#lord august ruthven

[neversetyoufree]

So I finally got around to reading The Vampyre today, and

Apparently Mochizuki pulled more from Polidori's Ruthven than just his name.

[incaseofart]

Wendy Verite and Lord Ruthven 👉👈vaguely an illustration of some of the fics I've written about them.

He drink 😳

[goldenworldsabound]

Dream Awake

Chapter 3 - Not So Distant Star

Wendy and Heather discuss the situation, and Wendy makes the move into Carbunculus Castle.

word count: 2.7K

content warning: food mention

taglist: @shippin-in-the-rain @heatobrienswife @heartclovers @dragonsmooch @ship-trek @kittyandco @virus-selfship @the-storyteller-and-her-soldiers

[kyuriekiri]

I brought you what you asked for

[sapin7]

[statice-arts]

wow hey I can draw characters that aren't vanitas... amazing right

Anyway. Ruthven sketch I did inbetween commissions :]

[magnus-cinis]

Bro my neurons activated

[ranaitsan]

my second ruthven draw!!!

If you like it💕 you will sure like ❤my novel☕ read my novel in my blog😺👋👋

[animehouse-moe]

I Miss The Case Study of Vanitas Because Sex

Okay, please forgive me for the clickbait-y title, but I just had to take it. The whiplash is too fun to me. Anyways, yes, I miss The Case Study of Vanitas (both as an anime and manga, since we've not gotten vol 10 in English yet) because of sex. Not the act in and of itself, but the appeal, the tension, the experience. Animanga isn't nearly as sexless as North American media, but it presents its own unique challenges and issues. So, if you don't mind, please humor my little foray into an attempt to explain the decoupling of fan service and sex appeal, with The Case Study of Vanitas as a medium.

⚠️Warning: I've done my best to keep it spoiler free, but by nature there is mild spoilers in regards to characters and certain interactions.⚠️

Is The Case Study of Vanitas about sex? Well, obviously not, no, it's about vampires. But as much as it's about vampires, it's also about despair, hope, penance and revenge, and the intricacies of the human condition. It just happens to feature vampires as the selling point. And I believe therein lies the best explanation of Vanitas: it's not about sex, but rather contains those aspects as a part of the people that exist in its world.

Fanservice has become a rather perverted term. Rather than appealing to a broad range of applications, fanservice tends to exclusively apply to displays that are sexual in nature (most typically in regards to catering to male audiences). In that way it's not particularly awful in how the term itself has shifted, but the use of fanservice is borderline pathetic in most series. A gaudy display of body parts, it hangs on excessive scale and movement to catch the eyes of touch starved individuals. I don't need a ballooned bosom besetting my vision before bobbing about in a baroque display for all too long. That's not the point.

But what is the point? Well, I've prattled on long enough so here's an example.

A look in the eyes, the right lighting. Even simple posing. Sex appeal is not limited to explicit displays of sexuality, but is rather the personification of both the character's intent as well as their external perception.

There are so many moments in this series that are in no way explicitly sexual, but can easily be perceived to have sex appeal or sexual tension.

But then, how would that appeal not feel weakened? It's a good question, honestly, and an important one to ask. When you display the chest of an underaged girl enough times, it won't elate the audience enough to be perceived as "good". It's a universal issue with storytelling, so how does Vanitas get around it?

My answer (and perhaps not the only answer) is how this appeal and tension is derived. I had sort of said it earlier, but didn't really explain. Its source is the very nature of the characters and world. It is not an external force exposing these facets, but the machinations of the plot and its pieces themselves.

Have a look at this example here. Vampires are hot, right? Their power, broody nature, and the concept of the unknown have played into their eroticism and appeal since time immemorial (seriously, look up Carmilla). Vanitas pounces on that concept and immediately plays into it. We don't get blood sucking every episode and every second, no. But we get it enough to provide variation, it appears at the right time to provide another layer to the nature of the story and characters.

Anyways, the example. Lord Ruthven and Noe. Two vampires, engaging in something strictly non-sexual. He is simply biting Noe. But the posing, the nature of the layout. It presents tension. It presents Ruthven's ownership and commanding nature of Noe in this moment. Domination and subjugation.

Even more is this sequence. The commanding nature that presents a clear power dynamic. The phrasing. It absolutely exudes sexual tension. But nothing of the sort is apparent in the actual interaction.

So what's the deal here. I know I had spoken on how characters themselves can convey tension and appeal without explicit intent to do so, but how can circumstance and interaction play into it as well?

Another lovely question. What comprises the act of sex? What are the pieces that elate, entice, and encourage someone? Well, aside from the answer that it's down to the individual, there's a few core pieces. The "top and bottom" dynamic is certainly the one that appears the most when dealing with pairs. Another, while a bit unseemly and slightly (?) taboo is the concept of fear and violence. Of course, I don't mean in any serious context, but the concept is how those things make you feel, and that they stem from that similar power dynamic. Perhaps that's the best word to describe it with: power dynamic. It's all about how two characters interact with each other, where they stand in relation to one another. The above image is the perfect example of that, and the following is how to build on it.

Vanitas and Jeanne, an incredible combination born not out of a mutual desire for the other, but the sheer interest of one and the needs of another. It's a one sided love spurred on by the actions of one that encourages the other to let loose. It creates the interesting dynamic of a power bottom that remains refreshing alongside the other relationships that exist in the story.

So here's a clip of that dynamic.

The way the camera and characters hang on each moment, the way the layouts aim to both obstruct but also apply razor focus. The voice acting. All of it, every single moments provides for that tension and appeal, and it extends past the act of sucking blood and into the souls of the characters themselves. A terrible plead that spills from blood stained lips, a promise that comes from the origin of that crimson.

This "sex appeal" and "sexual tension" is not something manufactured, but the absolute core of these characters. The act of domination, the incredible an undesired need of a substance, the mental fractures eroding at the ego of a person. All of these moments stem from the very souls of the characters and bubble up to the surface in these forms of expression. Where words will not do, actions speak in their place.

Also, Vanitas moaning. Yes please. The greatest benefit to this series is the fact that it's willing to lean into the men as well. This is not "just" for the guys (and lesbians), no. This is for everyone, but especially those that enjoy a side of insanity and toxicity to their romance.

So that brings us to the end. Vanitas is not "about" sex, Vanitas is sex and is the purest way to deliver on fan service while providing sexual tension and appeal. It's subtle, subdued, infrequent and benign. It does not bend to the desires of the viewer, but rather stems from those of the characters. And so many series need to take note. "Lucky Lecher" and perversely excessive displays have no home in my heart when there are far more artistic and desirable sequences that can be produced.

[pivoletov]

[grelleswife]

Still losing it over chicken!Ruthven and his resemblance to a vampiric Angry Bird in Noé’s imagination. 😆

Mochijun appears to have continued this visual gag in the omake, where Marquis Machina presents Lord Ruthven with some fluffy chicks of his own. 🐥

Behold, the face of an innocent man who has never committed crimes against queen and country.

[neversetyoufree]

Why does Ruthven hate Vanitas?

I don't think that Ruthven does especially hate Vanitas. He doesn't like him, and he definitely sees him as a threat, but those are not the same as actual hate.

When we first see Vanitas and Ruthven interact, it's at the bal masqué when he interrupts Veronica. There, he asks Vanitas if he just killed multiple vampires (since he was accused of doing so). Vanitas says yes, Ruthven goes to hurt him as punishment for this, and then he stops when Noé intercedes. That's a pretty rational interaction, given how things between Vanitas and unfamiliar vampires tend to go.

After that, when things really go wrong between them, it's because Vanitas pulls his whole "ask to see the queen" routine in Ruthven's study. Ruthven is hiding the queen's real status from the world, and he seems to be part of (and possibly heading) some kind of grand plan that includes keeping her status hidden as an integral part. He's connected to Naenia, after all.

So because of Ruthven's plans and secrets involving the queen, Vanitas asking those questions and being able to get evidence that there's something Up with her makes him a huge threat. The fact that he has that knowledge, as well as the fact that he obviously has the skill and motivation to possibly ferret out other things Ruthven wants hidden make him a real wrench in Ruthven's plans. Having defenses against Vanitas (and/or just taking him out entirely) is now practical necessity for whatever scheme Ruthven is up to.

But that's not a personal hatred. That's (from the perspective of someone up to an evil scheme) quite reasonable.

Since that point, what we've seen of Ruthven has all been from the motivation of trying to handle Vanitas as a threat. He meets with Noé to gain perspective on their relationship and uses the oath as a way to set up Noé as a game piece for use against either Vanitas or The Shapeless One. Then, it's implied that he may have had a hand in Vanitas going to Gévaudan, and that he did so to keep him away from some other scheme Ruthven had.

Ruthven pretty clearly has an emotional reaction to Noé, since he reminds him so much of his younger self, and those feelings inform his choices for how to treat him. Vanitas, on the other hand, is just a problem to be taken care of.

[incaseofart]

Dressuptober with August Ruthven~

[goldenworldsabound]

Thy Cup Overfloweth

Wendy Verite has a crush on their mentor, Lord Ruthven. While he's allowed them to drink from him, he had yet to drink from them, until this encounter. They've never had such an experience. (one shot)

word count: 1.1K

content warning: sexual/romantic tension, blood drinking (this is a vampire fic!)

taglist: @shippin-in-the-rain @heatobrienswife @heartclovers @dragonsmooch @ship-trek @kittyandco @virus-selfship @the-storyteller-and-her-soldiers

[gothberries]

Bitter arrangement.

[shizukais]