#vnc 67

[emerald-polaris]

Him ✨

[eggubato]

the longer the hiatus, the more snatched his waist gets

[thegracefulwillow]

paris is not ready

[neversetyoufree]

Ooh alright, so it looks like one of the main themes of this story arc is shaping up to be the idea of the "self" as an intentional performance. Last chapter had a whole section devoted to the origin of Vanitas's oft-present false smile, showing how Dante and Vanitas (under Dante's prompting) have learned to use false, performed positivity as a way to market themselves to the world and achieve their ends. This new chapter opens with a group of Chasseurs discussing the idea of the world as a stage, and it also introduces mask imagery for Ogier as we delve deeper into his character for the first time.

Even before the arc's plot really got going, we had the bonus chapter about clothes and Domi's speech about costumes therein.

This is an arc, in part, about the ideas of performativity and affectation.

This arc has also been teasing us with the possibility of it being the point when some of Noé's eternal rose-colored illusions about the world begin to break down. This is the first arc following Noé's realization of his Teacher's present-day ill intent. This is the arc that starts with Vanitas lecturing him on the existence of anti-dham bigotry and the way that most people parse the world through cruel biases. The arc that starts with Noé wondering ominously whether he "wants to know" about the other Archivistes. And Teacher exits the previous arc by announcing that "The kingdom of dreams has fallen," and Noé and Co. must face reality.

The beginning of this arc also features two of the only times we've seen other characters call out Noé's strange denial-driven behavior. There's the scene where he tells JJ he's not bothered by having been poisoned and assaulted, to the alarm of everyone in earshot, and there's the scene where Domi and Vanitas lament his dangerously over-trusting habits to each other.

When the chapter preview for Mémoire 67 was released, my beloved mutual @torterrachampion pointed out how the little half mask Noé wears for the circus just so happens to cover the same eye that he had mysteriously damaged as a child. And given that, I can't help but think about how the visual of his mask reflects on the other themes of this arc I layed out above.

If masks visualize and call attention to the way that self and personality are a performance, the way that the whole world is a stage, then what performance is the mask over Noé's left eye calling attention to? I don't think it's a stretch to say it connects back to Noé's denial, to the constructed "Everything Is Fine" world he lives in where he does not so much as acknowledge whatever awful thing happened to his left eye when he was young.

The mystery of Noé's injured left eye is one of the biggest questions left unanswered by his refusal to acknowledge the existence of his solo trauma. It's the visual representation of the larger kidnapping and abuse-shaped hole in his self-narrated backstory. And so the literal mask he's wearing now in the present day, in this chapter partly about masks and performance, echoes the visual representation of Noé's refusal to acknowledge his own pain. It's a symbol of his performance that everything in his life, save for the loss of Louis and Teacher's most recent betrayal, is Absolutely Fine.

It's just that, for Noé, the performance seems to be aimed inward at himself, rather than out to the world. He is the person that he's trying to convince.

I can't help but be even more convinced now that something in this arc is going to take Noé's denial apart, is going to drag some of what he simply Does Not Acknowledge back out to the forefront where he can no longer perform its non-existence. And given the particular origin of his eye injury, given the time taken to flesh out the lore of the child-trafficking vampires at the top of this arc, I can't help but think it might finally be time to find out some of what caused his eye injury.

[noes-pillow]

[mypocketangel]

Dante's family tree

According to the theories, this is where we stand so far.

Humans

Dhams

Vampires

Ruthven as his father

First of all, they share some ressemblances ; red hair, nose shape, general face complexion.

Secondly, we know Ruthven used to have a belief similar to Noé : he loved both humans and vampires, and used to think of them as equals.

Chapter 31

Therefore, it wouldn't be a stretch to think he might have fallen in love with a human in the past, or at very least, had a relationship (sexual or more) with a human.

Lastly, his reaction to Dante during chapter 65 could be interpreted as annoyance- Marquis Machina calling him to bring up his past in the form of Dante, his child.

Ogier as his half-brother

We know they cannot be brothers, as Ogier is a human. However, they could be half-brothers, or perhaps related in some other way (cousins, maybe).

Firstly, we know Dante's mother comes from a (more or less) wealthy background ; otherwise, Dante wouldn't have been educated (it is at least very unlikely), like the other dhams. But he knows how to read, write and calculate. He also seems to understand the general way society and economics work, and how to take advantage of it, even starting with nothing. All of that from a young age, as he is a child when he is abandoned.

My baby...

We also know Dante was likely abandoned in the human world (and not Altus), which reinforces that his mother was human (and therefore, his father was a vampire).

Ogier also comes from a wealthy background, otherwise, Gano wouldn't interact with him (as he openly despises Roland for his modest background) and chapter 67 confirms it again. Therefore, Dante's mother could very well be Ogier's mother, too.

Additionally, they look alike. Even Ogier's younger brother (the child to the left) looks the same as younger Dante did. He's even wearing similar clothes as Dante had.

Side note : While characters looking alike doesn't always mean something, I will point out that MochiJun is particularly talented in avoiding the 'same face syndrome'. All of her characters are unique and distinct. Therefore, characters resembling each other might not be a coincidence, imo.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to add anything to complete this theory!

[grelleswife]

RAKE HIM OVER THE COALS, DOMI! ⚔️

[vncblogsposts]

Toxic yaoi we expected:

Toxic yaoi we got:

Neither ships are bad to like, but I seriously feel like no one expected Charles and Ogier to have something going on.