jimthejadeplant

[jimthejadeplant]

1of 3) feel free to ignore this, but I'm doing Dracula Daily (never read it before) and I have a lot of feelings/thoughts and seeing as you've read it, I hope you don't mind if I rant a bit. I really want to shake Van Helsing until he starts telling people stuff. Like I can kind of get him not wanting to tell Seward that it's a vampire so he doesn't seem crazy and get institutionalized, but at some point, he should have told him anyway, or just made it clear that Lucy needs watching every night

2of3) and not just depend on telegrams/letters to tell him to watch her. But then she dies, and still instead of telling anyone what's going on, he just tells Seward that he needs to get him some surgeon tools so he can remove her head and heart (because talking about needlessly (at least to Seward) removing body parts of a corpse makes way more sense then mentioning a vampire and definitely makes him seem sane). He even talks about how they need to work together as one and need trust, of 3) and it's like my dude, have you even once considered how much easier it may be for people to work together with you as one, to trust you when you need it, if they have even a slight hint of what's going on? Personally if someone asks me to do something odd/hard/weird etc. I'm much more likely to do it, or at least complain less, if I know the reason besides a 'I'm so-and-so and you should do what I say' reason. Again, sorry for the rant.

Hush now. Of course I am delighted that people have so many feelings about a 19th-century classic horror novel that they want to come shout in my inbox about it! This is exactly why I love Dracula Daily as a concept, and think it's really clever. Everyone kind of.... already knows Dracula by cultural osmosis (he's a vampire! He has a swoopy dark cloak and he can turn into a bat! He sneaks around and Vants to Suck Your Blud!) but they are discovering they don't actually know many details about the text, and that modern adaptations have often totally slaughtered it in the aims of making it Sexy or otherwise introducing themes/readings that are not necessarily present in the original. So yes, I have read Dracula before, but I'm still really enjoying seeing the way Tumblr has gone ape for it and are all indignantly signing up for the Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray Defense Squad and drawing fanart and making memes and dropping casual references to the "polycule" and so forth. Yes.

Anyway, I wrote this post the other day discussing how everyone's over-reliance on traditional social conventions, and trying to follow the rules of how to be Good Victorians, has totally fucked them over. The whole point of what's going on is that they all keep trying to act like it's a normal situation and they need to be Decorous and Proper and Not Alarm Anyone, and like... that's the exact sort of thing Dracula feeds on (literally and metaphorically). Because he's weaponizing their extreme middle-class Victorian Englishness against them, where they can't talk to each other and they can't discuss how they feel and they can't be honest, all for fear of Offending Protocol, they're screwed. They can't coordinate, they can't do anything that might long-term help, and there is of course an interesting subtextual queer reading here, considering that Bram Stoker is universally considered to have been a repressed gay man who hid/denied his sexuality and lived in, to say the least, an openly homophobic society. Whether or not it was his primary intention to portray the rules of Good Victorian Behavior not working and instead actually actively harming people by forcing them to keep secrets and not trust that anyone else will believe them, it's an unavoidable theme in the text and one that a modern reader definitely picks up on with the benefit of hindsight.

Also, I think it's important to highlight that despite his 84 PhDs (of course he's a lawyer as well as a doctor) and generally being the book-smartest person in the story, Van Helsing has, at this point, comprehensively failed. He hasn't saved Lucy's life, he hasn't prevented her from turning into a vampire, he hasn't warned anyone else about what's really going on, he hasn't prevented Mrs. Westenra from being frightened to death, he hasn't told Arthur (poor Arthur!!!) anything about why he wouldn't even let him kiss his fiancee as she was dying, etc. And a huge part of this is because, as you point out, he hasn't told anyone anything. Van Helsing has often been narratively paralleled to Dracula, which I think is accurate: he is solely in charge of Lucy's health, as Dracula is the sole reason for hurting it. He tries to control Lucy, he tries to keep her loved ones in the dark, he tries to basically "have" her for himself -- all in the name of helping her, yes, but his treatment is just as ineffective as Dracula's assault is effective. Van Helsing means all the best, but he's kind of fucked it up!

And yes, the primary reason he's doing so is because he thinks that he alone is smart enough to solve the problem, he can't let anyone else onto his plans (even when Quincey strolled in, took one look, and was like "oh yeah this was like the time the vampire bit my horse" and asked the OBVIOUS FUCKING QUESTION of where all of Lucy's blood was going!) and he otherwise is the Only One. Just like Dracula's pride, arrogance, solitude, stubbornness, and insistence that his will/choices for Lucy are the only ones that matters, Van Helsing is doing the same thing, from the opposite side of the coin. That's why his methods can't possibly work to counteract Dracula and (as we will see in the latter half of the novel) they need to comprehensively rethink their entire strategy and discard all the old social rules and worry for "decorum" that has kept them from being honest with each other so far. But yes, we love us a good hero/villain narrative foil with the same flaws and the same methods. Which is what is definitely going on here. Because things such as Mrs. Westenra removing the garlic flowers happen because Van Helsing didn't even tell her that they were medicinal (you have one million doctorates, Abraham, make up a scholarly bullshit reason!)

So yes, as I said, and as we will see in upcoming entries, Following The Good Victorian Rules has fucked everyone over HARD, Van Helsing is acting like Dracula while trying to fix Dracula's damage and that's why it isn't working, and our heroes are going to need to have a comprehensive rethink of what they're doing and why, if they want to stop any of this in time. Dun dun dunnn!

#dracula daily #analysis #abraham van helsing

[jimthejadeplant]

aight that's enough Dracula daily at work, time to answer some emails

Regarding your previous questions, I have exerted my utmost passions in locating some gentleperson with knowledge thereof but alas! In finding myself unable to locate such a person, I must by necessity take matters into my own hands. Let this correspondence serve as record of our shared responsibility and valiant action! In closing, the mailing list can be removed.

#dracula daily

[jimthejadeplant]

Given that we’ve all concluded that they’re childhood friends, since they’re both childhood friends with Mina, and that Mina doesn’t hesitate to send Lucy Jonathan’s love even when Jonathan is unsure if that would be proper, it just hurts so much that we never get to see Jonathan and Lucy interacting.

#dracula daily #analysis #my dear friend jonathan harker #lucy westenra #mina harker

[jimthejadeplant]

Things I hadn’t really noticed in my man previous readings of Dracula:

Van Helsing goes “trust me, bro” a whole lot

#ikr? #dracula daily #abraham van helsing

[jimthejadeplant]

Jack, watching the maid going into Lucy's room: aaw, omygod that is so bloody adorable and heartwarming. Faith in the world restored <3

The maid: *nicks the gold from Lucy's dead body*

#dracula daily #lmao #jack seward

[jimthejadeplant]

I've got thoughts about Lucy's final request, and how it is both somewhat of a burden and a weapon for Van Helsing.

Very shortly after she opened her eyes in all their softness, and putting out her poor, pale, thin hand, took Van Helsing's great brown one; drawing it to her, she kissed it. "My true friend," she said, in a faint voice, but with untellable pathos, "My true friend, and his! Oh, guard him, and give me peace!"

"I swear it!" he said solemnly, kneeling beside her and holding up his hand, as one who registers an oath. 

These are the last words Lucy spoke; her dying request. There are probably a couple of ways to interpret those words, depending on how much you think Lucy knows in this moment. But I think it's pretty obvious the meaning VH takes: protect Arthur from her, and stop her vampire-self to give her a peaceful death.

The reason this moment feels so significant to me, is because it is the moment that Van Helsing becomes a vampire hunter. He has been here in the capacity of a doctor treating an illness. But now there's no saving his patient - that's done. He could leave.

He's not going to... probably wouldn't have even without this promise, because he would have wanted to ensure no new vampires start terrorizing anyone else, but especially so with this promise. He now has a duty to kill Lucy's vampiric self. He's made an oath.

And she requested it of him alone. I think this adds another layer to him wanting to keep things hidden at first. Not just to avoid being seen as crazy, but now because he's trying to 'protect Arthur', both from vamp!Lucy and from the knowledge of vamp!Lucy (until it's too late).

This vow probably feels pretty isolating, especially in these early moments when everyone else believes things are all over and only Van Helsing knows what is about to begin. He feels responsible for whatever may happen, because he is the only one who knows and she asked him to stop it. If Lucy starts to prey upon people, that's on him now.

It makes me think of a certain line when he and Seward are looking at Lucy's lifelike corpse:

The Professor looked sternly grave. He had not loved her as I had, and there was no need for tears in his eyes. He said to me: "Remain till I return," and left the room. He came back with a handful of wild garlic from the box waiting in the hall, but which had not been opened, and placed the flowers amongst the others on and around the bed. Then he took from his neck, inside his collar, a little gold crucifix, and placed it over the mouth.

Van Helsing is looking down at her with dread and a sense of heavy duty, I think. This is a 'there's much to be done' moment for him, where he steels himself for action.

At the same time, he's immediately begun using this public conversation with Lucy as a sort of social key to unlock cooperation. When Seward protests what he sees as needlessly mutilating her corpse:

"Were you not amazed, nay horrified, when I would not let Arthur kiss his love—though she was dying—and snatched him away by all my strength? Yes! And yet you saw how she thanked me, with her so beautiful dying eyes, her voice, too, so weak, and she kiss my rough old hand and bless me? Yes! And did you not hear me swear promise to her, that so she closed her eyes grateful? Yes!"

...when he wants to ensure Arthur's cooperation to keep Lucy's diary...

"I want you to give me permission to read all Miss Lucy's papers and letters. Believe me, it is no idle curiosity. I have a motive of which, be sure, she would have approved."

That one is a less specific reference, but the entire preceding conversation revolves around what happened by Lucy's deathbed, so it's clear that VH isn't just saying 'she would've approved' out of nowhere.

I have a feeling more will pop up as needed in the future as well. This is just the very first day. But I thought it was interesting the dual purpose Lucy's final request serves.

#dracula daily #lucy westenra #abraham van helsing #analysis

[jimthejadeplant]

bram my brother in dracula you could have chosen literally any other way to put this into words. and yet

#dracula daily #jack seward #arthur holmwood #lmao

[jimthejadeplant]

Lucy and Van Helsing's promise to take care of Arthur and kill her again must be his first priority now, considering that Van Helsing is still not talking about what is actually happening with Seward, nor anyone else.

Since Van Helsing says "Well, I have good reason now for all I want to do." - September 21. I think now that he was given Lucy's explicit permission, he wants to do it as quickly as possible before she has a chance to hurt or kill anyone as a vampire.

It's a matter of saving her soul now instead of her body, if we take what he said yesterday as true. Van Helsing needs to kill Lucy as quickly as possible so her soul can rest without burden. He probably thinks that a girl as sweet as Lucy would not want to hold blood on her hands thanks to a horrible monster who decided to continue her suffering beyond the grave. On top of that, Lucy made Van Helsing swear that he would put Arthur's well being over hers once she died. In a character like Van Helsing, I think the promise with the now dead girl who you tried to save many days holds more weight than any discomfort held by the living.

Yet, at first I didn't understand why Van Helsing hasn't told anyone about this, not even a single clue or a weirdly worded that doesn't sound like an explanation but it is one. But after reading the entry again, I think I know why he doesn't tell anyone yet about what actually happened to Lucy.

It's all about trust, everything is about trust and honesty. He tells and tells Seward to trust him in every procedure he does because Seward's trust and hand is valuable, if Van Helsing loses Seward's trust in him... Then he will have to fight two vampires completely alone. If he had tried to tell both Seward and Arthur (who is a very vulnerable state right now) what is actually happening without evidence, that would have made lose their trust in Van Helsing.

Moreover, Him telling Seward and Arthur lies would actually make the situation worse, so much worse. If Van Helsing have told them lies about Lucy's condition since he arrived, then how would they react once Van Helsing decides to tell them the truth? How can Seward and Arthur trust a man that had been lying to them, even if it was out of necessity?

#dracula daily #lucy westenra #analysis #abraham van helsing

[jimthejadeplant]

"the poor clay"

What a touching way to speak of the body left behind when we are gone.

#dracula daily

[jimthejadeplant]

Arthur: *sobbing and throwing himself into Jack's arms*

Jack: *patting his back stiffly* Uh. There, there.

Jack, internally: Nailed it.

#dracula daily #jack seward #arthur holmwood

[jimthejadeplant]

I hope that I'm not just a corpse to you but also a credit to your establishment

#lmao #dracula daily

[jimthejadeplant]

If anything, I think the modern stereotypical Sexy Redeemable Bastard Vampire Man makes reading Dracula even better. As someone who knew nothing about the book before starting with Dracula Daily, at first, I was charmed by Dracula and his antics. Even when it was getting a bit dark in the beginning, it was outweighed by the unintentional comedy of Johnathan not recognizing the signs of Dracula’s vampirism that the modern audience immediately picks up on and the knowledge that the guy behind it was a Charming Vampire. But then we see, from Johnathan’s journal entries, how horrible and inexcusable Dracula’s actions are. And then, if there was still any doubt, we see what happened to Lucy.

Reading Dracula after watching Twilight and The Vampire Diaries and What We Do in the Shadows somehow makes the original feel like a subversion. We may know from the very beginning that Dracula is a literal monster, but I like to think that we get a different and yet similar sense of horror from reading the book by slowly realizing how much of a metaphorical monster he is as well.

#dracula daily #dracula #analysis

[jimthejadeplant]

But really, Jack and Arthur being repulsed with themselves cause they're suddenly attracted to what they think is Lucy's corpse, when you, the reader, already know that Stoker's vampires have succubus-like powers is fucking horrifying, ok.

#tbh yeah #lucy westenra #dracula daily #jack seward #arthur holmwood

[jimthejadeplant]

I love how John Singer Sargent painted women with Big Bitch Energy

#john singer sargent #art #painting #art history #100%

[jimthejadeplant]

A Dracula Board Game!

As a board game fiend and Dracula lover, let me introduce you to Fury of Dracula, an interesting adaptation/sequel (?) of the novel! Below are spoilers for the end of the novel, so be warned!

Fury of Dracula is set after the events of the novel in 1898. The rulebook begins with a letter from Mina to her son Quincey, explaining that she has sensed Count Dracula's return and has left to join with Dr. Seward, Lord Godalming, and Van Helsing to try and stop him for good. Jonathan is staying behind to protect young Quincey, and Mina is going on the hunt because of her psychic bond with the Count.

In the game one player controls Dracula, and the other players control Mina, John, Arthur, and Van Helsing. The board is a map of Europe, with cities connected by roads, railways, and seas. I have the fourth edition, which I think is quite pretty. (photo credit: tabletopgaming.co.uk)

Dracula has to secretly move from neighboring city to neighboring city across the map. When the hunters enter a city Dracula has been in, he must reveal that the city was on his trail.

Dracula's goals are to mature new vampires, defeat the hunters, and/or run down the clock. The hunters' goal is to stop new vampires from being created, find Dracula, and defeat him in combat before he gets too powerful or time runs out.

Some details I love:

Lord Godalming (Art!) has the special abilities of Wealth and Privilege, which allow him to draw twice as many items and train tickets.

Most characters can withstand one bite from a vampire, except for Mina (who was bitten once already) and Van Helsing (who can take two bites and still be okay).

One of Mina's special abilities, Psychic Bond, lets her figure out if Dracula is in her region, but she can only use it if she's in the same city as another hunter (a nod to hypnosis).

Dracula can turn into a wolf using a special power card and can turn into a bat or into mist during combat to try and escape.

Dracula can mess with the hunters in many ways, some of which include: mob of thugs, rats, wolves, fog, and storms

You can play the dogs card to stop the rats!

Sometimes you can consecrate ground to prevent Dracula from going there.

Dracula cannot use trains to get places, and he takes a bit of damage if he travels by sea.

Other characters might show up on event cards, such as Sister Agatha, Rufus Smith, Dracula's Brides, and Jonathan Harker.

You can get holy bullets to use with a gun in combat, or a garlic wreath to protect your neck.

The "Punch" card in combat features art of Mina punching a vampire in the face.

This game can be pretty long (often 3-4 hours) and is a bit complex to first learn, but my friends and I have a lot of fun with it! There's plenty of deduction and cooperative strategy to do, and it has good atmosphere and nods to the book. And the best part is that it's a different story every time! Sometimes Dracula will keep cleverly evading the hunters and win, and sometimes the hunters will corner him and the killing blow might be a punch to the face.

#dracula daily #dracula #dracula board game #fury of dracula

[jimthejadeplant]

I think Dracula has an insider in the Westenra household.

Someone had to have invited him in.

Someone had to have drugged the wine.

And we know for a fact that one of the maids stole the crucifix off of Lucy’s dead body.

#interesting idea #dracula daily #dracula

[jimthejadeplant]

Okay Dr Seward we get it, all your friends have big solid manhood's

#dracula daily #jack seward