Topic: So I wrote a thing... Primer for non-fans interested in the netflix series.

[AlexCalvo]

Hope you guys like it, share it to friends and family if you want.

https://creators.co/@AlexCalvoBelmont/4305227

[theplottwist]

Hope you guys like it, share it to friends and family if you want.

https://creators.co/@AlexCalvoBelmont/4305227

Nice. It's straight to the point, resumes the entire situation of the show and gives a simple explanation of the CVIII themes. I'm sharing this on the CV group.

[AlexCalvo]

Awesome, I really appreciate it man.

[Shiroi Koumori]

It was a good read. Great job!

[Chernabogue]

Nice read. Just got thrown off by the PoR female enemy pic being the first illustration lol

[DraculaCronqvist]

Definitely a good read for those not familiar with the series.

However, the part about Chaos is wrong. Chaos is the personified power of Dracula, not a source with its own will that can deny Dracula his powers every time it wants. It obeys Dracula, it's not a separate entity with its own free will.

[AlexCalvo]

Just got picked up by nowloading.co
https://nowloading.co/p/castlevania-netflix-everything-need-to-know/4305227

Thanks for the support.  And about Chaos, I just posted what I got out of the two games, and it's close enough to get the point across.  I also took into account what Cv3 said about how he became so powerful.

[Nagumo]

I don't want to detail the thread, so feel free to ignore this, but Chaos has nothing to do with Dracula's powers. This misconception seems to stem from Aria's translation being sloppy in certain parts. It's actually better explained in the Japanse version. Chaos is the personification of Dracula's evil will, or in other words, his desire to do evil things. It's in turn the results of humanity's wish for a Dark Lord. After Soma defeats Graham, Arikado mentions that this evil will is flowing into Soma. This is why Chaos is the final boss of the game and why Soma turns evil after he loses to Chaos in the bad ending. I hope that clarifies things.

[DraculaCronqvist]

I don't want to detail the thread, so feel free to ignore this, but Chaos has nothing to do with Dracula's powers. This misconception seems to stem from Aria's translation being sloppy in certain parts. It's actually better explained in the Japanse version. Chaos is the personification of Dracula's evil will, or in other words, his desire to do evil things. It's in turn the results of humanity's wish for a Dark Lord. After Soma defeats Graham, Arikado mentions that this evil will is flowing into Soma. This is why Chaos is the final boss of the game and why Soma turns evil after he loses to Chaos in the bad ending. I hope that clarifies things.

Exactly, it's not the source of Dracula's power or a separate entity, it's just the personification of his darkness. When Souma fought Chaos, he basically fought Dracula inside himself and by defeating him, pacified him.

[theplottwist]

I don't want to detail the thread, so feel free to ignore this, but Chaos has nothing to do with Dracula's powers. This misconception seems to stem from Aria's translation being sloppy in certain parts. It's actually better explained in the Japanse version. Chaos is the personification of Dracula's evil will, or in other words, his desire to do evil things. It's in turn the results of humanity's wish for a Dark Lord. After Soma defeats Graham, Arikado mentions that this evil will is flowing into Soma. This is why Chaos is the final boss of the game and why Soma turns evil after he loses to Chaos in the bad ending. I hope that clarifies things.

Considering your response as a whole, it looks like you're talking of chaos in general. That being the case:

(click to show/hide)

Chaos is the personification of Dracula's evil will, or in other words, his desire to do evil things.

The script is really, really clear: Chaos is a solidification of mankind's will, not Dracula's. Chaos is what influences Dracula's evil will, and it's not the evil will itself. Soma has to sever himself from Chaos so the evil will loses its grip over him.

From Aria:

有角 幻也
ドラキュラの邪悪な意思は、破壊と混沌を求める人間達によって作られたものだ。ならば、その意思に影響を与えている混沌を切り離せば良い。
Arikado:
Dracula's evil intention was spawned/is created from humanity's desire for destruction and chaos. So you should sever the chaos influencing this intention.

Then Arikado proceeds to explain how this chaos is hidden somewhere inside the castle. He just said chaos is a creation of mankind and influences Dracula's will, but then "chaos is the personification of Dracula's evil will and is in turn the result of humanity's wish for a Dark Lord"? Makes no sense. It's either Dracula's evil will or mankind's creation, it can't be both at the same time.

Draculas evil will is one thing, chaos is another. The evil intent comes from chaos. Chaos is born from humans, and influences the evil intent, it is not the evil intent itself. And, Dracula is not human -- therefore he doesn't "contribute" to chaos, but is a tool of it to enact humans' annihilation. He may be beholden by the evil will spawned from human's chaotic desires, but he is still not a human. So I find it very hard to believe that Chaos (even the final boss monster) came from the evil will and not the contrary.

but Chaos has nothing to do with Dracula's powers

Exactly, it's not the source of Dracula's power

From SotN:

アルカード
　････････。ドラキュラ城は、混沌の産物だ。その姿は一つではない。
Alucard:
This castle is a product of chaos. Its shape is not singular.

From Aria:

有角 幻也
ドラキュラの魔力から生まれているこの城は、精神世界そのものだ。つまり、混沌もこの城のどこかに存在する。ドラキュラに目覚めたお前だけが行ける場所…。そこに混沌はある！
Arikado:
Born from Dracula's magical power, this castle is a spiritual world in itself. In other words, chaos exists somewhere in this castle. The place where only you, Dracula awake, can go.... There is chaos!

From Dawn's Japanese library mode:

ドラキュラ城
ドラキュラの復活と共によみがえる、ドラキュラの魔力の象徴。
1999年に、白馬神社の協力により日食に封印された。
2035年の日本での皆既日食で新たな城主を求めるが、失敗。
いずれ魔王となるものが、その力を引き継ぐのであろうか…。

Dracula's Castle:
The symbol of Dracula's magical power, reviving with Dracula's resurrection. In 1999 it was sealed within a solar eclipse by the cooperation of the Hakuba Shrine. It sought a new master during the Japan total solar eclipse in 2035, but failed. Whoever becomes the Demon King will inherit its power.

From Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku:

"The castle is the symbol of the chaos within humans and as long as people exist, it will not be completely sealed."

"If I could control the even heart that is the root of humans……Would the chaos that is born from them no longer exist?"

“As I’ve said, I would equally gain control over the human world and the source of Dracula’s power, chaos. I do not intend to obey someone else’s mind aside from my own. That includes you who were born out of chaos.”

“A person that can shoulder the call of chaos is appropriate to continue Dracula’s name----- The one that inherits his name and power as the lord of this entire castle, will forever be my master.”

"When the castle is summoned once more by the chaos in human beings…… When that time comes, I would show myself"

-----------

So, the castle is a product of chaos (SotN), then it was born of Dracula's magic (AoS), then Arikado explains chaos is born from mankind's chaotic deeds (AoS). Then it is the symbol of Dracula's magic and who becomes the Demon King inherits its power (DoS), then the novel says explicitly, in no muddy words, that chaos is the source of Dracula's power, born from humans AND the castle is the symbol of it and can be summoned from it. Then, in a curious note, there is a ring in AoS that is literally called "Chaos Ring" whose description says "Surge of magical power" and generates infinite MP for you to cast magic with, showing that yes, Chaos is a source of magical power.

It appears to me that there is no confusion. Chaos is the fuel, Dracula has a steady stream of it to cast magic with. He used said fuel to cast magic powerful enough to create his castle (and DoS does hint at how he did it). Much like paper is a product of cellulose and is born from machines converting cellulose into paper. The first translated line makes it clear that chaos is not the evil intention, it influences it, and that it is product of mankind's will, not Dracula's.

And the novel's snippets kills this "chaos has nothing to do with Dracula's power" deader than dead. It mentions one million times that the castle is summoned from the chaos within humanity, and we learn it's the symbol of Dracula's magic. You may believe the novel is a mistranslation on Shiroi's part, but the previous support from the Japanese sources and context of the entire novel leaves very little room for it to be wrong. I'm not ruling it out (nor am I ruling MYSELF being wrong), but it does appear to me that chaos is indeed the source of Dracula's power and spawned from mankind, and not just "the personficiation of Dracula's evil will". The castle is both the symbol of chaos and Dracula's magic because Dracula used it to build his castle.

I understand you two may be talking of the actual creature fought at the end of AoS. And I partially agree with you, because Soma can't possibly kill the Chaos from the entire human race. But only partially, because that could be a facet of Chaos concerning him only. It doesn't help that the creature is called "Chaos" when it could have been called "Evil Will" and its description reads "The root of all chaotic things", probably referring to its ability to spawn all the demons Dracula controls. It also doesn't help that gameplay elements say very little about lore, meaning that Soma could be indeed kicking THE chaos in the nuts just because gameplay needs a final boss, but lore-wise he "severed himself from chaos" only.

And that's not mentioning that Chaos existed previous to Dracula even being able to command the monsters he does (Death was born from Chaos, and is seen with Mathias 400 years before he even gains the power to control the demons he does > Heeding the calling of chaos is needed to become the Demon King > Chaos therefore existed before "Demon King Dracula").

I don't quite get where this "chaos has nothing to do with Dracula's power" idea came from, but I'm pretty sure the available Japanese-sourced evidence is overwhelmingly saying the contrary.

[AlexCalvo]

I always love to inspire discussion, but to get things back on track...  The article on nowloading.co is just shy of 3,000 reads in a day and a half.  Big thanks to Plot for posting it on the facebook group, and anyone else who has shared it anywhere else.  It is officially my most successful article ever, by a lot.

[DraculaCronqvist]

Considering your response as a whole, it looks like you're talking of chaos in general. That being the case:

(click to show/hide)

The script is really, really clear: Chaos is a solidification of mankind's will, not Dracula's. Chaos is what influences Dracula's evil will, and it's not the evil will itself. Soma has to sever himself from Chaos so the evil will loses its grip over him.

From Aria:

有角 幻也
ドラキュラの邪悪な意思は、破壊と混沌を求める人間達によって作られたものだ。ならば、その意思に影響を与えている混沌を切り離せば良い。
Arikado:
Dracula's evil intention was spawned/is created from humanity's desire for destruction and chaos. So you should sever the chaos influencing this intention.

Then Arikado proceeds to explain how this chaos is hidden somewhere inside the castle. He just said chaos is a creation of mankind and influences Dracula's will, but then "chaos is the personification of Dracula's evil will and is in turn the result of humanity's wish for a Dark Lord"? Makes no sense. It's either Dracula's evil will or mankind's creation, it can't be both at the same time.

Draculas evil will is one thing, chaos is another. The evil intent comes from chaos. Chaos is born from humans, and influences the evil intent, it is not the evil intent itself. And, Dracula is not human -- therefore he doesn't "contribute" to chaos, but is a tool of it to enact humans' annihilation. He may be beholden by the evil will spawned from human's chaotic desires, but he is still not a human. So I find it very hard to believe that Chaos (even the final boss monster) came from the evil will and not the contrary.

From SotN:

アルカード
　････････。ドラキュラ城は、混沌の産物だ。その姿は一つではない。
Alucard:
This castle is a product of chaos. Its shape is not singular.

From Aria:

有角 幻也
ドラキュラの魔力から生まれているこの城は、精神世界そのものだ。つまり、混沌もこの城のどこかに存在する。ドラキュラに目覚めたお前だけが行ける場所…。そこに混沌はある！
Arikado:
Born from Dracula's magical power, this castle is a spiritual world in itself. In other words, chaos exists somewhere in this castle. The place where only you, Dracula awake, can go.... There is chaos!

From Dawn's Japanese library mode:

ドラキュラ城
ドラキュラの復活と共によみがえる、ドラキュラの魔力の象徴。
1999年に、白馬神社の協力により日食に封印された。
2035年の日本での皆既日食で新たな城主を求めるが、失敗。
いずれ魔王となるものが、その力を引き継ぐのであろうか…。

Dracula's Castle:
The symbol of Dracula's magical power, reviving with Dracula's resurrection. In 1999 it was sealed within a solar eclipse by the cooperation of the Hakuba Shrine. It sought a new master during the Japan total solar eclipse in 2035, but failed. Whoever becomes the Demon King will inherit its power.

From Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku:

"The castle is the symbol of the chaos within humans and as long as people exist, it will not be completely sealed."

"If I could control the even heart that is the root of humans……Would the chaos that is born from them no longer exist?"

“As I’ve said, I would equally gain control over the human world and the source of Dracula’s power, chaos. I do not intend to obey someone else’s mind aside from my own. That includes you who were born out of chaos.”

“A person that can shoulder the call of chaos is appropriate to continue Dracula’s name----- The one that inherits his name and power as the lord of this entire castle, will forever be my master.”

-----------

So, the castle is a product of chaos (SotN), then it was born of Dracula's magic (AoS), then Arikado explains chaos is born from mankind's chaotic deeds (AoS). Then it is the symbol of Dracula's magic and who becomes the Demon King inherits its power (DoS), then the novel says explicitly, in no muddy words, that chaos is the source of Dracula's power, born from humans AND the castle is the symbol of it. Then, in a curious note, there is a ring in AoS that is literally called "Chaos Ring" whose description says "Surge of magical power" and generates infinite MP for you to cast magic with, showing that yes, Chaos is a source of magical power.

It appears to me that there is no confusion. Chaos is the fuel, Dracula has a steady stream of it to cast magic with. He used said fuel to cast magic powerful enough to create his castle (and DoS does hint at how he did it). Much like paper is a product of cellulose and is born from machines converting cellulose into paper. The first translated line makes it clear that chaos is not the evil intention, it influences it, and that it is product of mankind's will, not Dracula's.

And the novel's snippets kills this "chaos has nothing to do with Dracula's power" deader than dead. You may believe the novel is a mistranslation on Shiroi's part, but the previous support from the Japanese sources and context of the entire novel leaves very little room for it to be wrong. I'm not ruling it out (nor am I ruling MYSELF being wrong), but it does appear to me that chaos is indeed the source of Dracula's power and spawned from mankind, and not just "the personficiation of Dracula's evil will". The castle is both the symbol of chaos and Dracula's magic because Dracula used it to build his castle.

I understand you two may be talking of the actual creature fought at the end of AoS. And I partially agree with you, because Soma can't possibly kill the Chaos from the entire human race. But only partially, because that could be a facet of Chaos concerning him only. It doesn't help that the creature is called "Chaos" when it could have been called "Evil Will" and its description reads "The root of all chaotic things", probably referring to its ability to spawn all the demons Dracula controls. It also doesn't help that gameplay elements say very little about lore, meaning that Soma could be indeed kicking THE chaos in the nuts just because gameplay needs a final boss, but lore-wise he "severed himself from chaos" only.

And that's not mentioning that Chaos existed previous to Dracula even being able to command the monsters he does (Death was born from Chaos, and is seen with Mathias 400 years before he even gains the power to control the demons he does > Heeding the calling of chaos is needed to become the Demon King > Chaos therefore existed before "Demon King Dracula").

I don't quite get where this "chaos has nothing to do with Dracula's power" idea came from, but I'm pretty sure the available Japanese-sourced evidence is overwhelmingly saying the contrary.

Well yes, chaos is humanities evil. However, I was talking about the AoS final boss, Chaos, which is not chaos, as in evil, in itself. As we clearly see in DoS, Souma did not destroy chaos, thus all evil, permanently. If anything, he only cut himself off from it so that he would not fully become Dracula again.

The point remains that neither Chaos nor chaos has sway over Dracula, however. While Dracula is reborn by the evil desires of humans and there is a need for a Demon King/Satan, there is nothing that implies that Dracula is somehow subservient to chaos, the creature, or chaos, the evil of humanity. His evil will spawned from his wife dying twice. Chaos, meaning the evil of humanity itself, might amplify his evil (perhaps this is what makes him ignore the epiphany he had at the end of SotN?) but it is most certainly not the source of his own evil or intentions.

We know that Dracula's power comes from the Crimson Stone (and maybe the Ebony Stone, if he indeed crafted it anew) and the killing of countless other Demons. He spend centuries growing in power. If chaos indeed was his source of power in such a literal way, he would have no need of amassing power in the first place. I think it's more of a case of "chaos created evil creatures because humanity is evil/wished for it, Dracula killed a lot of them to become more powerful." In that sense, it would be the source of Dracula's power, since it created evil monsters and obviously existed way, way before Mathias ever entered the picture. If chaos was indeed the source of all evil or of all of Dracula's power so directly, why would it need Dracula in the first place? Would it not just break out from its own realm and be the Demon King itself? It doesn't, because it can not. It has no will of its own or probably even concious. It is just fuel for dark magics.

Lastly, I'd like to stress once more that there is nothing implying that Dracula is somehow subservient to Chaos, neither the boss nor the chaos born from humanity. In fact, it seems the other way around. To continue your analogy, fuel is not the master of the car. A car might not work without fuel, but fuel has no say over if/when it gets to be used by the car and the driver.


P.S.: Congratulations on the success of the article. Let us hope that many non-Castlevania fans are also reading it, so that they might better understand the series and thus, the upcoming show.

[theplottwist]

Discussion moved to my own thread to avoid derailing. Sorry for the derailment, AlexCalvo!

[AlexCalvo]

Also picked up by Moviepilot.  Currently at 4.6K reads.
https://moviepilot.com/p/castlevania-netflix-everything-need-to-know/4305227

It's also on the top 10 articles for the month list. 
https://moviepilot.com/p/favorite-creators-articles-june/4308851

Currently tied for second place.  So I'd appreciate if anyone would like to vote for me.

[VEP]

I really loved the read. It's crazy that this was in away a decade in the making.

It will be interesting to see what comes of all this. It the mean time we can just enjoy the binge watching.

Keep up the writing.