#dracula 1897

[lilmo-on]

“That he be all in black, except that he have a hat of straw which suit not him or the time.”

[illusioncanthurtme--art]

It's everyone's favorite vampire slaying cowboy!! 🤠 I finished reading Dracula (1897) the other day, and no one’s surprised - he was my favorite while reading. I understand turning down the Asylum Doctor, but Lucy was absolutely off her gourd when she rejected Quincey P. Morris. What a man. Mr. Texas himself. Here's how I imagined him while reading. (Also there’s no way to tell from these drawings, but he is supposed to be the shortest out of all the guys 🙃)

I may draw more Dracula characters based on how I envisioned them if I have time! I hope all of you have a great new year!

[axelerror]

Renfield… 🦟🕷️🐜🪱

[colorfullpaperbird]

Characters of Classic literature that i think definitely smoked weed

- Van Helsing

end of list

[gloww0rms]

jonathan.. buddy……

[solarwreathe]

the harkers

[nyquil-guzzler-420]

Count Dracula 🤝 Hannibal Lecter

Imprisoning and gaslighting your

boytoy into believing he

is insane

[aestheticallybloody]

"You must come with me, loving me, to death;

Or else hate me, and still come with me."

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla 1872

[disco-tea]

Ya know. I’ve been thinking about Dracula lately. The divide between the romanticized film Dracula and the actual book Dracula. About the way that it’s portrayed in film. And I’ll be honest, for me, I think the big issue about it isn’t even the romanticizing and sympathizing of the vampire/vampirism. Because that can be interesting. That can be fun. It’s the “you were once human and now you are a monster” of it all. It’s not the vampirism, it’s the CHARACTER of Dracula himself. It’s the fact that they took the most rancid creepy manipulative unappealing dude and tried to turn him into a romantic interest with almost NO BASIS FOR IT IN THE SOURCE MATERIAL. That they romanticized him creeping on women and hanging around outside their bedroom window and stalking them and crap. It’s not the vampirism. Because if Jonathan did come out of this as a vampire or a semi-vampire? Heck yeah you go you funky little monster dude. I wanna hear all about it. The trauma. The grappling with it all. The darkness. The “you were once human and now you have come out of the ordeal forever changed” of it all.

But that’s not what gets the attention in the adaptations. So many of these characters/relationships simply don’t get any attention or are written out in favor of trying to focus on Dracula. So many adaptations gloss over Jonathan in every way. Gloss over his true and deep love for Mina and hers for him. They gloss over what happens to Jonathan and how it is with Jonathan that we see the horrors that establish Dracula as a character. And I think there’s a reason for that.

I’m not going to pretend to know everything about every Dracula adaptation ever, but I have seen enough and know enough from cultural osmosis to know that the image of Dracula outside a girl's bedroom window—or in a girl's bedroom—using the thrall on her is more widely known than the image of Dracula terrorizing Jonathan. Or Dracula terrorizing the crew of the Demeter, even though it is genuinely terrifying.

And gee, I wonder why that is? Why is it that a creepy dude stalking girls and using his powers to take away her choice/autonomy is more widely romanticized and sexualized by filmmakers vs the character who loves his wife dearly and would do anything to get back to her?

Why is it that Dracula’s victims, be it Lucy or Mina, are always sexualized in regard to him in a way they weren’t in the source material?

I don’t know if this is making sense, but if it is, I think it’s something to think about and consider. To consider why the story of Count Dracula, creeping on women and using his powers in a way that is pretty much a rapists fantasy, is told again and again and blatantly romanticized by filmmakers while Jonathan with his genuine love and respect for the women in his life is thrown to the wayside.

[polyurethane--smile]

jonathan harker voice I. FUCKING. HATE. CASTLE DRACULA. the vampires in the castle make me do the fortnite dance and shout "go white boy go"

[lilmo-on]

Throughout the entire novel Stocker denies Dracula in every possible sense, deliberately reducing him to some sort of country bogeyman. Dracula brags about his Boyar status, while “his peasants” curse him all they want and even try to prevent him on multiple occasions. His own beasts at hand dare question his command, thus he must resort to threats and violence for wolves’ and vampire sisters’ obedience. He carries himself as an ancient lord of dignified lineage, yet has to see to menial offices himself. He wishes to appear welcoming and charming for Jonathan, instead he proves to be ominous and uncomfortable. He expects to be respected and awed for his power and noble status, instead he’s taken as a child-brained fool. He attacks Mina to revenge his pursuers in most devastating way, yet gets his mental connection with her played against him. He strives to impose dread upon men’s hearts, but he’s chased back to his lair no better than a terror-taken fox.

However, confrontation with humankind is far from being the only thing to paint an unflattering picture of the Count Dracula: he stands out drastically even among his own kin. The other vampires are young and agreeable, he is aged and disturbing. The other vampires are alluring by nature, he is repulsive. The other vampires, if sated, are appealing and rosy-cheeked, he is an appalling leech gorged with blood. The other vampires enjoy their beastly aloof lifestyle, he longs for company. The other vampires receive love and compassion, he is loathed to no end.

The Great and Terrible Count Dracula canonically is a guy who’s lacking in every way. Our man Bram Stocker must’ve hated him so much it feels personal.

[illusioncanthurtme--art]

I actually don't think I'm going to have time for drawing more dracula stuff anytime soon, what with all my comms and stuff, but here's another drawing from yesterday.

I understand that his death was a compliment to his character, but what if I LOVE HIM???? What about that huh??????

[izunias-meme-hole]

Count Dracula Appreciation Post

[illusioncanthurtme]

I just want to take a moment to say that wake me up inside is SUCH a Mina Harker song. Unironically.

[axelerror]

Dracula! 🩸🦇📕

My New Years resolution was to try to read one book a month this year… I started with Dracula.

I tried to combine a bit of the books description with the iconic Bela Lugosi design… he ended up looking like Dadula lol

Reference: