#Noé has to let Vanitas go isn’t he

[briebysabs]

“It’s no use.....your hand won’t reach that fellow. You can’t save anybody, all you do is lose them.”

“But......I love him.”

“If you really love him.....you’d let him go.”

[digital-dhampirs]

VnC 58: the case study of astolfo

After a whole year of suspense, the Case Study of Vanitas is back with a bang and so is this tumblr blog. Time isn’t real, so let’s pretend that this analysis came out when I wrote it after reading chapter 58 rather than the day before chapter 59. Let’s go!

As always, although it’s been a while, this post will contain massive spoilers for VnC 58 and is intended for those who have read up to this point in the manga!

intergalactic tea party

Chapter 58 begins with (an absolutely stunning shot of Vanitas’s tarte tatin) a quick recap of the plot so far and where the main cast is at the moment— Domi and Jeanne tragically finish their conversation offscreen; Domi and Noé have an adorable reunion; and Jeanne leaves the hotel alone, likely to report on her successful mission to a worried Luca. Jeanne looks adorably carefree as she heads out and I pray for a flashback to her conversation with Domi in the near future.

Moving rapidly along, we cut to the Archiviste Noé caught a glimpse of last chapter, traveling through the border between worlds. We learn that she’s familiar with Comte and likely Luna as well, and she and Comte sit down to have a very Pandora Hearts flavored tea break. Comte says that mystery Archiviste hasn’t travelled to the human world in ages, making it very unlikely that she was there explicitly to see Noé, although it’s possible she was (like Comte) waiting in the shadows to intervene if the fair fight reached a certain point.

Mystarchiviste in turn reveals that Comte’s existence is ��unstable”. The only context we really have for that term is Vani and Misha, artificial followers of the blue moon lying somewhere between human and vampire… Comte certainly acts like a vampire, but maybe he’s actually something much more in between? My half-theory half-headcanon is that his obsession with Luna stems partially from feeling commonality with another being who doesn’t understand their own existence…

Speaking of Luna, Comte taking their form has interesting lore implications (can he take the form of anyone he’s met, or is there another requirement that has to be met first?) and also interesting fanfic implications but let’s move rapidly onwards to the real meat of chapter 58.

the chasseurs are insane

A majority of VnC 58 takes place in an extended flashback, as Astolfo reflects on his past. This flashback confirms a lot of what past chapters have implied about Astolfo— he was consumed by self hatred and guilt following the vampire attack, to the point of attempting suicide. The whole flashback could easily read as yet another parallel to Vanitas, who, after finding himself as the sole survivor a second time in a row, turned to a path he knew would culminate in his own death.

We meet two fun new characters during this section of the chapter— a guy wearing an earring (I was half-wondering if this was a younger version of Olivier’s assistant, but their eyebrows and earrings are different, so he’s probably one of Gano’s homeboys) and Charles.

Earring guy is suspicious. He might have some sort of plot relevant past (cough cough, No. 7- [i am escorted off the stage]), he might be an average chasseur with a vampire related incident in his history, or he might just be your standard issue psychopath. My favorite Mochijun Flavored Detail this chapter is the panel where, under the guise of breaking up Mira and Gano’s brawl, he moves to block Olivier’s line of sight and path to Astolfo. It’s just so Mochijun and i missed her so much—-

Charles is neato, but he sort of has this vibe where he’s not meant to be the star of the panels he’s in. It’s like Astolfo isn’t fully looking at him. Even though Charles is trying to inspire faith in Astolfo here, the only light Astolfo sees is Roland. In his double-page introductory panel Charles is exclusively lit by light coming in through the door as Roland opens it. Roland, meanwhile, looks like a savior, the light behind him blinding, and Astolfo bursts into tears when he sees him. I’m so excited to watch their relationship collapse as this flashback continues..!

Through Charles’s conversation with Astolfo, we learn a very interesting piece of lore: when a vampire bites someone they aren’t injecting an aphrodisiac or poison with their fangs— they’re actively rewriting their world formula, and sometimes these effects are permanent. I feel like I should’ve been able to riddle this out, given the whole mark of the blue moon thing, but the fact that this happens so frequently throughout the series, and that Jeanne has rewritten Vanitas, is feckin shocking and feels like it has some very interesting implications for the series. Perhaps Archivistes are unique in that, rather than rewriting with their bite, they read what’s already there.

I honestly don’t have many other thoughts on Charles. He gets carried around and nobody’s allowed see him, possibly implying that he’s become sicker/ his existence has gotten more unstable ;) since he originally became a paladin. Maybe he’s the head honcho Roland and Olivier are working against, maybe he’s actually dead by the time we hit the main plotline. At this point, it feels like he could move in any direction.

interpretation, extrapolation, being wrong, that’s the mochijuncycle

Vampires rewrite the world formula when they bite others, often leading to devastating and permanent consequences for those they’ve bitten. Misha and Vanitas aren’t the only two unstable beings in existence— while we’ve never heard of VnC vampires turning humans with their bite, maybe once a human has been rewritten enough times they too become unstable. Maybe Comte, in constantly changing his name and shape, has been rewriting himself to the point of instability. Maybe Noé struggles to rewrite because, as an Archiviste, he was born to simply read and record.

But you probably shouldn’t trust me on any of this because, as always, this is 100% my biased initial interpretation of Chapter 58! I hope you’re all as hyped to see this flashback play out as I am, and I’ll see you (hopefully somewhat) soon for VnC 59!

[bookdragonwrites]

ooo perhaps this bit from "all seems lost"?:

"His eyes open to a place he doesn’t know, a man he doesn’t recognise. The man’s clothes are dirty, blood-stained, and torn beyond repair. His eyes are purple. When the man opens his mouth in apparent surprise, there are fangs. A vampire. He fears vampires. He must fight. Damn it, where are his knives? He must flee, then, but his limbs won’t cooperate.

‘When you say, “I’ll live”, that usually means, “I came very fucking close to not living”, so don’t give me any of your drivel about how you’re fine, really.’

Noé carrying him. Vanitas fails to be annoyed about this being necessary.

‘Instead, Noé nearly died. I don’t recall you doing anything to prevent that.’

The air smells sweet. There’s a wildflower by the roadside. It’s the same colour as Noé’s eyes. How painfully sentimental of him to notice that.

‘I’m Noé. We’re friends. I won’t hurt you, I swear it.’

Noé asleep in their hotel room in Paris, his sheets kicked into disarray, drool leaking onto his pillow. An idiot even when he’s unconscious. The Vanitas of the past looks on fondly, thinking that if he isn’t careful, he might just —"

I’m sorry it took me so long to write out my thoughts, but let’s get this show on the road, dear anon.

[note for everyone else: this is from All Seems Lost, a short companion piece to And They Lived (ATL hereafter)]

I wrote All Seems Lost in something of a hurry, because I had the idea for it not long before I was set to publish the chapter of ATL to which it is a companion. As a result, I had to tinker with it a bit after I posted it, and I’m still not super-duper happy with the whole thing. Nevertheless, I do actually quite like the extract you sent me.

I find Vanitas’s point of view quite difficult to write. He’s an angry, sharp, purposely contradictory man, and it’s so hard to get a read on what’s going on with him in canon. Who knows what he’s thinking, or what he means, or how he feels about anything or anyone? It’s hard to get him to engage with emotions!

One thing that’s clear to me, though, is that he does care. He cares a lot. Especially where Noé is concerned. And that’s where I tried to put the focus in the sequence of memory snippets this extract is from. Originally, I wrote them all in chronological order, but that seemed rather flat, because they covered so many different moments in a rather disconnected way. So I wondered where the focus should be, then. If not chronologically, how should I order them? What’s important to Vanitas as he’s reliving these moments? What’s his subconscious trying to tell him? What’s he been suppressing, all this time? And the answer became kind of obvious: he’s dwelling on Noé, and all the ways just about everything in his life has started to revolve around, of all people, an Archiviste.

He’s resisting it with all he has, and yet, in the back of his mind, he’s thinking about Noé constantly. And in this fic, he’s so tired, so lost, so close to giving up on everything, that those thoughts manage to break through his defences. Given that context, what’s the story these memories are trying to tell him? I put the memories that have little or nothing to do with Noé at the beginning – to lull Vanitas into a false sense of security, perhaps – and then I moved onto the memories that have Noé in them, but they aren’t strictly about him. From there, the fragments grow more and more emotionally charged, until they end with a partial scene from months ago. That’s where we were going all along, it turned out: look, Vanitas, you’ve cared for him for so long, why do you keep pretending you don’t? Turns out Vanitas can’t handle that question yet, so he finally manages to put his barricades back up. Still, a seed of wondering has been planted.

Now let’s take a look at some bits in detail.

His eyes open to a place he doesn’t know, a man he doesn’t recognise. […]A vampire. He fears vampires. He must fight. Damn it, where are his knives? He must flee, then, but his limbs won’t cooperate.

This, I think, is fairly straightforward (if you’ve read ATL, that is). He’s waking up after yet another fit, and he’s extremely disoriented. This is the only time in the ATL-verse that we get Vanitas’s perspective on what it’s like when that happens, and that’s why I thought it’d be interesting to include here. It’s a moment of complete terror, and Vanitas pretty much always falls back on aggression when he’s afraid. It’s also the first memory in the sequence that has Noé as the main focus, but it’s more detached than the ones that come after. Noé is the bad guy here, an enemy, a stranger. I thought that would be an interesting perspective to include.

‘When you say, “I’ll live”, that usually means, “I came very fucking close to not living”, so don’t give me any of your drivel about how you’re fine, really.’

Next, we get Vanitas scolding Noé for acting like his injuries don’t matter. He knows who Noé is, but he’s angry with him. It’s coming from a place of caring about Noé’s well-being, of course, but Noé is still a little bit the bad guy, at least from Vanitas’s perspective. Also, it’s kind of a thesis statement for ATL as a whole: these idiots just do not care enough about their own well-being, because they’re too busy protecting each other.

‘Instead, Noé nearly died. I don’t recall you doing anything to prevent that.’

More scolding, this time in defence of Noé. Vanitas being protective of Noé warms my heart, so it had to be included.

The air smells sweet. There’s a wildflower by the roadside. It’s the same colour as Noé’s eyes. How painfully sentimental of him to notice that.

Vanitas has a soft side? Say it ain’t so! Seriously, though, the flower by the road is the image that stuck with me the most from this fic. Noé is something of a wildflower himself: artless, hardy, happy to grow wherever he can get the basic necessities, always ready to cheer up a weary traveller with his simple beauty, yet easily trampled by a careless foot. There is also the contrast between the innocent, cheerful flower and the horrors they both went through that day. I thought would be quite interesting to highlight that, because he did in fact take the time to notice that the world isn’t completely awful, and usually that’s Noé’s job.

Noé asleep in their hotel room in Paris, his sheets kicked into disarray, drool leaking onto his pillow. An idiot even when he’s unconscious. The Vanitas of the past looks on fondly, thinking that if he isn’t careful, he might just —

I mean. Yeah. Vanitas, my honey, my sweetie pie, my darling, you have been in love with this man for months and months, and living in denial is not going to work forever. And I could not resist shoving it in his face, because I am very mean. Also, there’s just something about Vanitas’s fond exasperation that gives me the warm fuzzies.

—

As I was writing this commentary, I noticed an irony I hadn’t even intended: normally, it’s Noé, as an Archiviste, who’s closely associated with memories. In this fic, though, it’s Vanitas who’s dragged down into memories (his own, but still), looking on and powerless to change anything. I’m not quite sure what that means, thematically, but I think there’s something there to consider.

———

Thank you very much for the ask, anon! I hope this was a satisfying deep-dive!

[docholligay]

YES THIS IS WHAT I WAS SAYING. Vanitas has been EXTREMELY candid from the word go about how he was going to do this his way, and he was going to do what he set out to do, and he didn’t care if anyone liked it or didn’t. I mean, you can think Vanitas is an asshole. I think he’s a little bit of an asshole. But I don’t think he’s been misleading. I think he has been straightforward from the word go, but Noé assumed that because they had similar aims, they had similar methods, similar ways of looking at the world, that when it came down to it, Vanitas’ morals were Noé’s morals.

And that just isn’t true.

I have never seen this show and know absolutely nothing about it! As that is the fun of having me liveblog this, please let it be fun for EVERYONE by not confirming denying, hinting, saying things like “oh just wait til episode x’, telling me about outside interviews, or anything that is cultural or historical that I’m not picking up on! PLEASE LET ME BE A STUPID PIECE OF SHIT

[thewritetofreespeech]

your noe thing was so cuuutee!! such a precious puppy! ☺ c-can I request something a littleless innocent? 👉👈 that scene really got me too and I’d like to see noe x reader biting lead to a little more?butonlyifyouwantto!

Glad you liked it!! And I may.....have gotten carried away.....#noesimp

tags: heterosexual sex, female reader, blood (vampire stuff), ‘get you a man who can do both’ noé, some fluff

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was official, Noé was avoiding you.

At first, you couldn’t be sure. Thinking it was just paranoia after your corruption, causing you to think the worst and see enemies everywhere. But, it was becoming clear that you were not making the situation up as the white-haired man seemed to all but run away any time you entered a room. Now you were certain it had to be you.

It made you feel all the worse about the situation. The hunter had become the hunted. How stupid could you have been to let the Charlatan get the jump on you in your pursuit of him and turn you into the thing you hated most. Luckily, your agony was short lived as Noé and Vanitas saved you soon after. But the memories of that awful time still haunted you.

And now they must be haunting Noé. That’s why he couldn’t be near you.

Like with Amelia, Vanitas suggested that Noé use his abilities to take a look into your mind to help paint a better picture of the Charlatan and get a pattern of his movements. You had been against it, but the ends justified the means. Noé took one bite of your wrist & your blood, and seemed to keel over from the taste of it.

After that, he wanted nothing to do with you. And it hurt, to be rejected.

You decided that things couldn’t go on like this. You had to make peace for the sake of hunting down the monster terrorizing your people and putting an end to the curse bearers. So, you went to his room that night and knocked on the door.

“[Y-Y/N]??”

“Can I come in?” You ask, hopefully. This needed to be discussed in private, but you were aware that he might shut the door in your face if you asked.

Thankfully, he was too much of a gentleman to do that, and let you in anyway.

“I wanted to talk about why you’ve been avoiding me.” Noé looked at you in surprise. Clearly he must have thought he was doing a good job of hiding his aversion toward you. The sweet fool. “Is this about the other day?” You asked. Noé didn’t say anything. Just a small grunt as he continued to look at the floor. “Is it my blood?” He flinched, small but noticeable. So, your fear had been realized.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have offered it to you.” Noé looked up. That soft, innocent look on his face making you feel even worse for what you and Vanitas had put him through. He wasn’t a tool. Or some projector to replay the tortured memories of people to find the Charlatan. He was a person.

“I know my blood is….tainted. Lord knows what being touched by the Charlatan has done to it. It probably of no use to anyone but me now. That’s why you can’t be around me now, isn’t it? Because my blood is so disgusting. Ugly…..”

“Don’t ever say that again!” Noé demanded. Suddenly in front of you and holding on to your shoulders as he looked into your eyes with an earnest gaze. “Do you have any idea what your blood tastes like? What it’s done to me?” His hands on your shoulders tighten slightly. Not to hurt. Just a bit more pressure to express how serious he was. “You are right. I can’t be around you. But it’s not for the reason you think. Your blood tastes….it’s like a falling star. Bright and powerful. It’s burning me up inside. It’s all that I want. Every moment all I can think about is wanting more. It’s torture to be near you. But I also don’t want to be away from you. I’ve become possessed by your blood. Do you understand?”

You stare up at Noé , mouth slightly jar. This was so….far of the mark of how this conversation was going to go. You never dreamed of it going like this, so you don’t know what to say. “I-I….So….You’ve been staying away from me….because you want my blood?”

“Yes.” Perhaps he was a little too quick off the mark with his answer. But Noé  had no guile in him to lie or be coy. “And…maybe something more….” His earnest behavior falters a little, as he became shy & soft again as his cheeks tint. Those impassioned words a moment ago seeming to come from someone else, and your embarrassed to admit how enticing you find the contrast.

“Do you want my blood, Noé?” A soft sharp gasp escaped Noé as he looked up. A little wide eyed and fearful, but also with some hope there. “Do you want my blood, Noé?” You repeat. Reaching out to press your hand against his chest. Feeling his heart hammering there, even through his thick vest and shirt. “If you want it, then I’ll give it to you. You only have to ask.”

“Y-You don’t know what you’re saying.” He insisted. Looking down again.

“I do.” You insist back. “Ever since we met, I’ve always been…fond of you. You’re kind, and you’re honest, and….handsome.” It was your turn to blush now. “Then when you saved me, those feelings only grew stronger. So, if you want my blood, if you want me, you can have it, Noé. I’m all yours.”

The white-haired vampire lifted his head again. Only this time there weren’t bright amethysts staring back at you, but vibrant sunset rubies.

The hands still on your shoulders pull you close, flush against Noé’s broad chest, before he bites you. His arms wrapped around your body in a warm embrace. Your body growing hot as your blood flowed into his mouth for his enjoyment.

“You do it too.” A confused little sound, no louder than that of a mouse, met Noé at his stern words at your throat. You felt dizzy. Like you might swoon. “You do it too.” He repeated. Hands leaving you only for a moment to rip loose his tie and expose his neck. “Bite me too.”

Your world suddenly became crystal clear again, with a hyper focus on his neck. Now it was your turn from you heart to hammer in your chest. Not that it hadn’t been before. But it was a different kind of racing now. A hungry kind of racing. Like the excitement of finally being able to get everything you want kind of racing. You’d never seen anything so perfect in your life.

You immediately reach forward and bury your fangs into Noé’s offered neck. Vaguely hearing him let out a breathy gasp when you make contact. The blood that rushed into your mouth was warm, and not just because it had come fresh from a body. It tasted like spices. Sweet, warm spices. Like the kind all the bakers sold at Christmas and made the whole room smell like cinnamon, cloves, and honey. Warm honey coating your throat, and you felt like you might die if you didn't have this again. If you had the presence of mind, you think you might now understand what Noé was talking about. Why he tried to stay away.

You let out a sharp, sensual whimper, muffled against Noé’s throat, when his fangs set into again and drink. It’s an incredible feeling.

Noé pulling your blood from you while you pulled his blood from him in this crimson infinity circle was indescribable. You had never felt this way before. Then again you never felt this way about anyone but Noé before.

You whimper again when he pulled back from you, wanting this feeling to continue, and whine when he pulled you away from him by the back of your hair. Why would he take this away from you? Why would he be so cruel to when you loved him so much? All your questions were silenced when he crashed his lips into yours. It was messy, and bloody. It’s not at all like the kiss you had imagined him giving you, nor do you think your blood tasted that good, but you were drunk again on it. Dizzy, and feeling you might faint, and holding on to Noé as if your life depended on it.

There was another pull from Noé holding you close, and you feel your feet come off the ground. Only for a second, however, as your back crash landed on soft down and pillow top covers right after. “I’m sorry,” Noé said after pulling away from you. It’s hard to hear his apology over both your panting. “I didn’t mean to make assumptions. It’s inappropriate to just assume th–" Whatever else he had to say you weren’t interested in. The only thing his lips were of use for now was to kiss you.

He doesn’t seem to mind being cut off as he kissed you back passionately. You both fumble in tandem with getting your clothes off. There’s no way with the intricate fastenings of French couture that you’ll get them all off, but you can certainly make do.

You can get Noé’s vest & shirt off with minimal loss of buttons so you can finally touch his smooth chest.

He’s able to get the top of your blouse undone and expose all of your skin to the top of your breasts, because he can’t get your corset off.

And, more importantly, you’re able to undo his belt and open up his trousers, while he was able to hike up your skirts.

You let out a cry of ecstasy when Noé thrust into you. Gripping his shoulders as the hard, rough thrust breaks into you. “Sorry!” Noé apologized immediately. Mistaking your cry for one of pain. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I wasn’t thinking. We can stop if –” You cut him off again with another kiss, because again you weren’t interested in anything he had to say about that now.

You let him go after a moment and tell him against his moist lips, “don’t stop.”

In the darkness, you see his eyes shift to bright red again, and that was all the warning you had before he buried his face into the crook of your neck and was pounding into you like a mad man.

You cry out again. Loud moans, whimpers, the sound of his name. You never thought he’d be so rough, your sweet Noé, but you can’t say you weren’t enjoying it.

You can feel an orgasm building, but then felt suddenly pushed off the edge when Noé bore his fangs into your neck again. Taking you by surprise, and having your whole body tighten up in blissful pleasure as you called out his name.

“Ahh [Y/N], did that feel good?” You whimper at his sultry deep voice against your ear. Your pussy quaking at the sound. Seeming to want to cum again at just the sound of his voice. “I’m glad. You feel so good.” His tongue lapped over the two holes on your neck. He unknowingly seemed determined to make you cum again. “[Y/N] can I…? Inside you..?”

 “Yes!” You tell him enthusiastically. Your eyes shifting as you bit into his neck again as well. Needing to feel him inside you in every way possible.

Noé cried out your name, as you had his, and his thrusts finally stop as he buried himself deep inside you. The warm feeling of his cum rushing past your lower lips, while his warm blood passed against your common ones, transporting you into a blissful state that you can only assume is nirvana.

Eventually, you let him go, and your warm dark-skinned lover collapsed on top of you. The two of you laid like that for a while. Recovering from spent energy and blood lost, in a haze of sex, rumbled clothes, and smell of copper. “Forgive me.”

You let out a soft ‘hn?’ at Noé’s words, and watch him as he sat up. “I knew I couldn’t control myself around you, yet I did it anyway and took advantage. I’m sorry.”

“Took advantage?” You ask. Does he not remember you pushing him to take the first bite? “I wasn’t exactly ‘complaining’ Noé. In case you missed it.”

The white-haired vampire huffed a little and pouted. “Still, this was very improper. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. This wasn’t how our first time together should be.”

You smirk a little, despite yourself, at the unintentional confession that he had thought about it before too. Then, a thought. “This wasn’t….your first time, was it?” He was normally so naïve and innocent that now your feel as if you’ve taken advantage.

Noé shook his head. “No. I’ve made love once before.” He doesn’t have to say with who. You know it’s with Domi. “But it wasn’t like this.” You can’t tell if that’s a good or bad thing. Judging by his blush though, it couldn’t all be bad.

Noé shifted to lay down on top of you again. This time with his head on your chest. His long legs nearly hanging off the bed to make it happen. “Will you stay with me?” His request sounded so fragile for someone who had just been so passionate with you. “I know I’ve been bad, pushing you away. But…will you stay with me now?”

“Of course.” Despite yourself again, you chuckle a little at the request. How absurd it was for him to think you’d say no. It seemed to sooth him though, and Noé almost instantly feel asleep with you in his arms. You not far behind him as your marks heal in the dark.

[temporoom]

It all began with alchemy...

An analysis of the alchemy behind The Case Study of Vanitas.

Part 1: Basis of alchemy | Part 2: Theories (1) | Part 3: Theories (3)

This post uses elements from my previous post about alchemy, I would recommend you to read it before this one to help you understand what I’m writing about better.

Hi! It’s been a while (way too long tbh I’m sorry), I’m back with my alchemical stuffs. Last time, I gave you some basis on alchemy and how some of its theme can fit in the universe of VnC. This time, we will refine those in order to form theories about the story and what its future could be. So, what did we deduced last time which could help us in this endeavor?

Here are the things we established about VnC and alchemy:

The concept of multiple plans forming our universe and our being. (Human world, Altus, and the World Formula) Including a device capable of linking them to one another (The Book of Vanitas, the d’Apchier’s Organ), as well as the potential Christian imagery of this concept (The Tower of Babel, and the Garden of Eden).

The entire vampire race being issued from some form Chrysopoeia (transmutation of lead to gold), apart from Chloé d’Apchier (Argyropoeia), Luca Oriflamme (Aqua Regia), and Noé Archiviste (Philosopher’s Stone). (EDIT: There has been the recent addition of Loki Oriflamme who has dark blue eyes, however given that I started my research before his color palette was revealed I still don’t know what to associate him to.)

The presence of symbolic components capable of producing a Philosopher’s Stone, such as Mercury (Luna, Vanitas, Chloé…) and Sulfur (Faustina, Jeanne, Jean-Jacques…), and the different steps of the Magnum Opus being incarnated by characters in the story (Vanitas is Nigredo, Jeanne is Albedo, Dominique is Citrinas, Noé is Rubedo).

Now that all of those pieces of information are set, let’s work them out to form one Alchemical Theory, which should be either capable of explaining how the VnC universe work, and/or predict what should happen in future chapters. Let’s go!

Who is the alchemist?

Since the moment VnC introduced us to alchemy, most fans have been asking this question: who is Paracelsus? Is he still alive? What was the actual results of the Babel event caused by him?

Because those are recurrent questions, and the ones people expect me to answer the most with those posts, I’ll try my best to do so here. But let me change the question a bit then. Rather than ask who is Paracelsus, let’s ask, who is the Alchemist? Or even, who were the alchemists? The ones at the source of Babel.

Knowing who those alchemists were doesn’t require any alchemical knowledge, just some historical knowledge. We have most of the names already after all (you’ll see).

For a start, let’s look at the only piece of evidence we currently have: this panel in chapter 7. In it, we can see on the far-left Paracelsus, as well as his “helpers”: a bearded man, a dark-haired woman, and a blond man. Now, I will make a wild conjecture to guess their names:

The bearded man is Johann Georg Faust, contemporary of Paracelsus, and the main inspiration for Goethe’s tragedy Faust. (The play probably being the source of Faustina’s name). I couldn’t find a famous woman born in the 15th century for our dark-haired alchemist, I could make an entire post what her identity might be for the story, but this not today’s post subject. Finally, our blond man is none other than the Count of St. Germain, our dear Teacher. Look at his hair, it’s the same. (Not just that, but given the claims of the man himself, he could have been a contemporary of Paracelsus).

Now that we have established who is and who isn’t Paracelsus, we can go back to our main subject. Don’t worry, those three will come back at some point. But right now, I’m mostly trying to make conclusions with the information I had previously given to you all.

So, who is the alchemist? Who is the core of the VnC universe? We already have our answers from my previous post: Luna. Luna is the alchemist.

Luna fits all the criteria of the transformed alchemist:

They do not correspond to any forms of binarity: they are neither a woman or a man, both in appearance and mentality; they aren’t a human or a vampire either. (The resolution of contraries, the hermaphrodite)

They have a device capable of linking the physical world to the world formula: the Book of Vanitas. (The wish of being linked back to God)

They were exiled from an “Eden” and feared. (The link with God being severed)

The name given to them by others, Vanitas, is a form of art piece meant to remind of someone’s mortality. What a fitting name to insult an alchemist who had the arrogance of wishing to go beyond mortality. “No matter how long your life shall be, you too, will die one day.” (One of the alchemists’ goals, especially in Asia, was the creation of an Elixir of Long Life – more often called Elixir of Immortality in English-speaking countries, though the elixir itself does not grant it).

However, as I’ve mentioned at the beginning of this post, Luna can be associated with one of the catalysts of the Magnum Opus: the mercury. In that case, they are not the transformed alchemist, but rather a product of their experiments. But do we have a second possibility for the transformed alchemist? Of course we do, and you know him well: the Count of St. Germain.

Does not fit binary standards by always changing of appearances.

Considers themselves to be above humans and vampires alike, their true nature is still undetermined.

They are thematically associated with a golden color, gold being the result of Chrysopoeia, one of the abilities of the Philosopher’s Stone. Just like any alchemists, he could have been transformed from lead to gold (spiritually) by some sort of Philosopher’s Stone.

So, we now have two potential original alchemists at the core of VnC, one of which has most certainly been part of the events of Babel. What could that potentially mean? Well, on one hand, if we followed the color coding, the only true original alchemist should be the Teacher, given his gold. Making of Luna simply one of the catalysts of the Magnum Opus (representing the mercury), so, while they could have been one of the actors of Babel, they are not the alchemist at its source. But on the other hand, Luna is the one who has all the details which makes of them a transformed alchemist.

Could both of them be alchemists? Could they both be actors of the Babel event, as helpers of Paracelsus? Could perhaps the two other actors of this event, Paracelsus and who I named Faust, could still be alive and transformed into vampires? If that was the case, then the house that Luna took Mikhail and XXXX into could potentially belong to one of those two. But will we ever meet them, or know what happened to them?

In any cases, the presence of alchemists makes one thing clear: if there are successful alchemists, then there are Philosopher’s Stones.

 Who is the Philosopher’s Stone?

Let’s hop right into our second part about the Philosopher’s Stone. The presence of a successful alchemist is the first proof to the presence of a Philosopher’s Stone around, the second proof of its presence is of course the omnipresence of the Chrysopoeia amongst vampires. If you have forgotten what Chrysopoeia is, it’s the process of turning base metals (lead) into noble ones (gold) using the Philosopher’s Stone.

Who is the Philosopher’s Stone then? Well, there is the simple answer, and the more complex one. I’ll start with the latter.

All vampires are Philosopher’s Stones.

Vampires in the VnC universe are smaller scaled version of Philosopher’s Stone by definition, their eyes can turn red (typically considered the color of the stone), they can rewrite the formula around them (transmutation), and the simple fact that they drink blood could be considered a side effect of the last stage of the Magnum Opus, the Rubedo, which is often called “staining in blood”.

However, following this logic, all vampires should have more agency on themselves. Which they don’t. First, they are affected by the Chrysopoeia, taking away their statue as Philosopher’s Stone, and reducing them to metals. The red in their eyes could then be simply the “trademark” of the original Philosopher’s stone. Second, if they were Philosopher’s Stones capable of turning base metals into noble ones… Then they should have the power to turn humans into vampires. Currently, in the story, they aren’t capable of such a feat.

So, rather than thinking all vampires are Philosopher’s Stone, let’s change that reasoning into vampires are the ones capable of being affected by the Philosopher’s Stone. In other words: humans are the alchemists, who can only be changed during the process of fabrication (the event of Babel and the years following it), while vampires are the metals transformed by the now complete Philosopher’s Stone. This order is to be remembered: always humans to vampire, to changes within vampires amongst themselves.

So now, here is the simple and obvious answer to who is the Philosopher’s Stone: Faustina, first Vampire of the Crimson Moon and Queen of Vampires.

The obvious about Faustina being the Philosopher’s Stone of VnC world is her link to its surrounding Chrysopoeia.

The Teacher has been by her side at the very start and is defined by his gold. He is her transformed alchemist.

The closer a vampire is in rank to her, the more often their eyes are gold. The only exceptions to this rule are Luca and his brother Loki, who have respectively green and dark blue eyes; and Jeanne, who is not someone of high rank but has somehow golden eyes as well. (We could also potentially count Ruthven since he was not born into nobility). Otherwise, most vampires have eyes with the color of base metals such as copper (brown) or lead (black). Again, the only exceptions to this rule are Noé Archiviste, who has purple eyes, and Chloé d’Apchier, who has silver eyes (or light blue depending on the point of view). In any cases, ranks or not, this happens too often to ignore the obvious Chrysopoeia.

Clearly Faustina is an active stone, still affecting the formula around her to produces alchemical transmutations. You could even argue that maybe her malnomen, Naenia, creates curse-bearer because of that power. It’s after all a malnomen which affects other vampires surrounding her. A form of corrupted Philosopher’s Stone.

What should speak to you more, however, is the homunculus imagery surrounding her.

It starts with what has been shown of her in the manga. Her first apparition is in an artificial tube filled with liquid, and since then this is where we assume her core is. (I say core since I don’t know if it’s actually her body or a clone of her body and the real one still in the castle). It then follows with her name, Faustina.

Faustina is both the name of a renowned roman empress, and the feminine Latin form of Fausto, which refers to the term Faustian, itself in reference to a renowned character of the German folklore: Faust.

Yes, here he comes again, Faust (I told you we would talk about that guy again). Now that we circled back to him, we need to decide how far we should push our research. Should we go at the source of the character of Faust? Or perhaps analyze the theater piece written by Goethe? To make that decision, I decided to look at the Wikipedia page for Faust in Japanese… They only talk about the one from Goethe’s works, so we’ll go with this one! :D (If the occasion present itself, don’t worry, I’ll talk about the source of the tale of Faust).

So, who is Faust? Well, Faust, the fictional character, is an alchemist who has come to a point where he is unhappy with his life and his research when a mysterious devilish entity, called Mephistopheles, appears to him and proposes to make a pact in exchange for his soul. The pact would last for twenty-four years, during which Faust could have anything he wants, and once he feels like he has accomplished all that he needed to, Mephistopheles would take his soul with him in hell to make of Faust a servant of the Devil. The story written by Goethe is separated into two plays, the first one being about Faust’ liaison with a woman called Gretchen, while the second is a philosophical adventure in search of salvation. This second play includes the presence of a homunculus created by Faust’s servant, Wagner, and serves to parallel Faust’s goal to become a spirit, since its own goal is to become human. However, the glass flask containing it falls over and breaks and kills it.

Yeah… We got all the clues needed to link Faust to Faustina here: the pact with a devilish entity, as well as the presence of the homunculus. (There’s a few other stuff, but please read the Wikipedia page for that). Though I admit I’m probably making a far stretch here, or am I? After all, the first mentions of homunculus are in Paracelsus works, a contemporary of the real-life inspiration for Faust. If in VnC, they had decided to work together, why would it be strange to suppose they created a homunculus together?

 Okay, that’s enough Faustina talk! We have a second Philospher’s Stone at hand! The one named Noé Archiviste.

The orphan, the king in purple… The stone has many names, it’s strange that some of them fits Noé so well, don’t you think? Purple isn’t associated to many things in alchemy, actually, only one: the Philosopher’s Stone. Last time, I had mentioned that Noé was the potential new Philosopher’s Stone, but did not went into too much details about this, so now I will!

Noé Archiviste is not a complete Philosopher’s Stone, I’ll say it right now, he is only one in the making. But he has already some of the characteristics needed to become one:

Is under the supervision of an alchemist. Teacher, of course, but you can also consider Vanitas as Noé’s alchemist given that he inherited most of Luna’s traits (lack of binarity proven to us by Murr; a device capable of linking him to the formula, the book of Vanitas; as well as the name Vanitas). But unlike Luna and Teacher, Vanitas is, like Noé, waiting to be transformed. It’s not just Noé’s Magnum Opus, but also Vanitas’ one. (in an alchemical sense I need to remind)

His purple eyes already establish him as going through the transformation, making him immune to the Chrysopoeia alongside Luca, Loki and Chloé. Purple is also one of the colors used to refer to the stone.

He is thematically associated with the last stage of the Magnum Opus: the Rubedo. Also called the “tainting in purple” or the “staining in blood” stage.

However, what proves that he is not a complete Philosopher’s Stone is his inability to affect the vampires surrounding him in a Chrysopoeia… Not in a literal sense at least. Noé does manage to bring out the best in the people around him to make their darkened spirit into gold. You can see it with Vanitas and Roland in the Chasseur Arc, but also with Jean-Jacques in the Gevaudan arc, and finally Dominique (in a way) and Vanitas (again) in the Hunter in the Dark arc. We can also see him attempt a form of psychological Chrysopoeia with Astolfo but failing.

Though what makes it the more evident is the entirety of the story structure set in VnC for each arc and the story overall…

 The Case Study of Vanitas’s story structure

Last post, I explained to you that each of our four main characters could be associated to one of the four stages of the Magnum Opus: Vanitas for the Nigredo, Jeanne for the Albedo, Dominique for the Citrinas, and Noé for the Rubedo. Let me push this further by adding something: each of our four main characters have a dedicated arc which corresponds to the Magnum Opus step they are associated to, and those arcs themselves can be restructured into a form of Magnum Opus themselves.

This is not a first, plenty of stories in English literature are based on alchemical structures, one of the most famous being… Oh, Romeo and Juliet, you know, one of MochiJun’s inspirations for writing a story after Pandora Hearts?

Anyway, let’s go back to our main subject, so, how does alchemy appear in VnC? Well, each arc can be cut into four different clear parts, each associated with a step of the Magnum Opus:

Nigredo: The darkest and lowest point of our character. They start divided (figuratively or literally), have different goals and different mindsets, and visibly something is bothering them.

Albedo: The clarification and purification of our character. They overcame the darkness of the nigredo to find the reasons behind their quest and gain new clues about what they should do next.

Citrinas: The awakening of our characters, after being tossed around because of their doubts in the nigredo and the revelations made during the albedo, they finally stand up thanks to the help of another character and set their mind on their goal without letting themselves be bothered by their doubts.

Rubedo: The final point of our characters. The arc is technically finished, and the situation is calming down, however, those calm scenes are disrupted by bite scenes in order to “spill blood” and complete the process.

You then rinse and repeat. How does that present itself withing the story then?

The Bal Masqué arc technically serves as the beginning stage for Noé, he is still at his prima materia stage and has not gone through the Magnum Opus yet. However, the arc has still the narrative structure of the Magnum Opus (most likely because it’s a common narrative structure for Japanese media):

Nigredo: The introduction to the characters set them as being literally divided for now. Each has their past and need to find a way to overcome it. Their views of the world are shaped by it.

Albedo: Dominique reveals that Noé was an orphan bought at the black market, and Vanitas reveals that the vampire of the Blue Moon has bitten him and made him a member of their clan. Clarifications are made about the past of the characters here. However, the true albedo is when Vanitas purifies (quite literally) Noé while he his spiraling into his past.

Citrinas: Harsh awakening of Noé and Jeanne by Vanitas, the first after killing a cursed child, the latter after forcing her to drink his blood.

Rubedo: Conclusion of the arc through the “What is Love?” chapter during which Jeanne drinks Vanitas’s blood, and Dominique Noé’s one.

The Chasseur Arc is the beginning of the Magnum Opus, it’s the Nigredo arc, focused on Vanitas. Everything is defined by its darkness and the color black: the color of their clothes, the dirtiness of the catacombs, as well as the themes (human experimentations).

Nigredo: Characters are figuratively divided. Vanitas wants to push away Noé, Noé wants to understand Vanitas.

Albedo: Vanitas reveals his past as a chasseur, as well as how his parents were killed. The true albedo is when they manage to communicate with Roland to clarify their reasons for infiltrating the catacombs.

Citrinas: Vanitas is awakened from his flash-back of Mikhail by Noé.

Rubedo: While Vanitas gets his blood drank by Jeanne, Noé gets his blood drank by Ruthven.

The Gévaudan arc is the Albedo arc, focused on Jeanne. It’s defined by its whiteness: Jeanne’s clothes, the snow, Chloé’s hair and eyes... Since the Albedo is one of the stages you can stop at to obtain a lesser stone capable of turning base metals into silver, naturally, the antagonist of this arc comes from Argryopoeia, (Chloé).

Nigredo: The characters are literally divided, Dominique in Paris, Jeanne stuck with Vanitas, and Noé in Chloé’s castle.

Albedo: Jeanne tells Vanitas her past with Chloé. Later on, when Noé is forced to drink Jean-Jacques’s blood and learn about the true nature of the beast, meanwhile Vanitas is getting his information through Dante. The true albedo, of course, is when Chloé clarifies her reasons for her actions and forces Naenia to take a physical form. (It’s metaphorically represented by Naenia going from black to white, nigredo to albedo)

Citrinas: Jeanne is awakened from her spiraling despair by Vanitas, who was inspired by Noé.

Rubedo: Jeanne drinks Vanitas’ blood out of happiness, Dominique has drunk someone’s blood out of despair.

The Hunter in the Dark arc is the Citrinas arc, focused on Dominique. It’s defined by the color yellow (gold): Dominique’s outfit/eyes/cover (volume 8), the lights of the amusement parc, the color of Teacher’s powers. It’s time to wake up from the dream… To become something greater.

Nigredo: Characters are psychologically divided. Dominique is focused on her trauma and her desire to protect Noé, Noé is also caught up in his trauma and his desire to protect Dominique. Vanitas is spiraling because of the return of Mikhail… Jeanne is having a fun time.

Albedo: Mikhail revealing his common past with Vanitas and how they met the Vampire of the Blue Moon, Luna. Mikhail also represents the Albedo through his white hair and grey eyes. His presence is meant to clarify what is unclear.

Citrinas: Dominique being awakened from her dissociative state by Jeanne and Noé, Vanitas being awakened from his hypnosis by Noé.

Rubedo: …?

And that’s right, the current arc is still not over! Which means that we have a missing step in our cycle. It also means that the next arc will be the Rubedo arc, focused on Noé, and defined by the color red… Maybe an arc in Altus? To parallel the first arc.

Conclusion :

So, what new clues did we get from this breakdown?

About alchemists, we have four roaming around the VnC world:

The alchemists of the Blue Moon, symbolized by the Nigredo, the beginning, and the mercury. The first one is Luna, who has made our current Vanitas their heir, and as such the new alchemist of the Blue Moon.

The alchemist of Crimson Moon, symbolized by the Albedo, the Rubedo, and the sulfur. I’ll suppose the first one was Faust, their heir was Faustina, and the current contender for the role is Ruthven (making of Faustina his homunculus).

The alchemist of the Golden Moon, symbolized by the Chrysopoeia, gold and transmutation. The count of St.-Germain is the one and only representant of this role.

Finally, Paracelsus, the Original Alchemist. His role and his symbolics are unknown for now, but I know we will meet him at some point.

About the Philosopher’s Stone, we have two roaming around the VnC world:

Faustina, Queen of Vampires, the stone tainted in blood, capable of Chrysopoeia, the corrupted stone.

Noé Archiviste, the Archiviste, the king in purple, the orphan, still unfinished, but will soon awaken to his true potential/nature.

And finally, that the story is leading us towards the inevitable awakening of Noé as the new Philosopher’s Stone of the universe of VnC, with his transformed alchemist: Vanitas.

 This was longer than expected, so, against all expectations, there shall be a third and final post about my alchemical analysis: Religion and how it entails to the alchemy of The Case Study of Vanitas. The conclusion of my posts about alchemy.

[fiction-is-god]

Theory for Vanitas’ Death

(Spoilers up to rooftop talk scene I think, the one after the amusement park arc, just to be safe assume spoilers up to the most recent chapter)

I have two theories for how Vanitas might possibly die, plus a bonus theory that’s a bit more hopeful.

So, the book is rewriting Vanitas, and he asked Noé to kill him if it comes to that. Noé (as narrator) stated explicitly that he killed Vanitas with his own two hands, so there is no doubt that Noé is the one to end Vanitas. Also, the part where Noé goes ‘I wish I reached out and grabbed his hand on that day’ makes it seem that Vanitas’ death could have been preventable. With that, let’s get into the theories!

1.

At the end of the series, Vanitas goes to defeat the final boss. During the battle, he was forced to use too much of the book, and was almost completely rewritten. Therefore, Noé had to kill him. In this theory, the reaching out part is because maybe Noé realized that Vanitas is too unprepared, the enemy is too strong, or something of the sort. However, he let Vanitas go because this was a one in a million opportunity.

2.

This theory starts with Vanitas and Noé having a falling out about something. Either way, Vanitas storms off, leaving Noé alone. Then, Ruthven comes in, and he makes Noé reveal his true name. (Noé’s teacher said to never give up his true name so it’s probably gonna happen). Noé then gets turned into a curse bearer, maybe a very powerful one, perhaps to lure Vanitas out or something. When Vanitas finds Noé, they have a fight, but this time the roles are switched compared to the amusement park fight. This time, Vanitas is trying not to kill Noé while Noé isn’t hesitating to kill anyone in his way. Since curse bearer Noé is so powerful, Vanitas is forced to use the book a lot. Additionally, Noé has also been constantly attacking. When Vanitas finally cures Noé, he has already been almost completely rewritten, or Noé has dealt a fatal wound to Vanitas. Maybe both. In this theory, the reaching out part comes when Noé wants to reach out to Vanitas, telling him to come back after their falling out, but doesn’t.

3.

Now for some nice feelings :D

Noé is the narrator of the story, and him being a character leaves some room for the trope of ✨ unreliable narrator ✨

This is really hopeful, but maybe Noé only thinks that Vanitas died, but he actually didn’t. Noé thinks that he killed him, but due to him not being a doctor and not knowing much about doctor stuff, he doesn’t know that Vanitas is still alive.

:)

Apologies if some of this is not coherent

[bemused-writer]

VNC Chapter 54 Analysis

Whew! It has been a bit since our regularly scheduled meta. 8D A quick life update before we get into it: I'm currently in the midst of switching careers (in other words, job searching, interviewing, etc. etc.) and that is consuming the bulk of my time and thought, so expect further delays on this front, but know they will come all the same. I love writing the meta (and the fic) as you guys know. (^^) With that out of the way, let's take a look at this chapter because things sure happened in it. Honestly, it's kind of everything I could have hoped for. :D Namely, a theory I had going was confirmed.

And that theory is that Misha was not exactly being sincere about wanting to know Vanitas's memories. Sure, he probably would like to know, but his main goal was Noé's death.

He continues saying "You know I'm all you need! You'd be fine without that guy!" So, Misha is fully admitting his motives were incredibly selfish but in a different way than he presented to Noé. Previously he'd made it seem as though all he needed was closure. He just needed to know why Vanitas killed Luna! A self-serving purpose, but sympathetic all the same. The reality is that Misha is incredibly jealous; he wants to keep Vanitas all to himself and can't bear to share him with anyone else.

Furthermore, he cannot fathom what it is about Noé that has Vanitas doing so much for him. At this point, it's unclear how much Misha knows about their relationship, but he definitely knows they're working together and knows they're close (which is half the problem in his estimation). He figured Noé was the main thing preventing Vanitas from rejoining his perfect family. Of course, we know that isn't remotely the case even though we don't know why Vanitas killed Luna, but Misha is in denial about a lot of things, not least of which is this.

Throughout Misha's tirade it seems that Vanitas is maintaining some consciousness, though just barely. I'd guess he's going in and out of consciousness, but Mochizuki went out of her way to show he at least heard Misha's reasoning, i.e. that Vanitas shouldn't need Noé because he has him.

Now, speaking of theories I've had, one of them was proven wrong in this chapter as well, although it makes things more interesting: Dominique is not a curse bearer. We also have it proven that this isn't Louis, but another side of Dominique herself. Note that Louis's mole is missing, thus proving it's her:

As for why she's saying "our" name, I think this is just a grammar thing to be honest. (^^)" There are technically "two" people there even though they're one and the same. But these different reflections of Dominique are quite interesting. Here's what she has to say about this one:

I think at this point it's safe to say that Dominique's more "feminine" side is what she's equating to weakness and her more "masculine" side is what she sees as her strength. The problem she's running into is that she's separating her own personality into chunks, which has caused a rift within herself. Misha was able to take advantage of her because she was stamping out all of her doubt and sorrow and, perhaps most importantly, her past as a more unsure, innocent individual. But that's how she got to where she is today; she can't ignore that past much as she'd like to. I think that for Dominique she'll know real peace once she's reconciled these two aspects of her personality and found that they're ultimately one and the same.

Of course, her issues with Noé need to be addressed as well. Already she's seen that killing herself solves nothing. Noé cares for her and she wouldn't make life easier for him by removing herself from the equation. I think she has to confront there's a certain selfishness in trying to determine what would or wouldn't make Noé happy without talking to him as well, which I suspect will be discussed later in this arc. But most importantly, Dominique needs to learn to value her own life for herself and to prioritize herself for a change. I'm not sure that's something we're going to get around to this arc (baby steps and all), but I feel like she's slowly starting to get there. Right now, she's valuing herself only in terms of Noé caring about her and needing her. She's still prioritizing his feelings over her own and that's the biggest thing that needs to change.

As for Noé, he's only just realizing any of this, so a substantial part of this arc for him will no doubt be him coming to terms with how Dominique actually feels, not just for him but for herself, too. He's also going to have to deal with Vanitas and the fact that Vanitas still didn't offer to help Dominique (that is a problem that hasn't actually been addressed whatsoever yet) and the fact that Noé immediately became the thing Vanitas feared most in an effort to protect her.

This could possibly lead to Noé realizing two things: how much he cares for Dominique and how much he cares for Vanitas. The latter is already in motion. The former has been in motion for years, so it's really a matter of what tone it takes later this arc. Will Noé realize he shares the same feelings for Dominique that she has for him? Or will he realize that he hasn't been as good of a friend to her as he'd hoped? Very curious to see how that progresses.

As for Misha, well, he's taking everything very badly. XD As I've said many times, his plan was actually terrible and the whole thing has, indeed, backfired on him spectacularly. Even the book has backfired on him!

It's honestly kind of hilarious. Now, getting to Misha's abilities, he admits he can't alter a vampire's name, he can simply manipulate them for a time. I think that's what the random vampiric zombie horde is supposed to be: vampires he has manipulated to work for him. And yet, I'm puzzled. It's been heavily implied that Dominique attacked other vampires as a curse bearer, except we now know she isn't actually a curse bearer, so what was she doing? Was she spreading Misha's influence somehow? The vampires all have blood about their lips much as Dominique did when she stumbled back to Misha.

Visually, the dark matter coming out of Misha's book actually look likes blood, doesn't it? We haven't heard of the book being able to manipulate blood, but I find myself wondering if that's what he's doing. Might explain the zombie vibes of his horde. XD Regardless, blood seems involved somehow even if it merely represents the damage his book has done to those he controls.

I suppose we'll find out next chapter! I'm looking forward to seeing more zombies and Misha's abilities continually backfiring on him. I can't imagine Dominique and Jeanne will continue to fight each other seeing as Dominique has her independence back, but the two will definitely need to talk over some things. Ahh, there's going to be a lot of talking this arc; I really can't wait. :D

[neversetyoufree]

do you have any theories about the teacher? I honestly can’t figure him out

Ohh man, teacher is fascinating. I can’t make any claims to understanding him 100%, because I really have no idea what role he’ll ultimately play, but I definitely have some thoughts I’d love to share.

Long story short, this man is shady as hell and probably keeping tabs on everything from behind the scenes, all for his own enjoyment. 

My favorite theory about teacher, and also by far the one that’s most supported right now, is that he sent Noé after the book of Vanitas (at least partly) because of Noé’s unique views on the blue moon. I call this a theory because it hasn’t been outright stated in canon, but I will be genuinely shocked if this isn’t the case.

Given his intent with Louis and the way he talks about having fun after adopting Noé, it seems pretty clear that he initially took Noé in because he thought he might be fun to observe. Noé was both an Archiviste and a vampire raised among humans, after all. That’s a jackpot of potentially interesting traits. Then, once he spent time with him, he discovered that not only was Noé an Archiviste raised by humans, but he also had no fear of the blue moon! I cannot imagine this shitty man’s delight at his discovery.

So then teacher, guardian of this strange, interesting young vampire that loves the blue moon hears that the book of Vanitas has been spotted in Paris. Of course he’s going to send Noé after it! There’s almost no way that the resulting situation won’t be entertaining for him. Maybe he knew more than he let on, and heard rumors of the book being wielded by a benevolent human, or knew that there would be a mystery well served by an Archiviste, but even if he really had only heard vague rumors about the book’s location, that would still be more than enough.

VnC’s entire plot is spurred by the fact that teacher thought it would be interesting to see a vampire that loves the blue moon come face to face with the blue moon’s servant, and I’m sure he’s lurking about somewhere, keeping tabs on Noé’s journey and just eating up the heartbreak and the chaos.

As for another theory, I’m also pretty sure that during all those times in Noé’s flashbacks where he’s away from home on his mysterious unknown business, he’s not actually gone (at least not all the time).

I mean, imagine you’re teacher. You’re taking care of your cursed grandson and a magic orphan because you think they might be interesting, and nothing will entertain you more than setting them loose on the world and seeing what they do when left to themselves. They won’t behave nearly as interestingly if you’re lurking about and visibly watching them all the time, but if you actually leave them alone, you don’t get to watch the results. Solution? Tell them you’re leaving home and then stick around, either in the castle or somewhere nearby, and keep tabs on whatever they’re doing. We haven’t yet seen a vampire that can turn invisible or do any shapeshifting more complex than teeth and claws, but if anyone would be able to do it, I feel like it would be Mr. “The Shapeless One.” And all those unexplained absences are way too conspicuous otherwise.

Plus, his appearance to save Noé from Louis would be way too convenient if he wasn’t somewhere around Averoigne and, if not actively watching the kids, at least monitoring them enough to know about the business with Mina being executed. Given how shady everything else about him is, I’m simply not inclined to believe that teacher just happened to hear something was happening with the kids and managed to arrive at the church at the exact right moment to save Noé. How did he know he had to head home? How did he know where the kids had run off to? I’m convinced he knew exactly what was going on, and simply stepped in when it suited him. He’d had his fun watching what Louis chose to do; no sense in losing Noé in the process.

I’m also sure that he has something to do with the vampire queen’s current situation, and quite possibly Charlatan/Naenia by extension, but I could not even begin to tell you what that connection is. We know that he was the queen’s original right hand man, but we have no idea why he left, or under what circumstances. We have no idea how much official connection to vampire politics he maintains, or how much underground influence he might still wield. We also have no idea what any of his motivations are, beyond the fact that he’s entertained by watching distressed and interesting people like Noé and Louis, which means it’s hard, for me at least, to even guess at what he might be up to on a broader scale. I’m sure whatever he’s doing is for his entertainment, but as to what that entertainment consists of, I’m stumped for now.

There’s also a theory I’ve seen tossed around that teacher is really Murr, watching everything from Noé’s shoulder, and while I do not actually think this is true, it’s too fun not to mention. It fits quite well with the whole “he’s secretly watching” theory that I do subscribe to, and is also, just, like, kinda hilarious. Imagine if teacher was actually in the room for all of Noé’s petty little arguments with Vanitas, and all his “but I don’t like you or anything” declarations of love. Noé would be so embarrassed. It’s incredible. Plus, like, imagine we find out The goddamn Shapeless One has been spending the past several months using a litterbox and getting head scritches. Nothing could be better.

Like I said though, I don’t actually think this is the case, because, if nothing else, Murr just seems like the wrong type of cat. Murr cuddles up to women but regularly scratches Noé, and seems perpetually annoyed with everything and everyone. If that’s the same elegantly smug bastard that we see in all of Noé’s flashbacks, then he’s been doing some serious method acting, lmao. Plus, I feel like teacher probably has some actual real life responsibilities to deal with, and since Murr’s with Noé pretty much all the time, he wouldn’t really have time to, y’know, do his vampire aristocrat things while he’s busy playing cat.

So to summarize, teacher is mysterious as hell, possibly puppeteering everything from behind the scenes, definitely keeping an eye on Noé’s journey for the sake of his entertainment, probably somehow connected to Naenia/the Queen, and Not Murr, though I dearly wish he were.

Also, I think the VnC fandom needs to more widely acknowledge the fact that he is, unfortunately, Very Pretty.

[briebysabs]

Besides the waltz scene, this is the biggest hint for me at least that Noé is falling for Vanitas.

Because let’s be absolutely clear, he did not have to be here. Noé had no purpose in this scene and mochijun doesn’t seem like a writer who positions their characters without reason.

To me, love isn’t something that occurs instantly. It takes time, trust, understanding, and vulnerability. That’s exactly Noé and Vanitas’ journey in their relationship. And they have already come to care about each other greatly but the subject of love comes into play.

I believe wholeheartedly that it will be revealed eventually that Noé has come to love Vanitas. Now whether it’ll be as romantic, platonic, or simply unlabelled pure “love” is up for debate. Regardless, Noé is aware that something is stirring within him but he doesn’t understand.

If it is romantic we might likely go the unrequited route. Seeing that Vanitas may love Noé but not romantically. No matter what however, any love Noé will have for him simply leads to an inevitable broken heart.

[naehja]

Vnc Soulmates AU 2

Imagine another soulmate mark au. The first words that your soulmate tell you are written on your skin.

This fanfic idea is free to take if you want =)

Here I’m going to do a precision. The first thing said by your soulmates must be said directly to you. A thing only addressed to you. 

(Ex: If your soulmates speak both to you and to someone else, it doesn't count. It must be the first thing specifically said to YOU)

Vanitas says two things before speaking directly to Noe.

1) “Found You”

Where he speaks to Amelia. Since she was the person that he wanted to see and to heal.

and

2) “I thought I had you there”

Well he seems to speak to Amélia again. He didn’t notice Noe until this point. Even if we can’t be sure. But I have the impression that he doesn’t speak to Noe here. He seems mumble to himself.

Let’s says that the first thing that he says to Noe is:

We know that the first thing that Vanitas said to Noe is "What are you?"

What.

Not Who.

That’s maybe he had already guessed that Noé was a vampire. That he had doubts about it.

For little Noe who discovers his mark...who reads the words again and again, curious about it.... ...It can be see as rude. "what" rather that "who".

 Domi said that it's rude. Louis didn't. But he implied that it was maybe a human who guessed that Noe was a vampire.

But Noe wouldn't mind a lot, he's the kid who wasn't traumatised to have been sold to the black market (or he was and repressed the trauma?), right?

But it would also mean that Noe's soulmate is a human who has suspicion of Noe's true nature. Noe believed what Louis implied. But he wasn't bothered by this idea, he loved humans, because his grandparents loved him after all. And so he was curious about this person. Very curious and he couldn't wait  to meet him.

And we arrive to their meeting. Noe wouldn't think or realise that Vanitas is his soulmate immediatly. First because Vanitas doesn't react to his own first words/sentence to him. Secondly because he has something else to think (protect Amelia). And a fight isn't the best moment to think about it.

Meanwhile Noe's first words to Vanitas are "I could ask you the same". Polite. Neutral. Curious maybe.

Vanitas has read these words before, before having Luna's mark on the same arm. Actually he read those words a lot. Because it meant that he would survive to Moreau. Since he had NEVER heard those words before. 

So he would get out one day, right? He wouldn't have a soulmark if he was going to die here. But he never said it loud, keeping the hope to himself.

Those words give him bravery when he faced torture in the lab. And it helped him to resist to the suffering. Because he knew that he would met his soulmate one day. so he would get out of this hell. Right?

(he had nightmares about the possibility that his soulmate may be number 72 or higher)

He often wondered how would be the situation. He was reading "I could ask you the same" and he wondered "hum maybe I'll ask him who he is?"

But Vanitas is afraid to attachement. And if he could use those words to keep his mental health and strengh in the lab...

...after everything happened with Luna and her death.. ..he changed his mind.

So he became careful to never say "who are you" to people or "what is your name?" first.

And he met Noe. "What are you" (never who are you, so the answer will never be...) and the words said by the guy in front of him strike him "I could ask you the same"

A nervous smile. A repressed laugh. And he pulled a knife.  

But Noé didn't react to his words. He didn't have any sign of knowledge. But whatever he had to save the young women. And if this guy stopped him, he was going to use force, right?

That's because of that, and because this vampire was strong, that he asked him to become his perfect shield, right?

They would not speak about it together.

Vanitas would want to keep an eye on Noé, even if it would meant that he could become emotionally involved. He would be and act like in the canon, doing the same tricks with Jeanne and all.

Noé would want to stay with his soulmates because he would want to know him.

they would be even more protective of each other (yes that's possible)

Next time: Roland x Noé and it will be wild XD

[digital-dhampirs]

vnc 56: some scattered thoughts

I went into Vanitas no Carte chapter 56 expecting the side story mochijun told us we’d be getting this month. Something cute and fluffy and probably relaxing after the absolute madness of VnC 55 and the emotional heft of VnC 55.5.

So I wasn’t really expecting to end the chapter by jumping out of my chair and collapsing dramatically on the floor.

Tldr, chapter 56 manages to be an adorable side story while also elevating my levels of hype for chapter 57 from their already high “oh boy, I can’t wait to see Domi and Jeanne’s conversation!” to the next level, which is apparently incoherent screaming.

As always, this post contains massive spoilers for VnC chapter 56 and will probably not make sense if you haven’t already read it. With that, here are some scattered somewhat incoherent thoughts on VnC 56…!

Luna, Mikhail, and XXXX

These three are adorable.

Luna. I love them. Luna being a parent to Misha and Vanitas is fuel for my soul. They can’t tie their hair up right. They were planning on getting the number of fèves wrong from the very start. They were also planning on making a cake involving a plant with a face on it and some kind of floating black rock. god I love Luna so much—

Something interesting seems to be happening with Vanitas’s memories of Luna. It isn’t that they’re changing, exactly. But the tone of the memories we see— the memories Vanitas allows himself, and the audience, to revisit— is absolutely starting to shift from antagonistic to much more familial and warm.

And I think this change in how the memories are presented is (at least partially) happening due to Vanitas starting to let himself accept that he truly did love Luna. During previous arcs he doesn’t just hide his memories from Noé— he hides his memories from himself. He’s constantly irritated when he remembers them, and only lets himself revisit the moments where he insisted he disliked Luna. The only time he’ll admit that he didn’t truly hate Luna is when he’s feverish and at his lowest point, separated from the Book and Noé.

But after the Exposition Universalle arc, it seems like Vanitas has become a lot more willing to remember the good. Actually, that’s not exactly true— the first time we see Vanitas positively remember Luna is right after he uses their power to cure Chloé and save Gévaudan. And I think that’s pretty interesting. Just as Vanitas is panicking over his newfound romantic love for Jeanne, he’s also (on a much more internal level) starting to realize that he also really did love Luna.

In a way, I think this panic might be at least part of the fuel for what Vanitas does during the Exposition Universalle. His shell is starting to crack— he’s letting himself remember those warm, happy moments with Luna that he’s pushed away for years, he’s developing romantic feelings for Jeanne. And now he’s faced with someone who combines aspects of what he loves about Jeanne and what he loved about Luna, someone whom he (arguably) feels even more strongly about than either of them at this point, and he can’t let himself love Noé too. So he makes that one desperate last attempt to rebuild the walls he’s held onto for so long. If he can cut out the root cause of all of this change, if he can kill Noé, maybe he can remain loveless. Maybe he can remain “free”.

But this isn’t a post about Vanitas and Noé this is a post about VnC 56 so let’s try to stay on track.

The whole reason I brought up Vanitas’s shifting memories of Luna in the first place is because I think we’re going to see a similar shift in how Noé remembers the Teacher in the future. Just in the opposite direction. This is just a guess, but I think we’re gonna see a lot fewer happy memories and a lot more… less great ones. Our protagonists don’t have gaps in their memories of their parental figures, they just seem to unconsciously choose which memories they remember and which ones they bury. And I think being confronted with a side of Comte that cheerfully admits to nearly killing Dominique and Vanitas during the course of the Exposition is gonna make Noé start to face the memories he may have buried.

Returning to the chapter at hand! Mikhail’s horrific expression as he tells Vanitas he wants to choose his own piece is just fantastic. Vanitas disliking the cake, but eating more of it anyways so Mikhail can’t realize that there were three fèves hidden in it all along is adorable. Luna is Luna and they’re such a good parent and I love them.

Mochijun ends the flashback by once again calling attention to Vanitas’s redacted name, this time putting it in direct contrast to the name he’s currently going by.

Ever since Chapter 55 I’ve been paying more attention to what the characters of VnC call each other. Fun fact, the only person who actually calls Vanitas “Vanitas” this chapter is Noé— Amelia calls him “Monsieur Vanitas”, Misha calls him “brother”, Luna calls him “XXXX”, and Dante calls him “quack”.

That’s pretty much all of my thoughts on the flashback part of 56, so with that, let’s go…

back to the present

The adorableness continues as Vanitas bakes Noé an apology tarte tatin. Noé is adorably excited, and Vanitas is adorably annoyed, and Amelia is ador— actually, Amelia is quite sus the whole time. Maybe it’s just because we haven’t spent this much time in the hotel in a while, but I just can’t shake the feeling that Amelia is acting off. But looking closely at how she acts, she seems just the same as always. Why does she feel so off? Is this just me being paranoid about Comte’s shapeshifting? Where the hell is Murr—-

Dante arrives on scene, and he seems… off, too. At first I couldn’t quite place why, but unlike with Amelia, I think I’ve figured it out. In the past, Dante’s always been energized when giving Vanitas new information, excited to shake his buddy down for cash in exchange for the latest scoop. Thirty minutes ago he was loudly berating Vanitas for all the chaos he caused the other day. You’d think he’d at least tease Vanitas a bit for baking a cake for his sugar daddy. But now he just seems blank. He blandly comments on the baking, stares at Vanitas and Noé for a moment, and immediately cuts to the chase. Why?

And then my brain started adding it up.

Dante works for Vanitas, but he also works for Marquis Machina. There’s absolutely no way in hell he doesn’t know the Senate is looking for Chloé and Jean-Jacques. And now the two of them have shown up right under his nose.

What’s a dhampir to do?

Come to think of it, what did Dante do in those thirty minutes when he was gone?

Dante’s in an absolutely epic dilemma and I can’t wait to see where it goes. Based on the story he tells himself, the party line he’s been insisting on since the very start, his course of action should be very clear. Dhampirs only care about other dhams, so Dante should to do what’s best for the other dhams— tell Marquis Machina where Chloé is and profit.

Who cares if doing so betrays the trust of the first non-dhampir to ever truly treat Dante as an equal? Who cares if it directly causes harm to two vampires, who cares if it hurts the guy Dante cheered for during his battle with Astolfo, who cares if it hurts someone Dante won’t quite admit he sees as a friend? None of those people are dhams, so Dante doesn’t care… right?

This is where we’re gonna start to hit…

Speculative Territory

Chloé and Jean-Jacques are in Paris. This is. Feckin delightful. Did they come to Paris because Vanitas told them to? Or has something gone horribly awry? Why would Vanitas tell them to come to Paris? Does he have some plan for where to hide them? Is Chloé just taking a nap or is something w r o n g?

There are two main parties looking for Chloé and Jean-Jacques— the church, trying to erase the evidence of their past crimes, and the senate, trying to find the vampire who could reawaken Faustina.

But these parties are each made up of their own unique factions, each with a different motivation. Ruthven, who’s working with Gano, who’s working for the Vampire Eradication Faction within the church, who’s being investigated by fellow paladins Roland and Olivier. Antoine, who acts like the perfect senator, but actually seems to be working on behalf of the de Sades, whose younger sister just so happens to have overheard some hot gossip about her siblings needing to hunt down that d’Apchier vampire.

Thinking about it, every single character in Vanitas no Carte has some connection to the tinderbox that is the senate vs church situation.

This is why I ended VnC chapter 56 lying incoherently on the floor. Chloé and Jean-Jacques are a lit match and Mochijun has just tossed them into the mix. I don’t know how high the flames are gonna fly but I absolutely cannot wait to watch the fire burn.

the end (…for now)

Thanks for reading these somewhat coherent scattered thoughts on VnC 56! As per usual, everything in this post is just my interpretation of VnC and should be taken with a massive massive grain of salt! In case you couldn’t tell I am insanely hyped for where this upcoming plotline is going to go and can’t wait for the next chapter. Chapter 55.5 was the chapter that mochijun has been setting up for since the very start of the manga, and I think this upcoming arc is going to set us on a course towards the overarching church vs. senate storyline that’s been running in the shadows of the past 56 chapters. I am so goddamn excited to see it happen.

Thanks again for reading u r a god

[teamseaslug]

My review of Vanitas episode three (and a blurb about episode two) under the cut.

I didn’t write a proper review for episode two as I had found it a bit underwhelming with not much to comment on. The combining of the chapters didn’t bother me too much as I didn’t think too much significant was cut out, but I did have a few pointers that I had typed out after watching the second episode. They were as follows:

-the Louis scene felt completely off. The tone was different, and I think Noé's expression was off entirely and it felt not at all the same. It was also WAY too long. They cut small details out of this episode but made this scene unbelievably long. -They cut out Luca implying that Vanitas is being controlled by the book, which I think was strange. I know it's fluff but I think there might be a nugget of significance in that later. - why was Riche just STANDING THERE!!!!!!! I know I complained about characters not fucking moving with the first episode but it’s going to drive me insane. -They removed Riche’s dialogue :( -Jeanne was lovely. I understand them cutting out the scene with the muggers, that’s not important at all, but I always thought it was a cool scene. I’m content to part with it, though. -Noé nonchalantly knocking Vanitas back when Jeanne was attacking fucking killed both my SO and I, I wasn't expecting that at all and my SO seems to like watching Vanitas ragdoll -SLOW MOVEMENT STRIKES AGAIN the scene of Vanitas flinging open the doors and then being threatened. He literally stood there for 2 seconds before they attacked. Why was there a pause. Please. -They also cut out Vanitas using the flashbang that the Paladins use which, of all of my “they cut this out” nickpicks this is probably the most important, as this hints at the past of Vanitas- and is relevant if this anime will go to the Catacombs arc.

Those were my notes of the second episode, everything else will be about the third.

The third episode by far has been my least favorite episode, and let me initiate this by saying I *do* like Vanitas as a series and I’m not just here whining about it not being absolutely perfect. However, I am still going to engage with the adaptation of something that I like with a critical viewpoint that isn’t “well it’s better than the ph anime”. I should also mention that I watched this with my SO who has never read Vanitas and is sort of acting as a fresh take on things, an outsiders opinion.

The episode was about three chapters long and it noticeably felt a little choppy, as even the person I was watching the episode with mentioned that if there were just more details it could have been two episodes instead of one. It feels like the anime is rushing a bit, while at the same time the animation for the fight scenes or physicality is incredibly lacking and really distracting.

Jeanne, by far, was my favorite part. I think she was done pretty well and I don’t have much else to comment on it. Her voice acting was good, she looks good, I like the gauntlet. The scene between her and Vanitas gave me the same reaction as when I read the manga, which was the intent. I liked that they didn’t change the tone of that scene too much.

I had felt that in the manga Amelia felt more like a plot device and less like a character and in the anime it feels like she has that stamped all over her. She has no sort of individuality to her and might as well not exist, and I felt that way even more so when watching the charlatan scene.

The charlatan scene I think was probably the biggest disappointment, I was not fond of how it was handled at all. It was very lame, not at all creepy or eerie, and I think that adding to it more or making the animation more fluid instead of just a flat scene would’ve really heightened the experience because this is the first time the main character comes into some contact with one of the most important antagonists currently. I felt like more of an effort could have been made to make it feel impactful but it came across as still and flat, like the Junji Ito anthology adaptation anime. Yes it’s *correct* to the manga, but it’s not good to look at in an anime.

That’s one of my biggest complaints- it feels like the anime is trying to be almost too accurate to certain scenes but it isn’t utilizing any tools that make anime adaptations good and thus comes across as incredibly flat and still. It’s focusing so much on getting it frame perfect but it loses all of the charm and fun.

Dominique is another disappointment that I am hoping very desperately gets fixed. I’m obviously not the first person to point out that she looks very low quality. I had joked before that “Domi in the anime feels like she was made by people who don’t like Domi” but that almost feels true here. She was completely rushed, chopped up, never shown with any amount of detail despite being a frequent character. The :3 face she made was cute but they cut out her flirting, any of her charm seemed to be washed away.

I’m not gonna whine about how the women should be cuter in the anime but I do think they should be more charming? Domi is a flirt who flirts with women but that wasn’t included, Amelia’s cleavage was removed in ep1, Jeanne’s appearance is inconsistent with the manga in ep2, but we get plenty of shots of Vanitas looking cool or whatever and Noé being a bit sexualized. I’m not saying go full ecchi with fucking panty shots or whatever but it feels weirdly sexless in a way that’s completely lopsided, no girls allowed. The two male characters can be as much eyecandy as they want but by GOD none of the women. I like women! Are you going to cut out Naenia kissing Chloe, too?

At the rate this is going I’m concerned the entire masquerade will be a single episode, lmao.

I enjoyed the scene of Noé submerging to read Amelia’s thoughts, though the blood splatter was.... weird. Where did it go? Where was it... supposed to be?

The music still holds up, Altus looked good. I liked the detail of all of the bats. I was massively disappointed of Domi’s “I came because I was worried about you” was just an aside piece of dialogue but again, that can go with my complaint about how Dominique was handled. The anime took Vanitas’ “you’re just a convenient female” to heart, it feels like....

Also, the OP is now on Spotify and I like listening to it still. My SO, as a newcomer to the series, pointed out the pacing felt a bit rushed, all scenes with Murr were VERY cute, the gauntlet was incredibly cool, and they enjoyed the scene of Noé going into Amelia’s memories. They reacted with pretty big disgust to Vanitas which was expected in this episode and called him a bastard. It’s nice that’s still the same lmao

[astxlphe-fics]

let me live (let me die)

The end of the fight with the Chevalier, and the start of something between Astolfo and Noé.

Chapter 5/?

< Chapter 4 || Chapter 6 >

Content warning : character death (OC), violence, mentioned character death, implied medical abuse (? Doctor Moreau is talked about)

Noé wants to ask Astolfo many questions, specifically regarding Antonio. Something is bothering him, but it’ll have to wait.

Right now, their focus is the Chevalier Ténèbre.

He still can barely believe that anyone would, on their own will, murder someone’s whole family. There has to be an explanation, a truth neither of them is aware of.

They let him come to them, and the Chevalier has no trouble finding them.

From his perch on the roof, Noé glances down at Astolfo, hiding against the wall at the street corner, a flash grenade held tight in his hands. He is utterly still, for now.

“This is getting rather tedious, though not entirely unexpected,” the Chevalier says. “The Granatums have always been a plague upon vampire kind.”

The glow of his eyes is bright enough that Noé can see it. The shadows move around him, muting his footsteps. It seems to lose some of its density when hit by the moonlight, though not entirely.

So, their suspicions are correct.

Astolfo rips the pin off the grenade, arming it, and lets it drop in the street, where it rolls down the pavement. At this time of the night, when people have either gone home or run away from the fight already, the sound it makes is too loud.

The Chevalier’s head snaps towards it and recognizes it with ease. He takes a few steps back, trying to protect his eyes, but it blows before he has the time.

Noé covers his face, closing his eyes as the bright flash of light explodes through the streets. It feels like it burns through his eyelids still, making him a feel somewhat dizzy, though not as much as if he took the full brunt of it.

The Chevalier isn't so lucky.

He screams, the light snaps his control over the formula, destroys the shadows around him, and Noé winces in sympathy. Having been subjected to an earlier version of the Aegis grenade, he knows it isn’t a particularly good feeling.

Not to mention, any chasseur out and about will be attracting to the flash like moths to a streetlight.

Astolfo darts out of his hiding place, quick enough to come close to the Chevalier while he’s still distracted. Meanwhile, Noé shakes his head to get rid of the lingering nausea, waiting for it to fade before joining the fight.

It looks like Astolfo doesn’t truly need him, though he won’t bet his life on that. He is fast on his feet, striking quick and getting out of range even quicker. Without the distance advantage a spear usually gives him, he has to force himself into his enemy’s space, push him to act before he can think.

Astolfo always was a smart fighter, though Noé supposes he has to be when.

Finally, his vision clears, and reinforces his body before he lets himself fall from the rooftop. His knee collides with of one of his shoulders, sending him tripping forward.

“You’ve brought a friend,” he hisses. “Afraid of facing me on your own?”

The shadows still have trouble reforming around him. The Chevalier’s hands shake as he tries to get them back under his control, and they shift and bubble while Astolfo dashes again. The Chevalier manages to avoids him, but barely, staggering,

Still, Astolfo staggers as well and seems to have forgotten all about Noé’s presence as he turns on his heels and runs straight into him. Noé’s balance wavers, and he grabs onto Astolfo to avoids the both of them stumbling over each other. “Be care—“

But Astolfo shoves his hand off. “Out of my way,” he snarls, pushing him away, “I’ll gut him—”

Noé shoves him out of the way as the Chevalier, having found his lost balance, comes at them. “Be careful!” he calls out again.

“Let—”

Noé’s hands grabs on the Chevalier’s wrist. “A vampire?” the Chevalier says, “no, worse, an Archiviste , helping a Granatum, of all people? Well, I thought I had seen everything.”

“Did you—” The Chevalier tries to rip his wrist out of his grip, but Noé is barely shaken by the struggle, his prosthetic arm holding on tight. “Did you kill his family?”

All Noé needs is a word — a single word that would suggest this man did not do it on his own volition, that something else is at play. Then maybe— then maybe—

Instead, the Chevalier laughs . “And we did our kind a favor ,” he answers, lips curling into a smile. “They deserved it after the what they did —”

And Noé shoves his knee into the vampire guts before he twists his arm until its bends. Then, he kicks his legs, throwing him down on the ground.

The shadows, back in his control, writhe and wrap around his ankles. Noé tries to move to pin him down but they trip him and he almost falls.

Running past him again, Astolfo drops on the Chevalier’s stomach, forcing him to stay down, raises his blade and plunges it deep in his chest.

The vampire howls and trashes, almost throwing Astolfo off but the younger man holds on and, with all the strength his human body can muster, stabs him again — and again and again and again and again , until he stops trashing and the shadows at Noé’s feet fade.

Still, Noé doesn’t move, staring wide eyed as Astolfo doesn’t stop. Blood sprays his face, seeps between the cobblestone squares of the street and his face twists with rage.

“Astolfo,” he calls gently as he pulls on the young man shoulder. “We need to go.” He can hear footsteps coming their way — the chasseurs. If they’re caught here, they’ll be in trouble. But Astolfo doesn’t react, dagger dragging out of the Chevalier’s body with a squelching, wet sound that sends a shiver down Noé spine. “Astolfo, he’s dead!”

He pulls harder at Astolfo’s shoulder, dragging him back on his feet, and the younger man stops. He jerks himself out of Noé’s grip, his blood-streaked face relaxing as he wipes it with his sleeve.

“He is.” His tone flat, he stares, unblinking.

Noé’s eyes linger on the very bloody, very dead vampire on the ground, nausea coming back full force.

Maybe following Astolfo around isn’t Noé’s brightest idea. He isn’t quite sure how many brutal murders he can handle, and as he sends Astolfo a sidelong glance he can’t help but focus on the splatters of blood on his clothes and in his hair.

Astolfo looks back at him, eyes dark — darker than every time the younger man has snapped at him in the past few days, darker than when he’d exploded in anger. But he hides his trembling hands in his wide sleeves and his lips quiver and his shoulders shake as if he’s about to retch so Noé asks:

“Are you okay?”

It takes almost a full minute for Astolfo to answer:

“He killed my mom.” Very audibly, Astolfo gulps and takes in a deep breath. “That night someone — someone was holding me down and I watched him murder my mother. She was— she was screaming and begging and he—”

He doesn’t finish his sentence, but Noé has a pretty solid guess.

She was screaming and begging and Jean Ténèbre laughed.

Then, swiftly, Astolfo kneels back down. He shoves his fingers into the vampire’s mouth as his body starts turning into dust, ripping one of his fangs out with ease. “Let’s go back,” he says when he stands back up, slipping the tooth in his pocket. “I need to clean up.”

-------------------------

With a sigh, Astolfo allows Noé in his hotel room.

Back inside, with the lights on, he looks even worse — dirty and bloody, eyes tired. He drops his dagger in the sink and shrugs of his coat, while Noé sets his own, along with his hat, on the back of the chair.

Soon enough, Astolfo disappears into the bathroom, leaving Noé alone with his thoughts.

In all their years fighting alongside Vanitas, he never killed anyone. He always knew he was capable of it, and made sure it didn’t happen, even by accident. He never settled for Vanitas’ justifications of “it’s too late”, always believing in an alternative. But those vampires were cursed, they did not control themselves. It had not been their fault.

The Chevalier Ténèbre is not one of those vampires and, thinking back on the smug grin stretched on his face, on Astolfo’s exhaustion and despair — to the point of asking someone he dislikes for help — he can’t bring himself to feel sorry for the man they left dead out in the night.

Someone knocks on the door before Astolfo gets out of the shower, and Murr hisses in warning. Still, Noé stands and opens, finding himself face to face with the old chasseur he’d barely the time to great earlier that day.

He’s wearing his uniform, a sword very much apparent at his hip, and doesn’t look pleased at all.

Noé’s heart speeds up, and t. What is he doing here? How did he find them? Is he here for Astolfo? He glances back at the bathroom door. The water is still running, and with all the blood and grime, it’s unlikely Astolfo will have finished cleaning up soon.

In the end, a form of anger or annoyance prevails at the memory of his exchange with Astolfo, how he talked and looked down on him.

“Good evening,” Noé still greets politely, wondering if he should be ready for a fight. The formula around him crackles and shifts slightly, unnoticed by the human, and strengths builds up in his limbs.

“It’s very much not a good evening.” One of his hand rests on the handle of his sword. “I’m here to see the boy.”

“He’s not here?” Noé lies, terribly so.

Antonio pinches the bridge of his nose. “If you tell me he’s dead I will chop your head off, vampire.”

“He’s not!!” Noé immediately affirms, shaking his head quickly for emphasis. “He’s unavailable, but alive and mostly unarmed!” Antonio doesn’t seem to be looking for a fight, but he still doesn’t let go of the formula. “And my name is Noé.”

So many people showed up before him seemingly peacefully and the night still ended with beating the shit out of each other.

Antonio looks him up and down critically from behind his glasses. He notes Noé’s guarded stance, the metallic glint of his wrist peaking between his glove and his sleeve, Murr’s raised hackles, the weapon in the sink. “So, you are the one who killed Jean Ténèbre.”

“Uh? No, I —” he hesitates — would it make a difference? The accords between humans and vampires are still recent, less than a year old, and some terms are still being discussed by the Senate, so he isn’t quite sure yet what would happen to Astolfo if they realize he’s the one who killed the Chevalier Ténèbre.

He could claim it was in defense of his life, which would be close enough to the truth and difficult to prove wrong.

Turns out he doesn’t have to think about it for a long time.

“What are you doing here?”

Noé didn’t even notice Astolfo coming out of the bathroom. He looks fresher already, wearing clean clothes and his wet hair a mess, though his eyes are red and somewhat puffy.

He scowls as he sees Antonio, narrowing his eyes as if to hide that he’d been crying. “What,” he repeats, “are you doing here?”

“Someone,” Antonio answers just as coldly, glaring at Noé, “killed a vampire we were planning on arresting and handing over to Altus Italy, like the new accords stipulate .”

“I’m the one who killed him.” His scowl deepens. “It appears that I didn’t need your assistance in finding him,” Astolfo goes on, chin tilted up. “He came to me on his own, and attacked me. I merely defended myself.”

“You stabbed him seven times in the chest in self-defense.”

“Exactly.”

He stares at Antonio, challenge in his eyes, daring the man to refute him. But his hands, closed into fists, shake slightly and tension settles in his jaw, so Noé steps up, moving closer to Astolfo.

“Unless you have something else to tell us,” he says, “I think you should leave.”

Antonio stays quiet for a short moment, before he sighs. "First of all, I wanted to apologise for some of the things I said to you yesterday. It was—" he pauses, looking for the right word. "Unecessarily harsh." Astolfo doesn't comment on that, simply crossing his arms, face blank. "And I promised you a talk. About Moreau.”

Blood pounds in Noé’s ears at the familiar name, and he pulls on Astolfo’s forearm, dragging him closer. He clearly remembers the man, the experiments, the way he referred to people as numbers, what he did to Vanitas and Mikhail.

Was Astolfo another one of his test subjects?

“What about Moreau?”

“I thought— he was interested in your marks —”

“So you thought it was an excellent idea to send me over to him so he could study them up close.”

“Do you really believe I wouldn’t have chosen another solution if there had been? You are my best friend’s son ."

Astolfo somehow met the doctor, Astolfo somehow got into grabbing distance of the doctor, and it was this man’s doing.

“No one in the world knew better how vampires worked, how marks worked. He said —” The man falters, and for a moment Noé can see his walls fall apart, see the anger and the guilt. “He promised he would find a way to erase them—”

“And you believed him?” He crosses his arms, raising a disbelieving eyebrow.

“No one had any reason to suspect him at the time — and he was the only option that didn’t involve making my twelve years old godchild a soldier.”

That...makes sense, actually. At least, to Noé it does, but he’s not the wronged party here and it’s not his place to say so. Astolfo hisses under his breath and takes a step forwards, seemingly ready to go for the man’s throat. Noé’s hold on his forearm tightens, so he settles for glaring at the man, not trying to fight Noé’s grip.

“I think you should leave,” he says again, though not as friendly. He bares his teeth, and Murr snarls.

Antonio glances between the three of them and shakes his head, resigned. “You should leave the country as well. I’ll do my best to come up with a slightly more believable story. Be grateful, there won't always be someone to cover for you.”

“We will manage.”

He doesn’t slam the door behind him but might as well have. The silence following his departure feels loud, and Noé doesn’t dare ask Astolfo about anything.

Astolfo suddenly relaxes, his shoulders sagging, and as he drops down on the bed Noé lets go of his arm. He stares up at Noé, wide eyed, shaken. “I didn’t want you to hear this.”

“Is it something you talked about earlier?”

The younger man nods. “I didn’t want you to—”

“I know, and I didn’t want to be here when you two aired your dirty laundry and yet here we are.” He sighs. “I thought you were going to attack him.”

Astolfo’s nose wrinkles as he grimaces. “I suppose I must thank you,” he mutters, and falls silent again. “For your assistance against the Chevalier and for holding me back.”

"You're welcome." Noé sits down on the desk chair, still facing him, and he lets out a small, closed eyed laugh. Astolfo narrows his eyes at him.

“What is it now?”

“You said we too .”

“Excuse me?”

“You said we would manage,” Noé says again, and grins. “As in you and I .”

“I—” he stops himself and sighs. “I guess I did say it.”

“I’m glad.” He is , truly, because it means that Astolfo has accepted his help, that he’s willing to let Noé work with him for the time being. “We should rest, then decide what to do next.”

[temporoom]

“Mémoire” is not “Memory” but...

Part 1 | Part 2

In my last post, I talked about the actual définition of “Mémoire” regarding the VnC title in French (and japanese). Yet, despite the conclusion, I wouldn’t ignore all the other possibilities the word offers... But this time, it would mean going deep into theory territory.

So instead of asking ourselves, what does “Mémoire” means, let’s ask, what “Mémoire” could mean for the rest of the story?

This post is at the same time a completion for the previous one, and at the same time... Probably me thinking too much. Again, another post will be made to go further into the theory established in this post, since it’s still half about linguistic. 

This post is also anime-only friendly, without any spoilers from the manga.

Let’s start by redifining what “Mémoire” means in french (if you want detailed informations, go on the previous post, the link is at the top):

“La mémoire/Une mémoire” (feminin) -> “The ensemble of memories an individual or a group possesses”. 

“Un mémoire” (masculin) -> “Autobiography”. 

“Un mémoire” (masculin) -> “A thesis/essay/study on one’s opinion about a specific subject”.

Let’s consider that all of those definitions are accurate, not just the third, and they all mean something to the story as whole. How would it present itself? I mean... the first one is always singular and the second is impossible since the one narrating is Noé... Unless we remember something we know about Vanitas.

Vanitas isn’t our second protagonist’s name, but rather the name he already stole from the previous Vanitas... So basically, Vanitas of the Blue Moon isn’t a name, but a title.

Now let’s look back at our title : Les Mémoires de Vanitas. “Mémoire” here is plural, without gender defining determiner, which would give us a clear definition for the word, what if it was intentional? So what would it mean depending on the definition we choose? 

“Les Mémoires de Vanitas” would refer to the different ensemble of memories the existence of “Vanitas” represents, different individuals under the same name. If so, the story is about the different Vanitas that existed, and their memories.

If “Les Mémoires de Vanitas” refers to “Vanitas’s” autobiography, and Vanitas is a title passed from one person to another, and our current narrator is Noé: then it means Noé is going to become “Vanitas” at some point.

But the definition of “Mémoire” is only the first element of the supposition Noé will become Vanitas. Let’s keep talking vocabulary and talk about a part of the title everyone ignores :

ヴァニタス の 手記

The Case Study of Vanitas

Les Mémoires de Vanitas

That’s right, I’m going to talk about this little word that serves to create a link between two words:  の/of/de which means actually the same thing in all three languages. What I want to note is the common ambiguity, you see, when you use “of” in front of a name, you never actually know if it means “about” or “by”. 

So by putting this ambiguity in the title, we have our second element to our theory: we assume the “of” means “about”, but if Vanitas is a title, and Noé currently has it, then it could easily mean “by”. It also brings back to our second definition of “Mémoire”, since the use of “Mémoire” to refer to an autobiography would actually work in that case.

And finally, here is my last element, the thing that sparked me this theory (there is actually a better image for it, but the magazine cover also interests me) :

I am not the only one who was taken aback by this illustration of Noé wearing Vanitas’ accessories and coat with a smirk and what I will suppose to be blue blood pouring over him (I refuse to think this is paint, because otherwise I would have to take him to the hospital, he is licking it). The french text next to it is read “C’est la vie”, “That’s life”.

If this doesn’t scream to you “He took on Vanitas’ legacy” then I don’t know. I won’t extend myself too much over this illustration otherwise, because some did way better than me. Here is a link.

That’s as far I will go for now. If I talk more about this theory, it’ll be in a dedicated post. But for now, remember this:

If we want all three definitions of “Mémoire” to work for VnC, then it means Noé ends up becoming Vanitas.

Thank you for reading me ramble about small weird details! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. See you next time !

[innenofutari]

An Analysis of Vanitas’s Personality (meta)

I’ve always wanted to write some little meta for Vanitas no Carte, more specifically Vanitas, who probably is one of my favorite characters overall. I can’t help but find his entire character so well-built and intriguing! Most notably how he is written to be the center of the story- he’s like a “key” to the “catbox”; once you understand him, you can understand the themes and mysteries of the story (or at least that’s what I believe Mochijun is going for currently).

Diving into his mindset is, let me tell you, one hell of a confusing ride. But, at the end of it, I think I managed to form my own interpretations pretty well. Also, considering that he’s the type of character meant to be a mystery, feel free to agree or disagree with this meta, after all this is only the way I view things, and your interpretations aren’t any less valid than mine. With that being said, you better sit down because I’m one motherfucker who talks your ears off I’m so sorry.

1. Vanitas’s “change of mood” in the manga:

I think I want to start by talking about one of the things about Vanitas that caught my attention while reading the manga for the first time, and this is Vanitas’s “attitude change”. While I was reading, it was so subtle and gradual that I didn’t even properly realize until halfway through the catacombs arc. That instantly piqued my attention and I, a moron as I am, went “Wait didn’t this idiot act completely differently ten chapters ago?”. So why, exactly, did this dumbass change his demeanor so drastically? Well, he kind of didn’t, really.

At the start of the series, we all know Vanitas looked to be in “a good mood”; he laughed all the time, constantly wore a smile on his face and seemed like he was having fun with everything around him, yet suddenly, he got grumpier, angrier, snapping at the smallest things and so on. This never had anything with his temper and feelings, but everything to do with trust.

Now, what exactly do I mean by “trust”? I’m sure everyone reading this already knows, but I’ll talk about it anyway because it’s almost three in the unholy morning and I’m running solely on cans of soda. 

I’ll start by saying that there is no more effective way to conceal your feelings than by wearing a grin on your face; one smile can mean a multitude of things, and it’s very hard to tell anything about a person based on that. The “smiling tactic” is an extremely effective way of obtaining information without unintentionally giving any to the person you’re trying to take information from.

Even when August is literally choking him, and Vanitas is clearly in pain, his smile stays on, unwavering, from the beginning to the very end of his interrogation. Later, August himself even acknowledges that he himself couldn’t discover shit about Vanitas after all, since Vanitas is so well guarded.

His smile also serves another purpose other than to omit, and it’s exactly to extract information from other people.

Vanitas relies a lot on charm and charisma to gather information. He knows people are more willing to talk to someone friendlier, who wears a smile on their faces all the time and to who they can feel a sense of security and trust towards.

Based on this, it’s pretty safe to assume that with Noé at first was the same, wasn’t it? His enthusiasm at the beginning never really existed (although I still believe his instant interest towards Noé is pretty real, like he gravitated towards him). He uses his smiles to conceal, to gather information and also to taunt people (e.g. Astolfo), but it’s not truthful.

For me, Vanitas’s sudden “change” was one of the biggest proofs of his trust on Noé, and marks the beginning of when he truly started to see him as someone he could (kind of) confide in. You could argue that Vanitas jumping in the Altus portal was also a sign of trust, but I disagree. That still felt weirdly “calculated”, he knows someone with a personality like Noé’s would never let someone die in front of their eyes, so he gambled on this possibility. Vanitas trusted his own understanding of Noé’s personality, not Noé himself. However, what would he even gain by acting grumpy next to Noé? Nothing, right? He’s just exposing himself needlessly.

Now the question, what exactly sparked this sudden change in the way Vanitas felt about Noé? For the when, I think it’s pretty obvious what scene it was.

This scene is very important for many reasons. Each of Vanitas’s expressions here tell their own story and capture the nature of his contradicting feelings so well. But, I’ll get to these “contradictions” in a second, now I wanted to talk about something else: “hope”.

It’s no news to anyone that Vanitas is like, depressed as shit and is pretty much passively suicidal and, of course,  entirely disillusioned with the world and society as a whole. He believes people and vampires alike are inherently selfish, twisted beings. Creatures so wicked that there is no point to even reason with them. Vanitas doesn’t have any hope whatsoever, both in himself and others. For him, the person is already drowning before even stepping into the lake.

Even so, I firmly believe that there is a side of Vanitas that wished so fervently to be proven wrong. Even though he was dead set on his beliefs, he wanted someone to come and crush them. To prove him that there is good in this world, that he was being a damn fool this entire time. But no one ever stuck around enough to do that. They were all unable to truly reach out to him.

Noé gave him the hope that there was a person who could convince him. That there was a person who could understand him, reach out to the depths of his heart and get past his lies. He willingly sets up this façade of this cold, unfeeling jerk who has no care for others and always does as he pleases, but he’s always wanted someone to look past this. Yet, at the same time, he’s deathly afraid of this possibility. 

In the first picture, his face is in awe, as if he was looking at salvation itself. However, that all crumbles down when Noé says he is staying with Vanitas and the implications this has. That’s what he is terrified of. Aaaand with this we move to the second section of this analysis! (Damn this is getting so lengthy I truly became that one freak who writes a thesis worth of analysis of a drawing).

2. Vanitas’s fears and contradictions:

I think it’s really obvious to everyone that damn this dude got some issues regarding forming relationships with other people. It’s pretty safe to say the only friend he has is Noé, and that’s such an easy thing to overlook, mainly because of how he acts around others. You could argue that he’s friends with Dante but… that’s not quite so. Dante is, in fact, fairly good at reading Vanitas (which, unpopular opinion, is not a hard thing to do given how emotional he is, but let’s get to that later) but between them there is an emotional barrier neither is willing to cross. They’re more like close acquaintances than anything.

Well, this isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s pretty obvious Vanitas is terrified of forming any meaningful bonds with others. Thing most obviously showcased in the notorious chapter 12:

This panel… is a tricky one. It’s totally up to the reader’s interpretation and it could mean a myriad of different things, especially since very little was revealed about his past as of chapter 39.

I personally see this scene as showing Vanitas’s fear of attachment, laced with a tinge of self hatred. There is nothing Vanitas fears more than getting close to people and caring about them, he himself sees this as a weakness and something he absolutely must not have. On a side note, it is also possible that Vanitas thinks so lowly of himself that he thinks anyone that would seriously love him was completely out of their minds. Or both, who knows?

But what is so interesting is that… he can’t. Vanitas knows he should be cold, calculating, use people as pieces and discard them, knows he shouldn’t be emotional or act on impulse, knows he shouldn’t express any kind of feeling whatsoever and keep the concealing smile. Yet, he just fails so miserably in every single one of those. Vanitas cares a lot, more than he’d ever want to admit, he does completely reckless and uncalled for things for no reason other than it pissed him off, so of course he gotta get the last say because he has the mind of a teenager on their rebellious phase. 

Say, can you think of any, any at all, conceivable explanation of what Vanitas could possibly gain by making that speech for all vampires to hear during the ball? There is none. If you think from his perspective, the only thing that little spectacle of his brought were disadvantages for himself. So why? Because he felt belittled, humiliated, and he’s prideful as all hell, so of course he had to prove how none of that was even remotely true. He wanted to affirm himself. In the thinking process of a cunning, one hundred percent unemotional man, that was a completely unnecessary move.

It’s almost like Vanitas wants to become someone he’s not. He wants to act a certain way (to prevent even more pain?), but, ultimately, he cannot. It’s even funny how he fails spectacularly on keeping his expression “blank, without information” because even when he tries, his emotions all show on his face. It’s amusing how quick he is to try and cover said blunder with a laugh and a smile.

These contradictions are very deeply linked to his trauma, even if we don’t know the full extent of it it’s fairly obvious. What drives his wish to act so differently and thus his contradictions is, most of all, fear.

This part is pretty straightforward, in fact. In the end, Vanitas is afraid of forming bonds with others in fear of losing them, he knows firsthand how much it hurts (of course, he also doesn’t want anyone to discover his past). But that’s not all, remember how I mentioned that Vanitas’s expression only darkened in the clock tower (chapter 11) scene when Noé said he had decided to stay with him…? Well… I think Vanitas might think he brings misfortune to whoever gets involved with him. Like he is some symbol of disaster and doom that does nothing but kill those around him. If people care for him, they will suffer, but if they hate him, they will be completely fine. 

Despite his insistence of being detached to all people and being a cold asshole because that’s what he must do, to avoid getting hurt, to avoid having weak points, he also craves so very badly for intimacy. He wants to be close to someone, to make an impression on someone. After all, during his whole life I doubt he truly had any meaningful relationships with others. But love only results in pain in the end, so what other strong emotion is left? Of course, it’s hatred. 

Aaand this brings us to the last section of this analysis! May be a tad biased and controversial, but as I said, this is merely my opinion and I’m just as much of a random person on the internet as you! My opinion is no better than yours.

3. Vanitas’s relationships: Mainly Noé and Jeanne

As I said above, Vanitas wishes fervently to have some kind of relationship with someone, no matter which type. Since love is a no-go, he opted towards having someone feel intense hatred towards him. Because a strong emotion is a strong emotion, isn’t it? After all, hatred must be better than indifference.

Getting this out of the way, I do not think Vanitas truly loves Jeanne as of chapter 39. It’s glaringly obvious he does not, his way of showing true affection is not the way he does with Jeanne. The way he acts around her is much closer to the façade he tries to be. As I see it, this ties into Vanitas’s wish to explore intimacy and affection, even if a broken, twisted kind of. Another proof of this is that he doesn’t push her away like he does with people he knows he’s starting to grow fond of, but instead keeps her closer.

That is exactly due to the belief that she will always, always hate him, and so, there is absolutely nothing to fear. He can explore all these things and experience being the brunt of a person’s intense feelings without any consequences.

This is a very harsh thing to say, but I think Vanitas is using Jeanne as a “convenient female” he accused Dominique of being to Noé.

It’s also worth noting that in the one chapter he truly got somehow intimate with Jeanne he tried to avoid it in many ways, even trying the usual “flirting” to purposefully gross her out. By the way, can I just point out that this scene truly shows just how estranged from affection he is? He has none of the suave façade, he’s a blundering mess.

About the topic of whether Jeanne likes Vanitas or not, my answer is, too, a clear no as of chapter 39. Vanitas and Jeanne together are a combination that spawns all the disaster on earth, considering how manipulative and emotionally stunted Vanitas is, and how gullible and affection starved Jeanne is. It’s a recipe for disaster. Jeanne is not used to affection, she was mistreated during most of her life, treated as something below humans and vampires due to a thing that was completely out of her control, and then, melting at any sort of affection, no matter how twisted the person may be.

To be fair, I think overall Vanijeanne will develop immensely, and their relationship will grow into something else, more healthy? Who knows! I just think it’s undeniable that in the future Jeanne will have a big, big impact on Vanitas and vice versa. (Disclaimer: I will not tolerate any ship hate whatsoever and everyone is allowed to ship whatever they want regardless of the nature of said ship).

Shifting the focus away to Noé and Vanitas for now, there are some little things I would like to talk about and juxtapose with Vanijeanne, since parallels are my thing.

Parallels between Vanoé and Vanijeanne may not even exist and are just my mind overthinking (hell if this whole post isn’t just a big overthinking) but I would like to talk about what my sleep deprived mind came up with. First off, I think it’s safe to say that Vanoé’s relationship is depicted as complete opposites, opposite worldviews, personalities, fuck even color palettes! And the story as it is shows that they bring the absolute best out of each other and learn by staying by the other’s side. The whole narrative pushes the two halves of a whole idiot a lot.

Noé is naive, pure, idealistic but still possesses certain “selfishness” (like how he felt he was selfish when Louis died but he lived), while Vanitas is cunning, wicked, cynical and would throw his own life away for one corn chip. It’s like they were two people fated to meet.

Vanitas and Jeanne, on the other hand… are kind of similar, but only in certain ways, mostly due to trauma. Jeanne, too, only lives for a sole objective, the same way Vanitas clings to life using his self assigned duty to cure curse bearers. Jeanne and Vanitas both, are people who have essentially gave up on life, on the world, and on themselves. People who purposefully push themselves away from happiness, in fear of the consequences.

I think, at least right now, this is the main reason why they cannot see eye to eye (aside from Vanitas being an asshole). To understand Vanitas and reach out to him, one must see him with “love”. Without love, Vanitas’s struggles, trauma and suffering cannot be seen. If you look at him with eyes full of hatred, he’ll be exactly who he wants to be seen as; a cold, heartless bastard who toys with people and cares for no one other than himself. Jeanne doesn’t have the ability to see the world as purely as Noé does. She cannot find love even in seemingly irredeemable people such as Vanitas. Yet, at least.

That’s the main reason why I think Vanitas isn’t afraid of being near Jeanne, and that’s the main reason why Noé is probably such an… illogical existence to Vanitas. Vanitas, too, cannot see love in the world, and yet, Noé does. Noé catches every single small detail about him:

Whew! That was… one big fucking post! If you’ve reached this point, thank you! I write meta for fun only and to share my interpretations for you guys! Also, the last bit probably sounded very ship hate-y but I swear this was absolutely not my intention.

Actually, the true meaning of this whole post was that I wanted to make an Umineko reference with Vanitas no Carte and I have succeeded. Play Umineko, you guys.