#predictions for nocturne

[autumnmobile12]

So….these two die peacefully or does Alucard have some traumatic memory of how they went out? Their children? Greta?

Because that is not the kind of sadness I want to see for our favorite dhampir.

[firestorm09890]

here's the best part of my intervallo liveblog from last night

[parasitoidism]

Color Illustrations from Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Comic Anthology (2003)

Artists: Yukawa Kazuno, Biscuit Squad, Sumino Hirune, Yoroi Yoshihisa, Yasuko Oyama, Tsushima Shuu

[mysteryanimator]

insert that one audio of "toothless kinda hot" "who?.. THE DRAGON? FROM HOW TO TRAIN YOUR- STOP"

[alpaca-clouds]

My Predictions for Nocturne Season 2

Alright, I have promised to do some predictions for Nocturne season 2 - mainly just for the hell of it. And because some people have asked me about it. So, I am trying to make my predictions.

I will do these per character, rather than going on about general plot points.

It should be noted in general, that since Powerhouse has so far not gotten Green Light for season 3 of Nocturne, I am assuming that they will try to end the Erszebeth plotline within season 2, as I am thinking they will try to not have the show potentially be cancelled on a cliffhanger. (Yes, I have maybe too much trust? xD)

Alright. Let's get me started.

Also: I originally wrote this before yesterday's trailer dropped. But I reworked it a little.

Richter Belmont

With Richter it is going to be assumed, that he will have a more classical hero's journey. I will once again iterate: My reading of Nocturne is, that the show will very much take this idea of a "divine bloodline". Annette is a descendant of Ogun, and I am fairly certain there will be a point being made out of both Maria (more about her a bit later) and Richter and in extension the entire Belmont family, also descending from a god. I am not sure which one. I am personally assuming that it will be some Celtic god, that is supposed to be forgotten. I am not sure if they will name a specific name - but I am fairly sure that this is going to be a point that is going to be revealed somehow.

Other than this, I am assuming his relationship with Annette will further develop. I am going to assume he will learn to connect to the place of the ancestors through her, because to me this would make a lot of sense.

From the second trailer I assume that there will be at least two episodes in which he will be alone with Alucard and Annette. Probably to show a couple of different aspects of him, given that for season 1 he mainly interacted with others only while Maria was there. So him getting away from Maria will also help to show him from a different perspective.

I am also somewhat expecting his story to get a bit darker, as I am expecting that if they get another season, they might go into a Richter corruption arc, like it happens in Symphony of the Night. In SotN this obviously comes a bit out of nowhere - and I am assuming the show will set this up a bit more. Especially as I am not going to guess he is fully possessed by Shaft or something. But either way, I am going to assume there will be some groundwork laid, but the season ain't gonna end with an already corrupted Richter. It will just be posed as a possibility before the end of the series.

Maria Renard

Alright, with Maria there is definitely more interesting stuff going on based on the second trailer especially. We saw her use a very differnt form of magic from what we have seen in season 1. While in season 1 her magic is very light and predominated by round forms, in season 2 we see dark magic with edgy forms going on. And her eyes will get dark at some point. I think we might learn something about where her magic is coming from. And I am assuming that this indeed has to do with the Otherworld from celtic mythology. Given that Edouard brought this up before, that the "other worlds" in different mythologies might be the same it might tie into that.

Something I keep wondering about: In the games that came up out of Japan, her animals are based on the Four Holy Beasts of the Cardinal Directions, because the game is from Japan. Now, in the show so far they have not been named as Suzaku, Byakko, Genbu and Seiryu. But... Yeah, I do wonder if this is going to come up.

I really do wonder if they will bring in something on Fae through Maria. We never got full confirmation whether fae exist in this world. However, it would make sense.

One way or another: I am fairly certain we will learn more about her magic. That is what I am rather sure about.

Annette

Annette is to me right now the hardest character to place in terms of her character arc. Because here is the thing: She is the one character who in season 1 goes through a pretty complete character arc. She has her wants in the beginning, she realizes her need. Yes, she failed, and I am assuming she will try to find out more about her powers in season 2, but I actually do not think there will be a whole lot of character development beats.

I am assuming that her plot will have two aspects to it in season 2. For one, she has some knowledge about magic that nobody else has, because she comes at it from a different perspective and knows of the Plane of the Ancestors. So, I assume that she will somewhat take the role of a teacher towards Richter.

I also am going to assume that she and Richter will look more into the background of the Egyptian gods. And I would not be surprised that through it she learned more about the real gods in the world. While Egypt is far away from the Yoruba homelands, I do wonder if there is something that overlaps there? I am just assuming that there is a reason that she is part of the "find out about Egypt" team.

Edouard

We do see Edouard in the second trailer for a couple of shots, marching with a night creature army into what seems to be Paris. Now, Edouard is another character who is heavy on the thematic aspect of this show. Especially in his face on the theme of free will. We can gather already, that he will free a couple of other night creatures through his singing. And while we only see shots of him in Paris, I am going to assume that he has some side plot going on before that.

I would argue that there is going to be the topic brought up of how this new night creature machine works. While we never get a full confirmation on how exactly this works in the old show, the fact that FlysEyes is probably from like the 7th or 8th century - or his soul is. So it is probable that for the most part the night creatures in the old show were souls that had hung in "hell" for a while pulled into random bodies.

But we see that Drolta, Edouard, and Jacques are all their own souls back in their own bodies. So the machine Emmanuel got works differently. And I would not be surprised if Edouard and Jacques will look into that at some point.

I am also... something tells me they might get into trouble and Olrox will help them escape? They need to escape after all before they can participate in the finale.

Tera

Okay, here is my prediction: No. Tera is not going to die. Dun dun duuuuun.

From what we see in the trailer, this obviously seems like the likely outcome. Tera is now evil, because she is a vampire, and everyone is going to fight against her, and she will even try to kill her own beloved daughter, so obviously she will die and it will be tragic.

While I am not 100% sure what is going to happen, I am certain she is under some sort of control while at the stone circle, and she will fight Juste there. But Maria will come in there, and she will somehow manage to get through to her mother.

And this is also where the beast-creature will show up. I am not sure how that creature relates to Tera and Maria. But I am certain that the creature showing up has probably to do with Tera's mind control.

While I am sure she is not going to die, I do notice her absence in the second trailer for the clips from that final battle. But I am still fairly certain she does not die.

However, I would not be surprised if Maria at some point thought her dead (and that might be the trigger for the Seiryu sequence?).

Juste Belmont

Okay, I am gonna be spicy with my take here: I almost expect Juste to die. Because for him to die in a heroic sacrifice would make so much sense for his narrative. He is that old generation, who has once failed and now has lost the believe that he could still make a big difference.

I am fairly certain we will get a scene within the first two episodes that go exactly in how he has failed Lydie and Maxim. Some people assume that Maxim might still be alive as a monster, werewolf or vampire. Though some part of me thinks that that is not gonna happen, because it would convolute the plot too much. Again, I am assuming they will try to present us with a season 2 that has something that can work as an ending. So while I could see that the show might leave it a bit open that maybe Maxim shows up eventually, I am guessing there will be no showdown on this in any way.

See, Juste sees himself also responsible for the death of his daughter. And I am assuming that he will be the one snapping Tera out of the control or whatever, to save at least one mother to Richter.

Now, him we see in the final battle. So we know he will at least survive till the big final. But I still cannot help: Yes, there is just the fact that in the trailer we see him under what seems to be a cherry blossom tree, and my anime-brain just cannot help and think: "Oh boy, someone is gonna die, aren't they?"

Olrox and Mizrak

In the new trailer we do finally see the two of them in a couple of scenes. We do know they will probably make up with each other, though I suspect they will not meet up again before episode 4. (I will talk about what I expect the episodes to go like a bit further down.) I am fairly certain that Olrox will be confronted by Drolta and Erszebeth about how he is a double agent, and might have to flee because of it. I am not quite sure about the details, but I am almost certain somehow he is going to be forced to make his decision who he is fighting for. As I said above, I could absolutely see that he might be the one to free the night creatures who are right now kept, but rebellious.

We see Mizrak with the others, and I am assuming he will be working together with Juste and Maria. We see one shot of him back in the Church in Machecoul, so I guess he comes along with Maria and Juste to that place.

We also know he probably tries to join the battle of Drolta and possible some other night creatures against the Blues. And I am guessing that the scene of him and Olrox together takes place after that battle.

Drolta

Okay, everyone who reads my blog knows my thought on Drolta. I knew she was not dead, because her role in the plot was not over. And very sure that in general her role in the story will be to reveal Erszebeth's weakness. She was a priestess of Sekmet, who for some reason decided to team up with Erszebeth. I do not know if we will have Drolta as the kind of colonized, who team up with the colonizer hoping to gain power for themselves, or if she did it in some way with the hope to protect her culture. But I am very sure, that Drolta is who got Erszebeth to drink the blood of Sekmet. And I am fairly certain that we will learn this season how that happened - and that this is the reason that Drolta is still alive.

I can absolutely see Drolta dying afterwards, but... Look, form the very first moment we saw Drolta I was fairly certain, that she is eventually playing a role for the good side eventually. I am not fully sure if she will cross sides (especially as we can see her fighting Annette and Juste in scenes in the trailer that seem to happen during the finale). But I think somehow we will learn about her and her relationship to Erszebeth.

Alucard

Okay, Alucard is also someone who we can now make a lot more predictions on. While we do not see him in the scenes with the Egyptian gallery fight, I am going to assume he is with Annette and Richter at the time - because we see those three together at multiple points in the trailer. Hence my assumption that he is with them. But I still wonder, what is going to happen with this scene where we see him in an Egyptian temple. Because I am 100% certain that is not a historical display, but actually in Egypt. Which is why I do wonder, if this is a flashback or something different.

Erzsebet

Again: I do not expect this to fully end on a cliffhanger. (Powerhouse, do not let me down xD) So I am gonna say: Erzsebeth dies.

That's it. We will learn more about her getting Sekmet's blood and all that. But... I am not going to assume she will be somehow redeemed. And I think she will lose slowly her control over her divine form. That is what I am gonna assume.

You cannot steal culture. You cannot steal gods.

My Prediction for the Episodes

So, whatI am expecting for the episodes so far is the following:

Episodes 1-2: I think these first two episodes will mainly go into establishing the new status quo and involve some info dumps. We will see Drolta come back, and the characters plan out their next moves. They will go to Juste for advice, and then will come up with a plan. Juste, Mizrak and Maria will go back to the church (maybe to free the night creatures?) - and Annette, Richter and Alucard will try to find out more about Sekmet.

Episodes 3-5: Juste, Mizrak, and Maria will deal with something at the church. Again, not quite sure what. There will be a fight. Some scenes with Maria and Juste. Also there will be the fight with Tera (probably later in those episodes) and they will get Tera back onto their side. And we will learn more about Maria's powers. Also they will probably hear about some ambush or something with the Blues which will make Mizrak go and try and warn them, I guess. But he will be to late.

Meanwhile the others try to learn about Sekmet. There will be some opposition. But eventually they will learn SOMETHING. I am assuming that towards the end of these episodes Alucard will travel ahead to Paris.

Episodes 6-8: Everyone is going to bit by bit arrive in Paris. Alucard will help the Blues prepare for the battle. And then the last two episodes will probably be fairly heavy on action. Of course interspliced with enough slower scenes, because action animation costs a lot mroe than dialogues. xD

[optiwashere]

Kiss prompt, Shadownoct, 29? I'm nothing if not predictable.

You have a brand, and I love that for you. Gotta respect that. Thank you for requesting this one! 💜

29. A kiss as a promise.

---

Knives sheathed. Coin purses distributed in case of procurement necessities. The pouches of ingredients for various poisons, poultices, and elixirs stored away on belts and in satchels. Each item meticulously accounted for, Nocturne double checked the party’s inventory again.

Weapons were cleaned and armor buffeted, and even the boots were all cleaned to look black as pitch for nighttime operations. But something was missing. No matter where she looked, no matter which ledgers she pored over, there was nothing she could find that stuck out to her. She had doled out everything with the precision expected of her by the Mother Superior, yet it was not right.

As each member of the party came to collect their gear for the practice hunt in the city, Nocturne tried to focus on anything but Shadowheart. She was slow to gather her equipment, and when everyone else had left, she turned to Nocturne.

“It’s nothing more than a test, Nocturne,” Shadowheart whispered to her, closer than she should be. She laid a gloved hand on Nocturne’s and drew their gazes together with a squeeze.

“To test your readiness and cohesion, I know,” Nocturne said, repeating the standard protocols. “I know.”

“But?”

They’ll take you to the mirror for this one. I know it. “Nothing. But nothing.”

“Nocturne.”

“Just promise me something, all right?”

Shadowheart gave her a lopsided smirk as impish as it was heart-fluttering. “Very well. Out with it.”

“Promise you’ll come back to me in one piece?” Nocturne blurted out. My Lady, why did I say that? “No. I meant… come back—”

As swift as an arrow loosed, Shadowheart met her lips in a hurried kiss. As quickly as it was upon her, burning bright in Nocturne’s chest, it faded away as Shadowheart pulled back.

“There,” said Shadowheart. “Is that promise enough?”

“Yes,” Nocturne answered without thinking. No, it’s not. It’s not enough until Mother Superior says you’ve had enough of the mirror for one lifetime.

But this would have to be enough for her. It was more than she had with Shadowheart most times, and Nocturne could not bear to imagine the days when she returned from the mission after weeks of not remembering her.

When Shadowheart left, the sense of a missing piece crawled back into her thoughts. She knew then, at least, that it would never leave for as long as Shadowheart was gone.

[naphiatra]

oh yeah i had a dream last night about the new ancient

staff was teasing it by making news posts of one image with a caption, and they would only post the next image if people could solve the riddle in each post.

so far the images told a story of an egglike object falling from the sky and leaving a crater. Something was coming out of it, and it was a yellow creature. due to the angle, you couldn't see what it looked like

there were several of those news postings, but the latest one was asking players to guess the name of the new ancients.

bc of the colour, i thought it was a light ancient and the name was diurnal/diurne

[daybreakrising]

i have done a fair bit of writing today. i caved and posted two of them instead of saving them but i intend to save up the rest for a while. maybe-

and since one of these dogs gets up at 5am i am making the wise decision to start winding down for the night now, so i will be lurking for a while until i hopefully sleep

[lesbianpegbar]

i am not immune to alucard

[autumnmobile12]

Let me tell you I cannot wait to analyze the hell out of how Trevor and Richter process grief differently.

On the one hand, we have Trevor the emotional burnout who took the unhealthy road of, “I’m gonna keep all my emotions right here, and then one day, I’ll die,” while frequently finding oblivion at the bottom of a tankard.

And based on what we've seen in the teaser and official trailer, now we have Richter who seems to have bottled everything up inside like a fizzy drink and someone has shaken the bottle.  And maybe thrown it at a wall, who knows?

Alucard: I hope you haven't been doing all this sober.

Richter: Alcohol dulls the mind. I refuse to partake.

Alucard: ....I commend you and your healthy liver, but are you okay?

[otterpopyt]

My Predictions & Ideas for Castlevania: Nocturne (Part 2)

I would have put this all into one post, but I exceeded the character limit, can you believe that? If you haven't read any of the previous predictions just check below!

But otherwise, I will immediately continue on my list of potential ideas, observations, and predictions for the characters and story for Castlevania: Nocturne coming out tomorrow September 28th!

Annette is seen battling with a strong vampire in both the teaser and the trailer. It is possible they come from the same land/country and are personal enemies with one another.

Richter and Maria were likely a combat duo for some time, as was Annette and her unnamed male companion before the four joined forces and likely become the main protagonists of the new series.

Richter's signature white headband is only seen in a couple of rare instances in the trailer. This could have belonged to someone close to him that perishes or undergoes a horrible fate during the series itself, meaning one of the protagonists or potential deuteragonists will not survive to the end. On the flip side, it could be something he's had with him since the beginning [or prior to the beginning] of the series and only uses it in certain circumstances when he really going to throw down.

The unnamed male companion to Annette is potentially an opera singer or similar profession, but whether that's important to the story or just his character remains to be seen.

Another magic similar to Maria's (where magic skulls attack vampires after being summoned from a portal) is also seen in the trailer, not summoned by the human they surround and seemingly protect, meaning there could potentially be a vampire aiding the humans.

Neither Dracula nor Alucard are brought up, mentioned, or have any kind of cameo, so their potential involvement in Nocturne is completely unknown but it is possible one or both of them will play a part.

And that's all I've got! That's all I've been able to put together just based on watching the teaser and trailer over and over again. All I can do now is watch the episodes when they are available on Netflix and see how accurate or inaccurate I was!

[hells-mansion]

I am Nocturne. Lord of war. Bringer of the dark. Fear me for I am not the only one who sees the world coming to an end by my hand.

@jinglebellrockstars

New tag game! I'll start:

I am Pluto. Lord of the lord. Bringer of the lord. Fear me for I am not in the same place.

@abscshshhd @aneptunicperson @breadinhaler3 @bonsai-is-a-bottle-of-oj @boughtmender @dykeden @eatin-bread-n-cryin @earth2enpysea @feathereye12 @fluffyyyfrog9000 @faerieofthenight @geooo0oo @happylittleduckboy @hansel-the-idiot @juan1dupree23 @kakashiwearingthegetaboshihat875 @mentally-tori-261 @oscar-cant-draw @rafareba @shortmomma1993 @themuseinthewoods @unnamed-enby @zithergilt

and anyone else I didn't mention who wants to join in

note: you don't have to use your real name. I just used my user, and you can too lol

[nocturnalghoul]

Tagged by @owlghuleh <3

Rules: no cheating! you’re starring in a movie with the last celebrity you saved in your camera roll. the last song you’ve listened to is the title. who/what is it?

I mean that just seems extremely fitting.

I’m gonna hope this is a cute rom-com taking place in a port town :)

Taggin anyone who would like to do this or add on ♡

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

predictions now that the trailer is out:

the intro makes it look like they go back to sonic's old cave for something. i wonder what it is

they jump out of a plane too. we NEED a "no food or movies" quip

when shadow says "you're a colorful bunch" he seems... confused? like he's not sure what's going on. makes me remember he probably hasnt seen another mobian before AND he has no context as to who these people who look like him are

sonic's getting lied to about what happened on the ark, or just straight-up not told until late in the movie

and dont worry guys we know they're pulling SOMETHING. we see a shot of shadow and gerald over maria's body while soldiers point guns at them so yeah i think the us military still killed her

the chao garden in tokyo seems like a cute ref to there being an actual irl chao garden in japan in sonic x

tom and/or maddie knocked out of commission, which causes sonic to go against GUN and get robotnik. in all the scenes with robotnik/stone there's NO implication that GUN let sonic do this and considering the robotnik family history with the ark....

iirc we saw "i found you faker" on a leaked merch package so let's get that entire scene pls

ivo "because i'm one of the idiots who lives in it" robotnik

as i said in another post, they have jessica mcfucking jones in this movie and her character got ZERO screentime in the trailer and only ONE promo image with her in it. which implies she may be doing something spoilery. like idk being an undercover nocturnal flying mammal

in relation: shadow's either working with GUN traitors or the "gerald" figure. we see missiles heading for team sonic's meeting with the commander, so it's not GUN sending the missiles and robotnik's out of commission soooo where else would shadow get those bombs

shadow: it's just me and my very real and alive grandpa gerald against the world

the totally real and alive grandpa gerald: hey grandson ivo push this button labelled "eclipse cannon" it'll be really funny i promise

also guys he's not robotnik's dad instead of grandpa in this. he calls him "pop pop" that's something people call their grandpas

IF gerald is alive and not an illusion/ai/whatever he's been alone for 50 years and is gonna be sooo sane about it. but we DO know there's a 50yr timeskip considering the last credits scene so it'd be very strange for him to uhhh still be kickin

that quill is becoming metal sonic and the midcredits scene will be a sonic heroes bit

[kvroomi]

a tempest of silk and steel

pairing: regency era lord!gojo x regency era lady!reader

summary: a quiet escape from the state ball leads you to a lake in the late of the night... that, and a love confession to and from lord gojo who you thought you hated.

word count: 3.2k

themes/warnings: i fear this might be super inaccurate PLS BE NICE TO ME, it gets better the more you read i promise!! miscommunication ig, gojo is lowk ooc but that’s just how i like him, argument fic, YEARNINGGG FOR DAAAYYYYSSSS

a/n: back from the dead with a short, little vignette-kinda thing!!!!! been obsessed with period dramas as of recently if you couldn’t tell, whoops! whether or not i continue and add onto this with a prologue or expand with a series, i do not know... only time will tell :-^)

You were afraid. The night lay stretched across the sky like droplets of milk flicked into coffee. The constellations scattered in profusion—their pale light casting a spectral glow upon the world. The lake before her was a great, glistening mirror, fractured only by the occasional ripple of wind-kissed water. It distorted the moon’s reflection until it seemed to wane and wax in the space of a breath. Mist curled at the shore in languid tendrils, weaving itself between the reeds like some ancient specter roused from slumber. The air was thick with petrichor and the damp sweetness of moss, while the hush of the earth was broken only by the faint nocturnal chorus of unseen creatures.

You stood poised at the water’s edge, the hem of your frail, pink gown brushing against dew-jeweled grass. Your arms were still, wrapped in a semblance of warmth against the night’s gentle chill. It was a rare kind of solitude you had sought; it was the kind that did not ask anything of you, that did not demand wit or charm or endurance. Here, you were not a woman of consequence nor a subject of scrutiny. Here, you simply were.

But solitude—it seemed—was a fickle thing.

The weight of the evening was still pressing against your bones. From the crowded ballroom, the wretched dance partners, the empty pleasantries, it had all left you drained. You remained restless in a way you could not name, so you had escaped. Looking for comfort in the cool embrace of night—far from the expectant gazes and cloying perfume of society—you watched the water’s edge in silence.

You had also, not anticipated company.

“You flee,” came Lord Gojo Satoru’s voice, rich with the ever-present lilt of amusement. “How very predictable.”

You closed your eyes briefly, exhaling sharply. Even just his voice alone was enough to cause pulses of frustration through your insides. “Must you persist in haunting me?”

“Haunting?” He let out a low chuckle, feeling humoured.

“Hardly. I should think it a kindness, seeking out a lady left unchaperoned in the dead of night.”

You turned to face him at last, lifting a single brow in questioning. A part of you held back from spitting in his face out of pure mockery. “Ah yes, a paragon of gallantry—no doubt.”

“Lady, unmoored from the gilded entrapments of polite society and seeking solace beneath the stars. Tell me, should I be concerned?”

Your fingers curled into the fabric of your gown. The fabric tense beneath your fingers. The palms of your hands sweat, forcing you to release your fists almost as quickly as they formed. Satoru watches as your hands lay flat and he takes notice of the way you do not grant him the satisfaction of looking at him. “Should I be surprised that even in the vastness of this night, your ego demands to be acknowledged?”

He breathes a sharp breath out through his nose in place of a laugh. “You wound me… Though you’ve yet to send me away.”

The wind stirred, carrying with it the faintest trace of cedar: his scent. It was a smell you had unwillingly come to associate with his presence. With the glint of mischief in strikingly blue eyes across a room, it had become nearly impossible for the scent to not haunt you in places you dared not to acknowledge.

You turned your gaze to the water, willing yourself unaffected. “The night is too lovely for quarrels.”

“A rare concession.” He moved to stand beside you, not close enough to touch, but close enough that you could feel him there; he remained a quiet, steady weight upon the periphery of your senses. For a moment he did not speak, and neither did you. They stood as silent witnesses to the world’s majesty, the lake before them reflecting the heavens in a trembling imitation.

Moonlight cut silver along the sharp lines of his face, softened only by the unruly lightness of his hair and the faint glint of playfulness present in his blue eyes. He looked infuriatingly at ease, his expression poised between amusement and something more tender and unreadable.

Satoru looked closer, his gaze flickering over your face, searching. For what specifically, he was entirely unsure. “You are troubled.”

You couldn’t help but scoff whilst turning your attention to him. “How astute.”

There’s a beat of silence. It stretches, and now from the awkwardness, you feel obligated to continue.

“I am exhausted, if that is what you mean.”

“So you choose to stand here, rather than resting in the comfort of your home?”

You hesitated. The wind stirred once more, ruffling the loose tendrils of hair at your temples. You listen as they whisper to you. You knows it’s just the sound of the strands brushing up against your ears, but you let yourself believe that they’re telling you to leave before he speaks and irritates you further.

“Y/N,” His voice was softer now, the teasing edge gone.

It was not the first time he had spoken your name, but never like this. Never with such deliberate tenderness as though the syllables themselves had been carved from something sacred.

Something within you wavered. You clenched your hands tighter. “Do not presume familiarity where none is welcome.”

Damn him. Damn his insufferable arrogance, his incisive eyes, the way he seemed to peel back the layers of your defiance with nothing but certainty.

Damn. Him.

You swallowed, the weight of the evening settling heavier in your chest. Before you know it, your mouth is speaking again. “Does it not tire you?” You begins. “All of it: the posturing, the empty words, the endless waltz of expectation.”

Satoru is silent.

“I have danced with men who could not tell me the colour of my gown. I have danced with men who do not see me beyond my dowry. I have danced with men who only see me for the connections I might offer.” Your voice was measured but there was a tightness to it, a carefully restrained rage. “And I am expected to be grateful, to smile, and to accept that I am fortunate.”

You did not know why you were saying this. Why you were offering such a truth to him of all people. You tell yourself it was the lateness of the hour combined with the odd stillness of the world around them… that and you know it was because he was the only one who had ever seen you as something more than what society dictated you to be—even if it had always been at the cost of it being in opposition.

His eyebrows furrow, a movement that’s slow and measured. “You think I do not understand?”

You let out a quiet laugh, obviously devoid of any humour. “Oh forgive me, of course.” You plead forgiveness but your face shows no remorse. “Lord Gojo: the golden heir, the ever-charming darling of every drawing room from here to London—how very arduous your existence must be.”

He smiled but there was no real mirth in it. “For all my so-called charm, there is not a single person in that ballroom who looks at me and sees me.”

You stilled.

He was watching you with even more intent now, the mask of arrogance momentarily set aside.

“It is all a game,” he whispers, frustrations bubbling. “A well-rehearsed performance with rules written long before either of us had a say in them. I play my part well—perhaps too well. But tell me, Lady… Do you know how it feels to be entirely surrounded and yet completely alone?”

Your breath caught.

Because you did.

You looked at him then, truly looked at him, and saw not the insufferable Lord Gojo you had spent years sparring with, but something raw and weary. The realisation unsettled you.

“You asked me why I fled,” your fingers move to clasp together. “It is because I am tired of pretending.”

A silence stretched between them, fragile as gossamer.

“I love you.”

The words fell from his lips like something inevitable—like something that had always existed—waiting to be spoken.

Your breath wavered.

Satoru let out a small, almost incredulous laugh, raking a hand through his hair. “God help me, I do. It is a wretched thing—this affliction. I have fought it, resented it, cursed it. But it remains. It will always remain.”

You could not move.

“You are insufferable,” his teeth grit though the words fall from his lips in a tone that is almost fond. “You needle at every flaw I possess, you contradict me at every turn, and still—” His voice cracks and wavers at the edges. “And still, I find myself seeking you out. I’m drawn to you in every room, waiting and waiting for the next battle—the next exchange—because it is the only time I feel.”

You swallowed, your throat tight.

He sighs, gaze lifting to the stars and voice gentler now, stripped of all pretense. “It is a futile thing to resist gravity, especially when it comes in the form of you—you who pulls me inescapably toward you again and again, until I no longer remember what it is to exist without this terrible ache of wanting you. Tell me I am a fool. Tell me you feel nothing of what I do and I will never speak of this again.”

You parted your lips, the words poised on your tongue.

You could not say them.

Because you did feel it. You felt it in the way he had unsettled your very existence without ever asking permission.

The lake shivered. The night sighed. And you had no clever words left to give.

“I—” The word stumbled, unweaving before you could even grasp it. You let out a shaky sigh, your heels simultaneously twisting into the dirt of the ground as if they could anchor you to the earth. “I do not understand this. I do not understand you.”

You ought to have walked away. Any sensible woman would have. You could end it. You could laugh, dismiss him, turn on her feet and walk away. It would be easier—safer.

But you had never been a coward.

“I despised you.” Your voice was stabbing and helpless. “I spent years convincing myself of it. Every time you needled me, every time you smirked as though the very act of irritating me was your life’s great pleasure, every time you met my wit with your own and refused to yield, I told myself I hated you.” You spoke unforgivingly, careless of the significance your words harboured. “I repeated it so often and so fervently that I began to believe it.”

“Do you know what it is to loathe someone?” Your voice was barely more than a whisper, hands fisted at your sides. “To meet them blow for blow, only to realise—” you let out a disbelieving laugh, but it was hollow and fragile. “Only to realise that your hatred is not hatred at all, but something else entirely?”

Satoru let out a slow and measured sound. “Yes, yes I do—”

“No,” you cut in, shaking your head to ridicule him—because that was all you had ever known. “No, you do not understand. You have never been burdened with the expectation of being agreeable, furthermore, of being pleasing. I am not like them. I do not simper, I do not shrink myself to be more tolerable, I do not pretend. And so I have spent my life being told I am too much. Too sharp, too proud, too unwilling to bend.” Your scorn collapsed for just a second—had he blinked he would’ve missed the way you caught your bottom lip between your teeth in resentment. “But you—”

You spluttered.

Satoru did not dare move or speak.

Your gaze was lowered, whether out of shame, or because you were overwhelmed—the man would never know. “You have never once asked me to be anything but this.”

The atmosphere between them was as taut as a wire.

You should have stopped there.

But you didn’t.

“I have spent every waking hour of my life trying to best you, only to realise that I feel most myself when I am standing toe to toe with you. I wait for your inevitable remark, your infuriating laughter, the way you glance at me when you think I do not see you in every room and in every crowd.” If the words weren’t escaping you earlier, they were now, timeless lifetimes of self-restraint splintering into tiny fragments all at once.

“You have made a sport of provoking me and I am the fool for thinking I could remain untouched by it. Do you have any notion of what it is like to know someone so thoroughly that they begin to live beneath your very skin? To feel their presence even when they are not there? To hear their voice before they speak? I have spent so long fighting you that I never stopped to think what might happen if I ever put down my sword.” There is a faint tremor in the air that escapes your lungs. “And now I find that I cannot.”

The air is dense, everything you had just uncloaked floats in the infinity between you.

Satoru drew a slow, unsteady breath at the same moment you swallowed, your throat tight. “I do not know when it began.” Voice quieter now, your words are now delicate and unstable. “I think it was always there, waiting. Maybe it crept in unnoticed, until one day I woke up and knew that it was only you—you—who could only unnerve me entirely.”

When the confession hits Satoru’s ears, he lets out a breath that's half a gasp and half a sigh, as though the divulgence was too much.

You were unraveling piece by piece, and there was nothing you or he, could do to stop it.

You could feel your frustration rapidly bleeding into desperation. “You infuriate me. You challenge me at every turn and you see me too well and I hate you for it.” Your voice broke on the last word, voice pitching higher than intended, accompanied by something hot prickling at the edges of your vision. “I hate you for it.”

Satoru was utterly still, his gaze locked on yours as if you were the only thing that existed in the world. Your throat continued to constrict, the truth burning its way out of you.

“But let the heavens judge me,” you sigh out breathlessly, your hands quivering at your sides, “I think if you asked, I would let you ruin me.”

Knowing Satoru is messy and complicated. He doesn't know how to be loved, or that it’s okay to need someone and not fear it. The irony is, you're still learning the same thing about yourself--and more than anything, that's okay.

The words hung between them, a confession made raw and desperate.

His entire body tensed, as if every ounce of restraint in him had just been stretched to its limit. So when he reached for you, it was not gently, it was not carefully. He reached for you like a drowning man breaking the surface of the ocean. His hands came to cradle your face as though you might disappear if he loosened his grip. His forehead pressed against yours, his breath warm and his voice was hoarse, cracked with something broken.

Lifting your chin, you muttered, “you are a fool.”

All he could do was let out a laugh. It was laced with relief, though not quite devoid of weariness yet. “So I have been told.”

Your fingers curled into the fabric of his coat as if steadying yourself for the fall you could no longer prevent.

“I—“ you forced yourself to continue, though your pulse thundered in your ears. Every word felt heavy on your tongue. Every breath pushed against your limbs. “I cannot seem to imagine a world in which you do not exist at all.”

His breath hitched. He felt the way he struggled to keep his composure, and how impossible it was to hold onto some semblance of the world he had known before this. Your words--your unadulterated sheer vulnerability--unraveled him in a way he hadn't anticipated. It was a bridge built on a foundation of things he had never thought to admit, and now he stood at the edge of it, terrified to cross but terrified not to. He hadn’t realized how desperate he was for this acknowledgment of the unspoken things that had festered beneath the surface. Satoru swallowed, his throat bobbing. “Y/N.”

Your name in his mouth was something reverent, something aching. You could see it: the war behind his eyes, the unspoken question, the hope. Your eyes fluttered shut.

“Do not look at me like that,” you spoke in a hush, unable to bear it.

Maybe it was the way he saw you, as if every guarded corner of your heart was naked and vulnerable before him. And for better or for worse, maybe it was also the terrifying feeling that he knew it all and had always known.

Satoru’s lips quirked, the ghost of a smile. “Like what?”

“Like I am the answer to a question you have spent your life asking.”

For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

“And if you are?”

The words shattered something inside you. Years of fortification shattered within an instant. His eyes did not waver. His eyes did not grant you mercy. You did not seek it.

You kept your eyes closed for the briefest moment, before opening them again—before meeting his gaze with everything you had never allowed yourself to say.

With a sudden breath, Satoru seemed to collapse inward; the sound was emptying and painful.

His voice was low, his usual air of insufferable ease nowhere to be found. Gone was the smirk always half formed at the corner of his mouth--the insufferable ease and the practiced detachment of a man who had never once betrayed his own heart... until now, at least. “I have spent years watching you move through this world, unwilling to let anyone shape you into something smaller than you are. I have fought you at every turn not because I sought to tame you, but because I could not resist the pull of standing in your fire. I have been a damned fool, yes, but not so much a fool as to mistake what this has been all along.”

The war between them had never been one of hatred, but rather one of yearning. The words he spoke struck like flint against steel. It ignited every carefully buried ember you had spent years learning to refute. To resist was to deceive yourself, and to yield was to unravel entirely—you knew your choice.

“You are right,” he mused. “This was never hatred.” It’s three things all at once: a pause, a breath, and a fraction of hesitation. “I think I loved you even when I did not know how to name it.”

His hand lifted before hesitating at your cheek as though uncertain he had the right.

You did not stop him.

And when his fingers finally met your skin—timid and careful—you found that you were not afraid at all.

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[severelylegendarybouquet-8317da9]

I’ve got money saying that Alucard is gonna still have those dolls and like when dracula died he’s gonna see and talk to them. Also he has to be the wine aunt like he’s the 300 year old dhampir that married into a family of hunters he’s gonna be a little nuts and way to dramatic. 

So if Alucard is gonna be in Nocturne then please let it be known that Trephacard was a THING and I’ll also require some flashbacks of the three of them (maybe Greta can join too) just being happy and living together and doing domestic shit before you break my heart by telling us how Trevor and Sypha died and Alucard has been a mess since and and and-