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Title: Devilish Impulses
Fandom: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Pairing: Sebastian/Ciel
Categories: Hurt/Comfort, First Time
Length: Super!Epic (208,816 words)
Warnings: Underage (Ciel is 13; Sebastian is an ageless demon) and non-con (not between Ciel and Sebastian)
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website:
KittyGetsLoose
Summary: He impulsively broke the covenant, then remade it. But can the trust, once shattered, be recovered? Sebastian must work twice as hard to rebuild what he briefly discarded.
Review: The trust between demon and master is shattered when Sebastian breaks the terms of their contract. As Ciel and Sebastian struggle to find peace within their new contract, a case brings them deeper into the world of the supernatural. "Devilish Impulses" ignores the second anime series, instead envisioning a future beyond the end of series 1. The dynamics between Ciel and Sebastian capture everything I love about their relationship. This is a Ciel who is struggling to find a reason to live now that his revenge is carried out, but who still has his pride and his cold ease in dealing with London's criminal (and supernatural) underworld. And Sebastian is still a demon, wrestling with his surprising new feelings for his Ciel, along with the old devilish impulses to hurt him.
A few things in this story might throw some readers off, though I saw them as icing on the cake. First, obviously, is the underage relationship. Underage fic doesn't bother me in this fandom because, despite his physical age, I have never seen Ciel as a child. After all, not many boys are capable of policing London's underworld, with or without the help of a demon! But I think even readers who are more wary about underage relationships might appreciate how this one is handled. In this story, Ciel is the one who advocates to move forward with a physical relationship, while Sebastian keeps throwing on the brakes, insisting they have time to wait for certain things until Ciel is older. It made a big difference in the relationship dynamics of the story. Second, the hurt/comfort is laid on thick. Prepare for many long, loving descriptions of Sebastian tending to Ciel's wounds and looking after him during a long illness. For me, that's a selling point, but I get that other readers like their h/c more understated. And third, the writing in this story is very lush. The long sentences and occasional epithet threw me off a bit as I started reading, but there's so little long Kuroshitsuji fic that I pushed past it, and I'm glad I did. I'm now inclined to look at the prose as an homage to the writing style of the time period -- this sort of prose is far more at home in a pseudo 19th-century world of Kuroshitsuji than in something like Teen Wolf.
In the end, "Devilish Impulses" stands out as one of the best Kuroshitsuji fics I've read. I loved how the author handled the long format -- it reads more as a novel than the typical long fic does. I also loved the theology the author introduced to the canon. Finally, I loved watching Sebastian and Ciel mend the broken trust between them, emerging on the other end stronger and closer than ever. Certain scenes in this fic have been running through my head more or less constantly since I read it, and I know it won't be long before I give in and read the whole thing over again.
Devilish Impulses
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Fandom: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Pairing: Sebastian/Ciel
Categories: Hurt/Comfort, First Time
Length: Super!Epic (208,816 words)
Warnings: Underage (Ciel is 13; Sebastian is an ageless demon) and non-con (not between Ciel and Sebastian)
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website:
Summary: He impulsively broke the covenant, then remade it. But can the trust, once shattered, be recovered? Sebastian must work twice as hard to rebuild what he briefly discarded.
Review: The trust between demon and master is shattered when Sebastian breaks the terms of their contract. As Ciel and Sebastian struggle to find peace within their new contract, a case brings them deeper into the world of the supernatural. "Devilish Impulses" ignores the second anime series, instead envisioning a future beyond the end of series 1. The dynamics between Ciel and Sebastian capture everything I love about their relationship. This is a Ciel who is struggling to find a reason to live now that his revenge is carried out, but who still has his pride and his cold ease in dealing with London's criminal (and supernatural) underworld. And Sebastian is still a demon, wrestling with his surprising new feelings for his Ciel, along with the old devilish impulses to hurt him.
A few things in this story might throw some readers off, though I saw them as icing on the cake. First, obviously, is the underage relationship. Underage fic doesn't bother me in this fandom because, despite his physical age, I have never seen Ciel as a child. After all, not many boys are capable of policing London's underworld, with or without the help of a demon! But I think even readers who are more wary about underage relationships might appreciate how this one is handled. In this story, Ciel is the one who advocates to move forward with a physical relationship, while Sebastian keeps throwing on the brakes, insisting they have time to wait for certain things until Ciel is older. It made a big difference in the relationship dynamics of the story. Second, the hurt/comfort is laid on thick. Prepare for many long, loving descriptions of Sebastian tending to Ciel's wounds and looking after him during a long illness. For me, that's a selling point, but I get that other readers like their h/c more understated. And third, the writing in this story is very lush. The long sentences and occasional epithet threw me off a bit as I started reading, but there's so little long Kuroshitsuji fic that I pushed past it, and I'm glad I did. I'm now inclined to look at the prose as an homage to the writing style of the time period -- this sort of prose is far more at home in a pseudo 19th-century world of Kuroshitsuji than in something like Teen Wolf.
In the end, "Devilish Impulses" stands out as one of the best Kuroshitsuji fics I've read. I loved how the author handled the long format -- it reads more as a novel than the typical long fic does. I also loved the theology the author introduced to the canon. Finally, I loved watching Sebastian and Ciel mend the broken trust between them, emerging on the other end stronger and closer than ever. Certain scenes in this fic have been running through my head more or less constantly since I read it, and I know it won't be long before I give in and read the whole thing over again.
Devilish Impulses
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chasethestars
chasethestars
Comments
It's a pity the author seems to have gone on hiatus everywhere :( do you happen to know if she has tired of the fandom?
Edited 2014-08-12 10:17 pm (UTC)
Unfortunately, I have no idea whether KittyGetsLoose is still in the fandom. I'm very much a newcomer myself, having watched Black Butler on a whim about a month ago, then fallen headfirst in love with it. I've met some other Kuro fans through a friending meme, but I'm still learning the lay of the new fandom.
It's strange: there are fandoms that keep on producing epic fanfic of quality (Merlin, Thor and Avengers, for example) then fandoms like Black Butler, full to bursting but with an average level that can be only described as low, with very few peaks. And I'm not judging just by personal taste, but from a writing style/plot/in-characterness point of view. A BB fanwriter I considered at Kitty's level was Goodbymyheart, who recently deleted all her stuff :(
thank you habit of always saving stuff on pcI know Devilish Impulses has gotten criticism and is not perfect - there are typos, oversights and controversial themes (mainly the underage), plus very realistic descriptions. While those don't bother me, there are things I don't like myself, mainly plot-wise i.e. the ten-years separation, the fact that there could have been more space for everyday occurences without rushing toward the Wars, not to mention the fact that in the end Sebastian and Ciel go away without a possibility of return, of ever seeing their loved ones again. And well, endings that describe the death of an era always make me sad ._.
But I don't know if I agree with the people who said that in the first half the characters are OOC... to me they seem quite faithful to the originals. They're put in a situation that is completely new thanks to Sebastian's whim, so they have to act in new ways, but I reckon they do so in accord with their original natures and inclinations. What do you think about this?
Also, when Sebastian secretly engages a sick Ciel in a war for dominance, while having very inappropriate thoughts... yes, that is slightly disturbing, but I think it never goes too far. It just shows his devilish nature, against which he wins in the end; he even refuses to kiss Ciel because the boy is feverish and doesn't know what he's doing. I've seen Sebastian being way creepier elsewhere. But maybe this is a matter of personal sensibilities: like you, I've never considered Ciel a child. I wouldn't like this pairing if he didn't act like an adult
and go figure, seeing the manga's undertones.So, all in all, I'll keep on loving this fic with all my heart and hoping against hope that someone else writes something at its level.
Alas, I'd need at least another ten epic fics like DI to have my SebCiel feelings soothed *laughs*
And now that I've stopped blabbing... welcome to the fandom! :D
You should try the manga too, it's got amazing art and more insight into the characters than the anime :)
Hugs
Mel
But I don't know if I agree with the people who said that in the first half the characters are OOC... to me they seem quite faithful to the originals
Yeah, I don't get that, either. In fact, I saw characterization as one of the greatest strengths of "Devilish Impulses." Ciel's bond with Sebastian is such a cornerstone of his personality, especially in the anime. How many times does he say that Sebastian is the only one he can trust, and order him to stay by his side forever? I think it's only natural that he'd be shaken when Sebastian broke that bond, especially since it meant that Ciel would have to learn how to live when his life has previously been all about revenge. I think he reacted to the situation in a very Ciel-like manner throughout the first half of the story, and I also appreciated that Sebastian struggled a bit with the new feelings of fondness that restrained some of his devilish appetites.
And thank you for babbling about Kuroshitsuji! I never get enough of talking about this fandom! Would it be ok if I added you to my flist?
Ah, ops, should have guessed 8D I'm like that too: when something catches my interest I practically marry it for months.
I've been in the fandom a few years, on and off, and browsed the last 15 chapters only recently. Sometimes I get frustrated with long-running series and put them on hiatus because they seem to go nowhere
Bleach anyone?. But I appreciate BB more since I read DI; it's as if the fic smoothed a lot of anachronistic wrinkles in my history geek's head. Moreover, the last two chapters were fire!I saw characterization as one of the greatest strengths of "Devilish Impulses." Ciel's bond with Sebastian is such a cornerstone of his personality
Precisely my opinion. It's what makes DI so delicious! And after the manga's last chapter Sebastian seems to have become the cornerstone, almost one with Ciel's now even more personal revenge :3
Gah, I so hope we'll get a positive ending. Not expecting something like DI, of course, but something on the lines of anime II would be nice - no demon Ciel or eternal enslavement, thanks (though they're intriguing concepts), but forever at each other's side? Yes please. If we have a devil like Hannah, why can't we have a changed Sebastian?
hides from rotten tomatoes.I also appreciated that Sebastian struggled a bit with the new feelings of fondness that restrained some of his devilish appetites.
I think that was done beautifully, with realistic thoughts and feelings. And it was mirrored by Ciel's own questions about their relationship, just as rational. Simply great.
Sure, friend away! I'm always happy to add fellow fans to my f-list :D