#also someone remembers “Dracula Dead and Loving It”

[thelongestway]

someone probably already has this video on this website but

this would make for an extremely good alarm clock

[immediatebreakfast]

I love how Renfield is the oldest (59) and Mina is very likely the living youngest, and yet they bond so well. (It reminds me how well Mina befriended the 99 year old Mr Swales that he sought her company and felt care for her.) It probably contributed that Jack may have experience with interacting with "madmen" and studying, Mina had lived with and loved a "madman".

It's truly incredible how a simple conversation between an old man in physical cell, and a young woman in a mental cell put such a dent in the Count's plans that he had to flee to Transylvania once it was clear that nothing would stop the crew.

Even if the repercutions were huge in the narrative, in between the horror and the action it was just a visit (probably the first visit that Renfield had in a long time) to talk.

Reading again the entry I noticed how hostile Renfield is towards Mina at first,

"You're not the girl the doctor wanted to marry, are you? You can't be, you know, for she's dead." - R.M. Renfield, september 30.

and even with everything one can say about sexism, and the building infantilization of Mina, let's remember that this is the first time Renfield meets someone that is specifically associated with Jack. Renfield's remarked abuser in both authority, and personhood in general. Also by probably being informed by Dracula himself that both Mina and Jonathan are the key players in this continuous attacks against his plans in England, on top of just almost correctly assuming that Mina must share the same opinion towards the mentally ill that society has.

Three strikes against Mina that she switfly defeats by treating Renfield like the person he is, and talking to him in a normal manner. After taking care of her beloved Jonathan, and being at Lucy's side most of her life Mina is aware of how the Other is viewed. Maybe as she saw Renfield, Mina thought of a worse reality where the man on the bed was her Jonathan in Budapest, maybe she saw how Seward reacted to Renfield's words, and realized what was actually layed out in the room. Or maybe Mina just saw an old man in need of an ear, and she just listened.

This is the first time that Renfield puts a face on a victim of the Count's games, he puts a voice on the young victim whose life is going to violently end in what he thought was supposed to be eternal bliss. Lucy is a distant dream for Renfield, the revenge against these people who dared to put up a fight against this old ancient evil that goes beyond all of their years combined.

Renfield never knew Lucy, but he knows Mina now.

Renfield sees the young Mina Harker, entering life with her equal young husband in hand, and trying to solve the murder of what he knows now was her best friend, and he reflects. He reflects on everything he has done, on what has passed, and what he can do tomorrow.

Mr. Renfield asked if he might see me. Poor man, he was very gentle, and when I came away he kissed my hand and bade God bless me. Some way it affected me much; I am crying when I think of him. This is a new weakness, of which I must be careful. Jonathan would be miserable if he knew I had been crying. - Mina Harker, october 2.

And the man is devastated to see how he is helping orchestrate the murder of another young lady to please the Count. He becomes desperate to leave (a request that is denied by both Seward, and Van Helsing), so the Count can't have access to the inside of the asylum. It doesn't matter if he looks like a coward by the time's literary standards because if the only way to at least save that young lady is by acting like one? Then Renfield might as well do it, he has nothing to lose sans his life.

I think that the key difference between Mina, and Jack when it comes to Renfield is empathy, and the ability to simply treat the other person with the same humanity you should be treated.

Jack may have studied, and climbed until he got to be the head of an asylum, but his own biases, mental problems, and ableism blurred the lines between patient and doctor so hard that he made Renfield's life a boring hell. From when their dynamic was introduced, to Renfield's death, the narrative dictated how Seward was putting both into a deep spiral in which, not even with Renfield's manipulations, none of them were going to come out in victory.

In contrast, Mina has cared for Jonathan without any restrain, and has lived in service of what the situation demands of her at all times. She knows, as a young victorian lady, how to balance herself without trying to compete, or win the other person in the room with her. Mina only needed to genuinely talk to Renfield to break his heart because she gave him the respect, and honestly she expects for herself when talking.

[serial-serializednovelreader]

Nova's Notes - Dracula Daily - August 6

In which Mina is upset.....

"Another three days, and no news. This suspense is getting dreadful. If I only knew where to write to or where to go to, I should feel easier; but no one has heard a word of Jonathan since that last letter."

:(((((( it feels like she's clinging to Jonathan's last letter like a lifeline and it's not one she can even trust, since it's so different from how he normally writes. It's so sad!!

"Last night was very threatening, and the fishermen say that we are in for a storm. I must try to watch it and learn the weather signs. To-day is a grey day, and the sun as I write is hidden in thick clouds, high over Kettleness. Everything is grey—except the green grass, which seems like emerald amongst it; grey earthy rock; grey clouds, tinged with the sunburst at the far edge, hang over the grey sea, into which the sand-points stretch like grey fingers."

I highlight this for two reasons: 1) a storm usually means Dracula is not too far off and 2) while it makes sense everything would look "grey", I wonder if this is also a symbol for how the world looks to her without Jonathan: grey. It's even worse that the very creature who caused her to be without Jonathan is likely causing the change in the weather as well.

"'I have been quite touched by the change in the poor old man. When he sat down beside me, he said in a very gentle way:— "'I want to say something to you, miss.' I could see he was not at ease, so I took his poor old wrinkled hand in mine and asked him to speak fully..."

I love how compassionate Mina is for the Mr. Swales here. She immediately sees he's upset (she is very good at reading what others are thinking) and, rather than focus on her troubles, she takes his hand and lets him unburden himself to her. In turn, I commend Mr. Swales for taking the time to talk to Mina about this...

"'I'm afraid, my deary, that I must have shocked you by all the wicked things I've been sayin' about the dead, and such like, for weeks past; but I didn't mean them, and I want ye to remember that when I'm gone. We aud folks that be daffled, and with one foot abaft the krok-hooal, don't altogether like to think of it, and we don't want to feel scart of it; an' that's why I've took to makin' light of it, so that I'd cheer up my own heart a bit. But, Lord love ye, miss, I ain't afraid of dyin', not a bit; only I don't want to die if I can help it. My time must be nigh at hand now, for I be aud, and a hundred years is too much for any man to expect...'"

Mr. Swales 😭😭😭😭 this is actually such a sweet moment of introspection for him. He realizes he's using humor as a coping mechanism to get over his fear of death, but that doesn't excuse the fact he scared her in the process of doing so. It probably isn't the best apology by today's standards, but for an old curmudgeon, I think it's pretty good.

"'Some day soon the Angel of Death will sound his trumpet for me. But don't ye dooal an' greet, my deary!'—for he saw that I was crying—'if he should come this very night I'd not refuse to answer his call.'"

Nooooo Mina!!!! 🥺🥺🥺 Yeah, talking about dying isn't the best thing for her to hear right now.....not that she doesn't feel for the old man, but when you're worrying about your fiancé missing and possibly being dead, it's usually not great to hear about death from someone else....

"'There's something in that wind and in the hoast beyont that sounds, and looks, and tastes, and smells like death. It's in the air; I feel it comin'.'"

Oooo yep, definitely foreshadowing Dracula. 😬😬😬😬 I don't like that.

"After a few minutes' silence, he got up, shook hands with me, and blessed me, and said good-bye, and hobbled off. It all touched me, and upset me very much."

Awwww, someone needs to comfort Mina about Jonathan and if I could hug her, I would!

"I was glad when the coastguard came along, with his spy-glass under his arm. He stopped to talk with me, as he always does, but all the time kept looking at a strange ship."

Another person Mina has befriended!!! She's only been in Whitby for two weeks and has already talked to so many people. Love that for her!

"'I can't make her out,' he said; 'she's a Russian, by the look of her; but she's knocking about in the queerest way. She doesn't know her mind a bit; she seems to see the storm coming, but can't decide whether to run up north in the open, or to put in here. Look there again! She is steered mighty strangely, for she doesn't mind the hand on the wheel; changes about with every puff of wind. We'll hear more of her before this time tomorrow.'"

A Russian ship going to Whitby that seems confused...oh no, I think I know what ship this is...looks like by tomorrow we'll know what happened to our last friend on the Demeter (and I don't think it's a good update).

Until the next one, my friends!

[buffster]

Real Me (BTVS 5.02)

This is part of my ongoing Buffyverse Project, where I write notes/meta for every episode in an attempt to better understand the characters and themes of the shows. You can find the BTVS list here and the ATS list here. Gifs are not mine.

In hindsight, it's funny how they attempted to make Dawn seem mysterious and malevolent only to later reveal she's just a dramatic teenager.

This episode is largely about introducing Dawn as a character and her place in Buffy's life. Real Me is interesting from a meta perspective, because we're watching everyone acclimate to Dawn in real time even though they believe they've known her for years.

In typical little sister fashion, Dawn remains totally unimpressed by Buffy's slaying. If no one else is going to take Buffy down a notch, Dawn will have to. Her relationship with her sister is the most strained.

The addition of Dawn is also revealing of Joyce, who moves from having an understandably complicated relationship with her complicated daughter to just seeming like a negligent parent. She pawns Dawn off on Buffy a lot and doesn't seem much more involved with her normal daughter than her slaying one. Dawn also isn't getting the pseudo-father figure thing from Giles, who is characteristically only concerned with his slayer.

Dawn does enjoy Willow and Tara, who seem to adore her and treat her like a beloved little sister (and less like an annoying one). It doesn't seem like she knows they're a couple yet. Tara especially is very protective of her and worries about how much of an outsider Dawn feels like. Some of this is projection, but it's also true. Dawn is expected to hang on the sidelines and not be a bother, so she gains attention by being a nuisance. I think Buffy's friends also find Dawn easy to sympathize with, because she's the non-special weirdo rather than the popular chosen one. They get that.

When Buffy is forced to drag Dawn along to The Magic Shop, it's little surprise she finds trouble. What does Joyce expect at this point, exactly? The owner of the shop is dead. Harmony is now running a Sunnydale gang. Outside, Dawn has her first encounter with someone mentally ill that can sense something off about her.

Joyce still isn't ready to take Dawn that evening (she's working) so Buffy calls in Xander to babysit so she can patrol. Dawn has a crush on Xander. Her perception of events is child-like, likely reflecting how much they shelter her (she thinks he went "undercover" to stop Dracula). I love seeing Xander interact with people. He just has a friendly nature, so he's able to easily listen to Dawn's rant about Buffy and be supportive just as he listens to Buffy rant about Dawn.

It's fun watching Riley's confusion over Buffy's struggle to deal with her sister. Yes, Dawn is clueless about slaying. Yes, Dawn gets coddled. Yes, Dawn often gets more attention. What's new? Well, all of it. Buffy is struggling to adjust.

Buffy: I guess. It's just - I know it's always been this way… She's the baby. But, for some reason, it's really been getting to me lately. She's always around.

Tensions come to a head when Dawn accidentally invites Harmony inside. Buffy is furious. I'm assuming Dawn was slipped into everyone's memories as seamlessly as possible, meaning she had little involvement/impact on previous events. You get the sense this season that Dawn being in danger/involved in supernatural events is new and not something they remember.

Buffy: No, Dawn has to be coddled and protected from the big bad world. Well, you know what? We're turning Dawn into a little idiot whose going to get us all killed!

I enjoyed watching Buffy's frustration over everyone's easy forgiveness of Dawn. It's true that "put your big girl panties on" was pretty much the message a young Buffy got at every turn. She wasn't given a pass for being youthful and naive, and it makes her angry that Dawn gets one. Especially since there are rarely dire consequences for her mistakes. Buffy was punished pretty badly every time she messed up. Seeing Dawn living the life she should have had and be ungrateful must be hard. Likewise, being the kid sister to the Chosen One must be hard.

Buffy: Harmony, when you tried being head cheerleader, you were bad. When you tried to chair the Homecoming committee, you were really bad. But when you try to be bad… You suck.

Unsurprisingly, Harmony isn't difficult to defeat. Buffy beats up on Spike to get the info for her hide out. He seems to be growing resentful.

Buffy: Well, apart from the fact that magic shop owners in Sunnydale have the life expectancy of a Spinal-Tap drummer, have you ever run a store before?

Giles: I was a librarian for years. This is exactly the same, except that people pay for the things they never return. This will give me focus, help me increase my resources - and keep you lot from tramping about my flat at all hours. There may even be space for you to train in the back.

Buffy: Boy, you've really thought this through. How bored were you last year?

Giles: I watched 'Passions' with Spike. Let us never speak of it.

New location: Magic Shop.

Character Notes:

Buffy Summers: Buffy does not understand Dawn's reference to Hogwarts.

Dawn Summers: She has a Third Eye Blind Poster.

Harmony Kendall: She was stood up by minion Brad Bellamy (who she turned) in the tenth grade. She likes unicorns.

Riley Finn: Riley gets boyfriend points here. He sincerely doesn't mind her canceling plans (and totally forgetting him) here and is just sweetly supportive.

Rupert Giles: He bought a sports car as a sort of post-slayer crisis. It's not working out too well.

[podracerbarrelroll]

One of the things that gets me about Interview with the Vampire is Anne Rice’s take on the downside of immortality. I’m especially thinking about this after reading Dracula Daily, currently reading Carmilla Weekly, and considering other vampire media. The vampire should both horrify and fascinate you, and so there should be enough of a tradeoff between a normal, human life and vampirism to make you question if you’d really want that immortality if it was offered to you.

I say if you could choose to be any type of vampire, you’d want to be a Twilight vampire. It’s literally impossible for a human to kill one. Sure, you maybe can’t go out in daylight all the time because your skin sparkles, but that doesn’t mean you can never see the sun again. You’re also fast enough to catch and kill any human unlucky enough to see you out in the middle of the woods or wherever you risked going out during the day. And as long as word doesn’t get out, the Volturi won’t come after you. Twilight also goes very easy on the obvious drawback of watching everyone you love get old and die. I don’t remember the backstory of every single Cullen, but Edward was dying, Alice literally has no memory of her previous life, and Rosalie was brutalized and left for dead by her fiance. They had no life to go back to. Bella might lose her parents eventually, but children ideally should be the ones to outlive their parents. She didn’t have any other close relatives or friends. In giving up her human life, she gets to marry someone she loves and a new family. They can also live just fine on animal blood, so you don’t have to deal with the moral implications of killing humans. And you get your own superpower! Twilight vampires don’t even have to sleep.

Compare this to earlier vampire stories. The vampires in Dracula and Carmilla lose their connection to God--which was a much bigger deal to the Irishmen writing these stories in the late 1800s than it is to a modern audience. Dracula vampires also lose their humanity and have the significant weakness of needing to return to their coffin to sleep during the day and being vulnerable while doing so. They also can be warded off by garlic and have their sanctuaries destroyed by Eucharist wafers. Dracula couldn’t even move his own coffins--he had to pay other people to do it for him, and that meant he had to leave very quickly when the poly band started destroying them. Carmilla/Mircalla/Millarca is restricted by only being able to use different spellings of her name. Her eating habits raise suspicion in any area she stays in for too long, with so many people dying of a strange “fever”, and she also has trouble going out in the daylight. 

Buffy vampires lose their souls, burn up dramatically in sunlight, and have a vampire slayer (or, by the end of the series, many vampire slayers) gunning for them. Most of the vampires in From Dusk Till Dawn are stuck in an eternal position of slavery or servitude and also burn up in the sunlight, essentially forced into a new society where they have very little power and any disobedience would be punished by death. Vampires in Supernatural can survive sunlight, even if it hurts, but they have hunters to contend with, many of which won’t hesitate to cut their heads off even if they stick to animal blood and mind their own business. Increased speed and strength and eternal life might be nice, but you either become an evil, blood-hunting animal or you get to spend that eternity living in fear.

The drawbacks of vampirism per Interview with the Vampire differ a little between the book and the 1994 movie, and a lot between both of those and the 2022 television series. In the book, and save one scene in the movie where Claudia gets out of her coffin during the day to join Louis in his, Anne Rice’s vampires literally cannot be awake during the day. As they age, sunlight does lose its power over them as Armand says in the series, but they cannot be awake to experience it. New vampires are burnt to ash by the sun, older vampires are only burned by it, and the oldest and most powerful can sleep in the sun all day and come out with a nice tan. The movie does a good job of showing this with Louis, holding his lantern close to the waters of the Mediterranean at night because he wants to see it as blue as he’s always heard about. But his light isn’t enough, and the water stays black. It’s a significant drawback of vampirism that the show loses: the sun may eventually lose its ability to hurt you, but you will never experience sunlight or what the world looks like in the daytime again.

One thing the Interview with the Vampire series does keep and did do well with in the first season is showing how vampires are incapable of change. Not only that their bodies are the same forever and that Claudia will never grow up, but that they have essentially lost the human ability to grow and change as people. In the book/movie, Louis was in his early twenties and had already lost his brother (book) or wife and buried his newborn child (movie). Alone in the world save for the slaves he owned at his plantation--who rightfully hated him. He wanted to die, and Lestat jumped him and gave him what he wanted, but he also preserved Louis like that forever. He is and always will be suicidally depressed--he is both dead and wanting to die, existing in limbo. In the series, Louis will always be exactly who he was when Louis turned him. Alienated from his family, but feeling an obligation to support them. Hating the life he leads and the way he earns his money while also viciously defending it. Paying someone to sit in a room and listen to him talk, whether that person is a prostitute or reporter. Louis is stuck as who he was in his weakest moment, when he gave into Lestat, which is why he will always give into Lestat, which is why, after more than a century, he is still whining!

It’s also why aging up the reporter is a great move, because over the course of fifty years, Daniel went from a young addict to a world-renowned reporter, from an idealistic idiot to a cynical asshole. This means he’s done the one thing Louis can’t (besides go out in sunlight): he’s grown and changed as a person. That’s why Louis is fascinated by him, and why he called him decades later to complete their interview. It also calls into question if you, the viewer, would want the “dark gift” Louis offers him. Twenty-year-old Daniel, like most people that age, had no idea how much life can change you, and had no idea what he might be losing to ask for Louis to turn him at that age. Seventy-year-old Daniel knows very well what he would have lost and what he still very well might lose by letting Louis turn him, even as Parkinson’s slowly starts to take its toll on his body. Would you want to live as who you are right now, forever? Do you like who you are enough that you would give up your ability to change, to know who you might become? Would you always want to be that person who, when the vampire bared his teeth and made his offer, gave into a moment of weakness and said yes?

[beevean]

You know, I think Netflixvania has a wasted opportunity regarding Dracula’s death.

Of course, it would require that NFCV take Dracula seriously, and not botch the execution as they do most of the time, but hear me out…

It would have been really cool if Nocturne had had some of its premise affected by Dracula’s actions. They could perhaps tweak Richter’s insecurity from “what purpose do I have if I’m not fighting Dracula” to “what purpose will I have if I don’t fight monsters,” as was elaborated in a previous post, and maybe have a villain’s motivation shaped by their time with Dracula, but he could feel present in the narrative, while still being dead, and in keeping with the games’ themes.

But that would also require respecting the source material, which the creators have shown little regard for.

*sigh*

I really like the scene of Dracula's death. If you separate it from the source material, it's perfect. Dracula isn't defeated through any conventional means, because he's way above anything anyone can throw at him: what finally brings him down is his own grief, it's the weight of all the mistakes he has made, it's a final moment of self-awareness. The episode is called "For Love", and ultimately, he stops out of love for his son.

It's beautiful. If he were an original villain, it would be such a 10/10.

But he's not an original villain, and yeah Dracula may be terrifyingly powerful, but the Vampire Killer and the Belmont determination even more so.

By all means, that scene should have been reserved for the SoTN adaptation. Have Dracula, 300 years after Lisa's death, fighting Alucard one to one, actually stop in his tracks and ponder, what is he even doing at this point? That was SoTN's emotional climax! Alucard telling Dracula Lisa's last words and making him reconsider, sadly only for a moment, his entire stance! Not Dracula's Curse's, which was about the development of the heroes! Trevor redeeming the Belmont's name, Alucard respecting his mother's wishes, Sypha and Grant avenging the death of their friends and the destruction of their homes! The show cares far more about its villains than it does about the heroes! So the price to pay for a wonderful scene fleshing out the antagonist was to reduce the protagonists' importance, with consequences for the future.

Another thing we need to remember is that NFCV ended with Dracula and Lisa being brought back to life, and them deciding to explore the world together (without telling Alucard a thing because fuck his grief i guess). No wonder no one remembers him in Nocturne! AFAIK, dude spent 300 years chilling in another castle! At most, he would be remembered as a monster spreading terror through Wallachia for a few months in the 15th century, a historical curiosity.

"A villain’s motivation shaped by their time with Dracula" hah, imagine if they brought back those nameless vampires that we see in his court in S2. In the games, when Dracula is dead, the antagonist is usually someone who is trying to bring him back, exception being PoR where Brauner has his own agenda (but he's still stealing Dracula's castle). They already did this in the show, but if they really cared about Dracula, they'd do it again... but yeah, they don't. So French Revolution and Sun Thundercat with Female Isaac it is for Nocturne :\

[real-total-drama-takes]

I am the one who can't remember if I am smiley anon :) lol call me confused smiley :)? Or Fog bog smiley :)

Lol babies (I know you not babies, but I am not using babes)

Now Duncan and Courtney angst/love

His hands are always cold and filled with sweat he only got like with Gwen and when he didn't need to steal but he ended up stealing for other reason but the rush and the thrill.

So, when he kisses Gwen with no remorse it's okay because Courtney's still here.

She's always going be there- because Courtney always there because she loves you no matter what, right?

In prison after All-Stars Courtney's mother is there with some her coworkers. He assumes it's Courtney's doing. Like always from years ago of their relationship and you can win her back!

Scott and her are over now!

---

Courtney knew better than to kiss a boy like that.

Gwen and Duncan, everyone always wanted them together but now it made sense.

No tears, no pain, no gain, it's a part of life.

So, when he is out and about still friends everyone mostly Gwen.

Her brain rots and is mushy by the time they are forced to be around another person. It's Geoff's doing and she feels sick. Her brain rots with the words Duncan never loved you and just get over it, you aren't the victim, you are the abuser, you are the villain, you deserve worse than this, and more than death itself.

Gwen is nice- well the most civil she can be, but Courtney feels sick because everyone loves Gwen not her. A star can't outshine the moon she thinks looking at Gwen trying play nice with her at the punch bowl. Courtney doesn't care anymore by 22, her addiction is pain now, so she looks a man she doesn't love more from a distance- Duncan and the fans think she is dating for show because Chris said everyone wants her to move on because it seems she's waiting out for Duncan come to her now again. But her new man was sweet, he saw past the hurt, past well everything.

His name is Damein- the irony. She doesn't expect run into Duncan, but she does. Duncan is in awe, but she sticks to her stomach and makes a run for it.

Damein holds her hair as she vomits and pats her softly singing her latest favorite song then later on Gwen is shocked you don't want her number or Duncan's or anyone's number anymore. The only person you do talk to is just Geoff with a sad look saying goodbye for a last time the signing it's the end.

Then Courtney almost dies at young age to someone that some the fans hope she end up with an abuser just like her and she thinks I deserve this and doesn't press charges or call someone for help.

She runs into them again and they look at her in fear but not because of her, fear for her~

Courtney? Duncan says. With Gwen in shock.

She doesn't answer she limps to Damein thinking she deserves this and let them all move on... At least Damein loves me.

This is for the fans are like blah blah blah toxic and abusive- I am saying it! Some of you ship the JOKER and Harleyquinn but not Duncan and Courtney? HMM!? Also thinking anyone shipping Duncan and Courtney is naturally abusive or brain dead awful unlike your weird Gwen/Duncan didn't do no wrong ever and could never. Making Gwen a water down version of herself or just to be your playthang as you wish to be Duncan to have Gwen... it makes me see blood in my mind because Gwen, Duncan, and Courtney can be happy without each other!

THEY ALL DID WROnG!!

But Courtney-

Duncan was in juvie before the show, remember? You saying Gwen and Duncan are Bonnie and Clyde tropes.....

Gwen's crimes, where? Duncan and Courtney i bet done more crimes than Gwen could ever on canon.

AHAHHFHF

Like you can make them all date together or like Duncan is Dracula, Gwen and Courtney the brides and I don't know the other one that is killed off can be another character you like.

I am tired of some you are being so nasty to each other!

I don't like Courtney hitting people! I was raised in hitting and more as if in an argument I rather you hit me than talk to me because I hate having feelings but got used to being hurt that's more messed up and one the reasons, I am in mental health healing and getting help.

Courtney is shippable like others... but why can't she rest?

Maybe Courtney being a lawyer fanfic and no romance just slice of life... I would read that!

I am sorry for being mad at you or some of you.... I just with emotions and I don't like them/

[borathae]

Chapter 2

That dick is all over campus” call that a hoeyager

oh they are very serious oof

running for her life?? TAE WHAT ARE YOU ABOUT TO DO TO ME???

“A gentleman’s secret muhee hee hee hee

“Your car is really sexy truer words ahve never been spoken

Do you enjoy music? watch his ass play johnny marvin

WHAT IS DOIJG ?? *im guessing he can charm/manipulate minds?

You didn’t want to say this, why did you say this? MOM(2seok,kook) PICK ME UP IM SCARED

You shiver and blink, feeling as if you finally found the way out of something. But what?  BYE TAEHYUNG UM I WILL COME BACK TO YOU, later..... like 500 years later as reincarnation bye

I knew that you would enjoy this place”, hOW DID U KNOW??

(footsteps)Taehyung’s were silent. STOP BYE IM LEAVIMG IM SCARED KOOK SHOULD HAVE BEEN FASTER TO COLLECT ME AAH

every lovely lady I spent time with, always shifts to my descent sooner or later.” whoops hee hee

“I want to talk to that source one day, they seem to have the raunchiest details about artists” mr. dracula must be fluttering

resting bitch face is very annoying, especially when it looks like a certain someone and u cant rest it, even at home (was a struggle in lockdown)

“It’s a little eerie here HOMEGIRL IS THAT THE ONLY THING U FOUND EERIE YET???

ofc a murderer wouldnt tell you, imagine u going

excuse me, young lady, you look really good tonight

-oh thank you, u shouldnt have

well i have to, cuz its going to be your last night.

-what?

im a murderer, so let me just stabby stab yeah?

-oh yeah sure why not, since u are polite

ok mr. not a murderer, would u mind making me hungry for more healthier stuff??? and also not let me gain weight???? thank yew

such a big house????? that you own???? in this economy????

Are you going to cook dinner for me? nope he is about to pull a hannibal and make u the dinner for all the housemates 😭

I fear not, I am quite terrible in the kitchen. But worry not, you will still get delicious food. sir i wisheth u stopped thy habit of speaking old english (jk, go on, make me laugh lol, i literally pulled on my old pants that comes up to knees and wore socks above)

A scarlet red rope adorns his naked body, opened in the front to reveal his toned torso and the matching silk pants adorning his sculpted legs. I AM HOE, SERVANT, AND MAID AND YOURS PERSONALLY, HOW MAY I SERVE YOU, SIR????

descending down the stairs like a graceful cat. ah the line is so good i love it, i can see it, not like i wasnt seeing 95% of the scenes like a movie in my head

she snorted she snorted SHE SNORTED GOOD NIGHT

He answered it clearly and loudly. WHAT DID HE SAY AAH

Where did he get that glass from? You can’t remember watching him stand up and get it. Or did he have it all this time already? boi what goes on

The movie about the messy street rat helping that weak cook U LIVED THAT LONG AND THATS YOUR OPINION??? UNCULTURED SWINE

his movie is a masterpiece. It’s about friendship and love and overcoming stereotypes, it’s so much more than just a rat helping a cook PERIOD TELL EM SIS

CARS ISNT BAD JIMINSHI MY LOVE

I like to refresh my memory sometimes SIR ANOTHER HINT AAH

How could I, a mere mortal man, sleep next to your beautiful body and not be tempted by my carnal desires?” MORTAL MAN??? U SURE ABOUT THAT?

feeling that i’ve seen them before somewhere” SAY WHAT OMG she is indeed special, i mean obviously why would 2seok call her and kook say we smell good

Do not open your doors tonight. Keep them locked.” THEY GOT DEAD BODIES PT 2

HUH??? how did she end up in the library?? does opening the door even for a second cause such stuff?

omg bad boi yoongles came to save us

the suspense is killing me the foreshadowing is hecking great

and im already excited to know more about all characters *squeaks

heheheh I love your reviews hehehe thank youuuu 💜💜

That dick is all over campus” call that a hoeyager

LMAOAO FOR REAL jfajds f

running for her life?? TAE WHAT ARE YOU ABOUT TO DO TO ME???

SUSPICIOUS INDEEEED

WHAT IS DOIJG ?? *im guessing he can charm/manipulate minds?

mhmhmhmmhmhmmmmmmmmmhhhhmmm 👀

You didn’t want to say this, why did you say this? MOM(2seok,kook) PICK ME UP IM SCARED

BESTIE HE IS DANGEROUS LIKE HELPPP

You shiver and blink, feeling as if you finally found the way out of something. But what?  BYE TAEHYUNG UM I WILL COME BACK TO YOU, later..... like 500 years later as reincarnation bye

LIKE LISTEN WHAT IS HE DOINNG??? HELLELEOOOO

I knew that you would enjoy this place”, hOW DID U KNOW??

👀👀👀👀👀

(footsteps)Taehyung’s were silent. STOP BYE IM LEAVIMG IM SCARED KOOK SHOULD HAVE BEEN FASTER TO COLLECT ME AAH

GIRLIEPOPS WE ARE SCARED

resting bitch face is very annoying, especially when it looks like a certain someone and u cant rest it, even at home (was a struggle in lockdown)

Oh no I'm sorry to hear that you can't even relax at home :/ I'm manifesting a safer living situation for you 💜💜

such a big house????? that you own???? in this economy????

so he rich RICH i see i see

Are you going to cook dinner for me? nope he is about to pull a hannibal and make u the dinner for all the housemates 😭

GIRL LEGIT LIKE PLEASE HELP HER

A scarlet red rope adorns his naked body, opened in the front to reveal his toned torso and the matching silk pants adorning his sculpted legs. I AM HOE, SERVANT, AND MAID AND YOURS PERSONALLY, HOW MAY I SERVE YOU, SIR????

lmao for real fjasjdfa

descending down the stairs like a graceful cat. ah the line is so good i love it, i can see it, not like i wasnt seeing 95% of the scenes like a movie in my head

GAAH EHEH THANK YOUU <33333

CARS ISNT BAD JIMINSHI MY LOVE

i must let you know that Cars is not Jimin's fave movie, Tae was just teasing him HAHAHAHAHAH i don't think that Jimin even has a fave movie tbhf JFAJDSFJ

feeling that i’ve seen them before somewhere” SAY WHAT OMG she is indeed special, i mean obviously why would 2seok call her and kook say we smell good

mmhmhmmhmhmhmmhmmmmm

Do not open your doors tonight. Keep them locked.” THEY GOT DEAD BODIES PT 2

LIKE SHE IS REALLY GONE NOW ISNT SHE FJASDFJ

HUH??? how did she end up in the library?? does opening the door even for a second cause such stuff?

mhmhmmmmmmmm 👀

omg bad boi yoongles came to save us

he is so hot tbfh.

the suspense is killing me the foreshadowing is hecking great and im already excited to know more about all characters *squeaks

gaah thank youu <333 I'm so happy that you're enjoying it so much heheheheh thank you for reading ilyy

[the-crow-binary]

Dracula and Lisa ☕️

OH BOY OH BOY INTERACTION LETS GO OK SO

I actually have two ways of looking at their relationship: One is "if Lisa is Elisabetha's reincarnation" (wich hasn't been confirmed canonically as far as i'm aware ?), the other being, obviously, is Lisa is her own person and not Elisabetha's reincarnation. in both scenarios she pegs Dracula

So to start with the first one:

Love them, they're cute, there's something poetic about Mathias' wife coming back for round 2 as Drac's wife. It's pretty heartwarming, ESPECIALLY considering Lisa brought Dracula's humanity back just by... being her. I don't think she tried anything special. I see it more as something like a "beauty and the beast" kinda story, where the beauty didn't try to change the beast (at least, not actively), but her personnality was so charming that it brought back to life what had died centuries ago in the beast, and encouraged him to be better. And this change is probably what charmed Lisa too, if we consider that she has no memory of her past life (maybe a few flashbacks here and there ?). The only problem is that Dracula changed for HER, not for himself nor anyone else. So, of course, when she died... he had no reason to continue on the right path. He couldn't see any reason, at least, because of his grief and the traumatic memories of losing his first wife.

But yeah, in this version, i see them having a pretty wholesome relationship. ON THE OTHER HAND...

In the context of Lisa NOT being Elisabetha, MAN, HOW THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS NOT OKAY. I mean from a story perspective, it's very interesting, BUT OTHERWISE, LISA, MY GIRL, YOU DESERVE BETTER-

Do I need to explain how toxic it is for Dracula to get in a relationship with a woman just because she reminds him of HIS DEAD EX ?? Going out with someone just because they look like your ex IS ALREADY BAD ENOUGH I MEAN OERIGHSERLGKNESRMLKGN YOU NEED TO GET OVER YOUR LOSS FIRST ?? THE WOMAN ISN'T A REPLACEMENT, SHE'S NOT SOME OBJECT YOU CAN PROJECT ON Y'KNOW ??

Ok hold on i'll explain in a little bit more details:

So, in this context, after 400 years or so, Dracula is STILL not over Elisabetha. Can't really blame him, she's like, the whole reason why he turned into a vampire in the first place... But then Lisa appears, and Dracula immediately sees Elisabetha in her. She's not her, but in Dracula's mind, it's the same thing. He cannot see her as someone else, as her very own person, and say (probably think) he is in love with her, when truly, he's in love with the illusion of his dead wife. And clearly, he'll treat her right ! This "restoring his humanity" thing is still very true, but it's not because of Lisa being herself. It's because she looks like Elisabetha (both in body and mind. I mean we don't know much about Elisabetha but i like to think she was a very smart, kindhearted woman as well), and Dracula has never been able to truly differentiate the two, wich isn't healthy for ANY of them. I can even picture Dracula slipping up and directly calling her Elisabetha at one point, when he was very sleepy (not even remembering it afterwards). Lisa definitely knew, but delt with it anyway, because she knew she had a "good" effect on him (and we know she was ready to sacrifice herself for the "greater good"). It's thanks to her that Dracula calmed down for a few years. Plus, i do think she loved him sincerely, to the bitter end... Dracula did too, in his own twisted way (like he did LEON but that's another story for another day)

But if there's something that both version shares is: Dracula... is SO BAD AT DEALING WITH THE DEATH OF HIS LOVED ONES. HE'S- HE SUCKS AT BEING MENTALLY AND EMOTIONNALLY STABLE. And not JUST THAT, but he also seems to be VERY emotionnally dependent on Elisabetha and Lisa. The whole "he's ready to destroy the world for his lover" is DEFINITELY NOT AS ROMANTIC AS SOME PEOPLE THINK. IT'S TERRIBLE. THE MAN IS INCAPABLE OF MOVING ON NO MATTER HOW MANY CENTURIES PASSES- GUYS IT'S BAD. OUR MAN IS NOT OKAY. And i find it SO GOOD AND INTERESTING. The big bad of Castlevania, the man, no, the MONSTER everyone fears, responsible for LOTS and LOTS of innocent deaths, many curses, even went as far as re-creating the RAREST and most POWERFUL of stones and making a deal with Death itself to steal a powerful vampire soul (consciously provoking the death of his best friend's betrothed in the process)... his lover die and he is CRUSHED. DESTROYED. RUINED. HE CAN'T EVEN THINK NOR CARE ABOUT HOW BAD HE'S HURTING HIS OWN SON. OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER. IT'S JUST PURE HATRED TO COVER THE INTENSE GRIEF. It's honestly tragic. And i LOVE IT so much... had Lisa decided to be a therapist instead of a doctor, maybe he wouldn't have turned the way he did lol

ANYWAY... i think about Drac' a lot. Less about Lisa/Elisabetha ngl but i can't think about the Dark Lord's sentimental shortcoming without thinking about them.

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 022: The Master Plan of the Molten Man... and Dracula is also there (ASM 132-133, GSSM 1)

MASTERPOST

In this duo, we see an old friend... or two. And then, we meet a vampire. OoOoOh~!

I really enjoy the Molten Man's new design! Gorgeous cover.

It may be January in the Marvel-verse, but we're in May 74, publication-wise!

Liz is back! Hasn't been seen since issue 30, which explains why I keep mistaking Betty and her.

I don't know why, but I remembered this specific (and very ugly) maid. Poor lady.

Anyway, Raxton is hot, there I said it, we can get on.

When I first saw those panels, I thought it was exactly like how Romita would draw Liz... then I checked the credits again... and it's him! His soapy style is gorgeous as ever. Peter says she never got on with MJ, but given that MJ appeared for the first real time in #42... I don't know what he's on. The art of the retcon!

Ned, who's investigating the maid's intel on Raxton, almost dies as Raxton (actually the Molten Man) makes his room explode. I like that Ned (and the rest of the cast) are more involved! I miss them.

The Molten Man has apparently not been seen since #35, which checks out. It's the occasion for the artists to put gold, which is a shade we don't see so much.

Look, is this a safe space? Can I say what's on my mind?

The feet are really nice. I'm not particularly into feet (I know, TMI) but I'm really impressed by how it looks good. And the rest of Raxton's body is obviously quite well-done too. I'm not saying that Spider-Man comics made me gay, but they sure aren't beating the allegations.

Ned is very badly aged, but I like the damsel in distress look.

Raxton's radiation has a bad influence on Peter's metabolism, and he might very well die by the next issue...

Oh, who are we kidding?

In the readers' letters, it seems like Gwen's death has now mostly been forgiven, and someone is praising MJ--and she deserves it!

Even men want to see more of Peter! I'm afraid the situation isn't exactly adapted, however.

As a matter of fact, Spidey has already planned to party in a sauna with another man. Better luck next time!

(I love those smoke effects.)

Liz reveals that Raxton is her brother, which I completely forgot about.

We rarely see that kind of comedy, hahaha.

So. Um. It's a classic story of Spidey kind of being a jerk. Um. So Liz's brother is dead. For now. Maybe. Oof.

In the comments, there's also people talking about Russia's attack on Ukraine. Gerry Conway's run is really provocative, huh! I'm kind of loving it. His shaking of the status quo, not the attack.

I wonder if we'll get to see Liz's reaction :(

I'll do Giant-Size 1 later, it's currently more than 3 am. Hey, do you know what we'll get next time? A big batch... and Harry's big moment as, you know, the, the...!

Oh, you'll just have to wait!

______________________________________________________________

And here's the late addendum of Giant-Size Spider-Man #1!

I'm into that, actually!

So May's dying again (isn't she always?) and Peter needs to get her a vaccine. Ross Andru thus entertains us with a brilliant perspective shot.

Their homoeroticism never fails. Reading the summary of Marvel Team-Up 23 actually was a treat, because I finally got the answer to a years-old question of mine: did Iceman really rob a bank in the first few pages of this issue?

No, he didn't, folks!

Yes, you're getting a ton of screenshots for this part, since I know there's no more issue in this batch after this one.

Anyway, Dracula... Could you please breed me?

To me, Peter and Dracula crossing paths was like, an interplanetary event. It gave me chills. In fact, it still does and I think I should write Peter/Dracula smut now so thank you to the whole team, you've made a mess out of my brain, ARE YOU HAPPY?!? (It is 3 am.)

At least three factions are out there to find Maxfield, either to kill him (Dracula), use him for bartering (the Whisperer and Simian), and naturally Peter just wants to heal his aunt.

I remember that exact cosplay!!!! Funny what the brain remembers and doesn't. Sir, if you thirst so much, maybe I could come to your aide. You just need to ask. Okay, that's actually optional.

The Whisperer's men have a run in with Dracula and think he's Maxfield, which totally offends Dracula. As revenge, he decides to homosexualize his assailants.

Muahahaha.

The writing team then attempts to gaslight me into thinking Dracula isn't hot as fuck.

They're not doing a good job, I can tell you.

A woman is attacked by Dracula, Peter hears her, alerts the captain, who makes Dr. Maxfield come... and Simian follows them.

The fake Hawkgirl attacks one of them and is knocked unconscious. They escape with the man, Peter escapes too...

I'm all giddy!!!!!! Don't know why, but I love that "oh it's not the end yet... or rather, at all! I'm loving this romp. It's a complete joy.

In a great feat of misdirection, Simian and his men find Spider-Man... but actually, he's just a rando in a costume! That's funny and foreshadowed (given that everyone's in a costume anyway). And if I remember, this isn't the only misdirection...

The guy on the right is a fun one.

Meanwhile, Dracula is just as uncomfortable watching Babylon's first 10 minutes as I was. (It's a great movie, go watch it.)

Great mise-en-scène! The Whisperer has trapped the guy, but a bat follows... and hits Simian with its gay ray. Hurray!

Gosh, Dracula is such a girlboss. "I have been harassed--attacked--INSULTED..." Iconic.

Dracula eventually escapes, convinced that he just threw Maxfield overboard... but Spidey caught fake Robin Hood!

And thus, the biggest twist arises!

What a girlboss too.

And that's how it ends. A stellar issue! Loved it.

[poppetsisters]

I'm gonna talk about the new Marvel CMF series.

These are some great figures, but with the new box designs they're going for, bag feeling is officially dead. Don't get me wrong, I understand and appreciate that it's for recycling and sustainability purposes, but this does make it so hardcore collectors have to go back to the dark ages and bring a scale into Walmart. That, or just break into the box and steal what they please. Me personally, I'm gonna check to see whether Bricklink starts price gouging because of this since the prices for CMFs on that site are reasonable so far.

Anyway here's what I think about the figs.

Goliath. Something I should make clear is that I'm not a fan of the MCU. However, since Marvel sets are 90% based on MCU titles, that means the only versions of characters I can get come from those movies. Case in point: Bill Foster. Though the suit looks nice and maintains a stylistic similarity to the MCU Antman costume, as a comics fan, it bears no resemblance to the comic costume and hence I won't be picking it up.

Storm. Oh she's perfect! We already got a decent Storm fig based on the Giant Sized suit, but without the crown thing sadly. But THIS! When people think of Storm, they think of this design, and it looks great! I'm for sure picking this one up!

Beast. Another great fig. I love that the alternate face includes glasses. Such a nerd! Interesting that they chose to make a new hair mold when the good ol' dracula hair would've been just fine. Not complaining of course, it's just interesting to me.

Kate Bishop. I'm not a Hawkeye enjoyer, which means I don't have much stake in Kate Bishop either. It's lucky (heh) that we have a figure of her, so I'm happy for the Kate Bishop fans, it's just not something I'm excited about.

Moon Knight. This was always gonna be a guaranteed buy from me. Of course I wish it was the comics design, but at this point I've grown used to settling for MCUification. Nah but this figure still rocks. Lots of detailed printing, a cool new moon piece, and a brand new hood mold that I hope LEGO makes in more colours soon.

Wolverine. This figure makes me upset that I bought that Wolverine mech only for them to improve on the design in every way. The boots, the arm hair, the everything is just the most perfect you could make a Wolverine figure, and the added sentinel head is a nice touch!

She-Hulk. As someone who bought that one Hulk set with Hulk, Red Hulk, She-Hulk, and She-Red Hulk all in their classic comic colours, this figure has no use to me. It's a faithful design that includes dual molding and nice prints nontheless. One way they could've outdone the original figure was perhaps use the Avatar arms and legs... actually nevermind, that would look kinda awkward.

Hawkeye. I can already hear the AFOLs complaining about the lack of leg printing. Shout out to LEGO finally getting Jeremy Renner's hair right! Otherwise it's fine to me. I can get a better Hawkeye fig from that one avengers video game set.

Mr. Knight. This represents one of those magical MCU moments where the costume of the movies matches close enough to the comics to pass. Hence, I may have to get this one. The figure itself is very basic, but that's all I need sometimes. The fish bowl is a nice touch too.

Echo: I never heard of this character, but I know she's indigenous and is famously depicted with a white handprint on her face. For comics accuracy, this is unfortunate that the minifig leaves this out. For cultural sensitivity, it's complicated. Based on my 10 seconds of googling, a handprint is generally associated with success in hand to hand combat, which seems fine enough, but I also know a red handprint over the mouth has emerged as a symbolic representation for violence against indigenous women. I think this too fits Echo's backstory, but you have to remember this is Disney we're talking about, the same company that made Pocahontas. As a white woman, I'm not at all an authority when it comes to indigenous representation in media. I recommend you do your own research and listen to what indigenous voices have to say on the matter. For now though, the figure looks cool I guess.

Agatha Harkness. The figure looks good, but not gonna lie, I'm here for that Darkhold. It feels weird to buy a minifig SPECIFICALLY for a prop, but it's an important Marvel artifact so I don't want to miss it. Besides, I should probably get Agatha anyway. Who else is gonna babysit Franklin Richards?

Werewolf by Night. With Moon Knight and now Wolfy, I can combine them with Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Morbius, and Blade to make my own Midnight Sons roster. The bloodstone is a nice addition too, just makes me wish we also got Elsa. Ah well.

[nerdychickshavemorefun]

8 Brief Thoughts About Van Helsing (2016)

It's now been a good chunk of time since Van Helsing (Syfy) final season came out on Netflix, and I would like to take a look back at some things from the early seasons that had such great potential and were ultimately squandered. Maybe one day someone can take some of these good ideas and have another go at it.

As a preface, in general I think that if this show had taken itself a little less seriously, been a little less unironically 90s-comicbook-style edgy, and just had more campy fun, they might've been able to keep the plot from flying off the rails at the end of season 3 and maybe would've been able to keep the MC likeable enough that they didn't have to stuff her in a closet for over an entire season.

And now, 8 things that could have been good:

1. the idea of a reverse vampire (someone who can bite vampires to turn them back into humans). I love the idea of being able to walk up to a classic, arrogant Gothic style vampire who remembers the Crusades and thinks humans are basically cattle, and just absolutely wreck them thematically and literally with just a little ~nibble~

2. Combining the classic "zombie apocalypse with fast zombies" setting (with half-starved feral vampires as the fast zombies), with having actual, intelligent villiand (well, varyingly intelligent) who can have the usual villian hierarchies and dynamics. Like if the various bad guy factions of The Walking Dead were lightly fantasy flavored and also not meant to just further bash into your head that all humans are horrible terrible monsters.

3. On a similar note, just having a show in an apocalypse setting that says "Humans aren't the worst, actually, because the vampires definitely are, and you have to magically and horrifically strip a person of their connection to emotion and humanity to get that". And if that's the opposite of the writers intentions and I've read it completely wrong, then I think they might've chosen being edgy and nihilist over being interesting.

4. Diversity. Not just in the representation of bi women, lesbians, BIPOC actors and characters (I cannot stress enough how big a deal having a confirmed-in-season-one bi female protag was for 2016), but in the in-world diversity of vampire clans/subspecies.

4.5. The Sisterhood. Obviously.

5. Putting a SHOCKINGLY gripping murder mystery in the middle of the first season of your post-apocalypse fantasy show.

5.5. Making Christopher Heyerdahl the murderer. The man never misses when it comes to playing compellingly unhinged characters. If you want a show with a script and plot that doesn't do him dirty like season 4 did, watch the first season of Hell on Wheels.

6. Having your mid-level BBEGs Tragic Backstory be "I was into BDSM in the 1700s and I had HORRIBLE taste in choosing a new dom and now here we are". I'm sorry but that is glorious and I still can't fathom why they waited until we no longer cared about the character to reveal it. They could've played it for comedy, they could've played it for developing the character (trust/control issues etc), and instead we got to wave at it as it passed us by on its way out the window.

7. Lady Dracula instead of good old Vlady, and the Three Spouses of Dracula instead of three wives. Liked the idea, felt the execution was lacking (but, to be fair, it was equally as lacking as everything else plot related in the later seasons). Please, someone just give me a modern Carmilla in vampire fiction.

8. A short list of themes they could have developed or developed better with this setting and these characters, and chose not to:

Human capacity for empathy and connection, and how that relates to ones definition of humanity.

In what ways does the fact that "humanity" can be given or restored in this setting conflict with the characters' assumed definitions of humanity. Further, address the fact that almost every single vampire killed in this series was originally a person who didn't want to be a vampire, and who could have been a human again. What are the personal and moral implications of actively killing a vampire when you could have just as easily turned back? Is there any real difference than just killing a human at that point?

The line between love and obsession/possession and the toxicity therein. After they mentioned that most vamps have a very limited emotional range, I would have loved to see this theme played out more in the vampires who still have close familial or romantic relationships (or, uh, I guess both), especially when you have Phil to contrast it with.

Found family and redemption arcs. Oldies but goodies. The amount of these themes/tropes they did have within the side characters' stories was most of what made the later seasons watchable for me, but I sometimes think we all might've got over the fact that Julius used to eat babies just a little too quickly.

[writingalice]

So. I think I'm not the first, but I can't stop myself to think on it and you will suffer that.

What if the Count won ? I mean, we saw Anno Dracula from Kim Newman (which is really funny, even though I should probably read it in English) but I mean for Lucy and Mina.

What if this graveyard-scene ('let's kill some vampire'-scene) didn't happened as it is recorded in the book ? Maybe someone did hesitate - maybe Arthur, who still loves Lucy, which is a thing we know ; maybe Quincey, who is far too strange and so unusual in this book that he is suspect (the man has no substance, in my memory, there is a reason why we never recall him) : maybe John Seward, who doesn't eat or sleep properly and about who we could quote Nietzche and say 'when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.' ; maybe even Van Helsing : I always thought he gave such an impression of guiltness (well, I will surely see later, but I never really liked him). Maybe, even, it was the four men, for they stayed so long into the graveyard, looking on Lucy, that she woke up and killed them, or transformed them into vampires - and nobody knew.

Whatever. There was something wrong in the graveyard and Lucy survived. Mina was transformed, too : in this universe, I think Vamp Helsing or another man could have give her to the Count, or she went to see him and accepted to become a vampire lady if Jonathan was allowed to survive (the Count lied).

And then, look in the future. We are not going to Anno Dracula-ize this, for I don't think that's the way the Count would have take. I think he would've been patient, terrifying the locals and making a haunted reputation to the South of England, then to all England. I think he would have transform all England to this Transylvanian countries we saw in the beginning of Dracula. And a long time in the future, there would be a country of vampires, with castles ruled by loyal vampires to Dracula and peasants who live in fear. And all the vampires would be the further opposants to Dracula ; for he can control them, and he is amused by making them his puppets.

But you arrive. I don't know who you are, just a person in the future. And for some reason, you sleep in Dracula's castle - and maybe there's a reunion or something. I don't know. But you sleep in the wrong room, and then you wake up to find five women. Two are blonde and fair, even if their type of beauty is maybe a little bit old and white-centric, two have aquiline noses such as their host, and one has a Victorian dress she never left and half-piercing, half-sad eyes. They all look on you, the unusual visitor, and want to suck your blood - except maybe the one with the Victorian dress, depends on the way she got vampirized.

And you can't defend yourself - and suddenly you remember these strange tales about the South of England, the tales that made your frieds laugh and your parents worried. These tales which tell about women who were vampirized, a Lucie and a... maybe Minnie, you think. And you wonder who are the other ones, for the tales never tell about them, but you don't know.

Suddenly you understand so much things : the way the peasants looked horrified and the meaning of all those old tales, and why the man who looked like a Victorian-style lawyer gave you such a sad look. Like everyone, you heard about these monsters in England when you were a child, and like everyone you laugh about it, for you know at least one person who went and returned without any injury or strange memory. Well, you used to laugh. Now, you're starting to think you will never laugh again - probably because you will be dead.

The five women look familiar to you - then you remember : you saw them before. Your host looked familiar with them.

Here's the thing : nobody never quit Dracula. All his opposants become his servants, at the very end. And then you know, without knowing how, you just know that you will never leave the castle.

And then the five women smile at you, you who just awakened in horror, and one of them says 'Welcome, my good friend'.

All this quite-of-a-fanfic just to say I'm sure Drac would have added Lucy and Mina to his brides... that was unexpected. hope you liked it.

[littlekingbergara]

22, 36, 38, & 39 for the ask game!! :DD <3

hiii noa thank you! i feel like i havent talked to you in FOREVER 🫶 i hope youre doing well <3

22. what's an underrated video game/movie/show you love and think it needs more recognition?

this one is hard bc i cant push for yellowjackets anymore bc it's not necessarily Underrated (except watch yellowjackets if you havent!!) soo. to You i will recommend pushing daisies bc i think it will go nicely with the orpheus and eurydice brainrot 🫠

it's about a boy who has the power to bring dead things back to life But if he touches them again after he does that they die forever and if he keeps them alive for longer than a minute then someone else dies. and the girl he's in love with dies so he touches her AND THEYRE SO IN LOVE BUT THEY CAN NEVER TOUCH!! he also owns a pie shop and is a private detective. so charming and tragically cancelled after 2 seasons but still worth watching.

36. do you like cobblestone streets?

yesss as much as i am a big city girl i do love cobblestone streets i think theyre so charming. if theyre maintained well.

38. when was the last time you blew bubbles?

yesterday! after i asked ghost this question and remembered the bubble bottle i keep nearby for spontaneous bubbling. 🫧🫧

39. what's your favorite random piece of decor in your house and room?

another one of my favs is my little dracula match book!

lovely little asks :)

[askthemysterkids]

What if they were turned into monsters? (from classic movies or mythology)

Oh my gosh I love monsters! Classic monsters is so good!

Dipper: Okay so! In Monster Falls he is usually a deertaur! As for classic monsters, he would probably be Dr. Frankenstein? Dipper did raise the dead. Mabel: In Monster Falls she is a mermaid which is a pretty good one for her to be honest. As for classic monsters, She might possibly be one of the vampire women in Dracula? They tend to use "love" as analogies as far as I can tell.

Wybie: For Monster Falls, I believe I've seen the idea of him being a fairy actually. As for classic monsters, lets go with Invisible Man. I'm getting Wybie vibes from him for some reason. The guy is kind of intuitive if I remember correctly. Coraline: I've seen the idea of her being a cat creature I think for Monster Falls? For classic monsters, the murder cat from Shadow of the Cat. I hope I am remembering this correctly but the Invisible Woman. The Invisible Man series goes nuts.

Norman: In Monster Falls, I believe that he is a ghost. For classic monster, I want to go with Frankenstein's Monster/the Creature from the book. He is a being that is intelligent and just wants to be accepted, but no one does.

Neil: I think in Monster Falls I've seen him be a zombie. Kind of pairing with Norman you know? When it comes to a classic monster, I actually want to go with the movie Frankenstein's monster. In that one, the Monster does want to become friends with people, but cares less about what society thinks. I mean, he just went right up to the little kid and started playing with her. Raz: For Monster Falls Raz, I want to say he is some sort of water creature such as a water weird or a water nymph. Maybe even a selkie. For classic monsters, I can also see him being the book Frankenstein's Monster but also quite possibly be Dracula. Dracula tries to hide who he is from some people but is usually unapologetic about who he is. Dracula is trying to seem normal to Jonathan while at the same time is terrorizing the nearby villages. Raz ran away to be a Psychonaut without telling his family, but to everyone else, he announces he is a psychic.

Lili: Monster Falls Lili would either be a nature spirit, or a fire spirit. As for classic monsters, maybe the Creature from the Black Lagoon? He tends to do his own thing in his area but as soon as someone encroaches, he's already done with you. Luz: Monster Falls Luz is based on the last episode. If you know, you know. For the classics, maybe the Mummy? I believe he does have magic.

Wirt: Monster Falls Wirt would be a harpy I think. For classic monster, I want to go with the Phantom of the Opera. He indeed loves music, and likes girls. He does not want to be on stage though. (Another idea is Jonathan Harker, but he doesn't count as a monster.)

Greg: Greg is a bit more difficult and I hate that I'm coming up with this idea, but there is a Pop figure of a Beast Greg... The happier idea is a frog sort of creature. For classic monster, the best thing I can think of is the Incredible Shrinking Man. Not the personality though! Greg is not a jerk. Alternative idea is the Invisible Agent. That guy is fun. Anne: Monster Falls Anne would most certainly be a frog person! As for classic monster, I think she would be Bride of Frankenstein's Monster? I don't know why though. I might just want to see her dressed up as Bride of Frankenstein's Monster. If that monster survived the movie for longer than two seconds, she would have been a strong woman. An alternative idea is Frankenstein's Monster from Thy Creature. He has no clue what is going on, but wants to help everyone and has a strong sense of morals. (A lot of classic monsters just doesn't fit Anne.) Sasha: Oh she is definitely a toad person! For the classic monster, she might also be Creature from the Black Lagoon. He is strong and takes initiative. Marcy: I think you know my trend for the girls, Marcy is going to be a newt for Monster Falls. When it comes to classic monsters, I want to go with the Wolfman. The reason of this is her character arc and how she got the girls into Amphibia, and then hides it. She is ashamed about that fact, even though she loves it in Amphibia. So basically, it's a metaphor for lyncanthropy. But! She does end up living with that fact! Like how Laurence Talbot got his lyncanthropy cured in House of Frankenstein! (If you open the tags, you will perish. There is an insane amount of tags.)

[thenightling]

My full review of Hocus Pocus 2

I watched Hocus Pocus 2 a few days ago and I have posted a few times about it but now I will write my complete review.

Like most Disney properties today there is a cynical sense of corporate oversight.  I actually do love this movie but there’s no mistaking some of the heavy handed actions of Disney overlords.

Hocus Pocus 2 begins with two teenage girls (I was mislead into thinking it would be three but the third doesn’t join them until near the end) accidentally bringing The Sanderson Sisters back from the dead... again.  The Sanderson Sisters are to Disney what Dracula was for Hammer Horror. They always come back. 

I’ll start with the negative and work my way out to the positive. There’s a lot of positive.  I actually really liked the movie. 

A chunk of the movie (and even one of the end lines) felt like a shameless plug or out-right commercial for Walgreens.  Yes, it was fun watching the three incompetent witches wandering a Walgreens like the deleted grocery store scene from the first movie (never released but clips of it and script exerts can be found online).  But at the same time it felt like a commercial.  A funny commercial but still a commercial.

I am glad they let the witches sing together twice. The Witches are Back (to the tune of Sir Elton John’s The Bitch’s back) was too short (in my opinion).  They should have had a longer song for their revival.  I am honestly a little surprised they didn’t just make the whole film a musical.  The director of the original Hocus Pocus did Newsies (a childhood favorite).

The new stage show scene where the witches sing a cover of Blondie’s One way or Another (with a few lyrics changed) is extremely catchy.   It’s one of those songs that annoyingly gets stuck in your head.  

To my surprise there was some nods to real modern day (non-Satanic)  m magick and occultism.  The mention of Maiden, Mother, and Crone, which used to just be subtly referenced with Winfried, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson is used genuinely here.  And the use of salt to protect against dark magick (which is in the first film but used more in the second), as well as angelica leaves to lift hexes.  And yes, some magick shops do offer Angelica leaves for free if someone thinks they’ve been cursed.

The story is predictable, sweet, and wholesome with themes about sisterly love, even with the Sanderson Sisters themselves.  There were some minor retcons about the wtiches’ backstory such as where Winifred got the book and Billy’s relationship with her but both of those things had been told to us in the first film through hearsay so it makes sense that it wouldn’t be accurate. 

I actually thought it was a pleasant surprise to have Winifred Sanderson (Bette Midler) show genuine love for her sisters near the end, revealing that she would rather die than be without them.  That was actually kind of sweet.  And some part of me kind of wants to see a story where the Sanderson Sisters redeem themselves.  They’re bungling idiots as evil witches.  Let’s see them bungle their way through redemption.

 It turns out the three teenage girls (one in particular) are destined to be a coven of good witches.  You get a little backstory of Winifred and her sisters as children and Winifred is given her grimoire (spell book) by a witch in the woods.  There are some subtle hints that this witch is their biological mother but nothing is confirmed.  And upon first encounter the witch planned to feed on little Sarah’s soul.  This would be odd for a mother but considering things...  she could be twisted enough to do it. 

If you remember the first film there is a bit where the witches talk briefly about “Mummy scorpion pie” and it makes them think of mother.  This suggests their mother is a witch so yes, I suspect the witch in the woods was their mother. The witch they meet also has the power to turn into a bird. I would like to see The Sanderson Sisters turn into animals.  Winifred compared herself to a hawk, which would be ironic since the first film’s anniversary edition said she has poor eyesight and hawks are known for their sight.  And Mary already behaves very dog-like. She even barks and sniffs things out like a blood hound or wolf.

There are two hints for Hocus Pocus 3. The first is that the girls walk off with Winifred’s spell book and a bird is following them. The bird very much looks like the one that turned into the witch that gave Winifred the spell book to begin with.   I also will note that I think the main reason that witch forbid Winifred from casting the spell to make her all powerful is she knew it would cost her, her sisters.  I think the witch-mother had cast the same spell once (which is why she’s now immortal) and it had cost her her own coven.  But if she had cast the spell why did she behave as if she was going to feed on little Sarah in the 1650s?  A test to see if Winifred would protect her and thus a worthy coven leader? Oh, there is also a nice homage to the 1960s Dark Shadows.  A menacing Reverend Trask gives The Sanderson Sisters a hard time as children in the 1650s and his descendant (played by the same actor) exists in present day Salem as Mayor Traske (The poor guy just wanted a caramel apple through the whole movie.  I felt bad for him).  In the 60s TV show Dark Shadows, Reverend Trask was an eighteenth century witch hunter antagonist whose descendant (played by the same actor) was in present day Collinsport Maine.   This was a clever homage for Dark Shadows fans.  I wonder how many people even noticed it.  The math is a bit off for the Sanderson Sisters to be elderly in the 1690s.  Based on the dates in the film Winifred should only be in her fifties in 1693.  Bette Midler was forty-seven when she first played Winifred Sanderson in the first film and that was her look when she de-aged.  She looked ninety or so at the very start before feeding on Emily Binx for youth so their childhooods should definitely have been before the 1650s but if you ignore this it's still a fun movie.

The second hint for Hocus Pocus 3 is the bonus scene after the end credits.  Gilbert had apparently made a second black flame candle.  Cobweb (his cat) shows it to us as a bonus scene.   I don't think Gilbert would commit murder (even of two bullies left hanging in cages in the Sanderson house) so how did he make the black flame candle?  The first film said it was made from the fat of a hanged man.   Some fans have hinted that Gilbert may have killed Jay and Ice (the bullies) but that doesn't seem to true his character or to Disney for that matter.  Stephen King, yes, Disney, no.   Was there a loophole- i.e. using fatty food made by the two after they were hung from ages?  (fat of hanged men)?

I love Gilbert, by the way.  A little self-serving but ultimately good, he is an occult expert and magick shoppe owner while also being a bit incompetent.  I have a soft spot for incompetent sorcerers.  I also liked the inversion that the girls were surprised and grossed out that he’s not a virgin instead of like in the first movie where it was treated as a point of shame that the sixteen-year-old protagonist was still a virgin, a very odd thing for a Disney film.   One of the best lines is when The Sanderson Sisters are referred to as the “Goth Golden Girls.”

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind it if Hocus Pocus was continued as a TV series even if they had to use new actors for The Sanderson Sisters. The ones they used for the Disney World Spooktacular stage show every Halloween are decent.  

To me The Sanderson Sisters are like Disney’s version of The Wicked Witch of the West.  Though bungling and Three Stooges-like they have become iconic and I think versions of them should walk around the Disney parks all year long, not just for Halloween. I think that the characters are popular enough that they can be used outside of the Halloween season.  I actually really liked Hocus Pocus 2 but then again I have a soft spot for The Sanderson sisters.   I kind of hope they get a TV show or third movie and that they let it be a full on musical next time instead of just two songs per movie.   

I had heard that there was a deleted scene of The Sanderson Sisters in purgatory. I hope Disney releases that deleted scene one day. Perhaps it tied to the recording studio bit on the end credits (where they again sing “The Witches are back.”)  Imagine that, a recording studio in purgatory.  

I also heard the movie originally had a different ending but test audiences didn’t like it so they had to go back and reshoot the ending back in June.  The original filming was for three months in the autumn of 2021.  I am curious to know what that original ending was though I do admit to thinking it was sweet, the ending we got, that Winifred would rather die than be without her sisters. That was actually endearing, the confirmation that she genuinely loves them.  It makes them more likable antagonists, I think.

They definitely softened The Sanderson Sisters here in Hocus Pocus 2. In the first movie they were more violent and prone to killing. Here it felt like they just wanted power so it was less-evil. Part of me wouldn’t be surprised if someone decided to give them a redemption story in show or movie form with The Witches are Back as the theme song. 

It was cheesy but it was fun, just like the first Hocus Pocus movie. The first Hocus Pocus came out when I was eleven-years-old so you need to watch it with your mindset as that of a child. It helps you appreciate the sweet corniness of the over-all plot.  It’s delicious cheese.  Embrace the cheese.   

I’d say it’s on par with the first Hocus Pocus movie.  Not better but close.  You have to appreciate both Hocus Pocus movies as cheesy, wholesome, Halloweeny fun.  And yes, I would like some incarnation of The Sanderson Sisters all year long. I think Disney should consider making a show out of the characters if not the hinted at third movie.

Hell, maybe even a Maleficent / Hocus Pocus crossover. That would be fantastic. I adore Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent.  That’s pretty much the only Angelina Jolie role I like.  Imagine it, the dark faerie vs. The Sanderson sisters or having to work together for some reason. 

Just don’t be so blatant with the Walgreens commercial next time. That was shameless.