#Replimoids

[calipsan]

[nalyra-dreaming]

I know it's early to say it, but I'm afraid to adapt the lore Replimoids aliens. The only person I know who has managed very well combining aliens with magic, supernatural and fantasy is Guillemro del Toro with his universe of the TV series Troll Hunters.

:) Well. Tbh, I think that is the only thing they skip from the books.

I think they'll skip the Replimoids and their origins, but keep alllllll the rest.

Which would then tie in very nicely with the other books and universes (and witches, and werewolves) imho.

[this-world-of-beautiful-monsters]

just sitting there making christmas presents listening to a vc podcast talking about the replimoids and how they look like owls and do weird shit with brains and had the horrible thought like. like what if Paul's birds were a reference to that.

[nansorella]

Lestat's face 😂

A gag originally from “Spongebob Squarepants” that I just had to apply to Armand and his outspoken opinion on the Replimoids. Benji and Sybelle helped him with the Powerpoint.

[autumnbrambleagain]

my favorite scene from interview with the vampire season 3

[v-e-l-v-e-t-g-o-l-d-m-i-n-e]

I'm always a bit mad about how often Anne retcons and changes her mind about stuff in her books, because there is so many things with potential in a book that she would completely abandon in the next

For example, I really like how in The Witching Hour, when Michael almost drowns in the sea and before Rowan saves him, he talks with the ghosts of the Eleven Witches (not twelve since Deirdre was still alive):

I think during this time Anne probably had not thought about Lasher's past and him being not human, things do feel different here. Anyway, Michael accepts 'the promise' but then forgets what it means, but he keeps remembering pieces of it and about the importance of "the doorway"

(Rowan is the doorway, meaning that she is the portal to bring Lasher into the world, but Michael doesn't know that and keeps wondering what it means for a long time)

And near at the end of the novel, when he almost dies again, he talks with the ghosts of the Witches again (other Mayfair ghosts are also present) and they keep bickering about who will come back first now that Lasher has made it:

I also love how annoyed they get that Michael's nervous breakdown is making their surroundings look bad

And then… nothing. This is pretty much forgotten in the next books and I think the only ghost we see again is Julien (and Stella in Blood Canticle). And I know the sequels would have to be very different novels if they played a big part, but I do wish we could have get more evil sassy ghosts of the witches, damn it

[solovelyanddry]

[sanctaignorantia]

Analysis, theories, spoilers and a bit of hate (maybe).

Sorry for the long text, I really can't control myself and if you start to hate me after it, well… I'm not sorry, but it's my opinion so I want to make it clear that, because it's my opinion, it's only up to me and if you agree, ok. But if you don't, just ignore it.

Let's go!

I was thinking recently about the way the series used Rashid who was an extremely small character in the book 'Blood and Gold' and then put him there as a name that Armand hides behind and then now, in the second season, we'll really get to know him. But for those who don't know, Rashid is one of Eudoxia's servants who appears in the book 'Blood and Gold' and just like Eudoxia he is extremely young ( circa 14-15 years old). Eudoxia was turned at the same age and then decided to create vampires just like her, she had them turn others because she always wanted to know what was going on in their minds. Marius ends up destroying her. Knowing this, I'm trying to conclude that perhaps the series won't use Eudoxia in the same way as the book did and therefore this part of Marius' story might not exist, or perhaps she'll arrive at a different age, in different circumstances (but I wish it didn't exist because that would automatically eliminate Zenobia and leave Avicus and Mael to live happily :D).

In short, Rashid was adapted differently, but the same. He doesn't have the same age and isn't connected to the same characters (as far as we know), but he continues to serve (this time for Armand).

Which makes me think of other possibilities.

When we think of adaptation, we automatically want the new media to be an exact copy of the original, but that doesn't always work. The story of the books "works" (or should work hahahaha) in the books and bringing it 100% faithfully to the series could be exhausting, especially when we're talking about a universe full of characters (with the vast majority of them being basically useless).

I keep coming back to this thought because I basically prefer the way the story is being told in the series to the way it is told in the books. I've read them all (except the crossover, no thanks) and now I keep creating these scenarios in my head, but let's get directly to the point.

For those of you who have read the 'Prince Lestat' trilogy, you know that the author simply decided to reboot the universe (as if this wasn't already done naturally with the inconsistencies and divergences in the books). And one of the things that made me very angry was what happened to Memnoch…

He first arrives as a demon or demonic creature who seduces Lestat and takes him on an intense and crazy journey through space and time, revealing a LOT of truth about a lot of things and for those who liked the spiritual vibe of the books, I think the book is a real treat, because it adds very much to the mythology of the universe in that respect. And we even find out a bit more about Amel. But then, when the book ends, we simply discover that Memnoch, just like any other malicious creature, has perfectly fooled Lestat (because our rockstar is very dumb). In conclusion, the book becomes a pit of useless information because you can't determine whether everything that has been revealed and contacted is really true…

Time passes and it becomes more and more something that is forgotten, until the author brings it back in the final trilogy, putting it into the mouths of the Replimoids (creatures and characters that nobody asked for) who end up saying, but without being very sure, because nobody in this universe is sure of anything, that perhaps Memnoch was Maxym, a Replimoid from the "Amel Era" in Atalantaya!

And don't worry, because the narrative about it gets so exhausting and big that you can't fix it in your mind, here's the quote:

As the author likes to do, you finish the trilogy and Memnoch has been forgotten again. This Replimoid shit to turn Amel into an innocent, lost and misunderstood child becomes so great that fuck the devil spirit.

Which, returning to the question of adaptation, makes me wonder what they could bring to the series. They bought all the books, right? That included the fucking Replimoid thing, I'm so sorry…

But then… The Replimoids have been on Earth for 12 thousand years… Much longer than any vampire soul, they are immortal, do not age and reproduce in an extremely uncontrolled way… If you have read the final books you know that a Replimoid is a great opponent for a vampire and they are so poorly used in the books, hmm… If we have Maxym who were one of them and became so spiteful and vengeful to the point of doing what he does to Lestat under the name Memnoch, because doesn't it say in the adaptation that they will come (finally and gloriously) as a true opponent against the vampires?

"Oh my god… But Amel was a Replimoid too!" - Wrong!

He's a mutated human, fuck that Replimoid thing with Amel. He has a human body, a human soul and he suffered on earth and in space (at the hands of other creatures) to have the end he did and become what he became (Oh poor thing, let's feed him - fuck him!) The author (IN MY OPINION, WHICH IS WORTH NOTHING, YOU KNOW) doesn't know how to develop villains or creatures that should serve as opponents for vampires, I don't think this is very well constructed in the universe and it makes me think that maybe I don't have patience to watch Akasha be adapted because she is a mediocre villain. Good luck to Rolin and the writers…

But back to Maxym and the Replimoid business… If they've been on Earth for more than 12 years and are immortal, nothing stops them from walking freely under any identity, after all, vampires do that too… Hmmm~ When I read Memnoch I thought: he's very smart, although he doesn't need much to fool Lestat, but it made me seem like a lot of Les's journey had been paved by Memnoch, that a lot of decisions Lestat made were under Memenoch's influence, so look how much power Memenoch has it!

We later discover that Amel also has a certain power of influence because he is what he is, that spirit at the center of the great web, the great brain that drives the vampires' existence.

And here I make a parenthesis because the introduction of this new race serves no purpose, you spend a long chapter reading Kapetria say about them and in the end no useful answer is answered:

How did Amel become such a spiteful spirit?

Because, when, how does he start to feed on blood if previously as a human he didn't need it?

Was it some spiritual influence that transformed him into this terrible being?

WHY IS SUDDENLY EVERYONE BEING GOOD WITH HIM??????? The guy killed several vampires indiscriminately, he was a huge threat and he convinces Rhosh to do what he does and he gets away with it???? Geez…

And if we have Maxym as a Replimoid walking on earth for 12,000 years being as bad as I want him to be, who's to say that he hasn't already crossed the path of another vampire, or that he's going to do so soon? And why do I say that? Because we have Filip playing this Maxim in the second season.

It's written differently, I know, but I don't think a change like that would bring disgrace to such a character, let's be honest…

-> Filip Finkelstejn as Maxim

And this has an almost 100% chance of being totally different when it comes out, I understand that, but if they put Fareed early in season 1, what's stopping them from inserting the Replimoids as well? What's to stop them from summarizing characters and saving space and time like they did with Rashid and still maintaining their purpose? And WHAT IF Maxym will be there to try and pave the way for Louis because the easiest way to get to Lestat is and always will be through Louis?

I'll let you guys think about it…

[nothing-but-paisley]

i've been thinking a lot about how a big part of the appeal of the Vampire Chronicles is that they basically feel like outsider art. They're imperfect and messy and the product of a DEEPLY idiosyncratic mind. Weird, horny shit happens with no apparent rhyme or reason. Parts of these books read like My Immortal but with better prose (in a good way).

A watsonian reason for this could be that they're written by vampires who don't think or experience time like mortals do and/or have any idea how a book works. I mean, do we really think Lestat is outlining his shit lol. This also explains why Interview is the most "literary," 3-act-structure having one, as it was compiled by human Daniel.

These bad boys don't provide anything so mundane as "satisfying" narrative beats or linear character arcs. Everyone's just circling the trauma vortex. Wondering what's going on with the wider vampire world in the wake of QotD? Too bad, enjoy a hallucinatory theological treatise in which Lestat Does Dante. You want a devil's minion reunion that isn't a throwaway line? Lol, fuck you, here's three hundred pages of Replimoids and also ghosts and also a guy who is a spirit made out of bees. Nobody learns anything. The world never stops being a Savage Garden. I think this is what makes the world of these books feel so vivid and "real." There's nothing sanitized about them and they're often incredibly frustrating. They are so utterly, breathtakingly bizarre.

I think about how these books were monster bestsellers thirty years ago and can't help feeling a little sad because I doubt mainstream audiences would tolerate this level of weirdness today.

[calipsan]

Opening of Season 8 of Interview with the Vampire:

Lestat and Louis come out of a movie theatre with a marquee reading:

Killer Replimoids from Atlantis

Louis: Wow, that was terrible.

Lestat: Yeah…Anyway.

[cbrownjc]

*sees myself tagged on this and decides I'm going to say a lot of what I've been holding back on saying about this -- because I can't help myself 😀*

Well, IDK if I'd consider Daniel getting a new body or a cloned body this season a big plot twist since new bodies and clones are actually in the books. It's just that none of that stuff has involved Daniel's character before, but other ones.

But yeah, I've pretty much been (mostly) predicting/theorizing that Daniel, at some point, would get a cloned/new body a few months after Season 1 ended. (Though mostly only in DMs with people.)

I just kind of thought it would be something that happened at the end of Season 4 or -- what seemed more likely to me -- in the middle of Season 5. Not toward the end of Season 2. But Eric posting that coffin picture . . . and then the spoiler/rumor about who Justin Kirk might be playing . . .

Look, I know some people wish for Eric to remain on the show. I love him as Daniel too, and think making Daniel older was a great take. And hell, if what happens is what I think will happen, Daniel will still be older in mind, if not in body anymore.

But I've kind of always felt it was in the cards that Eric wouldn't be on the show for the 10 full seasons that AMC wants or even just the 8 Seasons Rolin Jones has talked about. And the minute I learned about Vickor in the Prince Lestat book, and then later little things about the Replimoids (as I actually haven't been too spoiled about all of that yet, just about what ends up happening with Amel) . . . I knew that either a new body or a cloned body would very likely be in the cards for Daniel.

And that whichever one they went with, that "new" Daniel would more than likely be played by "old" Daniel. And, by "old" Daniel I don't mean Eric, I mean Luke Brandon Field.

I think whatever the show does, a new actor will not be cast to play Daniel once the show does whatever it does with older Daniel. It will just be Luke Brandon Field playing Daniel, full-time in both the past flashbacks and in the present, too, afterward. Whether it involves Daniel getting a cloned body or a new body.

Again though, I really thought we'd be looking at this happening around the end of Season 4 or Season 5, not Season 2. But lately, I really have been feeling that this all might very much happen at the end of Season 2.

As I and others, including Rolin Jones, have talked about, Louis and Daniel parallel each other. If Louis does attempt what he does in Merrick at the end of Season 2, that means Louis is going to go through a transformation when he is saved.

And I really feel that means that Daniel, too, will also go through some sort of transformation as well. Either at the end of Season 2 or the beginning of Season 3. One that, just like Louis', will be permanent. And because I still feel it's way too soon for Daniel to become a vampire (and I don't think the show will have anyone other than Armand do such a thing) . . . then, IMO, that means Daniel's soul and consciousness getting placed a new, healthy body. Cloned or otherwise.

I also think this might be one of the reasons some people have been feeling Daniel might die at the end of the season. Because he will, in a way, but he also will not.

Anyway, all that said, I actually don't think this might be the twist that isn't in the books that is being hinted at by Sam. I think it might be something very simple, such as Louis and Armand not fully going their separate ways after they "split." I've actually said before that I think Louis and Armand will exchange the break-up dialogue they do in the books in this scene --

-- but they won't go their separate ways in the end. This means that not only would Louis be around for The Devil's Minion stuff, but Armand and Daniel both might be around if/when Louis reunites with Lestat, either in New Orleans (if that event actually happens or not) but during Lestat's rockstar era if that event has already happened too (which I'm still of the opinion that it has).

Or it could have something to do with a kind of "replacement event" that happened instead of Akasha rising in QotD. I'm starting to lean more on the side of Akasha having not risen yet (even though Lestat still did his rockstar thing) and some other event -- such as maybe Enkil rising and doing something different than what Akasha will do instead? -- happening instead.

Anyway, I think the twist might be something that doesn't happen in the books, but also isn't something that is a major plot point change, such as Claudia not dying would be IMO. You can get away with Akasha not rising in the 1980s when Lestat has his rock career and something else happening instead in place of it. Claudia's death, otoh, is a fundamental story point that changes the whole narrative of the story if it's removed.

So yeah, that's what I'm going with at the moment. Because maybe what happened instead of Akasha rising will also go into explaining why Daniel wasn't turned which, in itself, is also something that didn't happen in the books.

Because in the books, Daniel was turned in the 1980s but, in the show, he wasn't.

Whatever happened in the 1980s that led to Daniel's memories being altered and him being let go instead of turned might be a hint toward something that will happen that wasn't in the books that Sam is talking about here.

Because it all might have something to do with something much more, and much bigger than Daniel just being let go to live some happy family life with Alice. (And before anyone says it no, I still do not think Lestat was the one who altered Daniel's memories. Marius, yes. Armand, still possible. Lestat, no).

What big plot twist do you think will happen this season? This made me scared, everyone already knows that ep5 happened differently, could Sam be talking about something else?

Oh... I don't think I have a definite answer here *laughs*

My gut feeling... says it's connected to the (possible) Amel hint we might have seen already (in ep5 & 6).

I... I mean. Let's dissect what Sam says a bit:

an unreliable element to the books (memory? contested stuff?) that this twist (seems to build on)

it's not necessarily the truth (once more)

the order of things (the order of the books? another mix-up by pulling other events forth?)

the twist is "really fucking cool" and can be "justified" by the above

Let's keep in mind that the show/Rolin has already stated that they want to keep Jacob and we know that he took these pebbles and spread them around NOLA and we have this image:

... in s1 there was talk of "a brute in Madagascar", where I for one couldn't come up with who that might be.

... That brute does not necessarily need to be involved.

However, staring at this quote (lol), these are my thoughts:

I think it will have to do with Louis (and by extension Lestat)

I think it could have to do with Amel

I think it might have to do with the brute

I'm not convinced Louis will become the core

I think whatever they came up with lies within the rules of this universe...

... but is still so far out Sam needed to think about it

Another incident of Louis being... well, incapacitated is in Blood Communion. Maybe they switched the iron for the pebbles... if you catch my drift^^. If they bring in Rhoshamandes here already, and if Rhoshamandes would actually ... IDK... steal the core? As he tried to do?

However, that doesn't explain why Sam would need to "justify" it.

And, as with the DV in episode 5... when he says there is justification...

... I think it must have to do with them. Meaning Louis, Lestat (or Claudia). One possible twist could be to have Claudia actually survive, however, I think that would have repercussions for all the rest of the books, as said before. Which... might what he is talking about here?! But then Louis would be out and looking for her, as said before, I don't think that would work.

In this universe the books have not been published yet, so the event Armand warns of in s1 might happen... but again, I don't see it as needing to be "justified".

On the other hand there was this rather intriguing pic by Eric Bogosian a while back, where he posted the coffin pic.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eric Bogosian (@ericbogosian)

I do not think that "The Devil's Minion" is ready for Daniel to get turned next season.

So maybe, just maybe this has to do with him.

Maybe it has to do with a change to Daniel. Maybe he will get a new body. One that has been prepared and is waiting for him. Who knows. (tagging @cbrownjc here for reasons^^)

I don't know. My gut feeling says Louis or Daniel, but since Sam says it is not "in the books", then... well. He also says it is "in this season", so maybe it isn't the finale after all. But preparing the finale.

Whatever it will be I think they will hook it into the rules of the universe, so that when we see it... we will know^^.

But I honestly cannot guess what it is yet.

(well, apart from the above, lol)

[hekateinhell]

Behind the Scenes of Blood Communion — Armand & The Kidnappings:

I’ve yapped about Armand in Blood Communion often enough over the years (it does feature one of my all-time favorite Armand moments), and I was always curious as to what was going on in Anne’s mind when she was busy plotting what would become the final book in The Vampire Chronicles—specifically re: the kidnappings and the explosive Lestat/Armand scene in the later half of the book.

Well, her diaries do give us the slightest insight into one of those things at least…

September 2, 2017

Anne has already mentioned Rose being Rhosh’s first victim and Viktor the second. Here is where she continues immediately after Viktor:

Then he [Rhoshamandes] takes Armand —

No casket comes — But they’ve intensified their hunt — on water —

Then he takes Louis — the most spectacular of all — burning novels of the Chateau — almost destroying Chrysanthe — 

Lestat wants to give himself up.

Think about the order of abductions —

He [Rhoshamandes] + Lestat bargain —

But near dawn —

Maybe only Louis + Armand.

His first vengeance is on the Replimoid buildings — in London —

So… so far it’s tentatively Rose, Viktor, Armand, and Louis that are kidnapped. Gabrielle and Marius haven’t been mentioned as of yet.

However, skipping ahead from page 135 to page 137 where she circles back to this that same day, Marius now enters the chat (briefly):

Louis + Armand are likely enough - I need to think about what he [Rhoshamandes] does - Maybe he should attempt to steal Marius + fail. And then burns the village - the sprinklers save much but the chaos is awful. Then he burns Armand’s house in St. Germain de Pres —

September 3, 2017

Anne remembers Gabrielle exists:

I forgot Gabrielle. Louis, Armand, Gabrielle — the braid in the ashes.

Lestat bargains — 15 minutes of talk to bargain for his life.

It’s Louis, Armand, and Gabrielle for the time being. No Rose, Viktor, or Marius.

September 15, 2017

Anne ‘appears’ to have decided on her group of three:

Rhosh has abducted Gabrielle + Louis + Armand.

Lestat has decided to give himself up. —

I always thought at first glance that Louis, Armand, and Gabrielle would make the most sense here tbh. There’s a fandom joke that Lestat would fall in love a McDonald’s apple pie if it was warm out of the microwave and that’s so fucking true! He loves a lot and easily, that’s always been one of my favorite aspects of his personality. I love that he loves love. 🥹 But there are three people that Lestat tends to group together one after the other over and over…

“Whatever happens, it will be worth it,” I said. “That is, if you and I, and Gabrielle, and Armand . . . and Marius are together even for a short while, it will be worth it.” ~ Lestat to Louis, TVL

She [Akasha] stared at me in silence; it seemed she would strike out at me; her face became that of a statue again; and I thought, Well, the moment is now. I will die the way I saw Azim die. I can't save Gabrielle or Louis. I can't save Armand. ~ Lestat, QotD

At the door, I turned and kissed Gabrielle again. I felt her body collapse against me for an instant; then her attention locked on Akasha. I felt the faint tremor in her hands as she touched my face. I looked at Louis, my seemingly fragile Louis with his seemingly invincible composure; and at Armand, the urchin with the angel's face. Finally those you love are simply . . . those you love. ~ Lestat, QotD

While there are accessible drafts of her earlier works, if any hardcopy drafts of the VC books exist beyond Blood Canticle, they’re not presently listed at Tulane last I checked. I don’t think she documented in her diaries when she made the decisions for what would become the final canon events here (as far as I can find yet, anyway, there’s a lot I still have to go through). So who knows when, where, and why her original vision evolved, as most novels do before they make it into our hands.

Ultimately as a fan of both Armand and Lestat and their relationship, I’m glad Anne went in the direction that she did! It’s my favorite scene in the book for a lot of reasons—so dramatic and raw and angsty all-around. 🥰 And they end the series on such a sweet and tender note, I have no complaints (especially since I came into the fandom when Blood Canticle was the final word on Lestat and we never heard about Armand post-Blood & Gold). I think it was necessary for them to go through that ordeal together and to finally have their shared baggage and history laid out in the open! Perhaps Anne thought the same? So while I hands-down prefer the canon version, I also do enjoy the alternate possibilities for fic fodder… you know, what if? ;) 

SHOUT OUTS: @somevagrantchild for the photographs taken during our Tulane trip and for letting me use them! ♥️ And of course @apoptoses for digging through hundreds of images to help me find what I was looking for, and for helping me decipher Anne’s handwriting. 🥸

[forgotn1]

I want IWTV to get like 20 seasons. Not just because I love how well they're portraying all of the characters I've loved since I was a teenager, but also because I want it to last long enough to get to the truly batshit stuff from the final two books. Once Anne came back to the series after swearing it off for god, things got Weird. Amel's history as the creator and ruler of Atlantis, Replimoids, the birdlike aliens known as the Parents. Shit really goes off the rails when they go back to the origins of vampirism in the world and I want to see how they'd bring that to the screen.

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep6 Musings - Dead Blood, a retcon(?)

Plenty of posts state that vamps can't drink Dead Blood, and I just wanted to touch on something Madeleine & Claudia discussed:

Now, I've discussed how frikkin delicious (human) blood is to vamps:

ANY blood can feed vamps--including animal blood, as we all know from book!Loustat eating rats & cats (even birds in the movie), and especially Gabrielle & Mekare, who hunted animals in the wilderness, far away from human civilization. Vampires ARE blood-drinkers after all; it's what they DO. Claudia's right: It's FOOD; even junk food can get you by.

But the fandom's been hung up/confused/misled about Dead Blood for decades, thanks to the IWTV movie.

A big problem with the Alphabettery's that its entry on Dead Blood (and Claudia's Murder Plot vs Lestat) directly contradicts what's in the effing BOOK--instead, it's following the MOVIE, too.

First off: the Dead Blood wasn't what sickened/paralyzed Lestat, it was the poisonous absinthe & laudanum she laced the boys' food with--Les guzzled down a frikkin horse tranq.

Second: the book explicitly shows more than once that the boys were still alive when Les drained (& sexually molested *cough*) them:

In TVL, AR's second book, she already contradicts the whole Dead Blood thing when Lestat is tortured by Armand in the Theatre before the Trial.

Les was starved, and raving mad, and Armand fed him corpses to drink from. (I discuss the effects of vampire "starvation" here.)

The whole thing about drinking from the dead was tied to the anathema of vamps (as dead things) drinking up Death, to stay alive.

Les explained to Claudia that drinking after the heart stopped made vampires "SICK to death."

Magnus told Lestat explicitly that NOTHING can kill vampires except the sun/fire (which is only 75% true--the BRAIN is what really matters, as I've explained). But he did warn Les not to drink dead blood--

--cuz Magnus assumed that newborn fledgling Les wouldn't be "strong enough to feel that great moment" of drinking in death, the way an older vampire could--and we know that the Children of the Millennia love to drink dead blood--eating their victims' heart & BRAIN after they were already dead--cuz those organs are where the best/strongest blood is--more on that in my Cannibalism post.

But Les almost immediately broke this rule--cuz Lestat is THE rule breaker (hence why him raving about the Great Laws makes no effing sense).

Fledgling Les kept drinking his victims' blood after they were dead, and it didn't kill him--he felt a "wallop," as he couldn't move in his "rolling delirium."

The Alphabettery described the side effects of Dead Blood as getting "sick...to the point of paralysis," corpse-stiff with rigor mortis. For WEAKER vamps, yes, it can make them feel "sick to death," and even Les' was bowled over, delirious & immobile. But this isn't cuz Dead Blood is inherently DEADLY, like poison (a la the movie); but cuz of the overwhelming affect of FEELING that "great moment" of death--it's psychological as much as it's physical.

Most vamps can't HANDLE the GUILTY FEELING of killing--they can't handle what death feels like. Hence why they're always running from their OWN death, by drinking the blood of the living just to FEEL alive again.

Vamps are inherently SCARED of death--they AVOID being around it, and even being around their own dead victims.

It's the same with tasting death. Magnus said only vamps who are STRONG enough can drink Dead Blood, and FEEL death without themselves wanting to curl up and die with their victims. Tasting death paralyzes them--makes their limbs heavy, tense, & lock up; forced to reconcile their (im)mortality & unnatural body--just like how Pandora & Lestat wept when they first used the Cloud Gift, hating how inhuman it made them feel. Being a vampire is HARD--it's a blow to the human conscience; and drinking death wallops them.

The horrible treatment of the Replimoids/aliens like Derek was cuz their bodies provided limitless amounts of blood vamps could gorge themselves on, as Replimoids never die from bloodloss--they don't NEED blood to live.

We see Rhoshamandes experience feeling death "pass into" him in PL, when he eats Khayman's brain:

He seemed to swoon, either from ecstasy or nausea isn't clear--eyes fogging up and heart racing. But the Dead Blood in Khayman's brain was still "delicious."

In PLatRoa, Rhosh was instructed by Roland that drinking from the aliens was the perfect buffet, cuz there's no Death to drink or feel "pass into" a vamp, if the victim can't ever die from being drained.

The issue of vamps drinking immortal/Deathless Replimoid blood brings me to another point. When drinking Armand's corpses in TVL, Les said something important about "sucking up what was left."

As AR developed her lore, it becomes clear(er) that what vamps are sucking up is not actually blood, but MAGIC--the spiritual life force within blood, that AMEL (as a spirit/ghost) feeds on in order to live.

Maharet explains it in QotD:

Amel, a "spirit of the air" that served as Maharet & Mekare's familiar in their witchcraft, was addicted to blood--not just the magic in it, but also the "taste;" that he "fed" on.

The GOAT Mekare explained that even invisible spirits are still material bodies--they have matter, that can absorb & experience things through our 5 senses--inc. taste.

AR contradicts herself in TVL when first she says Les drinking Dead Blood tasted so "exquisite" that he forgot to stop when the heart did; he just kept going. But then in the Trial, Les said drinking dead blood from the corpses Armand gave him was "cold, nauseating, the worst." I suspect that for fledgling vamps, who're much closer to Amel at the moment of creation, they can't discern the difference between living & dead blood--blood is just blood--"it's FOOD, I need it;" and as a baseline ofc it tastes good--cuz ALL blood tastes good to Amel, too. Khayman's Dead Blood was "delicious" to Rhosh. But as they settle into their vampiric bodies, drink more blood, and age over time, their attitudes/sensitivity towards different blood types gradually changes, too--cuz we see this in Amel, too.

Amel drank the blood of the living AND the dead--from people, and from blood sacrifices (which he would "slurp up" (I assume from the altar floor & whatever bowls were laid out on them)). The animals/people and the blood itself would be "dead." Drinking any blood made Amel feel "slow"--as in heavy/more material/physical/CORPOREAL--ALIVE again.

When Amel took possession of Akasha, and revived her corpse from death (thus becoming the Sacred Core of the mother of all vampires), Amel used Akasha (and all vamps spiritually linked to her through the Silver Cord, luracastria, magic, etc), as conduits to feed his bloodlust.

Amel's called "the spirit of the vampiric Blood." But although corporeal/alive inside Akasha, as more blood-drinking vamps were made, Amel's Sacred Core/"rootness" became stretched too thin.

As a (former) spirit/ghost, Amel's "etheric self" was trapped in Akasha's body; similar to how (former) spirit/ghost Gremt was trapped in the synthetic(?) body of flesh & blood he created after witnessing Amel take Akasha's body; made "too solid, separate and individual."

Gremt's corporeal body appreared so real/complete/alive that Lestat could drink Gremt's synthetic(?) "sweet, luscious" blood just fine--

--cuz blood is blood; and Les couldn't tell the difference between this former spirit/ghost's fake(?) blood; and a real humans' blood. Cuz Gremt is pure SPIRIT--and vampires drinks SPIRITS/life forces/magic in the blood.

But interestingly, when Les drank the Replimoid/alien Kapetria's "extraordinary, rich, irresistible, sweet" blood; it was like he started tripping on acid.

Upon drinking Kapetria's blood, Les started hallucinating his worst triggers--the Witches Place, Memnoch, and Claudia's Murder Plot, screaming "Put me in my coffin."

It was so bad he had to be carried out the room--the effect so bad it was like he HAD drunk Dead Blood. Which is odd, cuz Rhosh & Roland never experienced this with Derek. But then again, neither of them held the Sacred Core when they drank from a Replimoid.

I reckon Les was so badly affected cuz--with Amel's Sacred Core in him--he was too close to the Repolimoids to feed on them; it's cannibalism in a too-literal sense. Although "every cell in me was satisfied and upheld by the blood"--cuz there's still a spirit/soul in Replimoids--Les was still overloaded with Kapetria's luracastria. It hit him like Dead Blood would to a weak vamp--cuz luracastria's what makes old vamps turn to stone, like TWMBK--their bodies go heavy, stiff, rigor mortis.

He's not drinking Death with Kapetria; he's drinking life itself (and thus is faced with HIS old life); similar to how vamps drinking vampire blood from the Elders/CoM gives them a better "high" than drinking from regular fledglings--let alone humans.

When Les drank Rhosh's Dead Blood from his brain, it was "so sweet and strong," lighting him up like he was on fire/warm like he'd "never been cold"; "beatific, grand beyond imagining." When Les recovered from the swoon (ecstasy, NOT nausea), Rhosh's blood was "a fine scaffolding of steel supporting me."

Les encouraged his Vampire Court to cannibalize the rest of Rhosh's corpse, and drink his "powerful" Dead Blood to suck up the vitality/strength/power in the life force still lingering in Rhosh's corpse.

As such, here, I disagree with AMC!Claudia's insistence that "life's mystery" isn't in the Blood. I think this is her downplaying just how much she loves/needs blood (just like she downplayed her dreams/nightmares); esp. considering what Louis said about her being afraid she "can't stop" if she takes "a sip" of Madz's blood--knowing what happened to Charlie & her inability to perform the Little Drink like an older/stronger vamp can. You see the raw THIRST on Claudia's face as she fights not lunging at Madz! Cuz at the end of the day, for vamps ("hungry ghosts" in other cultures), ALL BLOOD IS LIFE.

[desertfangs]

“ why are you talking like we’ll never see each other again? ” + lestat! thank you 🥰

I don't know why I seem to be stuck on the Prince Lestat era lately, but he's some post-PLROA Lestat/Armand arguing. About 1200 words.

Lestat stands in the doorway of Armand’s bedroom, watching as he carefully folds clothes and puts them into his suitcase. He tries to tamp down the rising panic that climbs up his throat and wonders if this is how Armand felt back in the late 80s, when they all started to pack up and leave The Night Island. 

“So it’s true? You’re taking your fledgling and absconding back to your stronghold in New York?” 

Armand glances over at him, expression unreadable. “That’s not what ‘absconding’ means.” 

Lestat waves a dismissive hand. He certainly has no desire to argue semantics. “I thought you supported this Court.” 

Armand smooths out a shirt on the top of his suitcase. “I’ve been here, haven’t I? Though my contributions are pushed aside, I endure it, because of my support for you.” 

“And yet now you’re retreating at the first opportunity!” Lestat argues. “I should forbid it!”

Armand rounds on him, eyes bright and full of fury. “Oh, do try and decree my required presence at your castle. I look forward to shattering your illusions.” 

Lestat huffs. He knows, of course, that if he and Marius begged and pleaded, Armand might stay. And Daniel will do what his maker does right now. The two are enamored with one another again. But Marius refuses to plead or apologize for the fight they’d had over the Replimoids. And Lestat will not beg. 

Armand goes to his closet and pulls down several suits. Then he retrieves a garment bag and starts the process of zipping the suits into it. 

“How long will you be gone?” Lestat asks.

Armand shrugs. “As long as Daniel and I desire.” 

“And what if you’re needed?” Armand doesn’t respond so he adds, “You’re an invaluable part of this Coven.” 

Armand gives him a hard look and lays the garment bag flat on the bed. “Why are you talking like we’ll never see each other again? You can traverse the ocean in hours and I have an army of planes. If I’m needed, I’ll come.” He turns back to study his luggage and adds, so quietly it’s nearly inaudible, “But you already know that.” 

Lestat sighs. If Armand leaves for a bit, taking young Daniel with him, so what? It’s just two of them. But the problem is that it’s like a party. Once one couple heads out, the others might start looking around and consider doing the same. And before long, he’ll be rattling around an empty castle, a Prince to everyone and no one. Alone. 

“I’ll command Marius to apologize,” he offers. 

Now Armand looks furious, his russet hair a fiery mane around his pale face as his amber eyes burn into Lestat. “You will mind your own business.” He hisses the words, his tone caustic. 

Lestat remains still, as if afraid he might provoke him further. The truth is, anger is radiant on him and only makes Lestat want to reach out and touch him, even if the result is getting bitten. After a long moment, he asks, “How can I convince you to stay?” 

Armand’s glare softens and his forehead crinkles the tiniest bit, such subtle change that a mortal might not even notice it. He opens his mouth to speak but then Daniel appears in the doorway, holding his own suitcase, a garment bag slung over his shoulder. He looks from Armand to Lestat and then, sensing he’s interrupting something, asks, “What’s going on?” 

“Lestat is wishing us bon voyage,” Armand says tersely, and he glares at Lestat, daring him to argue. 

Damn his timing! Lestat is sure he was chipping away at Armand’s resolve but one look at fledgling packed and ready to go, and all that progress is lost. Not that Lestat can blame him, not really. Daniel is a pretty thing, and he has such an easy air about him. No wonder the little imp wants to secret him away for some private time. 

Lestat starts to protest, but then Daniel smiles at him, and it’s disarming. “Thanks, man. You know, if you can get away, you should come visit. Everyone needs a break.” 

He’s so genuine and there’s a bounce in his step, a lightness in the way he lays his garment bag on top of Armand’s and then sits on the bed. He looks thrilled to be getting away with his maker. They haven’t had much time alone, that is true, and perhaps they deserve it. 

But Lestat needs Armand here, at his side. It’s where he belongs.

Besides, if he heads back to New York, what will stop Louis from deciding to join him? God knows he still calls the damnable townhouse home! And Sybelle and Benji and then Marius… It’s a house of cards and once Armand is removed, it all collapses. 

“Actually, I just suggesting that you two remain here,” Lestat says.

Daniel frowns slightly and looks at Armand, who’s too busy staring daggers at Lestat to look at him. “Do you want to stay?” he asks his maker. 

“No,” Armand says immediately. He closes his suitcase and pulls it to the floor, handing the handle to Daniel. “Will you take our luggage to the car? The plane will be ready in an hour and I’d like to leave shortly.” 

Again, Daniel looks from Lestat to Armand, uncertain, but then he does as he’s told, gathering up their luggage and obeying his maker. “See you later, man,” Daniel says to Lestat, and then he’s gone. 

“Must you be so selfish!” Armand hisses. “ I’ve given you everything: Louis, my house to call a Coven House, my counsel, which is repeatedly brushed aside.” 

Lestat opens his mouth and Armand steps closer, the one motion so imposing that Lestat immediately closes it again.

“And now I’m taking Daniel home. You can reach me if and when you desire, but you will not stand in my way.” 

Armand storms passed him out of the bedroom and into the rest of the apartment. He stops at the door to pull on a coat.

“What if they all leave?” Lestat blurts, unable to keep the nagging fear inside a moment longer.

Armand stops, mid-button, and looks at him. This time his expression is softer, more angelic. He sighs. “You cannot hold Court together by sheer force of will. You must build a Court that will endure no matter who comes or goes.” 

Lestat frowns. He doesn’t want to hear that. He wants reassurance. He wants Armand to stay. But Armand stubbornly finishes buttoning up his coat and lifts his auburn hair so it’s not caught in the collar. 

Then he turns and stares at Lestat for a long time. “Take advantage of the time it affords you with Louis,” Armand says. “And Daniel is right: you’re welcome to visit if the inclination strikes.” 

“Ah yes, so I can bring Louis and he can find some excuse to stay behind!” Lestat shouts.

Armand does not quite roll his eyes but he comes close. “Louis is perfectly capable of making his own decisions about where he wishes to reside. If you cannot keep him…”

Lestat hisses, the sound coming out of him unbidden, the frustration untenable. “You insufferable little imp!” 

“And that is why I’m taking my leave,” Armand says sharply. He turns and goes, closing the door behind him, leaving Lestat alone in his chambers. 

“You’ll be back!” he yells through the door, knowing that Armand will hear it. But the damned little cherub  doesn’t respond or return to argue the point.

So Lestat stands there trying to ignore the chasm in his chest that expands as he listens to his footsteps retreating down the hall. 

[thequeenofsastiel]

I really want IWTV to cover at least the last few novels, because I very much want to see them do the "actually vampires came from replimoid aliens" storyline.