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digital-dhampirs · 2 years

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vnc 55.5: some scattered thoughts

Heya fellow vnc simps, long time no see! I apologize for now empty this blog’s been in the past two months, but can’t… exactly… say it won’t continue in the future, as it probably will. however I do have tHoughts and eMOTIONS on vnc 55.5, so here’s some scattered thoughts on the incredibly beautiful im in agony oh god mochijun why chapter 55.5

as always, massive spoilers for VnC 55.5 ahead!

new year new vanitas

VnC 55.5 feels like the midpoint of VnC as a series. It might not actually be the middle, but it feels like a huge turning point for both Vanitas and Noé’s relationship and the narrative as a whole. VnC 55.5 neatly answers two of the biggest questions the story’s been following from the very start— 1) why does Noé kill Vanitas, and 2) why did Vanitas kill Luna. The two driving mysteries behind the Exposition Universalle arc and the story as a whole are given… if not exactly complete answers, definite outlines of answers.

It almost feels too abrupt.

I think a lot of this abruptness comes from Vanitas’s sudden change in attitude and demeanor. He’s taken a complete 180 from how he was acting just a few hours ago. Why did Vanitas change his outlook on sharing the secrets of what happened “that night” so quickly? Why didn’t Vanitas just tell all this to Mikhail and Noé last night? Did he think Mikhail wouldn’t have accepted that answer, or would’ve told Noé to invade Vanitas’s memories to check? Why was Vani so insistent on hiding this perfectly reasonable explanation for killing Luna in the first place?

Let’s try and think about some possible reasons for this sudden change in behavior.

Firstly, it seems like Vanitas has finally given up the security he got from insisting that his ‘revenge on Luna’ was born out of a hatred for them. He still calls his mission revenge upon the vampire of the blue moon, but it seems like it’s closer to revenge for Luna than revenge upon them. Vani seems to be slowly accepting the fact that he didn’t truly hate Luna, and is doing what he’s doing at least partially because he saw them as the mother he never had.

Secondly… something definitely changed in the VaniVerse after that conflict with Comte. I still can’t get that expression Vanitas had right before Comte left out of my mind. I’m pretty sure he realized something, or remembered something, or came to some sort of conclusion. I’ve no idea what that realization was but I feel like that little moment was important.

And thirdly, most crucially, Vanitas has given up on making Noé kill him.

The most devastating part of this chapter for me was the realization that Vanitas didn’t keep Noé around to protect himself from others. Vanitas kept Noé around to protect others from himself. After their initial fight, Vanitas determined that Noé would likely be strong and sturdy and morally good enough to kill him if necessary. So he recruited him. Ostensibly as a shield, but in truth as a failsafe.

Despite being incredibly strong, Vanitas never goes on missions involving cursebearers alone. The only time we see him intentionally go off by himself is when he’s facing the human Chasseurs. Even during the first chapter, Vanitas has Dante by his side. He seems largely disinterested the whole time and provides no considerable help to Vani during the fight. But Dante is there, watching, the whole time. And Dante has a gun.

With this we can read Vanitas’s behavior throughout the past 55.5 chapters of VnC in a whole new light. His constant cheerful responses to Noé’s animosity back during the Parisian Excursion arc were goofy funtimes back when I first read ‘em, but now I just see Vanitas pulling what we see him later do with Jeanne— acting like a complete asshole in order to push people away from him. Remember that bonus comic from a while back, where Vanitas asks Noé if he’s really that interested in kisses after their first encounter with Jeanne and Luca? I thought that was just more cute adorable funtimes with some extra fanservice on the side. But now… holy shit, Vanitas was actually flirting with Noé in an active attempt to make Noé dislike him.

Vanitas’s cheerful responses to Noé’s animosity aren’t him being goofy or arrogant, it’s him purposefully acting like the type of person he likes the least. He wants Noé to keep disliking him. Because Noé can’t get too close, or Noé might hesitate when the decisive moment inevitably arrives.

But Noé doesn’t do what Vanitas wants. He just pushes and pushes and gets closer and closer. And every time Noé starts to get too close, we see Vanitas shove him away. But Vanitas can’t keep this up forever, and when his latest and most violent attempt to make Noé despise him fails, Vanitas truly gives up on making Noé do what he wants. He gives up on making Noé kill him. And because of that, he’s now able to tell Noé the truth about the past and his intentions behind their partnership.

I’m absolutely intrigued by how Vanitas is gonna behave around Noé from now on. Because this feels like… this feels like the huge turning point their relationship has been building towards from the very start. This feels like the culmination of everything they’ve been through and everything they’ve been building towards. They are finally at least somewhat able to admit they love each other [platonically or romantically] without veiling it behind walls of dislike and animosity. And I seriously can’t wait to see how they adapt to this change in the status quo in whatever challenge they’ll be facing next.

oh noé

The tragedy of all this is, of course… even though Vanitas has given up on making Noé kill him, we as the readers know how the story’s going to end. Noé is going to fulfill Vanitas’s wish. He’s going to kill him. It isn’t a matter of if, just when and how.

The moment Vanitas started talking about his wish I knew it was coming. I knew he was gonna say it. I knew he was gonna have that same wish Louis had, the wish that’s haunted Noé since the day Louis died.

I knew it was coming and it still feckin hurt me.

Interestingly, Noé doesn’t react the way he did with Louis. He doesn’t immediately refuse. He just quietly starts to cry.

Noé’s definitely upset here, but I can’t help but feel like he’s also just a little bit relieved. He couldn’t save Louis, because by the time he reached that crucial moment when Louis could have told him anything it was already too late. But now Vanitas has told him, and now he knows, and now he can do something about it. He can sit next to Vanitas, lean on him so he can’t just run away, and talk to him properly.

And then, of all things, Vanitas apologizes to Noé, and tells him that even though this is what he wants Noé to do, he’s accepted that he can’t make it happen. They can talk to each other properly, and maybe Noé can reach out and save Vanitas.

Except he can’t.

Instead, he’s going to kill him.

mochijun why do you do this to us

mikhail

One of my main questions going into 55.5 was whether the Exposition Universalle arc was over or just getting started. This chapter really makes me lean towards the former. Mikhail gets what feels like a temporary farewell in this chapter, and it seems like we probably won’t see him again for a solid amount of time. If I had to make a guess, I think Comte and Mikhail’s story is gonna get set on the back burner a bit in favor of a few other arcs in the meantime (@/ gano and the vampire eradication faction, @/ the senate and its hunt for chloé and JJ, @/ the dhams, @/ loki, @/spi—-).

So Mikhail was all over the place this chapter, as he always is. I feel like the kids psyche is just so completely broken that at this point even he has a hard time determining when he’s actually displaying genuine emotion and when he’s acting in a certain way to get what he wants. At his core Mikhail has an incredibly simple motivation and value system (hates pain, likes kind people, wants to be happy with Luna and Vanitas forever), but his morality was completely twisted by his upbringing before he even hit the human experimentation lab, and then the complexities of the situation he’s ended up in with Luna and Vanitas have just made things even worse. (side note, I still don’t understand why Vanitas didn’t just tell Mikhail what happened to Luna on that night, and it makes me think he’s still hiding a considerable portion of the truth of what happened to Luna from the fam, if not outright lying.)

Mikhail seems genuinely horrified by the idea that Luna’s death might be his fault, and he seems genuinely upset when Vanitas tells him he’d prefer it if Noé were the one to kill him. But I also think Mikhail knows when to play up his childish emotional response and when to turn it off when Vanitas isn’t responding to it. And it just. Mikhail… just… holds head in hands… he’s so broken. I wish Misha could just feckin cry without wondering if someone will respond to his crying. Express his emotions and his childishness without also using them as an attempt to manipulate someone into doing what he wants them to do. But that’s what the world around him has shaped him into.

While we’re on the subject of Mikhail… Noé’s guilt over Misha’s injuries is palpable and I love to see it.

other neato stuff this chapter

In no particular order,

we get solid confirmation that Luna made Mikhail their kin before turning Vanitas. Strangely, Vanitas seems much more competent with his Book than Mikhail is— were they turned at around the same time? Or did Luna refuse to teach Mikhail to use the book after turning him for fear that he might be rewritten?

Mlle. Amelia actin kinda sus this chapter ngl

I love how Dante has now been threatened by both Dominique and Jeanne

speaking of Domi and Jeanne I’m delighted to hear that they’re talking and desperately hope to see their conversation in the next chapter

Noé’s face goes really weirdly blank when Vanitas mentions Comte; gotta wonder why

love how the smoke effect throughout the chapter looks similar to Luna’s hair

the end (for now)

As always, all the theories/ interpretations here are based on my current understanding of the manga and I am likely dead wrong about a lot of this. So! Please take everything here with a grain of salt. Thanks for reading these scattered thoughts on vnc 55.5! I can’t wait to see what mochijun has in store for us in vnc 56…

fun fact

same energy also what whuh why is noé using his left hand what does this mean is this a clue what

#vanitas no carte #vnc #the case study of vanitas #meta-ish #vnc spoilers #vnc manga #sorry again for how empty this blog has been #i… seriously considered not posting this because i feel it’s badly written #hope the gist comes through but for some reason i really haven’t had the mental energy to focus or write lately #may come back to edit hard at some point in the future #love this chapter tho #feels very significant #that or it’s just a comte induced hallucination ahaahahahahAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

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justanotherniky · 2 years

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It’s midnight and my birthday and it’s been less than 24 hours since I finished the Vanitas manga

...or what’s out so far, at least.

Oh boy. Took one hell of a sprint through volumes 9 and 10 because once I started, I couldn’t stop.

(This post will contain spoilers. Please continue scrolling if you haven’t gotten to chapter 55.)

When I say I was genuinely terrified by Mikhail I bloody well mean it. I was anxiously awaiting Vanitas’ backstory but oh damn what a way to get it.

Speaking of, it was late at night when I read it and I was very emotional, I did almost cry for my baby. I do not deny that. Neither can I deny the fact that I felt a kind of sick twisted sadistic pleasure in seeing him suffer.

But back to Mikhail. Look, criminal masterminds don’t scare me. Child criminal masterminds are the weirdest scariest shit you can put in front of me. A kid should not be that clever and that evil. He kind of reminded me of Q from Bungou Stray Dogs, with the whole mind control thing and the killing intent. The only thing that makes Q’s appearance more terrifying is the doll. Thank God Mikhail didn’t have a doll.

I am dying to know what exactly brought Vanitas to kill Luna. I don’t trust them for shite but so far, it seems like they didn’t do anything bad to the kiddos.

But oh boy. The fight.

Once again, it’s midnight. I’m not going to break it down. It’s one mushed porridge of information in my head and I’ll keep it that way for now. (I will for sure re-read it before the next chapter comes out.)

It’s no secret that I have one hell of a crush on Vanitas. @fullmetalgirl98 can confirm and good grief how much did I yell at her in the past two days? A lot. Not too much though. She deserved it. Anyway.

I do have a crush on this boy. He’s so bloody attractive (in these chapters, literally) - but with that crazed look in his eyes and covered head to toe in blood, and with those fighting techniques that are nothing short of vicious, he has never been sexier.

I fall to my knees before a clever man. And a clever man that’s lost it? I haven’t been reading and writing mystery novels all my life for nothing.

We’ve seen him cry. Ohhhh I did talk about sadistic pleasure, didn’t I?

This entire moment with Noé was some of the gayest shit I’ve seen recently. And there’s Given on my recent watches.

Honestly these chapters did nothing but prove once more that the words gay and Noé are just about interchangeable. Just like the words Vanitas and bisexual.

These are some of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching, and undoubtedly gay manga panels I’ve seen. This is a hill I’m willing to die on.

No regrets we die like Vanitas probably will.

And the most beautiful thing about all of this is that I have absolutely no idea what will happen next, and it is destroying me and exciting me all at once. I have fallen into the VNC rabbit hole and I’m not getting out of it for a bit, at least until the idea of having to wait for new chapters settles in my mind and I fully recover from whatever the fuck this was.

The last two volumes were a fever dream that I lived through for two hours between 11pm and 1am last night. I don’t even know how I managed to fall asleep afterwards.

Guess we’ll see how my life evolves from here.

#vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #manga #anime #vanitas x noé #vanitas no shuki #vnc #vanitas no carte spoilers #vnc spoilers #how am I still coherent after this #to be fair I am not #i have spouted bullshit the entire day

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annonmaly · 3 years

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Ok, It's Not Red. So What? (continuation)

Noé and his left eye

At this point, I'm wondering why I decided to do this. At first, I just saw this official artwork collection, and I'm like: "These are cool, let me post something short about what I think (cos' I got a lot of time). Some of these ideas may already be out there. But still, I may drag someone else in this 'what if' hole I'm in". I meant this to be one post with 500 words only. But lo' and behold! I'm now on the fourth part of this thought dump. My lazy brain is so proud of me right now.

These posts could be read separately. But if you have some minutes to waste and have nothing better to do. Check out the previous parts here:

Part 1: Regarding some of VnC Artwork

Part 2: Oh, It's Not Red

Part 3: Ok, It's Not Red. So What?

No promises that it's worthwhile tho'.

Hopefully for the last time, a friendly reminder that best in writing is an award I never received. I'm not the person who could analyze, explain, or theorize things. Please bear that in mind while reading. Photos are not mine, of course. Also, spoiler alert to be safe.

Now that I said everything I want to say. Let's finish this thing. This would be the last absurd idea that I want to share.

I read this theory a while ago that Noé's left eye was partially blind. This was the result of his injury during his childhood. As proof, Noé always received an injury on the left side. I totally agree with this theory. There's something wrong in that left eye of his. What if Noé's left eye lost its original power? Or What if it's not his eye to begin with? Sounds farfetched? Yeah, it is, but give me a break here. This was on my head for a long time now, and this needs to be out of my system.

Ok, first, let me tell you why I think his left eye is suspicious.

1. Noé had an eye injury when he was a kid. But after a while, it healed as nothing happened. This could easily be explained. It was healed totally by his vampire's power.

2. How and when he received that injury is questionable. (Actually, that whole story is suspicious) Did he receive it before or after being kidnapped? I don't much about slave trade in VnC world. But, if you're going to sell something you don't want it to have visible damage, right? (Sorry if the comparison sounds offending)

3. This may be for artistic purposes. However, there are panels where Noé's left eye was hidden by his hair or something. Most of them are when he is emotional. Or, more precisely, when it's about Vanitas. This is not always the case, and maybe I'm just reading to it more than necessary. But let me give you some examples:

(I had a hard time in this cos' I'm confused about what is left and right)

Let me briefly explain the picture from left to right

Bal Masque Arc: (It is not noticeable in this arc, actually. But when Noé is scolding Ruthven, we can't see his left eye.) The image above is when human Vani told Noé to leave him alone Then the one beneath is the moment when Noé declared that he will stay with human Vani.

Catacombs Arc: This is the time when Noé forgot to cut his hair. His left eye is hidden at about 90 percent of this arc. I only saw it again when Noé got angry with the weird doctor because he keeps calling human Vani by number "69". Even after the conclusion of this arc, his left eye is hidden.

Pre-Gevaudan Arc: We all know what happened the night before this. In the panel above, his eye was hidden when he was expressing his guilt. Then when he's being honest, Mochijun-Sensei showed his left profile.

Misha Arc: I know it's still fresh in your memories. To make this short, they are fighting to the death. The above panel is when Noé's reevaluating the events that happened. Then below is when he realized that he did not look at human Vani properly.

I'm a VaNoé shipper so I could go on all day, but I think I already get my point across. There's a pattern here when human Vani and Noé are having an issue. Or when Noé can't understand the former, his left eye is hidden. After they kiss and makeup Mochijun-sensei shows Noé's left eye.

I think I already established that Noé's left eye is weird, so let's move on. If you encountered my prior post, I assumed that Luna and Noé are twins. Let's ignore that notion. For now, I will settle with the idea that the blue vampire and Noé are related. They could be siblings, parent-child, or kinsmen. I'll believe that Noé is related to the blue moon vampire until Mochijun-Sensei says otherwise.

So, I emphasized Noe's hidden eye a moment ago. Who else out there that we don't see her left eye? Yup, the vampire of the blue moon. (I already mentioned this on my previous post)

This is not related but look at these panels:

After hearing human Vani's childhood story, Noé and Luna both asked the question about hating the vampires. Take note that Luna is on the right, the eye that was she's not hiding. Noé on the left profile, the hidden eye at times. I don't know if there's a meaning in this or what, it's just interesting.

Going Back,

If Noé is related to the blue vampire and the cursed book. (I think Grandpa DeSade won't ask him to observe the book without reason, he possibly be the real owner). Maybe at some point, his eyes are blue. Or maybe one of his eyes is blue. The left eye, perhaps?

So far, we only saw Noé gazing at the blue moon in the first chapter.

Left profile, left eye, interesting. (I'll say this again and again, Sensei is shady. Even that smile)

Well, it's his right eye. However, it's his left that noticed the moon first.

Next...

The whole sentence is "and see for yourself with your own eyes..." Is it just a coincidence that the panel with the words "with your own eyes" was a close-up of Noé's left eye? (He's still looking up the blue moon here)

Now, assuming that his eyes are blue before. What happened? As I said earlier, maybe he lost the power of his left eye or just transferred it to someone. Is there someone heterochromatic that is always with Noé? Oh, yes, Murr.

So, in a nutshell: What if Noé has the power of a blue and red moon vampire before the series' timeline started? (He's kind of special since it would only show when he's using his vampiric powers) Then, something terrible happened that we don't yet. And they had no choice but to transfer that power to Murr?

At one point, I imagined that Noé and Murr exchanged eyes, but dismissed it since I thought that Murr's eyes are red. But now that I changed my mind about Murr's eye color, I think this could still be a possibility.

I'll leave it up to your imagination as to how everything happened. This is just a half-boiled theory I had that needs to get out of my mind. I'll try to expound it furthermore when I found out more (or maybe I would already change my mind)

This scene would negate my thousand words post entirely. Because the injury Noé had is shown when he met Sensei for the first time. This means he should still be heterochromatic here. The old man knows that he's a vampire. So, it's either, Noé told them, or the couple saw his vampiric characteristics. They would tell Noé that his eyes was strange, right? But it looks like had no idea at all.

(I'll just copy and paste from my previous post)

I believe that Mochijun-sensei is keeping the timeline vague since it would reveal too much information. I mean, we don't know how long time passed from the day Noé was found by the old couple to the day Sensei brought him to the castle in the forest. Keep in mind that the vampire's growth differs for each person, as well. Also, is the story the Noé and Sensei told trustworthy? As far as I could tell, Sensei is shady, like really. Besides, Noé's memory is also not reliable. After all, someone out there may have the ability to manipulate memories. What if Noé was was born ages ago and was induced to sleep for a long time for whatever reasons?

(Copy Paste ends here)

I really love Noé and Murr. You see, the title of the series is The Case Study of Vanitas, but I'm more curious about Noé. My guts tell me that he would unexpectedly surprise us in the future chapters. Do you have any ideas or thoughts you want to share about VnC? tell me, I'm so bad at digging gold here.

That's the end folks, I warned you this might not make any sense. I'm just a person who has a lot of time on hand got bored waiting for the next chapter. Still, I had fun writing this. It's entertaining to crack our heads with the possibilities of what would happen in the story. But remember to always respect the authors. It's their work and art.

Note: I wrote this to indulge my over-thinking self. This is just a random theory, thoughts, assumptions, and/or head-canons. Thank you for taking the time to read and understanding if I made any mistakes or post whatever it is you don’t agree on.

#thoughts about vnc panels

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this-idiots-left-eye · 3 years

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can I also request vanitas & misha please. But from misha’s pov.

Hey! I'm so sorry it took me so long to reply!! I loved this prompt and wanted to get started right away, but...like I said on one of the other prompts, I weirdly got zapped of my inspiration. Since the vnc countdown has been giving me inspiration lately, I decided to use it for the Misha day. I hope that's alright! I hope you enjoy what I came up with!!

Misha never had any brothers. No sisters, or a father, or even friends, really. Just him, and his mom, and the men who came and went. He wasn’t quite sure what friends or brothers, or all those sorts of people were made of. And what that made Number Sixty-Nine. As he sat next to him on the bed, Number Sixty-Nine leaning his head back against the wall, Misha wondered:

Were they friends? Were they brothers? Were they…what was that word again? Quaint-something? Were they merely two bodies to be broken and tampered in this lab? Were they just numbers after all, not just to the doctors, but to each other? He didn’t know. He didn’t know what he was made of. But he did know he was the only warmth after the cold tables and needles, the only quiet after the screaming, the only smiles after the tears. He knew Sixty-Nine was the sun and the stars to him, and that must make him at least somewhat special. He was the first person who actually cared if he got hurt. Not just cared, tried to stop the hurt. He didn’t know there were people like that. He was softer and warmer than the pillows he fell into when his mother hit him. He wasn’t sure what mothers were supposed to do, but he never liked it when his mother hit him. Did all mothers hit their children? What that what mothers were made of? Bumps and bruises, and shouts, and being cut and shaped into what she wanted you to be. That’s what his was made of, at least. He never liked hiding under the bed. He never liked hearing his mother moaning in the night. He never quite knew what the noises above the bed meant. She sounded like she might be in pain. But she told him never to get up when she had one of her men over. She was in pain. Then afterwards, she gave that pain to him. Only the vampire made her happy. And he never liked having long hair. Though he didn’t like the doctors either, he did like that they offered him that small kindness. Though they may strap him to tables, and put strange things into his body, and make him hurt too, that small kindness always made his body feel a little more like his. Not some imitation of a girl. Not some imitation of what his mother wanted him to be. His mother who hurt him. No. Sixty-Nine. Who tried to stop the hurt. He never liked having long hair, but taking strands of Sixty-Nine’s hair between his fingers, like dark water across his skin, he found he didn’t mind it on him—(whatever they were to each other). Sixty-Nine noticed him staring, and raised an eyebrow at him. Misha gave a little giggle. “Say, do you like having long hair?” Sixty-Nine raised his eyebrow further at the question. “I’ve never really cared much.” He looked away. “I suppose I must…since I’ve kept it this way.” “Well, I like it!” Misha threw up his hands. “I like it on you, at least.” No. Sixty-Nine looked a little embarrassed at that, he moved his hand to rub the back of his neck. “Thanks I-I guess.” “May I play with your hair?” “Uhh...Sure I guess.” Then he murmured under his breath, “I guess you don’t have much else to play with.” And Misha knew he was talking about things he didn’t understand again. Misha began taking the strands of Sixty-Nine’s hair and tossing them over and under each other, braiding them together. His mother often braided his hair, but it was something she’d made him learn too. He never liked doing it in the mirror. But it felt nice now. “Say…what are we?” He asked after a pause. “What are we?” He looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “We’re human. Why is that a question?” “I know that, Silly! I mean what are we to each other?” “Huh?” “I’ve never had friends before—I don’t think. Are we friends?” He curled a strand around his finger. “Are we…what was that word? Quaint-aunts-es? Are we lovers?” And this last one caught in his throat a little: “Are we brothers?” “We’re not lovers, I can tell you that much,” he snorted. “And it’s ‘acquaintances’. I—“ Sixty-Nine sighed. He always seemed so tired. He either seemed so tired, or energy burst out of him. There was an anger to him, he knew. Though he didn’t know why, where

it came from. (Not that he ever knew. He didn't really get angry much himself). An anger that was different from his mother’s. It wasn’t an aspect of him, a piece of clothing he wore that Misha wished he would take off, something that made him hurt others sometimes. It was like the anger was written in his very being. And he never hurt anyone. “I don’t know. I guess we can be whatever you want us to be.” “Well…what’s an acquaintance?” The braid wasn’t looking quite right, so he brushed it out and restarted. He sighed. “An acquaintance is someone you know, but not well. Someone you know casually, or met once or twice. Like…a friend of a friend.” “Well we must not be acquaintances! We’ve met much more than twice!” He chuckled a little. “Fair enough.” “What’s a friend?” “A friend is someone you do know well. Someone who you enjoy being around, and want to be around and talk to often. Someone you’re close to.” “That sounds like us!” “What’s a lover?” Sixty-Nine scoffed. “I don’t really know. I won’t say I’ve ever been one, but a lover is someone who you love more than a friend. Someone who you don’t just want to be close to, but you want to be close to constantly.” He stuck his tongue out in disgust. “Oh, that sounds like us too! I want to be around you all the time!” “You don’t love me,” there was an ice to his words, a bite to the cerulean gaze now directed at him. “Not like that.” Misha ignored this. He was reaching the bottom of the braid. “Well anyway, what…” his voice grew quieter now, and he sat back on his knees. “What’s a brother?” “A brother…a brother’s a little more complicated. A brother is generally someone who you’re related to. Someone who is also a child of your mother and father, but… isn’t you. There’s also half-brothers who share either your mother or your father but not both. It’s a bond closer than that of friendships, or even lovers, in a way. Your parents blood runs through their veins so, in a way, your blood does too. It’s like you’re…pieces of a whole. You’re family. You live together, you eat, and sleep, and cry, and laugh, together. “But, at the same time…you can call someone your brother, even if you’re not related, if they’re as close to you as a brother would be. If you’re family. If you live together, eat, sleep, cry, and laugh together. Or perhaps better yet, if you go through something together that makes you closer than you are to your friends. Something that makes you... pieces of a whole.” Misha finished the braid, but he had nothing to tie it off, so he simply admired it for a moment, then released his grip, and let the bottom fall loose. “I think I get it now,” Misha grinned, meeting his gaze, “Brother.”

I hope you enjoyed it!! Thanks again for the prompt!! 🤍 I know Misha just calls Vanitas "brother" right away, that he does this with everyone, and it's kind of normal in Japanese culture...but I dunno, I guess I wanted to explore this sort of thing. If you have any more prompts (or anyone else reading has prompts), feel free to send them over to my ask box!!

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bemused-writer · 4 years

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VNC Chapter 41 Analysis

What a chapter! After reading this one, I was left reeling a bit, I won't lie. Certain things didn't surprise me all that much, but then there were revelations that I definitely didn't see coming whatsoever. So, without further ado, let's take a look at what took place. The first thing we see is Olivier and Roland fighting side-by-side without much success. We already knew they were comfortable with one another, but to me this sort of cemented it. They've fought together many times in the past and they're used to one another's ticks.

Contrary to what I've been thinking, Olivier is definitely the more high-strung between these two, even in battle. XD Not that I ever thought Roland was high-strung, but Olivier is the kind of character who could have easily been written as calm and collected above all else in everything. Instead, he very much is not: he seems to be barely keeping a lid on it, at least around Roland. I'm loving this about him, because it actually fits in very well with his portrayal in The Song of Roland. He tolerated Roland's antics there, but he was completely done more often than not. For VNC it makes for an interesting foil to Roland. Olivier is more serious about his job, but Roland generally has a calmer personality, even as he branches off to do whatever he thinks is right. Olivier still maintains his more sensible, responsible streak from The Song of Roland, though. He reminds Roland that they're short on time. Soon, they will have to kill Chloé. I find this interesting because neither of them is happy about it. They're just doing their jobs. It's not super obvious what Olivier thinks about vampires just yet--he's been a lot more concerned with Roland just being a good paladin and not rocking the boat, but he's never said Roland is wrong to question either.

[Volume 4]

[Volume 5]

He strikes me as someone who will do whatever it takes to make sure Roland stays out of trouble. He even says that he recommended Roland for Jasper because he thought some responsibility would help him settle down. Now, in The Song of Roland, Roland was engaged to Olivier's sister, Aude. I wonder if some of Olivier's concern with Roland is because he views him as part of the family, a brother of sorts.

He also knows that Roland cares very much for his own family; he has several siblings and it sounds like he joined the chasseurs as a way of providing money for them. Personally, I think this is nearly the only reason why Roland obeys the chasseurs whatsoever. Olivier was right when he said Roland "believes in himself as a follower of God." He will do what he thinks is right first and foremost, consequences be damned. But the consequences of disobeying here are retribution against his family.

I'm very curious to see just how long Roland will manage to keep this up. Things worked out well enough this time around, but his loyalties are essentially split between the chasseurs and Noé. That can't last forever. Meanwhile, Vanitas has realized saving Chloé will be a little more difficult than he'd anticipated. This is at least the third time that a specific malnomen has been brought up. The second was in the catacombs:

[Volume 4] Vanitas of the Blue Moon: It's a vampire's shadow made physical. The shadow of one under this curse begins to writhe as if it has a will of its own. Swelling and growing larger and larger, it swallows the vampire to whom it belonged in the end. Prédateur is a glutton. It kills and eats anything it can reach. Until the moment it consumes the last of the life force of the vampire who created it, its only goal will be to devour life. When I first read this section, I assumed Prédateur was simply a manifestation, a part of the curse. However, the description of Chloé's malnomen gave me pause:

Vanitas of the Blue Moon: The trouble with this malnomen is that it can't be cured simply by deriving the formula for an inverse operation. Unless the curse-bearer rejects the theater of their own accord, the link can't be severed, and you'll end up erasing them along with the closed space. It's finally struck me that we're dealing with names. Specifically, Prédateur, Millie, and Loup-Garou way back at the beginning. Malnomen aren't simply part of being a curse-bearer, they have a life of their own. Perhaps they are literally members of Charlatan acting through another living vessel or perhaps they're lost vampire souls trying to find absolution. Maybe there isn't a difference between the two. There's a lot to consider there. Also, Vanitas of the Blue Moon definitely has a teacher's aura about her. Everything Vanitas knows about the book comes from her; he didn't simply figure this out on his own. And the way Vanitas of the Blue Moon is teaching him... It's like she knew he would need to do something about curse-bearers at some point. Sure, it could have just been academic, but why mark him and give him access to the book's abilities if she didn't think he'd use it at some point? The mystery surrounding her only continues to grow as well as what Vanitas's relationship with her even was. Either way, Vanitas has to convince Chloé that she should be cured. I want us all to think about this for a second. The fellow who literally said "I'll do as I please, use methods I choose, and no matter what you people want, I will save you without fail!" is now having to reason with a vampire and convince her he should be allowed to save her. Truly incredible. Makes me wonder, what if his issue with VotBM is that she wouldn't let him save her? There's a thought... But getting back on track, Vanitas still isn't great at reaching people through tender methods. No, he berates Chloé and points out things will be awful either way, so she better make up her mind real quick. I'm... not sure he was convincing exactly, but I appreciate his urgency. It works though. The fact that it's her choice, that she has to choose, finally wakes her up and she sees the destruction around her. More specifically, she sees Jean-Jacques. Chloé has never wanted to hurt Jean-Jacques. She hasn't understood him all that well as he pointed out in the last chapter, but she genuinely wants to do right by him. Not an easy position to be in. We finally get to see how Noé's doing at this point in his battle against Astolfo. These two are interesting for two reasons: 1) This is someone Noé can't just "fix." Astolfo's issues with vampires run deep, far more so than Roland's ever did. Noé isn't used to being confronted with a problem without a solution. He's been able to solve everything else so far, so Astolfo is the first real evidence he's had that the enmity between humans and vampires is beyond him; he can't use diplomacy with him. He might not ever be able to. 2) Noé is a good person, but for Astolfo everything he says and everything he does reminds him of the night his family was defiled and killed. We're used to seeing Noé as the good guy, but for Astolfo it's impossible for Noé to ever be anything other than evil. Even though we know Noé would never do any of those things, through Astolfo's eyes we see Noé's image slanted as it becomes corrupt, all because of what he was born as. It's exactly how bigotry in real life works. We can understand why Astolfo hates vampires, but at the end of the day it doesn't make him right or his cause just. Roland goes out of his way to explain Astolfo's history to Noé regardless of it being impossible for Noé to change Astolfo's mind. Why? My guess is that he thinks we should all understand our enemy. Roland didn't understand his enemy, vampires, until he met Noé and realized they could be good. Likewise, Noé can't understand those he fights until he learns some of them are irredeemable. I like that Vanitas is initially outraged at Roland doing this:

Vanitas has been worried this whole arc that Noé won't be able to handle Astolfo as we can see from his reaction to Noé saying he can handle him:

Honestly, this entire arc has been Vanitas worrying over Noé, incessantly so considering who we're talking about. He let Noé fight him in chapter 35, but he also didn't have a choice. No doubt, he thought Roland revealing how tragic Astolfo's past would stir Noé's chivalric side and he'd have difficulty once more. Vanitas knows Noé is affected by these kinds of revelations. When he told Noé his own parents were killed by vampires, Noé took it pretty hard and things went downhill from there. Turns out, Vanitas was both right and wrong to worry about this. When Astolfo goes into the details of how he's suffered, Noé looks affected, but what really takes him off guard is when Astolfo starts bleeding from taking too much of the tonic. Personally, I think this is how Astolfo was able to trap Noé and Noé was forced to lose his arm in order to avoid being literally blown to smithereens. I'll admit, this was the biggest shock of the chapter for me, as I'm sure it was for pretty much everyone reading it. XD I'll get into more detail on that in a second, but I do want to point out that the fact Noé didn't die, didn't hesitate so much that he lost his life, is a big shift for him, and it's thanks to Vanitas, who must have known he had to do something to counteract what Roland had revealed. Vanitas: Don't hesitate, Noé. Don't think about whether Astolfo's hatred is justified or not. Both humans and vampires act on their own concepts of justice. One's just can be someone else's evil. "Being right" is "power." It can easily turn into violence, a weapon that's much harder to deal with than malice. Don't brandish it. Keep it inside. Justice should merely be the light that illuminates the path ahead of you. Vanitas hasn't been prone to giving good advice in the past (or at least not advice Noé would take), so Noé's reaction is understandable:

He's shocked into silence. Vanitas is giving genuine, heartfelt advice, designed to help Noé with a difficult situation. It's possibly the most open we've ever seen Vanitas. Sure, he's told Noé things about himself in the past, but it was always veiled in anger or resentment. This was simply to help without any strings attached. Between how he's been treating Noé this arc and even Jeanne, we're seeing a much softer side of Vanitas than we had previously. And the advice doesn't stop there.

Vanitas looks so fond here and just a touch regretful. I wonder if he knows this way of doing things would never work for himself; he's already devoted to himself to revenge; it's Noé who gets hung up on what's right and wrong and how he can help others. Maybe he wishes he had that kind of solid moral compass for himself. We also see Roland smiling as they talk; he honestly likes, and is inspired by, their friendship.

Another thing about these two panels is that Vanitas is being openly affectionate this arc, in front of Roland of all people, and I genuinely wasn't expecting it. This arc has been a whole lot of Vanitas fussing over Noé and everyone (except the person in question) noticing it. Behold my montage Let's take a look at how things have developed so far:

This isn't even including every single example, but you get the idea. Vanitas's way of caring is a mix of berating (because he doesn't know what to do with the fact that he cares), lying to anyone picking up on it, and opening up/being gentler when he's reminded that Noé really is on his side or by things he's learned about Noé more generally. Most of these events are prompted by Noé doing something first: Noé apologizes for wanting to drink his blood, Vanitas is nice to him on the train. Noé has a tendency to wander about, Vanitas tries to get the whole group to look after him. Noé has a hard time fighting against a particular type of person, Vanitas switches their targets/keeps Noé away from the problem, and reminds them of their goals. Noé is missing/kidnapped, Vanitas spends the entire arc worrying about where he is. Noé can't tell what is real, Vanitas assures him. Noé assures Vanitas that he doesn't look down on revenge as a motive, Vanitas wipes the blood off his face/promises to help Chloé. Noé learns the truth about Astolfo, Vanitas gives him the best advice he's given anyone in this entire series. If the catacombs arc was about Noé learning about Vanitas and helping him, then this arc is definitely about Vanitas caring for and helping Noé.

Also, the advice Vanitas gives Noé about how justice should be the light that illuminates the path ahead of you? Who was it Noé compared to light only a few chapters ago? And was symbolically represented as the only light Noé can see?

None other than Vanitas himself.

We’re definitely seeing how these two are inextricably intertwined for the rest of the series.

Anyway, getting back to the fight with Astolfo, Noé loses his hand and part of his arm in order to dodge the blast. The one thing he can't concede is Chloé and Jean-Jacques. More broadly, if Noé has the capacity to help someone, he can't back down, no matter what.

Dante's reaction to Noé's victory is one I wholeheartedly endorse. I, too, was pretty impressed. Even so, Noé's coming out of this arc a complete wreck. 8D

He still has a head injury, his shoulder seems to be pretty well sliced, and he's missing his forearm. I just... wow. But this raises several questions: How will Noé cope with only one good arm for fighting? Can he regrow it? Will it be missing the rest of the series? Can he withstand that much blood loss? Did Vanitas bring his medical kit? Because some first aid would be a good idea right about now.... Possibly the most interesting question to ponder out of these is "Can he regrow it?" The reason for this is that we already know Noé suffered some kind of extreme injury as a child:

For his entire left eye to be wrapped seems to heavily imply one of two things: it was either gouged out or otherwise severely injured. But we can see that as an adult he has both eyes and they both seem fine. If he was actually missing an eye, then he regrew it and the likelihood of him being able to regrow his arm increases. If it was simply injured, maybe not. But the one time Vanitas offered to give him medical aid, he was pretty nonchalant about it:

Even Vanitas thought that was a weird reaction. Perhaps Noé has unusually good healing abilities. Or he's stubborn. Guess we'll be finding out soon. 8D Also, I’m just going to hazard a guess that, seeing as it’s the same shoulder that’s been injured in both of these examples, the main difference will be that, while Noé turned away Vanitas’s help before, maybe he’ll accept it this time. It's also finally revealed that this whole time Chloé wanted to be human. I thought that must be the case; why go to all this trouble otherwise? It's terribly sad that she never felt like she was really herself once she became a vampire. She's never been able to accept who she is once her entire life. She's spent all these centuries trying to make her family, who has long since passed on, happy.

But Chloé's finally made a choice, and that choice is to remain with those people who are in the present, her new family: Jeanne and Jean-Jacques.

It's an almost suspiciously happy ending and I am fully expecting Mochizuki to take this down a darker path, but I kind of hope she doesn't. It would be nice to see these three get the happiness they deserve, and with how much attention has been given to Jean-Jacques and Chloé this arc, I think it would make a lot more sense for them to serve a role at the end of the series. The chasseurs (or maybe just Astolfo) might be the main problem, or possibly Charlatan itself. But right now, it genuinely looks like things have been taken care of, which would be great because I don't think Noé is going to last much longer if things keep up. Of course, this analysis wouldn't be complete without addressing "Luna."

I have two thoughts on what this could be. One, this is the name of the mark and marks might work like malnomen: they have a life outside of the purpose they serve. Two, Luna could be VotBM's real name and this mark is very literally summoning her power. When Vanitas uses his power, Noé remarks on the formula he sees:

This got me thinking, is he seeing the world formula itself right now or a physical representation of Chloé's name or soul so to speak? I'm leaning toward the latter if only because with Amelia we also saw a unique background when she was cured and it was completely different:

Flowers, which fits perfectly with her name. As for the next chapter, I'll admit I don't have a lot of guesses. I would think it would just be everyone recuperating and healing up. Probably some serious conversations will have to occur. I think it’s important to note that even if things go badly, Vanitas did keep his promise to Jeanne, which is huge. There was no guarantee, but he made the promise anyway and, lo and behold, he kept it.

As for whether the peace will last, I have no idea, but I definitely think this arc is coming to a close and we'll be moving on to the next fairly soon. I'm looking forward to what happens. ^^

#vanitas no carte #vnc spoilers #long post #Bemused's post

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vera-invenire · 6 years

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VnC Liveblog - Chapter 14

Previously: Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13

Those are, uh, some interesting eyes you got there, Murr. I know you’re a cat, but please don’t murder anyone, kay? Please, Murr.

We start with a recap of our latest mystery -- in one week three vampires have mysteriously disappeared and the suspected kidnappers are the Church’s anti-vampire unit, the chasseurs. (should that be capped? eh, I’ll leave it for now.)

I see Vanitas still hasn’t bounced back from whatever blow he was dealt when he recognized that button. Only now he looks...sad, too?

Mentioning the Vampire of the Blue Moon in a general way makes him almost defiantly manic and driven; mentioning his quest for revenge makes him look not only lost but like he lost something, like it’s still an open wound. Mentioning the chasseurs gets you a face similar to the lost look, but he’s maybe not quite as dazed? I think it’s the difference between still being gutted and raw and being resigned to the wound, maybe? Speculating off of two textless panels is so fun and productive, guys.

Anyway, the catacombs! The catacombs of Paris are famous, y’all. LOTS of skulls, so of course it’s perfect for VnC.

Memoire 14 Catacombs

Where the Dead Sleep

Well, I hope they’re not playing poker.

(I bet you ten bucks Noé got distracted looking at the streetcar and didn’t realize it was leaving. The things Vanitas has to put up with, honestly. Aw, and Murr caught the eye of a fancy lady! That’s the real love story, right there.)

So the catacombs are a vast ossuary built inside an old system of quarries, we’re told. Twenty meters underground and roughly two hundred kilometers in length, it is said to house the earthly remains of approx. six million people.

So many skulls, guys. (Vanitas picked a good name)

Riche: oh god oh god, i just touched him, i just touched the hot guy, what do i do, he l p

Murr, why you giving her the stink-eye, she’s nice.

Look at this smooth, mofo. He caught the girl AND the candle. Thank god he’s oblivious or else nothing would be able to stop him.

(the real plot twist of VnC: Noé knows EXACTLY what he’s doing when he gives people That Look. He just acts oblivious to stave off the incipient fanclubs. *le gasp*)

Guys, I think the dhams are my favorites. And Dante’s angling for the de Sades, eh?

Noé’s not interested in the comedy routine, though -- something else is distracting him.

I’m glad Noé’s noticed something is off about Vanitas. He’s been avoiding the ‘camera’ for a bit now, which isn’t like him. It’s almost as if he’s withdrawing to the background, an intriguing facet of Vanitas’ personality that we haven’t seen before. But Noé notices he’s gone and won’t let him slip away so easily.

(though now that I think about it, the retreat to quietness isn’t completely new -- it’s what he does when he goes up on the rooftops, after all. we just haven’t seen him get this introspective around others before.)

Hmm, vampires in the tunnels of Paris, fighting the chasseurs...this is reminding me of World War Z, ie. it sounds freaking terrifying, yikes. (er, the book, not movie version. don’t think that made it into the movie.)

“There could even be another war.”

And vampires going feral and attacking humans sounds like just the thing that could provoke another human-vampire war, don’t it. This could turn into one of our big stakes in the series. And with the introduction of Jeanne, who fought in the last war; the chasseurs, who also fought in the last war; Ruthven, who brokered the end of the war...well. It’s not hard to imagine that the board is being set up again.

(it occurs to me that if there’s a faction of vampires that actually WANTS war, a simple way of bringing it about would be to accuse the humans of causing the spread of Charlatan and the curse)

(...they...could blame a human...a particular human in possession of a Book that is made to alter vampires’ true names...)

(oh, crap)

(o_o)

Hey, Vanitas is laughing! First time that’s happened since last chapter when he left Orlok’s office. Good job, Dante.

Noé’s still watching, though.

Vanitas looks run-down. He’ll laugh at Dante getting busted by the guards, but his mood is still extremely -- flat? tired? -- right now.

I love how Johann has no compunctions at all to cozying up to Noé. He’s like, hot guy? Don’t mind if I do.

We already know Noé is a little oblivious when it comes to people, so I think it says a lot that he’s already so attuned to Vanitas.

He knew right away that Vanitas’ reaction on the chandelier was weird (and seems to have hit the bullseye as to why) and he knows when Vanitas’ actions are a veneer over something else. He’s already started differentiating between what’s real and what’s a front when it comes to Vanitas, even if he can’t always understand what he sees (see: their dance). And they’ve known each other for what, a few weeks?

Poor Vanitas. Noé was already disinclined to go along with the most egregious examples of Vanitas’ bullshit -- now that Noé’s Vanitas Radar is getting more refined, soon Vanitas won’t be able to get away with anything. For a loner like him, that might be hard to adjust to.

(Noé looks so comfy, I wish I could sleep like that. Vanitas, don’t you think you’d be more comfortable sleeping inside with Noé, he could use you like a pillow)

This button is a Symbol, and I think it used to be an important one.

Though -- is he looking at the back of it? Are we gonna get an FMA-style message on it?

And hey, speaking of FMA, check out that pocket-watch --

Vanitas waits on the roof until -- what is that, 3am? -- then gets up with a slightly alarming look of grim determination, dark bags under his eyes. (he didn’t sleep at all)

Someone’s trying to sneak out in the dead of night. What are you planning?

!!!!!!!!

:D :D :D

omg. I’m cackling. Look at Noé standing there. Fully dressed! Leaning on the wall with one hand in his pocket! Casually reading! Ahhh, this is the best. Reminder that Noé can be hellishly smooth when he feels like it and it’s awesome.

Not only did he outmaneuver Vanitas, but he scheduled his nap perfectly because he knew Vanitas and knew his next likely course of action, even though (because) Vanitas hardly said anything during the day. This pleases me so much, you have no idea.

(and not only is the nap thing galling on principle, but now Noé is well-rested while Vanitas is walking around with visible bags under his eyes. It’s beautiful.)

*epic flaily hands*

guys, guys, it’s a reversal of chapter 2! look, look!

This chapter is gold.

I LOVE parallels, especially when the shoe ends up on the other foot. Even Vanitas’ coat looks deflated this time around, ha.

I think my bottom lip is wobbling. Boys.

The best part -- the best part -- is we already know Noé likes Vanitas’ cranky face. He must be enjoying this as much as I am, lmao.

Also, please note that Vanitas can’t seem to say ‘no’ to Noé, to the point where it’s kind of turning into a pattern. A delightful pattern.

(Thanks to Assassin’s Creed: Unity, I, too, know where this side entrance to Notre Dame is located. Thanks, Assassin’s Creed.)

Hm, hold up.

Lock-picking seems like a very Vanitas-ish skill, so I’m not questioning that. (I do question what his upbringing was like, but that’s another conversation). No, the thing is, didn’t he use the Book to pick a lock in Orlok’s office before?

Yup. There are the formula marks. So why didn’t he use the Book this time?

...wait a minute. wait a goddamn minute.

holy shit. vanitas didn’t have the Book when they went to orlok’s office. that was the whole POINT of going to orlok, HE had the Book, so --

Vanitas can alter formulas without the Book?

UM.

Nothing like a little B&E (plus assault) to get one’s spirits back up.

Vanitas finds a hidden switch behind the candelabra that opens a secret passage. (this may also have been in Assassin’s Creed.)

“These aren’t like the place we visited this afternoon. There are entrances to the underground labyrinth all over Paris. ...but the catacombs we’re headed for are made so that only those in the know can reach them.”

...uh-huh. So how do YOU know about them? And if you knew, why’d you just follow the dhams to the tourist spot? Were you that thrown by that button?

The chasseurs live down here? Uh.

What’s that saying about those who hunt monsters...?

...

...Vanitas was a freaking chasseur, wasn’t he.

But he left them? Or they left him? How does the Vampire of the Blue Moon fit into that?

It would also mean that he lied to Noé in the beginning when Noé asked if he was a chasseur or a bourreau, but. That wouldn’t be much of a surprise. And not technically a lie if he wasn’t one anymore?

Sheltered he may be, but our boy Noé ain’t no dummy.

they’re his former comrades

*raises eyebrow* Chasseurs but not chasseurs? Renegade chasseurs, maybe?

And he knows exactly how they fight because of course he does.

This explains so much. The abilities of the vampires are on a whole ‘nother level, literally superhuman, so it’s easy to overlook sometimes that Vanitas is a really good fighter for a human.

Particularly against vampires.

He’s been doing this vampire-doctor thing for a little while now, right? Meaning, he’s been hunting down transformed and blood-mad vampires and fighting them with only one reluctant, mercenary dhampir as back-up. Sure, he latched onto Noé as a ‘shield’ immediately (probably because he had a few too many close calls and, unlike with Dante, he doesn’t have to pay for Noé), but he was still fighting -- and surviving -- the monsters long before Noé got on the scene.

So were could he have possibly gotten these vampire hunting skills? *insert thinking emoji*

(I don’t know how the Vampire of the Blue Moon fits into all this, but taken with the chasseurs, I can’t help but find Vanitas’ current vocation dryly amusing. Both these entities from his past who HATE VAMPIRES have done Vanitas wrong, so what’s he gonna do?

He’s gonna turn around and save the goddamn vampires out of spite. (...and probably for some other reason we don’t know about yet, because Vanitas, but you get the idea))

Oh look! More skeletons. (momento mori, yus)

Oh shit. It’s that guy from the end of chapter 13.

...oh god, this is a trophy room, isn’t it.

The boys are like “oh, f---!”

This guy’s design is weirdly -- cherubic?, and it’s freaking me out.

Hm. So lower-ranking (-powered?) vampires revert to a more human physiology after death? Why?

And damn, these skulls are in seriously bad shape. Must have been a hell of a fight to take each of them out. Shows the power of the chasseurs, for certain.

Is this guy taunting them?

Noé just seems shocked (as he should), but Vanitas almost looks struck dumb, like he doesn’t know what to do with Disturbingly Cheerful guy.

Hmm, a couple things.

I thought this guy’s name was Roland?? @vnckocurzyca, I think you said his name was Roland? It’s got all the marks of a translation error (swapped Ls and Rs), I just want to know the right name to call this guy, lol. (and if YP screwed up the translation so I can rag on them a bit)

Another thing that might only be amusing to me -- Vanitas has been carrying a sling on his back that I’ve been assuming carries the Book, his knives, etc. But when he stands next to Cheerful Guy who has his own his massive sling (that looks an awful like some sort of improbable weapon of the Kingdom Hearts variety), Vanitas looks like nothing so much as a Boy Scout standing next to an Eagle Scout and it’s kinda hilarious.

Just think about it. In another lifetime, this guy could have been Vanitas’ senpai.

Cheerful Guy is important, I see.

So, he got his high position sometime after Vanitas was no longer associated with the chasseurs? And he wasn’t even posted in the area until recently. Gives me reason to think he wasn’t involved in whatever happened to break Vanitas away from them.

Though it occurs to me the chasseurs might not recognize him anyway, depending on how long ago the association was (couldn’t have been that long, Vanitas is only 18 according to the omake) and when exactly he took on the name ‘Vanitas’. They might have known him under another name, maybe his REAL name, and isn’t THAT thought interesting.

“I’m Vincent and he’s Gilbert.”

“~I’M VINCENT AND HE’S G I L B E R T.~”

ahhhhh, I love easter eggs.

(I prefer to read Vanitas’ bowing and babbling here as his version of a customer service voice. you know, that really fake, ‘sincerely apologetic’ one everyone who has ever worked in retail had to master.)

(is that not the face of every retail worker in the world, I mean, come on)

Vanitas has NO IDEA how to deal with this man, it’s amazing. But it looks like they haven’t been made (yet), so that’s good.

That armor on Mr Paladin’s arms is very reminiscent of Jeanne’s leg armor, no?

*tilts head* Is this a typical shounen-ish ‘he’s strong’ assessment, or can Noé analyze him on a different level because of his vampire eyes?

Either way, it says this guy is more dangerous than he seems. Guess you don’t rise to the rank of paladin by sitting on your butt.

(and what exactly is that weapon on his back???)

...y’all. I play a lot of video games. Suddenly walking into a large room with strategically placed cover spots is A VERY BAD SIGN.

I HOPE YOU SAVED BEFORE THIS CHECKPOINT, GUYS.

Ohhh, shit. There it is. Mr Paladin was playing them the entire time and they fell for it like a pair of shmucks.

Specifically, VANITAS fell for it. Dude, the sneaky tricks are supposed to be your area of expertise. Either this guy is better than you or you are seriously off your game. (possibly both)

(...random, but Mr Paladin is reminding me a bit of Might Guy. probably the gushing emotion and positivity.)

A flash bomb? And Vanitas knows exactly what it is, knows it’s meant to hurt Noé specifically. It also means that Mr Paladin knows Noé is a vampire, probably knew it when he was gushing about all those be-fanged skull trophies. Man, you can never trust the goofy ones.

When you think about it, a flash bomb would be the perfect weapon to use against vampires in an enclosed space like underground tunnels.

I’m paying attention to how MochiJun is depicting the affects of the flash on Noé ‘cause we still know precious little about how vampires eyes, and vampires in general, work.

So, we’ve got a shattering, as if the flash caused the world to break apart for Noé, and then a disorienting swirl where his vision is completely obscured. His eyes really are his weak point.

...ohhoho, wait. Wait, wait, wait, I just remembered something.

Vanitas used the flash bomb trick on Jeanne, way back in chapter 3 --

The canister looks about the same, too. I guess now we know why Vanitas keeps one of those in his pack.

It didn’t work as well on Jeanne, but, well, it’s Jeanne.

Mr Paladin is not only dangerous, but also creepy. And kind of dehumanizing, too, which I suppose is to be expected from this group. Not like Veronica de Sade is much better.

Alright, so. Does this mean Noé can usually see the two ‘worlds’ separately? And this is a thing all vampires can do because of their eyes, while some powerful vampires are then able to rewrite the formulas they see on a large scale? Though since Paracelsus was able to trigger Babel, that means having the innate ability to see formulas isn’t a requirement for rewriting them. And, you know, the existence of the Book.

...why would the Vampire of the Blue Moon, who could presumably also see and change formulas as other vampires do, need to write a Book that allows people to do the same thing? What the hell is in that Book, anyway? Does it just deal with True Names?

Give me answers, MochiJun! *shakes tiny fist*

oh geez, the disorientation was so bad it made Noé physically sick.

And Mr Paladin, the doll look is not an improvement, fyi.

So, if Vanitas can rewrite formulas without the Book, is that power also in his eyes, even though he doesn’t have the weird pupil-thing going on like the vampires, or does he work magic the way Paracelsus (presumably) did? Did the flash bang affect him, too? He’s not in the same kind of distress as Noé, but he had an instant’s more warning and DID cover his eyes. Hmm.

I do appreciate Vanitas’ panic over Noé’s plight, though! That’s always heartening to see.

That’s the frown of Bracing Yourself To Do Your Job. Because that’s what killing vampires is to this guy, his job. And he’s not nearly as gullible or naive as he looks.

Uh-oh.

Do we have a super-soldier serum on our hands here? That would explain how the chasseurs are able to take on vampires one-on-one.

Never trust the goofballs.

(i don’t think this fight is going to go well for our heroes, guys.)

Next up, CHAPTER 15!

#vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #noe archiviste #vanitas liveblog #this one took so. much. longer. than it should have #fix your site tumblr

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escarghosting · 6 years

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Hello hello @eli-and-fictional-sons!! Coincidentally, I was also your secret santa for the @vncsecretsanta! Here’s you’re gift; it’s sort of a college au, but there’s hardly any mention if college so *shrugs* I had fun writing it! This is my first fic for vnc so if either of them seem ooc, that’s why lol. Hope you enjoy it! Happy new years!

Title: Love Thy Neighbor

Rating: T, mostly for swearing

Word count: 1536

Summary: Vanitas really doesn’t like his neighbor. Really. No matter how attractive he may be. So why exactly does he agree let him use his shower?

Vanitas really…didn’t like his next door neighbor.

Noe was his name. Ever since the guy moved in, there was always something the other did that pissed them off. It all started when Noe started parking in Vanitas’ spot. No matter how often he yelled at him about it, Noe still managed to park in his spot at least once a week. Things just went downhill from there.

At some point in the past 5 months of living next to each other, Vanitas started going out of his way to piss Noe off; his favorite was playing loud music early in the morning, because Noe was nothing but grumpy without at least 8 hours of sleep. Yes, Vanitas was that petty.

But what really peeved Vanitas about Noe is how…perfect he was. When Vanitas wasn’t doing things to annoy him, Noe was actually pretty nice. He gave Vanitas rides sometimes when the weather was too bad to take his bike (although music in the car was another source of tension between them), and he checked up on him often to make sure he was eating and sleeping well, because “no one should look as dead as you do” (which, unsurprisingly, aggravated Vanitas to no end). He was naïve, but it was kind of endearing. Sometimes.

He was also fine as hell, not that Vanitas would ever admit it. Tall, well-built, pretty eyes, and to-the point about everything. Noe might as well be the man of Vanitas’ dreams, and he hated it.

…Okay, maybe he had a teeny tiny crush.

It didn’t matter anyway, nothing would ever come of it. Why would Noe ever like him back? All Vanitas did was purposefully annoy him. Most of their conversations consisted of pointed glares and hardly contained anger, mostly from Vanitas. Noe deserved to be with someone much better than him.

‘Maybe you guys just need to get together, let out that awkward sexual tension. I bet you that’s the reason you’re always so cranky with each other, idiot.’

Vanitas slammed the butter knife down on the counter. Screw Dante and his stupid advice! What did he know anyway? He was just some baldy with as much romance experience as a doormat. That was the last thing he needed to be thinking about right now. He stared down at his unfinished peanut butter sandwich. He couldn’t eat now, he was too bitter. Maybe I’ll just take a hot shower and lay down for the night, he thought. It wasn’t even 9:00, but there’s nothing wrong with a little extra sleep, right? In fact, Noe would probably be proud—

Ohhh, no. That thought was going to end right there. Vanitas dragged himself to the bathroom—which wasn’t very far in this tiny apartment—but before he could turn on the faucet, there was a knock at the door.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

“Who could possibly be knocking at this hour?” Vanitas muttered angrily. He was in no mood to humor anyone for anything. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Vanitas stomped over to the door and flung it open. “This had better be impor—”

Standing in the hallway was none other than Noe himself. He was holding a towel and a hair brush in one arm, dressed in his loose white pajamas. The look on his face was awkward and somewhat...pained?

Vanitas couldn’t stop himself from admiring the other man. The way strands of white hair fell into his face, or how his shirt hugged his broad shoulders...

Stooooooop!

“What do you want? This had better be important, Noe,” he spat.

Noe pursed his lips. “I need to use your shower.”

“…Why can’t you use yours?” At this Noe shuffled his feet, looking anywhere but Vanitas. Was he… embarrassed?

“You see,” he started, “I may have tripped over Murr heading to the shower, and ripped the shower head from the wall trying to catch myself.”

Vanitas just stared. Of course Noe would manage to do something like that.

Thinking it over, he supposed there was no harm in letting him in. Call it payback for all the times Noe’s helped him. It was a little annoying that he’d have to let Noe take one first, but the was no way he was waiting around Vanitas’ apartment until he was done. Besides, this way he could take as long as he wanted.

“I guess,” he sighed, stepping aside to let him in. He swore Noe had stars in his eyes when he thanked him. Weirdo.

Noe stepped in to the apartment, looking around like he’d never been in there before. “Our showers are probably the same,” he said, shutting the door behind him. “So I don’t think I have to help you—hey! Don’t touch that!”

Vanitas was an art student, but since he and Noe weren’t friends, the other had never seen anything Vanitas had made. He had been working on a minimalist human sculpture for a class earlier, and must’ve forgotten to put it away because Noe was about to pick it up good lord.

He grabbed Noe’s arm before he could touch it, glaring at him. “It’s wet! I don’t need you squishing it with your inhuman strength!”

Noe blinked at him. “Oh. Sorry. I’ve never seen someone make something like this before, I wanted to know what it felt like. You’re really good at this!”

So naïve but so cute. Noe was practically sparkling. He didn’t say anything he didn’t mean; he really thought Vanitas’ half-assed sculpture was cool. Vanitas could feel the annoyance drain from him with every second.

“Whatever. Just go take your shower. You have 10 minutes!”

“Sure, but you’re gonna have to let go of me first, Vanitas.”

Vanitas blinked. He was still holding Noe’s arm. And when did they get so close? Vanitas (very calmly, mind you) let go and stepped back, clearing his throat. “Right.”

Noe nodded and headed to the bathroom. “And don’t touch anything you don’t need to!” Vanitas called after him.

As soon as the door shut, Vanitas was on the couch, internally screaming at himself. How could he be more awkward! All he did was grab his arm! Nothing weird about that. It was the first time he’d ever actually touched Noe though, and he was every bit as muscular as he looked, god damn. It would be a while before he’d forget about that discovery.

By the time the ten minutes were up, Vanitas had mostly gotten himself together. Enough to realize the shower was still running. He got up and banged on the bathroom door. “Noe! Come on! You better not use up all my hot water, I swear.”

The shower quickly shut off, followed by scrambled footsteps. ‘Please don’t slip, I don’t need you breaking my shower, too,’ he hoped.

A minute later, the door opened, and Vanitas thought he actually might die that night.

The first thing he noticed was Noe’s hair. He’d never seen it so curly. In hindsight, it only made sense; Noe’s hair shouldn’t have been that straight. He just couldn’t picture Noe using a straightener without severely burning himself. (Then again, no one should have white hair at 19, so could you really blame him?) It was still soaking wet, dripping down into the towel around his neck.

The next thing he noticed was that Noe Archiviste was shirtless and dripping wet in his apartment.

He just couldn’t catch a break, could he.

Vanitas had never been more grateful for his amazing poker face, because if he was, he’d probably look like a firetruck right then. “It’s about time,” he grumbled, pointedly looking away from Noe. He was dense, but there’s no way he wouldn’t notice Vanitas all but drooling over his body.

“Sorry Vanitas, guess I lost track of time.” Vanitas hummed in acknowledgement. Suddenly, his face was in Vanitas’ line of sight. He was carefully studying Vanitas’ face. “What’s wrong? You seem crankier than usual.”

Damn him and his skill for reading people. He refused to meet Noe’s eyes. “Tch. Nothing’s wrong. Can you just put your shirt on and leave so I can go back to enjoying my night?”

Noe stood back up. He could hear the shirt being pulled over his head. “By the way, your shower curtain’s a horrible color. My eyes hurt just looking at it.”

Vanitas whipped his head around to retort because it was a nice shade of blue dammit, but his words died in his throat. Noe had a soft smile on his face, and he was chuckling softly, and Vanitas felt like he might actually melt.

“Thanks for letting me use your shower,” he said as he started driying his hair. “Hey, I know this place that has amazing tarte tatin; you should come with me sometime.” All Vanitas could do was nod and give a soft “sure”. He was only half-listening; he was too focused on the fact that Noe was actually smiling at him.

Noe nodded. “Great. I guess I’ll see you around then?” he didn’t wait for a response before leaving Vanitas star-struck in his own apartment.

‘Wait a minute. Did Noe just ask me out on a date?’

Maybe this night wasn’t as horrible as he thought.

~~~

(A/N: the little shirtless Noe scene was supposed to be more descriptive with more freaking out from Vani, but half way through writing this, I remembered the Shirtless Kylo Ren meme and I had a hell of a time writing that part without dying of laughter i’m sorry

Also I totally threw in my headcanon that Noe has naturally somewhat-curly hair bc come on he’s black for goodness sake)

#vncsecretsanta #vanitas no carte #vnc #eli-and-fictional-sons #apparently i don't know how to keep a fic short these days it was not supposed to be this long #lol #i had so many ideas since you didn't want a specific prompt #but this was the easiest i think #but now i have ideas for MORE vnc fics so thank you #hope you like it!#by me #fic

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num8skull · 7 years

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godlyhead replied to your post “Just some angry complaining under the read more, so like… click or...”

i deadass usually dont look at peoples business at all especially if i dont know them but i was feeling bored and i was like hey lets look at some peoples feelings and then i fucking regretted not dying when i had the chance i wish i had never made an account on this website so id never have to be fooled like this

Minions. Minions have been on this planet far longer than we have. They go by many names. Dave, Carl, Paul, Mike. Oh, that one is Norbert. He's an idiot. They're all different, but they all share the same goal. To serve the most despicable master they could find. Boss! Making their master happy was the tribe's very reason for existence. But that's not to say that they didn't have other passions. Huh? Finding a boss was easy. But keeping a boss, therein lies the rub. Nope, it wasn't easy for these guys. But they never gave up. With the emergence of the Stone Age came the rise of a new species. Man was very different from the dinosaur. He was shorter, hairier, and way, way smarter. The Minions took an instant liking to man, and helped him the best they could. Oh, no, no. Eh? Poor man. So trusting, so fragile. So, so delicious! Their quest for a boss put the Minions front and center for some of civilization's most historic moments. Anubis! Ancient Egypt held great promise. Okay! Pancake! But it didn't last long. Hmm. Oh! Ow! The Dark Ages were actually fun times. Their new master had a tendency to party all night and sleep all day. Ooh! Oh. But eventually, the party was over. They bounced from one evil boss to another, but they never seemed to find their perfect fit. One particular employer took their failure very, very badly. Huh? The Minions had no other choice but to keep moving. Oh. And then, when all hope seemed lost, they found sanctuary. The Minions were safe! Years passed as the Minions forged their own civilization. They truly made a life for themselves. But something just wasn't right. They felt empty inside. Without a master, they had no purpose. They became aimless and depressed. If this continued any longer, the Minions would perish. But all was not lost for one Minion had a plan. His name was Kevin. He was excited to share his idea with the tribe. He'd been preparing for days, weeks, months. But now he was ready. Buddies! Kevin would leave the cave... ...go back to the outside world, and he would not return until he had found his tribe the biggest, baddest villain to serve. But he needed help. Me! Bob was eager to go, but Kevin felt he was just not strong enough for the dangerous journey ahead. Uh, no. Luckily, someone stepped up. Stuart! Huh? Me, me? Oh! Thank you. Truth be told, Stuart had no idea what he was chosen for... ...but was thrilled it made people cheer for him. Thank you. Me! Eh, okay. Eventually, Bob's energy and enthusiasm, but mostly lack of other volunteers, changed Kevin's mind. The tribe said their farewells. Kevin had given them something they hadn't had in a very long time. Hope. Bob! Hey, Tony! Tom... Chris... Hey, Bob. Oh. Bye-bye. Kevin felt pride. He was going to be the one to save his tribe. Stuart felt hungry mostly. He was going to be the one to eat this banana. And Bob... Bob was frightened of the journey ahead. Ah. Okay. Okay. Okay. And they were off. Off to find their new boss! Huh? Kevin! Huh? Huh? Banana! Uh, Stuart? Banana. Banana! Ugh! Ugh! Stuart! Stopa! Uh, Bob! Stopa! Huh? Oh! Bob! Huh? Uh, no, no. No, no. No, no, no. Profiterole. No, no, no! Stuart... Ah! Oh, look at that one! Whoa! Peace! Make love, not war! Peace and love! Boo-ya! Boo-ya! Boo-ya! Hey, hey, hey, oh. Kashmiri? - Boo-ya! - Boo-ya! Boo-ya! Oh. Banana! - Hey! Hey, taxi! - Hey! Hey! Oh. Hey, hey, hey, hey! Banana! Hey, hey! Stuart! Hey, oh! Kevin! Bob! Oh. Bello! Bob! Huh? Oh. Ah! Bob! Huh? Whoa! Women's bell bottoms and tie-dye shirts marked down. Check out our wide selection of go-go boots and miniskirts. Bob! Okay. Huh? Bob! The store is now closing. Hey, what are you doing? Bob! Give me that! Kevin! Oh. Oh. Ah. Huh? Oh. Oh. Hey! ...buddies. No? Oh. Bob! Bob! Oh. Oh. Tim. Oh! Me Tim! Mmm, thank you! Hmm? ...Stuart? Uh, nah. Okay, okay. Oh. "Dating game." Okay. And welcome back to The Dating Game! Well, Jennifer... ...have you decided which of these three gentlemen you'll go on a date with? Is it Bob? Yeah! Go, Bob! Kevin? Kevin! Or will it be Stuart? Oh. Yo, Stuart! Gosh! This is so hard! They all sounded so cute. Um, I think I'm gonna go with... Stuart. VNC! You're watching the top-secret Villain Network Channel. If you tell anyone, we'll find you. Huh! Sponsored by Villain-Con, for 89 years straight, the biggest gathering of criminals anywhere! Big boss. Attend guest lectures from esteemed villains, make contacts in the underworld community, and for the first time anywhere, Scarlet Overkill! Evil. So evil. Criminal genius! Hey, a girl's gotta make a living! - Move aside, men! - Make way. There's a new bad man in town... SCARLET: Excuse me. ...and that man is a woman! Crime isn't pretty! It's red hot! Get to Villain-Con this weekend. Only at 545 Orange Grove Avenue in Orlando, Florida. So much fun, it's a crime. Oh! Villain-Con, Orlando. Whoo-hoo! Bello! Uh, Orlando? Ugh. - Hey, uh... - Orlando? Oh, hello. Orlando? Uh-huh. Ah, okay. Thank you, baby! Bye-bye! Ah. Orlando! Hey, Stuart... Oh, yeah! Far out! Love is the way, brother! Ah! Eh, no, no, no, no, no, Kevin. Hmm. Hey! Stopa! Stopa! Stopa! Stopa! Ugh! Stuart... Oh... Oh, Walter, look! These adorable little freaks are headed to Orlando, too! Yeah, I see that! Hey, Walter Junior! What's happenin'? Tina. Hi! Binky. Mmm, mmm. What do you say we give these fellows a ride? Yay! New friends! All aboard the Nelson Express! You, one-eye! You're sitting next to me! Okay. Stuart! Glad we came along before some weirdos picked you up! Who wants apple slices? Ah, ah! Ooh, ooh! Oh, you, too! Growing boy-like creatures need their strength. Okay. Heck, yeah! Thanks, man! All righty! Who needs to stretch their legs? Yeah! Yes! Me, me, me! Sweet! You guys wait here, we'll be right back. Okay, Nelsons, let's do this! Go, go, go! Okey-dokey. On the road again. Dad! We got company! It's because I tripped the alarm. I stink! Hey, we all make mistakes, sugarplum. You're still learning. Huh! What? - Your father's right, Tina. - Reload! He wasn't this good at being evil overnight! Reload! Your time's coming. It's jammed! Huh? Okay, who did that? - Uh... Stuart! - Huh? That was great! Thank you! Say, fellas, can we get personal for just a second? Why are you going to Orlando? Come on. You can tell us. You're going to Villain-Con, aren't you? Villain-Con. Villain-Con. Wow! So many bad guys in the car. What fun! I knew it! I knew you were villains! Didn't I, honey? What a small world! Hope we're not in rival gangs. Binky! Joke! Babies, huh? Yay. Big boss! When we get to Orlando, I'm gonna get all my favorite villains to sign my magazine! Dumo the Sumo! Boss! Oh, Kevin, you don't wanna work for him! He ate his last henchmen! Uh... Frankie Fish Lips. He lives in the ocean. Boss? Oh... Can you breathe underwater? Uh, so-so. Oh, oh, oh! Look at her! Scarlet Overkill! The coolest super-villain, like, ever! She started out as your average little girl, braces, pigtails. But by the time she was 13, she built a criminal empire! If I was a Minion, that's who I'd want to work for! Oh. Here we are! Beautiful Orlando! Yeah! We're here! Orlando! Hey, gang, watch this! Welcome to Billy Bob's Bait Shop. How can I help you? Yeah, hi. Uh... We're here for, uh, so much fun, it's a crime. Whoo-hoo! Villain-Con! All right! Here we go! Well, this is it! I wanna tell you, and I really mean this. I really appreciate what you did back there with the cops. Really! Dad! It's Frankie Fish Lips! I can smell him from here! Junior! Get my camera! Good luck in there, boys! I hope you find what you're looking for! Bye! Villain-Con! Yeah! Villain-Con! Whoo! Okay! Oh! Any evil talents? Not bad. What about you? Any evil talents? Uh... Bello! La, la, la! La, la, la! Eh? That's not evil or a talent. Bello! Ha-ha! No? I'm sorry! But I'm not looking for any more servants, for I, Professor Flux, have invented the world's first time machine! Every time I visit the future, I bring my future self back to help me. Hello! Oh. Move that over there, Professor Flux from two weeks from now. As you can see, I don't need any help. Oh, way to go, guys. We killed the original! Please! Eh... Villain-Con presents our keynote speaker, Scarlet Overkill! The world's first female super-villain! Appearing right now in Hall H! Bob! Stuart! Buddies! Hey! Buddies! Scarlet? Kevin! Are you ready... Yeah! ...for Scarlet Overkill! Doesn't it feel so good to be bad? Scarlet! Scarlet! Scarlet! Yes! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoa. Whoo-hoo! Awesome! Yeah! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Wow! Thank you! Scarlet! Scarlet! Thank you so much! Okay. Ah. When I started out, people said a woman could never rob a bank as well as a man! Well, times change! I love you, Scarlet! Look at all those faces out there! We are all so different! But we have one thing in common. We were born with flippers! No? Just me? Okay. We have big dreams! And we will do anything to make them come true! Have any of you ever dreamt of working for the greatest super-villain of all time? Yeah! Whoo-hoo! Well, what if I were to tell you that I am looking for new henchmen? Hey, boss! Boss! I truly believe somewhere out there is a villain with the potential to serve greatness! And it could be any of you. Whoa! Although, let's not kid ourselves. Truly, the only men for this job are Kevin and his Minions! - Huh? But... But... - Ten times the evil in half the package! I am just in awe! Let's hear it for Kevin. He saved his tribe! Kevin! Kevin! Kevin! Kevin! Kevin! Kevin... Hey! Kevin. Hey. Hey! Argh! So, how should we do this? Hmm. Oh. You see this tiny little trinket? Well, just take it from my hand and you've got the job. No big deal, it's almost too simple. Uh... Oh, come on! Don't be afraid. Just take the stone and get that job! Come on! Oh, okay. ...Boss! That job is mine! Ooh! Now go easy on me. Whoops! Love the costume! Ha! Uh... So cool! Tim? Tim! Uh... Oh, no, Bob! Ah! Tim! Tim! Is no one good enough? Bob! I got it! I got it! Ah! Didn't my speech inspire anyone to rise up and prove themselves worthy? All these villains and yet I still have the bear. Stuffed bear! Why am I holding a bear? Who has the ruby? Wow! Who... Who are you, my knights in shining denim? ...Stuart. ...Bob. Minions! That was incredible! Behold! The last creatures you'd expect to win the day have emerged victorious! - Everyone, meet my new henchmen. - The Minions! Kumbaya! Kumbaya! Kumbaya! Kumbaya! Hey! I know those guys! I gave them a ride here! Whoo-hoo! Whoo-hoo-hoo! Buckle up, boys! Next stop, England. Oh... Bello? Hey, Kevin! Eh? Boss? In England? Nah, Boss! Ah, uh... Bello, Kevin? ...England? - Uh-huh. - ...Boss? Scarlet Popapil. Ah. - Bello? Bello! - Bello? Oh! Wow! Ah! Here we go! There. By the way, I really like your bear. Herb! My baby! You know I am! How'd it go? Were you evil? So evil! Oh! A little bird dropped this off today. It's me, I'm the "H." Also, there was no bird. Also me. Herb, seriously, I wanna dig up that William Shakespeare so he can see what true writing is. I love it! Ah, that works out because I love... Well, I love... too. Ah, the love, ah! Oh! Oh, ah. Oh, boys, could you come here, please? Meet my husband, Herb. Inventor, super genius, fox. Herb, these are the new recruits. Kevin, Stuart, and that cute little one is Bob. Hey, bello! Right on! You guys are crazy little and way yellow, and I dig that! Sweet, man! Ah, ah. Whoa! I know, right? Ah! Just a few things I stole to help fill the void. Whoa! ...mega ukulele! Checkin' out my can? We stole that because finally someone expressed my love of soup in painting form. Wow! Ooh! Okay, listen up! It is time to get down to business. Do you know who this is? Uh... This is Queen Elizabeth, ruler of England. Oh, I love England. The music, the fashion. I'm seriously thinking about overthrowing it someday. Ooh! Anyway, this pale drink of water oversees it all. I'm her biggest fan, love her work! And I really, really, really want her crown. Steal me the crown and all your dreams come true. Respect! Power! Banana! Banana! Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Ha! Henry! ...England. Uh... ...England... Oh, uh... Hmm. Heh. - Wow! - Whoa. Ooh-la-la. No! Oh, no. Don't get too close, boys. When it's completed, it'll be my ultimate weapon. But right now, it's leaking radiation like you would not believe! So, you're here for gear. Whoa! Bob, Robert, Bobby, my boy. You get my far-out stretch suit. Wow! Kevin, Kev-bo, Seventh Kevin, you are the proud owner of my lava lamp gun. Ah? This baby shoots actual lava! Ooh! Pretty cool, right? And finally, Stu. Stu-art, Stu-perman, Beef Stu. I got you the coolest invention, probably ever. Oh. Hypno-hat! Uh, oh. Uh... You can use it to hypnotize anyone. Anyone! Oh, you look so great! I feel like a proud mama with three dashing evil sons. Uh, Scarlet, Scarlet... No, no. Don't say anything. I won't understand. It's getting late. You've had a big day, you must be exhausted! Boing, boing, boing, boing, boing... Wow! These cats are pumped! Well, maybe I'll settle them down with a bedtime story? Ha-ha! How does that sound, Bob? Bob. Bob! Bob! Oh! Bedtime porry? That is a groovy idea! I'll go get some cookies and warm milk. This is gonna be so fun! ...bedtime porry. Oh, yes, I've got a really, really good bedtime porry. Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. One fateful day, the pigs encountered a big, bad wolf... ...who had a wonderful surprise for them! The wolf offered the three piggies and all their friends a job working for her. Everyone would be so happy! All the three little piggies had to do was just steal one little crown that the beautiful wolf had wanted ever since she was a penniless little street cub, unloved and abandoned. But that crown would mean she was a princess, and everybody loves a princess! So the wolf sent the piggies to get that crown. But the little pigs weren't up to the challenge. They failed their mission. So the wolf huffed and puffed, and she blew them off the face of the earth! Yo, po, po! The end. Good luck getting that crown tomorrow, little piggies. I know you won't disappoint me. Um. Okay. ...Scarlet. Which way is the loo, please? Hmm. Oh, thank you. Ah. Bello. - Uh... - ...please. You're not allowed in without an adult. Scram, hooligans! Oh. Uh, mm. Ooh... Oh, la... Stuart... How many tickets, please? ...please. ...please. Enjoy yourself, love. Thank you! It was nowhere near Hyde Park! Bob's your uncle. Huh, hmm. Okay. Okay. Huh? Ah! He-hey. Okay. Hey! What are you doing here? This is a restricted area! Hands in the air! No... Stop that! Get back. Yay! Ah! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Bob, Stuart... So... So, you came for the Queen's crown, did you? Well, you're gonna have to get through me! The Keeper of the Crown! Ow! Hey! You think it's funny to mock the elderly, do you? Uh... I've been up here for decades, just waiting for someone to try and steal the Queen's treasure! Okay. What are you saying? Never mind, don't care! Oh, no! Oh, no, you don't! Oh, flippin' heck! What's goin' on? Bob... Eh... Hmm. Wow. Hello! Huh? Hello! Stone the crows! Stop him, lads! Wait! Go for the legs! Gordon Bennett! Kevin! The Queen's been kidnapped, Sarge! Blimey! Hyah! Hyah! Ooh! Ha! Boo-ya! Huh. Hyah! Hyah! What's going on? Bello! Oh, my goodness! - Whoa! - Ha-ha! No! Gentlemen do not steal ladies' crowns! Huh? Hmm? Huh? Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Oh, dear! Ah! Ahhh! Yeah! You scoundrel! After them! Uh-oh. Stop the blighter! Go on, grab him! Huh? Huh? Oh. Cor, blimey! One of England's most famous myths has become a reality as a new king has been crowned. Bob, who appears to be a bald, jaundiced child, has pulled the famed sword right from its stone, which, legend dictates, makes him the new king. Tiny yellow traitor! England! England! England! England! England! England! England! England... Ha, ha! Bello! Bello! Cut! Hey, Bob. Hello, King Bob. Uh... Welcome to Buckingham Palace. Uh, no. Oh, what's the matter, Your Majesty? Whatever's bothering you, we can make it right. Just name it! Oh. Buddies! Buddies! Buddies! Buddies! Oh. Uh... King Bob! Long live the king! King Bob! ...Bob... ...King... So... King Bob! Oh... Yeah! King Bob! Wait! - Wow! - Whoa! Whoo-hoo! Oh... Yee-haw! King Bob! Hyah! Hmm? Huh! Ah! Yes, King Bob. Oh. King Bob? King Bob? Ah, Claire. Mmm, Tiffany. Rawr! Ball! How dare you! Scarlet! Don't you "Scarlet" me, you backstabbing little traitors! Using Herb's invention to steal my crown? I feel used. Not gonna lie. You stole my dream! I was going to conquer England someday! There was gonna be a coronation, and I was going to be made Queen. Every moment was planned. I'd wear a dress so sparkly, it glowed! And everyone who ever doubted me would be watching, and they would be crying! I was going to be the picture of elegance and class! And you pinheads screwed it up! No, no, no! No, no, no, King Bob! You cannot just abdicate the throne! Who invited the square? And you definitely cannot just give the job to this woman! There are laws! Boss. ...Boss. ...Scarlet Popapil! King Bob has officially changed the law, clearing the way for Scarlet Overkill to be crowned Queen of England! She will be coronated at London's historic Westminster Abbey. If I wasn't so polite, I'd say this spells certain doom for the country, if not the world. But I'm so very polite that I shall keep my mouth shut. But, seriously, we're all in big trouble. Scarlet! Scarlet! I don't have time to answer any questions. I just want to thank the Minions for going above and beyond the call of duty. You are three tiny, golden... ...pill-shaped miracle workers, and you have stolen not just England but my heart. Scarlet, over here! Pardon me? Eh? Wow! So many! Good for you! Well, you'll all get what you deserve. Serve! ...serve! Whoo-hoo! Oh. Go ahead, go ahead. Uh... Uh... I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I hate you. I thought I could get over what you did, but I feel so betrayed. I think... Yes, I think we're gonna have to break up. And it's not you. Wait, hold on. It is you. It's 100% you! No, no. So get comfortable, Minions. Get real, real comfortable. Because this is where you're going to spend the rest of your worthless little lives. All right! Let's do this! Herb! Who's this handsome "Herb" fella? No, my name is "Blerb." I'm a dungeon master. Prepare for torture, which I do! All right, are we comfy? Doesn't matter! This is torture! - Huh. - Oh. Wow! Harder than I thought. Next machine! Oh, welcome to Hang Town! Population, you! Oh. Whoo-hoo! Cut it out! This is really unprofessional! There's no laughing in the dungeon! I wanna see tears and I wanna hear screams, or I'm gonna get... Wait! Hey! Ooh! I've got a groovy idea! Ah! Look at this! Argh! Hello! Will the future king, Herb Overkill, please come upstairs to prepare for the coronation? Well, I hope you learned your lesson for today. And by the way, it was me, Herb, the whole time! I don't even know anyone named "Blerb"! Uh, Herb... Oh. Huh. I am hours away from becoming the Queen of England! I know! It's a gas! I will finally get my crown. Yeah. It's all I've ever wanted. I'm going to be so happy. But let me ask you something, Fabrice. Does that look like this to you? Mrs. Overkill, the hair in that picture, it's just two wavy lines! Oh, so, what, now you're an art critic? I drew that when I was five years old! Get out of my sight! Bye, Fabrice! I liked him. He was fun. So, what do you think of the dress? Oh, it's so beautiful. So fashion-forward. So Valentino. Gave it a sweetheart neckline because you're my sweetheart. The high collar and cinched waist reflect a simpler, more violent time. The material is a blend of taffeta and high-density body armor. Fully armed and loaded. And that glow, that's nuclear. Nice. Just one more thing to do. Gotta look good for the public. Ugh. Do you mind? My pleasure. Little tighter, sweetie. Come on, I can take it. Little tighter. Tighter! Must have tiny waist. Seeing stars, seeing stars! Losing feeling in my legs. Perfect! Tie it, tie it, tie it, tie it. Huh? Ah. Bob! Stuart! Eh? - Ooh! Bello! - Ooh-ooh! Ah! Oh. Ah. Huh! Ah. - Eh, eh, Kevin... - ...Scarlet. Ah! "Porry Scarlet." - He, he! - ...Boss. Oh. Ah, okay! Huh? I love you, Scarlet! Queen wave, queen wave! Queen waving! - I am so, so excited! - This is perfect! Everyone looks so nice! Oh! Oh, you are just adorable! Oh, yes! And that music, oh! Who is that organist? She is good! Right? She looks like an Edna. Edna, you are very good! Who was that? Whoa! Thanks for doing this, padre. Big fan. Uh-huh. Come here, let me squeeze you! Oh, you are so squishy! ...Scarlet. Go, go, Go! Ouch! Ouch! ...sayonara! Ciao... Bob... Stuart! Aww! Oo-ooh! Okay! Oh! Beh... Will you to your power cause law and justice... ...Popapil! Oh! Ah... Hmm? Ah... Huh? Uh... Uh... Stopa! Bah! In mercy... No, no, no! Do you, Scarlet Overkill... Yeah! Huh? Oh? No! Uh, mmm... ...Bob. I proclaim thee, Scarlet Overkill, the Queen of England! Oh! Huh? Kevin! Huh? Scarlet! Scarlet, my queen? Somebody help me! Come on, come on! Lift on two. One, two! One, two! Huh? Scarlet! You're okay! He tried to kill me! Uh, no... Villains, this is no longer a coronation! It is an execution! Get them! Whoa, Nelly! Run, fellas, run! Come back here, you! Ah! Uh? Hyah! Aah! You're mine! Stuart, Bob! Uh... Oops! Oh! Hey! I got one! Tim! Huh? Oh? Aww! Oh! Uh? Eh? Tim! Stuart! Bob! Buddies! Mind the gap. Mind the gap. Mind the gap! Mind the gap! Mind the gap! Mind the gap. Mind the gap! He won't get away! He won't escape us! Huh? What about this one? Why did the queen go to the dentist? To get her teeth crowned. Heh! Tell us another one, Lizzy! Uh, uh... - Bello! - Oh! It's you. Everyone, this is one of the little fellows who stole the monarchy from me. And how's that working out for you? Uh, Scarlet... Oh, yes, yes, I saw what was going on on the telly. Uh, telly? What was meant to be the coronation of Scarlet Overkill has gone terribly wrong as... Move! Kevin, Kevin, I know you're out there. You think you've gotten away? Well, what do we have here? Bello! Oh, my goodness! Bob? Stuart? Which one shall I kill first? Little Bob? Stuart? Bob! Stuart! I will do it, Kevin, if you are not back here by dawn! Oh, my! No! ...buddies! ...Scarlet. There he is! Follow me! Ah! Ha-haa! Who the man, eh? Uh... Oh! Oh. Harder! It's just my head. Oh, no! This way! Let's get him! Go, go, go! No! Huh? Oh. Huh? Ultimate weapon initiated. Activation in three, two, one. Bello. Huh? ...buddies! This is it, boys! Things do not look good for you. Oh, and I'm keeping the bear. Tim! You're not gonna need him where you're going. Heaven. Huh? Uh... Aah! Shoosh, shoosh, shoosh, shoosh! Oh! Huh? Ah! Bye-bye. Say bye-bye, Bob. Bye-bye! Huh? Oh, whoa! Wait, what? How did he... Hold my bear. Huh? Yippee! Whoo-hoo-hoo! Kevin! So, that's your plan? Make yourself a bigger target? Huh? K-K-Kevin? Hey! ...Kevin! Whoa! Ow! And so help me, I never wanna see another one of your goofy, bug-eyed faces ever again! Scarlet! Scarlet! Scarlet! What? Oh, you've gotta be kidding me! Oh no, you don't! Whoa! And just for the record, my little deviled eggs, you can thank Kevin for what I'm about to do to you! Ow! Ow! Bob! Stuart! Buddies! Tony! Tom! Chris! You the man! Buddies! Mazel tov. Ugh! Ew! Ooh! Aah! Kevin! Kevin! Enough! This ends now! Kevin! You imbecile! Have fun exploding! Baby! What's the rush? Got to get out of here! Let us go! No, no, no, no! Kevin! Kevin... Huh? Ha-ha! Whoo-hoo! Ooh! Stuart? Hmm. Bob? Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to celebrate the Minions! Huh! The country owes you a great debt of gratitude. Bob, you were a wise and noble king for all of eight hours. So for you, I offer this tiny crown for your teddy bear, Tim. Oh, very good, Bob! Oh, spectacular! I'm so proud of you boys! Oh, Stuart. For you, I have this beautiful, super-duper, incredible... Ah! ...snow globe! Eh? Poglobe? Uh, ze... And look, look, hours of excitement! Oh, uh... Yippee. Uh, eh, gracias. Stuart, we're just messing with you! Don't be mad at me, it was Kevin's idea. Kevin! We have a much better surprise for you! ...super mega ukulele! Uh... Wow! ...poglobe. Thank you. Right. Uh... And finally, Kevin! You are a hero of the highest order. For your bravery and valor, I am knighting you. From here on out, you are Sir Kevin. Well done. What a beautiful moment! Kumbaya! Kumbaya! The nation, nay, the world was celebrating Kevin, Stuart and Bob. The last few thousand years were rough, no question, but things were finally going their way! Kevin had never been more proud. But something was missing. Yes, good show, good show! My crown is gone! It's gone! Blimey! She's lost the crown! Oh, my days! Scarlet? Scarlet! Hey! ...Scarlet! Hey! They took everything from me! My castle! My reputation! Things look bleak, baby, I'm not gonna lie! But now at least I have my crown! Child, give me that back. No, I don't think so! You have no idea who you're messing with! I am the greatest super-villain of all time! Oh! Were you? B... B... Buddies... Ah! ...Boss! Ha, ha! Get back! Are you really going to allow that little penguin to make off with my crown? Herb. I'm done. For me? Bye-bye! Big boss! And that is how the Minions found their new boss. He was cunning, he was evil, he was perfect. He was despicable. Huh? Banana! Banana! Banana! Banana! Banana! Banana! Banana! Cheese! Cheese! Cheese! Gru! Gru! Gru! Gru! Bob... Hey! Come back here! Freeze ray!

#godlyhead #I wouldn't do it twice.

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annonmaly · 3 years

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Regarding some of VnC Artwork

Thoughts on Vol. 7 and Vol. 1 Cover Art

I found a VnC official art collection thread. I really appreciate people doing these kinds of things. As I browse these beautiful arts of Mochijun-sensei, few details took my interest. So, I want to drop some thoughts and ridiculous ideas that my simple mind can handle (some of these may already be out there). And maybe, I could drag someone else in this "what if" hole.

Before anything else, I want to say that best in writing is an award I never received. I'm not the person who could analyze, explain, or theorize things clearly. Please bear that in mind while reading. Photos are not mine, ofcourse. Also spoiler alert to be safe.

Let's start with this art of Noé from Volume 7 (if I'm correct). I stared at this artwork for like half an hour. I really like him, don't judge.

My initial reaction to this is: "Why does Noé look so handsome, sexy, and badass at the same time?" We already saw the many different sides of this guy, his chivalrous, gentlemanly, and sexy (still sweet) image, his childlike: naive, innocent, and stubborn attitude. We even saw him snapped at Vanitas at one point. Now, this image of him is something new to me. The more I look at it, the more I feel like something's weird. It feels like Noé is not Noé here. The vibe is just so different from the usual. Honestly, he looks like a jerk here (human Vani possessed Noé). All the sweetness we knew is gone. Well, this may be just my imagination, but maybe this is a warning that we should not take Noé as he is now. Undeniably, there's something more to this guy that the series is still hiding.

Now going to things to take note of:

1. The blue blood/paint - Is this an indication that he somewhat knows/related to the vampire of the blue moon? At first, I thought this also has to do with his relation to human Vani, but his blood is red.

2. He has human Vani's accessories. It is located to the opposite side where human Vani wears it. The two blue earrings are on Noé's right ear and the hourglass earring on his pinky finger. The coat he wears also looks like Vanitas'. Interesting. As I said earlier, it looks like human Vani possessed Noé here. Do you think that he will undergo a personality change? Or maybe, he already did before the series current timeline. I mean, we don't know how Noé came to be. All we know is that he was a child found crying alone in the middle of nowhere on the day it snowed.

3. The skull on his chest looks so similar to this guy.

(There are matters to say regarding the scene above. But, not today, maybe some other time)

Coincidence? Maybe, but there' a higher chance that it means something, right? This might have to do with Louis. Their dialogue about Noé can't do anything is almost the same. What do you think it means? Actually, what do you think it is? An animal? A goat or something. Or is it some kind of weird demon?

Moving on...

These two art is from Volume 1, Chapter 1. Let's break down the thought-provoking details of these arts one by one:

1. Both arts have the same golden frame with the blue moon inside and the gears on the very back. However, Noé is on the dark side, and human Vani is on the opposite. This shows that these two are really contradictory to each other. Their personalities are so different, like the colors black and white.

2. In the golden frames, the three skulls above will not go unnoticed. (There are also two below, but let's ignore that for now) The one in the middle is wearing a crown. The other two on the side, similar-looking skulls, are facing downward. Its' hands seem like they're reaching out for something (What do you think it is?).

Looking at this with the recent chapters in mind, we could take it that maybe:

The one with the crown represents the queen. Then, the two on the side represent a set of twins that we don't know yet.

The popular theory out there is that the queen and Luna are twins. If they are, who's the crowned skull? The Shapeless One, perhaps?

Maybe this symbolizes nothing. The maker of this frame just loves symmetry. But, it would be fun to explore the possibilities this idea brings.

Let's move on to the next one...

3. The night sky. Both arts have a picture of a night sky with a beautiful blue moon, but the stars are different. In human Vani's art, it's the world formula (that looks like a constellation). In Noé's, the stars were drawn just like how a kid would do.

4. Speaking of a kid, it is curious that Noé is illustrated in his childhood, not his 19-year-old self. While human Vani is his usual self.

5. Noé is holding the children's book "Vanitas the Vampire of the blue moon" Human Vani is holding the rumored cursed grimoire of vampire Vanitas. Obviously, both books are related to the blue vampire.

The last three points are interrelated. It gives us an idea of these two's characters and how they see the blue vampire. Human Vani is on the pragmatic, sensible, and logical side. While Noé is more of a naïve, innocent, and idealistic person.

(Is there anyone who explained the flowers? I don't have any knowledge of flower language. I don't even know what kind of flowers they are. And I want to know their meaning)

That's it for these arts. There's still one more I want to share, but I would preferably cut it here as I don't want this getting too long. If you are still interested, check it out here: Oh, It's Not Red. See yah!

Note: I wrote this for fun and to indulge my over-thinking self. This is just a random theory, thoughts, assumptions, and/or head-canons. Thank you for taking the time to read and understanding if I made any mistakes or post whatever it is you don’t agree on.

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bemused-writer · 5 years

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The Cain Saga Volume 3 - Kafka

Before we get into this volume I just want to let you all know that I had it all written already and then my computer crashed. Thus, this is the rewrite but hopefully it will be better than what came before. 8D

Also, typical warning for the series: it is rated “Explicit” for its themes. Please bear that in mind as you read the review. Also, there are just tons of spoilers here. For my previous reviews, you can find Volume 1 here and Volume 2 here.

The next thing I want to talk about is the glory of this volume cover:

Look at how exceptionally 90s this thing is. The baggy clothes, the overabundance of wrinkles, the broad shoulders, the poses. It’s incredible. There is the slight problem that, if I didn’t know this story took place in the 19th century, I would probably just assume it took place in the 90s or possibly even the 80s. It has a very Anne Rice vibe to it.

Speaking of Anne Rice, those streams of blood on Cain aren’t just for decoration: vampires are very much our theme this volume. As a brief analysis of the cover (outside of its 90s glory) I will point out that while Cain has been bitten by a vampire (a physical representation of corruption or lost innocence) he is also wearing a cross, indicative of an attempt at preventing this from happening on his part. Yet despite his efforts at keeping himself pure he is still brought back to his curse.

A minor thing: in The Cain Saga Cain is shows as having light brown hair for the most part, or at least light brown highlights. This changes in Godchild where he’s almost exclusively shown as having black hair. This is probably just a stylistic change but we could also interpret it as his life getting darker the further he goes.

And finally, a note on the title of the volume, “Kafka.” I haven’t talked about this at all in the previous two reviews, but each volume has a loose theme. In the first one it was “Forgotten Juliet,” a reference to Suzette who tried to win over her Romeo (and failed). The second volume’s theme is nursery rhymes, which is used primarily to demonstrate the loss of innocence and a corrupted childhood. This volume references Franz Kafka, who was known for his surrealist writings that included themes of losing one’s humanity and things of that nature.

And now into the volume itself. I talked a bit about how Riff is someone Cain trusts implicitly in the last volume and the beginning of this one goes out of its way to reiterate that once more. Upon waking up from a nightmare about his father where he’s led to freedom by someone’s hand, wondering whose it could be we see this:

The implication being it’s Riff that leads him out of darkness and back to the light. However, there’s someone to the left trying to overshadow him, and that’s something that this volume really takes a look at: What if Riff wasn’t so trustworthy? What if someone tried to take his place?

The doctor, who introduces himself as “Allen” but who we will refer to as Disraeli because that’s who he is immediately inserts himself into Cain’s life and insists he needs to go to the countryside to restore his health. I’ve always enjoyed this bit of Victorian advice. Have you been ill for weeks? You need to breathe some better air. Honestly, that was probably somewhat true all things considered; smog was a force to be reckoned with.

Disraeli tries to assist Cain with his clothes but he refuses and Mary Weather considers this:

We already know from the previous volume that Cain bears horrible scars on his back from his father’s beatings. This is something he does his hardest to hide from everyone, including Mary Weather. The only person he doesn’t make any attempt to shun in this regard is Riff, who already knows all about it.

Cain ultimately goes to the countryside just as Disraeli suggested and one thing I’m happy to see is how much Cain cares about his little sister, Mary Weather.

Cain has a lot of iffy moments in the series where you really question his opinions and mindset but I’m happy to report that his relationship with Mary Weather is always a source of happiness and remains untainted by all the other crazy things that go on around him (as much as that’s possible, that is).

The trip to the countryside quickly goes awry when night falls when Cain discovers a woman who can only be described as a vampire:

Even as he manages to escape her, he’s attacked by an unidentified assailant upon reaching home whom he leaves a scratch on.

And this is where we start to see why Riff’s honesty is being questioned this volume. Was he the one who attacked Cain at night? Who is the vampire?

Personally, I got a kick out of reading Kaori Yuki’s author’s notes on fan reactions to all of this. Apparently, Disraeli was not popular and she was confused as to why everyone was judging him so harshly when he hadn’t done anything wrong. (This is even more amusing when we get to the end only to discover fans were right.) Furthermore, Riff fans were apparently very unhappy with him being “replaced” with Disraeli and that Riff was being portrayed in a negative light whatsoever. It sounds like Yuki had her hands full with keeping fans content. XD

Fans were also unhappy with Cain’s “player” tendencies this volume (there were some dissatisfied readers! XD). The next morning, Cain meets a boy named Dirk who owns Witherby Castle and swiftly meets his sister, Justine, as well. Turns out, Justine looks exactly like the vampire from the other night. The only difference is that while the vampire was bloodthirsty and appeared to be something of a seductress, Justine is sweet and innocent.

I don’t think there’s a single reader who believes she’s actually innocent of the whole affair and that it’s only made more difficult when you realize she’s so delicate she can’t bear to look at mirrors or be under the sun.

...Yeah, sounds like a vampire.

Cain thought so, too, and decided to test his theory in such a way that led to the fan complaints I mentioned earlier:

She doesn’t immediately try to murder him or drink his blood. She has a very bashful reaction instead, so we can safely assume she is not a vampire (except no one is assuming that).

Cain notes she had a faint scar on her face, which doesn’t completely match the vampire from before. Half of her face had suffered extreme burn marks, so once again there is some difference between Justine and the vampire from before.

He promises to meet her again but I personally think the above panel has Cain looking a great deal more like how he’ll look in Godchild, which is the main reason I’ve included it.

At any rate, her brother is outraged at what Cain has done and immediately asks his sister whether they’ll be together forever or not with an insistence that can only be described as “odd.”

I think I’ve mentioned before in my VNC reviews somewhere that vampires are basically always used to explore something forbidden, especially when it comes to love and this story is no exception. I will point out that Yuki doesn’t really need an excuse to explore forbidden love, but having vampires involved increases the chances that she will by a lot. Needless to say, we’re about to get into some uncomfortable territory.

We see Riff behaving oddly once more by discarding Mary Weather’s hat. He rushes home, she’s fine, but he and Riff have a revealing conversation:

Now, I’m just going to let you all know that they are both, technically, acting right now. They both suspect Disraeli, but they’re going along with things and they’re putting on a performance to make it look like Cain is losing faith in Riff.

However, the amount of truth in this statement as well as the relevance of it all in Godchild is immense. I’ll get more into that when we actually reach Godchild but suffice it to say for now that Cain relies on Riff to an almost unhealthy degree and if anything truly threatened that we would see something very different from this.

Also, I just want to point out once more that you can really see some parallels between Cain and Riff with Ciel and Sebastian from Kuroshitsuji. I would genuinely be shocked if Toboso hadn’t read this series previously. There are some noteworthy differences though: Ciel and Sebastian have a far more confrontation relationship where the master/servant dynamic is largely a facade. Sebastion will win in the end, after all, so in many ways they’re equals but there’s no love lost between them, no matter how much Ciel relies on him and orders him to never lie. With Cain and Riff things are a lot softer: it’s a relationship built on genuine trust and affection but the master/servant dynamic is also a great deal more real as well. Riff is a servant and Cain is an aristocrat. It’s hard to separate them from their roles unlike with Sebastian and Ciel. Still, Cain’s need for Riff to be there and to be loyal to him is just as genuine as Ciel’s.

Getting back to the volume at hand, Justine and Mary Weather prove to be fast friends and suddenly Cain and co. are moving into the castle. Needless to say, Dirk is furious. Furthermore, the amount of people being attacked by that vampire is only increasing and paranoia is mounting.

Disraeli himself sees something strange:

Riff appears to be with a vampiric woman himself. Disraeli thinks of how terrifying her eyes are and proceeds to find Cain, telling him of what he saw. Cain refuses to believe Riff would ever betray him (understandably given he’s in on it) but the exchange he and Disraeli share is important:

The meaning behind what Disraeli is saying is extremely layered. On the first, he’s accusing Riff of being untrustworthy and of that he’s not looking after Cain out of the goodness of his heart but out of something far more malicious. On the second, Disraeli is referring to what he himself is doing: he’s getting closer and closer to Cain, Cain is “trusting” him, and doesn’t realize he’s only there to bring more pain. The third layer is by far the most nefarious and is only truly revealed in Godchild, so I won’t discuss it here just yet.

Cain goes to meet with Justine once more, gives her an earring (one that the vampire had dropped previously, I believe) and departs but her brother, Dirk, is in high dudgeon and it’s revealed that he loves Justine and is jealous of how interested she is in Cain. She refuses him and he says, “Have you really forgotten that night? I was the one who protected you from Father!” He follows up with, “It’s not fair! You forget everything in the daytime, Justine!”

We’re finally starting to sort out what is going on here. Their father has been mysteriously absent, there are rumors of a vampire who was burned at the stake, and there had been a fire earlier on.

Things come to a head with Riff and Cain dismisses him from his employ. He then finally meets the vampire once again, who claims her name is Gertrude.

She notes that his eyes mark him as someone who is just as cursed as they and she offers him eternal life. If he’s going to be cursed, why not get to live forever? And Cain is tempted by the idea. We don’t get to see what his ultimate decision would have been as Disraeli bursts in and chases her away with a cross.

Still, I can’t help but wonder. I don’t think Cain would have accepted. He despises himself for his cursed lineage and views his own existence as a sin. In order to prolong his life in the way Gertrude is suggesting he would have to kill more and more people, thus making his life even more cursed than it was before. I don’t think he could bear that, and so I think he would have refused her.

Afterwards he’s comforted by Disraeli and they have another layered conversation:

On one hand, Cain is telling the truth. He doesn’t like people seeing through him and it’s part of why he goes to such pains to conceal how much pain he endures. But he’s also not being wholly honest; he’s nearly always allowed Riff the privilege of both these things. As for Disraeli, he’s also being honest about watching Cain, but it’s hardly out of the caring concern of a doctor.

Meanwhile, Mary Weather is confronting Riff about leaving. She insists if he only asked, Cain would take him back. That is certainly true if he were actually leaving. But Riff needs to make his departure convincing and so this is what he tells Mary Weather: “Until now I’ve been everything for Lord Cain. I was his mother and his father. We’ve strengthened our bond without even using words.”

He’s laying it pretty thick here but there’s still a lot of truth to it. There would have to be in order for it to be even slightly convincing. Riff is everything to Cain as we’ve talked about before. He’s been there when no one else was. Without him, Cain would be lost.

When Cain next meets with Justine, she begs him to take her away because her brother is looking at her with evil eyes. Cain’s response is a little, uh, not helpful:

Here’s the thing, Cain is not the right person to be talking to about this. He has no idea what a normal relationship even is and as far as he’s concerned, running off with him is not freeing yourself from a cursed relationship.

It would be easy to say he’s thinking of his father and the incestuous relationship he had with his sister that led to Cain’s birth but this appears to be on a different level. Cain isn’t in the habit of defending his father’s horrendous choices in life.

After Dirk reveals the truth of Justine to her (which we’ll talk about momentarily) he and Cain discuss things and it becomes clear why Cain was so particular about what Justine said:

It turns out Suzette wasn’t simply his cousin. I’ll be honest, I completely forgot that tidbit. All I can say is that it’s been awhile since I read this...

At any rate, Cain is admitting he is in no position to be judging Dirk. However, the fact that Cain thinks he’s as bad as his father goes to show how deep his self-loathing is and how much he isn’t considering the entirety of the situation because it honestly isn’t the same. 1) Cain had no idea Suzette was his half-sister until after she’d died. Alexis knew perfectly well what he was doing. 2) Alexis forced himself on Augusta. Cain did no such thing to Suzette.

Cain’s love for Suzette is better likened to Oedipus than to Alexis: he tried really hard to avoid incest but the gods (Yuki) just wouldn’t let him live in peace.

Cain also says “It’s no use. If I’m not related by blood to the woman I’m not capable of loving her. I don’t know how to love.” He declares that he and Dirk both need salvation.

The thing is, Cain doesn’t actually know this for a fact. He’s had multiple flings but he’s never actually stayed in a relationship where he’s in love and his partner loves him in turn. He’s despairing and thinks he knows how things have to be but the fact is he doesn’t.

Honestly, the lack of Riff in this volume becomes pronounced around this point. There’s no one there to try to offer an alternative explanation to Cain or to try to get him to look at things from a different angle. He’s left to his own devices and that means he reaches the worst conclusions possible.

Anyway, going back to what Dirk revealed, it turns out their stepfather had been abusing Justine and had put her through some kind of dark ritual in an attempt to bring Gertrude to life. In other words, another personality was superimposed over her own.

What I don’t like about this is how the narrative kind of frames this as Justine’s fault. She was the one who manipulated Dirk into killing their stepfather (rather understandably, I’d say!) and she was supposedly the one who seduced Dirk. Furthermore, it’s implied she was the one in control of their stepfather as well. Dirk definitely accuses her as if it’s her fault and Cain doesn’t exactly help. Of course, Cain’s perspectives are so skewed as to be useless in this situation, so...

Regardless, it’s implied that she was never a vampire (which I suppose I could believe) but that this was her true self coming through (which I find much harder to believe).

Ultimately, she and her brother burn to death after she goes on a rampage. It’s hard not to feel bad for both of them despite the awkward way this whole thing has been framed. They were both abused by their stepfather and never given a chance to remake their lives. They were trapped from start to finish.

Cain is understandably upset but when Disraeli comes to “comfort” him it’s revealed at long last what he really is: a soul catcher from Delilah. He also reveals he was the one who set the whole thing up along with their stepfather:

Just as Disraeli goes to remove Cain’s eyes, Riff finally makes his reappearance and everything comes to light once and for all:

They “kill” Disraeli and learn a few things from him as well:

Alexis is still alive and Delilah is an organization he’s a part of. Cain tells Riff never to leave him again and we get an idea of just how hard this has been. He’s been without Riff for a long period of time now and he’s witnessed two siblings die during it.

On a lighter note, I enjoyed seeing Riff explain to Mary Weather how he was lying:

Up till now I would have assumed he had no sense of humor but clearly I was mistaken. XD He’s teasing her terribly! It’s also revealed that the vampire Riff had been with earlier had been Cain the whole time, which makes things a lot more amusing as well. Lastly, it’s revealed Disraeli survived, which isn’t all that surprising.

Anyway, that wraps the volume up, and what a volume it was! Rather than tackle multiple short stories, this one had one big story! I enjoyed that it was one story that tackled a lot of things relevant to the plot but there were a few points that could have been smoothed out, notably how harshly everyone was in judging Justine compared to Dirk. The other thing I really wish we got more of is who Suzette was as a person. She only showed up in a singular chapter, but she’s having a profound impact on Cain himself. I think we needed to learn a lot more about her.

The Kafka reference is also a little clearer: neither sibling felt human anymore and Cain hasn’t for a while now. While it’s too late for Dirk and Justine, it isn’t yet for Cain. Perhaps we will see him make some progress in the next two volumes.

#cain saga #count cain #godchild #Bemused's post #long post #manga review

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