#cv cod

[wyverncult]

HECTOR, IS THAT YOU!

[maximkischin-e]

a request for the colour palette/expression meme, maybe trevor in 4 and 1d?

SUPER CUTE ONE! thanks for sending! :D

[ done for the palette meme! ]

[castlephantom]

Trevor Belmont

The show:

Akumajou Dracula fans: *complaining about characters design, personality.*

NFCV fans: You can't accept the changes of Trevor. They did beter then those stupid games!

Dead by Daylight:

NFCV fans: This isn't our Trevor! They ruined him!

Akumajou Dracula fans: This Trevor is our Trevor.

NFCV fans are hypocrites at this point.

[the-crow-binary]

Behold: The boys being boys (aka Hector being a short king compared to Isaac <3)

[beevean]

cars use fuel to work

i use terrible takes about hector and n!hector :)

[beevean]

This is true. Shadow's story is not as simple as "bestie died, me mad, gonna kill everyone in revenge". That was Gerald's snapping moment, and even then we got to hear his slow, scary descent into insanity. Shadow's trauma was his memory getting twisted to turn him into an agent of destruction by defiling Maria's last words. In Battle, Shadow laments being a weapon, and that wasn't because of Maria's trauma: it was because of Gerald using him like that.

But I also want to point out this:

I don't disagree with you saying that Maria is a plot device to motivate Shadow, as that is true.

Maria was created as a very typical case of Fridged Woman, and this is undeniable. As a concept, she exists to motivate Gerald and indirectly Shadow with her tragic loss: to make her more pitiable, she's also a young, ill girl. But future games attempted to, however in small part, flesh her out beyond that. In her two levels of ShTH, Maria wants to focus on helping the wounded researchers even as the soldiers are chasing her and Shadow, she declares that the Healing Unit is Gerald's greatest creation, she muses about the times Shadow used to run down slopes, she seems to know that the Artificial Chaos were based on an ancient god, and she admits that she thinks they look kind of cute... There were attempts to make her more than "that girl who got capped": you get an idea of how far she'd go to help, her past with Shadow, her love for her grandpa, and some of her knowledge. And you'd think that fans would like to see more of that! That's why I find baffling that instead they've gone backwards and are clamoring to reduce her once more to a Fridged Tragic Girl to fuel Shadow's eternal pain.

I'd actually be interested to know why you think that Maria's death strips Shadow of his nuance. That's the catalyst for his life turning out how it does. I wouldn't think that would take away from him. What do you mean?

I don't disagree with you saying that Maria is a plot device to motivate Shadow, as that is true. But, it's a pretty common method of storytelling. Like how so many protagonists have dead parents that give them a reason to do what they do.

Considering that many people are hyper focusing on the whole 'Maria's death motivated Shadow', when in truth it was Gerald going insane from Maria's death and then tampering with Shadow's memories that caused Shadow to be so eager to use the ARK as an Earth annihilation device in the first place. This is all layed out, front and center, in Sonic Adventure 2.

Maria's 'wish', her last words to Shadow, were tampered with in order for Gerald to have his final revenge against those who betrayed him. The dude literally used Shadow as a post-humorous catalyst to kill everyone on Earth. Yet you don't hear anyone talking about how Maria's death affected Gerald to basically brainwash Shadow to do Gerald's bidding posthumously. By attributing the misery Gerald went through to Shadow, you LOSE nuance as to why Shadow moved on in the first place.

[undefeatablesin]

Hi, I saw your last post!

It's a bit funny to me. I moved from Sonic to Castlevania precisely because Discourse made it intolerable to me, only to see that many people who produced content back in the day moved out of Castlevania for... Discourse, let's just say. But I think I still got the right timing, because not only I found a small yet tightknit community of game fans where I was free to be creative in my own way, now the game fandom is getting fed in all sorts of tasty ways <3

Anyway, my point is, while at first I didn't really like reblogging old art (which was a problem since the best art I've seen was made, like 10 years ago lol), you were one of the artists I found during my binge. I think your CV art is still striking to this day, although I have no doubts that you've improved further since then :) I especially like the way you use thick lines and bright colors, and the soft way you draw faces and the waves of the hair

(also, well, I'm biased because CoD is my favorite CV game, and you have drawn some spectacular Hector, Isaac and Trevor <3)

I think I just wanted to say that I fully understand the feeling of having to distance yourself from something you love, but still being tied to it. And if you ever decide to come back... we're using the tag "akumajou dracula" now. For Reasons ;)

Take care!

Hi there! Thanks for popping in ✨️

As someone who just watches from afar these days, seeing the paradigm shift starting to happen in the CV fandom right now has been pretty vindicating and uplifting! It is a much better time to be an active fan of the games than it was when I was participating in the community a few years ago, that's for sure.

I'm still really grateful even my old and less polished work was able to bring some joy to newcomers to the fandom though! It's been a really pleasant surprise to see the influx of engagement lately and I really appreciate you taking the time to stop by to mention it. I like to at least think my work has seen some improvement since then, so perhaps I'll put that theory to the test if I ever revisit some of my old CV art in the present 😂

Hector and Trevor are my beloveds right next to Leon and Mathias, all of which rotted my brain for immeasurable hours of my life, but they are hours I look back upon very fondly! It'd be a treat to draw them again some day with (potentially) new and improved skills and now seems like a great time to do so at that. I may not be an active participant in the fandom nowadays, but I will always be a lover of the franchise regardless 💙

Thank you for your kind words and the heads-up about the tag! I'll be sure to use it if I have anything new to bring to the scene.

[ebvermin]

ok really dumb rant about CV:Nocturne

Honestly, I shouldn’t really be surprised that they skipped like 300 years worth of games and went straight from CoD to Rondo, presumably following with SotN in like season 3 of it. I mean, how could they *not* bring back Alucard, y’know? And what would they even do for Christopher and Simon Belmont, just have Dracula magically resurrect like he does in the games, kinda completely invalidating the buildup to the massive fight from season 2?

And look, the legendary Simon Belmont really isn’t the most fleshed-out character, as opposed to Richter, who could actually be a really interesting character to explore in this adaptation. I mean, sure, he starts off as your typical noble hero, slaying monsters and saving maidens, the typical classic CV fare, but there’s just this lil something something in his dialogue with Dracula in Rondo that tells a much more important side to his character.

D: It is not by my own power that I am resurrected. It is a greed of humanity which calls me back. And thus, by might, I rule. Might becomes the one and only justice in this world!

R:  Of all the self-serving claptrap! The same basic faith drives all people to seek, to come together, to move forward. That surely can't be an evil thing!

D:  And yet, here I am. Do you not have any desires?

R: (hesitantly) Well...

Right there, The only moment we see Richter stagger thus far, when his true intentions are called into question. Yes, Richter is a hero through and through, but what happens after he fulfills his destiny? Of course, we see this in Symphony, where Richter’s desires cause him to be mesmerized by the Shaft, and end up resurrecting the very thing his family swore to destroy 700 years ago, just to show his own self-serving might. And, I can imagine that this very same folly is gonna happen in Nocturne as well, because you know the writers are just *begging* to do SotN! So, it makes sense why they skip to Rondo, but, they didn’t have to skip everything...

in 1748, fifty years before the events of Rondo, a man named Maxim returned from a two-year training journey, gravely wounded from an apparent attack upon him, but with no memory of his entire expedition. However, he comes bearing news that a childhood friend of his, Lydie, had been kidnapped by an evil force. And the first person he goes to, his most trusted friend...

Juste Belmont

The Grandson of Simon Belmont, and eventual grandfather of Richter, Juste is surprised to learn of the unexpected return of Dracula’s Castle, and he and Maxim leave at once to investigate. And from here, the two embark on a story of confusion, betrayal, and the folly of pride and jealousy.

You see, Maxim, despite training as hard as he can, knows that he’ll never get the same notoriety as Juste, for no other reason than that Juste is of the legendary Belmont clan. But, it’s this very jealousy that allows the spirit of Dracula to enter Maxim’s heart, slowly corrupting him and causing Castle Dracula to return in the first place, fifty years early. 

Sounds familiar?

And look, I’m not saying that Harmony of Dissonance needs an entire adaptation, i’m lying yes it does But at least a season or a few episodes dedicated to it would seriously help the story a lot! Just because Dracula isn’t alive, doesn’t mean that his spirit can’t influence the evil in people’s hearts, which would be a perfect parallel to how Richter eventually falls to his own desires. Honestly, Harmony as a whole is a really good prelude to Rondo and Symphony, and i do hope it at least gets a mention in the new series!

but if we can be real they probably wont even revive dracula anyway because he kinda just wanted to die in season 2 anyway and what are they just gonna have dracula fight alucard again after the whole “im killing my boy” speech so i guess my whole point is kinda moot unless what is he gonna revive carmilla or something sure she was actually in rondo but come on thats ridiculous

look man i just like harmony of dissonance 

[usafphantom2]

With the V-22 grounded, the Navy's venerable C-2 are coming back into action

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 12/23/2023 - 21:52in Military

Currently, there is only one tiltrotor Bell V-22 Osprey unit operating in the U.S. military. As a result, the U.S. Pacific Fleet again used the C-2A Greyhound to transport to and from aircraft carriers.

After the fall in late November of a U.S. Air Force Special Operations CV-22B near Yakushima Island, Japan, in which eight aviators died, all the Ospreys of the Navy, the Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force were landed on December 6.

Only the Navy Middle Tiltrotor Squadron VMM-162 (part of the 26ª Navy Expeditionary Unit) flying MV-22B received special permission to conduct limited operations because it has detachments on ships currently deployed, including the USS Bataan (LHD-5) and the USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) in the Red Sea and USS Green Table (LPD-19) in the Eastern Mediterranean.

All the other Ospreys are grounded. This left some U.S. Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers without their on-board delivery aircraft (COD). Most Fleet aircraft carriers based on the West Coast began using the Osprey CMV-22B variant as CODs starting with the first deployment of the tiltrotors on the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) in 2021.

The CMV-22B took over the COD mission both to replace the old C-2As and to serve the Navy's F-35C. Osprey can load the Pratt & Whitney F-135 engine of the Join Strike Fighter and land with it on the aircraft carrier. Greyhound is not big enough to do that.

As a result, the C-2s that served most of the West Coast aircraft carriers in previous decades were transferred to the Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia, on the East Coast, to support the Atlantic Fleet aircraft carriers whose Air Wings do not yet have F-35C squadrons.

Currently, Vinson, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) use Osprey. On Tuesday, Vinson was operating in the Philippine Sea area, while Roosevelt and Lincoln are currently at their home port in San Diego.

TAP ARROW BUTTON TO VIEW☝️

The Japan-based USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is currently in the port of Yokosuka, but is still deployed with C-2 based on land at the Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station in Japan. Their status in port allowed the C-2 of the VRC-30 squadron based in Iwakuni to be deployed to Vinson.

First placed on the field in the mid-1960s, the C-2 overcame the first problems to become a true Navy flagship. The same cannot be said of the CMV-22B yet. The grounding that began earlier this month is the second of the U.S. Navy's Osprey fleet this year.

All three Forces flying on Osprey paralyzed part of their V-22 fleets in February due to an ongoing problem with the hard transmission of the tiltrotor. This grounding occurred after USAF interrupted its fleet operations in August 2022 due to the same hard transmission problem.

In 2022, the Pentagon's director of operational testing and evaluation (DOT&E) issued an evaluation stating that the CMV-22B only partially met its reliability requirements. He concluded that Osprey could not meet its operational readiness requirements and had an insufficient ice protection system.

Thanks to its non-pressurized cabin, the CMV-22B cannot fly far above 10,000 feet with passengers (or practically with its crew), which means that it will probably have to fly through weather conditions in which it cannot fly easily. This has made the problem of the insufficient ice protection system more acute and the altitude limitation affects the operations and operational range of Osprey in any climate.

Meanwhile, C-2 veterans now crossing the deck to the Vinson can fly at altitudes of up to 28,700 feet and carry 10,000 pounds of cargo in a range of 1,300 nautical miles, surpassing the 6,000 pounds of cargo of the Osprey in a range of 1,150 nautical miles. The age of the C-2 also makes its maintenance difficult, but it remains a less complex aircraft than the CMV-22B.

The Navy welcomed the Osprey as a COD that can take off and land vertically from the aircraft carrier and other ships, unlike the C-2, only transported by aircraft carriers, but in practice the tiltrotor V-22 operates from a few other Navy ships besides those of amphibious assault, dock landing and transport dock ships. It is not clear whether the CMV-22B operated with these types.

Thus, in the absence of flying Ospreys, the former Navy C-2s (who are on average 34 years old) are compensating for their CMV-22 until the tiltrotors are allowed to fly again.

When returning to the deck of the Carl Vinson for the first time since 2021, the ship's crew will be able to reflect on the fact that the old CODs that now bring their correspondence, high-priority supplies and passengers cost approximately $38.96 million each, a third of the price of the landed CMV-22B ($104.9 million per aircraft).

Until the Ospreys receive the green light again, they will have to continue helping.

Source: Forbes

Tags: Military AviationCMV-22B OspreyGrumman C-2 Greyhoundaircraft carrierUSN - United States Navy/U.S. Navy

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[howlingdemon13]

If you're still up to talk about CV, may I ask your thoughts about the two Devil Forgemasters? <3

Oh yes my boys!!!!!!! My sad, angry boys!

This is equally as rambly, but ehhhhh it’s fiiiiiine!

Hector’s struggle with his own humanity and his process of distancing himself from it but then realizing it again is just ahhhhhh! Peak perfection.

To have the whole world against you for such a fundamental part of yourself (ties to dark magic /devil forging in this case) and being promised power and a fix-all by someone who has been there done that is so compelling as a story arc. I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t at least consider that - I feel like many of us have thought about it (though maybe not in that extreme). Then to finally escape only to have his first chance at happiness ripped from him makes my heart ache.

Going off of that, ultimately Dracula got his revenge in Rosaly’s death. Even when all that remained of Dracula was his curse, his influence over Isaac and turning him into a monster is a form of revenge for insubordination (intentional or not) that couldn’t be more twisted (and makes his pursuit of Isaac so desperate because, as far as he knows, the root cause of his wife’s death got pummeled into the ground by the person he was instructed to kill). Poor Hector really cannot catch a break.

That said, Hector’s acceptance of his humanity, his realization that he deserves love, and his nobility are why he’s in my top 5 CV characters. I’m also just a massive sucker for guys who are good with magic and animals. Sue me.

Isaac, Isaac, Isaac.

I love him. I love how twisted and cruel he is. He’s so over the top nutty that you can’t help but love him (and want to see him come out of everything and have a redemption arc). If we go by what Julia says when she meets Hector, I can see his rejection of his humanity and clinging to Dracula as a sort of coping mechanism for a terrible loss (which I assume would be family members). He sees Dracula as his only guidance and salvation and is so sure that he’s not just a tool for Drac’s war on humans that it’s really sad. He does have a tether to humanity in Julia, but ultimately rejects even that because Dracula manipulated him into thinking otherwise. And it’s just how he’s used and doomed by Dracula that makes me wish he was able to be redeemed. Obviously he wasn’t always the self-absorbed, vengeful gremlin he is in CoD and it’s adaptations. I firmly believe he was a kinder person with a normal amount of darkness and trauma and a brain that was just too susceptible to Dracula’s influence. And it’s the culmination of loss and manipulation that leads him to his own demise and I fully understand why Julia is so torn up about him. This is not the brother she knows and she just wants him back.

He’s tragic. Twisted, but tragic.

I just love them. They’re both perfect and compelling. They really are the perfect illustration of extremes.

[wyverncult]

JUST NOTICED I NEVER POSTED THIS ISAAC? i'm so sorry for keeping him from you

[maximkischin-e]

Sorry for asking again but your art is too good <3 Isaac, 10, 2A?

thank YOU i'm really happy you think so! :D these are great practice for me so i appreciate the requests!

sorry i forgot his face tattoo please forgive me 🙏

[ done for the palette meme! ]

[wqp88888]

Country Codes List

CountryAlpha 2Alpha 3 CodeUN Code

A

Afghanistan AF AFG 004

ALA Aland Islands AX ALA 248

Albania AL ALB 008

Algeria DZ DZA 012

American Samoa AS ASM 016

Andorra AD AND 020

Angola AO AGO 024

Anguilla AI AIA 660

Antarctica AQ ATA 010

Antigua and Barbuda AG ATG 028

Argentina AR ARG 032

Armenia AM ARM 051

Aruba AW ABW 533

Australia AU AUS 036

Austria AT AUT 040

Azerbaijan AZ AZE 031

B

Bahamas BS BHS 044

Bahrain BH BHR 048

Bangladesh BD BGD 050

Barbados BB BRB 052

Belarus BY BLR 112

Belgium BE BEL 056

Belize BZ BLZ 084

Benin BJ BEN 204

Bermuda BM BMU 060

Bhutan BT BTN 064

Bolivia BO BOL 068

Bosnia and Herzegovina BA BIH 070

Botswana BW BWA 072

Bouvet Island BV BVT 074

Brazil BR BRA 076

British Virgin Islands VG VGB 092

British Indian Ocean Territory IO IOT 086

Brunei Darussalam BN BRN 096

Bulgaria BG BGR 100

Burkina Faso BF BFA 854

Burundi BI BDI 108

C

Cambodia KH KHM 116

Cameroon CM CMR 120

Canada CA CAN 124

Cape Verde CV CPV 132

Cayman Islands KY CYM 136

Central African Republic CF CAF 140

Chad TD TCD 148

Chile CL CHL 152

China CN CHN 156

Hong Kong, SAR China HK HKG 344

Macao, SAR China MO MAC 446

Christmas Island CX CXR 162

Cocos (Keeling) Islands CC CCK 166

Colombia CO COL 170

Comoros KM COM 174

Congo (Brazzaville) CG COG 178

Congo, (Kinshasa) CD COD 180

Cook Islands CK COK 184

Costa Rica CR CRI 188

Côte d'Ivoire CI CIV 384

Croatia HR HRV 191

Cuba CU CUB 192

Cyprus CY CYP 196

Czech Republic CZ CZE 203

D

Denmark DK DNK 208

Djibouti DJ DJI 262

Dominica DM DMA 212

Dominican Republic DO DOM 214

E

Ecuador EC ECU 218

Egypt EG EGY 818

El Salvador SV SLV 222

Equatorial Guinea GQ GNQ 226

Eritrea ER ERI 232

Estonia EE EST 233

Ethiopia ET ETH 231

F

Falkland Islands (Malvinas) FK FLK 238

Faroe Islands FO FRO 234

Fiji FJ FJI 242

Finland FI FIN 246

France FR FRA 250

French Guiana GF GUF 254

French Polynesia PF PYF 258

French Southern Territories TF ATF 260

G

Gabon GA GAB 266

Gambia GM GMB 270

Georgia GE GEO 268

Germany DE DEU 276

Ghana GH GHA 288

Gibraltar GI GIB 292

Greece GR GRC 300

Greenland GL GRL 304

Grenada GD GRD 308

Guadeloupe GP GLP 312

Guam GU GUM 316

Guatemala GT GTM 320

Guernsey GG GGY 831

Guinea GN GIN 324

Guinea-Bissau GW GNB 624

Guyana GY GUY 328

H

Haiti HT HTI 332

Heard and Mcdonald Islands HM HMD 334

Holy See (Vatican City State) VA VAT 336

Honduras HN HND 340

Hungary HU HUN 348

I

Iceland IS ISL 352

India IN IND 356

Indonesia ID IDN 360

Iran, Islamic Republic of IR IRN 364

Iraq IQ IRQ 368

Ireland IE IRL 372

Isle of Man IM IMN 833

Israel IL ISR 376

Italy IT ITA 380

J

Jamaica JM JAM 388

Japan JP JPN 392

Jersey JE JEY 832

Jordan JO JOR 400

K

Kazakhstan KZ KAZ 398

Kenya KE KEN 404

Kiribati KI KIR 296

Korea (North) KP PRK 408

Korea (South) KR KOR 410

Kuwait KW KWT 414

Kyrgyzstan KG KGZ 417

L

Lao PDR LA LAO 418

Latvia LV LVA 428

Lebanon LB LBN 422

Lesotho LS LSO 426

Liberia LR LBR 430

Libya LY LBY 434

Liechtenstein LI LIE 438

Lithuania LT LTU 440

Luxembourg LU LUX 442

M

Macedonia, Republic of MK MKD 807

Madagascar MG MDG 450

Malawi MW MWI 454

Malaysia MY MYS 458

Maldives MV MDV 462

Mali ML MLI 466

Malta MT MLT 470

Marshall Islands MH MHL 584

Martinique MQ MTQ 474

Mauritania MR MRT 478

Mauritius MU MUS 480

Mayotte YT MYT 175

Mexico MX MEX 484

Micronesia, Federated States of FM FSM 583

Moldova MD MDA 498

Monaco MC MCO 492

Mongolia MN MNG 496

Montenegro ME MNE 499

Montserrat MS MSR 500

Morocco MA MAR 504

Mozambique MZ MOZ 508

Myanmar MM MMR 104

N

Namibia NA NAM 516

Nauru NR NRU 520

Nepal NP NPL 524

Netherlands NL NLD 528

Netherlands Antilles AN ANT 530

New Caledonia NC NCL 540

New Zealand NZ NZL 554

Nicaragua NI NIC 558

Niger NE NER 562

Nigeria NG NGA 566

Niue NU NIU 570

Norfolk Island NF NFK 574

Northern Mariana Islands MP MNP 580

Norway NO NOR 578

O

Oman OM OMN 512

P

Pakistan PK PAK 586

Palau PW PLW 585

Palestinian Territory PS PSE 275

Panama PA PAN 591

Papua New Guinea PG PNG 598

Paraguay PY PRY 600

Peru PE PER 604

Philippines PH PHL 608

Pitcairn PN PCN 612

Poland PL POL 616

Portugal PT PRT 620

Puerto Rico PR PRI 630

Q

Qatar QA QAT 634

R

Réunion RE REU 638

Romania RO ROU 642

Russian Federation RU RUS 643

Rwanda RW RWA 646

S

Saint-Barthélemy BL BLM 652

Saint Helena SH SHN 654

Saint Kitts and Nevis KN KNA 659

Saint Lucia LC LCA 662

Saint-Martin (French part) MF MAF 663

Saint Pierre and Miquelon PM SPM 666

Saint Vincent and Grenadines VC VCT 670

Samoa WS WSM 882

San Marino SM SMR 674

Sao Tome and Principe ST STP 678

Saudi Arabia SA SAU 682

Senegal SN SEN 686

Serbia RS SRB 688

Seychelles SC SYC 690

Sierra Leone SL SLE 694

Singapore SG SGP 702

Slovakia SK SVK 703

Slovenia SI SVN 705

Solomon Islands SB SLB 090

Somalia SO SOM 706

South Africa ZA ZAF 710

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GS SGS 239

South Sudan SS SSD 728

Spain ES ESP 724

Sri Lanka LK LKA 144

Sudan SD SDN 736

Suriname SR SUR 740

Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands SJ SJM 744

Swaziland SZ SWZ 748

Sweden SE SWE 752

Switzerland CH CHE 756

Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) SY SYR 760

T

Taiwan, Republic of China TW TWN 158

Tajikistan TJ TJK 762

Tanzania, United Republic of TZ TZA 834

Thailand TH THA 764

Timor-Leste TL TLS 626

Togo TG TGO 768

Tokelau TK TKL 772

Tonga TO TON 776

Trinidad and Tobago TT TTO 780

Tunisia TN TUN 788

Turkey TR TUR 792

Turkmenistan TM TKM 795

Turks and Caicos Islands TC TCA 796

Tuvalu TV TUV 798

U

Uganda UG UGA 800

Ukraine UA UKR 804

United Arab Emirates AE ARE 784

United Kingdom GB GBR 826

United States of America US USA 840

US Minor Outlying Islands UM UMI 581

Uruguay UY URY 858

Uzbekistan UZ UZB 860

V

Vanuatu VU VUT 548

Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic) VE VEN 862

Viet Nam VN VNM 704

Virgin Islands, US VI VIR 850

W

Wallis and Futuna Islands WF WLF 876

Western Sahara EH ESH 732

Y-Z

Yemen YE YEM 887

Zambia ZM ZMB 894

Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716

[beevean]

So some recent... discourse put into my mind the concept of "power fantasy", and how people relate to it in different ways. Of course, I'm talking about Hector :P

Is Hector, in the games, a power fantasy? I think the answer is "yes but actually no but actually yes it's complicated".

Let's be honest, first: Hector is a product of his time. He is, in many aspects, Castlevania's response to the wave of edginess that was en vogue in the mid-2000s - I don't compare CoD to ShTH for no reason lol. Hector was always meant to be an anti-hero contrasting the pure heroes the games always starred before him:

—Why did you choose the theme of "revenge" for this game? Iga: Up to now, the Belmonts have been seen as the good guys. I thought it'd be nice to do something other than a moralistic "good triumps over evil" theme sometime. After all, Castlevania has always had an excellent world for telling a "dark hero" story. Alucard would be one such character… though even he is fighting for a just cause: "I've got to stop my Father!" So he's still kind of a good guy. This time, though, I wanted the motivation itself to be impure. So this theme is what I came up with, and then I thought it would be even more interesting if each side was out for revenge on the other.

Hector has "impure" motivations. His quest is completely selfish: while all the other protagonists want to face Dracula (or others in his place) because it's the right thing to do, Hector is just in to kill the man who ruined his life. In fact, he really couldn't care less about the Curse, and multiple times in the game he asks why can't Trevor just deal with the issues he doesn't want to deal with lol. This is in line with other characters of the same caliber, such as Shadow sneering at a city being invaded by aliens until there is something in for him, or Guts who declares that he's willing to let a whole town fall prey to demons, as long as Casca is safe. However, this is not a detriment to Hector's character like it would be nowadays, as he's also very much mean to be "cool": while obviously every protagonist has his cool factor, even going back to Simon in the first games who defeated Dracula all by himself and then had to heroically struggle with the Curse, Hector is cool in that, well, deliciously over-the-top way that was all the rage back then. He can ride wyverns as he slashes them, he can go toe to toe with Trevor himself to the point that even he is impressed, he can forge a gun and an electric guitar, cutscenes show him punching a stone devil with his bare first, he gloats in Dracula's face that he can nullify his Curse... yeah, he's a gigachad lol. The flaws are only meant to make him cooler and not "boring", as paragon heroes were seen at the time.

I, personally, never cared about this part. I'm not the target audience for this kind of power fantasy. Sure, I like that Hector is over-the-top cool and I will always joke about his most outlandish feats, but I'm not so keen on reducing him to those alone. I couldn't even explain why avenging your dead lover counts as part of a power fantasy lol.

This is why I latched on so much on the first half of his story, the one where Hector deals with Dracula, and why I insist that Hector is much more than his admittedly cliché archetype of "angry man on a revenge quest".

Calling Hector "stoic" is not even knowing the meaning of the word. Calling pretty much any CV protagonist "stoic" is factually wrong, as even the more serious ones like Alucard and Shanoa have other depths to them (Alucard is still grieving for his mother and we see it in a nightmare, Shanoa was deliberately made stoic and she subtly longs to feel again), but Hector doesn't even begin to fit the definition of "One who is seemingly indifferent to or unaffected by joy, grief, pleasure, or pain". The whole point of CoD is that Hector was left so emotionally vulnerable by his grief that both Isaac and Zead used him as a puppet. Anger is the complete antithesis of stoicism. "well anger is still a toxically masculine emotion" - memes aside, Hector shows other emotions too, most notably around Julia, the only person with which we see how actually gentle and polite he is when he doesn't have Dracula's influence scrambling his brain. By the way, you cannot ignore the effects of the Curse on both Hector and Isaac when you analyze them, especially the former:

It can't be plainer than this.

And it doesn't come out of nowhere, because not only Julia herself tries to warn Hector that Devil Forgemasters are susceptible to the Curse, he acts vulnerable around her. He apologizes for his unjust outbursts, sympathizes with her plight, is visibly affected by her grief when Isaac dies... sure, it might be all because he's lowkey crushing on her, if you want to see it that way (and I do have my words over the plot point of Julia looking like Rosaly: I would have preferred if the game had more time to show that Hector grew to see Julia as her own person beyond her appearance), but the point is that this behavior highly contrasts with how angry and aggressive he is to everyone else, which the reveal of the Curse recontextualizes.

Also, just saying, while anger can be toxic, the point of these storylines is usually precisely that revenge is bad. Unchecked anger is bad for you, and you shouldn't let yourself fall down that spiral, lest you lose yourself. Isaac got consumed by his own hatred and died as a tool; Hector realized in time that he should snap out of it and survives, also because he was nice to Julia and so she grew to care about him and saved him when he tried to kill himself <- a reaction that is very unmasculine, might I add, as toxic masculinity dictates that men should make other people pay for their pain. bro. bro this is the complete antithesis of "toxic masculinity". Again, this is really not knowing the meaning of the word.

I don't even need to pull examples from the manga, but just for completion's sake:

iunno about you chief, but someone who bursts into tears just because wifey told him that she's happy he was born isn't exactly the portrayal of toxic masculinity to me.

Which makes me segue into the next point!

Hector and Isaac are victims of abuse, and this is another very important angle to understand them. And I'm not just talking about their childhoods, of which we only get hints, although of course it does matter that the two experienced so much hatred and rejection in their youth that Dracula was the better option for them.

We don't see the details, but Dracula affected both of them deeply. He put them in a competitive dynamic, favoring Hector over Isaac: Isaac grew bitter with resentment, which made him double down on his loyalty to Dracula, while Hector only got the appreciation he craved at the price of his very humanity and morals, which weighed on him. The point of this favoritism is not really the core of their rivalry in game, as that one was caused by Hector's betrayal, but it gives a different dimension to the character. It would have been easy to have the mistreated guy the one who decided to turn his back to Dracula, but no, it was the golden child. Isaac was so entrenched in this dynamic that he never broke free, choosing instead to blame Hector and do everything in his power to prove himself to an uncaring Lord, including (in the manga) killing his own underlings so that he would be free to face Hector by himself. From PtR:

"My own body is proof of Your expectations for him" is such a hard-hitting line. Isaac fears that he didn't even disappoint his Lord, because his Lord didn't have expectations for him in the first place. It's Hector the one he's so proud of.

And Hector hates it. By all means, he should be happy to have a home, to be respected and appreciated and free to use his powers. And he used to be!

"Lord Dracula... You once accepted and needed my powers. There was a time when such a thing gave me joy..."

Hector was grateful for his Lord, but he couldn't live anymore in the safety of the castle, if the price was committing indiscriminate murder for the sake of a senseless revenge, going against his morals and being used as a weapon. Hector had to make a choice: keep living under Lord Dracula's protection, but losing his humanity piece by piece, or breaking free and facing the world that hated him, but as a free man?

Hector chose freedom over conditional safety and love. He was ready to die, as long as he died a free man. He put himself first, he turned his back against people who did not truly appreciate him, and despite the mess he left behind it was the right decision. And that's the power fantasy I adore, and that is what makes him a strong character in my opinion. It's the embodiment of achieving self-confidence, the healthy selfishness, the affirmation of the self when everyone else around you only sees you as an object or a prize, the reassurance that even if you fall, you can always get up and try again and become a person you can be proud of.

And Hector, after breaking free, very much acts like a victim of abuse. I spent countless words over how he displays the belief that he needs to do something to earn the right to be loved by Rosaly, unaccepting of the fact that she simply does because, well, he likes him and sees the good in him, and that's it. I wrote a whole analysis on how this belief stems from a sad naiveté on how the world works, because Hector is naive underneath the aloof exterior, and it's not something to make fun of him for, but a tragic result of living under Dracula for so long. I'll also point again to him having breakdowns because he hates himself and sees himself as inherently unlovable.

I could also spend all the words about the parallels about how Hector loves Dracula and how he loves Rosaly:

In both cases, he latches onto the only person who has showed him a modicum of kindness. He wants to give his life for them. The difference being, of course, that Dracula only appreciates Hector for what he does (and I could also go into a whole tangent on how Hector was personally raised by Dracula to be his knight and he has a piece of his essence inside him which parallels how abusive parents see their children as an extension of themselves), while Rosaly for who he is. With Dracula, Hector understands that all the shallow care in the world doesn't matter if he isn't also respected as a person: he still cares about him, in some fashion, but not the point of clinging.

And if Hector is ready to lay down his life for Rosaly because she finally showed him what real love looks like, is it any wonder that seeing her die would spark such a fury in him that it makes him prey to the Curse and to being once again twisted into a tool?

The power fantasy comes from the part where Hector breaks free of the abuse and manipulation - twice over. But he is also relatable, with all of his flaws, weaknesses, and mistakes he makes. The whole point of Hector's journey in the first half of his story is that he feels the need to atone for his sins, and the consequences of his actions all catch up to him in the worst of ways. Ignoring this to reduce Hector to an edgelord who only spends his life angry and then hooks up with a Rosaly replacement (which incidentally also ignores Julia's personality and agency and I might even call as misogynist as the plot point itself) is a huge disservice to the thought and care put into him to make him stand out from his own archetype.

Power fantasies are not inherently bad. Depending on the fantasy, they can be inspirational. Hector is inspirational to me, if that wasn't clear, I see part of me in his circumstances and I admire his arc: it tells you, "you can break free too, you have the strength to do so, and you will find people who will love you without reason". And I just generally speaking find him a very well written character despite stemming from a rather outdated context, because all the details come together to make him fleshed out and tridimensional.

[evoldir]

Fwd: Postdoc: DalhousieU.AtlanticCodGenomics

Begin forwarded message: > From: evoldir@evol.biology.mcmaster.ca > Subject: Postdoc: DalhousieU.AtlanticCodGenomics > Date: 31 July 2024 at 05:27:58 BST > To: rdmpage@gmail.com > > > Postdoctoral position available in the group of Daniel Ruzzante at > Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada > > A two-year postdoctoral position is available in the group of Daniel > Ruzzante at Dalhousie University pending a successful NSERC/Mitacs funding > application. The candidate will be part of the Northern Cod Acoustic > Tracking (NCAT) project in partnership with the Ocean Tracking Network > (OTN), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and the Atlantic Groundfish > Council. The candidate's work will focus on examining the relationship > between genomics and movement in Atlantic cod. > > The candidate must have experience in population genetics with a > successful publication record and proficiency in bioinformatics and the > analysis of low-coverage whole genome sequencing data (lcWGS). Ideally, > the candidate will also be knowledgeable in acoustic and satellite > tracking data analysis. > > To apply please submit a cover letter describing why you would want > to join the group, a CV, and the names and contact information of two > references familiar with your work. > > Salary: CAD$ $65,000 – $75,000 range K per year depending on the > experience of the candidate. > > Starting date: assuming funding is confirmed, ideally September of 2024 > but later dates also considered. > > Interested people, please contact me at daniel.ruzzante@dal.ca > > > Dr Daniel E Ruzzante, Professor > Graduate Coordinator > Department of Biology, > Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada -  B3H 4R2 > 6287 Alumni Crescent > ph:(902)494-1688 > http://ruzzante.ca/ > > > > > Daniel Ruzzante

[sudheervanguri]

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