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nalyra-dreaming · 1 month

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There is a reason why black fans/poc fans moan about Lestat or DM and it has a lot to do with the fandom. There was this whole blowout over the idea that Louis is the Gothic heorine in this story. That he was the mother to Claudia. It is one thing to debate, it is another to deliberately write revenge fan fiction where Lestat gets pregnant or plays out a kink of being pregnant. So why wouldn't fans be wary of inclusion of Lestat (or DM) in considerable amount in this season, that they were looking forward to. I don't remember the last time I saw a passionate black/brown romance play out on screen on main television and yeah Vampire Chronicles or not, the whole of the series or not, one major excitement for fans has been the Loumand romance. Black or Brown bodies have rarely been portrayed as desireable without the inclusion of a white character. And we are building towards such intense, passionate, romance between loumand- so it is understandable that with the fandom history, the fans would be wary/disappointed about lestat or DM.

Okay, so, I get you. You are on my blog so you likely know that I get you.

I get why.

However, this show (and I am repeating myself here) is cast color-consciously. NOT color-blind.

And that is the world of difference here.

Louis could be re-imagined (and brilliantly so) because the show shifted the time, while also keeping his history, and character intact.

Armand could be re-imagined (and also quite brilliantly so from the little we have seen^^) because the area he is from was contested at the time - it's possible to apply "more" to him without changing the character.

This is the Vampire Chronicles.

There is history between these characters. There are also "endgame" relationships (as Jacob called it).

The show has always said Loustat were the basis they're building on, Rolin Jones said at the SDCC 22 panel (before the show aired) that we shouldn't fear for Devil's Minion.

Yes, Loumand will be passionate at first. I hope they fuck nasty. I mean it when I say I want to see all the facets, how it changes over time. Because of what happens. There is love between them in the end, despite everything.

But saying the show is shoehorning Lestat or Daniel in the VC for "white" fans is ludicrous. Can I redirect you to @cbrownjc's reply here for that?

Lestat is one of the main characters of the VC. Daniel is Armand's big love. His only fledgling.

I get why it's disappointing that the main couple won't be Loumand. I get that.

But it never was supposed to be that.

They love each other. Fall for each other. In Paris. Truly love each other. Later. In Dubai. That is indisputable. But there is a reason why Rolin Jones was explaining the ending with "The Graduate". BACK THEN. (Here is a good post on that.)

After what certain people threw at me again, and again, and again for pointing out canon facts and discrepancies in the tale I won't sugarcoat my responses anymore, and I find the whining about what we said was to come for fucking 18 months indeed quite hilarious. Tbh, it's the only thing left I can find it. The only emotion left I have for that. This doesn't go specifically against any fans btw(!) (and definitely not against you), there were plenty of people who I know are not black who jumped the bandwagon just to make sure to be on the "right side, just in case", while knowing better. While knowing what would happen in the upcoming seasons.

While having experienced similar shit.

And re the debates, and revenge fanfics, or whatever: You don't need to point out the ugliness of fandom to me.

I have plenty of experience with that.

Since you're here you should know that.

#Anonymous #asks #ask nalyra #amc iwtv #iwtv #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #iwtv 2022 #interview with the vampire #louis de pointe du lac #armand #loumand #lestat de lioncourt #loustat #the devil's minion #daniel molloy #devil's minion

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ch3ri-ch3ri-lady · 8 months

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Vampire chronicles ask for u (if you’re still interested ofc!) what do you think about Claudia as a character?

Ofcccc! Tysm for asking and I have a LOT of thoughts on Claudia (how can you not??). Brace yourself for a whole dissertation.

First and foremost, I’m the BIGGEST Claudia defender. I genuinely think she was completely justified in killing Lestat and being a dick to Louis about it. She genuinely has one of the most tragic stories in all of tvc and despite only being a main character for one book, she really stuck with me. Being eternally trapped in the body of a child, never being able to live on your own, take on a lover, basically have any autonomy or respect in society-all because of your drama queen fathers’ shitty baby trapping and toxic married couple bullshit? I would be a VILLAIN.

I hate when people say they dislike Claudia because she “abused” Louis or was “just as bad as Lestat”. Firstly, she was LITERALLY the child lmao. I think we as readers have a very biased portrayal of Claudia and her actions because it’s told from the eyes of Louis and Lestat. If it was from Claudia’s POV, I think absolutely no one would be complaining about her revenge quest against her shitty dads. I know it’s a topical debate on if Louis was a bad father or not, and while I think he definitely tried and was maybe more of the stereotypical nuclear-family-reads-bedtime-stories-to-his-daughter “good dad” in the early years, his hypocritical self loathing and perpetual martyrdom definitely inhibited his ability to provide Claudia with the support system she needed. Weeping dramatically about how bad of a father you’ve been doesn’t make you a better father lmao. To be honest, when it came to Claudia’s personality, I wasn’t a huge fan. I didn’t find her as entertaining to read about as say Lestat or Armand, and she was never emotionally or vibe wise one of my favourite characters. However, I think she is one of the most interestingly written characters and I will always ride or die defend her regardless.

As for AMC’s Claudia, I ADORED Bailey Bass’s portrayal of her and can’t wait to see Delainey Hayles in s2! While I think the aged up Claudia was definitely well executed and interesting (and I get why they did it), I still think it’s a bit of a shame that’s she’s not explicitly a “child” anymore. AMC Claudia can effectively live on her own and with some makeup pass for 18. Even this slight more access to adulthood places show Claudia leagues ahead of book Claudia. One thing I wasn’t a fan of was her sexual assault-I’m glad that they did the bare minimum of not showing it onscreen, but it felt very unnecessary to me. Like they could’ve just made Bruce attack her or something. Also Lestat (sexual assault victim) using Claudia’s against her as a fear tactic?? I get Lestat was very villainized in s1 from a mix of Louis and Claudia’s unreliable narration and Armand’s mind control mumbo jumbo, but I found that rather distasteful. Speaking of Claudia and Lestat, she’s literally his mini me! I really hope AMC shows more of this, and more moments of Lestat doting on Claudia. He was always the father who spoiled her with excessively bloody killing sprees or luxury brand clothes, I feel like we hardly saw that in the show. Like Claudia is his BABY! The parallels between Lestat/the Marquis and Claudia/Lestat…absolutely soul-crushingly diabolical I love it.

I’m curious as to how they’re going to change/approach Claudia and Madeleine’s relationship in the show. One of my favourite changes the show made was getting rid of the Claudia/Louis incest stuff because…DEFINITELY one of my least favourite things about the iwtv book and made me extremely uncomfortable. People always joke about Gabrielle/Lestat but Claudia/Louis is like a fandom taboo lmao (rightfully so). Probably because joking about Lestat’s mommy issues oedipus complex is funnier and more acceptable then acknowledging the fact that book Louis was like a straight pedophile about his 5 year old daughter. Wtf Anne.

This was SO much I’m so sorry lmao

#claudia iwtv #claudia de pointe du lac #claudia de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt #interview with the vampire #iwtv 1994 #iwtv 2022 #amc iwtv #tvc #the vampire chronicles #she’s also such a virgo

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cosmicjoke · 1 year

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I think maybe the hardest part of reading “The Tale of the Body Thief” is just watching Lestat sink further and further into this belief of himself as an irredeemable monster, as an actual devil. His sense of guilt is vicious, but he doesn’t seem to understand how its very existence proves he isn’t a devil, he isn’t evil. But as he goes through this truly awful experience of being trapped in the form of a human body, it’s begun to erode away at his memories of mortality, of what it was like when he was genuinely human, to replace it in his mind and in doing so, his estimation of what it is to be human. He dreams of Claudia laughing at him and telling him that he’s a liar, that he’s always felt being what they are is better than mortality, that he never wanted to be human, that he hates being human. You can see the dire consequences of this experience for Lestat. He doesn’t realize being in a mortal body is only so awful for him because he isn’t used to it any more. He wonders how he EVER endured it. It seems horrible in comparison to the power and freedom he has in his vampire body. It would to ANYBODY, especially after so long a period. But he believes it to be proof of his own evil, how much he hates it. It’s a reinforcement of his guilt and self-loathing, and of a despair in him, a reminder of the uselessness of trying any more to be part of humanity, to be good, to do good.

His dreams and visions of David and Louis and Claudia are painful to read. He imagines them chastising him, calling him out for his self-delusion. He thinks how he made Claudia because he could, because it was his only way of creating something, of giving his own life purpose, like the candle in the church which can make other flames, and he imagines David asking him why he tries to explain all the terrible choices he’s made as an attempt at some higher purpose. David isn’t really there. Neither is Claudia or Louis. Lestat is asking himself these questions. He’s criticizing and calling himself out. He’s drowning in guilt over his actions, over his impulsive and thoughtless nature. He imagines Claudia telling him that all the deaths she caused were really his, because he made her a killer. He imagines her telling him he’s had far longer to learn the difference between right and wrong than she did.

Lestat’s entire negative self-image is so wrapped up in how he was raised, and it’s fucking awful to see unfold. I know I keep going back to this, but Lestat was made to feel unworthy of love from the time he was a child. He was made to feel there was something wrong with him, that his very existence and nature made him something of a monster, that he was a burden and a disappointment and a failure. And that belief gets reinforced again and again and again each time things like this happen, each time he makes a decision which backfires and results in some kind of horrible outcome. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy for him. Like he’s been told all his life he’s a monster, and so he does things to prove it’s true. And I think Lestat’s absolute terror at facing the disappointment of those he loves really says it all. He’s horrified at the prospect here of Louis finding out what he’s done, of Marius finding out, of David finding out. The thought of their disappointment is appalling to him. And yet, again and again, whenever he gets himself into these horrific, terrifying, helpless situations, he cries out for them to help him. When he ends up almost dying from hypothermia and is in the ambulance being driven to the hospital, he begs for their help, he begs for them come and save him. We saw this from Lestat when he was trapped with Akasha too, or before that, when he played the violin for Akasha and Enkil. In a way, I think, Lestat gets himself into so much trouble on purpose because he wants to test again and again if the people he loves truly love him in return. He can’t really believe they do, even as he hopes desperately that they do, that they’ll come to his aid and prove him wrong, because he was raised to believe himself unworthy of love, as unwanted and a perpetual disappointment. So he pushes again and again and again to see what it’s going to take to finally make the people he loves turn on him. Again we come back to that self-fulfilling prophecy. He’s certain he isn’t worthy of their love, and he sets out to make them admit it, to force them to admit what he thinks he already knows, that they really hate him, that they think of him as a burden.

He’s convinced himself that he’s a monster, that he’s the very devil himself, that he does things purely out of selfishness and with a total disregard for the consequences because he’s evil, and he wants other people to acknowledge it, to tell him he’s right. I think he wants that at the same time he wants them to tell him he’s wrong too, that he isn’t evil, he isn’t a devil or a monster. He wants a confirmation from them so that he can stop suffering the way he does. If he could stop feeling all this guilt, if he could really BE the monster he thinks he is, he wouldn’t be in so much pain. Because a true monster, a truly evil being, wouldn’t feel any guilt for their actions at all.

I found the contrast between Lestat’s experience of the day time and his experience of the night before really fascinating and revealing as well. Lestat’s feelings towards humanity, towards the people he encounters during the day, are incredibly charitable and kindhearted. He’s horribly sick, deathly sick even. But in the light of day, suddenly, the world and the people in it appear to him as beautiful as they would through his vampire eyes, where the night before everything seemed so ugly and plain and unremarkable to him. He feels that his experiences in the day light are the experiences he was hoping for. People see him and are kind to him, asking after his health, trying to help him. He convinces himself that he’s a part of them, in that moment.

“Many, many tourists braved the cold as I did to see the famous sights. I reveled silently in their enthusiasm, realizing that all of these beings were affected by the broad open vistas of the capital city as I was affected by them- that it gladdened them and transformed them to see the vast blue sky overhead, and the many spectacular memorials to the accomplishments of humankind.

“I’m one of them!” I realized suddenly- not Cain forever seeking the blood of his brother. I looked about me in a daze. “I’m one of you!”

For a long moment I gazed won upon the city from the heights of Arlington, shivering with cold, and even crying a little at the astonishing spectacle of it- so orderly, so representative of the principles of the great Age of Reason- wishing that Louis were with me, or that David were here, and aching in my heart that they would so surely disapprove of what I had done.

But, oh, this is the true planet I beheld, the living earth born of sunshine and warmth, even under its shimmering mantle of winter snow...

... My heart was bursting as I realized that for these precious hours I wasn’t cut off from the sentiments expressed here. Indeed, for this little while I mingled with the human crowd, quite indistinguishable from anyone else.

But this was a lie, wasn’t it? I carried my guilt within me- in the continuity of my memory, in my irreducible individual soul: Lestat the killer, Lestat the prowler of the night. I thought of Louis’s warning: “You can’t become human by simply taking over a human body!”

Lestat once again is seeking nothing more than to belong. To find a place where he’s accepted and loved.

He encounters a woman at the hotel he ends up staying in, who again asks after his health, observing that he must have been outside for a long time to be this sick, and he’s overcome with emotion at her concern.

“I stared at her, absolutely weakened by her concern, and realizing that I was in true danger of bursting stupidly into tears. I wanted to warn her that I was a monster, that this body was merely stolen. How tender she was, how obviously habitually kind.

“We’re all connected, all humankind. We must care for each other, mustn’t we?”

He thinks she’s going to be horrified by what he says, but she only agrees with him, and asks again to let her call a doctor.

This whole thing is absolutely heartbreaking, I think. It literally just shows that Lestat only wants to belong. But he’s so convinced of his own evil, that he can never truly feel like he does. He’s too guilt-ridden.

The last line of chapter 13 is really telling, though, in terms of what Lestat is missing. He thinks he’s a monster, cut off from humanity in that monstrosity. The nun who cares for him in the hospital offers to take him home with her, and as they’re leaving to get into her car, Lestat has to relieve himself, so he pisses in the snow. And he says

“Lord God,” I said. “That feels almost good! What are human beings that they can take pleasure in such dreadful things!”

Lestat is so self-loathing and so guilt ridden, he feels so cut off from humanity because he takes pleasure in “dreadful things”, like killing, like drinking blood from humans. Because of his impulsive choices and need to break rules. He hates himself for these things, and feels himself inhuman for being this way, and yet doesn’t realize that’s exactly what humanity is, sometimes. Human’s themselves are the greatest monsters.

Well, anyway, I’m loving this book. I think I’m far enough in to make a determination on that. I get why some people might hate it, but it’s such a rich psychological study of who Lestat is, and rather than making me sympathize with him less, it’s making me sympathize with him even more. I feel for him so much, my heart breaks for him so much. His fear of dying while he’s sick was heart wrenching. Who wouldn’t be more afraid of dying the longer you’ve been alive? Lestat thinks of himself as so far removed from his humanity, but he’s actually so deeply in touch with it, it’s kind of remarkable. He understands the ugliness and horror of death, he understands how scary it is, to die and to never receive any answers. He understands how unfair it all is. He understands what it is to be alone, the fear of being unwanted and unloved.

He tells the nun

“And then I decided to do it, I didn’t care what he did with my body if he could put me into this human form for twenty-four hours so that I could see the sunlight, feel what mortals feel, know their weakness and their pain.

... and I decided to do it, simply do it. Oh, I know it was wrong, wrong to let him go with all the power, but can you imagine, and now you see, I can’t die in this body. The others won’t even know what’s happened to me. If they knew, they’d come...”

He relates completely to that human need to be cared for, to be acknowledged and known and remembered. It’s the thought of dying and his existence having no meaning, no purpose to anyone, the thought of dying in anonymity and alone that scares him so much. It’s why he keeps thinking of Claudia, and her death, and wondering how she felt, wondering if she was scared in her final moments. It’s those very qualities that make Lestat human, even if he is a vampire.

But he just can’t cut himself a break. He’s so hard on himself. And that’s completely human too.

#Lestat De Lioncourt #The Tale of the Body Thief #the vampire chronicles

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cbrownjc · 1 year

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saw your post on why Louis doing the interview. why do you think Lestat will come back and publish his own account in the show if Louis won't have the time to publish his? Because there's no way Lestat wouldn't have been there if he's not sleeping now in the current timeline. In the books, he's woken by rock music, but he released the book as a respond to Louis' and to rebel to his secrecy oath to Marius.

Hey Anon.

Here's the thing: I don't think Lestat is going to publish his book in the show.

Lestat published that book as an answer to IWTV, but also to tell Louis the things he couldn't tell him or say before regarding all the questions Louis kept asking, but Lestat never answered.

However, here? In regards to the show? Lestat has already answered those questions. He's told Louis (and Claudia) about Magnus and how he, Lestat, was made a vampire. He's told Louis about Nicki. (IMO, it was Louis who told Claudia about Nicki after Lestat told him.)

At this point, if Louis reveals in S2 that he knows about Gabrielle? I won't be surprised.

A lot of people have noticed that Louis, in the show, isn't asking any existential questions about what vampires are or the meaning behind their existence or anything like that. Claudia, in her diary, laments that Louis isn't interested and doesn't care about these things or about looking for other vampires.

And I don't think it's just detachment and dealing with the trauma of everything, including what he did to Lestat.

I think Lestat told him. Told him things Marius told Lestat not to tell anyone. (And it’s why Claudia doesn’t know. Unlike about Nicki, Louis didn’t tell her anything about this.)

It's not that Louis didn't understand when Lestat said, "Those Who Must Be Kept." It's just that Louis didn't hear him say it.

IDK. Maybe I'm wrong on that. But after I got over the shock of Lestat openly talking about Maguns to Louis and Claudia, and then got over the double shock that Louis and Claudia also know about Nicki, well. . .

What screwed everything up between the three of them wasn't Lestat's lack of honesty. Not when it came to these things, at any rate.

The actual majority of the book The Vampire Lestat was dedicated to telling Lestat's backstory to the reader. The main reader being Louis. And in the show, Lestat has already told it to Louis IMO.

Not that I don't think we, the audience, won't get to see that backstory. We will, I think, in S2. Because that is when Daniel - the audience surrogate for the show - will hear it. But it won't be told because Lestat published some big book about it to the world, and for Louis in particular, to read.

***

Also, I hope you don't mind Anon, but I'm going to use this moment to talk about the Lestat rock star thing as well. So this isn't directed at you or anything; it's just something, in general, I want to say:

Lestat being a rock star was very, very, VERY tied into the 1980s. But music styles, like time, very much march on. And as someone who was just a little kid at the time but still old enough to remember mid-80s rock music, and a tween when its death came at the hands of Grunge in the early 90s, well . . . .

I have no idea how they could pull off the rock star thing with Lestat on the show without it just devolving into high camp.

I do think Lestat's "Come To Me" song is going to play a role more in the story going forward as kind of a substitute for the rock star thing. Possibly even being the thing that finally wakes Lestat up. Because yes, I do think he is still asleep somewhere.

Also, just by dent of the changed timeline, if Lestat went to sleep when I think he did (sometime between 1967-1971) he's heard rock music before anyway. Why would 2022 rock music wake him up?

But his own song he composed? Maybe somehow released to the public and becoming a hit single or something? Maybe even re-recored before that release by a certain someone who plays Louis but also has a music career in real life as well, so we already know he can sing too?

I could see that.

***

(I skipped some other Qs I received before this one because I wanted to answer it quickly while this was all still fresh in my head. I'm getting to the other ones, I promise.)

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thelioncourts · 10 months

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Hi I don't mean to sound too stalker-like, but I saw on Twitter where you replied to someone and said that you didn't think personally that Loustat's divorce era was going to last too long in the show. You said you think maybe the end of season 3 they'll be back together. Can I ask why?

hi! that's not stalker-y at all lol you're totally fine! but I do hope a mini-essay is okay because I have a lot of Thoughts(TM) on this.

general disclaimer, as per usual: this is purely speculation. I know a lot of people on here think they know the exacts of what's going on with filming right and and throughout s2, exacts that may negate what I'm saying, and that's fine, you do you, but also since you're not telling me what it is you know, I am only running with what I know so. this is my speculation based on novels, the show, general television knowledge, and stuff my guy RJ has been saying.

okay so I'm trying to figure out how best to start this. let me just give a bullet list of what it is I'm thinking and then I'll elaborate:

Overall length of the IwtV TV show

Future Anne Rice stuff on AMC

Audience

Condensed storylines

S1 Finale - specifically 'love of my life' and Daniel's 'Well, isn't that neat and tidy?' commentary

Louis' future

Louis/Armand + Lestat/Nicki in the next two seasons

Exploration of Loustat in future seasons

Akasha storyline

so let's start with the "Overall Length of the IwtV TV Show." outside of The Walking Dead series and its multitude of spin-offs, most shows on the AMC network, even super successful ones, have only run between 5-7 seasons. Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul are really well-regarded AMC shows that all only ran for 5-7 seasons. and while it could continue like TWD, it seems fairly unlikely. my personal guess is that IwtV is going to fun for 6-7 seasons, leaning toward 6 if I'm being honest. But like??? Who know??? I could be super off-base, but from the way television is going nowadays, I think a 6 seasons show is something we would be lucky to get. I think this article here really helps explain why this is a good thing, overall, and also why it's happening more often on television.

this brings me to future Anne Rice stuff; so AMC bought 18 of Anne's books. Obviously we have MW going on which is...........a thing..........but! we also have the Night Island series happening! I fully believe they may do several TVC-related spinoffs. Like, depending on Devil's Minion stuff, we could possibly get some kind of Devil's Minion show. We could easily get an Armand mini-series that would also work with Marius and Bianca and Pandora's stories too. Stuff with the Court when we get to the Court, etc. are all things I think we could see. With this in mind it's important to keep in mind that they are making the Immortal Universe. I think we're going to see a lot more beyond IwtV and I think this impacts the storytelling.

alright so now let's get into the audience; the audience is watching for Loustat. yes, they are watching for many things. yes, everyone knows they are watching for many things. but people are watching for Loustat. s1 is a Loustat love story, love tragedy. within minutes of the pilot, they are meeting, they are flirting, they are courting, and by the end they are utterly married and in love. we witness their early marriage, we witness their first marital problem, we witness them have a child to fix their marriage, we witness them separate, we witness them get back together, and we witness, in the finale, this love story close a chapter in a beautiful and heart-wrenching way in which lestat knows louis is going to at least stand aside while an attempt is made on his life, in which louis is destroyed by the "death" of his love, where they get so lost in one another in every single way that matters. the audience is watching for loustat. to a degree, you can't wait too long to give them that or people will get antsy and impatient.

now, in a much more succinct paragraph, Rolin Jones, and a multitude of writers for the show, have described this as a gothic romance. they have specified in a dozen articles and interviews "this is a love story." Rolin Jones repeatedly hones in on the fact that the chemistry read between Sam and Jacob going as well as it did was fundamentally important to the long run of the show. to not use that chemistry would be a waste and RJ has made that very clear, imo.

the show is also condensing storylines, as they should and as they need to. we're obviously not getting all 13 TVC books in their entirety, or in their order. during the first bts video we really had, RJ said that the first trilogy, tva, and prince lestat were where they were primarily pulling stuff, with a couple of other additions that he didn't name, but I very much believe were at least memnoch and merrick and some of the court aspects of the last two books. all of that being said, i think we're obviously seeing iwtv right now, but parts of merrick, parts of qotd, teeny parts of tva, and I think next season is iwtv, qotd, tva, merrick, tvl, and a teeny tiny bit more of prince lestat. basically, since they're mixing the stories together, it's like?? I mean, Loustat reunite in TVL. qotd is complicated but they float off romantically intot he sky together. comaaaaa in memnoch-merrick, saving louis' life in merrick and it's a super sexy blood sharing scene, then......married prince and consort??? like idk, if we're condensing the story then when loustat reunite, they, in general, stay together.

now let's talk about what we know with the show thus far, beginning with the s1 finale. obviously the s1 finale is important, duh, but like??? god, there are three huge aspects that I think we're going to revisit fairly quickly in s2 and that impact the future seasons. the first is the 'love of my life' line with armand. like there's so much there, but namely when it comes to thinking of louis and armand's relationship (which will undoubtedly be coming to some kind of definite end in s2) and what that means for loustat and what that means for armandaniel. like obviously louis is going to be confronted, no doubt by daniel, about 'love of your life??? really??' not to mention the 'you're still with the guy that killed your daughter?????' and the inevitable explanation of louis' even more bizarre weirdness in how he's acting in dubai, the mental destruction he's been faced with, the true numbness and everything he's forced himself into, since claudia died. and then, of course, there's 'well isn't that neat and tidy?' comment daniel makes re: lestat's "death" and calling louis out for saving him out of his love for him. like louis is going to have deal with that, daniel isn't going to let it go when he gets over floating armand. it's !! going to be everything, things that will conclude or lead us into the s3 stuff. it all comes back to loustat. all of it.

louis' future is the next thing to discuss!! obviously I'm not trying to start anything by being like 'louis' story revolves around lestat' but to some degree it does and also they revolved around each other so heavily. like lestat's whole storyline in s1 is he comes to new orleans, falls fatally in love with louis, and it changes everything. s2 is very much about all of that, even if lestat won't be in paris for a large part of it. s3 is going to be lestat telling his life to louis, one way or another. that's why he wrote tvl, to tell louis all of the stuff he couldn't and wouldn't tell him before, to explain what he's gone through, what his vampirism truly was like, etc. like louis is going to be part of tvl. RJ has said they're looking to make it not a book, obviously, so I think louis is going to be an active person to lestat's story, I think lestat will be telling him directly. loustat. and it's part of why i think s3, possibly early/mid s4 will be the loustat get back together. because lestat telling his story, everything that will follow, is just. it's them? they have to be together.

the inclusion of louis/armand in s2 and the inclusion of lestat/nicki in s3 serve storytelling purposes, sure, but they also serve to show us as an audience why loustat don't work with other people. and, going back to 'the audience is watching for loustat thing,' if we have to see them be with other people for two seasons, we're going to need that to be worth it. them getting back together in s3, possibly early s4, would accomplish that.

exploring loustat in future seasons!! so if lestat shows up in dubai/2022 at least by the end of s2 as would make sense (to probably save louis from an attempted suicide attempt), we're going to see them reunite. s3 being about lestat's life and them talking for the first time in forever will inevitably lead to some kind of getting back together, sometime soon. s4 will, imo, start really getting into the nitty-gritty of qotd (something i'll talk about in the last paragraph), and then i think they're going to take the qotd storyline and end it with this 'well. the queen of the vampires is dead. we need to blahblahblah' and I think we're looking at a super early prince lestat and court creation, lestat becoming the royalty of the vampire world and the court's creation coming about to prevent whatever thing louis is talking about in dubai (the vampires he hears around the world and stuff) and the akasha stuff. so i think by s5-ish we're in full prince lestat mode and that is where loustat are, essentially, modernly married in the books. I also just. like s1 very much established they can't see the other with another person, very much established that they need each other and love each other in a way they'll never love or need another. like it's all right there, it's all something we'll see continue.

lastly!! I think the akasha storyline is going to be imperative here. I think we're going to get hints of the akasha stuff all throughout the next two seasons, getting more and more heavy the further we get into s3, obviously and especially with lestat's waking of akasha in tvl. i think loustat are going to get together right at the end of s3, leaving us with them together during s4, only for lestat to get snatched in the middle of the night from his and louis' bed, just as he was snatched from his and nicki's bed by magnus, by akasha sometime either in the s3 finale too or early s4-ish. then loustat are together, romantically, but not on screen, meaning it's not like straight up loustat stuff for entirety of those seasons as they'll be separated. it will make losing lestat to akasha all the more horrific (he and louis had just found each other again, we will have seen him getting taken by magnus in the previous season(s), etc.) and makes the impact of loustat....abundant.

this is super long and rambly and I'm fairly tired so god knows if it all makes sense but !!! this is why I think we'll get a fairly soon loustat reunion and why I think it will be <3 everything. like, even when they're together, they're going to have a lot going on and a lot to work through so it's never going to get boring and it's going to make their romance all the more lovely to witness.

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zisurru · 9 months

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hello vomshit anon here i saw some posts and had some incoherent thoughts / so mention of abuse and sexual assault

so i have very little interest in david as a character, and the rushed resolution / forgiveness in totbt probably is just anne rice not gaf, but something abt that is compelling 2 me. like again i doubt ms. rice was thinking this when she wrote it, and i cannot remember much abt the actual events of the book, but wanting to avoid conflict with someone who hurt you, and to i guess act like it didn’t happen because of love you have for them rings true to me

like with armand and marius, of course regardless of anne rice’s feelings, armand was abused, and he was groomed, but i don’t think those things are mutually exclusive with feelings of love, because the upsetting reality is that love can exist even in extremely unethical and unequal circumstances, and that’s what i think is compelling about it to a lot of people. like harm and love and pain do coexist and that is true of the lives of most people who have ever lived.

idk it feels like there’s little room to talk abt this in fandom - like i respect and empathise with anyone being distressed or triggered by literally anything! but the reverse is very rarely offered - like the idea that what is upsetting to you might be meaningful or even comforting to others, and that other people might get that meaning / comfort from the exact same aspects of the work that make you feel bad.

it’s even more sticky here, due to the blurriness of what parts of the work & narrative are just anne rice’s disagreeable personal views.

again armand / marius is popular and of course that is a relationship that can in no way ethically exist irl, but that’s what’s so compelling to me about so many vc relationships - they’re discomforting and unequal, shaped by power and domination, and love and desire also exist there.

the type of abuse depicted it isn't something i have personal experience with, but like i’ve had relationships and friendships with people where there was no time i wasn’t scared of them and resentful, that i didn’t also feel deep affection and love for them

idk i hope this made sense, and i don’t disagree with people talking about how strange and incongruous her writing abt abuse was!

about david, 2 things: i think the later books are written in this more serial style where a lot of conflicts are kind of swept clean at the start of the next book and points of character progression are sort of hasty or happen off-screen. like to me the thoughts about consent that lestat has in blood canticle feel less like a natural progression of his moral system and more like a soft retcon of earlier characterization, because it’s so abrupt and so different from what he’s said and done before.

also i unfortunately think david’s forgiveness of lestat is basically what it says on the tin. the idea that victims of violence are coquettishly inviting their own victimization is a theme that appears often in these books, and it does not feel to me like an exploration of how victims might think about themselves, or about how society might see them. more generally, within rice’s universe there are kind of natural losers and natural winners, weak people and strong people. i read a strong condemnation of louis for his willingness to become a vampire, for example, with the implication that david’s refusal was better, stronger, also implicitly more masculine. i feel similarly about the relationship between marius and armand: i don’t think it was intended to be read as sexually predatory, more a “corruption of innocence” type of predation, and whether it’s ethical for them to have a sexual relationship at his age is not really in question on the page.

but! i can also acknowledge that these scenes are relatable to a lot of people who have experienced abuse, whether it was intended or not. so…i don’t know.

i agree with you that i wish we could discuss these things more thoughtfully. on the other end, people sometimes act like criticism must be the product of kneejerk disgust or an irrational emotional response. like, i’m someone who has been into black metal for 10 years. i promise i’m not clutching my pearls or throwing up or fainting about any of this.

when i took my first literature class in college, the thing my professor said over and over was “what’s the effect?” like, someone would say “x symbolizes y” and he’d redirect us to the actual text and say “but what’s the EFFECT of this passage, sentence, word choice”. having to explain in very sparse and literal terms what was happening on the page instead of talking vaguely about symbolism or vibes. i still feel like it’s a really useful question to ask when looking at writing.

what’s the effect of david’s forgiveness of lestat? what’s the effect of the phrase “the great feminine longing of my mind”? what’s the effect of using the word “rape” to describe an exchange of blood?

#i loved that prof #he liked to say ‘that’s the death of thought’ when we used a bad argument #asks #vomshit anon #thank you for your perspective anon and sorry for the long ass response

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bandedbulbussnarfblat · 2 months

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i have thoughts on the whole armand/daniel/marius thing and how it could happen in the show (if the show decides to go there, but i kinda hope they don't) anyways, it is very long and rambling so here you go:

like we never saw the whole armand/daniel/marius thing play out. now i don't think it's exactly a love triangle. armand and daniel break up some time after daniel becomes a vampire. because this was shit happening in the background, we don't have exact dates.

so sometime after they break up: armand tries to kill himself by walking into the sun bc he is a ball of religious issues (and i cannot wait to see what the show does with this) and also daniel goes mad.

popular theory is he goes mad bc armand's death, which is very romantic and all, but i think daniel showed some clear signs of madness before he even became a vampire. my boy was long-due for a fucking break down, is what I'm saying.

daniel is crazy and marius takes him in. idk if we ever hear him state the exact reason why, but i think daniel being armand's fledgling would have been reason enough.

so daniel is with marius while he's crazy and at some point he gets better. i think their relationship turns romantic somewhere in here, but no sure when. hopefully after he got better. bc otherwise ew.

then at some point he has to fucking realize armand is alive.

we don't get any sauce, but like a sentence telling us that daniel and armand go hunting together. then another sentence later where marius tells lestat daniel left him for armand.

(and that's my personal head-canon why daniel isn't in the painting thingy, bc marius is just being salty he got dumped)

now this space between Daniel getting better and finding out Armand is alive and being romantically involved with Marius and then leaving Marius for Armand is riff for drama and some soap opera shit. those cycles will be cycling.

though, this is just for me personally, I hope they drop the underage part for Armand when it comes to Armand/Marius.

Marius literally buys him from a brothel. You know how in porn today, barely-legal is like, a whole thing. Having young like 18, 19, 20, yr olds and making them look underage is something a lot of people on the internet like. So I imagine yee old brothels did it too so we can have an older Armand, (say 20ish just to match Daniel meeting him and Louis) who is forced to play the innocent child, the cherub, for as long as he can. And there you go, we can have his strange relationship with adulthood.

And then Marius saves him. By buying him as a slave. And like, Marius was Roman y'all, it kinda shone through with the slavery thing I'm not going to get into the Armand/Marius debate tonight. i don't like it, maybe you do. it's anne rice, ymmv is a given. the point is it happened, and we can draw a lot of parallels between the two relationships. the whole master/slave dynamic, the devil/minion. the whole conversation armand has with marius about making marius his slave, then realizing he isn't his slave at all, then marius telling him he is. daniel is the devil's minion, but armand will grant him anything he desires. it's about the power dynamic, it's about who has control.

And you know, I think old maniel could have fun with that. like hey, i fucked you and your vampire dad. or armand and him having clandestine meetings, where they're both trying to keep marius from finding out (except you know, marius is like a billion years old so his mind gift is super strong, so he can totally hear daniel's side) and there's some dramatic 'come back to me' scene and armand and daniel kiss in the rain (bc this is my fantasy and i say so)

(and then idk, marius falls back in love with pandora, or maybe mael, bc that'd be funny)

while all this is happening louis is out there living the good life, single and sucking and fucking. he's having his ho phase

#high posting #thinky thoughts about things #i think i had a point but i lost it

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wasabipoptart · 1 year

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On Brideshead Revisited (1981), shipping, and queerbaiting

To get the most out of my Black Friday Amazon Prime 2-month Britbox subscription, I sat down to bingewatch all my childhood PBS Brit-com favorites: I got reacquainted with my old Friday night friends... Fawlty Towers, To the Manor Born, Are You Being Served, Keeping Up Appearances, and so on.

And then there it was, my first crush, my first love: Brideshead Revisited (BR). Charles and Sebastian, the ship that launched a thousand... well, ships.

It's easy to remember but difficult to describe what it was like to be thirteen years old, in the summer of 1983, when everything was new and exciting, not just for me, but for the whole world, it seemed. My friends were discovering boys; I was discovering my friends discovering boys but failing to understand what the fuss was about. That is, until I saw a promo picture of BR in People magazine and two pairs of luminous brown eyes belonging to Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews.

Two pairs of brown eyes, it would seem, that were only for each other.

"Beautiful young men falling in love with each other" became my favorite song, one that would be played over and over for the next 40 years. It informed my entire pop-culture aesthetic, from poetry (second-generation Romantics FTW!) to music (oh, hello there, Morrissey) to movies (Birdy, anyone?) to monsters (*winks at Lestat and Louis*).

I do not exaggerate when I say watching BR when I was thirteen changed everything about the way I would see the world and I am honestly not sure who I would be had it not hit me at the right place, in the right time, in just the right way.

Fast-forward to almost 40 years later and I'm watching BR again, supplied with a whole new toolbox of critical thinking skills because I got a couple of degrees in English literature in the interim... MY GOD they were young, almost as young as I was; I'm middle-aged now, hmmm, do beautiful middle-aged men fall in love with each other too?

Don't be silly, of course they do.

I mean, do they EVER.

OFMD was a complete game-changer; when Ed kissed Stede, every "would-they-or-won't-they" ship that came before was suddenly dismissed as so much hollow queerbaiting; fuck you Nygmapot for teasing us so mercilessly, fuck you Murder Husbands, and most definitely fuck you Destiel for leading us on for eleven goddam seasons...but what about Charles and Sebastian? They never kissed for the camera. Does that count as queerbaiting?

I don't think so, for the following reasons:

It stuck to the source material: Charles and Sebastian never overtly kissed in the book, either. Whatever they did was implied subtextually, more innocently, and being kept under wraps, about ten times hotter.

They never teased it: There were many longing stares, smouldering glances, and lingering touches, but there was never any hint about what might happen if they leaned just a fraction closer, or gazed just a second longer. We never wanted to see it because we didn't have any hope we might have seen it.

It was a different time: I know that sounds like an excuse, but we simply did not get passionate gay kisses on prime-time TV in the 80s and it would have been too much of a distraction to happen then.

Nobody was denying the queer narrative at work: Antony Blanche, God bless him, made sure of that.

BR holds up, 40 years on, in a way that Gotham and Supernatural probably will not and do not deserve to. I can't resent BR for what it didn't do, because of so much that it did do. When Sebastian takes Charles to the botanical gardens for the first time, "to see the ivy"; I walked through that iron gate right along with them and nothing would ever be the same again.

Et in Arcadia Ego. Aeternum.

#brideshead revisited #charles and sebastian #charles ryder #sebastian flyte #anthony andrews #jeremy irons #one ship to rule them all #brideshead revisited meta #our flag means death

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nalyra-dreaming · 1 year

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Some episode 7 musings

I think I now know what @armavnd meant in their spoiler free review… I wonder if the end scene itself has been changed after season renewal news.

Because as big as that reveal was (well, for some, with all the people on here hunting down the hints^^), that comment that „Daniel only knows half the story“… I feel like they would have done that differently if they hadn’t known whether this might be the actual end.

And it’s interesting, because with Claudia’s pages being cut out… the swamp scene can very well still come (they did go to it and picked a location after all?). And if they hadn‘t known yet… I bet that episode would have been longer. And would have contained swamp and crispy. As it is, I bet they’ll open with it… or let it bleed in in Lestat’s POV later. We’ll see.

It also invalidates Claudia’s diaries as reliable narrator, too… quite the power move, story-telling wise.

I love, love LOVE the silver cord hints, and the implications coming with that, and Lestat musing absentmindedly about Those Who Must Be Kept. Armand obviously controlling Louis in a way or at least Louis‘ access to books/diaries etc. If for his own safety or not may be up to debate. The groan that could be heard again there at the end. The adapted version of Come To Me that they danced to. Damn.

I said it before, but Lestat never begrudged Louis and Armand their love… on the contrary, love is a very complicated beast in the Vampire Chronicles and it’s constantly shifting, too. I saw the take that they break up Loustat here and I… doubt it. This relationship between Armand and Louis is canon, too, and I love that they’re going there. There’ll be more relationships to come if we are lucky and get more seasons. I personally would love to see this version of the Devil’s Minion, too. Still, Louis calling Armand „love of his life“ will not go over well, lmao. (And I wonder if that, too, was a try to literally get a rise out of Lestat).

Antoinette is gone in this installment, and I personally, am not overly saddened (though as a character I feel for her, she deserved better). In the first book Antoine is just a side figure, a tool - Anne only pulled him back much later. With the way (s)he was used here it makes sense to drive the difference in emotions home.

Emotionally, they really hit the right tone for the killing scene. Louis coming back to „I wanted to slit his throat“ and „bleed you like a pig“ from episode 1… Claudia interrupting their dance once more. Their kiss.

Btw. I said it before in a reaction, but letting Louis fall back in love with Lestat - deliberately - to try to beguile Lestat was… cruel. Because that pain will now stay with Louis, and she doesn’t particularly care for that.

Still loved how masterfully she exploited his weakness… 5 moves ahead indeed. And then she totally miscalculated (imho) by giving Louis his „goodbye“.

Brutal.

I could be wrong, but I think that is what Armand is doing there, too - trying to give Louis his goodbye. And that will fail, too. (I hesitate to write backfire here because those relationships are extremely complicated - I don’t think a waking-up Lestat will actually take away from Armand’s and Loui‘s relationship - and neither will Louis’ and Lestat’s. I hope the show doesn’t buy into petty jealousy with them.)

All in all a worthy finale… and yes, leaving more questions than answers.

Lovely 😈 Cannot wait for all the BTS stuff and the next season, eventually.

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sofipitch · 2 years

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Honestly, knowing what has happened in other fandoms when black/BIPOC characters have been written in with prominent roles (race-swapped or not), I actually do believe the actors playing Claudia and Louis will be racially abused by many white/non-black fans. The show runners should be prepared for that, and I hope the writers actually are aware of the ramifications of race-swapping Louis and Claudia but keeping Lestat white because it does exacerbate their already canon toxic power dynamics.

Damn, I guess you're right anon, we should cancel the whole show, we should only show white ppl on TV from now on, because of a probability that a TV show will be the next OJ Simpson case.

I honestly should have just deleted this ask bc it's clearly not in good faith, with a false concern for BIPOC. However this is also not the first time I have seen this argument so I'm going to go ahead and give my response as to why I don't think loustat is going to be MORE abusive in the show, and that it'll be worse bc of the race change. I'm also probably going to go outside the realm of your ask, to point out other bad faith arguments.

First I've seen some people wondering why Rolin Jones, a white man, would change Louis and Claudia's race in the first place. But the thing is NOLA has always been a racially diverse city, it's actually pretty sus how white AR's vampires are.

Rolin Jones said this:

We made Louis an African American, which is not a swing if you consider the demographics of New Orleans.

Which is not wrong, the demographics of NOLA are stated as follows when Louis was originally turned in the books:

The report cites colonial census data from 1721 that show about 63 percent city's population identified as white. The remaining 37 percent were -- predominantly black -- enslaved peoples. In 1788, a new demographic emerges -- free people of African descent or "free people of color," enslaved people who were able to purchase their freedom primarily under Spanish law.

The thing is, NOLA today is mostly black, the break down of races as follows:

Black or African American: 59.22%

White: 33.40%

Asian: 2.89%

Two or more races: 2.55%

Other race: 1.75%

Native American: 0.18%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.01%

So when it comes to a series that is such a big part of NOLA history, it has to be weird for the actual people from that city to see themselves not represented in it. Which is why I believe RJ changes both Louis and Claudia's races to reflect where they are from (who unlike Lestat are NOLA natives).

When it comes to loustat being abusive, I tend to fundamentally disagree with a lot of the arguments I see on here, even before the show started, of Louis being the battered wife and Lestat the abusive husband. I think a lot of people project their own issues onto these characters but seeing Louis as inherently the victim to Lestat is often more based in wanting these characters to fit more into gender stereotypes than anything else.

But what we do know from the show is this:

Q about the Dark Gift being in the series. Sam says Lestat wants to make sure Louis loves him before he gives them the gift.

When Louis was turned in the series he is sick and in a very bad place, and Lestat drains him before asking him, letting Louis know that if he doesn't accept to become a vampire, he will die. X vs death isn't a very healthy dynamic. So changing this so that Lestat makes sure Louis is "the one for him" before turning him shows to me that they are going to try and make their dynamic less toxic. I also don't know where it came from but I saw a rumor that Louis asks Lestat to turn Claudia. Which means that while Lestat can def leverage "but think of the children!" to get out of their divorce, the way he baby traps Louis is less malicious.

I think these changes were made with their racial dynamic in mind. This is going to sound like I'm tooting my own horn but I cowrote a fic, The Long Way Home, with @sweetazathioprine in which Louis and Claudia are black. This fic is set in the book time period and Louis is still a slave owner (son of the master who later learns his mother was a slave and he's a child by rape, an unfortunately very common situation back when this kind of slavery existed in the America). Half the point of this fic was to show that Louis could be black with very little of him changed, and be the same person. We also had other goals, like addressing the horror of slavery rather than letting it be some romantic setting the story just happens to take place in, and also just writing a story where we could see ourselves reflected back. But my point is, there were changes/writing decisions my cowriter and I made knowing the potential power dynamics between loustat. Louis basically addresses every single one we do make, there's so much we just blatantly wrote out rather than trusting/hoping readers would "get it".

Now, the last concern I will address is "Rolin Jones is a white man how can we trust him to get these characters right"

The IMDB for the new series isn't finished, it still says there will be 8 episodes when we know there will be 7, it says Claudia will only appear for one episode but given her presence in the trailer and that she will be aging from "14-37" this season, and just how much Bailey was on set, I doubt one episode is the case. HOWEVER, from what is on there, a director for two of the episodes is a black man (his insta confirms this) and the only other writer is a gay latino man (I assume adding AR is a formality)

Again, this seems kind of incomplete, the number of episodes it says the directors are directing doesn't actually equal the total number of episodes. A lot of people where only giving V E. Scwab the credit for writing First Kill (a gay vampire/vampire hunter show that is also interracial, should that show also be canceled bc it "could have been problematic" but wasn't???) and the writers room was quite diverse.then Schwab showed a pic of the writing room, revealing all credit shouldn't go to her.

So my main point is that automatically assuming the show will handle race badly, and that the characters should all be white instead is a very bad tired take I have only seen white ppl make. I have said this before but I love this series and will be devastated if the show is bad, I will have to crawl into the ground and take one of Lestat's 50 yr coma naps. But a lot of people are trying to argue it will be bad and that we shouldn't support it, way before we actually get to see it. And a lot of the ppl making this argument are white ppl, acting like they need to act as some sort of guide to POC, acting like they are only thinking of our best interests when telling us how we should think and feel. I don't need that, I know some ppl in this fandom think they are shouldering The White Man's Burden, only wanting to protect us poor POC who are looking forward to the show, but I am perfectly capable of evaluating information on my own, thank you.

#im gonna hit the hornets nest on this one and actually put it in the tags #vc #vampire chronicles #iwtv #interview with the vampire #asks

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awkwardwithapause261 · 2 years

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Spoilers for Interview with the Vampire episode 2 if you haven’t watched it.

I found it so comical that he was from the inside of his coffin “I don’t like sleeping angry.” and then lifting up the lid to see if Louis was paying attention because he didn’t respond.

I could talk about how dismissive Lestat was being throughout Louis’ near decade with him at this point about Louis’ unhappiness with being a vampire, but like that’s par for the course. That’s Lestat.

Might add more as it comes to me.

Not exactly episode 2 but I’mma say it anyways There’s a part in one of the trailers where Lestat says “She has poisoned you against me.” I assume the she is Claudia, but all I think is “No sweetie you’ve done that all by yourself.” Especially now that the real Lestat is coming out. I mean there were points in the first episode that Lestat was seen to be toxic and manipulative and dismissive of Louis’ emotions and mental state, but this is multiplied by like a lot.

Also it was like Lestat had lost his romantic luster for me. Which made me not like this episode as much as I did the first. Like I’m over here saying to Louis oh my god get the fuck away from him already.

I asked my sister whether Louis was talking about other vampire when he said he could stand out on his balcony and hear the thoughts of a brute from Madagascar. She said yes, but I was like why did Lestat say that vampires can’t read other vampires minds and her reply was because he’s an asshole liar and other vampires don’t like his ass.

There was a tone and body language and even the words itself that caused Louis’ reaction with the guy he was doing business with. Lestat didn’t get it in the moment he had to marinate in it.

I hope Louis washed up before getting into that coffin from pouring all that what look like milk on himself because I’m sure he’d start to stink along with all that burnt flesh. Lestat didn’t have to get bare butt ass naked he just did it to be petty.

When Lestat says I’m your family I was like but you’re horrible though.

I think Lestat heard Louis’ thoughts at the opera. Maybe about how Louis was having doubts about staying with Lestat because he was humiliated and looked over so much by Lestat so Lestat said what he had to however true it may be to get him to stay. Which is manipulative.

Lestat has no right to lecture Louis on his feeding habits because he himself was dropping bodies left and right when he first came to town. Sure they were probably people no one would miss but still that’s a lot of people for the authorities to consider it some sort of illness. Also figured out what the street light guy did to get himself killed he called Lestat the devil and we’ve seen how much he hates that.

I bet Louis is thinking I wish I had never taken that card from you. Because for me taking that card from him during that poker game was the beginning of their relationship.

So Lestat was lying when he said he liked mama du lac’s gumbo because from Louis we learn presumably everything a vampire eats that isn’t blood taste like paste and chalk.

Louis will never be able to share in Lestat’s world and Lestat will never be able to understand Louis’.

Also when they were at the opera and Lestat held out his hand for the folder of music while staring ahead face void of emotion. I saw what Louis meant when he said sometimes it feels like he’s his slave. Whether they were putting on a show of their own or not it was like he forgot that Louis was his companion. No amount of sweet words or small touches will make up for their dynamic within reputable society

Lestat looked like the headless horseman when he threw the blanket over his head.

You can see Grace’s opinion of Lestat and Louis change over time.

In episode one Lestat says all the roles you conform to and none your true nature when I’m over here saying what you saw of him on Liberty wasn’t his true nature either it was who he had to be to survive and you would know that because you can read minds even if you say you forget you can do that most times. And then in this episode he’s like embrace what you are you are a killer Louis and I’m like who says he has to be? You? Wasn’t the whole point of turning him was so that he wouldn’t have to conform to anyone else’s standards but his own?

Also I wonder if what Lestat says all human thoughts boil down to (I want food, I want sex, I want to go home) is what Louis’ thoughts boiled down to.

Or is Louis one of those exceptional people Lestat has a soft spot for being all that he is as a black man given the time (wealthy successful influential)

Is Lestat in some way fetishizing Louis if the above theory is correct by having Louis be his companion.

#amc #louis de pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt #jacob anderson #sam reid #season 1 episode 2 #1x02 #interview with the vampire

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the-rockstar-lestat · 3 years

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Well happy Christmas mes amis, to those who celebrate!

I'd like to tell you a little story, in lieu of a Christmas present.

It must have been in the early 1800s, because Claudia was a child still. A real child, who believed in real childish things. Like Santa Claus, or as we called him Pere Noël.

And Louis and I were terribly good each Christmas, at filling Claudia's little shoes with candy and small toys--though I think myself an early adapter of the Christmas Present, as Claudia couldn't eat candy (though she liked the look and the idea of it) and very few toys and things Claudia actually liked fit in her shoes, so the presents got larger and larger. Our spoiled little miss never minded. So each year we would go to midnight mass--a favorite tradition of Claudia's, as it naturally occured at night, and she was able to see all the other children that were so often asleep so early into her waking hours--and participate in a beloved New Orleans tradition, revillion, the large meal after midnight mass, although ours didn't contain gumbo and oysters... It was terribly easy hunting when everyone was awake, and many people slightly drunk. We did try to stick to the poor and homeless, "to send them home to Jesus for Christmas," said Louis to Claudia, but Claudia had her own sense of humor, and took delight in thinking some little shoes would be unclaimed Christmas morning--you see what an evil little thing I raised!

Anyway, after our evening meal, Claudia and Louis and I returned home and Claudia eagerly ancipated the sunrise for once, as it would bring with it Christmas! Now, she knew Pere Noël was flying through the world filling all the good children's shoes while they slept. And when she was very young we had reassured her he knew to come to her house last, just before the sun rose, which is why she must be safely tucked into her coffin before sunrise to await him--and so her regular Peres could make ready the house! But one Christmas, when she was still quite little, Claudia was working on a sampler by candlelight, when suddenly she asked:

"Is Pere Noël a vampire?"

(Louis and I remember this a touch differently. I recall her asking. He remembers her simply informing us "Pere Noël is vampire, isn't he?")

Louis spluttered. I laughed.

"What makes you say that?" Asked Louis.

"Because," announced Claudia. "He only comes out at night, as we do. He knows if you're good or naughty and if you believe in him, so he can read your thoughts like we do. He can see all the good children in New Orleans in one night, so he must move very, very fast, like we can. He doesn't want any food for his long journey (this was before the tradition of leaving milk and cookies for Santa Claus) only hay for his donkey, so he must not eat, or he eats something else. And he has been coming to everyone's house and everyone's Papa's house and everyone's Papa's Papa's house , as even the old men talk of Pere Noël , and he is always an old man, so he must never age or die, as we do."

Louis and I sat there in shock. What to do, what to say to this? Do we tell her no, Pere Noël is not a vampire , and try to preserve what little humanity and innocence she has, and let her go on believing in this manifestation of goodness and kindness like every other child? Pere Noël was one of the few human things Claudia had, should we corrupt him too? On the other hand, might telling her Pere Noël was a vampire comfort her in some way, make her feel less alone, make her feel there was some value and goodness to her nature , if Pere Noël was so beloved? Or--note to self , Lestat--would that make her want to find him, or to ask too many questions of others of Her Kind, which she can never, never meet, as you've promised yourself to keep those monsters away from your little family. Better to be alone than with THEM.

Or do we, like so many parents, decide it's time to ruin the sweet dream of childhood and tell her ,no Pere Noël is not a vampire, indeed he's not real. Even I am not that heartless.

Fortunately Louis made this decision for me, as all these options, the pros and cons of each, sprung through my head and said:

"Well, I have never seen Pere Noël, as I was always a good boy tucked in my bed when he came to give me presents, and if I were to spy on him now to try to find out for you, I am afraid he would get angry and not leave any presents for you!" No presents! The horror!

"So you do not know if he is one of us?" Claudia asked.

"Indeed he could be, chèrie, but that is not something good girls try to find out. Perhaps we shall keep our secrets and let Pere Noël keep his."

Claudia seemed to accept with this, and returned to her sampler, as Louis and I breathed a sigh of relief. Before long we saw the first streaks of red in the sky, and Claudia was picked up, washed her hands and face, put on her lace trimmed nightdress, said her prayers (by Louis' insistence) and was tucked into her coffin, while Louis and I rushed to get her presents ready before the sun claimed us as well.

"Wait!" I said, just as we were about to retire , a job well done, "get me some paper, Louis!" He did so, and I wrote in my own hesitant handwriting which Claudia had never seen (remember, writing and indeed reading in my own language was always a struggle for me , a fact I took care to conceal from my family, as I had no well trained bourgeois hand like Louis did)--

"My dear child Claudia! What a clever girl you are finding me out! But you must tell no one, let this be our little secret!

--Pere Noël"

And I pinned said note into the petticoat of the dress on the doll I had gotten her, where she was sure to find it--though perhaps not until later.

"What are you doing?" Asked Louis.

"Letting her have a little fun. If she finds this she'll think she's clever for having found it all out, but we can , of course, deny all knowledge of anything of the sort. She and she alone will know Pere Noël's true nature! A little secret of her own. What a special girl she'll think she is!"

Louis smiled that shy, secret smile of his he reserved only for when I had been truly Good. The way I saw it, it was the best of all worlds. So we pinned the note into the doll's dress and set her up by Claudia's slippers, now filled with tiny things and candies in the prettiest wrappers I could find. Louis smiled at me again. He always liked Christmas.

We went off to bed, and the next morning, evening, what have you, Claudia awoke to her surprises and, like every parent has since the creation of Pere Noël, we watched her discover her gifts with pride, silently congratulating ourselves on a job well done.

And as luck would have it later that evening I noticed Claudia's face as she felt a bit of something pinned somewhere to her new doll and drew it out, looking it over with more expression than I frequently saw on her still, calm, little face.

"Why Claudia, whatever is the matter?" I asked her, nudging Louis, "Did you find a bit of loose stuffing in your new doll?"

She seemed surprised and crumpled the note to her chest.

"No, Papa." She said (she sometimes called us both Papa in those days. I missed that when she stopped.) "It is nothing."

"Very good, then. I would hope Pere Noël did not bring you a broken doll!"

"No,no, she's wonderful!"

And I saw Claudia fold up the little note and store it away in her reticule and counted myself victorious.

Although the following Christmas I received a LOOK from Louis, as he had caught Claudia trying to lure a street urchin to dinner with the ultimate aim of tying him to mantle for Pere Noël to discover "In case he was hungry as he surely can't hunt tonight!"

(We ate the poor lad ourselves. It made her so happy to see his body gone in the morning--as Pere Noël would never be sloppy about his kill, Claudia, and got rid of it nicely-- much as the hay for his donkey was. Waste not, want not. )

I believe Claudia believed Pere Noël was a vampire until she stopped believing in him entirely. I never stopped giving her presents for Christmas, or course, insisting and swearing at least one of them I had not bought, and MUST be from him, Louis being my eager coconspirator. She did love Christmas so.

#the vampire claudia #claudia de lioncourt #murder daughter #interview with the vampire #vampire chronicles #the vampire lestat #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac

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vcsecretgifts · 4 years

Text

Love Bites.

From: @jadedcreole

I have written this chapter of Love Bites for @wicked-felina who wanted a Modern AU or Coffee Shop AU. Unfortunately, I do not post VC Fanart online. So, it will have to be a fan fiction story. I can say I am honored to write for her as I love her and @i-want-my-iwtv’s Signature Blend. This story will be a work in progress. I hope to add to it throughout the year, but only if there is interest in continuing this AU. I apologize that you are only getting one chapter as a gift, but I do not know where this will take me, yet. This chapter is for her VC Christmas gift and it is also dedicated to her.

I did not want to try and duplicate her fabulous work and add to it because coffee is not my forte. I also know I could not do that AU as exquisitely as they have, and anything less would be a shame. So, I took a different tact and came up with a wacky mismatched Modern AU which is vastly divergent from some canon. This is written in the spirit of switching it up. It is crack!fanon. I have chosen to keep certain aspects of canon for this story (so do not worry). I hope you enjoy it @wicked-felina.

This information is not necessarily important to this chapter but will be later.

Background: Louis’ brother died when he was a Senior in High School. He loved his brother, but they had never seen eye to eye because of his brother’s love of the Catholic Church. Paul, his brother, was on the path to join the Priesthood when he graduated from their Catholic School. Louis hated his brother’s choices which caused conflict as Louis was hurt at a young age by the same church that his brother endorsed and loved. Another bone of contention between them was Louis is gay. The night he finally came out his brother and mother did not accept this lifestyle choice. They had a horrible argument. Louis wished Paul dead. His mother overheard the argument. Shortly after his brother was hit by a drunk driver as he was on his way to pray for his brother’s soul. Louis has not been the same since. His mother has disowned him. He has not been disinherited because his fathers will does not allow it. He is set to take over the family business when he finishes college. To that end Louis keeps changing majors to avoid graduating.

Things you need to know about this AU and it’s cast of characters:

Louis is a wealthy student who is drifting from one major to another due to his chronic indecisiveness and rebellion of not wanting to take over the family business that his father left him. He is not an alcoholic, but he is a binge drinker.

Armand is Louis’ ex-boyfriend who is on again and off again. They go from friend to lover randomly because they are convenient to each other. They have similar interests and habits. They love each other but are not in love. They have an understanding.

Daniel is Louis’ roommate and drinking buddy. He has been Louis’ best friend since elementary school. He is secretly in love with Armand but has never told anyone. Louis does not realize it.

Lestat is a music major with a minor in drama. He has the determination of hitting it big in Paris then the world. His family is from old money which his father squandered. His mother has been slowly selling off her large Jewelry collection from her family. She uses it to fund their family and to keep up appearances. In this AU Lestat has only his older brother Augustin.

Nicolas is in pre-law but takes violin on the side. The violin has been his passion since he was in his Middle School Orchestra, but his family does not approve of it as a profession. He is expected to join the family law firm.

Nicolas and Lestat have a convenient relationship. They go from being lovers to hating one another it is all dependent on their moods. They have been this way since childhood. They have always dreamed of going to Paris to make it big.

David is a foreign exchange student from Great Briton who is older because he is in his late 20’s. David is doing graduate work. He studies the occult. He has become Lestat’s best friend and roommate.

Other vampires will appear in the series as well.

Chapter One

Dating Blindly

Louis is sipping a glass of wine at a karaoke dive bar waiting for his blind date to arrive. There is a red rose sitting in front of him at the table he had chosen. He has been texting back and forth with Armand who set him up on what he was sure to be a fiasco of a blind date. Everyone knew blind dates never went well. Why would this one be any different, he thought.

[Text Ginger Snap] You will text me in an hour to give me an out if I do not like him, right?

[Text Ginger Snap] You owe me for this if I knew it was a Karaoke Bar you would not have gotten me here.

[Text Envy] Yes, I know now relax. Have fun. You don’t get out enough.

[Text Envy] He is good looking and moody like you. You should get along well together. Give it a chance.

[Text Ginger Snap] So you say. Blind dates never work. I am not really that hard up.

[Text Envy] You have not been out since we started seeing other people. Have a good time.

“Louis?” Louis looked up from him phone seeing a man who was handsome looking at him holding a red rose. He had chocolatey brown brooding eyes. Louis was attracted to him somewhat. Armand did have good taste he thought to himself.

“Yes?” Louis answered slipping his phone in his back pocket. “You must be Nicolas.” He stood up and offered his hand.

“I am.” He said shaking it and giving it a warm squeeze. “May I join you?”

Louis nodded, “Yes, please have a seat.” He sat down motioning Nicolas to do the same.

“Thank you.” Nicolas said picking up the menu. “Well, how did you end up here tonight? You do not look like the type who needs a blind date.”

Louis frowned at the blunt question as he gazed at the drink menu, “I do not know, really. Armand kept threatening to set me up if I did not get out of my apartment to meet someone. He convinced me to come out tonight. How did you end up here?”

Nicolas grinned replying with bluntness that was charming in which he had perfected over the years, “Ahh, he told me that his ex-boyfriend needed a date. He said he was beautiful, and I should meet him. Plus, I have seen you both together and I was curious about you.”

Louis rolled his eyes into the menu, “How do you know one another?”

Nicolas smirked, “A question for a question?” Louis nodded his ascent. “I met him during orchestra practice a couple years ago. He was directing a musical and I was in the orchestra for that musical. We hit it off you could say.”

The server came as Louis was about to comment. They ordered a bottle of wine and an appetizer.

“So, you have a lot in common. Why did you two never date?” He asked as the server left to see to their order.

“Who says that we have not dated?” Nicolas replied. “Besides that, is two questions you owe me. I think I will keep them in reserve for now.”

***************

Lestat asked as the server, Bianca, came in the kitchen, “Well, did you get a good look at him?”

Bianca laughed, “Yes, Lestat I did. It was no hardship to switch tables with you. My god they are both easy on the eyes. Why did you let him go?”

“Is he better looking than me?”

“One of them is, Lestat. Which one is Nicolas?”

Lestat looked out the corner, “The one who had the rose. You know this I told you.”

“They both had roses, Lestat.”

Lestat sighed impatiently, “Nicki has eyes dark like milk chocolate.”

“Oh well you should see his date’s eyes. They are to die for.”

Lestat said, “Really? I have to see him.” Lestat grabbed the drinks for the table near theirs and went to see for himself.

Bianca laughed shaking her head.

As Lestat delivered the drinks to the table he had to lean forward to get a good look at Nicolas’ date. In that moment a lady put her purse down causing Lestat to trip and the beers crashed to the floor. Luckily Lestat did not. He cursed as he saw Nicki and Louis turn their heads and look at him. In that brief moment he had seen the most beautiful emerald eyes and face. He looked away and got up.

“Shit, shit, shit.” He cursed under his breath picking up the broken glass and apologizing. He quickly got the pieces up and everything sorted out. He went back to the bar. Bianca was still laughing she had seen it all.

“Lestat, are you okay?” She asked once she finished laughing.

“Yes, you are right he is beautiful, and Nicki saw me they both probably think I am an idiot.”

“Accidents happen. I am sure they realize that.”

Lestat nodded and reordered the beers for the customers.

Bianca gathered the wine and went to deliver it to the table.

“Here you go gentleman,” she said putting down wineglasses. She then poured the wine for them. She set it down. “Your appetizer should be ready soon. Would you like to order anything else?”

Louis shook his head, “Not right now, thank you.”

Nicolas agreed, “I will be right back. Excuse me a moment please?”

Louis said, “of course,” to Nicolas as Bianca left back to her station. He picked up his glass and took a drink. Listening to a couple patrons sing off key.

Nicolas caught Lestat by the arm as Lestat was walking back from delivering the beer, successfully this time. “What are you doing? Are you stalking me again? I told you this was over. For good this time, remember?”

Lestat pulled away, “No I am not stalking you! Some of us must work for a living. I have worked here all week! I have no desire to ever go back to you again.” He turned his back on him and stalked off into the kitchen. “Bastard.”

Nicolas went back to the table and sat down. He picked up the wine and downed it.

“Everything okay?”

Putting the glass down, “More wine?”

Louis nodded, “Yes please.” He watched as Nicolas poured him a glass.

“Louis, I hate to do this, but I need to go. I will be in touch with you. I would like to get to know you, but I just got some bad news.”

Louis nodded relieved, “Yes, I understand.”

“You owe me two more answers. I intend to collect. Please accept my apology.” He grabbed his wallet and put a $50 on the table. “Please stay and have another drink on me.” He got up and left angry.

Louis was confused because he saw the exchange between the two. He was sure everyone had seen it. He shrugged thinking at least he was not the one making excuses this time. It was best to let that one go, if he got angry over a clumsy waiter, he thought to himself.

He picked up his glass and sipped his wine.

Lestat calmed himself down and grabbed the appetizers for their table. He would get even with Nicki, he thought. He spit in the spinach artichoke dip when no one was looking. He took the spinach artichoke dip to the table, but Nicki was not there. He looked at the food, then into the eyes of the most beautiful man he had ever seen. He dropped the appetizer it fell to the floor. He froze. “I…”

Bianca came up, “Sorry he is having a bad day. I will get you a new one.” She cleaned it up as best as she could. She pinched Lestat’s side before she left whispering, “Snap out of it.”

“Thanks.” Louis said and smiled at Lestat. “We all have bad days. Don’t feel bad. I am sorry about whatever my date said to you. Please I am sure he did not mean it.”

“Thank you.” Lestat said flashing his trademark smile.

Louis nodded. His phone rang. He picked up his phone noticing it was Armand. “Yes, Armand I actually did not need you to call Nicolas left.” He forgot about Lestat as he told Armand what had happened.

Lestat went back to the bar humming to himself.

“Lestat get it together or you will get into trouble.” Bianca said annoyed. “That was not even your table.”

“Sorry, but I have to have him.”

“Do you really think that is a good idea?”

“Yes, I do.” He looked at his watch. “Time for my break.”

Lestat strolled out to the stage as he saw no one was currently singing. He went up to the machine and selected his song. Lestat had a weakness for 80’s hair bands and ballads. He had most of the songs from that time memorized. He smiled seeing just the right song Love Bites, by Def Leppard. Perfect, he thought. He knew this song very well. He knew he could sing it like he had written it himself. He was here to show Louis that he was not some halfwit clumsy server.

He strutted onto the stage picked up the mic and began to sing it as if he owned it. He crooned into the microphone. Louis was watching him interested he could tell. He smiled at him. Then turn his back shaking his behind a bit. Lestat felt his pulse race as he showed off. He turned back around and moved like the rock star he knew he would be. He finished the song and ended it by winking at Louis. He saw him blush. Lestat smirked. Got him hooked, he thought. Lestat was satisfied with his performance for Louis. Now to reel him in, he thought to himself.

When he got off the stage the manager was waiting for him. They had words. After all that was said and done tonight Lestat still had a job. Only because he had persuaded him that he could pick up an extra shift. By the time he could make it to Louis’ table, he was gone. Lestat sighed and shook his head thinking, “I just can’t win.”

Louis was half drunk when he left the club. He had finished off the wine and declined the appetizer that Bianca had brought back out to him. He did pay for it and left her a generous tip. As he took an uber home he had decided to bring Armand back to that club. That blond waiter may not know how to be a decent server, but he did look and sing like an angel. Louis smiled. Yes, he would go back. He was intrigued. He closed his eyes as the driver drove him home.

#2019 VC Secret Santa #VC #Vampire Chronicles #submission #jadedcreole #wicked-felina #i-want-my-iwtv

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alliswell21 · 6 years

Note

I wish you would write a fic where... vampire!Finnick and vampire!Peeta try to understand human's modern-day social media! :P

Hi @thelettersfromnoone!!! Sorry it took me so long to answer your ask… I have to admit, when I first read the prompt I laughed, I envisioned it as a cheerful piece of comedy, but when I started writing it, it pretty much beat my hiney. I just couldn’t get the voices right, and the tone was all wrong, I think I rewrote it 3 times… it’s still not exactly what I set out to do, but it’s close enough… I hope this is ok.

Rated G

Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt meet Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield in this Peenick fic. Enjoy. (Most of the dialogue are actual rants I’ve heard from my husband’s grandfather, plus a few debates between my husband and his best friend from high school)

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Daylight Savings Time is finally at an end. All the clocks have been set back an hour, and sunsets come earlier each day… too bad I can’t see the glorious colors painting the sky with my own eyes tracking the sun’s slow descent into the horizon while the scattered clouds turn gold, orange and intense pink. It’s the thing I miss the most about being alive. The good news is that cinema is there to provide glimpses of my beloved sunsets, even if they are a flat replica.

I take a look at the clock on the wall, and then eye the sun setting charter taped directly under it. Fall is our favorite time of year, with its longer, darker nights. We are free to leave our den and roam the town, we can even walk into any establishment while it’s still regular business hours like normal people, because while the clock says it’s 17:00, it’s inky black outside, and no trace of the cheerful sun can be felt.

Today is special, though. “We are renewing our wardrobes!” Announced Finnick earlier, so as soon as the sun goes down, and it’s safe to leave our place,1 we’re heading to the mall on a business call errand.

“Is it time yet?” Asks Finnick entering the room, wearing a different outfit than the one I saw him in 10 minutes ago. He’s anxious. We haven’t been out in a while, and I know he’s both looking forward to this and nervous at the same time.

“Two more minutes, then we can go.” I tell him.

He makes a face that’s full of annoyance. We just heard the weather report, and it’s supposed to be a gorgeous evening. He hates going out on nice evenings to run errands when he could be luring beautiful, warm-blooded gals into the darkness of his bedroom. He considers it a waste, if he’s isn’t hunting, but he was the one to call for a day of shopping, I could care less about clothing.

“You know most everything can be acquired online nowadays. There’s very little instances your physical presence is required for a transaction to be made.” I offer softly. His glare is immediate and expected, but there’s mirth behind it as well.

He wrinkles his nose in disgust, but smiles nonetheless. “So impersonal, Peeta. Not at all how a gentleman should conduct business.” He says in his usual debonair tone, “It’s almost as if you don’t know me at all!” He flashes me that smile he uses to enchant his victims before his fangs graze along smooth, pulsating, bare necks, like a deadly caress.

I simply avert my eyes. Finnick is not my creator, but he was made 50 years before I was even born, and that makes him my elder, but sometimes, he can be such a brat! Is hard not to think of him as a child at times. His smile doesn’t have quite the same effect on me, though. I’m not a living woman, so I drawl out a response.

“With all the technological advances of the time, why bother going out, for something you can get from the safety and comfort of your lair?” I shrug, then smirk, “I’m sure you can find other, more suited pursuits for a night such as this.” I fan out a hand.

Finnick’s devious smile widens, a dangerous glint takes over his eyes.

I was told once, that Finnick used to have a lovely set of eyes, the color of the sea; that his gaze held the warmth of the tropics and the light of the sun. But when I look into his eyes now, all I see is a washed down shade of green, with pupils as dark and empty as the abyss and a danger that thrills as it pulls you in the darkened recesses of his penetrating stare, where natural light is nonexistent.

“Humanity has made the current time a very convenient era for our kind, hasn’t it?” He says taking a sit and crossing his leg over his opposite knee. “But first impressions do matter, my friend. You can’t just buy clothing from stock. Tailors exist for a very, good reason!”

This is just a variant of his many sayings of ‘the suit makes the man’ sentiment. I check the clock again, nodding in agreement, “But the internet is so much safer, what with all the ways you can interact with others, without really doing it.” I say more to myself than him.

“Why yes, one only needs to fiddle a smart phone apparatus, and everything’s there at your fingertips… what’s the fun on that?” He sounds partially angry.

“It’s convenient.” My voice is soft and monotonous. “Efficient and saves you the hassle of having to interact with vendors that may be irritating.” But for me, is more than that.

I’m not really into eating humans all that much, I rather take a stroll to the blood bank and peruse through the samples until I find something I want. I hate looking at the lifeless eyes of my feed providers after. So gruesome, ugh!

“It’s boring,” He states. “How much longer?” He asks impatiently.

“Take your coat and we may go.”

The drive to the mall is uneventful and quiet, but as soon as we step into the building, we both wince at the brightly lit entrance, artificial light bathes everything the eye reaches, but at the end of 10 seconds, we grow used to the glare. Our instinct is to flee the light, but our reason tells us it’s harmless so we walk right in. While we could smell the whole town since leaving our house, the scent of fresh blood assault our senses like a tide wave; I inhale deeply and allow a satisfied smile take over my features, but next to me, Finnick hisses in displeasure at the throng of people meandering about, as if he just walked into a fresh meat market, after pledging to be a vegetarian under duress. I wished I could say I was sorry to find enjoyment in his pain, but it’s actually kind of funny.

We make a left turn after passing the hubbub of the food court, and then we see them: people meandering around with their cellphones aloft, heads bowed towards the luminous screens, while ignoring anything and everyone else around them. Is one thing to see someone checking their email while sitting and consuming a tray of food court bourbon chicken and a 32 ounce Diet Coke, but another one to see an almost accurate representation of a zombie apocalypse, where the undead only respond to pings and blips. I know in my frozen heart, there will be no shutting him up until we get to the menswear store.

“Why do they do that?” Finnick asks under breath. “They look like sheep. Silly ones at that.”

I observe the few people so absorbed in their phones that narrowly avoid crashing into things along the way by sheer good luck with mild interest while we take the escalators in the middle of the first floor, then shrug.

The whole ride up, Finnick rambles, watching the hypnotized humans with contempt. “Why do they insist on developing this, so called, ‘virtual community’ nonsense? It keeps them from real life interactions, everyone so enthralled with their media devices?”

We climb off the escalator and fall into step side by side.

“It keeps them informed, connected with people they don’t normally see.” I tell him as we pass a kitchen and baking supply store, my head turns to look at a handsome set of measuring cups… you can take the corpse out of the bakery, but can’t take the bakery out of the corpse. “It expands their horizons even from the confines of their homes.” I say calmly, like I’m speaking to an overexcited child. “It’s in their nature to network and exchange opinions. Man was not created to be isolated, Finnick. Humans have a driving need to belong, and social media satisfies the void.”

“They abuse it, Peeta.” He says easily as we take a right turn, “Give a person an internet capable device, Twitter, Facebook… hell! Give them a comment box on a news article! humans can’t shut up! People behave poorly and opts to ignoring their sense of decorum. Is like they lack a filter, they become rude and attack one another when their ideologies don’t match completely.”

“Humans depend on social media now, there’s nothing else to it. It’s not a perfect development, it has its drawbacks, but it also has many pros and benefits. There’s no need to write it off entirely because humans are naturally imperfect and they tend to use their tools inappropriately at times. It happens.”

Finnick stops and sighs exaggeratedly. We really don’t need to breathe, but we still need air to pass through our bodies just the same, he just does it out of habit. He glowers at a passerby that makes the mistake of looking up when he feels someone staring, and judging by the way he trips while rushing to get away, he’s scared witless. I shake my head.

“I hate it when humans lie online!” Finnick mutters sullenly.

‘Ah! the truth at last’, I think to myself, understanding dawning on me. Finnick continues, ignoring my knowing half smile.

“You try to make acquaintances online, you find people that pique your interest and their life story at your fingertips, you could’ve very well just st found your next conquest, but if the information on them is false, further interaction gets hindered.”

“And if they decide no to meet in person?” I propose, taking a step forward.

“It’s truly inconvenient, not to mention disappointing especially when you need to feed.” He smiles, flashing his fully extended fangs, and then retracting them back into his skull.

“How romantic.” I deadpan. “You sound like one of those desperate types that uses date sites… wait, you are one of those.” I say in fake surprise.

Finnick discovered one questionable such site, and had one extremely bad online entanglement with what he thought was a living women; it turned out, he’d been chatting and enchanting an overweight, greasy hair, foul looking fellow that posed as a girl looking to befriend other girls for his own nefarious agenda. Of course, Finnick really wasn’t there innocently trying to make friends either, but he never pretended to be an oversharing teenage girl to lure anyone to him. Somehow Greasy Hair Fellow- I like to think of it as providence- crossed paths with Finnick, and when finally the truth came to light… let’s say, a number of unsuspecting girls got spared both Finnick and Greasy Fellow for good. At the end, Greasy Fellows remains. were a real messy business no one likes to reminisce about.

Finnick values my partial humanity warring with my undead nature most of the times, it’s what called to him when we met, but sometimes he hates the fact that I still have morals.

“I know how you feel, about it Peet!” he defends. “Social media may suit you as it is, but not me, I see it as the biggest pest the world has seen, and I’ve seen pests in my time roaming Earth.” He ‘dusts’ himself, as if merely talking about it has made him sooty. “Facebook will be the demise of mankind, mark my words.” He enunciates each word for emphasis.

“Now you’re just being dramatic.” I tell him, bored. “You make it sound like it’s impossible to find people out in the streets. Plus, there are a great deal of amazing things online. For example, Wikipedia is possibly the crowning achievement of humanity. People of all backgrounds have come together to record an amalgamation and collection of knowledge, that can be expanded, corrected and consulted when needed. That’s a good part of social media.” My tone is monotonous, because I really cannot muster the energy to be excited. Finnick says it’s a side effect of my dietary restrictions, that if I fed from a fresh live donor, I’d be healthier and livelier. I cannot dispute him on it, but I won’t go tempting myself with someone’s life, just to feel peppier.

“People can get facts wrong on Wikipedia.”

”That’s why there’s other people scouring over it at all times.”

“If you enjoy it so much, then donate to its maintenance.” He sneers childishly. “People hide behind their anonymity shield, and act and talk as nasty as they can. There’s no respect or consideration anymore.

“Back when I was a child, no one even had a telephone! If a person wanted to chat with another, they met face to face. People used to visit one another. Letters where the way to communicate with long distance acquaintances. None of this nonsense!”

“Finnick, you truly sound your age.” I drawl annoyedly.

This causes him to snap his eyes at me scandalized. “Take it back,” he hisses lowly.

Then, give. It. A. Rest! Social media is a useful tool.”

“A tool? Social media is not merely a tool anymore, Peeta, it’s part of their culture, they need it, they crave it, they can’t go a moment without it… why it’s like they’re addicted to it!”

”That may be, but the same can be said about food, oxygen and sleep. Social media aids as the ability to reach others. Now shut up and shop!”

I arch an eyebrow at him and he finally grunts in displeasure but walks purposely ahead. I just watch him as he rattles the door to the store open and steps inside smiling a beatific grin.

“Ah! Wonderful! Colorful display. That should cheer you up, Peeta!”

I suppress the urge to roll my eyes, since he’s making it sound like I was the one raving and raging our whole commute about social media and it’s dangers. He’s finally changed the subject, there’s no need to rile him up again, which still does not change the fact that he’s insufferable.

“Absolutely gorgeous,” I whisper relieved and step inside.

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dingoes8myrp · 6 years

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No One Asked, But (Redux)

Waiting for my nose to decongest so I can (maybe) sleep. So, here are some answers no one asked for. I'm going to throw a smattering of fandoms in here.

what is your absolute favorite ship?

One Tree Hill: Nathan and Haley

In a show that wasn't always the most realistic (i.e. high school kids owning nightclubs...), Nathan and Haley felt like a very genuine relationship that became one of the healthiest in the show (after some work on both sides). I think Nathan makes Haley brave by believing in her and encouraging her when she's uncertain of herself. Haley makes Nathan reflect on himself, makes him empathize and rise above himself. They have their ups and downs, but these two always stick it out and they make each other better people.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow and Oz

These two are almost an OTP for me. I think Tara was a better fit for Willow during season 4 and onward, but I feel like Willow and Oz could also be an OTP under the right circumstances. They were so adorable and genuine with each other, accepting one another - flaws and all. They were very much ride or die. I could nerd about them for hours.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow and Tara

These two are a natural OTP for me. They bring out new sides of one another, and each is more confident with the other. They truly make each other better people. If it hadn't been for Tara's death I think these two would have always found a way back to each other, no matter what. Easily one of the healthiest relationships on the show.

what ship do you hate most?

Supernatural: Dean and Lisa

I didn't mind Lisa, but this relationship wasn't earned at all. They took a skeletal character, gave her no layers, and expected us to buy that this lady was Dean's happy ending. Cassie or Jo would have made much more sense.

The Walking Dead: Andrea and The Governor

I have a soft spot for Andrea. I hated her in the beginning, but she became one of my favorite characters. It bothered me when she became wrapped up in a man or when her plot became dependent on a man (it bothered me when they paired her with Shane too). She was such a powerhouse character and she grew so much by the time we got to the Governor. It drove me nuts that they backslid her and had her become overly invested in a guy she barely knew. Also, it literally killed her so there's that.

Angel: Connor and "Cordelia"

There was a lot I didn't like about this. First, that they ruined Cordelia by making her a villain, then had her pair up with Connor (who was kind of her surrogate son for a minute there). That pairing then also ruined Connor. Just, ick. So much wrong with it.

Lost: Jack and Kate

Least interesting ship in the show, and it was always the one that got shoved in my face. I didn't really have anything in particular I disliked about it, other than it was made so prominent when there were so many more interesting pairings we could have been focusing on more (i.e. Jack and Ana).

what was your first ship, and what fandom is it from?

Interview with the Vampire: Lestat and Louis

I was pretty young when I saw the movie (Maybe 9 or 10), and I always saw Lestat and Louis as a couple. This was reinforced when I eventually read the novel.

explain why do/don’t ship [pairing]

Angel: Angel and Cordelia

I wouldn't go so far as to say I'd never write them as a couple, but I like Angel and Cordelia so much as friends and colleagues. I just don't see a romantic thing there.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow and Kennedy

This one didn't at all feel earned. Kennedy felt like a rebound, but was treated like an endgame. I just didn't buy it. Kennedy reminded me of high school Cordelia, with her venomous, selfish streak and I didn't see that very prominent trait being attractive to Willow.

One Tree Hill: Lucas and Brooke

These two never made sense to me. Brooke seemed to only like Lucas because Peyton liked him, then she moved in on him knowing that. Not a great start. Then that led to the whole cheating Lucas and Peyton plot and it felt like the whole ship was created as a plot device to make things difficult for Lucas and Peyton.

what’s a ship you like that most people don’t?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy and Riley

This was just a healthy ship for a while, and I really liked seeing Buffy in a relationship that was stable and reliable where she didn't have to worry about the guy deciding to maim one of her friends for shits and giggles. I do wish we'd gotten more time to get to know Riley better as his own character before they paired them. He couldn't really stand on his own. I also think he would have been more interesting if he was just a normal guy trained in combat instead of that whole "Initiative drugs" thing.

Lost: Shannon and Boone

Okay, the thing I liked about these two was that they were basically Kathryn and Sebastian from Cruel Intentions stuck on an island together. Their dynamic had so many twists and kept me hooked. I wish they'd stuck around longer.

what's a ship you hate that most people like?

Friends: Ross and Rachel

I just think these two bring out the worst in each other. I don't think they could have ended up with anyone else because they always seemed to find their way back to each other, but it was such an unhealthy relationship. It makes me cringe.

what is the most underrated ship, in your opinion?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Xander and Cordelia

Normally I don't like it when two characters who can't stand each other end up together. But, I think they helped each other grow. Cordelia became less shallow, choosing Xander over her popularity, and became slightly warmer because of it. Xander became less judgmental and more humble. I think their relationship is an important cornerstone in both of their arcs.

Penny Dreadful: Vanessa and Dorian

These two were just ridiculously hot, for one. But also, Dorian found the darker parts of Vanessa fascinating. He accepted her and wanted to know more about her. Vanessa didn't have to hide who she was around him. I wish they'd done more with them, particularly in later episodes.

why do you think [pairing] is so popular?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy and Spike

Again, these two are hot. Also, Spike sees a side of Buffy no one else does, and he accepts her entirely. We also see a kinder side of Spike in his quiet, intimate moments with Buffy when he's comforting her or giving her advice. Spike also becomes a part of Buffy's family (which includes her friends). He forms a close bond with Dawn in particular. He makes an effort to be a part of her life.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy and Angel

This is a Romeo and Juliet level "forbidden love" story - a classic romance. Angel and Buffy are passionate. They're partners, working together and fighting alongside one another. They're equals. Angel will do anything to help Buffy or to make her happy, and she'd do the same for him. Neither of them parted because they wanted to. Angel wanted to give Buffy a chance at a normal life, and she had no choice but to accept that and try to move on. This left a perpetual "will they, won't they?" vibe for the rest of the series runs.

what’s your favorite canon moment of [pairing]?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy and Faith

My favorite moment for them - one of my favorite scenes in anything ever - is the coma dream at the end of season 3. I believe this reflects Buffy's feelings for Faith. The cat symbolises Faith and Buffy inquires about who's going to take care of "him." Faith corrects that it's a she. I think Buffy wanted to take care of Faith, and felt she'd failed to do that. Faith also gives Buffy everything she has in the dream, and Buffy is overwhelmed, saying she can't use all of it. Faith tells her to take what she needs. This is Buffy acknowledging that Faith gave all she was capable of giving to their friendship/relationship, and that Buffy couldn't accept all of it. Faith tells Buffy how to defeat the Mayor. I think Buffy hopes Faith will eventually come around and join her side of the fight again. I could go on and on about these two.

One Tree Hill: Clay and Quinn

This is morbid, but I loved the episode that was one big coma dream for these two. It was such a well done episode and they had kind of a perfect fantasy day inside this horrible moment.

Penny Dreadful: Vanessa and Ethan

The exorcism when Ethan will not give up, and he's terrified, but he keeps going. He's not leaving that room alive until Vanessa is back. Such a powerful scene.

One Tree Hill: Lucas and Peyton

The school shooting episode when Lucas carries Peyton out of the school. They're not even a couple at this point, but it's such a vulnerable moment for both of them in the midst of one of the show's most raw, powerful episodes.

favorite AU ideas for [pairing]?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy and Oz

I'm not sure where this would fit, but I always wondered how these two would have fared.

have you ever written fanfiction/drawn fanart of [pairing]? would you consider it?

I wrote a fanfic ages ago that took place between Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat where Lestat and Louis reunited.

I also wrote a fanfic for David and Michael from The Lost Boys.

I don't typically write for a pairing. I kind of start with a plot and see where it goes. But I'm trying to write for a few pairings. If anything comes out decent I'll post it up.

#angel the series #buffy the vampire slayer #one tree hill #penny dreadful #lost #the lost boys #the vampire chronicles #the walking dead #supernatural

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