Unbetitelt

on today's episode of "sof overanalyzes everything, even the tiniest character quirks that could very well just be there for comedic purposes": why does vanitas NEED to tie a bow when he's reconfiguring his chasseur outfit at the beginning of volume 4 (ch. 16)?

so at this point, their cover is totally blown and there's no need for false pretenses anymore. vanitas even directly states that when he assumes that noé is talking about his weapons. this is how we're starting the volume, how we're reentering this arc with vanitas, and the first thing we see him do is take his weapons out and tie the chasseur sash/belt thing into a bow. pairing these actions together and placing them right at the beginning here clearly frames this seemingly innocuous sequence as him gearing up for the fights ahead. the weapons are for the physical fight, but i believe that the bow is acting as armor for the mental and emotional fight, whether vanitas is conscious of it or not.

vanitas as a character is deeply obsessed with control. it's what he is perpetually grasping for during any and all stressful or triggering situations, precisely because the vast majority of his trauma centers around a forced lack of autonomy. and his preferred method of achieving that sense of stability and power through control is through theatrics, whether it's reciting a speech about how he is but a simple human who vows to save the vampires whether they like or not, or playing with jeanne's emotional naivety by professing his undying love for her after a single (nonconsensual) kiss and continuing to play up the casanova act despite (because of) his own deep-seated fears and ignorance of intimacy and love.

and it's not just in his actions that he dons these dramatic masks as armor, it's in his clothing as well. the gloves he wears are fitted with nail tips not just for practical defensive reasons, but also to make him LOOK more like a predator (and more like luna). he wears their hourglass earring for the same reason. i would even argue that his sharply cut bangs are meant to signify a level of danger to potential threats. he is a mosaic of calculated sharp lines and edges. so with that, a bow seems kind of counterintuitive to his aesthetic, right? but vanitas is not only concerned with portraying himself as a force to be reckoned with. he is constantly flip-flopping between intense emotional instability (akin to a cat fluffing up its fur to look more threatening than it actually is) and cool, calm, and collected aloofness. he wants to be seen as dangerous and violent and unpredictable but also calculated and detached and above it all. and so i think the juxtaposition of all of his sharp edges with a pretty bow at his collar is the perfect way to symbolize those warring factions within himself and his coping mechanisms.

so taking this all back to the chasseur outfit. he originally donned these new clothes as a disguise, but that plan is foiled now. less sneaking, more fighting. it's also becoming increasingly clear to vanitas that he will have to face moreau alongside noé, and knowing him, he will have a ton of prying questions that vanitas is dreading having to answer. more fighting. so what does he do? he takes his weapons out and he ties a bow on his costume, transforming it into something more like armor. if he ties this bow, he is in control of these clothes and the memories that they're attached to, not the other way around. if he ties this bow, his enemies will see someone who is capable and unaffected and put together, not at all like a collection of frayed edges on the rags he wears when he visits these catacombs in his nightmares. if he ties this bow, he has the strength to answer noé's questions about his past as if he's retelling the story of some other terrified kid in some other costume with some other life.

The most gentle of winds & The whispering shades

Garden of Eden 1