Line #73 Fanfic/CastlevaniaNocturneOfRuin


1	''Castlevania: Nocturne of Ruin'' is a ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' fanfic written by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1673539/Draconic Draconic]], which can be read [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7153898/1/Castlevania-Nocturne-of-Ruin here]].
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3	Set three years after the events of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin'', the fic opens with Jonathan, Charlotte, and the Lecarde sisters attending college at Cornell University, only to be called back into action when Oliver, a member of the [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia Order of Ecclesia]], arrives at their doorstep, revealing that Castlevania has reappeared, but under the control of Alastor Bernhard, the grandson of Walter Bernhard who seeks to take back the power and castle that {{Dracula}} stole from his family so long ago, and [[VideoGame/Castlevania64 Camilla Fernandez]]. The gang makes their way to Castlevania, joined by new friend Mariabella Fox.
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5	At the same time, Alucard awakens from his hibernation and ends up joining forces with Jonathan's group to take Alastor and Camilla down.
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7	'''Note''': This trope page assumes you have played through and seen the good endings of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight''. Therefore, all spoilers regarding those games will be unmarked. Read on at your own risk.
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10	!!This fic contains examples of the following tropes (Beware of spoilers):
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12	* AdaptationalUgliness: Count Orlock, as per the point of making him as unlikable as possible, is written as being uglier than his original theatrical appearance.
13	* ArtShift: Lampshaded in the story. Jonathan notes that [[spoiler:Dracula]] looks different from when he and Charlotte encountered him in ''Portrait of Ruin'', comparing his look then to the cover of Bram Stoker's original book. [[spoiler:Dracula now goes by his design from ''[=SotN=]'' rather than the Creator/BelaLugosi design in ''[=PoR=]''.]]
14	** [[spoiler:Simon Belmont uses his design from Chronicles during the Greatest Five attack, rather than his classic design. Trevor also uses his design from Curse of Darkness rather than as a palette swap of his Zombie doppelganger.]]
15	* BigBad: Alastor Bernhard takes the role here, if only to revive his grandfather.
16	* BigDamnHeroes: Gergoth arrives to help Maria fight the Menace.
17	* TheBlacksmith: Death works as one alongside Oliver, showing him alchemic formulae to forge the weapons and armor to sell to the heroes.
18	* BlindIdiotTranslation: The discrepancies of "Orlock" as spoken out loud and "Olrox" in Charlotte's Bestiary.
19	* BossRush: The Book of Binding has a few layers of defense as part of a SecretTestOfCharacter set up by Death. First it summons Cerberus, then the [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaI Phantom Bat]], then Maria's Doppelganger (see Mirror Match below), and finally summoning the Wyvern.
20	* CallARabbitASmeerp: Played with when Camilla brings out her mutated Cave Troll, referring to it as a "{{Chupacabra}}", the original Japanese name for the former. For all intents and purposes, the Chupacabra has more in common with the standard depiction of [[AllTrollsAreDifferent trolls]].
21	* TheCameo: [[spoiler:Greatest Five. Each Belmont summoned through the Whip's Memory has some words they want to say to Walter. Leon and Sara even hold a discussion with Dracula, referring to him as Mathias, [[NotSoDifferentRemark pointing out that they aren't that different]] and even learning of how Mathias had Sara kidnapped.]]
22	* CrashIntoHello: In chapter 2, Jonathan's group first meet Alucard when they accidentally run him over with their car. Being [[SuperToughness Alucard]], he just walks it off.
23	* CompositeCharacter: The author admitted to doing this regarding [[FightingAShadow Shadow Stalker]], basing him off of a ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' card of a similar name, Night Stalker, and combining him with Zephyr, treating the two as brothers of sorts.
24	* ContinuityNod: The Master Librarian is bribed into helping the heroes when Alucard offers him a rare coin.
25	** Alucard has to remind Scarlet that what her aunt Felicia did to defile his mother's memory was inexcuseable and got what she deserved.
26	* DiabolusExNihilo: The Menace appears as Maria and Oliver are trying to escape Castlevania to get Loretta to a hospital.
27	* DiscOneFinalBoss: Camilla Fernandez. She is set up as the BigBad, but she is in fact only a side character to Alastor.
28	* EldritchAbomination: Three actually.
29	** The first to appear is the [=UltiMalachi=], which was once a normal [[{{Cthulhumanoid}} Malachi]] before it ate Charlotte's Tome of Arms, absorbing a number of spells.
30	** The second is [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon Adramelech]]. Apparently, to face him is akin to crossing the GodzillaThreshold, as Charlotte notes that the demonic aura even from outside of his room is on an equal level to Dracula. Maria even suggests that the demon lord could bring the apocalypse all by himself without the need of the [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse Four Riders]] and TheAntiChrist. Upon the point where he TurnsRed, he gets even more powerful, but is still [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu killed by Jonathan]].
31	** The third is [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow the Menace]], appearing as a FinalBoss for Maria to deal with while she, the Lecarde Sisters, and Oliver are escaping the castle. It doesn't just take Maria tapping into her past life's soul for power to beat it, but also the aid of Gergoth.
32	* EmbarrassingFirstName: Maria does ''not'' like being called "Mariabella."
33	* FamousAncestor:
34	** Oliver of the Order of Ecclesia, and the fic's shopkeeper, is descended from Shanoa.
35	** Alastor is stated to be Walter's grandson.
36	** Charlotte is revealed to be descended from Carrie Fernandez by Oliver. Jonathan then questions if Camilla Fernandez is Charlotte's [[OverlyLongGag eighth]] great aunt [[ExactWords or something]].
37	** Scarlet's aunt happened to be the [[SuccubiAndIncubi succubus]] that tried to MindRape Alucard.
38	* FantasticRacism: Joachim refers to this when he refers to slaughtering the Jews, Turks, and Africans while he was still fighting in the Crusades.
39	* FriendToAllLivingThings: Maria tends to a family of doves, having raised them since they were chicks.
40	** FluffyTamer: Eventually, she is able to tame an entire pack of ''wargs'', using a Familiar spell on pairs of wargs, and reduces the alpha into a BigFriendlyDog by simply scratching him behind the ears.
41	* GodzillaThreshold: Discussed just before fighting Adramelech. The demonic power being emitted from his room is as least as powerful as Dracula.
42	* GuestStarPartyMember: Scarlet. She only helps out in a few instances, notably with the fight with Shadow Stalker.
43	* HateSink: Count Orlock, written as being extremely unlikable, listing the reasons as being hideously ugly, sexist and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking speaking in]] [[VampireVords a stereotypical accent]].
44	* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: [[spoiler:Brauner]] discusses this with Jonathan, Charlotte, and the Lecarde sisters, regarding how humanity is bent on destroying itself and its diversity. [[spoiler:He]] gives examples regarding the Jewish peoples and their strifes, made only worse in then-recent years thanks to UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, even wondering if they will get their country back. This is followed by what happened to the UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans courtesy of British colonization, and it is wrapped up by what happened in the Crusades. [[spoiler: Brauner's]] argument can best be summed up as that "humanity is hopeless," and that "it deserves to be destroyed."
45	* IdenticalStranger: Jonathan and Charlotte comment that Count Orlock looks similar to Brauner... only uglier, not that Brauner was any attractive to begin with.
46	* LesserOfTwoEvils: When Walter Bernhard is resurrected and intent on taking back his power base from Dracula, Alucard quickly decides that it would be better for Walter to die and Dracula to remain in power; as evil as Dracula is, he kills with definitive planning and is nowhere near as depraved as Walter, who kills people for fun and plays sick games with his victims.
47	* LoadBearingBoss: Happens a few times during the fights against Adramelech and Orlock.
48	* MirrorMatch: One of the defenses used by the Book of Binding is a doppelganger of Maria, based on her appearance in [[{{Videogame/CastlevaniaJudgment}} Judgment]]. Upon her defeat, she leaves behind her staff, which Mariabella uses as a subweapon.
49	* MythologyGag:
50	** Count Orlock is accompanied by a SwarmOfRats, much like in his [[{{Film/Nosferatu}} film of origin]].
51	** Alucard's voice gets deeper when commanding the shadows to dissipate from the keep, based on Robert Belgrade's portrayal in the original [=PSX=] version of [=SotN=].
52	* NamedByTheAdaptation:
53	** The Flying Armor from Dawn of Sorrow is given the name Geist.
54	** The Succubus from [=SotN=] is given the name Felicia.
55	* NonMaliciousMonster:
56	** The tribe of mermen who live in the fountain of Castlevania's garden. While xenophobic and somewhat {{Jerkass}}es, they prefer to be left alone and are at worst simply annoyed when Maria inadvertently pollutes their home while washing une slime out of a cloth.
57	** Catoblepas. While they have [[TakenForGranite petrifying breath]] and are stated to be dangerous by Alucard, as he also points out, they're not aggressive and don't actively attack people; he even pets one. This is because "actual" catoblepas are in fact wildebeest.
58	** All of the monsters found in Camilla's lair. Of note is Gergoth, fitting with the bestiary entry in both ''Dawn of Sorrow'' and ''Portrait of Ruin'', which they rescue before it goes insane from imprisonment.
59	** The ghost dancers in the dance hall, as they are more focussed on their dancing rather than pay any heed to the heroes. One pair even compliments Alucard's gentlemanly behavior.
60	** Scarlet, a young Succubus who was cursed by Count Orlock, decides to aid the group when she learns they intend to kill him. Her aunt also turns out to have been the same Succubus who invaded Alucard’s mind in ''Symphony Of The Night''.
61	* OneWingedAngel: Orlock, Alastor, Walter, and [[spoiler:Alucard, surprisingly enough]] transform into their demon forms.
62	** Orlock transforms into his second form from ''[=SotN=]''.
63	** Alastor transforms into Dracula's second form from the X68000 game and its [=PS1=] port.
64	** Walter's is based on Dracula's second form from Rebirth.
65	** [[spoiler:Alucard's is only triggered after being turned to stone and is based on the gargoyle he occasionally turns into under the same conditions in ''[=SotN=]'']].
66	** The Malachi after eating Charlotte's Tome of Arms transforms into the [=UltiMalachi=].
67	* PastLifeMemories: Mariabella, revealed to be Maria Renard reincarnated, starts getting flashes of memory and knowledge during her time in Castlevania, first by knowing the names of Death's CoDragons, then by being an InstantExpert with magic, primarily summoning magic, and finally having flashbacks to Maria's life.
68	* PerplexingPlurals: Mentioned when the group encounter the herd of catoblepas. Maria asks if the singular is "catoblepa", Charlotte corrects her saying that the singular and plural is "catoblepas." Normally the plural is "catoblepones".
69	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain:
70	** Count Orlock. He has the most stereotypical [[VampireVords accent]] and believes that women are property and can't do magic. Whenever Charlotte blasts him with magic, Orlock goes after Jonathan instead.
71	** Joachim has shades of this when he comments on fighting in the Crusades. He has stated that he has killed Turks, Jews, and Africans, referring to the former two as parasites unworthy of divine providence, and the latter as black-skinned [[HumanoidAbomination abominations that dare call themselves "human"]].
72	* PunkInTheTrunk: Maria follows Jonathan and co. to Castlevania by hiding in the trunk of their car. Charlotte even takes the time to chew her out for doing something so stupid, not just because of how dangerous Castlevania is, but because she could have suffocated in the trunk.
73	* {{Reincarnation}}: Mariabella Fox is revealed to be the reincarnation of Maria Renard, and grows more and more aware of her past life as she explores the castle, to the point that [[spoiler:Maria Renard herself actually starts speaking to her in her head]]. An offhand comment suggestions that Annette and Richter have been reincarnated as well.
74	* ShoutOut:
75	** Among the many classical music records found in the ballroom, Charlotte finds one called [[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist Lapis]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_439qLQzHs Philosophorum]] and another called [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChroniclesTheCrystalBearers Althea's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ9EvBgHVMM Waltz]]..
76	** Also appearing are the velociraptors from ''Film/JurassicPark''. Jonathan notes that the raptors are up to something when he sees them in Camilla's lair. They even serve as a WolfpackBoss while Stella fights Camilla, with them all being vaporized by Gergoth's corrosive breath.
77	* SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer: InUniverse. In the dance hall, Johnathan and Charlotte dance to [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChroniclesTheCrystalBearers Althea's Waltz]] just before the fight with Joachim. Maria and Alucard meanwhile watch ''Film/KingKong1933'' without needing to fight. The Lecarde sisters do not get these pleasures since they have to fight the Blood Dryad, and are thus rather unhappy that everyone else got to have fun while they were fighting for their lives.
78	* TragicMonster:
79	** Lyudmil from ''Nocturne of Recollection''.
80	** While in the Marble Gallery, [[spoiler:the ghost of Brauner appears to have shades of this]].
81	** In the final chapters, [[spoiler:Dracula also has shades of it]].
82	* TurnsRed: Adramelech initially begins as a retread of his fight in Circle of the Moon, but after sustaining enough damage, he breaks free from his bondage gear and uses his size and unbounded demonic powers to his advantage.
83	* TheUnpronounceable: Scarlet's last name.
84	-->'''Scarlet:''' Trust me, you don't want to know what my last name is. You'd end up spending over an hour coming to grips with how blatantly sexual it sounds. That's an hour we just don't have. Naturally, I treasure everyone of its four syllables.
85	* VampireVords: Orlock. All of his dialogue is written this way to sound as stereotypical as possible
86	* TheVoiceless: Gaibon has to have all of his guttural sounds interpreted by Slogra.
87	* YourVampiresSuck: Count Orlock is written as being [[HateSink extremely unlikable]] and incredibly stupid.
88	* WoundedGazelleGambit: Discussed in narration when Jonathan goes up against an instance of Persephone. She [[ISurrenderSuckers pretends to cower]] to get in a sneak attack wit her vacuum hose, but when Jonathan gets close to actually defeating her, she starts crying CrocodileTears and gets another attack in. Alucard ends up getting fed up with this that he simply uses Hellfire on her, killing her. Naturally, she reappears in another hallway moments later, but they'd deal with her again when they got to her.

Context Fanfic / CastlevaniaNocturneOfRuin