Dracula Daily/2023

Fandom activity for Dracula Daily in 2023:

(Other years: see Dracula Daily/2022, Dracula Daily/2024)

Fanart

May

• Jonathan's so excited about his big trip! (I think this is my favorite picture of him I've drawn so far.), ^{Archived version} by bluecatwriter
• May 3rd, Jonathan Harker’s journal by clfadrylcanines - about the paprika hendl
• "...when he was beaten back, came again, and again, and again, though he had to come alone from the bloody field where his troops were being slaughtered..." by mayhemchicken-artblog, noted that it was inspired "inspired by Karim Kronfli's performance of this line in @re-dracula"
• May 8th, Jonathan Harker’s journal, ^{Archived version} by clefadrylcanines -- illustration of the "foul bauble of man's vanity" scene"
• Midnight drawing for poor Jonathan who is more worried about shaving than the obvious vampire stalking him., ^{Archived version} by flowersintehseas
• Just a rough sketch of Lucy and Mina to loosen up., ^{Archived version} by flailingwingsart
• Jon he's really trying here cut him a break by atmothart, comic about Dracula's housekeeping

June

• fanart for nosferatu and dracula daily by mxsoyo
• in honour of @re-dracula podcast, an updated version of this DracDaily fanart from 2022 by moonsun2010, about the several-week gap in entries to Jonathan's diary in June
• june 29 - back to the library by crepuscol

July

• Some JonMina sketches! (Based on a couple vintage photos from this post.) by bluecatwriter
• Dracula Daily Sketch for July 26th by georgiacooked

September

• Dracula Daily sketch(es) for September 18th. by georgiacooked

October

• Art I made after my first reading of Dracula earlier this year, particularly inspired by one of my many favorite quotes: by tangents-within-tangets (3 October) -- art of Jonathana and Mina Harker

Memes

May

• Looks like paprikas back on the menu boys, ^{Archived version} by elevatorbullpen
• Jonathan, between meals probably: “Are you sure I’m meant to eat an entire garlic bulb as a palate cleanser?” by see-arcane
• Train schedules my beloved by eggy-tea
• Say the line Jonathan by susiephone

Fun Fact for new readers: The vampire women are never referred to by the book as “brides”—the whole “Brides of Dracula” name for them doesn’t show up until a good 3+ decades later. That being considered, I invite you to conceptualize them as Dracula’s Roommates with me, who refuse to do any chores and keep trying to eat his food out of the fridge.

dathen, 16 May 2023 

June

• untitled, ^{Archived version} by ourgoodfriendjonathan -- meme for June 25th, about Jonathan getting into Dracula's room via the window
• Shovel Day (post 2)

July

• did-dracula-daily-update-today:/26 days since we last heard from our good friend Jonathan Harker./0 days since we learned Mina is as anxious as we are, but writing to us soothes her.

October

What I think: wow I can’t believe the word “hark” means “listen, pay attention” and a major role of the Harkers in the story is to notice important details, record conversations, gather information and otherwise defeat Dracula by listening and paying attention

What I say: my favorite part of Dracula is when the Harkers said “it’s Harkin’ time!” and harked all over the place

jonathansknife, 29 October 2023 

Meta

May

• Since Dracula Daily is going to start up again soon, I wanted to make a friendly Public Service Announcement:, ^{Archived version} by quietlywatchingwritingreading -- a post discussing triggers in Dracula and proposing community norms/spoilers policy for the 2023 book club
• As the latest round of Dracula Daily is about to begin, some reflections on last year’s Tumblr Book Club of it. by warrioreowynofrohan -- about several topics but especially the 2022 fandom's reaction to Lucy Westenra.
• Before Dracula Daily starts tomorrow, people eager to hear from Jonathan Harker might be interested in knowing that there's good evidence that the first chapter of the book was originally Chapter III, by atundratoadstool -- about Jonathan Harker's role in the opening chapters in earlier drafts of Dracula
• Some people have been making the joke about the characters of Dracula being stuck in a time loop but honestly it got me thinking meta by citizen-zero about how the epistolary format of Dracula feels like being "railroaded by the narrative", partially in response toThis post interpreting 2023 Daily Dracula as a time loop, ^{Archived version}
• The rules of hospitality are a cruel thing, and dracula uses them well. jasonsdeli
• Other people have commented on all the funny jokes last year about Jonathan not realizing that he was in the novel Dracula whereas this year we’re very aware of him being uneasy and already saying goodbye to Mina in the second email. by unabridgedisbetter, with comments by others -- about the different response from readers in 2023 vs. 2022
• Let's talk about language by animate-mush, about the linguistic bariers Jonathan faces and the steps he takes to address them
• Dracula and the Law: The Laws of Agency by kroashent
• When writing the novel Dracula, why does Mina include Lucy’s letter? by excentricat1:
• When Dracula was published, reviews actually complained and criticized the novel for being too modern by spider-xan and thebibi
• Discussion refuting a tweet that calls Jonathan unobservant, original tweet by drew janda, responses on tumblr by iamthebird, yallemagne, dathen, mrpinniped. Discussion spans October 2022-May 2023
• What Were Victorian Mental Asylums Like?, ^{Archived version} by thethirdromana

June

(There was plenty of meta written in June, i just had trouble picking a few "representative" or "popular" ones to showcase here. Would appreciate some help with that! -- Quae)

July

• How is Dracula Daily going this year?, post by queeniegalorie, animate-mush repsonded explaining some of the current fandom memes and topics so far (for time loop see above. I should go find some meta about "gothic doubling" to link)
• The thing about seward calling Renfield "friend" is that I think he means it,, by cattuladaily -- about Seward's views on his relationship with Renfield
• analysis of Mina posted 26 July
• i've been thinking a lot about jonathan's pre-written june letters, & started wondering about travel times.. Discussion about whether Mina should expect Jonathan back by now (July 26th) based on the false letters Dracula sent, and why she doesn't seem more worried about it in the current entry.
• Lucy has inherited sleepwalking from her late father. ..., meta by yallemagne and others -- discussing the role of Lucy's sleepwalking in the book

August

• Now that we know that the first mate is romanian... by immediatebreakfast, with addition by tinyyellowflowers-blog -- about the crew of the Demeter's experiences with Dracula.
• The juxtaposition of the log of the Demeter with Mr. Swales' monologue about empty graves of men lost at sea is one of my favorite products of Dracula Daily. by kaiserin-erzsebet, about how Daily Dracula following in-book chronological order rearranges some passages and highlights different themes than the original.
• I find it interesting how Nosferatu portrays the captain tying himself to the wheel as a mistake that backfires horribly by sepublic -- contrasting the pure tragedy of the scene as adapted in Nosferatu with the element of hope it has Dracula the novel

[animate-mush]
Because Vampires can only sleep in sacred earth that has later been rendered unhallowed in some way - that is, specifically desecrated earth - the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII Tudor and the concomitant iconoclasm and destruction of the Abbeys left England uniquely vulnerable to vampiric expansion due to a glut of ruined holy sites. In this essay I will

[feanor-fingolf1n]
He got eaten by them

September

• A few thoughts on adapting Lucy under the lens of the classic First Girl in the horror/slasher genre. by wiliecoyotegenius
• There is something about Seward waxing poetics about human loyalty and devotion... discussion by noblerinthemind and animate-mush about classist assumptions in the narration of the characters' actions around Lucy's death

November

• Dracula and Isolation by tachvintlogic (Nov 6, 2023)

Fanfic

• The Breaking Point, ^{Archived version} by BlueCatWriter, about alternate attempts Jonathan could have made to escape Dracula. see also this tumblr discussion about similar topics as the fic
• Letting Go, ^{Archived version} by animate-mush -- Mina/Jonathan, set between the October 6tha nd October 11th entries. The fic is a response to/commentary on several specific Dracula Daily fan discussions, linked in the author's notes. archive link for the fic itself

Other

• Where in the World is Jonathan Harker?, run by animate-mush, a series of Tumblr daily polls asking Tumblr user's to predict/choose Jonathan Harker's location during the July timeskip of the novel. In-jokes abound, including kolbász (dry sausage from Gyula), Gothic Heroine Support Group, The Girlies/roommates/Dracula's brides chasing Jonathan as he escapes
• Cosplayers taking a photo with Matt Kirkland at a Dracula Daily meetup, photo taken October 2023