Squish Squish Move Along

First off, yes it likely was intentional. The idea that there is some same sex attraction between Jonathan and the Count is well established in scholarship on the book. It is not something that just snuck past; it’s an element that Stoker included with some knowledge of what he was doing.

Second - and this is where the nuance must start - Victorian readers likely read it as horrifying rather than exciting. The scene is replete with inverted gender dynamics (the brides being aggressive and predatory to Jonathan), elements of non-consent (Jonathan is half conscious or unconscious through the whole thing), and homoeroticism. The reader was supposed to find all of these elements together scary as they invert a lot of the cultural norms and are just generally scary (even if you don’t read any of the other parts as scary, the baby eating certainly is.)

Third, there is a whole other element of the scholarship on whether Bram Stoker was projecting his own horror at his queerness and same sex attraction onto the figure of the Count. There is a lot of evidence from his life that he experienced attraction to men and expressed it in his letters. His personal conflict on the issue very much can be read as seeping into the text of the novel.

So, final point here - Yes, the scene is homoerotic. Yes, that was likely meant as a horror element at the time it was published which may have mirrored Stoker’s own feelings about his sexuality.

Marie Kondo, gently over my shoulder: why is a pair of pants you find unwearable still in your dresser drawer

me: oh shit that’s right!! The dresser is for clothes that under some circumstance I might conceivably wear!!

Marie Kondo, beaming proudly: Yes, that’s correct!! These pants must have been your favorites. How wonderful that they were so comfortable and practical that you wore them out. But now since they no longer function as pants, you should move them from the drawer where you keep your functioning pants!

me: Yes thanks I got it they’re in the fabric basket now

Marie Kondo: Your room isn’t very clean, but that’s okay, I love mess! Does this spark joy?

they tell EVERYONE to get a new drink so that nobody is singled out, AND so every woman has an excuse and public support to walk away briefly from a situation that might have been getting uncomfortable and know she’ll have backup, AND so that the person who did it can’t retaliate against their target in a “c’mon don’t you trust me” way

it’s called a Hawser and is the thick cable or rope used for towing/mooring a ship

This is a line designed to hold in place a moving object that can be easily in excess of 10000 tons. AND THEY CAN BREAK FROM THAT TENSION ALONE.