what would you have me do?

I can't remember who said it first, but I 100% agree that Marian Halcombe should have been the main character of The Woman in White (@animate-mush you quoted someone else saying this? I think?). I get that a female character couldn't dart around the country investigating like Walter can, but she could, for instance, have been the one to collate all the documents and draw the conclusions. That didn't all have to be Walter.

What I find fascinating is... I think Bram Stoker came to the same conclusion? His capable, efficient female character with initials MH is at the centre of the narrative: she collates the documents, and she at least co-directs the energies of the men. Marian almost vanishes from the story in Epoch 3; Mina is there from start to finish. I genuinely wonder if the boys learn to regret excluding Mina because Walter never learned to regret excluding Marian.

If so, good work, Bram. You did do it better.

Mr & Mrs Harker

mina harker be like

Then he took my hand in his, and oh, Lucy, it was the first time he took his wife’s hand, and said that it was the dearest thing in all the wide world, and that he would go through all the past again to win it, if need be.

Mina and Jonathan are married!!!!!

......

[ID: Tumblr post by @ nonomella that reads, "that terrifying moment when everything is happily resolved but the book still has 200 pages left." End ID]

Here's what I propose re: wedding ring(s)

It was apparently uncommon (but not unheard of) for husbands to wear rings prior to WWII. The Harkers are both orphans - it has been proposed that Jonathan was orphaned fairly late (old enough to know his "first father" by contrast to his "second father") but Mina lost at least her father very young (she has never known another father figure) and perhaps she ended up as Mr. Hawkins' ward as previously the Murray family solicitor.

Anyway with these speculations in place what I propose is: Jonathan proposes with his mother's ring. He has inherited at least some of his parents' effects (there's another of his belongings which will appear later on that we have speculated may be inherited). Mina is wearing it already during Hot Girl Summer, and so has it with her when she runs off to Budapest. But when Mr Hawkins forwards Sister Agatha's letter, he includes her mother's ring, which he has been holding in trust for her, just in case she doesn't have everything she needs for the emergency wedding he's urging. And she gives it to Jonathan when they wed (because of course he would wear a ring if there was one available to be had, and he's so emaciated there's no danger of it being too small)

So Mina is wearing Jonathan's mother's ring and Jonathan is wearing Mina's mother's ring and they all lived happily ever after the end.

“Feminist” academia’s reaction to Mina’s devotion in today’s Dracula update is such a perfect example of why intersectionality is vital in feminism. It derides Mina’s loyalty to Jonathan, and chalks her not letting his disability deter her from marrying him up to mindlessly falling into serving the patriarchy bla bla bla

Not a thought spared for what this could mean for disabled people—that loyalty through sickness and trauma is beautiful and romantic, or the worth of love that isn’t conditional on someone being able-bodied. No reflection on why “she should have dumped him because he’s not good enough for her anymore” might be harmful.

Not only that, but later we’re going to see how this unconditional love through sickness and in health is fully mutual. While this book was by no means pro-feminist, treating its moments of beauty re: disability as being backwards and oppressive is not the way to dismantle that.

the nurse reassuring Mina like no babe, he would never cheat on you! he’s just been tormented by evil the likes of which your mind can’t comprehend, don’t you worry

dracula is my most recent source of serotonin so here's part of the gang + renfield

No wonder they fell in love, Mr. Jonathan "I pulled so many favors and followed a nonexistent paper trail to find scraps of information" Harker and Miss Mina "I will organize and retype every diary entry, telegram, letter, and receipt in existence in chronological order" Murray

man, van helsing picked someone to talk to at random and mina really turned up with dracula's personal details, address, location history, social security number, full zodiac chart,

he gets us

Can I feel more love for this book? I didn't want to make a thousand posts, so summing it up again in one

Favourite things to-day:

Jonathan

Dr Seward

Dr Seward (continued)

So many adaptation of Dracula make Mina the reincarnation of Drac's wife, because of COURSE they do, and try to force a romance between mina and Drac.

Dracula Daily has made me realize that Mina has pretty much *hated* Dracula on sight. Took one look at his rancid vibe having ass and said "take even one more look at Jonathan and I will not be held responsible for what happens next..."

Which made me realize, if you HAVE to make Mina and Dracula connected through reincarnation and shit, then make it accurate to the source material: make Mina the reincarnation of Draculas greatest enemy.

Mina was a peasant girl who got tired of Drac's lizard bullshit, rallied the peasantry, besieged Castle Dracula, burnt it to the ground, and then chased dracula into the wilderness with an army of pissed off serfs behind her.

Everytime she reincarnated, Dracula lives in absolute fear that she'll show up and beat him up before shoving him into a locker again.

He takes one look at her in London, shrieks like a banshee, and just hightails it back to his lair. Jonathan is confused but happy, Mina feels pleased and isn't sure why.

More Mina as draculas greatest enemy please and thank you.

dracula is so funny rn mina and lucys letters are just like hiiii bestie loml sweetheart 😍😍😍💕 how are youuuuuu i love you soooo much 🥰 can't wait to see you again you're my favourite person everrrr did i hear you have a CRUSH 🤭🤭 btw sorry 4 slow replies 😅😅 i was busy thinking about my boyfriend 😍😍😍 JONATHAN 😍😍😍😍😍😍 and then the jonathan in question is just like Dear Diary Today I Experienced Horrors Beyond My Comprehension