#Jonathan Harker the Something Else

[see-arcane]

I think what I love most about the idea of Jonathan clearly becoming Something Else is that it's so much scarier than a vampire. We know the rules and limitations of a vampire. Van Helsing can even provide a list. But Something Else? Let's be real, not even Jonathan knows.

Quincey: Hey, I couldn't help but notice Harker is kind of, uh. Metamorphosing in the corner over there.

Van Helsing: He is going through a grief-filled and harrowing time, Friend Quincey.

Quincey: True. But I don't tend to recall 'spontaneous hair color change, wall-crawling, inhuman speed, blazing eyes, and having an omnipresent heightening scare chord present in the soundtrack whenever you do things' as part of the grieving process.

Van Helsing: Are you not supposed to be laconic?

Quincey: Are you not supposed to be up every available textbook's ass about supernatural happenings in our vicinity?

Van Helsing: Friend Quincey, in fullest honesty, I feel it is best that he copes as he likes. If that means he has to transmute into an entity unknown to the written word or human recognition, that is his choice.

Quincey: ...

Van Helsing: ...

Quincey: So you're putting caring on hold because the Cross and Wafer combo hasn't given him hives.

Van Helsing, pouring himself his third stress-brandy: Perhaps.

Quincey: Jack, back me up here? We should be a little concerned, right?

Jack, has been melting into a manhood-admiration puddle as he watches Jonathan 'White-Haired Romantic Horror Anime Man' Harker handling his kukri in plain view for the past 3 hours: yeag

[harbingerofsoup]

just as a retrospective, i love that this year we decided that jonathan maybe isn’t fully human, like yeah something’s off with our friend, we still love him tho

[immediatebreakfast]

One advantage in the horror framing of Dracula that we have by reading it chronologically is how silence is a far worse response than words in such situations. Reading the novel day by day not only help us immerse into the slow steps towards madness that Jonathan is enduring, but also it lets us ponder on what is happening when there is no letter inside our email.

What manner of man is this, or what manner of creature is it in the semblance of man? I feel the dread of this horrible place overpowering me; I am in fear—in awful fear—and there is no escape for me; I am encompassed about with terrors that I dare not think of...

These are the last horrified words that Jonathan wrote yesterday, just after he saw the Count scale down the walls of his own castle, defying any kind of natural laws that Jonathan knows. Yet, what we have met today is pure silence regarding our dear friend.

Something that would only cause dread... Except that when you read the scene again, and notice that Jonathan would have been so terrified after seeing it (even as he writes) that he wouldn't notice if the Count was near him...

And today we got no letter.

[dapurinthos]

Precipice — A Hyperspace Exclusive Short Story

“Blue-tongued bolts of lightning coursed through Obi-Wan Kenobi, gathering at his wrists and ankles before racing up and down his body in a journey surely designed to drive him to the edge of reason. He was held largely immobile, like an insect pinned to a cotton display swab, twitching as his muscles spasmed uncontrollably in a futile struggle to escape their torment. It was an odd sort of pain: an aching, prickling, numbness similar to a limb that had fallen asleep combined with the burning of muscles worked to shaky exhaustion. A sheen of cold sweat covered his pale face, the occasional bead of which rolled down his temples before disappearing into his beard…”

As Count Dooku holds Obi-Wan Kenobi captive on Geonosis and tries to lure him to the side of the Separatists, Kenobi steels his resolve by thinking back to other difficult moments when on the brink. — The Essential Reader's Companion: Star Wars

here, have a .pdf of one of the old hyperspace magazine short stories that stick in my head because i wanted it in a easier-to-read format than hauling up the archive.org'd version of the page whenever. the archive.org url is linked at the top of the first page of the pdf, where you can scroll down until there's a 'star wars shorts' button where you can find more of them because there really isn't anywhere else on the internet that they're available.

[mzannthropy]

Once again, I am so grateful to Dracula Daily and all the love for I see for Jonathan & Mina! Years I had spent confused about where everyone got the Dracula/Mina thing from, and the injustice Jonathan (and not just him) receives in adaptations and general pop culture. I thought something was wrong with me or that I misunderstood something. It wasn't until 2022 when I first took part in Dracula Daily that I finally found likeminded people.

I get that people want to have their own interpretations if they don't like canon. But in the case of Jonmina, we actually have a good relationship, exceptionally good considering the time it was written. They have better communication than many contemporary romcom couples.

And, you know, when it comes to book adaptations, it's funny how people can get worked up over a single line delivered not strictly as it was in the book, or few words being changed but the line meaning the exact same thing, but everything turned on its head becomes suddenly okay when it suits their ship.

[lxgentlefolkcomic]

First page || Previous page || Next page

Start reading Episode 1

Dialogue transcripts:

Panel 1

Mina:  Incredible!  How did you know we would need such a thing, Mr. Griffin?

Panel 2

Griffin:  I didn’t; I thought that unless I wanted to be dependent on the goodwill of strangers all my life—

Arthur:  Strangers indeed!

Griffin:  Yes, yes, of course I’m grateful, but I thought I ought to try for something that may actually earn me money. So I thought of semaphore and lanterns and whatnot, and all the blasted fog…

Panel 3

Jack:  Can this one be used?  It looks unfinished.  

Griffin:  I haven’t finished the casing; it’s a prototype, a touch more complicated than the other.  You have to be careful of the wires—

Panel 4

Griffin: …Maybe I’d best run this one.  Though only if I get to be in a ship I can’t fall out of.

Panel 5

Griffin: You’re sharp, Mrs. Harker—could you man the other?

Mina: I’d be honored!

Panel 6

Irene: From past experience, I must ask: do you know Morse code, Griffin?

Griffin: I, er…not well, no. Perhaps someone else might tell me what to enter? And take down messages received, I suppose…

Panel 7

Mina: Jonathan also knows Morse code quite well. But that means separating again…

Griffin: Don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure he gets back safe.

[ursacolossus]

Thoughts about the queer themes of Le Vourdalak. Spoilers under the cut:

I think it’s really telling and interesting that Piotr is the only family member killed in a non-intimate manner. Gorcha doesn’t even get -close- to Piotr, Piotr was also the only family member willing to fight back, who saw Gorcha for what he was. Queerness recognized in others as a reflection of the self.

Gorcha shooting Piotr in the head, (with a traditionally phallic, masculine weapon) from a distance, wasting all of that blood, that life force, avoiding the physical intimacy of Piotr’s destruction, feels like internalized disgust from Gorcha, especially in light of the last half of the film.

Piotr shooting the dog in men’s clothing, trying their best to be a good model of what a dutiful son and man is supposed to be, shooting the dog -because- Gorcha asked them to. The man whose respect everyone else in the family, even the dog, dies for.

But Piotr doesn’t die respecting Gorcha, Piotr is the only one that knows they will most likely die for trying, goes to that death facing it with clear eyes. They dressed in something that made them feel brave and Gorcha saw them, saw the disrespect for his authority, the disrespect of traditional gender, and killed that queerness before it could kill him.

Piotr is also an incredibly important symbol of queerness not equating to evil in this movie. Piotr is just a person trying to do the best they can, caught in a system that does not accept them, but their queerness is never framed as evil, honestly neutral for the most part, which really helps contrast Piotr against Gorcha. Piotr is also never bitten, and so they are excluded from the family’s second rising. They get to end as they are, human, instead of being transformed.

Gorcha simpers a lot in this film, he moans and flounces and makes fun of the man he likes and ultimately tricks him into sex, and that is what both kills the Marquis -and- kills Gorcha. The Marquis could be seen as a hero for killing Gorcha, (he isn’t, for personality-related reasons) but he’s already been corrupted due to the -interest- and the bite of Gorcha. The queerness thrust upon him. The same as Jonathan Harker, the same as Thomas Hutter, doomed by the visceral attentions of The Other.

Obviously I’m not saying this is a homophobic film, there are just a lot of layers and to have the monster be so explicitly queer is so -interesting-. To have him be the traditional, Slavic-origin vampire, a shambling corpse, to have him be an otherworldly puppet AND to have him represent centuries of patriarchy and have him be queer is so many things at once, I love this movie a lot, is what I’m trying to say.

[97keanu]

Keanu characters + couples Halloween costumes:

John Wick:

John wants to say he doesn't do costumes. He complains, gently, saying he's too old to dress up anyways, but he can't say no to you in the end. He thinks you're funny when you suggest being a nurse since you're always patching him up all the time, but he also can't deny the image of you being a sexy nurse either. You also joke about him being a literal baba yaga and he finds that less funny. In the end, you two go as something that's actually as far from his work as possible, something simple and cute that ends up leaving John feeling happy he can have a moment of fun. Even if that is just staying in, watching cheesy horror movies, and giving out candy with you.

Kevin Lomax:

Unlike John, Kevin would totally go for the obvious with an angel/demon couples costume. He might even ask to be the angel just to throw people off, not to mention seeing you in a sexy devil's costume (especially if you're typically an innocent!reader) would really turn him on. He also likes to keep the costumes a bit higher class, so what you're wearing is not coming from the corner store or the mall. No, Kevin is buying you louboutin red bottoms to match a skin tight Alexander McQueen red dress. And, well, maybe the devil horns and tail do actually come from the mall...

Neo:

Neo doesn't want to admit how badly he loves dressing up. He likes being able to be someone else from time to time, just to get away from his typically boring on the surface life. He likely is asking you to be in 90s nerdy pop culture cosplay for Halloween, maybe even leaning onto the more goth side of media. He would take inspo from movies like: The Crow, Blade, Underworld, and maybe even end up asking you to be the Sally to his Jack.

Ted Logan:

Ted would love any outfit that he could easily pull off being stoned in. Think Shaggy and Velma (bill might even tag in as Scooby). Another great one you two cook up is Garfield and Hello Kitty, but Ted also adds that, Garfield is also, of course, stoned. There's also a possibility for you two to get into a lot of silly innuendos costumes as well, but with Ted's mind they would likely not make much sense. Possibility for you to convince Ted on a historic costume and getting him to take you back in time for period accurate clothing. Also, don't be surprised if it turns into a thrupple costume with Bill.

Evil!Ted Logan:

He would think couples costumes are stupid at first, and maybe even berate you about it (crybaby!reader watch out!). His mind would change when he sees there's slasher Halloween costumes at the mall, and he decides he and evil!bill can probably get away with more mischief if they're masked. He would probably try to talk you into being either the final girl from a slasher to reenact some fantasies, or ask you to be a sexy ver. of Ghostface or Freddy.

Constantine:

Constantine doesn't do costumes. He will likely not even end up breaking like Wick, and instead is a meanie about the whole thing. He shows up in that damned suit he always wears while you're out here in your cutest sexy girl outfit (think angel, playboy bunny, cat woman) and only ends up feeling bad about the whole thing after you storm off and cry. He apologizes the best he can, and ends up trying to make it up to you by being more social at the party, and telling your friends that he's dressed as "Vincent from Pulp Fiction" or some other character that comes to mind that wears a suit. Next year, you make him promise to actually dress up, and when you two do it's totally cheesy ones he hates but allows for you, such as Joker and Harley Quinn-esque.

Jonathan Harker:

This ones fun because you two are going to a masquerade! You get the most gorgeous gown with all the frills you please, with a gothic touch of course. Jonathan isn't usually one who dresses overboard, but tonight he has dressed to the nines for you! He looks sleek and dark, stunning in an illusive mask that for some reason has you feeling more of his dom side. Jonathan actually ends up really getting into it, and he charms you all night long as if he's almost another man entirely. The beauty of the masqurade conceals and invites freedom to be someone you're typically not, and by the end of it, you can't wait to take him home. He can keep the mask on tonight.

♰ Please send any costumes you think would work for keanuverse characters, I'd love to hear them! Especially anyone I missed ʚ♥︎ɞ

[lauralot89]

It may have been that his breath was rank, but a horrible feeling of nausea came over me, which, do what I would, I could not conceal.

— Jonathan Harker, 5 May

...[N]one of us ever expected such an odour as we encountered...[H]ow shall I describe it? It was not alone that it was composed of all the ills of mortality and with the pungent, acrid smell of blood, but it seemed that corruption had become itself corrupt...Every breath exhaled by that monster seemed to have clung to the place and intensified its loathsomeness.

— Jonathan Harker, 1 October

...his reeking lips...

— Mina Harker, 3 October

Vampiric bad breath is a trait noted by others as well. Montague Summers in The Vampire: His Kith and Kin asserts that a vampire's breath is "unbearably fetid and rank with corruption, the stench of the charnel."

— The New Annotated Dracula, Leslie S. Klinger

I've always been curious about this, so time to crowdsource opinions:

[schmergo]

My mom gave me this chocolate London kit for Christmas and I finally decided to use it as sort of a tongue-in-cheek Fourth of July activity. I love my mom and I don’t think she meant to psychologically torture me, but this experience lowkey led me down a true long dark night of the soul and then utterly broke me. Follow my slow mental unraveling below.

I should add that I am bad at crafts and once got gorilla glue all over my hands while fixing a child’s display-only gingerbread house and spent Christmas break with a hard translucent shell on both hands gradually flaking off over the course of a week, so a fair amount of this may be user error. But also the box says this is for ages 6+ and I’m over 5 times that, so maybe they could have done a wee bit more handholding.

Anyway, here’s my journey, which should absolutely be read in the tone of Jonathan Harker’s letters in the beginning of Dracula.

The first hint that something was wrong happened when I melted the chocolate according to instructions and the next step said to pour it into the molds. The chocolate was not really the “pouring” kind. It was a chunky sort of paste that I had to spoon in. The molds filled unevenly and clumpily and at this point, I asked my husband if he’d let me try to assemble the rest of this on my own because I think I can tolerate my failure better if nobody else witnesses it.

The instructions also cavalierly said to save a “handful” to use as mortar for the chocolate tower.

How much is a handful? A Schmergo-sized hand or a husband-sized hand or what? I have very small hands for an adult, but this is for ages 6+ after all. I opted for a Schmergo-sized handful. I would live to regret that.

I chilled the pieces in the fridge for 20 minutes as directed, then popped them out of their mold. To my surprise, they actually didn’t look THAT bad.

Looking at the pieces of Big Ben that I had to assemble, I became acutely aware that there weren’t detailed instructions on how to fit them together other than just “put them together” and no actual photographs of a real person doing it. The wall pieces were still unnervingly floppy and I decided to freeze them in hopes of hardening them while I focused on the clock itself.

In addition to Big Ben, the kit came with a chocolate taxi and a chocolate double-decker bus. The taxi popped out slightly distorted but in a way I liked, with playful Toontown vibes. But the double-decker bus was still mushy and fudgelike, warping and rippling alarmingly as I tried to push it out of the mold. I opted to put it in the freezer, too, along with the walls of Big Ben.

The instructions said to use the melted remaining chocolate to stick the pieces together and to apply it by sticking my finger in it and rubbing it on. It did not mention that, even after letting the chocolate cool, the warm melted chocolate would make the details of the pieces of the chocolate you’re sticking together start to melt, too.

I began to wonder if this kit had ever been formally tested by anyone and if the instructions were written by AI, like that Google search result that suggests adding Elmer’s glue to your shredded cheese when making pizza to keep it from sliding off.

Nothing can prepare you for how bad the clock part looked, so I’m just going to let you deal with it cold turkey. Et voila.

As I cemented my terrible melted clock together, it occurred to me that I’d have a lot more fun if I really leaned into the ominous post-apocalyptic energy of the abomination before me.

What if this was the result of some kind of whimsical Doctor Who villain— or maybe The Unknown from that infamously bad immersive Willy Wonka experience— transforming major London landmarks into chocolate… during a heat wave?

How will will the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer deal with this on his first day in office?

I yelled to my husband in the adjacent room, “Maybe I’m just turning into the Joker, but this is starting to feel more funny than depressing!”

“Mr. Starmer, a second chocolate vehicle has hit Big Ben.”

The bus actually came out pretty well!

Trying to fit together the pieces of the walls would have been maddening if I hadn’t already been driven mad by the clock portion. The pieces didn’t actually fit together quite right, they were still slightly floppy, and the instructions said— after I was in blood stepped so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er— that I was supposed to use ELASTIC BANDS to hold together the tower walls while the chocolate was cooling.

The kit didn’t come with elastic bands and I don’t have any in my house except for scrunchies with my gross hair stuck to them, and I’d already come this far, so I decided to forge onward. Then a piece snapped off.

Honestly, this rules, no notes:

I did it, but at what cost? I don’t know much about British politics, but this feels like a poignant commentary on the current state of affairs or something. Should I submit this to the Tate Modern?

[petrawood]

I keep thinking about the Jonathan Harker Time Loop and how most posts are about the poor guy having flashbacks or trying to somehow sidestep The Horrors. You know, all reflection about how we see him.

But listen.

How about how HE sees US?

Imagine you are Jonathan Harker, and you are leaving for a work trip. You haven't really travelled much, and you are very excited, so you do research about that fascinating country called Transylvania, you write down your train schedules, the names of the cities you pass by, the recipes you find interesting or unfamiliar. You really want to remember everything, after all, you know you are going to spend some time away and you are sure Mina would love all the details of this little adventure! You are going to miss her so much, so making sure that everything is accurate so you can later faithfully recreate your journey makes you feel closer to her.

You could do without those weird dreams, though.

Moreover, since the beginning of your travels you have kept meeting more and more people.

They strike you as strange.

Most of them greet you as if you were old friends, clapping you in the back and talking about how happy it made them to receive the letter about your upcoming job trip, which you find mildly confusing, and the familiarity that they spark on the depths of your mind somewhat soothing.

Others smile at you and wish you fast and happy travels, something mournful gleaming in the depths of their eyes, and you feel like they are not really looking at you, but at some other man standing right behind you.

"Maybe this time it will go well, right?"

And you have nothing to say about that.

Some people you can tell recognize you, but don't really come near. They seem hesitant, and not as overtly familiar as the previous groups of people, acting instead in a manner more fitting to strangers. They follow you at a distance, looking torn between curiosity and dread, and you can tell that this is their fist time making this journey as well.

Then you get to Transylvania, and the entire crowd seems to go mad.

While you had only been meeting people in groups before, now they seem to cover almost every free inch of the country, coming together in thick clusters that somehow never actually seem to encumber your travel. They read what you write over your shoulder, they nod at the scenery and watch all the people getting in and out of your carriage.

They seem to be specially fond of the villagers, in spite of the country people's apparent lack of interest in them, since as far as you have seen the two groups never actually cross words.

In one particularly noteworthy morning you have paprika for breakfast, which is met with great approval by all.

You get closer to Castle Dracula, and the amount of people still increases, although a low number of them appear and disappear just as quickly, checking on you and then departing. They explain that they will come back later, or that they are waiting for someone else, and sometimes you swear you can hear the sound of waves in their steps.

Of the ones that stay, some get close enough to stand with you, while others prefer to stay by themselves, either taking notes on their own journals or -something that baffles you every single time you see it- sitting behind some kind of canvas and mixing colors while they wave away your worries at the bumping of the carriage ruining their work.

And at last, after weeks of travel that somehow only feel like three days, you arrive at Castle Dracula.

You stand before a great door, waiting for great man, while a great multitude surrounds you, all their eyes on you.

You hear steps approaching through the wood, and the very universe around you seems to hold their breath, waiting for the beginning of a path that seems new but well tread, a path that just for that endless second you feel extending behind and in front of you, strengthening and waning, with its first knot waiting at that door.

So the strong wood opens, a Count makes his greeting, and you, together with all the people next and behind you, friends new an old, step through the door.

[see-arcane]

Harker evidently meant to try the matter, for he had ready his great Kukri knife and made a fierce and sudden cut at him.

My Ko-Fi is here.

[thegoatsongs]

The Harkers' marriage has much in common with what New Woman authors and their male allies were positing as an ideal union, one founded on "love and trust and friendship." (29) Friendship is a recurring theme in New Woman discussions of marriage. In an 1884 letter to Olive Schreiner, Havelock Ellis muses, "the best kind of union between a man and a woman is a sort of camaraderie ... between two people who care about the same things, who are going the same way, & can walk arm and arm, & kiss & encourage each other on the way." (30) Though most New Woman authors shared Caird's view that such a companionate union was "well-nigh impossible" in the present day, Stoker is more optimistic. Possessing the "love, respect, intellectual likeness, and command of the necessities of life" required for an "ideal" marriage, the Harkers could "look clear through one another's eyes into one another's hearts." (31)

In treating Mina as his peer, Jonathan Harker is most unlike John Seward, whose dealings with Lucy demonstrate an inclination to perceive a woman's beauty rather than her brains. Yet Seward, though not a New Man, has the potential to become one.

When Mina telegraphs to announce her arrival, John is far from pleased: she is a distraction from the important work of reading the papers Van Helsing has given him. "I must get her interested in something else," he determines, and "I must be careful not to frighten her" (195). Mina's appearance--"a sweet-faced, dainty-looking girl" (194)--fits his stereotype of a woman needing protection. When Mrs. Harker asks to see his account of Lucy's final days, Dr. Seward declares, "Not for the wide world!" (195). "Why not?" she asks, and, realizing (with the same acuity Lucy possessed) that he is "trying to invent an excuse" for demurring, is charmed to see him, "with the naivete of a child" and "unconscious simplicity," blurt out an excuse whose truth he realizes only as he speaks it: he cannot let her listen to his account of Lucy's death because he has dictated it into his phonograph and does not know how to locate it in the cylinders (196).

His grimaces and exclamations of "That's quite true, upon my honor" and "Honest Indian!" underscore his boyishness. Bemused, Mina replies that, in that case, he must let her type out all his notes. The doctor cannot argue. Begging her pardon and admitting that she is "quite right," he makes "the only atonement in [his] power" by entrusting her with the cylinders (196). We need have no secrets amongst us," she tells him; "working together and with absolute trust, we can surely be stronger than if some of us were in the dark" (197).

Impressed by her "courage and trust," he embraces her modus operandi. By the end of the evening, he has accepted on equal footing the woman he at first dismissed as an annoying distraction whom he must "be careful not to frighten," telling her, "We must keep one another strong for what is before us; we have a cruel and dreadful task" (198). [...] In this scene, we glimpse the future Caird envisions, "when men and women shall be comrades and fellow-workers as well as lovers and husbands and wives." (32)

Winstead, K., Mrs. Harker and Dr. Van Helsing: Dracula, Fin-de-Siecle Feminisms, and the New Wo/Man

[behold-cyaegha]

Raise of hands.

Who would like to see Jonathan Archivist Sims and Jonathan Vampire Hunter Harker meet, be British at each other, gush about their love interest, and compare notes on the horrors they’ve experienced at the hands of monstrously evil 19th century aristocrats.

Because I very much would but also don’t have a good enough handle on Harker to do it myself. (Or the time. Mostly the time.)

I just keep picturing the two men comparing notes on what worked and what didn’t against their respective Evil 19th Century Aristocrat while Mina and Martin watch on from the sidelines, tea in hand, advocating for the most permanent fix for all their problems.

I dunno, I think it would be a fun crossover. Vampires already exist in TMA, Jon could be nice and horrified to find that there are more than one kind while Johnathan (et al.) has his mind blown about the breadth of different kinds of supernatural forces out there.

Maybe there can be some tension between the two groups as the Harkers are very much supported by their friends while Jon is mistrusted and begrudgingly tolerated at best by many of the assistants. Depending on when it’s set - before or after The Unknowing, pre-apocalypse, post apocalypse, or Somewhere Else - there would be very different group dynamics to play with.

I dunno. It’s just something that has been kicking around in my head as DD pops up in my emails.

[vickyvicarious]

It is now drawing towards the sunset; Mina's uneasiness calls my attention to it. I am sure that there is something on her mind which the time of exact sunset will reveal. These occasions are becoming harrowing times for us all, for each sunrise and sunset opens up some new danger—some new pain, which, however, may in God's will be means to a good end. I write all these things in the diary since my darling must not hear them now; but if it may be that she can see them again, they shall be ready. She is calling to me.

Apparently, whatever Mina could not say until exactly sunset was not for anyone else's ears this time around... including us readers. This is another instance of a completely private conversation between the Harkers.

A particularly interesting one, given how no particular fallout from it is mentioned. After this, Jonathan goes silent for days and days. And when we hear from anyone again, it is at Jonathan's request, but not in his words. In fact, it's an entry marked by his silence. Mina makes everyone else vow to kill her, but he does not make the same vow.

Perhaps she asks him to promise her something again. But this time, he cannot agree.

[doriansredroses]

I know you all (most of you) said that I should do the gothic literature school au as my next fanfic, but I’m still very indecisive about everything. Which should I do? This also factors in my mental health and emotional state. I’m hardly able to focus on anything currently but writing is one thing I can sometimes do, rather than just staring into space. I am going to list everything below.

Jonathan in Wonderland: The title may not be finalized but it’s an Alice in Wonderland au starring Jonathan Harker! I plan to write it as if he’s documenting his adventure in his diary and I’ll draw in references from the original Dracula novel plus add my own twists. This is definitely more of a whimsically gothic story that combines the whimsy of my childhood (I’ve always been obsessed with Alice in Wonderland) and my love of gothic literature. It is the shortest fanfic on this list and will prep me for my bigger Dracula project I tried to write two months ago but couldn’t due to stress.

A Court of Music and Mischief: This is my Amadeus faerie au that pokes fun of the ACOTAR series (hence the name) that stars Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri, and my own faerie oc that’s inspired by the Queen of the Night (vaguely inspired). It is the second longest fanfic in length on this list. Mozart and Salieri basically play Feyra’s role and my oc is in Tamlin’s. I hated ACOTAR but love faerie lore so this idea was sparked. I plan to take this down the dark fantasy route rather than gothic, taking inspiration from 80s fantasy movies like Labyrinth and a more modern book called The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu. Amadeus is an 80s film and I’m using its release date to further my creative flow. The book is actually about Mozart’s sister and he also is a character featured in this historical fantasy retelling. I’m also absolutely obsessed with Mozart right now and that’ll probably be a lifelong craze. Salieri, yes I like him a lot as well. Should I do this fanfic?

Gothic lit school au: I don’t have a title yet nor is this very developed, but I’m thinking about setting it in college/university that’s dark academia and focuses on my favorite characters from gothic literature in a more modern/alternate dimension. I want to do this one because I love gothic literature, dark academia, and I definitely want to base this around the themes of melancholia, darkness, and good vs evil/morals. My only concern is that it’ll be too taxing right now since it’s the longest fanfic on this list and that it’s insanely dark. I’ve felt awful emotionally lately and a lot of my writing has reflected those feelings (melancholy, evil, etc). Part of me thinks I should do something more lighthearted and shorter. I put aside a novel length collab I wanted to do with a friend due to my mental health so I’m unsure about writing this right now.

Thoughts?

Tagging:

@xxiamtiebrousxx

@ilovegayvampires

@mysteryofvampires

@mushroomsie224

@fetchmearum420

@urcrocsrsoggy

I can’t think of anyone else right now because I’m so fried.