#richter legacy

[bodoramzapgames]

Little Elizabeth is an infant now!

[emeraldcodex]

A divine bloodline-- or a cursed one?

[intercomkris]

god trying to get a good position is so hard...

[weak-hero]

Richter doesn't know what night creatures are, he has no clue who and what forgemaster does, he can't do magic bc of his trauma he-

[annon-guy2]

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World Legacy Costumes

=================================================

Ludger Will Kresnik from Tales of Xillia 2 as Emil Castagnier.

=================================================

Kohaku Hearts from Tales of Hearts R as Marta Lualdi.

=================================================

Judith from Tales of Vesperia as Richter Abend.

=================================================

[snowddeong]

I need to learn how to draw man. I need fanart of ginger Yeji in Richter's Rondo of Blood fit otherwise I will crumble to ash and cease to exist.

LIKE this fit was practically the same colour as the lighter parts of his fit IT WORKS SO WELL

[prickly-paprikash]

Annette in Rondo of Blood was literally nothing more than a damsel in distress who's whole purpose is to give Richter motivation to fight against Dracula. And to help him continue the bloodline.

In other versions, she's turned into a vampire and is obsessed with Richter.

I'm sorry, but I have two questions.

In any of these, is Annette being of pure white descent necessary? Is her being blonde and pale a defining part of her character? Is there anything, anything at all that demands Annette be a white woman in every single adaptation?

No.

She's just a plot and lore device. Be saved by Richter. Love Richter. Continue the Belmont line.

That's it for Game Annette.

In Nocturne?

She's a warrior who escaped bondage and burned her slavers to the ground. She communes with her ancestors who have long since passed. She feels grief. She mourns. She regrets. She knows, in her heart, that she was at fault for Edouard's demise the same way Richter knows his mom had a better chance of survival had he got on the ship. Rage flourishes in Annette. Love grows between Annette and Richter.

She hates. She weeps. She forgives.

Annette is a character made whole in Nocturne. It also adds so much to her for being a Black, Creole woman.

Richter and Annette are parallels with key differences. Both are haunted by their mothers' deaths. Both are warrior-mages who do battle up-close while using their magic as supplementary to their combat, whilst Maria and Tera focus more on magic and use sword-play as their supplementary skills. Both carry legacies too heavy to bear, yet they persevere.

Richter feels like he's trying to forget he's a Belmont. He is cut off from the magical world. Annette on the other hand continues to push herself to connect to the realm of her Ancestors and her gods. Annette burns with a righteous rage against the ruling class. Richter is consumed by his trauma and puts up an apathetic facade when we first meet him.

They are both made whole after their failure in the crypts. Annette kills her slaver. Richter connects with his grandfather.

They are both stubborn, flawed, dauntless warriors. Richter is arrogant. Annette is vengeful. Both of them manage to fail during separate assaults on the Abbey. Both grow and heal from these failures.

Those fuckers who hate Annette for being 'too different from the source material' are dweebs.

Because Annette in the game isn't even a character! Just a tool! A supporting face! That's all she is.

Nocturne takes many creative liberties that expand on the world.

Just say you hate Annette for being black. Be honest with your racism. It makes it easier for everyone to identify who's a mouthbreathing bigot.

[prying-pandora666]

On Alucard and Maria

Are there actually fans advocating for Alucard to be written as Maria’s father figure in the new season of Nocturne? Like that would be a good thing and not infinitely creepier? I don’t think they’ve thought this through.

Alucard is the single most popular character in the franchise. He’s also probably the most shipped character. And yet he has only had one canon love interest in the decades since he’s existed. It’s Maria. And you’re telling me that you think that because he’s 300+ and she’s 17-18 when they started living together in the games, that it would be grooming. However, somehow him inserting himself into her life at age 16 when she’s just lost both her parents wouldn’t come off like grooming!?

Does this man look like he should be picking up random children!? He’s literally terrified of his own cursed blood. Maybe LISTEN TO HIM.

I’m convinced fandoms have forgotten what that word means. Grooming has specific features. It doesn’t just mean “older guy and younger girl.” A relationship with an age gap or an uneven power dynamic can be exploitative or abusive without being a case of grooming. Grooming specifically refers to the process of forming a relationship with a child with the intention of leveraging that relationship and trust to train and prepare (aka brainwash) your victim for the harmful activities the groomer wants to normalize. The relationship Alucard and Maria have in the games is in no way grooming. You know what would be grooming though?

Coming into a 16 year old’s life when she’s vulnerable, traumatized, and recently orphaned only to insinuate yourself as a new father figure. This is so highly inappropriate and a huge red flag. Consider what you’re actually asking for here. These characters do not exist in a a vacuum. They have a long history together as each other’s only canon love interests. You cannot fully extract them from the games, art, interviews, audio dramas, animations, and more where they’re depicted as a couple. There are decades of this precedent and you are asking Netflix to knowingly take the characters with an established romantic dynamic that the audience is already primed to see as romantic and instead portray their meeting as him trying to be her new daddy?

“Oh look! Alucard and his… daughter? Yikes.” This is an official advertisement btw.

THAT is grooming! Think about the optics of this! It would be abysmal! No it would NOT fix the problem of their age gap to make him act like a groomer and get in good with her as a dad. You just cannot completely extract them from the legacy of their relationship in the source materials. It will be incredibly creepy and textbook grooming if you get your way.

Is this really what you want to associate with an “adoptive father Alucard”? Because the art we create doesn’t exist in a vacuum. All the old content—official and fanmade—is still going to exist.

What is so objectionable about the original dynamic anyway? It’s a pretty fun subversion of the tired and problematic vampire trope of “vampire man stalks teen girl and coerces her into being his”. Instead in their original relationship, Maria is the one who pursues Alucard! It’s the young woman who takes initiative and is given the agency to go after what she wants. She courts and woos him. That’s part of the fun!

Yes, Alucard is 300+. He’s also a fictional creature that doesn’t actually exist IRL and stays eternally young. There are no actual people who will ever have his problem of staying 20 forever so it’s rather silly to say he can’t date any humans because of course he will have an age gap with any of them.

The only real problem I have seen people bring up is Maria’s age, but from what I can tell, the show’s already fixed this. Check it out.

In The Games

Rondo of Blood: Maria is 12. She and Alucard do not meet. Richter is a brother-figure and not romantic.

There is then a 5 year time skip.

Symphony of the Night: Maria is 17. She and Alucard meet to save Richter. At the end, Alucard says his goodbyes and intends to return to a life of solitude. Maria goes after him because she has developed feelings for him and doesn’t want him to suffer a life alone.

Maria is given agency to pursue what she wants and prove herself even against Alucard’s resistance and hesitance to let another person into his life.

They spend a year together before we get the audio drama.

Nocturne of Remembrance: Maria continues to try to get close to Alucard. They end up saving each other’s lives and in the end he finally confesses his romantic feelings for her. She is an adult and perfectly able to make her own choices. She chose him. He admits he returns her feelings.

How fandom can look at a story about a young woman subverting the trope and chasing the vampire to get what she wants—basically an anti-Bella Swan—and still find a way to disempower her just so they can pearl clutch? I couldn’t tell you.

So now let’s look at what the show did.

In The Show

Nocturne S1: Maria is 16. She’s been aged up from 12, probably to give her a more active and believable role. But this also means she’s within a normal age to start feeling attraction and expressing her wants. Within her society, she’s even considered of marriageable age. However we are spared the discomfort of our modern values clashing with her contemporaneous ones because Maria in this season isn’t interested in romance. She’s interested in revolution, equality, justice. They’ve portrayed her with so much love and strength. There is no indication they’d betray her by writing her as the child victim of a male suitor. In fact she only meets Alucard in the final few seconds of the season and the two do not even speak a single word to one another.

Now let’s remember the games had a five year time skip. The show only needs two years to get Maria to the adult age of 18, but assuming the follow through with the timeline and go for the full five?

Maria will be 21.

21.

Fan concept for adult Maria. Credit:@esp-art

Are you telling me a 21 year old woman is not old or mature enough to make her own decisions? How is this not a total infantilization of women? Do you think a 21 year old badass vampire hunter needs protection from the ace depressed dhampir boy who just wants to sleep and has in no way tried to pursue her until after she expressed consistent and persistent interest in him?

It is not “grooming” to meet someone when they were younger and then meet them again years later as an adult. That’s a thing that happens! In real life! Adults can still make decisions for themselves! It is only grooming if Alucard behaved in a way that would manipulate teen Maria and put her under his control and authority before she can consent. There is no indication that Alucard in the show is going to do this. And yet the fandom is basically demanding it by saying he should make her “his baby girl”?

And what of Maria’s feelings in all this? She just lost her mother and was betrayed by her father shortly after discovering he even existed. She has lived her whole life without a father. She is in no desperate need of a new one. And if she does need a family member, she already has one! Richter is 19 and is her trusted adoptive brother. Why wouldn’t she go to him over a total stranger she just met and who is half vampire - literally a predator creature that feeds on humans!?

Yeah, hi, Richter Belmont still exists. He and Maria consider each other family. Why would you want her relying on a strange man she just met as a “father figure” rather than her trusted and loving brother?

Have none of you even considered how Maria would feel if Alucard even tried to fill the paternal role? He’d have to force it on her through manipulation and coercion. No way she would want to view him that way. Especially considering she is 16 and likely to be as attracted to the sparkly 20 year old looking sculpted marble beauty as anyone else!

Don’t mind the beautiful eternally young man who looks made of pure porcelain and light. No teen girl has ever been attracted to this, right? No way it could be exploitative and creepy for him to present himself as her new daddy, giving himself authority and influence over her as his child to mold as he wishes, right? Oh yeah, this is MUCH better than Maria pursuing him of her own volition once she becomes an adult, right guys?

We are truly in the stupidest dark timeline.

Frankly, I don’t care if Netflix has them get together or not. They would work just fine as friends too. I just sure as hell hope they’ll ignore the fans clamoring for a creepy daddy/daughter dynamic. Dressing it up as “concern” won’t hide that for some it’s a fetish, and for others they’re just useful idiots who haven’t thought it through.

I implore you to think it through.

[beevean]

So both Alucard and Trevor Belmont appears as those cute lil robots in Astro Bot (basically a PS5 platformer game made in Japan that celebrate playstation past and legacy)

What your thoughts?

Okay this is super cute lol, poor Dandy Dhampir getting his beauty sleep interrupted

Ah, it's Richter, not Trevor! Yeah it makes more sense. He looks fabulous even in chibibot form.

also

eyyyyyyy hiiiii kiryu :D

and

bro????????????

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

RoR: A missed opportunity

Spoilers for the RoR, and other Chronicles of the Avatar novels. (mostly just Roku's and Kyoshi's, but light general plot stuff for Yangchen)

The title can also be called "Wow, they could've TOTALLY done more exploration with Kyoshi's Legacy and Roku's imposter syndrome"

Roku has imposter syndrome in the novel. It's bad. It's stupid. It comes up only every so often, partially because we have our asses being yeeted away from him to someone more "interesting" (and sometimes that someone is BARELY more interesting than Roku).

Like I'm sorry, I bought a ROKU novel. Shouldn't I be getting more ROKU?! >_>

Roku's imposter syndrome can be summed up with:

I'm not as good as my twin Yasu

My parents like Yasu more

Maybe I'm more like the false Avatar Yun

How could I compare to Kyoshi? (mentioned like ONCE/not a lot)

Sozin and Yasu would've probs been a better pick than me (I think this was said by him, that or it was Sozin.....it's whatever)

You can sum it up fairly easily because it's not talked about a lot. 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 And sometimes when it is, it's not even from Roku's perspective.

"Ok ok Silly. You don't like how his imposter syndrome is handled. Is that the missed opportunity?" Yes and no. :D

The miss opportunity is not utilizing Kyoshi more and keeping this story waaaaaay too self contained.

"Yeah yeah we know you like Kyosh-" *grabs lips between my fingers* Shhhhh little voice in my head. That's not what this is AT ALL!

This novel fails to capitalize not only on something the OTHER novels haven't had a chance to, BUT it also failed to capitalize on stuff the other's HAD done! :D

In all honesty, it really is a feat it was able to to do BOTH! At once! It really goes to show how wishy washy this whole thing is..... >_>

Let's focus on what it failed to do that R/SoK and D/LoY did: Feeling the weight of their previous incarnations. Their ripples. Their choices. Their consequences.

R/SoK has Kuruk all over it. Everything Kyoshi is dealing with? Thanks to Kuruk. He may only be mentioned (by name) like 56ish times in RoK, but everything Kyoshi is dealing with is tied back to him. His team is heavily involved (as heroes/protags and villains/antags), the state of the world being just ass crack is because of his reign with all the Daofei running rampant (until Jianzhu cleans up....a lot of it, but not all). Just....EVERYTHING. And it only snowballs as we get into SoK. (where it's kinda revealed that it's not just Kuruk's ripples she has to deal with but Yangchen's...AND Szeto's too!)

Then we have D/LoY. Yangchen has to deal with Szeto fallout, which isn't as insane as Kuruk's (again, not entirely Kuruk's fault, he had to focus on saving the world from spirits). But it's still an ass fucked deal Yangchen is dealt. People just LOVE bringing up Szeto and her other past lives around her.

Like Yangchen and Kyoshi canNOT get away from their past lives. Either them being throw in their faces, dealing with visions and them meddling, or just the world/old friends of them just fucking about in their world!

(and this isn't getting into Aang dealing with all of Roku's BS in ATLA, or some of the issues Kyoshi left him [ironically!]. Or Korra dealing with Aang/Wan's stuff, let alone the Red Lotus just being anti-Avatar)

You want to know what Roku has to deal with? Nothing. Fucking. Nothing. Gotta give a hand to Kyoshi, she stuck around so long she smoothed the ripples that Szeto, Yangchen, and Kuruk (and her own too, at the time) must've made because Roku barely register's her on any type of Richter scale! :'D Oh oh, MAYBE, like MAYBE the Earth Kingdom people deciding to jump onto the island MIGHT be a fallout. But it's not like.....her fallout (it probs really isn't her deal tbh). It's the usual "ok Avatar died, time to fuck about" fallout....but even then we don't really hear a lot of shit going on????

Which is just so INSANE?! Like, this woman lived to be 230! What do you MEAN there's nothing?

Like Kyoshi's presence is NOT THERE??? Like where is it?!

WTF??? TT0TT Like this is INSANE, not just for how long Kyoshi's been alive, but like...just compared to the other entries!

Like with the other Chronicles? Kyoshi and Yangchen still were able to showcase ripples with AVATAR'S THAT HADN'T BEEN EXPLORED FULLY YET! We still felt ripples from Kuruk and Yangchen and Szeto in JUST KYOSHI'S NOVELS! Not even getting into Yangchen, just Kyoshi did we feel it!

Like I said above, even in ATLA and we feel the ripples with Kyoshi and Roku! Hell Kyoshi had more ripples in ATLA than she did with Roku's novel! Maybe even Korra (with the whole Chin/Kuvira parallel). LoK showcased ripples, not just from Aang but from Wan!

Like what is going on RoR??? Why are you afraid of a few wrinkles?! TT0TT

I think we actually get more wrinkles from SZETO'S era than we do from KYOSHI! What the hell? Like no. The whole Fire National identity is brought up a lot. Szeto's name, even if unspoken, is kinda hanging there in the background. He's also brought up in the library to showcase the truth behind the island.

Listen, I love Szeto. I love his ratchet ass causing issues for every Avatar (it's my fav running gag besides the Saowon's being lil' shits). I was hoping for it in this book actually! But we really should be dealing with both Szeto and Kyoshi in this novel. Both are shadows that should be crushing Roku right now. Like how Kuruk and Yangchen were for Kyoshi!

It really should've been paralleling Kyoshi more. Kyoshi had Kuruk, the disappointment, and then Yangchen the "Golden child she should be like" weighing on her. No one outright told her TO be like Yangchen. She just decided it was the best option. Everyone revered Yangchen, so obviously she's a good role model! She should be like her! We constantly hear her brought up in prayer! She's constantly being crushed between trying to make good choices like Yangchen, and not be a disappointment like Kuruk.

Roku should be dealing with that too! But it's Szeto/Kuruk (for the negatives) and Yangchen/Kyosh (for the positives). Hell, they can even play with it by flip flopping depending on who's talking (so like a Fire National may make a parallel of: Kyoshifor neg like Kuruk, and Szeto for pos like Yangchen, which is ironically how Kyoshi framed it in her novels, because they like Szeto and not Kyoshi).

Basically, "Do/Don't be like Szeto" and "Do/Don't be more like Kyoshi!"/"Can you live up to/exceed Kyoshi?" Should be two narratives he has to deal with in this novel..... But yet doesn't.

_______

*Inhales*

"Ok so we figured out what it didn't do that the other novels did. Now what did it fail to capitalize on that the other novels didn't have going for it?" Kyoshi.

"Yes we now you-" No. I mean, we have Kyoshi. This is a first time for the novels to have already had a previous Avatar be fairly known by the fandom.

Now we don't know ALL 230 years of her life. We only know up to about the 40th year. But 1) we got two novels of her early life, 2) we know her legacy in AtLA/LoK. Before Wan, she probs had the most info on her besides Roku. Like that's a decent amount to go on. More than Yangchen. Def more than Kuruk or Szeto.

And it would've been a good way to give us more insight on her last years too! :D So what do we get?

We get none of that.

Like you know how crazy this is? It's like having LoK but NEVER, EVER addressing Aang, at least in S1. I know LoK didn't focus a lot on Aang, but we still had his influence all around (esp in S1 when he was still available). His children/grandchildren, friends were still around. We got SOOOO many flashbacks in Season 1. And to the show's credit, at least it came up with a reason for him not to show up again starting with S2 (aka losing the past Avatars). We still get a lot of his essence!

But RoR has none of that? A few off handed remarks about Kyoshi existing at some point. The biggest one being some guy being like "Yeah no I wouldn't have fucked with her."

"Oh! But we have Disha" oh great. >_> She's....just so great......and like....barely a character......hmmmm...... No, girlie ain't even here for most of the book.

And what we get is barely anything. Hei-Ran in RoK has more of a presence than Disha! And that's saying something! We didn't get a lot of Hei-Ran! Hell, Kelsang has more presence than Disha!

Both of them do so much more with their screen time than Disha! I know SO MUCH about them as people/characters with what little screen time I get just in RoK.

Gyatso does more to give us insight on Kysoshi than Disha does imo.

It's just....wow. Just circling back to the lack of ripples. It's just....insane!

Back to my point above the line. It would be more interesting to see people looking at Roku and being like:

Fire Nationals: Be like Szeto! Don't be like Kyoshi! Non Fire Nationals: Don't be like Szeto! Be like Kyoshi! "Why can't you decide?" "Why can't you bend?" "Oh, Kyoshi could've/would've done this-"

Like, again, this should be weighing on him, like constantly. Like he communicates this particular weight on him! Not the generic "oh am I gonna be good enough?" generalization sad boi bs I get. I want specifics sweetie! What you gave me was a generic snooze fest, I wanna feel your despair in my BONES. Tell me why these ideologies are tearing you apart molecule by molecule!

Like, Roku and Kuruk were both successors of one of the most highly regarded Avatars. From what we've got of Kuruk, he seems like he was taking it pretty well (until the great Spirits started spiriting). It didn't seem like he had much pressures, either he was good a hiding his true feelings (which is valid because he does that later) or he really was go with the flow early on before the sprits (also valid, he seemed at peace from what we know)

Roku crumbling under Kyoshi's giant shadow should've been his big arc. (Not....not ho-humming about Sozin and Sozin related things/aventures/whatever the fuck you wanna call the premise of this book, tbh the Sozin thing is handled afdklsajfkldjsalf ahhhhrrrrgggg! TT0TT That's for a different time, but Sozin shouldn't have been this involved it just messes with the previously established lore man.....).

They should've been leaning into this like crazy. Leaning into Szeto. Lean into Kyoshi. Into Yun. Into Yasu! A lot more than they did! (Oh don't assume I like Yasu ajkfjdslkf I know I'm saying lean into it more, but I think Yasu was an unnecessary addition)

That being said, one of the best chapters is Roku Alone and us exploring his past with Yasu! Because we actually get something from Roku for once! The next is Two Wicks cause we actually get some Kyoshi! Like those are the two chapters that touch on his issues the most, but the rest of the book just meanders along.

I dunno, I just feel like this whole internal conflict should've/could've/would've carried this book. Not a bs island mystery where we spend like half the book not in Roku's head but in two other people's instead. (And one of them is doing fuck all in a desert >_>) (the whole island premise should've been used for a different Avatar, would've served them better than it did Roku....but that's for a different rant).

It's just a shame. Roku had a good set up. The imposter syndrome and having to deal with Szeto and Kyoshi's shadows? Mwuah! Cinema!

But in the end it was wasted. TT0TT

[xshingie]

Richter Belmont Character Profile and Analysis: The deconstruction, and subsequent reconstruction of what makes a hero.

A common character critique that many video game and show fans have of Richter Belmont in Castlevania Nocturne is that he is a weak character; not worthy of being a Belmont on the basis that he's physically weak, not as physically strong nor capable as Trevor. All he does is cry and run away, not being able to carry a fraction of what it means to be a man, merely a shadow of what a Belmont should be.

And sure, all of that is true. But there's more layers to Richter. So join me while I go on a deep dive on what he's accomplished so far... and where I want him to go to fully realize his character arc.

Richter Belmont: From Beginnings to End of S1 Nocturne

We meet the first young Richter accompanying his mother Julia. He remarks, "I thought I was supposed to fight evil, I thought that was the whole point [of being a Belmont]." This statement summarizes a simplified view of what to him, what it means be a Belmont.  When they both encounter Olrox, Richter confidently states, "You've made a big mistake. My mum's going to slice you in two." Even in the beginning of the fight, he is gleefully cheering her on, undoubtedly expecting that his mother will easily slay Olrox just like any other vampire he's probably seen his mother do multiple times.

But alas, as we all know, Richter's precocious worldview as he knew it is pulled under the rug that day.

As @ifishouldvanish so incisively calls to attention in their post, Julia Belmont's last words to Richter are not, "I love you" but "I'm sorry, Richter." What is Julia exactly saying sorry for? Not being able to protect Richter? Not being able to protect her family? Not being able to live up to the ideals/image that Richter had in his mind as Belmonts being infallible in their ability to slay vampires? That the last image that he will have of her, someone who he had always seen as undefeatable, brutally slain right before his eyes? This is the last image that Richter has of Julia, and my subject interpretation is this lasting image unconsciously permeates his character motivations, inhibitions, and fears -- fear of (1) being unable to protect his loved ones, or (2) living up to the legacy of what it means to a Belmont, or even perhaps, (3) what is the inevitable outcome of what will become of any Belmont. 

When we are reintroduced to Richter now as a young man, we witness an exemplary display of his fighting capabilities. A slight smirk on his face, his suave and showy fighting style with his whip and throwing knives, as he bodies two vampires while barely breaking a sweat. It comes easily to him, he isn't physically challenged in this encounter at all. The accompanying score is heroic, swelling in triumph.

On first appearances, it's like yes, yes! This is what us fanboys signed up for and are here to see -- this is what it means to be a Belmont -- this badass action hero, stacking an endless body count of vampires and monsters! No wonder fans were so utterly disappointed that Richter ran off like a crybaby when he was needed the most -- and I can certainly understand this disappointment, some fans want to keep it simple -- they just want to see a Belmont kicking night creature or vampire ass in an incredibly display of action sequences.

But is that all there is to being a Belmont? 

As we get to observe Richter outside of combat, we start to peer through behind the bravado. He is a bit of a smartass, with a penchant for sarcasm. He deliberately makes it a point that he doesn't believe in anything -- not in any deeper purpose, ideal, or cause. And that he’s perfectly content with how things are. All he needs to do is protect Maria and Tera. Any opportunity or question presented to him that starts to encroach on his deeper purpose (why he fights), or his past (why he can’t do magic anymore) -- is deflected with flippant remark, or a statement that he’s perfectly content with how he is.

Richter: "I don't believe in destiny."  Maria: "You don't believe in anything." Richter: "I believe in you and your mother. I believe you're the kindest and most courageous people in the world. So I don't need to understand the things you believe in, and I certainly don't need to believe in them too. I just need to stand by you. Always.” 

Maria: Why do you kill vampires then, if you're so uninterested Richter: Because it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

Annette: We're all descended from Gods. We just have to learn to draw from their power. Richter: I'm quite happy with my whip and knives, thank you.

Even when Annette and Edouard ask around for Belmont, he shifts his gaze uncomfortably and doesn't directly acknowledge being the Belmont they’re looking for. Perhaps he's ashamed of carrying the Belmont surname now. Perhaps some part of him wants to forget that he is a Belmont, from a long proud ancestry of vampire hunters who have accomplished legendary feats and here he is -- the only thing he’s actually done up to this point is run away like a scared little boy. By having run away from the gravesite of where his mother died, this encounter is a thorn of what he had left behind, having strayed from the path he really was passionate about undertaking when he was a starry-eyed kid.

When you think of an archetype of a hero, is it about the count of feats they accomplish? Sure, these regaling tales are impressive, but I would argue but the true heart of what resonates with audiences -- the ones that endure in our hearts are the ideals, principles, and values that the hero stands behind -- whether it's standing up for others, standing behind a purpose that they are championing for. The Belmont formula of heroes have been relatively straightforward in their objective -- defeat Dracula, or whatever iteration evil takes (note: @aquilaofarkham has a great analysis of Richter's video game counterpart in their wonderfully written essay with how post-Dracula, the Belmont purpose/expectation is subverted). 

Herein lies the problem. Because Richter has resigned himself to live a life where he doesn't want to attach himself to any abstract ideal, purpose, or value, telling himself and others that he's perfectly content with how his life is; he doesn't have any real principle to stand behind, he doesn't have anything to fight for -- living a life devoid of meaning. He doesn’t believe in anything, he doesn’t fight for anything beyond the bare minimum; because if he believes in something (or someone), that would mean you care. And if you care about something, something that is important to you, that means you will inevitably lose it, just like how he lost his mother. Just like how he lost this image or ideal of what it means to a Belmont.

We have effectively a shell of a heroic protagonist in form, but not in any meaningful way. Not so dissimilar when Richter runs into Juste, who is also a shell of what he used to be.

Juste: Evil will always win, Richter. Whatever it is, evil. And it's everywhere. It will always be stronger than us. And you can kill this or that devil. A Lord Ruthven, a Dracula, maybe even an Olrox. But there'll always be more, more and worse. And they'll murder the people you love. No one around you are safe. Evil will always win.

The inevitable outcome, this cycle that many Belmonts have experienced before -- sure, you get to defeat the next great evil (or Dracula for the umpteenth time). So what’s the point of all of this? Why even try?

Richter: Because I had to. I have to live. There are people I love. Pity that it didn't work out like that for you. I'm am much younger than you, that's probably what it is. Juste: Yes, that's probably all that it is.

Richter's last words to Juste are intriguing -- neither a definitive conclusion nor does it provide any narrative satisfaction. Juste's statement still stands: there's always going to be another bad guy around the next corner. But for the present moment, Richter has gained his confidence, his newfound purpose back.

Later, when Richter recaps to Annette his realization that coincided with his magic re-awakening:

Richter: When I had nothing to hold onto and everything was gone, I remembered the things that make me who I am. The hopes, the pain, and the shit. The love in this house. And I supposed for the first time, I really made a choice about the kind of person I want to be. A Belmont.

Richter is ready to reclaim the Belmont surname, and finally stand behind who he truly is, stepping up to become the hero. He's found his purpose, so he states -- to protect the people he loves. 

This quality of Richter is what I find most admirable, and ultimately his most heroic trait. That when it comes time for him to step up to the plate to protect the people he’s decided to accept into his inner world, he will 110% put himself wholeheartedly selflessly on the line. He may be afraid, but he will show up when it ultimately matters protecting his loved ones.

Now this is where my opinion starts to differ -- while Richter’s power-up is one of the most triumphant moments in the show and appears conclusive in how he states that he’s not going to let himself be afraid ever again; in my opinion, it is ultimately is a hollow one because in my opinion, he’s still dodging what is making him uncomfortable. Note how Annette touches on the fact that it’s not a bad thing to be afraid, that perhaps the better approach is to look inward what you have on the line at stake.

It may be cliche but the old adage has never resonated truer in this context: courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. That in spite of the fear, you make the choice to take action, rather than relinquish yourself to the destiny dealt upon you -- even if the outcome is fixed.

This Distance Between Us - Musings on Richter/Annette

[Note: this section below is specific to the Richter/Annette fanfic I wrote. This starts to deviate from canon into describing concepts I wish were properly realized/actualized, so you can just skip this section and jump straight to the acknowledgments at the end]

----

This Distance Between Us blossomed unexpectedly from what started out as character study/exercise for Richter. As I was writing from Annette’s perspective, I was struggling with Richter -- what drives him as a character, and why might he be drawn to Annette?

The concept behind the title is based on instances where Richter is very observant of Annette's various emotional states and appears deeply affected by them. There also seems to be hesitation on his end, as if he's struggling to find the right words to comfort her. His penchant for sarcasm, jokes, smooth comebacks are gone, replaced with a Richter who is hesitant, seemingly lacking adequate words to comfort her -- or even worse, when he wordlessly watches her tears fall, utterly frozen in place. 

Like the core conflict Richter grapples with, it's not so much the lack of physical ability which limits him, but a psychological one. Because the truth is, how they've both lived their lives up to this point is vastly different. Despite their shared traumas of losing their mothers, Annette has lived her life having clawed tooth and nail for her freedom just to survive; in a way that Richter will never have the framework to understand nor comprehend what she went through.

The more I've thought about how Richter and Annette would interact... I feel that Annette would get on Richter's nerves a lot, since she demonstrated that she: (1) jumps impulsively straight into action driven by short-sighted emotions, and (2) says unkind things that cuts when she's driven by anger/grief. Because she's fought so hard for her freedom, she would have such an almost visceral reaction if anybody tried to command her to do anything... while I love Annette, her flaws are strong and in-your-face so the biggest writing challenge is like... despite all of Annette's bullheaded personality, how would Richter fall for someone like that? But conversely… What if that’s actually more satisfying, more compelling, that he falls for her -- all of her -- despite how difficult of a person she is? Now that’s a story I want to get behind.

This work is a manifestation of a personal wish-fulfillment (because OK, I totally wrote this because I wanted to work out how Richter would confess to Annette, and then they kiss and immediately start banging -- all on the same night oop No? Just me? haha). On a more serious note though, I took a slightly different branch of what I really wanted Richter's character arc to conclude on at heart -- a thematic reversal of Richter and Annette's 'something to lose' conversation. This time, Richter gets to ask her what Annette cares for deeply, and this time, he’s ready to step up and face what he spent his whole life running away from [metaphorically speaking], what’s he’s been unable to face this whole time.

Richter: Annette, I won’t run away. I won’t run away from what’s between us. 

Why might Richter be drawn to Annette? Perhaps it could have been the time when Annette talks about fighting for the Haitian revolution, inspired by her experience of having survived and fought for something. As @amaramiyu points out in their post here, he is spellbound by her speech.

But honestly, the reason might not be anything particularly deep nor special either. It could be as simple as the fact that she’s just a girl who laughs at his lame ass jokes.

Annette: I knew you would be back. I was more concerned than I wanted to be. Richter: Oh. The muscles, huh?

Consistent with the themes of what it means to be a Belmont -- sure you get the champion the great heroic achievements of defeating foes, but alongside are the burdens/responsibility of carrying the Belmont legacy.

Richter didn’t believe in anything. Not in this damned revolution, not in utterances committed by pious idiots in the name of some God, and certainly not in any destiny beholden to him as the last descendant of the Belmont clan.

This perennial fear of dealing with sacrifice, loss, and grief that spans multiple generations (see: @aquilaofarkham's analysis, Dying Has Never Frightened Us Intergenerational Trauma, Healing, & the Burden of Legacy in Castlevania). I think this is the most compelling theme that Richter will always have to contend with. What will be the inevitable outcome of his own personal destiny? Is he just going to continue to fight, killing foes until one day he encounters a foe he is unable to vanquish, meeting his own end?  

Personally, I wasn’t exactly 100% satisfied with the conclusion the show seemed to draw -- Richter realized he wants to protect people he loves, and that’s the source of why he got this magic back. I think what would feel more complete, to enable this full realization of his character arc -- he’s letting himself feel, by acknowledging that he cares for something -- or someone -- on a deeper level. Finding his purpose again is synonymous to finding something to believe in. Richter had lost something so deeply precious to him  (his own mother, his own beliefs/ideals), but now that he’s found something precious to him again, he wants to hold onto it. Despite having experienced your world shattering before your eyes, you still want to hold onto any hope, any belief --  protect it dearly, because now you know just how fragile and precious another’s life is, how easily you can lose it just like that. That despite this ubiquitous fear, he still wants to hold onto this temporal moment between them, to hold onto her. 

Because the truth is, Richter and Annette might not have a happy ending. Whether he might not be able to protect her, or if Annette leaves him to return to Saint Domingue. That despite all the fears swirling, hanging over his head -- whether fear of dying, fear of failing to protect loved ones, fear of his inevitable destiny/outcome, fear of not living up to the Belmont legacy -- whatever it may be, it would be more compelling that even knowing all this, Richter is still willing to take this leap of faith, this plunge. 

Richter held onto her so tightly, cradling her head in the palm of his hand as she tilted back in shudders, her eyes flickering towards the heavens. Holding onto what he had to come to realize what he held so dear. Holding onto what he had come to realize what exactly it was he wanted to protect. Because he had finally found something he wanted to believe in.

Regarding the ending line -- What does Richter want to believe in, that he desperately realized he wants to protect? Well, I left that for reader interpretation. :)

Acknowledgments, Credits, and/or Further Reading

This is ramble actually just rehash, building from the groundwork of the following analysis of what others have already thoughtfully and elaborately laid out:

@aquilaofarkham / Hannah Richardson’s comprehensive analysis, "Dying Has Never Frightened Us Intergenerational Trauma, Healing, & the Burden of Legacy in Castlevania" of Belmont characters, both video game and show counterparts. | Google Doc | Ao3 | Tumblr --This essay is basically the backbone of this entire heacanon vomit. 

@ifishouldvanish's tumblr post regarding Julia Belmont’s last words for the haunting fridge inspiration

@amaramiyu Amaramiyu’s tumblr post where she highlighted little details in the nuances of Richter and Annette’s interactions

And lastly, a huge thank you to YOU, from the bottom of my heart if you've managed to somehow read all of this! Either by reading this (or if you end up checking out This Distance Between Us), I hope Richter begins to endear you in your heart, just a little, and you will continue to cheer him on in his journey to assume the Belmont mantle. 

Cheers! - Shingie

[bodoramzapgames]

Anna is worn out from their family day

[arthistoryanimalia]

British natural history illustrator Elizabeth Gould was born #OTD (18 July 1804 – 15 August 1841).

Life portrait of Elizabeth Gould with a raptor, possibly a Red-Footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus), unknown artist, oil on canvas

Posthumous portrait of Elizabeth Gould with an Australian Cockatiel (Nymphicus Hollandicus), c.1841, unknown artist, oil on canvas

Elizabeth Gould collaborated with her husband, naturalist John Gould, illustrating his natural history texts until her premature death in 1841 at age 37 (from puerperal fever shortly after the birth of their eight child).

3. Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus), Tab. LX in A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains (London, 1831), written by John Gould with illustrations & lithography by Elizabeth Gould.

Elizabeth Gould has two eponym birds, Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae) & the Gouldian Finch (Chloebia gouldiae):

4. Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, illustration by Elizabeth Gould in John Gould’s A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains (1831). 5. & 6. Gouldian Finch (two color morphs), illustrations credited to John Gould & H.C. Richter in John Gould’s The Birds of Australia (1840-8).

Learn more about the life and art of this extraordinary woman:

#BookRecommendation: Birds of the World: The Art of Elizabeth Gould by Andrea Hart & Ann Datta (2023)

“Artist and illustrator Elizabeth Gould is finally given the recognition she deserves in this gorgeous volume that includes hundreds of her stunning and scientifically precise illustrations of birds from nearly every continent. For all of her short life, Elizabeth Gould’s artistic career was appreciated through the lens of her husband, ornithologist John Gould, with whom she embarked on a series of ambitious projects to document and illustrate the birds of the world. Elizabeth played a crucial role in her husband’s lavish publications, creating beautifully detailed and historically significant accurate illustrations of over six hundred birds -many of which were new to science. However, Elizabeth’s role was not always fully credited and, following her tragic death aged only thirty-seven, her efforts and talent were nearly forgotten. This marvelous volume offers a new and timely tribute to Elizabeth’s reputation and skill. It opens with an introduction to her life and achievements that reflects the latest scholarship. Following is a geographically organized collection of full-color plates depicting birds from nineteenth-century Europe, South and Central America, Africa, Asia, and Australia including previously unpublished original artworks. Filled with the highest quality reproductions, this volume allows readers to appreciate first-hand Gould’s talent for capturing the unique character of each species and the beauty of avian diversity. At the same time it offers a valuable reconsideration of a woman who left a lasting legacy as one of the greatest bird painters of all time.”

[intercomkris]

❝ daddy she's losing her mind. . . ❞ ✿

an art girlie I made to play with university!! a homebody chick from the local but quiet suburbia of willow creek moves to britechester to attend her future art dreams, but yet college is bound to wring her at the neck far from her expectations.

[nfcv-saltmine]

this article is a fucking disaster but HOOOOOO THERE'S SO MANY THINGS WRONG IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA

Haha, like what? :) The fact that this is proof that they do not give a single shit about anything? :) Other than using pre-existent material to tell their own stories with their own characters? :)

It's funny, actually. This was meant to happen, when you think about it. The first Netflixvania created a legacy of "we know nothing about the source material so we do whatever the fuck we want!". Of course a sequel would follow that legacy... except now, the original show counts as "source material". :) That's what we call karma, guys. ❤️

No more needing a human to practice devil forging, now a machine can do it. Goodbye the devils forged being beasts with the intelligence of a dog, except for ONE fly-guy (wich the capacity to talk and reason is a mystery), and being very very loyal to their creator. Hello devils who can talk and sing and still have their human minds and are designed to be more humanoid and "beautiful" and who's loyalty to their master is feeble (even fly guy was loyal to isaac, but let's be fair, you can hardly be loyal to a fucking machine). Goodbye Morning Star, hello the random whip that we have to pretend is important now. Goodbye "lol crosses confuse vampires that's why it hurts them", hello "actually it DOES hurt them because crosses are holy". And hello... this.

I don't know if they are going to make a "haha your father was so dumb" joke about Alucard's name in the show itself. It wouldn't surprise me, I can easily see Richter say it and Alucard glaring at him in a "god you still think you're funny" way. :) But honestly, whether or not they do it, it doesn't matter. Because this right there... this is the proof that Bradley don't care. This is the proof that he either did not watch the show he's making a sequel for (like Ellis did not play the games or even watched playthroughs of it ❤️), or he did with his brain turned off. Maybe he found Alucard and Trevor's relationship to be so fucking funny all he wants is recreate it in his show. :) Because clearly, that's what we're gonna get. Literally the first thing Alucard did when he appeared at the end of Nocturne was mock the Belmonts. It's only going downhill from here.

Forget about the games being clear about Alucard choosing to go by this name (the FIRST thing you see when you go on his wiki page is his BIRTH NAME.), he didn't need to go this far to realize that... because the fucking show made Alucard HIMSELF state that he's going to go by Alucard now, the "name of his mother's people", to oppose his father!! Every. Single. Nfcv fan knows his name used to be Adrian. BUT THE GUY WHO IS WRITING THE SEQUEL DOESN'T? It is such a CLEAR evidence to me that, just like Ellis for the first show, the writers of Nocturne don't give a shit about the material that came before them. They didn't bother making proper researches and taking notes. They just wanted to tell their stories!! With their characters!! They don't care about the inconsistencies they create in the process.

See, as much as i hate NFCV with a burning passion ❤️ I still would have had more respect for Nocturne if it had followed what had been established by it. Because this far, all it kept from the first show, is: every girl being either a fridge or a #girlboss, Belmonts being awful and jokes to be mocked, Alucard being a cunt to Belmonts, CHURCH BAD theme, and bad, often mean-spirited writing. Oh and "Alucard is the coolest fr fr".

God this is going to be an awful season. I cannot wait to see Alucard and Annette team up to shit on Richter and his trauma.

[askadrianalucardtepes]

(For nocturne alucard)

“It’s almost like you always know when there’s a Belmont in trouble”

"What can I say? Where a Belmont goes, a Tepes is not far behind. I've sworn to myself to look after my friends' descendants for as long as I can and I intend to keep that promise. It's a comfort to see their legacy live on the way it has, even when their descendents were far away from me. Richter has reminded me of his ancestors more than any other Belmont so far... I suppose that makes me a tad more protective. I'm glad you've been keeping him and his friends safe too, might I add. Your contribution to their safety is invaluable."