#castlevania s2

[oneforblu]

castlevania season 2 finale was so bittersweet. highlighting sypha and trevor's development while also emphasizing alucard's grief. i was so happy that sypha and trevor had decided to stay together. their relationship has so much potential to grow, and i am so excited to see where it goes from here! on the other hand, alucard sitting alone in his home breaking down made my chest hurt so much. the only people who have known him since birth are gone and now he's left all by himself. i'm hoping alucard can heal from everything that happened and even have a chance to find his own happiness.

these three have grown so close in such a short time, i'm hoping it won't be long until they reunite again <3

[daeyumi]

Alucard [2021]

[gvalesdraws]

Devastation, regeneration, transformation.

(this is very vague interpretation and my personal thoughts how did happen olrox's first transformation into Quetzalcoatl)

(A bit more of the talking and inspirations under the cut)

+ my favourite shots!

So for some time I've been speculating about Olrox's backstory (you can find some bits in my latest post, but much more is inside my head), and at some point I was thinking about his turning into a vampire. In what circumstances did it happen? What was the motive of Spanish who turned him? What was Olrox's own attitude to it? So many thoughts and possibilities...Then I saw this statue of Quetzalcoatl and got really inspired to learn animation just to draw Olrox's first transformation to his feathered-serpent form; I loooove when transformations are a bit quirky and have tried to depict it.

I left the whole scene a bit vague, so everybody can interpret it in their own way (please share your thoughts!!) but something here is clear: the vampire who turned him is very much dead + I was thinking how blood could be connected to his changing of form, so it is very present here. I also took some freedom with the image of Quetzalcoatl on the mural, but I've based him slightly on the figure of the Feathered-Serpent on the Acuecuexatl's stone , and added featherwork because I think it is magnificent and I love it very much.

[drolta]

they devoured with this 🔥

[kundool]

-✨🌕✨-

[extravagantlylestat]

Of course not, Mizrak. I’m not in love with you. :)

[medu-nefer]

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

[pinkmirth]

they’re literally the best couple ever

[olroxvampiregold]

MY HANDSOME AZTEC 🫦🫦🔥🔥

[cryling-art]

With every suffering a wisdom is gained 🍷✨

I really love Drolta, so getting to see more about her in Castlevania Nocturne S2 was so gratifying.

[demigoddessqueens]

In another life….

I would have loved doing laundry and taxes with you

[oneforblu]

castlevania s2 thoughts!! *spoilers*

I have been looking forward to watching this series FOR SO LONG. I have always loved dark fantasy in medieval settings, so I knew this show would be fun to watch!

s1 was a short but perfect way to begin the rest of the show. You meet the main characters, get introduced to Dracula and his rampage on mankind, and towards the end of s1, we finally get our trio together.

S2 began the journey of fighting Dracula. What I loved the most was watching Sypha, Trevor, and Alucard warm up to one another as the season went by. The annoyance between Trevor and Alucard while Sypha was the mediator was so sweet to see! They were able to rely on each other despite barely meeting.

Once the trio found their way to the Belmont house, I knew I would love these characters for a long time! Watching Trevor remember his family's relics was so bittersweet. Knowing that he was forced to flee his ancestral home because of the church was heartbreaking, but as he walked through the halls, you could see the inner child in him heal little by little. Sypha running around excited about the books was so cute; she's such an intelligent woman who's not afraid to put herself in danger for what's right. While she's studying and Trevor is looking, Alucard is roaming around looking at all the deceased vampire remains. Although Alucard is on the side of humans, he is part vampire at the end of the day. It added more to Alucard's character. You could see the individual character's personalities shine brighter as they take in the belmont library and i love that!

The Dracula plotline is very interesting because he always seems indifferent to his scheme to end the human race. While the vampires who worked under him are desperate to wreak havoc, Dracula sits in his room quietly. Obviously, he wasn't as involved in his plan as he once was. He was a shell of the man he once was, which became more evident in the season finale. Watching him tear up at the thought of killing his son DESTROYED ME!! As stated many times in the series, Dracula is a brilliant man, yet it is clear to Alucard and himself that he is no longer the person he used to be.

Carmilla was an interesting character who constantly worked to make her plan succeed. She manipulates Hector, uses the vampire's anger to hatch her plan, and persuades Dracula to move the castle, all steps toward her potential success.

However, all it took was a hunter, a witch, and a half-vampire to take down the most feared creature in the land. As the trio storms the castle, they quickly take control and fight off all their enemies. The teamwork was insane to watch. It was like these three had known each other their whole lives. The chemistry between them is what I love the most about this series. It's obvious they were all destined to meet and save the world together.

The season finale was so bittersweet. For starters, Sypha and Trevor's decision to travel together and continue their mission was so beautiful!!! They have so much respect for each other; you can see how much stronger they are together. Trevor was able to find a meaning for himself, while Sypha was able to realize how much she had to offer the world. These two together will be unstoppable!! I'm so excited to see their continued character growth and how their romance grows!!

On the other hand, the ending scene with the Alucard broke my heart. To save the world, he had to kill his father in his childhood home. Alucard understood his father was grieving; he was too, yet he knew he had to protect the human race in honor of his mother. Watching him cry alone brought tears to my eyes. He's such a lonely soul. Although Trevor and Sypha gave him a new purpose, his grief and sadness are still too much for him. I'm hoping we'll be able to see him heal in the next season.

overall, castlevania s2 is easily 10/10!!! It is such an amazing season, and I can't wait for more!!

[rococo-crow]

[telestorm]

the dynamic between drolta and erzsebet is so fascinating to me because at first glance, you assume that the former is solely the top subordinate when, in actuality, it’s drolta who wields the power in the dynamic, not erzsebet. the entire plan to turn erzsebet into sekhmet hinges on drolta’s approval, not hers. every vessel is expendable in her eyes if their bodies fail to hold the goddess’ power, and we see that unfold countless times. what makes the whole relationship even more compelling is that there is an unrequited emotional connection that erzsebet has that she assumes is reciprocated. she is heartbroken over drolta’s death, rages at the abbot for even suggesting that she cannot be revived, and is very happy when she is. never once does it occur to her that drolta’s loyalty and love is conditional, nor does she stop to consider that not only does drolta’s loyalty to sekhmet supersede her loyalty to her, because that’s the only person drolta truly cares about and has genuine love and loyalty for.

[drolta]

I’m obsessed with them

[phoenixwithapencil]

In this essay I will explain how the branding scene was in no way Olrox’s character getting bungled but made his character better instead

Spoilers for s2 below the cut

Olrox’s introduction in s1e1 was about getting revenge for a murdered lover.

And Olrox is established to love Mizrak too in much the same way.

He also blatantly refuses to let Mizrak die. Twice. Once in s1e8 and once in s2e2, both of which have Mizrak trying to join a fight that Olrox states will get him killed. He will not let Mizrak die. And to him, that goal is more important than Mizrak’s complaints or the fate of innocents or the fate of the world.

With that half of the setup out of the way, I can talk about Olrox and Erzebet’s first meeting.

They are actively sizing each other up during this and determining what the other wants.

Olrox is flippant, disrespectful, and downright rude because in his eyes, this is a colonizer playing god who blindly expects him to fall in line- even when he says he will never worship her. Hell, he doesnt care when Erzebet shows off her magic tricks. What matters is when Drolta suggests that Olrox has a weakness, implying that it’s something that will be exploited if Olrox doesn’t bow down to them.

And he does bow- pissed as he is- even when he’s directly told that Erzebet and Drolta want him to help colonize the new world.

It doesn’t particularly matter if Drolta actually knew his weakness. What matters is that she’s powerful and clever enough, with enough underlings, to find it- or rather- him and leverage him against Olrox. And that. Cannot. Happen.

In s2e2 however, Olrox gets reckless. He starts lying to Drolta and Erzebet. He ‘didn’t even bother looking for the warrior-monk’ but that’s not true at all. Hell, he finds Mizrak and the whole gaggle of heroes that he ‘definitely didn’t see’.

This is not. a terribly subtle lie. Drolta’s thoroughly studying him and almost certainly picks up on his bullshit but doesn’t call him on it. Not yet.

Now we arrive at the branding scene in s2e3

Drolta points out that Olrox really hasn’t done anything to prove his loyalty and he decides to bow and play nice and tell Erzebet just how much he admires and worships her because that’s the best way forward, even if it’s a bald faced lie because Olrox said he’d *never* worship her

At this point, his bluff gets tacitly called by Drolta, who asks him what he has sacrificed- what will he die for? And Erzebet chimes in with, “or who?”

She follows this up with some *very* specific phrasing, “If you love me Olrox…” and here she pauses to put a thumb to his lips which is Very Intentionally adding the subtext of romantic or physical love. She’s stating that she knows Olrox has a person he loves. And she knows who it is.

This isn’t a vague threat anymore. Erzebet’s telling him that he’s on a much shorter leash now and that Mizrak is going to be put in harms way if he doesn’t behave. Drolta would kill him. And then it would be over. He cannot. Let Mizrak. Die.

He’s been willing to compromise on his morals before for Mizrak, been willing to bow to colonizers and let the world burn for Mizrak. What is a brand that will fade quickly enough? What is the damage to his pride in the face of losing Mizrak forever? He can compromise once more if it means Mizrak will live. He *must* live.

The whole scene is *there* because it shows that when push comes to shove, Olrox will do *anything* to keep his boyfriend alive. It’s what he values absolutely above all else and when he’s forced to choose, Olrox will pick Mizrak’s life every time.

(This does also serve as setup to the s2 finale and the Olrox/Mizrak shenanigans there)

TLDR Olrox let himself get branded to keep Mizrak safe, not because he was just being a doormat. The writers were very intentionally showing that he’d compromise every other moral and belief- including not playing nice with rich colonizer assholes- to the end of not letting Drolta get near Mizrak.

That is all, thank you for coming to my ted talk, and grab a cookie on your way out 🍪