Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2023 11:57:02 GMT -5
something i've been thinking about recently is how richter has become somewhat of a symbol of the belmont clan in castlevania. i mean, divine bloodlines is used as a motif to represent connections to the belmont clan in order of ecclesia, and in the castlevania 64 title screen as a way to conjure the image of a legendary vampire hunter. there's also the whip's memory in portrait of ruin, and outside of the games themselves, he's one of the most frequent characters chosen to represent the series in crossovers and merchandising.
i find this to be somewhat intriguing, because in a lot of ways richter........... is kind of a failure of a belmont. i would argue that the mainstream image of a belmont is that of a strong warrior, whose faith is steadfast and will always stand against the powers of evil. and yes, while richter is undoubtedly powerful and has a good heart, he was also manipulated into bringing about dracula's resurrection because his own insecurities made him a prime target for corruption, which all but forced the entire clan to go into hiding for the next 200 years. he's probably the most obviously flawed belmont, and yet he's the one who's chosen to represent them, both in and out of universe. maybe it's just because most people are ignorant to what he did (the narrative seen in most post-sotn games is that the belmont clan vanished out of thin air for seemingly no reason) and simply idolize him as the "last" belmont, or perhaps there's some discussion to be had about the image of the belmont clan vs its true nature. either way it's something that's been gnawing at my brain for a while.
and none of this is to speak ill of richter as a character, of course. i just think there's something ironic about being the one to bring about the downfall of your clan, only to become its defining image.
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Post by wygolvillage on Mar 6, 2023 12:15:32 GMT -5
Oh absolutely I think it's fascinating. Obviously he's the one who has the most drastic effect on the lore and timeline, I wish that they'd actually play into that more? Like I would kill to see something that explores the more psychological aspects of his character.
I feel like Simon makes more sense as a "mascot" in the Strong Belmont way, he was the star of the first game after all
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yehor
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can you take my white ass to wygol
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Post by yehor on Mar 6, 2023 14:06:27 GMT -5
I think Richter and Simon both serve this purpose in different circumstances - Richter's more common for it in the actual context of telling the story whereas Simon is used in merchandising and the like more tbh (Richter HAS been getting merch lately, but before the last couple of years he didn't show up much at all in that stuff. Even in Smash he only appeared alongside Simon.)
I think Simon fits for mascot purposes IRL because, of course, he's the first one we ever met. It's an obvious choice.
I agree with Richter being used for the storytelling angle because he's the prime example, in my opinion, not only of the Belmont clan's strengths but of their weaknesses. He broke under the pressure because that pressure had always been there, and someone was going to give in to it eventually. As a character he kind of is the emblematic Belmont in a way no other Belmont is due to the fact we see both his rise and fall, I think.
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richterbelmont
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Post by richterbelmont on Mar 6, 2023 17:51:38 GMT -5
everything i wouldve said has already been said so ill just leave this here. excellent thread richter nation
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draculaura
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If vampires are oppressed, then why. simon
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Post by draculaura on Mar 6, 2023 21:55:20 GMT -5
Yeah, Richter I think is kind of the entire Belmont story condensed into one dude. Guy is raised to kill vampires, lives a life of violence from a young age, suffers horribly due to the pressure of his occupation and then disappears quietly. That's the Belmonts alright
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2023 23:17:46 GMT -5
hmhm while i understand what everyone is saying, when i made my original post i was mostly thinking about the............. cultural?? stereotypical?? (the word i want to use is memetic but i'm not sure that's right) idea of the belmont clan as bastions of divine strength and purity and how it's kind of funny in a sad way that richter ended up becoming one of the poster boys for the very expectations that broke him. perhaps i should've made that a bit more clear.
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richterbelmont
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Post by richterbelmont on Mar 6, 2023 23:20:56 GMT -5
hmhm while i understand what everyone is saying, when i made my original post i was mostly thinking about the............. cultural?? stereotypical?? (the word i want to use is memetic but i'm not sure that's right) idea of the belmont clan as bastions of divine strength and purity and how it's kind of funny in a sad way that richter ended up becoming one of the poster boys for the very expectations that broke him. perhaps i should've made that a bit more clear. youre so right though, it is a kind of sad irony. this is why i say richter is both the best and worst belmont, because in-universe hes a failure of a belmont, but we as the audience recognize that this is a good thing (as the belmont legacy is a harmful standard that onto the family)
i do see that a lot of gamer dudes see richter as being The Coolest And Most Powerful while also missing the point (hence the joke image i posted)
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