So, I’ve been reading the Buffy Season 8 comics, and I have a question. Well, several questions actually, but these are all about one particular panel.
[Image ID: A screencap from the Buffy Season 8 comics which shows Dracula walking away from Renée and Xander, cape swooshing behind him, left hand raised in a dramatic flourish as he speaks. His speaking text reads “It’s not possible, manservant. These powers you speak of--they’re part of the ancient magics. I risked my very soul to attain them. I am their worldly guardian.” The word ‘soul’ is italicized in his speech. End ID]
And if so, how long has he had one? Did he have it when he faced Buffy at the beginning of Season 5? Did he get it between then and now in the comics, and if so, how and why, or else how and why did he get it in the first place? Was he cursed like Angel, or did he fight for it like Spike, or is there some other way to get a soul in the Buffyverse? Why would he want one if he did get it willingly?
Is this otherwise unmentioned soul the reason why he’s willing to fight against other vampires by Buffy’s side in this arc of the comics, or is he another example of a soulless vampire acting for the common good for probably at least partly selfish reasons like Spike circa season 5 (although it’s worth noting that Dracula is doing it without a chip)? Is it because he really likes Xander (as a friend or as a crush), or just a personal grudge against the Japanese vampire group that, in his eyes, “stole” his powers?
Perhaps more significantly, does this make Dracula a third eligible party besides Angel and Spike who might be the subject of the Shanshu prophecy, seeing as he is also a vampire with a soul?? (And how mad would Angel and Spike be if that turned out to have never been about either of them this entire time?)
Or, am I jumping on the soul thing a bit too much? Could he maybe speaking... metaphorically for some reason? Does he mean something different by “soul”, like say, the poetic essence of who he is as a vampire or his honor or some such, rather than his human conscience as it is to Spike and Angel?
Or is he aware of his soul outside of himself somehow, like how when vampires don’t have their souls they’re apparently just out in the nether somewhere, available to be summoned when called upon? If it can be put at risk but isn’t inside of him, then is Dracula’s human soul in some sort of Heaven somehow while his vampiric self is causing mischief on earth, and yet somehow vampire!Dracula is aware of his human soul elsewhere and is aware that his earthly actions may somehow put it in jeopardy? But Spike and Angel seem convinced that they’re fated for hell for being vampires (which irks me, but is a rant for another day), so why would Dracula be an exception? Could he have somehow sold his soul for these powers when he didn’t even have access to it? Does he just mean that he risked his soul back when he initially became a vampire specifically to attain access to these powers? But wouldn’t the specific use of the term “risked” and not “lost” imply that, while there was peril to his soul, the peril ultimately did not persist, hence his soul was neither lost nor damaged, only at temporary risk of being in some sort of harmed state?
Why would the comic writers put emphasis on the world “soul” in a throwaway line that isn’t revisited at any point in Dracula’s stint in the comics so far (I’m just through with the Fray crossover arc now and no one has said another word about this that I can recall) when vampire soul lore is such a complicated and contentious aspect of the Buffyverse? Did they just... forget the significance of the whole soul thing? What could this line possibly mean other than that Dracula has had a soul this whole time without mentioning it to anyone, and yet he casually let it slip while talking about his secret transforming powers?
To put it more briefly, I’ll quote Xander in “Something Blue”: What? How? What?
Okay, so it turns out I have many questions. Well, some of that was more like my own speculations and theories posed as questions since I was on a roll, but anyone can feel free to respond to any of the many questions I put here, honestly. It’s such a small moment but I saw the word “soul” there and it just sent me reeling because... well, it raises all of my above questions and then some. Anyways, I’d love to hear the fandom’s thoughts on this and the possibility of Dracula being a third vampire with a soul(tm).
Edited to put an actual TL;DR: Dracula implies in this panel of the comics that he has a soul!? Thoughts??
I promised to share the sources that inspired my Oswald Cobblepot nail art, so here they are. The step-by-step penguin nails came from here: http://confettiavenue.com/penguin-nail-art/
(The tutorial there says to use a ‘dotting tool’, but I just brushed polish onto the end of a toothpick. To do the stripes and the stem of the umbrella, I brushed up the side of the toothpick.)
The purple umbrella nails were both from pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/453808099932669718/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/453808099932638801
(Also, in case you missed my original post with my Oswald nails, here it is: https://alfhildr-the-word-weaver.tumblr.com/post/180302544865/so-i-did-some-oswald-cobblepot-inspired-nail-art )
Guess what my new phone background is :)
I finally decided it was time to change away from my Christmas screensaver (it was Os, Ed, and Martin decorating their Christmas tree by random-fandom-art, partly inspired by a prompt I sent, which I reblogged a while ago--it’s currently on page 4 of my blog, though obviously that will change--side note, how cool is it that you can suggest things to artists on here and then the art happens? Epic.)
So this is my new home screen. I always love Spicy Watson’s colors so much; they’re just so vivid and cheerful and the art really pops. I also love the details of the pattern on Os’s robe. Perhaps the best thing about this piece in particular, though, (I’m sounding like a wine-sipping art critic right now, aren’t I... woops) are Os and Ed’s expressions. I just love how straight up annoyed Oswald looks that Ed has gone and done something silly and gotten himself injured; his eyebrows could not more clearly say “again?”. Ed looks so bashful and embarrassed, yet there’s also that edge of a smile he’s barely biting back, and he looks like he’s actually quite happy to be having Oswald patching him up. I also love the purple outlines on Oswald’s hair because purple, and the fact that Oswald has canonically had purple highlights is still one of my favorite things about his fashion choices. Because purple. In conclusion, they may annoy each other, but they’ll always take care of each other. (That was a completely non sequitur use of “in conclusion” but I’m standing by it.)
-Oswald, really, I’m fine.
-If you come home like this one more time, you’re sleeping on the couch.
[please don’t repost anywhere]
I’m feeling such secondhand bittersweetness right now; 100 episodes of an awesome show is a great accomplishment, and I’m happy we got this far. All the same, I can’t help that endings are always sad--like, I’ve heard that whole “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” quote, and I often think about it, but still. But at the same time, the end hasn’t even properly started for us yet; it’s just over for the actors and camera people and such. I imagine the editors have a fair amount of work ahead still (shoutout to my editing peeps ;) (I work as a video editor for a local historical society)). Still, I’m glad I found Gotham when I did, and it’s been a fun ride.
I mean, it’s crazy because I just started watching this summer, but it’s cool to be here now to go through the end as part of the fandom. It’s rare that I’m caught up and active in a fandom, especially at such a climactic time. I mean this was a couple of days ago now, but still. In the broader span of fandom history... I was here, watching as Gotham ended. I feel like I’m standing with my fandom dramatically perched on a rooftop gazing into the sunset as chaotic explosions bloom around us in the encroaching night.
@tvline
Happy 100th episode, @GothamOnFox! 🦇 .
.
.
.
#Gotham #BenMcKenzie #JamesGordon #DonalLogue #HarveyBullock #DavidMazouz #BruceWayne #Batman #CamrenBicondova #SelinaKyle #Catwoman #RobinLordTaylor #OswaldCobblepot #ThePenguin #CoryMichaelSmith #EdwardNygma #TheRiddler
Via: Instagram
So much cute fluffiness!!
Also this one works quite well as a laptop screensaver :)
Just some happy family time 💜💚
Do not repost please!
You know, I didn't get an email from my new friend Jonathan Harker today! He's been emailing me every day of his trip so far. Do you think I should be worried? I wonder if something strange is going on in that castle...
Nah, I'm being silly, he's probably just busy with legal documents and so forth. I'm sure everything is fine.
That awkward moment when Batman is an interruption in the legal procedures of crime solving...
TBH from what I’ve seen on Gotham I get the sense that the GCPD doesn’t actually care all that much about the chain of evidence and whatnot, but maybe Gordon’s working on turning things around.
Gotham City Forensic Files (x)
Now that I’ve discovered the “save as draft” feature, I have this whole backlog of things I’ve been meaning to post. I saved this back around when I reblogged that Kitlaf song. I’m not sure I can really say I ship them, but I mean, who doesn’t get beach scene feels. Well, and hero/villain ships are kind of my thing--although I suppose there’s enough moral ambiguity with Kit that it’s not that simple, which makes the dynamic that much more interesting.
I also think this is a really neat art style, like an old cameo necklace. It feels like something you might find half buried by ash after a fire stole this old necklace from its hiding place in the attic where it was tucked away decades ago. A strange old relic, full of stories and secrets, which one might turn over in one’s fingers, contemplating.
I also find the pose interesting, how Olaf is somewhere between pulling away and leaning in. The artist has done a great job of making the silhouettes recognizable, too; Kit’s messy, pencil-decorated hair is spot on.
And all I do is kiss you, through the bars of a rhyme.
Flynn Carsen is a mood.
And also either preposterously wealthy or achingly deep in debt, though it’s probably the former because at a certain point I think they stop giving you loans.
But I can’t blame him; if I had unlimited money, I too would have 20+ degrees and still be in college.
you ever think about how the whole librarians franchise began thanks to flynn carsen getting kicked out of college because his professor thought he had too many degrees and not enough of a social life
I’m happy I can find Atlantis appreciation here! I always loved it. I’m pretty sure I still have my Kida and Milo barbies somewhere around here...
And, I know not everyone is crazy about the current trend of live-action Disney remakes, but can you imagine how epic a live-action Atlantis would be?! Just putting that out there...
i don’t understand why atlantis isn’t more popular of a movie
i mean
amazing and unique art style
spot-on humor
strong, badass female and/or POC characters
awkward but incredibly intelligent lead that isn’t conventionally attractive
COOKIE
history jokes that you won’t catch as a kid
MOTHER
FUCKING
WILHELMINA BERTHA PACKARD
did i mention
BADASS AF FEMALE CHARACTERS
AND MULTIPLE POC CHARACTERS
WHO BREAK STEREOTYPES LEFT AND RIGHT
i just have a lot of feelings about atlantis and i think it needs more love than it gets
Welcome, dear traveller, to our fantastical lande shrouded in swirling violet mists. Here we study how stories shape our lives, how words weave wonders before our eyes. Here we are enamoured of love and the connections betwixt people. Here we seek daring adventures in our wild lande, delving into the unknown at every turn. But mostly, here you'll find my obsession with any number of things, like Doctor Who, the Vampire Diaries, or any number of others from the ever-shifting tide of obsessions through which I cycle. My more-used sideblog is blagueofchaos if you ever wish I posted more :) She/her, 28
298 posts