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ldpdl, ethnicity, and the false monolith of blackness

there's this false tendency to think amc louis being made black is pandering, or a means of removing louis from his oh-so-detailed /sarcasm/ background in the books. i also find that people tend to not even understand what show louis's ethnic background is, despite rolin jones the showrunner and even the fictional louis both coalescing around this multigenerational explanation of the gens de couleur in new orleans, and how jim crow disempowered them.

I came around to his ethnicity a sort of interesting way which is through Lestat. [ … ] I was like lets give him a legitimate a third attempt at figuring how to be with somebody for the rest of his life and how to not repeat your mistakes. [ … ] I started from there so it had to be someone with some money cause he had to be with his own folks and I thought he wanted someone who could fight back and who could be a challenge and would force him to restrain himself. And nobody at AMC was interested in 7 seasons of the regretful plantation owner, so we made Louis come from a lineage that did have a plantation and did own slaves.

rolin jones in the s1 post-finale episode of the podcast names how he came to this understanding of louis's character. lestat, after failing to make a bride of his mother, and a concubine of nicki, was seeking for someone of a similar background, or the most approximate equivalent. he would not have been interested in louis if louis was an anglophone baptist black man descended from upper-south arrivals into new orleans, nor would he have been interested in louis if louis was a poor black creole honestly s1 does not give a good reading of claudia's ethnic bg in new orleans, but since she cannot understand french, we can presume shes either a poor creole removed from her cultural background with her vampiric adoption narrative in mind, or was also of an anglophone baptist black background like claudia was. louis coming from this fallen sort of gentry, the free gens de couleur, similar to that of the tvl lestat who came from this barren aristocracy dating back to the crusades, was key to lestat's long-term goals with louis.

Capital accrued from plantations of sugar and the blood of men who looked like my great grandfather but did not have his standing. But then decades of Jim Crow and the electrified light of a new century had vanquished any idea of a free man of color. - AMC IWTV 1x01

louis was of the first generations of the gens de couleur to be born, raised into, and face the institutional and personal ramifications of being viewed as black in america. this fuels much of the character's rage as he moves through storyville, trying to continue the similar modality of exploitation to the contrary of pretty baby with brooke shields, majority of the brothel circuit was statistically black girls + women being sexually pawned off to white men but ultimately failing to do so bc of the anglophone white american class that now rules over him. [tom anderson, alderman fenwick, finn o’shea starting out as louis’s subordinate then ending w/ him entering whiteness by having a sporting house throwing torches at louis’s brothel in s1e3]

By 1850, the free population of color, beset by the hostility of white supremacy, was economically diminished and residentially segregated. The Americanization of Louisiana, and in particular New Orleans, was completed before the state became the sixth to secede from the Union in 1861 in the struggle over the perpetuation of slavery. [link] The Democratic redeemers who came to power in 1877 lost no time in redefining the Negro's "place" in Louisiana life. They immediately restored the color line in the New Orleans public schools and offered silent support to de facto segregation practices in places of public accommodation. With the assistance of two landmark decisions by the United States Supreme Court, the redeemers soon dismantled the egalitarian legal apparatus put together piece by piece under the Radicals. Finally in 1890 they began to write their "final solution" into Louisiana law with a series of "separate but equal" statutes. Soon New Orleans Negroes were again segregated in virtually every public pursuit. [link]

#ldpdl #vampterview #iwtv #meta analysis #fan analysis #link #jstor

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On that note, I want to spotlight the fundraiser for an Afro-Palestinian journalist, and Lama Jamous' uncle. He has less of a following amongst allies because he posts almost entirely in Arabic, so I'm going to spotlight him on my blog and put him on the fundraiser list as well.

And please follow him on IG as well, even if you only speak English he has small captions on the videos he posts that translate his Arabic.

#link #mutual aid

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Severance

@iwtvfanevents posed the question:

After Louis tells Claudia that Lestat wants him to know he's still cheating, Claudia compares Lestat to her rapist, with the show literally putting Bruce's image over his. Immediately after, Louis' narration tells us he'd become numb and dissociated, "a vessel of acceptance." What do you think Claudia, Louis, and the show itself are suggesting about consent in this new domestic arrangement?

I think the show is telling us, the audience, that this arrangement is one of an abuser and the ones he has abused. Towards the beginning of the episode, we can see how Louis just seems to want to live out his life trapped in the web of Lestat. He didn't want to fight anymore nor did he want to suffer the consequences if he tried to leave again. He would rather stay if it meant that at least Claudia would be free from Lestat's hold, there is no solution for him.

Claudia thinking of Bruce as Louis and Lestat are in bed is a clear indication of what is happening. Even Louis tells Daniel, and the audience, that he was numb and would dissociate just to stay afloat and keep everything running smoothly once Lestat is back in the house. He's not enjoying himself, but he has no fight left in him.

Claudia, however, has a bit of fight left in her and makes plans to save her and Louis the only way she knows how: killing Lestat. They need to kill their abuser in order to end that abusive cycle because Lestat is clearly never going to change his ways (e.g. him still sneaking around with Antoinette). He steals their joy by keeping them in that townhouse without giving them the proper knowledge of their kind. Lestat wants his cake and be able to eat it, too. But, luckliy, he'll meet his demise soon.

#vamterview #iwtv #rewind the tape #fan analysis

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LOUIS DE POINTE DU LAC Interview with the Vampire | S01E06 "Like Angels Put in Hell by God"

#he's so beautiful #girl of my dreams #ldpdl #vampterview #iwtv

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Claudia's diaries (season 1)

In order of apparition, the clearest screenshots I could take of Claudia's diaries. Images 1-18 are from s01e04. Images 19-25 are from s01e05, and image 26 is from s01e07.

Two notes:

Images 11-12, with the dried flower, are actually excerpts from The Vampire Lestat, and apparently unrelated to Claudia's in-canon storyline.

Images 24-25 show the interrupted entry corresponding to Bruce's assault on both sides of the same page, looks like they might have printed those out because they seem identical.

I'd like to transcribe as much of them as possible, eventually, but in the meantime I want to share some transcripts from other fans:

@eosphoroz transcribed Claudia's kill list here and here

@poorlittlevampirebaby transcribed more of it here

@mono-chrome-me transcribed both the text that follows the ripped pages from s01e05 and the text that follows the cut pages from s01e07 here

@queenoftheimps transcribed the preceding entry from s01e07 here

#link #production design #claudia #vampterview #iwtv

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Cut content: Lestat throwing Louis, forcibly feeding from Louis, slapping him, and forcing Louis to feed from him

Then I took hold of him as if I was going to kill him. I threw him up against the wall and bit into his neck

He was being held there by me, his head bowed. I slapped him hard and when he opened his eyes, I pushed his open mouth against my neck. I forced his fangs into me.

~ Lestat and Louis Quarrel. Draft. From the Tulane University special collections and published on Ao3 by UnwillingDevil.

#link #anne rice #iwtv #well... #lestat

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Lestat forcibly drinking from David

"Stick your filthy droit du seigneur right through your greedy heart."

"If I was 'King of the Vampires, I'd make it the right of every maker to drink from his fledgling anytime he chose. Maybe it would be good to be king. Didn't Mel Brooks say, 'It's good to be the king'?"

~ Prince Lestat. Chapter 4.

#thank you op #the evidence to support that lestat is capable of gross levels of casual violence is literally in the books.... #real book readers would know that 😬 #iwtv #lestat

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Tried to stay on track for the rewind the tape event by @iwtvfanevents but I’m a binge watcher at heart and could not help but rewatch the entire season in the first week lol :’)

But something I noticed during my rewatch of Episode 6 is the beautiful music playing during this scene, when Louis and Claudia say their goodbyes before Claudia leaves for Europe.

The track is called “Hey Sis You Don’t Need Me” by Daniel Hart, who composed the soundtrack for the show.

Not only was the track lovely and moving, but it was also familiar! It is what plays in Epsiode 5 when Grace and Louis say their goodbyes at the cemetery.

I had to go back and listen again to make sure, but it’s the same tune. Louis saying goodbye to his sisters.

I don’t know if this track appears in other places throughout the show, would love to know if so. This is just a fun thing I hadn’t noticed during my first watch :)

#prev tags >>> #the first time we hear the lilting violin melody in hey sis is at grace's wedding #you can also hear it just before paul kills himself #if you listen to the piano bits they also appear for grace and paul #so claudia actually gets the du lac siblings music #<<< prev tags #sigh gorgeous and devastating #rewind the tape #vampterview #music #daniel hart

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Masahisa Fukase: Sasuke!! Dear Cat (1979)

#photography #masahisa fukase #clawpaw vibes

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Victoria Cassinova (American, b. 1993)

Entropic-Dragonfly, 2023

Graphite, charoal, oil on paper

#art #illustration #victoria cassinova #great name

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#kelela #tracee ellis ross #video #contact #same

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Rewind the tape —Episode 5 highlights

One of our favorite scenes is...

Claudia telling Lestat that she knows he's still cheating with Antoinette.

And you, cruel as the devil, to deny me one love when you’ve got two! I’ve been following you Uncle Les, you ain’t been your careful self… He’s gotten tired of us, Daddy Lou. The housewife, and the mistake.

We chose this as our favorite scene because it breaks the immortal family down to its most base characteristics. Where the prior episode plays with the fantastic realization of the promise Louis was courted on, the ending of episode 4, and the entirety of episode 5 just emphasizes the lie of a joyous immortality. At the end of the fourth episode, Claudia was punished for trying to seek companionship, and in this scene, she highlights Lestat’s hypocrisy, and how he places himself in the family unit in relation to Louis and Claudia.

What's a favorite scene of yours? Maybe that unsettling and sensual opening, or the uncomfortable comedy of the police raid? Maybe Louis and Claudia's fight before she walks off, or the heart-breaking scene at the cemetery?

Reblog with your highlights, or make a new post with the tag #vampterview to join the conversation! And, if you're just getting caught up, learn all about our group rewatch here ►

#iwtvfanevents #rewind the tape #vampterview #iwtv

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a stray cat from a toy shop

while i'd noted it before, this post by @iwtvfanevents gave me a title for the cat painting in claudia's room: The Kitten's Art Lesson by Henriëtte Ronner-Knip. (if you enjoy being insane like me go read the artist's biography at the link, but keep in mind that just because you CAN draw parallels doesn't mean they were necessarily intentional. but they ARE delightful.)

let's take a look at the kitten's art lesson!

the kittens are studying under the watchful eye of the adult cat, who seems disappointed by the lack of decorum. the kittens are in a playful mood! one of them has torn through a painting. another is clinging to the art board with tooth and nail... just playing or trying to hold on after nearly falling? a couple are in a half closed drawer—almost like they could be trapped inside at any moment. one has actually found a paint brush but doesn't seem to know what to do with it. the teacher is not impressed.

i can't help but note the one staring towards us from the drawer looks awfully familiar:

the art teacher and students aren't the only cats in claudia's room; there's also a cat statuette on the mantle (click to see the closeups in full.)

above the cat painting, there's a blurry painting of what looks like some women sitting, and one of them looks she might have a cat in her lap, though that might be wishful thinking on my part. the bottom of the painting blends in so well with the wallpaper that at first glance i actually thought the painting had been cut into, which sent me on a wild train of thought but yeah that's not actually true lol. but the effect is interesting regardless. the cat on the mantle definitely evokes the idea that it escaped from the painting nearby, and could flee at any moment—and in episode 6, it's no longer on the mantle or anywhere else that i can see.

i wonder if it broke along with so much else in the house at the end of episode 5, or if claudia moved it somewhere. fellow insane people keep an eye out, a kitty's gone loose!

so... why cats?

there aren't many cat references in iwtv compared to other animals, but the ones that are there speak volumes. in episode 3, we see louis bite into a black cat as a substitute for the human blood he craves. later in the evening lestat says he "fears for the feline population of new orleans" (after comparing louis to fish and birds). when louis reaches a breaking point, "rats, cats, dogs, would no longer suffice." so what he really wants or needs is something else?

in the next episode, claudia delivers the punchline:

“I used to [live around here] too. I remember there used to be a toy shop a few doors down by there. They used to keep stray cats in boxes for people to take.”

claudia sees herself as a cat. louis took her in like a stray—a helpless little kitten in need of rescue—and he took her (took for free because no one else wanted her) from a box at a toy shop—a place where you find things to play with.

but cats love to play and they love sleeping in boxes so this is fine actually!

...right?

claudia knows herself much better than anyone else in this show. she is a cat in a kitten's body.

the thing you always have to keep in mind about cats is that they are not docile and subservient by nature. they don't do things because they are told but because they choose to. a cat's fur may be pretty and soft to touch, but don't forget those sharp teeth and claws! it's not that they don't like to be pet at all, you just have to get permission first. and even if you do, they might just change their mind, as is their right.

cats do like good company but they also like their independence. they prefer to come and go as they please; not to be locked up inside, and not to be kept on leashes. they like boxes because they feel safe in there, but they also like to jump out for play time: hunt! catch! kill!

they may be small and cute and soft but they're still predators, and brutal ones. if they don't get to hunt for their food in your care, you better find them another outlet or they'll go for your ankles. they developed that instinct to survive, but hunting also happens to be fun! cats love to play with their food.

if you manage to earn their trust, they'll make for wonderful companions—but do not make the mistake of assuming you can ever own them... or you'll have to sleep with one eye open like they do. they're quick and clever but also patient, and they know how to move without a sound. let them out of your sight for even a second, and you won't know what hit you until it's too late. and they'll relish the kill!

no matter how others may speak of her, claudia is not a lap dog, nor a bird in a feathered nest. lestat is not a beauceron herding sheep, and his last name does not make him a lion. the three of them are not fellow dogs either. from the very beginning, claudia knows she's a cat. and by the end, she realizes what lestat let slip in the pilot: he's just an overgrown fucking rat. and while “a cat and a rat” rhymes, that does not mean they're the same thing.

#claudia #clawpaw real #iwtv #iwtvfanevents #vampterview #art #fan analysis #you ate that saintarmand

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strength

#YES YES YEE ESSSS!!! #dre ur miiiiiiind!! i could give it a kiss!! #art #st claudia the lion slayer #fan art #vampterview #iwtv #this is literally stunning

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the titular vampire louis de pointe du lac

PART I

#gorgeous photo set #she's a fucking artiste #she's very serious about her craft #ldpdl #vampterview #iwtv

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Sterling silver and diamonds glasses by Jo Haemer

#joe jaemer #accessories #product design #style

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Full Moon, Haitian Rhythm (1931, oil on canvas, 30×24 in.) by African-American artist, William Edouard Scott.

#painting #william edouard scott #art