#dracula's war council

[hauntingblue]

Castlevania is interesting but tell my why we get three episodes of internal conflict in the dracula castle (good) while the main characters are on a library and do fuck all. Well they have three scenes of relationship building that are supposed to mean something when they come out but they are so little and superficial imo

[adrianastrix]

"They don't give you a manual for being a vampire." -> Jules tried that on Auguste and my boy simply went and wrote a whole encyclopaedia on vampires to ensure that, from then on, "they" do.

BUT DOES RUNNING WATER KILL THEM OR NOT??!

[see-arcane]

You mentioned subtle gender reversal on a previous entry and I feel that there one here too

It is all done; poor dear, dear Jonathan, what he must have suffered, what must he be suffering now. He lies on the sofa hardly seeming to breathe, and his whole body appears in collapse. His brows are knit; his face is drawn with pain. Poor fellow, maybe he is thinking, and I can see his face all wrinkled up with the concentration of his thoughts. Oh! if I could only help at all.... I shall do what I can.

This is similar to Lucy and Mina in bed after getting fed on, while the men were reacting. Now Mina sees him supine on the couch and reacts, taking charge.

After se makes a battle plan like a war strategist in a war council, Jonathan takes her in his arms and kisses her, but it is not a "hero accomplishes a great feat and kisses the girl!" scene, it's a "she earned to get kissed by her hottie."

That's a good catch too!

Jonathan may be a steadily more terrifying knife cryptid, but he's still the king of miserable stress naps from Castle Dracula, cue extremely unrestful supine snooze. And Mina, while technically the damsel in distress, is still showing her hero's role as she did back in Whitby when she sprang into action to chase down and rescue Lucy from the Count's feeding in the graveyard.

While Dracula's attack and the general anxiety tangled up in the crew's hunt have sharpened them both into very new and unexpected shapes, it's also stripped away some final layers of propriety paint they'd been wearing even before teaming up with Van Helsing and the suitors.

The Harkers are more themselves now than they have been in all their lives, if at their most extreme.

[vickyvicarious]

Mina, Oct 30:

We know from the record that he was on the water; so what we have to do is to ascertain what water. […]

I have examined the map and find that the river most suitable for the Slovaks to have ascended is either the Pruth or the Sereth. I read in the typescript that in my trance I heard cows low and water swirling level with my ears and the creaking of wood. The Count in his box, then, was on a river in an open boat—propelled probably either by oars or poles, for the banks are near and it is working against stream. There would be no such sound if floating down stream.

Mina's detective mind is so underrated!? The men were in a literal dead end. Jonathan was laying on the sofa quivering from mental anguish. But yeah what deduction!

Dracula was a warlord, but Mina is now the one laying out the battle map on the war council (as she called it) to position her troops to the right places to defeat the enemy. Something something Dracula parallels.

Mina gets shit done!

She is such a good detective, too. Maybe it was helped by her not being one of the ones running around and getting disappointed. But just in general she's really good at laying out the facts (as soon as she has them) and adding them up to come up with a solution.

Also, I love that comparison! Mina now versus Dracula with his maps at the start of the book. He was planning his invasion of England and now she's planning her hunt into his land.

[ruiniel]

ok I just thought of this but Alucard x reader where the reader has been turned into a vampire (while he's away or something or during battle)and feeling like maybe he won't love them anymoreeee?

Ouch, anon!

This will be so angsty.

A Place to Hide

Fandom: Castlevania series (2017-2021)

Pairing: Alucard x Reader

Count: 1.5k

Rating: T

Tags/CW: Oneshot, Mutual pining, Angst, Context of battle, Mention of death, Alternate universe, Dark fantasy AU, Alucard POV, Vampirism, Longing, emotional hurt/comfort

Summary: This can be considered a follow-up of sorts set after 'To be free'. The murder of Lisa never happened. Instead, sometime in the future there is strife in the vampire world with an alliance of rebelling war chiefs over territory and Dracula is forced to respond. Reader character is an apprentice learning the doctor trade under Lisa. Trying to seek Adrian out after he left for battle was not a successful endeavor...

All characters depicted are 18+

"And you worry too much…"

Your words ricochet through his mind as he dismounts in haste along with the returning troops, the too-hindering armor singing mournfully with every movement, as it had done all those cold, cluttered days and nights he'd been away.

He crosses the barracks area built before the castle and ascends the stairs of his home, a bloodied letter crumpled in his right hand.

"Adrian!"

Like a ghost, a drop of crystal-clear water in a sea of blood, his mother runs towards him, sullying herself against his filthy form as she enfolds him in a fierce embrace. Her dainty fingers curl into his tattered cloak, and Lisa holds on to him with a frenzied relief after, he knows, weeks of fretting.

"You’re safe," Lisa murmurs, "You’re home," she shivers, drawing back to run swift, trembling fingers through his windswept hair. 

"Mother," his eyes press shut, and he falls against her. She whispers to him, and all he wants is to drown in her arms and forget; the missive burns like hot coal, still crushed in his hand.

"Your father arrived ahead of you," Lisa says, holding him fast to her. "...they're still assessing status in the council chamber." 

And Lisa, for her part, had been running the improvised hospice for their human allies. She looks as weary as he feels. "I know." He can barely speak. "Mother I… I received your letter; before the last skirmish."

They won. Careful tactical planning and losses included, there will be peace again in the borderlands without. For how long? None ever know.

He does not care. "... Where?"

Lisa releases him, slowly, holding him by the shoulders. "Adrian, will you not take the time to... to …"

"Where?" His voice cracks, his bones ache. He wishes he'd never welcomed you here, wishes he'd never met you, befriended you, loved you. He wishes, wishes, wishes as fools do.

"Why do you always push me away?"

Your voice, your face: enraged and so desperate. You needed him then, needed him and he was not here, and the closer he is now, the more the truth gains a near physical weight he pushes against with sisyphean misery.

"Adrian," his mother tries again, as he slowly pries her from him, shaking his head.

"Please."

She tells him. She tells him how you insisted on riding after him, two weeks or so prior, with a meager company through war-torn lands. How Lisa had done her utmost to deter you, but the influx of wounded human soldiers demanded most of her time and energy, day in, day out. She failed, and you would wait no longer. "Forgive me, forgive me..." 

He brings Lisa close again, fervently kissing the top of her head, "Don’t. Please. Just... just tell me."

They stay embraced for another moment as the clamor of many rises up to the high, domed ceilings, and figures wade around them like wraiths. "The east tower," Lisa whispers, finally.

By the time he reaches the door, having carelessly stripped and cast off pieces of armor on the way, his vision is blurred. Memories of that day, that last day when you were angry with him but would not leave his side, had been a torturous comfort to his nights through each cut and healing wound, each enemy pierced, each slash of the sword; that day, when he awoke the evening of his departure with you in his bed and in his arms while the chamber's golden light caressed your bareness.

The hinges creak. The door opens, and darkness greets him.

"How am I to learn, Adrian, if you stand in my way?"

He calls to you. He seeks a heartbeat, but there is none; of course, there wouldn't be. The letter falls from his hand like a withered autumn leaf. He calls again, and again, stepping inside the room.

Darkness never posed a challenge to his sight, and as his eyes follow along the richly woven rug, he sees a bare foot, slowly retreating; a huddled shape, in one corner.

"Leave." A broken, barely audible voice.

Never again. Adrian nears and kneels by your side. "But I’ve only just arrived," he says through a forced, trembling smile.

A stir, a rise of hunched shoulders. "... you..."

"Yes, me," he says. "And I’ve missed you�� so, so much." 

A sigh his only answer, Adrian curls and uncurls his fists. "Will you look at me?"

"Why?" The shape stirs anew. He cannot tell what you might be feeling, not anymore. The signs are gone, but of course, it is you; wherever you are, whatever you are, he will always know. 

"Because I… you went seeking for me, and I understand. A part of me... longed for you to do so, from dawn to dusk, every hour, every minute and second." He swallows. "Please," he begs even as a pair of glowing eyes meet his.

He reaches; cups your cheek and falls in dismay when you shun his touch, hiding your face away from him.

Your beautiful, determined face. His anger is boundless; he wants to know who, and make them pay. But you would tell no one of it, from what he learned, and it matters not at the moment. An interrogation is not what you need, nor does he. 

"I am sorry. It should have been your choice, if it ever were to happen. I did not listen to you that night where... where I should have."

"Not your fault," he sees half of your face, eternal now, cut by a beam of moonlight. "I was impatient, wanted to reach you, to see you. I was—am, a selfish, selfish fool," you press your knuckles into your eyes "And now, look at me..."

Adrian carefully sits beside you. "No," he objects, poorly, but he's too exhausted, too weak; entranced by you being here, so close, alive despite the shadow imbuing your essence.

"You cannot hear it anymore, can you?"

Adrian shakes his head.

"It is gone."

"But you are not." He reaches, tentatively, and takes your hand, massaging into the knuckles.

"You're so... so warm..." you whisper, close to tears. "I never noticed before, but now, now..." Your words are as cold as your skin. "... what you knew is gone."

He is exhausted, you are hurting. It is over, it should’ve been over, he’d barely convinced you to stay behind back then, to keep safe and continue your work; but here you are anyway. Adrian tenderly pries your other hand away from your chest. He remembers the texture of your skin so well, remembers it soothing his face, his chest, gripping his hips with earnest abandon. Now, it barely returns the slightest pressure. He brings it to his forehead, breathes in deeply and raggedly before pressing the hand to his dry lips. 

What can he say? That he regrets not being there? That it eats him from the inside like rot? That he’s never felt such longing nor such pain, and unless you demand it, he will never let you go again?

"I've not slept in days."

Adrian nods slowly, bringing a tentative arm around your shoulders. "It will be so for a while, from what I know." The freezing nightly air glides through an open window by your naked feet, but he realizes it has long ceased to be an issue for you.

"I hear everything around me; every beat of wings, every sigh of wind or flutter of a living heart. The darkness in all things speaks to me in a language I understand, and yet do not."

Unable to resist any longer, Adrian brings and cradles your head to his chest. "There are other changes, yet to come. It is fresh, and you will… you will hurt for a while longer. But... but I am here now, and, if you'll have me, will... I can help."

You're shaking against him, and he knows, if you had tears to shed, they'd be blood. "Adrian, I regret what I said to you that night, how I pushed you, how—"

"I do not." He tips your chin up, rubs his thumb over your lip. "You spoke your... our truth. And for that, you were much braver than I," he follows. "I missed you," he repeats, like a craven. 

You melt against his side. "You are warm, I am cold."

"You will take from my warmth."

"I've lost… I’ve lost myself, my very being, my humanity, all my doing," you murmur, spent.

"No," he shakes his head, "Humanity consists of much, much more than a beating heart, you know this."

You smile sadly against the black canvas of the room. "So many out there who would beg to differ."

"... and none of them will ever lay a finger on you in this life, or any other."

Adrian dares to bring you more into him, a hand pressing into your back. You feel the same, he feels whole again. Will you see it? Will you understand? 

"I hunger," you speak, the word coated with shame as you melt into him. "I hunger, but I refuse to… to…"

"You must drink to live, now. That is the way of things." 

Your fingers claw at his chest. You are strong, so very strong. "My creed is to save lives, not take them."

Adrian draws you into his lap as you finally meet his gaze fully, a peek of fang between your lips. "And so it will stay," he tells you, soothingly but with conviction, pressing you closer as his hand cups the back of your head, as he reaches and unfastens the collar of his tunic. "... I promise."

MASTERLIST: CASTLEVANIA SERIES x READER

More of my work is on AO3 [many stories not on tumblr]

BLOG MASTERPOST (all you need to know)

Likes/comments/reblogs always and forever appreciated

[wuxiaphoenix]

Worldbuilding: Succession Problems

AKA one of the reasons the United States started as, and remains, one of the weirdest countries in the world.

Long story short: When you have a power structure with someone in charge, who takes over from that person in charge, when, and how?

For as long as there have been humans, we’ve been trying out different answers to those questions. Most of those answers have involved inheriting the position; either direct descent, or the most direct descent the culture recognizes. For example, in matrilineal groups the most closely related heir to a guy is not his own son, but his sister’s son.

(No, matrilineal does not mean matriarchal. It only means the culture recognizes that it’s really hard to miss who gave birth to a child, while who fathered the child might be a matter of dispute.)

The problem with inheriting a position... well, there are plenty of problems. First, the kid might not have the combination of smarts and personality that made his (and it’s usually his) predecessor effective. Second, if war, death, accidents, or assassination attempts happen, the kid might not be old enough to take over. This tends to lead to regents, and we have all kinds of stories and histories about how that goes. Tokugawa Ieyasu was supposed to be one of the regents for the Toyotomi heir. That ended badly.

Third... well. What if there’s more than one potential heir? Yeah that gets messy real fast. Just look at the whole history of the Ottoman Empire with the sons of the harem. I mean, if you want to. Being stuck in that court as a noble hostage is what gave Vlad Dracula his charming personality, which should be enough warning for anyone.

Fourth, what if there’s no potential heir? Various Chinese empires tried to short-circuit political dealings and court infighting by making officials eunuchs, so they had no heirs to gather power for. That... did not work either. Historically, it seems to have made the infighting even more vicious and the bureaucracy ever more entrenched. There are multiple reasons most of those dynasties tend to end with burning the official books (and often the officials) of the previous regime.

We’ve tried other ways. Councils, town meetings, democracy... that last one, if it’s direct democracy, is incredibly dangerous. The majority gets what it wants, and that is not good if you’re in the minority and have... well, anything. It’s a bare breath away from mob rule, and that turns deadly very easily.

The only thing that seems to work, most of the time, is creating offices that people do not hold for life, where the majority of people affected by that office choose whoever’s going to hold that office.

This doesn’t cut down on the politics, the wheeling and dealing, or the potential for backstabbing. What it does do is take the lethal pressure off. You know going in that you’ll only hold that office for X number of years. And then you can leave, and no one will kill you because you’re not in power anymore. On the flipside, if someone beats you at the polls? You don’t haul off and order him assassinated. You just wait. And lay groundwork for another run when his term’s up.

Weird. Unheard of. Absolutely not what our still-geared-toward-tribal-life instincts expect. A democratic republic is very, very hard to pull off. And messy, even when it works. Maybe especially when it works.

How do cultures in your world solve the succession problem?

[gravecircuit]

Act 2 Review + Act 3 theories (FULL spoilers)

ouch

Maddie is up there waiting in Caitlyn's bed while this Shakespearean bloodbath is going down lmaoooooo

Jayce pancaking Salo made me cackle like an idiot, I heard the mario bros game over theme play when he did that, put that thing down you murderhobo omg

Vi didn't see the slap coming because Jinx was winding that one up since Season 1, Episode 3

I really thought Cait army vs. Jinx army was going to be a more fleshed out / dramatic arc but I'm not against the Metal Gear Powder episode we got instead.

My previous theory of it not being LeBlanc is essentially debunked in this batch - I was theorizing against it because of power scaling but looking at Mel's power, I thought she would have a force field but she's got some sort of phoenix force thing going on. (There's theories out now that MEL technically blew up the council in reflex to deflect the jinx rocket). I'll leave the Du Couteau theory on the shelf, but if were going all the way up to LeBlanc's office + reading all of Ambessa's lines, what on earth did Kino do to piss off DRACULA!?

To go further, because of in game descriptions people were speculating if the "Pantheon" in Ambessa's music video was just some Noxian stand in. But the Ambessa plot snippet + Mel's power maybe being hereditary makes me think actual Pantheon might be on the menu, as in, Mel is the child of the Matriarch and Aspect of War. Pin this for now, I'll browse the wiki again later.

Silco, Vander, Felicia flashback: new context dropped. Literal actual godfathers of Zaun. At this point how many generations back does sibling conflict go omg, Felicia's a descendent of Morgana or something.

Cait doing a 180 out of her heel turn felt a little rushed to me. We didn't see "commander" Caitlyn command anything?? It felt like she was in that ceremonial position Jayce offered her in season 1, it's like, "I'm a dictator /j" - Vi also didn't seem mad enough idk, off screen timeskip call her cupcake kiss and make up end scene bleh. They switch back sides with very little conflict idk.

"I won't fail, I swear it." Did Jayce enter the Viktorverse? Who else would he swear to if he's tasked with crossing that line?

Isha. Fortiche established 2 new cinnamon rolls in Act 1. The way they terrorize us with both of them in opposite ways omfg.

Overall, Act 2 felt like a lot of bullet points wanted to be covered. but still keeping Vi & Jinx as the through line. It's not perfectly paced, but I still think that they will stick the landing (especially after the end of this batch aaaaa).

Act 3 thoughts:

The Noxian invasion seems to be kicking off in Act 3, I wonder if there are any other tricks remaining up Ambessa's sleeve or if another Noxian character is who show's up with the air balloons / army. (Cast feels pretty full as it is but still)

It looks like Mel escapes and returns to Piltover maaaaybe in episode 7? The thing with Mel's story is again, I don't know what Piltover should do if LeBlanc actually rolls up. Everyone fire all their abilities I guess.

On that note, I really doubt any other characters are coming in as backup for Piltover. Maybe some from Zaun? (Urgot clutch LOL no). "Prototype Blitzcranks" might be used idk.

Heimerdinger might hard carry. Also, the in-game Arcane theme turrets looking like hex gates I think is intentional. Potential Piltover death laser incoming?

I'm hopping on the train of thought that Act 3 will have a scene of everyone dying and Ekko going "you're probably wondering how we got here" *rewinds the tape*

I think Viktor will be the final boss.

[theivorybilledwoodpecker]

Idea: A Renfield/WWDITS crossover and au where Renfield and Dracula encounter the Staten Island group and it becomes clear that the reason no other vampire ever showed up to help when Dracula was weak was because most vampires can't stand him.

I mean the guy has zero chill. It's not like Nadja, Lazslo, Nandor, and Colin are opposed to the occassional blood binge, but that thing with the support group? Not cool.

Drac's notorious for doing stuff like the whole plot of Dracula, and for what? To torment a solicitor? Whenever he pulls this shit, it becomes harder for the vampires who just want to live.

The Guide, in particular, hates him because the number of times he's been before the Vampiric Council has caused so much paperwork.

The Baron, who's older than Dracula, sees him as the equivalenr of Justin Bieber. This young, upstart vampire who think he's the devil's gift to vampiric kind.

Nadja, Nandor, Colin, and Laszlo don't know him personally, but they've been chased out of enough towns because Dracula decided to hunt and psychologically torture the wrong group. So they see him as a prat...until he attacks Guillermo, and then it's all out war.

Meanwhile, Guillermo is cool and calm. He can take Dracula, and as he smugly states, "I live here. You are a guest. They like me more than they like most vampires. I made it into the family portrait. You don't even qualify as their friend."

[pollydoodles]

These Endless Days (Are Finally Ending in a Blaze)

Following the events of Civil War, the Avengers are disbanded, scattered and in hiding - and not coping all that well. The rise of anti-superhuman feeling continues, and it's not only the Avengers who are feeling the effects. Steve Rogers and team are about to discover a whole other world, and with it comes what might be the biggest threat they've ever faced.

Whispers from the Hellmouth

“Whole town, devastated, on the whim of a child.”

A New Threat

Agent Riley Finn, waiting in the shadows of the Hagia Sofia with his recon team, takes a deep breath as he watches Captain America dust a vampire.

The Carter Girl

“Carters are Watchers,” he intones, and Peggy turns to face him, fascinated against her will to hear her father’s words from her little brother.

Conversations with the Dead

“We’re not super, Xander,” she says, a brief flash of annoyance colouring her eyes before she rolls them at him. “We’re nothing like the Avengers.”

Death of a Slayer

He had had such high hopes for this one. Had thought that she had been the key, the girl that he had been waiting for, the one to fulfill the prophecy. And yet, as they all had before, death had claimed her. This one was the same as all the rest.

The Things You Never Knew

“Last set of people I ‘had to meet’ turned out to be Nazis,” Steve returns flatly, but she’s been in the game long enough to be able to detect the note of underlying interest running through him as he says it.

Behind Enemy Lines

“What is - what is your work?” Peggy asks, curiously. “What could the Council possibly want with a scientist?” Erskine sits back in his chair and rubs at his chin, feeling the beard that has grown there over the long months he has been kept at Kastel Kaufmann.

Confessions of a Sinner

“Vampires, right,” Scott yawns again, waving a sleepy hand in Steve’s general direction. “Tennis vampires, or-” He pauses, hand out-stretched towards the kitchen counter, frozen in the act of reaching for what passes for a clean mug these days. “Wait, what? Like Dracula? Bleh, bleh, bleh?”

City Under Siege

She has strength enough to focus on the task at hand, to despatch the three vampires that come at her fast, one after the other with teeth bared and bloodlust in their yellow eyes. As they explode into dust at the point of her broken chair leg, the men who watch at the window are silent, but their eyes see all.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

The girl wakes in a new sort of darkness, gasping for air that is thick and heavy and does not fill her lungs the way she needs it to. For a moment or two she feels as though she is more than one person - that in one body exists more than there should, a jostling within herself - themself? - she shakes her head, blinking into the gloom and the feeling starts to recede.

Got a Secret, Can You Keep It?

“I’m guessing you all recognise Steve,” Maria says, nodding toward him as she speaks.

“Don’t you, uh, usually come with real shield action?” Xander mimes throwing an over-large frisbee, and the little redhead - Willow, Steve reminds himself - beside him puts a hand to her face with a grimace.

The Chosen One

“Here’s to making history,” Erskine says, nudging the small glass tumbler back across the desk toward her, and raising his own.

“A history no one else will ever know the truth of,” she says, ruefully, as she toasts him in kind.

Coming soon:

The Will of the People

Little Eva

Friction Burns

[ibrithir-was-here]

Council of War

@animate-mush (and everyone else following/contributing to this AU!)

Arthur Holmwood stood with his hands pressed down hard upon the round table where he was holding cabinet; trying to look like the collected, confident, and assured leader he knew his organization needed him to be--and not the tired, battered, worn to unraveling wreck he felt like inside.

“I'm sure by now that you've all heard what happened last night”, he began, his voice low and solemn, but with an edge in it that made everyone in the room sit up straighter.

 “Count Dracula himself came into the grounds and attempted to abduct young Mr. Harker. He was stopped only by--by the quick intervention of Lucille”

If the agents around the table  noted the slight tremor in Arthur's voice as he recalled that particular event of the night, they wisely kept their silence.

“The Count was also followed by two more vampires who were also able to enter the grounds…Mr Harker's parents.”

This revelation did produce a faint flutter of disturbed whispering, which was instantly cut off by a firm look from Jack, seated as ever at Arthur's right hand.

“Both they and the Count managed to escape, miraculously without any casualties. And what I want to know now…” Athur said slowly, forcing himself with every inch of aristocratic decorum that had been drummed into him to keep calm -- 

“Is just how they all got here, where they are now, and how soon can we be ready to finally end this?”

Arthur stood straight, looking each person at the table in the eye, one by one. Each person in his organization had their reasons for being here, their own strange and often terrifying experience that brought them into his circle, that had led them to believe him and Jack in their warnings of the threats that lurked within the shadows.

Henry Harrington, who's brother had run afoul of a truly nasty hedge magician, who'd sent something to stalk his brother's steps day and night, and which finally overtook him on a lonesome road with no help in sight.

Harrington had gotten justice on the fiend, and had gladly joined their ranks when they'd crossed paths while doing research on one of their missions, determined that no one else's loved one would suffer a similar fate.

There was young Ben Edwards, who'd somehow caught the eye of a vampire-witch at the age of 16, and been stalked by her in dreams until only a few years ago, when she'd finally tried to sink her teeth into him upon the unfortunate occurrence of him being put up for the night in her old tower room.

 He'd escaped with his life and soul, been desperate for answers, stumbled onto Arthur's organization, and eagerly joined up. 

And Alwyne Hargreaves…she'd also found them, trying to make sense of the strange memories she had of being carried off by ‘A Bloofer Lady’. 

Arthur had been sick all day after their first interview, and Jack was not much better. 

Her experience had apparently rendered her sensitive to all manner of strange phenomena, and she and her employer (and later husband) had made a good business out of clearing out houses reputed--and often proved-- to be haunted, so that they could finally be put on market. 

Though her abilities often drained her, she was more than willing to put them to use to help keep her country safe. In truth, with her cheerful cleverness, she reminded him of what Mina might have been, had they all been luckier.

And, of course, dear, unstoppable Kate Reed, Lucy's old friend. Mina and Jonathan's old friend.

Their first recruit. 

She’d tracked him and Jack down after it had all gone wrong, demanding to know what had become of her friends, what he and Jack had done to them. 

Kate had dogged their steps until finally, she'd  found them facing down the last of the Count's victims, had seen what the no-longer-a-woman had done to her staff--to Lu's mother--and she'd had learned just what had happened to Lucy and Mina and Jonathan. And she'd vowed to fight  them ever since. 

 The people seated here at this table were his top agents, the ones he knew he could always count on in crisis, who had proved themselves time and time again, each time the threat of a vampire had reared its fangs, weather in town or country or seaside, they had risen to thrust it back down into the earth where it belonged. 

And none of them, it seems, had managed to see the devil coming until he--they, were at the door. 

There was a moment of weighted silence, each person at the table going over Arthur's questions. 

“As to how the Count got passed us, I'm sorry Art, I just don't know”, Kate said with quite calm, a calmness that Arthur knew well enough was hiding her own  unease and frustration that after all their preparation and prior successes they'd still all been taken so unprepared. 

Kate Reed wasn't a woman who brooked failure well, especially her own.

“But as to the Harkers…you told me that before you and Jack went off with the rest to try and stop Dracula that you performed a-a burial service for Mina, correct? And since she was not in fact laid in any one resting place…it's possible that anywhere in England could count as hallowed ground for her to rest in. It's all her native soil.”

Kate paused, looking at Arthur and then away before going on. 

 “And Jonathan…Jonathan's home was always wherever she was…That could explain how she and Jonathan have been able to seemingly move about unimpeded, without us getting any wind of a vampire's nest being set up anywhere near.” 

“Yes…that's a plausible explanation.” was his terse reply.

 Arthur knew he needed to be calmer, less brittle. He'd already broken down last night with Lu, when she'd offered her blood up to the boy. It had brought back far too many memories of similar, ultimately useless gestures done by himself and Art and Quincey's namesake. 

It seems he was destined to keep being reminded of the futility of all his grand gestures.

He wished he could just crawl into bed with Jack, Lu still small enough to tuck between the two of them and wake to find the last few months nothing but a terrible lingering dream.

While he was at it, he might as well wish to wake from the last 21 years.

But he didn't have the luxury of wallowing, none of them did.

“Is it possible that the Count, by dint of having fed on Mr. Harker so long and so singularly, could have had something of that connection transferred to him?”

Harrington asked, brows furrowed in concentration, no doubt thinking over his eclectic knowledge of the arcane, built up from the many old tomes they'd confiscated and stored away for safekeeping. 

“After all, we've seen from Edwards' case and what we read about that business in Styria  that a vampire can establish a psychic link with a victim if they share blood that can persist through time and space without the victim necessarily being turned by the exposure. But the link can draw the victim to the vampire, and the vampire to them”

“Couldn't we extrapolate out from that? The blood shared needn't necessarily be familial, it could, well, actually be shared.”

“Oh!” Alwyn jumped in, the light of discovery coming into her eyes at the prospect of a new puzzle to solve. 

“And the longer it's shared the stronger the psychic and physical link! Through the physical blood! So that the Harkers, being bound already, and Dracula, bound to them by sharing blood, and both concentrating on the same goal of reaching our young guest, have been, so to speak, drawing each other along? 

He wants to reach Quincey, he knows they'll follow if he does, and so uses their own determination to head him off to follow in their wake, as it were?

Because they can walk here, The Count can walk here, and because Quincey is already here--”

Jack interrupted this spiraling metaphysical explanation by tapping at the table to gain everyone's attention--and drawing it away from thoughts of Quincey, Arthur noted, unsure of his own feelings on that point.

Arthur hadn’t wanted to throw the boy to the Count, and he’d agreed, reluctantly, to let Lu…provide for him. Quincey had been nothing but polite and courteous since the day he’d walked into Arthur’s study— and in doing so dug up the most painful parts of his past to literally haunt him once more. 

He didn't see how trying to shield the boy from his role as lynchpin in this whole mess helped anything.

Except, perhaps, to spare the boy what little innocence they had not already shattered by revealing the truth of his existence to him. Jack had told him of the…conversation he and Quincey had after Arthur had given him the saved documents to read over.

He’d never wanted to drive the boy to those extremes.

 He just wanted his own family to be safe.

And now Jack had gone and declared Quincey part of it.

And Arthur didn’t know what to do. 

* There's certainly something there I think,* Jack was saying, each person seated having learned his signs by now *But it's something we'll need to look into more at a later date, I think the more pressing matter now is finding where they're all sleeping during the day*

“Well if they've all of England left open to them, that could be anywhere!” 

Edwards said with a shudder, lacing his fingers together tightly as if it would help keep his thoughts steady under the weight of free roaming vampires.

“It's a miracle they seem to have at least been kept out of the house proper, that protection doesn't seem to have been overcome by whatever psychical link or blood bond might be going on.”

“True, we'll need to be extra vigilant to ensure nothing could be possibly said to invite any unknown factors in.” Arthur said, going over the conversations he'd had and overheard between everyone last night, trying to assure himself nothing had been said then, in the heat of everything. 

None of the vampires had been able to enter the house physically. Even if they had apparently manifested themselves to both Quincey and Lu through dreams.

He clenched his fists at the thought of the vampire that had replaced Mina Harker rummaging around in his daughter's head, extracting promises that fed off Lu's far too big heart and could only ever lead her into greater danger.

But no, whatever else might be going on, the rule of Invitation still held, and at least did not seem to extend to relations in Quincey's case. His unwitting invitation did not grant his parents nor the  Count access to Arthur's physical threshold, if not his grounds.  

This mercy, at least, seemed to be granted to them.

Not that they didn't need to still worry about whatever “blood bonds” might be in play.

Dracula had entered Quincey's dreams, played mind games with him, and had eventually been able to draw him out to where he'd been vulnerable to the Count's physical attack via his mental ones. 

And Arthur knew it was only a matter of time before he tried again.

The devil was determined to drag the boy back to hell with him, whether it was due to some darker plans,  where he wished to use the boy's unique existence to further spread the Count's misery, or to further torment his parents, or simply out of spite for having his ‘property’ dare to disobey him--none of that mattered. 

Whatever Arthur felt personally about any of the Harkers, he wasn't about to let Count Dracula have anything he wanted ever again. 

“Our main objective should be finding the Count.” Alwyn said, echoing Arthur's own thoughts. He wondered if her sensitivity wasn't picking up his roiling feelings and tried once more to sink into aristocratic composure.

“If Mr. Harrington's theory is true, it's likely he and the Harkers are all in close proximity anyway, whether he likes it or not.” 

* What do you mean?*  Jack asked. 

“Well, If his ability to walk England freely is siphoned off them, well that blood bond will have been getting weaker by the day since Mr Harker senior…isn't available  anymore.”

“He may still be able to siphon from Mrs Harker, being bound by turning her, but either way he's caught in a leash that's winding tighter and tighter around a pole.” 

 “And besides, their wills and blood are all bound together, his reason being here is the whole reason they're here as well as. He's the reason that any of this--” She waved her hand about the table and out towards the estate in general, “--Even exists. If we can find him, finally end him once and for all…”

“We can finally have some peace. All of us.” Kate said softly. 

“But how do we track him?” Edwards asked, “We don't have any hard evidence for this link to the Harkers, just conjecture. You said before that Mrs. Harker used her link to track the Count, but even if we could find her first, I doubt anyone here wants to be making alliances with a vampire, even if they are temporarily aligned against a greater threat.”

“ No. ” Arthur said bluntly. “That most certainly won't be happening.” 

The group sat in silence, each lost in their own doubts and conjectures as to what they should do.

“...The boy could do it”, Harrington said finally, looking grim, but certain of his proposal.

“He's linked to his parents, by blood and bond. And last night he bit the Count, tasted some of his blood, or what passes for it. Everything you’ve told us and we’ve learned points to him being by far our best bet for tracking any of them down.”

Arthur saw Jack's face blanch, causing the bit of scar that peaked above his high collar and through his beard to stand out like it was still fresh, and he rapidly began to sign: 

* No . That's putting him directly in Dracula's sights. Besides, all else aside we can't possibly ask him to turn over his parents--*

“Dracula must be stopped .” Arthur said, and his tone instantly made each person sit up straighter. 

“I don't wish to put anyone in any undue danger but--”

“I'll do it.” 

Each head whirled around at the declaration, to see  Quincey Harker standing  framed in the doorway. 

The door they had locked before coming in, which none of them had even heard open. 

“Just how did you get in here??” Arthur asked, wondering what new vampiric power he was going to have to produce a counter for given this intrusion. 

Quincey for his part ducked his head sheepish and fished something out of his pocket, holding it up towards the group. 

“Lu slipped me the key this morning before she fell asleep and told me to go listen.” 

Of course. 

“Mr. Harker,” Edwards said slowly, speaking as if to a skittish hound, "Do you understand just what it is we're asking you to do? The danger it will bring on your head?”

Quincey's gaze dropped to the floor, and one of his hands moved to the wrist of the other, rubbing softly at clear skin that had only a few hours ago been mottled black and blue.

“I believe danger has already come to me sir, and to all of you because of me.”

“ I know you said you wouldn’t send me out as a scapegoat. But I-I wish to help. I couldn’t…I couldn’t call myself a good man if I didn’t do my own part to stop Fa…The Count. You’re right, Lord Godalming, he must be stopped, he deserves to be stopped.”

The boy stopped, swallowed hard, before continuing, hands clenching and unclenching.

 “He threatened Lu, he tried to hurt her and… he-he hurt Mama and Papa…he’s been hurting them for a very long time…” 

He raised his head and looked Arthur steadily in the eye, his own dark red ones alight with hardened determination. 

“I’ll help you to find him, so that you can stop him from hurting anyone else. But…”

“But?” Arthur echoed, raising an eyebrow.

“But…I would ask, that—that you don’t harm my parents.”

“…And if your parents try to harm any of us?”

Quincey looked as if he was about to object, to say that they never would do such a thing, but stopped, swallowed again, and said quietly, “You of course should be able to defend yourselves…but please, don’t hurt them if you possibly can.”

Arthur’s nails dug into the palms of his hands, memories of white snow awash with red blood threatening to rise up and undo the little calm he’d held onto this whole meeting. The faces of Jack and Dr Van Helsing and his own Quincey flashed across his mind, one by one. All the men this boy was named for, all the men his father had cut down like nothing.

Didn’t he owe the dead and damaged vengeance for what they’d lost? 

….Would vengeance bring any of it back?

 At last, he managed to grit out;

“I promise, that no harm will come to your parents, so long as they pose no harm to anyone else. That’s the best I can do. Does everyone agree?” 

There was a faint murmur of assent from the group, with a nod from Jack. Arthur nodded back, before turning once more to Quincey, and there was steel in his voice as he said;

“And you must promise me something in return, Harker.”

“Yes sir?”

“You say you love my daughter, you want to undertake this mission so that you can protect her?”

The boy blushed deeply, and Arthur had the bizarre realization he was blushing with Lu’s own blood, her gift to him coursing through his veins.

“Oh yes sir! I’d do anything for her.”

Arthur nodded, his blue eyes narrowing as he locked them on Quincey’s red ones.

“Then you promise me, that when it comes down to it, no matter what happens going forward, that you will do anything for her. You choose her , you understand? You do whatever it takes to keep her safe and whole and alive.”

He wanted to say: “If she’s so damn willing to walk into hell for you, it only seems right you live up to your family legacy and follow after her. If your father was willing to slaughter all the other people who he cared for to save the woman they’d failed to, the least you can do is the same. She must be the priority, no one else, no matter whom, no matter the bond. ‘ Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh’ and all that.”

Of course, given the boy’s reaction to seeing a crucifix for the first time, Arthur doubted he’d ever so much as seen a Bible, let alone read one to recognize the verse. Remembering the crucifix, Arthur made a point to tell the young vampire to start wearing it. Heaven knows the boy could stand to have some extra protection going forward. They all could.

But back to the matter at hand.

“Do you understand what I mean when I say ‘you choose her’?”

Quincey’s face paled slightly, Lu’s blood rushing back to hide within his barely beating heart. But at last he whispered.

“Yes sir…I do…And I promise”

Arthur nodded, satisfied. The boy had never lied, Arthur wasn’t sure he even knew how.

“Good. Well you may as well go back and see if Lu’s awake and have her come in on all this properly. I’m sure she already told you to report back everything you heard anyway.”

A small smile crossed Quincey’s face, and from his other pocket, he pulled a small notebook and a bit of pencil.

“I took notes”

Of course he did. If there was anything else one could mark as an hereditary trait of the Harkers, they were wonderful for taking notes, no matter the circumstances. If they all managed to live through this, maybe Arthur would finally see about getting the boy his inheritance in the solicitors firm. It was probably time it moved on from being a front for the organization to getting used for actual real estate opportunities, with property taxes going up and all. 

“Alright then, go and get her. And then, we’ll get to work”

 

I have to give credit to @see-arcane on tumblr for the line “he’s been hurting them for a long time” as it came from their own divergent Blood of My Blood fic which ripped my heart out and can be found here

Also the people at Arthur's round table are all from actual ghost/spooky stories of the time!

Alwyne Hargreaves nee Sargent is from Allen Upward's "The Ghost Hunters" series

Ben Edwards is the hithertoo unnamed narrator or E. F. Benson's "The Room in the Tower"

Henry Harrington is a character from M.R. James' excellent "Casting the Runes"

(All of which I would highly recommed listening to for free at the links provided)

And Kate Reed was a cut character from the original Dracula novel, a friend of Mina and Lucy and Jonathan's from school.

[headcanonsandmore]

it's kinda funny as you were complaining about Moffat's Sherlock I was rewatching hbomberguy's video on it... and it's because I ran into some guy who randomly started talking about doctor who with a friend specifically the anniversay that moffat did (you know where they saved galifrey and the war doctor?) and the timelords giving the doctor more regenerations and I let myself have one quiet "fuck off" as i missed the start of that conversation but still was there anything redeeming about moffarts anniversary? and didn't all the timelords hate the doctor at that point so why did they do that?

just general Moffat *shakes fist* my sister and I still haven't caught up on Doctor Who (and we love 13 and the gang so that's not the problem) and its just reasons like not wanting to see 13 go we both heard moffat coming back and went "oh no" and of course the kdrama rabbit hole we've fallen down (it is very fun) sorry for the ramble had to share

I was watching that video the other day; great minds think alike, I suppose!

I remember watching the 50th anniversary when it aired and... not really liking it that much. It was the first multi-Doctor story I ever saw, and my main thought was that Ten was written really off. It was at that point that was already losing interest in watching DW due to M*ffat's writing.

If I remember correctly, the time lords that gave the Doctor another regeneration cycle weren't the high council. *shrugs* NuWho (especially during that time) held Gallifrey in such awe that -when I eventually watched the classic series- it was a shock that the Doctor didn't much like his own people (individuals like Romana notwithstanding) and hated how stifling the culture of Gallifrey was.

Seeing Thirteen go was rough, I'm not gonna lie. You know the incarnation was something special to you when you miss them so much.

Yeah, I skipped "Boom!" because I know M*ffat's tricks by now and I didn't want to be a party pooper to the people on Tumblr who did enjoy the episode. That "on no" is basically how I reacted to finding out RTD had brought him back as a writer; like, really RTD? After he managed to fumble Sherlock Holmes, Jekyl & Hyde and Dracula? At this point, M*ffat is basically the epitome of a white man failing his way upwards.

Enjoy the Kdrama rabbit hole! I myself have a soft spot for "Hometown Cha Cha Cha" (hence why I wrote a Tegan/Nyssa AU based on the premise) and "Extraordinary Attorney Woo". :)

No need to apologise; thank you for sharing!

[anothermoirafan]

more war council hc bc they deserve it

no.1. they all had bad lives as humans, except dragoslav. carmilla was sold off and abused as a bride to a misogynistic husband, raman was a slave to an old man, sharma was working in the court since a young age beacuse his family fidn't have enough money so he was on his legs financially since like 6yrs old. zufall was a commander to a stuck up king who led wars with no sense. hell everybody knows dracula lost two wives. godbrand was insane but thats just the child abuse kicking in and staying. and dragoslav? he just liked the idea of night since he had too sensitive skin for the sun.

like the generals will talk shit abt humanity for 5hrs straight no pause all at the same time and zufall will say something like "its better for them to not even have children anymore" and dragoslav will be like what the fuck man? my mom had 10 kids and it was super fun. and all the generals will be like what. and hell continue completley seriously like "yeah there were 10 of us and sure most didnt survive to adulthood but like the games were fun."

and he is no longer invited to venting nights. which is a shame since he brought the alcohol.

[beevean]

Some ideas on how I'd personally write Lenore. for future reference?

We keep the trait that she's the black sheep of the sisters, who don't take her and her job seriously. Maybe they don't even speak to her often, judging by Striga's ill-fitting jab about her supposed "romantic" nature. Perhaps we could see her act in different ways, tougher in the council and softer with Hector. This establishes her as a seasoned liar: we never know if she's sincere or not.

Unlike Hector, who seemed to be blissfully unaware of how much Dracula and Isaac looked down on him, Lenore is more than aware of being seen as "weird" and "weak". However, she prides herself on being needed, as a balance for the others.

We also keep that she is "compassionate" towards animals (and humans), and that she has experienced war as a child, which left her with a desire to be a benevolent ruler.

tl;dr: she is superficially kind, but has no empathy, and her priority is the council's wellbeing and desires. She and Hector share this trait of very misguided, ultimately selfish mercy. He needs love, she needs to feel good about herself.

We emphasize the implication that she clings on her humanity. She's shown eating food despite not needing it (maybe she feels ill?), she insists on the importance of diplomacy and how violence and conquest should be last resorts, and she seems fascinated by human culture, in the same way Hector is fascinated by vampire culture. However, she also comes off as condescending - think Rose Quartz when flirting with Greg.

(bonus: she struggles with her vampiric instincts. Show her resisting the temptation to bite Hector, not wanting to frighten him. Show her resisting the dark thoughts that he's nothing but meat to devour and a warm body to fuck.)

Hector falls for her diplomacy because she is (seems) genuinely kind. She's apologetic for his conditions, she seems really eager to help him as much as she can. She's not smug at all, although she points out the holes in Dracula's logic and tries her best to paint Carmilla as a better mistress. No pet play. When Hector attacks her, she does her stunt of leaving him alone for a week then acting scared around him, to make him feel guilty and dependant on her. In short: her manipulation is more emotional, and it hits Hector's weak spot, his need to be loved.

No rape. They never have sex. Lenore slips that ring as they're talking, and Hector accepts of his own volition to be loyal to her. He still feels betrayed, though, as that act confirms he'd been played again and Lenore is no different than Carmilla. Even worse if Lenore goes to gloat about her victory to the sisters in that "cruel vampire" way, bonus if we keep the "the real people are talking" line. She apologizes for speaking about him so rudely in private, but at that point he refuses to listen to her.

Their interactions at the beginning of S4 are awkward. Lenore tries to be friendly and even jokey (not in that childish "penis jokes" way), but Hector acts exaggeratedly professional, calls her "mistress" and is clear that he's full of resentment. Lenore is frustrated and asks what more does he want. Hector refuses to answer. No more will he shown weakness. Bonus if he makes a cruel joke asking when she's going to fuck him, since clearly he's nothing more than a toy. (to be fair, being the only man in the clutches of predatory women could put some fears in his mind... especially if he was abused as a child.)

Lenore's love language is being clingy and possessive. She won't leave Hector alone. She genuinely thinks that tying someone to you is showing care for that someone, much like Carmilla did. She's growing fond of Hector, his wit and his knowledge on black magic, and she doesn't understand why her affection isn't reciprocated. She's treating him well, isn't she? Why is he so moody?

We keep Lenore's fears about growing useless in Carmilla's big, insane scheme. Finally, she opens up about her worries to Hector, and this is what makes him warm up to her. He understands that she only acted out of loyalty, but now they're in a similar position: he understands, on his own, that it's no so different from his position as the unfavorite in Dracula's court. It's not enough to become friends, but the two now can at least be civil towards each other. They're the first to do so. Maybe Hector opens up himself about his past and how he now feels about Dracula.

When Isaac attacks the castle (Hector did not participate in that stupid plan to revive Dracula), Hector and Lenore decide to go stop Carmilla together. However, Lenore still wants to reason with her. Hector wants to kill her 🙂 he and Isaac do so. Whether Carmilla kills herself or not is honestly irrelevant at this point, but she's dead and Lenore, once again, feels powerless. Hector cutting his own finger hurts her even more: she wants to see it as him gaining the freedom he deserves, but her vampiric instincts tell her that it's him refusing to be with her.

When she effectively becomes Isaac's captive, she starts to understand why Hector never grew fond of her; she could never love that bastard who stole her home and destroyed her existence. She's horrified at the realization. She knew that she had to hurt Hector to give the sisters what they asked of her, but she understands that not only it was worse than she imagined... it was all for nothing. They never cared about her. She starts to wonder if she could ever be a good person.

The suicide scene is kept, but it's clear that it's because Lenore feels terrible about herself and her own nature, nothing about not wanting to be in a cage since in theory she could just wait for Isaac to die. When she suns herself, she dies horrifically just like Dracula did - behind her prettiness and good intentions, she really was nothing but a vampire at her core.

bonus: Hector, who has learned to appreciate his own humanity more, decides to travel and meet more people, so that he won't resort to beg for scraps of kindness anymore.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (27 Oct-2 Nov 2024)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊 The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney #3) (Claudia Gray, author; Billie Fulford-Brown, narrator) - A really enjoyable cozy mystery in this austenverse. I did genuinely want to keep reading to find out the solution. However, I'm finding the will they/won't they/miscommunication/misunderstanding BS about Juliet & Jonathan's relationship is really starting to grate, even though the reasons for all the non/miscommunications are marginally reasonable & in character. But I was still quite annoyed with it, and I think I might be over this series for it. By the end at least J&J had talked and are on the same page about their feelings - now the obstacles are external at least, which gives me a bit more patience with it? probably my annoyance will be faded by the time the next one is published & I'll be happy to pick it up again.

😍 A Year in the Life of Sarge's Person (BlueSimplicity) - 189K, incredible post-WS recovery fic - loved how Bucky-focused this was (steve doesn't even appear until like 2/3 of the way thru the fic), loved his found family and of course I loved Sarge. Instant forever fave, stayed up until 2am reading which at my age is no small thing.

🙂 Specks of Silver (vanderloo) - 82K, lightly magical Suits fic- liked the 'small magic' style of this world

🥰 King & Queen (RELIC #3) (Maz Maddox, author; Kirt Graves, narrator) - dino shifters AND drag queens!!!! dino shifters AS drag queens! so much fun!

💖💖 +108K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

an outlier that should not be counted (dadvans) - 9-1-1: bucktommy, 7K - fluffy, cute, very 🥰

Conquest (the_deep_magic) - The Eagle of the Ninth: marcus/esca, 7K - 🔥🔥🔥

Let Me Be Your Porch Light, Baby (AidaRonan) - Stranger Things: steddie, 7K - fuck yes mothman! here for all the monsterfucking!

A Dream Through Open Eyes (neapeaikea) - 9-1-1: bucktommy, 16K - cute, cute, cute!!! love a teacher!Buck AU

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Would I Lie To You? - s8, e6; s16, e5,7

Insert Name Here - s3, e4

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown - s19, e3

Decoding the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Tombstones With Dr. Nicky Nielsen - Session Session 2: Making Stelae & The Offering Formula

Spirits, Saints, and Souls: The Secret History of Halloween With Lisa Morton - Session 3: Halloween As We Know It

Seas The Day: Life Lessons From Cephalopods With Dr. Sarah McAnulty - Session 3: 300 Ways to Be a Squid: A crash course in all the lifestyles squid have carved out over their long history

The Sam Sanders Show - From Indie Videos to Hollywood Hits: Alvarez & Koenig on "English Teacher"

Handsome - Abby Wambach asks about getting back to yourself

Handsome - Pretty Little Episode #11

What We Do In The Shadows - s6, e1-3

Only Murders In The Building - s4, e9-10

D20: Misfits & Magic 2 - "Code Crimson" (s23, e6)

D20: Adventuring Party - "I'm A Good Boy" (s18, e6)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Re: Dracula - October 27: Souls and Memories

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Spooky Week: Elmer McCurdy’s Nine Lives

Re: Dracula - October 28: Awful Straits

Off Menu - Ep 268: Jessica Hynes

The Curious History of Your Home - Sheds

Persuasion by Jane Austen - Persuasion 9. | A Surprise Engagement

The Curious History of Your Home - Baths

Re: Dracula - October 29: Something is Going Out

The Fandom Show - Special Effects Makeup

Switched on Pop - Where are all the scary songs?

NPR's Book of the Day - Al Pacino's memoir 'Sonny Boy' is a story of adventure, starting in the South Bronx

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Agatha All Along

The Allusionist - 202. Singlish Singlish

Re: Dracula - October 30: Council of War

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Spooky Week: Places That Give Us the Creeps

Morning Edition - After nearly 4 months, Shaboozey's 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' drops from No. 1

Morning Edition - It's almost Halloween -- a good time to look at the science behind the sound of fear

⭐ 99% Invisible - How the World Ran Out of Everything

Shedunnit - Vanishing Corpses

The Curious History of Your Home - Lights

⭐ Song Exploder - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young "Our House"

Re: Dracula - October 31: Latest and Truest Thought

NPR's Book of the Day - 'American Scary' documents a cultural obsession with horror in the United States

Re: Dracula - November 1: Instinct with Resolution

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Tom Hanks' Movie Here And What's Making Us Happy

Dear Prudence - My Wife Won’t Stop Correcting My Grammar. Help!

Dear Prudence - Prudie Plus: A Celeb Died. My Friend’s Being A Ghoul.

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Spooky Week: The Story of the Mad Gasser with Colin Dickey

⭐ Wild Card - Kathryn Hahn feels more powerful than ever

Wild Card - Seth Meyers on waiting to propose and Kathryn Hahn's early career struggles

Welcome to Night Vale #257 - Traffic

Re: Dracula - November 2: Deadly Peril

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - Brian Jordan Alvarez

Betwixt The Sheets - What Made You Ugly In The Ancient World

Fresh Air - Alex Van Halen On Eddie, Fire & 'Feeling It'

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Presenting Gordon Lightfoot

Presenting Reba McEntire

Machines of Loving Grace Radio • Popular

The Very Best Of Patsy Cline

Halloween Salsa

Sunshine Soul

Teenage Werewolf Rock

Classic Hard Rock Workout

[xblubotx]

Merry Christmas Adams!!!

I have been trying to unravel the mystery of Doctor Who in my whole life strange way, by watching the old series. But only the ones the interested me. While they aren’t the most exciting, it’s been fun trying to piece all of it together.

I like how the second Doctor is literally a Beatle. He has the haircut and plays a…I can’t remember the name but it is basically a special flute. In the 10th anniversary special, he complains about losing it and the third Doctor says he’ll get him a new one. Later, he finds it but has to use it to stop Omega. Something interesting is that the second Doctor was sentenced to Earth in exile by the high council, leading the way for his new form.

The third Doctor has his own charm. He’s got this Dracula looking get up (which he later changes) and drives around in a yellow car. Apparently the car is the reason why he stayed, but had to get a new own because he stole the first one. A small little detail I don’t know people point out, but when the Doctor gets out of the shower, he has a snake tattoo on his right arm. So metal! In the 10th anniversary special, after defeating Omega, the Doctor is sent something as a sign of forgiveness from the Council, meaning he is no longer in exile. Also one more detail, the Doctor says his name is John Smith. I don’t know if this just for the third Doctor or it’s his actual name but it’s interesting.

All of this seems like it doesn’t matter for the new series, but considering he’s the last Time Lord, and there are other Time Lords present in the classic series, it makes me wonder if the war was something shown in the mysteries 1996 middle era. I call it the middle era, because people don’t say it’s part of the 2005 new series. The way people section this series is weird as hell. I like to have a timeline of when things came out just helps me understand reality better.

That’s about it for now. I do have a tendency to spoil myself on things but personally it doesn’t bother me. Especially if it’s not much given to me and I have to see for myself. It just adds to my curiosity in a way. And for something as long running as Doctor Who, I probably won’t be able to watch it all. At this point, I might as well watch the new series. I just want to give some appreciation for the old series.

[autumnmobile12]

This is an interesting and really vague line, and it’s unfortunate Zamfir’s arc is probably the most rushed subplot in the series.  (I mean, I didn’t really care for what Sumi and Taka had going on, but at least they got a brief flashback explaining their motives.)

So let’s dive into the historical context here:

Since it’s founding in 1310, Wallachia was ruled by the House of Basarab, a family that some historians believe may have migrated from Asia.  Wallachia’s first ruler on record was Basarab the Great.

After the death of Mircea the Old in 1418, a direct descendant of Basarab the Great, the ruling family split into two factions:  Mircea’s descendants through his sons known as the Drăculești and the descendants of his brother, Dan I, known as the Dănești.  This split would become the defining feature of Wallachian politics for this time period.  During the last years of Mircea’s reign, he named his only legitimate son Mihail as co-ruler to ease the transition of power after his death.  Within three years of ruling on his own though, Mihail was overpowered by the Ottoman Empire and the boyar lords under him defected to his cousin Dan II and Wallachia broke into a civil war.  Mihail was killed in the spring of 1420, after which several of his illegitimate half-brothers took up the Drăculești line’s bid for power, fighting the each other as much as Dănești faction.  It’s like Game of Thrones but even more chaos and the bastards are 100% valid players in the eyes of the law and society.

Castlevania takes place in 1476, so in between this year and the year of Mihail I’s death, rule of Wallachia (the Voivodate) would change hands 24 times and see a total of 10 separate rulers, only one of whom would die of natural causes.  (In comparison, England’s throne saw three different occupants in the same amount of time.  Although, one of those three was a usurper and one died under mysterious circumstances of the ‘probably murder’ variety.) So Sypha coming out and guessing that Zamfir is the last of the nobles is thought-provoking in that the royal court was already a hostile place even without Dracula bearing down on the capital.

Zamfir’s psychosis may have deeper roots than what happened when Dracula attacked, and I really want to explore that further.  ‘Last person of noble birth’ can have a few meanings.  The Wallachian nobility were the boyar lords, whose power and influence was dependent on wealth and/or land.  At court, there was the princely council who advised (or schemed against) the ruling prince, and there were also a few court positions that weren’t part of the council.  More to the point, Wallachia’s society behaved the same way as most European nations did at the time: ‘You have no power for you are but a woman.’

As for the mummified corpses in the Underground Court, in the interest of loose historical accuracy, the dead prince could only be Vlad III Dracula of House Drăculești.  In November of 1476, Vlad III usurped the throne from Basarab III, who had held it since 1474 after killing his predecessor Radu III (Vlad III’s younger brother, actually.)  In December of that year, Basarab III returned to Wallachia and took back the throne, killing Vlad III in the process.  Basarab III would live another four years.  In addition, the capital of Wallachia was moved from Târgovişte to Bucharest this same year.  So intentional or not on the creators’ part, the show roughly matches up with the historical timeline.  There’s also the fact that it’s not entirely clear exactly how Vlad III died and there is some speculation by historians that Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the historical Dracula only share the same name and the latter was not the actual inspiration for the former.

It’s a bit of a stretch to say Vlad III Dracula and the vampire Vlad Dracula Ţepeş were intended to be two separate people in the series, so I won’t go out there and make that claim.  The mummified royals are probably just nameless artifacts for the plot and we are definitely in speculation, headcanon, string and thumbtacks territory now.

Still, the ‘last person of noble birth’ line does have me wondering what Zamfir’s connection to the court is aside from ‘leader of the Târgovişte resistance.’  Daughter of a courtier, daughter of a council lord, or daughter of the ruling prince himself?