#i think bram stoker would be proud of us

[ash-tree-eyes]

Dracula Daily holidays are so funny to me. Every other day I’ll log onto tumblr and see people being like “HAPPY LIZARD FASHION DAY EVERYONE!!” or “foul bauble of man’s vanity day my beloved <3”. I love how we all agree that some parts of this book are so iconic that they must be celebrated. We haven’t even hit Shovel Day yet

[kjcreed]

The Jewel of Seven Stars | Chapter 3

Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Series Masterlist Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Warnings: profanity; illegal transportation (again); shotgun

Pronouns: they/them

Summary: The year is 1954. 9 years after the Second World War ended. Most people in the blooming city of New York should be living pretty peacefully by now. And most of them really are... Well, except for you... And your brother Tony for that matter. Your father was an archaeologist working to uncover the truth about the legend of Queen Nefret and the prophecy that has been engraved on the walls of her tomb which your father discovered with his team. The only problem is that he went missing and now it's your job to find him. But what if you unintentionally become a part of said prophecy? And what if you meet a persistent librarian and her extravagant brother along the way?

Disclaimer: This story is inspired by the 1999 film The Mummy, partly inspired by the book The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker and a little by the life of Queen Hatshepsut.

-

“So… do we know what the first thing we’re going after is?” You heard the voice of the younger twin beside you and when you looked towards her, you watched as she matched her step with yours as the four of you walked through the streets of the port city on the small island.

“Tony and I think it’s probably a talisman of some sort.” You shrugged your shoulders a little. “You do know about the legend of Queen Nefret, right?” You inquired as you glanced at the woman beside you again. She looked strangely enchanting with the colours of the sunset reflecting on her skin. For some reason, you felt like you never wanted to take your eyes off of her.

“Yes… yes, I do.” She nodded in confirmation and looked back up at you. She really wasn’t bad to look at at all. “Well, I think that the talisman could actually be a tyet amulet…” You continue explaining your theory as you look at Pietro and Tony walking in front of you, talking about god knows what.

“The knot of Isis?” Wanda asked and you smiled to yourself at the fact that she actually knew what you meant. When you tried to explain your theory to Tony, he looked at you as if you were crazy for thinking he knew what a tyet amulet was and why it was even relevant.

“Yeah… According to the legend, Nefret was a sorceress. It would make sense for her to use objects associated with Isis… or Aset, if we want to be culturally accurate…” You trail off and look at the girl again. She looked like she was thinking about what you were saying and you could notice the exact moment it clicked for her and you couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“Because Isis is the goddess of magic, amongst other things.” Wanda said with a proud smile and you nodded in confirmation. “Exactly.” You and Wanda looked at each other for a moment and it reminded you of the first time that you met. You got lost in your own thoughts as you looked at the girl and for Wanda, it was the same.

She felt very intrigued by you. Ever since you almost knocked her over the railing of the ship you were trespassing on. For some unknown reason, she was dying to get to know you better. She knew she was looking at you for too long now, but so were you.

She didn’t want to look away. Something about the mischief in your eyes and your unpredictable behaviour pulled her in. It was only when her brother wrapped his arm around her shoulders with a hearty laugh that she snapped out of her haze.

“Are you two nerdy nerds done nerding? Because Tony and I just found us a boat.” The blonde man said with a grin on his face, motioning to the pier you suddenly appeared to be in front of.

Both you and Wanda look away from each other to look ahead towards the sea but before you do, you think you notice something resembling a blush on the girl’s cheeks.

You notice Tony talking to an older guy who had a tobacco pipe hanging from his lips loosely. You watch them for a little while and decide to walk over to them when you see the man get irritated by what your brother is saying.

“No passengers!” You hear the man exclaim when you walk up to them. You pat your brother on his back when the man makes a shooing motion at the both of you and you drag Tony back to where you were standing with Pietro and Wanda. “What happened?” You turn to your brother with an amused smile.

“He was already heading there anyway so I asked him if he could take us with him but he basically told me to fuck off.” Tony threw his arms up in frustration making you laugh a little which earned you a punch in the arm and a glare.

“Well… You know what that means…” A mischievous grin spreads across your face and Tony shoots you a warning look. “No. No way. I’m not doing that again.” He protested, shaking his head dismissively. “What are they talking about?” Wanda asked your brother with her eyebrows furrowed. “They want to sneak onto the ship.” Tony sighed and Wanda raised her eyebrows at you for confirmation and you shrugged your shoulders.

“Oh, because that worked out so well for you the last time.” Wanda commented sarcastically as she put her hands on her hips just like when you got kicked out of the inn. You couldn’t help but find her attempt at being firm rather amusing. “We made it here, did we not?” You snark back a reply with that stupid smile on your face making Wanda scoff in return.

“I dunno… It could be fun.” Pietro shrugged his shoulders and went to stand next to you, making you nudge him with your elbow as a sign of appreciation for being on your side. Wanda, however, gave him an unamused look.

“No. We’re not doing this.” Tony stood his ground and to be honest, you couldn’t really blame him. It’s not every day that you’re being shot at while swimming for your life towards an unfamiliar island.

You also knew that you didn’t have any other option. While you were walking towards Tony and the man you noticed that his ship was the only one on your side of the port and to your luck he was already headed where you needed to go.

“And what else do you want us to do, Tony?” You cross your arms over your chest and give your brother an irritated look. “I don’t know! Wait for another ship or something?”

You shook your head at your brother’s words. “We can’t waste any more time. Did you forget that our father is missing?” The determined look on your face told Tony that there was no way he would convince you otherwise so he just sighed in defeat. “Fine.” He also knew you were kind of right, but he would never admit that to your face.

“What?!” Wanda looked at the three of you bewildered that this was actually going to be your plan. “You cannot be serious-” “Sorry, Wands. Three against one.” Pietro interrupted his sister’s protests and Wanda shot you a glare in return. You gave her a playful smile before focusing your attention on her brother who leaned towards you. “So... how are we gonna do this?”

-

“Woah. What was that?” Wanda gripped her brother's clothes as the wooden floor under your feet shook a little. “That means we’re off.” You say with an excited smile and look around the small storage room you managed to sneak into while the owner wasn’t around.

You waited there for about an hour before the man finally set sail and now the four of you were crammed inside what you were sure to be the smallest room on the ship. If you could even call the man’s vehicle a ship. It was something between a ship and a boat really…

“Get comfortable because this is going to take a couple of hours…” You say, the smile not leaving your face and Wanda and Tony let out small groans of dissatisfaction.

Earlier when you got to the storage room, it was pitch black in there. Luckily you managed to find two small candles and Tony always carried a lighter in his pocket. It wasn’t much, but the dim light that illuminated the room just added to the atmosphere.

The four of you sat on the ground, surrounding the only source of light you had. You used the time you had to get to know each other a little bit better. You found out that Pietro and Wanda were originally from a small country in Central Europe called Sokovia but moved to America with their parents when they were little kids. You and Tony told them about your father and his research along with a few anecdotes from your childhood.

Tony and Pietro were engaged in a conversation about Tony’s projects and how he was working to be an electronic engineer and you were just pondering about the journey ahead of you when Wanda sat a little closer to you and pulled your dad’s book out of her satchel.

“I forgot to give you this back…” She handed you the book and you looked at it before looking back up at her. “So you’re not mad at me anymore?” Your teasing smile made Wanda annoyed a little bit but she still had to hold in a giggle threatening to escape her lips.

“I am…” She replied but you could see in her eyes that she didn’t really mean it. Annoyed? Yes. But mad? Very unlikely. “But I’m not a thief.” She tilted her chin upwards a little and you were amused, to say the least. You looked at the book before pushing it slightly away from you.

“You can hold onto it if you want.” You say and give her a more sincere smile this time. She was a little taken aback by your offer but accepted it nonetheless. “Thank you.” Her voice was quieter than before and she looked away from you a small smile grazing her lips.

You noticed she had a really nice smile. The girl was very pretty overall but her smile might be your favourite feature of hers yet. You got lost in the way the light from the candle reflected in her greenish eyes and it took you a moment to reply to her. “It’s no problem. I have the whole thing pretty much memorised…” You shrug your shoulders nonchalantly. “Wow… I didn’t know you were such a nerd about dad’s stuff.” You heard the teasing voice of your brother making you groan a little.

“I’m not! I was just bored in the house sometimes…” You tried to defend yourself even though you knew your brother wasn’t really buying it. “Oh dad would’ve loved to see this.” Tony nudges you and you roll your eyes. “Shut up, Tony.” Your cheeks were starting to have a faint red tint to them and you could feel it. That’s why you tried to change the subject as quickly as you could. Wanda thought it was amusing and kind of adorable.

“Can I look at the map from the book real quick?” The fond smile that was playing on Wanda’s lips fell as soon as those words left your mouth. You notice the girl exchange a worried look with her brother and it makes you furrow your eyebrows while you look between the two of them. “What?” You quirked your eyebrow at the twins.

“Well… Uh… We…” Pietro’s stammering induced an unpleasant feeling in the pit of your stomach. “We… kinda burned it.” You and Tony looked at each other with wide eyes before you turned to the twins with unbelieving looks. “You what?!” Your voice was a couple of octaves higher than normal and you stood up from your spot on the ground.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” You couldn’t believe what you just heard. The only thing that could actually lead you to your lost father was gone. Burned to a crisp. Just like that. Sure… You somewhat remembered the locations that were marked on the map… But what if you’re wrong? And this whole thing goes to shit?

“Y/N… You need to calm down…” The voice of your brother stopped you from spiralling for a moment. “Calm down?” You snap back at your brother and Wanda and Pietro exchange worried glances. “Just sit down before-” Your brother was cut off by the sound of the door opening and a shotgun being loaded. You froze in place and slowly turned around only to be faced with the owner of the boat pointing a shotgun at your stomach. “Fuck…”

-

“Easy there, cowboy.” You say with your hands up as the man shoves you forward with his shotgun. “You want to get shot in head?” He said with a foreign accent, probably Spanish if you had to guess, as he raised the weapon at you.

You feel someone step on your foot making you wince and when you look to your side you see Tony giving you a pointed look. “Sorry, sorry.” You tell the man quickly and look back at him.

“I say no passengers. You not speak English?” You and your companions were huddled together with your arms raised, the man holding you at gunpoint on the deck of his ship.

“We’re really sorry, but we needed to get to Isla de Los Despiertos. We’re looking for my father and we had no other choice.” You explain. Your voice is a little shaky from nervousness since you could be shot dead any second.

The man slowly lowers his weapon and tilts his head at you. “So you not tourists?” He inquires. You and your companions exchange confused glances at the question. When you don’t reply, the man raises the shotgun again, making you become alarmed once again. “No! No, no. We’re not tourists!” You respond quickly and the man squints his eyes at the four of you, scanning you from head to toe.

You breathe out a sigh of relief when the man lowers his gun with a grumble. “I hate tourists.” Wanda and Pietro look at each other in amusement as they hear him exclaim. The man puts his gun down and crosses his arms over his chest as he looks at you again.

“Why you want to go to Isla de Los Despiertos?” He quirked an eyebrow at the four of you. It was Wanda who spoke up this time. “We are searching for an amulet… it should be somewhere in the ruins of Amfazar.” She explained, remembering the name on that little piece of the burned map. You were a little surprised by how confident her tone of voice was. You liked this side of her.

The man stared at her for a long moment before he suddenly burst out laughing. And it lasted for a while. He only stopped once he noticed that the rest of you weren’t as amused as he was. He looked back at you and his eyes widened slightly.

“Oh… You serious?”

-

Author's Note

Heyo! Back at it again with another chapter I hope you enjoy. Thank you so much for the likes, reblogs and positive comments on this series, dear reader! Isla de Los Despiertos is supposed to translate to Isle of The Awakened from Spanish, just to clear things up... You'll hopefully find out what that means in the next chapter :)

Thank you for reading and see you again soon!

Series Masterlist Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2

[thethirdromana]

I was gonna ask you some stuff about Quincey and the aftermath of the Civil War, but that wasn't really near the 1890s so idk if it's relevant.

Also similar to Mina maybe supporting eugenics I would imagine Seward probably engages in a lot of pseudosciences

But more interestingly, what do you think Dracula's politics would be? He's pretty removed from human society by being a vampire and his home in Transylvania is pretty remote, but he was still a nobleman there and he was moving to England, which he planned to conquer. I'm curious where he'd fall, when pretending to be and working with (?) humans in Romanian politics (if you feel like researching it) and English politics. Another cool layer to this is if you subscribe to the popular theory that he's really Vlad the Impaler. What would a warlord from the mid-1400s think of the politics 400 or so years later? That's barely even thinking about him being a vampire.

Also, what would Renfield's politics be like?

Quincey and the aftermath of the Civil War is a fascinating question that I will definitely leave for someone who knows more US history than I do.

Dracula, on the other hand... first of all, the relevant set of politics is Hungarian, not Romanian. Transylvania was part of Austria-Hungary in the 1890s. There's actually an interesting story here, in that vampire myth was originally associated primarily with Hungary. Then Bram Stoker set Dracula in Transylvania, which became part of Romania in 1920, and Romania ended up inheriting vampire myths in the process. Which has generally done the Romanian tourist industry no harm at all. (Though when I was in Bucharest last weekend, my lovely tour guide, Andrea, was clearly a bit annoyed by people asking about it).

Anyway, we have a decent sense of what Dracula's politics are, because he spells them out on May 8: he's proud to be part of a fighting, conquering race, he values "warlike days", he disdains peasants, and he generally holds that might makes right.

Given his pride in "beating the Turk on his own ground", I think we can assume that he didn't approve of Austria-Hungary's neutrality in the Russo-Turkish War in 1877-8.

In some ways he fits into contemporary society. He is a boyar, one of the highest rank of feudal nobility, who retained a great deal of power in 1890s Austria-Hungary. Where in the UK the growth of industry made the middle classes wealthier, in Austria-Hungary that wealth often went straight back to the nobility. Just six percent of the population had the right to vote in general elections, compared with 18% in the UK (meanwhile New Zealand had universal suffrage from 1893).

But Dracula is still a product of an earlier time. He wants to increase his power through conquest, not through modernising his estate or being appointed to the board of directors of a bank. And while Austria-Hungary did grow through conquest (occupying Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, for instance), it wasn't at nearly the same scale as other contemporary empires - for example, Austria-Hungary didn't take part in the Scramble for Africa.

Honestly, it makes perfect sense that Dracula would want to come to Britain. If he wanted conquest, carried out with indifference to cruelty, he would have got on extremely well with Cecil Rhodes. To an extent this is what the story of Dracula is about: what if foreigners came to Britain and did to us what we do to them? The War of the Worlds, published at the same time, asks essentially the same question but with aliens.

(This is the bit where someone comes along and says yes, but don't forget that Bram Stoker was Irish. Which is true, but he was also a supporter of the British Empire.)

As for Renfield, most of what we learn about his politics comes from October 1. He's from high society and is a member of the Windham Club. He celebrates the roles Quincey, Van Helsing and Arthur play "by nationality, by heredity, or by the possession of natural gifts" - in other words, he seems to be open to people advancing themselves through meritocracy, but also through hereditary rights. To me, this reads as conservative, but not reactionary.

One thing that does strike me is that his point about Texas - celebrating its admittance to the Union - relates to history that was 50 years old at that point (Unless I'm misunderstanding the reference?). Renfield is 59 during the events of Dracula. Is the implication here that he's stuck in the past? We don't know how long he's been institutionalised, but since his memories of Arthur's father relate to youthful drinking games, it could be 30 years or more. He may be disconnected from contemporary politics - and given how much the world changed in the late 19th century, that could make for quite a shock if he'd ever had the chance to learn more.

As ever, I'm not a historian, and other people should feel free to offer corrections.

[babybatscreationsv2]

I watched Deadpool and Wolverine and I have thoughts

Spoiler buffer for people with notifications on

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First of all

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ELEKTRA

I cannot believe I saw my girl Elektra again and yes I would have cried and thrown up if they killed her. If Blade and Gambit are both getting a new movie where's Elektra's?? I say we riot. And I'm only a little bit kidding. Spider-Man needs a new mother figure after all. How about an Elektra/Jessica Drew team up? OMG I'm just realizing they could have put her in the canceled Shang-Chi film. Does the Hand never face off with the Ten Rings? You would think a couple of a martial artist gangs would have a rivalry. We could have been shipping Elektra and Xialing 😭

Okay actual movie thoughts

Yes the car scene was in fact a sex scene and I don't even think that's even debatable. You can't tell me Hugh Jackman threw his head back like that and groaned like he was fucking cumming and it wasn't an analogy for sex and then following it up with a pan away/sunset shot? It was 100% an ode to the many gay writers who hid their desire to penetrate another man through swords, guns, and fangs. Bram Stoker would be proud

Do not watch this movie if you're uncomfortable with inappropriate sexual touching, or language for that matter. Everyone's getting sexually assaulted and it's a joke every time, but at least they call it what it is I guess?

I feel like the amount of graphic sex jokes was to cover for the fact that they were told not to joke too much about drug use. Although choosing to joke about how they can't do coke was possibly my favorite joke, don't ask me why

They sure did let that little people joke in there though... yikes. Disney is really begging people with dwarfism to jump their asses this year

The weakest part of the film was definitely the villain dialog. I guess they didn't want any big plot twisty reveals because man these dudes came out monologing and like who asked? Nobody. Why are they talking so much?

I have a genuine love for Happy becoming the new Stan Lee cameo. I just love that man as a character and it feels right that he has a hand in everything.

I saw someone on here pouting about the photo of Tony and Peter together and how Peter's face was covered BUT ACTUALLY it's a running gag in the comics that Deadpool can't see Spider-Man's face or hear his name. Even if Peter takes his mask off right in front of him the "Marvel censors" hide it from Wade and I hope to god that's why they covered it because it'll be so damn funny if and when they're both in a film together

Speaking of funny, the comedy in this film was so well done. They poured most of the jokes out in the first act and left room for the movie and the characters to be taken seriously. I'm here praying that the other Marvel writers take notes because while I'm a very emotional person who requires comic relief to get through most movies without crying, we all know the humor in Marvel films is getting to be a bit much.

I was holding my breath during the big team up thinking it was going to be Deadpool 2/Suicide Squad all over again, but they actually got to have their hero moment and it was beautiful.

But WTF? Why did Blade and Gambit get a big moment where they show off their skills but Elektra gets half the screen time during the fight and her moment is just her kicking someone? She has magic ninja abilities?? She could have also done something cool?? The martial arts stuff was cool in her stand alone film, it doesn't impress in a crowd of people who know how to fight. At least let her skillfully throw her sais or something, damn.

And how good is Channing Tatum as Gambit? I'm not a Channing Tatum fan or anything, but damn does he nail it.

NICEPOOL I love Nicepool, I have no idea what Deadpool variants exist in the comics because I actually hate multiverse stuff that isn't spiderverse, BUT it's canon that if Deadpool were to stop killing people that he would become pretty again and I love that there's a universe where's he just insanely nice and handsome mostly because I don't think they would ever make a Spider-Man/Deadpool film so at least we acknowledged that this happens, sorta, they don't really talk about why he's pretty and our Deadpool isn't

I love how it was a Deadpool film, but also everyone got their moment. It was barely even about him. He was the vehicle through which Wolverine and Nova and Laura got to tell their stories and it worked really well

I also feel like Wade getting Johnny killed felt weird and mildly out of character. He's an asshole, not a sadist. There's a big difference. If they wanted him dead to get rid of Chris Evans and still have their cameo, it didn't have to be Wade's fault

Wade and Logan recognizing Chris's face as belonging to Steve also sets a precedent for RDJ playing Doom. (It also means that yes people in universe will recognize him and angst will happen, I'm still crossing my fingers that there's multiple Dooms)

I give the whole thing a 4/5 had a good time, few complaints

[twistedtummies2]

Top 15 Portrayals of Mina Harker

As I said in my past list, the famous Van Helsing is actually NOT the main character of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” He’s the leader of the team, sure, but he’s more along the lines of Merlin in Arthurian lore, rather than the main protagonist proper. It’s hard to say who the main protagonist of Dracula is, really, since the structure of the book makes it rather ensemble in nature…but if I had to cast a vote, I’d probably say that Mina Harker (nee Murray) is the best option for that role.

I say this because, in the same breath, I would also say that Mina is one of the most maligned characters in all of literature, and certainly in the long history of Dracula. And not just in adaptations, either: even the novel ITSELF shortchanges Mina by the end of the book. In the novel, Mina is intended to be Stoker’s idealization of the “New Woman,” a concept prevalent in Victorian times: a feminist icon who is still good at heart, and still able to have feminine leanings, but is also just as competent, willful, intelligent, and interesting as any of the male characters in the book, if not more so. She’s one of the most proactive characters in the novel, as she and Van Helsing are really the ones who lead the charge against Dracula. She’s even the one who helps lead the other characters to the vampire in the climactic final chapters…yet despite this, she plays almost no role in the final battle against the Count. Neither does Van Helsing, for that matter. They just…kind of watch the other characters take care of things. 

On top of that - and this is something critics have pointed out many times since the novel’s publication - this “strong working woman’s” oh-so-glamorous job is…being a secretary. And Stoker’s cast tries to build that up as if it’s something to be REALLY freaking proud of, as if Mina is the world’s coolest gal because she’s so good at this particular job. There’s nothing wrong with that profession at all, of course…but I think most can agree that’s not really the kind of work that those in favor of the “New Woman” ideal had in mind, then or since.

These flaws are fairly minor in the grand scheme of the novel, I would argue…but one could see them as portents of the mistreatment Mina has suffered in adaptations and reimaginings since. Many versions of Mina depict her as little more than a damsel in distress; a much weaker character who ultimately is only there to be saved by the rest of the cast. Others take the liberty of crafting a romantic subplot between herself and Dracula; sometimes this angle CAN be interesting, if it’s handled a certain way, but I often feel it’s a total misunderstanding of the intent behind her character. Plus, it makes things difficult, since Mina IS a married woman (or at least engaged, depending on the version you look at), and I think most of us can agree that creates some questionable subtexts. Even her NAME is subject to mismanagement: in some adaptations, Mina is referred to as “Lucy,” while the Lucy character is swapped to “Mina,” which only confuses things more. With all that said, there’s no better way to look at how Mina has evolved over the years than for me to present the versions of her I like most from all the Dracula-related stuff I’ve gathered. (pauses) Well, actually, there probably ARE better ways, but this is my technique. So, having rambled all your ears off by now, let’s waste no more time: here are My Top 15 Portrayals of Mina Harker!

15. Agnes Moorehead, from the Mercury Theater Radio Version.

Moorehead, of course, is a fantastic actress, and her performance, on its own accord, is pretty good. However, the Mercury Theater’s treatment of the novel’s plot - which had to be highly truncated for time - means that the character doesn’t even appear till I think about halfway through the entire production. As a result, a lot of what makes Mina so interesting isn’t really present in the radio show. Still, hearing future Endora as Mina makes for some interesting listening, if nothing else.

14. Kate Shindle, from Dracula: The Musical (2011 Studio Cast Recording).

Frank Wildhorn’s musical version of Dracula has a LOT of problems, not the least of which being the way it treats Mina’s character. This is one of several versions that tries to create a romance between Dracula and Mina, and in my opinion the execution of this concept here is…well…not the greatest. Tie this to some of the musical’s other flaws (there are several), and you can see why she ranks low. However, I will give credit to Kate Shindle - an actress I admire greatly, who has worked on several Wildhorn projects - for her work in the role on the 2011 Studio Cast Recording, who probably made this role work about as good as anybody reasonably could manage.

13. Melissa Stribling, from the Hammer Horror Films.

Hammer’s first Dracula film, “Horror of Dracula” (as it’s known in the states), is quite possibly my favorite Dracula movie of all time. (“Favorite.” Not “best.” I will always contend that there is a difference.) With this in mind, I’ve always felt mixed feelings about Mina’s treatment in the movie. Actress Melissa Stribling does a very good job, and I will say this is one of the first versions of Mina I think of when I think of the character’s name. HOWEVER, her ultimate role is essentially just being “the housewife,” so to speak: she isn’t nearly as proactive as in the novel, and while she does START to turn thanks to Dracula in the film, we never get far enough to see the full contrast between her true self and her half-vampiric change, which I’ve always felt to be one of the most interesting parts of her story arc. Also, it’s worth pointing out that the Hammer version (for reasons no one can explain whatsoever) swaps characters around: everyone has their names right, but for some reason Mina is depicted as Arthur Holmwood’s wife, while Jonathan Harker is instead engaged to Lucy. One of many times where characters are fiddled around with for no apparent reason, as you’ll see.

12. Maria Rohm, from the 1970 Jess Franco Film.

Rohm’s Mina is one of the stronger versions on this list, as she is counsel to just about everything the men do in the story, tries to save Lucy from Dracula, and even interrogates Renfield at one point, nearly getting killed in the process. However, much like in the novel, she’s ultimately shortchanged by having basically nothing to do with the Count’s final defeat, and I personally felt still more could have been done with the character than the film ultimately tried. It’s hard to explain, but I just don’t feel I can, in proper conscience, place her higher.

11. CindyMarie Small, from Dracula: Pages From a Virgin’s Diary.

As I said on my previous list, in this surrealist dance-based motion picture, all of the male characters from the story are depicted as…well…creeps and jerks, to put things in the kindest possible words. As a result, the two primary female characters - Lucy and Mina - take center stage as the true heroines of the story. In Mina’s case, she proves to be the stronger lady, as - after being kidnapped by Dracula and whisked back to his Castle - she is able to resist the vampire’s temptation and actually helps the men take down Dracula. In fact, one could argue it’s really Mina who is responsible for the Count’s defeat; she doesn’t drive the stake through his heart, but the men could not have done it without her help. Ironically (and intentionally so), the men take all the credit despite this, and still treat Mina like a child or a trophy in the end. Ah, the patriarchy of Victoriana…what foolery…

10. Helen Chandler, from the 1931 Film.

Chandler’s Mina is arguably one of the weakest versions of the character on the list, so it’s probably surprising for many to see her so high up. Well, the fact of the matter is that I really like the classic Universal version of Dracula (despite the fact several elements of it have admittedly not aged very well), and - much like Stribling - Chandler is one of the first versions of Mina I think about when I utter the character’s name. In the Universal film, Chandler’s Mina is very much depicted as a damsel in distress; ironically, it’s LUCY who is depicted as more of a “modern woman,” despite smaller screentime. (More on that another occasion.) Instead, Chandler is more of the typical society lady: repressed, glamorous, and idealistic. Dracula’s corruption of Mina, turning her into a vampire and causing her to become attracted to him (in here not so much a love story so much as just another way of him controlling her), is symbolic of the vampire’s influence corrupting her innocence and the order of society as a whole. While this is totally NOT what Stoker’s idea for the relationship was (this is actually more what he tried to do with Lucy than with Mina), I do like Chandler’s performance. She goes through various stages, from a prim and proper young lady to someone more playful and sensual…and finally seeing her go into vampire mode, where she behaves more like an animal than a human being with a deeply unsettling, predatory slowness that really plays into the idea of the undead. Not accurate at all, but very unique.

9. Lupita Tovar, from “Spanish Dracula.”

For those who don’t know, the “Spanish Dracula” is the colloquial reference to the Spanish-language version of the classic Universal film from 1931. Due to the technical and budgetary standards of the time, whenever a movie like this was going to be released to other countries, instead of doing dubbing or subtitles, studios would basically just make the film all over again, using the same sets and often a lot of the same costumes, but now with a different cast and crew all speaking that language. Tovar’s Mina - or “Eva,” as she’s called in the Spanish version - is honestly more interesting than Chandler’s. Tovar’s Mina is more vivacious, youthful, and has a sort of fiery quality to her performance, which becomes downright manic and feral when she goes into vampire mode, making for a more memorable character, in my opinion. It’s the same basic character, but much less “stiff.”

8. Minnie Mouse, from Disney’s Dracula, Starring Mickey Mouse.

Here’s a shocker for you: this might be one of the most book-accurate Minas, in some ways, on this entire list. No joke. One of the things I love about the graphic novel version of “Dracula Starring Mickey Mouse” is that the people who made it clearly loved the original book and gave it a VERY thorough read. A lot of the humor and intrigue in the comic comes from stuff that you will only get if you actually read the original book. Case in point: Minnie makes for a PERFECT Mina Harker, as, like Mina, Minnie - by typical default - is able to be romantic and sweet, but is also perfectly capable of standing up for herself and won’t hesitate to give somebody a piece of her mind if she needs to. She has the same role in the storybook version, which is only appropriate.

7. Greta Schroder, from Nosferatu.

It’s weird that the Mina character from the very first true Dracula film (not counting the lost film “Dracula’s Death,” which is a whole other can of worms) is still one of the best, in my opinion. In the 1922 German Expressionist classic, the Mina character is “Ellen Hutter,” the wife of Thomas Hutter, the Jonathan character. She is once again the main character; a woman pure of heart (film’s words, not mine), who is tormented throughout the film by the vampire’s powers. Yet she struggles on, determined to find a way to destroy the vampire herself, ignoring her husband’s fears. Eventually, she finds out the only way to defeat Orlok (Dracula) is to sacrifice herself, and does so to save her hometown. Admittedly, she’s also shown fainting about…five times throughout the picture, but to be fair, if I had to deal with a vampire like Orlok, I’d have trouble staying conscious, too.

6. Ellie Beaven, from the 2006 BBC Radio Version.

Honestly, not sure what to say about Beaven’s work in the BBC Radio version. (Obviously, no, she is not in costume for Mina in this image, but she certainly looks like she’d fit the bill there.) I just think she does a really good job, plain and simple. Also, this is one of two versions I’m aware of where Mina and Lucy are depicted as being sisters, instead of just being best friends. Doesn’t really impact the story, but the other one was also made by the BBC. You may now insert the “If I had a nickel” meme here, if you care to.

5. Winona Ryder, from the 1992 Film.

I really struggled with where to place Winona Ryder’s Mina in the ranks here. Some people will probably think she’s much, MUCH too high up, while others will think that, despite making the Top 5, she’s too far down. I actually used a method a friend suggested: looking at the highest placement I could put Ryder’s Mina at for me, and the lowest I felt was earned, and finding the median between them. That median just so happened to be either 5th or 6th place, and between Ryder and Beaven, I do think I prefer the former SLIGHTLY (though, once more, I'm not sure why), so fifth place it was. Ryder’s Mina tries to combine the strong, independent, capable, charming lady from the book with a raw, sexual edge and a romantic daliance with Dracula, and…in my opinion, the result is something of a mixed bag. As popular as this film is, and the way Mina and Dracula’s romance is depicted, I actually feel the writing is clumsy on Mina’s part, in terms of her motivations and the way her relationships with other characters are depicted. HOWEVER, I think that Winona Ryder gives one of her absolute best performances in this movie, and her work as Mina is probably the first performance of hers I think of when I think of the actress. She manages to maneuver skillfully through the clutter and creates an interesting character to watch as a result. Ultimately, Number Five just felt like the best balance between the pros and cons for me.

4. Kate Nelligan, from the 1979 Film.

When it comes to versions of Mina who have a romantic daliance with a more sympathetic Dracula, I think Kate Nelligan was the first…and I would also say that she was the best. I should point out, on that note, that this film is one of the ones I mentioned before where the names of Mina and Lucy are switched: Nelligan’s character is NAMED “Lucy,” but the actual character HERSELF is clearly meant to be Mina. Apparently, this change was made simply because the writers liked the name “Lucy” better, which…is a bit of a dumb reason, in my opinion, as it just makes things more confusing, but whatever. I’m going to continue to refer to the character as “Mina” here, for consistency’s sake. In my opinion, Nelligan’s version succeeds at what the Ryder version (among others) would later try to accomplish: depicting Mina as a strong and competent woman who can stand up for herself and has full agency in her life, while also creating some interesting tension by having her form a romantic attachment to Dracula, and ALSO still having her relationship with Jonathan ongoing. How did they do this? Eh, watch the movie yourself to find out and see if you agree; I haven’t got time to go through it all here.

3. Isabelle Adjani, from Nosferatu the Vampyre.

Just like our previous pick, this version once again reverses character names, with this character being called “Lucy,” even though the actual role is clearly that of Mina, and vice-versa. It also came out the same year as the previous pick, 1979. (Again, insert “if I had a nickel” meme here.) This remake of “Nosferatu” (the first of no less than three, the other two of which have yet to gain public release) expands on the version found in the original film, showing even more of the character’s struggles as she tries to combat the vampire, even having her directly confront Dracula at one point. Interestingly, Dracula is depicted as a sympathetic character in this one, but he and Mina do NOT have a romantic interest in one another; that’s very rare in adaptations. Just like in the original version, Mina ultimately sacrifices herself to stop Dracula, and since Dracula is depicted as a sympathetic antagonist as well, that makes the ending all the more tragic.

2. The Version from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

If there’s one way to make Mina independent, it’s to completely separate her from the rest of the cast in “Dracula.” I’m talking about the comic version here, by the way, not the one played by Peta Wilson in the 2004 film adaptation. While Wilson’s Mina isn’t BAD, per say, she is…very, VERY different from the one in the Alan Moore comic series. In the original comics, Mina is actually the leader of the titular League. She has no powers in the comics, but is instead depicted as a capable and charismatic leader, as well as a surprisingly gifted strategist; after her adventures in the novel, Mina has actually become an even stronger woman than before, and shows no fear in the face of opposition from characters like Mr. Hyde or the Invisible Man. She forms a unique romantic relationship with Allan Quartermain, and has some…COMPLICATED feelings in regards to her past, and especially towards the (presumed late) Count Dracula. Again, the movie version isn’t necessarily bad on her own merits, but the comic is definitely a more interesting character between the two.

1. Judi Bowker, from the 1977 BBC TV Film.

This TV production is quite possibly the most book-faithful adaptation of the novel ever put to the screen. By extension of this same fact, Bowker’s pretty-but-not-prissy Mina is quite possibly the most accurate interpretation of her character ever put to the screen, as well. The only major change for her character is that this is the other BBC rendition I mentioned where Mina and Lucy are made to be sisters, rather than just best friends, but this really doesn’t cause a HUGE impact on the story. Indeed, Bowker’s Mina even gets some slight IMPROVEMENTS from the original, as she and Van Helsing take direct part in the final battle, instead of just watching it happen like in the novel. Easily the best Mina onscreen, bar none.

[thislittlekumquat]

Saw all the cool (?) kids doing this on booktube for their 2023 reading, and while I don't think a tiermaker style chart is quite right for comparing some of these books (like how am I supposed to compare The Haunting of Hill House with like. How to Resist Amazon and Why?)

Anyways, S tier is my personal biases, just my absolute faves of the year, no notes. A tier is very good, would recommend to basically any reader without caveats. B tier is "If you're really into this type of thing or have the necessary historiographical context and use your critical thinking skills (as relevant), solid read, worth your time". C tier is like. I've read much worse, but honestly disappointing, though there were at least a few redeeming qualities. D tier is no, definitely skip.

I'm still figuring out how well storygraph works to non-users, but if you're curious to see any further details on these books: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/ovvlish

Titles and authors in the order they appear, because the images are small. For the manga, some I started this year, others are ongoing reads for me, and I only included one volume of each. All told it was 65 books, so you can see I read a lot of tankubon!

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries - Heather Fawcett

Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) - Yana Toboso

Gideon the Ninth | Harrow the Ninth | Nona the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir

The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

Witch Hat Atelier - Kamome Shirahama

Death on the Nile | The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie

My Man Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse

Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief - Maurice Leblanc

The Ancient Magus' Bride - Kore Yamazaki

Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon) - Ryoko Kui

Dracula - Bram Stoker

The Future of the Past - Alexander Stille

How to Resist Amazon and Why - Danny Caine

The Evil Wizard Smallbone - Delia Sherman

The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan

Stiff - Mary Roach

A Mighty Fortress - Steven Ozment

Showa - Shigeru Mizuki

The Proud Tower - Barbara W. Tuchman

The Cruel Prince - Holly Black

Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales - Mel Gillman

The Stripping of the Altars - Eamon Duffy

Twisted Wonderland - Yana Toboso/Wakana Hazuki/Sumire Kowono

The Relic Master - Christopher Buckley

The German Empire, 1870-1918 - Michael Stürmer

Versions of History from Antiquity to the Enlightenment - Donald R. Kelley

Cast Iron Baking - Dominique De Vito

The Bear and the Nightingale - Katherine Arden

Bea Wolf - Zach Weinersmith/Boulet

Testimony of Light - Helen Greaves

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

The Fossil Hunter - Shelley Emling

[vampire-the-askerade]

What clan are the Dracula’s

[So, here’s the thing, just as all vampires and vampire rules differ from work to work, so does the poster boy for all vampire-dom, Dracula. So, I’m just going through some of the versions I’ve seen of the character, and what clan I think they might fall under. Also I’m a super indecisive person, so there might be updates here and there if I change my mind or add other Draculas.]

VTM- Tzimisce- So, let’s start with the one that we know for sure. The lore in Vampire says that he is Tzimisce. He’s most likely one of the older sects of them that don’t really use the flesh crafting as much as the younger counterparts seeing as he is still often depicted with what could be considered a fairly normal human appearance and and the time when he was embraced lines up with the clan before the change.

Original novel- Tzimisce- There’s not much different from this one as there was in the last one. Vampire kept him fairly close to the original character. I would say there is a slight possibility that he could be Ventrue seeing as he is a very commandeering and manner oriented person, but that could also just be his personality as well.

1931- Malkavian- I was going back and forth on a few ideas for this one, and I almost, almost went with Ventrue or even Ravnos. But, there was one thing that swayed me to think Malkavian: Renfield. Or, at least this version of him. The way that Rendield so suddenly went insane after seemingly being ghouled by Dracula reminds me a lot of the likes of Vandal in VTMB. A mortal given the curse that the supernatural can hardly handle themselves. There’s also the fact that most of Dracula’s victims show more of a dazed and foggy look to them when they are, “under his spell,” rather than just acting out of a faux sense of duty. This, I think, also leans more so toward Malkavian. As for when he turns into a bat and or wolf at Mina’s house, as well as a bat leading the carriage, I think that this could have been done with either ghouled animals, or more likely, especially if he is Malkavian or possibly even Ravnos, tricks of the mind as a means of diversion from his actual person. All that being said, I do think there would be a strong case for him being Ventrue as well.

Bram Stoker’s (1992 film) - Tzimisce (but it’s complicated)- Though he is more along the lines of those who do use flesh crafting. I also think that he has diablerized at lest a few other kindred, which does fit his violent and blood-hungry nature. We know he is Tzimisce because they confirm that he needs to rest in his native soil, is very proud of his old line heritage, and when he, “transforms,” into something else such as a wolf or bat, it is more so a wolf or bat creature, that is still man sized, and has his features like they would be from flesh crafting rather than say Gangrel animalism. The only time that we see an actual wolf representing him is when he kills and embraces Lucy. This could either be from him turning into the wolf, something that low generation, highly trained Tzimisce can do only with much effort which is why he only does so once, or is more likely the wolf that he has seemingly ghouled from earlier in the film. At the end of the night though, it would literally take at least half a book to explain all of the clans this one could possibly be, as if there was something that a vampire could possibly do, they most likely had him do it. So, the only thing I can really say is most likely Tzimisce who possibly diablerized a Gangrel (transforms into an actual wolf), a Lasombra (control of shadows, lack of reflection), and possibly a Ventrue( has supernatural means of ordering people such as the, “Don’t see me,” and, “See me now,” scenes with Mina). And, somehow he uses the thin blood abilities to turn to mist(proven to be him and not simply a trick of the mind as it interacts with Renfield) and a hoard of rodents to escape (usually bats, but rats in this case). Seeing as it is seen as impossible for a full blooded kindred to have these traits, the more likely yet still questionable answer is that at some point off screen, he struck a deal in some way with an unnamed thin blood who made it look like he has such powers. I also considered him to be Tremere, or rather Tremere adjacent seeing as he was turned vampire through ritual rather than embrace, and uses things through out the film that could be seen as Tremere rites, but other than how he got his blood this is rather flimsy as it has been proven in VTM lore that other clans can also learn at least some blood magic (as seen by Beckett using it to navigate an unfamiliar area at one point.) Side note because I talked about him in the ‘31 section: I don’t believe Renfield in this version can be indicative of Dracula being a Malkavian, as this version seems more like a ghoul suffering from withdrawals from lack of blood from his master and who is stuck in a society that doesn’t understand or believe him rather than him actually being mad. Shown when he says something along the lines of, “I’m not a madman! I’m a sane man fighting for his soul!”

Hellsing(manga/anime)- Ravnos- Dracula or Alucard in this version had me slightly scratching my head for a minute, as I couldn’t decide between Ravnos and Lasombra. But, I went with Ravnos. After looking through the bits that I had available I feel that when he turns into the shadow creatures and such it might be some of the hallucinations that Ravnos, especially in the more modern versions of Vampire, are known for. He’s most likely a very low generation seeing how much damage he can tank through and still bounce back almost immediately. It could also be thought that this is the reason that he is seemingly unstable sometimes as the start of the manga most likely takes place in 2000 (ask if curious on how I got that. It would take too long to explain here and I don’t want to have people slog through another paragraph like the one above). This is almost a year to the date of the Week of Nightmares, and one of the only reasons that he might have survived that was because he was in the hold of the Helsing Corporation, and they had the means to restrain him during this time of clan upheaval. The instability that shows in his personality and mood, something that he’s always been prone to, but has increased recently, could have been something agitated by the unrest the clan as a whole faces at the lost of their elder.

Castlevainia (mainline games and anime)- Tzimisce but fluent in Thaumaturgy- There is a LOT of slightly differing versions throughout the series, but most of them have enough similar that I just made one. I think that he’s more of a modern, flesh crafting kind. Though, I certainly think that he was certainly trained in blood magic at some point as there are plenty of times that he does rituals and the like. I debated thinking that he might have been Tremere, but there are enough things I think can disprove this. One of them being that the man is like eight feet tall. That could have been something done through flesh crafting, as well as the fact that he looks slightly different throughout the series, even in games that were in the same continuity and not reboots of some kind. This could also be from flesh crating. Something else I think he uses this ability for is to make the majority of the monsters that patrol his castle/attack the villages surrounding it. He’s had enough victims over the years that he’s most likely not short on body parts to use. I do still feel, however, that he somehow got ahold of a way to learn Thaumaturgy as there are plenty of things he does that fall more in that field more so than anything that Tzimisce can usually do; his castle being filled to the brim with magical artifacts and tomes.

[k00282666]

Temporary Project: Final Statement

I started my project with looking at the temporary pleasure of eating meat (as someone who is slowly trying to cut it out of my diet) and the grotesque nature of it.

Early on in the project, I felt like it was getting a bit stagnant and impersonal. I found myself losing momentum so I decided to work on a new concept from the beginning.

My new idea that I went on to follow through to the end of term was the idea of our temporary understanding of what fear means to an individual. Fears are informed by life experience and popular culture. A person isn’t born with the fear of clowns, something sparked that for them in the right time and context according to their life.

I went on to create several horror movie posters based on both my own childhood fears and daily life occurrences. I decided to use horror movie posters as my main source of reference and inspiration because of my interest in how horror media can reflect the social and political climate of the period they were released in. For example, Bram Stokers Dracula, which was released in 1897, featured essentially a mysterious foreign man attempting to buy property in England in order to feed, influence and gain power. This of course is a not so veiled metaphor for the rampant xenophobia of the time, caused by the higher rate of immigration relating to the technological advances made in transportation which in turn made crossing borders/water more accessible.

If I were to change my approach to this project, I would spend more time exploring through my sketchbook and messy experimentation. I found myself avoiding certain ideas for fear of them not looking good, or turning out according to plan. I think this mindset held me back a bit but overall I am proud of the work I’ve done this term.

[wibzenadarksiderwithasoftheart]

Tag Game to Better Know You. Send this to people you’d like to know better!

Thank you @demondean-writes for tagging me.

What book are you currently reading?

Um, I... Damn it's been so long since I've read a truly original book that I can't even remember which one I read last, embarrassing, but I'm hopelessly lost in the world of fanfiction.

What’s your favorite movie you saw in theaters this year?

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, but having only been to the cinema twice this year, there aren't many to choose from. And regardless, I still love that universe.

What do you usually wear?

Leggings and a long sweater at home, and jeans and blouse otherwise, but I spend the vast majority of time in my work uniform at the hospital.

How tall are you?

About 165 centimeters, and what kind of question is that? At least it wasn't age or weight.

What’s your Star Sign? Do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event?

Taurus, and I don't share a birthday with any celebrities I know or care about. I was born on the day Bram Stoker's Dracula was first published, which I find very fitting.

Do you go by your name or a nickname?

I've had nicknames, but my family and friends mostly use my name or close to it. I love being called pet names though, Darlin, Dear One and My Evil Queen, are some of my favorites.

Did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child?

It depends on interpretation. I've dreamed of being an author since I was a teenager, but I don't know if being a fanfiction author applies, and I've loved vampires for just as long, and today I work as a professional licensed one.

Are you in a relationship? If not, who is your crush if you have one?

I am married to a wonderful man, but surprisingly I am also in love with the sweetest most wonderful girl. Please don't ask how that works, it is a bit complicated.

What’s something you’re good at vs. something you’re bad at?

I don't think there's anything I'm really good at, average maybe. I am, on the other hand, terrible at giving criticism.

Dogs or cats?

Cats, definitely. They are independent, beautiful and have a mind of their own.

If you draw/write or create in any way, what’s your favorite picture/line/etc from something you created this year?

I'm quite proud of what I created with my fic <ahref="https://archiveofourown.org/works/34837057/chapters/101951442">Haunt me for a year</a>  and especially the July chapter holds a special place in my heart.

A blinding light engulfed him, and a mighty crash shook him free. It sent, with a force so violent that it felt as if he was flooded and engulfed by the Force itself, over the edge and into an ecstatic endless sea of white-hot pleasure, whose waves carried him away from reality.

Obi-Wan followed him. Their souls merging and bonding unbreakable. In a long timeless moment they existed as one in the Force.

What’s something you would like to create content for?

Rare pairings, preferably as treesomes with Obi-Wan and Anakin.

I have been working on a fic with Mace Obi-Wan and Anakin for a long time, but it takes time.

What’s something you’re currently obsessed with?

Does it count as currently when it's been going on for years? I'm obsessed with Star Wars fanfiction. The fandom chose me and I've been kriffing stuck ever since.

What’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

I can't think of anything, but maybe that's because I never set very high expectations, so as to not be disappointed.

What’s a hidden talent of yours?

I don't think I have one, again, very average and boring.

Are you religious?

In a way, yes, but it's difficult to explain.

What’s something you wish to have at this moment?

More time, I always want more time.

I would like to tag @obimanletkenobi, @miko-mikke, @h2oblivious, @kittimau, and of cause my Sweet Heart @zolitasposts

[witchthewriter]

𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐤𝐞'𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬/𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 

⤷ vampire female, ambiguous race, and any size reader. Requests are open, thank you for reading!

a/n: I’m writing reader as a vampire as well btw. Also ,I didn’t know which part of England you wanted reader to be from, so you can imagine whatever you wish.

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ

𝑺𝑭𝑾🌿  

・The two of you are a pair of chaos; just pushing everyone’s buttons, always bringing excitement and giving the world a lil shaking up 

   “Oi love, what year did we get hitched again,” Spike called from the loungeroom. It was dim and dark, candles lit and scattered around the makeshift living quarters. 

     “Darlin’ it was that long ago... I couldn’t tell you,” you drawled. 

・He was the one that turned you, it was during the 1930s. He took pity on you, a low income, working girl who was trying to provide for her family. 

・You both love annoying Buffy and the scooby gang; especially when Spike had that chip implanted - you wouldn’t leave him.

・There’s a lot of inside jokes and shared memories that you to reminisce about all the time. 

   “Pet, remember the time we went on a bender for a month straight-”

“Do you mean with alcohol or blood, my love?” 

     “Oh wait ... we’ve done both-” and then you both start laughing. Bless the person who ever overhears, especially an everyday bystander. 

・Both got each other’s initials on each ring finger. You would think as your vampire state, tattoos wouldn’t work. But skin is skin and it’s even better because you can’t go out in sunlight, so it never fades. However, because you live so long - every 100 years you get them touched up. 

・You like to collect a different edition of the book, Dracula, by Bram Stoker. Each year changes the book’s cover. Spike thought it was a wonderful idea at first, but now you have hundreds of versions of the same book. 

・Until he came up with the idea of keeping a crypt full of them, so you know they won’t have to be moved whenever you do. 

・If everyone thought Spike was scary, then their world was rocked when they met you. Living for so long, and knowing your immorality - nothing seemed off limits. Like the world was your oyster. 

・So of course, you did what you pleased and damned any consequences. 

・Spike always likes to show you off, as if he’s saying to the world how proud he is to call you his. 

・Just like Spike calls people ‘pet’, you call everyone my darling. The way you say it brings shivers to everyone’s spines. 

・I reckon Giles would have a crush on you - obviously never saying it out loud, nor would he ever admit it to himself. 

・You’ve read tonnes and tonnes of books, both fiction and nonfiction. You’re like a walking encyclopedia; which the group has found very useful. That’s why they keep asking for your aid. They let Spike come along because they know he’s like a lovesick puppy dog. 

・Willow likes to ask you many, many questions. You’re like google, basically. 

・Buffy is wary of you, since she is the Slayer. 

・Xander is amazed by you, but finds you kinda revolting because of your husband - 

・You and Spike have reserved pet names for each other that no one else knows about 

[vanitaws]

so I've been thinking about the recent bsd chapters and I have some thoughts

if dazai nullifies bram stokers ability will ryuu die or will he turn human bc unlike chuuya akutagawa died b4 he was turned so like if the ability is nullified does that mean he dies dies or will he turn human since the ability revived him

I don't think chuuya is actually gonna die like this might just be me hoping and my loving chuuya brain thinking but like no one ever knows all of dazai's plans and the skk shipper in me would believe that dazai would no way ever let chuuya die even if for the fact that he's useful to dazai and I also believe that dazai predicted this move of fydor

I think chuuya will end up using corruption to bust out and that's what dazais planned bc he can then nullify it

wtf is going on w atsushi and also he's come such long way from seeing the headmaster belittling him and putting him down to now seeing dazai encouraging him and I'm so proud of him I'm hoping next months chapter focuses on him

that's like most of it I have had bsd brain rot for moNTHS

[fangirlings-things]

First Costumer

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Pairing: Arthur Shelby x female reader

Summary: you just got hired to do the job you always wanted and your first costumer, is no other but a Peaky Blinder

Word count: 2.1K

This is based on the moodboard below, made by my friend. You can find the original post here

A/N: I wrote this for @flowers-in-your-hayr 650 followers celebration. congratulations, love!! you're amazing, thank you for understanding my brazilian jokes lol and I hope you like this 💖

TAG LIST: @sophieshelby ; @charmingvalkyrie ; @inglourious-imagines ; @fairyofvoid ; @locke-writes ; @regalbanshee ; @captainshazamerica ; @lotsoffandomrecs ; @flowers-in-your-hayr ; @too-spoopy-to-be-frukd

You heard the doorbell ring and the sound filled the bookshop. Finally, a costumer. Your very first costumer. How exciting! 

You got down of the ladder you had previously climbed to fix some of the higher shelves and passed your hands through your brown simple dress, making sure it was proper and in order. Mr. Cuthbert had taken a long time to finally accept you as an employee in his establishment and now, you had to make him proud. 

You had always loved books. Since you were just a little girl, you mother had given you novels to read and you grew up living in many different ones from the reality you actually found yourself in. Books were your passion, your refugee, your ideal spot. To be able to work around them and make people happy by buying books, well, it sounded like perfection! 

The costumer took his time to walk through the shop, eyeing the shelves like they were unusual strangers in the street and then, he got to you at the back of the bookshop. Your first costumer was a man. 

He was tall. Not too tall, but just enoguh to make him able to look at some of the upward shelves without having to raise his head too much. His skin was white, giving a nice contrast with the black coat he wore. He had a moustache and you could only see a few strings of his brown hair, due to the cap he wore.

Then, you realized. After taking notice of the cap, the fine clothing made sense. No ordinary man in Birmingham had such fine clothes to wear, especially not in the middle of the week, during the lunch break time of the factories. Oh no, that man absolutely did not work in a factory. That man was a Peaky Blinder. His only bosses were the Shelbys and the Shelbys only. 

"May I help you, sir?" you asked him with a polite smile, pushing to the back of your mind the realization you had just come to. It didn't matter who he was outside Mr. Cuthbert's bookshop. He was a costumer. Who clearly, for the way his eyes were going from one shelf to the other, intended to buy a book. 

He focused his eyes on you and you saw that his stare wasn't harsh or the one of a demon, as many people said the Peaky Blinders were. His eyes were kind, even though there was an agitation in them that you couldn't quite comprehend. Maybe not even he could. "Yes" he said simply and as you kept staring at him, waiting for further information, the man looked even a bit disconcerted, like he wasn't used to having such attention upon him. "It is my sister's birthday this week and Ada, well, she really likes books, has a great shelf of them at her house. So I thought it would be a good idea to you know, give her a new book as a gift"  

You couldn't help but smile. That man, whomever he was, seemed so genuine in everything. You could see the care in his expression when he spoke of his sister. It was a nice thing to see. The stories you had heard about the Peaky Blinders seemed to be all wrong. He was a normal person. Not some crazy, openly violent man. 

"Do you have any specific book in mind?" you asked him, hands joined in front of your body and excitement filling your body because that was apparently going to be a successful sell. The man just squeezed his lips on a thin line, eyes going to the floor  as if he was embarrassed. It got to you. "Don't worry, I am sure we can work something out. What kind of books does she like?" 

He watched as you moved around the place graciously. Clearly you knew every corner of that place, every shelf, every single book and where it was. You looked at a particular spot, frowned then moved on like there wasn't anything interesting for whatever you wanted him to take to Ada. "Well, she's a communist, so she does like politics" 

"Very well" you walked towards the politics shelf, searched the titles, but nothing particularly got your attention or seemed fitting. You turned back to the man. "Does she like classics that have to do with politics?" 

"I think so, what do you have?" he asked, seeming kinda excited for what you would come up with. He accompanied you as you went to shelf on the other side of the corridor and pulled out a book. "Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. It's centered around the French Revolution" 

The man looked down at the floor again as a quite nervous laugh escaped his mouth. "I don't think that is a good idea. France does not give my family the best memories, you see" 

"You fought the war?" you asked, smile fading a bit because of the seriousness in his tone. Maybe that's where his agitation was from. Maybe, he never did get back from France at all. He only nodded in agreement, still not looking at you. "Thank you, for your service" 

He gave out a little smile, but you knew by the way the corner of his lips didn't rise too much that he was anxious to change the subject. Honestly, see the obvious hurt in him made you want to change it either. "Alright, no France. What about Bram Stoker's Dracula?" 

"Dracula?" he frowned, eyes meeting yours in utter confusion at such a strange name. 

The fact that he didn't knew about it made you smile as you began to describe que novel's story to him with a mysterious tone in your voice to cause suspense. "It's about an old man, Count Dracula, who lives in a castle and feeds on the blood of young women to survive. Sometimes he kills them so they can join him in the after life and also drink blood from innocent people" 

The man laughed due to your clearly forced misteirous tone and the way you raised your eyebrows at him while speaking, seeming to forget the previous sadness that had overwhelmed him with the memories of the war. You were glad for it. "That sounds bloody awful, love" 

You could not help but also laugh, trying to ignore the heat that took a hold of your face when he apparently without thinking, called you love. "It is, actually" then you shrugged, passing your hand through the said novel's cover at the shelf. "But is a fine horror book" you crossed your arms over your chest and squeezed your eyes in his direction. "Be honest with me now, will your sister like this one?" 

He squeezed his lips again, this time his features assumed a expression that clearly said 'sorry'. "I don't think so. Ada is a feminist. I think she would not like a story where a monster man kills women and faces no consequences" 

"That is a very good point" you said with a sight and then turned around, biting your lower lip as you thought and thought about more options. The challenge on your very first sell was being quite exciting and you could say, interesting. Much of it of course, was because of that man. Suddenly, an idea popped into your head and you turned back to the Peaky Blinder with a smile. "What about On the Origin of Species? It's a book about pure knowledge, scientific one, about evolution. No France, no monster that slaughters women" 

The man gave it a minute of thought and then returned your smile. "Knowledge and evolution. It does sounds like Ada" you both felt silent for a moment and then, he cleaned his throat and nodded towards the book you had just gotten into your hands. "I'll take it" 

"Very well" you motioned for him to follow you and then made your way towards the back of the shop again, placing it in the cashier. "You want it wrapped up as a gift?" he quickly agreed and you raised two options of gift wrap in the air. A green and a blue one. He chose the green one. "You can also add a small card if you want" 

"That is nice, thank you" he said and again, as you looked at him, the kindness in his eyes seemed to shine out from everything else. 

You grabbed a gift card from the inside of a box where they were kept and placed a black pen upon it. "You can write it or if you want, I can write it for you" 

"You should write it, I bet your handwriting is better than mine" he said and you chuckled, nodding as you agreed to his request. 

"What do you want it to say?" you waited as he clearly thought about the question, looking unsure. With one of his hands, he took off his cap and then passed the other one through his hair. When he claned his throat, you were ready to start writing. 

"Dear Ada, happy birthday" he looked at you as if that was it but then, seeing the expression on your face that clearly indicated you wished him to talk more, he thought for a second and then continued. " Since you like books so much, I hope you will like this one, that a very nice girl helped me pick" as you wrote with a smile on your face, you did your best not to raise your eyes to meet his. "I know I am not always a very good brother, but I love you. Happy birthday, Arthur" 

"That was beautiful" you told him, letting go of the pen and starting to wrap up the gift carefully, slowly, in no rush to let the Peaky Blinder go away. Arthur. His name was Arthur. It was a beautiful name. Suited him just fine. 

"Alright, then" his eyes went to the floor again, seeming now embarrassed because of your words. 

You finished to wrap the gift in silence, then when it was done, you sighted and looked at the man. "If you want us to deliver the gift at your sister's house, in case you're busy, we have a delivery boy for such" 

"That sounds good, I appreciate that" he replied. 

You nodded in agreement and got a piece of paper, to then grab the pen again. "Can you tell me her adress, please?" he did so, and you wrote it down so the boy Mr. Cuthbert had hired a little while before you could do his part of the job later. "He is supposed to look for Ada...?" you left the question in the air, waiting for him to answer, eyes still on the paper. 

"Ada Shelby" 

Your eyes snapped up on the very same instant. 

Shelby. 

His sister was Ada Shelby. 

He was Arthur Shelby. 

"Something wrong, love?" he asked, and he didn't seem harsh like you expected him to, for the way you not in the slightly hid just how astonished you were to know his identity. His eyes were still kind, but a part of the previous sadness had come back. 

"I'm sorry, that was rude of me" you wrote down Ada Shelby and then left the paper upon the gift, at the corner of the cashier. 

"I'm used to that kind of reaction by now" he said with a nervous laugh, that carried absolutely no humor at all in it. Even if he was indeed used to the said kind of reaction, he clearly did not like it. You felt guilt consume you. "How much do I owe you?" 

You told him the price, still lost in your thoughts and cursing yourself for being so stupid and rude. So rude. He gave you the money, you placed it in the due place. "Have a nice day" he told you and then turned around to leave, placing his cap back in his head and then his hands went to the pockets of his clothes. 

You watched him leaving with a intense feeling of exasperation, tried to think fastly enough to say something and then before you could even really process what you were actually going to do, the words left your mouth. "Mr. Shelby?" he turned back around as he heard you calling, a bit of gentleness in his features. "If you ever need to buy another book, I am sure I can help you find something good" 

His lips curled up in a smile, a pure one. A bit of the guilt you felt left your body like he had just taken it completely away, just by smiling again. "I'll remember that, love" 

And then, Arthur Shelby left the bookshop.

[duhragonball]

Hellsing Liveblog Ch. 14-19

This is the “Elevator Action” arc, presumably named after the 1983 video game of the same name.   I’m pretty sure a lot of Hellsing arcs are named for video games, which makes me wonder about the ones that aren’t.   Like, is “Master of Monster” a video game that I just haven’t heard of?  

The title fits, in the sense that there’s an elevator in the story, but we don’t spend much time there.   Anyway, this thing starts off with Alucard checking into a ritzy hotel in Rio de Janiero, and his only luggage is two big-ass coffins covered in sheets.  What happens next might surprise you...

For some reason, the guy at the front desk objects to Al’s luggage, not because they’re coffins, but because they’re just really big?   Like, he’s not even remotely suspicious, even though the sheets sort of hint that they’re trying to smuggle something in.   No, this guy just thinks it’s too big.    So Alucard uses vampire hypnotic powers or whatever to Jedi Mind Trick him.   Pip Bernadotte thinks it’s a “sex beam”, and yeah, this dude sure looks like he got hit with a sex beam.  

Seras is part of this mission, but she can’t travel over running water, so she had to make the transatlantic flight in her coffin.    Apparently they tricked her into this, which I don’t understand, but okay.�� 

And Al makes a big production over the debut of his own coffin, because he’s a diva like that.  

During the trip, Seras fell asleep, and she dreams of a visitation by the guy who played Baron Harkonnen in the Dune movie.   I think?   This is all a big gag revolving around her gun being named after a guy in Dune.    Then Alucard wakes her up because there’s helicopters and soldiers surrounding their hotel, and he thinks it’s awesome.

A bunch of this arc is panels and panels of commando goons taking up positions and getting ready.    A Brazilian newscaster is there covering the story, which he says is a hostage situation.    The authorities seem to think Alucard and Seras massacred a bunch of people in the hotel, and have hostages on the top floor.    It’s weird that they would even have a photo of Seras for this, since no one saw her.   As for Alucard, they identify him as “J.H. Brenner”, which I believe was an alias Dracula used in the Bram Stoker novel.   He shoulda spelled it backwards.   “Yes, I have a reservation for R. E. Nnerbhj”.   

Also, these photos are just panels from the Valentine Bros. arc.    That’s Seras killing ghouls in her berzerker rage, and that’s Alucard chillaxing while he waits for Luke Valentine to find him.   How would a Brazilian TV station have these?   I’m starting to think this comic about gun-toting vampires might not be on the level.

So now all the main cast can see this situation unfold on international television.   Pip watches from his crappy one-star hotel room, Integra, Walter, and the Convention of Twelve watch from Jolly Old England, and Millennium is watching from... well, somewhere.   

They clearly orchestrated this whole situation, which means they not only knew about Alucard’s mission, but they had a whole thing prepared for him.   As far as they’re concerned, this is just a test to see if Alucard will kill humans as readily as he hunts monsters.

What follows is, well, a bloodbath.   The police try to enter Alucard’s hotel room, only to find his coffin, engraved with “The BIrd of Hermes is my name, Eating my wings to make me tame.” While they try to suss out that riddle, Alucard shows up and demands they stay away from his coffin, so they shoot at him for like three pages in a row.    But bullets don’t work on Alucard, so he just grows back a new everything and starts slaughtering these guys.

The last guy in the room is so horrified that he just gives up and shoots himself, which actually shocks, then enrages Alucard.   

Then he tells Seras to come out of a cupboard he hid her in, and he gets all upset when she objects to his killing humans.    “Look, this is war,” he tells her, but that look he gives her at the end kind of suggests that he knows she has a point.    Those cops were never any match for him.    The two of them could have easily escaped this penthouse without a scratch.    Alucard’s ethics may excuse this kind of overkill in the line of duty, but he knows it’s not right. 

This scene also marks the first (only?) time Seras defies him.   There’s a part in the Gonzoverse series where Alucard is about to execute a human reporter who Knows Too Much, so she pulls a gun on him, but then Integra shows up and is like “No, it’s cool, you can kill this lady, idgaf.”  I guess that whole moment mirrors this one pretty well now that I write it out.    Seras doesn’t like how this is playing out.   She joined Hellsing to fight vampires, not human police officers, but she still follows Alucard’s lead in the end.   So is he influencing her, or is she influencing him?   It’s kind of hard to tell.

And maybe Seras really did make an impression on Al, because the next thing he does is call Integra to report in and confirm his orders.     She told him “Search and Destroy” before he left, but that was before all these human dupes shows up at his doorstep.     He’s willing and able to kill them without regret, but he wants to know if Integra is cool with it, since she’s the one calling the shots.    But Integra holds firm and insists that nothing has changed.    She looks resolute here, but leading up to this moment she was pretty anxious about what Alucard was going to do with all these humans.   

So why is Walter so giddy about this?  Is he just proud to see his commander displaying this ruthless leadership style?   Or is it something more?    After she hangs up, she asks Walter if she made the right call, but he declines to give an opinion, since he’s just the butler.  

I’m not sure Seras was privy to any of this, since she was preparing the coffins for transport while Al was on the phone.    He orders her to take the coffins to the roof and steal a helicopter to escape.   While she does this...

Alucard leaves the suite and heads down to the front door of the hotel.   There’s more cops in the hallway waiting for him, but he just mows them down the same way he did the ones in his suite.

Back to Millennium, their leader, known only as “The Major”, is now satisfied with the knowledge that Alucard can and will kill humans that get in the way of his mission.   But he sees no reason to prolong this battle, so he orders his man in the field, Tubalcain Alhambra, to put this to an end.  

Oh, and here’s the elevator.    The cops scramble inside and try to close the doors to escape Alucard, but he sex beams one of them to hit the “door open” button, which gives him just enough time to get inside.   He kills them all, then emerges on the ground floor and kills the cops there to make his way to the entrance.    Along the way, he tosses some of their bodies out the windows, and they land on nearby flagpoles, which impale their corpses like pikes.     Because he’s Vlad the Impaler, get it?  

And finally Tubalcain Alhambra reveals himself.   He calls himself “The Dandyman”, and he has card powers.   Is he anything like D’arby the Elder from JoJo?   Well, he’s got a vest, so maybe.   He explains that he manipulated the authorities into sending those cops into the hotel.   All he had to do was promise them eternal life.   They didn’t hurt Alucard, but they did get him to waste a bunch of his ammunition.   Maybe all of it, since I’m pretty sure Al never shoots Dandyman during this fight.    See?   Seras had the right idea after all.

Never mind, he does shoot him.   Also these two hit a lot of innocent bystanders while they fight.    It’s worth noting that Dandyman seems to have a lot of the same abilities Alucard expected from Luke Valentine during their battle.    Luke thought he was hot shit, but he couldn’t regenerate or transform himself.    But it looks like Tubalcain can shrug off gunfire and turn his whole body into playing cards.   

While all of this vampire fightin’ is a-goin’ on, Pip Bernadotte infiltrates the bad guys’ command post, shoots all of the crooked authorities in league with Dandyman, and then blows the whole thing up for good measure.

Oh, and here’s the third (and final?) Cross-Fire backup.    Bishop Maxwell gets injured during a pagan cult tries to assassinate the Pope, so he sends Heinkel Wolfe and Yumiko Takagi to go to Wales and slaughter their entire congregation.   And they do.   These Cross-Fire stories just don’t hold up.    It’s two overzealous religious fanatics killing other fanatics, except they always have the firepower and the element of surprise, so there’s no suspense or tension to any of it.  

Back to the Dandyman fight, well... wait, we gotta go through a flashback, first.

The last installment opens with young Integra learning about vampires from her father, Arthur Hellsing.    He quizzes her about why vampires are so feared, and the answer is that vampires are powerful, and they’re also vicious and aware of their own power.    So in close-quarters they’ll tear a human to pieces.    And another monster wouldn’t?   I’m not sure I understand his point.  

Back to the fight, Dandyman seems to have Alucard in a bit of trouble, because his cards are razor sharp and once they cut Al, he can’t recover from the wounds so easily.    Fortunately, Seras shows up to provide a helpful diversion.    And by “diversion”, I mean, shooting enormous shells at Dandyman.

And that gives Alucard a chance to get the drop on him.   He breaks Dandy’s leg, splits his left arm in half, longways, and then drinks his blood.   Also, Millennium does that self-destruct thing on Dandyman, so he goes up in flames.    This is about as defeated as a bad guy can get.  

And then Pip shows up in a helicopter, I guess the same one Seras was ordered to steal, since they have the coffins ready to go.   But Alucard is in no hurry to withdraw, because he’s just so gosh darn excited to be fighting this Millennium group.  They’re bloodthirsty, violent maniacs, just like him, so it’s perfect.  Or is it...

[the1northlanderprincess]

Romantic Thoughts on Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

I’ve always had a kind of fascination with Dracula (well, since my teenage years, actually) and other dark fantasy stories. Several years ago, I first watched Dracula with Frank Langella. Quite a sexy one, if I do say so myself. I wasn’t too sure about watching BS Dracula, because I knew it was rather bloody. Well, I’ve sort of gotten over my disgust factor in recent years, so I finally gave it a shot, because I was in the mood for dark romance, and heard that this movie had one of the most romantic stories ever.

Holy crap, that is an understatement.

This movie is what other romance movies should strive to be, especially ones that cover soulmates and the like. Seriously....”I have crossed oceans of time to find you”? Yes, please!

The buildup, imo, to what Vlad and Mina ultimately shared was done very well. Before they meet, Vlad, how should I say this, plants seeds of his persuasion(?) into her mind. Upon meeting her, she is rather annoyed with him, tries to dismiss him quickly, which he, at first, complies. But, with him being Drac, he appears before her again. I think he admires her stubbornness and likes the chase. I honestly found it a little funny. Because it was, like, oof, this is going to be harder than I thought; girl’s got spunk.

A favorite little moment that I really liked was when he brought her back that night outside the gate. The way they just stand there and look at one another once she’s behind it, and how he steps away slowly, and lingers, before heading back into the carriage...I love how suitor-like it was. Way to act like a normal, chivalrous human being, Vlad! LOL.

Then we have the dinner scene, the most intimate between them, aside from the bedroom scene. It’s just the two of them in a warmly lit room. And he’s dressed every bit of a regal prince. She’s beginning to be more open, what with her bold colored gown and wide neckline. At the table, they nearly kiss, but she pulls away, and Vlad watches her. Mina begins to muse a story about the princess, and Vlad has such a mesmerized expression that I’m totally in love with. He comes up behind her, and turns her tears into diamonds (that could be a mini meta in itself). She smiles and turns to face him, and he holds her face, and places a kiss on her forehead. Gosh, the tension! Almost makes me forgive them for not using That Kiss. Almost.

Next we have the bedroom scene. Ah, the bedroom scene. So we see Drac mist in (why did it have to be neon green?), and Mina senses him. She is relieved, and wants to be with him, and he softly says she doesn’t know what she’s saying. It’s then revealed that he is already under the blankets, shirt open, leaning over her patiently. In most cases, this would be really problematic and creepy, but there’s something about this that’s really romantic. It’s probably because he’s allowing her to make her move on her own time. He respects her like that. In fact, she’s the one who pulls him in for the kiss.

He kisses down her body (HOT), then he picks her up and places her hand on his chest, just so Mina knows that he actually isn’t alive. She’s shocked, and wants to know what he is. He confesses who he is, ashamed of it. It actually surprised me that he told her everything. But, maybe it wasn’t surprising. Perhaps he wanted to be completely truthful with her, so she isn’t blindsided, and can make a more informed decision to be with him. Again, kind of gentlemanly. He may be a bloodthirsty monster, but he’s an honest one, haha. This terrifies her, knowing what he’s done, and takes it out on him. He attempts to gather her up in his arms, and she confesses her love, though it’s not something she’s entirely proud of.

After that, we see she’s calmed down, and she is utterly determined to become like him. He lays down all the facts about becoming a vampire, but it doesn’t faze her. So he takes her in his arms, dips her, then in a rather gentle manner, if you can call a vampire bite gentle, he sinks his teeth in her neck, and proceeds to cut open his chest. She begins to drink, and we see that this pleases him, but he comes to his senses, and says he can’t let her do this, because she will be condemned and hunted down like him. He loves her too much to allow her to live that kind of life (my feels!). But girlfriend doesn’t care, and continues to drink, greedily. Vlad is living his best life at that moment, then he holds her close to him once again.

Finally, the chapel scene. He is mortally wounded, and she wants to help. However, he doesn’t want to be saved; wishes the curse to end. She understands, and pushes the sword all the way through. Things start to heal, including her. Looking up, she sees the mural and finally gets it. Her voiceover explains that their love was stronger than anything. It’s very bittersweet, because, on the one hand, Mina and Vlad were truly in love, but she was unable to really revel in that love as he was dead. Beautiful, tragic stuff.

When I finished this movie, a question came into mind. Did Vlad love Mina for Mina, or was it because she looked like Elisabeta? I really think it’s both. He obviously was drawn to her because of her looks, but I do think he grew to love her for her personality as well. He courted her, let her make choices on her own terms. Yeah, he was devastated that she went to be with Jonathan, but he didn’t go after her personally in a blind rage. Of course, he pretty much sealed Lucy’s fate at that point, but, again, it’s Dracula, what do you do? 

However, his behavior with his courting of Mina is something I want to address. He was never truly aggressive with her. Any time she dismissed him, he could have used compulsion, or threaten her. The only time you see anything close to that is in the tent, when he takes her to a corner and she tells him to stop. I think he really regretted that. Because he’s a lot more subdued in future interactions. Also, when he’s on the bed with her, he could have easily forced himself on her, but, no.

Major, major points to Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder for acting their hearts out in their scenes together. Like, you could really tell when Mina was starting to fall for Vlad, and when he realizes that there was something really special about this woman. You could see how Vlad was so afraid that she’d reject him after he told her the truth. You could feel Mina’s devastation over his role in Lucy’s death, and the following bewilderment of her feelings for Vlad. Plus, what chemistry! Some of the best period drama chemistry I’ve ever seen. It really made up for the lack of kisses between the two. Truth be told, I can’t think of many movies that are so sensual without having a lot of kissing with the two romantic leads. A rare thing that is.

Overall, I’m so glad I watched this movie (production is a whole other post). I’m on the “best romance ever” bandwagon, and I want to have more movies like it.

[immaculate-benediction-batch]

Sherlock season 5 - what the heck is going on?

Three years and counting...

BY ABBY ROBINSON

 21/11/2019

Where is Sherlock season 5, eh? Come January 2020, it will have been three years since we last saw Benedict Cumberbatch as narcissistic genius Sherlock Holmes on our screens.

The BBC series first kicked off back in 2010 and ran for four seasons (plus a special), but there's been zilch since the beginning of 2017, which has naturally caused confusion among fans of the show given the complete absence of any concrete updates.

Showrunners Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (who also plays Mycroft Holmes) have always taken their time with the show's rollout – a year and a half between seasons was the minimum viewers were made to wait.

But Sherlock series 5 still hasn't materialised.

So, what gives?

In a recent interview with Radio Times, Gatiss did acknowledge that there is scope to continue, but it's not top of his list of priorities at the moment.

"You could go back," he said. "But there are no immediate plans."

*sighs*

In a previous interview with Radio Times, Moffat also echoed the same sentiment: "We've never said necessarily goodbye to Sherlock. No, we'll see!"

Gatiss added: "One thing at a time. Dracula occupies a lot of headspace."

The pair have teamed up once again for a brand new TV adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel of the same name, which will air first on BBC1, before heading over to Netflix for viewers outside of the UK and Ireland.

Sherlock season five is also heavily dependant on whether its stars would return.

Both the central cast (and the writers) are all currently in demand, tied up in other projects, with more on the horizon.

Benedict Cumberbatch has had his plate full with Marvel, Brexit: The Uncivil War and Patrick Melrose, to name just a few, while Martin Freeman (John Watson) has been busy with A Confession and Black Panther.

But if the pitch was right, Freeman would happily sign up.

"If it's something really special, and if it's something really meaty and interesting, then I think we'd all be open to that," he told Collider.

"We couldn't come back with something that was quite good. It would have to feel really, really special. It was that kind of show."

He added: "They're few and far between, the discussions about Sherlock, just because Mark and Steven, the writers, and Benedict and I, are all lucky enough to be not only working on stuff that we like and are interested in, but we know what Sherlock is.

"You don't look that gift horse in the mouth 'cos that sort of stuff doesn't happen very often in someone's life. It's a huge, huge, worldwide hit, and way beyond anything we could've imagined."

Andrew Scott (Moriarty), who has since 

appeared in Black Mirror, Fleabag and Modern Love, would also be game for round five if both the timing and the narrative was right.

Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, Andrew said: "I think everybody's sort of doing their own separate thing just at the moment," he said. "I know Stephen and Mark have done a version of Dracula which I'm looking forward to seeing.

"For me, the door is never fully closed. It's closed at the moment, but that doesn't mean it can't be opened at some point in the future. But it's definitely not something that's on the agenda in the foreseeable future."

He added: "I would just listen to what their idea was, and just put forward a couple of my suggestions.

"I feel very protective of him. I'm very proud of what we did on that show. If it's the right time, we'll all talk about it again.

"But at the moment, I do think it's provided such great opportunities for everybody in the show. So everybody's got to do their own thing. But the idea of doing that at some point in the future is not an unhappy one."

But if you are in desperate need of some more Sherlock action, there is an unconnected series in the works for Netflix, titled The Irregulars, which follows a group of crime-solving street urchins. The show sees Holmes claims their successes as his own. Charming.

They are based on the Baker Street Irregulars boys, who appear in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books as intelligence agents for the protagonist.

"Sherlock Holmes [in the books] had a group of street kids he'd use to help him gather clues, so our series is what if Sherlock was a drug addict and a delinquent and the kids solve the whole case whilst he takes credit?" said writer Tom Bidwell to BBC Writersroom.

"It's my dream project and my oldest idea. I've been pitching it for 10 years.

"Netflix are incredibly supportive for our vision for the show, and it's allowing us to be very ambitious with the way we're telling our stories."

The cast were recently papped filming in Liverpool's Georgian Quarter, and production is expected to continue until May.

Here's hoping it's a success because it could be the only slice of Sherlock we'll be getting for a long time.

Just whatever.

I love these inside scoops about Sherlock.

Will they or won't they?

Not!!!!

[funkymbtifiction]

INTJ v. ISFP: The Men Who Renounced God

SUBMITTED BY H.

I recently re-watched Bram Stoker's Dracula and it struck me that ISFP Dracula (as portrayed in that movie, at least; the book diverges on some important points) and INTJ Salieri (from Amadeus) are strikingly similar in a lot of ways and would make for a good comparison between unhealthy SFP and NTJ cognition and behavior. They are also both core Enneagram 4's, albeit with different wings and fixes, so cognitive function order plays an even more important role in shaping their at times divergent behaviors and attitudes. I've compiled a small collection of observations and thoughts of mine below.

Both men decide to renounce God because they feel God did not live up to His part of the bargain they think they had with Him, and here's where the Fi-Te function axis comes into play; a Fi-Te user, regardless of function stacking, views the basis of morality, of trust, as an exchange of services. Quantifiable, verifiable services. Tit for tat. If you have let down a Fi-Te user, you won't get away with flattering their ego, as you might with an Fe-type. If they put in X effort they expect a Y outcome, and should the other party fail to deliver, you will have a very angry, displeased FP/TJ on your hands.

Dracula, being Fi-Se, is more direct and forthcoming than Salieri in both his desires and responses; finding his wife dead from suicide, he concludes simply that "this is God's 'reward for defending His church" and has a very immediate, visceral and violent reaction - and his feelings do not change from then on. He holds true to his first judgment about people and events, refuses to compromise on his stance, and he holds grudges - literally for centuries! There is nothing particularly abstract about it; Fi is his primary and conscious orientation, and it's running the show, backed up by easily accessible auxiliary Se, which gives him an impulsivity which does not always work in his favor, but allows him to adapt quickly to his physical surroundings and use them to his advantage, be it for attack, defense or seduction. Dracula, when threatened, frequently uses theatrical, Se-based scare tactics heavily dependent on his current environment.

As Fi-doms usually are (the unhealthy ones, anyway) he's easily offended and prone to lashing out with aggression, like when he tells Jonathan Harker about the history of his order and how their relationship with the church was not "entirely successful". Jonathan chuckles and Dracula perceives this as a grave insult against his person and points a sword at Jonathan, and hisses "It's not a laughing matter! We Draculas have a right to be proud!" Pure, unfiltered Fi, right there. His inferior Te shows too; he's not good at gauging what is culturally appropriate behavior for a situation, regardless of what century he's in (e.g. following Mina around London after she snubs him). He has another reactive, aggressive response when he finds out Jonathan has a mirror and impulsively breaks it; you can tell he knows he made a mistake then, with Harker, and tries to smooth it over with "You are in Transylvania. Our ways are not your ways. Some of what you see might seem strange to you." Fi and its general attitude to social convention can be observed here as well; Dracula alludes that since they are different people with different origins,  they do not have to conform to the same social, moral, or behavioral standards.

Both Dracula and Salieri become recluses late in life, but for different reasons. Dracula, having an inferior extroverted judging function, withdraws from the rest of humanity because he feels so alienated and disconnected from it that isolation becomes a preferable alternative. "I am dead to the world." He does not see the value in fostering or maintaining diplomatic alliances with other nobles or royals. He just... exists, marinating in his own misery, hatred and loneliness. Unlike Salieri, who is industriousness personified, Dracula doesn't actively work toward an over-arching goal, at least not until he spots Mina's photograph amongst Jonathan's possessions. Until that point, his plans for London were vague and oriented mainly toward pursuit  of sensory experiences - he wants to "walk the crowded streets of London and merge with the whirl and rush of humanity". Dracula, much like Salieri's nemesis Mozart - a fellow ISFP, does nothing to foster a sense of fellow feeling or Fe-based belonging in other people. He persuades, with somewhat uneven results, through the force of his own private and at times infectious passion. His pursuit for the finer things in life and in-your-face vivaciousness is what endears him to Mina, who is not used to such open displays of sensuality. "I have never met any man with such a passion for life". In contrast the pious Salieri, while in possessions of similar desires, does not indulge. You also see his Fi dominant orientation - and judgments - emerge when he realizes that Jonathan is engaged to a woman whom he believes is a reincarnation of his long dead wife. Until he spots Mina's picture on Jonathan's desk, he had been amicably disposed (or neutral) toward Jonathan, but once he begins to see him as a rival for Mina's affections, his attitude changes like the flip of a switch, and because he is a feeling dominant, he cannot suppress his true feelings even for an instant. From then on, he becomes increasingly hostile and cruel towards Jonathan, first in a passive-aggressive way (pretending not to understand him, knowingly startling him, breaking his mirror, alluding to the dangers awaiting him in the castle should he leave his rooms, etc.) but gradually escalating into open hostility and outright sadism (letting his brides ravage him and then feed on a human infant in front of him).

Conversely, when he is happy, Dracula's conscious orientation toward Fi and Se can still be seen in his open pursuit of his momentary desires (Mina, Lucy, excitement for the cultural and technological marvel to be found in a big city) and he is quick to create an exciting and enjoyable environment for himself and others to sample.

Salieri, being an Ni-dom and thus a perceiving dominant, is comparatively slow to reach lasting conclusions, but once he does, (about the path he wants to take in life, his opinion on Mozart, and his eventual decision to destroy his rival) he does so with absolute, unflinching certainty. Salieri's repressed Se and complicated relationship with this function can be seen in his compulsive avoidance of anything that he perceives as excessively indulgent - basically everything he hates about Mozart can be encapsulated into hatred of his inferior function and thus his own weaknesses. Salieri, like Dracula, feels wronged by God, "why implant a desire in me without the talent to match it?" but unlike Dracula's direct, straightforward conclusions about other people and their motives, Salieri routinely abstracts events and happenings and ascribes to them meaning way beyond what can be considered factually realistic or even in the realm of possible. "That was not Mozart laughing, that was God, laughing at me through that obscene giggle!" Salieri abstracts Mozart's entire person and existence into nothing but a personal affront against him, by God, and in his eyes, Mozart ceases to be an independent agent with feelings and desires of his own and becomes nothing but an instrument through which a spiteful God mocks Salieri and his efforts.

Emotional restraint - at least in the eye of the public - is one key difference between an ISFP and an INTJ, and it can be observed in these characters. Dracula does not hesitate to show or express emotion, even in its most raw and unbridled form, which gives this sinister character an unexpected air of vulnerability. He rages, he cries openly in front of Jonathan and makes spontaneous gloomy, morose statements such as "My life, at its best, is misery. I would be better off dead." Salieri, while intensely emotional, is surprisingly emotionally unreactive with excellent control over his temper, even in the face of blatant public humiliation. He does not "blow up", he retreats into solitude to nurse his hurt feelings and never lashes out with physical violence, regardless of the scale of the offense against his person. Salieri's auxiliary Te, when led by Ni and supported by his tertiary Fi, gives him a keen eye for politics and diplomacy; he is not a "divine" composer like Mozart, but he can easily intuit and deliver what other people, including the Holy Roman Emperor, want from him, which gives him a powerful and much coveted position at the Emperor's court.

Where Dracula, due to inferior Te and the consequent unwillingness to compromise or adjust, fails to forge alliances with other powerful people, which leaves him without a reliable defensive safety net, Salieri, with his higher use of extroverted judging, excels in this department. He does not necessarily agree with current social conventions, but he does not needlessly flout them either. For example, Salieri holds off passing judgment on Mozart's choosing an "obscene" German libretto for the first opera commissioned from him by the Emperor until he is sure of how the Emperor leans on the subject. Though his motives might superficially seem like Fe, they are not; Salieri simply does not volunteer his personal convictions in a professional setting because he does not want them to be held against him. He abjectly derides the Emperor's lack of musical skills once it's safe for him to do so, and mentions how much he hated playing duets with the man, when "the Emperor had no ear at all". I mentioned earlier Salieri's complex relationship with Se and all that it entails, and this can be observed throughout the course of the movie. Salieri tries very hard not to subject himself to situations that can be unpredictable and outside of his control, and once that happens, he responds with a "deer in the headlights" reaction, which can be seen during the visit from Mozart's wife Stanzi. Salieri had not expected Stanzi to take him up on his offer ("come back tonight, alone, and I will speak on behalf of your husband. Certain favors require favors in return.") and when she arrives and begins to disrobe, Salieri is caught in a state of paralyzing fear and calls for his servants to promptly remove "Frau Mozart" from his house. Salieri is also not a violent man does what he can to avoid a direct, physical confrontation; he confesses that although he passionately envisioned the death of God's Creature, Mozart, at his hand, he was not sure how to actual go about it. "How does one kill a man?"

At the end, Salieri chooses a coward's way of murder through poison to snuff out his rival and permanently silence The Creature. The only Se-driven urge that the pious Salieri appears not to resist at all is his massive sweet tooth; indeed, this urge stays with him even when he is dying and committed to an insane asylum where fresh sugar rolls become the highlight of his day! Salieri's extreme reluctance to engage in a physical altercation, despite obvious stress, becomes obvious when he is confronted by Stanzi while urging the dying Mozart to finish dictating the commissioned Requiem mass. He freezes and does nothing to stop a woman he could easily overpower from tearing the notes out of his hands and placing them in a locked cabinet - away from his reach. To compensate for his "cowardice", Salieri is extremely calculating and prides himself on his foresight and knowledge that he has the power to crush someone utterly through deliberate, systematic repuation demolition. As Salieri ages and becomes increasingly infirm, his mind begins to crumble and he is plagued by crippling guilt over his crimes. Unable to maintain the practiced psychological defenses found in his conscious cognitive orientation (Ni and Te), he falls prey to his unsophisticated tertiary and inferior functions. Now a recluse but nonetheless rich enough to live a life of opulence, the aged Salieri is shown relying on crude sensory comforts (sweets, alcohol) for distraction from his hellish conscience. Since he is an introvert, Salieri turns his capacity for destruction and cruelty against his own person, which finally culminates in an attempt to slit his throat. Dracula, while arguably more disordered, has a more sophisticated use of Fi and Se and never resorts to outright self-harm; he is able to maintain a purity of subject and thus a purity of the ego, which allows him to freely pursue his desires without being plagued by a conscience. His inferior function instead prevents him from drawing rational conclusions from events around him - such as when it's time for a tactical retreat. Now on to where their cognitions converge - both Dracula and Salieri use Ni and Fi, which together have a polarizing and singular effect on the dichotomy of the internal versus the external world. Fi and Ni help in create a relatively uncompromised, separate ideational world, and Te and Se in turn offer a corresponding counter-orientation towards the external world, that appears to them on objective and comparatively unfiltered terms. Both have a strong drive to make a direct impact on the external world that is in accordance with their personal desires. Both interpret certain seemingly incidental occurrences as signs of destiny compelling them to commit to a certain path (with Dracula, it was seeing Mina's portrait on Jonathan's desk, with Salieri it was the unexpected death of his father, freeing him). Both began their careers as devout men dedicated to what they believed was a divine path, one driven by purity of vision (Ni), the other by purity of values (Fi). Salieri nurtures his vision of becoming the greatest composer to have ever lived, and Dracula prizes his love for his wife above all else. The latter has a concrete outlet for his passion, while the former gravitates toward the cerebral and ideational. Both turn against God but make their peace with Him and are - supposedly - granted absolution on their death bed.