight-in-town]

Hi! I really enjoy reading your Kuroshitsuji theories. ♥️ Question: Why do you think Yana created a whole new character (Layla/Al) to be Vega instead of bringing back an old character? It makes sense in the story why Layla/Al is Vega if she's Baron Heithfield's daughter and he's a supporting the BD & blood collection, but I don't understand how confronting Layla/Al is supposed to be satisfying for readers. I LOVE her character design, but unlike Doll whose death O!Ciel feels guilty over, she has no connection (that we know of) to him. And we know next to nothing about her, and it seems odd to be developing a new character when there's so many loose ends to tie up and other characters we haven't seen in forever.

Also, do you still think Polaris is Joker? If the children at the orphanage are supposed to resemble their star counterparts (like how Mabel is acrobatic like Doll and how their outfits are similar to the stars'), Artie doesn't seem all that similar personality-wise to Joker. Unless Joker is extremely different as a BD. And he dresses so properly as a butler and does so many different butler like tasks... Even if Joker was Kelvin's "butler", the activities Artie does don't seem very Joker-esque. Unless I'm missing something?

Thanks!

Hey Anon, thank you for the kind words and sorry for the delay ! :))

So about Layla/Al, like you said, I believe Layla/Al is Lord Vega and could be Baron Heathfield’s undead child [x][x]. And while I initially found it strange to have Layla as a Star Lord for reasons similar to yours, I've now come to the enjoy the idea that it simply gives more of a wide range to UT's BD project.

In other words, it's not that Layla/Al is important as a character to the our!Ciel vs real!Ciel conflict (unlike Doll and maybe Joker, or even Ann if she was brought back), but rather it shows just how deep this project runs and that 1) UT may not be the only deserter shinigami working on it and 2) that they're in crucial need of sponsors to keep it going. For example, if Layla is Heathfield's child, then making Layla a star lord is making extra sure Heathfield will hold a blood collect in his basement without fail.

Also friendly reminder that, while UT seems mostly interested by salvaging the Phantomhive family (his words, not what's really happening), other deserters might be working on it because it threatens the world order that the shinigamis' higher ups oversee :

In other words, the bigger the BD project becomes, the bigger chances UT has to bring back perfect undead members of the Phantomhive family (like real!Ciel and maybe Claudia) and the bigger chances other shinigamis have to see "the world the higher ups oversee crumbling" because, to quote Queen Victoria...

So, I doubt Layla's narrative value is confrontation : it's more a proof that the project is getting bigger and bigger. In fact, during Finny and Snake's investigation, it was implied that F.O.L orphanage was a test run to turn the BD project into a profitable business [part 1] [part 2].

This brings me to your second question, yes I still believe Polaris is Joker. However, while I agree Artie doesn't seem to have much in common with Joker, I'd say Artie's group still represented a "butler" servant category and, even if Polaris is not real!Ciel's butler, he still defined himself as a butler in ch169 (Kelvin's butler maybe, indeed ?), so overall it fits.

Additionally, the way I see it, Polaris is to real!Ciel...

what Artie is to Theo...

that is to say a catalyst to get things done. Without Polaris, real!Ciel wouldn't have succeeded to attack Soma and Agni vs without Artie, Theo and the others wouldn't have found the strength to keep going.

Also Artie probably managed to kill a few adults in cold blood because he lived through a load of shit his whole life and he wanted to save his fellow kids, just like Joker could abduct children and lead them to their death, because he hardcore believed this would help his many siblings at the orphanage.

Lastly, like I explained before, in my opinion, the "four categories" of children at the orphanage being groomed to resemble the star lords are not just because of the blood types, but also because maybe UT and co thought they could create resembling episodes of quality to use for the star lords. At the end of the day though, nobody can force you to be what you are not, to quote our!Ciel...

...so maybe the whole point of Theo, Artie, Mabel and Oliver being different from real!Ciel (Theo seems kinder), Joker, Doll and Layla/AL (Oliver is definitely shier) is a hint that the BD project is supposed to fail because cheating death isn't an answer at all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I could be wrong though, about Joker and the purpose of F.O.L orphanage, so don't read too much into my answer. :)) Nevertheless, I hope it helps !

Thank you again for the kind words, I wish you a nice day !

[justworthlessreblogs]

blorbo bingo gimme your thoughts on Chocolat and Waffle (you probably wanna talk about him, right?)

teeheee thank you so much for enabling me

chocolat:

tbh, i don't have much to say about her? i like her as a character, but she's definitely closer to the bottom of the list, ranking at around #4 for both the canon team and the waffleverse team. that isn't to say i dislike her, though! there's just other characters that intrigue me more. also her top hat my beloved. the rest of her design is a Choice, though, and definitely one of my least favorites ranking in at #5 out of 6 (someday i will actually put these lists together). i will say, though, that overall i have definitely warmed up to her. i wasn't really expecting much from her when i started the series but she's better than i expected

waffle:

my son. my darling child. i would murder a man for him he deserves better than what the series gave him. buckle up children this is going to be Long

first off i went into the series not really expecting to like him! i knew about justice for cure waffle and stuff but was pretty neutral on the matter. but as the series went on i slowly warmed up to him, and i'd say he probably became one of my favorites around episode 16-17. 16 means so much to me you don't understand. however i think in the end i would have been drawn to him regardless of knowing how his story ended or not, because i'm a sucker for redemption arcs (WHEN THEY'RE DONE WELL) and it felt like they could've set him up for one pretty naturally. i am also a sucker for sibling conflict so that was a double whammy. and then episode 23 happened and it cemented by opinion that It Should Have Ben Him. like a good chunk of the episode is dedicated to him reaching the climax of his redemption arc and then they throw it away. i was rooting for ciel i swear i really was until the back half of 23 played out the way it did. there is a reason i ignore canon

shh canon doesn't exist is self explanatory

he deserves a blanket and hot soup after all the shit he's been through

i want to study his brain structure is mostly up there because he is so, so hard for me to write, actually. mostly because i unfortunately tend to project onto characters i sympathize with, and i don't want to do that! so every line of his i write i have to ask myself if it's really something he would say or just something i myself would say

they are innocent if you ignore their various crimes - i don't actually believe that he did nothing wrong (he did many things wrong) but i am an apologist

the therapy ones - i couldn't decide which one. he deserves therapy but god do i live for the messy kirahoshi-kuroki family drama

[weeb-cheese]

Hello! Changel from Twitch here! Hope the day is treating you well <3

This is the quite heavy question i didn't share on twitch bc of it being heavy, but feel free not to answer it if it makes you too uncomfortable to talk about!

So...I have been following the Kuro manga since before the Blue Memory Arc was released, but I never realized Ciel was a victim of CSA until the chapter where it was disclosed. Recently, after i got back into the manga, i even thought "Yana, did you even plan this or was it a last minute decision to put something extremely fucked up?"

However, looking trough tumblr, i found out some people called it (and i may have misinterpreted, or remember wrong, but I think you're one of them?) before it even happened and i wanted to ask...Can you share what made it so obvious for you? Because the only thing i can think of is his dislike for physical touch, but that can be chalked up to non-sexual physical abuse as well, so idk I'm just curious on what the foreshadowing was that i missed?

Again, feel free not to answer if its too heavy. I usually avoid any talk about sexual assaults of any kind, however i just wanted to understand the foreshadowing/effects on o!Ciel that i missed, but i totally understand if you don't feel up to it. Your mental health comes first :)

Sorry to bring up such a dark topic...

Stay safe <3

I don't clearly remember what it was exactly that let me know. I think it was a combination of things. But mostly I think it was a gut feeling and projection? More explanation under the cut since it's long and also can be heavy

I started reading the manga for Kuro shortly after getting out of a really traumatic relationship. I'll be straight up, there was nothing more than non-consensual groping and a type of emotional abuse that some mental health professionals call emotional rape. So I obviously never experienced anything like Ciel did. But, I was able to take my own feelings and find them in Ciel. Things I felt, and behaviors I exhibited were mirrored and exaggerated in him. He was displaying behaviors that had my mom asking me if anything had happened. So I kind of just put two and two together. (btw this was a decade ago. I've been healing, and am okay now!)

A scene that really solidified it though was his PTSD attack in Green Witch arc. And especially the fact that he only felt safe with Finny there. Ciel wasn't in a place where he could clearly differentiate between reality and his own nightmares and memories. So any adult presence was a reminder of those who hurt him. But since Finny was also a teenager, his presence was safe, comforting even. There are a few other scenes through out the manga where Ciel displays classic symptoms of being an assault survivor. Moments where he didn't want to be touched that felt too extreme to be anything else. Like the time he pulled a gun on Sebastian when being woken up one morning after a nightmare. The manga tried to play it off as him being scared after reading scary stories before bed. But it felt deeper than that to me.

It also just made sense to me? I had a really negative outlook on the world back then, and for some reason was hearing a lot about assault in the news. And I was also getting to the age where my mom was talking to me more about that kind of thing, so I'd be aware and better able to protect myself as I graduated high school and entered college. So I guess it was just on my mind a lot. But it just seemed like a safe assumption to make. Like what else would these weirdos be doing with a bunch of kids? I say this all the time, but it's THE WORST headcanon to have confirmed in canon.

I think with the symbolic way Yana Toboso portrayed THAT chapter, it wasn't done for shock factor or just to add something fucked. I think it was something she had in mind from the start. And at least knew she wanted to include that in the manga long enough to have put so much thought and care into how she portrayed it. It's still an incredibly fucked up chapter, but to me it didn't feel like something she put in for the sake of the reader, or to gawk at how fucked up it is. She's referenced CSA a bit through out the manga as well. In the Circus arc, when Kelvin is told that Ciel was in captivity and would be the lamb, the other guy makes a comment about how he and the other cult guys would love Ciel plenty enough for Kelvin. And that so clearly is about CSA, especially now that I know Yana Toboso had that in mind as well.

I don't think you really missed a lot of foreshadowing. Especially since most of it was vague or brushed off and explained away by something else in the manga. Or required you to be pretty familiar with those feelings and symptoms yourself. If Yana Toboso wanted to make it clearer from the start, she would have. Maybe she wasn't too sure if she wanted to confirm that. I know when it comes to the writing process you'll come up with a lot of character traits and back stories that help shape the character, but may not actually make it to the final product of the story.

[grim-glasses]

Absolutely unhinged Grelliam rambling

(To save time, please assume that each paragraph begins with "in my opinion" because this isn't a meta post, I'm not trying to be like "omg they're endgame and this is Yana's vision" I'm mostly talking about my creative process and the transformative nature of fanworks. My fanworks specifically.

Note: The Tale of Will the Reaper does not exist to me. I Do Not See It.

Not sure if I'm just experiencing Visions or what but I do think that Grelliam could be endgame with quite honestly only very small amounts of character development

I was struggling with writing the ship for a while because I really liked it but as it stands Will and Grell have like 0 chemistry and really REALLY fall into that 2010s-era "sexually inappropriate dumbass x emotionally stunted asshole who beats the shit out of them & we're supposed to find this cute and funny because it's the 2010s" dynamic

So I was really struggling finding a way to like. write that dynamic in a deep, meaningful way. Because in order to do that, you have to take it seriously, I think? You either have to take it seriously and consider them a couple that is uncomfortable with each other or dial it back into something you can work with.

The problem is, as side characters, if you take that away, there's nothing left. Grell is just some weirdo with a crush and Will is. wallpaper.

The only solution, thus, is to develop it. And I finally "solved" Grelliam in a way that works for me.

You seeee, I initially thought Will was The Problem. So naturally, if I crafted some sort of scenario in my head where he changed to accept and reciprocate Grell's feelings, that should fix it, right?

Wrong.

The problem was, I still didn't believe it.

It didn't work for me at all.

Even if you headcanon him as demi, which I do, there's still this strange sense of mismatch, that Grell is over-performing in a way, or perhaps... over-compensating?

I sat with this weird Grelliam mismatch for months trying to come up with some fanfic plots, some ideas, something to compel me, but I really could not find any appeal in a love story where only one person is transformed. It turns Will into a problem and Grell into a solution.

But then I realized that Grell is, in fact, also a problem.

Her feelings and expressions are WAY too over-the-top to be believable or even... genuine. I started thinking about what she said to An right before killing her (in the anime, anyway, bc I've watched that scene more than I've read it)

Also I'm paraphrasing because I'm not about to go look up the scene just to get the quote right in some absolutely unhinged Grelliam ramble

But it was something along the lines of "what use are you to me if you're just another woman?"

Because Angelina hesitated to kill Ciel. Because she showed weakness.

From this and Grell's attraction to Sebastian and Will, I think it's fair to draw the conclusion that it's not aloofness she's attracted to, but resolution, stoicism, drive, immovability. We can guess that she's not lithro, because she was in a reciprocated relationship with An.

It's displays of excess emotion and vulnerability that turn her off.

That being said, I don't think she knows just how deep her feelings for Will go. I think she's counting on him to never, ever break. To never cry, to never bleed, to never smile. I think she feels very safe in that.

That needs to go.

I think, the Inciting Grelliam Incident, the moment that shatters the status quo into a million little pieces on the floor, that changes everything

Is

That

Will needs to show some kind of weakness

And Grell needs to keep loving him anyway

I could keep going but I ran out of steam anyway my point is I can write Grelliam now because I finally have an idea of what I want their fucking dynamic to look like

[callgespenst]

please don't read this if you have any respect for me

In 2015, I read ever-popular visual novel "Tsukihime" because the girl I liked was into, among other things, the combined works of doujin circle/now meteorically popular creator group Type-Moon.

And then, by and large, I forgot about it. Sure, I played a whole lot of FGO, I saw Neco-Arc all over the place, I made jokes about Melty Blood's reputation of being played at Denny's. But I wasn't like, actively thinking about the non-Fate stuff for a while.

Then, this year, in 2024, the long-awaited (ten years! plus a little extra for it to come overseas) Tsukihime Remake came out. It took a while to read through it (with that same girl that I liked, who is now my wife, but that's besides the point) because I am, unfortunately, an adult with a mortgage and a career. It was good! I was enjoying myself a normal amount!

It's difficult to pin down exactly when it started. What day, what scene, when it happened in real life. Sometime between the start and the 20th of September, for sure. Regardless! At least a month ago now, I (re?)developed a crush on Ciel, Tsukihime's secondary heroine.

I definitely remember liking her in the original game! But again, then I forgot about it. Regardless of how I felt before, now, I can safely, confidently say, that this is the strongest I've ever felt about a fictional character. And I was not a stranger to having crushes on anime babes before this! But this has made every other one before this feel like a passing fancy. I am actively obsessed. I think I'm still coming to terms with how down bad I am.

In just this last month and change, I have:

: actively skipped out on work to finish reading Tsukihime Remake. Which, I work remotely, some days it can be pretty easy to skip out and check Microsoft Teams every half hour. But I was taking more risks than usual the few times I did this.

: gotten better at fighting games than I ever have been in my life before. I wouldn't say I'm like, great or anything, but I have absolutely improved at playing as Ciel in the latest version of Melty Blood. I actually know what all the different systems do! I have all my inputs down! As soon as I stop projecting my actions so much, I'll be golden.

: scoured Twitter to the fullest extent possible for cute fanart of her. I found a lot of good stuff! She is a lastingly popular character. I also saw a lot of things I would rather not have, to be honest, but that's just how it goes. I also realized that I can follow artists on my pixiv account that's probably old enough to drive, get some mileage out of that.

: actively deleted most of the other fanart of characters I like that I had saved on my hard drive. Mostly because, again, every other character I liked before now feels almost insignificant. But it also saved me the trouble of sorting through all of it.

: planned made to create a plush of her because the official one I really like was sold at exactly one event a year ago. Hoping to do that tomorrow, I should finally have some spare time, I have all the materials I should need.

: decided on mostly looking for merchandise of her when I leave for Japan in a week. She has a figma that was -supposed- to be released this month, that's probably getting pushed back, which, that was one of the main things I wanted to keep an eye out for. There's a model kit or two I want to keep my eye out for, but she is, my #1 priority.

: thought of -multiple- customs and ideas I want to try out. I could make Ciel in all sorts of cute outfits with a few 30 Minute Sisters customization sets and a little scratchbuilding! My usual hobby supplier also put up preorders on 1/12 scale nun costumes for your action figures, which felt, extremely targeted.

: for the first time in my life, wrote fanfiction that I fully intend on finishing and putting online somewhere. I've done a little fanfic writing before, but never more than a few paragraphs between friends or such. And I've definitely never put it out for a larger audience. I have so many ideas! I have a workable outline and even a possible deadline I want to hit! And it's fun! I think this is the part that I've been struggling the most with is that somehow, despite everything, a part of me goes Wow, Fanfic? Kinda Cringe. But it's gotten easier as I go. If I don't get one set of ideas out, I can't make room for the next part I want to work on.

Anyway, tl:dr: I am like, actually in love with an anime nun from an early 2000s eroge who hangs out with that dumb fuckin' cat you've seen on Pilk memes, and I needed to write this out just to document how deranged (but like, in a fun way) I feel.