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fantastic-nonsense · 2 years ago

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Hey a friend of mine linked me these two twitter posts (actually looking at them again one of these might actually be you!) and I was actually really surprised to see this information. I really enjoy reading your comic opinions and so I was wondering if you had more detailed thoughts that you wanted to write out, or a rant to go on :D. Especially seeing as your such a big fan of the Batfam. https://twitter.com/wordsandsense/status/1576264169736675333 https://twitter.com/RobynZComics/status/1576331557169954816

lmao yes, the first one is me. This is a funny coincidence, but comic twitter is a fairly small place (all things considered) so it was bound to happen eventually. Anyway yes, welcome to my rant on the state of DC Comics' publishing slate and why their entire management and creative decision-making structure sucks right now.

The long and short of it is that DC's current publication slate is incredibly depressing to look at and think about. There are only 16 main DCU ongoings and all but 4 of them (Action Comics, Son of Kal-El, Flash, and Wonder Woman) star either Bat or Gotham-based characters (the sole exception, Deathstroke Inc., is ending next month and is still technically Bat-adjacent due to Shadow War). While the various limited series are more varied, they're still incredibly Bat-heavy: 9 are explicitly Bat books and an additional 4 are "whole DCU titles" that nonetheless still primarily star Bat characters. Mind you, DC is only publishing 54 total titles total right now across their ongoings, limited series, and Black Label imprint label, meaning that a full half of all DC books being published right now are Gotham-based books.

Meanwhile, what's not being published? In terms of ongoings, there's no Green Lantern, Arrowfam, Aquafam, or Marvelfam books at all. No magic user books. No Suicide Squad or New Gods books. No Titans book. No JUSTICE LEAGUE books. Only two Superfam books, one Wonder book, and one Flash book. And even when you look at the limited series DC is publishing, you're left with a rather paltry offering of character, team, and family diversity. It's an absolute mess.

The fact that we've known Lian Harper was alive since 2019 and Roy since 2020 and they still have not reunited is absurd. The fact that we're only getting a Conner Kent mini because he won the Round Robin poll and there's not a Supergirl ongoing after Woman of Tomorrow was a critical and commercial hit is nonsense. The fact that nearly every teen hero who isn't a) Jon Kent, b) a Bat or b) the YJ Core Four is basically absent from the comics right now is ridiculous. The fact that the only space-centric book we have is Action Comics' Warworld Saga is absolutely bizarre. The Milestone characters only having one current miniseries (Blood Syndicate) and one planned mini (Static) after DC trumpeted their triumphant return earlier last year is obscene. And the fact that the entire magic side of the DCU is being repped solely by a 4-issue Mary Marvel mini and the Batman vs. Robin mini starring a possessed Damian is just insulting.

Yes, I'm a huge Batfam fan. But I love a lot of DC's characters; I read DC over Marvel primarily because I'm drawn to the richness of DC's worldbuilding and the incredible backbench of characters in their universe. There's not a main Justice League ongoing right now because of Dark Crisis, and that's a purposeful creative decision, but the fact that it wasn't replaced by a Titans ongoing (at minimum) and there aren't any JL-affiliated ongoings PERIOD is just insane considering the number of adult and young adult heroes in the DCU.

When the Core League has previously disappeared/died/become unavailable for some reason, other characters and groups stepped up. We have the JLI. There's Justice League Europe. The JSA exists. The Titans exist. Even if the characters in-universe didn't want to form a new Justice League after the 'deaths' of the Core 7, there are other groups willing and ready to step up and take their place. The fact that DC execs have refused to utilize and capitalize on that is, frankly, a dereliction of duty. The Titans were supposed to be front and center during this event; instead, all DC's done is blow up the Tower (again) and relegate all of the characters to appearing only in the Dark Crisis books...none of which seem to be affecting the larger DCU apart from the events happening in the Flash book.

The current state of events also really obscures the fact that the countless Bat books doesn't necessarily mean "all Bat fans are eating like kings" even as it makes it incredibly hard to complain about the little content we are getting for the rest of them (because at least we're getting content, right?). BRUCE WAYNE fans (and to a certain extent Dick Grayson fans) are eating like kings. The rest of us, especially if we're fans of female Bats? It's like leading us to an ocean and telling us to drink. So much water but none of it was made for us to drink 😭

And before I get a "but Batman is what sells, so obviously that's what DC is going to make" from someone, stop. Batman books sell well because DC has invested the time, effort, money, marketing power, and creative capacity into growing that brand for multiple decades. They have hired well-regarded writers to pump out story after story, marketed those stories properly, and created non-comics media that raised the profiles (and thus marketability) of those characters. These are things which they have refused to do for basically every other character except Superman..but they COULD do it, if they were so inclined.

In the current comics distribution model, all of the core DC families and their two big teams (the Justice League and the Titans/Teen Titans) should always have at least one ongoing. I consider that a basic requirement of an even moderately successful comic book company. DC creating a situation where nearly all of their ongoings and a full half of their entire slate is Bat books indicates that they have failed to understand the need to spread their eggs out over multiple baskets. If they don't diversify their publishing and development slate, they're far more likely to tank if something happens to their cash cow. Which it will, inevitably, because of creative boom and bust cycles. DC's creative execs need to be ready when the Bat bust happens and so far...it looks like they're not.

#I have a semi-connected but separate rant about what DC is functionally doing wrong and what they actually need to be doing instead #but that's a different topic for another time #dc comics #dc fanwank #long post #asks #comics #batman #justice league #superman

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illegiblewords · 2 years ago

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ARCHON THESIS: LAHABREA | PART V

During Shadowbringers, I decided to assemble the analysis I’d collected on Lahabrea in one readily accessible place. An archon thesis as it were.

I’ve since realized it’s not so easy to track updates though, so from this point on I’m going to make additions separate posts with links attached.

An insane amount of lore was dropped during 6.2. I've got reason to think it’s only the beginning. Originally I was going to put all of my new analysis in one place, but tumblr has repeatedly deleted my progress and wrecked formatting because the post got too large/complicated. Unfortunately I need to break this into multiple parts as best I can.

Content Warning for series, includes discussions of mental illness, self-harm, suicide, abuse, sexual assault, coercion/enslavement, and similarly dark narrative themes.

For accessibility purposes, the analysis so far: Part I Part II Part III Part IV

I’m going to start by reviewing points from previous sections to see what lines up with what is known atm with slight teasers for subjects I plan to cover.

PART I

Theme of Lahabrea suffering in plain sight and being overlooked or misunderstood remains consistent. Added consistency: misunderstanding makes him a subject of disdain, resentment, and similar insults.

Lahabrea lying either directly or by omission to avoid burdening those around him with his personal issues remains consistent.

Lahabrea being sincerely invested in the safety of the star confirmed. He is not a secret sadist doing evil for evil’s sake, just emotionally constipated and possibly also hysterical.

Reiteration that Lahabrea has been self-harming on a spiritual level for a very, very long time. Expanded by 6.2 to reveal he’s been doing this since before the Final Days with at least some being trauma and mental health related--if not the entirety.

Elidibus, as Themis, confirmed at one point did explicitly know Lahabrea is prone to self-harm--especially if he’s afraid of burdening or harming others with himself. He also knew that Lahabrea lies either directly or by omission as part of this pattern of behavior. Unfortunately, in the present timeline Elidibus has forgotten such a huge amount of information that it is very likely he won’t remember this. Note: Emet-Selch has also been aware of the damage Lahabrea inflicted on his own soul, but still refers to him as Unsundered. I have seen speculation on whether Lahabrea has either been self-sundering or may have had half of his soul sundered while the other half remained in-tact. He would no longer be Unsundered if that was the case.

Confirmed Elidibus and Lahabrea were on sincerely positive terms in the past. Additionally, the nature of Lahabrea’s bond with Igeyorhm has been expanded upon and given more detail. Worth noting that while Lahabrea was a celebrated orator and the Convocation’s Speaker, the one who held the seat as master of rhetoric was Igeyorhm. Additionally worth noting that when Lahabrea was struggling in the aftermath of Athena Igeyorhm was one of two Convocation members who were there to lend support.

Confirmed Lahabrea ABSOLUTELY has trauma related to horrifying mouths, consuming, and screaming juxtaposed with his role as Speaker and a renowned orator. Worth noting here that depictions of demons in Western occultism frequently feature mouths in anatomically incorrect places. This has been expanded further to make clear Lahabrea also has trauma and complexes surrounding eyes, and specifically eyes where they shouldn’t be. Worth noting that many Christian depictions of god use the symbol of an eye observing the world. Examples below from Livre de la Vigne nostre Seigneur (1450–1470), art from Mount Tabor church in Israel, and Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Lviv, Ukraine.

Confirmed that Lahabrea ABSOLUTELY has issues with worms/serpents as tied to sin and corruption concepts on a personal level, emphasized in Hegemone and Hephaistos fights in particular.

Lahabrea being directly responsible for the First Beast currently unconfirmed, but remains plausible.

“He wasn’t always an obsessive workaholic but became one at some point under stress tied to the Doom and/or Sundering.“ Disproved, Lahabrea has always had workaholic tendencies but evidence suggests he was making an effort to reach out more both with Erichthonios and Elidibus at some point before the Final Days.

Confirmed that Lahabrea has a history of being trusted and sincerely cared for by those working for him. He is a good boss.

Lahabrea as the one responsible for Zodiark’s concept not explicitly confirmed, but very strongly implied by the types of experiments conducted by Athena that he gained knowledge of. Knowledge of these experiments was sealed inside Hephaistos. We can reasonably infer that before the Final Days and the Silent Hill apocalypse it brought (summoning all of the repressed fear, anger, hatred, despair and turning them into involuntary creations that terrorized the populace), Lahabrea likely reunified with Hephaistos to access this knowledge. This could not have gone well for him under the circumstances and is part of why it is likely the First Beast belonged to him.

Confirmed that, if sacrificing himself in any capacity won’t solve the problem, Lahabrea is prepared to make the call and sacrifice others to protect life on Etheirys to a greater degree. This is not easy or painless, but precedent exists with the keywards.

Disproved that Lahabrea was saved from the Sundering because he was behind Zodiark’s concept. Yoshi-P said in an interview since that Emet-Selch and Elidibus escaping into the rift together was by design, but Lahabrea being included was because he happened to be in convenient proximity.

Pattern of extreme self-hatred explicitly confirmed as part of Lahabrea’s psychology through the way Hephaistos addresses him. Lack of boundaries in self-sacrifice/a tendency to put himself last also explicitly confirmed as part of his psychology to the point of being called out on it by Agdistis. He hasn’t been okay for a long time. It is unconfirmed currently that he’s wanted to die for a long time but unable to self-terminate due to tempering and a need to serve his people in every way he possibly can--but remains plausible. Lack of personal self-worth confirmed in how he weighs his continued presence/survival against the false memory of Athena for Erichthonios, to be expanded on later. Confirmed he is overwhelmed by guilt and regret, expanded to precede the Final Days and made explicit in that he was so overwhelmed he literally split his soul to escape the experience.

Theory regarding Lahabrea’s survivor’s guilt and feelings about being the man who sacrificed his entire world but not himself implied as extremely likely due to parallels set up in MSQ sidequest Shadowed Pasts.

Unconfirmed that Lahabrea talked in circles at Toto-Rak purely because he was exhausted, further speculation available now that it may have been because he has trauma caused by soul-bonding and the Echo risks a stranger getting insight to his soul and memories without consent. He was probably still tired and loopy as hell, but that might be why he switched languages and spoke poorly of the Echo.

Added reason given for why Lahabrea would seek to possess souls similar to himself. We see both via the MSQ in how voidsent consume each other, what Lahabrea fears about soul-bonding, and Thancred’s dialogue/behavioral overlap with Lahabrea that identity can become blurred at a certain spiritual proximity. Lahabrea has possessed a lot of people and likely gotten extremely disoriented over twelve thousand years. If he doesn’t possess people similar to himself, he would completely lose himself.

Lahabrea as The Dreamer unconfirmed and currently unlikely imo, it was probably Anima/Varis. I’m still very suspicious about the designs of blasphemies (Svarbhanu especially) given Lahabrea’s psychological issues and iconography though.

Lahabrea’s character design historically is not the same as the design for Thaliak in the present. We don’t know what Lahabrea looks like in the present. Further information pending, but I continue to suspect there is a link between Lahabrea and Thaliak that will be revealed in future content due to surrounding lore.

PART II

Symbolism attached to fire, ice, and lightning in Ul’dahn funerary rites has been neither confirmed nor denied with relation to Lahabrea at present.

Again, the worm/serpent has been explicitly confirmed for Lahabrea in both the Hegemone and Hephaistos fights, being placed in connecton to Genesis. As in, Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil + Serpent + Temptation + Sin.

“The Phoenix: Rebirth, renewal, bonds between people, mourning, commitment, self-destruction.” I mentioned this before, it still holds and the rebirth foreshadowing only continues to grow with both normal phoenix mechanics for Hephaistos and Hephaistos’ giggling reaction during the second stage of the savage fight. Latter linked here.

“Sound: Music versus cacophony, creation versus destruction, an expression of the collective.” Unfortunately we don’t have official lyrics to Scream yet so I’m not comfortable doing a full analysis. From what we can decipher though this is mostly holding except for the purely collective element. We go from Silent Scream without lyrics to Scream with them and the spirit is consistent for both.

“I would argue that Lahabrea has the strongest link to the Worm, Emet-Selch has the strongest link to the Phoenix, and Elidibus has the strongest link to Sound.” While in the past I did say none of the symbols are exclusive to a single character, as things are playing out currently Lahabrea’s ties to all three are at the forefront and I’m inclined to disagree with my past self. This isn’t to say Emet-Selch and Elidibus don’t have their own symbols or any symbolic overlap, but I do think these are primarily Lahabrea’s.

Ramuh still knows things and the lyrics to Thunder Rolls are still incredibly sus. At least partially confirmed for foreshadowing the return of unsundered souls within Zodiark to the star. If Lahabrea himself is freed from both tempering and Athena’s power over him it will be fully confirmed.

I discussed why Ancient Etheirys couldn’t be a secret dystopia and did need to be authentically good. While I still stand by that, I currently don’t think it’s as close to a utopia either. I went over it in part IV, but my current opinion is that the Ancients sacrificed some pretty important things to avoid conflict (self-care, individualism, freedom, etc.) and this led to mental health issues for many combined with vulnerability. Emet-Selch wasn’t exactly wrong in how he described Amaurot, but he was extremely naïve and his tempering/lack of self-awareness is even more apparent.

Plot twist, the Calamitous seed referenced by Ramuh really wasn’t born of sundered mortals! At least, not entirely. The question remains relevant though and I don’t think has a single answer. Athena was certainly a big part (as were Hermes/Meteion) and literally says she planted a seed of herself within Lahabrea--creating a thematic link. However, a lot of the elements observed in thesis part IV point to there being a major unaddressed problem in Ancient culture regarding power discrepancy. 6.2 highlights it further.

Lahabrea defeating the worm/First Beast himself currently unconfirmed but I am watching.

Links between Archaeotania, the First Beast, worms/serpents, dragons, Shinryu, and Svarbhanu not currently confirmed or disproved. Still worth noting the greatwyrm Tiamat is actively pissed at the Ascians and likely would be at Lahabrea specifically given his track record. Also worth noting that we haven’t seen the draconic chorus from Footfalls (’Our slumber disturbed/All my brothers wake/Death comes/Our slumber disturbed/Vengeance will be ours’) has yet to be addressed in Endwalker. Specifically, the focus on vengeance. Very much still plausible.

HILARIOUSLY, WE DO HAVE A TRUE DEVOURING MOTHER/MOTHER OF MONSTERS EXCEPT IT IS NOT TIAMAT BUT ATHENA. Unexpectedly confirmed theme, different character than anticipated but fucking delighted by the surprise.

Uncertain what Emet-Selch’s final status will be. There definitely are phoenix themes/imagery for him shown prominently across his design and with Suzaku, but the connection emphasized hardest as of 6.2 is Lahabrea’s. Despite bets I made in the past and continued suspicion regarding the Solus clones--I think Hades is at minimum going to remain absent for a while. If he does return outside the Lifestream in the future, my suspicion is it will be via reincarnation. This one is a big ??? for me.

I’m reasonably sure Elidibus is coming back so far as phoenix themes go, but I don’t think it will happen before Lahabrea.

Links between Lahabrea and Elidibus with the first and second beasts of the apocalypse from Revelations (and Paimon) still plausible, with an added psychological nuke for Lahabrea given Themis’ involvement and support in Pandaemonium.

Links between each of the Unsundered and the Four Lords continue to track. I have a lot of questions about Emet-Selch/Suzaku and Genbu vs Soroban in terms of future direction. Byakko still fits Lahabrea very well in terms of isolation and doubting whether he is beast or man. This is particularly true given what has been implied of Lahabrea’s psychology relative to Ancient treatment of the aetherically gifted. The isolation is also consistent with what has been reiterated through Barbariccia’s story in Shadowed Pasts--enough for me to emphasize that element. The lyrics to Amatsu Kaze still track.

Anyone who may have assumed I fucking yelled about Agdistis with her tree imagery given Sephirot’s ties to Lahabrea, with added emphasis placed on her in the context of Jewish tradition standing as the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil to Sephirot’s Tree of Life? With a bonus that SEPHIROT is the Unreal trial introduced in 6.2? Yeah, I’ve been fucking yelling lol. Consider everything surrounding Sephirot analysis extremely confirmed, underlined, bolded, neon signed. I am still losing my shit. I legitimately can’t articulate how excited I am about this.

I will say that I’m having a very, very serious pause because 6.2 Lahabrea has some seriously Freudian psychology at work in terms of Id, Ego, and Superego. Rereading what I wrote for Zurvan and Sophia bearing in mind what was revealed in 6.2 (ex. Zurvan with an inappropriately placed mouth being above good and evil creating twins could parallel original Lahabrea splitting, Sophia is about familial murder/suicide in answer to following abuse and loss)--I do think there’s room for a reading where all three of the Warring Triad represent aspects of Lahabrea. I’m even wondering if Sophia herself could be Athena while Lahabrea is the daughter--including in terms of design where Sophia literally stands on the daughter’s head. Particularly relevant given mythological Athena burst from Zeus’s head and Athena planted a seed of herself within Lahabrea psychologically. I don’t think this read is necessarily exclusive with each primal being aligned with one of the Unsundered, but worth some reflection.

Fiend analysis confirmed but also gets more extreme with the understanding that Lahabrea had been repressed and suffering even before the Final Days.

PART III

Lahabrea is the constellation Pisces, and interesting addition in that being symbolized by two fish given the whole thing with Hephaistos. We still need to wait and see if more fish imagery emerges though. The fire theme is strong with this one.

I have a lot of questions about Mateus as a voidsent wielding Lahabrea’s sigil. Did Lahabrea just possess someone so hard that they identified more with him than themself?

Fish lore and Thaliak theory remain sus as hell. For the record, given what we learned with Aglaia--I currently don’t think Thaliak is literally Lahabrea, but I do still think Thaliak signifies Lahabrea in some capacity.

Basically lots of questions no answers we need more fishy encounters.

PART IV

Confirmed, Lahabrea’s true name is Hephaistos!

All but explicitly confirmed that Erichthonios is not our Lahabrea. Erichthonios’ father, Hephaistos, is. This is underlined by the fact that Hephaistos completely fits the psychological profile and behavioral patterns of our Lahabrea while Erichthonios very much doesn’t. A big focus of 6.2 involved looking at Lahabrea as a fallible person with his own vulnerabilities despite both his reputation and Erichthonios’ assumptions. Parents are people.

Screwed up treatment of people with strong aetheric power in Ancient society all but explicitly confirmed. Lahabrea appears to deeply distrust himself to handle his own emotions or have personal desires/needs that aren’t somehow a detriment to others. While there may or may not have been an aetheric component to his choice to cut out part of his own soul--dialogue from Athena suggests a significant component was her preying on his existing insecurities and fears. The Barbariccia section of Shadowed Pasts only makes cultural implications more likely through parallels. Also confirmed that Lahabrea was under unbelievable pressure and scrutiny in his position, both regarding his seat and as an extremely aetherically powerful figure.

“Lahabrea in all likelihood is trying to shield his son from the burdens and scrutiny he has to deal with–keeping him from opportunities and responsibilities because his own are so overwhelming. Erichthonios takes this as being unworthy of trust and seen as incapable.” DISPROVED, Lahabrea is actually better adjusted than this! He wants Erichthonios to find his own path outside of the shadow of his parents, Athena’s pushing him into Pandaemonium was inappropriate as well as dangerous, and frankly imo Erichthonios shows a lot of behavioral tendencies that suggest it’s not a good match for him in terms of personality either.

Possibility that Zenos’ voidsent was Lahabrea disproved, she is Zero.

Lahabrea’s relation to blasphemy designs and whether or not he is The Dreamer remains uncertain. I’m currently doubtful but it isn’t off the table.

CONFIRMED the two center figures on 6.2′s poster are both Lahabrea! Also confirmed he split his soul and can occupy multiple places at once! Unconfirmed whether or not there is similarity to how dragons do this--we need more information on that front.

Disproved that Athena is of darker complexion than Lahabrea in terms of design. This was minor, but SE did go with the realistic route that sometimes genetics be like that with Erichthonios being darker than both of his parents.

Interestingly, while there is room to take the Agdistis fight in the spirit of the Norse poem Hávamál with Odin hanging himself from the World Tree--Norse influence was not particularly emphasized in the patch itself. There is room just in general allusion to draw parallels with Odin and Loki a bit, particularly since Lahabrea chose to imprison his Jungian Shadow/Freudian Id in Hephaistos (I’ll get into this more later) and there is a motif of having made a sacrifice for knowledge. It’s not as close a read as the influence from Judaism, but it’s another layer.

Disproved, the eyes do not signify those Lahabrea possessed. Eyes are a significant motif but I suspect are actually symbolic of Athena herself. I will return to this.

Disproved, in 6.2 at least the serpent is not Elidibus. It’s closer to the Edenic connotation and has ties to Athena, knowledge, Lahabrea, etc.

Lahabrea did show up as an avian familiar under some suspicious circumstances early on in Abyssos to be mean to Erichthonios, but it was one of the cooked mini-phoinixes rather than the shoebill. Shoebill remains suspicious as all fuck but nothing confirmed yet.

Uncomfirmed whether Lahabrea at any point did or will fuse with the phoenix. We have reason to be incredibly suspicious though.

Confirmed Lahabrea’s sigil is halved because he split his own soul. Not sundered, but split.

Disproved, tentacles so far don’t seem to indicate the Kraken. Hephaistos was making a fashion statement (???) but I do have questions and want to know what was going on there. Tentacles are fun horror imagery don’t get me wrong lol, but why.

Disproved, the bottom figure is not present timeline Lahabrea. He isn’t wearing his mask of office because he resents himself and the responsibility/sacrifice it represents.

Confirmed, Lahabrea wears a collared shirt just because he is modest.

Unconfirmed that Elidibus/Themis’ soul was also split with half resting in the Heart of Sabik--but I still find this extremely plausible.

We gotta see if Ascian!Lahabrea returns for 6.3. I’m even more suspicious this is going to happen to be frank. 6.4 could happen maybe, but I’d be a bit surprised. If it doesn’t happen in the remaining Endwalker patches it’s still not impossible but I’d be side-eyeing SE from a narrative structural standpoint.

Another element worth going over for this segment is my current understanding of primals, tempering, and how they operate. This will be relevant for analysis later on and my ideas on the front have become more defined over time, so it seems important to cover here.

My read is that primals are entities formed by humanity’s (as in, the Spoken races--this included beast tribes and is largely a marker of sentience/sapience) collective unconscious. As in, the Jungian collective unconscious--common experiences, instincts, archetypes, and symbols shared across history and evolution. These transcend culture and will frequently manifest in similar ways across cultures even when little contact exists between them. I think primals operate this way for a number of reasons--one being that we are told outright in the main scenario quest What Little Gods Are Made Of.

MINFILIA: Primals behave somewhat differently. In order to manifest and then maintain a physical presence in this realm, they must consume vast quantities of aether, most often in the form of crystals. Though they may seem to live, their flesh is but aether given shape. Thus a defeated primal leaves behind no broken corpse--rather, the essence of its form seeps back into the land whence it came, and the energy of its shattered spirit is called back to the aetherial realm.

URIANGER: And there it waiteth till next the prayers of the faithful do draw it forth from the sea of aether to take their offering of crystals and make for itself a new body...

The primal, with its prayer and purpose and remembered shape, is not erased outright but returns to the collective of souls where it mingles among them and can be summoned back.

I also think it makes sense for primals to be part of a collective unconsciousness through the combination of their missions/methodology along with how they influence the minds of those tempered. How tempering manifests would be a direct reflection of the mission for a given primal.

To offer examples, Lakshmi represents the desire for bliss free from strife--stripped of any interruptions of that bliss. Ifrit, I would argue, reflects a desire for certainty. More specifically the relief that comes from lack of responsibility tied to an all-powerful authority figure.

(Which, by the by, would make sense in terms of Lahabrea accidentally giving the capacity for tempering to Zodiark. It makes sense that he not only would have been terrified of the Final Days, but of making a mistake--of being the Speaker and the originator of Zodiark’s concept, the one demanding such sacrifice not only from the world but Elidibus too, the one who in many ways was responsible at that moment for the fate of the world and all life on Etheirys. It would be enough for him to wish someone else could tell him what to do, to not be the one responsible for such a choice, to wish anyone other than him had been in charge instead. As the shade of Hythlodaeus said, a stray thought would have been enough.

It’s not a weird thing to want under those circumstances. Lahabrea has had to bear the burden of responsibility for a long time with no small amount of suffering, and as the lyrics to Fiend suggest--he seems to desperately want to escape. He doesn’t trust himself. And I don’t think it’s coincidence that Ifrit of all primals, descended from Lahabrea’s own Ifrita, would embody such a thing too.)

These desires would be things that, to some degree or other, every living person has within them. The primal would then swell that potential, that desire, to the point that it was all-consuming and bend it to their purpose. It’s not that something is planted within that never existed, but an existing quality within the person would be magnified beyond natural degrees and exploited. Thought patterns are warped beyond anything the person would have experienced organically. The result is essentially magically amplified/enforced mental illness combined with coercion, none of which could be recovered from until very recently. It’s a prison for the mind where the person’s own thoughts form the cage.

What, then, of Zodiark’s tempering? Zodiark’s mission is salvation yes, but I think another element was added--for a world free from sorrow. To return the world to paradise. For all to be what it once was.

Except we, as players, know that sorrow has always been part of the world. Zodiark’s mission has no ending. As long as pain exists, salvation would not be achieved.

So, in-essence, there is a twofold mission--salvation and restoration. Part of how this becomes an issue during the Ardor is that there are only three Unsundered remaining. Even if you account for seeds for potential tempering in every person, if Zodiark’s followers were tempered to a crisp as Ifrit’s were they wouldn’t remain recognizably themselves at all. So existing impulses within each Unsundered would need to be twisted and exploited to the point that, through faulty perception of reality or personal vulnerabilities, a set of circumstances would be presented that forced absolute compliance. It’s basically a combination of worst nightmare insanity (of the legal and mental illness definitions) along with coercion/enslavement. And again--there was no escape. No allowance for thoughts outside the magically reinforced pattern.

We see this in Emet-Selch at The Ladder in Shadowbringers. He starts to sincerely admire and appreciate the sundered working together to save their world regardless of differences only for his mind to be bent back, swiftly, to ‘but Amaurot was better’. We see it in how his own subconscious frames the sundered as closer to children to be protected. In Elpis, we can spot a discrepancy in how the Ancients assume the Warrior to be a familiar instead--neither something disturbing/distressing nor as close as a child. In Emet-Selch’s shades we get access to his true feelings that he literally could not admit even to himself. We also see abnormal thought patterns in how Emet-Selch, despite being over twelve thousand years old, doesn’t account for negative personal attributes also being reduced during sundering. He doesn’t connect (even without explicit mechanics) that lower aetheric density in sundered beings would also result in higher susceptibility to dynamis.

Expressions of Zodiark’s tempering would be subtle, insidious. It’s also what makes it impossible for Emet-Selch or any of the Unsundered to deliberately end their own lives. The duty and love they bear for their people absolutely forbids abandonment of the Ardor, even when they naturally would have given up. Their grief cannot fade, they cannot be allowed joy or connection to the sundered world. They cannot recover or find peace in any capacity because if they did, they might allow themselves to stop. The ONLY hope they are allowed is to restore their world. Even hope for death would be forbidden in their own minds. Emet-Selch, in Elpis, seems to recognize that by telling the Warrior where to find him and continually moving the goalposts to force a fight--his future self was essentially pulling suicide-by-proxy. He still had to fight with all he had and couldn’t actively try to escape the Ardor. But to the best of his ability he gave the Warrior of Light, Azem’s shard who had successfully killed Nabriales and Igeyorhm, the tools to kill him too.

It’s another way to read his statement that his ideals are inviolate. He couldn’t escape tempering, but he struggled with all he could. Presented with an opportunity to end the cycle he did everything in his power to make that happen. And, when the Warrior went to fight Elidibus in-turn (with Emet-Selch newly freed from tempering in the Lifestream) Emet-Selch did what he could to end the cycle for Elidibus too.

For Lahabrea, it’s like I’ve said before--Lahabrea’s tempering in all likelihood has the shape of a guilt trap. Being the man behind Zodiark’s concept as implied by Akademia Anyder, Lahabrea probably wouldn’t have been allowed to serve as sacrifice. His expertise would have been needed. So besides watching 3/4 of his people and Elidibus die (after other failures such as Archaeotania and likely the First Beast), everybody else in the world was functionally killed when the sundering hit. He, Elidibus (kind of), and Emet-Selch would have been the exceptions. Tempering would take that existing guilt of being the man who sacrificed all the world but not himself, who failed to protect everyone who’d trusted him, and exacerbate it so that no matter what he thinks or feels morally, personally--he no longer has the right to object to any measure that could restore his people and reward the faith they placed in him. Even if he recognizes the sundered as people, even if killing them repulses him... it doesn’t matter how he feels. His repulsion means nothing. He has to do whatever it takes.

We see with the kobold priest who got untempered that he goes through horror at the acts he committed, but Ga Bu demonstrates it’s not so much being unaware of yourself while tempering or being puppeted. It’s impulses.

And for Lahabrea, with his own total lack of trust in himself, it’s really not so strange that he’s the only one among the Ascians who calls Zodiark master. So while tempering might express differently in each of the Unsundered, the results still track with Zodiark’s mission.

Apologies that this section was mainly recap! I do have much more to come, the post literally broke because it was too big.

#lahabrea #hephaistos #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14 #ascians #ffxiv #ff14 #pandaemonium

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aja154ever · 4 years ago

Text

BSD STAGE Dead Apple Spoilers

Mainly a report on the additional scenes or scenes that hugely differ from the movie

PLS DO NOT REPOST AND SPREAD IRRESPONSIBLY

Tag spoiler posts, Credit as necessary

All photos come from the official press release

Please read these points before proceeding! ↓ ↓ ↓

Summary of the BSD Stage Dead Apple Synopsis

Under the cut for Spoilers!

▼Beginning

The play starts with Atsushi looking for Dazai (as tasked by Kunikida to attend the ADA mtg) Differing from the movie, he doesn't find him.

Atsushi meets Shibusawa on the street instead when Shibusawa saved an elderly crossing the street, making him think that Shibusawa is a kind person.

Atsushi thinks that they have met somewhere before but can't remember it exactly.

Kyouka then meets Atsushi about the Ability Users Suicide Case.

▼Akutagawa pursues Shibusawa

Chuuya and Akutagawa are talking on the phone. Akutagawa is tasked to pursue Shibusawa as the perpetrator of the Dragon Head Conflict.

However, Akutagawa was physically attacked by Dazai from behind - he snapped Aku’s neck, then stepped on him - causing him to lose consciousness (though he recognizes Dazai before passing out).

Dazai then comes with Shibusawa.

▼Chuuya and Akutagawa scene

The day when Dazai took Akutagawa to the Port Mafia is shown. Akutagawa wakes up from the dream and remembers Dazai attacked him.

An Ability user suddenly comes out of nowhere. Akutagawa fights him and realizes that he can't use Rashomon.

Chuuya comes to save him. Apparently, it's an Ability that got separated from its user.

Chuuya then explains Shibusawa's Ability and says that the mist engulfing Yokohama is actually the breath of a dragon.

Akutagawa then asks why Chuuya's Ability doesn't separate from him.

Chuuya answers that his Ability is quite special and isn't something small that can be taken easily by this fog. And if his Ability happens to separate from him, it will be the end of Yokohama.

Chuuya gives Akutagawa a new mission - to kill Dazai, because he's the one who took Shibusawa to Yokohama.

Akutagawa laughs, saying that he doesn't believe that because the Dazai now wants peace in Yokohama.

Chuuya laughs at him. He says that he's known Dazai for 7 years and were once partners so he knows Dazai - he knows that no one can tell what Dazai is thinking. There's a monster inside Dazai that no one can understand.

Aku claims that he can understand Dazai so Chuuya asks him why Dazai left the Mafia, but Aku couldn't answer. Chuuya says that he doesn't care if Aku looks up to Dazai but as for him, he's never looked up to Dazai even once. He then tells him to his face that Aku going all "Dazai-san, Dazai-san" and accepting everything he says - is probably the reason why Dazai doesn't approve of him.

Aku gets mad and attacks him to no avail. Chuuya taunts him further saying that if he doesn't do something about this mist, he'll remain weak.

Rashomon appears in the background. Chuuya says that Rashomon is just looking at him and not attacking him as if putting Aku to a test.

Chuuya says that without his Ability, Aku can never land a single punch at him.

Aku accepts the mission and says that he will beat Chuuya right after.

▼White Trio at Mukurotoride

Dazai walks to the center. There's a voice-over of Oda when he told Dazai that the good or bad side doesn't make much difference to him.

Shibusawa arrives.

Dazai says he's happy working with him.

Fyodor arrives saying that Shibusawa shouldn't believe Dazai. (Fyodor does a mini violin performance, talk about grand entrance lol)

It seems that Dazai didn't know beforehand that Fyodor is part of the plan.

Fyodor says that he's just a rat on the side that will help a bit.

Dazai realizes that Fyodor's role is to keep him in check.

Shibusawa says that he can actually accomplish all his plans on his own without them, but it would be boring.

Dazai agrees that it indeed wouldn't be boring because no one knows who will betray who.

▼Atsushi, Aku, Kyouka in the Mafia passage

Atsushi argues with Aku on the way, saying things that it's his fault that Kyouka suffered in the Mafia. He told them that he should never come close to Kyouka ever and talk as if he knows her.

Aku then retorts back asking Atsushi what he actually knows about Kyouka.

Atsushi says that he knows a lot stating things like Kyouka likes tofu and bunnies, and hates lightning.

Aku asks him about her past but Atsushi wasn't able to answer. Aku narrates that Kyouka's parents were killed by Demon Snow and she was picked up by the Mafia, and was then trained by a Port Mafia Executive known as the best Assassin in the world (in reference to Verlaine).

Aku then adds that he also knows that Kyouka hates flies and dogs, and likes ghosts and hydrangeas. He knows more about Kyouka so it's his win.

Unable to come up with other things about Kyouka, Atsushi resorts to bickering.

Atsushi: You're a sore loser!

Aku: Orphanage castaway!

Sushi, visibly hurt from Aku's comeback: You don't change clothes!

Aku, visibly hurt from Sushi's comeback: I wash it every time!

Sushi: Huh? Do you also wear that when sleeping?

Aku: I'm gonna kill you!

They were then stopped by Kyouka.

Before they go out of the passageway, Kyouka attempts to check if her phone can connect somewhere.

Aku gently stops her telling her that that phone is the one used to control her Ability and would be bad if it connects.

Kyouka says that there's nothing to worry about because there's no signal.

Kyouka asks him if Aku tried the Mafia's communication device and Aku says that it can't connect too.

(Note: When Aku talks to Kyouka his voice is calm and softer than usual)

Atsushi, feeling out of place, silently watches them from the side. "You two, you actually get along well, huh..."

▼Demon Snow Battle

The trio go back outside the streets and comes to face Demon Snow. They ran back to the Mafia passageway but Demon Snow just follows them and slices the door. Byakko then also appears.

Kyouka's phone rings. When she answers it, the scene flashbacks to the time when her parents died (same scene with the manga) with her mom explaining what truly happened, and then advises Kyouka how to control Demon Snow.

They were able to beat Demon Snow after and the Ability goes back to Kyouka.

▼More Aku, Atsushi, and Kyouka

Aku, Atsushi, and Kyouka continue to walk in the mist-covered street. Atsushi suggests to Kyouka that they should hold hands so they don't get separated. Kyouka agreed and held out her hand, but then asked Atsushi about Aku.

Sushi: Eh?

Kyouka:

Sushi: Eh?

Kyouka: Should I hold his hand?

Sushi: No way!

Kyouka: Then you should hold his hand

Sushi: Ehhhh, t-there's no way I would... i-it's Akutagawa...

Kyouka:

Sushi: Aahh, there are no other hands in here so fine!

Atsushi settles to offer the dangling part of his belt for Aku to hold on to (lol he's pointing his ass in the process because the belt is on his back like a tail). Aku reaches for it, but was taken away by Rashomon before Atsushi and Kyouka can see him

▼Aku vs Rashomon Battle

Aku uses his gun to fight against Rashomon. Just when he thought he won, he is then caught and pierced by Rashomon. At first Aku thought that Rashomon is fighting him to test if he's worth it as Rashomon's "owner", but then realized that Rashomon is actually filled with wrath - Aku's wrath towards his weak self.

Scenes flashback to Chuuya telling Aku why Dazai doesn't approve of him, of Atsushi telling him that he lost against him and is still not recognized by Dazai, and of Dazai telling him that his new subordinate is better and he doesn't need Aku.

Aku makes Rashomon remember all these, of what they went through, of what they are mad about, of what they both desire. If Aku doesn't beat Rashomon then he will be a part of Shibusawa's collection and will never get what they desire.

Before Rashomon ends Aku, he sets the bomb off and beats him eventually.

Aku returns to Atsushi and Kyouka thereafter, and Atsushi was surprised to see him covered in bruises.

▼White Trio Betrayal Scene

Fyodor sees Dazai suspiciously trying to enter the Draconia room. They went inside after Fyodor tells him that Shibusawa is not there. Dazai reveals his motives to Fyodor, and Fyodor hands him the crystals. Before Dazai can touch them Shibusawa stabs him from behind. Dazai dies. (scenes are almost the same as the movie)

After Dazai dies, Shibusawa also kills Fyodor, grabbing him on the top of his head, lifting him up, and then breaking his neck.

Shibusawa laughs (like a villain) saying that his plans succeeded.

▼More Aku, Atsushi, and Kyouka

Aku, Atsushi, and Kyouka are riding an elevator, standing side by side. Because the ride is taking quite long, Atsushi tries to make small talk to relieve the awkward atmosphere.

Sushi: Your Ability has returned to you, right? How does it feel?

Aku: None of your business.

*silence*

Sushi: Looking from this angle, your nose looks nice. (literally "you have a high-bridged nose" used as a compliment in Jp)

*silence*

Sushi: Aahh, with this three the talk is going nowhere..

Kyouka: *tries to narrate Momotaro (a popular Jp folklore)*

Sushi: Ah, I'm sorry Kyouka-chan, I didn't mean to force you

▼Chuuya at the Special Ability Dept

Chuuya arrives at the Special Ability Department Office. He is stopped by the guards but Chuuya beats them all (fight scenes were shown).

Chuuya arrives at the main office, but Ango is only showing up in the scene via a video screen. Tsujimura is in the office btw.

Chuuya and Ango talk about the government's involvement with Shibusawa (same with the movie).

Chuuya threatens Ango that he will kill the people in the office if Ango doesn't tell him about the case of Shibusawa now.

▼White Trio

Shibusawa takes Dazai's Ability crystal, but realizes that it is not the one he's been looking for.

Fyodor suddenly appears from his back, shooting Shibusawa with a gun.

Apparently, the one Shibusawa killed earlier was not Fyodor himself, but his separated Ability.

Fyodor then kills Shibusawa with a knife, making him remember his death (same with the movie).

▼Dragon Appears

Fyodor does his poetry speech about the dragon lol

The dragon appears as animation in the background.

Deadly Drive plays as bg music after!

Ango asks Chuuya to fight the dragon, believing that only his Ability can do it just as when they fought Guivre in the past.

Chuuya complains that the government just always does nothing but order people around while not getting their hands dirty.

He accepts the mission and asks Ango's life in return.

▼Chuuya vs Dragon

Plane scene with Tsujimura is almost the same as the movie. Chuuya throws his gloves and activates Corruption.

This scene involves his actor Uechan flying in a harness, where he did flips a few times. On his background is an animation of the levitated rubbles and the building he used to throw at the dragon.

Bless Uechan's throat for all the screaming

▼Soukoku scene

Chuuya shouts Dazai's name, and punches him waking him up. Dazai touches his cheek to deactivate Corruption. (Same lines with the movie, yes Dazai is still Snow White)

Chuuya asks him to let go but Dazai refuses saying that the place they are in is where the mist is the most concentrated and Arahabaki will end up separating from him.

▼Atsushi reflection with Byakko

Atsushi realizes that the orphanage director must have known that he killed Shibusawa, but wondered why he never told him.

The orphanage director appears at the end saying that he hid the truth from Atsushi because he thought Atsushi wouldn't be able to accept it and would be crushed (mentally) once he knew about himself.

▼Aftermath

Bokura plays in the bg

Aku leaves

Dazai arrives saying that Atsushi was saved because of them

Atsushi butts in saying that Dazai was the one who did

(same lines with the movie)

After Atsushi says the "more beautiful" line, Oda's voice-over plays when he told Dazai to go to the side that saves people because that's a little bit more beautiful.

▼Aftermath Chuuya

Ango calls Chuuya saying that the battle is finished thanks to them, and now he's ready to give his life in return.

Chuuya just laughs at him saying that his life isn't enough to pay for this. He also tells him that he understands that Ango was just a small fry in the government six years ago so wasn't able to do anything about the Shibusawa case. Ango thanks him but still tries to insist but Chuuya hangs up.

Akutagawa shows up, but he doesn't bow at Chuuya (unlike in the movie) and just continues walking after Chuuya told him that Dazai is alive. Chuuya calls him to lend his shoulder because he can't move and gestures him to come closer.

Aku does and Chuuya laughs at how unwilling he looks and asks if Aku is still mad that Chuuya called him weak. Aku says that he's not bothered at all.

Chuuya tells him that he shouldn't worry because they're both included in Dazai's plans, which means that Dazai thinks that they are essential in beating Shibusawa.

Aku remains silent. Chuuya then tells him that as Dazai's ex-partner, he's gonna say it - that Dazai approves of Aku. At the very least, Chuuya does approve of him too.

Aku just says that he's nothing compared to Chuuya.

▼Days after

Atsushi and Kyouka are back at the Agency, where they wave off to everyone as they go on a new mission.

Voice-overs of the ADA stage play cast were played sending them off.

Tanizaki: Take care!

Naomi: Stay safe!

Kunikida: Don't forget your report after.

Ranpo: Get me sweets on your way home!

Yosano: If possible, go back here with injuries, okay?

Kenji: Let's eat some gyudon later!

Fukuzawa: Atsushi, Kyouka, take care and come back safely.

▼Closing

Chuuya talks to Mori on the phone, reporting that the mission has been accomplished.

However, he gets instructed to do the send-off or the farewell greeting to the fans on the stage.

Chuuya, angrily to the audience: What are you looking at, huh?

Send-off? *takes a sit elegantly and stares at the crowd*

Ugh, okay,, *stands up*

Be careful not to be engulfed by the mist when you go home, okay? See ya.

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

Thanks for reading! Please support the official accounts and releases as much as possible!

I’m no longer active on tumblr nowadays, so you may follow me on twitter instead @harukaja15

My translations on tumblr are compiled under the tag #bsd translation and #my works

#bungou stray dogs #bsd stage #bsd dead apple #nakahara chuuya #dazai osamu #nakajima atsushi #akutagawa ryuunosuke #izumi kyouka #shibusawa tatsuhiko #fyodor dostoevsky #bsd translation #my works

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edoro · 4 months ago

Text

yessss yes i love this addition!

i have so many feelings about Thistle's relationship with the Touden siblings and the ways that they show him kindness and gentleness

there's Falin interrupting his self-harm and healing him, which is probably the first time anyone has touched him gently or cared for him in centuries. we know that Delgal only broke and made his suicide escape plan five years ago, but the relationship between him and Thistle had obviously broken down long before that, so how long had it been since Thistle could find any sort of comfort with Delgal?

(and even when they're on good terms, we don't see much gentle touch going on there either! i've made a post about it before, but the only time we see physical gentleness between them beyond Delgal's toddlerhood is when Thistle is cradling Delgal's head when Delgal talks about being afraid of dying. aside from that, what we get is him grabbing Thistle roughly over Eodio's sickbed, then clutching at him to beg him to save the kingdom... and then even in a happier scene, after Thistle uses monsters to destroy the invading army and Delgal breaks the tension by congratulating him, he thumps him on the back so hard Thistle nearly falls over! it seems like even when he's happy, Delgal isn't careful of his size or strength relative to Thistle, like an exuberant big dog)

then the whole scene with Laios is just fascinating... it says a lot about Laios's relationship to violence, and Thistle's reactions are really interesting. the whole shoujo sparkles thing IS funny but also yeah he DOES genuinely seem shocked. i get the impression from the way he reacts to the fight with Mithrun that he's not used to being hurt, and whenever anyone gets close to him he's easily overpowered because he's just a shrimpy little guy who uses magic and monsters to handle all of his problems.

Laios hurts him... and then Laios fixes what he hurt. he didn't need to heal Thistle, but he did. and then when he needed to restrain Thistle, he did his best to make it as comfortable for Thistle as possible.

and then he talked to Thistle. more than the healing, i think that's a huge thing in the scene with the two of them. how long has it been since anyone just... talked to Thistle like a person? treated him like a human being that one can have a conversation with instead of a force of nature?

even Yaad says he can't be reasoned with or conversed with, and in a sense he isn't WRONG, because Thistle's so far gone from 1000 years of a demon eating holes in his brain that he's genuinely completely untethered from actual reality, but also... you can still talk to him! Laios does it!

he just keeps responding evenly to Thistle's paranoid ranting until Thistle calms the hell down and actually has a conversation with him. Thistle listens to him. he even accepts being corrected/gently chastised about how if he'd paid more attention to the dragons or to Falin, he wouldn't be in this situation.

when was the last time anybody approached him like that? as an equal? as another person?

i like to think that post-canon, he remembers the way they both treated him. that they were kind and gentle towards him when they didn't have to be. that they treated him like a person.

When Delgal says that healing people is Thistle's job and that's why he made him court magician, one can reasonably assume that Thistle's area of focus is healing magic, which was probably both useful on its own and a way of getting people off Delgal's ass about letting Thistle learn magic and occupy a position with such influence (no need to worry, his magic is harmless!)

However, I can't imagine that Thistle wouldn't also learn at least a few spells for defensive purposes, since 'violence' is one of his love languages (the other ones are 'obsession', 'putting you in a terrarium', 'fussing', and 'cuddling')

So imagine someone trying to assassinate Delgal and Thistle just straight up setting them on fire, then rushing over to clutch at Delgal and pat him down and ask if he's okay while someone burns to death 3 feet away

Delgal just sitting here shocked like, "I didn't know he knew how to do that..."

#thistle #laios #falin #dunmeshi #dunmeshi spoilers

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yanderedbdimagines · 4 years ago

Note

Fem survivor hiding in a locker, and Nightmare, Oni and the Shape can’t get in. I once had a bug a long while ago where the killers couldn’t search a locker. Got patched very quickly of course. I’d like to ask short scenarios about it where the Entity protects her for some reason after the killers saw the opportunity to try and kidnap their beloved for themselves. :P Perhaps to spite/punish the killers? Go wild, and thank you!

--------------------------

Sure thing! And no thanks required at all! 😊 I personally would have laughed my butt off if that ever happened to me, whether killer or survivor. They only game breaking bug I ever had was being stuck on something in Haddonfield(can’t remember what). The killer couldn’t get to me either, and I had to disconnect after I had tried everything I could think of at the time, not wanting to ruin the game for the others. Good times…

-------------------------

The Nightmare

You curse from underneath your gasping breath as a low chuckle reaches your ears, your heart hammering violently against your ribcage as you try to flatten yourself against the backwall of the locker.

He’s seen you get in here, and now you’re about to pay the price if you don’t time the trick Jane has taught you well enough. After all, the others have already been sacrificed, so no one could save you or distract him from the difficult situation you currently find yourself in.

You take a deep, shivery breath and ready yourself just as the killer’s footsteps reach close before trying to slam the doors open as quickly and as powerfully as you can, only for them not to budge in the slightest…

Freddy has heard the distinct thuds of your hands smashing against the wood just as he pulls against the handle, only to have a similar outcome roll out for him too, the sniggering quickly fading into a displeased grunt.

It’s silent for a second…

As you eventually were busy trying to think of another plan when the doors do open, as busy as the Nightmare was trying to pick the lock with a clawed finger. Metal scraping, screeching and ticking against metal brings you on your nerves as you stare at the lock, but you nearly jump out of your skin as the killer suddenly speaks to you with a tone of voice which nearly leaves you shaking in your boots.

“Please doll. It’s rude to stay in there and keep little ol’ Freddy out here waiting.~ Do come out and I’ll promise I’ll be on my best behavior.~”

You hear how he stops rummaging with the lock, listening to the knives running over the chipped paint instead before they tick against the metallic bars making up the outer skeleton of the red locker.

Of course, you’re not convinced.

But you’re not going to tell him that and decide to remain absolutely silent instead, hoping that he’d leave or disappear by some miraculous wonder.

If only it were that easy…

“Come now sweet cheeks.~ Don’t play coy with me. I know you’re still in there and if you don’t open up now I might do something the both of us will regret later. You don’t want that to happen, now do you?”

You think about it for a second before drawing a conclusion. You’re about to voice that out loud before the ground suddenly gives out from underneath you.

You yelp loudly as you find yourself falling into darkness, an angry yell from the Nightmare being heard from above soon after.

And before you could fully comprehend on what was going on, you found yourself face to face with concerned survivors who found you splayed out besides the main camp’s ever familiar stack of burning wood…

The Oni

A cold sweat overtakes your senses as you make yourself as small as you possibly could in the corner of the cramped locker and with wide eyes glued on the wooden doors, unblinking.

You don’t know where the other remaining survivor is. They might have escaped, but they also could have been killed or sacrificed at this point. Either way, you’re in heaps of trouble as you feel the vibrations of heavy footsteps marching briskly into your direction.

The locker budges as the Oni tries to tear the door open with his open hand, only to find it to be locked. It surprises the both of you…

Your heart is beating within your throat at this point as you remain to watch the doors like a hawk, not believing what’s happening right now before your thoughts flash over to the Entity, wondering what its intentions with you are.

Anyhow, you try to think of a plan to escape the Oni in case he does somehow manage to tear open the doors, your fingers brushing over the firecrackers that are bundled up in your pants left pocket. The ones you’ve found and picked up somewhere within the trial.

The said killer, on the other hand, is breathing even heavier than before as you hear his katana evaporate within the air as wisps of black smoke and embers before a large shadow peers through the rosters.

You choke on your breath as the Oni tries to pull open the doors through the help of his monstrous strength in addition to his full weight, the locker screeching and groaning in protest. Your attention is partly diverted as a familiar black mist suddenly coats the bottom of the locker before wrapping you into its cold embrace.

He keeps hanging on whilst shaking violently against the handles, a dark growl shivering the very air.

All you could do was to protect your ears from the loudness of his actions, fear gripping your heart at every clamorous sound and movement.

Yet, you can’t help but to pitch a gasp and a sob as a loud roar now pierces the surrounding area before something huge and bulky is being slammed against the locker’s entirety, feeling the indirect impact of it ripple throughout your frozen body. It is his Kanabo that he’s using out of frustration...

He’s pelting the locker with a barrage of strikes now, the screaming getting louder and louder with each powerful hit.

You close your eyes and shiver violently, scared that the Oni’s about to smash the locker wide open with you still in it.

However, a deafening silence soon overtook you, a heat now washing over your body and an orange light flickering from behind your closed eyelids.

You slowly open them, only to nearly jump up in joy as you come to stare at the flames which could only belong to one particular campfire…

The Shape

Your body is tormented by sweat and your lungs are burning like crazy as you rush straight into the dungeon’s nearest locker as a suicidal attempt to rid yourself from the man in the mask who’s hot on your trail.

The killer deliberately cornered you into the basement by cutting you off at a spot where you’d least expected him to be. And from there, you pretty much ran on raw panic and unadulterated fear as common sense was long since thrown out of the window as derived by your current course of action.

You’re breathing heavily as an all too familiar mask flashes through the splits of the roster, and close your eyes with a silent prayer falling from your lips and with your hands bawling the hem of your shirt into a tight bundle.

But… Nothing happens as you gradually open your eyes back up to the darkness of the world.

Your gaze is now set on the mask that has tilted to the side, seemingly in confusion. You quickly connected the dots afterwards, understanding that the locker’s suddenly been locked by the Entity for some reason just after you have ran into it.

You then hear his knife thwacking against the paint chipped wood before being recoiled by the effects of the impact.

Did he just try to stab the locker?

You feel your blood run cold as your hands start to tremble, realization kicking in…

In panic, you quickly hunch down, not wanting to be pierced by the sharp blade if it does manage to thrust its way through one of the doors like some sort of a magician’s sword and possibly ending your life that way as nasty consequence.

Another thwack follows, and then another.

Like a mindless animal stuck in a looped pattern, the Shape keeps on stabbing his favored kitchen knife against the locker over and over again, not even a single huff or growl of frustration being heard. He’s surprisingly silent, in fact, as he’s trying to cut his way into your awkward confinement…

Only short moments of complete silence are woven in between. Perhaps within those moments, he’s checking if the locker’s been unlocked due to his strange efforts.

You move your body into a sitting position, your hands now holding a flashlight as you closely keep your attention on both doors.

Your eyes quickly got diverted, however, as something cold creeps up your legs.

Michael freezes and his head dips the moment he feels something swirl past his ankles, now witnessing how black heavy smoke escapes through the cracks at the bottom of the locker.

He tilts his head yet again before his free hand reaches for the handle, managing to open the door normally this time, only to learn that you’ve disappeared into thin air…

His fingers twitch against the wooden hilt of his weapon…

#dbd #dead by daylight #reader #insert #kazan yamaoka #oni #michael myers #shape #freddy krueger #nightmare #yandere #dbd x reader

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volturiwolf · 4 years ago

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The Volturi Princess - A Felix Volturi x fem!Reader Story (part 1)

A/N: This is the first Volturi- and Twilight-related story I ever started writing and it is quite long and elaborated/complex, as I tend to overanalyze in many parts. I have wrote a few parts until now and I'll be uploading them in the future. I have been quite emotional throughout writing it, trying to understand the reader's point of view.

A/N 2: I'm sorry if something doesn't make sense. English is not my first language. I also include Italian through the story, with translation, but I'm not a native or a speaker, so I'd like to apologize in advance to those who speak Italian. Enjoy :)

A/N 3: According to "The Amagi" on Youtube, Felix was born in 250 BC (their thumbnail), so I used that in my story.

No of Words: about 5347

Mentions of: Abandonment, Abortion, Anxiety, Blood, Bruises, Coma/Comatosed State, Death Emotional Abuse, Emotional and Physical Pain, Gaslighting, Greece/Greek Language - with translation, Heartbreak, Italian Language - with translation, Manipulation, Murder, Pain, Panic Attacks, Pregnancy, Suffering, Suicide/Suicidal Thoughts, Swear Language, Throwing Up/Puking, Witches/Wizards/Witchcraft

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My heart felt heavy. I may have just escaped the cruelest vampire of all, but I also ran away from the love of my life, my mate, the only person who could fully understand me in this world. I asked him to run away with me, but, although our bond was strong, he felt obliged to stay loyal to his master, his creator. I drove as fast as I could, away from the sunny Volterra, and away from him.

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(Y/N) grew up quite privileged, in Vampire terms. Being born into the Volturi coven was something many vampires could only dream about. (Y/N) was abandoned by her parents when she was a baby, but Aro, one of the three Volturi leaders, took her under his protection, and offered her more things than she could ever have imagined. After all, she was his only biological granddaughter, the “Volturi princess”, an heiress to the throne; her mother lost that “privilege” when she met and fell in love with a wizard.

(Y/N)’s mother soon got pregnant with her, and then later turned her husband into a vampire to help her with her pregnancy, and stay together forever. However, (Y/N)’s parents couldn’t raise her because they wanted to run free and careless, not commit to anything permanent, so Aro took over and raised his granddaughter with the highest honors and privileges, “as a princess should be raised”.

(Y/N) was a mix of Vampire, Witch and Human, due to the grandmother, Sulpicia, being human when Aro found her; Sulpicia later fell pregnant with (Y/N)’s mother, and Aro transformed her to vampire, as he had planned all along. Aro raised (Y/N) according to his own rules and morals, teaching her how to kill humans to feed from, how to attack and slip away from her opponents, how to lead other vampires, and most importantly, how to keep her identity and existence a secret, not only to humans, but other non-Volturi vampires as well. No one could know that there was a possibility of a vampire having a child with a human, and that the child could be effectively controlled and raised as a regular vampire.

As (Y/N) grew older and older, reaching the human age of 25 within 7 years of her birth, Aro would spend more and more time with her, examining and studying her possibilities and her potential powers’ development. (Y/N) grew up to be extremely strong and fast, an excellent tracker with great intelligence and understanding of the world around her. However, Aro could not risk sending her to “Volturi duties”. She was his hope for a stronger coven; with (Y/N) in the throne, Aro felt like he could conquer the vampire world with ease.

That’s why he was always searching for the best guards he could find, to protect the coven and do his work instead of himself, Caius, or (Y/N). He couldn’t rely on Marcus, as he proved to be too emotional since Didyme died, but was still valuable for his plan. Caius, on the other hand, although powerless, was far more sadistic and “diligent” in following vampire rules, and (Y/N)... (Y/N) was just too obedient, following every order Aro gave her - a strong asset for the Volturi.

Aro was changing guards and trackers quite easily, disposing them when they were no longer needed or when he found better ones. He needed talented and strong vampires to serve the coven and do their work.

Chelsea was the very first vampire Aro created solely to serve the Volturi, after recognizing her potential when she was human. Chelsea’s gift of relationship manipulation was truly useful in bringing new vampires into the coven and was used thousands of times during Volturi's reign. It could also easily dispose of them, making their bonds with other vampires break at will; those vampires were isolated by the other vampires and then killed - Aro couldn’t risk letting them get away knowing the Volturi’s secrets and life.

About 100 years later, Corin joined the Volturi, just a couple decades after (Y/N)’s birth. Corin’s gift of addictive contentment was the one which kept Marcus in the Volturi after Didyme’s death - along with Chelsea’s to make him committed to Aro’s greater plans, and was also used on Sulpicia, Athenadora and any other vampire in the Volturi guard to keep them satisfied being in the Volturi. Under Aro’s instructions, Corin was keeping Chelsea content with being in the Volturi, and Chelsea was keeping Corin loyal to them, each of them using their gifts against each other, without their knowledge.

Sometime between 230 and 220 BC, while travelling in Rome, searching for additional vampires to add to the coven, Aro supposedly met a young, strong and ambitious fighter, who wished to become a gladiator one day, named Felix. Felix did not only look, but also was physically capable of fighting even with beasts, during his short time as a fighter, way before the Colosseum was built. Born into a poor family, his strength was his only way of making money, and becoming a gladiator was his only way out of poverty, a way to provide for both his family and himself.

When his family was almost imprisoned by Roman army officers for outstanding debts, Felix was forced to make a deal with them to fight, in whatever they ordered him to. Fighting turned out to be the only way for Felix to deal with his emotions and rage towards people in power. When Aro approached Felix, he was promised a good life, where he wouldn’t have to worry about surviving another day. Felix did not seem willing enough, not being fond of the idea of serving people in power, who he so despised.

Luckily for Aro, Chelsea was the one who “convinced” Felix to join the Volturi guard, with Aro changing him afterwards. Unlike previous guards, Felix showed impeccable strength, speed and talent towards both dodging and initiating attacks, eventually making him a permanent member in the Volturi Guard, along with Chelsea and Corin.

Felix was assigned as the leading guard for the three kings’ protection, this role extending to the protection of their two wives and (Y/N); though Aro knew that, if it came to anyone attacking his granddaughter, she would be able to handle it by herself. However, he still wanted to make sure that she was safe and that Aro would do anything to protect her.

For about a couple millennias, (Y/N) was content with her situation, being the “Volturi princess” and all that. Besides, having Felix in the Volturi was another reason to stay in the coven, apart from staying loyal and true to Aro for taking her in, when she was abandoned.

Every time Felix looked into her eyes, she felt her whole body burn - though, it wasn’t a feeling of suffering, rather a feeling of longing, waiting for something to happen so badly that her body couldn’t control itself. Although she was partially a vampire, (Y/N) would feel like she couldn’t breathe, like her legs were ready to give up on her, like she wanted to grab Felix and never let go.

Felix, although not admitting it even to himself, would feel the same way, but he knew that his position would not allow him to approach (Y/N) in such a way. He was just a guard - although he was the strongest of them all, and she was the Volturi princess, one of his masters, whom he was only allowed to approach in order to protect. He didn’t want Aro to know he saw his granddaughter like that; it could cost him his position in the guard, or even his life. So, he kept these feelings deep within him, not allowing them to resurface, or act upon them.

However, every time these two existed at the same place, the invisible sparks between them would fly left and right. And only one vampire was able to see them. One who hadn’t felt these sparks in centuries.

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(Y/N)’s POV:

I yawned loudly as I woke from a long, much needed sleep. I was the only vampire around who was able to sleep, mostly due to my non-vampire natures. I didn't really need to sleep on a regular basis, but when I did, I could literally sleep 3 days straight and nobody would be able to wake me up. “For my own protection”, as Aro said, I would always have at least two guards outside of my room’s door, in case anything happened while I was sleeping. Like what could even happen? My room was at the furthest side of this huge castle. I’m pretty sure that if there ever was an attack against the Volturi, it would most probably have been dealt with immediately, and the attacker wouldn’t make it anywhere near my room.

I felt the warm sun on my skin, slightly glowing and sparkling beautifully. My eyes, mostly (Y/E/C) with a golden ring around the pupil, could easily adjust to the light. Unlike the other vampires, I could easily live among humans; I could sleep, eat human food, my skin not being as sparkly as others, and I could control my thirst far better than others.

Since Jane and Alec joined the coven, Aro would show an immense interest in them and their skills, helping them train daily and develop their powers further, eventually forgetting about me. I would spend more and more days away from the castle, “protected” by my anonymity, getting to know humans more and more. The longer I was observing them, the more they would trigger my interest in them. They could feel true emotions, real pain, real hurt, real love. They had their families, they received an unconditional love that I could never have.

Unbeknownst to Aro or anyone else for that matter, I have started developing new powers, similar to the other vampires in the Volturi coven or anyone else outside of it. I have also started noticing that I may have an immunity towards others’ talents, feeling that neither Corin’s addictive contentment made me satisfied with being in the Volturi, nor Chelsea’s relationship manipulation could keep me loyal to Aro anymore. If it weren’t for Felix, or Demetri and the Twins, who have all become my best friends by now, I would have probably left.

A vampire named Carlisle Cullen had visited the Volturi and stayed with us for a while, about 100 years ago. He saw the way the Volturi treated humans like they were nothing, and how they were as cruel as to kill other vampires, with the excuse that they were exposing our kind with the way they lived. Entire covens had been wiped out due to such excuses, a way to eliminate potential enemies from becoming too powerful and find as many talented vampires as possible and force them to join the Volturi.

Carlisle was talking about a new way of life, where vampires wouldn’t have to kill humans to survive, a life where vampires and humans could live in peace, without harming each other. He was insisting that vampires could survive on animal blood just as efficiently as with human blood; that animal blood would not make them weaker, and that it would be a much more ethical and sustainable way to feed.

Of course, Aro and Caius were the first ones to mock his proposition, clearly not caring about humans’ feelings and pain. Marcus did not budge at all, his heartache making him indifferent to anything around him. But I was growing more and more interested in this alternative way of life; I was, after all, feeding on human food already, so that I was feeding on human blood as little as I could.

It was a few years after Carlisle left Volterra that Eleazar joined the Volturi. Aro forced him to join after finding out he could detect if someone had any special ability. Aro considered his gift useful in identifying if any of his enemies had any special power when in battles, or when he sent Eleazar around the world to recruit talented vampires.

Eleazar was clearly not liking the way the Volturi forced their ways and wants on others, and how they could take advantage of others for their own benefit. I could just sense that he was displeased and was forcing himself to stay in the coven, one, due to Corin’s and Chelsea’s gifts, and two, out of fear of what could happen to him and his mate, Carmen.

Carmen, a vampire from Spain, like Eleazar, met with Eleazar while he was a guard here, they fell in love, and eventually, Eleazar decided to leave the Volturi and run away with Carmen. Aro decided that he did not care about him and his gift as much as others’, so he let him go unharmed, “blessing” them for safe travels.

Just a few days before he left, I consulted him on my own powers. Though a lower member of the guard, Eleazar had his own room, a decent place to stay, and spend his endless hours in. I knocked slightly on the door.

“Come in”, a calm voice was heard. I opened the door and came into his room. Carmen was sitting on the edge of their bed and Eleazar was reading a book on his desk. They both smiled sweetly. I just felt and knew they were too nice to fit anywhere in here, among the cruel and strict Volturi.

“(Y/N)! So nice to see you!”Carmen exclaimed and stood to hug me. The second we hugged I started seeing parts of her life in Spain, the calm waters of Catalunya, the vast vineyards where she would spend the early years of her life… I quickly detached myself from her embrace. I just couldn’t invade her privacy like that. She and Eleazar both looked at me worried, as if I had offended them.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t let you “show” me your whole life like that!” I looked at Carmen apologetically.

“(Y/N), you saw Carmen’s life?” Eleazar continued, intrigued by my words.

“That’s why I came to talk to you. I..I feel like I’ve been developing a gift, or a few gifts, to be completely honest. And I feel like.. like I have a specific power one day, and another power the next!” I stated frantically.

It was the first time I have openly talked about my powers to anyone, and I was shaking just by the words that came out of my mouth. Eleazar did not say anything, he just stood there for a few minutes, I supposed “examining” me, as if a doctor checking on a patient.

“Remarkable.” He said calmly. He looked at his mate with excitement, as if he just discovered a lost treasure. “(Y/N) has one of the most remarkable gifts I have ever seen.” He then turned to me. “You, (Y/N), are able to copy anyone else’s gifts and keep them as your own. You don’t even have to be in contact with them. Just by meeting someone, you can obtain their powers. I have never met anyone like that. You also seem to have obtained immunity to others’ powers, kind of like a shield. I have met such vampires before. From the stories Aro has been telling, your mother was like that. It is likely that you copied that gift for her. Such vampires are extremely useful to themselves or even others, in battles. Like themselves, you can use your gift to protect others from others’ powers, beside yourself.”

That came too sudden to my ears. I have assumed that I may have at least one power, but I didn’t realise I could copy others’ powers. That is why I was showing signs of Aro’s power!

“How can I train my powers? Eleazar! Carmen! You have to help me!”

“As you know, we will be leaving soon. I don’t know if there will be enough time to train you.”

“It’s okay. We will train as much as you want. Please, Eleazar! Please, Carmen!” I started begging them. As if they were hypnotized, they quickly looked at each other and agreed to help me.

The next few days, before Eleazar and Carmen’s departure, included intense training, far away from Volterra, deep in the woods, where no human could interrupt us. I couldn’t say the same for vampires, but I hoped nobody would cross paths with us. Eleazar and Carmen helped me develop my self-control and self-awareness, concentrating through the deepest parts of my mind, resurfacing my shield and expanding it beyond my existence. I started to have control over it, as if it was an actual solid substance, a veil floating around me towards any direction I ordered it to go.

After Eleazar and Carmen left, I started travelling the world more, trying to copy as many powers as I could come across with, while also training my shield. My excitement for the endless possibilities was what kept me going - kind of when Aro would add another talented vampire to his Guard. His Guard. Felix. I wonder how he was. I hadn’t seen him in a while. I wondered if he thought of me like I thought of him.

After travelling pretty much anywhere I could reach, I eventually went back to where it all started: I went to Greece. Aro met Sulpicia here, apparently my mom met my dad here. Maybe I could find out, understand why they left me. I have never met them, but I felt as if my tracking skills could detect them through my own existence.

I started travelling through the country, hoping that they stayed here or, at least, that they’re alive. I spent about 2 or 3 years in Greece, trying to take in every different place, while also avoiding the battles that seemed to take place in every other corner. I was feeding off animals mainly, mostly when I couldn’t find any other human food. I was washing myself in rivers, streams, whatever I could find.

I was stopping by any village that seemed to be still standing, asking about the current situation. The Greek Revolution, which started a few years ago, seemed to still be going on. The Ottomans, who had been occupying Greece for almost 400 years, could not allow Greeks to turn against them and start claiming their rights within the Ottoman Empire.

Many Greeks I met and talked to, admitted that some of the Ottomans were actually being nice to them; it was only the Ottoman government ordering their armies to execute massive massacres against Greeks, and after all this time, a few Greeks started gathering up and planning a revolution, away from Greece, in fear of being caught. They started getting organized and finding possible allies to help them with the Revolution; they just couldn’t risk getting caught within the country that they were hoping the independent Greece could become. The battles were becoming more and more intense, both on the mainland, as well as on the islands.

I started looking for answers, anything that could suggest that my parents were still alive and somewhere in Greece. To my surprise, I crossed paths with many Greek nomad vampires all over the country. They were also fighting against either Ottoman vampires or each other for territorial claims; however, they all talked me out of travelling north, towards Macedonia. The region had started being reclaimed back by Greek humans, but vampires were also seeing the potential for the area and they fought against each other for the land.

All of the nomads I encountered were talking about some of the most vicious vampires claiming the land, their enemies being literally slaughtered and burned to set an example for other vampires to back off their territory. I was intrigued, and I knew that, most probably, I would be able to deal with them or flee before they got to me.

So, I started travelling north, through the woods and mountains, in order to avoid any possible battle between humans, though many of them seemed to hide in the mountains, preparing for their battles. Macedonia was a quite big and vast region, so I had to travel quite a few days and search every possible corner.

I know I shouldn’t have done this, but I was feeling exhausted from all the searching. I haven’t fed in quite some time, and my throat was burning by the familiar need for blood. I haven’t seen any animals all these days, and I was wondering if they were gone or hiding.

Sadly, I came across a human. He seemed to be wounded, probably during a battle, his blood gushing out of his body. I couldn’t help myself, when I breathed in the smell, the burning sensation becoming unbearable. I thought of approaching him slowly, so as not to scare him, offering to help him, but deep down I just wanted to feed off of him.

“Γειά! Συγνώμη αν σε τρόμαξα. Σε είδα από μακριά. Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω με κάποιο τρόπο; (Hey! Sorry if I scared you. I saw you from afar. Can I help you in any way?)” I offered calmly.

The man was trying to suppress his growls. I could sense his pain. I tried to help him stand on his feet, and then I saw all of his memories. He was in the army, fighting alongside Greeks against the Ottomans, in Macedonia, just outside of Thessaloniki. I didn’t even know I was so close to a city, let alone Thessaloniki.

He was trying to pass through the woods, when he came across what seemed to be two red-eyed vampires, one male and one female. They tried to attack him, but someone else managed to shoot him first, forcing the two vampires to run away. I don’t know how or why, these two felt familiar to me, I could feel that through his memories.

“Γειά! Μπορείς.. Μπορείς να πας στο κοντινότερο χωριό; Νομίζω.. Νομίζω ότι είδα κάτι στο δάσος, δε νομίζω ότι ήταν κάτι φυσιολογικό! Πρέπει.. Πρέπει να προειδοποιήσω τους άλλους! (Hey! Can.. Can you get me to the nearest village? I think.. I think I saw something in the woods, I don’t think it was something normal! I have.. I have to warn the others!)” He mumbled in between sharp shoots of pain.

“Με συγχωρείς πολύ! (I’m really sorry!)” I plead with guilty eyes. I put my hand in his wound, searching for the bullet, while he was consumed by pain. I took the bullet out of the wound, and quickly attached my lips on his skin, sucking the blood as fast as I could, biting deeply unintentionally. His screams were becoming louder and louder, so I covered his mouth with my hand, while trying to shut him up or break his jaw. A few seconds later, he stopped screaming, and I let his lifeless body fall, completely numb and drained out of blood.

I felt renewed, his blood travelling to every part of my body and giving me a new kind of strength that I haven’t felt in a while. I still felt guilty for killing him, but he was already wounded and I couldn’t risk him exposing our kind to others. I assumed that whoever found him - if anyone found him - would also assume that he died of blood loss, so I tried to position him in a realistic pose for that purpose, as best as I could. I left him there, and continued the search for my parents.

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I was running through the woods, trying to locate the two vampires from the guy’s memories. My mind was chaotic, I wasn’t thinking about something specific. I stopped in my tracks. What Aro taught me, and what I understood from Demetri’s tracking skills, is that you have to stop, take a breath and realize your position in the world. Then, you would be able to realize everything around you and find your targets. I have successfully found other vampires like that before, vampires who I have either met in person or smelled their scent, but I didn’t know if I could find someone through someone else’s memories of them.

I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate as best as I could, focusing on the smaller details of the guy’s memories of these vampires. I felt two vampires running on my west, about 10 kilometers away, and I ran after them. They were running fast, but I was way faster. Within a minute or two, I was running right behind their tracks. They must have realized that a stranger was following them, but, instead of running, they suddenly stopped. I stopped as well, and we were now facing each other.

The female had long, brunette, curly hair, and the male short, dark brown, straight hair; both of their hair looked shiny, healthy, and rich. They were of average height and their eyes were piercing red, as if they also fed quite recently. The female was exceptionally beautiful and enchanting; I could only compare her to Heidi’s exceptional beauty. The male looked quite stoic and austere, though still beautiful.

Both of them on defensive positions, waiting for me to attack. I wasn’t planning to move any further from my position; I was only waiting for their own reactions. I felt that kind of a burning sensation within me again, like a feeling buried deep inside me, trying to find an escape.

Suddenly, the male growled at me, flames springing out of his hands, and being thrown at me. I felt my heart fall out of my chest, fearing that this would be my end. As if my body reacted on its own, I felt my own shield extending out of my body, building a wall around me and protecting me from the male’s attack. My hands started burning and flames came out, ready to counterattack the male. The male looked at the female, dumbfounded by what he witnessed, still in a defensive position, but ready to attack again.

“I’M NOT HERE TO FIGHT YOU!” I shouted at both of them. “I’M JUST SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE!”

The male shrinked back, the female following close by. “Who are you looking for? We haven’t seen you around. Who are you? Why are you here?” The male requested. His voice serious, but smooth at the same time; a voice I could only describe as the warm earth below their bare feet.

“No, I’m not. I come from Italy, though I think I was born around here. My name is (Y/N), I’m looking for my parents. I don’t quite remember what they look like, but I’m pretty sure that they lived around here. They abandoned me when I was a baby.”

“This has been our territory for almost 3 millennials! We would have known if any humans abandoned their offspring around here!” The female exclaimed, as if she didn’t believe a word I said. I didn’t want to tell them the whole story, but I had to show them that I didn’t mean to fight in any way.

“I never said they were humans. My mother was actually sort of a vampire, like you.”

The female started letting her guards down. “What do you mean sort of? I’ve never heard of a “sort of vampire” before!” She continued doubtfully.

“Believe me or don’t, my mother was born half vampire, half human. My dad wasn’t even a vampire before she met him. He wasn’t even human to be honest.” My eyes started stinging slightly. I could have had a good, happy life if they didn’t abandon me. I wouldn’t have to grow up with Aro.

“You said you were from Italy.” I nodded at the male, as he continued. “You never said where exactly.”

I wasn’t sure if I should tell them my real origin; I wouldn’t like them to know I was a Volturi, but I knew I needed help to find my parents. If they were actually here as long as they say, they might have known or met my parents at some point.

“Volterra. I was born here, in Greece, like my mother, but grew up in Volterra with my grandparents.” I looked down, kind of scared, kind of anxious, waiting for their next move.

The female gasped. “Are you a Volturi?!” I looked at her, straight in the eyes, swallowed, and nodded. “I know the Volturi. Who are your grandparents?”

“Aro and Sulpicia.” I answered so quietly that, if they weren’t vampires, they wouldn’t have heard me, my voice trembling slightly.

The female suddenly fell on her knees, the male wrapping his arms around her, comforting her. I didn’t know what was going on. Did I say something wrong? Were they scared? The sheer mention of the Volturi would scare a lot of vampires, but I thought that maybe these two seemed strong enough to deal with them.

The female started sobbing, no tears coming out of her red eyes, her body shaking. I felt something within me break. I felt that I didn’t want to upset them, that’s why I was hesitant in telling them who I really was. The male looked at me, pain in his eyes. I saw a familiar look. I saw me in his eyes, what I looked at in my mirror anytime I was thinking about my parents, or, sometimes, when I thought of Felix.

“Are you a half witch?” The male asked quietly. Something snapped in me. How would he know that?

“I swear, I didn’t do anything to your mate! I DIDN’T!” I shouted at the male. I didn’t want him to think that I would hurt his mate, or himself.

“I know you wouldn’t. It’s just..” He looked at his mate who had stopped sobbing, but was still down on her knees, unable to stand up. “..my mate is Aro and Sulpicia Volturi’s only daughter.”

My body tensed and shivered. If that woman is the only daughter Aro and Sulpicia ever had...could that mean..?

I took a few steps back. “AM I YOUR DAUGHTER? ARE YOU MY PARENTS?” I looked at them in disbelief.

Those were the people who abandoned me! That let me grow parentless, under Aro’s rules and directions! I was breathing heavily, in between sobs. I didn’t even realize that I set my whole body ablaze, until both vampires looked at me shocked. I didn’t feel any pain, but I couldn’t stop the flames licking my body, and in my frantic state, I started panicking even more.

The male started approaching me slowly, trying to not scare me away. “Shush, shush. You’re okay. You’re doing okay. I know how it feels at first. You’re experiencing some aspects of the life as a witch. It’s okay. Close your eyes and picture the flames in your head.” I closed my eyes and tried concentrating on the flames. “Now, imagine them burning out, becoming smaller and weaker.” I focused on the flames, imagining them weakening. After a few minutes, I felt them getting smaller and smaller, and finally disappearing. I opened my eyes slowly.

The female was standing next to the male, watching me carefully. In a quick motion, she pulled me and embraced me, stroking my hair lightly. I breathed in her scent, a mix of mountain flowers and the saltiness of the sea. Her touch was soft, and filled me up with what felt like a thousand different emotions.

But, I mostly felt safe. It was the first time in my life that I actually felt this safe. And whole. I felt like I actually belonged somewhere. I hugged her back. Tears started spilling from my eyes. That was my mom! That was actually my mom! After all this time, we were finally together. I felt the male, my dad, hugging both of us, and in that moment, I felt my legs giving up on me, and I finally fell into a long sleep.

#felix volturi #felix volturi imagine #felix volturi x reader #volturi #twilight #twilight renessaince #twilight post #demetri volturi #alec volturi #jane volturi #the cullens #the denali coven

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itsclydebitches · 3 years ago

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You know, I just now noticed how so many characters of the main cast are just there because they're close to Ruby. Qrow, Yang, the rest of her team, Team JNPR... They should be there for the strength of their own characters, and what they themselves can add to the overall story. It's super weird seeing so many characters, and yet so very few of them actually being valuable additions. Even Weiss, who in theory should have had quite the storyline in Atlas, didn't add much.

I'd argue they're not even that close, objectively speaking. I’ve been thinking this since the Haven house and yeah, it does a disservice to all that their characters could be. Let’s just lay things out real quick:

Ren and Nora are implied to have nowhere else to go. It’s some kind of motivation, sure, but not a particularly compelling one. Or even, arguably, logical considering that it’s just been the two of them since they were toddlers. Why not go back to that?

Jaune is just… there. Literally. He’s at Ruby’s side when she decides to go after Cinder and, far as I can recall, that choice is never explicitly addressed. Did he go home like everyone else first? If not, why not? He’s got a huge family and there’s not even a thought to going back to them instead of on a Maiden suicide mission? The one motivation he had, hunting Cinder, has been entirely forgotten.

Weiss is Ruby’s partner, but partners have no meaning outside of school—we don’t see other huntsmen teams sticking together post-graduation. The Ace Ops, one of the very few non-solo, licensed fighters we see, treat partnership strictly as a job—and even if teams did still mean something, they only knew each other two semesters. Was she even trying to get back to them specifically, or just trying to leave her father? I've said this before, but it's worth repeating: while I absolutely understand that RWBY wants us to buy into this group being a family (they've outright say as much) the reality is they're not depicted as very close outside of those "We're family" statements. Case in point:

Blake has no relationship with Ruby. Volume 8’s attempt to make them appear close fell flat precisely because they’ve spent seven seasons not interacting at all. Blake unintentionally reunited with her team and is now only around because of Yang. And Yang…

Is here because of Ruby. She says it outright in Volume 5: she’ll do whatever Ruby thinks is best. She’s not on this mission because she believes in it, but because she wants to support her sister. Problem is, Yang has very strong opinions about a war she's not invested in and she starts disagreeing with Ruby later on, presumably erasing her entire reason for being here.

None of these characters have a personal stake in the Salem fight. Even Ruby with Silver Eyes and a dead or grimmified mother hasn’t voiced those as reasons for her continuing forward. She’s apparently motivated only by her simple soul desire to help people and everyone around her, in turn, is just… there. Because the plot needs them to be. And you know, that could work. It’s not a deep story by any means, but it’s serviceable. Ruby is the pure protagonist who will do anything to change the world and her friends, in turn, are devoted enough to help her and/or equally invested in doing the right thing. I absolutely get where the fandom is coming from when they argue that it’s essentially a Guardians of the Galaxy setup: they’re protecting Remnant because they’re some of the assholes who live in it. If not them, who?

However, RWBY has two crucial differences. First, it’s not actually a situation where the team has to step up because no one else will. Whereas Guardians gave us a conflict that only these few misfits were aware of, RWBY has given us a conflict that’s already been fought for a thousand years, already has an inner circle fighting, and the entire world is populated by people already engaged in the first half of this battle: keeping the grimm at bay. Ozpin already had plans in place for his reincarnation, Qrow was waiting for him, there was a safe house to meet at, they thought Lionheart was doing his part, and Ironwood was. Meanwhile, the protagonists were just there, asking to help with something that was already in motion and didn’t necessarily need them as specific individuals. The war needs allies, yes, but not one year dropouts who just went through multiple traumas and are, apparently, still too inexperienced to understand practical concerns or compromises. The plot could have gone on without them, very easily, and RWBY keeps introducing new ways to (unintentionally) emphasize that. Ironwood has already gathered new allies and has a new plan in the works by the time they show up. Oscar and Ozpin take out the whale without any help from the team. As others have argued, the group has, in many respects, made things astronomically worse. So the question is always, “Why are they involved?”

The second crucial difference is that RWBY likewise keeps introducing world-shattering difficulties, but not following that up with compelling reasons for why the group is sticking around despite those new struggles. Why didn’t Team RJNR re-evaluate things when it became clear that this hunt for Cinder was far more dangerous than they thought (Qrow nearly died)? Why isn’t anyone hesitant to jump head first into this fight against they mysterious witch they know almost nothing about? Things made sense for a little while when they had short-term goals. We’ll help Ozpin check on Lionheart. Now we’ll get the Relic to Atlas. These are straightforward, comparatively simple things we can do to help the larger cause. But then they got to Atlas and didn’t complete their mission. They segued into doing generic huntsmen duties with the Lamp still on their belt, letting Ironwood do all the Salem-related work, actively undermining that in regards to Yang and Blake helping Robyn, and then the plot forced them back into the Salem conflict by having her attack where they were staying. Why am I invested in these characters fighting this fight when they actively choose not to participate when given the chance (Atlas duties, mansion scene), undermine other's work (lying to Ironwood, trusting Robyn, attacking Ozpin), and then only get re-involved because whoops, Salem's subordinates are trying to kill us because we still have the Relic we should have put in the vault weeks ago. This is such a convoluted set of non-motivations! Yet at the same time, this group had a complete breakdown over the revelation that she’s immortal, so why are they so compelled to fight her anyway? I don’t ask that as a way to say they shouldn’t fight, but rather to emphasize that as characters we should understand what drives them against such staggering odds.

“They’re good people” really doesn’t cut it. Especially not in a story where formerly good people—the Lionhearts of Remnant—are crumbling left and right under the pressure. It feels like the story once again assumes that because this team is made up of protagonists, them doing the right thing is a forgone conclusion that the story never needs to establish or grapple with. Yet RWBY, strangely, doesn’t even leave it at that. Rather, it continually introduces reasons why the cast should consider leaving and then… they don’t do that. Why is Ren sticking around when he believes that they’re doing everything wrong? Why is Jaune acting as a crossing guard when he previously wanted to find Cinder? Why is Yang still following orders (ironic) when her sole motivation, believing in her sister, didn’t exist all last volume? (And why did that disappear for a completely random worry that Blake is mad at her?) Why is Weiss focused on killing Salem rather than helping her family, or redeeming the SDC, her actual, original goals? Why is Blake in the very heart of Remnant's faunus racism and yet ignores that to hang around until Salem gives her a reason to do something again? (And then she does incredibly little, staying in the mansion and failing to take out a single grimm.) Hell, why does leaving Salem automatically equal fighting Salem for Emerald? Out of everyone there except Ozpin, she knows best how scary Salem is, so why isn't she trying to get the hell out of there, staying as far away from Salem's enemies as possible? Saying the protagonists are just Good People who will automatically fight is one thing, saying it of the character who was a villain an hour ago is something else entirely. I honestly believe that a lot of the cast bloat is a result of the writers having no idea why these characters are here, but keeping them around because they likewise have no idea why they might leave (that also requires development!) yet the reality is that some of them should be bowing out, or prioritizing helping in other ways. Yeah, Salem is a threat, but until she outright attacked Atlas, she was a threat Humanity had been dealing with since it came into existence. The show has a very meta approach to this conflict where the main characters have to act because they're the main characters, yet the actual situation we've been given has been going on since their dawn of time and, as far as they should know, will continue on long past their own lifetimes. The characters taking the most active role in this war should be the ones with the strongest ties to it (Oscar) and the deepest personal motivation (Ruby). But what we’ve got are characters like Nora where the motivation is, “Idk, she’s here because her friends from one year of schooling are here? Because Ren is here? But Ren doesn’t agree with any of this. And Nora wants some distance from Ren to discover who she is. So… shouldn’t she leave?”

Obviously no viewer likes seeing their faves put on the bus and, frankly, if RT was going to lessen the cast they should have done it post-Volume 3. But if we can’t have a story actually focusing on the characters most connected to the conflict, at the very least establish some reasons why everyone is hanging around, other than, “They’re good people.” Team RWBY just died. Going into Volume 9, I really can't emphasize that enough. As far as they (momentarily) and anyone else knows, they 100% died when they fell off those bridges, murdered by Cinder and Neo. They gave up their lives for this fight and they didn’t even last a year! Meanwhile, a close friend was just really-really killed by another close friend, all the evacuees are being eaten by grimm, and Atlas is gone. If that doesn’t make the characters reconsider thoughtlessly throwing themselves into this fight and discovering what actually motivates them against those kinds of odds and repercussions, I don’t know what will.

#rwde #rwby #mymetas

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aseioh · 3 years ago

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Of Stars and Moonlit walks pt.3/?

Chapter 3: Evening with a view ( TRIGGER WARNING: PLEASE NOTE THIS CHAPTER DEALS WITH SUICIDE OF A FAMILY MEMBER. )

Days blur into weeks as life continues to buzz around the Castle. With harvest season fast approaching, Alcina and her daughters has been busy. Thankfully, most of their ‘wine making’ operation is contained in the basement. Donna has never ventured below the castle, and even though she offered to help with their ‘harvest’ Alcina declined good naturedly. After all, the process of creating “Sanguis Virginis” was a family secret -even though all the Lords knew what was inside the wine- still she appreciated the offer.

Donna herself has been busy with helping Heisenberg in his factory, between this and her own work as Mother Miranda’s chief interrogator for prisoners, she was often left haggard at the end of the day. But beneath the tired feeling, Donna was proud of her work.

After all she was needed, she wasn’t disposable.

Donna remembers the first time she entered Heisenberg’s Factory and found it stifling. The metal doors that never seems to open and the constant smell of oil that permeates the air made her want to regurgitate her breakfast.

‘Heisenberg himself carries the same smell, along with the smoke of his preferred cigar.’ Donna muses as she makes her way to the hidden lift at the side of the front warehouse. The lift itself was a new addition, after Heisenberg noticed Donna’s reaction to the metal doors he graciously installed the one way lift for her.

“A direct access to our workspace! We need to be efficient and what better way than an ‘in and out way’. No need to walk around the factory floor.” Heisenberg boasted as he revealed it to Donna at the end of their first week working together.

Donna has never been more grateful with her ‘brother’.

The two of them shared a passion of building things, a trait Mother Miranda noticed early on and took advantage of. Donna with her dolls and Heisenberg with his technical proficiency, the two would always discuss their newest projects after every meeting.

When Mother Miranda said that she needed to expand her control, and increase their territory Heisenberg volunteered to make her a ‘mechanical army’, and with Donna’s help with in the early stages the plan was going along nicely.

Today had been a rather slow day for the two of them, after the field test of ‘Soldat’ prototype Heisenberg offered a break on their work. Of course, with nothing new on their plate discussions quickly turned to Donna’s stay at the Castle as well as its colorful inhabitants.

“So how’s the stay at the gilded castle?” Heisenberg inquired, as he lazily smoked his cigar, the red dot at the tip reminds Donna of the Soldats central weak point, something they need to remedy if they want the mechanical man to have a chance.

Donna sipping her tea frowns at the question. “Quite fine actually. I wished you would stop teasing Alcina, Karl. One day she’ll get so angry at you that you’ll end up as confetti on the floor”

“ohh, are we having a party Mistress” Angie pipes up from her stool.

“Now, now you know I’m only joking. and Alcina’s too strung up, it’s funny to piss her off. Besides I’m genuinely curious, are they treating you well? No headaches or nightmares? I know you get stress in new environments”

“I’m fine Karl, Alcina and the girls are lovely. Even Angie is having fun” at that the Doll nods enthusiastically. “As for the headache, its manageable, the herbal tea helps”

“and the last one?”

“Like I said, manageable.” She said with finality

“Right, you know I care about you Donna. If anything happens, you’re more than welcome to stay here. You’re friends are getting antsy sometimes but all is well here. I’m sure they’ll be happy when they know that their Mistress is in the same room as them”

“Thank you”

“Right enough about that.” Heisenberg extinguishes his cigar and stands up animatedly, walking to the side table with blueprints laying on top, he motions for Donna to follow him.

“So I have this new idea… what do you think if we attach a huge propeller at the head of one of the soldat”

The afternoon at Heisenberg’s factory just became interesting again.

----

In her dreams she wasn’t fast enough.

It was always the same scenario, her and Mother standing near the viewing docks of the waterfall. The sound was deafening but she can distinctly hear Mother talking and saying that she will always be there for her and urging Donna to run back inside the house.

Donna turns intending to follow her Mother’s order. She hears a soft “goodbye love” and when she looks back Mother is gone.

Gone. Gone.

Gone…

She makes her way at the edge of the viewing dock and looks down…

---

It was Bela's turn to patrol the corridors of the castle, with the harvest of maidens it isn't uncommon to see one or two of their 'prey’ to try to escape. As she makes her rounds near the guest wing she hears a scream.

‘Donna!?’

Bela hears Donna scream and rushes to the woman's room, thinking that someone had managed to escape and made their way to Donna's room or even worse. Bursting through and seeing there are only embers near the fireplace, Bela was about to light a candle when she was stopped.

"STOP!” Donna and Angie both shouted, the duality of their voices unnerved Bela. Donna was hunched over the bed, her hands shielding her whole face.

“Are you alright Donna?” Bela doesn’t sense anyone is in the room, and she felt her shoulders sag, she didn’t even realized that she was holding her breathe. Getting a better bearing of the room, she understands why Donna stopped her. ‘Ah, she's not wearing her veil’ quickly turning around the other direction she makes her way to the fireplace and stokes it back to life.

Donna still feeling the effects of the nightmare answers in short burst.

Bela doesn't know how to react on these situation, usually when one of them does experience nightmares they would just usually walk around the castle to decompress and shake the feeling off. On worst occasion when it was really bad they would knock on their Mother's door to seek comfort.

‘How do you comfort a woman?’

An idea forms in Bela's mind “Would you like to have a short walk? That usually calms me down when I suffer nightmares” Donna considers the invitation, sensing that Bela will not leave her easily she agrees beside she doesn’t really want to be alone right now. She wouldn't want to worry Alcina if she finds out she had this outburst.

“Yes, I would like that” Adjusting her veil she stands up and makes her way to Bela. “Angie will you stay here. Alcina probably heard that scream, will you tell her that I'm with Bela if she comes by?”

"Yes mistress” Angie agrees and settles by the wingback chair near the fireplace . Donna approaches Bela, touching her shoulder. Sensing that it’s alright to turn around, Bela faces the woman, based on the tensed shoulders and wringing hands in front of her, she makes a bold move and gently takes one of the hands.

"Come, I know the perfect place where we can go.”

‘She has warm hands.’ Donna though looking down on their joined hands. She wonders when the last time someone held her hand this way.

She comes up empty.

A quick detour to the kitchen for some tea and Bela leads them to the Castle Garden.

Thankfully, it was a warm night.

By this point Donna has managed to settle some of the earlier tension she's been feeling. She even managed to smile a little, although her companion cannot see it.

“I will always be surprised at how big this Castle is. Tell me are you also the one that tended to these plants?” Donna motions to the assorted flowers encircling the garden.

“Unfortunately not, we have the gardener take care of this area. I'm afraid I cannot tend to them when it becomes too cold.”

“I see.”

Silence follows, as they made their way to the center of the garden where a small gazebo was located.

“Are you feeling well now?” Bela asked after some time, hoping that the open air and the calm night has settled Donna’s nerve.

“Yes, thank you. You were right the short walk really helped.”

Bela can tell with Donna’s posture that she was still not a 100 percent alright, so she decides to distract the woman with questions. “How did you become one of the Four Lords?” at the question Donna’s head snapped up.

‘Shit!’ Bela blanched further, if that was even possible for her. ‘what the hell kind of a question is that? Mothers’ going to kill me’

Donna studies the woman in front of her. She weights her options on whether to tell Bela the truth or not.

‘You weren’t fast enough’ the intrusive thought taunts her on.

“First, do I have your word that what I’m about to tell you here will not leave and that you will not divulge my secret to your sisters?” Donna asked seriously as her voice takes on a lower timbre

“Yes”

“My Father was the village doctor and we have always lived at the Beneviento mansion. One day my Mother met an accident when we were out near the waterfall. I say an accident because that was what Father said, Mother slipped while I was turning to go back to the house”

“And the truth?”

“She jumped. I don’t know why and until now I have never learned her reasons, but one moment she was there and next she was just gone.”

‘Gone’ she hated that word and the absence it implies.

“My Father never recovered from the heartbreak, then one day he met an accident and I was left alone. Alone in the truest sense possible. The only one I have left was Angie” Donna pauses trying to catch her herself and willing her mind to not spiral down further.

“There were the house servants and the gardener a nice old man who taught me how to care for my plants, but other than them I was a ghost. Just counting my days, existing without living. Then one day Mother Miranda showed up.” At that, Donna smiled recalling the time that the woman suddenly appeared on the anniversary of her mother’s death.

An Angel with black wing. Or was it the Devil?

“She offered me salvation from my loneliness; she gave me the gift to influence others. The moment I’ve received her power, I gave a little of myself to Angie and I was never alone ever since.” Donna lets her story end. Looking at the young woman in front of her, she was surprised to find tears streaming down Bela’s face.

“I’m sorry, I know it was an upsetting tale-“ Donna starts only to be interrupted by Bela standing up and embracing her.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Bela whispers as she rest her cheeks on Donna’s head “But I hope that you will never feel alone again, Mother’s here, Cassandra and Daniela are here-“

“And you’re here as well” Donna finishes Bela’s sentence

Chuckling “Yes, not to mention, Heisenberg and Moreau. Donna, I swear as long as I’m here you will never feel alone” Bela declares as she tightens her embrace

Donna sinks further into Bela’s embrace and for once, she felt it.

She felt peace.

The two stayed in the same position for some time, With only the moon and stars as their witness.

#resident evil village #donna beneviento #bela dimitrescu #Donna x Bela pairing #Beladonna #Of Stars and Moonlit walks #karl heisenberg #alcina dimitrescu

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along-came-atsushi · 4 years ago

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Hello, anon! :D And thank you for your trust in my opinions!

[The following quotes from Beast!AU are from @looking-for-stray-dogs.

A complete translation of the novel was made by @yanase-gr.]

~ ~ ~

Dazai’s and Atsushi’s relationship in Beast is very complicated to begin with.

During their scenes Dazai is switching between being respectful towards Atsushi and then being pretty cold to him in the next moment.

Apparently Atsushi is allowed to do things other subordinates are not allowed to do. He actually calls Dazai “Dazai-san”, and not “boss”. Although, the hesitant way of him saying his name implies that he’s uncomfortable to do so:

“Thank you……very much, Dazai-san.”

Head still bowed, Atsushi said so in a nervous voice.

Immediately, Chuuya’s low voice interrupted. “Haah? Call him ‘Boss’, brat. You wanna be killed?”

Dazai must have either offered or ordered Atsushi to address him that way for whatever reasons. I doubt that Atsushi was the first to call him “Dazai-san” without being giving permission, since he has an awed and dependent perception of Dazai in Beast.

We know that Beast!Dazai has the knowledge of other realities/worlds, so he may want that subconsciously (being called “Dazai-san” by Atsushi), because he knows that in other realities/worlds he has a good relationship with him. Which is kind of a parallel when he sits with Beast!Odasaku in the bar and actually calls him “Odasaku” (much to Odasaku’s irritation), because he knows in another reality/world they were friends.

Another thing Atsushi is allowed to do is being alone with Dazai. Chuuya as his bodyguard opposes to both these exceptions, calling Atsushi out to be more respectful towards Dazai and not allowing anyone to be alone with him, since that person could be trying to kill Dazai:

“Now now, Chuuya, it’s fine,” Dazai said while crossing his legs. “More importantly, I want to speak to him alone. Chuuya, leave us for a while.” [...]

“What’re you talking about. A mere member not even an executive member or your secretary seeing you directly, that’s already the exception of exceptions.”

“Why? Atsushi-kun’s a trusted subordinate.”

“It’s not about trust. What’re you gonna do if he’s controlled by an Ability, or a bomb was planted on him without his knowledge? There were precedents. Impossible that I’d give you permission for you two to be alone.”

[...] Dazai made a wry smile, and he turned to face Atsushi. “Be at ease, Atsushi-kun.”

From what I understand from the fan translation is that in Beast Dazai also trained Atsushi. Of course, these sessions must have involved physical force, too. There is also the fact that in Beast Atsushi has to wear a spikey collar in order to suppress/control his tiger powers. Since he isn’t an ADA member there, and Fukuzawa with his ability cannot make him control the tiger, it’s the only way for him to do so. Otherwise he would be blindly going on rampages (which apparently did already happen in Beast), or he would be waiting inside a cage.

But I still doubt the training was as violent as between Canon!Dazai and Canon!Akutagawa. Because:

1.) Canon!Akutagawa disobeys Canon!Dazai’s orders (killing people he should not kill), for which he gets punished. This is something Beast!Atsushi does not do, he strictly follows Beast!Dazai’s orders. But more on that later.

2.) Beast!Odasaku says about Akutagawa‘s ability something like: “Your ability is strong, but you’re physically weak.” Something that’s also not the case with Atsushi, since he has the tiger’s regenerative powers and so on. So training him that violently may not be necessary for Beast!Dazai.

3.) Beast!Dazai planned from the very beginning to not let Beast!Atsushi stay forever in the PM:

There is the sound of clapping, and Dazai congratulates them.

“Atsushi-kun. You’re fired.”

Atsushi’s eyes widened for a moment from surprise, then he closed them immediately.

“……understood.”

“In exchange, go live in the outside world. I’ve made arrangements for somebody to take care of you. Go into the world of light, together with Kyouka-chan.”

“Dazai-kun must have, in his own way, been worried for you for after he’s gone.” − Beast!Mori to Beast!Atsushi

He made arrangements that he would live a better life, after the incidents of Beast. Contrary to the canon storyline, where Dazai did not have any plans to bring Akutagawa out of PM. Also because at that time, he himself thought that he would stay there forever. Leaving PM was an impulsively made decision due to Odasaku’s death and last wish, and he didn’t bring Akutagawa with him. All these circumstances do not happen in Beast, and Beast!Dazai’s plans differ greatly from his canon self.

So from Canon!Dazai’s mindset it was important to teach Akutagawa how things work in the Mafia, and that he won’t survive there, if he ever shows weakness. Which isn’t the case with Beast!Atsushi.

Even when Atsushi disobeyed Dazai one time (He went back to the orphanage and killed the headmaster, something which Dazai advised him against), Dazai seemingly didn’t punish Atsushi in any way. Because Atsushi was already punished in dealing with his trauma and guilt for killing the headmaster.

[Sidenote: Yes, even in Beast we have that stupid “AKSHUALLY the headmaster was a gOoD gUY uwu” narrative. Thanks, I hate it.]

It’s not mentioned anywhere that Atsushi was once punished by Dazai for anything or that he’s afraid of him in (physically) hurting him. Instead Atsushi begs Dazai for orders and states several times that he saved him:

“Please, order me, Dazai-san.” Somehow, Atsushi squeezed his voice out from behind trembling teeth. “Immediately. I will never again, go against your orders. Never, never, never.”

“I’ll believe that,” Dazai said while coolly looking down at Atsushi.

“That person [Dazai] saved me. He saved me from hell, and invited me to this organization. I will never betray that person’s orders.” [...] “He told me to join. Said that I’ll be granted what I wanted.”

Of course, their relationship in Beast is far from healthy and good. And it’s very shocking to read for the first time. But it’s also not as terrible and cruel as it was between Dazai and Akutagawa in the canon story. That of course, doesn’t make Atsushi’s mental state in Beast any better, and it doesn’t excuse Dazai’s treatment of Akutagawa in the canon story.

In addition to this, I think that Beast!Atsushi and Beast!Dazai truly care for each other. Atsushi is visibly devastated when Dazai is about to commit suicide. And Dazai, as mentioned above, made preparations to have Atsushi live a better life. It’s just that they have complicated circumstances. Beast!Dazai’s main goal is to keep Odasaku alive, because Beast is the only reality/world where this is possible (which kind of gives Odasaku the role of a martyr in other realities/worlds). But to achieve this, he has to make everybody else suffer and keep a cold facade:

“Yes, this is a natural phenomenon.” Dazai’s voice carried the accompaniment of fatigue that had been thinly extended. “Nobody can stop it, nobody can fight against it. Even I cannot— if there’s one thing we can do, it is to love it. The truth that this world is one huge lie.”

“It was dreadful,” the young man muttered. “It was really dreadful. To fight against Mimic without you, to have to succeed Mori-san, to make enemies of everyone and expand the organisation. It was all for this world’s—”

− Beast!Dazai to Beast!Odasaku

There is a sad parallel where Dazai says the following to Odasaku:

“A life with someone to say goodbye to, it’s a good life. If there’s someone who would feel pain from the goodbye, I’d wish for nothing more. Am I wrong?”

And the only person who actually feels sadness for Dazai’s death is Atsushi:

It was true that, after Dazai’s death, Atsushi hadn’t known what to do and had left Yokohama, refusing food, wandering in remote places. Even he hadn’t known why. But—he couldn’t help but do so.

“You didn’t want to die, you just didn’t want to live. They are two completely different things.” − Beast!Elise to Beast!Atsushi

#Osamu Dazai #Atsushi Nakajima #Ryunosuke Akutagawa #dazatsu #dazushi #osamu dazai bsd #atsushi nakajima bsd #ryunosuke akutagawa bsd #Sakunosuke Oda #sakunosuke oda bsd #I'm tagging it as Dazatsu just in case ¯\_(ツ)_/¯#Bungou Stray Dogs #BSD #Q&A #beast au #bsd meta

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chroniclerdl · 3 years ago

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Seven Fundamentals to Writing Better Yu-Gi-Oh Duelfics

Ever wanted to write a duelfic just as good or better than canon?

Done right, duels are memorable action scenes.

Done wrong, duels shatter the suspension of disbelief. It’s already a big ask to imagine the world revolving around a card game.

You don’t want the tragedy where your readers yank the scrollbar past your duel, or worse, close your tab. Even the small pool of duelfic readers/writers like me will skip huge chunks of your chapters when the duels sag.

By implementing basic storytelling techniques tailored to dueling, you can hook your readers into following the play-by-play.

High Stakes

Consistent Rules

Sneaks Checked

“Balanced” Gameplay

Foreshadowing Victory

Engaging Description

Dramatic Tension

1. High Stakes

When you advertise your story as a duelfic, your first duel tells readers whether or not what you wrote is worth their time.

If your characters duel without a concrete reason to rip the opponent’s throat, readers already know the outcome:

You lose.

Why? The game is pointless. Who’s dropping whatever they’re doing just to read the equivalent of your characters sipping afternoon tea? If you’re introducing the setting and characters, why can’t you introduce exciting threats?

No reader expects your first duel to decide the fate of the world, but your characters still need to bet.

Characters wager life chips.

If your character loses, they suffer death or suicide-inducing despair.

Is it too much to start with life-and-death? No. Think of the life chip as the culmination of hopes and dreams.

As the story progresses, the stakes will rise, must rise. How? Others will entrust the main characters with their own life chips, and/or the life chips acquire additional meaning. Consider this loose analogy: at the end of a poker tournament, gamblers sit at the final table with stacks built from the chips of others.

Life chips mean different things to different characters. Let’s take the Duelist Kingdom arc.

Yugi’s life chip is the hope to save his grandfather (and later, his own soul)

Joey’s life chip is the hope to win the prize money to fund his sister’s medical operation

Kaiba’s life chip is the hope to save his little brother (and later, his own soul)

You don’t even need your final showdown to revolve around the fate of world; it just has to be one or more things that matter to your characters.

Also, make sure to communicate the stakes, or why the characters accept uneven bets.

If you have the chops, you can also play around with disguising the stakes. As in, your character thinks they’re wagering something small, but it’s actually their life chip. However, your readers still need a vague reason to believe that a defeat will devour the character.

Always make sure the characters stake one or more life chips!

2. Consistent Rules

If you watched the Duelist Kingdom arc and tried to understand the moves everyone made, your head exploded.

Ask yourself: will the clever scheme that your hero invented drive readers crazy?

If I write a magic system that requires a wand, this applies to all. I cannot become a genius and suddenly wave my hands to cast magic.

Demonstrate the rules early, preferably in the first duel, and keep them sacred.

If you must make an exception, establish it early. In that case, the exception becomes a well-defined branch of the rules that the readers can anticipate.

Can the players magically draw the card they need, whenever they want?

If you can establish the when and why, by all means. The readers proceed with the understanding that the players can reach into their deck like a glorified toolbox.

For example, Duel Links has a concept called “skills” that function like a player’s special ability. At the time I wrote this, Yami Yugi’s “Destiny Draw” skill lets the player take any card from their deck once per duel after losing 2000LP (and even if they stacked the top of the deck earlier!).

Card should also have the same, predictable effect. If the card prevents attacks, I doubt the text discusses physical properties or mentions holding things in the air. But you knew that, right?

The rules are the laws of the universe.

3. Sneaks Checked

I love duels. I also love getting what I want.

Why does getting what I want have to be through a duel?

If we talk, maybe we can come to an agreement. If I blackmail you, maybe you’ll give in to my demands. If I shoot you, I can loot your corpse. Give the readers a good reason as to why your characters would bother with the hassle of honest dueling and can’t wiggle from the consequences of losing.

Often, the duel takes place in the context of a tournament. Hopefully, the tournament officials are keeping a good eye on the players and cracking down on cheaters.

However, even that’s not a guarantee. What’s the key concept?

Power.

The competitors have equivalent capacity for coercion (usually violence) or have a neutral referee presiding over the match with the most capacity for coercion (shoutout to gambling manga Usogui).

Anyone who enters a game otherwise has lost before the first move.

In Yu-Gi-Oh, magical and sci-fi enforcement are common. The Shadow Realm can trap the loser in a desolate hell. In a digital world, the loser suffers deletion. Or just have good tournament officials.

Be vigilant when your duel doesn’t call upon these tropes.

Your amoral characters won’t mind blindsiding your other characters, and they won’t mind blindsiding you with a plot hole.

If you’re not careful, the readers will ask you why they played uncharacteristically fair.

4. “Balanced” Gameplay

Duels should be fair and fun…for the villain.

Ostensibly, everyone plays a balanced game, designed to give both sides a sporting chance. In reality, the villain tilts the field to their favor with one or more tricks up their sleeves. Why would your villain ever fight fair?

But that’s fine. We love rooting for the underdog and watching the villain get their comeuppance.

Overpowered ability to let the villain read minds? Deck full of unbalanced cards that makes the villain’s monsters invincible with no drawback? Creator who knows every strategy in the game? Readers will turn the page as they wonder how the hero will prevail.

The more obstacles you can throw in the hero’s way, the better.

Got custom cards? No problem, just follow a couple guidelines. After all, some duelists are more equal than others.

The hero’s deck is full of regular cards that have a cost to use. For every play they want to make, their cards insist that they give up their attack, discard to play, etc.

The villain’s deck is full of rare cards that power up their game for free. So long as you can justify why the card made it to print, the villain can play whatever they want.

For every step your hero takes, the villain gets two.

5. Foreshadowing Victory

How many times have you watched a duel where the protagonist comes up with this never-before-seen card that does exactly what the protagonist needs to clinch the win? In the final showdown, no less? It’s like the writers begged to be called amateurs and idiots.

No other genre tolerates such laziness.

However, readers don’t want an infodump of the characters’ decks. Show the cards in action. To cover the deck, you'll probably need multiple duels.

This also implies you have more freedom in how your character defeats their early opponents in the duelfic.

Does that previous statement contradict what I said about never-before-seen cards clinching the win as the mark of laziness? No, because here’s the rule:

Tolerance for the hero’s new cards decreases as the story progresses.

(Notice that I specify the hero’s new cards; your villains exist to make life harder by inventing unfair tricks.)

When you must include new cards for the hero late in the duelfic, at least find a way to make them first backfire.

Now, some writers have lots of knowledge about the card pool and metagame. Can they assume the readers a priori know the hero has access to any of the available cards in a given archetype?

I’d err on the side of caution and properly foreshadow the cards before they appear late in the duelfic. Not every reader is a walking card database. They have no reason to assume something exists unless you show the card.

Take the tolerance rule into consideration when planning your duels. If you know the awesome combo you want to use for the final turn in the duelfic climax, that’s your cue to scatter the cards into the earlier duels.

Plan the last duel first and your early duels last.

6. Description

Every reader wants a front-row seat to the action.

They’re paying you their time, so make it worth the admission: sleek combatants & budget-busting fights. Kaiba invented Solid Vision technology for a reason, so help readers envision your duels.

Who’s fighting? Describe the point-of-view’s impression of the monsters’ appearances. Red-Eyes Black Dragon should be self-explanatory.

What about a decorated monster like Time Wizard?

You could go into detail about how the red clock humanoid has yellow gears that form epaulets and purple, pointy boots and a green mustache made from clock hands and so on, but such a level of minutiae bogs pacing and invites skimming.

Readers just need to hear about a purple-caped, red clock humanoid with a wand to form an image. Their imaginations can handle the little details.

Paint appearances in broad strokes and one or two brief sentences.

How are the monsters fighting? Duel Monsters is a game where the target takes the aggressor’s attack like a champ. That doesn’t mean you can’t spice it up.

For example, my opponent’s dragon attacks my weaker knight with a fireball. My knight, interested in not dying, raises his shield. Unfortunately, he screams as the flames engulf him.

You wouldn’t just stand still with a straight face if someone armed with a knife lunged for your gut.

A fight scene is a string of action and reaction.

Most people also experience life in more senses than just sight.

A dragon’s fireball is a bright reddish-orange, hot, dries the air, smoky, and explodes with a boom on impact. I never tasted a fireball, and I hope I never do, but that’s still four senses: sight, touch, smell, and sound.

Include multiple sensory details.

Let’s spare a moment to talk about the heads-up display (HUD).

In Yu-Gi-Oh, cards have multiple stats and abilities. You’re free to mention whatever you deem necessary. No set formula exists. On one extreme, you can mention nothing to keep the narrative clean at the risk of confusing the readers. At the other extreme, infodumps about the monster’s abilities provide great detail but wreck the pacing. But there’s a cozy middle.

State only what you need from the card.

If your duels occurred before the era of Synchro, you don’t need details about levels. You can just display the basic stats to determine the stronger monster. If a deck has Pendulum monsters, just mention the scale numbers when they're played as scales. And so on.

You can also make an index of new cards at the end of a chapter.

BONUS TIP! Understanding show, don’t tell.

What is show, don’t tell? At its core, this concept refers to immersing your readers in the senses and feelings instead of exposition. Unfortunately, that definition is a bit vague to execute. After writing for a while, I had my lightbulb moment.

Don’t TELL the readers how to think or force-feed them a conclusion.

SHOW your readers the evidence.

Here’s a written example from Joey vs. Rex in Duelist Kingdom. See if you can spot what makes this prose telling instead of showing.

“Joey watched nervously as Two-Headed King Rex stomped Baby Dragon. He messed up his Baby Dragon-Time Wizard combo!”

You can see two failures: “nervously” and the second sentence.

Adverbs like “nervously” and other “-ly” friends get a bad rep because rookies tend to use them as telling crutches (especially beware adverbs after dialogue tags!). “Nervously” tells me how Joey reacts. But what does “nervously” look like? One character might bite their thumb. Another might fidget in their seat. The adverb in this context lacks nuance.

We also have the second sentence: “He messed up his Baby Dragon-Time Wizard combo!” When you’re explaining the “why” to something, you’re telling. It’s like talking down to your readers.

Contrast with the next example.

“A bead of sweat rolled off Joey’s face as Two-Headed King Rex stomped Baby Dragon. He stared at the Time Wizard in his hand.”

The first sentence shows me Joey’s physical reaction. I see him sweating, so I think he’s nervous.

We also see a second physical reaction: “He stared at the Time Wizard in his hand.” This comes on the heels of the first sentence, and I also have knowledge of when Joey used the Baby Dragon-Time Wizard combo in a prior duel. Combined, I think Joey is ruminating about a missed chance.

Readers are smart; they’ll catch your intention if you show the proof.

7. Dramatic Tension

I bet you know what it's like to draw a bad hand.

Imagine: The hero staggers into the arena, and the villain just needs to win one duel to take over the world. The villain draws a bunch of powerups with no monster, but the hero draws a one-turn-kill combo.

Anticlimactic. The readers throw that duelfic straight into the trash.

Don’t just write real-life duels. “It really happened” doesn’t mean it’s emotionally satisfying.

That’s why we have literary structure.

Success and setback pace together with progressive intensity to maximize dramatic tension and emotional payoff.

I’ll spare the nitty-gritty theory detail, but your duels should look like this on a basic level:

Part 1: Villain’s basic threats. Introduces the villain’s deck and style.

Part 2: Villain’s minor strategy. The villain’s first serious attempt to defeat the hero.

Part 3: Villain’s major strategy. The hero’s reversal! But the villain has worse in store.

Part 4: Hero’s imminent defeat. The hero must break through, or else will instantly lose!

Ideally, you’re also integrating the story itself into the duel; themes and duels synergize to create a stronger effect.

You may notice how the format resembles the three-act structure.

Act I is Part 1

Act II until the Act II midpoint is Part 2

Act II midpoint until Act III is Part 3

Act III is part 4.

I’ll use Yugi/Pharaoh vs. Pegasus in Duelist Kingdom as an example.

Part 1: Mind scan. Pegasus can read minds to counter combos.

Part 2: Toon World. Indestructible, cartoonified monsters attack.

Part 3: Shadow game. Toons destroyed! But playing a shadow game weakens Yugi.

Part 4: Yugi passes out. The Pharaoh must find a new way to stop Pegasus’s mind scan!

Figure out each part of the structure for your duels before writing the turn-by-turn plays.

By the way, modern real-life Yu-Gi-Oh duels don’t suit drama because the rules provide weak constraints to creating strong boards. A good modern deck usually establishes a scary turn one board and jumps straight into Part 4, whereas other card games like Magic: The Gathering and Hearthstone force the powerhouse cards to wait several turns until the player builds the mana to pay costs.

You can still write a good modern duel. Here’s a basic outline of Arc-V’s duel between Sora and Shay. Technically, “tragedy” is the structure of this duel, so I’ll make Shay the “hero” to flip it and keep matters simplified.

Part 1: Basic monsters. These clash before a monster appears from the Extra Deck.

Part 2: Frightfurs. They come one after another to crush Shay’s Raidraptors.

Part 3: Sora’s wrath. Rise Falcon survives! But Sora’s malevolent nature comes to light.

Part 4: Frightfur Chimera. Sora chomps candy and summons his biggest fusion horror!

If following the four parts is too difficult for you, that’s okay. They're just logical extensions of one basic concept. Keep the following in mind, and you’ll never go wrong:

The villain’s subsequent threats become increasingly overwhelming.

Conclusion

Much of writing a duel boils down to storytelling technique.

Let’s tl;dr the main takeaways.

High Stakes: Minimum ante is the life chip, worth a character’s hopes and dreams.

Consistent Rules: Everyone plays by the same logic.

Sneaks Checked: Characters can’t skip the duels with violence and coercion.

“Balanced” Gameplay: Villains enjoy advantages.

Foreshadowing Victory: Readers have a chance to predict the winning combo.

Engaging Description: Immerse senses and invite reactions.

Dramatic Tension: The villain makes progressively stronger threats.

As a duelfic reader/writer, I can gauge a writer's ability by measuring their duels with the fundamentals. Many fan writers struggle; even the canon writers struggle.

But writing a duelfic isn’t rocket science. With practice, minding the fundamentals will become second nature.

And don't forget to tag your story as a duelfic. It's a whole genre in fanfic, so sort it properly and help readers from the future find you.

May the heart of the cards be with you.

…

Want to see in-depth examples of my advice? I rewrote the Orichalcos arc to reimagine its untapped potential without the failures of the canon presentation. You can find it on FFnet and AO3.

#yugioh #ygo #yugioh fanfiction #yugioh fandom #fanfic writing #duelfic #writing #writing tips #writing advice #writing help #how to write #listicles

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fostersffff · 3 years ago

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Finished Season 4 of Castlevania: the Netflix, and thus the whole series! And I’ve got a lot to say!

Here’s the biggest observation for this season: I get the impression that they didn’t originally plan for this to be the final season. It feels like, at the start of Season 3 they believed they were going to have two more seasons, and then maybe by the time they started wrapping that up they were told they’ve been cut down to just one more, so they had to speed of the pace of Season 4 dramatically to make sure they could still hit the ending. I have no actual evidence to support this- I haven’t read any interviews or official comments to that effect- just a gut feeling based on aspects of the plot:

Biggest support of this is how quickly Saint Germaine is just like “ok I’m evil now”. He immediately submits to the random woman who tells him he’s gotta be evil to find his lady love, there’s one scene of him murdering a guy, and then he’s all-in on being a villain, complete with “I AM A GOD WHO FUCKS” monologuing.

In addition to Saint Germaine’s heel turn feeling half-baked, the Dracula’s resurrection plot in general really doesn’t feel all that important until the finale. Varney is a comic relief character, which in hindsight was completely intentional, but Ratko and Draken are just huge fighter dudes who weren’t involved with Dracula’s court during Season 2, but are very into bringing him back for reasons that are never clearly explained besides the assumed “it’s Dracula so we gotta”. Additionally, the way major characters like Hector and especially Isaac treat the resurrection plot don’t help, although it makes perfect sense that they both do what they do.

The things that happen in Targoviste, and the way they happen, also contribute, especially because there’s no satisfactory resolution to it. Trevor and Sypha start to help the people organize and rebuild, and then get whisked away to the Underground Court. They barely have time to react to the fucked up shit going on down there before they teleport to the castle to kick off the finale. More time to let hostilities between them and Zamfir bubble up before the reveal of the Underground Court, along with a more satisfying build-up to Trevor collecting the components of the Super Holy Dagger would have been good.

Season 3 ends with Alucard in Hector in very bad places: Alucard has just been betrayed by the twins vampire hunters, which has brought out a misanthropic streak, including him leaving them on pikes, and Hector has once again been duped into an even deeper submission than he was in as Carmilla’s prisoner at the end of Season 2. Trevor and Sypha’s vignettes establish that roughly a month and a half have passed, which was apparently enough time for Alucard to basically get over his trust issues, enough to help the villagers, and Hector to not only cope with the reality of his situation but also finally develop into a character on par with every other major character in terms of competence.

Carmilla and Isaac’s stories didn’t feel rushed like everything else I’ve mentioned, but following the train of thought that there was originally going to be more episodes, both of them could’ve stood to have more time and events to get to their final forms.

So, Death: I don’t know how I feel about Death as portrayed in this series. On the one hand, this interpretation technically not being Dracula’s right hand as he is in the games, and instead being an independent actor that stands to benefit from Dracula’s rampage and thus serves the same capacity as a right hand, is incredible. On the other, the fact that Death’s true personality is actually just Varney fucking blows. The design for Death is also not my favorite, because it reminds me just a bit too much of Castlevania Judgment, but Malcolm McDowell being the voice actor is really cool. In conclusion, Death is a land of contrasts.

On that note, “no it’s not Death Death, it’s an entity that calls itself Death that feeds on death and is an elemental spirit- or force of nature in other words- but is distinctly different from the personification of the concept of-” just fucking say “yeah for all intents and purposes it’s the Grim Reaper”. Coming up with a semantics explanation for why vampires get fucked up by crosses to explain the cross subweapon is fun, don’t undercut your final antagonist by trying to rationalize it into something less fantastical.

I already said that I liked the motivation behind Death, but also the execution of “I’m going to bring back Dracula wrong on purpose” and the way he accomplishes that is the best it’s ever been.

I thought Varney hopping over the stream of holy water was a fun cap on the argument about whether or not vampires can cross over running water from Season 2, but was in fact clever foreshadowing, since Death isn’t a vampire. Good stuff!

I think it’s just because I’ve been focusing a lot on animation quality over the last few months, but I noticed they started using 3D models a lot more this season. I imagine it was a matter of practicality considering that there are more action setpieces in this season than the other three combined. I think this is ultimately a good thing, because they do a very good job of masking the fact that they’re using 3D most of the time because it still looks very good, unlike some of Netflix’s other 3D action projects, and if it makes life easier for the animators without sacrificing quality then that’s a win for everyone.

Didn’t think much of it at first, but I’ve really come to appreciate the term “night creatures” as a catch-all for monsters in this series. It’s generic enough to encompass everything regardless of design difference, but more unique than just ‘monsters’ or ‘demons’.

I had heard someone make a joke about a character wearing Artorias Dark Souls’s armor for a scene because fuck you, but holy shit, Striga really does just wear Artorias Dark Souls’s armor for a scene because fuck you.

When Saint Germaine first shows up, his lines sound really low quality compared to Alucard and Greta, and then that issue goes away after that episode. I imagine that it was pandemic related, but clearly Bill Nighy was either able to get into a studio or eventually got a better home setup- couldn’t you just have him re-record those lines?

I’ve talked so much about how Carmilla’s design in this series is The Best™ because they masterfully adapted a single sprite with no animation from a 1987 video game into a fully realized design, and this frame in particular struck me as perfect. This is the best this character has ever looked and likely will ever look.

I love how optimistic and positive the tone of everyone’s ending is. Ranging from the unexpectedly beautiful and uplifting resolution to Isaac’s story, to the foundation of a town that fundamentally accomplishes what Lisa hoped for at the very beginning of the series, it’s all nice way to go out. Even Lenore choosing to commit suicide, while not necessarily optimistic or positive, is at least on her own terms.

Dracula and Lisa also having a happy ending is nice. It doesn’t really make any sense, and it makes me wonder what Richter’s call to action is going to be in the next series, but I think they were right to have the series end with the same two characters it opened with.

AYY SOMEONE THREW A WINE GLASS!!!

Unfortunately, I’d say Season 4 is the weakest of the series, but they did everything they could to make sure they provided an explosive finale and a solid ending. This was a damn good show and without a doubt the best thing to be associated with Castlevania in over a decade. Not that it had much competition there, but still!

As a final note on the nature of Castlevania as an adaptation: I can certainly understand why certain people don’t like this series. If you’re looking for Castlevania: The Video Game: The Animated Series, you’d walk away disappointed because of how many things were changed in adaptation, how much they were changed, and that so much is just made up from whole cloth. But an animated series isn’t a video game, and while an eight episode series where each episode is a different stage of non-stop fight scenes, complete with a big boss fight at the end sounds like it could be cool, if that’s what I really want I’d probably be better served just playing a game.

#Castlevania #Netflix Castlevania #anime #video games #long post

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