the new dracula daily entry with the brides manifesting as moonlit dust taking human form to again try to eat jonathan makes me curious if more vampires used to do misty transformations before the dracula ones
then, the scene that follows with dracula summoning animals to do his bidding, which is i think unique to him
and then dracula being "dead" the morning after scene, when the dawn is emphasized as almost sacred and jonathan finds dracula sleeping after imitating his climbing movements. the vampire falling asleep after the dawn is as old as vampire folklore, but i suspect stories of them being revealed in their tombs is not after the protagonist had risked their lives to discover them
As far as I'm aware, Dracula is the first vampire story to feature vampires turning into mist/dust.
I can't recall any other stories where the vampire has command over animals, either, although a few feature dogs or wolves being repelled by vampires. Dogs bark at Carmilla and at Geraldine in Christabel; in The Family of the Vourdalak, one of the family dogs barks at Gorcha and he makes them shoot it. It's implied that the dog barked at Gorcha because it could smell that he was dead. In La Guzla, crows avoid the vampire's corpse, while in the ballad in The Pale Lady which takes inspiration from the former, wolves and vultures flee from him. Wolves also flee from the vampire in The Mysterious Stranger (which, disclaimer, I have not read yet).
While I'm talking about dogs, I think the howling of dogs breaking someone out of a vampiric trance is unique to Stoker; protagonists in other stories tend to be aided by the power of God (Marquis d'Urfe in The Family of the Vourdalak is snapped out of his trance by the cross necklace he wears digging into his flesh, while Hedwig is protected from Kostaki's trance by a blessed palm frond dipped in holy water). Jonathan being helped by the dogs parallels another Stoker work, the short story "The Judge's House", in which the protagonist is aided by the rats living in the titular house, which attempt to ring a bell in the house in order to signal for help. It's an adorable recurring motif.
The passage about the dawn makes me think of this one from Varney the Vampire:
What wonderfully different impressions and feelings, with regard to the same circumstances, come across the mind in the broad, clear, and beautiful light of day to what haunt the imagination, and often render the judgment almost incapable of action, when the heavy shadow of night is upon all things.
There must be a downright physical reason for this effect—it is so remarkable and so universal. It seems that the sun’s rays so completely alter and modify the constitution of the atmosphere, that it produces, as we inhale it, a wonderfully different effect upon the nerves of the human subject.
Rymer being Rymer, he naturally has to insist that this is a physical, scientific phenomenon.
Vampires being discovered asleep in their tombs is actually fairly common, although generally the process of discovery is not quite so perilous as Jonathan's. Sometimes (as with Sigismund, Clarimonde, Clara Crofton, and Har (in "Manor")), the location of the vampire's grave is a known fact. Other times (Carmilla and After Ninety Years), discovering where the vampire is buried is a whole process. Generally, the vampire is defenseless in the daytime; Dracula's hate-filled gaze that (spoilers for Dracula Daily) causes Jonathan to fumble his shovel swing is something of an innovation. The closest we see to this in another vampire story is Kostaki in The Pale Lady, although this instance technically occurs before he rises as a vampire:
The corpse’s eyes opened and stared at me, more alive than I had ever seen them, and, as if the two rays they emitted had been palpable, I felt what seemed like two red-hot irons plunging into my heart.
It's not the only instance of an evil-eye type power in a vampire work prior to Dracula, but it's the only one (that I know of) that occurs while the vampire is dead/asleep.
...No, wait, I tell a lie. It's in Varney, sort of.
"The deed was done; there was sufficient light for us to look upon the features of the dying man. Ghastly and terrific they glared upon us; while the glazed eyes, as they were upturned to the bright sky, seemed appealing to Heaven for vengeance against us, for having done the deed.
"Many a day and many an hour since at all times and all seasons, I have seen those eyes, with the glaze of death upon them, following me, and gloating over the misery they had the power to make. I think I see them now."
"Indeed!"
"Yes; look—look—see how they glare upon me—with what a fixed and frightful stare the bloodshot pupils keep their place—there, there! oh! save me from such a visitation again. It is too horrible. I dare not—I cannot endure it; and yet why do you gaze at me with such an aspect, dread visitant? You know that it was not my hand that did the deed—who laid you low. You know that not to me are you able to lay the heavy charge of your death!"
I say "sort of" because the speaker here is Varney himself, and the dead man he speaks of is never explicitly confirmed to be a vampire; the story seems like it's kind of going that direction, but changes course at the last second, retcons Varney being a vampire altogether (yes, it's that part), and forgets all about this guy. Also, it's not clear this is intended to be a supernatural effect; it may simply be a product of Varney's trauma and guilt.
I'm not up to returning the gift. But, it seems to me as if Dracula's powers aren't meant to be vampiric. Not in this case, and maybe not even often. The powers of the vampire to reject death, feed on living blood, travel immaterially into their tomb, which are folkloric (reference needed) balance with the weaknesses peculiar to vampirism (anything related to Xtian resurrection, must consume blood of the living, must rest in tomb) and belong to all vampires.
His unique powers of storm summoning, mesmerism, lycanthropy, all the weird shit, comes down to his tendency to nerd out over any and all sorcerous study. He's been in this field of poppies for a long time. It's gotten pretty freaky in there. Even among ancient undead monstrosities the guy is built different.
Some of his powers are for sure products of his Scholomance education. However, quite a few of them aren't unique to him! Alinska in The Virgin Vampire shares his ability to control storms. Carmilla can shapeshift, as can Heira from The Vampire of Vourla (the latter turns into a bat, even). As for mesmerism, many if not most literary vampires possess the ability in some form or another, even the spectacularly unsupernatural Varney.
If Dracula were to go up against the rest of the literary vampire pack in a wizard duel, he might also find he has some competition. In addition to storm summoning, Alinska can also astral project (at least, that's my best interpretation for how she's able to remotely punch and slap people and destroy letters contained in locked boxes). Liatoukine from Captain Vampire can be in two places at once and kill with a stare. The Black Vampyre is an accomplished necromancer, and also has a potion that will cure vampirism—although he's a satire character, and thus playing in a different ballpark. Carmilla and her mother are forces to be reckoned with; the former can teleport like a ghost girl in a horror movie and inflict a person with permanent numbness with a touch, while the latter is capable of not only reading but modifying peoples' memories. Countess Karnstein can also oathbind (force a person to keep a promise/secret), a power she shares with Geraldine and Lord Ruthven. The vampires in The Family of the Vourdalak can completely hide their corpselike appearance and smell from humans, possibly through some sort of mesmeric trance. Clarimonde has immense power over dreams, creating entire fully-staffed palaces which she spirits people away to in their sleep and holds wild dream-parties. Sava Savanovič and Kostaki can both pass through locked and barred doors without obstacle, a power I'm sure the threshold-locked Dracula is burningly envious of. Kostaki is also fatal to fight, regardless of whether he wins: his brother, wielding a holy sword and backed by the power of God Himself, collapsed and died without a scratch on him less than a minute after killing Kostaki.
So, overall, I wouldn't say Dracula is built terribly different from his vampire peers. His Scholomance education gives him an edge, true, but they're a diverse supernatural group packing all sorts of strange powers.
sometimes when I get mad online I have remind myself that the coolest and most reasonable friend I have doesn’t know who dril is and asked me to explain what the acronym “MCU” stands for, because she spends most of her free time watching documentaries about industrial disasters with her girlfriend and going to quarries to collect rocks together. a better world is possible and it’s out there right now
I saw a bumper sticker and thought “is that seductive Daffy Duck” and then when I looked closer I realized it was actually a fishing bumper sticker but also. also it is still very much seductive Daffy Duck???? somehow????????
i think there is a difference between a knowingly flawed character and a thematically uncomfortable character and knowing the difference is half the battle
knowingly flawed character: this character has traits that the author deliberately put in to show they have nuance and aren't perfect as a person. this will put them at odds with some readers and endear them to others, depending on them as people, and that's good!
thematically uncomfortable character: oh boy the author has some Beliefs
Oh boy, a complex character who's a woman! I love messy characters who hurt everyone around them and continue the cycles that hurt them!! Can't wait to share this joy with fellow fans– why's everyone calling her a bitch
~ The Mentor: A Little Book for the Guidance of Such Men and Boys as Would Appear to Advantage in the Society of Persons of the Better Sort, Alfred Ayres, 1884
“if you love this character then you must make him happy in your fics, right?” wrong. the horror. suffering. internal hemorrhage. hospital. immediately
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