#but at least its slide into the edgelord sewer began with it establishing it was in fact an AU

[see-arcane]

It seems to me that all Dracula Lives sequel novels and movies do not want to explore the consequences to the actual main characters and the world at large that such an ending would entail, but to have Dracula as the protagonist and their OCs (and when any of the book characters still are there, they are practically OCs). Personally I'm tired of him returning, bring on other vampires or undead or werewolves and ghouls if you want new monsters in the same universe. But it's time for the survivors to shine, not their tormentor, for once.

No, no, Dracula can still show up! He just has to be in a little dirt jar. With a cape.

But yeah, seriously, there's so much more fodder to work with than just "Somehow Dracula has returned :/." Countess Dolingen's there, the Pretty Girl in Piccadilly, the sailors of the Demeter, the Bloofer Lady-bitten kids (we don't know if all her victims were reported and/or if they lived), other supernatural bogeymen, and oh, hey, yeah, all the implications of Literal Actual Demons hanging around in the mountains giving out sorcery lessons...

But nooo let's just hit the rewind button on Dracula turning to dust, it's cool, it's fine, 11/10 very original