#crucifix lady

[vickyvicarious]

"For your mother's sake."

It hits so hard, on multiple levels. First, what this might mean for her. It's her final effort, the most impactful thing she says after religion, superstition, outright pleading on her knees and crying all fail. She knows that she can't stop him from going, but at the very least she will try her best to protect him as much as she can. She places the crucifix around his neck herself, doesn't just hand it to him.

Did she lose a child to Dracula in the past? Is she seeing echoes of her own son in Jonathan's face? Or perhaps there have been brave young men who tried to fight back against him, who deliberately went to the castle and never returned. Maybe Jonathan is the first person she's met who is actually trying to go there, and while she knows it can only end in his death, the idea of letting anyone go willingly to that evil place is more than she can bear. She's giving up a piece of her own protection. The Count has been sending letters to her husband; he was the one who suggested Jonathan stay here. He knows of her. If she shows any resistance it could mean greater danger for herself, and giving Jonathan her crucifix means losing a powerful totem of self-protection. If he actually listened to her warning, she can probably expect a terrible fate of her own; maybe even just giving him the crucifix alone would be enough to ensure that. But again, whether he reminds her of her own lost son or just because he doesn't know what he's getting himself into, she can't bear to do nothing. She places herself in the role of his mother here. "For my sake," she's saying, "let me do what little I can to save you. Please."

Jonathan is an orphan. We don't know the circumstances of his childhood, but it's possible that he never even knew his mother. (It's my headcanon.) Even if he did, she has been gone for a long time now. And yet these are the words he can't argue with in the end. He was already taking her seriously, and trying to treat her with respect. Her warnings were obviously distressing to him, but there's no way he can actually turn back now. His livelihood depends on this trip, he has no actual evidence to justify leaving, and he also wants so badly to live up to Mr. Hawkins' trust in him. He is already "thinking of his father" (or the closest he has) when he says he has to go to the castle. And yet, the care and fear and love this woman is showing for him hits so hard. I wonder if he is thinking of his actual mother when he accepts the crucifix. Whether the concept of her or an actual memory... Or maybe he too is placing her in the role of his mother here. Maybe, in keeping the crucifix (and not just with him, but around his neck where she placed it, even as he rides away) he is saying yes to that implicit request as well. "I'll let you care for me. I'll accept it gratefully." It's the first motherly care he has probably felt in many long years.

In this book, children are placed in terrible danger again and again, and most of the time they can't be saved. Parents and parental figures are equally doomed, leaving our heroes all orphaned in a sense, unable to rely on any greater source of wisdom or comfort. They have to take things into their own hands and deal with the problem alone, despite still being caught up in grief for what they've lost - a kind of coming of age in that sense. There's even a literal version of this happening with both Arthur and Jonathan (and Mina) specifically, when their father figures die and leave them with sudden new responsibilities. And of course, the inheritances from these father figures help in distinct and immensely useful ways, even as they remain absent from the story throughout. They haunt the margins at best until death steals them away completely, and their illnesses tend to serve to divide our heroes from one another when they needed to be united sooner. I personally don't count van Helsing as a father figure really, but if you do then he is the only one who manages to be around and be directly helpful (and even then, he's unable to save Lucy), even though all the fathers we hear from are loved and loving. But we do actually meet a few mothers, and they are usually unable to alter the story despite being more present. Their efforts to save their children are misdirected and only bring about their own death as well, in the end. Lucy's mother seems to mean well but everything she does directly makes everything harder; the mother at the castle later tries to avenge her child possibly against the wrong person, and in any case is unable to succeed. But here, the innkeeper's wife with her crucifix manages what no other mother does. Even though she assumes this to be another wasted effort (in fact, she can't bear to remain in the room with him afterwards; re: Dracula did such a good job with the hopelessness in her voice when she says the 'mother's sake' line), her assistance helps Jonathan to survive. His 'inheritance' from this momentary mother-figure isn't just the physical crucifix, though that is useful (and also the only inheritance a mother leaves for a child throughout the book, even when it would be expected and easy and make complete sense to do so, ahem). It's also the first and the most knowledgeable and the most effective aid given to a 'child' throughout the entire book.

#dracula daily #re: dracula #dracula daily spoilers #crucifix lady #jonathan harker #dracula meta #my meta

[stardial]

We have GOT to get sluttier

it’s funny you send this now because i’m abt to go to romania and i’m dressed like a proper christian to avoid upsetting the orthodox church

#asks #white blouse black long skirt non offensive makeup little crucifix around my neck #they’ll think im such a proper young lady

[garnetsfists]

Jonathan: *takes and wears the crucifix that he was taught is idolatrous*

Jonathan: *feels genuinely scared after the warnings*

Jonathan: *measures his job and duty to his boss and client over the alleged supernatural risks before making his choice*

Jonathan: *writes a goodbye to Mina if he dies from this*

Some of y'all: He is dismissing everything as a silly superstition he is sooooo stupid lol

#dracula daily #jonathan harker #the crucifix lady #Dracula

[apple-blossom-jeans]

my room

#religious art #iconography #crosses #crucifixes #coquette #lolit4 #cottagecore #lana del ray aka lizzy grant #american gothic #southern gothic #gothic art #virgin mary #our lady of guadalupe #small town gothic #gothic asthetic #emo aesthetic #angel core #catholocism #catholic art

[liquidlycan]

KAWORU NAGISA - EVANGELION THEMED STIMBOARD

themes of religion, angels, and wings

cw religion

requested by no one

x | x | x x | x | x x | x | x

#evangelion #neon genesis evangelion #kaworu #kaworu nagisa #bird #birds #religion #crucifix #crosses #mother mary #our lady #stim #stimming #stimmy #stimblr #stimboard #stimboards #anime #animanga #manga #anime stimboard #white stim #stims #stimulating #sensory #angel stim #wing stim #feather stim #wings #feathers

[nathanharbonn]

Always been terrified of crucifixes

#the crown #lady diana #lady Di #diana spencer #2d animation #crucifix #the crown season 6 #artists on tumblr

[hojiteaversion]

some of my favorite shots and lyrics

#the dead end signs... you can barely see them cause the glowing crucifix catches your attention but.... god i love this so much #the prolonged shot of mitski looking at the old lady #i used to pray for times like this #i know the close up of the hair is random af but idk I was !!! intrigued!!! #mitski #bug like an angel #the land is inhospitable and so are we

[jameslmartellojr]

#catholic #catholicism #christianity #spiritual warfare #jesus christ #our lady #blessed virgin mary #exorcist #demon #crucifix #crucifixion #our lord and savior #our lord jesus christ #saviour #savior #resurrection #son of god #our lord #jesuscristo #lord jesus christ #jesus #savior of the world #saviour of the world #died for our sins #divine mercy

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

#twins of evil #vampire #crucifix #vampire girl #lady #movies #1971 #70's #70s #classic #Terror/Cult #British horror film

[admaioremdeigloriam]

The feminine urge to craft tiny altars.

#catholic academia #catholic church #crucifixion #crucifix #catholics #catholic aesthetic #our lady

[crusaderapparel]

A great little stocking stuffer for those with a devotion to Saint Joseph.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CrusaderSociety

#saint joseph #christmas #st joseph #catholic #catholicbusiness #catholic life #rosary #pray the rosary #theotokos #holy family #nativity #catholic men #rosaries #crusader #crusade #crucifix #vivacristorey #te deum #mater dolorosa #our lady of the rosary #our lady of fatima #our lady of lourdes #our lady of guadalupe #our lady of mount carmel

[vickyvicarious]

When I got on the coach the driver had not taken his seat, and I saw him talking with the landlady. They were evidently talking of me, for every now and then they looked at me, and some of the people who were sitting on the bench outside the door—which they call by a name meaning "word-bearer"—came and listened, and then looked at me, most of them pityingly.

She was the one who warned everyone else on the coach about what was going to happen to Jonathan, and probably asked them to drive as fast as possible to save him at least for tonight! I mean, I knew this already but I hadn't thought too deeply about it before, and now I am extra emotional.

When we started, the crowd round the inn door, which had by this time swelled to a considerable size, all made the sign of the cross and pointed two fingers towards me. With some difficulty I got a fellow-passenger to tell me what they meant; he would not answer at first, but on learning that I was English, he explained that it was a charm or guard against the evil eye.

Everyone nearby tried to guard him specifically before they left...!

One by one several of the passengers offered me gifts, which they pressed upon me with an earnestness which would take no denial; these were certainly of an odd and varied kind, but each was given in simple good faith, with a kindly word, and a blessing, and that strange mixture of fear-meaning movements which I had seen outside the hotel at Bistritz—the sign of the cross and the guard against the evil eye.

Everyone on the coach tried to protect Jonathan again. Just like the innkeeper's wife with her crucifix, they are giving up at least some of their own protections to do so. They didn't know about Jonathan until just before the ride, after all, so it's not like they had time to go fetch an extra from home or anything.

Sometimes the hills were so steep that, despite our driver's haste, the horses could only go slowly. I wished to get down and walk up them, as we do at home, but the driver would not hear of it. "No, no," he said; "you must not walk here; the dogs are too fierce"; and then he added, with what he evidently meant for grim pleasantry—for he looked round to catch the approving smile of the rest—"and you may have enough of such matters before you go to sleep."

The driver (and others smiling back) apparently have developed black humor pretty well. This appears to be a joke about how they all anticipate being menaced by Dracula's wolves. Possibly specifically with the thought that if they drive on without letting Jonathan get picked up, they'll be followed by the wolves - but as we saw, it turned out to be only Jonathan who had enough of such matters.

Everyone tried so, so hard to save him. They weren't able to confront Dracula directly of course, but they tried their best to avoid giving Jonathan up, at the very least on this of all nights. I can't imagine how ingrained the fear of disobeying Dracula must be to these people, yet they still did their best to try, if it meant saving an innocent person from his clutches.

#dracula daily #crucifix lady #dracula locals #instead dracula confronts them and literally clutches jonathan's arm #'i know what you're trying and it won't work. he's mine' #GAHHH

[starrysharks]

i usually just post about reassassination and ultimate excalibur alongside less developed stories/universes but brother i have a LOT of stuff that i either hardly talk about or never talk about at all publicly ,,, mostly because they don't have any character designs done yet 💀

#like let me dump a few of the ideas that will probably never actually become real here: #1. story about two vampire hunter girls and one goes missing and the other has to go find her and fights various vampires along the way #(i actually did finish a few designs for this but scrapped it and now a lot of the plot aspects are in reassassination #such as a coven of 7 vampires based on the deadly sins - now the 7 assassins of the clear crucifix organisation in RAA) #2. darkstalkers-ish fighting game that i was really convinced i could make once i learned how to code - #- where the guardians of love and heartbreak fight to prove which love is real #there were multiple characters planned - puppy love which was like a cute girl with a big ass scary fuckin hellhound #sweetheart love who was a chocolate themed magical girl (her gimmick being that she could transform and her fighting style would change) #fake love who was like a scam love doctor old lady called dr.diva #pure lust who was a super tall vampire guy etc etc the list goes on #i kinda want to go through with that one. one problem! i cannot code fighting games #and the one that was pretty well developed - metallic miracle which had a pretty complicated story #basically the world is being attacked by alien creatures that can only be killed by children (never decided why tho) #so the fucked up government takes a bunch of 5-8 year olds and put them into comas and then turns them into cyborgs #to go on suicide missions to kill these aliens. mira's mother is the scientist who created the technology that can send them into comas #and keep their bodies moving n shit and she takes mira onto a different planet to try and save her but theyre found after a while #mira's mother is killed and mira is drafted in the kids v aliens war BUT she is immune to the coma technology #she fights fully aware of what is going on for around a year? and eventually the aliens are driven out and mira is super traumatised #and is one of the only survivors of this 'greater good project' - so they put her in a coma that actually works this time #and send her in a space capsule for years to give her some peace (didnt develop why shes in the space capsule) #anyway 50 years later mira is woken up and taken back to her home planet to help these other guys against smaller-scale threats #and the whole thing is about mira recovering from what happened to her learning to trust others and stuff #looking back the story is kinda edgy n doesnt really make sense and stuff but i think it could be interesting idk #is this oc rambling if its only in the tags? #whatever #oc rambling

[canary0]

May 4 - Dracula 2023

When I came out for breakfast, the hotel concierge let me know that the count had contacted them to ensure I had the best seat in the bus over the mountains, which… Is there a best seat on a bus? I suppose one with a good view that lets you get out easily. I asked for more information, but they pretended not to understand, despite having answered all my questions earlier. When I used a translator to ask in Romanian, they said it came out as nonsense and still couldn’t answer me.

A little bit of checking showed that that was nonsense, but if they didn’t want to answer, such is life.

The front desk staff did look at each other quite nervously when I asked after Count Dracula. One of them crossed themselves, and the other assured me that they knew nothing at all, aside from what they were given when things were arranged. There wasn’t much for it. I went to gather my things, since it was nearly time to leave, but when I left the room again with my bags, one of them appeared at my door, a woman, her expression tight with fear.

“Must you go? Oh, must you go?” They spoke quietly, perhaps worried that their coworkers might overhear for some reason. Those phrases were most of what I got from her – Translate doesn’t exactly give one an understanding of the language. Eventually, after a lot of questions, she asked if I knew what day it was.

“The… fourth of May…?” I asked. I wasn’t quite sure where the line of questioning was going.

“Yes, but do you know what day it is?” She insisted, staring into my eyes with determination, as though this should be obvious.

I truly gave it some effort to figure it out – National Day in Romania was December 1st, I think, so it wasn’t that. No major holidays that I knew of, and she didn’t seem… positively inclined about the date, if I had to put a point on it. Finally, I shook my head. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“It is the eve of St. George’s Day! Even around here, most people don’t remember much anymore that when the clock strikes midnight tonight, all evil things hold sway. And here… Do you know where you are going? To whom?” She asked, insistent, seeming in great distress with her fervor. “Please…! I will pay for tonight myself, if only you will not leave.” She reached out, taking my hand in a tight grip.

It was quite honestly very uncomfortable. I tried to assure her that it would be all right, but nothing I said seemed to help, since I couldn’t delay. Mr. Hawkins entrusted this task to me. I told her that – my work is imperative, and I couldn’t delay just for the sake of the date. I took my hand from her, as well, the grip almost having become painful in her panic.

She nodded and wiped her eyes, and allowed my hand to go. She took a crucifix from her neck and held it out to me. I wasn’t sure about it – religious or not, it feels odd to accept a crucifix as someone. She seemed to be able to tell and shook her head, pressing it into my hand.

“Please. For your mother’s sake,” she finally insisted, putting it around my neck herself.

How is one supposed to say no in a situation like that, with someone in such obvious distress? I just nodded, and she seemed relieved, but I was left uneasy. Maybe the crucifix made some of those old superstitions she brought up feel more real? Either way, I’m left waiting for the bus, mulling over what she said. I find my hand making its way to touch the crucifix around my neck – I can’t help but be aware of it.

I suppose, if something happens to me, Mina will have this blog. At least I can say I called her and heard her voice before we took off.

Here’s the bus!

(A/N: I had to make a few adjustments to these scenes to account for a less religious world and a more modern Romania. The Coronea de Aur (The Crown of Gold, I think) hotel is quite the modern business hotel in Bistrita, so it’s a very different setting to suddenly be reminded of the spookiness of the region in. England is also a good bit less religious than in the Victorian period, so I’m trying to subtly account for that, too.

I had to make a decision in this scene, because the book says it’s a crucifix specifically attached to a rosary, but uh... you don’t wear those around your neck for the most part, not casually when you’re not praying it. As far as I could find. Catholic people, feel free to correct me.

BTW, in the last chapter, Lucy technically has a more Mori Girl aesthetic board, but Jon doesn’t know the difference between that and cottagecore. She just seems like the sort of person who would.)

#Dracula daily #modern #retelling #just for fun #fanfic #in my head the front desk lady is a descendant from the one who would've given Jon the crucifix in the original novel #so its the same crucifix #dracula 2023

[artificerstimetable]

#i want this lady to crumple like tinfoil #screech REALLY likes takis #also this was a crack ship of an oc and ambush or smt but #now its serious time #charlie is a christian man with now 8 wives(the remaining one is ambush #the rest were taken by aliens or the government canonically :( #hashtag sad #50-60 something year old man finds hotel and Hot Babe!!! #does ambush have an age??? dunno #but now shes like ageless/around that age #she/he ambush? #more likely than you might think #doors roblox #doors fanart #doors oc #theyre t4t #screech is charlie's new kid #charlie is literally immortal in doors #he has eternal crucifix #doesnt hurt the buddies or anything but like #just makes them eerily not murderous. #a bit more able to talk to #we love doors #doors screech #doors ambush

[cellabella-illuminates]

Icons of the Past

When I sell out of an icon, I place an image of it in my icons gallery on my website. If you remember seeing an icon you liked but it got sold - let me know which one and I will be happy to let you know if I make one that is similar before I list it on my site!

#catholic art #reblog and share #reblog #catholic #roman catholic #iconography #mother mary #our lady of guadalupe #crucifix #madonna and child #mary and jesus #padre pio #st. pio #Someone already requested a repeat of my “our mothers gentle kiss” with the purple sky background #and i do have one that is similar in the making but it's more pink than purple so idk if she'd be interested #anyway!! #yes #i do make icons that glow in the dark #thank you stuart semple