#while Elisabetha and Mathias have a loving relationship

[monochromaticwriting]

Hey, did someone want a continuation of this?

Ehh, it's been sitting in my drafts for a while, and I'm not 100% happy with it, but it did provide a nice exercise to try and write Elisabetha. Eventually, I'll write a third and fourth to this, and it'll be Leon meeting Gabriel, and then they all meet Marie.

Gabriel wakes before the sun. It was a pattern that was engrained in him since he was a child, getting up to clean the knights and paladin's armor and weapons. Yawning, he sits up in the very comfortable bed.... Only to hear the sound of clothes tearing. His eyes widen, and he quickly stands, tearing the clothes more. In the mirror, Gabriel saw the gown Lord Mathias had offered him, was torn apart.

"Great..." Gabriel grumbles. He needed something to repay Mathias' kindness for even offering the gown in the first place, but he figured that it should also work as a repayment for destroying the clothes too. Turning to his armor, he leans over and rummages through his many pouches.

"Where are they? I know they're here somewhere... Aha!" He pulled out the medallion. It was beautifully carved, with five slots filled with glowing green crystals. He had packed an extra Life Gem Medallion in case he needed it. This counted as a time he would need this.

Oh, he hoped that Mathias wouldn't be offended with the item. Gabriel had never interacted one-on-one with an Orthodox, much less a knight for one of their churches, but he knew that many fellow followers of Christ didn't approve of the Brotherhood's usage of magic... Or working with other gods.

"Well, I guess we'll see when I greet him for breakfast," Gabriel shook his head, standing up and looking back at his armor set, gathering it up to clean and put back on.

~~~~

Elisabetha was walking through the estate, trying to find their new guest. Mathias had stepped out by the time the sun was up to grab Leon, leaving her alone with their guest. She figured she should at least let him know breakfast was ready if he wanted some. As she passed by the washroom, a deep, yet soft, masculine voice could be heard behind the door.

Ah! That must be him, She thought to herself. She knocked gently first, not getting an answer. Gently, Elisabetha pushed the door open.

"Sir Knight? I apologize for intruding, but there is.... Some..." Her words trail off as she looks at the man before her. He was dressed from the waist down, leaving his chest bare. Elisabetha has seen many physically impressive knights in her life, being married to Mathias for so long, but none had caught her attention like this one.

He was broad and muscular, with a light tanning on his shoulders and chest from having been out in the sun so much. A light dusting of freckles dusted these tan portions of his skin. His hair was short, but it looked so soft, especially with it dusting his chest, down his stomach, with a trail going lower... She whips her vision back up to his eyes. Oh, they were such a deep blue, like a pond, hidden within the shadows of the forest.

"My lady?" His voice was soft, though the accent wasn't one she could place.

"My apologies, Sir Knight." She quickly shut and stepped away from the door. Her face was hot and crimson as she hurried away back to the dining room to wait either for their guest, or for her husband's return. Elisabetha looked down at the tea and tarts on the table, before covering her eyes. How could she do that? She didn't even know his name!

At least she better understood the state of her husband last night.

The sound of boots stirred her from her thoughts, and she looked up at the source. Elisabetha felt her face get hot as the Knight in question stood by the table. Though his body language was off. Most of the knights she knew would be happy to sit at the table and enjoy a light breakfast while waiting to speak with Mathias. This one was... Quiet. Awkward.

Almost shy.

"Sir Knight, you are more than welcome to sit at the table and help yourself to the food," She started.

The man only nodded, but still hesitated, before finally sitting down. There was a noticeable creak from the chair, not being used to the bulkier armor of the knight. She did smile softly as he prayed before sipping at the tea.

"Dear knight," she started, "I fear my dearest Mathias never told me your name. And I take it he never told you mind. I am Elisabetha Cronqvist."

The man seemed startled by her voice at first, before his voice rumbled out, "It is good to meet you, Lady Cronqvist. My name is Gabriel... Gabriel Belmont."

"Belmont?" Elisabetha questioned, frowning as she received a nod from the man. "Are you by chance related to Sir Leon Belmont?"

Gabriel looked at her strangely. His blue eyes looked troubled, yet curious.

"I fear I am not. I.... I chose my last name. It was not given to me." He stated, and Elisabetha felt like she overstepped. Luckily, a servant bringing them more tea interrupted the awkward air.

She studied the knight further, from his awkward drinking of the tea, to how small the tarts were in his hands. The mood was less awkward and tense, and she relaxed, filling the air with some soft talking. Every so often, he would add something, but she did most of the talking.

However, something on his left hand caught her eyes. A small gold band on the fourth finger... His eyes seemed to follow hers, and he smiled a dreamy smile, before talking about his beloved wife, Marie. It made her feel ashamed of both herself and Mathias for lusting after a man, who was very happy with his wife.

But something about Gabriel continued to draw her in. He had this undeniable endearing charm about him, one that had definitely made her husband smitten at first sight... Though something told her that the rainstorm last night had something to do with it.

Aw, well, Gabriel would be waiting for Mathias to come back with Leon to learn more about why they needed help from a differing Brotherhood. All the more for Elisabetha to learn more about Gabriel, before Mathias got the chance to.

[beevean]

Dracula in Netflixvania: how small changes in lore build up to disaster

Changes in adaptations are bound to happen. Cuts in the lore are bound to happen. But I find incredible how so many tiny changes in the lore of Castlevania brought by NFCV, apparently innocuous or even improvements according to some, actually lead to the narrative completely falling apart both as an adaptation and as its own story.

Let's start with the biggest change:

Lament of Innocence didn't happen.

Everything has been covered in this clear thread. To summarize what this change affects:

Dracula in the games started out as Mathias Cronqvist, a man who, wracked by grief for the loss of his wife Elisabetha, rebelled against God and concocted a plan to turn into a vampire and have Death as his loyal servant. In the show, he's just "the first vampire", with no clearer origins. (in the games Dracula isn't even the first vampire, as Walter and Joachim already existed and in fact Mathias needed to absorb the former's soul to become a vampire, but this is a minor detail.)

Leon Belmont in LoI was a crusader who had to throw away his title to rescue Sara, his fiancée. He was involved in Mathias' selfish plan, that lead to Sara's death, and cursed him to be hunted by his descendants for the rest of time: what makes it more painful is that the two used to be best friends. In the show, Leon was already a vampire hunter while fighting in crusades, and only moved from France to Wallachia to hunt Dracula, whom he had no previous relationship with.

The Vampire Killer in the games is the strongest holy weapon against dark creatures, due to it being infused with Sara's soul. There are other whips in the setting, but none can match the Vampire Killer. In the show, it's just a regular consecrated whip, and Trevor also fights with the Morning Star (turned from a powered up version of the VK to a different object) and Leon's longsword (the Belmonts in the games never use swords, except for the Dracula-possessed Soleil).

But these can be forgiven as small changes in adaptation, one could say. Elisabetha was cut because, really, she was a non-entity, and she might cheapen the grief for Lisa. Sara was cut because the VK can work just fine without her. Leon doesn't need to be Mathias' former bestie, the Belmonts can fight Dracula out of the goodness of their heart.

All valid arguments. But this is just the beginning.

Dracula hunted humans before Lisa showed up.

We don't know in detail what Dracula was up to between LoI and CV3. For all intents and purposes, he focused on honing his new vampire powers, moved to Wallachia, made himself a nice castle, and... chilled there. Perhaps he became the voivode of the land, the historical Vlad Țepeș.

IGA confirmed that before Lisa's death, Dracula had no issue with mankind in general, only with God, and he lived a peaceful life: in fact, he was willing to help certain people as long as they were against God, Dracula's one enemy at the time.

Hector and Isaac are, of course, the proof of this.

But even without the extra material, they were two humans who were welcomed in his court and served under him, in an extremely important role to boot.

(to be fair, the show gives an alternative and decent explanation for the Forgemasters' presence as humans in Dracula's court: the fact that they're willing to kill their own kind proves to him how trustworthy they are. A detail that was changed but on its own does not break the lore: good job!)

Alucard in GoS gives us these intriguing words:

It makes more believable why such a pure-hearted woman would fall in love with him.

Instead, the show directly opens with Lisa marching through Dracula's courtyard, infested with impaled skeletons, and flirting with the guy. And if this could be justified if one imagines that those humans attacked Dracula's first, the flashback in Season 2, where he's shown having a grand old time going on a killing spree because some merchants "disrespected" him, proves that no, he was an outright monster when Lisa met him, and his only change after marrying her was that he travelled more.

To cap things off, she freaks out when she gets arrested by the bishop, because she knows her beloved husband will revert to the savage he used to be.

Due to the first season and the finale's rushed nature, it's harder to imagine why would Lisa find a kernel of humanity in this vampire. She doesn't come off too good either.

Why does it matter?: despite his grief having a more prominent role in the story, Dracula is actually less sympathetic in this version. This wouldn't be terrible, as he is meant to be a tragic yet intimidating villain, if it weren't for the fact that the show paints him as utterly pitiable, and it's even known for "giving him depth". Shankar himself sees him as the hero of his own story.

In the show, Carmilla keeps asking why didn't Dracula turn Lisa into a vampire. With game Dracula, one can believe that he valued her humanity so much that he was willing to let her die of old age eventually, as long as she died as herself. The show, instead, never gives us an answer, because the question isn't meant to paint him in a noble light, but as an idiot who doesn't know what he's doing.

Lisa is less compassionate towards humanity.

Lisa's death is very different between Symphony of the Night and show. In the latter she got burned at the stake, while in the former she was crucified and we can assume she bled to death. This affects two factors.

One, in the game, we know that Alucard stayed with his mother until her last breath, allowing her to speak her last words to her son. In the show, Lisa dies alone shouting in the hopes that Dracula hears her. The title sequence of the first episode shows Alucard kneeling in front of Lisa, but this is not shown in the actual story, and there is no further indication that he was actually there: realistically, it's not possible.

Two, her last words are also different.

SoTN (ENG): "She said "Do not hate humans. If you cannot live with them, then at least do them no harm. For their's is already a hard lot. She also said to tell you that she would love you for all of eternity…" SoTN (JP): "Do not blame humans. She said that those unable to forgive mankind will walk the path of their own destruction. Those who do not belong to that world shouldn't do anything... And Father... she said that she will love you forever." NFCV: "Don't hurt them! They don't understand! I know it's not your fault, but... if you can hear... they don't know what they're doing. Be better than them. Please!"

Lisa in the game holds no ill will towards humans. She urges Alucard not to resent them, and understand that their lives are already difficult. She even attempts to find a compromise for ease of his mind: if he truly can't forgive, may he at least leave them alone. In Japanese, she emphasizes that hating humans will only be detrimental, a somber foreshadowing of Dracula's downfall. And finally, she parts with a last thought to her husband, a soft declaration of love. The tragedy here is that Alucard kept Lisa's words dear to his heart, but he could not tell them to Dracula, who instead used Lisa's memory as a weapon to wage war on mankind. By the time Alucard reveals Lisa's final wish, three hundred years later, it's too late.

Lisa in the show doesn't sound the same. Not only she ignores her son completely, but her focus seems to wanting to appease Dracula, who might or might not be hearing her, it's ambiguous. She quotes Jesus speaking to God, but she sounds more like an abused wife scared of her abusive husband's rage, a sentiment echoed in S2. She also puts emphasis on how "it's not his fault", as if to absolve Dracula of the responsibility of his reaction, and that Dracula should be "better than them", implying that she thinks lowly of them and wants Dracula to be superior. Not exactly compassionate.

Why does it matter? 1: the show had a chance to flesh out Lisa and Alucard's relationship as mother and son, and it squanders it to further emphasize Lisa's already established attachment to Dracula. Not only it cheapens Alucard's attachment to the mother he fights his father for (he, bafflingly, even says "Then find the one who did the deed", which misses the entire point of his character), this becomes much worse by the time of the finale, as I describe below.

Why does it matter? 2: Lisa, once again, loses sympathy points. The inherent hypocrisy of Dracula disrespecting Lisa's memory is never breached in the show, which prefers to focus on his shortsightedness, but Lisa's wish herself is not as purehearted in the show. In fact, as I said, her relationship with Dracula sounds quite unhealthy now, which of course never gets acknowledged.

The Forgemasters were warped beyond recognition.

This part derailed the post too much, so I put it in a different post. What matters here is that everything surrounding the Devil Forgemasters in the show makes Dracula look like a massive negligent idiot who had his death coming, not to mention not quite as morally grey as his game counterpart.

Dracula never became the Dark Lord.

When Elisabetha died. Mathias became a vampire through the Crimson Stone. When Lisa died, Dracula made a pact with Chaos/The Evil God to become the Dark Lord, the Avatar of Chaos on Earth. This makes Dracula far more than a vampire, and something closer to Satan, a truly terrifying figure. His penchant for cursing and possessing also proves this. Dracula, through his own actions, became the incarnation of evil.

Needless to say, Chaos isn't even hinted at in the show.

Why does it matter?: despite his posturing, Dracula is nothing special. He is in theory respected by other vampires for being the oldest and most knowledgeable one, but even that is not true, as the first thing Carmilla does is disrespect him in front of his whole court. His abilities also pale compare to what he can do in the games - while he showcases his iconic Hellfire, he doesn't even turn into his monster form!

Death is not Dracula's loyal confidant.

In the games, Death is a creature born from Chaos, and bound to serve the wielder of the Crimson Stone. Mathias was able to get his help to complete his transformation into a vampire, and since then, Death has stuck with the Dark Lord through thick and thin. Not only he's often responsible for Dracula's resurrection through the centuries, but he's pretty much described as the closest thing the vampire has to a confidant and friend.

No Crimson Stone = no Death. The role of confidant is taken by Isaac, strangely enough, with a Dracula being seriously concerned about their friendship (and this only highlights how differently Isaac and Hector are treated).

Death doesn't appear until Season 4, and he has a completely different role: he's the man behind the scenes who wants to revive Dracula, which so far is canon compliant... but he wants to use Dracula by giving him a fate worse than death, in the hopes of driving him insane and pushing him to kill as many people as possible, again. Dracula is nothing but a tool to Death, who is described as being a different type of vampiric creature.

Why does it matter?: it's yet another way Dracula is weakened and disrespected by the narrative. Constantly presenting new semi-original villains and having them insulting the main antagonist of the franchise or playing them as pawns is just tasteless.

Dracula and Lisa are brought back to life in the finale.

Death does manage to accomplish part of his plan: with St. Germain's help, he calls back Dracula's and Lisa's souls from Hell to be fused into a Rebis. After Trevor destroys Death, the two return to normal. Happy to be once again together, they decide to spend the rest of their lives together travelling around the world like they were set to do, leaving Alucard alone.

Why does it matter?: it completely shatters the whole point of the cycle of death and rebirth Dracula and the Belmonts are stuck under. Dracula in the games is brought back into the human world by mankind's evil desires, forced by Chaos to be its avatar and a harbinger of evil. It's implied that even he grew tired of it all, which is why being reincarnated into Soma is a chance of a new start for him. By having Lisa at his side again, Dracula has no reason to hate mankind anymore. Since Chaos doesn't exist in the show, Dracula is completely free, and the year he spent planning mass extermination and suicide is quickly brushed off. We are left questioning what exactly Dracula will do now with his new life, and what he will do after Lisa's natural death.

As of Season 1 of Nocturne, he seems to have faded into obscurity: the first of the two times he is mentioned (the second time from Alucard introducing himself), it's from Juste, in a line like this:

"[Evil] will always be stronger than us. And you can kill this or that devil. A Lord Ruthven, a Dracula, maybe even an Olrox. But there'll always be more, more and worse."

Put in the middle as if he were a random vampire, implicitly listed as less impressive than Olrox. And to add insult to injury, Annette, who somehow knew all about Forgemasters, has no idea who he is.

(and while this doesn't matter as much, the two preferring to spend time with each other rather than comforting their grieving son makes them look like truly awful parents. What happened to "I'm killing my boy"? Why is Lisa outright avoiding her own son when she knows he's still crying over them?)

In short, Castlevania, the series named after Dracula's own castle and domain, barely has Dracula as its villain, and in the short screentime he had he was blatantly disrespected.

But he's far from being the only one.

The Belmonts are incredibly nerfed.

To recap. The Belmonts are a generic clan of vampire hunters, for which Dracula is just another vampire. The two have no connection. The Vampire Killer is nowhere near as impressive as its game counterpart, regardless of the flashy animation of the fight. During the fight with Dracula, not even the Morning Star could scratch him. Dracula recognizes Trevor as a Belmont because he attempts to punch him in the face, to no avail. It's implied that, before Trevor, his ancestors went to fight Dracula. And failed. Possibly died.

The Belmonts... don't come off as being particularly heroic.

And this leads to the biggest sin: Trevor couldn't kill Dracula.

I repeat: Trevor Belmont was not the one who killed Dracula. And a weaker version to boot. He dies because he has an emotional breakdown at the sight of Alucard's childhood room, realizing too late that he's "killing his boy", and it's "his boy" who stakes him through the heart. Trevor is the one who finishes him off, but by and large, the bulk of the work was done by Alucard and Dracula's own depression.

So much for him being the Legendary Belmont in the games, right?

Why does it matter?: The narrative feels somewhat disdainful of the protagonists of the whole franchise, let alone its own.

Alucard being Dracula's effective killer is the result of Season 2 focusing mostly on their strained father/son relationship, which has its place to be sure, but it's as if the writers copypasted the emotional climax of Symphony of the Night in what is supposed to be an adaptation of Dracula's Curse.

Generally speaking, Trevor gets the shaft in his own story. He did kill Death, the final villain of the show, but Death hardly matters in the grand scheme of things compared to Dracula. The narrative's focus was spread through too many plotlines, and clearly favored Alucard and Isaac (and Hector's plotline, but not for him). Trevor and Sypha, stuck to playing hero in random villages in Season 3 and 4, are by far the most wasted protagonists of the bunch.

The writers seem to have grown bored with the main protagonist, because other characters became more popular. It's amateurish, and once again, disrespectful to the source material: yes, not all games have a Belmont as the protagonist and sometimes they use some flimsy excuses to push them to the sides, but at least they accomplish stuff.

And this leads to...

Richter in Nocturne has lost the entire point of himself.

Richter Belmont is famous for being the turning point in the Belmont clan. While, chronologically, Juste already grappled with his own fate, Richter is the one who completely falls apart because of his legacy. For 300 years, his ancestors were born, were raised and died knowing that some of them will have to destroy Dracula. Richter wrapped his identity around being a Belmont, and being tasked with killing Dracula, which he did eagerly... so when he did, he suddenly realized he had nothing to live for. He wanted to keep fighting for eternity, to give a purpose to himself. And that's how Shaft got to him. And Richter was so distraught for the shame he has brought upon the name of his clan, that he gave the VK to the Morris clan, who kept it until 1999.

Nothing of this could be kept in Nocturne, because no Belmont has ever killed Dracula, and there is no reason to even kill him anymore after he stopped hating mankind. Simon's Quest and Harmony of Dissonance cannot happen without Dracula's relics. Richter is still proud of his heritage, but he describes it as a generic "killing vampires": as of Season 1 of Nocturne, the main source of pain for him is the death of his mother at the hands of Olrox, a very different and much more cliché tragic backstory.

Why does it matter?: between this, Trevor being a glorified prop, and Juste being reduced to a depressed cynical mentor, plus the OC Julia getting killed in an uncerimonious way to fuel Richter's angst, there is a sad pattern of the show almost resenting the Belmont clan as a whole. What is the point of adapting Richter's story, if his story simply cannot happen?

Richter thought Alucard was just a myth.

In SoTN, Richter immediately recognizes Alucard as the one who helped his ancestor Trevor. The implication is that the knowledge of Trevor's feats had been passed down, and survived for 300 years. Apparently, no such thing happened in Nocturne.

Why does it matter?: since Trevor did absolutely nothing of importance in the show, Richter's knowledge of his own clan lore is cheapened. This affects once again his supposed arc, confirmed by Sam Deats, of living up to his family legacy - what legacy?

And still they aren't the only ones affected!

Alucard doesn't hate his vampiric heritage.

In the games, Alucard's biggest internal struggle is with his dual nature. Both a vampire and a human, son of his father who wants to destroy mankind and son of his mother who asked him to cause no harm to them. The turmoil is so great that Alucard chooses to seal himself in a coffin twice over, in 1476 and in 1797: he explicitly does so because he feels tremendous guilt over having killed his father, and to protect the world from his "cursed" blood, as there is the chance that, if he dies, he will become a full-fledged vampire.

Absolutely nothing of this is kept in the show. Alucard reluctantly kills Dracula and is shown weeping about it, but he's fiercely, and weirdly, protective of vampires. This is shown in S2, where the reason he spends the entire time insulting Trevor and his lineage with cruel, callous and frankly xenophobic remarks is that they kept "a museum dedicated to the extermination of my people".

Why does it matter? At its core, this is the show's attempt to make the vampires look more sympathetic, painting them as a noble race who don't deserve to be systematically killed (accidentally drawing unfortunate parallels with real life ethnicities). By default, it paints the Belmonts as morally grey, at best, hunters who kill innocent creatures like "children" and gruesomely display the remains.

Incidentally, while the objective was to make the vampires look more pitiable, the real consequence is that Alucard looks like a grand bastard, hating Trevor for doing his job and siding with bloodsucking monsters for reasons that are not elaborated upon. You'd think this would effect his relationship with Dracula, but it never comes up.

(Nocturne also comes off as even more disconnected to the original series now, as it reverts back to the notion that vampires are nothing more than evil monsters to be killed without remorse)

Alucard doesn't go to sleep between the two series.

Let's go back to the part where I said that Alucard sleeps his way through from Dracula's Curse to Symphony of the Night.

This doesn't happen in the show. The entirety of his story in S3 is caused by him going insane for the isolation over a month because Trevor and Sypha decided to travel alone, while Alucard guarded the castle and the Belmont Hold; the finale has him turning Dracula's Castle into a village where he can live with Trevor, Sypha, their upcoming child and Greta; in Nocturne, Alucard mentions that he spent the last 300 years slaying vampires (I suppose he changed his stance on them in the meantime).

Why does it matter?: it makes Richter's ignorance of him even more striking. Alucard should have lived through the Belmont lineage, be a figure to look up to: the only assumption one could make is that he, at some point, cut all contact with his friends or his friends' descendants when nothing would suggest such a decision in the series, and his relationship with Trevor and importance in killing Dracula were forgotten with time. This ties back with how Richter has no legacy of his own.

Alucard also must have not done a good job at slaying vampires for three centuries, if they have managed to infiltrate human nobility.

Why does it matter? 2: a smaller consequence of Alucard never sealing himself in his coffin is that Trevor and Sypha come off as very insensitive friends for abandoning him right when he needed the most support. In Dracula's Curse, he chose to separate himself from them. This cheapens their supposed friendship even more.

However, further consequences (like Alucard's state of mind and the fate of Dracula's castle) are yet unknown. We'll see in S2.

And there you have it. Richter can't be Richter and Nocturne has to revolve around the French Revolution, because Lament of Innocence didn't happen in the show. And because the writers did not understand the source material and all the decisions that had been taken.

[the-crow-binary]

🔥 for ships ? Both as in specific ships or shipping in general

Welllll :3

Talking about ships in general, i'm all for shipping whoever you want (in terms of fictional characters, that is). The way i see shipping, it's not so different from engaging in certain activities with other consensual adults/people of the same age as you, wether it being sexual or not. It can be a safe way to experiment whatever you want, when it's not just straight up fun/interesting. (you go girl, ship that abusive relationship ! write about it ! make it worse why don't ya <3 as long as you know it's an abusive relationship and don't condone it irl, ofc <3) People just need to stop forgetting the line beetween fiction and reality everytime something they don't like happens (I'm not into quite a few things but i also don't care if others are. liking something in fiction doesn't mean you like it irl. i mean i'm an afab loving women who simps for fictional men lmao, there's many things people are into when it's fictional but not irl, like, psychopath characters. i just don't see why suddenly what you like in fiction automatically means it's what you like irl when it comes to more "sensitive" subjects)

NOW ONTO SPECIFIC SHIPS (everything from this point forward is Castlevania only because i'm obsessed):

Mathias x Leon: LEON TOPS. MATHIAS BOTTOM. TIRED OF MATHIAS TOPPING. PRETTY BLOND BOY HAS A MANHOOD TOO LET HIM USE IT ON HIS BESTIE !! (not to mention i think Leon is physically stronger than Mathias, wich is kinky, and also, smoll top toll bottom <3 well the height difference isn't that big but still)

Walter x Joachim: Same as Mathias/Leon. LET JOACHIM TOP !!! Let Walter manipulate him by making him feel in control even though he's just a pawn in his mischievious hands <3

Alucard x Maria: Is it even a popular ship ? Idk. But i don't like it. I don't feel the chemistry, Maria going after him seems too forced, it's like a cheap DracuLisa knockoff and THEY didn't get ONE SCENE together lmao (though Richter was cute for encouraging her to go even though he must've been in SHAMBLES after the traumatic events he just went through)

Dracula x anyone: i am once again advocating for letting Dracula switch once in a while. Lisa definitely pegged him

Soma x Mina: Big meh for me. Especially because i prefer to imagine Mina as being Sarah's reincarnation rather than Lisa/Elisabetha even if it's probably not the idea intended lol (Mathias x Sarah ? That sure is an awkward crack!ship) But also, none of them really impress me... eh.

Idk what over ship to talk about... but in terms of ships i have that are unpopular, well...

Dracula x Mathias (i have two reasons to ship it: one because it's hot. two because it can make for a nice story about self-love and the bitter acceptation of your fate <3)

Dracula x his Castle (I AM ONCE AGAIN STATING THAT DRACULA WILL NOT STUCK HIS PP INTO THE WALLS. THIS IS A STORY OF ABSTRACT LOVE)

Isaac x Trevor (?? is it even unpopular idk. It shouldn't be. I mean have y'all seen THE STABBING SCENE ?? And have you seen it in JAPANESE ??? WITH THE ASMR KING ISAAC ??)

Isaac x Grant (it started as a joke but i'm not so sure anymore)

Mathias x Walter (They did not get to interact in the game and it should count as a CRIME. I WANT TO SEE THE SCENE WHERE MATHIAS SEDUCES WALTER WITH HIS WORDS AND PROBABLY OTHER THINGS AS WELL. I WANT TO SEE THE TWO MANIPULATIVE BASTARDS TRYING TO GET INTO EACH OTHER'S HEADS AND PANTS. THEY !!! GAH)

Will I dare include a ship with Benedict ? Yes i will. BB x Isaac they're just so good for each other

Anyway. It's all that comes to mind for now <3

[darkspellmaster]

My worry about Hector in the Upcoming Castlevania Season 3 and the possibility we’re going to see him be used in a Sexual way that will really screw a lot up.

So as many know Hector is right now trapped in Carmilla’s castle, and a part of me is wanting to bang my head against the wall because of this. 

Spoilers for Curse of Darkness and some theories for Season 3 Castlevania.  You have been warned. 

Curse of Darkness has to be the game that has the most when it comes to story regarding Love, loss and finding yourself. I won’t go into Isaac's story because Netflix Isaac seems to be vastly different than game Isaac, and with good reason, I’m guessing. 

However, I’m going to focus for a bit on Hector. Now Hector from the show and Hector from the game are in two different places, and this is important going forward. In the game and the manga that came before, we got to know a more defeated Hector who, for at that time he’d just defected from Dracula and left. He was wounded and hurt and unsure of himself, and Rosaly was the one that helped him out and “Healed” him. 

Hector in Curse is more intent on destroying Isaac for what he does and far angrier and deeply into his own world at points. His anger fuels a lot of his need to get revenge. And the thing is he becomes more like Dracula in regard to his need to destroy things rather than accept and fix a situation, that is until Trevor, Julia and St. Germain all help get him off the path of destruction. 

This is what I’m worried about. In the show, we know, from the Trailer, that Lenore clearly has taken a liking to Hector. She’s toying with him, and, more than likely given how he’s easy to manipulate, she’ll be promising him help and possibly screwing him to make him think she loves and cares for him. 

This, I fear, is going to screw up the situation later (if we get there which I hope we do) with Isaac and Hector, and their fight. See one of the main reasons why Hector is so royally pissed at Isaac is that, while Isaac is mad at Hector’s defection, Hector is mad that Isaac had his wife killed. 

Here’s the issue about Hector having sex with Lenore and then seeing him with Rosaly. It would be very hard for anyone, who has been used in the way I think Hector will be used in, to be trusting of anyone. Rosaly plays a large part in what helped heal Hector and his issues, and she became the Lisa to his Dracula, getting him to walk away fully from the darkness. 

In the manga it’s shown that she was a former nun who wanted to heal others, like Lisa, using herbs and may have been an admirer of Lisa’s. During their time together they became husband and wife and had a very close relationship that actually helps him forge a new one with Julia. 

Curse of Darkness is Hector’s story and by extension Julia and Isaacs. Julia is supposed to be a lot like Rosaly in personality but still her own person and her kindness and understanding of the situation with Hector is what leads him to fall for her and realize that he can have those feelings again and is allowed to be happy and not feel trapped. 

The problem with Lenore probably playing up the Rosaly part, if they go there, or even using him, leads me to wonder if they’re going to make Hector into a Jochaim where he loses himself to the darkness. That would be totally wrong for this character as Hector’s main goal has always been to be a good person, to be loyal and gentle. If they give Curse over to Trevor and make it a Belmont Story than a lot of what makes Hector is gone and his part in letting Trevor see that it is good in darker beings gets swept away. 

I also don’t want to see this character used like this since I really don’t want people thinking that the idea of sex as some lust act is actually the big part of Castlevania when it’s the opposite, it’s Love that technically wins the day, over and over. 

Lament has it where you have the conflicting Mathias and Leon, and how they take the loss of their loved ones (Elisabetha and Sara) vastly differently and that Leon’s and Sara’s love for one another produces the most powerful weapon in the Belmont inventory. Whereas Mathias rejects love entirely to forsake his humanity and become immortal after the death of his beloved wife. 

This same sort of love and devotion leads into Rondo of Blood and how Richter Belmont goes to save Annette from being turned by Dracula and ends up in a situation that leads into Symphony of the night. 

Sex in Castlevania is more like temptation or the idea of the use of Lust to control someone. Visiting this on Hector isn’t really the best of choices if they’re going that route. Will it help define him more for the next season? It’s up in the air if they’re going to write out Curse of Darkness. I”m hoping that we see Hector grow into a strong character that can take out characters on his own and maybe come face to face with Trevor with a deeper understanding of what the Belmont’s do. But given the situation, I’m a bit worried. It’s not that I don’t trust Warren Ellis, it’s that given the way the game plays out, and Hector, being one of the few non-Morris or Belmont members to fight off Dracula, yeah making him too weak makes it hard for future stories where he’s going to need to be able to deal directly with it. 

And honestly, I just want Hector to have someone decently care for him. Is that too much to ask? 

[nightslain]

STUDY    :    LEON BELMONT.  Repost it, do not reblog.

tagged by : @patricursed​ ⭐⭐⭐ tagging :  @vampiriam​ @bloodxsong​ @goldenendless​ @ghostlyanon​ and whoever else wants it!

—    basics.

▸       is your muse tall    /    short    /    average ? Average! He stands at 5′10″, certainly not the smallest among his peers, but neither the tallest.

▸       are they okay with their height ? He is! Leon isn’t troubled with any insecurities regarding his height and doesn’t necessarily wish he was taller for any reason either. Even if Mathias uses it to his advantage to hold things out of his reach, but that man is remarkably tall.

▸      what’s their hair like ? Leon’s hair is a warm pale honey colour and is very soft, thick and voluminous--not necessarily sleek, shiny or silky, but pleasant to the touch, almost downy in texture and, for lack of a better word, fluffy! It falls quite straight nearer the crown of his head but unravels into those waves of bouncy curls about his ears and neck. His curls often becomes even more unruly during humid weather or after spending time in the sea air, which is quite a regular occurrence given his location being nearer to the shoreline of Carnac. He has humoured the idea of growing it out, but largely abstained due to the fact he already has his hands full with maintaining his hair and keeping it well groomed. He does take a lot of pride in it, though!

▸     do they spend a  lot of time on their hair     /    grooming ? A decent amount. It can take quite a bit of effort to wash, dry and groom it all to a satisfactory condition given its wild texture that often does not like to cooperate with him! His curls flick out every which way if left without their usual meticulous styling and care, and perfecting them soaks up a hefty amount of his morning routine, especially given the state of it when he wakes up. Needless to say, he has some impressive bedhead to tame each day.

▸      does your muse care about their appearance   /   what others think ? Leon does take pride in his appearance to a certain degree; not to an excess of vanity so much as simply minding that he always looks presentable and sets a good example, presenting himself as well-groomed and dignified at all times. He has a reputation to maintain above all else, and the way he dresses and minds his appearance very much reflects that. Albeit, even without the expected societal norms in place, he would choose to present himself as such. He has worked hard for his impressive physique in particular, and maintenance of that aspect of himself above all is vital. 

He doesn’t care too much what other people think of him; he knows he is perceived often as being beautiful by some, whereas others sometimes sooner mock him for how delicate and feminine he appears, at least in the face. While he will always present himself to others as impeccable in appearance, he doesn’t trouble himself too much with what they think beyond that, having heard as many compliments as he has insults, and only taking notice of what people closest to him say. It’s why he is far more likely to blush at a compliment coming from any close friends, but is seemingly unmoved by those coming from anyone else. 

—    preferences.

▸      indoors    or    outdoors ?    Outdoors. ▸      rain    or    sunshine ?   Sunshine. ▸      forest    or    beach ?    Beach. ▸      precious    metals    or    gems ?     Metals. ▸      flowers    or    perfumes ?    Flowers. ▸      personality    or    appearance ?      Personality. ▸      being    alone    or    being    in    a    crowd ?   Alone. ▸      order    or    anarchy ? Order. ▸      painful    truths    or    white    lies ?    Painful truths. ▸  science    or    magic ?     Both. ▸      peace    or    conflict ?    Peace. ▸      night    or    day ?    Day. ▸      dusk    or    dawn ? Dawn. ▸      warmth    or    cold ?     Warmth. ▸      many   acquaintances    or    a    few    close    friends ?   A few close friends. ▸      reading    or    playing    a    game ?   Playing a game.

—    questionnaire.

▸      what are some of your muse’s bad habits ? Leon absorbs too much responsibility for a lot of situations, even when he is aware of his lack of power over a situation. This isn’t necessarily always applicable, but whenever something of any magnitude happens, Leon often lets himself get wrapped up in guilt over things he failed to do in order to secure a different outcome. It is something he struggles often with and despite having enough rational thought to understand his relative powerlessness, he will torment himself with what-ifs and should-have’s.

Leon is also incredibly stubborn when he sets his mind to something, and is sometimes prone to acts of rash impulsiveness when particularly emotionally charged--which, sometimes, is a very valid reason for his struggle with the previous point. He takes things to extremes in a temper, albeit such is indeed rare and difficult to spark, and regrets it later when his mind is clear again. He also has the tendency to say rather scathing things when truly provoked.

▸      has your muse lost anyone close to them ? how has it affected them ? Certainly. This was a precedent set early into his life with the loss of his parents, although Leon was not quite old enough to remember them with clarity. The absence of both parents though did give way to quite bit of loneliness as he was growing up, despite having a close relationship with his foster mother. He had a poor relationship with his paternal figure, which did little to balm that particular void in his life. However, this impact was relatively minimal compared with the frankly traumatic losses he suffered later in life.

Elisabetha’s death was the first that Leon truly experienced and was damaged by significantly. Her death wounded Leon to a similar degree of intensity as it did Mathias--the three of them all shared a very deep love of one another, and Leon positively adored her. The only thing keeping him together once she passed away was the fact he had a duty of care to Mathias, who simply could not cope and more or less went mad without her, as well as succumbing to illness. Leon struggled a great deal in this period, now being saddled with the responsibility of supervising their men and arranging their battle tactics alone as well as taking care of Mathias in the time he had to spare, who seemed just about ready to follow Elisabetha to the grave. He put on a brave face for the public, but no less was suffering. He couldn’t bring himself to eat much if at all for quite some time, which combined with the resulting loss of weight and energy did start to impact his competence in battle. It was something of an uphill battle getting himself back into good condition again throughout the following year.

The second was naturally Sara, made all the more traumatic by the fact he failed to rescue her after sacrificing everything else in his life to do so, and that he was forced to kill her himself once she was tainted by Walter. Leon didn’t give himself chance to properly grieve her death once her soul was infused into the Vampire Killer, and the true magnitude of her loss didn’t come crashing down on him till much later, though he had already long set his plans to honour her promise into motion. When it did finally catch up to him in its entirety though, he was a complete and utter wreck, suffering much the same symptoms as experienced after Elisabetha’s passing, but to far worse a degree; working himself to the bone between travelling for days on end and battling the monsters he found along the way while eating little to nothing. Eventually, his wounds and exhaustion both weakened him to the point he fell prey to sickness and its nasty cocktail of symptoms, from a raging fever to vomiting to vivid, frequent hallucinations. He was extremely ill for a worrying period of time.

And of course, there’s Mathias, although not dead in one sense, certainly in another. Mathias’ betrayal is directly intertwined with Sara’s death, and both of them more or less died at the same time as far as Leon is concerned--therefore, the suffering that followed was just as much consequence to Sara’s death as it was to Mathias’ traitorous actions, and for that matter his role in it all only accelerated Leon’s already rapid decline in health and stability. Leon couldn’t fathom why Mathias would hatch such a plot against him for quite some time and that wound never truly healed even after years spent hunting him down. His betrayal was devastating in every sense of the word, and yet even then, once his hate and rage began to burn out, Leon was left to ponder if he had done too little to protect Mathias from his own madness when he still had the chance. He spent a little too much time lamenting over whether he should have surrendered his alliance with the church much sooner and devoted more of his time to Mathias’ recovery, or if he simply was too far gone to save at all. Neither possibility brings him any comfort. Mathias’ loss perhaps cut the deepest, as he had known Mathias for the longest and loved him with such intensity for the entirety of that time they spent together. Leon was never quite the same again, even if he refused to let his suffering strip him of compassion or resolve, he struggled with loving people once more for years into the future.

▸      what are some fond memories your muse has ? The fondest memories he has are all of his time in France, before the Hell of Mathias’ betrayal and Sara’s death. He thinks back to many of the hours the two of them spent by the sea watching the sunset and the stars or chasing each other through the woods on horseback, raising hunting birds and minding their gardens together--for all the peril and danger of their lives, they were immensely happy and they made the most of every waking moment. Memories of Elisabetha and Sara are likewise precious to him; he would sometimes let Elisabetha dress him up and fix him with a makeover in the privacy of Mathias’ home simply to see his reaction when he came home, which never failed to be comical! The two were very close in general, albeit, and Leon spent quite a bit of time tending to her in Mathias’ absence, whether that was helping her with her knitting or assisting with washing and combing her hair. 

As with Sara, he always fondly remembers their night time strolls hand in hand through the lavender field encompassing Leon’s land, as well as the many things he endeavoured to teach her; he would often take her fishing with him as well as on the occasional hunt or horseback ride when he could sneak her away. Other times he would bring her to his aviary to teach her how to handle his hunting birds--and as well as showing her the chicks he was raising while she was visiting, often with the promise he would gift one to her when they were older. 

And he will always vividly remember the look on her face when he first proposed to her.

▸     is it easy for your muse to kill ? Yes. Leon is very used to killing, even if he hasn’t grown numb to the weight of taking a life. He has been a witness to war since he was more or less a child, and fighting them almost as long. However, he does begin to struggle morally with the thought of people he’s killed when he becomes disillusioned with the church and begins to realise that he may well have been party to many a needless death. His act of defending humanity from monsters is as much a fulfilment of his promise to Sara as it is penance for the lives he has already taken.

▸      what’s it like when your muse breaks down ? Intense and deeply troubling to watch. Leon is quite explosive when he reaches his limits, and this is not much aided by the fact he will bottle up much of his grief for as lengthy a time as possible. When his suffering finally gets the best of him, he shatters quite violently into screaming and sobbing fits, often becoming physically aggressive and remaining inconsolable until this wave has passed. After this, it’s common for him to isolate and go completely silent, unwilling to speak or even see other people and going out of his way to avoid them. This can last for days or weeks, depending on the severity of the situation that sent him over the edge. Thankfully, it is blissfully rare that Leon suffers a break down of this intensity, and to date, it has only occurred twice; once when Mathias got his throat cut and almost died as a result of an ill-fated plan Leon warned him against acting upon, and the second time is when Mathias turned him into a vampire in order to save his life after Leon was accidentally impaled during battle with his monsters. 

▸      is your muse capable of trusting someone with their life ? Absolutely! Although it is naturally rare that Leon would put that level of trust in anyone, he put his life in Mathias’ hands countless times and vice versa during their years in France. They trusted one another completely and utterly in all matters, and they knew their lives were perfectly safe when guarded by one another. Albeit, Leon is considerably less trusting after Mathias’ betrayal, and guards himself much more intensely. His trust can still be won to this degree if given time and a great deal of patience.

▸      what’s your muse like when they’re in love ? Leon is quite transparent when he is harbouring feelings for someone, unless he is under the impression he absolutely cannot share it with them for whatever reason. Typically, Leon is swift to tell someone he is romantically attracted to them one way or another, and following a reciprocal reply, he will not hesitate to lavish time, attention and gifts upon them. He is a very affectionate man and he loves nothing more than doting on the people he cares deeply about--both as an expression of love and as an expression of gratitude for that person being in his life. If you manage to win Leon’s heart, you can safely expect endless praise and affirmations of his devotion--there is no small amount of passion when it comes to Leon’s expressions of love, either! He’s a very physical and intimate lover who leaps at the opportunity to be close to his partner in any capacity, and he deeply enjoys being able to provide for them or attend their needs. 

You will know Leon is in love simply by the sheer amount of romance that starts to seep into the way he talks to certain people--his speech will often start flourishing with poetic, dreamy descriptions of them or the way they make him feel. If he is welcomed to, he will become much more physically affectionate, with much less fleeting caresses and kisses working their way into the display. Closeness will amplify in almost every sense. The looks he give them will become much drawn out, as though he has seen nothing more lovely than that particular person and can think of looking at nothing else. And of course, gifts. Leon likes to make gifts for many of his friends, but there will be a noticeable difference in the quantity and exact nature of the gifts he offers to people he is hoping to woo.

[adrian-fahrenheit-tepes-alucard]

【The Son of Dracula】

「The final years of Mathias Count Dracula's isolation were anything but ideal: The vampire lifestyle, though feverishly coveted in his living days, wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. The new love of his afterlife, Lisa (the believed reincarnation of his long-dead wife Elisabetha), was executed at the hands of suspicious townfolk who mistook her expertise in healing medicine for witchcraft. And he was of yet unable to launch his murderous campaign on a stage large enough to where he could properly punish all of God's creations. His diagnosis was a severe case of depression, and he readily prepared to up his efforts and seek counseling in the form of worldwide devastation. "A man of these principles could only be defined as a beast," you'd think. It wouldn't make sense, then, that the Dark Lord was in many ways perhaps misunderstood. For one, it was the very same Lisa who saw through his rough, well-worn exterior and learned to love the man trapped inside. During even his most tumultuous episodes, Dracula, thought to be incapable of love, managed to find in the presence of Lisa a semblance of happiness. There was one event in particular that brought him much joy: The birth of his son, who they named Adrian. "This, my blood, will be the perfect ally in the war," Dracula thought.

Because of his genesis, the mutual bond between vampire and human woman, Adrian was born a half-breed (or a "dhampir," as some mythologies refer to such an offspring). That is, he had all of the vampires' strengths and none of their weaknesses (save for the thirst for blood). But no powers alone can define what a person truly is, and as far as being his own man, he was of yet unshaped; only Dracula knew of Adrian's true potential, and he'd have to strike while his son was still young. After Lisa's death, the now-more-determined Dracula took Adrian directly under his wing and began training him in the black arts; through relentless effort, Adrian was molded into a warrior who would day fight in the name of darkness.

Adrian's unique existence as a half-breed was not without its quirks. Though he was trained only to recognize one absolute, the tenets of darkness, Lisa's gentle, more human traits always seemed to cloud his "better judgment," as Dracula saw it. What Dracula never realized is that Adrian was at his mother's side at the time of her execution, and he was touched by her final words: "Do not hate humans. If you cannot live with them, then at least do them no harm. For theirs is already a hard lot." With the sentiment forever implanted in his brain, he would often question his father's intentions--but it was still family, and his need for the relationship was very real. Adrian grew into a man, and after standing silent for as long as possible, he could no longer live the lie--he chose his own path by breaking away from his father's control and by running away. With the inside knowledge that his father was going to soon unleash his wrath upon the people of Romania, and eventually the world, Adrian would now turn his efforts toward thwarting the rebellion before it had the chance to start. Furthermore, as a symbol of his own cause, he took the new name "Alucard" (his father's branded name in reverse) to show outwardly that his beliefs stood in direct opposition to Dracula's. (In time, he would otherwise become known as "the estranged and forgotten son of Count Dracula.") As a half human, half vampire, he was immortal yet vulnerable, and he knew the emotional price of his actions.

Fate started to take its course: Dracula's army began to terrorize the habitants of Transylvania, and their jurisdiction was only going to widen. Alucard would have to act quickly. But right before he was to begin his crusade, he met a young woman who would forever alter his destiny.」

-Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes

source:http://www.vgmuseum.com 

[beevean]

pokes you for ship bingo. maleon, celiakado, trepha, saraleon but specifically post-loi where one of them is an arguably sentient whip and the other one is leon

help 😭

Maleon:

While I know that conceptually Maleon is similar to Isaactor, I just can't be too invested into their relationship pre-betrayal for some reason, especially if the idea is that they used to be super besties before Elisabetha's death. Too simple. I like my Mathias to be more of a toxic hypocritical asshat :P

(and while I haven't read all the fics one can find, I have certainly seen my fair share of ukefied Leon, mostly in fanart. Much like ukefied Alucard or Hector, it annoys me greatly. leon is the top of the relationship don't @ me)

Celiakado:

Not a big fan of the Sorrow games and even less of Celia (although her attempts to awaken Soma will never not be hilarious to me), but I respect your vision, I'm invested in the theory of Arikado being Alucard having a bit of a moral crisis after Dracula's permanent death, and ngl you make some very compelling points about them knowing each other 👀

Trepha:

I like it! Especially when you take into consideration Sypha's backstory and how it would affect her.

I like the idea of them being a gender reversal of ships like Draculisa, Hectaly or Alumaria: the brooding traumatized woman hiding from the world who hurt her, finding happiness in an absolute sunshine of a man who sees her for who she really is. (I never wrote Sypha, but I imagine that she'd be kind of cold and mistrustful before the ending of CV3, the opposite of Mr. Superpower of Teamwork)

They also make for one hell of a battle couple: I know Judgment Sypha was written to be a religious fanatic, and Trevor is very, very whip happy in CoD, so... :P

Saraleon post-LoI:

thank you for reminding me of a post i saw yesterday that proposed that leon would attempt to fuck the vk to feel sara

Well wouldn't this be terribly sad. Sara can communicate with Leon in a very limited way, apparently: if he can "sense her rage" at the sight of Mathias, perhaps he can sense other emotions. I wonder how it would be for Leon to marry another woman to have children with, and feel Sara's love for him constantly at his hip... Could his grief even heal, at that point? And how does Sara see the world, from her perspective, how would she feel to "see" her beloved fiancé having the family she wanted with someone else, knowing that it's not because he has moved on but because he has to continue a dynasty of vampire hunters?

Literally loving a ghost. It's tragic.