#lenore choosing to look at hector in her last moments

[beevean]

Rosaly: Finds Hector, gives him a place to be after he flees from Dracula and helps him heal; Julia: Helps Hector heal from the pain of losing Rosaly and helps him move on; Lenore: Beats him and rapes him. And yet, thanks to Netflixvania simply being more popular than CoD, Lenector is his biggest straight ship (I honestly don't know how any of his non-straight ones compare to it) to the point where I'm not even sure he has ship names with Rosaly and Julia

Hectaly is a tag. I checked it, and aside from my posts (lol), there are some posts made by people who were sure that Rosaly would appear in S4. oh those sweet summer children.

Helia doesn't exist, because no one ships them 😂 I wish I could, because I like their chemistry and the potential scenario of them bonding through their grief... but the circumstances of Julia looking like Rosaly and also being Isaac's sister and Hector wanting to kill Isaac in cold blood and indirectly causing his death are too uncomfortable for them to have a healthy relationship. Man :( I just want them to be besties. I love imagining Julia teasing Hector Isaac-style lol

(as for the non-straight ships, the two versions of Isaactor are by far the most popular ones, even more so than Lenector. Then there's N!Hectorcard. Hectorcard is mildly popular in Japan, from what I've seen. The others count as rarepairs :P)

Anyway. I have just finished writing to my friends a breakdown to explain why their sex scene is actually vile rape on Lenore's part (I can share if people are interested! I don't want to come off as obsessed lmao). It just... boggles my mind that shippers gloss over it, because they happen to have decent chemistry and parallels in S4. Y'all really think the writers did them dirty because they didn't live happily ever after????? the absolute fuck??????????????? WHY DO YOU THINK A RAPE VICTIM SHOULD HAVE LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER WITH HIS RAPIST Y'ALL SOUND LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO OPPOSED FRANCA VIOLA

It makes me sick. This is not hyperbole. I don't want to judge shippers because hey, whatever, you can't judge morality based on ships, but jesus christ I have not met a single Lenore fan/Lenector shipper that didn't try to bridge the contrast between S3 and S4 with some of the most nauseating rape apologism I've seen in the wild. I have more respect for those who say "idc lenore is hot", at least it's honest in its shallowness.

And then my poor girl Rosaly, who represents the best of humanity, who gave Hector hope and a reason to live on after his traumatic past, who appreciated my man for being kind and helpful and not just because he's handsome (although also because of that lol girl has great taste), is relegated to "that killed chick" that Hector gets over in a few days, because only five people read the CoD prequels. Life is so cruel.

Have some cuties, as a treat <3:

(i am the lil spidey on hector's head)

[bootlickerhawks]

and just like that it's over, it's hard to believe that we won't be seeing these characters again ;w;

impressions for the final episodes (8 to 10) under the cut (it got really long)

- the main trio reunion was soooo Good and I'm glad they made the wait worth it. the animation was top-notch and watching their teamwork made me really giddy, I wish we could have gotten more teamwork but i'll take what i can get :P

- i was Not expecting the twist reveal with Death (or whatever the fuck it is). I knew something was up with the Alchemist that St Germain met, but I really didn't expect the London Vampire (sorry forget his name) to be the big baddie. Hearing the cockney accent on Death felt really off at first but I got used to it after a while.

- The final fight between Trevor and Death was cool af but I do wish there was a bit more buildup abt the significance of the knife. It was pretty obvious that the knife was gonna be important but I do wish its significance (its power and the pact with God) was made a bit clearer before the big reveal. But tbh I realize that's a bit of a nitpick

- The final scene with Lenor and Hector was really good. I never got really attached to either character before but they really shined in this scene. Lenor's death scene was great what can I say im a sucker for death scenes where characters look at the sun as they die

- I really wish we'd gotten a scene with Isaac but I understand why we didn't. I already had a feeling in episode 6 that we wouldn't see him again and ep 6 did such a great job of wrapping up his character arc that I can't say I'm too disappointed.

- On the subject of absent characters I'm surprised we didn't get anything abt Striga and Morana. Lenor barely mentioned them and we really have no idea what they're up to. Tho tbf their little subplot was wrapped up nicely in ep 6 so I understand why the writers chose not to include them, but still I would have liked a little mention or update on their status.

- I was sure that Trevor was alive but I will admit I had a moment of doubt during Alucard and Sypha's conversation lol. I'm just glad that they finished the series together ;w; And I choose to believe that they're all living together as a polycule (Greta included)

- Speaking of Greta! I fucking love her! I wish we'd gotten more but honestly the show did a great job establishing her character and giving her good chemistry with Alucard (which can be rare with m/f ships).

- The final big twist really caught me by surprise! I really did not expect Vlad and Lisa to be resurrected but honestly I'm happy for them and I hope one day they can reunite with Alucard ;w;

- Overall this season was wild and I loved it! My one criticism(?) is that I feel that Saint Germain's character was kinda wasted. His flashback sequence was ill timed imo, it felt really janky to go from Alucard meeting Saint Germain directly into SG's flashback. I'm guessing they wanted to give viewers context for his actions asap but personally I would have preferred a bit of suspense. I think it would have been cool to see SG plotting with the vampires and slowly piecing together his end goal. However, given how fast-paced Castlevania is and how little time they have I understand why they didn't do it. But overall SG didn't feel really compelling this season. Last season he had the allure of mystery but this season he really just came across as a dick (which i guess you could argue was the point).

[beevean]

Another reason the "wonderful in a vacuum" scene of Lenore choosing to look at Hector in her last seconds of her life doesn't hit as it should, is that the show didn't do what it could have to build up this moment. And I'm not just talking about how Lenore never loved Hector in the first place so her final moment of caring feels mocking.

In S3E6, she says this:

Hector: Daylight can be nice, too. Lenore: I'll take your word for it. Hector: You don't remember daylight? Lenore: Never much cared for it. I was always a night person. Hector: You might be missing something, you know. Only coming out at night. Lenore: Oh, I don't think so. Just look. I can't see how the sun would improve this view.

Now, this is not a bad moment. First of all, it's all part of Lenore's manipulations to make Hector accept to work for them ("Look at this lovely view! Surely you'll want to stay here, won't you?"), and it's a good strategy because while Hector is a human and not afraid of the sun, he's already accustomed to living among creatures of the night. Plus, her preference for the night fits her and her attempted aesthetic of "sad winter princess". And, of course, I doubt they had planned her suicide by sunlight when they wrote S3.

But in S4, the topic never comes up again, when it could have quite nicely. Since Lenore spends the whole season feeling sorry for herself, repeating the information "Carmilla's plan makes me feel useless", for a change she could have snuck in something like this:

"You know, it's funny. I haven't seen the sun in two hundred years. I almost forgot how it looks like... How it would feel for the sunlight to hit my skin without it blistering. The moon has its beauty, of course, but..."

One, this could be a genuine bonding moment between Lenore and Hector. As I pointed out, she only strikes casual conversations with him in S3 for the sake of manipulating him: once she's "solved his problem", she mostly vents about her personal issues, and the only natural, mutually respectful conversation they have is the one about strength and power just before her suicide, which is far too late. Maybe they could talk about what they miss, what they'd like to see... with the added irony that Hector is trapped in that castle so he can't do anything he would like to do, and it's all Lenore's fault to boot. Maybe Hector's lack of concrete answer would not only hint at hidden resentment, but it could foreshadow how he actually didn't think far ahead because he's secretly waiting for Isaac to come and kill him, or that his only plan for the future is to destroy the Council, which he's keeping under wraps; but it would also be nice if he had a dream, like going to see the ocean again. hector in s4 sorely lacks a personality that is not his depressing love for lenore and i would love to fix it

Two, it could be symbolic of Lenore regretting her vampire nature, or perhaps even foreshadowing her flirting with the idea of killing herself if Carmilla's plan comes to fruition, since another criticism is that Lenore decides to kill herself with the same consideration one chooses which dress to wear for the day. Lenore, as her basic concept, wants to be the bridge between humankind and vampirekind, and there are hints of this, such as her makeup that make her look like a living human being (contrast her with Carmilla, who looks like a corpse), her declaration that she enjoys eating food equating it to living a good life, and her insistence to use diplomacy in a culture that thrives on war and conquest, which gives her the reputation of being soft and weak. So, it would make sense for her to, at one point, drop her mask and admit that she misses the human pleasure of the sunlight, maybe even expressing subtle envy that Hector can experience it; the Lenore in S3 was a bundle of lies carefully woven to lower Hector's guard, but now she is fully sincere and open, showing her heart to the one person who would listen to her. It would be cute and sad at the same time if she asked him to describe him what the sun feels like, and Hector gave a wishy-washy answer, because he has never cared about it - or rather, his own humanity, paralleling Lenore in yet another aspect.

Of course, during the same time Hector is taking advantage of Lenore's inability to stand in the daylight to study on his own and plot behind her back, so the scene would be even more tragic. Hector is already benefiting from his own humanity to cause Lenore's downfall.

And three, her final choice would have more weight. Not only, with the added context, Lenore's grief would be more easy to interpret as "no matter how hard I try, I'm a cursed creature doomed to live in misery and spread misery, I'm tired of living in the night" and not "weh i refuse to live in a cage :< sorry hector idc about you i refuse to live if i don't have a shred of power", but also, well. Lenore wanted to see the sun. She has found the courage to see the sun, knowing that it will nor reconnect her with her lost humanity, but it will only lead to her death. And then... at the last moment... she renounces it. Sure, the sun is pretty, much like the moon... but neither of them, in the end, can compare to Hector, who is one of a kind, who, unlike the sun, cared about her. Now it works, after more buildup.

(also it would be much nicer if Lenore melted like Dracula, instead of turning into pretty dust. Show her as the monster she never accepted herself to be.)

Now, this only fix only a fraction of the infinite and immense issues I have with Lenector in S4. It needs to be reworked from the foundations, and I focused too much on Lenore when the source of my anger is everything surrounding Hector and the sanification of Lenore's actions. But look at how easy it is to build a much more organic chemistry, when you don't waste precious screentime on dick jokes and rape apologism! The building blocks are all here! I'm just so profoundly sad when I see the botched attempt of a good story and it wouldn't have taken much effort to improve it, just respect for your own writing.

[beevean]

reverse unpopular opinion meme challenge mode: netflixvania

Bro. 😂

Alright, I ain't no coward, I can do that :P

I like Trevor's character arc in S1. It's short and self-contained, but organic, and with good symbolism of him ditching his thorn cape and revealing the Belmont crest once he shows his great leader skills. He's stereotypical, but sympathetic and compelling, with some of the best lines in the show: "And it's not the dying that frightens us. It's never having stood up and fought for you. I am Trevor Belmont, of the House of Belmont, and dying has never frightened me."

I honestly believe N!Hector in S2 is an interesting take on Hector pre-betrayal, and not as stupid as everyone paints him, both in-universe and in the fandom. Most of his traits reflect how he was written in the mangas, I like his villainy without malice, and furthermore I am genuinely fascinated by his cavalier relationship with death, showcased by how he blithely resurrects dead animals to force them to be his pets. He and N!Trevor are the only characters I actually cared about.

Okay I also like the captain that lols and lmaos at N!Isaac's childish misanthropy and imparts words of wisdom. He's cool without trying too hard.

I like the designs of most of the vampires, especially Raman and most of the Styria Council (big buff Striga is just my type :P). I also like Lenore's "sad winter princess" theme, even though it wasn't a relevant part of her character - I can see how Katie Silva took inspiration from Kojima's way of drawing cute women.

Dracula in the first episode delivered what I consider the summation of his whole character: "Kill everything you see. Kill them all. And once Targoviste has been made into a graveyard for my love, go forth into the country. Go now. Go to all the cities of Wallachia: Arges! Severin! Gresit! Chilia! Enisara! Go now and kill. Kill for my love! Kill for the only true love I ever knew. Kill for the endless lifetime of hate before me." bro this is Dracula to a T, I love it! They understood the assignment! ... I think I should stop here.

Speaking of which, Graham McTavish didn't need to go so hard, yet he did. Bro carried the whole thing. I am positive he's 90% the reason his fans go all "he did nothing wrong", because he just impregnates his voice with poignant emotion at every word.

In a vacuum, Dracula's death is brilliant. Not only because once again, McTavish ate, but something about the cruel monster getting brought down by his very human love for his son, reminiscing of his old life as a father, and suddenly wondering when it all went wrong... yeah. This scene is fondly remembered for understandable reasons.

In a vacuum, Lenore's death is brilliant. I see the subtext of her realizing she's nothing more than a disgusting creature bound to become insane, and she'd rather accept death than live an unnatural, pointless existence - plus, the immortal vampire chooses death while the mortal human who received nothing but pain and misery in his life chooses to live. And man, the concept of a vampire refusing to see the sun in their last moments, because they'd rather look at the only person they care in the world! It's great actually! And I'll stop here :P

Bloody Tears sounds cool. It was the wrong choice for what was supposed to be the climax of Dracula's Curse, but it still works.

[beevean]

top 5 fav NFCV moments and top 5 most hated NFCV moments and top 5 fav NFCV characters and top 5 most hated NFCV characters (I WARNED YOU.)

Isaac forcing Hector to watch Rosaly die was less evil.

Okay. I'll try :)

Top 5 NFCV moments:

5) Carmilla and Hector avoiding the blessed waters moved around by Dracula's castle. Not only it was a dynamic sequence, I admit that Carmilla saying "what the fuck was that" was the only time I legit laughed out loud. The timing was just perfect lmao.

4) Lenore's death. Not only because FUCK YEAH THE BITCH DIED LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOO, but it's beautiful, with a gorgeous track, and I like to imagine Lenore killed herself out of fear of becoming like Carmilla, she who wanted to be as human as possible, and not because "wah i don't wanna live like hector". Lenore could have been a good character too if she wasn't used for fetish fuel and rape apologism :)

3) Blue Fangs. By far the rawest, most interesting "CHURCH BAD" scene in the series.

2) Trevor vs. Death. A visual spectacle, and finally, finally the protagonist of the story does something cool and plot-relevant! I also agree that Trevor saying "I love you" to Sypha was just adorable <3

"I'm killing my boy". Lore breaking? Yes. Made Dracula into too much of a woobie? Maybe. Heartwrenching in the context of the show? Absolutely. I am a sucker for McTavish's voice acting, and it is the culmination of Dracula's biggest inner conflict: his virulent hatred for the mankind who took his love from her against the love for his son, and indirectly for Lisa. If only this scene took place in the proper SoTN adaptation...

Top 5 worst moments (how do I choose):

5) The explanation as to why vampires fear crosses. It's Twilight pseudo-science and I can't believe people can take it seriously. It's also emblematic, for me, of how much the series disrespects the religious symbols of the game (that, and ofc the infamous water blessing zombie lol)

4) Everytime Isaac is a dick to Hector. I just hate that guy. He's unpleasantly mean and condescending and we're meant to agree with him when he calls Hector "a simple creature". Go fuck yourself, you Walmart Hector.

3) Dracula and Lisa being brought back and deciding to travel together without telling Alucard anything. bruh. why are we rewarding the dude who slaughtered humans way before lisa even entered the scene. why is lisa okay with what her husband did. why are you breaking the lore like this. why.

2) The Alucard threesome + him pissing on the Japanese not-twins' corpses, for the reasons you said. Pointless, out of nowhere trauma whose resolution was a cheating joke from Greta. bruh

... can I cheat and mention every Lenector scene? Lenore beating Hector up was again torture porn, gratuituously humiliating (dat dick), and only serves to show how cool and stronk Lenore is. Her leashing him up is simply uncomfortable, because it's portrayed as horny and hot instead of being yet another form of torture - Hector seems visibly aroused at points. The sex scene is of course the sex scene. Her humiliating him in front of her sisters is simply gross. The dick jokes are immature and fail at being funny banter. "Oh shush you were having fun" makes me want to stab someone with a plastic spoon, ditto the "parallel" between Hector being lied to by Dracula and Lenore being lied to by Carmilla because oh gosh look how kyoot they are together 🥺 Him protecting her from Isaac is just the last slap in the face towards this character who really deserved better than being torture fetish fuel.

(honorable mention to the "Is this the definition of insanity?" scene, because people keep praising N!Isaac as the character of all time but I only see a brat throwing a tantrum)

Top 5 NFCV characters:

5) Godbrand. The closest thing to a canon Isaac we got, and the only one with a braincell in the joint.

4) Striga. Buff woman who references Berserk <3

3) Trevor. A far cry from his game self, and yes the cliché of the drunkard cynical anti-hero is old, but he never once irritated me. He had a nice arc in S1, a believable tragic backstory, and overall I just felt bad for him when Alucard was a jerk to him.

2) Hector. I love the idea of the character, and he isn't rude or annoying. I was genuinely fascinated by his alien view of the world, and he had potential as an anti-villain without empathy for his fellow humans but still principled, mellow but ruthless when necessary (he did kill his parents after all). The narrative just pisses on him for no good reason.

Sypha. I have nearly nothing bad to say about her lmao. I'm annoyed by her "peeing in a bucket" quote, her moving the Castle on top of the hold was stupid, and she's too OP for my tastes, but she's a genuinely nice girl and her design is so cute and her relationship with Trevor is so adorable <3 best girl. Unironically.

Top 5 most hated NFCV characters:

5) Alucard. ughhhhhhh he's such an arrogant crass jerk! Why does he even have fans! He's ugly to boot!

4) The Japanese not-twins. A complete waste of time, their only narrative purpose was a random threesome, and in their haste to not make the scene incestuous now they're accidentally racist because they look identical despite not being related lol.

3) Isaac. He's flat, rude, contemptuous, full of himself, with a rushed character "arc", never actually regrets his crimes, hypocritical, Islamophobic, with a shoehorned cliché "past slave" backstory, and the narrative won't stop sucking his dick. Hyped to high heavens at the expense of the real Isaac for reasons I do not and never will understand.

2) Carmilla. She's the most shallow, cliché #girlboss you could have written, nothing more than a cartoon villain who wants to conquer the world, and also a stereotypical radfem for no reason. She was irritating in S2, then she peaced out of the story until her death, but not before humiliating canon villain Dracula because I love when OCs get to shittalk about canon characters. I can't believe she unironically said "I'm a queen", fuck off.

Lenore. Do I even need to explain why I despise this manipulative, slimy, smug rapist who gives BDSM a bad name and is shipped with his victim in what is meant to be seen as a cute yet tragic enemies-to-lovers, kindred souls relationship? No words in the English language can convey the sheer resentment I feel for her.