hey why are the Van Helsings always the Vampire Hunting Family in modern Dracula stories. Abraham Van Helsing might be the guy who knows stuff but his family is off in the Netherlands and/or dead and totally uninvolved in the plot. Abraham's great-great grandson has no reason to be doing backflips and chopping off heads or whatever
You know who is a family who hates Dracula so so much and would totally teach their kids how to hunt vampires? The Harkers. Give me a modern vampire story where the protagonists are about to die when out pops Quincey Arthur John Lucy Abraham Murray Harker the Fifth, armed with a giant knife and an encyclopedic knowledge of train schedules
8K notes
·
View notes
Just caught up with Dracula Daily and it just tears me apart how desperately everyone loves Lucy, and how desperately everyone wants to save her, and how fully she loves everyone in thanks. From Mina running through half the town to rescue her from her sleep-walking, to Arthur giving all the blood he can and then some for her sake, to Dr Seward and Van Helsing giving blood themselves and keeping watch through the night, to her maids begging to keep watch over her, to her mother’s solicitude for her health, to the tenderness of her words in her diary. It’s all a labour of love and desperation, and it is devastating that the Count manages to snatch her away despite it all.
413 notes
·
View notes
One of the most fundamentally interesting things to me about YJ and writing fic, specifically, is how the blame changes hands depending on the story. On whose perspective you're writing from. On whose story it is at a given moment. The very thing I dislike about viewers missing the point becomes so fascinating to me from within the narrative. Who are these characters when seen through the eyes of their peers?
Who does Jackie become? If you're Shauna, she's the love of your life, and your greatest rival, and the other half of your soul, and the person you blame for your dead dreams. If you're Van, she's the respected captain who earns none of your respect in the woods, the one who left you to die without blinking, the easiest target for teenage malice. If you're Natalie, she's competition for affection, the blabbermouth who can't leave well enough alone, the hands putting themselves to no good use. If you're Jackie? You're just a girl. You're so tired. You're so scared. You're losing face a little more every day, and you're made of despair, and you can't even trust your best friend. It's not your fault. It's not your fault. It's not your fault.
Who does Lottie become? If you're Natalie, she's your direct foil, the splinter under the edge of your thumbnail, the smart mouth to match your own, the confusing amalgamation of normal friend and mad ritual. If you're Misty, she's the first shred of obvious power in months, a leader who might need to be nudged back into line, a fascinating exercise in hitching your wagon to the right star early on. If you're Taissa, she's flat-nuts and endlessly frustrating, she's got your girlfriend's full attention, she's incredibly dangerous. If you're Lottie? You're just a girl. You're so tired. You're so scared. You've built a pedestal you can't keep your balance on, and you're not sure if you're right or going crazy, and you didn't want this. It's not your fault. It's not your fault. It's not your fault.
From outside the narrative, there is no bad guy. There is no blame. It is no one's fault. It is Man v. Nature, they are doing the best they can with an impossible situation. They're all trying to contribute what they can to the story, for better or worse.
From inside the narrative, you are a teenager trapped in a society constructed entirely of bare-bones-survival with the wildest assortment of girls. From inside the narrative, to stay human, you have to love and fight, respect and judge. Every story changes the game. Every story shifts the blame. A hero in one has the bloodiest hands in the next. And that, to me, is such a thrilling sandbox to play in.
587 notes
·
View notes
in another universe, colm fahey is sitting down for a lovely meal with his son and smiling as he listens to jesper talk about his friends.
the ghafas are grounding inej for sneaking off at night to spend time with her boyfriend
wylan has a flute recital on the weekend that kaz pretends he won’t go to (no one is fooled)
nina and matthias go on dates to the ice cream shop, and matthias always lets nina eat most of his ice cream
the crows are safe, and instead of being criminals, they are simply a group of trouble-making, angsty teenagers. they are children who were allowed to be children. they get the childhoods they deserve.
943 notes
·
View notes