Another sketch from my main Black Butler AU that I now think looks awful and plan to redraw. Also including my original ramble:
Trying to write a Black Butler AU with some fluff where Sebastian and Ciel have a parent-child like relationship WHILE keeping them in-character (Sebas more than Ciel tbh) and still basing it on canon material but making changes and making said changes make sense requires a bit of work ngl.
I mean, I know it’s just a project I’m doing for fun and technically there’s nothing stopping me from going nuts and making them completely OOC and disregarding canon at all, but I feel then it’d become a separate story with new, original characters who simply happen to be inspired by Kuro (which is also okay, and who knows, maybe in the future I’ll repurpose the whole thing to create my own Kuro-inspired original story, even if I don’t think I’ll ever fully lose interest in Kuro, this cursed series has me in a chokehold lmao).
Sebastian is the hardest one to write, though I think I’m finally more or less figuring it out. I didn’t want to write him as suddenly learning to love the way humans do thanks to the power of cute children or something, as it just didn’t feel natural (or I couldn’t personally make it feel natural, I know other people have managed to write that concept very well). What I have so far is that when he does act nurturing he’s simply imitating the behavior of human parents he has observed, but he doesn’t love the kid the same way humans do because he literally doesn’t have that ability. BUT that doesn’t mean he feels nothing at all and that it doesn’t mean anything to Ciel, after all this weird creature is the one who saved his life and raised him with care and patience. The closest comparison I can think of is the relationship between people and “unusual” pets like reptiles, amphibians, insects, etc. We know they can’t love us the way other people (or even other mammals) would but that doesn’t make our bond any less significant! Some bits of canon material also come in handy here, for example I based the fact that familiar Sebas finds Ciel adorable as a kitten on the canon fact that he likes squishing his cheeks because they remind him of a cat’s paws 😂 Just know he’s an awkward demon who doesn’t know how to human but is doing his best 🥺
I think in Ciel’s case I have more freedom since he is, after all, human, and a human’s personality is strongly shaped by their environment and life experiences. Like, what exactly counts as making a character OOC? Sure, I can agree that in a fanwork set in the exact same universe with the exact same events as in canon there’s some things a character would never say or do, but I think AUs were created as a way to explore what-if scenarios. What if this character had been raised by different people? What if they had grown up in a different place? What if this or that event hadn’t happened or had gone differently? Tbh I think it’s just fun to explore endless possibilities, it’s maybe a form of character analysis in some way. And if we think about it, canonverse Ciel was originally sweet, shy and affectionate, and if he’s the complete opposite now it’s only because he went through an utterly horrific and traumatic event that forced him to grow up before his time and toughen himself up because it left him with little to no support system, on top of having to be hyper vigilant because the only thing that “saved” him from that is a literal demon who wants his soul and is haunting him.
So I just wanted to create this alternative timeline where maybe things aren’t as terrible, or they start out as terrible but then some good things come from the most unexpected sources. Ciel is five years younger and thus has more time to process everything and try to heal as he grows up. Sebas isn’t entirely a bastard and willingly does nice things for the child, even if he still doesn’t understand human needs, and while he stills views him as a potential meal (at least at the beginning) he’s actually respectful. There’s another demon who understands humans all too well and is happy to lend a hand. His friends and the relatives he has left are more involved in his life. So Ciel more or less has a support system now, albeit a weird dysfunctional one, and doesn’t entirely lose his sweetness (also like… he’s 5/6 at the beginning of the story, we really can’t expect a preschooler to be an edgy emo who craves violence and revenge ☠️). I imagine he grows up to be just as calculating and cunning as canonverse Ciel, maybe even just as ruthless in his job because it’s a requirement, and is still pretty much a little shit, but this Ciel is not as cold and undemonstrative. He’s still very much an introvert who prefers to be left alone, but he smiles (as in genuinely smile) more often and it’s a little easier for him to express emotions and feelings (more through actions than words, but still meaningful). Hell he may allow himself to be playful and silly sometimes if he’s in the moment.
And if it wasn’t clear from the picture, little Ciel ADORES Sebastian. Sure he’s (understandably) a bit skittish around him at first, but once they bond he comes to fully view him as a parental figure. Yes, he’s hurt, sad and traumatized, but he’s still a resilient little kid, and with enough kindness Sebas can coax his old self to come out of his shell, and until the kid becomes more independent they’re like a mama duck and her lil duckling. Their constant banter and bickering when he’s older is more a teens being teens thing than anything.
Digital greyscale sketch of Our Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis from Black Butler, Sebastian drawn from the chest up and Ciel drawn from the knees up. It is set in a canon divergent AU. Ciel is 5/6 years old. Ciel is wearing a sailor style outfit. and Sebastian is wearing a suit with a small scarf that has a tiny bird skull on the front. Sebastian is holding Ciel and looks a bit surprised. Ciel is kissing Sebastian on the cheek. The background is very light grey.
>> The African Union (AU) issued a landmark declaration during its 39th summit on 15 February, calling for Palestine to be granted full UN membership and rejecting forced displacement of Palestinians as a “violation of international law.”..
Reading “The Weight” on AO3 right now. Just desperately need some pure escapism. A couple of chapters in and I’m already tearful. lol and I’m not even a Trekkie. Always a dabbler at best. Then again, there’s been plenty to be tearful about recently, so…
🤷♂️
As Trump rails against free trade, demands public ownership stakes in corporations that receive government funds, and (selectively) enforces antitrust law, some (stupid) people are wondering, "Is Trump a communist?"
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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
For example, the antivax movement claims that pharma companies operate on the basis of unchecked greed, without regard to the harm their defective products cause to everyday people. When they talk about this, they sound an awful like leftists who are angry that the Sacklers killed a million Americans with their opiods and then walked away with billions of dollars:
A new case of using water systems as a weapon of war: Reports say #flooding that drove #AfricanUnion's #AUSSOM forces from base in #Somalia this week was deliberately engineered by #AlQaeda-affiliated #AlShabaab rebels for that purpose
I've finished: The Simoqin Prophecies by Samit Basu
Self-aware and breaking the fourth wall, The Simoqin Prophecies makes fun of classic tropes from myth, fairy tale and fantasy. But it is not trying to be funny, it is deadly serious about its own high fantasy world.
While it is not perfect in all it's choices, as an experienced fantasy reader I enjoyed the references to classic tropes and their deconstruction. Satire can be better when it's not trying too hard to make you laugh.
I'm glad I found it through a Story Graph reading challenge prompt. Sometimes you find a book that was written for you 20 years after it was published and wonder where it's been all these years.
I love reading challenges with prompts that specify a type of book and let you choose the book you'll read for that prompt. You can also use these prompts to find novels other members think fit a prompt you like. I found The Simoqin Prophecies in the Speculative fiction genres challenge, under the prompt for Comic Speculative Fiction.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa speak at the podium during a press conference at the European Council in Brussels
@EUCommission I wouldn't mind to see cooperation with #AU where building up an environment friendly production line where profit would benefit the workers more, so they can also live on a 4 day working week.
In the long run, both #EU and AU would benefit from this.
🇫🇷🇨🇩 France’s strategy in the DRC has been one of covert manipulation, military interference and economic exploitation, often using proxy forces to maintain control while publicly positioning itself as a neutral actor.
#china (#americas biggest competitor) has also covertly captured majority of #african villages for covert #mining activities, where the governors dont know what is happening, and their heads of states are busy embezzling money.
Its a shame - 89% of the #World's most important and rare #Nature given #resources there and yet they live on handouts #foreignaid#trump#musk#usaid#un#au#eu
The capitalism of fools ( pluralistic.net )
https://i0.wp.com/craphound.com/images/28Aug2025.jpg?w=840&ssl=1 ...