#brahm stokers Dracula

[fromtheashes76]

[angrywetspider]

Its me actually screaming and clapping (IN MY MIND) when the captain appears on screen. I've waited so long to see this movie! 🥹🫠 And here I am ❤️

[incorrectly-quoted-queers]

Classic Novel Memes

I want so badly to join in on all the booktok lad and lasses and people in between shenanigans but boy do I not have the money or time to keep up with all the hot new books. Can’t we all just go full 9th grade and sit in a circle talking about The Most Dangerous Game? I still own The Most Dangerous Game. The Casque of Amontillado? Anybody?

I just find classics fun and I already own them. I’ll gossip about Shakespeare characters for days please. 

Maybe I’ll just go on booktok and talk about classic novels like they’re trash TV. Cliffnotes mixed with confessionals 

[abomnibus]

What are your Top 5 favorite books?

Our utmost favorite books tends to shift around depending upon the wind, but as of this moment, in no particular order:

Wurthering Heights, by Emily Brontë.

Homo Deus, by Yuval Harari.

Les Fleur Du Mal, by Charles Baudelaire.

Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep, by Philip K. Dick.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander.

Not technically a book but honorable mention to The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, by Stephen Adly Guirgis.

[queer-flesh-simulacrum]

ever since The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in general tbh

I have always wondered how isolated sorcerers and madmen were able to commune with inhuman intelligences to learn spells but now I know they convey information via roleplaying and gaslighting. Wonderful 🤠😎😤

Every since Crowley magic and kink are basically the same thing-- it's 80% "yes and" improv, 20% outright lying. No, I will not elaborate.

[zooophagous]

What book do you think you've read the most times? For me probably all systems red by martha wells because it's so short and a good comfort novel but through wolf's eyes by jane lindskold is probably a close second

Brahm Stoker's Dracula.

It's not the best book ever written, nor is it even the best book I've ever read. But it's my favorite. I find myself coming back to it over and over.

[tonycries]

OOOO do brahm stokers Dracula next! With sukuna!

OHHH WAIT YOU'RE ONTO SOMETHING NONNIE 👀 Oh, how I would let him bite me 😳

[venomousray]

Brahm stoker’s Dracula but it’s illustrated and they look like their shipwrecked comedy designs

[thebestofoneshots]

People I wanna get to know better tag!

Thanks for the tag darling @suugarbabe, this one was pretty fun to do ᥫ᭡

Last song: "Unknown / Nith" by Hozier (I really want to learn all my lyrics before the concert).

Favourite colour: blue (Specifically Sebastian Stan's eye colour)

Last film/show: Percy Jackson and I was watching a movie called Roll Play on Prime with the fam last night.

Sweet/savoury/spicy: Depends, but mostly sweet and savoury.

Last thing I googled: Bing Image Creator

Last book:

completed: The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde and In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan currently reading: Dracula by Brahm Stoker & Emry's Ascending by tricksterity (yes I consider fanfics books)

Relationship status: Single but happy about it, though sometimes I really crave a Sirius or a Rem

Current obsession: Last question kinda answers part of this one lol Marauders, Percy Jackson, Bastille, Hozier, Doctor Who, MARVEL, and Supernatural (those last few never really go away)

Looking forward to: The CONCERT!

Npt: @blacksgarden @cometsghost @starchaser-lily @unstablereader @lampthemacarenagod @jaylienpotter @kissmeunicornbaobei @imdoingbetternow @kquil @sseleniaa @chellyrps @esolean

[painterlad71]

"I love you with all the moods and tenses of the verb," - Mina to Lucy, Brahm Stoker's Dracula

Lucy died before she could recieve this letter.

Jackie died before Shauna could forgive her.

[maxjwritess]

max’s favorite books :D

i did the 2024 five star highlights but here are my favorite books in general / brief reasons why:

dracula - brahm stoker 🩸

been one of my fave books since high school. exactly the kind of prose i like to read, long, flowery, takes 7 pages to describe the way dust looks in the moonlight. yes yes yes. also classic vampire book of course, lots of wolves, lots of victorian sexy scenes and blood transfusions, a cowboy. what isn’t there to love?

a marvelous light - freya marske 🌟

literally the book that got me back into reading. i owe robin and edwin so much. a historical fantasy that checks all of my boxes and gave me a favorite character i will never forget… edwin courcey my beloved… just in general the characters in this book are so so strong. if you like romance with fantasy and mystery elements u neeed to read this book, and the second and the third books too.

(also the sex is good AND is plot relevant. one of the best books ive read that uses the sex scenes to actually elevate the stakes and answer questions. brilliant)

a swim in the pond in the rain - george saunders 💧

if you’re a writer, read this book. it quite literally changed the way i thought about story, character, stakes, and structure. i reference this book all the time. please read it if you’re a writer. or if your a reader. or if you’re just like alive. it’s so good

piranesi - susanna clarke 🐐

i already talked about this book in my other post but gaghh. it’s just so good. i think about it all the time. it really just throws you into the thick of things and then you’re buckled in for the ride. i have never fallen in love with a main character or a setting oh so fast. certainly read if you like academic fantasy. oh, and you better like footnotes

giovanni’s room - james baldwin 🚬

i also already talked about this book in my other post but again. graahahahahahfjfbf. one of the best books i’ve ever read. changed my life tbh. VERY IMPORTANT READ. gender and love, american puritanism and masculinity, european masculinity, a tragedy you know you can’t change by the third page… it’s brilliant (bcuz ofc it is. it’s baldwin)

i have more ofc i can keep going but i think this gives a good reading profile for me? from now on im gonna post about my currently reading and reviews for books that i finish, which will be much more indepth than these blurbs. i may go back and make individual review posts (containing spoilers) for the books listed above, but this is more like an intro to my bookshelf!

if u have similar tastes, maybe we can be mutuals? i’m still kinda new to this app (and in such new to making friends on this app) but i’d love to talk to anyone about books :,)

[cha-melodius]

9 books

I have been tagged by a bunch people on this (thanks @cricketnationrise, @clottedcreamfudge, @kiwiana-writes, @tintagel-or-cockleshells, @myheartalivewrites, @cultofsappho), so I guess I better do it even though choosing my 9 favorite books sounds impossible. A bunch of these are series, almost none of them are in any way new. Let's go!

Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien A perennial favorite. Fun fact, I once planned to pull a Christopher Lee and reread these every year but then my hyperfixation faded a bit lol. Still love the story and Tolkien's prose.

Dune by Frank Herbert This counts for the whole series, yes, even God Emperor. It took me a while to get to the last two books but I love them just as much, actually.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin Still obsessed with this story and desperately hoping we get the full ending that it deserves and not just what D&D butchered on the show.

The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde The perfect combination of literary nerdery, comedy, and crime-drama intrigue!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Quite possibly the funniest book I've ever read, full stop.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer A nonfiction entry! I love all of Jon Krakauer's books but I'm also obsessed with mountain climbing (reading about it, not doing it lmao), and this one is one that still haunts me.

Blindness by Jose Saramago Read this in college, became obsessed with the poetry and imagery of it.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske Became absolutely obsessed with this one very quickly. Also I'm pretty sure the third book is going to become my entire personality when it comes out.

Dracula by Brahm Stoker Gonna be a hipster and say I've been obsessed with this book since I was in high school, which was long before Dracula Daily.

(Also reading everyone's lists has reminded me that I really need to actually read the copy of Circe sitting on my shelf...)

I can no longer remember who has and hasn't done this, so apologies for any double tags. @indomitable-love, @mirilyawrites, @loki-is-my-kink-awakening, @wolfpup026, @tedlassc, @beskarsoshiny, @lilythesilly, @jettestar, @iboatedhere, @pragmatic-optimist, @thesleepyskipper, @heytheredeann, @swearphil, @sweatersinthesummer, @petrodobreva, @b13-maybethistime, @liminalmemories21, @nontoxic-writes, @designatedgrape, @noahreids, @leaves-of-laurelin, @celeritas2997, @orchidscript, @athousandrooms, @welcometololaland, @rmd-writes, @dumbpeachjuice, @ikeepwatchinghelicopters, @okilokiwithpurpose, @thetamehistorian, @hummingbee-o0o

[volterran-wine]

This question is for the Romanians (because I don’t speak to tyrants. Sorry Voulturi).

Anyhow, I wanted to ask for your opinions on the novel Dracula by Brahm Stoker. Is it accurate to Romanian culture and vampire folklore? Speaking of which, how much of that was inspired by or influenced by the two of you? Dracula as a character has a backstory that sound suspiciously similar to Vladimir’s.

-Warm regards,

Rebel anon

𝐕𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐫: Oh wonderful, a new mortal to rally behind our cause! Would you like to stay for dinner my dear?

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧: Excuse Vladimir, he is trying to distract you all from the question at hand. It is a little known fact, that Caius leaked 'certified information' about my dear brother to this Bram Stoker, only that

𝐕𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐫: That is correct mortals, you have me to thank for that abomination of a book — on the record, I only have one wife and i love her very much.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧: Vladimir was not impressed with Dracula.

𝐕𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐫: And I cannot turn into a fucking bat.

— 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑓𝑎𝑛 & 𝑉𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑟

[baby-doll-fawn]

Hi! For the ask game :)

17: What are some tropes and character dynamics found in your wips? 22: What are all the “kinds” of writing/art you do? (short stories, poetry, screenplays, digital, painting, clay, etc.) 24: Do you have/want a career in your medium? If not, what do you do/want to do instead? 26: What are your favourite books?

Have a great day!

thank you so much for asking! i also thank you for your patience, i've been rereading some of my old writings to gather things for this. 17) some tropes i tend to prefer to write are usually found family, loving family dynamics, childhood friends to lovers, and sometimes i drabble with the classic coffee shop au. those are usually the tropes i flock to the most, i find them quite enjoyable! 22) since i'm still learning how to write, i usually just make short one-offs. i find it easier to write short stories that are about 1-2 paragraphs long. maybe 3 on a good day. i also like to write roleplay posts. i got my start by roleplaying warrior cats with friends when i was young! art wise, i usually stick with digital or traditional. 24) i do think it would be cool to have a career in art, but i don't have one currently. i grew up with a love for video games (namely the legend of zelda, mario, mortal kombat, donkey kong and sonic), and i always thought it would be amazing to be a character designer. creating characters for the things i like is very fun, and i would love to do more of it. 26) so far, my favorite books have to be the hobbit/lord of the rings, brahm stoker's dracula, watership down, animal farm, charlotte's web, warriors and wings of fire. i don't read as often as i wish due to being a bit picky with my reading material, but i'm trying to get into reading more! have a great day yourself and thank you for asking!

[pb-dot]

Film Friday Spooksmas Special: Nosferatu

A local arthaus cinema had an early showing of Robert Eggers' Nosferatu. I have a mixed relationship with Eggers (more on that later) but I did think the trailer looked enticing and that the decision to really hold back on how much they showed of the (presumably) ugly bastard was a genuinely smart one. So, how did it go?

First of all, I want to start with what I've chosen to label the "This Isn't Dracula"-bucket. I'm a pretty severe fan of the original Brahm Stoker novel, and I do find myself sighing a little bit whenever an adaptation does a common but unforced error. This whole "Dracula has a particular red thread-esque reason to go for Mina in particular" business for example? Utter nonsense. Dracula is an evil, twisted little man, and he sets his sights on Mina in part because he, like us, thinks Mina is pretty neat, and in part to spite her husband whom he left for dead. Dracula is a bit of an asshole, you see, and he delights in the torment of young Jonathan in particular. Oh, and Jonathan, my dear, poor, sweet avenging angel wife guy potential vampire. Most frequently wasted literary character in western canon I have little doubt.

Now, as you may remember, this isn't a Dracula adaptation. Well, it is, per an intellectual property suit from the Stoker estate that almost saw the original 1922 film Nosferatu: eine Symponie des Grauens entirely destroyed. As such, it's set in Germany, the protagonists all have different names, and there's a much heavier emphasis on the disease bit of the vampire mythos, as well as introducing the idea of sunlight being outright lethal for the vampire, an idea that was not present in the original novel.

This is all a long-winded way for me to say that although some of the changes irk me a good bit, turning NotMina from a capable modern woman into a vaguely mystical waif, shrinking the NotLucy role into the miniscule, and so on, these feel like choices of adaptation perhaps from bygone eras. This is all to say that while I do sigh wearily over the Fated Vampire Romance business and all of that, I am prepared to let the movie stand on its own, at least as much as such a thing is possible.

Nosferatu is the story of Thomas Hutter, a young realtor clerk who finds himself entrapped by the nefarious Count Orlok, a vampire noble who seeks to buy land in Thomas' home town, as well as thoroughly cuck the man. Oh yes, Orlok has his eyes on the prize, and that prize is Thomas' wife, Ellen Hutter. Orlok shortly leaves the twink-flavored blood bag for dead to go get to, if you pardon the pun, necking.

What follows is a tense escalation of dread as Orlok brings plague to the town of Wisborg, and tragedy to the house of shipwright owner Friedrich Harding and his wife Anna who houses Ellen, in particular. The rough sequence of the UK-bound part of Dracula happens more or less, with the added snarl that Orlok does it mostly to break down Ellen's resistance to his dark proposal. Why exactly he chose to do this "thrice you shall deny me" business while he ostensibly has both the paperwork and the best possible ultimatum at his disposal already, Be his or he'll kill Thomas, I am sure I don't know. Well, I'm not one to doubt the sanity of an older-than-dirt corpse man employing obscure sorcery and dubious contract law, but it seems like this could've been an one night kind of deal Orlok old mate.

Much of this is justified by appeal to some sort of occultism, jumping on the "magic of the old ways vs the modern world" themes of the original novel a fair bit harder. This is fair enough, I suppose, but it is hard to take Prof. Ebenhart's "none shall know the day or the hour"-ass occultism takes seriously when the creature in question is one whose weaknesses are so common knowledge. Like, they could ask the Romani that apparently travel through Transylvania, ostensibly to make sure Orlok doesn't amass an army. They seem to have that shit figured out, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of them if I'm honest.

Continuing on this trend of honesty, I don't super love the way this movie ends. It does make sense, although it does have the problem of having characters insist "it's the only way" with such a fervor that I find myself going "Huh is it really?" Now there's not a plot hole here as such, it just... kinda feels like the writing got a touch sloppy, trying combine elements from the novel and the 1996 Francis Ford Coppola adaptation into this "waterproof" ending that just comes up short. Not because it's bad, as much as it makes me go "Ok. So what was all of this for, really?" Ellen does manage to outwit Orlok, or at least really really gamble that he'll be blood drunk enough to not notice that the sun's coming up. To be clear, she doesn't actually do much other than laying back and thinking of England Germany. She doesn't take some laudunum to make sure her blood's got a soporific effect. She doesn't pierce Orlok with an iron stake while he's distracted. She doesn't do some kind of daylight savings double bluff. She lies there and lets this monster/lover do his business until it kills them both. That's... disappointing, honestly.

Honestly, that it even works kind of annoys me still. Orlok has been scheming for this, he's been putting his vampire mojo on Thomas' boss, he's been researching ship lanes (I have to assume on account of the Demeter Hijack thing,) he's been learning English German, he's been concocting hellish contracts that somehow both relies on consent and also hold up even if the initial signatory couldn't even read it. All of this has taken patience, cunning, obsession in a way I suppose, but I suppose immortals can afford that kind of madness. This is all to say that I find it weird that this ancient being puts so much work into this plan to end up in a situation where he does an oopsie and fucking dies over it. It'd be neat if it was on purpose in some visible way, but it just kind of ends up making both the major movers and shakers less interesting if you ask me.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the visual portrayal of Orlok, with one major exception. Love the long knobbly grabby fingers. Love how he's tall in a real unnerving way. Love how he appears in shadow or as shadow. Love his general corpse vibe. My question? WHY WHY WHY WHY does he have a mustache? Upon first casting my eyes upon that despoiled soupcatcher, I thought it was a reference to Dracula wearing a fake beard for a bit, but no, the lip warmer is there to stay. I kind of get it, because there's nothing that would make drinking the blood of the innocent more viscerally disgusting than involving facial hair into the soup-y goo of it all. The finale does get into that business a little bit, but ultimately it does feel like one of those decisions that's worse for my brain than for my limbic system.

In general, I feel like Nosferatu has many of the same problems that many of Eggers' films has to me. They're gorgeous looking, bleak, and ambitious, and I just do not feel like they're saying anything. Oh there's stuff going on, the fanaticism in meeting the unknown in The VVitch, the harshness of violence in The Northman, the sheer homoerotic bugfuck stir crazy of The Lighthouse, and so on, but it feels like it isn't actually saying anything of note. It could be that I'm not as visually oriented as many other film buffs, but I spend a not inconsequential amount of time while watching this guy's movies while waiting for the purpose of this whole exercise to reveal itself. It's like a philosopher that spends much time proving how you can't prove anything, and then acts surprised when people ask him what the applications of this purported knowledge might be.

Now, I recognize that this might be a bit unfair. After all, I am a plot guy, and a lot of the time in Eggers' movies the plot isn't really the important part. That said, even if I don't find a plot satisfying, I can be quite content with it making me feel things. Unfortunately, Nosferatu doesn't quite stick that part either. Yes, it is grim to see Ellen dead, with the supernatural parasite that murdered her draped across her chest, but does it say anything? Does it express any ideas? Is all this tragedy in service of anything, or is it, much like the Contemporary Horror Clout Claim murder of ostensibly innocent children, done mostly for shock value? I won't claim to know, but it certainly feels like a shaggy dog story.

There are other complaints I could mention, the pacing of the stay at Castle Orlok in particular feels incredibly rushed, the dedication to keeping Orlok's face off screen or otherwise obscured goes on exactly one scene too long to not be conspicuous, and I could've done with both more Willem Dafoe and more 5k rats, although the latter was mostly because I found both of these contributors delightful.