#castlevania spin off

[richardarmitagefanpage]

Over two years since original announcement, Neflix finally sets Castlevania: Nocturne release date.

The series will follow Richter Belmont during the French Revolution.

And according to Collider, there’s a chance Richard and Alejandra Reynoso might reprise their roles from the original series via flashbacks.

Castlevania: Nocturne premieres September 28 on Netflix.

#richard armitage #trevor belmont #alejandra reynoso #sypha belnades #richter belmont #james callis #alucard #adrien fahrenheit tepes #graham mctavish #vlad dracula tepes #dracula #wallachia #castlevania #castlevania nocturne #netflix #castlevania spin off #spin off #france #french revolution #1792 #kevin kolde #clive bradley #samuel deats #adam deats #powerhouse animation #frederator studios #animation studio #collider #september 2023 #news

[sleepynegress]

On Greta Danesti...

I'm just taking this time to correct a certain anti-Black, (and anti-Romani) sadly typical fandom troll's misogynoir fuckery in the tag and establishing who Greta Danesti is in canon Castlevania animation lore. This is Greta Danesti's official character sheet:

She's the village headwoman of Danesti a few miles away from Alucard's castle. This is what her voice actress, Marsha Thompson looks like:

It's pretty obvious her character design took cues from the actress, who is Afro-British. In show canon, however, her family escaped from the Roman city of Carthage, which today, is located in the African country Tunisia. Alucard correctly speculated where her people are from while conversing with her, here (s4 e5):

Greta then confirms that her people did escape the Romans, but she now fully embraces her "family" in her village who are "from all over" and the responsibility of taking care of them.

This same troll used the g-slur to insist that she is Romani.

She is not. This troll used an early character design here, to make her case.:

And though it does have similarities to Romani clothing... It also looks like it takes cues from Tunisian clothing and likely local and non-local European clothing of the era with "fantasy" elements sprinkled in, as well, which would match the fact of her village's people coming from all over:

There definitely should be more Romani rep in media as it is so often whitewashed, but Greta is not Romani.

FYI, these women actors actually *are* of Romani descent: Fairuza Balk of The Craft, Oona Chaplin who played Robb Stark's wife in GOT (she's also Charlie Chaplin's granddaughter[!]), and Noomi Rapace from the Swedish movie, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo says her father may have been of Romani descent, as well.

And because I can predict it, as people like to find ways of discounting blackness in every way...

Yes, there are plenty of non-Black indigenous POC in North Africa, including within Tunisia. Another fun fact... Africa has more indigenous human genetic variation among its peoples than every other people on the planet has with everyone else on the planet[!]. All this to say non-white POC AND Black people are indigenous to Tunisia.

I feel I have to say that because there is a lot of anti-Black anthropological fetishization of North Africa. Egypt is a major example of that (see: Rami Malek, an indigenous Coptic Egyptian who self-identifies as African man of color and has likely had to clarify that *often* because people keep wanting to mislabel him as an Arab, but I digress...) And sadly, there is a decidedly anti-black movement to totally disconnect certain North African countries' identities from a continental African one, and to largely see it as mainly a part of the MENA world (it is both kiddies, BOTH). Here is an informative article (linked in the image) about that struggle:

So, this got heavy...but between the post insisting that Greta is NOT Black and the one saying she's not bisexual because that same troll is purposefully and maliciously being obtuse about how words go together... I figured clearing some things up and educating folks might be helpful. BTW, the fact of those issues in the article makes her blackness all the more resonant as rep in pop culture. And hey, poly folks have disagreements, just like the het folks do... -Still bi. I'm gonna end here with two images from the linked article of anti-racist Tunisian protesters (MENA and Black):

P.S. I also side-eye those keen to make her muscular... I mean yeah she wields a big-ass hammer and shortsword/dagger, but the tendency to masculinize black woman characters deserves a hardy eye-squint. Especially, given that the show has *no problem* making muscular women look like that and they DIDN'T for Miss Greta.

See: Zamfir and the Berserk-style sword-carrying Vampire warrior, Striga. Both of whom had that flex going on.

#tumblr gonna tumblr #misogynoir #greta danesti #greta x alucard #castlevania #I hate when wrong-ass trolling info is spread in the tumblr fandom tags about black women characters #and sadly it happens A LOT purposefully #if you don't like black women just stick to the characters you like instead...you really gotta put in effort to actively HATE as a hobby #same ole same ole #meta #one kinda hate ALWAYS comes with another #which is why solidarity makes sense #troll is anti-black & biphobic #so this is becoming a thing? #doing my best to make sure the black girl character tags have GOOD info about the characters #first uhura and now greta #sunday wip procrastination blah #block that “gretasworld” troll #btw the producers say she's not a spin-off Grant Dynasty so...that's why he's not mentioned

[amartyrforme]

Am I really going to revive this ancient artifact of an account? Solely because I have too many feelings about a show to not consume as much fan-created media and express my deepest loves for the topic in which we are consuming?

#yeah I guess I really am #I finally watched Castlevania season 4 #and even though I truly have no care for 3D animation that shit was beautiful #hype for the spin-off series to be released #mich says shit

[weirdmarioenemies]

SURPRISE! Did you think the day would come when we would cover Love Live on this blog? I didn't!

Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deepblue is the Metroidvania-style game based on the fantasy spin-off of Love Live Sunshine, but you probably don't care about that! Statistically speaking, our target audience is Bogleech readers who are deeply revolted by anime girls!

So why bring up? Why bring it up? The answer is 🐠 FUNNY FISH! It's Funny Fish Friday!

Since this game is set in an underwater temple, the enemies this game are all based on sea creatures, and that's cool! Again, statistically speaking, you probably think sea creatures are cool. I really liked seeing the variety of enemies when playing through this game, so I thought it'd be fun if I could share them with an audience of people who otherwise wouldn't care! None of the enemies really have names, as far as I'm aware of. But I'll do my Rubesty...?

Our first guy we encounter in the game is the sort of guy who emerges from the ground like the Zombies from Castlevania, and wow! A good first impression I think. It is sort of a squid mantle, if the mantle was also a cloak for a spooky sort of wizard! The way it doesn't really have a 'face' in the hood and the eye is below really makes it seem like a weird mimic creature. Cool!

They also get a tough lategame variant which looks like a mix between a flapjack and a vampire squid. You don't often see flapjacks be designed as scary!

---

Next is Barnacles! A whole clump of them, like a cake. They shoot Energy Balls at you. Is this what Barnacles can do if they combine their powers...? The top actually opens up, and it looks a lot like a sea urchin's mouth! So maybe it is some sort of naked urchin creature covered in barnacles? Game Theory!

There are also barnacles with Ice Powers. Like real life!

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Let's give it up for Garden Eel!!!!

What a fine Garden Eel it is! Complete with the sort of grumpy face, and with the addition of two little arms that make it look like it's praying or maybe a bit shy. But it is mean! It also spits energy balls at you, then hides in the hole so you can't hit it. How very sneaky!

SO sneaky, in fact, that these eels have mastered the art of ninjutsu! The ninja eel shows up for a split second in one single room, before smoke bombing away. You'd have to use a time freeze power to get him, but I never got around to doing that. I don't have any beef with a ninja eel! I respect him and his training!

Did someone say CTENOPHORE? I hope you did, or my hearing has really gotten worse. This thing is a grade A ctenophore, only with a ring of Scary Teeth! A little scary to think of a ctenophore who could Bite you, but nonetheless this deserves a :ctenopog:!

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Let's not forget Fish Vortex! Fish Vortex was the first guy to make me go 'wow, this game's enemies really are awesome!' So of course I had to put him at the top of the post! He is my selling point! I am selling all these enemies to you. For 4.99 a pop!

Anyway. This design is just so funny and cool at the same time. A swirling school of fish that leads into an endless dark abyss, and in the middle, a big eyeball. Also covered in fish. It shoots fish at you! Yay!

There is also a pink variant - it shoots fish that give you the Solitude status effect, which basically just makes Yohane too depressed to summon her friends. Meaning? They are Depression Fish! Maybe she just becomes so jealous of the unity and teamwork of these sardines. She's me like just for real! ^_^

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isopot :)

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This slug is an umbrella. That is ridiculous! Ridiculously EPIC! It does the opposite of shield you from rain, which is create rain, that kills you. But I would still want one as an umbrella.

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When I first saw this thing, I thought it was some strange round Echimoderm I had never heard of. But upon further inspection (I actually asked Mod Chikako shh), it is obviously like a Brittle Star, with each arm folded round to form a wheel! How creative and fun! It even has a bunch of eyes like a starfish!

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Last but not least- sushi! There are sushi guys and they are cute. They don't really do much and are typically found in their own rooms, so I'm not sure what the point of them is. But finding a funny walking sushi should be a reward in of itself, I guess! Look at their funny rice feet! Or the one with the roe eyes!

I happened to use fire magic on one of them and this happened. Oopsies...

Now I am sure you are saying, thank you for showing me all these funny enemies. But are there any cool bosses? Of course there are, me! What's a Metroidvania without cool bosses? So I shall show you my favorites without delay!

First is this freak (affectionate)! It is a sort of amalgamation of lots of different animals and I think it just looks plain cool! Two squid mantles combined into one, a bit of a sea angel shape, bug legs and of course a great big eyeball!

If it is not freaky enough for you, let it be known that the bug legs turn into big green skeleton hands, and it also keeps getting pinker, and it grows new eyes and then extra horns grow out of those eyes. If THAT is not freaky enough for you then I am sorry but I cannot do anything about that.

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Now, how about a sampling of this Freaken Thang? It honestly doesn't seem that sea-creature themed, but it uses seashells so I guess it counts!

What is really neat is that this boss has two different forms, upside down and rightside up! When it is upside down it looks a bit like a Magolor type creature. And of course, I really like the flame thing in the middle as well, that really feels like a Kirby enemy or something! Like a wisp made of plasma!

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Fans of Anomalocaris won't be disappointed by this one! It's a big Anomalocaris tank and boy is it cool! There's something for everyone here, whether you're an Anomalocaris purist or you've always wanted to see it turn into a sort of futuristic beast with a screen mouth that shoots lasers! It really is the future, zura...

---

After covering all these wacky creatures, I'm going to have to end it off with the final boss! What could the big bad, the ultimate boss of all these sea monsters even be, I wonder? Well, it's...

...a coelecanth. Just a big coelacanth! It is big and blue! And really, does it need to be anything else? It is such an honor to make the biggest ultimate boss a coelacanth. It is even pretty cute!! Think he's smiling! 😊

Uh oh! Is it still cute? I guess so. My first thought seeing this was of course the world-renowned tongue eating isopod, so I really hope it was an intentional reference! It probably just wants to shake hands. Still, a pretty simplistic design for our final boss, right?

Buu buu! Its true form actually looks like this! Actually, it's kind of doing too much. Like let's tone it down a little?

So!! We beat the mega ultra coelacanth, and now we can find out what his motivation is! And it is... that he is the memories of the people of the past or something. And they all didn't want to be forgotten, so they turned into fish monsters! But we forgive them!

It doesn't really matter. All the girlies gather around and sing him a song. Look how happy he is! I forgot I was talking about a Love Live game until now, actually. All's well that ends well, the end, et cetera! Hit it, Yohane! [imagine this is like the end of a kids movie where all the Love Live girls are having a dance party and there is a shot of the big coelacanth in jail and he's tapping his mouth fingers along to the beat]

#funky friday #yohane the parhelion #genjitsu no yohane #yohane the parhelion: blaze in the deepblue #not mario #mod f boy #yes it was me! i was the weeb mod who played the love live game! #and now i must burden you all! #i wrote this all in one go hooray for ritalin #tw anime girls

[sonderblade]

So @hyperfixatedfandomer made this castlevania AU where Olrox- instead of killing Richter’s mom, Julia- he kidnaps Richter as a way to get back at Julia and it turns into a bittersweet, very dark angsty, and twisted father-son dynamic that the two create. I loved this idea so much as it had so much depth and angst!!!

I made some doodles based off of some of the post OP made and also based off of Jinx and Silco’s dynamic from Arcane!!! The grown-up 19 year old Richter in this is my own spin on how I think Richter would develop, yk from being literally kidnapped and all and also from Richter’s mom accidentally traumatizing him in my version of this AU

Poor Jules :(

Olrox would not appreciate u hatin on his kidnapped adopted son (also Richter in this would be crazy good at magic but is also unstable)

Richter, in my Version of this AU, would definitely develop PTSD (as he already does in the show) from an event of his mother and no, not from her dying, but from her rejecting him (out of grief and rage- she was NOT level-headed during this) after he “accidentally” kills Juste (her father). He also develops psychosis/paranoia as he starts to see this giant dragon/snake that is eerily similar to Olrox’s other form as a way to say that the Richter’s inner child is still there and resents Olrox for kidnapping him and a part of him views him as a monster BUT he hates his mother more for hitting him and leaving him BEHIND with said monster so he develops this very unhealthy and clinginess with Olrox (Richter also does eventually develop to love Olrox which makes it confusing and difficult for Richter). What’s worse is that Olrox excuses this behavior because he views him as his son and doesn’t want to lose anyone else. Like I said, this is a twisted familial (FAMILY/PLATONIC ONLY) relationship 😭

I have a future comic on Julia accidentally traumatizing Richter and how everything happens (spoilers: Richter “accidentally” killed Juste because he wanted to protect Olrox, who was fighting Juste) GRAH CANT WAIT TO SHOW YALL

#richter belmont #castlevania nocturne #castlevania #julia belmont #castlevania olrox #olrox #castlevania au #castlevania richter #castlevania richter belmont #au

[pinkmirth]

not you literally feeding all the hungry alucard fans😋

thank you sm for your charitable acts! wonderful writing, as always. i’d love to ask your thoughts or imagines? is it called? anyways, i’m just too shy😣 have a beautiful dayyy

i loveee being able to add my two cents to the castlevania community, especially for adrian! even though the fandom’s kinda tiny, i’m glad to know that there are those out there who enjoy what i put out for him, especially since he’s my obvious favorite and i’ll definitely be writing much more for him >.< as for thoughts of him, i have plenty to share! though i’ll just start off with a few:

adrian’s actually quite fashionable! i like to believe that he’s great at sewing and tailoring; courtesy of his parents, especially lisa, teaching him almost every important skill under the sun. a fun little headcanon of mine is that he’s the very one who made that famous black coat of his! for you, he crafts dresses of fine silks & vibrant colors, and it warms his heart to see you looking so pretty in them, the shade flattering your complexion with the neckline settled low, nicely showing off your collarbone and bust. give him a little spin, won’t you? just know he’ll be slipping it off of you later that night . . .

adrian loves self-care days with you more than anything! washing each other’s hair, soaking in the tub together, gently giving and receiving massages, all of it. the whole thing just feels so calming and intimate. you having enough trust to bare your most natural version of yourself to him is what he truly appreciates. it also helps that you two always have much fun on your pampering days! more often than not, you end up making love with him in the tub . . or, on the bed, where he’s taking his sweet time lotioning your body with sweet-smelling herbal creams. or, over the sink, where you’re rinsing the soap from his golden hair . . . the pair of you just can’t stay away from each other, to put it simply! don’t you worry, though; after it all, adrian will make sure to clean you right back up >.<

#thanks so much for dropping by! mwuah 💋 #꒰ঌ inbox. ᐟ ໒꒱ #꒰ঌ castlevania.ᐟ ໒꒱ #( anon.ᐟ )​ #ৎ୭ ⨾ alucard.ᐟ #adrian tepes #alucard castlevania #castlevania alucard #꒰ঌ drabbles.ᐟ ໒꒱ #adrian tepes smut #alucard smut #castlevania smut #alucard x reader #꒰ঌ lookbook.ᐟ ໒꒱

[datcloudboi]

List of Video Games Turning 10 Years Old in 2024

Alien: Isolation

Assassin's Creed: Rogue (the one where you play as an Assassin turned Templar.)

Assassin's Creed: Unity (the one set during the French Revolution.)

Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky

Azure Striker Gunvolt

The Banner Saga

Bayonetta 2

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea (the DLC where you go back to Rapture)

A Bird Story (a sort of spin-off of "To the Moon")

BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! (is this a sequel to 1 or a prequel to 1? I forgor)

Bravely Default (in North America)

Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (the one with K*vin Sp*cey)

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (to date, the last new Castlevania game to release)

Child of Light

The Crew (going offline at the end of March)

D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (a wonderfully strange game from the guy that made Deadly Premonition)

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (in North America)

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (in North America)

Dark Souls II

Deception IV: Blood Ties

Demon Gaze

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls

Disney Infinity 2.0

Divinity: Original Sin (from the team that would go on to make Baldur's Gate 3)

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Dragon Age: Inquisition (the winner of GOTY at the very first TGAs)

Drakengard 3

Earth Defense Force 2025 (EDF! EDF! EDF!)

The Evil Within (from the creative director of Resident Evil)

Fable Anniversary

Fairy Fencer F

Far Cry 4

Freedom Planet

Guilty Gear Xrd Sign

Hyrule Warriors

Inazuma Eleven (in North America. And digital only.)

Infamous: Second Son (as well as its expansion, First Light)

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

The Last of Us Remastered (just one year after the original version came out...)

The Legend of Korra (the game from PlatinumGames that you can't buy anymore)

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

Lego The Hobbit

The Lego Movie Videogame

Lethal League (from the team that would go on to make Bomb Rush Cyberfunk)

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (the third and final chapter of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy)

Lisa: The Painful (yes, really)

LittleBigPlanet 3

Lords of the Fallen (not to be confused with Lords of the Fallen, which came out in 2023)

Mario Golf: World Tour

Mario Kart 8 (the original version)

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes (the prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which came out 18 months later)

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Might & Magic X: Legacy

Murdered: Soul Suspect (it's like Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, but not as good)

Natural Doctrine

Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! (a from the ground up remake of the first Oddworld game from 1997)

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (yes, it got a sequel. I don't know how or why.)

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth

Pokemon Omega Ruby & Pokemon Alpha Sapphire

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy (the last time that Professor Layton himself was the protagonist. At least, until the New World of Steam comes out)

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Pushmo World

Risen 3: Titan Lords

Sacred 3

Samurai Warriors 4

Shadowrun: Dragonfall

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (the 3rd one)

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments

Shovel Knight (yes, really)

Skylanders: Trap Team (the 4th one)

Sniper Elite III

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric

Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Steins;Gate (in North America)

Strider (the one from Double Helix)

Sunset Overdrive

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS (or Smash 4 for short)

Tales of Xillia 2

Tales of Hearts R

The Talos Principle

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call

Thief (the reboot)

This War of Mine

Toukiden: The Age of Demons

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (this game merged the storyline of the War for/Fall of Cybertron games with the storyline of the Michael Bay movies. I’m not joking)

Transistor

Valiant Hearts: The Great War

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

The Walking Dead: Season Two

Wasteland 2

Watch Dogs

The Witch and the Hundred Knight

The Wolf Among Us (sequel this year!)

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z

Yoshi's New Island

#alien #assassins creed #atelier series #bayonetta #the binding of isaac #bioshock #blazblue #borderlands #bravely default #call of duty #castlevania #danganronpa #dark souls #diablo #divinity #donkey kong #dragon age #drakengard #the evil within #fable #far cry 4 #freedom planet #guilty gear #inazuma eleven #kirby series #the last of us #legend of korra #final fantasy 13 #lisa the painful #mario kart

[girlballs]

hmmm i'm sure ripping off elden ring for a spell thing is dumb so feel free to say no to this but the way that you could use that one spell reflecting shield plus the spell that is a spinning boomerang circle of light was really cool to me even if it was unintentional and removed eventually

hm. hmmmm.

return-to-caster spells that you can intentionally self-deflect with Spell Parrying would actually be kind of a cool idea for Lesser Beast. low initial Focus cost and damage but the reflected projectile gets a damage boost to make up for it. would make for a cool Holy spell actually that's like, a Castlevania reference too by being evocative of the throwing cross item

#asks #mothraelita93 #lesser beast

[mk-wizard]

Top 15 Games that SHOULD get a 100% Reboot/Restart

Hi. I felt like doing something positive especially after my last post, so as a follow up, here is a list of games that I think should get the reboot treatment. And when I say reboot, I don’t just mean remake with fancier graphics and bonus features. I mean restart altogether with fresh new storylines that go their own way though in some specific cases, all they need is a new look. Note that this is my subjective opinion and nobody here has to agree with it. It’s just a fun suggestion.

1- Metal Gear - I don’t mean Metal Gear Solid, I mean Metal Gear in general. In fact, I think the “Solid” should be retconned entirely because it not only stopped being about Solid Snake who is the hero, he was done dirty with a pathetic ending and the only sequels we get now are prequels. Not to mention the constant drama and tragedy became nauseating. My advice is to restart from the beginning by rebooting the games that date back to the NES as are with better writing and then after that, only do a half-reboot of Metal Gear Solid and then go its own way while respecting Snake as a main character. Solid Snake is a staple in war themed games and set the standard of how we create them. He should REMAIN the main character and have his endings always remain open with him still standing with dignity.

2- Dino Crisis - I don’t think I need to say much here. Everyone is dying to see this game get remade and it’s not hard to see why. With the exception of the third game and the spin off, Dino Crisis 1 and 2 are amazing. They are dinosaur themed games that actually feel like survivor horror games and not like shooter games with the dinosaur gimmick. This series deserved a reboot and a third game that gives it proper closure.

3- Parasite Eve - Like Metal Gear, this series did dirty to its main character (Aya Brea) in such a way that they wrote themselves into a corner. Only the first game feels unique and special while the second and third instalments have an identity crisis, a confusing weapons and spell system, and a tank control that never belonged. Only the first game should stay as is with a simple remake and then, its sequels should actually be true sequels that keep the battle, spell and control system as are. Let’s just forget that PE2 and The Third Birthday ever happened.

4- Silent Hill - Let’s be honest. Harry Mason is the most underrated male protagonist in survivor horror because unlike all the others, he is not a man of action, not a badass and very relatable for it. He is a widower, a writer, a pacifist and one heck of a dad who literally jumped into the underworld to save his daughter. Now, while I like a lot of the sequels, this series lost its way. With the exception of Silent Hill 2, I think Harry and his daughter should have remained the main protagonists of the series. Harry is proof that real men come in all flavors and having one like him is different while still showing the best attributes of masculinity.

PS: I know Silent Hill 1 got a reboot, but it was bad. Period.

5- Turok - Before there was Dino Crisis (and I’m not discrediting it), there was Turok. The titular hero who might I also add is aboriginal which is a very underrepresented group in fiction period who literally kills dinosaurs with his bare hands. He is a badass and he while he has gotten reboots before, none of them hit the mark yet, but creators should not give up on him. He is worth the effort and if they keep trying, they will strike gold.

6- Castlevania - This series is ICONIC and nobody ever gets tired of it. It should make a comeback and it is one of the few series where being 3D would make it better. And considering that medieval settings in video games is all the rage now, it would be great to see Simon Belmont back in action. Heck, I would even be open to seeing a Belmont fighting evil in our modern times in 3D.

7- The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time - Now, I stand by that this series doesn’t need a reboot, I think this game specifically should get a remake because it is a great game that reshaped the series into how we know and love it now, but it was very buggy and the graphics were not that great even for their time. Everything else about it is great, but it does need a facelift.

8- Prototype - A forgotten gem if there ever was one. This series is unique in that it is the one game where you play as the monster who is also an anti-hero. Yet again, its series did its main character (Alex Mercer) dirty though on top of that, left too many questions unanswered. This series needs a reboot with a much better storyline. If you haven’t seen it, play the first game and you’ll see my point.

9- Tomb Raider - Now, we can all agree that this series has lost its way. While I am all for origin stories and I admit it makes sense for Lara Croft to not be hardened or toughened up from the start. Keeping her as a weak frightened girl doesn’t make her realistic nor does it make her a likeable heroine. And I am woman enough to admit that being athletic, confident, daring and badass is a part of Lara Croft’s character. I don’t want her to be realistic. I want her to be cool and fun to play. This series needs to go back to its roots when it was fun and Lara was allowed to shamelessly be herself.

10- Dead Rising - Another case of a game losing its way and its main protagonist becomes someone they’re not. The second instalment was the only game that felt true to what the series is supposed to be and even then, it felt like a spinoff not a part of the main story because Dead Rising is Frank West’s story. Another thing that also stood out about this game is that unlike most zombie themed games, the main character is not only not a fighter, he’s a total lover in all the great ways. Frank is (or rather, was) compassionate, honest and it isn’t for nothing that you only got the best ending when you would save everyone. Heck, he would save people who tried to kill him. This series should get a total reboot and a total rewrite after game 1. And can we please not give Frank a heart of stone? Him being loving is what made him great.

11- ObsCure - Another lost gem with a unique premise and group of protagonists. This game plays up our childhood fear of the dark because the monsters in this game literally are allergic to the light and the setting is in a highschool. It feels like Scream meets the Blair Witch Project making it a lot of fun, and the monsters are so delightfully creepy. Plus, the story was compelling. Sadly this series only got one sequel which was actually great, but never got that third instalment that would wrap everything up. I say we give this series a reboot, so it can finally finish what it started.

12- Resident Evil Outbreak - I know this is a spinoff series, but it’s one of the best in the series. It fills in a lot of gaps in the main storyline and any game that allows you to have your own tyrant fighting alongside you is awesome. It also has a multiple ending system which was well done and very rewarding when you get the best ending. I think this should get the reboot treatment and even have a third game that expands the aftermath further.

13- Resident Evil Dead Aim - Another one of the best spinoffs in the RE series because it expands the story specifically in how tyrants are made and how the variants work. And to be honest, I even liked the characters. I would love see new life breathed into this compelling game even if it just remains the only one of its kind.

14- Days Gone - I don’t care what anyone says. Any game that allows to play a biker with the spirit of an honourable warrior is badass. Also, can we talk about how this is one of the few games where the main protagonist is married and remains loyal to his wife even long after?! He may be white, male, straight and Christian, but he is still pretty progressive and embodies the BEST part of masculinity. The parts that drive a man to be romantic, noble and heroic. This game with extremely misjudged to the point of bigotry and it deserves a proper reintroduction because it was going places.

15- Half-Life - This series helped Valve get its jump start and it had the most unique and most iffy type of protagonist in an action/sci-fi game possible yet worked: a scientist. After all, who expect the skinny nerd with the big thick glasses to save the day? Yet, it worked and this game has tons of monsters that became iconic in video game lore. What’s really sad is that a third game was in works, but never saw the light of day. I say we reboot this series and give it the chance to honour its promise to give that third game at long last.

Bonus - Other honourable mentions here are Left 4 Dead because Back 4 Blood stinks, Alone in the Dark though I hear a reboot is in the works, Doom, Devil May Cry and the right way please, Bloody Roar, The Suffering, Fatal Frame, The Evil Within and any other fantastic game series that either went bad due to bad sequels or never got the chance to keep going.

#half-life #video game #reboot #days gone #resident evil outbreak #resident evil dead aim #zombie #survivor horror #metal gear #metal gear solid #solid snake #prototype #alex mercer #parasite eve #aya brea #mitochondria eve #obscure #dead rising #frank west #lara croft #tomb raider #castlevania #simon belmont #the legend of zelda ocarina of time #ocarina of time #silent hill #harry mason #heather mason #turok #dino crisis

[richardarmitagefanpage]

#richard armitage #trevor belmont #alejandra reynoso #sypha belnades #richter belmont #james callis #alucard #adrien fahrenheit tepes #graham mctavish #vlad dracula tepes #dracula #wallachia #castlevania #castlevania nocturne #netflix #castlevania spin off #spin off #france #french revolution #1792 #kevin kolde #clive bradley #samuel deats #adam deats #powerhouse animation #frederator studios #animation studio #september 2023 #official trailer #news

[secretgamergirl]

Consider cloning one of these games...

So the other day someone was showing me the trailer to some neat new indie game they were getting into, and my immediate thought was "that does look pretty nice but FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING! INDIE DEVS, PLAY A SECOND GAME ALREADY!"

Presumably you've already guessed this, but it was a nice little handcrafted thing that was very plainly inspired primarily by Super Metroid. Even had those bubble-looking platforms. I'd say what it was specifically, but I already forgot the name, because, you know, I've kinda seen a few games do this before.

It's not like Super Metroid isn't one of my favorite games of all time, obviously. I'm one of the shockingly few people who played it when it was new and totally fell in love then. And it's also not like there aren't several games made in its image that I also love. It's just that there's way too damn many of them out there for anyone to play, and while I'd never be one to tell someone not to make the thing they want to make due to market saturation or whatever, I kinda feel like we're doing a huge disservice to our collective creativity and appreciation of classic games to all be so hyper-focused on putting our own spins on this one particular game, especially when it kinda knocked things out of the park back when this wasn't a genre it was just this one super cool game with, among other things, a compelling structure to it.

Like, I do love that Super Metroid became A game that's served as a focal point for indie devs to try and recreate. Back when it was first released it actually sold kinda terribly by Nintendo's standards, and didn't really have anything else out there trying to iterate on the concept until we eventually got the Castlevania series going that route, and Cave Story. But at this point, yeah, Super Metroid has been all canonized and studied to death and if you're the sort of person who cares about this sort of thing in the slightest you know all about how it ticks and the appeal and what other ways the basic premise can be pulled in. So it's well past time for people to take another game that's super great and fairly unique and use that as a jumping off point to make some new things. So I'm just going to ramble here a little about some real gems that nobody's ever really gotten around to trying to replicate.

Punch-Out!!

I want to say we're all familiar with Punch-Out!! but... are we? It's a famously difficult game, so odds are good you've seen speedruns or other challenge runs, but you really have to play it for yourself to see what's so interesting about it. A big part of the initial appeal of course was having these really expressive screen-filling characters, which isn't something we're lacking now. It's also real twitchy, basically unplayable towards the end if you're dealing with any sort of input lag at all, which isn't super unique these days, but structurally, the way it's coded, there's all this weird artificial drama to it.

Like, on the surface, it's a pretty straightforward thing. Enemies have tells for their attacks, you dodge those, you hit them in the resulting openings. But there's also the round based structure, knock-downs, and one-off gimmick mechanics in the mix. Officially, we're playing by the rules of boxing where the outcome of a match is decided by either knocking someone down and them not getting back up, knocking them down three times in a round, or running out of time and having to go to some judge's decision. But that's not REALLY how it works.

There's no random chance of someone going down and staying down. You've got HP meters, you take one down, your opponent falls over, waits until late in the count and gets up, forcing you to drain that HP down three times before the round ends, and if yours bottoms out, you get to mash buttons to stand up and have your other two chances. But then there's times you CAN take someone down, not only keeping them down for a KO win, but even getting there without your opponent bottoming out on HP first. The most famous example, I believe of both of these, being Bald Bull's charge. The big dramatic make or break where he just keeps using this special move which isn't terribly hard to dodge, but deadly if it connects, and dodging doesn't really help as he won't stop until the round ends, and then might spend the whole second round doing nothing but. You need to take that risk, and get that frame perfect stomach strike just before he connects to dramatically KO him and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat... or you can do this:

I was actually looking for an example of the all or nothing strike when I found this. If you don't face the charge in round 1, he gets into it sooner in round 2 to force the matter, but if you're still not confident enough to go for it there, turns out you can just drop him early into round 3 and have him stay down... and the only real consistent rule any of this follows is drama. Heck looking at the opening screen here, this person knows tricks for getting a KO on at least the first 10 opponents. Most of them I've always just taken the TKOs on myself. Point is though, the mechanics really run on drama. AI scripts change up if you move onto new rounds. Knock-downs turn into knock outs if and only if it fits a certain narrative. This sort of thing is super fascinating to me. Makes me want to look through the game's code line by line. And the only thing I can think of in any other game that even comes close is, of all things, the Ace Attorney series, with those scenery chewing meltdowns, and scattered scenes that "break the rules" with instant failure penalties or no-win situations where you're then suddenly saved by a friendly NPC's dramatic appearance.

I wouldn't suggest anyone literally try to make a Punch-Out!! clone. There's no real reason to stick to the boxing framework. I'd definitely advise against copying all the broad stereotypes. But there's a real unique soul to the drama-driven mechanics breaking stated rules I'd love to see people really digging into to gain a deep understanding of it and apply that to original games.

Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic

I'm not just being pretentious and refusing to say Super Mario Bros. 2. When it was Mario-ized, there were two huge changes- A run button the original FDS game didn't have, and the fundamental structural change of just having you finish levels with whatever character you like (or use warp zones to skip them entirely). In the original game, in order to see the proper ending, you had to play each and every level with each and every character with no run button. And that's neat, actually.

See, just as an example, there's a bit of a skip early on in both versons of the game, where you can avoid taking a door through some whole area by just leaping across a big waterfall. In Super Mario Bros. 2 anyone can do this, just needing a running start, but in the original release, there are no running starts. Either you can jump that gap by way of good airtime, or you can't. Depends which character you play as. Everyone has different stats, so being forced through the same full set of levels, there's a few little things like this where you have to alter your strategy to reflect the character you're running with at the time. That's cool. The whole mechanic of lifting things and throwing them, or riding on enemies' heads, or stacking blocks to reach higher areas or block fireballs, this is also just cool (and another thing SMB2 tweaked actually, play both and see for yourself).

I have seen literally one indie game that riffed on this idea, Curse of the Crescent Isle.

Umihara Kawase

If you've played it, you know. If you haven't, please just watch this speedrun:

Nothing has physics quite like this game. Nothing really has the same weird mildly distressing dream sort of tone to it either, or weird as hell branching level structure, or the weird system where the game has a time limit, but rather than giving a game over just makes it end after your current level. Other games have played with grappling hooks, but nothing I've ever seen has made me feel like this here is what they were going for.

Altered Beast

You know, I don't even particularly LIKE Altered Beast. I always thought it was a bit too short, a bit too simple, and still somehow it felt like you were just killing time until getting the power-ups that kinda make you invincible for the rest of the level.

There's... something here though. Somewhere with these bodies getting so bulky and beefy with no change to their heads and the voice samples and the sense of spectacle to it all, and yeah the dramatic gameplay shifts with the power-ups. I don't quite know what the secret sauce is, but if you find it, bottle it up, and slather it over something less shallow, you might really have something there.

Ecco the Dolphin

There is such a weird mix in the whole series of new age hippie save the whales vibes and genuinely disquieting horror just kinda seamlessly blended together. So much of it is the sound design, but the claustrophobia, the weird sense of speed, the constant pressure of drowning or suddenly being in the face of some huge nasty thing that'll basically one-shot you. The... unspoken but pronounced notion that this is set in a world where all of humanity died and are totally unremembered. There's a hell of a lot you could do with any of this, and the only game I can think of that comes close to hitting the same notes is Subnautica. Actually for that matter...

Subnautica

I don't want to get into what's so great about Subnautica here, because the most common sentiment I hear from people who have played it is they wish there was some way they could play Subnautica for the first time, again. Just... yeah. If you haven't already, play through it all completely blind, and if you can think of how to recapture all of that, do it, and put it in my hands without a word.

X-Com Apocalypse

So... X-Com is a truly amazing game that to this day feels like a unique enough beast it also wouldn't be bad to try and learn from, but there's actually a good number of attempts at clones already, none quite seem willing to get into the same levels of complexity, and there's the whole remade Firaxis series with a simpler take that a lot of games are using as a template. But Apocalypse? The original third game? That tried to do a lot of new and different stuff. I don't know how much of it didn't work vs. how much is secretly amazing if you internalize how it works vs. what's sort of half-baked per se, but there's some real ambition with mixing the original's tactical intricacies and destructible terrain and such (which somehow works even better with the realtime mode this one has), with this living breathing city. You aren't intercepting UFOs on a featureless world map. You've got a whole separate combat engine on a persistent map where stray shots can damage roads and cause long-term problems because the supplies you order get shipped via trucks that travel on those roads. Tons of factions you ideally want support from but can go attack and rob if they feel like lost causes. A tech tree with really dramatic progress and early discoveries that are either double-edges swords or genuinely just terrible things to try to use.

And then the endgame is really neat because instead of just one big final mission, you flip the whole script, and suddenly you're invading an alien city, picking targets to wreak havoc on and ultimately destroy, one by one. Incidentally this also did headcrabs before Half-Life so... I feel like it should be better known just for historical context.

Shadow of the Colossus

I know this is kind of a big technical ask, but why the hell were we not FLOODED with a whole generation of grandiose setpiece-y boss rush games after this first dropped? Perhaps more than anything else on here, someone really needs to get onto scratching this specific itch again, immediately.

I could totally keep going, but more importantly I'm sure you had some game that really left a mark on you that's been largely forgotten since, which I don't even know about, and you should really, if you're up to it, try and teach the world about it and how great it was by blending the old with something new of your own.

Just... draw from wider pools of inspiration, people.

#game design #inspiration #indie games #lost gems #punch out!! #doki doki panic #ecco the dolphin #subnautica #shadow of the colossus #altered beast #umihara kawase #x-com apocalypse #when I say 'play a second game' don't you dare just go play Dark Souls too #Youtube

[sillyfanatic]

Opposites attract

Hiiii everyone, happy holidays!!! For those of you who like castlevania, here's some smut <3 Minors DNI i dont want to see anyone under 18 interacting with this fic.

This fic is directly inspired by 'first sip of early spring' by tragic performer on AO3, read it here. (And read it before you read my little fic <3)

p.s; if you're not a part of this fandom and / or don't like smut, no need to interact with this :3

click here to read this fic on ao3!!!! ooooo

(wc; 6313)

-

Trevor had not been keen on Alucard’s invitation – it wasn’t the proposition itself, nor the person who offered it that uneased him, no, it was something else, it was, it was…

It was because they’d finished their mission, fulfilled their purpose – and was it not supposed to be over, now? Was this partnership – if you could call it that –finished?

Should they be parting ways? Shouldn’t they be?...

He wanted to. More than anything, he wanted to leave – there’d been an itch in his legs for months now, a pulling sensation in his chest that pleaded him to turn tail and run, to be the coward he’d always been.

God, he wanted to.

But now? Now, he felt closer to death than ever before. It was a dreary feeling; an aching in your bones, sharp pains accompanying your every breath. It was sore muscles and the inability to feel your limbs properly, and a question floating in the back of his mind; had living always felt this dreadful? He was not sure he could recall.

There was a dull sensation in his head that’d been there for a while now – an overwhelming tiredness, a mix of despair and exhaustion, the kind you only had the misfortune to feel in that moment after the near-death adrenaline wore off.

It’s why the sight of the guest bedroom was almost enough to make him weep (if he could remember how to do so; he might have let himself.)

There was a bed. It’s all he could focus on now. A bed. The kind of bed fit for a castle, for God’s sake.

“Belmont?” The voice besides him managed to captivate his attention again, and as he turned to his right, he was met with the face of an acquaintance. Those piercing eyes, the kind that lived a life so different from Trevor’s. It sent a chill down his spine – or perhaps, was that the result of all the blood he’d lost?

“Yes?” He found himself replying rathe dryly. Bed, bed, bed, bed. It was the only word spinning around in his mind, an undeniable desire that grew thicker as the seconds passed him by.

It was offered again. “You could stay the night, if you’d like.” The voice was far too quiet and faraway this time.

What happened to leaving? What happened to running away?

Those ideas were far, far away.

And so, he turned to look at the bed again, nodding quietly.

Please. He’d beg if his body allowed him to.

It wasn’t long before he found himself alone, alone in an unfamiliar room, with soft sheets and pillows plusher than he’d ever felt before. There was a small fire whispering in the hearth of the fireplace, and he certainly did not remember the last time he’d felt so warm.

He tumbled into unconsciousness in between blinks, succumbing to the fatigue that wore him down.

-

Trevor had always been aware of the size of Dracula’s castle, from distant childhood memories to stories spread from one village to another, each re-telling seemingly more dramatic than the last. Seeing it up close had put the stories and rumours to shame, for the castle was much more imposing than words could allow.

It’s black structure – a material he could not identify – extended for miles in every direction, stylistically slashing through the inky sky. Describing it as ‘imposing’ felt like an injustice to its menace. The thing looked alive, ready to swallow any who dared to trespass.

And that was from the outside; the interior was beyond ridiculous. The stylistic choices mirrored those of the outdoors, a black and grey colour scheme with the occasional pop or red and purple, if you looked close enough to find it.

It was pretentious, to say the least.

Much too large for the both of them, Trevor wondered how Dracula had managed to live by himself for so long without going insane (ignoring the fact that he very much did go insane, albeit from different circumstances.)

Empty hallways stretched for miles, forgotten rooms with forgotten functionalities plagued the castle. There were stairways leading to nowhere, and doors that faced a brick wall.

Trevor felt as though this worked in his favour, figured the odd architectural choices, and the sheer massiveness of the place were enough to keep the two of them apart. They wouldn’t have to see each other, and by morning he’d be gone, no goodbyes or lingering glances.

Just a cold exit – his favourite way to go.

It was a fine plan; he could maybe go so far as to say it was a good one. It worked in his favor, he didn’t want the dry conversation Alucard provided, did not care for it.

They weren’t friends. Conversations were for friends, pleasantries and stories were for friends. And they aren’t friends. Nor are they enemies – they are strangers that could no longer be so. Fate had decided to acquaint them, had decided to meddle in their personal lives, and now Trevor was trapped with an obnoxious vampire roaming around in his head when he should be focused on tomorrow, or on anything else, really.

It would come to surprise him, how quickly he’d given into his own exhaustion. It was unlike him to be unconscious in a stranger’s home. Trevor had found himself asleep in strange areas before; fields, dumps, random piles of hay, underneath a tree in the forest- but never in another’s home. He’d not allowed himself to be that vulnerable before.

Not only was he sleeping in someone else’s home tonight, but he was sleeping in fucking Dracula’s castle. He was a vampire’s guest.

If Trevor had not been so exhausted, he would’ve been far from this place. Now, he was unwilling to listen to the instincts that told him never to sleep in a vampire’s home – instincts that were most likely genetic as well as learnt, and ignoring them would surely disappoint his mother.

But she wasn’t here, was she?

And so, against all better judgment, the vampire hunter slept in the nest of the beast, wrapped in satin and surrounded by duck feathers. The smoky smell of the fire lulling the man into a deeper slumber than he’d had in months, or perhaps even years, at this point.

It was a dreamless sleep, the kind of sleep where your body melts into the mattress, where consciousness feels like a concept you’d only briefly known, a long, long, time ago.

And like all the good things in a Belmont’s life, it was over much too soon.

“You’re awake.” The remark was quiet.

He should’ve jumped, shouted, reacted in any alarming way, like a normal person would be. He should’ve been scared at the suddenness of the other’s presence – but he could not find it in himself to do so.

“Do you always watch your guests sleep?” He replied tiredly, opening his eyes to stare at the source of the disturbance in the room.

And there he was, in all his glory, leaning so effortlessly against the wall of the bedroom. Simply existing, and yet Trevor felt his blood beginning to boil as he rose from his sleeping form, letting the sheets tumble away from his bare chest.

He was unusually warm, he noted, though he only bore his trousers from the other day. A quick glance to the fireplace showed a bright flame dancing in the silence, one that had been nurtured in his sleep.

“Not always.” Alucard replied, unmoving. The hunter could not decipher if this was meant to be humour or not – it was rare that the half-vampire allowed his façade to slip enough to make pleasantries.

A silence settled between them as Trevor stood reluctantly, stretching the muscles that ached in the aftermath of yesterday’s combat, and of the weeks of travel preceding it.

And then he noted something truly odd – apart from the orange glow of the fire, the room was plunged in darkness, a moonless night staring down at him from upon the large windows.

And as if he could read minds (Trevor had yet to fact-check this about vampires), Adrian spoke again; “You were asleep for three days, you know?”

The man turned towards the other then, observing him with furrowed brows.

“What?” He questioned, feeling a sense of overwhelming disorganization flooding his mind.

Alucard was the opposite of this, calm as he spoke; “It’s been three days since we’ve last spoken.” It was said as though it was obvious, or common, to which it was neither. It didn’t feel like he slept for that long, given how tired he still was, and it sure as hell wasn’t a weekly occurrence. “You’ve slept for a long time.” The half-vampire remarked casually as he pushed himself off the wall, approaching his guest with soft steps.

There was a certain familiarity in this closeness they now shared, a warmth that the Belmont dismissed as something else entirely.

“Why did you let me stay?” He mumbled, crossing his arms against his bare chest. The gesture made Adrien’s eyes flicker downwards, a small smile appearing on his pale face.

“Now, now, you wouldn’t think of me as cruel, would you?” He spoke coyly, tilting his head to the side in a manner that was far too endearing.

“Hmph.” Trevor squinted, unamused.

Alucard simply huffed a small laugh, patting the other’s cheek with his hand.

“Come now, I’ve made dinner.” He spoke, turning on his heels to head outside of the door.

Trevor did not follow, eyeing the other man as he stood still.

He was supposed to be far away by now, getting drunk in the tavern of a nearby village and running his mouth off, not here, half naked, being invited to dine with someone he’d really rather never speak to again.

“What, not hungry?” Adrian teased from the open door, that sly smile sneaking itself onto his pale features once again. Trevor’s stomach felt fuzzy at the sight – perhaps he was beginning to feel dizziness from his hunger.

With a sigh, and against his better judgment, he relented. Not bothering to dress himself, he followed the other. The castle wasn’t any less confusing, in fact, it seemed a little more like a maze now that he had slept for much too long.

They walked in silence, the stone floor cooling against his feet – it helped ground him, if only slightly.

The hunter could almost hear the complaints of his ancestry, could practically feel the shame that paired well with his parent’s angry remarks and disappointed looks.

He ignored it.

It was fine – he’d been a disgrace to the family name for a long time now, what did having dinner with a vampire worsen?

-

He’d expected to be led to some sort of grand dining hall, the kind that has a table so long that you can barely discern the edge of it from one side to the next.

But Alucard did not bring him to such a place, instead, they found themselves in a small room lined with large windows, a round wooden table in its middle with two chairs to accompany it. There was a fireplace in this room too, one that had already been lit, its flames painting the room in a living light that waltzed ever so slowly.

There was a desk as well, and a small bookshelf, all wooden. There were paintings on the walls and a few empty pots where he imagined plants had once lived.

It all felt much too alive.

“My mother’s favourite place to eat breakfast. She despised the dining room, always spoke of how cold and lifeless it felt to her.” Trevor fought back against a snappy retort, something along the lines of ‘finally, someone in this family who makes sense’. It was best to leave it unspoken, to spare himself from the death glare that would’ve surely killed him, should he have given in. “She would eat here whenever it was possible for her to do so – I used to join her in the mornings.” Adrian spoke as he sat on one of the two chairs, moving a few plates around the table. He did not speak of his mother often, and when he did, his tone seemed so quiet, so soft. As if the memories were so fragile that speaking of them loudly might shatter them.

The half vampire shed his coat, revealing a simple white chemise underneath, one that billowed so ornately around him that Trevor had to fight the urge to roll his eyes at the sight. He bit his tongue again, sitting down on the free chair.

Wine was poured in their glasses, and Trevor was silently thanking the gods for the alcohol, taking a generous swig before replying to the other.

“Your mother had excellent taste in furniture.” He spoke, uncertain of what to say. Adrian simply nodded at this, handing him a plate of what looked like salad.

“Yes, now shut up and eat.” And there it was, a familiar tone. One of general annoyance, a feeling Trevor seemed to invoke a lot – which only made him wonder why he’d been invited to such a seemingly private thing.

Too hungry to object, Trevor put himself to use, devouring anything that seemed edible enough – and by God, it was a lot more than he’d thought. The spread was generous, from familiar meals to exciting new ones, each dish cooked to perfection. There were meats cooked in thick sauces, vegetables that were seemingly fried, and yet tasted so light it almost made him choke.

Dinner was spent in a quiet silence, one that wasn’t necessarily awkward, but not exactly welcomed either. Adrian poked at plates here and there, naturally less hungry than Trevor – one of them hadn’t eaten for over three days and it really showed.

With every plate, the wine seemed to taste sweeter, and before he knew it, the familiar buzz of alcohol had crept underneath his skin, rendering him fuzzy and content.

“I didn’t know you could cook.” Trevor spat out as he poked at some peas in his plate, too full to conceptualize eating any more.

“Is that your way of thanking me?” Alucard replied, his hands woven beneath his chin. He looked so calm here in the low light, his skin gaining a warmth in the orange glow of the fire.

“I suppose.” He mumbled, pouring himself another glass of wine.

“You’re welcome.” The vampire replied, pausing to take a small sip of wine. And then, a silence again, until Adrian decides to fill it; “You learn to cook when you’re alone for a while.” It’s accompanied by a little shrug of his shoulders, which makes the fabric of his blouse sway in a mesmerizing, yet very pretentious way.

Trevor almost laughs here, a smile cracking his wine-stained lips. “Not necessarily – I can’t cook for shit.” He confesses, leaning back in his chair. The heaviness of the meal and the sweetness of the wine was beginning to tire him, and despite the three days of uninterrupted sleep, he felt himself yawning.

“Hm. Why does that not surprise me?” The other retorts, a matching grin lining his features. It’s surely an insult, but he says it so elegantly that its rudeness is almost completely lost. Still, Trevor allows himself to roll his eyes at this, the fuzziness of the wine rendering him more content than he’d be comfortable with, should he be sober.

There’s no good retort here, he knows he’s lost the battle, and he accepts it. Alucard just cooked them both an excellent meal, where Trevor would’ve burnt himself trying to get a fire started.

“You’re welcomed to stay the night again, if you wish.” The man before him offers then, so casually, inconsequentially. As if they knew each other. As if one wasn’t a hunter, and the other wasn’t the prey. (If asked, they’d both claim to be the hunter.)

Trevor did not respond immediately, letting the sentence float in between them as he pondered it.

On one hand, he was three days overdue – he needed to be gone two nights ago, and yet he was still lingering.

On the other hand, perhaps it would be wise to stay. He was still exhausted, and he was now a little tipsy as well – those weren’t ideal conditions in setting out for a voyage, now, were they?

He did not wish to be here much longer, but here there was a bed, and a warm fire, and one more night wouldn’t be the end of him, would it?

He nodded curtly, an acceptance of the invitation that’d been so kindly extended upon him.

If he’d come to regret it, he was not sure, but he knew it fit him in the moment. He’d made the final decision, the consequences (should there be any) would be a problem for another day.

And so, their conversation fizzled out – before long, Trevor had finished his wine, and Adrian was beginning to gather up the dirty plates – he didn’t ask for help, and Trevor did not offer it either. They simply parted ways, wordlessly.

Like strangers.

-

For a second – technically fourth – time, the vampire hunter slept in the night creature’s home.

-

They had developed a slight routine. They ate together once a day, nothing as lavish as that first time, but equally as delicious. Trevor spent some of his time hunting for wildlife outside the castle grounds, bringing with him anything he’d caught. Adrian would usually cook whatever he had slain, and they ate it together by firelight.

Words were rarely exchanged, as if sound would rupture the odd system they had going for them.

Every night, Trevor would convince himself to leave for the next morning. He ran the plans in his head as he lay; he would head to the east, find the nearest town or village, not stopping his journey until he found it. From there it’d be odd jobs and favours, wandering semi-aimlessly until he found his purpose, or his purpose found him.

And yet, every night, the soft bed and the warm meals kept him around, kept him comfortable and warm, cared for in a way he’d never been.

In his empty moments, he would search the castle, unable to resist the vast knowledge at his fingertips – for centuries, his ancestors had longed to be in Dracula’s castle, dedicating lifetimes to locating it, and yet… And yet, here he was, so casually residing in it, with all the technology the Belmonts had sought to study, to destroy.

Who would’ve thought that it would end up like this? The last of generations, alienated and uneducated, trying his best to fulfill a destiny he did not belong to.

If he was going to stay here for a little while, might as well try to, right?

As he familiarized himself with the castle, there was one room he avoided like the plague, not daring to venture into it. It was Adrian’s bedroom, of which the door was always closed shut. He hadn’t gotten so much as a peak inside, and he was not planning to. It’s not like he was afraid of Adrian or anything of the sort, no, it was something different… it seemed as though it was not for any reason in particular, like he could not put his finger on it, on why the sheer thought of opening that door turned him away – but it did.

As the days passed him by, his sleep had returned to something akin to normalcy. ‘Normalcy’, in this case, meant that Trevor was back to no longer sleeping well – no matter the comfort of the bed. Still, it was considerably more sleep than he’d get out there, but it wasn’t good by any means or standards.

Tonight, it irked him in particular as he tossed and turned within the sheets, the sheets whose softness was becoming unreasonably unbearable, a pleasant sensation turned sour for no apparent reason. His sleepwear this night consisted of a pair of old shorts and nothing more, and yet, his body seemed to burn with an unknown heat, one that made him too restless to sleep.

The fire in his hearth had gone out long ago, and the sun was beginning to rise somewhere in the distance, but as much as his body ached for it, it could not find sleep, could not find relief.

Pent up, and warm beyond belief, Trevor huffed an annoyed sigh before giving up on trying to sleep. Annoyed, he stood, throwing on a random white chemise from the closet on the guest room – of his room.

Exhausted, he began walking, trying to entertain his body with something, anything. Perhaps walking would be enough to make his subconscious realize that he needed rest, not restlessness. As he roamed the castle, he found himself walking a familiar path around the home, down corridors and up a few flights of stairs, taking specific turns, movements that worked on muscle memory alone.

It wasn’t long before he found himself in the small dining nook, the most familiar room in the entire manor. (And perhaps, it was beginning to be his favourite, but he had yet to admit this to himself wuite yet.)

It was rare to see it in this setting; it was dim, the light of dawn softly illuminating it as the sun rose to greet them. It was a beautiful sight, but he was perhaps too drained to enjoy it. Instead, he went straight for the small cabinet where the wine was stored, hastily uncorking a bottle for himself. He stared at the uncorked bottle for a moment, the habit of drinking himself to sleep was pushing him to just do it, do drink it now.

Reluctantly, he put the bottle down, grabbing a glass from the desk and the other end of the room, a desk that had come to serve as more of a surface for Adrian’s wine glasses. Adrian, who was the reason Trevor grabbed himself a glass in the first place – he knew his host would be very displeased if he were to drink straight from the bottle. He’d done it a few times before and had earnt himself a few lectures because of it – a result he was not intent in re-living.

When had he come to know the other so well?

He didn’t care. All he could focus on was the exhaustion that clawed as his brain, the familiar feeling of despair that often clung to him on sleepless nights, on sleepless days.

The wine was quickly poured into the glass, where it did not stay for long. The alcohol was too sour for his taste, but he did not care enough to stop drinking, feeling the familiar burning sensation that had carried him through a thousand nights before this one.

Old habits died hard, and if he wasn’t the living proof, no one else was.

“Couldn’t sleep?” A voice behind him spoke, and he was far too used to the way Alucard appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The sudden presence did not illicit a reaction, merely a soft sigh of acknowledgment on his part.

“How’d you ever guess.” He spoke tiredly, voice practically dripping in sarcasm as he lulled his head to observe the other. “Care for some?” He lifted the bottle as he spoke, and Adrian nodded, grabbing a glass and pulling his chair up to face the Belmont. His glass was quickly filled, and they were soon drinking in silence, a silence that had come to be very comfortable, too comfortable.

The man before him was wearing an odd outfit for this time of day; pleated black pants and a ruffled chemise that matched the colour of their drink, the colour of which made it seem like his skin glowed in the low light.

“You know, I have no fucking idea why I’m still here.” Trevor spoke with the honesty of someone who’d already had half the bottle. It’s not like he had anything to lose, anyway. “You know, I really hated you. I wanted to leave, as soon as I was done with everything.” But it wasn’t true, and he knew it. He’d never hated the other. He’d yearned to, felt obligated to, in a sense. “I really wanted to hate you.” He took a generous sip and topped his cup off – this was far stronger than the other red wines he’d gotten used to, and he could feel its effect a little too well.

“I never would’ve guessed; you only declared it every five minutes.” Alucard remarked, smiling from behind his wine glass. And Trevor huffed at this, too tired to muster a real laugh.

“Then why the fuck isn’t it true? Why can’t I hate you?” His heart was beating a little faster than usual, and confessions were slipping from his tongue much too easily. “Your ancestors killed mine and vice versa, and yet here I still am, getting hammered on your wine. It’s laughable.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know the answer.” Adrian crossed his legs, legs that were so long and slim in comparison to Trevor’s. Legs that were always hidden away beneath fabric, skin that was so hard to see.

They both took another sip as the man’s gaze squinted.

“The real question is, why haven’t you chased me out of here? The Alucard I met a few months ago would’ve never let a thing like me live within his walls for so long.” His words were beginning to drag on a bit, the alcohol heavy on his tongue.

Adrian shook his shoulders tiredly. “I’m not sure.” Another sip, and was it just Trevor, or did the other’s cheeks tint a bit rosier? It was hard to tell in this lighting. “Perhaps I’m lonelier than I’d like to admit.” A smile accompanied the sentence, but it was a small one, a sad one. Trevor could not muster the energy to ignore the flutter in his chest.

“Lonely, huh?” He threw back, downing the rest of his wine. “I have trouble seeing that.”

Alucard laughed at the statement; it was a rare sound, one so full of mirth that the Belmont could not help but smile at it.

“It’s that hard to believe?” The half-vampire asked then, leaning his chin in the palm of his hand.

“Yes, quite.” Trevor crossed his arms, a gesture meant to convey seriousness, that he was not joking. “Me, lonely, that’s logical. You? I think you’re lying.” He accused now, to which the half vampire feigned offense.

“Why is it so hard to believe, Belmont?” He pried, furrowing his eyebrows in what seemed to be an invitation.

And Trevor was drunk enough to say something very regrettable; “Because I believe that should you ask anybody; they would be glad to indulge you in anything.”

“Anybody, huh?” Down went the rest of the wine, his glass now discarded onto the table, besides Trevor’s.

“Anybody.” Trevor confirmed.

“Anything.”

“Anything you desired.”

The half vampire ran a pale hand through his golden locks, letting a thick silence reign over them for a second or two. There was a tension in the air that hadn’t been there before – and why was Trevor’s heart beating so fast?

“You’re clueless, aren’t you?” Adrian spoke after a bit, tilting his head to the side in that way that drove Trevor insane.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” He shook his shoulders, too lost in his contentment to think about the other’s statement.

The other, who stood so suddenly, tossing his chair aside. The other, who offered a hand, and when it was taken, guided the hunter. They walked away from the breakfast nook, from the open wine and the dirtied glassed, down an unfamiliar path – or perhaps it was recognizable, but not in the state Trevor was in.

He was so at ease, Adrian’s hand fit nicely around his; it was slimer, and colder, but it was comfortable in a strangely beautiful way. They went up a staircase, maintaining a fairly quick pace – they took a right into a hallway, and a few doors down to their destination.

Trevor was shoved into the room before he could begin to protest, or to realize where he was. He stood in a rather modest bedroom, an unfamiliar one – it was the only room in the castle he had not yet been to.

“This is-“

“My room.” He finished the sentence with impatience. The curtains were drawn and there was a dying fire in his hearth, but there was enough light to show the slight tint on Adrian’s, the flush of alcohol that rendered him so much more attractive than before and – when had Trevor come to think of the other as attractive?

“Why are we..?” He began to question, his head several steps behind.

“Because I’ve been trying to get you to fuck me since the day I invited you to stay, and I cannot go another second without it if you keep looking at me the way you do. You said I could get anyone to do as I desired? Well, I’m asking you now to indulge me so that I can finally sleep at night.” The words were spoken hastily, so hushed they could’ve almost been misheard.

Almost.

Trevor could not deny the effect the confession had on him; he felt his blood rush south at the thought of it.

He’d expected a realization like this to feel like planets crashing, systems colliding inside his mind, but it didn’t. It was a gentle snap, two pieces of a puzzle clicking together in a manner that could only be described as gratifying. He felt warm as a smirk settled on his face. “I thought you’d never ask.” He did not linger then, unceremoniously joining their lips together in a kiss that tasted of aged berries and desperation.

And it made too much sense, the way his heart tried to beat its way out of its cage, the way his blood buzzed in something entirely different than the wine.

Alucard’s mouth was too eager to part for his as they stumbled upon the bed. The kiss was only momentarily interrupted as the half vampire let himself fall into the mattress’ embrace, Trevor in toe.

They weren’t apart for very long before Trevor was marking the other’s neck, biting and sucking anywhere he could reach, leaving traces dark enough to pierce through the dim lighting.

The hunter was soon unbuttoning the others’ blouse, stripping himself of his chemise as well. Fingers roamed across pale skin, eyes committing every juncture to memory.

The way the vampire was half propped up on his elbows, long hair cascading down bare shoulders – it drove him absolutely mad, a madness he was barely aware he’d been containing.

“Why on earth would you ever hide such a thing.” The Belmont spoke, mesmerized.

Adrian’s eyes were dark and half-lidded, and Trevor did not need much more to continue.

Trevor was speaking more than he usually did in situations like these, but he could not keep the words from falling off his tongue, sugary sweet confessions that surprised them both. “I tried to hate you; I had no idea it didn’t work because of this.” Pants came off very quickly after that, leaving them both unveiled, intoxicated not only by the wine that flowed through their veins, but from the tension that rose between them.

“Stop talking.” Adrian hissed, firmly grabbing the other’s chin to bring him down again, leaving hungry kisses on his lips.

In between heavy breaths, Trevor spoke; “Tell me what you want from me, and I will deliver it.” It was a promise, an oath to stop talking, should his mouth be put to good use. He sealed the words by leaving marks on the other’s jawline, relishing in the little hisses that came of it.

“I want you to be inside of me, I want you to fuck me until I can’t remember my own name.” A request he couldn’t wait to oblige. Before he could do so, however, he felt a soft hand on the back of his head, fisting his hair. His head was easily lifted then, eyes forced to meet the other’s. There was a hint of malice there, a dark glimmer in Adrian’s eyes he could not ignore. Everything about this was so wrong; he’d never been more turned on in his entire life. There was no kindness in the other’s eyes when he spoke again, instead, the words resounded in Trevor’s ears like a threat. “Do not make me beg.”

And the hunter could do nothing but oblige, putty in his prey’s gaze. He ran a thumb between his lover’s folds, gathering the wetness to cover his shaft. It was sinful, to use another’s arousal as lubrication for penetration, it was sinful and enticing, pulling him further down a path with no return.

There was no preparation beyond that, they were much too far gone for it.

As Trevor sheathed himself within the other, he made sure to be as gentle as possible, savouring every inch that was taken. “Fuck.” He groaned beneath his breath as the feeling of Adrian’s walls hugged him so tightly, he could barely hold onto logic anymore. Perhaps he’d be the one to forget his own name.

“Ah-“ It was a small intake of air, barely a moan, but it managed to make him even harder than he already was. The half vampire threw his head back as Trevor was fully situated, taking a few audible breaths before meeting his gaze again.

Slowly, he began to thrust, baring his cock to slide it in again as gently as possible. When his lover began to grow restless, he upped the tempo, setting a steady rhythm.

And by God, it felt damnable how wet Alucard was, the sound of his arousal resonating lewdly in their ears with every thrust.

“Jesus, I’ve wondered what was beneath all those layers for so long.” He grunted, setting the pace to something somewhat regular.

“Hm?” Came a small noise from the person below him, whose elbows were getting too weak to hold them up – and so they fell to the mattress, their back arching gracefully as they did so.

It was a sight to behold, smooth skin that seemed to run for miles, a lithe body that was moving for him, in response to him, and only for his eyes to see. He’d declare the scene heavenly if it weren’t for the raunchiness of it, because by God, Trevor had never laid eyes on anything as gorgeous as this.

A lifetime of travel could not reveal such beauty, it was only found here, in his lover’s dips and curves, in the way his eyes rolled back, in every shaky breath, every silent gasp.

“Too modest for someone as pretty- shit- as you.” He struggled to keep his sentences focused, words slurring in a mix of intoxication and lust.

Adrian keened at the compliment, and Trevor took it as a sign to pleasure him harder, better – he quickened the pace a little more, hooking Adrian’s left leg over the crease of his elbow, almost lifting his partner to give a deeper angle.

The other’s breaths quickened, his chest moving up and down quickly as he struggled to contain the pleasure that rang throughout him.

Such a beautiful sight, watching his cock get lost in the vampire’s folds again and again, its tip prodding his belly with every deep thrust – Trevor could not tear his gaze away if we wanted to.

“Aaah- Belmont, you-“ They could not be considered conscious any longer, no, they’d stumbled into another state of being at this point.

“What is it- mm- Adrian?” The mention of his name made him whimper, his body writhing in pleasure.

“More.” He demanded, and so Trevor obliged.

With his loose arm, the trained killer brough his hand to rub circles around the other’s clitoris. It was by no means elegant or methodical, but it made the vampire react in such a delightful way, his walls clenching tightly around the shaft that penetrated him.

“Hng-“ The moans were becoming more and more frequent, sweet sounds that his ears drank up so greedily, trying desperately to commit them to memory. They’d be all he’d think about for weeks, this, he was certain of.

“You’re, fuck, sofuckinghandsome” The words tumbled out of his mouth without rhyme or reason. He pushed harder, bending the body beneath him to better reach the inside of his lover, to nestle himself deeply, in a desire to never be anywhere else but here.

With a glistening chest and the firm squeeze of his eyes, Adrian’s body seized in the throes of pleasure, wave after wave of shock coursing through his sensitive nerves. It was done rather quietly, and yet it made the scene all-the-more ethereal, like having watched something so rare that it only came once in a lifetime – to those who were lucky enough to get it.

And lucky felt like an under-statement as Trevor relished in the feeling of his lover’s orgasm, coming undone in tandem with him. He felt the pleasure crawling up and down his spine, relishing in the sight of the bump he left in Adrian’s stomach.

They stayed still for a moment or two before Trevor decided to move, pulling out of the vampire, leaving a trail behind the action. Lazily, the hunter took his thumb to the opening, gathering any liquid that had escaped and pumping it back inside of him.

Adrian was back on his elbows now, observing the gesture and shivering in sensitivity.

The two locked eyes, the exhaustion and elation of love-making heavy in their gaze, unspoken sentences staying in their minds. It was that comfortable kind of quiet again, the one that meant a lot more to them now.

They weren’t really strangers anymore.

-

A/N

>happy holidays... i love queer people so much. thats all.

>if you like this work i am So sorry but i have published nothing similar LMAO i doubt anyone will read this since its so outside of my norm. sonadow fans ill write some good stuff for you guys now that i've finished this <333

#my fics #myr writes #my writing #castlevania #trevor belmont #alucard #adrian tepes #trevor x alucard #alucard x trevor #if yer under 18 and interact with this im blocking you

[beevean]

Ah man i really dislike fandom's general behaviour regarding canon vs not-canon (shoutout to the ff7 fandom for not being normal abt the compilation :) ) There is this belief that canon means good or is some sort of prestige, and that's why some ppl insist so much on placing their favorite spin offs or side stories at canon level, or try to "downgrade" some canon story bc they didnt like it. And in the end canon in terms of quality means nothing! I acknowledge that, for example, metroid other m is technically more canon than the metroid prime trilogy (including how it went out of its way to make the mp games explicitly not compatible w the main canon 🙄), yet i also will say that mom sucks horribly and will ignore its mistake of an existence while the mp trilogy is Peak. Heck i personally like the lore introduced in AM2R despite it being a fan game (aka def not canon). Or for a diff example, the CoD manga could be said to be less canon than PtR, but both are beautifully written and introduce plenty of interesting elements and themes to the main CoD story (plus Hector look at Hector the he hes so- ).

Canon doesnt equals quality, but rather it means what was an actual event in a series, and is mostly relevant in terms of analisis, putting together what happened, and trying to predict what events will be mentioned again in the franchise and their influence (and also retcons exist, for good and evil). If you like canon, good! If you like an spin off, good! If you like the fanon/headcanons, good! You can try to mix up elements from both into your own version or interpretation, to do fanfics or fanart, etc. Something being canon or not is an objective (if debatable in certain cases) fact, but that doesnt means you need to like it or not

Thank you for putting it better than what I've been trying to say fdhsjhfdskhfks

Ohh boy the OM example. I would rather. Not touch that :) I am aware of the backlash after Dread dared to include an image of that game's events... (but speaking of AM2R, I really believe it shouldn't be mentioned in this conversation lol. I suppose you can say that we can accepts its ideas like headcanons!)

The CoD mangas are an interesting example. PtR was written by Ayami Kojima, who had a hand in creating at least Hector and Isaac, so it's technically a more "official" product than the MF manga which was written by a hired writer; but Kojima herself considers the MF manga more canon, likely because it's more detailed:

Although there are some restrictions on representation when accompanying a game, there is a comic in Japan that can be freely established as a story and can be thoroughly enjoyed, by Kou Sasakura ("Castlevania: Curse of Darkness'', published by Media Factory). It was written by hand, so I apologize for the inconvenience, but please read it as well. This is how I ended up with it this time, and it may be confusing for those who worry about the story. Each person's setting, interpretation, and representation are different, but I'll leave it to you as the true story... Hector is also cool and handsome! ... How should I say it? It's like the child I gave birth to as a surrogate mother (wow!) is now doing even better with their foster parents, and I'm crying tears of gratitude behind the telephone pole.

(this quote is so wholesome I wanted to share, even if badly translated <3)

So who is right? And speaking about that, how much can prequel mangas be "canon" in a videogame series? I never mentioned the Sonic promotional material, now that I think of it lol. (admittedly that's another issue, the one of accessibility for newcomers, which oh man oh man do the CoD mangas suffer from :'D)

Anyway, I have nothing smarter to add, so let me emphasize this:

Canon doesnt equals quality, but rather it means what was an actual event in a series, and is mostly relevant in terms of analisis, putting together what happened, and trying to predict what events will be mentioned again in the franchise and their influence

#canon #for reference

[sonderblade]

So I hope this isn't me stepping on your toes but I got inspired to write a scene between Orlox and Richter (based on the scene between Silco and Jinx after her mess up). Like literally I have brain rot thinking of this AU.

I was trying to figure out what it meant that Richter has powerful magic but is unstable. I was thinking that his magic's aura/color matched Orlox. I also thought that he could use a dagger (Orlox trained him into using it and it acts as a conduit for his magic) and possibly an axe ( looked at what he used in the Castlevania games).

DONT WORRY YO!!! YOU ARE NOT STEPPING ON ANY OF MY TOES!!!! I HAVE BRAINROT ABOUT THIS AU TOO!!!

Reminder that this AU does belong to @hyperfixatedfandomer and this is my spin off version of it !! :))

Also please drop the written scene about Olrox and Richter with the Silco and Jinx basis because I NEED TO SEE IT!!!! PLEASE🙏🙏

What I meant by Richter having powerful magic but it was unstable was that he can do extraordinary spells and magic but since he’s heavily traumatized, it can lead to it being explosive, dangerous, and chaotic to anyone around him. Richter has a lot of potential of being insanely powerful like we see in the show but he’s in an unstable mental state in this AU which directly affects his powers and how it’s put out when in use. For example, with Jinx we see she is intelligent and great at fighting but she is super unstable and chaotic which affects those around her like in the first scene we see her PSTD attack and she starts firing on everyone, including her own people.

Also the axe is such a good idea!!! I’m not entirely familiar with the Castlevania games but I love idea!!!

I’ll definitely post later with some more drawings!! Stay tuned :3

#castlevania richter belmont #castlevania richter #richter belmont #castlevania au #castlevania nocturne #castlevania #anon ask

[chronic-ghost]

on the whole spectrum of vampire media, the castlevania series and its spin-off nocturne really respects the cunt-y aspect of vampires that has been more often overlooked in recent years. like every single one of the vampire designs all slay in a way that vampire should. good or bad, we must never forget that vampires do one thing better than anything else and that is serve the cunt and respect the drip 👌👌

#castlevania #castlevania: nocturne

[redsnerdden]

Castlevania Nocturne Season Two Is In Production

Alucard has arrived! Castlevania Nocturne Season Two Is In Production #Netflix #Castlevania #anime #videogames

Netflix announced on Friday that the animated spin-off series based on Konami’s iconic game series Castlevania, Castlevania Nocturne, would be getting a second season. Netflix uploaded a new video on Friday to announce that Nocturne would be getting a second season. The series premiered on September 28th and has gotten plenty of praise for not only the quality of the animation, but for how…

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#Animation #Anime #Castlevania #Castlevania Nocturne #Konami #Netflix #Video Games