#mysterious woman (castlevania)

[simonsquest]

[chibishortdeath]

Woahg, that’s a lot—

Explanations under a cut :3

This is Simon like immediately after defeating Dracula. Just sitting on his knees, hands on his face. He needs a minute, but he’s not gonna get a long one cause the castle is collapsing—

Wow! What a nice happy family :3. I sure hope nothing happens to them! :3 I’ve always liked to arrange the series of events like first Selena and Simon met and got married, then the Dracula stuff went down, so uh yeah uh fan interpretation of their (currently) unnamed kids.

The text here says “where’s momma?”, said by his daughter (who by this point is 2-3 about). Shout out to the artist ability to make yourself really sad—

Just Simon and the kids chillin. He probably was a really good dad, just kinda struggling.

Little quick doodle of the designs of the kids. Agh I need to name both of them (TwT ). It’s hard, I feel like they gotta have nice but cool names, but I just haven’t found any I like yet. Anyway, the one on the left is the older daughter and the one on the right is the younger brother and as of Simon’s quest they are 10 and 7 respectively. The brother would’ve been born the year of CV1 if I have my math right, so when Simon was 22.

Sobbing! It be like that sometimes 💀. This might count as like one part vent art and one part just expression and emotion practice :O.

This one also kinda counts as vent art I guess lol idk. It says “I did everything right”. I was thinking of a specific audio while drawing this and tbh I might actually have to animate something hmmm. Or just still images cause animation is hardddddddd oof. The text isn’t like from the audio or anything either (>< ;).

This one is based on an old insert character here kind of meme :D. The text says “step 1: establish character with a little worry but a lot of determination. Step 2: inflict soul crushing trauma Step 3: inflict soul crushing trauma—“ and that repeats until step 5 lol. The original meme only had two images, but each of these are supposed to be based on specific events so yeah. First one is just pre CV1, then the moment he got hit, then shortly after leaving the castle, then in the graveyard 6 years later, then somewhere in the middle of his quest.

This one is fun!!!!!! It’s an idea for like a double sided keychain :D!!!!! One side has the like CV1/CV4 era Simon swinging on one of those loops and the other is Simon’s Quest!!! And it’s supposed to be the Hanged Man tarot card!!! So cool!!! Idk how making keychains works so if I actually did this I’d probs just make one in shrink plastic tbh. But ough it would be so cool to actually make and sell little fan keychains and stuff (TwT ).

This one I don’t remember if I’ve posted or not but it’s never getting finished 💀💀💀. Gotta love drawing The Character in increasingly dynamic poses and surreal ways.

Ok it’s super late I have to sleep 💀👍

[silenthill2ps2]

my collection of underrated female castlevania characters that no one gives a shit about except me

[demigoddessqueens]

I really hope this is our trio for this season!!!

[mysticstarlightduck]

Late Writeblr Intro!

Hello, friends!

I figured it was about time I made an actual blog intro of my own since I forgot to make one when I started this blog last year. Better late than never, lmao!

Pls, reblog, like, and/or reply to help boost the blog! 💕

Let's get started:

Personal Stuff! 💜🩶🖤

My name is Anna/Anya but you can call me Mystic, Ducky, or just Anya on this blog! My personal nickname is Ani and I adore it (:

I am an Asexual woman (my pronouns are she/her!) and I'm also personally an atheist who puts my faith in the spirits of Mother Nature, though I respect all other religions equally!

I'm Gen Z and Latina (Brazilian). I was raised bilingual (Brazilian Portuguese + English) and I love learning languages - currently, I'm working on learning French and Spanish! Career-wise I am studying in college to become a character designer and hopefully animator, as I want to pursue a career as an artist and writer! I also wish to have my WIPs published in the near future (:

Some fun facts about me!

My favorite shows are Critical Role, Game of Thrones, Castlevania, The Legend of Vox Machina (animated series), Star Wars, Voltron, The Dragon Prince, Avatar the Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, and DC Comics content, as well as many more lmao. I love watching movies and series!

My favorite Vox Machina characters are Vax'ildan and Percy (:

I am a younger sister 💖

My hair is short and curly (pixie style, similar to the haircut Rapunzel has at the end of the Tangled movie!)

I adore listening to music, especially songs that can inspire me to write my WIPs! Playlists are a huge part of my writing process and something I really enjoy making.

I'm currently rereading Shadow and Bone (+ Six of Crows) and I am always looking for more good dark fantasy/historical fantasy books to read so book recs are always welcome! I also am a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series and Trials of Apollo (by Rick Riordan), though I'm usually more of a gritty/dark fantasy fan (like Game of Thrones)!

I have three dogs and two cats!😺🐶

I know how to play the piano, though I haven't done that in a while because things have been chaotic for me, but I'd like to start playing regularly again in my winter vacation.

I have worn glasses since I was 5 years old and have terrible eyesight without them (and some days with them, lol, so bear with me).

My friends and I are doing a DnD campaign every Sunday, where I play as a half-elf rogue named Aeryn (he/him). I'm adoring this adventure so far, it's so fun!!!

I love to bake and am rather good at it, but am a painfully average cook lmao (some specific recipes I make are actually rlly good, but it depends a lot on my mood and the 'alignment of the stars' lol)

I want to learn how to knit/crochet! 🧶

I'm a theater nerd and love musicals (:

About my Writing!🏹⌛

I write fictional works mostly in the genre of fantasy (high fantasy/epic fantasy/dark fantasy/historical fantasy/urban fantasy, etc. You name it!) and science fiction (space opera/cyberpunk/superhero, etc).

My works usually revolve around themes such as epic quests, secrets, adventure, rebels fighting an oppressive system, sibling bonds, acceptance/respect, outcasts, and much, much more! I love fluff and whump equally, and though my stories tend to focus on serious topics (or at least darker/heavier themes) within a fantasy/sci-fi setting, I like to have a good bit of humor, lighthearted fun, and comedy to my stories to lighten up the mood!

My main WIPs:

Song of Thorns

🌹WIP Intro: (here)🌹

Genre: dark fantasy, medieval fantasy, adventure/mystery, dark fairytale, eldritch horror (mild)

Style: Standalone (possible Trilogy)

Tags: #wip song of thorns #song of thorns

Short Summary/About: "A peasant girl moves with her siblings from her struggling seaside village to the kingdom's glittering floating capital, but after her older brother is kidnapped, she ends up discovering the dark, bloody secrets hiding behind the long-lasting royal family of the town and must team up with a young dhampir thief, the exiled prince, and a lonely druid girl to save the dying kingdom from this web of lies".

Supernova Initiative

🎇WIP Intro: (here) 🎇

Genre: space opera, adventure, exploration, laboratory whump, heist, thriller/mystery

Style: Episodic book series with an overarching plot (each chapter/group of chapters equivalent to an episode in a TV series)

Tags: #wip supernova initiative #supernova initiative

Short Summary/About: "A young intergalactic thief and his crew are captured after a heist gone wrong and forced to accept a strange deal - complete a mission for the Junction, retrieve important missing files, and get their freedom back. All the while that is happening, Jack Tithus, the protagonist, finds himself trapped as a test subject to an immoral, and elusive, man known as the Director."

Enchanted Illusions

💀 WIP Intro: (here)💀

Genre: Victorian fantasy, adventure, mystery, gothic fantasy, dark fantasy, crime-solving

Style: Possibly a trilogy

Tags: #wip enchanted illusions, #enchanted illusions

Short Summary/About: "On a magical setting inspired by Victorian times, a group of strangers and outcasts must work together to thwart a powerful secret organization and stop a murder spree that could lead to another civil war between myths and humans."

Of Starlight and Beasts

✨⚔️WIP Intro: (here)⚔️✨

Genre: medieval fantasy, epic fantasy, adventure/quest, dark fairytale, sword and sorcery, prophecies

Style: Book Series

Tags: #wip of starlight and beasts, #enchanted illusions

Short Summary/About: "A young knight in training and an amnesiac star mage embark on a quest to prevent an ancient prophecy from coming to fruition as a vengeful sorceress queen's army marches relentlessly onto their land with the intent to destroy all their kingdom has built."

The Last Wrath

🔥⚔️WIP Intro: to be made...⚔️🔥

Genre: dark fantasy, warfare, political intrigue, espionage, adventure/quest, medieval fantasy, whump

Style: Book Series (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip the last wrath, #the last wrath

Short Summary/About: "In a land torn by an ancient war between two sides of a continent, a mageborn girl finds herself trapped amid the bloodshed after her past comes back to haunt her and her family. Now, stopping the war may be the only chance she still has to survive."

Tales of Wilted Flowers

🥀WIP Intro: to be made...🪻

Genre: RPG-inspired fantasy, high fantasy, adventure, fairytale, epic quest, heist story, whump, light fantasy

Style: Trilogy (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip tales of wilted flowers #tales of wilted flowers

Short Summary/About - "A group of youths rejected and betrayed by society in many different ways come together due to unexpected circumstances and must rely on each other to prevent the kingdom's corrupt Head Sorcerer and the King from reviving an ancient evil."

Realms of Loss

🍂WIP Intro: (here)🍂

Genre: dark fantasy, warfare, medieval fantasy, high fantasy, ancient times fantasy, Viking-inspired, prophecies & curses

Style: Book Series (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip realms of loss #realms of loss

Short Summary/About - "In a continent destroyed by the fall of the Old Gods, and trapped in an endless toil for survival, a cocky young prince discovers his role in an ancient prophecy after his brother, the King, is murdered and assassins come for him too. Running away into the forsaken land beyond the walls of his kingdom, he'll have to learn to be a leader and save his people as a dead, murderous God awakens."

Mutant Inquiries/Open Secret Files

🤖 WIP Intro: to be made..🤖

Genre: superhero, cyberpunk, futuristic, dystopian, science fiction, urban fantasy

Style: Episodic Series, still in development

Tags: #wip mutant inquiries #wip open secret files #mutant inquiries #open secret files

Short Summary/About: "In a dystopian, high-tech future, a group of mutant teenagers become vigilantes and crime fighters to rebel against the oppressive government regime and survive their crime-ridden city."

I have a few other smaller-scale WIPs I occasionally, less frequently work on, such as Lies Untold and Jade Ruins, but those up above are the main ones that I wish to publish. I've also got a big, secret extra WIP I'm working on for fun and will share it with you guys soon!

[livefromcastledracula]

YES ABOUT CARMILLA.

Honestly something that pisses me off in crossovers like the Castlevania anime is

Dracula gets woobified, he is a tragic man, a widower who is suffering the loss of the love of his life

Carmilla is now basically Book Dracula. She's pure evil, she's conniving, she's a traitor, she's got big ambitions of grandeur. Except she's also a sexy seductress of men.

The male vampire gets the woobification, the complex backstory, the tragic torment, and the female one gets her evil amped up and stripped of her interesting traits. I mean, good for her being sexy and evil, but if you are going to do this all while making the male characters three-dimensional, I will not ignore your choices.

(You can see this even with the Dracula girls, Lucy so often becomes a woman who is too sexual for her own good so she gets punished, Mina gets almost turned because she just wants this man too much... meanwhile we learn that he turned because he just loved too much or got assaulted or he felt abandoned by God and often dies redeemed by the hand of the one who loves him. Why are the vampiric girls becoming a shallow prop, while the vampire man gets their complexity, their suffering, their tragedy?)

Oh yeah, it's another one of those things where the adaptation of the Victorian (and Regency) literature becomes more sexist than the original work (see: Irene Adler, rip, another incredible character who gets the Lucy and Mina treatment 🤮)

I consider Carmilla to be one of the very first maybe-sympathetic vampires, because everything about her is so ambiguous and mysterious. Was she just a vampire faking everything to lure her prey, or were any of her feelings of affection for Laura genuine? What about her many gloomy musings on the nature of life and death? She could go either way, any way, and while there are little hints of similar with Dracula (his "i too can love" and "wind breathes cold" speeches) he's much more unambiguously a ruthless villain.

I feel like the Castlevania show split Carmilla's book characteristics between her vampire girl posse; show-Carmilla got her cruelty, Striga and Morana got her lesbianism, and Lenore got her demure femininity. My biggest issue with show Carmilla is that she's all about how much she hates men, where book Carmilla was utterly indifferent to men, her passionate fixation with women was much more a focus of her character.

I love the Castlevania show but it operates in a very different 'dark fantasy universe' space, I don't really consider it to be attempting to be a canon adaptation at all.

[panderp123]

🦇 Castlevania OC 🦇

Sebastian Sinclair

Commission by Lilou

•Name: Sebastian Sinclair

•Species: Vampire 🩸

•Age: 100+

•Gender: Male

•Occupation: Doctor 🩺

•Sexuality: Homosexual

•Traits: Kind, Patient, Friendly, Dedicated, Hopeless Romantic, Protective

•Shipped w/Alucard 💛

──────── • ✿ • ────────

➽Physical Appearance

🔹Species: Vampire

🔹Height: 6ft 4”

🔹Skin Color: Pale/Rosey

🔹Hair Color:Chocolate Brown

🔹Eye Color: Crimson

🔹Personality: Kind, Patient, Friendly, Dedicated, Hopeless Romantic, Protective.

🔹Hobbies: Reading, Piano & Hunting Animals

🔹Likes: Helping people, Spoiling his partner, Forests, Learning new medical techniques, Mm

🔹 Dislikes: Hunting Humans (only if they’re criminals)

🔹 Abilities: Reading Minds but only emotions.

🔹Backstory

During the 14th Century London was under siege by the plague known as the Black Death. Doctors were overwhelmed by the immense amount of deaths and body pits had to be created to burn the dead to kill the plague.

One doctor in particular was able to visit the estates of the most esteemed members of London’s aristocracy of the time. Although Sebastian preferred to aid the poor, it was much more dangerous than the rich.

On this one visit to the Sinclair Estate, he met the reclusive yet beautiful Countess Sinclair. She was a French woman who was visiting England but was sadly quarantined for her safety.

While Sebastian stayed he noticed some of her odd habits. Closed curtains during the day. Mysteriously disappeared outside at night. Concerned for her wellbeing during such an unpredictable time Sebastian asked her as a doctor if she was ok. The Countess brushed it off as a new routine since her husband’s passing but Sebastian wasn’t convinced.

One night he decided to follow her and on this night she, unfortunately, had a visitor. Not wanting to pry into her affairs Sebastian made his way back to the manor only to be shunted towards it at great force.

It was all a blur but there was a lot of blood, hissing, growls and screaming.

By the time Sebastian came to he found himself bandaged up and in his guest bedroom. Countess was sitting on the foot of his bed. She had to explain that her guest was an intruder and to save Sebastian she had to gift him with her bite.

Took a while for Sebastian to be convinced that he was now a creature of the night.

A vampire.

Stories only heard from far off Europe but there were some in England too. He was a bit scared unsure if he was her spawn or charge. Countess also known as Josephine, had grown fondness for Sebastian but he was his own free man. She did explain in a couple of decades he’ll have to understand that his family will pass on but he wouldn’t. She told him when this happens she would be honoured to be called Mother if he was ever unsure of how to describe their relationship.

Sebastian agreed eventually and as time went on so did his vampire skills especially a somewhat psychic ability of mind reading. It was a stronger variant of Empathetic Abilities. Protecting the manor from intruders was part of it and he did help the tenants of the Countess’s land with aliments.

Some decades later, one day a man of great importance had arrived with a woman. They did not give their names but heard of a vampire who was familiar with the field of medicine. The couple were very close and Sebastian helped the woman in particular a human to understand the medical care of the time. She was very persistent on one topic in particular. Reproduction of a Human and a Vampire.

This knowledge was uncommon in mainland Europe but a few cases did show up in England and Ireland which Sebastian was familiar with. The human woman had told him she knew she was with child and was unsure if her child was human or vampire. Sebastian explained that the child would be a Dhampir or a Daywalker Vampire. It would live off of both human food and the blood of its choosing. He told the woman she was going to be fine but to eat more red meats if needed as it was a substitute for well…blood.

The woman left some journals with Sebastian as a thank you. Some knowledge that was once lost to time was in his hands. Countess Sinclair had a moment of her abilities as the couple left. She was somewhat of an oracle so chances are she saw Sebastian being turned but didn’t know who was behind it.

Now she sees a beautiful blonde male with her son and a great amount of loneliness befalls this individual. The male was as beautiful as the human woman who was leaving the manor. Josephine also foretold a great sadness would befall the man who escorted the human woman. Do not leave her side, do not travel alone. The pair were a little perplexed by her fortune as they left.

As Sebastian held Josephine sitting her down after a vision it was then she told him who these people were. They were Lord and Lady Tepes. Sebastian instinctively felt that superiority washes over him. That feeling of something much taller than you being in your presence but it was power more than anything. Sebastian realised Dracula was in their home and his human wife was his patient. Thinking it was a once-off he doubted he’d ever see them again but Josephine was persistent about him meeting a man of beauty and blonde hair.

20 years later…

The fall of Dracula had reached England and thankfully the Sinclair family’s kindness and reputation helped them survive the uprising of vampires. Josephine advised Sebastian to go to Walachia to seek out Dracula’s castle. She had visions of the child, now fully grown alone and feeling a great sense of loneliness. Despite aiding humans and having tenants it was not the filling that empty void. Josephine told Sebastian this was Adrian Tepes more commonly known as Alucard. Take the journals of his Mother to him and your findings on child born as dhampirs it would be a heartwarming experience for Alucard to know someone who knew his mother.

Little did Sebastian know his Mother foreseen his immense love for Alucard and wanted her son to be happy.

──────── • ✿ • ────────

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

POWER POLYCULE MASTERPOST

people asked and i shall deliver!! here are our brackets - i plan to update each one with the link after they're posted, but do keep an eye on the #powerpolyculeshowdown tag in case im unavailable to do so until later, please!

Also reminder they're programmed to be posted 1min apart from each other, so from 1:00pm to 1:10pm (EST)

Round 1

part 1 (finished)

Tulio/Miguel/Chel (Road to El Dorado) x Yoo/Han/Kim (Omniscient Reader) Winners: Tulio/Miguel/Chel

Mane 6 (My Little Pony) x Sasha/Anne/Marcy (Amphibia) Winners: Sasha/Anne/Marcy

Rey/Finn/Poe (Star Wars) x The Doctor/Rose/Jack Harkness (Doctor Who) Winners: The Doctor/Rose/Jack

Cosmo/Kathy/Don (Singing in the Rain) x Ferris/Sloane/Cameron (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) Winners: Cosmo/Kathy/Don

Dave/Jade/Karkat (Homestuck) x Sora/Riku/Kairi (Kingdom Hearts) Winners: Sora/Riku/Kairi

Amaryllis/Sir Damien/Lord Arum (Penumbra Podcast) x Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot (High Noon Over Camelot - The Mechanisms) Winners: Amaryllis/Sir Damien/Lord Arum

Wu Zetian/Li Shimin/Gao Yizhi (Iron Widow) x Sadie Kane/Walt Stone/Anubis (The Kane Chronicles) Winners: Wu Zetian/Li Shimin/Gao Yizhi

Star Allies (Kirby Star Allies) x All 1008 Pokémon (Pokémon) Winners: All 1008 Pokémon

Hardison/Parker/Elliot (Leverage) x Geralt/Jaskier/Yennefer (The Witcher) Winners: Hardison/Parker/Eliot

Suki/Sokka/Zuko (ATLA) x Sonic/Knuckles/Shadow (Sonic) Winners: Suki/Sokka/Zuko

Sweet/Cap’n/K_K (Deltarune) x Shiver/Frye/Big Man (Splatoon 3) Winners: Sweet/Cap'n/K_K

part 2 (finished)

Fred/Daphne/Velma/Shaggy (Scooby Doo) x Luka/Adrien/Kagami/Marinette (Miraculous Ladybug) Winners: Fred/Daphne/Velma/Shaggy

Wonder Woman/Superman/Batman (DC Comics) x Megaera/Zagreus/Thanatos (Hades) Winners: Megaera/Zagreus/Thanatos

Dekubowl (My Hero Academia) x Jolyne/Ermes/Foo Fighters (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) Winners: Jolyne/Ermes/Foo Fighters

Bocchi/Nijika/Ryo/Kita (Bocchi the Rock) x Tsukasa/Emu/Nene/Rui (Project Sekai) Winners: Tsukasa/Emu/Nene/Rui

Trevor/Sypha/Alucard/Greta (Castlevania) x Heizou/Kazuha/Scaramouche (Genshin Impact) Winners: Trevor/Sypha/Alucard/Greta

Rachel/Chloe/Max (Life is Strange) x Quanxi/Tsugihagi/Pingtsi/Long/Cosmo (Chainsaw Man) Winners: Rachel/Chloe/Max

McCoy/Spock/Kirk (Star Trek) x Frodo/Sam/Rosie (Lord of the Rings) Winners: McCoy/Spock/Kirk

Cassandra/Rapunzel/Flynn (Tangled Series) x Vivi/Lewis/Arthur (Mystery Skulls Animated) Winners: Cassandra/Rapunzel/Flynn

Aizo/Yujiro/Hiyori (HoneyWorks) x Panchito/Donald/José (The Three Caballeros) Winners: Panchito/Donald/José

Catra/Adora/Glimmer/Bow (She-Ra and The Princesses of Power) x Amethyst/Peridot/Lapis (Steven Universe) Winners: Catra/Adora/Glimmer/Bow

Bucky/Steve/Peggy/Angie (Marvel) x Hunter/Willow/Luz/Amity (The Owl House) Winners: Hunter/Willow/Luz/Amity

Round 2 (finished)

Tulio/Miguel/Chel (Road to El Dorado) x Cosmo/Kathy/Don (Singing in the Rain) Winners: Tulio/Miguel/Chel

Sasha/Anne/Marcy (Amphibia) x Hardison/Parker/Eliot (Leverage) Winners: Hardison/Parker/Eliot

The Doctor/Rose/Jack Harkness (Doctor Who) x McCoy/Spock/Kirk (Star Trek) Winners: The Doctor/Rose/Jack Harkness

Sora/Riku/Kairi (Kingdom Hearts) x Amaryllis/Sir Damien/Lord Arum (Penumbra Podcast) Winners: Amaryllis/Sir Damien/Lord Arum

Wu Zetian/Li Shimin/Gao Yizhi (Iron Widow) x Sweet/Cap’n/K_K (Deltarune) Tie!! Both move on!

Suki/Sokka/Zuko (Avatar: TLA) x Megaera/Zagreus/Thanatos (Hades) Winners: Suki/Sokka/Zuko

Fred/Dephne/Velma/Shaggy (Scooby Doo) x All 1008 Pokémon (Pokémon) Winners: Fred/Daphne/Velma/Shaggy

Jolyne/Ermes/Foo Fighters (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) x Tsukasa/Emu/Nene/Rui (Project Sekai) Winners: Jolyne/Ermes/Foo Fighters

Trevor/Sypha/Alucard/Greta (Castlevania) x Panchito/Donald/José (The Three Caballeros) Winners: Panchito/Donald/José

Cassandra/Rapunzel/Flynn (Tangled Series) x Rachel/Chloe/Max (Life is Strange) Winners: Cassandra/Rapunzel/Flynn

Catra/Adora/Glimmer/Bow (She-Ra and The Princesses of Power) x Hunter/Willow/Luz/Amity (The Owl House) Winners: Catra/Adora/Glimmer/Bow

Round 3 (finished)

Fred/Daphne/Velma/Shaggy (Scooby Doo) x Cassandra/Rapunzel/Flynn (Tangled the Series) Winners: Fred/Daphne/Velma/Shaggy

The Doctor/Rose/Jack (Doctor Who) x Hardison/Parker/Eliot (Leverage) Winners: Hardison/Parker/Eliot

Catra/Adora/Glimmer/Bow (She Ra) x Suki/Sokka/Zuko (Avatar: TLA) Winners: Suki/Sokka/Zuko

Panchito/Donald/José (The Three Caballeros) x Wu Zetian/Li Shimin/Gao Yizhi (Iron Widow) Winners: Panchito/Donald/José

Sweet/Cap’n/K_K (Deltarune) x Sora/Riku/Kairi (Kingdom Hearts) Winners: Sweet/Cap'n/K_K

Jolyne/Ermes/Foo Fighters (Jojo) x Tulio/Miguel/Cher (Road to El Dorado) Winners: Tulio/Miguel/Cher

Revival

Round 1 (finished)

Poll 1 Winners: The Doctor/Jack/Rose

Poll 2 Winners: Sasha/Anne/Marcy

Poll 3 Winners: Geralt/Yennefer/Jaskier

Poll 4 Winners: Yoo/Han/Kim

Round 2 (finshed)

Yoo Joonghyuk/Han Sooyoung/Kim Dokja (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint) x The Doctor/Rose Tyler/Jack Harkness (Doctor Who) x Sasha/Anne/Marcy (Amphibia) x Geralt/Yennefer/Jaskier (The Witcher) Winners: Yoo/Han/Kim (ORV) and Doctor/Jack/Rose (DW)

Round 4 - Quarterfinals (finished)

Tulio/Miguel/Cher (Road to El Dorado) x Yoo Jonghyuk/Han Sooyoung/Kim Dokja (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint)  Winners: Yoo Jonghyuk/Han Sooyoung/Kim Dokja

Fred/Daphne/Velma/Shaggy (Scooby Doo) x The Doctor/Rose Tyler/Jack Harkness (Doctor Who) Winners: Fred/Daphne/Velma/Shaggy

Sweet/Cap'n/Cakes (Deltarune) x Panchito/Donald/José (Three Caballeros) Winners: Sweet/Cap'n/K_K

Hardison/Parker/Eliot (Leverage) x Suki/Sokka/Zuko (Avatar) Winners: Hardison/Parker/Eliot

Round 5 - Semifinals (finished)

Sweet/Cap'n/K_K (Deltarune) x Yoo Jonghyuk/Han Sooyoung/Kim Dokja (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint) Winners: Yoo/Han/Kim

Hardison/Parker/Eliot (Leverage) x Fred/Daphne/Velma/Shaggy (Scooby Doo) Winners: Hardison/Parker/Eliot

Round 6 (March 8th 2pm EST)

Finals!

Hardison/Parker/Eliot (Leverage) x Yoo Jonghyuk/Han Sooyoung/Kim Dokja (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint) Winners: Hardison/Parker/Eliot

Third place!

Sweet/Cap'n/K_K (Deltarune) x Fred/Daphne/Velma/Shaggy (Scooby Doo) Winners: Fred/Daphne/Velma/Shaggy

Congratulations Hardison/Parker/Eliot for the win!!!!

[beevean]

Translating Aria of Sorrow's bios

Soma Cruz

18 years old

The protagonist of the story, a high school student living in Hakuba. He has a somewhat intimidating feeling, and he feels difficult to approach. In order to enjoy the total solar eclipse of 2035 with her childhood friend Mina, he heads to Hakuba Shrine, which is located on a hill in the town and is also her home. However, he can't keep his arrangement with Mina...

Mina Hakuba

18 years old

The only shrine maiden of Hakuba Shrine. Soma's childhood friend, she is very friendly and everyone likes her. Compared to the hard-to-approach Soma, she is quite a normal girl.

Genya Arikado

Age unknown

A man dressed in a black suit. He is very unsociable, but his beauty is far from human. He seems to belong to an organization that is involved in the secrets of the country, but he's shrouded in mystery. He knows the prophecy that Dracula will rise again.

Graham Jones

36 years old

A founder of a new religion with many fanatical followers. He came into this world in the month of July, 1999. He's rumored to have magical powers. The belief, popular in the last century, that the world will come to an end in 2035 is attracting new believers.

Yoko Belnades

24 years old

A descendant of a family of wizards affiliated with the Church. He was sent by the Church after hearing the prophecy that Dracula would rise again. She is a talkative and nosy woman. She seems to be acquainted with Arikado.

J (Julius Belmont)

55 years old

In 1999, he was involved in a serious accident and lost his memory. He is extremely talented at eradicating monsters. He is very afraid that Dracula will be revived. Before long, J will have a fateful encounter with Soma...

Hammer

34 years old

A man dispatched by the military to come to Castlevania. He has a very rough personality and doesn't work unless he's in the mood. He has always wanted to retire from the military and start a business, and he actually opens a shop in Castlevania.

[akumahoshojo]

Castlevania I + II Fanfic: A Horrible Night's Dream (Chapter 1 preview)

I wrote this fic for @eboni-napalm as part of a Halloween gift exchange that started back in like... 2021 😱 After two of the roughest years for me ever (school/health/family/general RL problems all happening at once), I've actually been able to work on it!

While I'm still finishing up my final draft of the first chapter (fingers crossed I can do it before midnight!), I thought I'd post this preview of it here for tonight for any CV fans who might be interested in reading... and hopefully checking out the rest. It's the first 4 out of 8 vignettes to be contained in the completed first chapter, set in CV1 era for now.

Game: Castlevania I and II Pairing: Simon Belmont + CV2's "Mysterious Woman" (😉) Themes: Prophecies, Curses, Fighting Fate, Anachronic Order, Second Person POV, Experimental Style Content Warning: General themes of prejudice, non-graphic human sacrifice scene Thanks so much for your patience eboni-napalm-- I'm so sorry about the delay, but getting to work on this story has been rewarding and challenging in the best kind of way! 💗 Check out the story below!

i. now

To one who dreams the future, the present is the past. And thus all your remembered life has been a divided one, waking eyes on constant guard and inner eye fixed on time untold, like two-faced Janus in the body of a girl.

You've never been able to consider your nighttime visions a power, or even a gift: not when they've only come to you as you've lain helpless in the dark, bringing unwanted glimpses of a greater darkness in the world that encircles the realm of dreams.

And if some force beyond even that world can tear through the layers of time to give you a fleeting glimpse of what lies on the other side, then one lone human attempting to change the future’s design in response seems as futile a task as attempting to prevent an avalanche through the placement of a single snowflake.

But that's never stopped you from trying.

ii. then 

To the citizens of Transylvania, he may have been a savior, but to you, he was no different from the rest of them—which placed him somewhere just above scum. And so, as all of Jova turned excitedly north to welcome their conquering hero home, you chose to remain alone in the wooded outskirts of town, where they'd told you your kind would always belong.

Simon, the latest golden boy of the Belmont clan, with a mane of golden hair and bags of looted gold to match, was already the stuff of legends. He'd journeyed alone only days before to Dracula's stronghold beyond the mountains, slaying its monstrous guards and unholy master in a single night and escaping just in time to watch the demon castle crumble at dawn. Stories of his triumph had already traveled down from the hamlets at the foothills and across the river from the town of Yomi, faster than the news of the Dark Lord's resurrection on the night the Black Mass occurred. 

The night they’d shunned you for the last time.

iii. now

The future creates itself in the darkness behind your closed eyes. Your essence stares back from the depths of your mind.

Another vision, two-sided as always: fate's promise to you, and yours to yourself. You will fight it, the truest part of you swears, in the waking world where dreams can't reach, no matter what you'll see and see again.

It catches you off guard anyway.

As your mind's eye clears, the darkness that clouded it coalesces into a black sea, the crests of dozens of waves rising ominously from its surface. The light comes next—faint touches of distant moonlight and dancing candlelight, refining the indistinct sea of shadows into something all too real.

Hooded worshippers, lit by candles as black as their robes, fill the gutted remains of an old church. The church is dark, and the night outside is darker, showing through the shattered stained-glass windows like a void swallowing up the holy and the fair. Idols and relics, goat-headed demons and inverted stars and things you can't decipher, lurk just at the edges of the shadows.

But it's the thing on the altar that scares you the most.

Nearly shrouded in a tattered black cloak, it lays limp and motionless, sickly pale as any corpse—but with a countenance alert as any living man. Its face is twisted into a rictus of mad triumph, sightless eyes fixed on the crumbled ceiling above and a sky empty of stars, as if to mock, even now, whatever higher power watches from above. You're certain you've never seen it, through this eye or your outers. And yet, the longer you stare, the louder a primal alarm seems to scream from somewhere deep inside you.

Known and unknown, mighty and weak, living and dead—the thing’s very existence is a contradiction made flesh.

Clarity flashes across your mind in the errant glint of candlelight off a fang.

You know, now, what this thing is. Its—his—name is Dracula: scion of the dragon, the devil's very son.

His dark grip still chokes Transylvania as tightly in legend as it did in reality, even a century after his last death. Though the countryside has long healed from the scars of his prior reign, those like yourself, too well acquainted with the occult, feel their phantom ache to this day. It is the pain that springs up with each scornful word and every hostile stare, the chafing knowledge that anyone judged slightly less than normal will never be truly safe from a populace still cowering from even the memory of Dracula's shadow.

Your gaze focuses once more at a sudden shuffling among the faceless worshipers: a parting of the shadow sea. From the darkest corner of the church a maiden is borne, light as spindrift, through the crests. Her dress is pale, and her panicked face is paler. She seems almost to shine amongst the shadows that guide her onward, a lone spot of white nearly consumed by the blackness of the church.

A sacrifice.

As she nears the grim idol that lies in wait upon the altar, one of the encircling shadows shoves her roughly forward. She stumbles against the altar's edge, delicate hands bound tightly behind her back.

You are forced to watch, powerless as always, as present and future slip beyond salvation.

Another shift of the lurking shadows. A fleeting flash of metal. A torrent of blood from the maiden's lovely neck.

As the blood splatters on the leering corpse below, its fanged grin seems only to widen. And with a creeping chill of dread, you realize the thing on the altar isn't a corpse anymore.

The church darkens even more, beyond what seems possible, as the sky through the ceiling is choked by thunderclouds. The candlelight drowns in a shadow sea.

For a moment, you see nothing but blissful darkness, blessed oblivion—for a moment, you can nearly imagine what a normal night's sleep might be.

By the time a flash of lightning illuminates the church once more, Dracula is already gone—the monster loosed from its temporal cage.

You barely notice. You'd seen it, then, when the lightning struck, in what little you could view of the world beyond the church. The outlines of a cityscape all too familiar. The narrow curve of a waning gibbous moon.

Jova. Easter Sunday.

You still have time, you realize.

And, fate willing, so do they.

iv. then

It had been Easter then, the time of the town's yearly carnival. Those dull brick buildings had looked almost inviting, festooned with grand banners and colorful paper lanterns, as lively dances and celebrations went on in the market square. The scenes of joy and community, the swirls of music and laughter, seemed to sweep you up despite yourself, almost softening the heart their world had hardened long before. You were hopeful enough to believe the Lord's Resurrection reason enough for them to accept you, for that one day at least, to heed your warning and save their souls.

You were wrong.

No matter who you approached, no matter how you pleaded, the hatred you'd grown up with, inseparable as your shadow, blocked you at every turn. Maybe it was your clothes, or your accent, or just the fact you knew something they didn't, but whatever attempt you made, they judged it to be wrong. Your warnings, increasingly desperate, were met with insults from even the kindest faces in that celebration, insults steeled with the threat of something worse.

Liar.

Witch.

Unholy.

Unwelcome.

You'd finally turned your back on Jova when the stares began to linger a little too long, when the murmurs in the crowd began to overpower even the sounds of the festivities. You refused to add your own life to the number that would soon be lost.

And you'd tried, dammit. They couldn't say you didn't try. 

If their blood was to be shed, it would not be on your hands.

You told yourself this as you left them all behind, the music growing fainter and the colored lights dimmer with each step you took into the engulfing darkness. They'd just shown they cared nothing for you, for even themselves, so why chance your life for them? You didn't care—you truly didn't care.

But when your prophecy came true and hell came to earth, you suffered with them all the same.

[polyam-ship-showdown]

Polyam Ship Showdown Round 1!

So I have combed through the 200+ submissions, combed through it and come up with the final bracket that you will see right here.

Feel free to have a bit of fun! You can download this picture and make your predictions or even just present it as how it would go down if it was all your choice.

Round 1 will start at 6:00 PM EST on February 18th. Polls will roll out every minute until done. Then it's showtime!

The brackets are as follows:

Sasha Waybright/Anne Boonchuy/Marcy Wu (Amphibia) vs Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman (DC Comics)

Willow Park/Luz Noceda/Amity Blight (The Owl House) vs Jaune Arc/Nora Valkyrie/Pyrrha Nikos/Lie Ren (RWBY)

Suki/Sokka/Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender) vs Mafuyu Asahina/Kanade Yoisaki/Ena Shinonome/Mizuki Akiyama (Project Sekai)

Annalise Obrien/Gabriel Boutin/Nathan Byrne (The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself) vs Leonard McCoy/Spock/James T. Kirk (Star Trek: The Original Series)

Megaera/Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades) vs Monika/Sayori/Yuri/Natsuki (Doki Doki Literature Club)

Koutarou Bokuto/Keiji Akaashi/Tetsurou Kuroo/Kenma Kozume (Haikyuu!!) vs Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler/Jack Harkness (Doctor Who)

Leshy/Grimora/Magnificus/P03 (Inscryption) vs Red Son/MK/Mei Dragon (LEGO Monkie Kid)

Sonic the Hedgehog/Shadow the Hedgehog/Silver the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs The Mane 6 Polycule (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)

Lewis Pepper/Vivi Yukino/Arthur Kingsmen (Mystery Skulls Animated) vs Quanxi/Cosmo/Pingtsi/Long/Tsugihagi (Chainsaw Man)

Donald Duck/Panchito Pistoles/Jose Carioca (The Three Caballeros) vs Miguel/Tulio/Chel (The Road To El Dorado)

Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler/Jonathan Byers (Stranger Things) vs Kathy Selden/Don Lockwood/Cosmo Brown (Singin’ In The Rain)

Wu Zetian/Li Shimin/Gao Yizhi (Iron Widow) vs Velma Dinkley/Daphne Blake/Fred Jones/Norville "Shaggy" Rogers (Scooby-Doo)

Shiver/Frye/Big Man (Splatoon 3) vs Sora/Riku/Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)

Star Butterfly/Marco Diaz/Tom Lucitor (Star vs The Forces of Evil) vs Parker/Alec Hardison/Eliot Spencer (Leverage)

Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier/Yennefer of Vengerberg (The Witcher) vs Eugene/Rapunzel/Cassandra (Tangled: The Series)

Finn/Rey/Poe Dameron (Star Wars) vs Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades/Alucard (Castlevania)

[simonsquest]

Proof that I'm just terrible at Simon's Quest, lol.

I played Bisqwit's romhack of Castlevania 2 today. It has great quality of life improvements with regard to a more faithful translation of the dialogue, UI updates, the ability to save your progress, access to the map to see where you are, and a really incredible intro cutscene w/ the mysterious woman at the gravesite. It's beautifully done and a treat for the eyes! I thoroughly enjoyed my few hours with it, but even equipped with all of my CV2 knowledge (and I have to say having the map in-game was especially helpful!), I still was only able to complete the game in 13 days, earning me the "Drac was defeated but Simon didn't survive his wounds" ending. I love this game so much.

[chibishortdeath]

Some doodles I completely forgot to post lol :3

[silenthill2ps2]

i'm now realizing i have a habit of liking characters no one gives a fuck about, it started with tetsutetsu from bnha in middle school then it was the sotn succubus and the mysterious woman when i really got into castlevania then it was mr x when i got into resident evil then it was daniella haunting ground now i'm getting into red dead and i'm becoming obsessed with molly bill and kieran. my curse

[demigoddessqueens]

I just realized the mystery woman with the gold braids fighting vampires has a mark on her right hand!!

Is she a devils forgemaster?? 👀

[maskedking06]

First impressions

Castlevania symphony of the night

Castlevania symphony of the night is most popular title in the castlevania franchise considered one of the essential titles of the original PlayStation and my first entry into the castlevania series

Now I’ve never played a castlevania game or even a Metroidvania game before the most I’ve played was a demo for Metroid dread

But now that I’m playing one for the first time how do I feel about it I’ll go over it under the cut

Now just a reminder I haven’t finished the story yet so if I’m leaving out anything that’s why

The story so far

The game starts with us playing as richter facing Dracula at the end of rondo of blood with one of the most infamously cheesy voice acting scenes

Thank the maker for the redub

After we defeat Dracula the game cuts to four years later richter has gone missing and castlevania has reappeared leading Alucard (the son of Dracula from castlevania 3 ) to investigate

The game starts with you at full power blasting through enemies with your abilities until you remember this is a metroidvania game and death comes to steal your weapons and abilities from then on you travel across the castle meeting new people fighting monsters and frequently coming across a mysterious woman named Maria who seems to know something about richter

Hey this is where I am at the moment I’ll save the full summary for the full review

The gameplay

Castlevania sotn has you roaming throughout the castle fighting monsters and exploring what might be there

Like most Metroidvania’s the game is very much open ended meaning you can explore at your own pace however some areas will be blocked and won’t be accessible unless you find a relic that will give you the ability to proceed

The combat in this game has cool twist in it that there are rpg elements attached to it

In this game Alucard can be customized through the weapons and equipment you find from beating enemies or exploring

There are many weapons in this game from long swords short swords rods shields bows and many others and these give a lot of room for customization during combat

Alucard however can only equip two weapons at a time so be smart with how you design him and make sure it’s fitting for the level and enemies you’re facing

I should also note that many powerful weapons you get early in the game are typically one use so be mindful of that

Another thing I should mention is that alucards abilities can be gained through relics you find in the game from the ability to double jump to his transformation powers

There are many enemies in this game that have a lot of cool concepts and designs however they can be difficult to deal with in the beginning however once you get the hang of things the enemies become more easier to deal with

The most annoying enemies however are the smaller ones because while they may take less damage to kill they are much harder to hit

This can make them deadly if they are placed in Large amounts

Another thing I should mention is that early in the game I’d recommend not going

At the monsters considering there’s a good chance of your butt getting kicked and you being faced with monsters while at low heath

Castlevania is divided into many levels that are fun to explore and play through

A lot backgrounds are very cool to look at and there’s a lot a variety in the enemies you face with my favorite’s being the library and colosseum

However the ones I’d argue being poorly designed are the clock tower platforming ones

Not only do you have to deal with flying enemies who could knock you back if you get hit but enemies like crows who attack you when you get to close and are much smaller making them harder to hit and Medusa head who are small as well except they come from the side off the stage

Overall this is a very fun game to play and so far I’m enjoying it I’ll give a full review once I finish the game so have a good day