#i feel like this could have been part of castlevania’s animation with the way i drew him

[tattah-art]

[ruiniel]

Hidden

Fandom: Castlevania series (2017-2021)

Pairing: Alucard x fem!reader

Rating: 🔞

Count: 1.5k

Tags & Warnings: Alucard POV, frustrated masturbation, Adrian get yourself together hon, pining, romantic angst, resolved emotional tension, finally they talk, this can only go on for so long, one chapter left

Part I - Part II - Part IV

III. Moments between

He paces up many coiled stairways, clawing carelessly at the wall with one taloned hand.

Why did you do that? You’re leaving, you sounded undecided but you will probably follow, and he’ll never see you again. He could barely keep himself from telling you all the things that sprouted like poison from his heart in those moments, but he tried, tried to be the friend you needed. 

Because he is a fool who waited for too long, and in the end, he does wish you well.

Adrian slams shut the door to his chamber, wondering how he ended up here as he gazes long at its darkness, its barrenness. With clipped movements he discards his coat and boots and slowly walks forward, dropping unceremoniously on the bed with his head in his hands. 

He's a fool, yes, and an idiot besides, because the pain of the tiding you imparted tonight is only surpassed by the sweet, hot silk of your tongue on an inch of skin. 

He rises again, walking to and fro like a trapped animal in a cage.

Why the hell did you do that? You're not the kind of person who would toy with another, and yet... he couldn’t read the look in your eyes. He sits back down, wanting to both cry and scream, not brave enough to go back there and ask you. And why, to make things worse? He's come to know you and he most certainly has come to love you in so many ways, and hell knows he respects you enough to not intervene in such an important moment of your life. 

And still, the most basic instinct curls like a cornered wolf inside him ready to pounce, shattering those honorable thoughts; the wetness of your mouth won't leave his mind.

Lying on the bed, he breathes in, breathes out, trying to shut it all from thought. He tries, but his body won’t listen. He tries, even as he slowly undoes his belts and trousers. 

He shouldn't, he has no right to use the memory of you this way.  Adrian growls low in his throat, arms falling at his sides. While he can gut night creatures with his bare hands, the guilty pleasure trickling like nectar from the warmth of your tongue makes it impossible to win here.

He'll be selfish. He'll have this, at least, for his own. He slides his trousers down his hips and takes himself in hand, and his fingers are soon sticky with his slick. He’s never been easily affected by these things, but now he's so sensitive it might consume him alive if he doesn't do something to ease the pressure and it doesn't take long, either; the thought of your closeness and the conjuring of his imagination is more than enough, and he strokes almost spitefully, until he's shivering and groaning, spilling himself over his hand. 

Panting, he stares up at the ceiling without seeing it, lying still with his trousers undone and his shirt in disarray. 

At least he can think now, but that is no improvement, apparently. His low, bitter laughter fills the silence. “Pathetic...” Adrian shakes his head, eyes closing against tears that mock.

He does his best to avoid crossing paths with you for the following days. He fills his time with every chore possible and roams the forest at night, running with the animals that see him as their own when he shape-shifts. His feelings fall in the background in that state, which provides much needed respite as the time of your departure approaches. Even though he tells himself he can't and won't be there, come the time, he's on the battlement high up, watching the cart he knows is yours depart on slow wheels.

He's not even said farewell, and you hadn't sought him out, either. It's better this way, Adrian keeps repeating, close to doubling over from the grief drowning the shores of his spirit. 

He walks away when the caravan disappears from sight, descending towards the laboratory and library on a known path strewn with many memories, berating himself for his cowardice for a while, but concluding with a sigh at the futility of it all.

“You're here.”

There is no greater absurdity than the sound of your voice. Has he gone mad? But then it’s accompanied by the sight of you, sitting at one long working table, a vial in hand and a tome in the other, looking straight at him.

Adrian goes rigid, a million conflicting thoughts pinning him to the spot. “... so are you.” He dreads asking, and he's never feared anything in his life before. “Why?”

You cast your eyes down. “I decided to stay,” you say, raising your gaze to his. “Here.”

He can't quite grasp it yet, merely waiting for you to continue.

“The gist of it is... I thought long about it: about what I want, and what I don't want. Matei and I spoke... we parted amiably enough.” You sigh, closing the tome.

If you're miserable for your choice, he's the lowest of beasts for the relief bursting through him. “You're staying.”

“I'm staying,” you repeat, not quite smiling. “And you've been avoiding me.”

Adrian takes a step further, then another. “I had to.” Damn his heart, choking on the words. “I needed to,” he admits.

“No,” you rise and near. “You don't need to explain yourself. I'm sorry for... I didn't think that night, I didn't mean to...”

Damn this. “You didn't?” He looks down on you now, taller as he is, because your face shows... vulnerability, the kind he's never, ever seen before, but now he can’t stop whatever pushes him. 

You're staring at him strangely. “Adrian I... you don't know... you don't know...” You turn away, hiding your face from him and how he wishes you wouldn't, because this feels like cleaning a festering wound: necessary.

He nears you, daring to place a hand on your shoulder. “Will you tell me, then?”

Your shoulders rise then fall. “I stayed for myself, yes. I stayed because it would be such a shame to throw away my purpose... but I also stayed to be near you. I couldn't imagine myself... so far away from...”

A pause. Elation. He feels like a jester whose cunning has been strangled out of him by a mad king. “I'm happy you stayed,” Adrian says simply. The admission hangs in the air, a fragile bridge spanning the chasm between you.

You turn your head, and in your eyes there is horror melded with surprise. Your hand goes involuntarily to your chest, and he knows what you're reaching for. “How so?”

He's dangerously close to shattering, but speaks anyway. “The night I gifted you that pendant, I wanted to ask you something, but then… well.”

You swallow a tremble to your voice when you speak. “What did you want to ask, Adrian?”

You’re standing there, closer than you've ever been. Everything is turned on its head, his sadness melted by the cinders of hope. “If you’d join me, if you'd go away with me, on a trip. Just you and I, together. I know a path, I’ve been… I’ve been going for years, at around this time. It involves a lot of trekking, but the sights are splendid, worth it.” 

“Just you and I?”

You’re tilting closer, a hand on his arm.

“Yes. It’s safe besides.”

“I'd feel safe with you anywhere,” you murmur, your lashes heavier. The speed of your heartbeat rouses his blood.  “ And I really didn’t mean to… last time, but I…” Your hand reaches for his, and he can but watch with bated breath as you hug it to your chest then kiss his palm, eyes closing. “I couldn’t help it.” And as if to prove it, you gently nip at one finger.

There are times in one's life when a single moment separates a chapter from another, but it may be so short that one breath of hesitation is enough to chase it away. No, Adrian thinks. Not this time. 

His finger glides along your lips, pausing midway. “You didn’t answer,” he follows gently, bathing in the sight, scent, and sensation of you. 

You seem trapped by the gesture, lips parted as Adrian slowly wets his thumb on the lower one. He’s beginning to see, to understand. 

“Yes,” you utter, eyes lowering just as his fingers wrap around your chin and he dips his face to yours.

You fall into him when he takes an eager taste of your mouth, and Adrian thanks his innate balance but lets himself be happily affected, an arm wrapping around you as he props himself against the nearest shelf. Your hands are on him, your body leaning into his with complete trust. And when you break apart, it’s with a clarity that overwhelms him, starved and haplessly relieved.

“Sweet, sweet girl…” Adrian soothes, running both hands up and down your back; you shudder, and the rush he feels at that is beatific. He doesn’t dare speak it aloud, not yet.

But there are steps, voices. 

You both quickly tilt towards a more secluded space, wrapped around each other, watching a study group walk into the library. 

Adrian closes his eyes, reminded of the time then looks at you, placing a short kiss on your forehead. This is far from over, you need to speak, there are so many things … you both need.  “... My chambers?” 

You nod without hesitation, coiling your arms tightly around his neck.

Part IV

[autumnmobile12]

All right, it's been almost year since Nocturne aired and I think my lack of enthusiasm really showed in that my Nocturne posts are pretty nonexistent compared to Castlevania. I've gone over my points in the few posts regarding my issues with the series. Most of them are personal preferences and not so much a writing problem. Richter and Marira are the types of character I don't like, so that automatically makes me less inclined to enjoy Nocturne right out of the gate. Again, personal preference and I'm hoping it's just part of their development and they'll be more likable as the series progresses. As I've said in previous posts, I'll continue Nocturne when Season 2 drops, but I'm more invested in Annette and Olrox's characters.

...

Julia's death, though, is still something that really bothers me.

Setting aside the obvious refrigeration here, she really got screwed over.  On the surface, dying in battle protecting her son is a good death, but here’s what ruined it:

Her last words to Richter are,  “I’m so sorry.”

Why is this a problem? Take this scene from the perspective lens of Julia, not the audience or the plot.  There is a dangerous vampire on the offensive in front of her.  He challenged her, not the other way around.  She knew his name and what he was capable of, and she did not hesitate to try to take him down to defend herself and her child. In this circumstance, she was a defender, not a hunter.  As a Belmont, killing Olrox is the objective.

But Julia doesn’t know Olrox is going to spare Richter!

Olrox is a vampire and he’s pissed; from Julia’s point of view, kiddo is next on the hit list.  She has no reason to believe Olrox won’t kill her son.  So she’s pinned and losing the fight, has limited options, is losing her strength, and at the point she realizes she can’t do this and that she’s going to die here, she turns to Richter and says she’s sorry.

Yeah, sorry she’s going to die and the Belmont line is going extinct tonight apparently.  Again, she has no reason to believe Olrox won’t kill Richter.

For this scene to have worked the way the writers intended, her last words, at the very least, should have been, “Run, get away!”  Or something like that.  Or they could have given her a true death in battle by letting her have that classic anime surge of energy and motivation that only the most dogged of characters have, you know——“Over my dead body are you killing my boy!”——and dying that way.

She didn’t die protecting her son.

She gave up and died. She, a Belmont, gave up and died.

She did her ancestors dirty, and therefore, the writers did her dirty.  If you’re going to kill off a character for the plot of the protagonist, especially a woman (because this happens way more often to a female character than a male,) at least do them the dignity a good death.  Make it worthy.

But getting back to the refrigeration issue, I have mixed feelings about that.  On the one hand, if they really wanted the ‘dead parent trauma’ trope, I guess I appreciate that it was Richter’s mother and not his father and therefore just another run-of-mill male hunter.  But still, we did need something a little more original than this. Even though Lisa was part of the original games and her only lore was the 'dead mother trope,' Castlevania Netflix gave her more than that: She was a doctor, she was intelligent, she was kind and always tried to do right by others. It's not a lot, but with the short amount of time Lisa is onscreen, she was given something fans could remember her for aside from 'the woman who died.' Castlevania honored the content of the original plot while expanding on it and giving it more substance.

Julia is not from the original video games, and in spite of endless possibilities they had, Nocturne still went with the 'woman whose tragic death drives the protagonist.'

The body count of dead women in Nocturne is so uncomfortable that when Edouard was killed, my immediate reaction was not the emotional response the writers probably wanted.  It was, “Oh, thank goodness, a dude finally died.  Between the two dead moms and the dead sister, we were running out of room in the fridge.”  At least Edouard and Jacques still have the benefit of still being active characters instead of plot devices and, yeah, of course I was sad to see Edouard go, but I am still irritated about what they did to Julia.

[cthulhuwritesstuff]

Drabble (I was rewatching Castlevania)

Pairing: Zoro and Sanji

Fandom: One Piece

Theme: Zoro is a vampire hunter and Sanji is a vampire

The world has gone to shit.

After hours of hacking and slashing through rotting flesh, Zoro is covered in thick intestines, his swords heavy, and he struggles for breath. There are too many of them, these wretched mindless beasts, and he tightens his fist around the hilt before pulling it free from a wheezing Shadow Crawler's corpse. The sharp teeth scrape against Wado's steel, a sound resembling a wounded animal begging for mercy. Perhaps it was an animal once, a deer by the looks of it. Zoro kicks it off his blade, shedding any hint of sympathy with it. They are no longer alive, not truly.

He lowers his head briefly and mutters a blessing, a habit rather than an act of faith. He's long stopped believing in any forces that might offer an explanation or reason \ for all of this.

"Samurai," a voice calls from across the field, "Save your prayers for the morning, won't you?"

The swordsman turns with a glare that could intimidate even the bravest warriors. However, the long-nosed man gives him an unimpressed look, his trigger finger already poised without needing to aim. The sniper fires, a charging beast collapses, and he still maintains eye contact with Zoro. If not for the horrors of this night, he might even be impressed...

"Not a samurai," he mutters, glaring at the sniper. He swings his arm, cleanly decapitating a creature, and both body parts fall at his feet, staining his boots. Zoro averts his gaze from the sniper, hoping his point has been made. He looks down and grimaces; the once-pristine boots are now tainted by Crawlers, and finding a replacement in this economy would be a stroke of luck. And he’s been severely lacking on that front as of late.

Fortunately, the sniper wisely chooses not to respond this time.

A north wind blows, easing the stench of decay and dark magic from Zoro's sinuses. He surveys the area, noticing dawn approaching. It's almost over; the creatures will retreat soon. He angles Kitetsu's blade to catch the first morning light and listens to the screeches and groans around them, which rise only to fade away.

The sniper lets out a noise that Zoro can only describe as agony ready to consume him whole, a sentiment Zoro understands all too well. Adrenaline is the only thing keeping them both standing.

"Luffy and the rest are somewhere," the sniper points in the general direction of the mountain's face above Zoro's head, "up there. We should check if they..."

Zoro is already climbing the steep slope in heavy steps, knowing what the sniper meant to say but not wanting to hear it.

As dawn paints the hilltops and the remnants of the forest, agonizing screeches echo in the distance. Some Shadow Crawlers failed to find shelter in time and now perish in the first rays of light. Zoro takes grim satisfaction in their pained screams. He can’t help it.

It isn't much, far from justice, but it is satisfactory. They walk in silence for the rest of the way. Thank fuck.

Reaching the summit brings several surprises, and finding everyone alive is one of them.

"You both seem unharmed. Good," a tall, raven-haired woman says. Her voice is pleasant. Zoro doesn’t like it. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he thinks her name is Robin—a scholar of sorts, seemingly harmless at first glance. However, she is one of the most wanted by the Covenant. Zoro’s long learned that one should not judge by appearances.

"Hm," he grunts and walks past her, the sound of a nearby waterfall suddenly enticing. He needs a bath; it feels like ages since his last one. A night battling Crawlers will do that to a person.

A young man steps in front of him, dark curls greasy and sticking to his face. He seems to have gotten out of the battle by the skin of his teeth, and Mother have mercy, there’s a lot of teeth in his mouth.

Despite the clear exhaustion and toll the all night of fighting has clearly taken on the young man, he has strength to smile at Zoro, bright, toothy, and honest.

Zoro is not sure how to feel about that just yet.

"Alive and well! You truly live up to your reputation," he says, and Zoro raises an eyebrow. The young man enjoys idle chatter, which Zoro doesn't particularly appreciate or understand. He also doesn’t know how. Still, seeing the group unharmed is a relief and a surprise in itself. He tries to recall the name the young man gave him a few nights ago when they met. Out of respect, he attempts to remember.

Luffy—was it?

Zoro might have cared about remembering names in another life, but lately, he's learned that there are only so many names one can remember before having to carve them into makeshift gravestones.

Zoro doesn't bother with names anymore. He also has no interest in what kind of reputation the young man is talking about; there are plenty of rumors about Zoro, after all.

For once, the long-nosed sniper is helpful rather than spiteful, chiming in, "We got a good number of them. None seem to have reached the town."

The boy smiles, "Good. That's good." The town they speak of is the one Zoro agreed to protect to gain a favor from the leader of this peculiar group. He glances over his shoulder and down the valley where the town lies, bathed in sunlight and free from the Night.

Protecting the town was important to— Luffy— for some reason. Zoro followed, even though he considered the task a fool's errand. There would always be another night, another town, and never enough people to defend them all. That is just the way world works these days.

Instead of arguing the matter, Zoro lowers his head and heads toward the sound of the waterfall once more. The bath- think of the bath. This is all about to be over soon, either way. No use in bootless conversations with people he can’t care to remember names of. Not when he is set on traveling alone, getting what he needs and wants alone.

His robe is already off his shoulders when his eye catches the sight of iron shackles hanging off a tree branch, unlocked. In a flash, Kitetsu sings though the air, Zoro’s knees bend, arms tense, and he is indignant.

All alive, even smiling and sharing compliments and strategies on how to best kill a Crawler and slay monsters, but nobody seems to have noticed that the biggest monster of them all is loose?

“Zoro?” comes a voice but the swordsman only lifts a hand in an answer, concentrating. If they’re lucky, the the bastard escaped. If Zoro is lucky and foolishly hopeful, he burned when the day broke. If they are to be realistic, however- he is still here and is waiting to—…

The sniper tries to speak, but Zoro isn't listening. "Mate, is something wrong?"

There.

In the blink of an eye, Kitetsu finds its mark, steady and precise, the deadly edge at the nape of the creature's neck. Zoro almost growls.

"Zoro!" that voice again, quite annoying, sounding as if it's his fault the creature got free. They were supposed to keep watch.

Dawn broke hours ago, and the sun's rays offer no shadows. Zoro's throat is on fire. This is worse than he expected, far more than he signed up for. Maybe it was too soon to think about exceeding expectations with a crew this careless. Now they're all in danger from a bloodsucker who's immune to light. Fucking fantastic.

"I suppose this was to be expected from a brute like yourself," the beast says and causes anger to grease Zoro's throat. He talks. He has the audacity to sound smug, too. Zoro follows the path of his blade, from the grip to the edge against the inhumanly pale neck. The thing on the other side looks like a man but apparently talks like a powdered-up noble. Neither. The son of a devil is neither.

The tall, statuesque blond stands at Zoro's right side, entirely unbothered and seemingly bored to be at Kitetsu's silver mercy rather than in his shackles. He holds out a long, pale hand in front of Zoro's face. The creature locks those impossibly blue eyes—glaciers trapped in irises—on Zoro, and dares to give him sass.

"Careful, swordsman, it's hot goulash. Might bite your head off."

Zoro eyes the bowl full of food but otherwise ignores him.

"Why is he free?" he asks.

"Would you resist your Neanderthal urges for a moment?" A flash of red hair obstructs Zoro's vision, and he notices that his head hurts when she speaks. Definitely that, and she seems to have the wrong idea about the situation they're in. The redhead woman presses down on Zoro's arm as if she could move him, glaring at him.

"Let him be! He is free to take a piss and a walk, damn you!"

And make goulash or whatever poison while they're all out there risking their necks. But Zoro ignores her as well, focusing on how close she is to the pale fuck. She doesn't even have any silver on her, and she stands so close, not a flicker of fear, only anger toward Zoro- no less. Mad or brave, Zoro is undecided but willing to bet on the former.

The swordsman rounds on the woman with a glare that's often made most people and monsters reconsider their life choices. But there she stands, between a vampire and a vampire hunter, furious like a storm. She's strong and stubborn, like the rest of them.

What is she—a witch?

"Told you it was a bad idea, Nami," the sniper speaks, babbling uselessly. Of course, it was a bad idea. It was a terrible idea.

"No, it was not. If I hadn't unlocked those ungodly things, we would have..."

Zoro is about to split a mountain in two. "You set him free?" It isn’t a question. "Are you mad?" That one is purely rhetorical.

"Nobody," she waves a finger in his face, "apart from you insisted on him being shackled."

"He's a vampire," Zoro sneers, casting a glance at the blond. The regal git looks amused, and Zoro grits his teeth to resist pressing Kitetsu further against his windpipe. "And those ungodly shackles were the only things keeping you all safe."

Vulcan-cast iron, trice blessed, specially forged to subdue vampires and their kin, those shackles aren’t an easy find and they are terribly hard to put on in the first place considering that the targets are not human. Besides, Zoro is the only one with key, so how in the Four Blues did this woman manage to undo something made to restrain the biggest predators of them all?

A witch- his mind supplies. A witch to her core.

"He's lucky to be alive," Zoro threatens, but the creature doesn't even flinch under Kitetsu's pressure. He hasn't even got the decency to look uncomfortable with the silver pressing against his skin, which infuriates Zoro. He raises a twisted brow and clicks his tongue, sarcasm dripping with every syllable,

“Why truly lucky, indeed.”

The redhead's lips press into a tight line. "He means no harm." She sighs, and her grip on Zoro's forearm relaxes. She's tired, too, Zoro notices. A fighter, like the rest.

"He helped us, Zoro," a pair of big brown eyes locks him in place, and Zoro bites back the urge to curse. "We're alive thanks to him."

Zoro's lip twitches, and he's about to say something disagreeable, but he manages to stop himself. He isn’t sure how to fee about this one either, but one thing’s for sure.

He cannot stand the blond demon.

[anothermoirafan]

VAMPIRES AND THEIR NAILS

Ok so I've been thinking abt this 4 a while and I came to a conclusion that if there is a true united and connected (no matter how badly) vampire society then there must be norms? Some sort of rules or traditions. Now unfortunately Castlevania doesn't tell us much here, except tidbits such as having philosophy and a general sense of who is and who isn't in the community. So let's use logic instead. So usually, in the animal kingdom and human culture, norms and expectations, especially of beauty, were based on proving oneself to be succesful and therefore of the ability to afford luxuries that stand against reason of need. Take exotic birds for example; the show off of colors shocks and appeals to females (usually) but also makes it easier to be spotted as prey. The takeaway is ofcourse, that the beadzzled male can simply, by strength and intelligence, afford to be bedazzled. During human history, at least for most of, it was a signifier of wealth and class to be chubbier or even obese. The unspoken context was that even though most couldn't afford to feed their family, you were able to eat more than you needed or even wanted. Similar thing was for nails. Famously, in China, during the Warring States period (around 475-221 BC) long nails became a status symbol; a symbol of not doing labour, therefore not needing to have nails cut short for said labour. An added bonus was definately that healthy nails require a good diet, oils and frequent washing for good appearance; and can be decorated for extra measure.

Now back to the vampires. Considering the long nails of every vampire we see, and the knowledge that they can even be used in combat (see for:Raman) we can safely assume that linger nails are part of vampire signifiers and naturally occur afzer the transformation aling with fangs. Even characters who we would describe as practical (Dracula, he's dramatic but a scientist goddamit he knows what could be under) have them. I checked but unfortunately we don't see much of Tera's transformation but it'll definately be cool to find out if it makes it into her new design. Now we could assume that maybe nails are results of age but I feel as if that were the case again they wouldn't be that common.

How do vampires see their nails? Similar to humans, one would think, but i feel like there's more philosophy in there. Many vampires see their nails as as proof and extension if their animalistic side, cue trying to cut them and keep the human-short (great example is Lenore, who out of all vampires seems culturally very much still human or at least she tries to be) or embracing it and having literal claws (Dracula). But I want to talk about the detail of Carmila having red nails. With no knowledge of vampire technology I'm gonna say she used a formula way back from the Zhou dynasty in China at around 600BC or the Ming dynasty. Either way nail polishes of the time were limited in color but we knew they had red and adored it.

Why did I have this rant? Because I believe vampires use nails as virtue signaling.

Think about it. Vampires as a species are very cruel and deceitful so it's hard to know where somebody stays. But nails? Immediately u get the picture. Carmilla didn't just look good in red, she was the only general with colored nails, even Raman kept them natural (prob for combat but still). Think of the implications? She saw her vampirism as an extension and addition to her greatness. The color? Symbol of passion and prosperity. And upkeep? Probably expensive and rare, I mean she is a war general, I doubt that leaves time for manicure, but she did it anyways, probably HIRING HUMANS for it too. AND it matches her outfit. So u have these old vampires who keep their nails long as they accepted it, and think "yea this works" when all of a sudden a Bad BitchTM walks in and how do they know she means business? Colored nails.

And what does that leave the rest with. Think of all the times Styria hosted parties, galas and meetings with other vampire nations, putting up a good face, just for Lenore to cut her nails. Imagine the outrage and pity. She's the diplomat!! And yet, in company, she keeps her nails short. She already looks like a young girl, probably turned against her will, and the nails? Knowing Morana and Carmilla that had to be a constant fight. How could she represent them like this? Does she hate the gift of eternal life they've all been gifted with?

I imagine she tried to keep them long. For some time, probably an important politics season. Maybe she liked them, maybe she was waiting to cut them off, when she accidentaly cut herself. The pain. Anyone who has longer nails can tell u this is more often than u think, and considering vampire length and probable strength those cuts are good and deep. She cries. Of course the wound is already healed, ofcourse Morana and Carmilla yell how it'll pass but what they don't get is that the pain still happened. And it will again. And nobody understands.

She probably likes Hector's hands. He kept his nails short, he's a man of work, and thinks she likes the possibility of what he can do. But she just likes the nails. She even sometimes tells him to cut them shorter, since she wants to see how long and gradual human nail growth is. She enever tells him that, she lies and says "claws are for vampires" and she hates it. When she kills herself, Hector goes through the quartet's rooms for things and information and finds so many nail upkeep sets, hell even Striga has them. And Lenore has. Well a clipper. She never kept more. She couldn't.

[fluffypichu876]

Mutual, congratulate me - I've finally freakin read that Gaming Ask List you reblogged... uhhhhh... 6th jan. ANYWAY

Gaming ask game!

I'm gonna send a few of these together, feel free to answer as many or as few as you wish to)

3. Favourite childhood game?

7. Most disappointing game you’ve played?

8. The game with the best atmosphere/scenery?

12. Most bizarre game you’ve ever played?

14. Do you watch playthroughs online?

15. Favourite animal in a video game?

21. If you had to play one game for the rest of your life, what would it be?

26. How often do you play online? Co-op?

30. On average, how long does it take you in the character creation screen?

43. Favourite sidekick or companion?

54. A sequel you really want?

62. Would you want to work with video games when you are older?

65. Any favourite screenshots of games?

72. Have any guilty pleasure games?

74. Which game has the best lore?

(links don't work with asks so I'll link the original post the ancient way) tumblr dot com /corvoblinks/136954217573/75-gaming-asks

That's a new record, mutual! xDDDDD Old ask games are still valid in my blog, so thank you for sending one!

Oh hoh boy, let's talk video games!

3. Yoshi's Island for the SNES, no doubt! This game might be the first I have ever played! (at least, it's the first game I have played with the most vivid memories) Started it when I was little, picking up a joystick controller to play on the good old ZSNES emulator (that pixelated menu is so nostalgic for me), which my dad set up for me to play.

It was my first contact with a video game and a emulator, and one could say it was all downhill from there xDD

Childhood memories aside, the game itself is pretty good! A very fun platformer with very charming graphics. It's also pretty satisfying to 100%.

8. Ummm, there's some containders for that! As I have said in a post before, Castlevania SOTN has some of my favorite vibes and atmospheres in gaming, and it accomplishes that with a great blend of graphics and sound design.

The first Metal Gear Solid on the PSX also has an amazing atmosphere to it, despite the old-dated low polygon graphics.

Super Castlevania IV on the SNES is of the most atmospheric games on that system, and in true CV fashion, a good part of that is achieved through the soundtrack. The waterfalls and dracula's battle theme are highlights to me:

Dark Souls 1, which I'm currently playing, captures the feel of adventuring into a mysterious, dying world extremely well. The level design is intricate and the areas are interconnected in many ways, each with a unique vibe and story attached. Playing this game blind is highly recommended, as it enhances the experience a lot!

12. I haven't played it, but Top Banana for the Amiga does not look like something that should exist xD It looks cursed, sounds cursed, and it probably plays like a curse too.

As for something that I have played, I gotta say Ecco the Dolphin (and it's sequel). A beloved childhood game of mine, it's strange in a beautiful way, and even as a kid I was mystified by it (I still am).

14. Only snippets and ocasionally a live stream (I don't usually stay for long, though).

15. YOU CAN'T MAKE ME CHOOSE JUST ONE xDDDDD here's a comprehensive list of some of my most memorable favs:

   - Too many Pokemon to count, so here are a few that immediately come to mind: Flygon, Luxray, Reshiram, Elektross, Hydreigon, Skarmory, Breloom.

   - My BOTW horses <333

   - Chocobos

    - The Guardian Ape from Sekiro (awesome boss)

    - D-Dog from MGSV (most precious boi) 21. That's a really hard one xDD Certainly something highly replayable and endlessly fun. Perhaps DMC or Ultrakill?

26. Not very often. I have been engaging with DS1's multiplayer systems, and they're pretty fun!

30. Depends both on the game and my current creativity.

43. My boy D-Dog (mentioned above) is so helpful. So helpful in fact that it makes infiltrating too easy sometimes xD His ability to map out all nearby enemies by their scent makes it super fun to plan strategies ahead, and also you can pet him! :D

54. Sekiro 2 please??? (puppy eyes at Miyazaki)

62. y e s

65. Quite a few! (these are completely out of order, btw)

[callgespenst]

Best of 2022 Media Post

I read/watched a whole lot last year! Here’s the summary of what I enjoyed the most.

Sing a Bit of Harmony: The best new anime movie I saw last year. Usually I try and watch everything I can subbed, but I caught the dub showing for this and it was really well done. Very lived-in and real-feeling near future setting, some wonderful stuff about AI, and just a really good coming of age story. A year later it’s apparently finally getting a US BD release so I’m excited to finally watch it subbed.

Dress-Up Darling: Found this show oddly relatable (or at least, the parts about making the costumes). Wholesome in a roundabout way, and has a very true to life portrayal of how horny teenagers can be, without being weird or gross about it.

Everything Everywhere All At Once: I haven’t been hooked by a trailer for a movie like that in a very long while. Just seeing the preview I knew I was in for a great time, and it delivered. A lot of other people’s favorite movie of 2022 as well, but it’s just that good.

Creamy Mami: One of the earliest magical girl shows, and yet, goes in directions completely untouched by any of its successors. Excellent funny little mascot characters, bopping tunes, and some of the funniest episodes of anything I’ve ever seen. An absolute must watch. Still have some OVAs to go through at some point.

Thrilling Bloody Sword: the summary said “a martial arts movie based on Snow White” and while that’s technically true, it’s so, so much more from that. When the opening credits played and the movie’s main theme turned out to -literally- just be a stolen reindition of the Space Battleship Yamato opening, I knew I was in for a good time. Bonkers battles, a completely unpredictable plot, and special effects that weren’t even good at the time combine into a flawless package. Also, the male main antagonist is weirdly hot and also an incredible actor. When the special effects are that bad, you gotta really give it your all to sell them.

Glass Onion: Another popular pick, but it’s damn good. Needs every second of its two and a half hour runtime. Has a great core message, a superb female lead, and the best use of celebrity cameos in any media I’ve seen in a good long while. Hope there’s many more Benoit Blanc mysteries to come.

Spy X Family: The first anime adaptation in a hot minute that got me to read the source material. A perfect mix of comedy, action, and good old fashioned spy thrills. My only complaint is that there’s not nearly enough Yor getting to do what she does best, but I think the next part of the manga I have to read will fix that.

Dragon Ball Super Hero: Went to go see this twice! Wasn’t sure how the 3DCG would go over, but it was really well done. Got me to finally re-read Dragon Ball all the way through like I’ve wanted to for ages, so that was good too. The action’s great, but it’s really the good ol’ Toriyama humor in full force.

Symphony of the Night: Not sure what I can say about one of the most acclaimed video games of all time, but it was a lot of fun! I could feel myself getting better as I went along, especially when I got into the Reverse Castle. Had to start using my entire toolkit to get by. Think I’ll definitely play another Castlevania game for Halloween this year.

Flying Phantom Ship: Like Creamy Mami, a massive inspiration for a lot of series that have come since, and yet, I saw almost nothing that happened in this movie coming. Only an hour, but with at least three hours worth of twists and turns. Nothing I say about this film can really do it justice.

Phantom of the Paradise: Tremendously well put together movie. Great music by the legendary Paul Williams with a story you probably already know, but put together in a captivating and engrossing way. Knows it’s a story and who the main characters are, and has them interact in ways that really show off all their strengths and flaws. That said, my favorite character might actually be the man only known as Beef, I think about him a lot.

That’s everything for 2022! I have no particular goals on the media front for 2023, but I’m excited to see what it brings.

[hypermascbishounen]

That post is funny to me bc I have naturally strong nails, so my relationship with them is not wealth. They're tools(I work as a landscaper and haven't broken a nail on the job once). So to me, a race with strong claws would likely see them as practical, not ostentatious. Although I could see investing an amount of pride in them(idk if I'd call that Virtue Signaling either, lol). If I had to pick an animal behavior, flashing functional claws, would likely fall under threat display, instead of fitness display.

I don't think nfcv put that much thought into it, beyond spooky character design, sadly. But one thing that could be used for a Lenore rewrite with that angle, from my own personal experience: If you maintain long nails for long enough, the quick starts to grow out to support them too.

I didn't know this, and I've had long nails since childhood. So when I first tried cutting my nails back as an adult, is was for intimate reasons, only for me and my partner to realize that most of my nails can't even be cut back far enough to not hurt them, without also hurting me. It would likely take a very long time of careful and continuous maintenance to actually train my nails back.

Ofc, irl, I like my nails, and that's not a problem toys or my own mouth can't make up for. But I'd imagine that for a character whose maybe ashamed of or in denial about how they hurt people, that Lenore could have been *actually* written as, it could be a harsh thematic message.

That she can't so easily clip off and discard her vampirism, and pretend she doesn't have the power relationship over others that she does. That if she actually wants to be truly gentle and kind for someone elses sake for real, it would take long term, slow, and possibly even painful effort on her part, to change a weaponized piece of herself back into something resembling human again. And whether she actually is willing to do that, or merely wants to pretend to be harmless to advance her own interests.

And against another angle - possible floated by Carmilla even - that she would be cutting off a part of herself for the sake of a man, which is both genuinely a good point, but characteristically ignoring that their vampirism in context, is their exploitative power over others, and not merely being empowered. This would actually characterize a misandrist radfem-type character as both very wrong, but understandable why she thinks that way.

And how Lenore could fall into similar thinking, even if she sees herself as kinder than Carmilla. Will she decide agsinst making herself genuinely more compassionate at the risk of being weaker, rationalizing that it's unfair to expect her to ever give up power, because her self perception is built on the cognitive dissonance between her #girlboss behavior being justified bc she also sees herself as the victim in every instance?

Or could she possibly decide that she wants to make an effort to change and risk vulnerability, to put herself in a more equal relationship with someone, and actually connect with them? Can she even meaningfully do this?

It really is a shame that Lenore doesn't actually get to have this level of good internal conflict, because she's Ellis's objectified mommy to beat Hector with. The supposed tragedy of her sunning herself is extremely undercut for me, by how most of the bad things she apparently regrets were not truly presented as moral failures of her character in the moment, but instead framed as titillating femdom degradation. To the point of it coming off as if the tragedy is just that she doesn't get what she wanted.

While Hector is definitely treated the most disrespectully, and extremely objectified in a way I think most people would clock as highly innapropriate with a female character, Lenore, Carmilla, and other women in Castlevania, still show the marks of being written by a confirmed misogynistic sex pest, with how little thought it feels like actually went into their rationales.

Ah great, this post gave me the Brainworms again on how I'd rewrite Lenore to be more than a dommy mommy rapist, and how I'd emphasize this implied trait of hers that she wants to be more human than vampire

(it's a good post, but I don't want to derail it lol)

Lenore eating human food even if it makes her sick, even if it tastes like mush, because she hates having to drink blood and blood only - she lies through her teeth when she says that she wants to "live well". Lenore carefully filing her nails to make them as short and blunt as possible: she likes making herself pretty, but she doesn't care about putting nail polish on them like Carmilla does, she doesn't want to attract attention to her hands. Lenore laughing with her hand over her mouth out of habit, to hide her fangs. Lenore asking Hector tidbits about his human life (either to manipulate him in S3 or out of genuine curiousity in S4), and being disappointed that not only he knows less than she does, but he speaks with palpable disdain about a life that she misses dearly. The other sisters mock her, like they usually do. She doesn't try to explain herself, because they'd treat her even more like a fool.

The post proposes that Lenore might like Hector's short nails and watching them grow. Maybe Hector also notices that Lenore doesn't have long claws (he remembers Dracula's all too well, and Carmilla's with a shudder), and when he asks why, she dismisses her choice with "would you do diplomacy with blades in your hand? I don't think so." It's her favorite trick, pretending to be weak and helpless - you don't need sharp claws when you have a sharp mind. But of course, it's not only that.

And maybe she also lied when she said that she doesn't miss the sun. Which makes her final gesture of looking at Hector during her last seconds even more poignant.

[nineteenninety-six]

A Little Bit of Sunshine

↳ Hector x Reader

↳ Word Count: 3.09k

↳ Requested by @shadechu​

A/N: I have never written for Castlevania before but I really enjoyed writing this, it flowed so easily. Hector is probably OOC but who cares lol. 

Anyway, enjoy :D

Hector had moved to a small town after everything had gone down with Lenore. After she died he realised how much damage she caused him, the lasting marks of her abuse and manipulation still scarred his body and mind and he could no longer stay in a place where they had lived and she had died.

The fact that he managed to escape the bond she had on him and that he was able to deceive her was only able to sustain him for a short while before everything fell apart and Hector was no longer able to act as if everything was okay, so he left and started anew.

The new town was on the smaller side but not small to the point where he would stand out. He easily blended into bustling crowds in the town centre and the residents treated him like any other local. For the first time in a long time, he felt normal, as working for Dracula was an experience that words couldn't explain.

He had his own little cabin in the woods where he could be at peace and the distance to the town centre was far but long enough for him to enjoy the sights as he walked past. All in all, he liked this new path of his life, it was almost completely different than it used to be and he expected to miss it but he enjoyed the calmness and serenity of this new path of his life.

On his usual weekly trip to town, someone called out to him, trying to catch his attention. it was a young woman, probably the same age as him and she was calling for his attention, waving him over to her stall.

"Sir! Sir!"

Hector looked up in surprise and as soon as the woman realised she had his attention a bright smile overtook over her face before she eagerly began to wave him over, swinging her arms back and forth over her head, gathering the attention of the other people around them.

Hector quickly shuffled over to them not wanting her to cause an even bigger scene and pull more attention their way.

"You're new aren't you?" Was the first thing out of her mouth.

Hector flinched in shock at her words, not expecting them. No one else knew he was new and that put him on edge.

"Oh don't look so surprised, I just know everyone that comes here."

Hector raises a brow at her words, " ... That's weird. You do realise that right?"

The woman shrugs, "Maybe but it makes for good business. People are more likely to buy something if I remember them from just previously meeting."

Hector realises that he's standing in front of a stall filled with baked goods, "You're a baker?"

"Family business," She clarifies, “I mostly do the selling due to my - "

"Charm?" Hector cuts in with a sarcastic tone.

"Actually, I was going to say my good looks but yes charm too." The woman grins.

Hector couldn't help but bark out a laugh, the woman never missed a beat.

"I'm (Y/N) in case you wanted to know" (Y/N) informed him with a wink.

Hector had to twist his lips so that the smile that so desperately wanted to escape, couldn't.

"Hector" He introduced himself.

"Well Hector, what can I get you? " (Y/N) asked, gesturing to the spread of baked goods in front of her.

Oh, she was smart. Catching his attention, making him come over to his stall and

converse with her in front of everyone and now he could surely not been seen walking away with nothing after taking up her time. While he didn't really care about the local’s opinions about him, he didn't want to be outcasted more than he already was.

"I'll have a loaf and a sweet pie please"

(Y/N) shoots him a bright smile and packs up his items, then collects his money.

"Thank you, Hector. I hope to see you again soon"

"I'll see you again" Hector responded

As he began to walk back home, Hector thought back on how easily (Y/N) made him feel at ease, how he brought a smile to his face and drew laughter from and he got scared.

This is how Lenore got her claws in him, she manipulated and lied to him before tricking him into servitude and he never wanted something like that to ever happen again.

He decided for the health of his mind, he would keep his distance from (Y/N). He couldn't find it in himself to completely ghost her and ignore her so he'll keep cordial. He'll be friendly but he couldn't let himself become close to her.

.•° ✿ °•.

His plan worked well, every time he went up to town he stopped by her stall and bought what ended up being his usual order of a loaf and a sweet pie, engaged in small talk with (Y/N) before leaving and it worked well for weeks until he had a dream about Lenore one night.

A mere dream had knocked him off-kilter. He had awoken a mess and fell out of his bed in his confused and frantic attempt to escape his blankets. He only managed to crawl a few paces before collapsing on the cold floor, his remaining energy only enough to let him roll onto his back. Hector blinked lazily up at the ceiling as everything he had locked away came rushing back. He relived the moment when he fell for her, the moment he realised that she had tricked him, the moment when she realised he betrayed her and then when she had died by her own will.

Everything that had occurred over the last few years played in front of his eyes and he hated every part of it. He could never forgive himself for being so naive and trusting yet he missed those traits of his.

When he 'awoke' again, the sun was moving low, signifying sunset wasn't far away. He pulled himself up and washed his face at the basin before he left his cabin, his feet taking him into town. The town centre was still busy despite the late hour and so was she, the woman who he came to see.

Despite the other stall owners who had either left or were in the process of doing so, her stall was still set up with what remaining items she had left. She was sitting on a stall with a book on her lap in a different world and Hector felt bad about disturbing her but he needed her.

He didn't even have to call her name, as soon as he was a few feet away, she looked up at him with a smile and closed her book shut, though when she got a proper look at him, her smile faltered.

"Hector?" She made her way over to him, brow furrowed in concern, "Is everything okay?"

He must look like a mess. He certainly felt it on the inside and he had been in a trance since he woke up, not paying any attention to his looks.

"I... um, I -" Hector stumbled over his words, his tongue suddenly heavy.

"Why don't you take a seat" (Y/N) guided Hector to her stall and offered him some water from the pouch at her side.

Seeing that he was in no position to talk about what happened, (Y/N) changed the topic slightly, "I thought you were not coming today. I got so used to seeing you, it would be a shame if I did not see you."

"But do not fret, I set aside your usual order for you," She said as she showed him a little wrapped up basket.

Hector nodded, the change in conversation took the pressure off his shoulders and he felt more at ease to speak.

"What do you do with the ones you do not sell? "He asked

"Today these are going to the homeless. I usually alternate between them, the orphanage and poor families"

"That is kind of you. Nobody did anything like that when I was young"

"I think the world is horrible enough with the wars and death and it costs nothing to do a little good within your own community" (Y/N) then looked up at the sky and noticed the changing colours, “Do you want to come with me as I give these out?”

Desperate for more of a distraction, Hector agrees and he helps her clear up her stan before they set off to a different part of town, him carrying the basket of baked goods for the homeless.

“Do you have any family, Hector?” (Y/N) asked.

Hector shook his head, his grey hair swishing around his chin as he did so, “Just me”

“Hm, well if you want any annoying younger siblings, I’ll eagerly give you all of mine”

“Surely they’re not that bad-”

(Y/N) lets out a laugh, “One day I’ll take you to meet them. You’ll regret your words!”

As they walked around, handing the food to the less fortunate, Hector noticed the strange way (Y/N) behaved. Her head constantly twitched one way to the other, as if someone was calling for her attention but she stopped herself before fully turning around to see and her eyes were flickering about like seeing things that weren’t there.

“(Y/N)? Is everything okay?” Hector asked

(Y/N) froze when he spoke, looking at him with wide eyes, she twisted her head around to make sure no one was nearby before she grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hidden alcove.

There was fear in her eyes as she gripped his hands tightly, “I am telling you this because I trust you but you cannot tell anyone or they will kill me.”

“(Y/N)...?”

(Y/N) casts one more precautionary look around her before speaking, “I can speak to animals”

Hector blinked in surprise, that was the last thing he expected.

“You...speak to animals?”

“Speak, understand, you know the whole thing”

“...The whole thing?” Hector repeated after her.

(Y/N)’s shoulder slumped in disappointment at his words, “You do not believe me. Of course, you don’t, I sound like a crazy woman.”

“No, no!” Hector was quick to reassure her, “I don’t think you’re crazy, of course not.”

(Y/N) gripped Hector’s hands tighter in relief and he suddenly realised that they had not stopped holding hands since she had dragged him. Her hands were soft but strong and steady and they fit perfectly in his, he never wanted to let go.

“I could do since I was a child and I told my parents but they thought I was a child with a large imagination so they ignored me,” (Y/N) began to elaborate on her talent, “And when I was ten there was a witch-burning in our old town, an older woman was accused of conjuring spirits and setting against the people of the village but in reality, she was just a sick old woman who needed help. After that, I knew I couldn’t let anyone know about you know what”

“Why did you tell me?” Hector asked.

“...I don’t know. There’s something about you, so understanding, empathetic, trustworthy. I know I can trust you.”

(Y/N) had revealed her deepest secret to him, made herself vulnerable yet he could not do the same to her, though the ability to communicate with animals was much different than being a forgemaster.

“You can trust me, I promise I will not tell anyone.”

(Y/N)’s shoulders relaxed and she gave him a brief smile, “Your belief in me means more than you know.”

“Now,” Hector lifted the basket up, “Should we finish what we started?”

It had progressively gotten darker, the sun only moments away from going down completely.

“Of course! We must finish before it gets too dark.” (Y/N) stepped out of the alcove and hurried down the street, dragging Hector behind her, still holding on to his hand.

-

It was dark by the time they began to walk home, Hector insisting on walking her home so that she wasn’t alone at night. She stopped in front of a little cabin, not unlike his, it also wasn’t that far away from his.

“You don’t live with your family?” Hector asked.

(Y/N) shook her head, “It is better for me this way. I love my family, truly but the chance of them finding out about me is something I can’t risk. I cannot truly say that they wouldn’t expose me�� there are some things that are beyond even family ties.”

“Anyway,” (Y/N) spoke with a sigh, “It is late, I need to sleep. Thank you for today, Hector. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Hector waited until (Y/N) had reached her door and spoke again, “Can we...meet again soon?”

(Y/N) gave him a toothy smile, “Of course. In two days by the lake? I can bring a picnic for lunch.”

Hector nodded, “I’ll see you then.”

He waited until her door closed before he made his way home, his heart feeling happy. He had forgotten how he felt earlier that day and (Y/N) had completely turned his day around. He did feel guilt though, he went to for help, a distraction which she provided and then she revealed a deep secret of hers yet he couldn’t even tell her about his nor his past with Lenore or history with Dracula and being a forgemaster. The things he carried were heavy yet (Y/N) had already been so understanding and kink that he didn’t fear telling them to her, he knew she would understand.

In two days at the picnic, he would tell her.

.•° ✿ °•.

(Y/N) was already by the lake by the time he arrived, speaking out loud to someone he couldn’t see but when he heard the responding barks and yelps, he realised that she was talking to a dog. He hurried his pace to catch up to her, excited to see her communicate to animals in person.

“Is that a dog you’re speaking to?” He shouted as he jogged over to her.

(Y/N) spun around with a smile, “Yes! I’ll introduce you to him!”

She crouched down and took the dog into her arms before turning towards him after he finally reached her,

“Hector this is- Cezar”

“-Cezar”

Hector and (Y/N) spoke at the same time. Hector stared at the dog he had not seen since Carmilla had dragged him away after Dracula died and (Y/N) stared at Hector, surprised he knew the little mongrel dog.

Cezar eagerly barked at Hector, his tiny body wriggling in excitement as he tried to escape (Y/N)’s hold, so she let him down and watched as he raced over to Hector barking like mad and when Hector kneeled down, the door jumped into his arms and wiggled some more.

“...So I guess you know each other then?” (Y/N) asked.

“Cezar is my dog,” Hector explained, giving the small dog rubs and pats, “I got separated from him a while ago but how did you meet him?”

“We stumbled across each other last year and then we became close companions...but I’ve always been curious about something about him.”

“Is it that he looks like he should be dead?”

(Y/N) laughed, “Yes, Hector. Don’t get me wrong, I love the little dog but he looks a bit beyond his years.”

Hector put Cezar down and together they began walking towards the lake so they could set up their picnic.

He took a deep breath before he began to explain what he could do, “I’m a forgemaster.”

“Forgemaster? What’s that?”

Of course, she wouldn’t know what that was, her world was not the same as his.

“I can bring back animals and humans from the dead and call demons from hell.”

“Wow...that’s uh...wow”

“I’m sorry for dumping this on you, I know it’s quite heavy stuff.”

“I did not know that was possible”

“Many don’t. It’s beyond comprehension.”

“If I wasn’t looking at proof right now” (Y/N) pointed towards Cezar who was trotting ahead of them, “I wouldn’t believe it either.”

“Is that what caused you such distress the other day?” (Y/N) asked as they found a place to sit down.

“No, no, that was about Lenore.”

(Y/N) kept quiet allowing Hector to speak at his own pace.

“I was taken captive, stuck in a cell and Lenore gained my trust, pretending that she was someone that I could trust only to betray me and me her slave to her and her sisters. I was under their or more specifically her control for over a year until I managed to trick her and end the ‘bond’.”

“Where’s she now?”

“Dead. She was a vampire and decided it was her time to go.”

“Did you love her?” (Y/N) asked

“No, I don’t think I did. After I realised what she had done to me any feelings that I may have had disappeared, they were not formed authentically. I still feel incredibly stupid about the whole thing, I was foolish to believe someone who was involved in sisterhood with the person who captured me would genuinely care for me.”

“You were not foolish, you were human Hector '' (Y/N) comforted him, “You were vulnerable and she took advantage of that, you should not feel ashamed. You are strong that’s why you’re here with me right now and Lenore is no longer alive. You will never be proud of yourself if you keep on diminishing what you’ve achieved so far. You’ll never be happy and I want you to be happy”

Hector takes her hand in his, “I want to be happy.”

(Y/N) smiles at him, “You will be, I know you will.”

“I want to be happy with you”

“Oh-” (Y/N) smile changes into a softer one that tickles Hector’s heart, “I want to be happy with you too.”

“Imagine it,” Hector falls onto his back and tugs (Y/N) down with him, “You, me, Cezar in a cabin in the woods and all the animals you wish to speak to”

(Y/N) laughs, “You wouldn’t believe how chatting animals are, I’m fine with just being me you and Cezar for the moment.”

Cezar jumps up on Hector’s chest with a bark before settling down with a huff.

“Sounds like he agrees”

[rabidpotato]

I have Castlevania brain rot send help

Ho boy. I have FEELINGS.

Season 4 spoilers and (longwinded) Discourse(TM) below the cut

A happy ending? In MY Castlevanias? It’s more likely than you think. With as grimdark as the series has been I fully expected to have my heart torn out and shat on, so to get an actual satisfying happy ending was a whole lungful of fresh air. Gimme that sweet sweet rush of Everybody Lives Nobody Dies, I need that shit pumped straight into my poor serotonin-starved brain.

What a hell of a season. There was enough material there for at least two seasons (and I would have LOVED to have two seasons, but that’s just because I’m greedy and want more…) and I was skeptical that they could even try to wrap up all those threads..and then they DID IT. Hot damn.

Hot Takes:

In this house we stan Greta and will tolerate no disrespect against our sword-and-hammer wielding queen. I love her, and I love her and Alucard’s dynamic with the deliberate parallels to Dracula and Lisa. I think she’s good for him.

TREVOR AND SYPHA UGH I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH I’m out here crying ugly tears at how much this stinky himbo and tiny nuke love each other ;______; Battle Couple OTP.

I would watch the shit out of an entire season of everybody building the new village and Trevor and Sypha learning how to be parents and Alucard and Greta getting closer and everybody just being HAPPY. This is because I am trash, not because there would actually be any storytelling value in such a thing. Same thing with onscreen kisses between Trevor and Sypha. Is it necessary? No. Doesn’t mean I don’t want it. But hey, that’s what fandom is for, right? I’ll just be over here drawing beetus-inducing fluff and being vaguely disgusted with myself.

Papa Trevor would be so soft. I think my ovaries just exploded.

I 100% expected Trevor to die and leave Sypha grieving and pregnant with the way they teased it in the trailer and the way it would have thematically fit with the rest of the series, and I am SO GLAD he didn’t. I’m tired of sad endings. I really love that he gets to be part of this world of people who know how to build things.

“I love you.” “I know.”

That single flash of Sypha’s face as he’s fading out knowing he’s going to die and being at peace with it, augh my fucking heart. T_T

Horse is secret MVP. That horse knows things.

Isaac confirmed for a) stand user and b) monster fucker. King out here living his best life, you love to see it.

But for reals tho, Isaac’s arc was one of my favorites. Nice fakeout with the conquest line in the trailer. The philosophical discussions on the nature of humans and night creatures, the way he comes to realize that he (and Hector, and by extension his own night creatures) is/are more than a tool to be used in the hands of others, the way he reclaims his own agency and decides he’s going to live...I fucking loved it. (Also paves the way for post-series forgehusbands…)

SO FUCKING HAPPY FOR STRIGA AND MORANA. I was holding my breath expecting them to get horribly killed the entire time and then they just...weren’t. The hot vampire wives got to literally ride off into the sunset (sunrise?) together, in a way that made sense. The General and the Organizer looked at the data on the ground, discussed, and made the calculated decision to stick with what really matters to them, not just Carmilla’s ambitions. More of this, please! Would have loved to see Striga fight more than once, though. Also I would shank a man for Morana’s cape.

Respect for Carmilla for going out on her own terms, even if it did feel a little heavy-handed. The cinematography of her and Isaac’s fight sure as hell made up for it though- that was one of the prettiest fights of the series.

Reunited trio’s fight was the other prettiest fight of the series. Holy fuck, what gorgeous animation.

I actually liked that St Germain’s lady friend never spoke- it reinforced the way that he has mythologized her to the point where she’s not even a person, just an ideal. It was also exactly what he deserved that she turned her back on him in the end. She’s just not that into you, bro.

Varney is a hoot. A greasy, flea-infested slimy hoot. Nice twist, too. Death’s design is *chef kiss*

Loved the themes of moving on and rebuilding and change and how there’s a pretty clear split between the people who are able to adapt and change (and live), and those “relics of the old world” who can’t or won’t. Ratko was criminally underused in this respect. I think there just wasn’t enough time.

Quibbles:

Pacing. I know Castlevania is notorious for uneven pacing, but in this case I think this is on Netflix- they should have been given a full two seasons to wrap this up, just to give things a chance to breathe. As it was, though, I think the writers did the best possible job given the constraints they were under.

Zamfir should have lived to learn the lesson about caring for the people who are still alive, and been the one to take charge of rebuilding Targoviste for the living. Having her die was straight-up pointless in a predictable way.

Did Trevor just straight-up forget he has TWO weapons with range when fighting Ratko? You have like a 30 foot reach what are you doing bro

Lenore is Problematic, and I wish there had been more tension between her and Hector. Like, I know Stockholm Syndrome is a thing, but he’s weirdly chill with her in a way that glosses over just what she did to him. Also I would have liked to see more self-awareness of “Oh, being a pet in a cage really is shitty, no matter how nice the cage. Now I know why what I did to you was wrong” before she dips. Her ending sure was poetic, though.

Wasn’t Trevor’s left arm broken in that last fight? How the heck is he even able to use it at the end? Also damn dude it’s been two weeks you should probably at least have washed those gaping wounds by now. Do you want sepsis? Because that’s how you get sepsis.

Unpopular Opinions:

Look I love Dracula/Lisa as much as the next shipper but “Hey we’re alive again for some reason!!” was totally out of left field. It felt like something out of a fix-it fic and it was just kinda baffling and jarring. Also go see your fucking kid, jfc you two are terrible parents.

Is Lisa just...kinda fine with the fact that Dracula tried to commit genocide in her name and almost killed their son? That must have been an awkward conversation.

I’m actually cool with Alucard spilling his life story to Greta on the march. He’s starving for human interaction, who’s to say he wouldn’t just want to TALK about what he’s been through? It’s treated in a way that’s a bit flippant for my taste, but we’ve seen enough of his trauma onscreen. I want to focus on his healing.

I’m hesitant to kick this particular hornet’s nest, but I really don’t think the ot3 has to be sexual? If it is, it damn well be an ot4 polycule with Greta. I see them more as two couples that are close friends and found family. But that’s the great thing about fandom! Rock on, shippers of all flavors, there’s room enough for everybody.

In Conclusion (jesus fuck how much did I write)

Castlevania pretty

Have you seen my braincell I think I misplaced it

Moar plz

[ashenpages]

Current Projects & Emoji Voting Key

Quick disclaimer: I’m a romance writer in all aspects of the term, so most of my works will contain mature content. Engage at your own risk, you know the rules, you’re responsible for curating your own experience of the internet, blah blah blah.

This post serves as a current mock up of fic ideas I’m either actively working on or considering working on next. You can drop me an ask about any of them, or just vote via the emoji combo I’ve assigned them.

Voting lets me know you’re excited about an idea and makes it more likely I’ll actually work on it. You can vote anytime, there’re no deadlines or winner announcements, just me gauging your interest by what I see in my ask box most often.

You can also ask me about the original stuff I’m working on currently. The current WIPs are Medusa centric and the emoji for them is: 🐍

Support my original work on Ko-fi and Patreon.

- Lupin: 🤑🤠💍  These are all oneshot ideas, between 5-15K each. If you want to vote for a specific idea, send me the emojis and the number of the idea.

Born from the idea that Goemon and Zenigata probably couldn’t be an item, my brain decided to come up with how I could write for them. Goemon’s teaching an ikebana class as part of his training, and Zenigata shows up as a student on forced recreational leave for his health from the ICPO. Zenigata wins the samurai’s heart through flowers. But what happens when Lupin and Jigen find out? (Only good sexy things, I promise. These beans are in a healthy polycule--be gay, do crimes) (WIP)

Jigen/Lupin, but it's Jigen deciding to seduce Lupin while wearing his own Lupin disguise. The thief is waaaaay too into it, and some artistry is taken with the sex so that they don't mess up the disguise too much during their encoutner.

Jigen/Zenigata/Lupin where Jigen has some fantasices about Zenigata, but is pretty sure they'll never happen. Tells Lupin about them. Suddenly the fantasies are coming true, in the middle of a heist, and Jigen doesn't what to do except get swept up in the moment and enjoy. Plot twist, it's Lupin dressed up as Zenigata granting all his gunman's dreams. Plot twist again, Zenigata catches them at it.

Zenigata/Lupin, where Lupin keeps doing good things in illegal ways and Pops has to find a way to punish him for it. Good thing for Pops Lupin's a masochist?

Trans!Lupin and Trans!Jigen premise: Jigen cares for Lupin after the master thief has top surgery, since Jigen has Been There and Done That. Caring, sweet, and a little sexy. Lupin is a much better patient than Jigen.

The one time Zenigata caught Lupin in an alley and kissed him and it was Jigen in disguise. Things get sexy anyway, and Zenigata has crushes on two thieves now. Lupin and Jigen "kidnap" him later for an evening of taking care of their inspector.

The background plot of Jigen's Gravestone where we see Jigen think he's done for and try to leave Lupin. Our thief has none of it, and we get to relish in the inherent eroticism of Lupin sitting in sniper fire, knowing Jigen's got his back. This is the moment I think Jigen finally believes he can be with Lupin forever.

I love the idea of something longer and more plot driven like a Lupin special where Lupin ends up in hot water and Jigen and Fujiko have to work together to save him. Jigen and Fujiko have such an interesting relationship. They're both partners of Lupin, they don't really like each other, they constantly screw the other over, but when it really matters they take care of each other. I'd like to see that highlighted a little more and also give them space to call each other out and bicker. Nothing sexy between them, but maybe a really interesting threesome with Lupin and Fujiko in a strap on once they save their boy.

- Sonic Vampire Novelist Coffee Shop AU: 📚☕💐

Shadow is an immortal vampire who has seen the world change for the worse too many times. These days it feels like he only lives for his coffee dates with Rouge, another immortal who loves each new era they encounter, warts and all. He has to admit that the book series she got him into speaks to him, at least. If someone in this era can understand him without meeting him, it can’t all be bad. But he hardly expected the goofy blue barista at the new coffee place to understand him the way those books do.

This is a novel length romcom romp with some big feelings about what it means to watch as things change, grow, and die. Expect lots of Big gothic feelings from this one, emotionally charged kissing, and overly-adoring sex. But also expect shenanigans from everyone in the coffee shop, which include Rouge, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, and more.

- Sonic Blazamy, "Like the Sun": 💖🌸💎

Amy Rose has been in love with Sonic for a while.

Or has she?

When the Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver are trapped as the fuel sources for Doctor Eggman’s newest evil scheme, Amy teams up with Blaze, Rouge, and Cream to save them. With Sonic out of the picture and Amy fulfilling his role, was she ever really in love with him? Or did she just want to be like him?

This is a novel length epic romance with lots of competent women and lots of romantic Blazamy content. Expect flowery hopes and dreams, badass self-actualization, and glancing hand touches that give way to cuddly and sweet sex.

- Persona 5: 🗡🍛☕

After bringing down the Metaverse twice, Ryuji didn’t think graduating high school and figuring out what to do with his life would be so hard. Akira’s back in town, and the gang’s more-or-less all in Tokyo, but everyone else seems to have a plan while Ryuji just floats. How’s he supposed to change the world when he’s not a phantom thief anymore?

This is a novel length fic that addresses how powerless one can feel being just one person in the face of all the corrupted systems and bigotry the world has to offer. It’s about holding on to what you believe in, working through the doubt, and fighting your way to a better tomorrow with the power you do have. The whole gang is queer, featured relationships being Mako x Ann, Ryuji x Akira, Futaba & Yusuke as platonic life partners. Akira is polyamorous and omnisexual, Futaba’s asexual and aromantic while Yusuke is demisexual and very romantic, Makoto’s a lesbian, Ann and Ryuji are bi, and Haru’s pansexual, demisexual, and aromantic. They’re one giant band of queer Phantom Thieves, and even if they’re not really doing the Metaverse thing anymore, they’re still gonna save the world!

Also, I’m gonna make Makoto not a cop. That super didn’t age well. Zenkichi and his boss can work on making them better/abolishing them for other better organizations.

- Hades Game: ❤️‍🔥💀

Oneshot. I just really need to elaborate on the threesome you can have with them in-game, okay? Healthy and canon poly relationships are so few and far between, so often I have to do a ton of groundwork to explain why it’s working in the fic, but NOT WITH THESE KIDS!

Get ready for Meg helping Zag and Than be better at expressing their feelings, lots of kissing, and probably pegging.

- Castlevania Animation Trevor/Sypha/Alucard: 🧛🏰🛌

Castlevania gave Alucard a threesome last season, and I just really need S4 to give me him being taken care of by his partners. They’re probably not going to give it to me, so I’ll need to do it myself. This is just an everybody loves Alucard oneshot, with the gang’s signature banter (to an extent), Sypha being sexy, and Trever being remarkably sincere. This fic is gonna feel like that Ann Hathaway picture with Trevor kissing Alucard and Sypha holding the end of Trevor’s whip while she leans her head on Alucard’s shoulder adoringly.

- Devil May Cry Nico/Lady/Trish: 💋✨😈

Nico’s gay, okay? Like really, really gay. And Lady’s bi and not into men who make her pay bills, but very into women who make amazing guns for her and demonesses with hearts who fight by her side. Trish is ace, but loves people and is pretty attached to Lady at this point. Plus it’s cute when Lady blushes and says nice things like they’re insults. I don’t have super solid ideas for them yet, and I envision these more like a polycule where Lady’s with Nico and with Trish but they’re not with each other more than seeing it as a threesome, but who knows what might happen. This is probably 1-2 oneshots depending on ideas, but might turn into a series of oneshots if people are interested (or I can’t control myself and inspiration strikes).

- Post FMA:B Blind Roy & No Alchemy Ed: 👀👑🙏

This is actually an old novel-length fic I wrote ages ago and didn’t post that didn’t turn out well because I was new to writing sex when I first wrote it. The plot is good, and is all about Roy learning to work with his blindness to reclaim his ambition of being Fuhrer and changing the system to something that actually cares for its people. He and Ed reconnect, fall into bed, and both set about working through their respective traumas about being “useless” having lost their sight/alchemy. They go to Xing as an ambassadorial party to offer Amestris’s collaboration on Al and May’s Alkahestry experiments--and uncover a plot that might threaten both kingdoms.

- Age of Calamity continuity Mipha x Revali: 🦚🐟💘

The first time Revali noticed Mipha, it was in the heat of battle. She stole his mark, taking them down with a flurry of quick blows from her spear. Violence rained from her like water--and then she healed him on her way to her next battle. No questions, no conditions, just pure kindness. The usual need to measure himself against those around him was quiet in her wake. And Revali couldn’t understand it. But how to get to know more about her? A fish and bird may fall in love, but where would they live?

This fic could be a oneshot or novel length depending on how far down the hole I fall. I need it to cover time, but it could be done in linked vignettes or with actually covering events in detail. I may elect to do a oneshot just to get it done and out of my system faster. So much fic to write, so little time.

Expect trans!Revali, polyamorous Zoras, scary competent Mipha, songbird Revali, love confessions that are made up entirely of berating Link for not loving Mipha the way she wants him to, and breaking these characters a little outside of their assigned roles in BotW and Age of Calamity. Background Link x Zelda, and Urbosa x Zelda’s Mom.

- Epic desert romance about Urbosa and Zelda’s mom: 🏜🏝⚡

I just think Urbosa should kiss women and Zelda’s mom should get more development and maybe a name or something. Also, lightning imagery/metaphors/play.

It also went way over my head that Riju wasn’t Urbosa’s daughter the first time I played BotW, so now I want to write about the Gerudo queen who refused to produce an heir. The Gerudo are fascinating and have a very interesting cutlure, but I think it could be examined from a nonbinary perspective that rejected pregnancy and wanting to find a husband. Not in like a hateful way, but in a way that examines if that’s really right for everyone. There’s that shop in town that sells Voe armor, after all. Maybe finding a husband and having children isn’t something you have to do if you don’t want to. And Urbosa really doesn’t want to.

[tendermiasma]

i’m not even into overwatch anymore but i just wanted to say I ADORE your art style and hope to develop my own into a similar semi-realism leaning...have you made a post about your art journey? I’m assuming I just need to buckle down and do anatomy studies but any tips are very welcome!! Ty for your time <3

Oh man thank you! I’ve never made a comprehensive post about how I got to *gestures* whatever this point in my art this is, and I definitely sat here wondering what “art journey” means for me since I always feel like I’m stumbling around so I’ll answer as completely as I can. But a great way to develop a realism-minded eye is to draw from photos and life. Everyone in the world has said it over and over but it really gets it done, it’s not any more complicated than that. It’s how I started when I was little and it’s not something I planned, but the Legolas posters were right there so how could I not? Your own non-realism “stylistic” touch will bubble up whether you want it to or not and that’s a beautiful thing. It’s not something you need to look for because it happens on its own, whether it’s you seeing something another artist is doing that you like and assimilating it into your work, or it’s your own unique way that you absorb information from the world and use it to solve problems in the drawing in front of you. Some new artists also still have the idea that using references is cheating-- I’m not blaming them, sometimes this weird thing is circulated by more established people as well-- but this is a very small minority. Please use references. I’d be lost without them. The Castlevania team has a giant collection of references for faces of every character from every angle, props, etc. and I always have a second screen up with 10 different sheets of whoever I’m drawing. Feeding yourself info is essential to getting better. Look at how other artists handle something you’re having a problem with too. If they’re doing a similar pose or something, study their drawing and ask yourself what specifically, extremely technically about that drawing is convincing-- what marks are where, and what is the quality or direction of the strokes? Try it out on your own drawing. If you’re stuck, become aware of if you’re holding on too tightly to what you think something should look like. I have to remind myself this as well. Really try to let go of the idea you have in your head about how something works and simply try instead to draw what you see, even if it feels weird. The results are often pleasantly surprising. 

I have a funny relationship with studies. You seem to be looking at them like a chore and I feel the same way. It’s impossible for me to sit down and just draw something over and over, disconnected from emotion or a larger narrative. I think a wonderful way to “study” is to incorporate those studies into a project that you wanted to do anyway. I’ve used my minicomics to get better at background painting or specific figure poses that I needed for the story but wasn’t sure how to do. I’m a very “oops I need it now better learn TODAY” kind of artist, if that suits you better than buckling down and doing anatomy studies for hours. Both are great ways to improve, but you have options for how to get there. 

In terms of how much time I spend drawing.. well lol it’s a lot. I almost typed “but I don’t do it every day” but yes, my jobs have made sure that I do (I tend to separate personal drawing and job drawing). But the truth is, to get better, a lot of very focused drawing time is important; how much of it is up to you and your schedule. You can sit down for 6 hours and doodle or you can sit down for 3 with an extremely critical eye. It’s about the volume of time as well as focus and I don’t have a clear answer for it, but I can point to one specific year in my life where I made artistic progress like I’ve never seen from myself since. I drew a comic with regular updates during that time and, looking back, the art was not good. But the point was, I was drawing for 7 hours a day after work, at least 5 days a week, and actively looking to draw things that I hadn’t done before or knew that I wasn’t good at, and the result was that every single update was almost like it was drawn by a different person-- readers noticed and commented on the progress as well. It was very much an art bootcamp and I wouldn’t have the skills I do at this point if I hadn’t done it. It’s important that you’re loving what you do if you do it for yourself! That’s how you get through big projects and continue to be excited with where you are. Love is one of the most important motivators and discipline-keepers in art, in my experience. Draw what sets your brain on fire and attack it wholeheartedly even if it’s really weird or niche, not what you think you should be drawing, and you’ll improve a million times faster.

Art journey in terms of what I’ve done with my life (if this is what you meant from the beginning I’M SORRY I’m just trying everything you might have meant) uhhh I haven’t been to art school. I have no idea what my relationship with art would be like now if I’d had any formal training and I don’t really dwell on it. I could either be a testament to being able to get by without it or an example of someone who has no idea what she’s doing at all and lacks many basic foundational art skills. I have an architecture degree. I love architecture, I love the language of space we build for ourselves, and I’m truly, deeply glad for that eye-opening and often grueling experience, but I think my current field is a much better fit. Before animation I worked as a graphic designer mainly drawing storyboards for commercials and internal-industry stuff-- lots and lots of quick colored sketches (one of our main clients was a big glass company and my god I never thought I’d draw so much glass in my life). I was able to do that job due to the skills I developed through personal work. Maybe I’d be a hundred times more powerful if I went to art school! Maybe I’d be completely burned out and bitter and not drawing anymore at all! I just don’t know. I have friends who have had both experiences. Whether you choose art school or not it’s best to keep tabs on if the art you’re currently making brings you joy. Joy and struggle aren’t mutually exclusive. Oftentimes I’m drawing something I care deeply about but it’s VERY FUCKING HARD and I’m frustrated but it’s worth it.

I also do everything while being very scared of the thing. I have a lot of deep-seated anxiety that I’m constantly trying to root out and my brain compulsively twists things around into why I can’t do something, why people secretly know I’m below-par and are just too nice to tell me, how I’m “tricking” people into thinking I’m better than I am, etc. It’s so bad that my first thought when I was initially offered the art test for my current job was to say no; not because I didn’t want it so badly it hurt, but because I thought I’d be too much of a disappointment.  After completing the test I spent an hour figuring out the most gracious way to apologize for not being enough. It’s common, but not something to accept and we’re all working on it. I just thought it was important to mention because art is also a mental journey and forces you to do all this navel-gazey shit in order to advance, and feeling like you are Not Enough is rife in the creative community. The work feels entangled with my value as a person because art is a massive part of my life. Something I’m learning is that I don’t have to be confident or sure of myself all the time. This ensures that the process is usually painful and frightening. Often there’s no way to make it less painful or frightening, and I just have to hold my breath and do it. An oddly comforting thing to me the past couple years is to remind myself that the scary thing I’m about to do won’t be the scariest thing I’ll ever do. I implies both that this isn’t the pinnacle of my progress and also that I will inevitably get over it. If you continue with art you’re going to run into things like this and I guess if it was me it would’ve been helpful to know I’m not alone in it.

I hope that maybe answered some of your questions, maybe? If you have some specific questions feel free and I’ll try my best. Hope you have a good day/night!

[duhragonball]

Hellsing Liveblog Ch. 68-69 (nice)

This is the “Castlevania” arc.   It’s only two parts, but I want to slow down and take my time with this one.

Okay, so in the last chapter, Alucard was fighting Alexander Anderson, who used one of the nails from the True Cross to pierce his own heart, which transformed Anderson into some sort of miraculous creature made of thorny tendrils.   Then he struck a heavy blow on Alucard’s head, and just sort of kept on going down his neck and chest.  

And as far as we call tell, this is the most danger Alucard’s been in since the story began.  Anderson lopped off his head in their first encounter, and even that didn’t stop him.   Now, in this “holy monster” form, Anderson can grow back body parts just as easily as Alucard, and he seems to be able to hurt Alucard a lot more than ever before.  The irony is that Alucard might have been honored to lose to Anderson, but only when he was a human foe.  Now that Anderson has used the Nail of Helena to become something inhuman, Alucard feels that it diminishes their fight.   

Regardless, Alucard is in serious danger, or so it seems.   Even his horde of familiars are bursting into flames all around him, which I assume is a side-effect of Anderson’s attack.   As this happens, Alucard appears to lose consciousness, and flashes back to his childhood. 

This whole flashback seemed like a nonsequitur to me when I watched the Hellsing Ultimate OVA, but I think it makes a bit more sense this time around.  As a boy in the 1440′s, Vlad Tepes was something of a religious fantatic, much like Father Anderson in 1999.   He pledged to never ask God for anything, which I don’t think is theologically sound, but let’s run with it.  The point here seems to be that Vlad felt it was more pious to endure hardship while keeping his faith in God.

For example, in this scene, we see Vlad being dragged away to be raped, and he grabs the cross he wears around his neck for solace.   He doesn’t beg God for mercy or deliverance, but simply clings to his faith to see him through.   

I’m assuming the man in shadow is Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire.  In 1442, Murad summoned Vlad’s father to Gallipoli, and he went there with Vlad and his brother Ruda.  The Sultane then imprisoned all three of them, and eventually released Vlad’s father, but kep the boys as hostages to ensure the fahter’s loyalty.   There was a period when Vlad’s father sided against the Ottomans, and he presumed his sons had been killed, but in fact they survived and eventually returned to Wallachia.   So maybe Kouta Hirano is taking some creative license here, and suggesting that Murad II took out his anger on Vlad in other ways. 

Eventually, Vlad became the Voivoide of Wallachia, and in this flashback we find that he considers fighting to be a form of prayer.   Not for mercy, because Vlad refuses to ask for that.   Instead, he seems to believe that if you just keep fighting hard enough, God will descend from the heavens.   None of this made sense to me the first time around, but once you start interpreting this in the context of Vlad as a religious extremist, it starts to add up.   Anderson’s fellows in the Iscariot Organization were literally blowing themselves up to help Anderson defeat Alucard, and they were happy to do it, because they saw it as a holy mission.    Anderson himself was eager to use the Nail to make himself into a monster, because he craved to be a single-minded instrument of God’s will.   A righteous bludgeon to smite the wicked.    Vlad Tepes’ “bloodlust” seems to have been inspired by a similar zealotry, at least as Hirano sees it.

But in the end, did God descend to respond to Vlad’s “prayers”?   The image of the modern Alucard is all the answer we need.    Of course that didn’t happen.  

I’m just cribbing from the Vlad the Impaler page on Wikipedia, but from what I gather about Vlad’s final years, he was fighting for the office of Voivoide of Wallachia against Basarab Laiotă , who had support from the Ottoman Empire.   Vlad fought and lost, probably dying in battle in December 1476/Janury 1477.   The story goes that his corpse was cut into pieces, and his head sent to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II.

So Kouta Hirano depicts Vlad’s final moments with him being captured and executed.  This is certainly plausible, and it gives Vlad a chance to reflect on his failure before he meets his fate.    He fought and killed so many people, daring to resist the Ottomans even as he ruled a state that was basically controlled by the Ottomans, and I guess he must have known how impossible that would be, which is why he counted on God to deliver him, so long as he fought hard enough.

But in that final moment, just as the axe comes down on his neck, he still has his cross... but instead of taking solace in that, he reaches out instead for the puddle of blood in front of him.    The axe comes down and shatters the cross, just as Vlad Tepes forsakes his humanity.  

So maybe all of this is a way of Alucard accepting defeat.   Defeated and humbled, no longer a servant of God or a leader of men, no longer even a man, he renounced his faith and became the vampire Dracula, and eventually Alucard.    But now Anderson seems to have the upper hand, so maybe, after 523 years, Vlad Tepes is back where he started, facing an inevitable death.  

And you know, maybe Anderson’s monster form represents the divine intervention he was waiting for back in the 15th Century.   After all these centuries of battle, you might say that God finally did descend from heaven to respond to Alucard.   So maybe this is a fitting swan song for the guy.  He wanted to die at the hands of a human adversary, but maybe this works too, right?  

But then he hears someone calling out to him, and...

Hey, it’s Seras!

So yeah, we’re back to the real world, and Anderson’s well on his way to chopping Alucard in half and burning him with holy fire or something...

And Alucard’s still out of it...

And then Seras jumps in to save his ass!   Cool!

The only problem is that this was killing Alucard, and Seras is less powerful than Alucard, so she’s probably not going to be able to do a lot of good here.    For that matter, this might just get both of them killed.  

And this is why I think this moment is cool.   When Team Four Star did their Abridged parody of Hellsing, they sort of skipped this whole “Seras jumps in” part of the fight.   Instead, they did a whole thing where Alucard has a near-death experience and talks to God.   Then he rejects God’s offer of forgiveness and goes on to defeat Anderson by himself.   I don’t care much for that, because Seras is my favorite character, and I find the whole routine of “Well maybe I don’t need your forgiveness, God!” kind of stale and limp.    Can something be stale and limp at the same time?  

Like, I think I get that a lot of atheists are sore at the whole “organized religion” thing, but it seems kind of silly to write a whole bit where the premise is that God is real, but only so we can all tell him to get lost.  Like, I’m a Christian, so I can’t really relate, but if I thought God didn’t exist, I wouldn’t spend all day writing angry text messages to God to remind him of how fake he is.  

But mostly, I just really like Seras, and this is a cool Seras scene, and I think that deserves attention, so here we are.

The Alucard-Seras relationship is complex by design.    With Integra and Alucard, there’s not much to it.   She literally addresses him as “slave” at one point, and he repeatedly talks about himself like a weapon that she has to point at her target.   There’s something kind of like that with Al and Seras.   In one of their first missions together, he sends her to take out a bunch of ghouls just so he won’t be bothered, and it’s almost like he’s weilding her as a weapon.  But he also never leans on that too hard.  For one thing, there’s not a whole lot of thngs Seras can do for him that he can’t do more easily himself.   

It feels a lot more like a Master/Apprentice relationship, which may not strictly be a vampire thing, because he’s teaching her how to hunt vampires and how to be a vampire at the same time.  I think Seras has the same sort of devotion to her master as he does for Integra, but that’s mostly overshadowed by a more down-to-earth respect and admiration.   She sees him like a superior officer and a mentor, but she also knows that he has this strange charm over her that she can’t explain or resist.  

One of the things I can’t stand about he Gonzoverse Hellsing Anime is how after a while they just started having Seras say “Master...!” over and over.    I get it, there’s some power in the way she says it.   It means a lot of things to her.   I wouldn’t be shocked to find out that “Castlevania part 2″ inspired some of that, but I don’t know what chapter of the manga was published when the anime wrapped up.   But it annoyed me that they just used “Master...!” over and over again as a shorthand for Seras’s feelings.   You have to do something with it.  Demonstrate it, like we’re seeing here with Seras trying to remove a blessed bayonet from Alucard’s torso.    She has to help him, even if it means risking her own neck, because he means so much to her, and she wouldn’t be here without him.   And yeah, she’s his vampire servant, so this seems like something a loyal servant should be doing.   Stickin’ together is what good waffles do.

Let me pause here to note that this marks the destruction of whatever remained of Dandyman and Rip van Winkle, the only “name” characters featured in Alucard’s menagerie of absorbed souls.    Whatever Anderson is doing to Alucard, it’s destroying them, irrevocably.  

So it occurred to me one day, what if Seras has to save Alucard, not out of slavish devotion or plucky heroism, or even righteous loyalty?   Way back in Chapter 1, Integra explained vampires to the local authorities, and said that when you kill a vampire, you also destroy all the ghouls and servant vampires that were created by that first vampire.   In other words, if Alucard were to be destroyed, Seras ought to die with him.    So maybe her efforts here could be nothing more than self-preservation.    I’m not wild about that idea.   Maybe, after drinking Pip’s blood, Seras “graduated” from that lowly status, and she no longer depends upon Alucard in this way.  

But I think the point remains either way.   They’re in this together.   Alucard called the two of them a family, and it wasn’t just creepy vampire talk.   There’s a bond between them, and it matters to both of them.   And that’s why Seras’ intervention here is what brings Alucard back from the brink.   By rushing in to help him, Seras has placed herself in danger, and now they have to rescue each other.

I like this part where he puts his hand on hers as they pull out the bayonet together.    It’s like the moment when Seras reached out to Alucard in Cheddar and he took her hand then.   Well, that was only in the OVA, but still.  

Alucard tells Anderson that he might have welcomed a death like this, maybe back when he was about to get beheaded in 1476, but now, he refuses to be defeated.    523 years ago, he was at his lowest ebb.   He had nothing.   Today, he has Seras.  

And... yeah, he has Integra too.   I don’t want to dismiss the importance of that relationship.   But Integra could find a way to get by without him if she needed to.   He has a responsibility to Seras, though, and Seras’s loyalty trumps whatever death-fantasies he might have on his mind.

Then Al turns into this form, which I guess is the same outfit he was wearing back in 1989, when Integra found him in the basement.  Not sure if that’s supposed to mean anything, though.  

Oh, and I guess there’s still a few familiars that didn’t burn up from before?   This is the last time we see them though, so maybe this final attack finishes them off.

As Alucard strikes the final blow on Anderson, Integra flashes back to her father, who taught her about the vampires’ inner psyche.    Arthur Hellsing suggested that vampires don’t have a whole lot to show for their immortality.   They crave conflict, not for its own sake, but becuse they long for death.   Not just any ol’ death, but a kind of death that they could take some solace in.   We’ve already seen this in Alucard, as he seems to relish the idea of being killed by a human like Anderson, or van Helsing.    If all he wanted was death, he could have let that Ottoman headsman finish the job 523 years ago.   Instead, he lost everything, and he’s spent centuries with nothing to take comfort in.   And that probably explains why Alucard is so happy with his service to Integra.   At least she gives him a purpose, a duty, a cause to fight for.  

And finally, Alucard rips out Anderson’s heart, with the Holy Nail still in it. 

And he crushes it, which I guess it enough to neutralize the Nail’s effect?   Well, cool enough then.

But Al takes no pleasure in this victory.   He sees in Anderson a reflection of himself, back when he was a human.   The fanaticism, the failure, the rejection of humanity to become a monster, and then failure again.   

And then Anderson, or whats’ left of him, consoles Alucard before he dies.

[yashashveeroy]

Hi!! Could you interpret my big three too please? Scorpio sun, cancer moon, and libra rising! I’m new to the astrology tumblr too but learning about astrology is definitely fascinating and scarily accurate. Hope uur doing ok

Hello @acmishere !! Before I start, I wish you the very best on your journey to learn astrology! You will definitely learn a lot!😌Here’s my interpretation of your Big 3!!

Please read the newly added Rules regarding “Asks” here before reading this interpretation.

Scorpio sun:

Now you maybe a Scorpio Sun (who’s often supposed to be very intense), but in your case, I feel like you are a bubbly lil ray of sunshine!!🥰 it’s so refreshing to see this. You do have an intensity to you but it hasn’t come out yet, we’ll discuss that later. When Pluto meets the Sun, it wants harmony, loyalty and passion around itself. You have the sweetest aura to you. You’d probably be the person who stops to maybe appreciate a plant or even a bug! Sometimes you might lose faith in humanity and only feel comfortable with animals🥺. I understand that. It’s hard. You must often imagine a world without the bad bits but it’s time to face the reality. We have to grow up but our inner child will always remain the same🤍. You always want to see the good in the people around you. Lots of curiosity and ambition. You have so many things that you want to learn but do it one thing at a time. This placement gets mad easily but cools off quickly. When you’re hurting, it’s really bad. Holding grudges isn’t your thing but when you do, it’s about to go down. I’m sensing a hard/distant relationship with either the mother or the father. I could be wrong, but confirm it for me? You definitely become a warrior when it comes to your loved ones getting hurt by others. It’s like, this unseen and unsettling side of you comes out to fight.

Cancer Moon:

You’re sensitive. Having Cancer Moon can really make your emotions go all over the place. I often think of a Moon sensitive person with this placement. While the moon changes its phases, so does the person’s emotions. The tendency to clam up or go on defence mode happens a lot. Tell me, do animals come to you naturally? Because I see a very healing energy in you. You’re so nurturing😌. Same way, people who’ve been hurt or wronged will also come to you and you’ll end up soaking up their emotions like a sponge. Please try to be careful with that. Having other people’s energy mingle with yours can be very harmful. You will feel what they feel and it’ll leave you exhausted. Potential of psychic abilities. Paired with the Scorpio sun, you will always feel an intense responsibility to take care of others. It might even mean that you forget about yourself in the process. Don’t ever do that, after a point you will feel empty and have no energy left for your own recovery. I’m telling you because I’ve been there. Emotional health is of great importance here. Try to do things that make you feel full and happy. This placement often comes with mood swings but, you and only you, have the power to maintain that. Remember, cancer often uses it’s logic to live life as well when it gets too much. So before you get to the part where it’s too much, start using your logic to handle situations!

Libra Rising:

You are quite the desirable person, I see. Your Venus-like radiance and soft looks leave people wanting more. Paired with a Scorpio sun, I see a potential glow up here. But it’s gonna happen only when you accept your dark side. I don’t mean “Evil” when I say Dark. I simply mean your intensity. You’re afraid to embrace it. There’s this anxiety that I sense when it comes to accepting this side to you. I eventually see you breaking it and becoming a much fuller version of you. You remind me of Alucard from Castlevania (his gif is inserted). He’s a character who was afraid of coming to terms with this hidden side to him. Alucard is gifted with mesmerising/enticing beauty, a nurturing softness and an intensity that only comes out while protecting his own. I see these things in you as well. I also see a constant battle between your libra rising wanting to be more outgoing, friendly vs. your Scorpio sun trying to be more of a lone wolf, living it’s own life. I see a lot of success for you in whatever you may want to do. Venus will always bless you with fame and money💖. Don’t fall in love so easily with someone, okay? They might break your heart or even betray you. Choose wisely. Let the Cancer moon logic work with your libra rising charm do it’s thing in the love department! Physical affection is something that comes naturally with you. A little more time and you’re gonna turn into someone very flirtatious 😏, you’ll have the ability to look at someone and make them blush! 😳Lookout for people who might want to take advantage of you.

I really hope this interpretation resonated with you and that you enjoyed reading it too!🥺💜 Leave feedback through comments!

Love, Roy.

[spiderdreamer-blog]

Masters of the Universe: Revelation: Part 1 (LIGHT SPOILERS)

I've always been a somewhat casual fan of Mattel's He-Man/Masters of the Universe/She-Ra properties. They didn't air regularly when I was in my peak cartoon-watching days in my youth, and thus I never had much incentive to get into the comics or toys. The biggest reference point I had was Mike Young Productions' 2002 reboot that aired on Cartoon Network for 2 seasons, and that remains pretty good if not exceptional for its time. But I've come to appreciate the campy homoerotic anything-goes toybox approach of the franchise more and more as I've gotten older, and She-Ra and the Princesses of the Power was a mostly excellent queer-infused reimagining of that particular vibe.

Thus it was with a certain trepidation that I regarded the announcement that Texas' Powerhouse Animation (Castlevania, Seis Manos, Blood of Zeus) and Generation X geek impresario Kevin Smith would be creating a new series that was aimed more at longtime fans. In particular, I was uncertain if a hyperviolent, sexualized take in the vein of Castlevania (which is a great show) would feel appropriate for this property or come off as insufferably edgelordy. I also wondered if Smith would be a little too keen to poke us in the ribs with cameos and references, or act self-conscious about the, well, dorkiness of the entire enterprise. Thankfully, that approach was not only NOT taken (violence-wise, there's nothing here that's worse than any family-aimed Marvel Cinematic Universe offering), but Masters of the Universe: Revelation is a joyously exuberant and dramatic update, slamming together its action figures with glee in a way the laboriously censored and stilted original could never accomplish in its wildest dreams.

What's most interesting about the approach taken to the story is made clear right off the bat: unlike Noelle Stevenson's approach to She-Ra, this is not a "reboot" so much as a hit-the-ground-running continuation. Everyone has been at this a while, the formula is familiar; it's a little more akin to what Frank Angones and Matt Youngberg did with DuckTales in terms of being concerned with legacy. And while a place-setting opening narration and small bits of establishing characterization are in evidence to help newbies find their footing, it otherwise very much expects you to keep up with the adventures of heroes like Prince Adam/He-Man (Chris Wood, Supergirl), Teela (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy), Cringer (Stephen Root), Orko (Griffin Newman, The Tick), Duncan the Man-At-Arms (Liam Cunningham, Game of Thrones), and the rest (though curiously, many traditional Masters like Meckaneck, Stratos, Ram Man, and Man-E-Faces are absent for the time being). And of course we have villains like Skeletor (Mark Hamill), Evil-Lyn (Lena Headey), and Mer-Man (Kevin Conroy) on hand as well.

This is clever not only because it makes potentially laborious exposition a minimum or more character-based, but for the twists at the end of the first episode to have a real impact. He-Man and Skeletor seemingly perish in a final battle over Eternia's primal source of magic, and the former is revealed to have been Prince Adam all along to Teela and his father King Randor, both of whom feel utterly devastated by the death-betrayal combo platter. We then pick up in episode 2 with Teela as a wandering mercenary accompanied by Andra (Tiffany Smith), a previously minor character now boosted to lead status who functions usefully both as a tech-savvy warrior in her own right and something of an audience/fan surrogate. It turns out screwing around with the reservoir of magic that powers your entire planet is a great way to make that start dying out, so now a reluctant Teela and others from both the good and evil alignments must join forces to restore the Sword of Power, and the world with it.

As a result of all this worldbuilding by Smith and his writing team, the situations and character interactions are far more unique. And while this is hardly a tedious DARK SUBVERSSSIONNN deconstruction that doesn't have anything useful to say, it does feel far more invested in consequences and dramatic underpinnings that even the 2002 series never fully broached. In particular, Teela gets a real chance to shine as the stalwart, loyal warrior who now finds her world completely upended, having to ask herself questions about what she truly believes. And Orko, previously the dopey comic relief du jour, is completely reinvented here as a figure of genuine pathos; that they made me cry over him is nothing short of miraculous. Even the villains get some shading, such as Evil-Lyn taking a pragmatic view of the situation and teetering on the edge of our sympathies, or how Tri-Klops (Henry Rollins) takes hold of the power vacuum by becoming a cult leader proclaiming that drinking nanites and becoming a cyborg is totally a cool new religion that he didn't just make up.

Visually, Powerhouse is one of the best anime-style studios on the market that isn't named Mir, and their brand of robust, muscular design work ends up as a perfect fit for impossibly chiseled figures like He-Man and Skeletor, as well as making Adam even twinkier than before. Directors Adam Connaroe and Patrick Stannard offer a wide range of impeccably choreographed fight scenes and bouts of spectacle. I was really pleased at how vivid the color palette was, given how gothic some of their other series tend to be, but everything feels appropriately like giant-sized playsets. On the sonic end, Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander, God of War) contributes a genuinely outstanding musical score, with a robust new He-Man theme, epic action beats, and even some lightly playful moments.

The cast, as indicated above, has a ton of heavyweights both from animation and live-action, and all acquit themselves marvelously (though I suspect some cameos, like Jason Mewes, the Jay to Smith's Silent Bob, as Stinkor may pay further dividends in the future). Like Cam Clarke in the 2002 series, Chris Wood smartly divides his Adam and He-Man voices not in terms of completely changing them, but articulating how one flows from the other. He-Man is in many ways the person Adam WISHES he could be, more confident and heroic, and Wood understands how to play that to really wonderful effect, especially with the dorky one-liners. Former vampire slayer Gellar acquits herself better than I'd expected as Teela; she's done a few voice roles before and always been fine, just not particularly standout, but Teela gives her a ton to chew on and she more than rises to the challenge. Tiffany Smith is incredibly charming and lovable as Andra, offering a good counterbalance of humor and optimism to Teela's cynicism, and plays off the few poking-fun lines well in ways that don't seem too glad-handing. Cunningham is appropriately grandfatherly but tough as Duncan, while Root, Newman, and Justin Long as the measured, mechanical Roboto get some of the biggest tearjerker moments. As Randor, Bader, alongside Alicia Silverstone as Queen Marlena (who sounds her age now in a really lovely way), gets one of the best angrily heartbroken beats of the premiere (he also shows up later to be appropriately thuggish as Trap-Jaw). Other guest spots flit in and out well, especially Dennis Haysbert and Phil LaMarr as King Grayskull and He-Ro, champions of old found in a Valhalla-esque afterlife.

On the villainous end, Hamill wisely doesn't try and imitate the iconic Alan Oppenheimer (who shows up here in a lovely two-part cameo as Moss Man) as Skeletor, instead offering his own theatrically villainous take on the role that's just as rewarding. In particular, he splits a difference nicely between the comedic ego-stroking and puns and the genuine menace that he's allowed to throw around, much like his Joker. Headey gives Lyn more complexity than we expect while still chomping on the scenery Maleficent-style, and Kevin Michael Richardson has some fun as the snarling but loyal Beast Man. Rollins, of course, is always well-suited to angry railing against societal ills in his vocal presence, and he proves a suitably formidable mid-tier antagonist as a result. Sci-fi horror icon Tony Todd continues a great 2021 in terms of his voicework after DOTA: Dragon's Blood to offer a terrific, Freddy Krueger-esque take on Scare Glow. The biggest surprise is Conroy, who doesn't change his usual sonorous Batman tones, but offers a completely new take on them as Mer-Man, hamming it up outrageously so well as a supervillain that I desperately hope we get to hear more of it later down the road.

Part 1 ends on a cliffhanger so good I literally said "no FUCKING way", and promises interesting times ahead for whatever lies in Part 2. For now, Masters of the Universe: Revelation may shape up to be my favorite take on this property yet. See folks at the finish line.

[ask-prime-starscream]

Beast Wars/Machines Review

I finished Beast Wars a few weeks ago and then binged Beast Machines because I NEEDED to spend more time with the characters I began to love so much!

This is the first Transformers show where I liked the “Autobots” more than the “Decepticons”. Yes, I legit liked the good guys more. I still can’t believe it either.

Maximals:

Optimus Primal is a good leader who doesn’t lash out when one of his bots gets a little cheeky. He also has no problem with admitting when he had been wrong about a thing.

Rhinox is part Ratchet and part Ironhide. The second in command who keeps the people straight when the leader cannot. I guess they made him evil in Beast Machines because they didn’t know what to do with him anymore. 

Dinobot is the honor-obsessed, Armada Starscream-esque character who leaves the bad guys right in the beginning and joins the good guys. Forever. That makes him already better than Armada Starscream who left the Decepticons because Megatron is an ass, but then returns because what the fuck.

Cheetor is the Beast Wars Bumble Bee. Fun-loving youngster. He later gets a leading position when Optimus gets too stuck up in his spirituality. Similar to Prime -> RiD2015.

Rattrap is a rat, but a loyal and funny rat. I hated him so much in IDW, it was hard to peel that hatred off to finally enjoy this character.

Tigatron and Airazor have been a boring couple in IDW and now I know that they also started out as a boring couple. They walk on a field of flowers and suddenly hold hands and decide they love each other. Okay. I’m all in for love in a Transformers show, but that was... *yawn* I guess the creators thought so too because they both get beamed into space and out of their bodies right after.

Silverbolt. The heck is that abomination, I thought. Half wolf, half duck, half robot? Then he became my second favorite character.

Depth Charge is the Ultra Magnus of the show. Comes in late, is an unlikeable ass and nobody knows why he was even added. Unlike in Prime they have at least the balls to kill him off in the end.

Tigerhawk is the rebis of Tigatron and Airazor and yes, I watched Castlevania and that image of the man-woman-fusion scarred me for life. Thankfully this thing doesn’t live long.

Predacons:

Now for the Predacons. This is the silliest Megatron I have ever seen. He is also irredeemable evil, but funny in a way.

Scorponok. Pathologically loyal. Killed off unceremoniously.

Terrorsaur is the discount Starscream. He is such a cheap knock-off and probably the weakest bot overall. A butt-monkey. Killed off unceremoniously and I wasn’t sad at all.

Tarantulas is fucking evil, I started hating him so much for the things he did especially to Blackarachnia.

Waspinator is a joke. Seeing him getting ripped to shreds Looney Tunes style is funny though. In this series the bots survive like almost anything.

Blackarachnia is my favorite character. I needed a little time to warm up to her, but damn, she is amazing! She later joins the good guys and doesn’t lose her snarky, awesome personality in the process. What more could you want?

Inferno calls Megatron “his queen”. You have to love him for that.

Quickstrike is another Fuzor abomination like Silverbolt. He also flirts with Blackarachnia like Silverbolt. But he doesn’t win Blackarachnia’s dark, poisonous heart like Silverbolt. ;)

Rampage was created to mimic Starscream’s immortal mutated spark. Found that backstory quite interesting. 

Beast Machines add-ons:

Nightscream is an angsty teen who does his own thing when he feels the need to.

Botanica is the first and last plant bot we ever see. First she doesn’t want to join the fights even though she is powerful, but thankfully she later decides against that bullshit.

Jetstorm, Thrust and Tankor. The reveal who they really are is quite funny. It also shows that Megatron is cool with overriding people’s personalities in order to rule over them.

Obsidian and Strika. Oh so that’s where they come from. They can also stay there. Never liked them. Not personality-wise. And especially not design-wise.

Now then. Did I enjoy watching this? Oh hell yes. I got addicted. I was never bored. The main characters felt like family. The only thing I missed was a Starscream to pathologically latch on to. But at least he has one episode. ;) It was hard to tolerate the nightmare-inducing graphics and I will always prefer vehicles over animals, but getting over that, one is definitely in for a treat concerning TF shows.

And now to the one thing that kept me watching the most:

Silverbolt x Blackarachnia is my favorite CANON Transformers couple of ALL TIME!

Their dialogue is so frickin’ funny, I couldn’t take it. Their love is genuine and builds up slowly. They still have their own agendas without losing parts of their personality in order to fit better. IT WAS JUST SO FUNNY!

Silverbolt is a superhero personality character and also self-aware about that. First he just annoys Blackarachnia beyond belief with his chivalrous nonsense, but later she finds enjoyment in getting his attention. For example, she lets him save her even though she didn’t need his help. That’s the point when you get she starts having feelings for him, too, as she has no qualms flirting with someone in order to get them to do what she wants (like Quickstrike). And after some ups and downs (”You know, I like them big and stupid, but you are really pushing it!”), they finally find together and she joins the Maximals. And then we get into Beast Machines and Blackarachnia is like the force keeping them together as Silverbolt was turned into a Vehicon (Oh, so that’s where they came from!), but even after creating a new body for him, he turned into a RiD2015/Samura-Drift-kinda character and only at the end of the series he returned to his wonderful corny self. That was definitely a bummer.

But for fuck’s sake!! Why can’t we have more like that? D: I was squeaking on my chair, shipping them so hard...!