Why do I say that? Simple, really. I've been hit by the muse of needing to expand on a story idea I had.
Now, mind you, the same disclaimer about it is in place. It's subject to change when I've done my many films' worth of research.
But I thought about revisiting the Hollywood Classical Monsters idea today, and going in a bit more about their general profiles.
...Yes this is incentive for new blog readers to go back into my archives to actually find where I talk about it. It's about Dracula as the protagonist, and basically making as much of the mythology surrounding him as physically possible be canon.
For instance?
Mina Harker got turned back into a human, but upon her death (during childbirth, I imagine), she turns back into a vampire, and becomes the founder of the Harker Organization, an organization somewhere between Hellsing and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
I'm thinking that becoming a vampire by itself is not an act that removes your soul; it is your intentions that become important. (This is, incidentally, why Dracula is a nice guy in the present.)
In this case, to give further details, Dracula has been battling humans and been defeated by them for centuries. Originally, he did so without his soul, it having been lost when he became a vampire to seek vengeance, and eventually that desire for vengeance became a general bloodthirst and lust for power.
When he was defeated (but not killed) during the events which we know him from, though, Mina Harker became human, keeping her soul, and Dracula regained his own soul, now at rest.
He periodically needs a "recharge" to keep him good, given about once every hundred years (meaning that he went all evil briefly during the 1980s or so), essentially because his immortal life comes catching up to him, but when he's received the recharge, he will go into hibernation for a short while, then emerge--
If his services are needed by the Harker Organization, then he will render his aid, and this offer goes on for the 90 or so years he can be relied on. When his services aren't needed, he generally kicks back, relaxes, and enjoys a normal civilian life.
There are other monsters, though. And I started this blog post to talk about them.
"Wolfie", as Dracula calls him, has never been a real rival to Dracula, contrary to the fang vs. fur stereotype. He explains that "Wolfie" is in fact an enemy, but never an equal; Dracula will always win the fight because his powers trump Wolfie's and in fact he has essentially every power the werewolf does. (Dracula also makes passing mention to "once or twice" having enslaved "wolfboy", and how that created an understandable bitterness between the two of them.)
This does have an exception, though; Dracula makes mention to a singular time where a Von Helsing (an ancient cousin branch of the Van Helsing family) managed to even the odds. In Dracula's own castle, he lost the majority of his powers, whereas the wolfman had his amped up, and Dracula actually lost that fight, albeit only just, and obviously not being killed.
The wolfman currently holds a job as a policeman, using his enhanced senses and connection to nature animals to help.
Dr. Ivan Franklin Stein, AKA Frankenstein's Monster, is actually far closer to being a rival to Dracula. This might seem like an uneven fight, but it's actually much closer than you'd think. "Frankie" is actually surprisingly fast, has the most strength out of any of the creatures (and keep in mind, this says something; most of them are already superhumanly strong and he is stronger than them all, even Dracula), and as a reanimated corpse, is incredibly durable. He's basically a "Lightning Bruiser" to use TVTropes terms (okay, to be fair, all the monsters are, but OF THE MONSTERS, he is one!), but even better, he has a genius intellect. He's the "youngest" of the creatures, thus the least-experienced (but keep in mind, he's still over a hundred years old), but he's also the smartest of them, smarter even than Dracula (who, being Vlad the Impaler, is a notable war commander, and thus, very visibly amongst the smartest).
He also happens to be immune to almost all of Dracula's abilities, and has no weakness other than fire, which Dracula himself isn't exactly fond of, either. (Burning crosses aside.) In short, he's a lifeform perfectly suited to being an enemy of Dracula. In present times, though, he simply keeps a watchful and scornful eye on Dracula. He is a genius doctor, an expert at the human body, and basically runs a hospital with a zero-casualty rate; his intimate knowledge of the workings of the human body make him ideal.
In his spare time, he has also mastered everything to do with electricity. Think a much, much, much better version of Tesla. He's a master of electromagnetism, to the point where while it's not officially one of his powers, his reanimated corpse nature means that he can basically stick gizmos in his body to fully exploit it. He uses it for patients when needed, of course, but it's mainly just a personal toy of his that allows him to be a real-life superhero of sorts.
He has also, therefore, understandably served in the Harker organization, albeit never during a time Dracula has. (Policy of his.)
The other Hollywood monster I have even anything remotely resembling a profile for is Ian Hotep, AKA The Mummy, and is the person who, powers-wise, is the closest thing to being a Dracula rival. The two have nearly-identical skillsets, albeit used in different ways. Being the oldest of the monsters, older even than Dracula, The Mummy has taken up a job as a historian.
That's about all I have, but again...huge disclaimer that I reserve the right to scrap it all upon actually looking into the histories of all the characters, from Dracula to Frankenstein's Monster. There are countless films, books, and whatnot with them, and all I can do is see the majority of "big" ones.
Still, though. I don't think the above would require too much alteration and tweaking to work. Just some fleshing out here and there, details thrown in a bit where I can, tying multiple narratives together and explaining how seemingly-impossible contradictions on the same event can overlap, little stuff like that.
Now, mind you, the same disclaimer about it is in place. It's subject to change when I've done my many films' worth of research.
But I thought about revisiting the Hollywood Classical Monsters idea today, and going in a bit more about their general profiles.
...Yes this is incentive for new blog readers to go back into my archives to actually find where I talk about it. It's about Dracula as the protagonist, and basically making as much of the mythology surrounding him as physically possible be canon.
For instance?
Mina Harker got turned back into a human, but upon her death (during childbirth, I imagine), she turns back into a vampire, and becomes the founder of the Harker Organization, an organization somewhere between Hellsing and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
I'm thinking that becoming a vampire by itself is not an act that removes your soul; it is your intentions that become important. (This is, incidentally, why Dracula is a nice guy in the present.)
In this case, to give further details, Dracula has been battling humans and been defeated by them for centuries. Originally, he did so without his soul, it having been lost when he became a vampire to seek vengeance, and eventually that desire for vengeance became a general bloodthirst and lust for power.
When he was defeated (but not killed) during the events which we know him from, though, Mina Harker became human, keeping her soul, and Dracula regained his own soul, now at rest.
He periodically needs a "recharge" to keep him good, given about once every hundred years (meaning that he went all evil briefly during the 1980s or so), essentially because his immortal life comes catching up to him, but when he's received the recharge, he will go into hibernation for a short while, then emerge--
If his services are needed by the Harker Organization, then he will render his aid, and this offer goes on for the 90 or so years he can be relied on. When his services aren't needed, he generally kicks back, relaxes, and enjoys a normal civilian life.
There are other monsters, though. And I started this blog post to talk about them.
"Wolfie", as Dracula calls him, has never been a real rival to Dracula, contrary to the fang vs. fur stereotype. He explains that "Wolfie" is in fact an enemy, but never an equal; Dracula will always win the fight because his powers trump Wolfie's and in fact he has essentially every power the werewolf does. (Dracula also makes passing mention to "once or twice" having enslaved "wolfboy", and how that created an understandable bitterness between the two of them.)
This does have an exception, though; Dracula makes mention to a singular time where a Von Helsing (an ancient cousin branch of the Van Helsing family) managed to even the odds. In Dracula's own castle, he lost the majority of his powers, whereas the wolfman had his amped up, and Dracula actually lost that fight, albeit only just, and obviously not being killed.
The wolfman currently holds a job as a policeman, using his enhanced senses and connection to nature animals to help.
Dr. Ivan Franklin Stein, AKA Frankenstein's Monster, is actually far closer to being a rival to Dracula. This might seem like an uneven fight, but it's actually much closer than you'd think. "Frankie" is actually surprisingly fast, has the most strength out of any of the creatures (and keep in mind, this says something; most of them are already superhumanly strong and he is stronger than them all, even Dracula), and as a reanimated corpse, is incredibly durable. He's basically a "Lightning Bruiser" to use TVTropes terms (okay, to be fair, all the monsters are, but OF THE MONSTERS, he is one!), but even better, he has a genius intellect. He's the "youngest" of the creatures, thus the least-experienced (but keep in mind, he's still over a hundred years old), but he's also the smartest of them, smarter even than Dracula (who, being Vlad the Impaler, is a notable war commander, and thus, very visibly amongst the smartest).
He also happens to be immune to almost all of Dracula's abilities, and has no weakness other than fire, which Dracula himself isn't exactly fond of, either. (Burning crosses aside.) In short, he's a lifeform perfectly suited to being an enemy of Dracula. In present times, though, he simply keeps a watchful and scornful eye on Dracula. He is a genius doctor, an expert at the human body, and basically runs a hospital with a zero-casualty rate; his intimate knowledge of the workings of the human body make him ideal.
In his spare time, he has also mastered everything to do with electricity. Think a much, much, much better version of Tesla. He's a master of electromagnetism, to the point where while it's not officially one of his powers, his reanimated corpse nature means that he can basically stick gizmos in his body to fully exploit it. He uses it for patients when needed, of course, but it's mainly just a personal toy of his that allows him to be a real-life superhero of sorts.
He has also, therefore, understandably served in the Harker organization, albeit never during a time Dracula has. (Policy of his.)
The other Hollywood monster I have even anything remotely resembling a profile for is Ian Hotep, AKA The Mummy, and is the person who, powers-wise, is the closest thing to being a Dracula rival. The two have nearly-identical skillsets, albeit used in different ways. Being the oldest of the monsters, older even than Dracula, The Mummy has taken up a job as a historian.
That's about all I have, but again...huge disclaimer that I reserve the right to scrap it all upon actually looking into the histories of all the characters, from Dracula to Frankenstein's Monster. There are countless films, books, and whatnot with them, and all I can do is see the majority of "big" ones.
Still, though. I don't think the above would require too much alteration and tweaking to work. Just some fleshing out here and there, details thrown in a bit where I can, tying multiple narratives together and explaining how seemingly-impossible contradictions on the same event can overlap, little stuff like that.
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