#dracula october 30

[another-chaotic-bisexual-vampire]

Van Helsing: we must plan what each and all shall do

Arthur:

[wellsbering]

no cops at pride just mina harker and her large-bore revolver

[presidentofspace]

This quote is from the section of the October 30 entry where Van Helsing says he will go with Mina to Dracula’s castle. Full context below:

[demonrubberduck]

Love the juxtaposition of Jack being all, ‘I hate writing in pen on paper, grrr.’ and Van Helsing just telling him to suck it up and write

Vs.

Mina: ‘Oh dear, I don’t like to complain, but pen and paper is a bit inconvenient.’ and Quincey immediately rushing in to give her an even newer, sleeker travel model of a typewriter.

(Also, I’d bet money that Quincey and Arthur were tripping over each other to be the one to buy it for her.)

[ourgoodfriendjonathan]

Mina, writing up the memorandum:

[mothmore]

the way jonathan’s voice kept breaking in todays episode oh my god i need this man to experience pure joy again he’s breaking my heart

[seamsofparadise]

Mina using the polycule’s brain cell at it’s maximum power:

Literally everyone: 😍😍😍

[silelda]

On the October 30th entry:

Ben Galpin! Holy crap, what an amazing performance! Jonathan is portrayed so well by this man. I love it all!

[ashleybenlove]

"I have brought some Winchesters; they are pretty handy in a crowd, and there may be wolves."

Oh good, you brought the Supernatural brothers. /joking

[full-moon-phoenix]

At long last: Mina Harker has

A GUN.

[another-chaotic-bisexual-vampire]

mina waking up every morning before dawn to get hypnotized again

[love-liberty21]

Fun Fact:

"Hildesheim" is actually the name of one of the oldest cities in Lower Saxony, Germany. Legend has it that in 815, Emperor Louis the Pious took up quarters in a royal court nearby during a journey.

From there he set off with a small retinue to hunt. Suddenly a white stag appeared. Louis pursued it. But the horse collapsed and the stag escaped.

Exhausted, Louis sounded his hunting horn to inform his fellow hunters of his location, but received no reply. Finally, he took his pectoral cross with the shrine of Mother Mary, which he carried with him at all times, hung it on the branches of a shrub and knelt before it to pray. He then fell asleep.

When he woke up hours later, he saw the place covered with snow, while everything else was green. His cross was hanging in the branches of a blossoming rose bush. When he tried to take it, it was held with all his strength. The emperor vowed to build a chapel on this spot. Then he heard hunting horns. His entourage eventually found him and the emperor reported the rose miracle. Louis eventually had a small church built on that spot. This gave rise to the Hildesheim Cathedral of Our Lady, on whose walls the rose bush still grows.

It's indeed still here, btw. It's called "Tausendjähriger Rosenstock" (thousand years old rose bush) and is the landmark of the city.

It doesn't have anything to do with Dracula, but as Hildesheim is my birth place I always feel a little happy seeing the word in one of my all time favorite books.

[twilight-zoned-out]

It is a wild adventure we are on. Here, as we are rushing along through the darkness, with the cold from the river seeming to rise up and strike us; with all the mysterious voices of the night around us, it all comes home. We seem to be drifting into unknown places and unknown ways; into a whole world of dark and dreadful things. Godalming is shutting the furnace door....

“Godalming is shutting the furnace door....” is a sweet way to end the entry.

Jonathan begins the entry by noting that he writes by the light of the furnace, and that Godalming told him to sleep but he can’t because he can’t stop thinking about Mina, and as he begins to think about the plan, and think more about the haunting and horrific aspects and memories of his surroundings, Godalming comes in and shuts the furnace, cutting off his light source to continue the entry and essentially forcing him to go to sleep. It’s like someone coming into the room and turning off the nightlight that was supposed to comfort you but end ups making you imagine strange shadows.

It also reminds me of an earlier point, when Jonathan and Godalming got spooked by the same hallway in Dracula’s house:

Once I got a fright, for, seeing Lord Godalming suddenly turn and look out of the vaulted door into the dark passage beyond, I looked too, and for an instant my heart stood still. Somewhere, looking out from the shadow, I seemed to see the high lights of the Count’s evil face, the ridge of the nose, the red eyes, the red lips, the awful pallor. It was only for a moment, for, as Lord Godalming said, “I thought I saw a face, but it was only the shadows,” and resumed his inquiry, I turned my lamp in the direction, and stepped into the passage. There was no sign of any one; and as there were no corners, no doors, no aperture of any kind, but only the solid walls of the passage, there could be no hiding-place even for him. I took it that fear had helped imagination, and said nothing. (October 1)

[yallemagne]

Van Helsing: “Friend Jonathan, don’t worry about your wife. I’m old, I can’t fight, I can’t run, I’m likely to die. I’m the perfect person to protect her from danger as I take her to the least safe place in the world for her to be.”

Jonathan: “You’re taking Mina to the castle? The castle I spent months wasting away in, locked from the world, tormented by vampires and drank from? The Count’s castle? That castle? Is being possessed by the Count not horrible enough?”

Van Helsing: “I gotta.”

Jonathan: “Why.”

Van Helsing: “I’ve been putting Madam Mina’s life in jeopardy since I met her, and I’m not just gonna stop now, at the final stretch.”

[cassette394]

a fun little parallel I noticed during these drawn-out days of The Chase: when having her absolute mastermind moment, Mina writes that the important question is

(b) How is he to be taken?—Here a process of exclusions may help us. By road, by rail, by water?

Here Mina begins laying out the three routes the Count was forced to choose between, and the strengths and weaknesses of each. After hearing her read this memorandum, the men each immediately spot a way they can be helpful in exploiting one of these weaknesses.

By Road. —There are endless difficulties, especially in leaving the city. (x) There are people; and people are curious, and investigate. A hint, a surmise, a doubt as to what might be in the box, would destroy him. (y) There are, or there may be, customs and octroi officers to pass. (z) His pursuers might follow. This is his highest fear; and in order to prevent his being betrayed he has repelled, so far as he can, even his victim—me!

"I [shall get] horses to follow on the bank lest by chance he land," said Mr. Morris.

2. By Rail.—There is no one in charge of the box. It would have to take its chance of being delayed; and delay would be fatal, with enemies on the track. True, he might escape at night; but what would he be, if left in a strange place with no refuge that he could fly to? This is not what he intends; and he does not mean to risk it.

Van Helsing says (among other things), "we shall go in the track where Jonathan went,—from Bistritz over the Borgo, and find our way to the Castle of Dracula... There is much to be done, and other places to be made sanctify, so that that nest of vipers be obliterated."

3. By Water.—Here is the safest way, in one respect, but with most danger in another. On the water he is powerless except at night; even then he can only summon fog and storm and snow and his wolves. But were he wrecked, the living water would engulf him, helpless; and he would indeed be lost. He could have the vessel drive to land; but if it were unfriendly land, wherein he was not free to move, his position would still be desperate. We know from the record that he was on the water; so what we have to do is to ascertain what water.

"I shall get a steam launch and follow him," said Lord Godalming.

Our protagonists have the numbers to take all three routes, and cut Dracula off by any of them! And, by the power of Judge Moneybag, they can do so quickly.

It is not three hours since it was arranged what part each of us was to do; and now Lord Godalming and Jonathan have a lovely steam launch, with steam up ready to start at a moment's notice. Dr. Seward and Mr. Morris have half a dozen good horses, well appointed. We have all the maps and appliances of various kinds that can be had. Professor Van Helsing and I are to leave by the 11:40 train to-night for Veresti, where we are to get a carriage to drive to the Borgo Pass. 

Well done, team. The power of numbers (and money) would mean nothing without Mina's analysis there to give them purpose, but they're pretty damn useful!

[ourgoodfriendjonathan]

We shall go in the track where Jonathan went,—from Bistritz over the Borgo, and find our way to the Castle of Dracula. Here, Madam Mina's hypnotic power will surely help, and we shall find our way—all dark and unknown otherwise—after the first sunrise when we are near that fateful place.

Now i get it. They didn't know where castle dracula was. Gosh, if I'd known/realised this a month ago, their (lack of a) plan would have made a lot more sense to me

Now I also understand why Dracula took such a detour when he drove Jonathan, and i suppose our good friend was too traumatised and hurried to remember the route he took when fleeing. I wouldn't do better lol

Man, godspeed lil hunters