#Gabriel and his several spouses

[monochromatictoad]

🤎 Gabarie, 💕 Gabastle, 💗 Macul :>

🤎 multiple kisses / kisses all over / kiss after kiss

Marie sat by the entrance of the sanctuary. The millennium long war was over. Gabriel and Trevor had defeated Satan and brought peace back to the world. She looked over at Victor, who was busy giving vaccines to the survivors, before looking back at the entrance.

A chill came over her, and she jumped up. They were back! "Trevor!" She ran to her son before he could fully enter the sanctuary. She presses a kiss to his cheek and hugs him close. Marie let go when her Gabriel stepped into the sanctuary. "Gabriel." She looked him over. The exhaustion radiated off of him. She couldn't contain herself, and threw her arms around his neck. The hug was tight and warm.

She pulls away to hold his face in her hands. The bags under his eyes made his face look hollow and bruised. "My love?" He whispers to her. Tears stream down her face. "I've missed you so much, my love." She whispers and presses kisses to his face. Those bruised eyes. The hollow cheeks. The crook in his nose from where it got set wrong when they were kids. Everything. She had a millennia to make up for.

💕 kissing somewhere other than lips

Dracul leaned back on his throne. Screams, flesh being torn, and metal hitting the stone flooring was the symphony for which he watched the Brotherhood knights get devoured by the Castle.

The last man falls, and those bloody tendrils twitched with excess energy. It wasn't satisfied with the battle and it showed this displeasure with it wrapping itself around its Prince. Dracul chuckles coldly at this display.

"I know. They have only grown more pathetic haven't they?" He purrs in a sickeningly sweet tone. The blood puddle hisses and bubbles. Pathetic creatures. They will never be able to hurt you, It growls in his mind. Dracul smirks, lifting one of those bloody tendrils to his mouth. He plants a small kiss to it, before showing how much he truly appreciates his guardian.

💗 slow kiss / gentle kiss / inevitable / soft

The sun was warm in the garden. Mathias was sitting on a blanket, eating some sliced apples with cinnamon and honey. He was engrossed in a book of alchemy The Toymaker let him borrow. Well, he would be, if the laughter coming from his left wasn't there.

Turning his head, Dracul was being swarmed by Mandragoras, who were determined to get the fruit slices from him. Mathias rolled his eyes playfully at the scene and laughed as Dracul finally managed to get the little plant beings off of him.

"Have some difficulties there?" Mathias chuckled as Dracul laid his head in his lap.

"No. They're never difficult."

"You're just saying that because you have a bias towards them."

Mathias laughs at the pout that Dracul gives him. After being around the Vampire Lord for so long, reading him becomes easy, like the book that was no longer in his lap. Dracul's pout deepens at the laughter. The alchemist shakes his head and leans down, the prince leaning his head up, and they meet in the middle with a promise. A promise for more gentle moments in the future. They part slowly, neither one truly wanting to leave the other.

[familyagrestefanblog]

I can only hope the new Paris special won't force Marinette/ Toxinelle into the role of the "chaotic baddest bitch" for superficial praise and keeping Adrien/ Griffe Noire as nothing but her unconditional support again and the "good" one. Because literally from the way the powers of Ladybug and Chat Noir work that's bullshit and the MUCH weaker story premise character wise.

Toxinelle has no offensive powers. She can be as smart as she wants in this scenario her powers are needed for AFTER the Butterfly akumatized someone to save the city, so she can prevent said saving from happening.

Griffe Noire would be required to first nuke the city so the butterfly can react to something and that means alternative Adrien/ Griffe Noire would - the longer all that went on - have needed to let go of all morality he once had and agree to become the moster of the two so SHE can remain level headed and get the Butterfly from the hero.

That's still alot of pressure and burden on Toxinelle's shoulders, being the one who has to be the light at the end of the tunnel for both of them to get their happy ending in a better world. But for the love of God, Adrien throwing out his humanity and only holding onto her and his dead mother

If this is to be believed:

Is ALOT worse and fitting as the conflict's heart piece.

I can only hope the special will be reasonable enough that Toxinelle will be the lesser evil of ShadyClaw and not waste so much story potential for another round of "Chloé the awful bitch". There is so much more interesting stuff you can do with Marinette than that, especially in the Toxinelle field.

Already as Ladybug Marinette showcases extremely dangerous anti-hero tendencies where she becomes so strategic that everyone involved stops being human beings or mattering in the moment because she needs to get something important done.

Most crucial examples are how Emilie Agreste's dead body was used as a mere inhuman tool by her in "Recreation" to defeat her insane husband, by cataclysming the lift and letting it crash down on Emilie to force Gabriel to stand still. Only though that Marinette then barely gave Gabriel enough time to throw the lift sideways and he only managed to save himself and Emilie from being crushed in the nick of time.

Or you know, all of Marinette's horrifying plan in "Destruction" that put several life in danger by sending Monarque to helpless civilians (even to ANNOY HIM) and Chat Noir was literally turned into a non-human object served on a silver plate to Monarque. He couldn't move an inch like a human is to be expected or even BREATH while Monarque went to grab for his throat while Marinette herself stood save and sound in the back because all she actually thought about in that plan were the Kwamis and herself (not even bringing up how fucked up it was to not even let Chat Noir know that her plan involves him having to possibly live with having cataclysmed a person.)

Everyone else MONARQUE had to keep save in her plan by not being the awful and sadistic monster they thought him to be. Tolerating all kinds of disrespectful bullshit and not using any Second chance or other miraculous powers besides voyage, or for the lols quartering Chat Noir's statue for example in a second's notice.

Marinette's plan in "Destruction" was horrifying and impossibly irresponsible in how she instinctively dehumanized everyone but herself and the Kwamis in it without noticing it and 100% relied on MONARQUE to be a decent and reasonable enough person underneath so she could get away with the insane endangerment and dehumanization of everyone but herself (especially Chat Noir).

Her final battle with Monarque had Marinette come back to this questionable morality when she pulled a low-blow anti hero move by dragging the dead spouse of the villain further into the fight, and risking to take any human dignity away from Emilie's remainings - who never wanted any of this being done in her name - by making it GABRIEL'S job to save and preserve her from Bug Noire.

Marinette 100% has some serious anti-hero tendencies in how she dehumanizes people sometimes as side-effect of her strategic mind and when she's either to caught up in her head or she thinks her goal justifies the means.

Jfc, quit the bullshit and let Toxinelle be the escalation of that side of Marinette because she and Adrien know their identities this time around - truly THEM against the world - and she's stuck in a position where Adrien was forced to let go of his humanity and other emotional attachments for their cause, is way too far gone by now and she has to make sure they actually win so all of this wasn't for nothing.

Give me a Marinette/ Toxinelle who made it out of her having been bullied alot worse and that's how she got into this, but by now she deep down fully regrets ever having started this and wished with every inch of her heart she could stop

but she knows she herself already hardly could live with herself after all this so she would never ask Adrien/ Griffe Noire to let go of the only hope he has at this point and live with the fact that he became an actual monster to preserve HER humanity, so she can save them both with the wish.

A Toxinelle who believes they already went too far to possibly go back and because of that she detaches herself from morality in the way it happened in "Recreation" with Emilie because in her (and Adrien's) mind they only have to win and everything will be okay again.

Adrien won't be a monster anymore and will return all together to the boy she once loved - and only still behaves like around Marinette or while thinking of his mother - and Paris, it's citizens, the entire world and THEMSELVES wont remember anymore what happened or that Toxinelle and Griffe Noire ever did any of this to them.

Give me TAHT Marinette/ Toxinelle please. For the love of GOD.

[night-market-if]

I know the concept doesn’t really exist in TNM, but just for fun, what would the ROs dream weddings be like? I can picture Hazel having a barn wedding, and Bella’s would either be the most overblown and extravagant wedding you ever seen, or she would just elope in secret lol! Church would be mandatory tho.

Hazel's would be a garden wedding. She would want it in her backyard surrounded by all her herbs and flowers. Probably have the reception down by the creek.

Gabriel would want a traditional church wedding. It would be one of those long ones and I'm sure there would be several rituals of dedicating the marriage to the Knowing.

Belladonna would want a private ceremony with only a few close friends. Then she would hold the BIGGEST reception ever where she would redo her vows, pretending like she hadn't already been married for the last month.

Milo wouldn't really care as long as there was a lot of dancing afterwards. He would want to dance until dawn with his new spouse.

Malcolm would want a more quiet wedding. Kind of like a destination wedding. He would want to go somewhere that it was only a few of them and get married in the midst of nature.

Pen doesn't really believe in marriage but he would have a ceremony among the stars.

[starlitangels]

(Like The) Fairy Tale Movies

L i s t e n. Yesterday’s video got me soft and Davey had to tell his kids about how it happened in canon. 2.1k words

—

“Angel—no, Natalie, get down—angel can this please be the last time you leave me alone with the kids?” David asked over the phone. I laughed, watching my screen as he had to move and snatch our daughter.

“I’ll be home tomorrow. I thought you said you could handle them both for a four-day business trip.”

“I can. But Asher decided to bring Evelyn over for a playdate—and Asher decided to also bring a Halloween-sized bag of candy.” The video jerked. “Gabriel, stop pulling your sister’s hair.”

“Davey, you know sugar highs aren’t actually a thing, right? Like, placebo effect maybe but the kids don’t even know what the concept is.”

“I’m well aware. But that doesn’t mean the kids don’t get overexcited when we get unexpected friendly visitors bearing candy, and you’re not here to help me rein them in,” David grumbled.

“Uncle Aaaaash!” Natalie shouted somewhere in the background.

The video call lurched again—I was gonna have to look away soon or risk getting motion sick. “Natalie Jean Shaw. You do not try to jump off the counter!” David snapped. My daughter’s maniacal giggle was all that she gave him in response. I heard him sigh heavily.

“Whaaat?” Asher’s voice asked off-screen. “C’mon buddy. Sometimes, ya gotta let her learn the hard way! She jumps off and takes a tumble and she learns not to jump off the counter anymore! Problem solved!”

Natalie giggled again. I caught a glimpse of her pigtail braids on the screen.

“I do not need her breaking her arm and the three-hour lecture from Marie about being a more careful father when she has to come heal it.”

“Just call Sam, then,” Asher said with a laugh. “He’s got Micah. He knows how these girls are.”

David pinched the bridge of his nose on my screen. “We are not having this discussion, Asher.” He turned to look at me. “Can I call you back in an hour, angel?”

“Of course. I’m just at the hotel for the rest of the night.”

He gave me a soft look. The one he reserved for only me. “Thank you.”

“I love you, Davey.”

“I love you too. So much.”

I blew him a kiss. He smiled and pretended to catch it before disconnecting the video call.

—

David flopped down width-wise across the bed. After Asher and Evelyn left and David finally got his nightmares ready to go to bed, he’d called his angel, finished their conversation, chatted a little more, and then they had to get some sleep—being several timezones ahead.

He was tired in a way that he hadn’t been since Natalie was an infant. He loved his spouse and was proud of the work that they loved so much, but he missed them terribly when they weren’t home. He enjoyed having some one-on-two time with the kids—but it could get exhausting fast. Natalie was so curious and always had questions. Gabriel was easier but damn he could get rowdy when he wanted to. Especially when Evelyn was around. Those two were a Dynamic Duo if he ever saw one.

He knew he needed to get up and shower before getting in bed, but his muscles kept saying, “One more minute,” whenever he tried to get them to respond.

Finally, he grumbled and got to his feet. His shower was quick and thorough, as usual. He threw on his pajamas and plopped back onto the bed. Considering a short nap before going back downstairs to finish the paperwork he’d been falling behind on.

He felt his eyes fluttering closed.

“Daddy?” a small voice asked from the door.

David took a deep breath and sat up.

Natalie was standing there in her smiley-face-star-patterned purple pajamas. Her comfort blanket was in one hand, the small wolf plushie she’d dubbed “Sheldon” in the other. The hand with the blanket was up under her eyes.

“What is it, baby girl?” he asked gently, holding his arms out.

She toddled into the room, stumbling on the hem of her blanket every couple steps. When she got to the tall king-sized bed, David bent down and hoisted her up into his lap.

She sniffled. There were tears in her eyes. “I... I miss them,” she said quietly.

David sighed, a melancholy smile appearing on his face. “I know, Natty. I do too.” He wiped her eyes with the opposite corner of her blanket.

A floorboard creaked, muffled slightly by being under the upstairs carpet.

“I know you’re there, Gabriel. You can come in,” David said.

Gabriel ran in, jumping as high as he could to try and get up onto the bed. He was tall for his age but still too short to make it, and bounced off the corner like a rubber band. David put Natty on one leg so he could bend and scoop up his son, putting him on the mattress next to him. “You missing them too?”

Gabriel nodded, eyes wide and staring up at him. David never quite got over looking down into his own exact eye color at his son, or his mate’s when looking at his daughter. He wondered if he ever would. Probably not.

David pulled Gabriel in close to his side, keeping Natty secure with his other arm. “It’s okay, Gabriel. I miss them too.”

Both of his kids clung to him, small fists balling in his pajama shirt.

David scooped them both up, one in each arm, and scooted across the bed until he could get under the covers with both of them. They each rested their heads on his shoulders.

“Daddy?” Natalie asked.

“Yeah, baby girl?” He gave her damp braid a gentle tug, acknowledging he was listening.

“How did you know you wanted them as your mate?” Her voice was small.

David smiled, a soft chuckle rising, unbidden, from his throat at the memories. “Because they acted a lot like you do, and you know how much I love you.”

“But I wasn’t born yet,” she protested.

“Nope. Not by a long time. But they were bright and happy and sweet and playful—and they liked teasing me. No one had teased me in a long time because I was the alpha and my friends thought they couldn’t anymore. My mate didn’t know anything about magic or wolves when we met.”

Gabriel nodded. “Like how we can’t mention it to our cousins on their side of the family.”

“That’s right, buddy,” David agreed. “But when I met them, I knew I was going to like them. Then, the more time we spent together, the more we fell in love.”

Natty giggled. “‘Are you hungry’?” she asked, trying to drop her voice in a low imitation of his. But it sounded more like how his angel imitated his voice than his actual voice.

David heaved a heavy sigh. “Of course they told you about that,” he muttered under his breath. “Yes, that’s what I asked after I told them I loved them for the first time.” Gabriel giggled too. “I didn’t know what else to say. I’d never told anyone I was in love with them before.”

“Were you scared?”

“A little.”

“Awww! Daddy, why? Didn’t you know they loved you too?”

“I hoped so. But... sometimes it feels complicated when it comes to love.”

Natalie shook her head. “No it doesn’t. If you love somebody, you say it!”

You’ll understand what I’m talking about when you’re older, David thought, but didn’t say out loud.

Natalie squirmed out from under his arm and climbed up onto his torso. Even resting her head on his chest, she was so small that her toes didn’t even reach his knees yet. She put her chin on his sternum and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Did you ask them to marry you or did they ask you?”

David chuckled. “I asked them, sweet pea. We’d been together for... nearly four years.”

Natty wiggled on top of him. “How did you ask? Was it like the fairy tale movies?”

“It felt like it, but it wasn’t as... fancy,” David replied. “You remember the big party we have with the whole pack in December for the MoonBound solstice?”

Natty nodded fervently. “Uh-huh. I love the party!”

David reached up with his now-free arm and set a hand on her back to hold her in place before she slipped off his torso and landed on her brother. He nodded slower. “Well, it was after the party. The rest of the pack had gone home. It was just me and my mate in the house—the one we owned before this one. We were just having a quiet rest of the night before the strength of my magic started to fade again after the pack run. We were just... sitting on the couch... relaxing.”

Natty scrunched her whole face up, not having mastered just scrunching her eyebrows yet. “And you just... asked? You didn’t get down on one knee?”

David smiled and laughed softly. “Let me finish, baby girl,” he said. “I did get down on one knee. I said some mushy things about how much I loved them and wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, then I got down on one knee and asked if they’d marry me.”

Natalie gasped. “Did they say yes?!”

Gabriel scoffed. “Of course they did, stupid,” he snapped. “They wouldn’t be married now if they didn’t!”

“Gabriel, we don’t call people stupid,” David chided.

“But... Uncle Ash calls Uncle Milo stupid,” Gabriel pointed out.

“Uncle Asher needs to learn how to talk nicely to other people,” David said firmly.

“Are you going to wash his mouth out with soap?” Natalie asked.

David couldn’t stop the snort that made both his kids jump. “No, Natty. His mate might, but that’s their job, not mine.”

“Oh, okay.” She moved her head so her chin was no longer on his sternum but instead rested her ear to it. 

The three Shaws were quiet for a few minutes. Gabriel seemed to have fallen asleep.

“Daddy?” Natty asked again, quietly.

“Yeah, baby girl?”

“I’m glad you got married.”

He smiled. “Me too.” He smoothed some of her messy flyaway hairs off of her face.

“You could have been more fancy when you asked though. Like the fairy tale movies.”

“I could have. But keeping it simple felt right for us.”

Natty yawned. “Okay,” she said.

David chuckled lightly. “Get some sleep, baby girl.”

She yawned wider. “Okay.”

Within seconds, she was breathing deep on his chest. Sound asleep.

David’s small smile grew. “I love you, baby girl.”

“Love you too, Daddy,” she whispered in her sleep.

—

I crept into the house at five in the morning, waving to Sam in thanks. He waved back and drove off. He’d volunteered to come pick me up since it would be before dawn and he hadn’t wanted David to have to pack up the kids that early.

Once the door was eased shut and locked behind me, I abandoned my suitcase next to it and snuck up the stairs.

Gabriel’s room was the closest to the stairs. I poked my head in to see if he was sleeping.

His bed was empty, the sheets rumpled. Wolfy McFloof—the larger wolf plushie Asher had given him when Natty was born—was jammed haphazardly between the bedside table and the bed itself.

My heart started pounding louder. I took a step and a half across and up the hall to Natalie’s room.

Her bed was the same. But her small comfort blanket and Sheldon were also missing.

A pit formed in my stomach and I ran to my and Davey’s room, ready to throw open the door and see it empty. To see my family snatched in the middle of the night while I was gone. By whom, I had no idea.

I grabbed the knob and shoved the door open.

A large, misshapen lump sat in the middle of the bed, covers draped over it.

On quiet feet, I slipped over.

The anxiety eased away when I saw David’s face. Gabriel tucked under one of his arms—and Natalie lying on his chest with a small smile on her face. Sheldon and her blanket in each hand. I sighed with relief and sagged down, kneeling beside the bed.

Davey heard me. One of his lush green eyes peeked open.

He gave me a soft, lovestruck smile. The same one he only ever gave me.

“Welcome home, angel.”

—

Tag list: @zozo-01 @arialikestea @mainhoesstuff  @darlin-collins (I’m adding you tentatively because this is David even though you didn’t specifically request the Pups AU. If you don’t wanna be tagged in this kinda stuff, you can let me know if you’d like)

[murfpersonalblog]

Lestat's Fledglings, and the Brides of Dracula

I've previously made references to the 1996 movie The First Wives' Club (X X), where Louis is derided as Lestat's second wife, and Lestat as a heartless cheating philanderer.

I've also been thinking about how Lestat's fledglings/lovers compare to Dracula's Brides. When considering vampirism as an allegory for sexuality; bites as penetration; and the Faustian degrees of seduction at play when people agree to be turned; vampirism can also be understood as marriage and childbirth all wrapped into one bloody mix. So it's interesting to think about the dynamics between vampires and the loved ones they turn into their dual eternal children and spouses. This is particularly the case for Lestat, and the figure I think Anne Rice picked up a lot of cues from: the OG himself, Dracula.

Loustat is canonically endgame, but Lestat had several other major loves and important fledglings whom I am considering his "vampire brides." In chronological order, they are:

Gabrielle (his biological mother)

Nicki (his Human Era boyfriend)

⭐ Louis (his canonical husband/endgame) ⭐

Antoine(tte) (his sidepiece/bait for Louis)

Akasha (NOT his fledgling, so I won't discuss her here, but still a very important lover)

Although Claudia is Lestat's fledgling/daughter, I don't consider her his "bride," as Louis' bond with Claudia I think supersedes anything she shared with Lestat--not to mention AR's allusions to Louis & Claudia's whole pseudo-incestuous-pedophilic thing in the novel, which I am SO glad AMC took out (let's pray they do the same w/ Lestat & Gabrielle--incest is actually A Thing (TM) in vampire literature, but we already had the Lannisters, thanks but no thanks). Also, David was nothing but a diversion--specifically AR's, as she tried to distance Lestat & herself from Louis.

And then there's Dracula, who has his 3 official vampire "brides" (aka the "Weird Sisters"), who have no individual names; plus a few other notable love interests. In chronological order:

The Blonde bride (the oldest/official "wife"/ringleader in the book)

The Brunette bride (the ringleader in the 1992 movie)

The Redhead bride (the youngest & lesser consort)

Lucy Westenra (the bait for Mina)

⭐ Mina Harker/Elisabeta Tepes ⭐ (the reincarnation of his 1st wife Elisabeta ONLY in the 1992 movie)

Nothing's really known about who Dracula's Brides actually were, or how they were made (willingly or otherwise). In the 1992 film, there's a brief but dramatic/creepy exchange between the vampires when Dracula catches the brides feeding off of his tour guide Jonathan Harker, and he swoops in to save Harker (for later, lol):

Blonde Bride: "You yourself never loved!" Dracula: "Yes... I too can love. And I shall love again."

In the book is a similar scene, where the Blonde Bride also argues:

The fair girl, with a laugh of ribald coquetry, turned to answer him: "You yourself never loved; you never love!" On this the other women joined.... Then the Count turned...and said in a soft whisper: "Yes, I too can love; you yourselves can tell it from the past. Is it not so? Well, now I promise you that when I am done with him you shall kiss him at your will...." (Dracula, 37).

According to the Blonde Bride both in the film and in the book, Dracula didn't/never loved his brides, but in the book at least he denies this. In "the past" he did love them, if not anymore. (The travesty that was the Van Helsing movie played on that when Dracula heartlessly reacts to the Blonde Bride being killed.)

In the 1992 film, Dracula's instead mourning his original wife Elisabeta, who committed suicide back when he was still human centuries ago. He later learns that she's been reincarnated as Jonathan's fiancee Mina, and crosses "the "oceans of time" from Transylvania to London to find his destined soulmate.

"Dracula's pursuit of Lucy and Mina is motivated, not by the incestuous greed at the heart of Freud's scenario, but by an omnivorous appetite for difference, for novelty. His crime is not the hoarding of incest but a sexual theft, a sin we can term excessive exogamy. Although the old count has women of his own, he is exclusively interested in the women who belong to someone else," (Stevenson, 1988: 139).

-- Stevenson, John Allen. “A Vampire in the Mirror: The Sexuality of Dracula.” PMLA 103, no. 2 (1988): 139–49. https://www.jstor.org/stable/462430.

"The novel primarily shows us Dracula's attempts to reproduce and the struggle of the band of young men under Van Helsing to stop him. The tale horrifies because the vampire's manner of reproduction appears radically different and because it requires the women who already belong to these men," (Stevenson, 1988: 142).

In the book, the Blonde Bride is implied to have seniority over the other 2 brides, when they all descend upon Jonathan Harker to drink his blood:

The fair girl shook her head coquettishly, and the other two urged her on. One said: "Go on! You are first, and we shall follow; yours is the right to begin." ...The fair girl advanced and bent over me.... (Dracula, 36).

Them agreeing that she is "first" might imply that the Blonde Bride was the first Dracula turned, thus making her the eldest of his fledgling brides. Which brings me to Gabrielle de Lioncourt.

With Lestat's fledglings/brides, his most infamous relationship is the thinly veiled incestuous love/Oedipal complex he feels for his very first fledgling, his biological mother Gabrielle. A great breakdown is here:

The Stevenson 1988 article I cited above denied the Freudian/incestuous threat Dracula poses to his vampiric love interests, but Anne Rice certainly had other ideas when she wrote some of Lestat's scenes with Gabrielle, especially after she was turned. It's all wrapped up in how vampire Makers/Masters essentially and fundamentally become both the parent and spouse of their fledglings, who are reborn into a new living death.

"'Wives' become daughters in an extraordinarily condensed procedure in which penetration, intercourse, conception, gestation, and parturition represent, not discrete stages, but one undifferentiated action. Dracula recreates in his own image the being that he is simultaneously ravishing," (Stevenson, 1988: 143).

Lestat's desperate for affection from his distant & disassociative mother, whom he loved and admired, envied and desired. Her childlike features and androgynous fashion are often emphasized, and the parallels between Lestat's mother-child and actual child ("daughter-sister") Claudia are striking--particularly since Gabrielle ultimately left/abandoned Lestat, just as his nemesis Claudia would.

The only other fledgling Lestat (and Gabrielle) knew from his human years was Nicholas de Lenfent, as they were childhood neighbors before befriending/falling for each other in earnest after Lestat earned his "Wolf Killer" moniker. Sadly, theirs was a doomed love, as Magnus soon after abducted Lestat from their home together and made him a vampire, and not long after that Armand abducted Lestat AND Nicki, showing them the horrors of the Children of Satan.

"For every aspect of our proposed damnation you found exuberance, and there was no end to your enthusiasm and the passion coming out of you-and the light, always the light. And in exact proportion to the light coming out of you, there was the darkness in me! Every exuberance piercing me and creating its exact proportion of darkness and despair! And then, the magic, when you got the magic, irony of ironies, you protected me from it! And what did you do with it but use your Satanic powers to simulate the actions of a good man!" (TVL, 201).

Already deeply depressed and resenting/hating Lestat's vivacity, light, and bright optimism in the face of looming poverty & failure as musicians/actors, Nicki's abrupt exposure to the the undead world's literal underbelly thoroughly traumatized him, making him a terrible candidate for vampirism, even as he ironically founded the same Theatre of Vampires which would doom Lestat's later fledgling, Claudia. Despite Armand playing a major role in Nicki's mental decline, Lestat felt deeply responsible for Nicki, not only as his fledgling/lover, but also as his link to his human past; the boy he convinced to come to Paris and risk it all chasing stardom, only to find disaster instead. Thus, Nicki's suicide would traumatize Lestat for pretty much the rest of the VC.

But for all Lesat's lust for "variety," he clearly has a type, as he next fell in love with a man who both physically and emotionally reminded him of Nicki--dark-haired, beautiful, and deeply depressed:

"He had grieved for me, I'll give him that much. But then he is so good at grieving! He wears woe as others wear velvet; sorrow flatters him like the light of candles; tears become him like jewels," (TotBT).

Louis is the tragically "human" vampire Lestat loved most, and would eventually officially marry in Blood Communion, the final VC book. Based at Chateau de Lioncourt (basically the Dracula's Castle of the VC), Prince Lestat is the leader of the vampires, and Louis is by his side as the official Prince Consort. 🤴🏽 AMC cut right through the earlier books' gay subtext to plainly show Loustat as a married couple from the offset--from Lestat's wedding vows in the bloody church; to him carrying the half-burnt Louis over the threshold and into their bedchamber; to Claudia outright calling Louis the "housewife;" to Louis reading books about marriage while they were separated; and so much more.

Lestat remade Louis, his vampire blood giving Louis new green eyes; the Mark of Cain looking like "church windows" into his now-damned soul. (Y'all ever notice how much GREEN Mina wears in the movie?)

"Kin or wives…[Dracula's Brides] have occupied both roles--not simultaneously, as in incest, but sequentially, because of the way vampire reproduction works…. According to the count's description, he and Mina are like husband and wife (he uses the 'flesh of my flesh' from Genesis and the marriage ceremony), but through the very fact of their union, they are also becoming 'kin,'" (Stevenson, 1988: 143).

For all that Louis was indeed "hunted" by Lestat during their winter-long courtship (which doesn't exist in the books--Louis was just jumped and Lestat turned him while he was on the fast track to alcohol poisoning), AMC heavily emphasizes that Louis was still seduced; "let the tale seduce you, just as I was seduced." Classically elegant Draculas like those portrayed by Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, and of course Gary Oldman embody the allure of hyper-seductive & sensual post-Gothic vampires who broke away from the more monstrous rendition of the Eastern European undead. Vampires went from being ugly grave-lurking ghouls, to suave gentlemen callers. The quintessentially modern vampire Lestat took this to the 'nth degree, becoming a literal rockstar sensation. But vampires never fully lose their eerily predator aura as dangerous monsters hunting their prey--even when they look as beautiful as ever, they still unsettle their future fledglings, cluing them in to their underlying inhuman nature. Because vampires are beasts--they can turn into all manner of nocturnal "children of the night" like bats, wolves, owls, rats, etc--and even "Wolf Killer" Lestat shared a strong affinity for dogs, a la his childhood hunting mastiffs in TVL, and his pet dog Mojo in TotBT.

They're both Venus flytraps; vampiric magical seduction is the bait.

In order to gain their future fledglings/brides, the vampire must seduce their prey with a good enough sales pitch so they're either turned willingly (the wedding vows for AMC!Louis, the "promises made" to Antoinette); under considerable duress (Gabrielle at death's door from TB, Nicky post-abduction by Armand, the half-dead Claudia wasn't asked); or in the most extreme cases rape, turning them by force (Lestat, David, even Petronia turning Quinn Blackwood--which was...uhhh.... 👀😅).

Louis said that "vampires are made out of trauma," often under emotional/psychological stress/duress, if not outright bodily harm--if they consent to being turned at all. This was certainly the case for Gabrielle (terminally ill), Nicky (mentally ill), and Louis (emotionally compromised through grief & booze). And it is patently so for Akasha, who was transformed into the very first vampire by Amel during a fatal assassination attempt.

Antoine(tte) had a relatively "better" transformation--Antoine was made similar to Bianca with Marius: to help Lestat recover from his injuries inflicted by Louis & Claudia, and was discarded not long afterwards to fend for himself. Antoinette, however, seems to have begged Lestat to turn her, after faking her own death--but she too was made in order to help Lestat against Louis & Claudia. Lestat was only interested in Antoine(tte) as the BAIT to make Louis jealous, strung along as the sidepiece as Lestat cheated on his husband, only to be caught in the literal crossfires of Loustat's lowest point in their relationship--as Antoine was almost burnt to death in the fires Louis' set, and Antoinette was actually burnt to death by Louis & Claudia. However, LOATHE as I am to feel any sympathy for her, Antoinette's transactional relationship with Lestat is horrible because she's just the means to an end; he doesn't HAVE to really seduce her or keep up the pretenses that he is anything but a MONSTER.

Dracula had viciously stalked and hypnotized Mina's bff Lucy Westenra first, her transformation tantamount to a brutal & bloody rape-homicide (here, Miss Lily also fits the bill of a Lucy-type bait as Lestat smoked his REAL quarry out--but she was never turned, just killed). But Dracula's conquest of Mina was more of a seduction, as with Lestat's seduction of Louis. But despite this, Mina was resistant to Dracula's barrage of sensory charms. Lest her husband & friends stop them, her incomplete transformation was finally ushered in by Dracula "forcing her face down on his bosom [to drink the blood from his chest in] a terrible resemblance to a child...His eyes flamed red with devilish passion" (Dracula, 271), where "Dracula, in a breathtaking transformation, is a mother as well, engaged in an act that has a "terrible resemblance" to breastfeeding," (Stevenson, 1988: 146), amongst other things.... But he is also "the father or furtherer of a new order of beings" (Dracula, 291), the hyper-masculine patriarchal overlord dominating men AND women alike. With the bait-brides--Lucy Westenra, Antoin(ette), and even Miss Lily, the vampires could do as they pleased, and these women ended up dead with Dracula & Lestat caring not at all--as implied in the Van Helsing scene mentioned earlier. But with their REAL targets, once they'd run out of time to seduce them, they finally had to show their demonic, true face.

But with Lestat & Antoinette, he was free to disrespect her at every turn--making her dress as a man so she could spy on his husband and daughter-sister, when she wanted to be a vampire to continue being a singer! Even when she was still human she was just his pet songbird, singing songs Lestat used to win his prior spouse Louis back. 🤦 He sneaked around with her like a dirty secret, when he wanted to be out and proud with Louis. She even turned to Lestat for help after Louis kicked her out of her own house, only for Lestat to order her to leave, knowing full well he and Louis were going to have sex under her own roof without her permission--as opposed to when Louis told Lestat to "enjoy himself" with her under their roof. But having failed to consult the Side-Chick Commandments beforehand, Antoinette naively thought she and Lestat would finally be a real couple once he turned her and left Louis, only for her to be relegated to little more than Lestat's errand boy and convenient hole who wouldn't ever complain or talk back; her wings clipped and her own voice silenced, only good for parroting LOUIS & Claudia's telepathic speech for Lestat to hear.

"Flesh of my flesh; blood of my blood; kin of my kin...my companion and helper" (Dracula, 277).

Because ironically, Louis astutely linked the power imbalance between vampire Makers and their brides/fledglings with slavery.

"Dracula is thus doubly frightening--he is the foreigner whose very strangeness renders him monstrous, and, more dangerous, he is an imperialist whose invasion seeks a specifically sexual conquest; he is a man who will take other men's women away and make them his own,"(Stevenson, 1988: 144).

The lack of autonomy/agency Lestat's fledglings/brides had is very interesting. Unfortunately for Louis, he did not know--or realized too late--how to properly wield the power he had over Lestat, to keep his husband in check. Louis felt very much like a slave under the man who was supposed to be his "equal in the quiet dark," yet held every socioeconomic, racial, and vampiric advantage in their relationship. In the books, Louis finally tried to leave Lestat, only for Lestat to baby-trap him by turning Claudia.

On the show, Louis' the one who asks Lestat for a daughter, but she was not enough to mend their broken relationship. Claudia rightly told Louis that Lestat's love for him was "a small box he keeps you in, don't stay in it!," a coffin slowly killing him. But when Claudia asked Louis to leave Lestat and come with her instead, Lestat showed them both exactly who held all the cards--and the keys, "back in your cage, sweetheart."

In Dracula, Mina Harker alludes to a similar situation when she tells her husband Jonathan what to do if Dracula comes for her and she turns into vampire:

"Think, dear, that there have been times when brave men have killed their wives and womenkind, to keep them from falling into the hands of the enemy.... It is men's duty towards those whom they love, in such times of sore trial!" (Dracula, 310).

Louis bore the brunt of every violent impulse Lestat had internalized regarding his mother-daughter-wife abandoning him, and Nicki killing himself. Lestat couldn't put his hands on Gabrielle--she was after all his mother, and she clearly didn't take ANY of Lestat's BS or temper tantrums, not after having been liberated from her own abusive husband, Lestat's father. And Nicki was too fragile and mentally unstable. Hence, just like with the DPDLs when Louis' biological mother Florence took out all her resentment on Louis, so did his vampiric father-husband, Lestat. But ultimately not even Louis' own suicide was in his hands.

Louis suffered a series of mental breakdowns, when he was with Lestat, when he lost Claudia to Armand's Theatre, and when he was interviewed by Daniel. Most importantly, Louis suffered his worst break during Merrick, while Lestat was trapped in a coma and Louis feared he'd never recover (on top of being harassed by ghost!Claudia); to the point that he decided to end his own life.

Likewise, Nicki was mentally ill, and after suffering a psychotic break after being kidnapped by Armand and then turned under psychological distress, Nicki had utterly disassociated himself from Lestat, to the point that Lestat could do nothing to reach or influence Nicki anymore. (Foolishly) leaving Nicki in Armand's care, Lestat eventually learned that Nicki had gone completely insane and committed suicide. In Merrick, Louis' suicide woke Lestat out of his coma so that he could save Louis by giving him a vamp upgrade. But in Dracula, it's Elisabeta's suicide which drives Vlad Tepes to sell his soul to the Devil for vampiric power. He only finds release/death when her reincarnation, Mina Harker, delivers the killing blow, stabbing & decapitating him, and freeing herself from his clutches in kind.

For Louis, however, this was only the first step in a long and winding reconciliation between himself and Lestat. In Europe, and with Armand, Louis finally regained a sense of independence away from his Maker/husband. And after recuperating in the earth and in his coma after Memnoch, Lestat was able to reevaluate all of his poor life choices (including how he chauvinistically treated Gabrielle & Claudia; and what it truly meant to take responsibility for fledglings--from Nicki to Mona, and NOT turning Rose and his biological son Viktor). But most importantly, Lestat learned how to WAIT on Louis, and better appreciate Louis as a man he could learn to become WORTHY of. Through this, rather than his outright death as in Dracula's case, was Lestat able to be redeemed, and happily marry Louis by the end of the Vampire Chronicles, taking him as his Prince Consort--the ultimate Vampire "Bride"/Husband.

[jennyandvastraflint]

Xena Reactions S2Ep19. Welcome to an episode of me absolutely HATING Odysseus 😂

Homer? As in... The guy who wrote the Illiad and the Odyssey?

"You have to learn to smell the flowers"

"I want you to close your eyes" awwww

"I'M HAPPY TO BE ON DRY LAND"

"I want you to have a sense of peace" djdhdhf

Pls Xena just chilling, smelling the flowers

Ooookay, now we help him

The girls kick assss

Ulysses!?? ODYSSEUS!?

KING OF ITHACA SJDHDSHD (Reigning king of ITHACA, neither man nor mythical, I am the infamous.... ODYSSEUS)

POSEIDON SHGJDHDB

Yes well Odysseus, maybe don't FUCKING BLIND HIS SON.

Oof... Xena he fucked up, please. I'm kinda with Poseidon on that one ✌️

Odysseus. I have read your Odyssey... 😂 You FUCKED UP.

Yippie, they mention the Troy episode

Gabrielle, no. It's bad enough that Circe and Calypso inexplicably have a thing for this guy.

Nah, Ulysses don't you dare hurt Gabrielle...

UH. "The last time I saw her she was a child" that sounds like pedophilia... I'm guessing they were both 17...... Else it's still fucking weird

SJFHDHD GABRIELLE

Poor her tho...

Shddh okay she's knocking then over

"Hey boys. I want in on the fun too." YEAAA

Lots o' fighting, ye

I just fucking hate Odysseus. For personal reasons, and also because that guy LAME UGLY (no offence ig)

Oh he was shot because he's an idiot.

ULYSSES. NO. YOU HAVE A WIFE... ffs Penelope deserves better 🙄 We should get Penelope a nice wife

Poor Gabrielle is seasick

Oh, several days you say? YOUR STUPID ASS NEEDED TEN YEARS.

Past the sirens. Just lock Odysseus up

"You mean this isn't rough???" yeah mood

TYING HIM UP SHDHSHS

Odysseus your mind is in the GUTTER.

Gabrielle "Please kill me" Babygirl

Oh why hello Sirens 👀

Poseidon works with them

Gabrielle is like "Nah. Not this. Pls. I'm already sick"

TOSS HIM IN I WANT HIM TO DIEEE

Oh he's such an idiot...

Do the sirens not have a song for lesbians 😂

OH. XENA SINGS. NEAT. Yes well that's a siren song I'd follow

BWAHAHA GABRIELLE WAS SUMMONED BY XENA'S SINGING (or at least that's how I see it)

Ulysses stop fucking FLIRTING..... 🙄

Xena is like :|

Ulysses you are a moron. Fuck off. She's a lesbian.

"Or my ideal of her" hmmmm well...

"Do you think I'm crazy?" YES.

Ulysses Gabrielle is Xena's soulmate...

EW. WHAT IS THIS DISGUSTING STRAIGHTNESS. YUCK. I need to bleach my eyes

Poor Gabrielle :( Had to hear Ulysses making out with Xena

"Gotten used to feeling miserable" :(

"I need to know" THE CLOSEUPS

YOU'LL FOLLOW YOUR HEART YOU'RE PART OF MY HEART

Gabrielle taught Xena how to love 🥺

Urgh I Don't FUCKING LIKE Ulysses

Gabrielle smooching the land sjfhsbd mood tho

"I carved that when I was five" Xena is like :|

No, SHE'S NOT DEAD. I KNEW ITTTT

Ulysses fuck off

Oh the suitors

NO THIS IS NOT POSEIDON'S WORK. YOU'RE JUST A FUCKING MORON. Sorry I just hate Ulysses

PENELOPE AND THE CHALLENGE!!!

Blah blah yea, piss off. "I don't love Penelope" blah.

"I'm not in love with you" "I don't believe you >:("

HA. HER CALLING HIM OUT. AS SHE SHOULD

Gabrielle heard. I think they should kiss about it

Oh the doggo recognised him

XENA HELPED HIM SHDHDHSS

"Because I am Ulysses" aha. He'll kill all the suitors...

Gabrielle my dear girl knocked a guy out with the throneee

🙄 Ffs I don't FUCKING LIKE YOU.

"Does she love you" DON'T FUCKING PUSH PENELOPE ASIDE LIKE THAT. YOU SUCH SM. PENELOPE DESERVES A BETTER SPOUSE

Boo, I hate Odysseus.

"She's quite a woman standing up to all those pirates" dbfhfhd The way they're gay about Penelope XD

ODYSSEUS SUCKS ✌️ I think Poseidon deserves to have killed him. As a treat.

Yeah not a huuuge fan of that episode either, I just have personal beef with Odysseus...

[royalrudberg]

My thoughts on RWRB, in no particular order because my brain doesn't work like that:

SPOILERS AHEAD

These are my opinions/thoughts after the first watch through (of course I'm gonna re-watch several times) but don't be mad at me please I'm sensitive

Things I loved

I spent the first full hour smiling and laughing. It put the Com in Romcom. And then the lake scene plunged me into a pit of despair, but in a good way.

Alex was Alex and Henry and was Henry. Like Nick and Taylor really got their characters and did them so much justice and the chemistry was chemistry-ing

Miguel! He was fun and flirty. I wasn't expecting him at all but I think his addition really worked for two reasons: it saved Alex time in figuring out his sexuality so we get ahead into him + Henry, and it gave an explanation for the leaking of the emails without being as politically charged as in the book, because some people, especially if they're not American, don't care about that part as much

Amy is so fucking funny

Zahra is even more funny

Casting! Pez was perfect! Philip was amazing! Papa Diaz delivered the dad vibes for sure. I wish Bea had more screen time. Shaan was good (and very handsome) And don't get me started on UMA FUCKING THERMAN!!

I know we'd have preferred to have both June and Nora but I think that for the purpose she served to the plot just Nora was fine. Movie!Nora was a combination of book!Nora and June. It worked.

GET LOW GET LOW GET LOW

Henry pretending to look for a book when Amy comes into the red room absolutely killeddddd me

Ellen talking about getting Alex on Truvada. Real AF.

Henry doing karaoke!

"I thought Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz was a mouthful." "He is."

"Shut up stop talking" and "You're late", followed by him trying to close the door

The texting/messaging and emails. They included enough for you to get the idea and to show the passage of time and they did in a cool way that didn't take too much of the screen time. Also Henry being "in the room" when they're on the phone was so cute!

Alex being nervous and awkward about having sex with Henry was perfect! It felt very real

Criticisms:

Henry going to fidget with his ring,realizing Alex is wearing it, and that little smile at each other. Fucking beautiful

Alex reading OLS

I wanted Henry singing God save the King

We didn't get to see Catherine? But at least she didn't get Juned.

No powerpoint??? Even though Ellen giving him the talk was plenty funny.

Fucking eyelashes! Miguel mentioned them, but I don't think Herny did? Why notttt??

Random but I would have rather had the conversation in the tack room than the whole polo mantage. We get it, he's hot.

Leo?!? I knew June wasn't there but his parents still being together was so random to me? Not necessarily bad just random.

I really wanted to see Alex standing in the rain...also the dialog there kinda threw me off? Like I know it was heartfelt and emotional or whatever but the "and I'll bother you no longer" part didn't feel like that version of Alex. Kinda took me out of the moment.

Maybe I just wanted more Stephen Fry, but that resolution was a little too easy/cheesy

Idk if it was my ADHD or Taylor's pronunciation but I had to turn on the subtitles because I kept not understanding him?

Questions:

Did they have to change Henry's name? Like bc of the actual royal family?

Can the presidents spouse still have a seat in Congress? Is that allowed?

[valentinesparda]

the thing about f/o weddings for me is that they're all unconventional

the vergil wedding was a handfasting ceremony done on a whim because why not have a celebration, why not indulge, why not do this just to experience what humans do (but everyone needs to mind their business). i've retconned either of them wearing a ring because neither of them are the type (gabriel gets a band tattooed around their finger and vergil insists he doesn't need a token of their love because he has no plans to leave them again)

killian and travis forget their wedding until the couple of days before it happens, and even then the only reason they had a ceremony is because I'm sentimental and I want to think about a world where the assassins would take a day off to celebrate life and happiness (sylvia organized it). the two only exchange wedding bands because it's tactile and they're sometimes away from each other for a while, and because promising to kill for your spouse is frowned upon in most situations

thomas and aubrey went for the pomp and circumstance of a ceremony because thomas has an image to maintain but also because he enjoys a good party, and his first wedding was the best day of his life (and he wants to make his family proud - but mostly he wants to show off) and they wear wedding bands but they don't fully love each other at that point, and when they do, they commit to a "renewal", small and on a whim in the countryside at a camp, drunk and alone and happy

james and avery never had vows exchanged and the rings they wear around their necks are far from fitting them comfortably (tokens from another time and made for someone else). they both simply decided one day that they loved each other enough to never give up on the other. they never really admit to it - they always said partner anyways, you are under my skin - but they both know that they wholly belong to the other person and nothing would break that bond. the rifle is a pretty sweet engagement gift though

mordecai and rhodes essentially go to a courthouse and don't let anyone else know, it takes forever for mordecai to commit to it but they just wanted a shotgun wedding to feel like it was real. rings?? of course!! they stole found some that they liked and wear them tucked safely beneath the collar of their shirts, because of course mordecai would be like that

john and micah have a large ceremony that is moreso a celebration than an actual wedding, with the members of eden's gate as their guests and john's family as witness and party. it's the only time that my insert and their partner actually gives a shit about the whole ordeal and live it up as a representation and example that love exists in hope county (it gives john an excuse to also have the marriage represented by tattoos on their fingers, but it upsets joseph because he wants them to wear rings, that's traditional)

alucard and amelia are bound by a sacred practice, far more involved and romantic to them than your standard marriage; after all, the ritual that ties them together means alucard will always be in their head, his blood is the reason they still exist, and their blood will be tribute to him. it is an endless cycle of being in each other's veins and it will always transcend the traditional practice of saying I Do in such a viscerally romantic way - you are alive because i worship you, you are what you are because I made you, and we are entwined immortally because I love you

callisto and yasha keep their love a secret so why would they let anyone know they've been married?? they grab someone to officiate it and they have a witness but they don't have any reason to announce it. the only reason anyone finds out that they're married is when yasha dies and callisto mourns him for a few thousand years and tells mithra to keep the only tie they both had to each other safe - matching cuffs worn on their ears that eventually (after several centuries) get passed to their reincarnations in the modern day

bael and zevran are also the lovey dovey type, the wearing matching jewelry type, because zevran goes off every so often and it's - again - a tactile representation of their love and a reminder that they're there; moreso a token of love than it is a sign of possession, but zevran is fiercely protective of his little mage that he coaxed from their own darkness and helped grow. bael feels their heart flutter seeing the earring that matches theirs twinkle in the light, or twirl his braided leather band around his wrist and smile knowing they were both made identical and would never be worn by anyone else

adrian and lacroix are bound by their commitment to their clans and their courts, but they are also what most people would call married to their work in the worst way. do they hate each other? do they love each other? or do they revere the other as their god, their sun, their making and undoing, devoted solely to show "i am the only one allowed to devour you" because they are. married in the way of life and death; a promise to let you live because i will be with you in the end

anyways. *vibrating into the fifth dimension* i'm totally normal

[opera-ghosts]

OTD in Music History: Composer and pianist Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918) marries his second wife, Emma Bardac (1862 - 1934), in 1908. Bardac was actually the mother of one of Debussy’s piano students, as well as the former mistress of Gabriel Faure (1845 – 1924). Debussy had married his first wife, Lilly Texier, in 1899. By all accounts, Lilly was a loving and devoted spouse; nevertheless, Debussy quickly fell for Bardac, and, after shrewdly dispatching Lilly on an extended trip to see her parents in July 1904, he whisked Bardac away for a secret rendez-vous in the French countryside. After spending several idyllic weeks vacationing together, Debussy wrote Lilly a letter informing her that their five year marriage was over. Devastated, Lilly attempted to commit suicide by dramatically shooting herself in the chest with a revolver just five days before their wedding anniversary. She survived, but the bullet remained lodged in her spine for the rest of her life. The ensuing public scandal cost Debussy many of his most important professional contacts, including Paul Dukas (1865 - 1935) and Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937). Perhaps not surprisingly, Debussy’s subsequent marriage to Bardac was also a troubled one. The passionate union did produce one child, a daughter nicknamed “Chou-Chou” – but she died young (from medical malpractice) at the age of 13, in 1919, just one year after Debussy himself passed away from cancer. PICTURED: An early copy of a famous portrait photograph of Debussy smoking a cigarette -- a portrait which Bardac actually took while they were away on that first secret vacation in July 1904. Bardac inscribed this copy to the important Parisian music publisher Jean Joubert sometime in the 1920s. Joubert’s firm, “Editions Joubert,” was founded in 1921, and Joubert built his fortune on the basis of the metaphorical “gold mine” that he had purchased from his previous employer, music publisher Eugene Fromont – a fantastic back catalogue that included many of Debussy’s earliest and most popular works. (Debussy’s later works had been published by the firm Durand.)

[kathyprior4200]

Miraculous Reverse: Tales of Lady Misfortune and Dog Blanc

Characters:

Lady Misfortune a.k.a. reverse Marinette. In this universe, Marinette doesn’t care about fashion, or Adrien. She loves sports, rock music, and goth looks. But that’s not what made her evil. She was best friends with Chloe but jealous of her wealth and kind nature, she soon brushed her aside. Her neglectful parents wanted her to be a rich fashion designer, but she cared not for girly things. That also didn’t make her evil. She did start bullying her classmates though. It wasn’t until she discovered a mysterious pair of black earrings with red spots on them did her curiosity peak…and a note next to it. “I have witnessed your evil deeds and invite you to join me. Take these earrings and meet me at my lair at 3AM. Follow my commands and you’ll obtain powers and wealth beyond your wildest dreams. -The Supreme.” Oh, what a foolish move! She and Adrien are now supervillains under his control, hurting any person who doesn’t consider him a god. Bringing bad luck to her enemies, she calls herself Lady Misfortune! (“Ikkit, Circles On!” “Unlucky Charm!”) She and reverse Cat Noir are always arguing.

Dog Blanc a.k.a. reverse Adrien. In this universe, Adrien was born from the jealousy of his mother Emilie. Colt Fathom wasn’t abusive this time, in fact he was a nice father to Felix who respected his wishes. It was his wife Amelie Graham de Vanily who saw Felix as a mere tool, a servant, a monster. She had used the peacock miraculous to birth him just for the sake of having an heir. Emilie wasn’t much better…she followed the rules and wanted to marry rich. She was jealous of Amelie since she had a kid already. She moved to France hoping to return to London with a wealthy spouse. Enter the kind-hearted baker Gabriel who somehow won her heart. Gabriel helped Emilie give birth to Adrien using the peacock miraculous. But when the Supreme took over Paris, Gabriel vowed to stop him, creating a resistance of superheroes to fight off his cult of villains. To keep his son safe, he disappeared from the mansion. Emilie then treated Adrien like the original Gabriel did…as nothing more than a pawn and a monster…which is what he actually was. Adrien never got over losing his father and being bossed around by his fashionista mother. When Adrien saw a note and a mysterious ring in a box, he knew how to escape. Now as a supervillain of destruction thanks to his antikwami, he calls himself…Dog Blanc! (“Gglap, knives out/in!” Doggone Destruction!”) He and reverse Ladybug are always arguing.

Butterfly a.k.a. Gabriel Agreste. Think he’s still an abusive father to Adrien? Not this time. This Gabriel is a superhero who uses the moth brooch to train and create a crew of superheroes to help save Paris from the Supreme’s supervillain army. Unlike the original, losing Emilie hasn’t bothered him too much…but he misses his son dearly, wondering where he has gone. Fearing he’s already in the clutches of the Supreme, he enlists the help of Chloe/Queen Bee, Lila/Volpina, Felix/Argos and several other individuals to try and destroy the antikwamis and defeat the villains. (“Nooroo, light wings rise!” “Fly my little Kimiko and purify the goodness in their heart!”) The Supreme sends out his minions to recapture the butterfly, peacock, bee etc. miraculouses because Gabriel had stolen them from him.

Mayura a.k.a. Natalie – assistant to Emilie, former holder of the peacock miraculous. She is lazy and doesn’t seem to care much for Adrien, only fulfilling Emilie’s duties. She is torn between working for Gabriel, assisting Emilie in her plans…or delving deeper into Adrien’s work for the Supreme. (“Duusu, spread my feathers!”)

Argos a.k.a. Felix. Adrien’s twin cousin. He is the holder of the peacock miraculous. Like the original, he and Adrien want sentimonsters like themselves to be free from the abusive adults, to be treated the same as any normal human being. Unfortunately, Adrien, not the original more passive twin, turned to the dark side. But Felix never gives up. He teams up with his friendly father Colt Graham, Chloe, Lila, Gabriel, Tomoe, and many others to try and stop the Supreme. But what do his aunt and mother have planned for the world?

The Supreme a.k.a. reverse Master Fu. Like the original Fu, he was taken in at a young age many years ago to be the Guardian of the Miraculouses and perform tasks he didn’t like such as cleaning, meditation for long periods of time, devotion etc. He created a sentimonster Feast who gave him food, but also caused the destruction of the temple. But instead of taking responsibility for his mistake, he believed that the Guardian system was boring and restricting. And the miraculous kwamis…such powers they possessed! Soon enough, he possessed nearly all the powers (like original Hawkmoth) using them to make him rich and powerful in Paris and nearly the whole world. To keep the masses in obedient fear (think North Korea tyranny), he recruited teenagers to go out and do crimes, harming anyone who might turn against him, knowing their youthful nature would create more chaos to their minds and bodies. He also corrupted the kwamis with powerful dark magic, making them antikwamis and turning people into villains, imprisoning the rest with his Turtle miraculous! He sends his minions after Gabriel because he stole some of the miraculous from him. In “Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir,” the Supreme could’ve been Hitler or someone who was chasing Fu and his lady partner.

Queen Bee a.k.a. Chloe – don’t worry, she’s not a snobbish bully in this universe. She is one of the kindest people you’ll meet, despite being rich. She used to be friends with Marinette until she was bullied by her. Chloe becomes the Queen Bee superhero, no Zoe replacement here! In fact, she becomes the “Ladybug” of the group (Felix is the “Adrien”) Kagami is the “Alya.” Sabrina teams up as well. (“Pollen, Buzz On!” “Venom!” “Miraculous Queen Bee!”) Chloe, once the most hated character now has Ladybug’s power to repair and restore things back to normal.

Volpina a.k.a. Lila – Lila always tells the truth in this universe, but that doesn’t mean she can’t whip up some illusions! She is also known as Caseire…chosen by Gabriel/Butterfly to be the next holder of the Moth Brooch and save the world! For now, she uses the Fox miraculous. (“Trixx, Let’s Bounce!” “Mirage!”)

Hound a.k.a. Sabrina – Sabrina is still friends with Chloe and uses the Dog miraculous…although this time, she insists on being the leader over Chloe…which often leads to problems during heroic missions! (“Barrk, Go Fetch!”)

[eclipsecrowned]

also s/o to all my beloved trans muses. specify muse for a starter w any of my trans-spectrum characters on this, their big day :) this list is v. long maybe do not read more and instead view it on my blog proper soit doesn't gunk up your dash.

danielle o'the wold: fluid, a crackshot archer and outlaw from fantastical medieval england called into a quest to save the realm of magic from those who would use its power for great evil.

amalthea: nonbinary to human perception, a unicorn-turned-woman on a great quest in a fantastical world that leads her to no longer be the last of her kind, but more lonely for it.

un*hana r*tsu: agender, leader of a specialized team of shinigami focused on the healing arts -- in this life, at least, because we do not want to open the can of worms of how much brutality it took to be so soft.

pip bernadotte: trans man, a mercenary based in the 90s all the way up to the modern era via au who perceives the horrors as spouse material, actually.

kayden connors: nonbinary, daughter of a 616 mad scientist just trying to stay afloat after his incarceration largely via art and taking in wayward antiheroes.

raisa wolfe: agender, new york's first mutant elected official even if that position is only a molehill in the great machine that is east coast politics, believes magneto is right actually.

jonathan crane: trans man, supervillain and supergenius in equal measure, obsessed turning the fear that was used to beat him down in his conservative southern upbringing into everyone else's problem.

dream of the endless: agender masc, an embodiment of dreams, exactly as advertised, who has neither want nor need of human labels or gender experience. he just is.

mystery whitethorn: nonbinary, a tiefling shopkeep who is hiding an adventure-filled backstory and a number of illegal dealings in his current life.

marika corvinus: nonbinary, a lone werewolf who is slowly being domesticated into a found family pack by her elders when not found being the loudest party person at human functions.

seth plate: trans woman, a former angel of death who fell for love of a human surgeon, so in love with humanity that now she has the chance to experience it for herself.

modeste lachapelle: nonbinary, notre dame's native daughter and everyone's favorite 4'11" butch, a friend to all pigeons and outcasts that cross her socially anxious path.

claude di montoya: fluid, a 19th century agent of savoy espionage who was designed for the count of monte cristo but by the power of rp crossover is also being a sourpuss in the v*mpire chronicles.

count dracula: beyond gender per his own definition, a classic gothic horror villain on the prowl for blood, world domination, and success in his chosen field of dual-honors classy and feral villainy.

henry winter: trans man, a student of a 1980s liberal arts college whose love of the classics steps well over the line and leads to several murders, the ultimate dark academia bitch in all of fiction.

sylphrena / 'syl': agender femme, an ageless spirit of honor and oaths who just wants to have fun and learn more about the physical world alongside her clinically depressed human bestie, a menace and a baby.

hoid / wit: trans man, an immortal with a few thousand years of space-faring shenanigans under his belt, who steps into worlds where plot is happening and inserts himself into the action more often than not.

cirila montoya: agender, a shrewd heiress from 17th century spain who falls in and ou of adventures with a team of four cavaliers and the beautiful frenchwoman who opposes them.

gabrielle de lioncourt: trans masc, 18th century vampire and dilf who chucked his assigned gender in the trash the second he came into the blood, a recluse who just can't avoid his ne'er-do-well son's drama.

kris lindholm: nonbinary, florida teen thinks her older sister is on a cult centered around a local island, instead calls the irs on a pair of vampire businessmen, obsessed with 80s rock act the vampire lestat.

lyfrasir edda: nonbinary, an alien detective looks into the remains of a decades old train derailment and instead finds out the apocalyptic horrors are within their comprehension, actually.

the snow queen: agender, the winter winds care not for gender, and the freshly driven snow understands nothing of sex in the sense of male or female or other.

hel: demiwoman, jotnar society does not align to human sexuality, so this is as close as she can get to explaining her gender identity, and besides, jotnar physiology is implied to be quiet fluid.

laufey: demiwoman, same as above but in a fun milf package.

utgard-loki: demiman, same rules as his fellow jotnar relatives, except he's king over all the jotnar.

odin: genderfluid, which is actually myth-accurate if you get into some of the weirder roads that the original stories take. typically presents as a masc king of the aesir, though. due to his jotnar heritage he might be physically fluid as well.

sigyn: nonbinary, frankly queerness was all over mythology and i will sprinkle it all over at my own pleasure, especially on a certain ambassador within the aesir court.

enkidu: transmasc, was designed to act as a foil/echo to the hero-king gilgamesh, which included an assigned sex that did not align at all with his identity.

dolores gordon: genderless, an agent of a fear entity which is based around the uncanny valley, a part that the ever shapeshiftng dolores plays to perfection.

the host: INFORMATION ERROR, current gender identity unknown, but identified as a nonbinary individual in their pre-avatar life.

the mole: agender, a wee beastie that worships the dirt and is known for reverse graveobbing -- pushing the dead back aboveground so as not to tarnish the sacred world below.

catherine rice: nonbinary, the kind of person who says paranormal investigator but really means paranormal instigator because she's still looking for answers about avatar-based trauma from years before.

lothric, younger prince: agender, a lab-grown draconic abomination in their mainverse who is making the journey from sacrificial lamb to antichrist out of spite for their hellacious upbringing.

victor deshayes: trans man, newly freed from his conjoined twin who is a woman, so the math is solid that victor is not cis and is instead in your walls :)

zevran arainai: genderfluid, beautiful elvhen assassin swinging in every gender direction, gracefully, with a knife in hand and an accent their own va described as sounding like 'sexed up inigo montoya'

einmyria lavellan: nonbinary, super-femme elvhen historian is here to advise the inquisitor and occasionally flip darkspawn like a fucking pancake with her yoked af warrior strength.

taran lavellan: masc agender, over the years has forgotten his birth clan, his birth name, and even his fuckin gender. oh well, we love this roguish elf all the same and want only the best for him.

aria mahariel: nonbinary masc, has no human-defined gender in the dalish standard, but has settled comfortably into masculinity socially and in presentation. if only her baby face got the message.

cyra cross: nonbinary masc, a mad scientist in training clinging onto that last hinge of medical ethics, works for shinra but their genius level intellect says these people are idiots killing the planet and they can fix it.

ardyn lucis caelum: agender, a divinely-wrought, kin-betrayed abomination seeking to put the entire world out of his two thousand years of misery, with a cool hat thrown in for free.

master invi: trans woman, an ancient master of both magic and the in-universal super special magical blade, aligned with serpents and ever playing the pious daughter to her master.

kokoro kyriakou: nonbinary, badass normal defies the aging scala council to seek answers for what happened to a relative and his three students that went missing over a decade prior and has character development throughout.

riku: agender masc, local teen put through absolute hell, keeps pressing onward in a clear metaphor for mental illness that he refuses to let him hold him down as it once did.

julia mayfair: agender, where most people have gender, there is only trauma for this spy, but also the clear-cut knowledge that this is her identity and she is beyond more 'basic' definition.

"nikolai": queer, that's how he ids in pretty much every sense of identity, and plays with gender and roles and sex in a way that is awesome to witness.

albel nox: nonbinary masc, his clothes are his clothes and they are his prerogative and if you try to define him he will use his clawed prosthetic to carve out a nice reminder for you.

gensai shizuka: fluid, former king of the kamur0cho gay cabaret scene grows up to become the best defense attorney in town and a friend to honorable men, yet lives in a tiny closet identity-wise.

[murfpersonalblog]

Just thought of a flip for the Loustat!Odyssey:

Lestat and Louis as Odysseus and Penelope: Cursed by Poseidon/Enkil for stealing the secrets of the gods (Enkil/Helios' cattle-of-the-sun/vampirism), OdyStat is lost at sea and can't get back home. His beloved spouse PeneLouis languishes from depression in Ithaca/Auvergne. PeneLouis takes care of Les' crippled father (the Marquis/Laertes) & sickly/dying mother (Gabrielle/Anticlea). He comes up with schemes to fend off the suitors (Armand/Eurymachus & Santiago/Antinous), who're desperate to marry PeneLouis and kill Loustat's child (Telemachus/Viktor) to steal his inheritance & Chateau de Lioncourt. VikTelemachus is forced to grow up alone & wild in a toxic environment (the suitors/Theatre), and is urged by the deity/vampire Athena/Fareed to leave Ithaca/Auvergne to find news of his father's whereabouts. VikTelemachus sails to Sparta/Venice and gets support from Menelaus/Marius & Helen/Pandora. He learns how to stand up for himself and how to fight (Marius Turning Viktor).

On OdyStat's adventures, he encounters monsters (the Witches' Place/Circe; Polyphemus/Rhoshamandes); hallucinations (Lotus Eaters/Talamasca; Sirens/Raglan James); and strange lands (Alyconeus' magic ship in Phaeacia/Jesus' Veil of Veronica in Heaven). He goes to Hades/Hell to get directions (Tiresias/Memnoch); and sees the ghosts of Elpenor/Nicki & his mum Anticlea/Gabrielle (who's died of consumption). He's held captive by the goddess Calypso/Akasha for several years; before a powerful Olympian god orders that he be set free (Hermes/Amel). Back home, OdyStat meets VikTelemachus for the first time, who's all grown up. They team up to destroy the suitors who desecrated their home. PeneLouis & OdyStat are reunited & live happily ever after (Blood Communion). (We DO NOT acknowledge the Telegony sequel under my roof!)

Interview With The Vampire As Greek Mythology

Louis and Lestat as Odysseus and Penelope

Marius and Armand as Zeus and Ganymede

Louis and Claudia as Deadalus and Icarus

Lestat and Claudia as Hera and Hephaestus

[atlanticcanada]

Portapique survivor of N.S. mass shooting dies

A man who survived the mass shooting in Portapique, N.S., in April 2020 has died suddenly.

RCMP responded to Leon Joudrey’s home on Sunday where they found him deceased. They say his death is not considered suspicious.

Joudrey lived in Portapique at the time of the mass shooting.

The killer’s common-law spouse, Lisa Banfield, ran to Joudrey’s home for help the morning of April 19, 2020, after she had spent the night hiding from Gabriel Wortman.

Joudrey spoke with CTV News on several occasions after the tragedy.

“I'm the lucky one, I survived,” Joudrey told CTV News in an interview a month after the 22 murders.

CTV News last spoke with Joudrey on Oct. 26. He said he had spent almost two years living anywhere other than Portapique, but that he had to return to maintain his home and land off Orchard Beach Road, after unsuccessfully trying to sell the property.

“Living here is a complete nightmare,” he told CTV News. “All I see is my friends that died, and fires, and SWAT teams and I don't even want to be here anymore.”

In addition to having difficulty selling his property, Joudrey said he was also under financial strain. He had been unable to work at his former forestry job for two years, and said his disability benefits through his employer would run out in early 2023.

He said the whole experience had taken a toll on his mental health and that he spent a month in a psychiatric hospital. He said he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, but that no one followed up with him after his release.

“Well, they kind of forgot about me,” he told CTV News on Oct. 26. “I kind of fell through the cracks in the mental health system and it was about four months before they did any follow-up or checks with me."

Joudrey said he was seeing a psychiatrist and had recently connected with a psychologist.

One of the lawyers representing many of the families of the victims and survivors told CTV News last week that Joudrey’s struggle is indicative of what many are going through.

“A number of them feel, just forgotten about,” Sandra McCulloch said. “There are people who are survivors of the mass casualty event that are still having a hard time; they're still not fully supported."

The issue of supporting survivors is one she raised at the Mass Casualty Commission examining the tragedy.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/7PIEhmQ

[artsy-hobbitses]

So I got a question for pre- war relationships. So say person A is from a higher class and they fall in love with someone from a lower class or vice versa. Or maybe one of the lovers are a beastman, outlier, CC, fuzor , different/ same gender or colonist. Could they get married officially or adopt kids during this time or would this be considered forbidden and a punishable offense. Example if prewar hound and mirage met sooner and wanted to tie the knot or WindScream wanted to have kids or any canon/ noncanon couple who fell in love despite their class, species, powers and etc.

It depends on the country in question, tbh!

In general, cross-working class relationships are legal, but tend to be frowned upon. The marriage license fees rise the bigger the divide between the classes involved as a small way to deter them, and if that doesn't work, then the person from the higher class will take on the working class of their spouse (as the lower rungs are always hungry for more workers). Adopting kids is legal.

In heavily industrialised countries, relationships between Cold Constructs and ordinary people are barred/a punishable offence, but in countries where the division is less severe, it is allowed as long as the Cold Construct intends to continue working in the same class/job. If not, then the couple would have to pay a fee to replace them in the workforce. It is, regardless of legality, not exactly the cultural norm simply because it is understood that such unions will never result in biological offspring (unless you have like, a fuckload of money to pay for in-vitro or a CC based off the genetics of both parents). Adopting kids is legal.

This is the same for Beastmen/Ordinary human unions. Barred/a punishable offence in some countries, legalised in some countries, with equally opposing viewpoints on it. No one really blinks an eye at unions between standard humans and canine-based Beastmen in Shetland Isle, as an example (where they're seen as normal members of society), or Tiger-based Beastmen in Malaysia (where they're seen as protectors and a symbol of courage). However, these cross-couples would likely never travel to say, large swathes of the UK or US where such unions are often seen as unnatural, at risk of harassment at least and violence against them at worst. The legality of adopting children is tied to the legality of their unions as well.

Considering the fact that it's risky for Outliers to present themselves in public, much less pursue a relationship with their status being  open knowledge, it's extremely rare to find records of unions between them and standard humans. Those that do pursue relationships usually keep their Outlier status a secret assuming they can physically pass as standard humans.

Same-gender relationships are legal in most countries (no say on society's opinion on them which is as varied as humans are in general, but the govt is officially shrug hands in this case). One can get married and adopt kids, basically just don't threaten the social/working class structure, the government doesn't particularly care about the other aspects. (It helps that 'you gotta have kids' isn't really a government drive when they can just. Factory-produce babies to work as servants of the state. So whatever peasants, just keep working).

If Hound and Mirage were to tie the knot Post-War, they'd be best doing it at Hound's homeland! Starscream and Windblade woudn't have an issue with their union, mainly because Starscream already has a working class exemption (that's how he became a senator) and is free, even as a CC, to pursue his own path in life (of course, the exemption doesn't have any say in how other people treat him as a CC). Both wouldn't have an issue with adopting kids either, though it is highly likely they wouldn't have been allowed to adopt Suzume and Gabriele, because both were CCs and government assets, without paying a hefty fee.

[murfpersonalblog]

The Wake - my IWTV dream last night

I had an AU dream about IWTV and had to write it down.

In my dream, AMC's Louis and Lestat are married with 3 children (ABO/mpreg for life), but are currently seriously considering divorcing--Lestat's cheating, and Louis' more married to his job (a book editor who works nights remotely). Claudia, Madeleine/Madeline & Viktor are just kids (14, 10 and 6), caught in the middle--Claud wants to stay w/ Louis, Madeline* wants to stay w/ Claud, Vik* doesn't want them to split at all.

*10 yr old Madeline resembles a much younger Bailey Bass, but with bluer eyes cuz of Lestat, and darker skin cuz of Louis. *Vik is Lestat's mini-me, just with curlier hair.

Gabrielle babysits the kids when Loustat's fights get too nasty, but she hates babysitting, and even though she doesn't get along w/ Louis, sometimes she gangs up on Lestat with Lou ("ugh, you're just like your father!"). It's a whole mess. Where do we go from here?

Gabby recommends they all take a break at their tropical vacation home on Night Island (ofc she does). But one night, in the middle of a(nother) particularly bad argument that the kids are unfortunately there to witness, there's a bad storm--lightning, power goes out, etc. In all the ruckus, there's suddenly banging on the back patio door facing the stormy ocean, the front door by the main road, and the basement door in the wine cellar.

Les checks the entrance, Lou checks the back, Gab checks the basement. The kids hide in their rooms.

Lou sees someone unconscious on the beach, about to get sucked into the water by the waves. It's "Lestat," dressed in ancient clothes. Running up to him from the side is a frantic "Louis," also dressed in ancient clothes (1700s*--the Ep7 ball blouses), soaking wet. He's speaking rapid French, looking for the owners of the house, cuz his "Lestat" is unconscious, and 1700s!Lou has no idea where they are--their ship to Paris sank.

*1700s!Loustat is still the AMC 2022 version, cuz I have no interest in the book/film Loustats anymore, ick.

Les sees someone (a corpse!?) unconscious & bleeding in their driveway, with several broken limbs. It's "Louis," dressed in vintage clothes. A blubbering "Lestat," also dressed in vintage (1930s--all black from Ep5), is on the front porch. He's crying heavily, face bloody. He had taken Louis flying over NOLA but dropped him, and they somehow landed here.

It's a whole isekai anime, pretty much. Everyone's struck dumb once they realize they're looking at their doppelgangers, while their spouse lies "dead" before them. They need to all get in the house. The 2 Lous carry "Les" in from the water, and the 2 Lestats carry "Lou" in from the front porch.

But inside, the kids' screaming suddenly seems to have doubled, and Gab's cussing up a storm. There's another "Gab," dressed in muddy 1700s hunter's gear, catfighting modern!Gab & tearing up the basement. And there's 2 sets of kids running around scared of each other (1700s "Claudia" is 5, 1700s "Madeleine" is 21ish, and 1990s/2000s "Viktor" is 18ish--they all look like younger/older versions of the modern kids).

The chaos doesn't stop until everyone notices the half drowned "Les" & bleeding "Lou," and the confusion/panic increases.

There are 3 Lous:

modern!Lou (online book editor; looks like Dubai!Louis btw)

1700sLou (was on a ship to Paris with drowned/swamp!Les)

1930sLou (Ep5 broken & bloody, after 1930sLes dropped him)

There are 3 Lestats:

modern!Les (cheating; former rockstar; music producer)

1700sLes (drowned/swamp!Les; was on a ship to Paris)

1930sLes (guilty after having dropped broken!Lou in NOLA)

There are 2 Gabrielles:

mod!Gab (old money paleo-archaeologist)

1700sGab (old money adventurer)

There are 2 sets of kids:

Claudia (14 & 5)

Madeline (10 & 21)

Viktor (6 & 18)

The Gabs are the first to recover--mod!Gab performs CPR on drowned/swamp!Les, and the 2 awake Lous corral the kids away. 1700sGab sets broken!Lou on the floor and rearranges his limbs, while the 2 awake Lestats start pouring blood on his wounds.

The unconscious Les & Lou are still out cold, but are visibly healing. Everyone hovers around awkwardly, not knowing what else to do but wait, like they're sitting at a funeral wake almost. Everyone's clearly got burning questions.

1700sGab is distraught to see HER 1700sLes out cold, but 1700sLou doesn't know who she is. But he knows 5 yr old Claud & 21 year old Mad, and they know him.

1930sLes is the most horrified--he's seeing double of his mom, whom he hasn't seen in "centuries," and he recoils from 14yr old Claud. He doesn't know the other kids at all. He is stunned by sexy & confident modern!Lou, and pities 1700sLou, who is hella sad & weepy. (Modern!Lestat tells him to keep his eyes on his own Louis--which modern!Louis finds HIGHLY ironic.)

No one knows "Vik," but he recognizes his 6yr old self, and mod!Loustat as his dads. He doesn't know his sisters, and they don't know him, but they know each other.

They all have the same questions for each other, but don't get very far that night, as emotions take over, and everyone's confused as to how they all got there, from obviously very different time periods. But the sun is rising. The doppelganger Loustats are shocked by all the modern fixtures, and ESPECIALLY the UV windows. The modern Loustat are used to being up during the day, but the older ones aren't--1930s Les, 1990sVik, and 1700sGab are the only ones who can stay up just fine (they're strong, and more curious than tired), but all the other doubles are tired. The broken Lou & comatose Les are sheltered in spare coffins in the basement (which the chagrined Gabs offer to clean). The modern!Sisters double up in mod!Claud's room so the doppelganger!Sisters can share mod!Mad's room. 1700sLou is given the guest room so he can cry himself to sleep. 1930s Les, 1990sVik, and 1700sGab are all fine on the pullout couches in the den.

This is where my dream got spotty, and it was skipping around a lot as it kept going, like I was seeing scenes out of order. (It actually felt like episodes of The Real World or some other reality tv show--it went from suspense & drama and creeping me out like the Tethered in Us; to actually making me laugh myself awake right when I got the sense that the different Loustats were attracted to each other. O_O)

It's been bothering me how AMC said the show will still be called IWTV, not VC, cuz the big question's who's gonna keep doing the interviews? How will the interviews play out for TV, rather than in the books?

But basically the jist of my dream was that the "Interview" was amongst themselves, as the vampires all tried to figure out what had gone wrong with all of the Loustats' relationship. The most immediate concern was how the injured Lou & Les ended up that way--and it's quickly apparent that their corresponding spouses are lying/hiding things. 1930sLes was way too withholding, and 1700sLou was so emotional & guilty.

Modern!Loustat's impending divorce is mirrored in the other Loustat's issues, which start slowly coming to the fore, as they all realize that all of their relationships hadn't been great for awhile, and the kids are caught in the middle. The Gabs slowly start speaking up, revealing the part they've been playing; how Lestat's neglect of his kids & husband reflects her own bad marriage to his father, and her neglecting her own kids. Gab and Lou are too similar, and history is just repeating itself.

The ones who are most candid end up being the kids--the fact that the kids know SOME of the Loustats or siblings but not others is very telling. 1930s'Les' bad reaction to 14yr old mod!Claud is troubling, and the fact that he's so unprepared to see his mom(s), and has NO idea who the other kids are. 5yr old Claud's reaction to ALL of the Lestats is the worst, but she loves all the Lous. 21!Madeline is the most cool & collected, very detached, and clings more to bb!Claud, as Madeline isn't too comfortable around ANY of the Loustats. 18!Vik is the oddest one of all. He's the spitting image of the Leses, but no one knows him. But he seems to catch on the quickest out of everyone, like he knows/suspects what's going on, but he's very quiet & patient & sticks mostly to himself. He's most interested in bb!Vik, who's excited to have a big brother he can show off all his toys & comics to (Vik is quickly spoiled on a few plots--the most upset he's seemed to date).

It's only once the injured 1700s!Les & 1930s!Lou finally wake up that the truth starts coming out more:

1700s!Les had actually been chasing after 1700s!Lou, who'd run off with the girls to Paris. They were afraid of Les, cuz he was practically criminally insane--sick and sadistic, mean to Lou and the girls, a complete sociopath and psychopath. He was masking his fear that they'd leave him in extreme acts that only made them more desperate to leave than ever. 1700s!Loustat came to physical blows on the ship, and 5!Claud got between them and knocked Les overboard to get him away from Lou. But Lou jumped after Les, Claud accidentally(??) fell overboard (she's hard to read), and Mad jumped after Claud. Loustat & the girls magically washed ashore at the house.

1930s!Lou was indeed dropped from the sky--but Les did it intentionally. He had tried to wine & dine an increasingly disassocative Lou, who was depressed after their own 14!Claud had run away and been killed by another vamp (Bruce?Armand?). Les took Lou up into the air to try and be romantic, but they ended up arguing over Claud anyway. It got NASTY, and Lou spat "I hate you, let go of me!" Petty & vindictive, Les dropped him, and soon regretted it, but when he flew back down they were isekai'd.

18!Vik finally pipes up that he was sent to them by the Talamasca. He comes from a different dimension/time than book!Viktor. Dr Fareed still created Vik as Lestat's clone, but this Vik HATES that he grew to be an adult never knowing his father(s). He asked the Talamasca to help him find a way to make it so Les never missed out on Vik's childhood, and was never separated from Louis either. So the Talamasca sent Vik to this dimension, where he soon realizes that bb!Vik would end up raised in a broken home (mod!Loustat), or not be born at all (1700s/1930s Loustat) if Loustat didn't realize that they are a family, genuinely love each other, and that they need to learn to communicate better--not get into petty arguments, fisticuffs, or leave when things get hard.

So all three Loustats learn the error of their ways. No one divorces, amends are made between parents and children. They all go back to their proper timelines, but as better people. And 18!Vik is happy to know that even though he missed out on knowing his parents as a kid, he has eternity to get to know them now, and that at least Loustat in his timeline managed to figure all this stuff out without him, before dragging anymore of their kids into their mess. So Vik learned to appreciate what he already had; and everyone lives happily ever after.

Good for them and all--but I'm still sleep deprived.

[troybeecham]

Today, the Church remembers St. Joseph, the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus.

Ora pro nobis.

We know precious little about Joseph. We have his genealogy, and there are a few passages of Scripture that speak of him as a righteous man, who received visits from the angel Gabriel, took great risks to protect his family, and that he obeyed God even when everyone told him to denounce Mary. We do not know his age, when or where he was born or died. He is often portrayed as an elderly widower, though there is no evidence for such a characterization. Making him an elderly man is part of a theological argument for the perpetual virginity of Mary and making his brothers and sisters the children of Joseph from his first marriage. Again, this is only supposition. It could be the case, but it could also only be theological casuistry. We will only know at the resurrection. It was the standard practice of the age that children were betrothed at birth in marriages arranged between families. If this was the case, then he and Mary both would have only been around 13 years of age, the age of becoming an adult in that era. If this was the case, like Mary Joseph had a profound faith in God, even at such a young age, a faith upon which hinged the salvation of the world.

Joseph was presented with a difficult choice when his betrothed, Mary, was discovered to be pregnant. He had every right to renounce her, the consequences of which would have been severe for Mary, even deadly, and therefore for her unborn child, Jesus. The wondrous mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus, is often portrayed as only being dependent on Mary saying “yes” to God. The truth is, it also took Joseph saying “yes” to God, and the both of them together facing a life of being questioned, ridiculed, and misunderstood by their families and their communities. He was therefore entrusted with the raising and formation into adulthood the boy Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, his own Lord and Messiah. Imagine the blessing, the challenge, and the wonder of such a calling.

Thanks be to God, Joseph said “yes” to God, even knowing the consequences of saying “yes”.

Blessed Joseph, pray for us all, that we also might have the faith and the courage to say “yes” when God asks of us things that we do not understand, or that we understand will put us in compromising circumstances, perhaps for the remainder of our earthly lives. Pray that we will be willing to allow our lives to be complicated by God, and to see with the eyes of faith and wonder, especially when times are difficult and our lives bewildering.

O God, who from the family of your servant David raised up Joseph to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and the spouse of his virgin mother: Give us grace to imitate his uprightness of life and his obedience to your commands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.