#also alucard i see you

[theangelofbrahma]

it being yaoi day on the same day as national girlfriend day must be great for those gay vampires with their genderfuckery

[cry-ptidd]

"All I see is a slave."

"And all I see is a fool."

[mystickingstuff]

Gotta love when you have a character with two love interests and they're all so great that the only choice for them is to do polyamory. Hell yeah let them be a throuple, an OT3 if you will. A trio of lovers. And they're all bisexual?? That's even better!!

[xxplastic-cubexx]

Age of Apocalypse and the Legion Quest lead-in is worth a read if you have the time. In AoA, Erik spends every chance he has to tell anyone about how special Charles was to him. 😭

i just KNOW being around him gotta be exhausting as hell why is he like that .....

[sneepity-snoop-snorpity-sneep]

I gotta blabber for a sec about how much I appreciate how unique and SO not-simple of an antagonist Olrox is.

like he's introduced as the Vampire Who Kills Richter's Mom, and it was a straight-up murder. Like he fully sought her out, she was in the process of sending her kid overseas most likely because she knew he was coming - even before we fully get Olrox's side of the context, we can tell that shit was personal. Right down to the vivid green eyes, he's giving weirdly chill disney villain vibes. But the entire rest of the show? He's the dude in the bad guy car of the villain train just sitting and judging (OH is he judging) every other person there.

Olrox tracking down and killing Julia Belmont is the most confrontational we ever see him get. Every other scene he's in? He's watching, assessing, sometimes philosophizing, and eventually pulling his own chess moves, but fighting? Rarely! And the additional context of his character makes him even more fascinating!!

Olrox is really one of the only vampires in both Castlevania and C: Nocturne that seems to hold onto a connection to a human's life - even after he's no longer one. He reminisces to Mizrak about being a human during the fall of the Aztec Empire, he chooses to spend his time more like a human than any vamp since Lisa sent Dracula traveling like a human way back when.

Homeboy crossed the Atlantic by fucking ship, at a time when the trip took literal weeks and weeks and he can't even leave his quarters except at nighttime (granted, idk if he *has* a faster way to cross the ocean but it kinda seems like he'd do the ship trip anyways) he chooses to rent a room at an inn instead of staying at the chateau (and boink a cute human in said room, cough cough), and really seems to avoid other vampires - although I'm not sure if that's cuz he just doesn't vibe with 'em in general, or because he really doesn't vibe with the current hot vampire philosophy of the century, which seems to be very heavy-handled colonialism + elitism

I kinda wouldn't be surprised if it's both honestly - given that the only other vampire we meet besides him who spent time in the americas/new world was a literal plantation owning slaver (and unless I misremember, Annette says there were multiple vampires among the rich in St. Domingue), it seems pretty likely to me that whoever turned him was probably a vamp who had a direct hand in the downfall of his nation - coming to the New World specifically for conquest and to seize resources seems like it would be hella appealing for vampires. It would make a LOT of sense for Olrox's standoffish behavior around the other vamps to go back to him having been turned by someone very similar to them, who was probably not just an enemy to him, but part of this massive wave of destructive change in his human life.

like he really gives an impression of actively disliking and withdrawing from every other villain's motivation in this show - and it makes a lot of sense if my speculating is even a little bit close. The vampire's goals in Nocturne would be very nearly the same thing that drove the fall of the Aztec Empire - desire for power and control, justified by some """""natural order"""" hierarchy which really just boils down to 'we want all of this and we're going to indulge in making up a dramatic jerk-off reason why we're entitled to it, since you can't stop us taking it anyways and we've got time'

Dude seems to make little effort to be vampire-like - we rarely see him revel in his power like many other vampires do, as well as seeing him nonchalantly rubbing elbows with humans. He speaks fondly of a man he loved, who he fell for while said guy was still human, TO the other human he is currently crushing on! And I do mean crush, like he doesn't react to or treat Mizrak like a plaything, almost every time we get an Olrox lore-drop it's because he's talking to Mizrak sincerely about things that matter to him. He LIKE-likes this human, to the point of jumping directly into a fight to whisk Le Crush to safety in front of a vampire so powerful he won't directly oppose her! Absolutely fascinating behavior all around.

MAN but I want to see some flashbacks from this guy - as far as we know, vampirism is completely an Old World thing - Europe, Asia, Africa, every other vampire we've seen in both Castlevania shows has been from these continents. Were there even any vamps there at all before europeans landed on the shores of the americas???? I mean, I've heard of one of the old religions in mesoamerica having a suspiciously vampirelike god, but how would that connect to Olrox getting vampirized as a 30ish Aztec man?

MAN OH MAN but I am looking forward to seeing what Olrox gets up to in s2 -I'm burning to know if he's gonna survive the series or not, because despite him being the first villain we meet in Nocturne and doing a deed that usually gets villains the 'karmic death' ending, overall he's not really being written like a bad guy the audience wants to see go down. especially since he's not actually in opposition to our protagonists and has a vested interest in keeping one of Team Good Guys newer members alive. My guess is he's either going to get a similar ending to Isaac, a villain that we root for who actually catches a break and doesn't die, ooorrrrrrrr he's gonna get a Highly Tragic sort of death

[ladymidnight-goesforth]

Tamlin Week 2024, Day 4: (a belated) Happily Ever After

@tamlinweek

We stood atop the hill in silence, until the setting sun gilded the house and the hills and the world and Lucien called us to dinner. ~ A Court of Thorns and Roses, ch. 45

This was inspired by the meadow scene in Studio Ghibli's "Howl's Moving Castle", hence the Ghibli-esque illustration style I went for here.

Many pro-Tamlin fans prefer to think of ACOTAR as a standalone book, and I am no exception. So my contribution to the "Happily Ever After" theme is them walking off into the sunset at the end of book 1. I hope you like it.

I am the artist. Please do not repost without permission.

[necrophilemagpie]

as much as i love the idea of fan kids in media with immortals in it[and i do find peoples fankid ocs generally fun], i don't think Integra would do that even adopted even whatever, at least not intentionally.

I gotta be real, I don't think she'd want to do that to Alucard unless there Really isn't another choice. One would assume he is bound to the bloodline/inheritance line and another heir is kind of just... extending the capacity of this to hurt him for at least another generation.

Unless the powers that be threaten to do something bigger than him otherwise, Integra, who seems to have intentionally picked the under-equipped for the position and non-related Penwood jr to get the organization after her death, her plan here is pretty clear. She wouldn't have a 'real' heir if she can help it because she wants Alucard free of the bond after her, she wants to be the last person with the capacity to take away his autonomy like that.

none of the characters in this show are good people exactly, but I do think she feels a kind of remorse for both her family's past likely uncountable abuse towards him, and personally for perhaps overstepping a boundary or two. because that just Will Happen if you have that kind of 100% control over someone.

Legit, that's why you rarely hear her specify something as an 'order' even when he obviously acts out, only in real key moments/after their back and forth they do for that. I genuinely do not think she likes to use the full extent of the power she has over him, just more so fill that role in his life so he feels... comfortable for a lack of a better word? There is fun powerful and there is 'this is something my father would do to you' and i reckon hard orders are a lot more of the latter

i don't think she'd trust an heir or a potential heir's heir to tell the difference.

partially because i don't know how much she trusts herself to.

[pebblezone]

Took 30 years to get there!

[loadinghellsing]

Hello! Can you share your Alucard headcanons please?

Thank you 💞

AN EAGER YES- (I have quite a lot so I brought it down to my top 3)

Vlad's human form maintains its human scars. It bears the visual weight of age and time. Within Alucard, Vlad is akin to an open wound. An infected wound bleeding memories of his humanity and tales of his damnation.

2. Hellsing's seals don't reach Vlad. Where Alucard's waking moments are amidst a dream, Vlad is the dreamer. Alucard's a monster sculpted from anger, betrayal, and vengeance. The seals are to control the monster. The dream that only works to destroy its self and all those in its way. They have no say over the human Alucard buries away and hides like an ugly wound.

3. Alucard is a bird person.

3 is the most important.

(edit: explained HC 1&2 in more depth with anon if anyone wants further insight to why)

[klqrambles]

Trying to figure out how to draw these guys theyre so funny to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[purplebass]

Thought about Lila's trauma and drinking as her copying mechanism to deal with her emotions (in relation to her relationship with Kell but also with Alucard) so I wrote a post because I had so much to say :)

Special mention to @bluecichlid because your comment under my Lila meets her father again fanfic inspired part of this post so thank you lol

tw: alcohol mention, tw: trauma mention, tw: anxiety mention

We know from bits here and there that Lila's father was an alcoholic and she often ran away from home and he didn't even notice. This forced Lila grow up fast and her needs were never met. Lila using her father's copying mechanism to avoid dealing with things (mostly emotionally related) is not surprising. No one taught her what in psychology is defined as "emotional literacy", which is the skill to understand/deal with emotions related to oneself and the outside world. She learned that by herself by trial and error and observation, but of course this human skill is also sharpened by interactions a person has with their caregiver(s) and with their peers, which help us regulate our emotions and act according to what society expects us to do. From the look of it, Lila doesn't seem to have had any meaningful relationships after she left her father for good. Barron was a fatherly figure to her but she never truly let him in. Then she met Kell, and her life began to change because he was the first person with whom she was able to make a deeper connection. Then came Alucard, with whom she equally shares a deep connection which is different from the one she has with Kell, and many many more. I only mention them because they are important for the discourse I'm making in this post.

Lila likes to drink as a way not to process her emotions and numb them, because she is avoidant and dismissive just like her caregiver used to be. Drinking is her response to trauma. It's Lila's favorite copying mechanism along with fighting (both physical and magical) to blow off steam. It's the quickest way to kick her emotions to the curb because they are too much and she isn't sure she can control them. She doesn't want to be crushed by them, which scares her (hence avoidant but she also wants to feel). But canon hints that Lila prefers to drink alone rather than with someone. She doesn't feel safe drinking with others because she doesn't want to lose control, so she tries not to exaggerate.

Lila's drinking in relation to Kell: trying not to think about him hurting in tftop + Kell rewiring Lila's past trauma into a good one

Her drinking is often emphasized after she goes or someone is going through something. For example in tftop, she goes with the crew to drink after the fight on the vessel where Kell gets hurt by his magic and she knows he needs to be alone. She tries to divert her feelings (being worried about Kell and wanting to comfort him but being unable to do so) by celebrating the mission the crew accomplished, but she ends up thinking about him anyway while she drinks by herself.

I mentioned this moment specifically because this is one of the moments in the series where Lila has a positive outcome linked to her drinking, and it rewires her past traumatic experience. When she returns to the ship after drinking, Kell is waiting for her. He pretends to be sleeping because he doesn't want to appear anxious when she's out at night, since she prides of her independence and knows how to take care of herself. But Lila knows that he is waiting and she has an ambivalent reaction to it. She is glad but she also thinks he doesn't need to do that because she doesn't need to be looked after. So Kell tries to meet her in between by pretending to sleep, knowing that he needs to trust her or his anxiety will eat him. Kell fears abandonment as much as Lila does, and by doing what her father never did, he gives her the safety she needs and whom she doesn't dare to ask for from him. She equally gives him the safety he needs when she returns safely into his arms at night.

The same happens in acol while they are on the Ghost. Lila drinks while she plays and loses her boots to Jasta, and Kell gives her his so she can have her boots back. They have a moment before the ship is attacked and Kell asks how much did she drink. Liquid courage makes her honest and she confesses she rarely drinks in company because she doesn't want to be caught unawares.

Drinking and having fun is a way to deal with everything happening (risking to die because of Osaron, Lila finally accepting her feelings for Kell/his feelings for her, dealing with her new identity as an antari). But she instantly sobers up once she realizes that they are all in danger and we see how quickly the adrenaline makes her react to the new situation.

Kell tries to help Lila relax after a bad drinking experience

Another moment I want to point out in relation to Lila, Kell and drinking is when Hastra gives Lila the tonic to make her sleep. Kell gets mad at Hastra for spiking her drink because he knows how much she would hate that because it was done against her consent. When they are in Verose in tftop, in fact, Lila doesn't seem to want to drink at first, but Kell encourages her by saying: "not everything is a trap," and she decides to trust him and tries to relax. It tugs at her heartstrings that he sees her and is learning and trying to silently support her when she doesn't even know she needs support. This is love.

Lila's drinking in relation to Alucard: he wants to get information out of her + he's also a sort of confidante to her

There are other moments where she drinks while she is with Alucard in agos and he's trying to find things about her while teaching her magic. However, when she drinks with him and the crew she is guarded, and she never drinks enough to lose control and never does things she would regret. Her drinking is calculated.

Lila also drinks with Alucard in tftop. Alucard jokes and says "I'm far more fun than Kell," when he asks Lila why she's there to drink. She agrees, but her mask slips because it's easier to show Alucard (who I consider Lila's bff) how she really feels. Lila doesn't openly say that she's worried about Kell but Alucard understands because he is good at observing people just like Lila. She also lets him in her plans to catch the Hand. Alucard was the only one who knew about Kosika, about the Hand meeting and more - things Lila didn't tell Kell. That's not casual. Lila confides in Alucard because he is a friend and because it's easier to talk to him than to confide in Kell, with whom she's romantically involved and was in a difficult moment at that point of the story. She precisely avoids to talk to him about this because she loves him too much and she doesn't want to burden him. She knows he would worry too much if she did, and she doesn't want to add that burden to the emotional baggage he's been carrying for years. It's Lila's way to protect Kell from potential harm.

I wanted to say more things but I said enough lmao. Thank you if you read so far and if you have thoughts, feel free to interact <3

[fire-branded]

Continued from here:

The Cursebreaker laughed softly and nodded. "Our little secret," Miles agreed. Any that remained could be given to Kenneth, or held onto by one of the two for the future. Either way, it was certain to be put to good use.

The pat to his back received a subtle reach and squeeze to the other's lower forearm. More akin to a light graze of his hand around Otto's wrist; it was enough to show affection, yet not enough to be overly noticeable to anyone they passed by on their excursion down to the lower level of the Hideaway. The sleeping quarters of the Cursebreakers awaited them, and Miles held no qualms with showing the other to his dormitory.

Upon reaching that oh-so familiar, yet not at all unique door into his living quarters, the bottle was handed to the head steward for safe keeping. Then he eased the wooden barrier open and motioned in a polite half-bow for his friend to enter.

"After you, my lord."

The room was, as one would expect, simple. It contained a bed, a small writing desk and chair, and an equally simple little bedside table. The bed was neatly made, blankets undisturbed -- or untouched, rather. On the writing desk was an array of papers, from half-finished letters to carefully read reports. Each one held a common thread of being disheveled, in stark contrast to the bedding. For the most part, personal effects were scarce; a sheathed sword was resting against the far wall. There were two items tacked up to the walls: a map of Storm, as well as an age-worn Rosarian banner, as tattered and beaten as the Grand Duchy herself, but still holding on just as proudly as her people.

And there were books, a few stacks of books scattered about. An open journal sat upon the desk's surface, though the current pages were still empty.

The door was quietly closed behind Miles, where he hesitated with hand upon the doorknob. "Please, make yourself comfortable," he encouraged. "I thought it best to go somewhere private, that you might feel more at ease in telling me more about yourself. About your life before this, about Deryn and your former family, about... well, you."

When the older man did turn around, there was a gentle, warm smile playfully tugging at the corners of his lips. "If, of course, it is not too painful for you to discuss. Curious though I am, and as much as I desire to get to know the two of you more --" There was a pause. The smile faltered for a split second, then returned anew with even greater sympathy in tow. "-- I also understand that there are some wounds that are far too painful to wish to talk about."

@hideawaysteward

[cry-ptidd]

What do you think about Seras/Alucard? I don't like this ship, because it's more like vertical incest. So, I wonder. Sorry mew

I am sorry anon for my reply

- personal rating: 9/10

- HCs: Seras forcefully introduced Alucard to normal couple activities like cuddling, domesticity and such. Alucard got absolute whiplash when she called him "love" instead of "master"

- OTP level: a good,,, 7.5? Perhaps

- Would I have liked to see it canon: No, actually. I think this ship was best left for the fandom; it would've been a bit too on the nose in canon imo. I also think that it would've reduced Seras's character as just the cute love interest in the eyes of a lot of fans and she wouldn't have gotten the respect she deserves smfh

- General opinion: I actually really like this ship i won't lie. I generally prefer the more mentor/mentee or begrudging father/adoptive daughter dynamic for them, because it's both funny and interesting to explore their mutual feelings with it, but a romantic vision of Aluseras doesn't bother me at all. It's a ship I'd enjoy in art and fics for fun but wouldn't DIE for

[tired-apa]

Im rewatching Castlevania netflix rn, and everything is more fascinating for me now as i have gained knowledge from the past games and the stylistic choices they made for the shows is soooo RAAAAGGGHHHH I love it so much even more how they incorporate things. I love the first meeting for trevor, alucard, and sypha that it rlly makes me soft knowing how they bonded all throughout the seasons UEUEUEUE I LOVE CASTLEVANIA SO MUCH IM GONNA COMBUST

[blue-howlite]

[valentinesparda]

having watched bram stoker's dracula again I am now experiencing Thoughts