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We don't know the nature of Arthur's proposal, but from Lucy's letter to Mina, it seems plausible that she had to drag it out of him. That tells us something of his character in his desire to wed her but not wanting to press the matter in case he was wrong.

John Seward's proposal reminds me of Mr. Collins in Pride & Prejudice. He views marriage as an arrangement that benefits him more than being an equal partnership and he feels that a future Mrs. Seward should count herself lucky to be married to him.

Quincey Morris' proposal strikes me as one of a man promising to always love his wife and would do all he can to make her happy. I think that Lucy would have gladly married him if she hadn't already been head over heels in love with Arthur.

I also think Lucy's wish to marry all three is more about her innocent desire to make everyone happy more than her being filled with an insatiable lust.

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"I felt in my heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips. It is not good to note this down, lest some day it should meet Mina's eyes and cause her pain; but it is the truth."

I note here that Jonathan does not think he must protect Mina because she is frail or weak. Nor does he wish to keep secrets from her. Rather, he feels shame at his desire that is unworthy of one who is so loved and knows that that desire may cause intense pain. However, he records it anyway, believing that that is something important, perhaps even sacred, in telling the truth.

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"Bless that good, good woman who hung the crucifix round my neck! for it is a comfort and a strength to me whenever I touch it. It is odd that a thing which I have been taught to regard with disfavour and as idolatrous should in a time of loneliness and trouble be of help. Is it that there is something in the essence of the thing itself, or that it is a medium, a tangible help, in conveying memories of sympathy and comfort? Some time, if it may be, I must examine this matter and try to make up my mind about it."

I've often thought about this question. Is a crucifix a ward against evil

A) because it is a crucifix and is inherently endued with supernatural power that repels evil,

B) because of the belief of the wielder about the crucifix as a ward, or

C) because of the belief/fear/dread of the entity being exposed to the ward?

Put another way, would a vampire of Hindu origins be repelled by crucifix or would it need to be a Hindu emblem?

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"Let me be prosaic so far as facts can be; it will help me to bear up, and imagination must not run riot with me. If it does I am lost."

There are some that interpret the philosophy of stoicism as being uncaring and unfeeling. I would argue it is more a philosophy of total self-control and in this case, I think our good friend Jonathan Harker is a prime example of a healthy stoicism. He is starting to suspect the danger he may be in, but he continues to face it with self-control and a dogged determination to do what he must to return to his beloved Miss Mina.

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Today's the day! So excited to once again go on this journey with our good friend Jonathan Harker!

Last year, I found myself focusing on how these events that transpired impact the women of the story. This year I want to focus on our good friend and how his actions reflect a healthy approach to masculinity, even taking into account the customs of the day.

I note that, from the start, his concern in note-taking and keeping a diary is so that he can share all of his adventures with Mina, not wanting to keep any secrets.

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I just started watching this show for the first time a few weeks ago and I love everything about this.

My favourite Eliot Spencer character trait is Friend-shaped To Children. Nate can't look at children without crying. Sophie is politely baffled at the concept of Humans Who Don't Understand Complicated Psychological Concepts Because They Are Literally 6 Years Old. Hardison has older brother energy, which is to say children are comfortable in his presence but they don't actively seek him out, unless of course to play an epic prank akin to the great tradition of Ring and Ditch or Spell ICUP. Parker will try to protect any child she can, but under-12s without autistic criminal intent don't really connect with her, unless of course they are Traumatized™.

Eliot Spencer is continuously sought out by children of all ages. Traumatized or not? Does not matter. Literally baby or cool teen? Does not matter. They will come up to him while he is glaring daggers or actively planning to murder someone and ask him to hold their hands through the security check at the airport. And you know what? He does. He holds their hand every single time.

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Anyone else feel like Drac's final comeuppance is just really anticlimactic? And then Quincey's death is just sort of a "oh, yeah, that happened" event?

The whole team spends months building up to this huge event and then it happens in a moment and it is all over.

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I don't have to go back and try to find out who it was, but someone shared an article claiming that Mina and her band of merry men did not believe she had been made unclean by the Count forcing her to drink his blood. However, the text clearly says otherwise. It has been in past entries but Mina's entry for today says unequivocally:

"God grant that we may be guided aright, and that He will deign to watch over my husband and those dear to us both, and who are in such deadly peril. As for me, I am not worthy in His sight. Alas! I am unclean to His eyes, and shall be until He may deign to let me stand forth in His sight as one of those who have not incurred His wrath."

How absolutely heartbreaking to know that there are still men and women today who believe that they are guilty and unworthy for things done to them without their consent!

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Okay, but did Mina have paprika with her dinner and was she as fascinated by it as was her husband?! I assume that Van Helsing has had it so often it is barely a blip on his culinary radar.

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"Mrs. Harker, alone of our party, did not show any signs of emotion. After all, it is not strange that she did not; for we took special care not to let her know anything about it, and we all tried not to show any excitement when we were in her presence."

I find it amusing that Seward is like, "We are all so excited except for Mrs. Harker who might be turning into an emotionless vampire. Of course, we didn't tell her anything, so that *might* also explain her lack of emotion."

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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So... Everyone is just sitting around sharpening kukris and cleaning guns and polishing crucifixes for two weeks instead of writing in their journals and having meetings that follow Robert's Rules of Order?

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if you ever feel incompetent just remember that Dracula was a military leader who graduated from wizard school and yet his best plan to break into a house was to throw a wolf through a window

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if you ever feel incompetent just remember that Dracula was a military leader who graduated from wizard school and yet his best plan to break into a house was to throw a wolf through a window

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"It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature. Let any obstructing cause, no matter what, be removed in any way—even by death—and we fly back to first principles of hope and enjoyment."

It was just over four years ago that our miracle baby was born extremely premature and then passed away two weeks later due to complications from his premature birth. And yet, we continue to live our lives full of hope and full of joy, with the bird that we will one day be reunited.

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I continue to struggle with the idea that Mina is unclean because of something that was done to her. I am a deeply religious individual. I am active in my faith community and am a lay member of our congregation's ecclesiastical leadership. The God I believe in, the God I worship, does not condemn His children for something that was done to them.

I know that this is a work of fiction, but I also know that Stoker is expressing the commonly held beliefs of people of his time. I worry that these ideas are still much more common than I wish.

Mina is innocent in this matter. She did not wrong. She is still worthy of Jonathan's love. She is still worthy of God's love. In fact, we are all always worthy of God's love. Yes, sin is real. Yes, there is a need for repentance and restitution when sin is committed. But being a victim is never a sin.

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"...the world seems full of good men—even if there are monsters in it."

I love this fragment of a line from Mina's diary because of its simple yet profound truth. As the days ahead grow dark, may we all remember to look for the good men and women!

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Is September 27 the first time, chronologically, that the story states that Count Dracula is a vampire, Un-Dead? It feels like it is just casually dropped and Seward just goes, "Ah, yes, of course. This is common knowledge."

Also, I so appreciate how our good friend Jonathan becomes insta-bros with Professor Van Helsing. And adults say it is hard to make new friends!