#richter legacy

[bodoramzapgames]

Little Elizabeth is an infant now!

[annon-guy2]

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World Legacy Costumes

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

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Kohaku Hearts from Tales of Hearts R as Marta Lualdi.

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Judith from Tales of Vesperia as Richter Abend.

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[celestials-xoxo]

THREAD OF ANIMATED SERIES YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT 🧵

it’s a long thread so lock in!

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1. jentry chau vs the underworld

“a chinese-american teen living in a small town in texas finds out a demon is hunting her for the supernatural powers she's been working her whole life to repress.”

streaming now on netflix

please don’t let it being a netflix show scare you it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger it has a “self contained” ending while leaving enough for potential second season (please check it out 🙏🏾)

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2. invincible fight girl

streaming now hbo max

“A young girl named Andy, living in Wrestling World, endeavors to become the best pro-wrestler ever and takes on the alias of "Fight Girl."

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3. iyanu

coming to cartoon network and hbo max in Spring 2025.

“Iyanu chronicles the journey of a teenage orphan girl with no recollection of her past, who suddenly discovers that she has abilities that rival the ancient deities of her people.”

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4. pantheon

streaming on netflix (season 2 coming soon)

“maddie begins receiving messages from a mysterious stranger that claims to be her recently deceased father, David. his consciousness has been uploaded to the cloud after an experimental brain scan turns out he’s not the only one.”

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5. moon girl and devil dinosaur

After 13-year-old supergenius Lunella accidentally brings 10-ton Tyrannosaurus rex Devil Dinosaur into present-day New York City via a time vortex, they work together to protect the city's Lower East Side from danger.

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6. castlevania nocturne

now streaming on netflix (s2 just came out a few days ago! pls check it out 🙏🏾)

“As revolution sweeps France, Richter Belmont fights to uphold his family's legacy and prevent the rise of a ruthless, power-hungry vampire ruler.”

also watch the original castlevania too , nocturne is a sequel!

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7. kipo and the age of wonderbeasts

“Kipo, a sheltered girl, gets a crash course in survival when a mutant attack sends her to the surface, far from the safety of her underground home.”

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8.scavengers reign

“a rotating cast of main characters, all survivors of a catastrophic breach to space freighter demeter 227. Their escape pods have brought them to a nearby planet , vesta minor, left untouched by human interplanetary colonization.”

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9. the dragon prince

s7 is now streaming on netflix

“the story of two human princes who forge an unlikely bond with the eleven assassins sent to kill them embarking on an epic quest to bring peace to their warring lands.”

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10. craig of the creek

“Following the adventures of Craig Williams and his two friends, Kelsey Pokoly and John Paul `JP' Mercer, as they explore the untamed wilderness of the Creek, which is dominated by tribes of children.”

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I’ll be making a part 2 soon! (since im only allowed to add 10 images to one post 😭)

[prying-pandora666]

Richter Belmont and the Double Edged Sword of Legacy

I haven’t seen a lot of discussion about Richter’s arc in specific, and a few posts where people seem to think he didn’t have one at all. To anyone who thinks so, I respectfully disagree and allow me to explain why.

A big theme of this season was legacy and how it affects people, the same way history is a connected story that doesn’t come out of nowhere. Alucard even draws the connection for us, describing us all as “part of the same story” and likens this to family.

Annette’s arc perfectly embodies this theme. Through seasons 1 and 2, she learns to temper her anger and her grief, and in the end she reconnects with her ancestors and culture. It’s true this is a big part of the show.

But it wasn’t the entirety of the show.

Richter very much juxtaposes her.

While Annette finds strength in connecting to her past, Richter has to do the opposite. He talks about the burden he’s felt of carrying his family legacy. That being a Belmont has always been a duty he’s understood since early childhood (Juste echos this, saying Belmonts “don’t bother” with childhood).

We come to understand why Richter tried to help his mother fight Olrox as a child despite Julia’s orders to flee; young Richter already had begun to understand his place in the world as a Belmont. That he was meant to be a vampire-slaying hero protecting others even at the cost of his own safety and life. Hence the “Belmonts slay vampires” phrase he uses (with one notable exception but let’s get back to it).

Except then his mother died. And it called everything he knew into question. As Richter says “I realized it was all bullshit”.

This is the explanation for why he has been unable to access his magic. Psychologically, he is not only traumatized from watching his mother die and feeling responsible, but also his entire sense of identity and purpose have been thrown into question. In S1, he doesn’t really feel like a Belmont. He does what Tera and Maria ask of him, and he even says so! Remember he flat out says in S1 that he just does what they tell him is the right thing to do. This is because he’s lost his own mooring and sense of purpose and relies on the ones he loves to steer him

But when he reconnects with Juste—his grandfather—and sees the results of abandoning their family duty, things change. Richter makes a decision. He has purpose and higher cause: to protect those he loves. Thus his magic returns. (This is why the infamous “but fuck it” line is neither lazy nor just empty comedy relief. The usual line he says is “Belmonts kill vampires”, but instead Richter shrugs off the shackles of legacy and says “but fuck it” because none of that matters right now. Whether Juste is right that the Belmont family fight is a doomed Sisyphean task is irrelevant. What matters right now is saving the ones Richter loves.)

Then in S2, he only grows stronger as his bond to Annette deepens, and he is able to verbalize his feeling about his family legacy. He meets Alucard, who is equal parts family myth as much as he is friend. Richter gets a chance to reconnect to his family, after years of alienation, and finally having the Belmont legacy back in his grasp, what does he decide?

That… it doesn’t matter. That the pressure of it was weighing him down. That he doesn’t care what a bunch of dead ancestors think of him.

Instead, he fights for those he loves in the here and now. It is enough that his mother whom he knew and loved is proud of him. It is enough to protect Annette and comfort Maria. It is enough to fight for what is present, and not bear the burdens of the past.

Compare this to the villains who have the classic Vampire problem that they cannot let go. Drolta can’t let go of Sekhmet, even when the pursuit turns her into a worse and worse monster. Erzebet can’t let go of Drolta and revives her as an even more accursed creature, inadvertently signing her own death warrant. Vaublanc can’t let go of “his property” and pursues Annette to his own demise. Olrox can’t let go of his lovers and inevitably turns them. The Countess can’t even let go of her dead husband’s head and carries it around everywhere! The nobility likewise can’t let go of their power over the people and want to squash the revolution. Thematically, Richter’s ability to let go of the past and hold onto what matters in the here and now is diametrically opposed to the villains’ biggest flaw and driving force.

Alucard is deeply affected by this, and it’s a sentiment he echos at the end. He is ready to try and find something worth fighting for too. Same as the revolutionaries. Even if it’s doomed to be fleeting.

When it comes time to let Annette go, Alucard covers the Belmont family crest on Richter’s back and gives him permission: Don’t do it for your family or to save the world. Do it because it’s what she would want.

If that isn’t a show all about Richter, then what is? Would it have been better if he had just been brash and powerful the entire time?

Personally, I think this was a risky but thoughtful way to approach a Belmont who is so beloved but whom still lives in the shadow of Trevor and Simon.

Especially given that, if you know the games, Richter will be the one to abandon the family legacy eventually. The reasons have never been explained in the games, though most speculate it was due to shame after the events of Symphony of the Night. But Nocturne presents us a potential alternative: maybe it wasn’t shame or misery at all.

Maybe Richter just… let the past go.

Nothing lasts forever.

Not even Dracula.

[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.

[vampiricstoryteller]

I Only Have Eyes 42

Hey! Omg y’all I’m so nervous about this fic. It’s finally time for me to start this Richter x Annette x Alucard journey I’ve been wanting to go on. Here is the first of three chapters, I really hope y’all like it.

Summary: Annette does not want to be paired with Richter Belmont for this philosophy project. She would rather sweep the ocean floor. Richter has no real opinion on philosophy but Annette has captured his attention in a way no one has in a long time. Adrian, just loves making pizza and wants his friend(and lover) to be happy. The three of them together brings about a love none of them were truly prepared for.

Read story on A03 here

All mistakes are my own

Warnings: cursing, smut thoughts, implications, polyamory

Chapter One: Double the Fun, Triple the Time for Love

Annette is vaguely aware of Richter Belmont, because they have Philosophy of Humanity together on Mondays, Wednesdays and alternating Fridays. It’s a year long class worth double the credits with less than twenty students. How could she not at the very least, know his name?

He sits two rows behind her, in the same spot, to the left and usually wears a royal blue hoodie with an emblem on it she had to ask a friend for clarification on.

“Oh, thats his family’s legacy.” Edouard told her right around Halloween. The two of them knee deep in alterations for a costume party they were going to.

“Richter’s family can be traced back centuries over in Europe. London specifically.” Edouard explained further. “They provided a lot of weapons during the wars, then his great great grandfather pivoted towards politics and they’ve been untouchable since.”

Annette took the clump of information in stride. Old British Money was not something she ever wanted to get mixed up with. She’d rather sweep the ocean floor than ever have to be in the same room as a Prime Minister.

She must sit with what her friend tells her for too long because he smirks later that night when they part ways, and gives her one final bit of information.

“Rumor that went around for a while was that Richter and his grandfather Juste basically hate each other, but they both love Richter’s mother Julia, Juste’s daughter, so they comprised by giving him space over here in America but paying the way for it.”

Besides what Edouard tells her, and she seriously wonders how deeply her friends web of information runs, Annette knows next to nothing about The Belmont Family line and as an exchange student, she has no real interest in learning about families with old money. It’s not like they were going to give any of that money to her.

So Annette brushes him from her mind. She’s trying to earn back to back degrees with no break while pay half the tuition out of pocket, there’s barely enough hours in the day for herself; her thoughts about Richter are nonexistent.

Until they’re paired together for a project thats worth their entire grade.

It’s the second day back from winter vacation when their Philosophy professor hands out a thick packet and explains that after covering the basics during first semester, it’s now time to learn how to apply the information in real life.

“You’ll find your partners name on the inside flap, please use today’s class time to introduce yourselves and compare schedules.” Dr. Higsmen says, his stubby hands folded on the podium. “You should be meeting three times or more a week. We’ll start presentations on May 1st.”

Annette flips her packet open and stares down at the name listed underneath hers.

Richter Belmont

Her left eye twitches, she can feel the headache forming underneath her temples already and Annette has just started contemplating if it’ll look bad for her to ask to a new partner when a shadow appears over her shoulder. She closes her eyes for a second, takes a deep breath then turns and tilts her head up.

He is, quite possibly, the most handsome man she’s ever seen. Tall and lean, pretty blue eyes, dark hair that he actually knew how to comb and long fingers that are tapping rhythmically on his packet; Richter smiles down at her nervously.

“Hi, you’re Annette, right?”

She blinks then nods slowly, lifting her backpack from the seat next to her. “That’s me.”

“Cool,” he flashes her a smile as he pulls the chair out a bit and sits next to her. “I’m Richter, it’s nice to officially meet you.”

He extends one of his hands to her, his blue eyes searching over her and her desk while she eyes him warily before she puts down her pen and lets her hand slide into his.

His skin is softer than Annette could have ever expected it to be. There are callouses, of course, and a lot of them but his long boney fingers are soft to the touch and she barely keeps her thumb from stroking the back of his hand.

“Nice to meet you too.” She murmurs, ducking her head when he lets go of her.

“You’re new here aren’t you?”

He sounds genuinely curious so Annette nods, keeping her eyes from rolling. “Yes, I was accepted into the exchange program.”

“Oh nice,” Richter smiles, his face turning thoughtful as he adds on. “Your accent sounds very island based, maybe Dominican or Haitian?”

Annette blinks in surprise, ever since arriving at the end of last summer she has heard the same misplacement of her accent over and over. They all automatically assumed she was from Jamaica, which was ridiculous when one actually thought about it. But if Annette was learning anything in America it was that most people don’t put real thought into anything that doesn’t directly benefit them.

Her accent was just a placeholder in small talk, a tidbit of trivia they all wanted to tuck away and use later when they thought it would come in handy. It didn’t actually matter where she was from, just her not being American was enough for most of them to decide if she was useful or not.

And Annette made sure that she was not.

It’s Richter’s tone, however, that keeps the warning bells from ringing through her mind. He sounds……pensive, like he’s truly thinking about where she’s from. And not for any means to an end, just to know. Which was, new…..

Annette clears her throat, mentally shaking herself.

“I’m from Haiti, yes.” She narrows her eyes a bit, trying to remain playful. “You’ve been there before?”

Richter nods, “Once when I was a kid. My grandfather took me when he had a business trip there.” He tilts his head as if remembering.

“And?” Annette prompts, letting one hand rest against her cheek. “What did you think of it?”

“It was beautiful, I was only ten so I couldn’t leave the hotel a lot but I remember the food being amazing.” Richter taps one finger on top of his packet, his blue eyes flickering over to her. “I remember the people were very nice and everywhere smelled amazing, like the earth and warm clay.”

Annette watches him reminisce, a very clear memory playing in his mind judging by the way he subtly jerks and then his cheeks tinge pink.

“Sorry.” Richter reaches back and scratches at his neck. “That must sound weird as hell.”

Annette laughs, surprised at both herself and him.

“No, no it’s alright. I understand what you mean. It does have a very earthy aroma.” She picks at her fingers. “I think it’s one of the things I miss most.”

A beat passes between them, not uncomfortable exactly but there’s definitely a shift from the casual pleasantries. Annette clears her throat and taps on her packet,

“So, uhm, when’s a good time for you for us to start meeting up?”

Richter shrugs, leaning back in the chair until the front legs come off the ground. “Whenever is good for me honestly, do you have a busy schedule?”

“Kinda?” Annette glances at him. “I work a lot but I’m pretty sure I can talk to my boss about it,”

At his curious look; Annette waves dismissively. “I work in the school library, most the time it’s just me sitting there studying and doing nothing. They always tell me I can take time for school work but this is my first actual project so,”

Richter nods, “okay good to know, do you think it’ll be cool for me to join in the library sometimes?”

“I don’t see why not.” She replied.

He reaches into the pocket pouch of his hoodie, pulling out a phone. “Wanna swap numbers? Or instas?”

Annette grabs her own phone from the front zipper on her backpack. “I’m not on social media.” She says unlocking the screen and pulling up the numbers keypad. “So number, if you don’t mind.”

They trade phones, Annette feeling heat rise in her cheeks at how sleek and new his is compared to her cracked screen, duct tapped to hell one. Richter doesn’t seemed bothered by it at all, he taps his number in and makes his own contact. She does the same, unsure if putting her full name is presumptuous or leaving it with just her first is vain.

She decides on her full name, quickly typing it out and hitting save. Annette hands the phone back to its owner, taking hers and putting it back in her bag without even looking at the screen.

Richter taps at his phone for a second, seemingly texting someone back before he puts the device away and turns his blue eyes back to her.

“Do you have any other classes today?” He asks, flipping through the first few pages of his packet. He produces a pen, seemingly out of nowhere, and begins underlining things on the pages before him.

“No but I’ve got to work from 2pm til 8 tonight.” Annette sighs, already exhausted by the long hours she’ll be sitting in that backless chair at the checkout counter.

“Wanna get lunch together then?” Richter asks casually. “We can start brainstorming for our project, get ahead of everyone else.”

Annette blinks and says uncertainly, “Sure, that sounds good.”

He glances at her, “I know a place, has great pizza. It’ll be my treat.”

“Oh you don’t have to—.” Annette starts, shaking her head but Richter only looks to the clock on the wall and nods to himself.

“Come on, we can get there early and be first in line.” He swings his backpack up into his lap and puts his packet inside.

Annette tilts her head at all the different pins that are hooked into the sturdy fabric of his bag. She sees his family emblem immediately but there’s numerous others, different causes, brands, pop culture references and though she can’t place them all she finds the display of individualism somewhat endearing.

Richter looks down at his bag, chuckling a bit. “Oh yeah, I always forget I have so many pins on here.”

Annette smiles. “They’re cool, where’d you get them?”

“My sister got a button maker for Christmas like three years ago and hasn’t stopped since.” Richter says, shaking his head. “She gives them out like candy now.”

Annette nods, putting her packet away as well. She glances around the room, noticing that most of the other pairs have already left. She stands when Richter does, putting on her coat, hiking her backpack up over her shoulder and looking at him expectantly.

He grins at her, “Let’s get outta here.”

Dr. Higsmen bids them a good day as they pass him, packing away his papers into his briefcase.

“Off to Alucard’s then?” The hefty man asks.

Richter nods, opening the classroom door for Annette. Over her head he smiles at their professor and says,

“I always try to get the first slice of the day at least three times a week.” He puffs his chest out proudly. “It’s basically my job at this point.”

Dr. Higsmen laughs, something Annette’s not sure she’s ever heard him do, and waves them on.

“Be sure to tell him hello.”

Richter calls out a goodbye over his shoulder but as they walk down the hall he turns his attention to Annette.

“You like pizza right? I should have asked. Although he does offer other stuff too.” Richter taps his chin. “There are these stuffed garlic knots that will really blow your mind.”

Annette raises both eyebrows, “Pizza is good, as are garlic knots but I’m not that hungry.”

Richter glances at her, at the end of the hall he pulls open the door that leads to the buildings parking lot and motions for her to go first.

“It’s alright, whatever you don’t eat I definitely will.”

It’s a nice day outside, the sun has managed to break up the winter clouds and shines down on the left over snow that remains on the grass from days ago. Annette’s still not exactly used to the snow, it is very pretty but the novelty of it wore off after the second time she slipped on ice.

“Come on, we can take my car.” Richter says stepping into the wet slush of ice that awaits them.

Annette chuckles, “good cause mind doesn’t arrive for a good forty minutes or so.”

When Richter looks back at her in confusion, Annette pointedly stares at the bus stop where a few other students stand waiting for it.

“Right, sorry, dumb of me to assume everyone has a car.” He says shaking his head.

Annette chuckles, raising her hands. “Don’t worry about it.”

When they reach his car, a grey Ford Ranger, she blinks at the sheer size of it. One wheel alone is almost as tall as she is.

“Here, one second I gotta move some stuff around.” Richter says quickly fishing the keys from his jeans.

The truck chirps and he yanks the passenger door open. Annette wakings patiently, her hands shoved into the pockets of her coat as Richter tossed a duffel bag, gym shoes and two more hoodies in the back. He pats the dark colored seat then steps back and offers a hand to her.

“It’s a bit of a up step.” He explains when she raises her eyebrows. “Trust me, you wouldn’t be the first person to fall out of my truck. Maria does all the time.”

Annette chuckles, letting her hand slide into his again. She keeps her eyes on her feet as she climbs into the imposing vehicle. The step up is pretty large, enough to throw her off balance about halfway; Richter’s hand tightens around hers though and he lifts her when her legs fail her.

“All good?” He asks once she’s slid into the seat and their hands disconnect.

“Why is it so high off the ground?” Annette asks exasperated.

Richter chuckles, “Tall people problems, don’t worry you’ll get used to it.”

He shuts the door before Annette can reply, leaving her to force a blush down while he casually walks around the front of the truck to the drivers side. Her eyes track him the entire way, searching his face for any kind of break in his cool demeanor.

When he gets into the truck, Annette rolls her eyes at him not having to jump or or climb; his legs are long enough that he doesn’t even seem to need the step assistance already at the bottom of the door.

“You ready to try the best pizza you’ll ever have?” Richters excitedly, starting the truck and throwing it into reverse.

Annette laughs softly, relaxing back against the dark seats. “I will be the judge of that.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It only take about 10 minutes to reach Richter’s destination. He takes her through the back streets, telling her about how much he hates Main Street because it’s full of nothing but tourist attractions and showing her little connecting alleys that she can always use if she’s running late.

Annette finds that she enjoys hearing about the town from the perspective of someone who was basically a local.

“When did you move here?” She asks when they come to the last stop light before the plaza they’re going to.

“Officially four years ago but, my family came to this town for vacation every summer since before I was born.” Richter shrugs, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. “My great grandmother was born and raised here, so my family always tried to come back.”

Annette nods, filing the information away under the mental folder she’d created tilted ‘The Belmonts’ and turning her attention to the plaza he’s turning into.

The plaza is fairly small, there’s only seven places of business in total and a small play area for children that only has a jungle gym and two swings. Richter turns into the second section of parking spaces and Annette sits forward a bit to look up at the restaurant.

It’s sign is elegant and in neat cursive, braced on awning of the plaza to look as if the name is double outlined.

‘Alucard’s Pizzería and Wines.’

Annette tilts her head to the side, her nose scrunching a bit as she eyes the outdoor patio and the dark interior design thats visible from the storefront window.

“You don’t like wine?” Richter asks curiously, shutting the truck off and popping open the middle console.

“I have no real opinion on it.” Annette shrugs.

“Oh he’ll love that.” Richter snickers, he stuffs a simple black wallet into his jean pocket and turns his bright blue eyes to her. “You have your passport, right?”

Annette nods, patting her backpack between her feet. “I am not from here; of course I have my passport with me.”

Richter grins, “Let’s go then, im starving.”

Annette has to literally leap from the truck but she manages to land squarely on her feet; her combat boots kicking up a bit of slush at the impact. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, Annette shuts the stupidly heavy truck door and joins Richter at the front.

“So, you and this Alucard are friends?” She asks as they walk towards the glass doors, their steps in sync.

Richter laughs, “Yes. He is a friend of my family. His dad and my grandfather were army friends.” He pulls open the glass doors for her, smiling down at her when her shoulder brushes his chest. “And Alucard is a nickname; his actual name is—“

“Shouldn’t you be in class?”

Annette startles slightly, blinking her eyes rapidly to adjust in the sudden dimness of the restaurant. About few feet away stands a man, his hands on his hips as he awaits an answer from Richter.

He steps towards them and Annette feels her eyes widen, her breath disappearing from her lungs. If she’d thought Richter was handsome beyond belief, his friend of the family is an angel from above. Long straw yellow hair that’s currently tied up into a bun at the crown of his head, his golden eyes flicker between the two of them curiously despite the disapproving frown on his very very pale face.

“I did go to class! We got our project partners and Mr. Higsmen told us to go get acquainted with each other.” Richter says defensively. “He says to tell you hi by the way.”

He steps behind Annette and puts both hands on her shoulders, guiding her closer to his friend.

“This is my philosophy projects partner, Annette.” Richter sounds proud, though she can’t even begin to ponder what for. “Annette, this is my best friend, Adrian.”

She watches as the blonde rolls his eyes before he steps to them and bows his head deeply to her. He offers a hand, holding Annette’s one in both of his once she reaches out.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Annette.” He says with a smile that could melt iron. “I’m sorry for your unfortunate luck in project partners.”

Annette lets out a laugh, a real one, while Richter squeezes her shoulders and sticks out his tongue.

“Now is that any way to treat your first paying customers of the day?” He steers Annette towards one of the booths near the kitchen door.

“I never make you pay Richter.” Adrian calls after them.

He lets Annette choose which side of the booth she wants to sit on, sliding into the seat across from her with practiced ease. She puts her backpack between herself and the wall, folding her hands on top of the table as she looks around.

“First impressions?” Richter asks, his tone light but Annette can see the genuine worry in his eyes.

She smiles, shrugging one shoulder. “They’re good so far, he owns this place? He seems kind of young to already have his own restaurant.”

“Adrian’s going to be thirty this year.” Richter snickers. “He’s practically an old man.”

“Ah yes, thirty the year of mortality rate, in the stone ages.” The blond deadpans as he approaches the table and lays out two menus, he rests his hip against the back of the bench Richter’s sat in. “So much older compared to your baby like wonder of twenty four.”

Annette watches the two of them over the top of her menu as they descend into a battle of banter. She can see immediate fondness between them, Richter looks up at Adrian with adoration in his gaze despite the jokes flying from his mouth. And Adrian, gives as good as he gets, verbally baiting Richter with little quips until he ends their conversation by tugging on the tuffs of hair around the younger man’s ear.

“What’s your favorite kind of pizza, Miss Annette?” He asks turning his golden gaze to her.

“Ugh please, it’s just Annette.” She scrunches her nose. “I’m twenty three, not thirty three.”

Richter bursts into laughter while Adrian blinks in momentary surprise. He reaches up and pulls hard on Richter’s hair again. “You’re so hyena like today, Richter. Shut up.”

He looks back towards the dark skinned woman and nods, “Annette then, favorite kind of pizza?”

“Pepperoni and black olives.” Annette shrugs. “Weird I know, but I love it.”

“No weirder than this nut job.” Adrian shrugs and tilts his chin at Richter. “When he was a kid he would only eat pizza with macaroni as the topping.”

“Hey!” Richter protests when Annette sticks out her tongue in disgust. “I was a growing boy and needed the nourishment!”

Adrian pats the top of his head. “It’s okay Richter, we’re not judging you.”

“Oh I definitely am.” Annette grins.

Adrian laughs, “you’re going to fit right in Annette.” He pushes away from the booth, the bell above the front door jingling to signal the arrival of new customers. “I’ll bring out some cheese garlic knots, and start your pizzas.”

~~~~~~~~~

Richter hadn’t been lying. Adrian’s pizza was the best Annette had ever had. Hot, thick and gooey with extra cheese; Annette devours the personal one he sits in front of her about twenty minutes after he brings them garlic knots and Arnold Palmer’s.

She’s never had a pizza so deeply rich yet not greasy at all. Even the cheese stuffed garlic knots, slathered with butter, don’t leave much of a stain on the napkin she uses throughout the meal.

It’s very impressive.

As she and Richter eat, they decide to try and meet up twice during each week and once over the weekends up until it’s time to present their project.

“I can always pick you up from work and stuff,” Richter offers. “Do you stay in the student dorms?”

“Yes, but the ones not on campus.” Annette says, “you know the ones that are supposed to replicate real adult life.”

“Except for the RA’s are constantly prowling the halls like vigilantes.” Richter chuckles. “Yes I do know those dorms.”

“They’re the worst.” She sighs shaking her head.

“It’s okay, we can always hang at my place or here. Adrian won’t mind.” Richter says with a firm nod.

As if summoned by Richter’s thoughts alone, the blond appears at their table momentarily.

“Do you guys want dessert?” He asks, a sizzling pizza balanced over his shoulder.

Richter motions towards Annette. “You want a slice of cake?”

She shakes her head, pulling her phone from her backpack. “My shift is gonna start soon.” Glancing at the digital clock on the screen she relaxes at bit when she realizes it’s only 1:15. “Maybe next time?”

Adrian smiles at her, “I have the feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other Annette, so I’ll hold you to that.”

He excuses himself to go drop off the pizza to the family of four waiting. Across from Annette, Richter stuffs the last bit of crust from his own pizza into his mouth. It puffs his cheeks out exaggeratedly and she can’t help the smile the creeps onto her lips.

In her hand, her phone vibrates and the screen lights up to show that Edouard has texted her.

Edouard: still need a ride to work?

Annette blinks, she’d forgotten that originally her plan was to go back to the dorm after philosophy and take a much needed nap. Obviously those plans had been completely derailed.

Annette: yes but I’m not at the dorms. I’m at Alucard’s pizza place. is that too out of the way?

Edouard texts back before she can even close their messages out.

Edouard: I’ll be there in 15 :)

Annette hearts his message in thanks before locking the screen and pulling her attention back to Richter. He’s munching on a left over garlic knot, trying not to watch her but clearly failing as their eyes meet the moment she raises hers.

“Everything okay?” He asks quietly.

“Yeah, my friend was just asking if I still needed a ride. He’s on his way,” Annette explains, sipping at the watered down left overs of her drink. “We work the same shift on Mondays and Wednesdays.”

Richter nods, “That’s cool, I wouldn’t have minded dropping you back off.”

Annette waves dismissively. “It’s out of your way, I’m sure you’d rather hang out with Adrian.”

Richter snorts, glances around the restaurant. “I see him all the time.”

She smiles, “I’ll let you take me back next time.”

Richter grins at her, nodding in agreement. They clean up their table for Adrian, stacking the plates and wiping the surface down. The blond looks incredibly grateful when he passes by them next, snagging the stacked plates with one hand and carding the other hand through Richter’s hair.

Annette catches the faint blush spread across Richter’s cheek and she glances over her shoulder towards the kitchen doors that Adrian disappeared behind. Her mind attempting to fit together the puzzle pieces that have fallen into her lap today.

In her lap, Edouard’s text alerts her to the fact that he’s pulling up and Annette begins shrugging her coat back on. Richter stands when she does, insisting on walking her out of the restaurant.

The smile on her friends face is blinding when he sees her exist the pizzeria.

“Oh,” Richter says happily. “I didn’t know you and Edouard knew each other.”

“Heeeeyyyyy Richter!”

He bends at the waist and waves to the other boy. “Hey Edouard, long time no see.”

Annette rolls her eyes, shaking her head as she sighs out dramatically. “Why am I not surprised, how do you know him?”

“We had three classes together freshman year.” Richter shrugs. “He’s a good dude.”

She hikes her bag up higher on her shoulder, “He is, when I got here last semester I didn’t have any friends and he went out of his way to hang out with me.”

“Yeah that sounds like him.” Richter chuckles, he gently bumps her arm with his own. “Well I hope I can be added to your exclusive friends list this semester.”

Annette blinks, heat burning her cheeks. She’s unsure what to say, should she confirm that she already thinks of them as friends after only one study session where they got basically no studying done? Or would that be too weird?

A beat of silence passes between them and Annette steps back, chewing on her lip. “I’ll uh, text you later I guess?”

“Yeah definitely! Ha—Have a good shift at work.” Richter steps back too. “Thanks for having lunch with me, Annette.”

She nods, waving to him. “See you, Richter.”

They turn from each other, Richter going back inside the pizzeria and Annette ducks into Edouard’s car. To his credit, her friend has kept relatively silent but the moment she closes the door, he reaches over and smacks her arm twice before grabbing the sleeve of her coat and shaking her in excitement.

“Bitch! Not you getting an invite to Richter’s safe space! Bitch!” His voice fills the inside of the car. “Ahhhhhhh! Bitch!”

“Edouard!” Annette laughs, trying to break away from his grip and failing. “Stop! He could still be watching! Go!”

Her friend complies with her wishes, pulling out of the parking space he parked crookedly in and turning in the direction of the college; his laughter and enthusiasm lasting long after they’d clocked in at the library.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Your new friend is very pretty.” Adrian comments to Richter later that night as the two men close up the pizza shop.

“Yeah, noticed did you?” Richter teases, placing the last few chairs upside down on their assigned tables.

“How could I not? You’ve never brought any girl here before.” Adrian says, watching Richter from the corner of his eye. He counts out the days profits slowly, making sure to not miss a single cent.

“There’s a first time for everything.” The younger man replies, making his way over to Adrian and hugging him from behind.

“Yes, there is.” Adrian pats Richter’s forearm across his stomach. “And I’m sure there are plenty more brewing in that chaotic mind of yours.”

“She’s different, not superficial and doesn’t care that my last name is Belmont.” Richter says defensively. “I want to be her friend.”

Adrian smirks, folding the days money into the bank envelope for the morning and waiting. Belmonts, very rarely had friends.

“And eventually I want to fuck her.”

The blond snorts. “There it is.”

Richter pinches his hip bone. “I saw you staring at her too, you want her just as much as I do.”

“Why are we having this conversation, Richter?” Adrian asks, twisting his torso so they can look at each other. “What’s your endgame here?”

“I thought you might like to join.”

Adrian blinks, pale eyebrows climbing up his even paler forehead.

“And what gave that impression?”

Richter smirks. “You hate olives on pizza.”

Adrian rolls his eyes. “It’s rude to comment on a customers food choices.”

“Never stopped you before.” Richter laughs, he reaches up and grips Adrian’s chin. “It could be a lot of fun.”

Their lips come together slowly, Richter’s slotting over Adrian’s and his tongue flicking out to run over the bottom lip he’d come to know so well.

It’d taken Richter a long time to convince the older man that he wanted to be affectionate towards him and it was genuine. They’d grown up together, went to school together, Adrian had been there when the problems with his grandfather started and he’d been waiting in America with open arms when Richter couldn’t take being a Belmont anymore. How could he have ever thought that Richter wouldn’t be somewhat seriously in love with him?

They’ve been trying out this friend’s with benefits thing for a little over a year and Richter always made sure that Adrian knew what he was thinking when it came to them. There were no secrets between. He’d never communicated with anyone as much as he did with Adrian. But he’d also never cherished the friendship of someone the way he did his with Adrian.

Neither of them expected it to last long, especially not after Richter has to take over the family business. But that’s at least another three years away, they have time.

“You cannot lie to her, about anything.” Adrian says firmly, the moment they pull apart. “Not about me, not about this, not about your intentions with her.”

“I won’t.” Richter promises. “She’s observant, I wouldn’t be surprised if she hasn’t already thought something’s going on between us.”

“Still, I don’t want you hurting people just for the sake of experience.” Adrian reaches up and cups Richter’s face. “She could be really good for you, don’t ruin it with something stupid.”

“For us.” Richter corrects kissing the inside of Adrian’s wrist. “She could be really good, for us.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s uncanny, the way Richter slips seamlessly into Annette’s life. As if he’d always been around and always been her friend. They text all the time, Richter quickly becoming the first person she speaks to in the morning and the last one to wish her sweet dreams at night. They text so much in fact that her phone graduates from backpack zipper pocket to her pant or jacket pockets at all time.

Richter rarely lets more than an hour pass between conversations and Annette, well, she looks forward to talking with him. Her heart beats faster every time she gets a notification with his name on it; he’s great at making her feel like she’s the only person in the world worth his attention.

After that first lunch at Alucard’s, Annette found more often than not she ended up tucked away in the same booth most days of the week. Between classes, work, homework and Edouard, she’s grateful to have the small space to escape to. Adrian had even been nice enough to extend an invitation to her stating that she could always come into his restaurant, even when Richter wasn’t there.

“Your seemingly never ending calm is always a nice change of pace from Richter’s constant energy.” He’d told her when she’d double checked if it was alright for her to hang out one lunch break while Richter met with his counselor.

He’d given her free refills and a slice of cake for the road when she finally packed up her stuff later that day.

Her best friend, is over the moon about the entire situation. Edouard has become not only an even closer friend, he’ll be addicted to the stuffed garlic knots before the month is over, but Annette’s biggest cheerleader in what he calls:

“The Pursuit of Belmont……And Friend”

No matter how hard she tried to emphasize that they are partners on an educational project, Edouard has already begun to plan her outfits for her and Richter’s first few dates. He sends Annette videos on different ways to do her makeup, helps her learn to thread her eyebrows and even started reading the relationship horoscopes for her sign, Richter’s and Adrian’s.

Annette would kill him if she didn’t appreciate his friendship so much.

It’s been three weeks since they got their philosophy packets, and the first Friday that Richter’s asked to meet up on. He’d texted her after his last class, knowing she still had close to an hour left in her lab and Annette responded like she usually did; insisting that she could catch the bus to meet him and that he didn’t have to wait.

She doesn’t even try to be upset when, an hour later, she steps out into the buildings parking lot and sees Richter relaxed in the driver seat of his ranger; waiting for her.

“How was class?” He asks when she approaches the driver side window.

“Good, learned a module while dissecting a rat.” Annette shrugs though she doesn’t move to walk around the truck like she usually would.

“What? Did something happen?” Richter asks, his blue eyes looking over her frame a few times. “You okay?”

“I just, need to go home and change.” Annette looks down at herself. “I smell like lab equipment and sterilized rat.”

Richter chuckles, starting up the truck. “Yeah I figured, come on I’ll take you to your dorm.”

Annette bites at her lip, the same question as always rising on her tongue.

“Are you—.”

“Yes, Annette.” Richter smiles, his eyes determined. “I’m sure, now get in. We can stop by the store on the way back and pick up a few things to make our study session more exciting tonight.”

She sighs dramatically, “alright fine, if you insist.”

He smirks at her, watching her as she makes her way around the front of the car to the passenger side. When she pulls open the door, Richter leans across the middle console and offers his hand.

“Up you get.” He teases with a handsome smile.

She takes his hand, throwing him an unimpressed look as Richter easily pulls her into the truck.

“Do you have to pull everyone into this damn thing?” She grumbles, wiggling in the seat to be more comfortable.

“Just you,” Richter chuckled, starting the truck and backing out of the parking space. “And Maria but she doesn’t count, other than you two I don’t really let anyone in my truck.”

“Right, you haven’t told me much about your sister.” Annette says. “How come I haven’t met her yet?”

“She’s only sixteen, still in high school. She’s not really my sister but we’ve always been close like siblings.” Richter shrugs. “My aunt Tera, her mum and my mum, Julia, are second cousins. So we are related, just distantly. Tera and my mum are the same age and spent every break from school together.”

Annette nods, “Tera and Maria are…”

“In the next town over, directly across the highway. I spend most holidays there but I got my apartment here when I was accepted into the college.” Richter smiles. “You’ll meet Maria soon, she’s obsessed with Adrian teaching her to make pizza. She’s just very popular at school. Head of the debate team, class president, in yearbook club and plays volleyball.”

“A true go getter then.” Annette chuckles.

“She really is, she has big plans for her future and I know she’ll achieve them all.” Richter says proudly. “But she’ll be here for the week of spring break, I know you two will love each other.”

Annette smiles, enjoying seeing Richter talk about his family. She’d been subtly trying to find out more about the Belmonts but so far Richter was willing to admit two things about the people he was related to.

One: He loved his mother, his aunt Tera and Maria.

Two: He hated every other single person he shared blood with. All of them. There was no love lost and he didn’t want to talk about it.

So Annette didn’t push. It wasn’t her place. Not yet anyways.

She doesn’t have long to think about it because soon Richter pulls into the parking garage of her dorm.

“I would invite you up but the RA on today can get pretty mad about coed’s being in each other’s dorms.” Annette says apologetically.

“No worries,” Richter says still unbuckling his seat belt and reaching for the door handle. “It’s Greta working today right? She used to always take Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.”

Annette laughs, opening the truck door and sliding out of the seat.

“Why am I not surprised that you know Greta.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “Do you know everyone in this town?”

Richter grins at her when they meet in front of the truck and walk together towards the lobby front doors.

“Mostly everyone yeah,”

His words have never proved more true than when they entire the dorm lobby and suddenly everyone turns to stare at them.

“Richter! Hi!”

A brunette bounds over to them, she can’t be much older than them judging by the backpack she has strapped over one shoulder. Her green eyes only flicker to Annette once before she turns her full attention to Richter.

“Hi Stella, nice to see you again.” He says with a pleasant smile. “Where’s Loretta?”

Stella rolls her eyes, “She’s at the gym, she’s obsessed with taking off the ten pounds she gained over Christmas.” She waves a hand dismissively. “Anyways, she’s not important. How are you, Richter? What are you doing here?”

Annette grips the inside of her coat pockets, it’s very clear that Stella intends to ignore her this entire conversation and if it’s one thing Annette refuses to do, it’s stay someplace she’s unwanted. She shifts her backpack, and her nerves and prepares to quietly step to the side when Richter lifts the arm closest to her and drapes it over her shoulders; ruining her plans for escape.

“Annette has to change, she just got done dissecting rats with Professor Stiensworth, you know how that goes.” He says, a different smile on his face. “We’re going to grab some pizza and work on our philosophy project.”

Stella’s entire body goes still, and her green eyes finally look to Annette and take her in completely. Her eyes zigzag over Annette’s clothes, her mind clearly calculating whatever she thinks she’s discovered.

“Oh, you’re going to Alucard’s then?” Stella asks.

“Yeah, I basically work there now anyways.” Richter’s fingers tap rhythmically on Annette’s shoulder and she fights the urge to lean into his side.

“Alucard’s such a nice man,” Stella says dreamily. “Greta really fucked up letting him go.”

Richter nods, pointing to the ceiling. “Is Greta upstairs?”

“Yeah! She’ll be happy to see you.” Stella says excitedly.

“Thanks Stella,” Richter nods, his fingers squeeze Annette’s shoulder and she takes that as a cue to start walking.

They step around Stella together, the brunette trying not to pout as she says cheerfully. “You’re welcome Richter! It was good to see you, message me on Facebook sometime. We should hang out.”

“Yeah maybe.” Richter replies, guiding Annette into the elevator thats thankfully opened up right when they need it to. “See you Stella, tell Loretta I said hello.”

She waves at them until the doors of the elevator ding closed and they start rising up towards the third floor.

“What the hell was that all about?” Annette asks, looking up at Richter with raised eyebrows.

Richter shrugs. “Stella’s nice, just a bit too opportunistic. Her family is old like mine.”

Annette tilts her head back in understanding.

“Her twin, Loretta, is much more fun to be around.” Richter says, his eyes watching the numbers at the top of the elevator.

Before Annette can reply, the doors ding open to signal their arrival to the third floor. They step off together, Richter’s arm still resting across her shoulders. To the left of the elevator sits a small desk and chair, the allotted space for the RA’s who unfortunately get stuck on night duty from time to time.

Tonight, it’s Greta who sits at the desk. A thick tomb of a book in her lap. She looks up when they step into the carpeted hallway, her gaze curious.

“Annette you’re back early.” She says. “How was—“

“Hi Greta.” Richter says over Annette’s head.

She stands, placing her book on the desk and coming to stand in front of them, her hands on her hips.

“What are you doing here, Richter?” She asks flatly.

“Damn, I just said hi.” He chuckles. “Annette and I have a class together and we’re paired for the semester. She needs to change and then we’re going to go study.”

“At Adrian’s?” Greta narrows her eyes.

Richter blows out a breath through his nose. “Of course there, he’s my best friend.”

Greta snorts, rolling her eyes before she turns her attention to Annette. “You know he’s nothing but trouble, right?”

“Uh…everything’s been fine so far…” Annette says slowly, unsure what the best response would be. “It’s just a philosophy project, Greta.”

The woman hums disapprovingly, her eyes take in the sight of Richter’s arm over Annette’s shoulders. She presses her lips into a fine line then says,

“Leave the door open while you’re in your room.”

Annette’s face flushes and she nods quickly. “I’m just changing, it won’t even take five minutes.”

“I trust you, Annette.” Greta says sighing. “It’s your new friend that needs to be watched though.”

Richter raises both hands in surrender. “I’m starving, I’m just trying to get to pizza.”

Greta clicks her tongue but accepts his answer, stepping from in front of them with a nod. “Five minutes you two.”

Annette practically runs down the hall to her door, slipping from under Richter’s arm in the process. She misses the heat of him immediately but shoves the thoughts from her mind as she unlocks the door and pushes inside.

Her dorm is always clean, because Annette is not a heathen thank you very much, but she still snatches her pajamas out of sight and kicks a few socks underneath her bed.

“Here, you can sit.” She says motioning to the lone chair in her room. “I’ll be right back,”

Richter does as she says, flopping down in the chair which makes his long legs seem even longer. Annette has to step over them to be able to get to her tiny closet.

She pulls out the latest outfit Edouard has arranged on a hanger for her; a pink mini skirt and a black high neck halter tank and pretty much sprints into her bathroom.

The main reason Annette chose to live in the off campus dorms was because each room had its own shower. They were small, the water pressure nonexistent and the sink barely more than a basin but it was a private bathroom all the same. Communal showers disgusted her on a deeply personal level.

She works quick. The shower water barely warming up before she’s already lathered her body with soap, washed her face and brushed her teeth. She’s out of the half closet of a shower stall just as fast as she got in, drying her body, applying her favorite lotion and massaging some oil into her locs. She needs to retwist them but there’s no time, the new growth will just have to wait.

She pairs the black tank with a simple golden chain to give it a bit of personality and smooths her hands down the front of her mini skirt. It’s cute, Edouard somehow knowing her size perfectly. It hugs her hips tightly and Annette does several mirror checks, bending at the waist and looking to make sure the skirt still covers her. Not that she has plans to be bending over at a pizza place but…..

An imagine flashes in Annette’s mind, Richter standing behind her and pressing up against her. His huge hands hold her hips, run over her stomach and lift her chin with one long finger so that their lips are centimeters apart. His hand on her hip travels down, the rough pads of his fingers making contact with her bare thigh the moment their lips meet and Annette aches, already dripping for him—

A knock on the bathroom door startles Annette to the point she drops the deodorant she was applying.

“Hey not to rush you but Adrian texted me and said he’s gonna put our pizzas in the oven soon.” Richter calls out to her.

Annette tries to steady her breathing, crouching to pick up the deodorant stick and return it to the medicine cabinet.

“Okay, I’m ready, here I come.” She calls back, grimacing at how her voice shakes.

She heard Richter step away from the bathroom door and Annette sucks in a deep breath. In the back of her mind, her most recent conversation with Edouard replays for the hundredth time.

“Girl you have got to text me when he finally makes a move. We’re getting close I can feel it.”

“Edouard, you can’t possibly know that. We’re friends! Richter’s given no indication that—“

“Oh bitch boo, you’re literally his passenger Princess now. Every time I see you where are you? In the front seat of his truck that he doesn’t let anyone ride in!”

“We have to put effort into our philosophy project! It’s worth the whole year’s grade!”

“And what about Alucard? You probably owe him close to a thousand dollars in all the pizza he’s just been supplying you with.”

“That’s different—-he and Richter—“

“Are lovers and they want to put some of that love down on you! And if you don’t let them I’ll lose my shit because girl they have never—.”

Annette shakes her head hard, shooing the memory away and squaring her shoulders. She was going to studying and eat pizza, it didn’t mean anything.

“Girl that mini skirt definitely means something.” Edouard’s voice teases in her head.

“Shut up,” Annette mumbles both to herself and the imaginary Edouard.

She turns, yanking open the bathroom door and stepping out into the chilly air of her dorm.

Richter stands in the doorway leading out into the hall. He’s leaning against the frame, looking down to text and whistling an off key tune.

“You ready?” Annette asks softly, throwing her towel onto her bed and pulling the only pair of flats she’s owns out of the shoe rack she keeps hooked on the end of her bed frame.

Richter turns, a smile on his face. “Great, I was just telling Adrian—oh! Oh….wow..”

The smile slips away, a look of awe spreading across Richter’s face as he watches Annette step into her shoes. His blue eyes widen as his gaze travels up her legs, to the mini skirt and then her halter top and finally rest on her face.

“What?” She asks self consciously. “Is my outfit too much? Adrian said that on Friday nights most people come a little dressed up. Did I over do—“

“No!” Richter practically yells, making them both jump.

He clears his throat, “Sorry, didn’t mean to yell.” He offers her a smile. “No you look great, I—I love your skirt.”

Annette smiles shyly. “Thank you, Edouard picked it out.”

Richter chuckles, “he has good taste, it looks perfect on you.”

They smile at each other for a second, then Richter’s phone buzzes in his hand and the moment between them breaks.

Annette puts her coat on, zipping it all the way closed and wondering how strange she must look with her legs bare but her winter coat bundled.

“You ready?” Richter asks. “Adrian says our table just opened up and he’s going to save it for us, but we gotta hurry.”

Annette nods, motioning for him to lead the way. “Just let me lock the door.”

She grabs her phone, wallet, chapstick and keys, following Richter out of the dorm and to the elevator. They bid goodbye to Greta, who waves to them without looking up from her book. And soon Annette is back in the passenger seat of Richter’s truck.

Your seat. Edouard’s voice reminds her.

The conversation flows easily between her and Richter, she really likes that he always seems ready to discuss anything she wants. But her eyes, which usually find the most interesting things outside of the car window, keep falling down to the console between them.

Richter’s forearm rests casually on the black leather, his limb so long that his hand dangles over the edge; his fingers naturally dipping down on her side, close to her bare knee.

Annette chews on her freshly moisturized lips, eating away the chapstick she just put on as she debates with the idea that just popped into her head.

If Richter wanted to touch her, he would right? That’s why he hasn’t yet because he’s not interested in her. He and Adrian very clearly have something going on between them. But Annette knows Edouard isn’t completely delusional. Both Richter and Adrian do treat her differently than they treat everyone else. They’re mindful of her and her thoughts and her emotions. Richter usually starts every day by asking her how she feels. Adrian, so far, is always ready to lend an open ear to her problems; even the incredibly stupid ones.

There was something there, even if she couldn’t figure out what yet. And deep down, Annette wanted to find out. She wanted to put herself between these two men and make sure that she wasn’t reading too much into things.

She could start right now….

Annette gathers her nerves, shoving them out of her body as she clears her throat, shifts in her seat and pushes her knee into Richter’s fingers.

He sucks in a sharp breath, freezing for a moment and Annette waits; her gaze firmly on the world passing them by. The pause only lasts a moment, it’s not even a full minute before Richter’s fingers brush against her skin. Testing to see her reaction.

Annette sighs softly, pushing up onto the toes of that leg so that there’s even more skin for him to touch. Richter takes the offer, his fingers stroking long lines from her knee cap to the middle of her thigh.

“Is this okay?” He asks lowly, his voice rough.

“Yeah,” Annette nods, “It’s good.”

She tries not to think about the way Richter smiles the entire rest of the way to Adrian’s.

To Be Continued……

[beevean]

Soleil: I'm so sorry. It's all my fault 😭

Christopher: Don't blame yourself, my son. We'll just never speak of this again and pretend this never happened 🙂

Soleil: 😰

I'm musing about how was Soleil treated afterwards. Was he still the heir to the Vampire Killer, he just was not allowed to ever speak of his experience or trauma. Or if Soleil was passed over as a heir. Wouldn't want to re-traumatize him 🙂. And that's assuming Soleil himself wasn't so traumatized he rejected the role of vampire hunter. And if we go with EoC version then you have Soleil been possessed since birth. Christopher would never blame Soleil, buuuuuut he don't know what long-term effects Dracula had on Soleil for possessing him for so long.

Soleil is such a tragedy. Poor kid.

I know it's not a real Castlevania game, but I'm still not over how Vampire Survivors put Soleil in the "enemies" category, and doesn't grant him the privilege of accessing to the Morning Star. They say that he fight well with (and against) his father, but did he ever have the chance?

The games never mention the Belmonts having any siblings, but it's highly unlikely they all produced one boy per generation. It's not farfetched to assume that Soleil could have had a sibling, and the VK was passed onto them - you never know if the boy was corrupted by having his soul touched by Dracula. Soleil would be then quietly erased from the records :) or, perhaps, he erased himself in adulthood, ashamed of what happened to him.

The horrible thing is that. With Richter, one could say that his corruption started from his personal flaw, that of tying himself too tightly to his own legacy, and having an existential crisis after killing Dracula because he didn't know what to do with himself. Soleil? Did nothing wrong except being born in the Belmont family. He was only 16. He didn't have the chance to do anything with his heritage before falling into Dracula's clutches.

Don't forget that Christopher may never blame his boy, but he sure would blame himself, for not finishing the job when he could have :) everytime Soleil has nightmares, or considers himself worthless, he would think that it's his fault that his son had to be punished for his carelessness.

anyway i have feelings for this 1991 gameboy game that maybe five people played

[misscalming]

I’m super into film history and was curious the sort of films/scenes the French Revolution has inspired. Here’s some of the most unhinged………

Carry on don’t lose your head (1967) -During the French Revolution English nobles, Sir Rodney and Lord Darcy aid French aristocracy against Robespierre. Disguised as “Black Fingernail” , Sir Rodney battles Camembert (ooh nice cheese that) and Bidet (HA!) , French secret police leaders

Marat/Sade (1967) -In an insane asylum, Marquis de Sade directs Jean-Paul Marat’s last days through a theatre play. The actors are the patients. (Sade was a real person who wrote about BDSM a lot there’s more than one movie about him 😭)

Mr Peabody and Sherman (2014) - self explanatory-

Castlevania: Nocturne (2023-) - During the French Revolution, vampire hunter prodigy Richter Belmont fights to uphold his family’s legacy and prevent the rise of a ruthless, power hungry vampire

Every Scarlet Pimpernel film - Britt’s with a saviour complex what’s new

The multiple Adam and Eve see the future movies

La Révolution (2020) - In a reimagined history of the French Revolution, the guillotine’s future inventor uncovers a disease that drives the aristocracy to murder commoners (this actually seems to be a well liked series surprisingly)

Danton (1983) - had to add this movie, dick riding Danton this much is wild.

Reign of Terror (1949) - Robespierre, a powerful figure in the French Revolution, is desperately looking for his black book, a death list of those marked for the guillotine ( Death Note French Revolution AU ig)

Assassins Creed: Unity (2014) - Paris, 1789. You play as Arno Victor-Dorian, an assassin during the French Revolution. As the nation tears itself apart. Arno will expose the true powers behind the revolution

Start the revolution without me (1970) - Two mismatched sets of identical twins, one aristocrat, one peasant, mistakenly exchange identities on the eve of the French Revolution

A tale of two cities (multiple movies inspired by the Charles Dickens book) - Alcoholic lawyer, Sydney Carlton travels to Paris during the reign of terror to rescues French aristocrat, Charles Darnay, husband of the woman he loves (imagine being that down bad)

Danton (1931) - (what do ppl see in him that I don’t-) At the height of the French Revolution, the fanatic Robespierre brings the popular but more moderate leader, Danton , to trial and demands his execution (me when I lie)

The King without a crown (1937) - Explored the possibility that Louis XVII, son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, escaped death during the French Revolution and was raised by *native Americans* (historical rpf has never been worse!)

Blackadder (1787) - Blackadder seeks to prove he’s just as capable of rescuing people from France as the Scarlet Pimpernel (this series is so fucking funny)

All the Doctor Who episodes that relate to the French Revolution!

An episode of the Friday the 13th series that has a painting act as a portal back to the “time of Marquis de Sade” (I needa research this man he’s mentioned more than Robespierre)

[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

[unreadpoppy]

Castlevania Nocturne Season 2 Overall Thoughts (spoilers ahead)

Okay now that I finished everything, time to put what I thought into coherent sentences.

I left season one of Nocturne feeling very whelmed by it and I am glad that season 2 is a lot better. The final 3 episodes, in particular, were my favorite as they had a very good balance of emotional scenes and action heavy scenes. I will, I still don't think Nocturne is as good as the original series, but its a step forwards and it left me excited to see what the future holds for Castlevania.

The art style is still not one I particularly enjoy but there's nothing to be done about that. The fight scenes, however, were amazing and its very fun how every character has a distinct fighting style.

Story wise, I still think this season suffered from the main issue of season one (too many plot points going on at the same time, leaving a very unfocused main story) but its way more focused. There were still a lot of flashbacks, but at the very least, they helped in explaining some of the character motivations. Also, I am glad that they wrapped up the main story, because as the future of castlevania hangs in the balance, I'd rather that things have an ending than have a cliffhanger.

Speaking of characters, let's go through them. Unpopular opinion but I really do not care for Drolta. Learning her motivations and that she was ultimatly the one pulling the strings all along was interesting but I really still think she's a bit...dull for me. I don't know, I think its because we spend so little time with her, it's difficult for me to care about her and not be like 'yay alucard beat her ass'. Her final scene, though, was very emotional. Erszbet is a terrible villain and I'm glad she got killed off.

Annette and Olrox continue to be the best characters of this show. Annette's arc of seeing the spirits and then going to help Sekhmet was really good and I love her and her romance with Richter. She's strong, she's reasonable, she has an amazing backstory and I loved every scene she was in.

Olrox is so complex. He's been around for a LONG time, and he's the sort of guy where his alliagences lie with himself only. His relationship with Mizrak is so toxic, but I do like that they showed that Olrox really cares for him (Because part of me wondered, in season one, if this was temporary for him or not and nope, Olrox really does love him, even if its bad). Also, props to him for being the other most reasonable person and burning that fucking book.

Maria and Juste's arc where each of them come into their own magic was really sweet. The beggining scene of episode six that shows Maria, Tera and Richter years ago was very touching, and I like that she killed her father (thank god, cause I really did not care for that dude). Its funny that two characters who are so apart in age have similar arcs, and I think their pseudo-surrogate father daughter relationship, while not having a lot of time under the sun, was sweet.

Richter really came into his own this season. Loved seeing him using both his magic and the whip (sniff, sypha and trevor would be proud) and like... I should go into this in its own post but its interesting to see how different he and trevor are when it comes to the Belmont legacy. Also, his love for Annette is beautiful and his fighting scenes were some of the best.

Finally, I have to talk about him, the man of the hour, my love, ALUCARD. I'm so glad he's back. Somehow, his presence here is even more depressing and I think its because when we meet him in the OG series, he's like what, 20 something? Now, we meet an Alucard who's been alive for 300+ years, who has seen people he love die and die again. He's a very different man but he still retains a lot of his personality, especially when dealing with Richter (loved their kinda like "old man" dynamic). Also, I am SO interested in learning more about what Alucard did between the ending of the first show and his appearance in this one (the 'countless times', him and Olrox having history, the fact that he has kept close to the Belmont family). Also, him playing the same moves as Dracula did made me SCREAM. (though, i'm still NOT a huge fan of his design here but you get used to it).

Overall, I think this season is a whole lot better than the first, it closes enough chapters that it can work as a satisfying conclusion while leaving this open for the future. It left me excited for whats to come and with a taste of wanting more. I'll give it a 6.5/10.

[bodoramzapgames]

Anna is worn out from their family day

[zeizeizeizei]

Unpopular Juste Belmont Headcanons ⚔️

⚔️ He sometimes thinks his bloodline was a mistake

Unlike most Belmonts, who take pride in their lineage, Juste has moments of doubt where he wonders if the Belmonts should have never existed. He has seen the curse of their blood firsthand, and part of him believes they are doomed to repeat their suffering over and over.

⚔️ He speaks more languages than he lets on

French, Latin, German, even some ancient dialects—Juste’s knowledge of magic and history means he can read texts that most scholars wouldn’t even recognize. However, he rarely shows this off unless absolutely necessary.

⚔️ He doesn’t actually believe in the gods anymore

Juste goes through the motions of faith, but he has lost any real belief in divine justice. The things he has seen, the horrors he has endured—if gods truly existed, they have done nothing for him.

⚔️ He used to be just as reckless as Richter

Before he became cold and distant, Juste was once a passionate fighter just like his grandson. It was his failures and losses that turned him into the hardened, bitter man he is today. Seeing Richter act with the same boldness he once had is both nostalgic and painful.

⚔️Juste sees too much of himself in Richter.

And that terrifies him.

Richter is reckless, passionate, and full of fire—just like Juste once was. And Juste knows exactly where that road leads.

⚔️ He still dreams of the past

No matter how much time passes, his mind is still trapped in his youth. He dreams of the people he has lost, the battles he fought, and the things he regrets most. Some nights, he wakes up expecting to still be the man he was decades ago.

⚔️ He avoids looking in mirrors

It’s not that he fears them—it’s that he doesn’t recognize the man looking back. His reflection is just another reminder of how much time has passed, how much he has lost.

⚔️ He has seen horrors that even Richter couldn’t imagine

Whatever Juste refuses to talk about isn’t just a personal failure—it’s something darker. He has witnessed things that go beyond simple vampire hunts. There are things he knows that he will take to his grave.

⚔️ He despises the idea of dying a normal death

The thought of growing old and dying in obscurity terrifies him. Belmonts are supposed to die in battle, to go out fighting. He doesn’t know what terrifies him more—dying as a forgotten relic of the past or living long enough to become irrelevant.

⚔️ His hands used to be steady, but they aren’t anymore

Whether from age, trauma, or something deeper, Juste’s hands aren’t as steady as they once were. It’s not noticeable in combat, but in quiet moments, when he’s alone, he sees it. And it terrifies him.

⚔️ He has an old locket that he never opens

Tucked away in his belongings is a silver locket—its contents unknown to anyone but himself. Whether it holds a portrait of someone he loved, a family heirloom, a relic of his past, he refuses to open it. Yet he keeps it

⚔️ He prefers cold weather

Unlike many warriors, Juste dislikes heat. He finds cool, crisp air refreshing and feels more at ease in the cold.

⚔️ He never liked the Belmont estate

Despite being the heir to a great legacy, Juste always felt uneasy in the Belmont estate. The weight of generations of warriors before him suffocated him. Even as a child, he used to feel like the walls were watching him.

⚔️ Despite everything, Juste is still proud of Richter.

He will never say it out loud, but he watches, and he sees.

There is a small, buried part of him that hopes Richter will succeed where he failed.

⚔️ He still wakes up reaching for his old sword.

The sword is gone. The past is gone. But his hands still reach for a weapon that is no longer there.

⚔️ He secretly loves teaching, even if he acts indifferent.

Training Richter and Julia (in the past) may have been frustrating, but passing down knowledge gives him purpose.

Even when he claims “they never listen”, he takes quiet satisfaction in seeing them improve.

⚔️ One day, he might let himself rest.

Not today.

Not yet.

But one day, he might finally allow himself to believe that he has done enough.

Source: my 🍑 + my very VERY old gaming console experiences

Also let me-

Look at HIM!!!

*Goes off to play Harmony of Dissonance*

[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.”

[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.

[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."