l3lithe

[l3lithe]

Let Men Cry

Just a small thing that I adore about Castlevania as a show is that we see a lot of men cry. And with that I mean really ugly cry, rather than having a single tear sexy-cry. I love it.

Let men cry. Men deserve to cry, too.

[l3lithe]

"In 250 years, do you know how many vampire hunters have promised to slice me in two?"

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confession time: i'm crazy about that soft "vampire" from mizrak and i have been crazy about it for a really long time

also, it wasn't until just now that i heard the "ahh 😳" when olrox straddles him

[l3lithe]

I have to give Castlevania Nocturne a lot of credit for how they treat Olrox.

Castlevania Nocturne takes place during the French Revolution, and Olrox is unapologetically Aztec. His entire character is shaped by the fact he is Aztec and the genocide he personally witnessed. Him being Aztec is a fundamental part of his character.

But there is no reason given in the narrative why he needs to be.

I can’t explain to you just how rare it is that indigenous people are able to be a part of a narrative without they’re needing to be a justification for them being indigenous. Most stories that bother to include us all occur out west, or near a reservation, or require native spiritualism somehow. About half of indigenous people don’t live on a reservation, about 70,000 last I checked lived in New York City alone. We could just be a character’s neighbor. We could be a coworker, a rival, it doesn’t matter we can exist in any story that takes place on the North American continent because we can be found any place on the North American continent. But you never see that presented in fictional media.

Castlevania Nocturne takes place in France. And Olrox is just unapologetically Aztec. His character didn’t need to be. But he is. And that makes me smile. So I gotta give kudos to Castlevania Nocturne.

[l3lithe]

I compiled every single Mizrox scene in Castlevania: Nocturne (both seasons 1 & 2) because they make me INSANE. You can access it here on my Google Drive 🫡 Feel free to share/download/anything you want!

[l3lithe]

Olrox is the most interesting character in the whole cast of Castlevania Nocturne (at least until we see what Alucard will do in season two).

His understanding of human nature and the fact that he doesn’t want to attack ‘peasants’ but rather prefers ‘drink blue blood’ leaves me alone with the thought that he is hundreds of years ahead of his time. Many people think that us latinoamericanos didn’t have any type of resistance, but trust me when I say, that’s far from the truth; Olrox is the best way of putting it, he understands the thinking of colonialists and also understands the importance of being silent and letting the other speak, he doesn’t show his cards until the counterpart is vulnerable, he does the same that Native American revolutions did back then.

AND I LOVE HIM FOR THAT.

[l3lithe]

I saw that split moment before the fame's engulfed Olrox. There was a look of fear in his face before he was burned by her fire. It give some insight of how he probably remembering his life before being a vampire?

Point is, he doesn't look happy or ready.

See like, I actually don't read the look on his face as fear.

This to me is like, grit. Anger. Determination.

The clenched teeth, the intensity in the eyes. This looks very much like the face of a person who is bracing themselves for something they know they're not going to enjoy, but not something they fear.

Without getting too into headcanon territory, there's some cool details though I wanna highlight re: the mythological symbolism:

Just before Julia blasts him with fire, we get this shot of his blood dribbling onto the ground. We know that in the 'Aztec' religion, offerings of blood were common, that blood was the ultimate offering one could make to the gods. There's specifically this notion that one's blood gets returned to the earth upon death, thus fueling the cycle of life and death and rebirth.

That Olrox's transformation happens on what I'll call "hallowed ground" by virtue of his blood having been spilled on it, is very interesting to me and feels significant.

Then we get this sequence of flickering frames as he gets roasted. So to me, as I mentioned in my earlier post, this is a clear nod to being burned alive in the sacrificial flame. The Five Suns myth tells us how a few deities have taken turns sacrificing themselves to become the Sun by throwing themselves into the old god Huehueteotl's fire.

I bring up the sun stuff specifically because these frames... They don't look like ordinary fire to me. They look like full blown solar flares.

(Edit: the face in this first shot doesn't quite look like Olrox; could it be Huehueteotl himself, who is often depicted as an old man—much like we've seen Papa Legba appear when Annette is tapping into her power??)

And as Olrox seems to recover from the agonizing pain, his crouched, bowled over posture becomes this like, revitalized thing like he's the damned little mermaid. And the chaotic solar flares become this much clearer, dare I say... rising Sun?

Idk where exactly I'm going with this but there are just so many details about this scene that I love.

So... depending on the specific ritual/deity being honored, sacrifices would have their heart cut out. So there's this wonderful poetic beauty to Julia being left with this single, clean wound right in her chest, and that we get this gorgeous shot of her laid out like this. You know, like a sacrifice.

But what also feels SUPER significant is that like... this scene is our INTRODUCTION to Olrox. A big, bad vampire. And yet when he kills Julia Belmont, he doesn't take a single sip of her blood, despite having this giant puddle of it.

It's almost like... It's almost like??? He's leaving it there on purpose. Like an offering.

Again i don't wanna speculate too much here, but... Maybe it's meant to repay the god-like entity whose power he just tapped into to defeat her. Or maybe, it's a gesture of respect—an indication that he saw Julia as a worthy opponent who is thus a worthy offering to the gods. Or like, both.

Idk man, but I LOVE everything about this scene and the animation team deserves all of the kudos on earth for putting this together it's a masterpiece 🙏

[l3lithe]

This is probably me reading waaayyy to much into things BUT I'm presently being haunted by Thoughts™ of that last scene with Olrox and Mizrak.

Like Mizrak spends the season doubting his standing with God and trying to atone for the role he played in realizing the abbot's plans. He's wracked with guilt and knows that hell is waiting for him.

And then we have Olrox who knows this, knows what he's done, knows how he feels about it. We see him physically hold Mizrak back and force him to stop and look at what he has wrought. Yet every time Mizrak dismisses him, Olrox returns to basically yell, "I know! I know, and I still love you!" He's extending the grace Mizrak is certain he does not deserve in the eyes of his God.

One of the more crucial myths about Quetzalcoatl is a story in which humanity has been killed off as punishment for vice and greed, or even just as collateral in a spat between deities—but Quetzalcoatl believed in humanity so much that he went to the underworld to retrieve everyone's bones, and, through the sacrifice of his blood, gave humanity the gift of life again.

And I keep thinking about the line, "the devil is easy to cheat".

Of course, the mesoamerican pantheon doesn't have a 'devil' per se, but it does have Mictlantecutli, who is the ruler of their underworld. And a key part of this myth is that when Quetzalcoatl went to the underworld for everyone's bones, he didn't want to give them back. Quetzalcoatl had to use trickery to steal the bones and escape with them.

So I keep thinking about this shot in particular:

To me, it echoes this one from season 1:

I've already written about the symbolism of Olrox's introductory scene at some length, so I won't repeat myself here, but I liken this shot of Julia to a sacrifice. So, you know... by proxy I'm now likening Olrox in this last scene to a sacrifice.

But this time the roles are effectively reversed. Julia, a human sacrificed to a god, and Olrox a god (or at least an avatar of one) sacrificing himself for a human, for someone he believes to be deserving of life.

Like I look at this scene and I think about these things and this shot of Olrox seems to say, "drink of my blood, feast upon my flesh". To say, "your God won't save you, but I will." To promise, "if the devil tries to take you, I will venture into hell to steal you back. I will offer myself to grant you life again."

Of course, the life Olrox is giving Mizrak here is a dark and twisted thing, but it's also an achingly beautiful expression of a god's unconditional love.

[l3lithe]

Olrox was so hot and for no reason like......look at the material!

[l3lithe]

This scene intrigued me a lot:

"I am afraid Olrox" ,HE IS AFRAID OF DEATH DESPITE HIM TELLING US THAT MONKS SHOULD NOT FEAR DEATHHH , and he tells Olrox. He wants comfort, wants A WAY OUT. He does not want to DIE. I feel this is a half permission for the 'DEED'.

On the other hand, Olrox listens intently, and it's attentive, he comforts him, secures him, mulls over THAT way of saving him, take times to.

Orlox comforts him phisically, and not only that, its a romantic gesture, affection, "It's gonna be fine", and the words MY LOVE the ultimate we AND THEM need to hear that, they indeed are connected more that phisically.

Mizrak is scared of what's to come, of turning of course, BUT DOEST NO REFUSE, is not TERRIFIED to push Olrox away, remember, half permission, half acceptance.

Resignation, after the pain of the bite, then crying for what's to come, even if hell go to hell, he's not alone.

And as an extra:

Putting the eroticism aside, Mizrak can no longer bask in that ray of light, he's rigid, unmoving possibly really angry. RIght after this he shows that he IS in a rage, then goes for the Olrox neck, and Olrox let's him , because HE IS THE FIRST drop of blood that he starvingly wants. In some works vampires, are drinking each other's blood and is seen as erotic and can be equalled with s3x, as they feel euphoria.

And in conclusion:

I'm crying my heart out right now, credit for this analysis to @b-l-u-e-equinox , she did an amazing job!

Thank you for reading

[l3lithe]

Naked post-coital Olrox from S1 was already hot, but S2 Olrox with his ruffled little shirt unbuttoned to his navel got me clawing at the walls and baying at the moon jfc this man is fine as hell

[l3lithe]

Honest opinions/thoughts on Olrox turning Mizrak and how their relationship went?

My honest opinion is that I really, REALLY enjoyed it. It exceeded everything I had desired for them. Despite my many theorizations, deep discussions, and analyses of both these characters in the past, I had put my expectations pretty low for anything about them going forward. Still, I knew I was going to be happy anyway despite how little their part was in the whole scheme of nocturne s2. Look I love Annette and Maria to death, they're such beautifully written characters and the way they're portrayed on screen is a genuine spectacle, especially in season 2.

I genuinely did not think were going to get Mizrak being turned because his character stood for "humanity", but then as season 02 started, it already foreshadowed something much bigger for Mizrak, which would be his turning. If you really think about it, Mizrak's death to his 'human self' is a death to his previous chains of guilt, shame, and restricted self-expression, especially when you realise vampirism has been used for an allegory for queerness for decades at this point. I think it's honestly quite a beautiful way to go about his character! As Olrox makes the change to "stay and fight", Mizrak goes makes the change to accept vulnerability/identity. Aka the opposite of each other, because Mizrak is the embodiment of fighting for good, while Olrox is the embodiment of vulnerability/embracing his identity.

I could go onnnn about their characterisation, and I have done it before for their season 01 scenes. I mayhaps do seasons 02 ep 8, but I'm a tad shy now that there's suddenly a swarm of new eyes on me since the season dropped haha

TDLR: Olrox and Mizrak's character arcs, their relationship, and the new chapter of their life are geniunely beyond my wildest imaginations and I am so glad.

[l3lithe]

Olrox = Quetzalcoatl

In honour of the upcoming season I decided to finally make the post about the reasons why I believe Olrox either has Quetzalcoatl's powers (like Erzsebet has Sekhmet's) or possibly even is Quetzalcoatl. Some points might just be some neat thing I noticed about him. So there

Red gem

Both Olrox and Erzsebet have gems embedded in their bodies. Admittedly, it's a weak argument, since it's in Olrox's serpent form and in Erzsebet's human form, while as Sekhmet it's more of just a red dot rather than a gem. But it still stood out to me so I chose to include it anyway

Blunt fingernails

I don't think this has a particular connection to godhood but it is interesting that only Olrox, Erzsebet and Alucard don't have sharpened nails

Walking in sunlight

I know it's not direct sunlight, and that seems to be the thing doing the trick to the vampires, but he seems particularly uncaring of it. He doesn't have an umbrella on hand like Drolta does in case he needs it

He's absolutely unimpressed with Erzsebet's eclipse orb in the gardens

I'm pretty sure everyone has solar eclipses in the back of their mind when thinking abour Aztecs so perhaps this is a nod to that. Perhaps he's used to this sort of thing and doesn't see anything special in it while all of her followers immediately bow. Perhaps he can make one himself

He's impervious to magic, like Erzsebet

The night creature choosing not to fight Olrox

All he does is give it a side eye and it immediately cowers and leaves

He wants freedom

Personally, I like to think he is Quetzalcoatl who somehow was put in a human body or changed into a human and then turned into a vampire, thus getting trapped

In his fight with Julia, we see his blood dripping just before he lands in it, moments before she attempts to burn him, which leads to his transformation. Perhaps his blood is the catalyst that unleashes his godhood for a brief while

The demons and gods talk

When talking with Mizrak after their tryst, he seems dead set on finding out which demon the order gave their souls to. He makes it pretty clear he's thinking about bargaining for or demanding Mizrak's soul from it

and on top of that, the whole "gods are still around" thing, said in a pretty self-assured tone

[l3lithe]

"A god should know, where all her dragons are."

I've seen plenty of discussion about how it's shitty of Erzsebet and Drolta to refer to Olrox as a dragon, because Quetzalcoatl isn't really a dragon, but it's like... Extra shitty on other levels?

I mean, this quote is already somethin' because dragon or not, she's referring to him as hers and just making it clear that she does not intend to afford him any agency in this """partnership""".

But I keep Having Thoughts ™ about the role and symbolism of dragons in European folklore.

In the most general sense, they represent power. In a lot of these stories, the dragon is an obstacle between the heroic protagonist and some kind of secret treasure or knowledge (Wealth! Land!). Or the dragon is terrorizing a nearby village (Never mind if the 'dragon' was there first!!). Or the dragon is unfairly hoarding riches it has no use for (don't worry, the colonizers will show the 'primitive savages' how to make the most of their land!! Isn't that nice of them??)

In these stories, it's up to the hero to eliminate this obstacle that's separating them from some resource they feel entitled to, or to 'tame' it and exploit its power for their own purposes. As such, they're pretty on-the-nose colonialist propaganda when viewed under the right lens.

So I wanna talk about The Golden Legend of Saint George and The Dragon, which is one of the most famous of these stories.

Story goes: There's a dragon who's been terrorizing a nearby village. The people start offering the dragon livestock to appease it, and when they run out of livestock, they start holding a regular lotteries to sacrifice one unlucky person to the dragon.

St George shows up before the next person (king's daughter) is about to be eaten, and he doesn't kill the dragon, no. He dominates it:

S. George was upon his horse, and drew out his sword and garnished him with the sign of the cross, and rode hardily against the dragon which came towards him, and smote him with his spear and hurt him sore and threw him to the ground. And after said to the maid: Deliver to me your girdle, and bind it about the neck of the dragon and be not afeard. When she had done so the dragon followed her as it had been a meek beast and debonair.

*(debonair in the archaic sense = gentle)

Erzsebet makes it clear that if she can't be worshipped, being feared is the next best thing. She can't get Olrox to ally with her willingly, so she resorts to force. In the end, she's getting what she really wants: obedience and subservience. For him to follow her like a meek beast.

The Golden Legend doesn't stop there though:

Then she led [the dragon] into the city, and the people fled by mountains and valleys, and said: Alas! alas! we shall be all dead. Then S. George said to them: Ne doubt ye no thing, without more, believe ye in God, Jesu Christ, and do ye to be baptized and I shall slay the dragon. Then the king was baptized and all his people, and S. George slew the dragon and smote off his head, and commanded that he should be thrown in the fields, and they took four carts with oxen that drew him out of the city.

A couple things here that slot right into the themes of colonialism in the show:

The dragon is used used as a way to coerce people into converting to Christianity. Just as Olrox would have watched the Spanish settlers do to his people: under threat of force.

The dragon is feared by the villagers despite no longer being an actual threat, but St George does nothing to dispel those fears—he exploits them. Just as prejudices of all kinds are used to justify settler colonialism as necessary or inevitable.

The dragon is slain and discarded once St George is done with it. Just as Olrox would have watched the Americans betray and displace the Mohican people who allied with them during the revolution.

Erzsebet and Drolta calling Olrox a "Dragon" isn't just ignorant or disrespectful because he's not a dragon. It's downright degrading. They're not just refusing to address him properly—they're telling a man who has survived settler colonization twice over that they intend to use him as a tool with which to do it again.

Olrox spends the season carefully stepping around every appeal Drolta makes for him to pledge loyalty to Erzsebet. And he's damned good at it: never giving up his true intentions by saying no outright, but wiggling out of ever having to say yes by instead asking pointed questions and making cutting observations that always land the ball back in their side of the court.

But then this scene happens, and he can't wiggle out of it this time. They've got their dragon where they want him. He's pinned and 'meek'—and I can think of nothing more infuriating and degrading for a character like Olrox than to be paraded about in his own land to help Erzsebet build her empire across it.

Olrox isn't a dragon, but she's going to make him one.

[l3lithe]

Breaking down Castlevania Nocturne Season 01 - Episode 08 "Breakup Scene" shot by shot!

I've been chipping at this for a while and now I can put this out to the world. While this will be a lot more 'clear' and more put together than a lot of my previous writings (I am so sorry, I have looked at those past writings and I look like a madman, I was trying to hold back all of them and therefore it ended up super messy) however, it is still going to be a very casual document—as if a conversation!

To preface, these are just my thoughts, and by no means is the actual indicative end-all-be-all for these shots! These are just observations based on my special interest (and also I did ATAR for this, which in short I suppose is a specialization study ? I'm not sure how to describe it LOL) in media production and analysis, with a heavy passion for visual storytelling in film! It has been a while since I have written something like this so you may have to bear with me here.

I consider myself still an amateur, but shot choices matter, especially when you have only 8 episodes, a deadline, a budget, asset restrictions and so on. It all has to count. Everything matters.

As a side thing, while we can and very much should criticize media for being poor in writing, composition and so, yet, I've noticed people do tend to forget everything is 99% considered. Everything has its place and everything has intention. Passionate creatives care and there is more than "the curtain is blue just because". Like I can and will talk about how every Mizrak and Olrox scene is placed in green/earthy-colored environments (not here though LOL, this is not the time for it). The times when things slip under the radar and are put there just because are mostly due to executive meddling, budget restrictions, and deadlines.

Now that the introduction part is out of the way, let's start!

The establishing shot!

I think you’ll notice this in many many shows in general, but this is often used to establish a new scene. While some may think there’s nothing too special about it symbolic wise, Olrox is seen literally dragging Mizrak up the hill. Begging the question of why does Olrox shift out to his shadow form?

For a writing/story perspective, for the breakup to hit with those emotional beats, it has to be done face to face, ‘human’ to human. It cannot be done in shadow form because the dialogue and facial expressions that need to happen, it has slap you in the face. Like the crying scene. It also means when you deliberately cut out any expressions from the shots due to the camera framing, you get a more emotional reaction from the viewer. This is because you cannot see the emotions that they are clearly having. It is like the characters do not want to show us it or let us in.

Character's perspective, Olrox is given the chance for Mizrak to fight back and probably somewhat hoping that Mizrak would break out of his arms easily so he can prove to Mizrak he isn’t powerful enough. It's much like how he lets Richter live in episode 01. He often gives chances to people and it's probably going to come up again.

Olrox drags Mizrak into this scene, and we’re getting a mid shotttt, (I think technically cowboy shot, since we do get like waist and hands, though its because their height differences but I might be getting too pedantic with this).

This may not seem too special, but it’s a very nice way to show Mizrak struggling and just set the baseline for the action occurring since from the establishing shot we can’t tell too much because it's so far out. It also now brings the audience into the scene, we are now privy to their most private conversation. We can also see Olrox is literally holding him super easily he’s literally not even trying LOL. We can see the dynamic being established and how that dynamic will shift at the end. So we have established the new setting/characters in the first shot, and now we've established what this side story will be about in the second shot.

THE LOW ANGLE 🫣

Low angled shots are used to make a character appear powerful because the camera is looking up, therefore making the presence in the shot seem like a massive force. Olrox is supposed to be powerful. Yet, even though he’s taller, right behind Mizrak holding him back AND directly mentioned- he’s not in shot scene except for his hands. They are SUPER prominent in this shot, they’re practically in the middle of it and stand out because his hand is lit super differently from Mizrak’s face.

Olrox’s power is being used to hold back Mizrak.

Side note, I think this is just me, but this shot feels suffocating WHICH IS A GOOD THING. While there is some empty space around Mizrak, it's still extremely dark like Mizrak's clothes so it kind of blends in and makes this scene suffocating. It is as if we're being held back too.

This camera angle also makes Mizrak look very powerless and powerful at the same time which is I think is just really neat. With each established 'rule' for camera shots/angles, you can break them to subvert audience expectations. Mizrak is yelling and using all his power to convince Olrox to fight. Convince him that he can do it and fight Ezerbet.

Long shottttt, slightly different from an establishing shot since it punches in more closely.

“She’ll kill them!” And we can directly see the Abbey from here, being loomed over by the eclipse, which is really super nice. It’s telling us he’s practically going to watch them die if he stays where he is.

Also visually the 'weights' on the left and right of the screen can be argued that they are even, almost as if both choices are heavy and hold the same power over each other. The choice to go back and fight, or the choice to run.

Close up shot! Close-up shots allow for the audience to read a character's face, or if not their face, their action, to put extreme importance. The small details matter in a close-up and are the main focus.

This is soooo intentional, but we don’t get Mizrak’s initial reaction. IMO we don’t ever get it, we only get his response to Olrox, and I see reaction and response as two separate things. This is a super hard side view of both of them. It's not 3/4, it's not front- it is side profile, used to amp up the dramatics of the scenes. It's a nice contrast to how it's only one side of his face yet he's revealing an inner thought. As if maybe perhaps, there is more to this truth then he lets on, it is perhaps, maybe only one side, of his guarded truth.

Also, people may call this a corn plate moment but his eyes are open for one frame, and then when he tilts his head down, they're closed. Its a very small detail, but it's being used to set up for his crying scene later because this acts to 'reset' his face before we see it again.

This is Mizrak's response. We don’t get to see his face, but he BACKS DOWN, and I don't believe he does it because he think Olrox will release him if he does (which Olrox does anyway), but its also kind of his reaction.

This is a forced perspective shot, I think this is now a high angle. So the camera is looking down on the characters, making them powerless and vulnerable. Opposite to a low angle shot.

THIS IS CALL BACK TO THE BED SCENE. Olrox holds Mizrak from behind

A rehash of this scene from episode 04 but with 10x the angst.

Y'all are free to call me out on this section because my storyboarding experiences are small BUT i am just throwing in additional context.

Storyboarding scenes and shots is a collaborative process (as is the whole animation industry itself). These boards go through multiple iterations, which you namely you have to get it passed off from your storyboard director but also your fellow storyboard artists, your background artists and so on. While you dedicate yourself to this specific scene, you let previous parts of the story influence your work and vice versa, allowing for things to feel more connected and visually tell a story. This is the last moment we see this 'couple' in this show, and with such heavy scene that breaks these two apart, you are going to want to call back other times where they were close so it makes the separation that much more painful. In this case, it was chosen to have Olrox holding Mizrak as a callback. This then means this will be a common thing they will go back to and it will somehow reappear in season 2 and every season after that (pleasepleasepleaseplease season 3, maybe season 4 guys please). When it does reappear, it's going to be an alternate version that builds upon the last, and who knows, it may be way more subtle. It may be flipped. The way they act around each other when standing behind each other is very important. The way Olrox holds Mizrak is very important (and he doesn't just hold him by just sitting or using his hands, but also I can discuss that on a different scene breakdown if you guys want!)

I need to point this out super clearly. We do not see their faces this time around for that shot and that is intentional because then it forces up to think of what it is like. We have to infer from their previous interactions and what should come to mind is episode 04.

I would love to break down this at some point later (and how episode 04 and episode 06 make callbacks to each other, I've mentioned it before in a tweet somewhere I digress though). I'll briefly go through this now- this image is a (extreme) top-down close-up of their expressions, the perspective is pushed here. In episode 08, we get a top-down view where the perspective is also extremely pushed. This has to be a callback, there's no way that wasn't intentional.

This is what I imagined their faces to be when Mizrak stops resisting and drops his arms.

Now we see Mizrak’s face. Trade off is that we don’t see Olrox’s face. Like a reaction to a reaction. It’s to set up for the next shot to make us go “oh my god.”

THIS SHOT IS SO GOOD Y'ALL😭 (Also a close-up)

Olrox is not known to show any extreme emotions, only time he does was when he forced himself to bow to Ezerbet. So to the audience, this is really shocking because THATS TEARS RIGHT THERE.

The forehead creases are telling me he’s holding back really hard. He’s dead still beside the wind flowing. He’s using his power to hold back.

This is a front view too. Olrox is baring himself out. No 3/4, no side angle, front view. Also, the backdrop has the trees beginning to clear out behind him, which subtly alludes to us as an audience to realize how we're getting a slightly clearer picture of Olrox's headspace, of his views, and so on!

Which… is this a call back to when Olrox said “I’m not in love with you” (?) It is a front having shot but its cut closer and his eyes aren't glowing.

Which, I still have no idea what the glowing eyes mean. Unless there are no rules the glowing eyes follow by it besides what suits each scene the best thematically. I will point out that whenever it glows, its supposed to be intimidating, he's supposed to feel supernatural. When he's vulnerable, take for insistence when he talks about his past and talks gently about it, his eyes don't glow, he feels a lot more human in that scenario.

First of all, choice of shot is to mirror Olrox’s shot. Ok that out of the way.

WE GET THIS LINE??? I remember first watching it my jaw dropped because I couldn’t believe he said this.

He gets called an animal. Wild. Insane.

That’s a set up. It has to be there’s NO WAY IY ISN’T. WE’RE GETTING A CALL BACK TO THIS IN SEASON 2. SEASON 3, pls I’d do anything for a s3. Idk when we're getting a call back to this because Mizrak just backhanded him so hard and that language is so specific, especially since we’ve already gotten Ezerbet going “Gods should know where her dragons are”, you know, treating Olrox like a pet. Like an ANIMAL.

I am going to go on the slightest of side tangents- Mizrak has parallels to Drolta, they're both "guard dogs" for their leader. The Abott simply has to put out his hand when Mizrak is growling (it is subtitled as him growling and barking its kinda crazy) for him to stop. The animal line seems so out of nowhere and it is supposed to feel like that but we've had this bread trail from the very start.

Ok going back to the scene at hand. Mizrak ??? Where’s your normal religious quips ??? Why did you use that line ??? What do you know about losing your soul and being animal-like??? Suspicious 🤨 because there are countless bible verses about, bravery, losing your soul, literally self-sacrifice.

Though I will bring up, the idea of having a soul has been brought up before.

Mizrak recognizes Olrox had a soul before. He recognized Olrox used to live. I think Olrox was a lot more... 'puncher' and 'fiery' beforehand, before his previous lover died. I mean, if he wasn't more 'alive' before, why would he turn his previous lover into a vampire. Mizrak said that so it would hurt and to call him out.

(Though I feel like, religion has been thrown out the window for Mizrak, cant wait to see how Mizrak deals with it s2 LOLOLOL)

Ok now talking abt these two long shots together (the irony writes itself)

The placement of the characters is so important to feel that void and it makes the scene feel so much more empty, which is why it also has to be a long shot. It’s like, they’re supposed to fill in that gap, but they’re not. A general note is that shuffling characters off-center makes the scene feel unbalanced. The center line, the abbey, and the eclipse are already established and Mizrak is running off center. For Olrox's shot, there's a clearing to his right.

To Mizrak, Olrox should’ve run alongside him. There’s space for him

To Olrox, Mizrak should’ve stayed back. There’s space for him.

Now I'm done. My final notes is that this whole breakup scene is a massive setup for something for the next season (if not this season, just for something big later on), and my red strings are tying it to that animal line and holding if that makes sense? Everything in episode 8 IS a setting up for bigger things for season 2. We will get callbacks. (I say will, that is a very strong conviction LOL).

Also to wrap up, shot choices matter heavily. You need to connect with the audience immediately. A picture says 1000 words. Something as simple as maybe someone in a diner eating a burger, and its a close up of them talking may seem not that special but it changes a lot just by having a character in the middle or the left of the screen, especially in the greater scheme of a full scene.

Think of that one quote from Prince of Egypt where the priest says "A single thread in a tapestry though its color brightly shines can never see its purpose in the pattern of the grand design." Basically that LOL.

If I have time, I may go and do their other scenes (or even scenes of other characters)! They all build upon each other really nicely and despite their scenes being about 1-3 minutes long. They really pack in a lot of details. Their lives before directly affect what's happening at that very moment on screen and you can see it heavily influences how they interact with the world and each other!

[l3lithe]

"A god should know, where all her dragons are."

I've seen plenty of discussion about how it's shitty of Erzsebet and Drolta to refer to Olrox as a dragon, because Quetzalcoatl isn't really a dragon, but it's like... Extra shitty on other levels?

I mean, this quote is already somethin' because dragon or not, she's referring to him as hers and just making it clear that she does not intend to afford him any agency in this """partnership""".

But I keep Having Thoughts ™ about the role and symbolism of dragons in European folklore.

In the most general sense, they represent power. In a lot of these stories, the dragon is an obstacle between the heroic protagonist and some kind of secret treasure or knowledge (Wealth! Land!). Or the dragon is terrorizing a nearby village (Never mind if the 'dragon' was there first!!). Or the dragon is unfairly hoarding riches it has no use for (don't worry, the colonizers will show the 'primitive savages' how to make the most of their land!! Isn't that nice of them??)

In these stories, it's up to the hero to eliminate this obstacle that's separating them from some resource they feel entitled to, or to 'tame' it and exploit its power for their own purposes. As such, they're pretty on-the-nose colonialist propaganda when viewed under the right lens.

So I wanna talk about The Golden Legend of Saint George and The Dragon, which is one of the most famous of these stories.

Story goes: There's a dragon who's been terrorizing a nearby village. The people start offering the dragon livestock to appease it, and when they run out of livestock, they start holding a regular lotteries to sacrifice one unlucky person to the dragon.

St George shows up before the next person (king's daughter) is about to be eaten, and he doesn't kill the dragon, no. He dominates it:

S. George was upon his horse, and drew out his sword and garnished him with the sign of the cross, and rode hardily against the dragon which came towards him, and smote him with his spear and hurt him sore and threw him to the ground. And after said to the maid: Deliver to me your girdle, and bind it about the neck of the dragon and be not afeard. When she had done so the dragon followed her as it had been a meek beast and debonair.

*(debonair in the archaic sense = gentle)

Erzsebet makes it clear that if she can't be worshipped, being feared is the next best thing. She can't get Olrox to ally with her willingly, so she resorts to force. In the end, she's getting what she really wants: obedience and subservience. For him to follow her like a meek beast.

The Golden Legend doesn't stop there though:

Then she led [the dragon] into the city, and the people fled by mountains and valleys, and said: Alas! alas! we shall be all dead. Then S. George said to them: Ne doubt ye no thing, without more, believe ye in God, Jesu Christ, and do ye to be baptized and I shall slay the dragon. Then the king was baptized and all his people, and S. George slew the dragon and smote off his head, and commanded that he should be thrown in the fields, and they took four carts with oxen that drew him out of the city.

A couple things here that slot right into the themes of colonialism in the show:

The dragon is used used as a way to coerce people into converting to Christianity. Just as Olrox would have watched the Spanish settlers do to his people: under threat of force.

The dragon is feared by the villagers despite no longer being an actual threat, but St George does nothing to dispel those fears—he exploits them. Just as prejudices of all kinds are used to justify settler colonialism as necessary or inevitable.

The dragon is slain and discarded once St George is done with it. Just as Olrox would have watched the Americans betray and displace the Mohican people who allied with them during the revolution.

Erzsebet and Drolta calling Olrox a "Dragon" isn't just ignorant or disrespectful because he's not a dragon. It's downright degrading. They're not just refusing to address him properly—they're telling a man who has survived settler colonization twice over that they intend to use him as a tool with which to do it again.

Olrox spends the season carefully stepping around every appeal Drolta makes for him to pledge loyalty to Erzsebet. And he's damned good at it: never giving up his true intentions by saying no outright, but wiggling out of ever having to say yes by instead asking pointed questions and making cutting observations that always land the ball back in their side of the court.

But then this scene happens, and he can't wiggle out of it this time. They've got their dragon where they want him. He's pinned and 'meek'—and I can think of nothing more infuriating and degrading for a character like Olrox than to be paraded about in his own land to help Erzsebet build her empire across it.

Olrox isn't a dragon, but she's going to make him one.

[l3lithe]

This scene intrigued me a lot:

"I am afraid Olrox" ,HE IS AFRAID OF DEATH DESPITE HIM TELLING US THAT MONKS SHOULD NOT FEAR DEATHHH , and he tells Olrox. He wants comfort, wants A WAY OUT. He does not want to DIE. I feel this is a half permission for the 'DEED'.

On the other hand, Olrox listens intently, and it's attentive, he comforts him, secures him, mulls over THAT way of saving him, take times to.

Orlox comforts him phisically, and not only that, its a romantic gesture, affection, "It's gonna be fine", and the words MY LOVE the ultimate we AND THEM need to hear that, they indeed are connected more that phisically.

Mizrak is scared of what's to come, of turning of course, BUT DOEST NO REFUSE, is not TERRIFIED to push Olrox away, remember, half permission, half acceptance.

Resignation, after the pain of the bite, then crying for what's to come, even if hell go to hell, he's not alone.

And as an extra:

Putting the eroticism aside, Mizrak can no longer bask in that ray of light, he's rigid, unmoving possibly really angry. RIght after this he shows that he IS in a rage, then goes for the Olrox neck, and Olrox let's him , because HE IS THE FIRST drop of blood that he starvingly wants. In some works vampires, are drinking each other's blood and is seen as erotic and can be equalled with s3x, as they feel euphoria.

And in conclusion:

I'm crying my heart out right now, credit for this analysis to @b-l-u-e-equinox , she did an amazing job!

Thank you for reading