I Ship Grell x Sebastian and Proud Of It!
I’m not particularly known for following “popular” stuff, and even when I do follow remotely popular fandoms, I tend to support the fandom’s less-popular characters/pairings/etc. Case in point for this entry: my obsession with Grell & Sebastian’s relationship in Kuroshitsuji.
Honestly, when I first joined the Kuroshitsuji fandom, I was quite astonished at how unpopular this pairing actually is. Granted, Grell and Sebastian aren’t an actual couple in canon, but there’s a great deal of material in the series that I feel could fuel fan interest in the potential couple. There are Grell/Sebby shippers such as myself, sure, but we’re a minority in the fandom.
I can’t say I entirely understand why so many fans dislike this pairing, either…aside the obvious facts that 99% of fans just prefer Grell with William (and yes, I’m pro-Grelliam, too) or Sebastian cradle robbing with Ciel (sorry, not my cup of tea. Moving on).
And though I highly respect Yana Toboso’s work, I sometimes think she’s being a tease with us shippers. FYI: I am not bashing Grelliam whatsoever! But if Grell’s true love is indeed Will, then why are there more scenes in the manga* of Grell attempting to seduce Sebastian rather than William? (*And I note the manga because it’s Kuroshitsuji’s original source material. The anime adaptations deviate too far from canon for me to take their content overly seriously, and regretfully, that does include “The Story of Will the Reaper” OVA-as much as I adore that episode). If Grell’s fixation with Sebastian was never meant to be “anything,” why perpetuate it? And if Grell loves Will, why not show more of that in the manga? Don’t throw Grell at Sebastian and then say, oh BTW, Grell really wants Will instead. Frankly, this oxymoron is frustrating for both pairings if you ask me. :/
But thinking about it, Grell’s relationships are far from easy to understand, which is one of the many reasons why I took up writing Kuroshitsuji fanfiction to flex my imagination. When you get down to it, Grell & Madam Red’s relationship offered more “evidence” than other Grell pairings, and that pairing, too, is woefully underappreciated by fans. (Seriously, why are fans so intollerant of canon-pairings sometimes? I hit the same snag with Xenosaga: Rubedo/Sakura is 100% canon, yet most fans hate the couple. The same with Supernatural’s Dean/Lisa, 100% canon. When did canon pairings become no-no’s? @_@). And to be hardass-technical, Angelina was the only character in manga’s canon (so far) whom Grell actually admitted to “love” in some fashion (yet another debate-sparker, naturally, since Grell is gay). Half the time I’m wondering what Grell’s true intentions for love really are, and also what Miss Toboso’s true intentions are with his character as well.
Again, this is why I write fanfiction about characters who keep me wondering.
Moral of my story? It all boils down to supporting what you like, even if what you like isn’t popular. I adore the Grell/Sebastian pairing-it was the reason I got into Kuroshitsuji in the first place. I do wish more people supported this couple, though. It really is a fun pairing, fun characters…writing about Grell and Sebastian’s relationship has been the highlight of my fanfiction writing in the last year. That’s gotta’ mean something, even if I am only one person. :)