#also ONLY tv show louis has rights

[averrse]

ten favorite characters from ten different fandoms.

Kelsier - Mistborn

Niclays Roos - The Priory of the Orange Tree

Daniel Jackson - Stargate

Tracker - Black Leopard Red Wolf

Tylendel Frelennye - The Last Herald Mage Trilogy

Oree Shoth - The Inheritance Trilogy (NK Jemisin)

Louis de Pointe du Lac - Interview with the Vampire (TV show)

Joe Macmillan - Halt and Catch Fire

Laurence - Bloodborne

Locke Cole - Final Fantasy

tagged by: nobody i wanted to do it tagging: @obrechenniye @stcrmhund @therooftopsofketterdam @knifeathers and whoever wants to do it~

[perseidlion]

The Interview With the Vampire TV show is a perfect example of how adaptations do not have to follow the source material closely to be an excellent adaptation.

(This is a spoiler-free commentary, but it does discuss the dynamics of the characters in general.)

I read the books back in the day, and of course, saw the original movie. Despite a laundry list of big changes, the series still feels extremely true to the books because it captures the spirit. It gets the characters and their fucked-up dynamics right. It doesn't shy away from them being melodramatic monsters. It keeps to the rules established in the source material. The show also makes sure to preserve key moments and key scenes, but always with a twist.

Since they did that, they were free to shift things in time, amp up and adapt certain dynamics, and change the race of characters in a way that deepens the story and complicates already extremely complicated power dynamics.

The original movie stuck more closely to the era and the appearance of the characters as described by Anne Rice, but I don't think the story loses anything by changing those two elements. In fact, it gives it modern relevance and room for political and social commentary.

I have never ascribed to the idea that an adaptation has to be slavishly accurate to the source material to be a good adaptation. It just has to be smart enough to identify what to keep and what can change. An adaptation adapts. Honestly, I find it boring when I see exactly what was in a book up on screen with no surprises. Where's the fun in that?

The difference between a good adaptation and a bad one is not how accurate it is to the source material, but how well the adaptation respects what made the story compelling to begin with.

What's important here?

Lestat is dramatic and powerful and a monster who is deeply charismatic, but also manipulative.

Louis is overdramatic and self-hating, but oddly drawn to Lestat.

Claudia is fierce, but bitter about her eternal childhood.

Their relationship is deeply toxic but with true affection. They are monsters, but monsters capable of intense love and devotion - to the point where it has the power to destroy them.

THAT is at the core of this story. THAT is what they keep intact. This frees up all sorts of avenues for play around a few key plot beats.

This room for play also gives opportunities to expand on thinner characters or rewrite them entirely. It's been a long time since I read the books, but I don't recall Daniel standing out as more than a framing device, especially in earlier books. But in the show, he's one of the best parts. Not only does he take a much more active role in the story, he delivers some of the most hilarious and cutting lines of the entire series. If the show had stuck closely to the source material, we wouldn't have this Daniel.

It was also smart of them to make Claudia a few years older. The eternal child element is preserved, but the layer of arrested teenaged hormones and womanhood that will never blossom adds an extra layer of angst and sadness. She is stuck forever in a state of rebellion, never allowed to settle and come into her own.

Having her be a young Black woman also deepens her attachment to Louis, visually, socially and symbolically. They are different from Lestat and they understand each other in a way he never can. She's still very much the Claudia from the book but with layers added to deepen her character and add new, fresh dynamics and complications.

It's also delightful to see the show take the homoeroticism that was subtextual in the early books with Louis and Lestat (and in the original film) and making it unapologetically text. Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles have always been incredibly queer and subversive, but it's amazing to see that side of it fully embraced and stated plainly with no ambiguity or qualifiers or hints. It's queer and that queerness is woven into the fabric of the entire narrative. Louis and Lestat are the toxic beating heart of the Vampire Chronicles.

It's also important because we need messy, dark, fucked-up queer narratives. Sweet, coming-of-age stories and romances are of course, important - especially for younger queer people. But us older queer folk not only want to see ourselves in multiple genres, we want permission to see imperfect, messy, and yes, even evil characters. It's a way of reclaiming the monstrous queer that was villainized for so long and making it our own. We want to find something beautiful in the dark.

If we all thought about it, we could probably think of dozens of examples where a show or movie went far off-script from the source material and was still an excellent adaptation.

Interview With the Vampire is just the most recent and one of the best examples of a stellar adaptation that respects the source material but also builds and expands on it.

I look forward to seeing how they surprise me next season.

[iwillneverforgiveyousunghanbin]

french press

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

wc: 1.2k reader: femme/gender neutral (gender warnings: reader is wearing lingerie, reader "pushes t*ts together" -- you've been warned) warnings: smut 18+; MINORS DNI!!! -- specific warnings under the cut -- also some angst and some funny stuff summary: jiwoong has a biiit of a jealousy problem. he's so jealous rn that he won't even touch you :( with his permission, you take matters into your own hands (and onto his thigh). *ੈ✩‧₊˚ oh helloooo. long time no see. decided to write something for the hell of it. maybe i'll write some more soon...

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

~

warnings: 18+ explicit smut, thigh-riding, penetrative sex (reader receiving), descriptions of cum (reader's and jw's), unprotected sex, cumming inside, jealousy/toxicity, swearing, pet names (baby, angel)

also the title is VERY clever. french press: french masseusse pierre and... mating press. i'll leave now.

~

“baby,” you whine, pushing your arms together a bit to accentuate your tits. “don’t you wanna touch? you love touching my tits.”

the sheer, black lingerie set you were saving for a special occasion is hugging every curve of your body perfectly as you straddle your boyfriend. a garter belt squeezing around your right thigh, you know you’re irresistible to anyone with a pulse.

but apparently your boyfriend has passed away since he sat down on the couch with a huff twenty minutes ago. he’s still warm though and that’s permission enough for you to let him have it.

“oh my god,” you groan; smacking your hand on the leather armrest like a frustrated child. “woongie! want you to touch me so bad.”

“well, you should’ve thought of that before you let another man put his hands all over you,” jiwoong answers-- head turning to the side in the ultimate display of pettiness. 

you sigh exasperatedly. “it was a massage, woongie. a professional one that you paid for!”

“so?” he asks with a pout. “are you suggesting i’m a cuckold by my own doing?”

“you are the only one suggesting that actually,” you reply, running your hands down his clothed chest. “the only thing i’m suggesting is that you fuck me. and i’m strongly suggesting it.”

“oh yeah?” jiwoong responds, one eyebrow raised in interest. “are you sure those words aren’t actually meant for pierre: the unnecessarily handsome french masseuse?”

“you literally gave me a gift certificate for my birthday!” you exclaim, hitting his chest lightly in frustration. “baby, i tried to request an ugly massage therapist. the woman at the desk looked at me like i was being rude. and i was! for you.”

jiwoong’s eyes go straight to your barely-covered core and you think for a second he’s finally about to give in. “you asked for an ugly masseuse and she gave you a former louis vuitton runway model? i should’ve just given you tickets to magic mike live!”

“kim jiwoong-ah, if you don’t fck me right now, i swear to god,” you threaten emptily, sinking down on one of his grey sweatpant-adorned thighs. “i’m just gonna use you however i want.”

jiwoong folds his arms across his chest in a final act of defiance, attention returning to the tv screen. “knock yourself out.”

it takes everything in you not to whine like a little spoiled brat, but you manage to suppress it. instead, you grind a little harder down onto jiwoong’s thigh. his legs are lazily spread apart in the most enticing way. you could reach right down his pants and grab him in your hands (a tried and true method that jiwoong loves), but you have something to prove too.

so you repeat the grinding motion, your heat connecting again with the toned flesh of your boyfriend’s perfect thighs. at first it’s just for show-- you need his attention and you’ll do anything you have to to get it back.

but after a few moments, a soft moan escapes your throat. jiwoong’s breath audibly hitches; his body stiffening a bit at the sound of your pleasure. despite this, his eyes stay fixed on the screen.

as a familiar knot grows just below your stomach, you almost start to forget about your goal. maybe it’s desperation speaking, but riding your boyfriend’s thigh is actually a lot more stimulating than you thought it’d be. 

“fuck,” you whine, increasing your pace involuntarily. your hands are gripping the back of the couch, eyes closing as you rapidly approach your high.

suddenly, jiwoong’s thigh grows harder-- a sturdier surface for you to grind on. he’s flexing his muscles for you, helping you reach your climax like the perfect boyfriend he is.

“gonna cum all over my thigh, baby?” jiwoong asks, voice already noticeably fucked out. it’s not a mystery who won this game. “gonna make a mess all over my pants like a fucking angel?”

“i--... oh my god, i--...” you cry, strong hands finding your hips and guiding them down for you onto his thigh. you place your hand gently at the base of jiwoong’s neck, pulling at the collar of his shirt and toying with his collarbone. “i--... ‘m cumming...”

pleasure taking over, you reach your high as jiwoong continues to guide your hips for you. “woongie, love you. love you so much.”

your eyes flutter open to see jiwoong’s cheeks flushed, his eyes locked on your core. you look down to find that you have made a pretty little mess, honey dripping from you and soaking his grey sweatpants. he lifts you ever so slightly up and back down, watching as your juices seep through your sheer panties and onto him.

jiwoong meets your gaze for less than a second before you’re wrestled off the couch and onto your back on the carpeted floor below. carpet aside, it’s not a painless fall and as your boyfriend is hungrily ripping his pants off and burying his cock inside you, you decide it’s a good time to start playing again.

“oh my god, woongie,” you complain, knowing that your back’s gonna hurt even worse in the morning. “are you trying to make me need another massage?”

“no. more. massages,” jiwoong growls, punctuating each word with a deep thrust. “unless i’m the one giving them.”

“fuck,” you whine, pulling him even deeper inside you as you wrap your legs around him. trapping him. holding him hostage exactly where his possessive ass wants to be. “surely you don’t think you’re as skilled as a professional masseuse?”

“i’ll get certified,” he manages to grunt, grabbing hold of your thighs and pushing them up to your chest in a mating press. “or would you prefer pierre’s cock inside you instead?”

“that’s not fair,” you reply, absolutely relishing in your reinstated role of bratty sub. “how can i choose if i’ve never seen both options?”

“you’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” jiwoong asks, kneading your thighs mercilessly-- striking his palm across the side with a gorgeous smack. “you’re gonna kill me so you can fuck pierre and then kill him too.”

“i’ll let you live a little longer if you cum inside me,” you promise, running your hand through his hair as he stares at you helplessly. “please, woongie. need you to fill me up.”

you can see it in his eyes: he’ll give you anything you want. he’d even let you fuck pierre if you really wanted to. but you don’t. not even a little bit. you just want jiwoong.

“fuck, i love you so much, baby,” he pants as his thrusts grow shallower and more sporadic. “gonna fill up this perfect... little...”

his hips finally spasm; a sweet moan swallowed down as you feel him spill into you. you sigh contentedly at the warmth inside of you, your boyfriend laying his head on your chest-- letting go of your legs from where he’d been pinning them and collapsing on top of you in exhaustion.

you wrap your thighs around jiwoong’s waist, making sure he can’t escape (he doesn’t want to).

jiwoong’s jealousy issues weren’t really harmful. he knew you’d never actually leave him for another man; what he always seemed to forget is that you’d never even dream of it. and besides, whatever misunderstanding arose always ended in fiery, passionate sex like this. 

so could anyone really blame you for making up sexy french massage therapists just to make your boyfriend jealous from time to time? not to worry... you’ll give jiwoong a couple months to recover from pierre before you drop your next fabrication on him: dante, the sensual italian chef.

[ezrazone]

also like. i don’t have this fully articulated in my head so i’m kind of just working it out here. bear with me. but part of the “mission” of the amc iwtv show is to repair anne rice’s text, right? to respect what works and to let new things fill in the gaps where the text is, um, lacking (see: violently racist and misogynistic). and i would say that the show so far has been successful in many regards - ldpdl is an actual Black character. credit where it’s due. jacob’s here to stay. but ultimately a show that is deferent to anne rice’s estate and to the power of amc’s money is ultimately always going to be in service of antiblackness because antiblackness is the blood that oils the machine that allows television shows to make millions of dollars. plain and simple. that kind of TV money in a capitalist state does not exist without imperialism, without slave labor, without genocide, without eradication of indigenous people and their lands, without the dehumanization of black people. so there’s just never any such thing as keeping your head down and just being grateful a show is less racist than the racist book being adapted. i guess i just don’t believe in “fandom” anymore because to be a “fan” is to accept a level of subservience to capitalist forces protected by intellectual property law and ultimately normalizing of empire that i just do not fucking believe in and it does not suit the needs of fans who are the most ostracized time and time again by these white supremacist fan communities regardless of the alleged anti-racism in a given text. that anti-racism can only ever be symbolic in a pre-revolution context. the least we can do, since amc is not actually keeping our lights on, is to engage with the text and all texts as bravely as we can muster, including releasing this fucking false idol worship that makes IP holders into gods. fuck anne rice and her genius brain. she was a racist wretch who hated to share so much she blew up half of her own “fan” communities. idk man i dont think it’s a coincidence that the fans with the most concentrated hitler particles seem to be the ones with the most access to the cast and crew. antiblackness gets you really fucking far in this world. gives you access to material resources. replicates the lie that power is the most important quality in any artist, and that to love a text is to want to rub up against the chosen few who are involved in this legal iteration. you think those fans will give a fuck about jacob anderson when he’s no longer under amc contract? these old modes of popular culture worship will turn to sand in the dustbin of history full of white louis funko pops amen

[olderthannetfic]

I'm IWTV-wank-avoidance-asking Anon and it kinda missed me that it would be a wanky topic lol I was trying to see if the show is worth watching. A lot of my mutuals are posting IWTV gifs so I assume it's good, but I was curious if anyone who read the novel would think "Better read the novel". I don't realize an asking-for-rec ask would be wanky, but now that I think about who the writer is, it kinda makes sense. My bad lol

--

Ahahahaha.

Around here, I don't think anyone is precious enough about Anne Rice to start the genuine version of this wank, but Rice fandom can be... uh... very intense even on top of Rice herself having been the queen of drama.

You know about Red Beans Anne Rice, right?

Many years ago, Anne got all butthurt about a tacky-ass restaurant taking over an abandoned building that she'd had Lestat being emo in in one of the books. Instead of gothic atmosphere, it was now very PINK and LOUD. So she wasted money taking out ads in the local paper as Lestat trying to shame the restaurant owner... at which point a bunch of other restaurant owners also wasted money to respond in newspaper ads saying that they welcomed fellow businesspeople. It all ended in the restaurant's grand opening and people with plates of "Red beans Anne Rice" (i.e. red beans and rice).

--

Anyway, I read the first book back in the 90s when I was like 15. It's decent from what I remember. The thing that made it iconic when it came out in 1976 was that it was pretty heavily pushing the vampire=drug addict metaphor. This is everywhere in sexy goth sadboi vampire media now, but it wasn't as much of a thing at the time.

It was also very, very gay but in that way where (at least in the first book), nobody really says the word. That meant something in the 70s. Even by the 90s, it wasn't such a big deal, and it's a big nothingburger in the 2020s.

Book 1 is Rice dealing with the death of her child. It's all about suicidal feelings and Catholic weirdness. The main character is Louis, a.k.a. Rice's self-insert (which she confirmed herself).

Books 2 onward are about Lestat's dick.

He becomes a rockstar, vampire-bones the ur vampire, which causes him to mega level up, thus enabling him to thwart her plot to kill all men on earth aside form a few for breeding purposes, bodyswaps so he has a working penis again, fucks a nun, swaps back, gets Louis back by trying to commit suicide and accidentally getting a tan, etc... Much, much later books are about the other bonkers vampires, most of them more in the horny rockstar mold than the sad mommy of dead baby one.

In book 1, Louis is a depressed plantation owner who eats a bunch of his slaves among other fucked up shit. Claudia, their vampire daughter, is a small child who is upset about being stuck as a kid forever. One of the more disturbing parts is when Louis finds out she's fucking adult men. Lestat turns out to be a French nobleman with mommy issues despite Louis thinking he was only pretending to be upper class.

-- The TV series moved the entire plot much later in history, made Louis black, and gave him a spine. Some racists cried about this and some of tumblr cried about how it was offensive to take the plantation owner and make him black instead of doing that with the other one.

The show also made it more overt that Lestat is an abusive jackass boyfriend. This apparently came as a surprise to people with poor reading comprehension. Others have wanked about fans still liking Louis/Lestat instead of Louis/less terrible boyfriends. But... like... It's IWTV. What did they expect?

(So yes, some book fans will be immensely wanky about the show. Ignore them.)

Also, I hear they fuck on the show? Rice's vampires don't have working junk, which we know because Lestat stands in front of an entire wall of mirrors in the most bougie bathroom ever in Akasha's evil lair and discusses how his penis—I mean "The Organ"—no longer does anything.

Also, Armand in the books is the 14-year-old kept boy of a Renaissance painter with a harem of boys or something like that. (It's been a very long time since I read these.) Shit like this never makes it into the adaptations.

--

If you're curious about the history of vampire media or about a certain kind of Southern gothic shit, sure, read the books, particularly the first one with its radically different tone and much greater historical importance.

The old movie is a decent adaptation of book 1, though it makes it less gay (or at least removes Louis' weird boner for his dead brother) and messes with the ending in a way that would have made sequels veer off from the books. I haven't seen that other old movie with Aaliyah, but it looks like a campy time capsule of baaaad movies of that era.

Anyway, no, you don't need to read the book before watching the show. They changed a massive amount of stuff.

I'm in more of a Chinese media phase right now, but a bunch of friends have watched and said the show is genuinely good.

[halfthebrain]

I don’t get this hate for Mike while he was an investment banker and fighting Harvey lmao. It was frankly really good TV.

TLDR: The stakes were much higher for Mike and he utilised every trick Harvey has taught him. He’s not the only one to blame just because some viewers can’t understand his motives. Harvey knew though and he forgave Mike, took him back, and even regretted fighting Mike in the first place.

First: obviously Mike would be more invested (pun intended) in winning than Harvey is. It was his first big case and his livelihood was on the line. In case anyone forgot, he never went to uni, he doesn’t have any degree. So this was his chance to get out of committing a felony every day. Sure, he still lied to Sidwell about his credentials but that’s still a lesser crime than pretending to be a lawyer. He left so he wouldn’t put the people he loved at risk.

For Harvey it was just another run of the mill client, a spoiled, entitled rich man child. Was there a lot of money on the table? Obviously. But those are the waters he swims in daily. Billion dollar deals as he said himself. Case in point: he also just drops Logan afterwards. Money be damned.

And Harvey knows this himself. He loves winning, yes, but he loves Mike more.

I actually blame Harvey for being a stubborn asshole and not going with Mike’s plan from the get go, not trusting Mike’s idea and plan, even tho he has consistently profited from them. But, again, this is TV drama so obviously they needed a reason to start a fight.

Second: have we not been watching the same show? It has always been personal to Mike. That’s his whole schtick. He cares. About absolutely, probably everything. He cares about why Walter Gillis started the company (because of his son). He cares about keeping that reason alive. He cares about keeping the workers employed. He empathises deeply, he tries to fight for what he thinks is the right thing. Does that make him a stuck up idealist at times? Yes, but that’s unavoidable. It was never just about winning for Mike, for Harvey it was. If you’re going to hate him for that then at least be a hater from the start.

He was still trying to keep Gillis Industries alive even though Harvey has smeared his name (personal attack) and Walter Gillis has shunned him because of that.

Third: it was all “fair game” despite whatever drama Donna procured in her head about the tapes to insert herself in Mike and Harvey’s fight. She can huff anf puff all she wants but the only person who has a reason to be pissed at Mike would be Harvey. And guess what? He forgave Mike anyway because he realises that Mike did a great job going for the jugular just as Harvey has taught him. He even defended Mike in front of Sidwell, asking him to take Mike back. They didn’t even go toe to toe. Harvey was backed by his entire firm (he’s a name partner), he even let Louis help (he fucked it up), Donna as usual, and lastly, Rachel who was “handling” Logan. Meanwhile Mike was fighting alone. Jonathan Sidwell only pressured him to win, Walter Gillis gave up on him and Amy could only help so much.

Just because Mike is on the other side now using the same methods Harvey taught him doesn’t mean that he’s the “bad guy”. Like I have said many times; they’re both the worst and deserve each other.

Bonus: while all of that was going on Rachel also thought it would be a wonderful idea to keep going back to Logan’s place and then to almost fuck him :).

Are you really, honestly hating on Mike right now?

[lady-phasma]

Auntie, I have a question.

In the books Lestat gives Louis the dark gift towards the end of the 18th century, but in the tv show he turns him in 1910. That leaves a considerable amount of time where Lestat hadn’t met Louis.

I plan to write a (x reader) pre-canon fic about this gap in time before Lestat and Louis meet. Do you know what he might have been doing during this time? (Do you think it might work for a fic?)

Sorry if this is a dumb question! Thank you!!

Hi nonnie! This is not a dumb question at all. In fact, it's so great that I made you a gif set to go with my answer!

This is the series canon about the time between Nicki and Louis. I know we can't trust everything said in the trial, but for this I think it's okay.

I'll answer below the cut.

First, let me say that I am honored and flattered that you came to me about this. If you want to DM me, feel free. If you want to come back as anon you can have 🖋 anon if you want it.

Second, even a 2 year gap is lot of time to work with. We know he would need to feed as soon as he wakes up and he's a non-discriminating slut, so I know he would have some fun even if he's still brokenhearted. I think you could do so much in that time! Whether or not you decide to write smut, you could certainly give him a meaningful interaction with reader. You didn't mention if your idea for your reader was human or vampire, either could work, but my brain immediately went to "Lestat's hungry after his nap so he's probably killing a lot, what if he met a non-coven vampire in the French countryside?"

My nerd brain also had the idea that you could see what ports were most commonly used for passage from France to the US in 1908-1910 and I'm pretty sure the main one is in the south of France (used by the US military in WWI and WWII but I can't think of the name right now). Crap, I had to google it because that was going to bug me. LoL Saint-Nazaire, France. Double check that if you decide to go this direction, but it's about 470 km (292 miles) south of Paris by modern roads. There's a lot territory for him to cover if he used that port.

If that doesn't interest you, please disregard! I just wanted to point out that you have a lot to work with even if it's "only" two years between his sleep and New Orleans.

Lastly, without finding a definitive timeline of Lestat for the series yet, I'm thinking he was turned in the 1760s (or around there). If someone has a better timeline that would be great, but seasons one and two haven't given us exact dates that I can find. Anyway, if future seasons follow his plot pretty closely then you might have some of his time between his turning and when he meets Armand (yes, Nicki is in Paris but we don't have to headcanon monogamy if we don't want to and he is canonically often non-monogamous). Lestat as a horny, awe-struck fledgling might be fascinating!

I can't wait to read what you decide to do! You don't have to come off anon to tag me in it unless you want to. I would love that, but maybe I'll come across it when/if you post it!

I think this is going to be great and feel free to come back and discuss this more if you would like!

[vampirtulpe]

I don't know why, but I have the headcanon that Don was literally the biggest fan of Bald Bull as a child. So, here are some wholesome headcanons for it:

(This is long, sorry about that 😅)

-Just imagine 10 year old Don, alone at home one day and channel surfing and stopping at boxing and deciding to watch out of curiosity. He was instantly hooked when he saw Bald Bull doing one of his rushes and knocking his opponent out, it was the coolest thing ever for him -Back then he didn't really know any english. He only knew that Bull meant Toro, so he would call him that until he was old enough to be a little better at speaking english

-Wasn't watching the match unless Bull was one of the fighters and would get irrationally angry if he lost the fight, would throw actual mini tantrums and scream at the TV until his Dad yelled at him to shut up

-Actually started boxing because Bull inspired him. His family was pretty happy about it, Don had been struggling to find a sport to really get into and they were elated he finally found something he was so passionate about

-His mom was indulging his fixation so much, she even saved up money to go with Don to america to watch the final Match between Doc Louis and Bald Bull for Don's birthday

-Bull lost that match and Don was crushed, but to Don's absolute delight, Bull actually heard him calling out to him again and again and actually approached him. Bull towered over him, but Don wasn't afraid, he was so over the moon, he almost passed out.

-There was a huge language barrier between them, all Bull could really gather from that kid was that he was supposed to be Toro and that he seemed to be a fan. Luckily for Don, he was absolutely adorable and endearing as all hell, so he did not only get an autograph and a picture, but also a permanent spot in Bull's memory

-That incident was also one of the reasons paparazzi began getting much more aggressive with him, not caring that it was a one-time thing for a young fan

-Don framed that autograph and the picture, he even still has them and always takes them with him when he travels somewhere

-Unfortunately he never had the opportunity to watch one of Bull's fights live again, but it strenghtened his resolve to become a professional boxer to maybe one day face him himself

-And well, he was successful, getting into the WVBA at a very young age and once again getting to meet his idol. You cannot believe how giddy he was, he didn't sleep for like 2 days-

-Believe it or not, Bull recognized him almost right away, even if they hadn't seen each other in like a decade. He had watched Don's first fight out of sheer curiosity and the memories came flooding back when he watched Don fight and heard him provoke his opponent with a "Toro!" the first time. Sure, Don‘s voice got deeper, but the way he said it was the exact same. And once he recognized the voice, he also recognized the face -Don was absolutely elated when he found out that Bull remembered their encounter, recalling how it was one of his key motivators to become a professional boxer and even showing him that he still had the picture and autograph.

-Bull had teased him that he still looked like that little kid that got his attention back then (But he's secretly so proud and moved that he was one of the key motivators for Don to start his career. It’s just a special feeling to know you had such an impact on someone’s life)

-Despite them now being on almost the same level, Don is often seen trailing after Bull like a puppy, always looking for guidance and advice or just a small conversation. Bull would be annoyed if it was anyone else, especially with Paparazzi and reporters constantly chasing after him, but there was just something endearing about Don doing it that made him a lot more patient and tolerant towards him.

-And now that they are both a little better at english they can actually have proper conversations (or rather Don yapping at him and Bull responding sometimes)

-Bull became almost a mentor figure for Don, a lot more than his actual coach ever was (who Bull would find out actually sucked real bad, but this is a wholesome hc dump, so maybe I’ll talk about that the next time)

-Don comes to him regularly for guidance or just to talk and they would sit in one of their rooms, share some food and a drink and just talk. Sometimes not even that, they would just sit silently and enjoy the others company.

-They sometimes train together, but not as often as they would like to

-Bull is the hard but fair type, he doesn’t handle Don with kid gloves and can be pretty hard on the guy. But it’s only because he knows how much potential Don has and doesn’t want him to squander it from him turning into an arrogant little shit, he tries to keep him down to earth. (Or at least as down to earth as Don is capable of)

-Don still really likes watching Bull's fights, he never misses a match (unless he is in one, but then he goes over right after and asks Bull how the match went)

-Despite them being friends now and Don having gotten on Bull's good side, he trains hard every day in hopes of being able to face off against him one day, he wants to live up to the legend. (He already does, but Bull doesn't outright tell him that, can't have Don stopping his efforts after all. He kinda hopes Don succeeds one day, but he won’t make it easy for him)

[ca-suffit]

im sorry your takes are generally pretty great and i appreciate the space you make in fandom but i find the dismissal around lestat's queerness to be diminishing.

louis is a fantastic gay character and u r right about how he represents his queerness which is fabulously. he is mother he is fashion he is wife, a lot, and lestat is a lot more masc in aspects of their dynamic. louis also struggles with it, had internalized homophobia, and his relationship to his sexuality is fraught. now you can have that complexity and still be a "gay icon" sure but what i see here is a gay man existing. not every gay man existing has to be ~iconic~. louis is working on himself.

lestat is a different person and is going out there to make a mark on culture actively, regardless of why. he's not putting on a dress for five seconds (which btw was still pretty impactful in context but ok), he is being meaningfully gnc and making art. this is what queer culture is. it's frustrating to see this element diminished like it's just a meme or a bunch of people being thirsty.

im all for critiquing fandom being weirdos about it but i think the showrunners are doing something spectacular and pretending like fans are making lestat into something he is not just isn't the vibe.

reading this made me realize that I left out a sentence in this ask, so it did come off differently than I intended. I'd meant to say there's already been a lot of exploration of characters / ppl like lestat, but there's never been a character like louis before. I wasn't rly ever talking about lestat's queerness itself, I was talking about how he's prioritized bcuz he's white.

if u personally identity with him in this then that's ur right to, obviously. no group is a monolith and I was never trying to say one way is more "right" than the other. I rly do apologize if it came across like that, cuz I can see why it did.

"he's not putting on a dress for five seconds (which btw was still pretty impactful in context but ok)"

I don't rly know what u mean here bcuz within the show, nobody comments on the dress. ppl react to the baby but everything we know of the dress otherwise was only revealed by carol cutshall bts. I don't know what impact ur meaning here. to the tv audience, sure, but the NOLA audience?? or is it the fact he designed it in the first place.

tbh the thing I most noticed was that once again a white, european immigrant got to be center stage in an event that louis, as a black, louisiana native, isn't (like the card game lestat already had a place at more favored than louis earlier in S1). he also was able to wear that dress in public without public scorn (being european prbly helped here too, he's "other'd" but not the same way as louis is "other'd" for being black), which is something louis could never have done and actually survived at all. it's not that lestat doesn't experience homophobia otherwise, but he's still got a lot more room to confront it than louis, claudia, or armand would have, as ppl who would be confronting homophobia *and* racism with no access to white privilege (claudia literally dies in the same hour we see lestat confront a homophobe otherwise on his and louis' behalf and "win").

idk what they're going to explore for S3 yet, but what we've seen so far is....not that deep tbh. it's not even especially "queer." we're aware he is so we know it is, but straight men have worn makeup and flashy outfits and done homoerotic shit as musicians before too. very often. nothing we've seen from lestat so far has been pushing any boundary as a queer artist or making any kind of statement. I'm not trying to sound like a total bitch here, but a lot of what ur saying is pushing this white fandom agenda of the "importance" of so much that any white, queer character does that....just isn't. lestat's image and sound is taking a lot from other ppl in real music history who *were* doing groundbreaking things at the time, straight or not, but what he's doing is just wearing it as a costume rn. his lyrics even say "I'm an actor / in my makeup." like I said, S3 in full will bring more to the table, obviously, but for what we've seen so far....this hasn't said anything in any objective way that's "deep." u can still like it and identity with it, but idk how u'd argue that it's doing anything tbh. ur welcome to do it tho, I'm not trying to shut down the conversation here. I'm just giving my perspective. I *do* actually think this is stuff we should talk about exactly *bcuz* fandom rides so hard for it all the time. it should be explored why that is, what's the logic behind it. I rly am interested.

edit: wanted to add too that p much everyone we see in this show is queer and creative so literally why is nobody ever saying all this about louis' photography, claudia's acting and interest in fashion (or her general observations on the world thru so many diaries that are referenced in multiple ways as she's not around anymore to speak otherwise), armand's theatre work, madeleine's dressmaking. that's usually why ppl comment on lestat, bcuz he's the most noticed and praised but he's literally not the only one doing it at all.

[savagewildnerness]

The Vampire Lestat intro and Lelio rising questions

Gonna share just the questions here now... I'm intrigued if anyone would like to answer any!

At the start of TVL, Lestat has been In The Earth. Do you think he will have been In The Earth in this era on the TV show? (As Louis has seen him pretty recently, which makes it seem like perhaps he won’t have been?)

The ‘spirit’ of 1984 reminds Lestat of the 1700’s. Will there be anything about the 2020’s that Lestat will associate with/that will remind him of the late eighteenth century?

“I did a lot of thinking about this sinless, secular morality, this optimism” - will this be a driving force for modern day Lestat? What will he think about in relation to right now?

Lestat says that "there was a romance" to modern music and I'm so curious if that's how he'll feel about some kind of modern music now, or, whether Lestat’s rock star career will just be 100% about Louis on the TV show?

"the way electricity could stretch a single note forever; the way harmony could be layered upon harmony until you felt yourself dissolving in the sound. So eloquent of dread it was, this music." - This reads to me like a musical description of vampirism?!  Will Lestat’s music somehow express something about vampirism? Will The Vampire Lestat's music incorporate old French songs and brutal rhythms - eerie and disjointed music, as Lestat describes his playing?

What music will Lestat listen to? He listens to a lot of Bach when he first rises in the book (while driving his Harley-Davidson!)  Is there a security both in the structure of Bach and in the fact his music is from an era predating even mortal Lestat that makes Lestat feel safer entering the modern era?

Will we see Lestat standing stock still beneath a street light, whipping through IWTV at an insane speed till he exasperatedly tears it to shreds on TV!?

Lestat talks about coming back after killing the wolves and feeling that he was ‘not-Lestat’, so I thought we could discuss - did killing the wolves change Lestat, and if so: how?

When Lestat goes into a depression post-killing-the-wolves, is this essentially a human version of “Going into The Earth” as Lestat will do numerous times as a vampire?

How will the French Revolution impact the TV telling?

Will both Mozart and Marie Antoinette be on the TV show?

Will Lestat’s malady of mortality be as big a theme on the TV show as it is in not only The Vampire Lestat, but the entire Vampire Chronicles?

When Lestat talks of how he could have poisoned meat to kill the wolves, but meat was too scarce… is he in a veiled way saying that his life has less value than a piece of meat?

“I don’t think I felt the slightest fear then.  But I felt something, and it caused the hair to rise up on the back of my arms.” What exactly is the “something” Lestat feels when he sets out to kill the wolves?  And why is he not afraid? Bravery? His hunting spirit? His impulsive, adventurous nature? Stupidity? Naivety? Only feeling truly alive in moments that contain the potential for death? A lack of care whether he lives or dies (borne of despair)?

Reading the wolves section, with the dying animals and even after this too when Lestat talks of his ignored/thwarted farming plans for his family’s land… It made me wonder, just a curious ponder - if Sam might have had any experiences in real life connected to any of this stuff, given his family’s line of work…?

When Augustin says Lestat didn’t kill the wolves, then retracts it & Lestat says the next thing he knew he was lying alone in his room… I mean… it can be read at face value, but I also wonder - is there something that happened here that Lestat doesn’t write?  And if so, might the TV show go there?

“I wanted to be enclosed forever with people who believed I could be good if I wanted to be.” - I wonder if the TV show will go down the route of Lestat’s quest for goodness?  I hope so!  At this time, I think 12-year-old Lestat found goodness in the order of the monastery versus the chaos he felt in the family castle (haha, the family castle!) And I also feel like he felt goodness in being made “ordered” rather than “chaotic” himself.  However, I don’t think Lestat would have been happy in the end in so restrictive a place, much as I am sure he would have loved learning.  But what do you think?  Could Lestat have been happy, a lifetime in the monastery?

Is performing with the theatre troupe at 16 the first time Lestat truly feels pure joy - he describes it as ecstasy?

How can we now get to The Witches’ Place if Nicki can’t have witnessed child-Lestat there, Gabrielle would never tell the story and Lestat has repressed the memory…?

Is Sam’s Lestat going to burst into tears as often as Lestat describes himself doing so, because get him ten thousand gallons of water to drink - he’ll need them!!!!  Lestat also cries at the most random moments… but we know Sam is up to the task!

Do you think show-Lestat will be ripped out of post-coital Nicolas’ arms..?

Potential episode titles from this section:

Pure evil has no real place.

Only the impossible can do the impossible.

Malady of mortality.

[joefangs]

There are so many discrepancies if we compare season 1 Louis' memories and season 2 recollections of his. He made Lestat look almost bad, devilish in season 1, blamed everything on him, and stayed clean with Claudia. In season 2, we can finally see the issues with his memories of Lestat. Even in season 1 Louis changed his words in front of Daniel. In S2 it kind of proved that Louis' collections were muddled. He changed his memories way too many times. At last he admitted to go on with Lestat's version. I mean, I know and I can confirm that Lestat has always been good as far as the definition of "a good vampire" can go, and all the things Louis said about him are not all true.

If I go according to the books, Interview with the vampire and The Vampire Lestat are two different books with different Lestats to be precise. TV Louis said that Lestat didn't hesitate to kill, but the book Lestat from the second book, said he made a grave mistake of making Claudia ( About who, he said that he loved his dark daughter, and he didn't want that fate for her. He regretted making a young fledgling because Marius warned him about his mistake of creating Armand that young) and other than that he vowed to never kill any innocents. He only killed the damned ones, and the ones who were about to die. Also, got me thinking, how can he kill innocent people, when he took care of his family in France, who were all human. Even his mother opposed his actions, but Lestat didn't listen. So, how can a century old vampire, who still cares about his human family, gives them financial support all along, can kill mercilessly. It just didn't add to my wits. Most important of all, he loved Louis, more than Nicki even and admitted it over and over again. He longed to be with Louis, not because he always felt lonely, but because he loved Louis the most, so much that he rejected Armand in the book.

Louis' recollections of Lestat in season 1 is filled with somewhat hatred, because at that moment he thought Armand was his saviour. In S2, he started to have some clarity, mostly thanks to Daniel, and finally we know what happened.

In the book, Lestat was there at the Theatre the Vampire, he did accuse Claudia for his attempted murder, but let me tell you, he wasn't even in his right mind at that time. Even so, at that time he didn't accuse his Louis, and looked for his love, asked Armand, who (the B***h he is) lied to him about Louis' whereabouts. Lestat was somehow tricked by Armand, his thinking didn't work, as he mentioned that everything went in a trance, and after he accused Claudia, he was taken away forcibly, and he screamed Louis, Louis but with no avail, and they again fed him blood, and he forgot everything. I think Armand used magic, or he fed something to Lestat so he doesn't protest. After all of these, Lestat looked for Louis, and asked Armand to help him, and that BHole said he will not.

So, what I can surmise is, whatever you watched in S1, do not entirely believe it. This is mostly because, Lestat wasn't the one who lost his mind and hurt his Louis entirely. Louis was the pioneer of trouble in their home. He wasn't satisfied, he didn't accept the dark gift completely, and despised Lestat for that. That physical fight between them you can see, Lestat was hurt the most, both physically and mentally. And now I understand, why Louis kept seeing Dreamstat over and over again. Because, his guilt made him conjure Lestat everytime he thought he wanted a "home" with Armand.

Finally, the last episode depicted almost what The Vampire Lestat book has. They didn't show it, but Louis came back to Lestat, which he said was 'you came back to me'. Here, Lestat talks about a world tour, which is his rock concert in San Francisco. Here, Louis asks him to take him, and Lestat complies ecstatically. Also, they hugged compassiontely after meeting each other, just as they showed in the series. However, TV version displayed it as a part of Interview with the Vampire book, which is in reality from the book The Vampire Lestat.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

06/28/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Con O'Neill; Vico Ortiz; Rachel House; AOC's Charity Raffle Update; Articles; Renew As A Crew Donations Update; More Voting; 55th Anniversary of Stonewall; Fan Spotlight: Cast Cards; Big Gay Energy Pod; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika;

== Rhys Darby ==

Annnd we're back with more from Final Fantasy XIV shorts!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FINAL FANTASY XIV (@ffxiv)

Source: FFXIV's Instagram

== Con O'Neill ==

"See you tomorrow you beautiful beasts for the f**k you workshops" -Con posted a reminder about his workshop tomorrow! You can still get tickets on https://shopstands.com/!

Source: Con O'Neill's IG

== Vico Ortiz ==

Vico attended the Nalip Media Summit today! They will also be joining Kristian at Rose City Comic Con later this year!

Source: Vico's Instagram Stories

== Rachel House ==

Another interview with Rachel!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Movies, Movies, Movies (@movies_movies_movies_)

Source: Movies Movies Movies & fbiradio Instagram

== Adopt Our Crew Raffle Updates ==

Only a few hours left on the @adoptourcrew Charity Raffle, and they've shot up to over $6,300! We'll see tomorrow how high it went!

Source: AdoptOurCrew Twitter

== Fiber Arts Brigade ==

Speaking of Charity events-- the Fiber Arts Brigade ebay auctions, items made by out lovely fan-crew are going to be ending soon for week 2! You can check out them out below! Fiber Arts Brigade Ebay Auction Page

Source: Fiber Arts Brigade Ebay Page

== Articles ==

OFMD has been nominated for a Dorian Award for Best Unsung TV Show! You can visit the article at awardswatch.com here. Our friends over at @adoptourcrew were kind enough to alert us of the nomination!

https://awardswatch.com/interview-with-the-vampire-shogun-baby-reindeer-and-fellow-travelers-lead-2024-lgbtq-critics-dorian-tv-award-nominations/

https://nextbestpicture.com/the-2024-dorian-galeca-tv-award-nominations/

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

10 Times TV Got Queer Representation Right

Why we're still thinking about Our Flag Means Death months after its cancellation

== Renew As A Crew Donation Update ==

An update from our old crewmates Renew As a Crew! They've put together a final record of how much money was raised for Rainbow Youth over the past 7 months. Down below the images there are links to receipts, and donation pages!

Breakdown of Final Donation Google Drive

Direct Donation Link to RainbowYouth

Source: Renew As A Crew Twitter / GingerlyVibing's Twitter

== More Voting ==

OFMD is currently at Rank 4! Can we go higher? Ranker: The 600+ Best TV Shows Over the Last 5 Years

Source: AdoptOurCrew's Twitter

== 55th Anniversary of Stonewall Riots ==

On this 55th Anniversary of Stonewall Riots we remember who it was that sparked the stonewall riots and led the fight for queer rights! Pink News put together a very detailed article if you'd like to learn more about the history of Stonewall. Thank you to the Trans Women of Color, and Lesbians (and all others present) at Stonewall for your fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

Source: Pink News

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

More cast cards tonight from the darling @melvisik! First up is Mike Berlucchi, "the cinematographer who, according to AdoptOurCrew, 'has been submitted for Outstanding Cinematography in a Comedy Series for Man on Fire'". Next up is Louis Flavell-Birch, a Bluecoat!

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

= Big Gay Energy Pod =

New episode of Big Gay Energy Pod! This time covering Season 2: Episode 4!

Watch on Youtube

Listen on Spotify

Source: Big Gay Energy Podcast Twitter

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! It's Friday again-- and I'd just like to take a moment to really drive it home how wonderful you are. Did you see how much money has been donated/raised by various groups over the past several months? So many beautiful pieces of artwork, and fiber arts, and writing, and commissions of all sorts have been donated to raise money for such wonderful causes-- and you know who did that? You did! Whether you donated-- or made something to auction/raffle, or reblogged a link, or supported the artists by telling them how amazing their art/writing was--- YOU helped make this happen. One of the things I love about this fandom is just how much you all rally together to make a difference. It's been almost 7 months since the first cancellation notice, and while it's been hard, I constantly get to see just how much your kindness and creativity continues to do. Everything listed above isn't even CLOSE to the amount donated by this fandom. You may never know how your donation impacts someone. Whether that is youth in Aotearoa, or Queer Elders with Sage USA, or just a crew member in the fandom would really needed something you made to give them a smile to keep going. Sometimes just your kind words, or your likes can give that little bit of extra love that someone needs when the world feels veiled in shadow.

You continue to be the light we need -- and that isn't limited to if you can afford to give-- your kindness, and your love, all of it makes a world of difference to someone in this tiny yet somehow vast world. Keep shining lovelies, you're an absolute inspiration.

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

I'm really loving the double gifs lately so that'll probably be a theme for a while. Tonight's gif is coutesy of the dear @ neverswungonswingingstars.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Here's a discussion prompt (if you were looking for one lol)

Louis' last two scenes with lestat and after he talks to Daniel.

Its powerful. It packs a punch. To me, louis is finally getting somewhere with vampirism and his own grief regarding claudia. The music adds to it. Jacob Andersons performance absolutely blew me away. Armands betrayal is absolutely a huge part of who louis is going to move forward with himself. "I'm companion enough" YESSIRRR "hey, its not on you" IKTR

Id go to war for him. WARRRRR

I definitely see it taking a looong time for Louis to move past what Armand did to Claudia and Madeleine. In the books, he knew the whole time it was Armand. I actually love that they made it this huge reveal. Tv hasn't been this good for a hot minute and Rockstar Lestats gonna break the internet next season. (Possibly me as well but thats not why I'm jumping in your asks)

:))) (yeah, the rockstar arc is going to be something, I agree 😅)

I said it in another ask, but Louis got a speed-run of his development in the books, which frees him up for the actual relationship "Loustat" arc that Rolin always talked about.

Which does not mean that Louis and Lestat will get back together right away, no, but in the books the "Merrick" storyline and Memnoch and the coma definitely are hiccups along the way. I think those have been moved out of the way with the way they did it (and I don't think the show is doing Memnoch).

But Louis... has taken on responsibility. He is companion enough for himself right now, because of that, true, but he is, in a very real way only discovering himself now, too, and he is also only now about to learn the truth about a whole lot of things.

And for the first time Louis acknowledges that.

Because it's not just about Lestat and his behavior, no it was always also about Louis and his refusal to look at himself, and at the life he now lives. At the rules and repercussions that came with that. What did Jacob say? Louis realizes in season 2 that the problem is him?^^ Something like that. Because Louis didn't really ask questions before. Did not heed warnings (by Lestat or Armand... or Claudia). And now, he's over 100 years old, and has to acknowledge some things. And by coming to terms with those... he is coming to terms with himself.

Which, as said, frees him up for the upcoming arcs.

This Louis is more of a force to reckon with, and yes, the betrayal by Armand weighs a lot more heavy. This Louis... who we know will feature much more prominently than in the books (and thankfully so!) will take action if needed. Because he's been kept passive, and docile, for decades.

And he's definitely done with that.

And as soon as he understands... and realizes... and then engages... oh I cannot wait, tbh. Jacob will be magnificent.

I cannot wait for the show to fully show us this Louis.

Because before we only saw shadow echoes of him, and an edited tale. Now, now we'll see the "real Louis".

[sunray-sunray]

I'm not in the loop with the whole IWTV thing, but with the posts I've been seeing since yesterday I'm intrigued. Could you explain?

First of all, I'm glad you liked the posts @bookwormsontherun (although right now I don't know what posts you're referring to exactly), I normally try to not post too much of one topic but rather a good mixture of my interests :>

So, what is IwtV in general: Originally the movie IwtV from 1994 and the series that started in 2022 are the TV-adaptations from the book series "The Vampire Chronicles" by Anne Rice. IwtV is the title of book 1 and the plot of season 1, but they decided to stick to the title on further seasons too. Although they changed a few things in the series (the biggest fear of every reader), like the time frame, skin colour of a few characters and some locations, it turned out really good.

What is it about: Generally there isn't only one plot, because nearly every book has one of its own. The element or in this case the person who is connecting everything is the vampire Lestat (the blonde guy you probably saw in a post). In book 1 and season 1 + 2 Lestat's love Louis tells us how he experienced meeting him, getting turned into a vampire and then living with Lestat. A huge turning point is when there comes the tragically young vampire girl "Claudia" into the picture - she is in different ways very important to both of them and also a eternal memory of the author's daughter who died very young. Louis tells all of that to the reporter Daniel, who is recording it. Later on everything gets turned into a published book called (guess what) "Interview with the Vampire". 😄

Naturally the vampire community isn't very fond of people who are running around, telling the whole world about their existence. So this will be a upcoming problem to solve in the future season(s).

A person I have to mention too, is the vampire Armand, the former leader of the Parisian coven and a former lover of Lestat. I think in the series his part seems a bit changed, because now his relationship with Louis is much more visible. We see scheming, lying, gas lighting, anger and fear of loss issues, but also a sad backstory and a deep need to be loved.

In the upcoming season 3 the focus will be on book 2 "The Vampire Lestat" and maybe book 3 ("The Queen of the Damned"), where the point of view changes into Lestat's perspective. He gets his chance as a widely known rock star, publishes a book of his own (can you guess the title? 😂), meets very old and important people, and puts a few things right, which Louis said in his book.

Why would I recommend the books and the series: First of all because the writing itself is beautiful - the chosen language and the detailed descriptions of places and thoughts paint you a picture of the world the characters live in. Also don't expect a plot full of fast action, detailed sex scenes or joke after joke. It's not that. You come across questions about life, love, death, loss or your place in this world, and sometimes you need to look closely and think about things twice, before you can fully grasp the intention of a scene or chapter. But I like that - nowadays we are living in a time, where everything has to be fast and beautiful cinematic shots or descriptive things are not as important as before. Also with all the streaming platforms we are faced with a huge amount of series and movies, where everything needs to be evermore bigger, sexier or more brutal to survive. But in the case of the Vampire chronicles the fandom base is already there and pretty big, so they don't have to fight for every breath and are able to show us scenes, which are beautifully made, but with less action.

Secondly- the longer you read, the more you understand the characters and their decisions, which can be very complex or chaotic. Also it gets more and more apparent, that you can't trust just one perspective - you never know what the absolute truth is (if there is any, because everything is told from a wholly subjective view).

Thirdly: Anne Rice is an early example of writing about other sexual orientations than heterosexuality in a way that reached many people in quite a short time span (the 1st book was published 1976). This gets clearer and clearer in the later books and it's very interesting to see how the author is able to show you things without going into detail.

Fourthly: The cast and the producers are huge fans themselves, so they want to put as much of the books into the series as we do, which is great. For example they sometimes used the lines from the books word for word and if you know them it's beautiful to recognize them while watching :3

I hope this helps, thanks for your question! 🤗

[murfpersonalblog]

How Interview with the Vampire Got Racebending (Mostly) Right - Princess Weekes

Princess’ other video on Confederate Vampires is a tour de force. NGL I thought this Racebending video was ok, even though I wish she’d’ve spent more time going more in depth, cuz I’m a greedy ungrateful wench who loves long-form content, sue me.

The 1st half of the video is the 20 minute background of Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles franchise: how AR created Louis as a representation of herself, grieving for her daughter, and her reactions to the adaptations of 1994 IWTV & 2001 QotD--both of which AR had A LOT of issues with.

Which is hilarious, cuz now AR’s the only white woman played by a Black man in a tv show, LOLOLOLOL. XD

The 2nd half of the video is another 20 minutes dedicated specifically to AMC’s 2022 IWTV.

Louis’ Softness & Sacrifices

I love what Princess said about Louis’ inherent softness, and how society (his family, business contacts, Lestat, etc) forced him to toughen up in ways unnatural to his true nature, not wanting to hurt or mistreat anyone.

“Louis has to harden himself toughen himself up in order to present himself to the world. It translates really well to his anxieties about being a vampire. He is genuinely a soft man, and it's like, you know, don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem. But that is who Louis is. He tries so hard to be strong for his family, to be a provide--to be sort of like the black strong male provider character, but at the expense of his own soul. So, he is someone who's already felt for a long time that he had to sacrifice himself to do things, and so the vampirism add to that: How much more is he expected to give? How much can he sacrifice, before he no longer understands the shape of his own heart?" (23:19 - 3:00)

I just thought that was so beautifully put. That sat with me for a WHILE.

The Dark GIFT

There was also this great bit about Louis’ relationship to vampirism & Claudia:

“I think by giving him that autonomy for Claudia also shows how he does see The Dark Gift as a gift, and was willing to give it to someone else, rather than do the right thing. And again, that complicates his own morality, because at the end of the day he was a pimp; he was someone who was used to using other people to make his money. So, at a certain point, he's also used to using people for emotional needs, physical needs, and to a certain degree spiritual needs; and I think those things are compelling for a character like him,” (24:38 - 25:10).

This is why I get mad when antis take Louis’ self-castigation far too seriously, eager to see him in bad faith and accept all the negative things he says about himself as gospel, while not realizing that Louis’ view of himself is rooted in self-loathing & self-hatred. Cuz EXACTLY, Louis DID see vampirism as a gift! That’s why he accepted it in the first place. 

He saw the “barbarism“ of Lestat slaughtering those priests, and kissed that man with their blood still on his mouth. Cuz he saw the ways that vampirism could benefit men like him rather than relying on the goodwill of racist white men to give him a foot through the door--the same way it could benefit Claudia, by healing her rather than relying on a hospital to treat her severe burns. That’s the whole point of Faustian deals with the Devil: sacrificing your soul for power. It’s not about pimp!Louis seeing women as commodities; it’s about the selfish opportunism & ego that allows capitalists AND vampires (male or female) to exploit ANYONE for their own personal benefit.

Despite the fact that Lestat & Claudia DIDN’T ask/want to be vampires, they still were willing to pass their curse of eternal damnation onto others, just cuz they didn’t want to suffer from vampire loneliness. They KNOW it wasn’t a gift for them, but they try to make the most of their living hell by focusing on love & found family. And Louis knew this, too, desperate to find another Paul in Claudia (”my daughter, sister, throw pillow when HE wouldn’t look at me kindly.”).

The Great Laws: Hypocritical Vampiric Sentimentality & Humanity

“Is there something about being a vampire that blurs the lines of what it means to actually have sentimental attachment if you are seeing other people who you used to look at like food? At a certain point you dehumanize ALL of them! Why else would they have those rules? Why else would it be allowed to kill another vampire, if it wasn't for the fact that, to be an immoral immortal creature means that you don't value life!... You don't value life, but then you also want to have companionship, because you have that humanity in you. How do you balance all that kind of stuff out? That is the thing that is interesting," (33:04 - 33:39). “What does it say 35:08 about the human capacity to harm what you love?" (35:08)

FAAAAAACTS. She ATE (no pun intended) with that part. This is what I mean about those stupid Great Laws--it makes NO sense to believe the Trial script in the Ep4 revisit, as if Lestat GAF about the Great Laws & what Claudia would be like if she was Turned, when even BOOK Lestat DGAF about what would happen to her, and ESPECIALLY not about obeying anyone’s laws.

❗ DISAGREE ❗

Childlike Claudia

I started disagreeing heavy when Princess discussed Claudia, esp. in S2.

“....in Europe and France she tries to seek out their purpose. I will say there is some--in my opinion--lack of connective tissue between Claudia in season 1 and season 2...[in] how the character's motivations are written. Like, yes, Claudia is older mentally as we go through these seasons. But as my friend Maven/Lisa said in our longer interview on Nebula, that little girl trapped in a tiny body doesn't really come out in season 2 until she's forced to perform the show over and over again. We saw her in that first season chopping up bodies, really dealing with this kind of way of which the the dysmorphia of her body is never going to match up [with] how she sees herself. And while that does happen, I think it happens a little bit, focused towards the end,” (26:00 - 26:50).

Full disclosure: I can’t stand Maven of the Eventide’s takes on AMC IWTV. I lost total patience with her in S1, when it became clear that she’s a book purist who refused to see/understand what the show was doing. So I was already like Oh brother, here we go. 🙄😒

Claudia is not meant to be that little girl in S2--she disappears in all the way back 1x5.

“...in her own family her entire relationship with Louis is adultification, because in the end she has to become the parent in order to get him to leave a toxic relationship,” (25:30 - 25:42).

THIS is the most important part, but Princess immediately cuts away from it, when this is actually the crux of the matter: Claudia’s NOT a little girl anymore. Even after what happened with Bruce, she still came back home, and during the 1x5 fight we hear her screaming for her “Daddy Lou.” But in 1x6, after she’s forced to take on the motherly role when Lestat crippled Louis, and she had to be the one HE hid behind to answer the door & catch the goats & such, she was officially a woman who refused to be a child for EITHER of them anymore.

In 1x6 Claudia becomes the head of the household, and it pisses alpha patriarch Lestat OFFFFFFFFF (”the lambs herd the beauceron”). In 1x7 she takes charge of the Murder Plot, as a stone cold tactician who never cracks a smile--that bubbly giggling girl from 1x4 is GONE; she’s been simmering with rage ever since Lestat attacked her & Louis. And in 2x1 she takes charge of their entire European itinerary, cuz she’s ALWAYS been the smartest one in their family.

So yeah, it’s typical that Maven’s complaints about wanting to see child!Claudia are a holdovers from book purists who also chafe at AMC’s changes.

“that little girl trapped in a tiny body doesn't really come out in season 2 until she's forced to perform the show over and over again.“

Cuz yes: it’s “forced.” Claudia’s “childlike wonder” that Armand wanted to MONETARILY pimp & exploit--WHY does this fandom always focus on the low-hanging fruit of pimp!Louis exploiting Claudia, but NEVER maitre!Armand???--wasn’t childlike at all, it was her naive hope that she’d finally found kinship & community with the coven, which made her happy again--the smiling girl is back when she thinks Daciana will accept her, and it’s finally back ”for the first time in Paris” when she watches the Theatre. But it’s gone again once she realizes “Eff these vampires;“ she only starts smiling again with MADELEINE.

(On the subject of Madeleine, I DO agree with Princess that having a French White Nazi collaborator be Black!Claudia’s companion effing sucks. Like...no, that’s an L, AMC. I wish to God that Madz had been a Jew who was persecuted by the Parisians instead; cuz ain’t no way you finna have me LIKE this change.)

Vampiric Glitz & Glamor in S2

“I have seen some complaints that in this more grounded and racially realized story that we miss out on the glitz and glamour of the vampires traveling like in the books. And I do understand that this element of wish fulfillment would have been fun because we have normalized the idea of vampires being rich and therefore having all this economic distance on a personal level. I do really like seeing vampires having to navigate the realities of traveling while different, while not being privileged.... I do love seeing a story about vampires who had to deal with being immortal while also broke, and having been marginalized in their past, and that marginalization making them scrappy as a result. So I do understand that, but I do think it would have been nice for the show to have a better balance between them struggling through World War II and being able to have a more decadent lifestyle. I think it's possible to have both wish fulfillment and also discuss race,“ (27:11 - 28:14). “Are there elements of the tragedies of their race that I feel could have been changed? Absolutely! I would not be unhappy if they were able to just have ultimate glitz and glamour, and still have the same fate. I think that would have been better, honestly. I think that you can have them deal with racism & microaggression, and then have a bunch of money and be fabulous in Paris," (36:51 - 37:10).

I’m sorry, but no. I have a whole tirade specifically about Louis & Claudia’s financial situation in the book vs the show, that stresses the ways AMC BRILLIANTLY highlights how vampirism does NOT afford black!Claudia (& Louis) the same privileges that it does for their white counterparts. Carol Cutshall specifically talked about how they did NOT want Louis & Claudia living glamorously in Europe.

It’s intentional, grounding Black vampires in the reality of having to navigate the a post-war world as people with Black skin. 

I’ve seen this same bogus complaint from (white) people mad that AMC only showed war-torn Romania in 2x1, as if Louis & Claudia would’ve EVER been able to walk around Romanian palaces & mansions, when their BLACK arses weren’t even allowed to walk around the SLUMS without Nazis & Soviets throwing their papers in the effing mud, until Emilia vouched for them (a white woman, as Black people OFTEN needed to do during segregation. It’s also a callback to free Black people during slavery, who had walk through white spaces with their freedom papers, lest white people assumed they were runaway slaves & resold them. And Claudia OFTEN framed their escape from NOLA & Massa Lestat’s oppression as them being “slaves” she had freed.)

I’ve also spoken on how Delainey’s S2 Claudia is even more interesting wrt colorism, since she’s darker skinned than Bailey.

Cuz I’m very confused: we DO get the glitz and glamour of rich vampires...IN DUBAI. Loumand’s living in a multi-million dollar penthouse in one of the most insanely expensive cities on the planet, giving Daniel 7-course meals of “endangered species,” waited on hand & foot by a whole team of servants & listening to Classical music so loud Daniel tells them to shut it off. They’re selling modern art to the highest bidder, and their bedroom has a bunch of priceless Mughal-era antiquities. When Lou FINALLY leaves Dubai, he’s driven into NOLA in a Cadillac Escalade, flashing his Black Amex card at the Pontchartrain. 

These viewers just miss the Art Nouveau maximalism of NOLA, over the modern minimalism of Dubai (even though Louis’ FAR richer in Dubai than he was in NOLA). Meanwhile forgetting that Louis only has access to massive wealth in NOLA specifically BECAUSE of his access to Lestat (the white man who funded the Azalea), whose generational wealth from Magnus juxtaposes the dwindling LDPL fortune that pushed Louis to become a pimp in the first place???? As for being glitzy & glamorous, this is post-war Paris 1945-49--WHAT glitz? WHAT glam?!

The rich people in 1940s Paris were corrupt AF black marketers who were hoarding all the food & resources after the war--as foreign BLACK outsiders who BARELY spoke French and had ZERO politico-economic pull, how the heck would Louis & Claudia have manged to rub shoulders with any of them????  And why would humanist!Louis have wanted to, when he was busy trying to connect with regular people’s struggles through his photography? (Granted: the ONE place I could see glitzy glamorous Paris is if AMC had been able to add the scenes Jacob wanted at R:26, so we could see Josephine Baker perform, and see the artistic circles.) Carol Cutshall said Lou wants to mimic the COMMON MAN, not the elite.

Like, what do y'all REALLY want? To see a period drama reflect people’s experiences realistically, or do you just want the fantasy of Netflix treatments of white characters acted by Black people, who’re allowed to walk through the world of the white elite with no consideration of historical accuracy, a la Bridgerton? 🙄😒

Princess points out something important here:

“When it comes to race bending I feel like the disappointments I've had for most shows is that it feels as if when the character becomes non-white, tenderness is lost, care is lost, sensitivity is lost. I remember reading the Sookie Stackhouse books and being like: not only is Tara white, but Tara is happy! And in the show, Tara is the antithesis of joy! She's always suffering, always unhappy, always miserable, always being abused. Why was her becoming Black synonymous with her having a miserable existence?" (35:14 - 35:44).

The difference with AMC!Claudia and HBO!Tara is that Tara, despite also living in Louisiana, does NOT live during Jim Crow. AMC was making a point about the ways that Black people were disenfranchized during an openly racist period in 19teens-1940s history--“our life is sh!t, it’s been sh!t, it’s gon’ be sh!t again”--from Claudia growing up poor in Storyville (the seediest part of NOLA where most Black folk were poor), to becoming a vampire who’s now doubly an outcast cuz she’s undead, then triply suffers cuz she’s a kid with this weak-willed Black father whose head is constantly up their white Maker’s arse. It’s about holding on to that (naive) hope that the damned can “make the most of it“ in their cursed lives as the undead, and that found family & companionship can make immortality bearable (“you and me”), when Vampire Loneliness gets so bad that they “want to curl up and die“ and “taste the fire.” Claudia’s life is MEANT to be tragic, white or Black; but AMC’s whole point was that during Jim Crow, Black vampires didn’t have it as easy as white ones. And in post-war Europe, the brightest spot they find is the Theatre where they find vampires even WORSE than everyone in America--ironically, Lestat was right.

HBO!Tara on the other hand, doesn’t suffer for any logical in-lore purpose or larger message about Southern racism--other than the obvious. HBO was even gonna kill off Lafayette in S1--but the fans protested cuz he’s iconic. So instead they killed off Miss Jeanette (the Black voodoo priestess/snake oil saleswoman).

Bruce & non-canon brutalization

“Of all the choices that they've made in the show in terms of adaptation, the two that I'm still kind of wrestling with is Bruce and the domestic violence. I really don't feel like Claudia being tortured and assaulted is necessary for her character. I remember rewatching that episode, and I still don't think it's necessary. I don't think it's necessary for Bruce to exist. I think that storyline for Claudia is very weird; I don't think it adds anything. I don't really think Rape As Backstory makes any sense, and I think that it takes away from the ultimate issue of her just wanting to leave Lestat. I don't think that she needs to be in a situation where she is brutalized and broken, and then comes back. And then because it's also the fight happening and Lestat and Louis--Louis being bruised and broken. I feel like I don't want the fact that it's a Gothic drama--the fact that they are, you know, vampires--for it to be an excuse to see them be unnecessarily brutalized, when it's not something that happens to the source material,“ (30:52 - 31:50).

I also heavy disagree with this stance, specifically because Bruce is a deliberate parallel with none other than Lestat. I’ve argued this over & over (x x x x), how Bruce (aka Killer) and Matador!Lestat are two antagonists who show you precisely how teenaged girl Claudia & adult man Louis are put on the same level; our two Black vampires given similar treatment at the hands of white vampires they thought they could trust.

I want either Akasha or Lestat to kill Bruce in S3. Cuz either it’ll be Akasha making a point (to Les) about what happens to rapists & misogynists; or it’ll be Lestat guiltily/belatedly tryna “do right” by Claudia long after she’s dead, only for her ghost haunting him to laugh in his face, too little too late.

And as for the point about characters being brutalized, I’ve also spoken on this before wrt race, cuz this whole show’s about how our 2 Black characters are brutalized with no justice and no peace.

“I feel like nothing in the show can really shock me, since we open the series with Lestat fisting a priest...in a non-sexy way."

I don’t get when people say this, cuz on one hand Omg vampires are monsters, Lestat punched a hole in a priest’s head in a church. But on the other hand it’s Omg how could AMC not put trigger warnings on Ep5 cuz DV/SA is triggering, (even though they didn’t even show ANY of the SA on screen, or even show us Claudia’s broken leg); but the gratuitous murder & violence & torture we see in S1 AND S2 wasn’t TW’d either--e.g.: Armand dishragging human!Daniel in 2x5, which HE never does in the books, either. But they’ll ship the absolute HELL out of DM, when the show hasn’t even indicated they’ll make DM romantic!?

So wrt to Lestat’s depiction in this show, IMO people really take umbrage with anything that makes shipping Loustat less fun and makes this white man look like a monstrous a-hole. They hide behind book canon, inconsistent AF. Cuz AMC!Lestat often acts totally opposite his book counterpart--who cries when he kills people & staunchly only wants to hunt Evil Doers cuz he wanted to be a priest & falls in love with EVERY human he meets, regardless of if they’re musicians or not. AMC!Lestat calls humans “The Meat” constantly, and he & Claudia call human blood “Kill Juice” and treat hunting like a sadistic game (”you must be most ferocious”). Lestat is a monster who has ZERO regard for ALL human life, yet (racist) antis love to point the finger at pimp!Louis & lie about him having no regard for women?? Like??? Even in the S3 promo we see Lestat having killed frikkin crew members in the documentary--are THEY Evil Doers? 

(But you best believe AMC’s gonna glamorize every single second of his Rockstar Era, even while he’s sitting in a puddle of blood tears crying about how hard his human life was and how the IWTV book slandered him--just feeding the fires of Black people’s voices being seen as less credible than white people’s--even though Louis & ESPECIALLY Claudia never knew a effing thing about Lestat cuz HE chose to never divulge details about his personal life. And NO, I don’t mean the stuff about TWMBK Marius told him to STFU about. He didn’t tell them anything about Gabrielle, they barely knew anything about Nicki, and knew nothing about Armand.)

So yeah, I largely agree with Princess Weekes that overall AMC did a great job by writing color conscious Black characters. Our takes just diverge when it comes to considering the historical reality of Black experiences during Jim Crow, that WEREN’T glitzy & glamorous, but that AMC isn’t necessarily giving trauma porn to torture Black characters for no reason, either. 

I think a bigger issue with the racebending is its reception; about how AMC’s mishandled race in the press and fandom: wrt silencing interviews with the actors about race; and platforming the most problematic AF non-Black fans, while not speaking out against the racist AF takes in the fandom about the Bipoc main characters.

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

Hi hello I watched all of carmilla in a weekend when I was 17 because a student teacher who in retrospect I had a bit of a crush on mentioned that she knew one of the actresses. also I am pretty invested in all your recent vampire stuff because I watched iwtv in 2 days last week because your edit intrigued me

oh hiiii 🫶 thank you for indulging me. thats so cool that you watched iwtv! did it live up to the expectation?

i also watched carmilla at 17! or like, 17-19. i found it when s2 had just started and followed it to the end. did something permanent to my brain but i think it was a good thing. on rewatch now im like, i was right to like this. like it's a solid show, it's good. it has its flaws obviously but it's well written, the emotional moments still get me, i can see why i liked it and i still like it now even when it's not anymore, you know, meeting every need that baby gay me didnt even know they had

what it doesnt reaallyy do though - i dont remember if i posted abt this or if i left it in my drafts but - is explore vampirism as a concept. their subject matter is more lesbianism than vampirism. which is great! thats what they wanted to do and they did it and it's very good. but reading interview with the vampire the book rn im realising how much potential vampires have to be metaphors for like so many things and i started wondering like 'wait, did carmilla just not really engage with it or did it all go over my head'. but it just didnt really engage with it all that much. which again is fine bc that wasnt what they were doing. im glad they were more about the lesbianism than the vampirism

but there's this interesting difference in framing, because in iwtv they keep calling armand 'ancient' right? and emphasising how old he is. and he's like 500? and i was like 'wait isnt carmilla like 400?'. she isnt, shes 340, but still, thats getting there, you know? and we know quite a lot about her history, but kind of just the Big Events. when she was turned, the events of the novella, coffin of blood, silas. thats sort of what we know. but none of the long lonely slog of history day to day you know? with armand i feel like we can really feel how much time everything takes. how every one of those years is made up of single days. with carmilla i dont feel that as much. i keep kind of thinking about daniel, when louis calls him a boy in the first episode, saying "im an old man, with all the triggers that come with it"

because carmilla might look 18 (or mid twenties at this point) but she has lived all that time. shes also seen her native land be claimed by like a succession of ruling powers, right? like armand. shes been buried alive, like louis. when lestat is born, shes already 80 years old, shes lived a whole human lifetime, and the entire adult part of it shes been a vampire. shes lived through 1680-1870 being a lure. i compared her to abigail hobbs in some tags on a post, i dont know if youre familiar with hannibal the tv show, but i do also kinda keep thinking about that comparison

if youre not familiar, in the first episode of hannibal the murderer of the week is this guy garrett jacob hobbs who kills and cannibalises girls who resemble his daughter. and later on it turns out she was made to be his lure. like they'd go places and he'd sent her to the victims to make friends and maybe get them back to their home or smth. not sure if they specified all the details. but that's what carmilla did for mother. and in s2 we hear from mattie that while every couple of decades carmilla had to lure victims for the fish god, she also seemed to just enjoy humans between those times, right? like the doctor, gets lonely, gets a new companion. but we've only sort of got mattie's mocking word for it ("dont eat him, hes a poet! or her, shes got such a wonderful voice. or that one, shes just too pretty to ruin"), we don't know exactly from carmilla's point of view what she was doing or why. if mattie's talking about stuff that happened after the blood coffin, 1950-now, then i think it's a fair assumption based on what carmilla says in the s1 sock puppet show that after she'd figured out what the real situation was and what her role in it was, when she'd started trying to save girls from being sacrificed, that she mightve been doing the same trying to save people from becoming mattie's victims. it's probably more likely that she was just trying to find excuses to stop mattie from sucking someone dry rather than actually having like an aesthetic based morality. but it might be a bit of both. im still trying to figure out what her philosophy actually is, like i dont know what existentialism actually means ghkfjghkj but i will

i also found it pretty striking in the movie when shes turning back into a vampire she says like "this was supposed to be done, you know? the blood lust, the self-loathing, the sleeping tied to a chair in my own bedroom". thats what defines her vampirism, wanting blood and hating yourself for it (the third part is a joke/reference to s1 but also i think meaningful for how she sees her relationship with laura when she IS a vampire. little bit of that 'she will reject me for my monstrousness' shining through). and thats what defines vampirism for lots of vampires across the genre obviously, but i dont know, it struck me. we dont get a lot from carmilla's pov, we know a fair amount about her, but the story is always told through laura. we get laura's diaries, but just snippets here and there from carmilla, what shes thinking, how shes feeling

and i love that shes a philosopher. i love that thats how she seems to try and find something to hold onto, in a world that kind of moves around her, having been murdered, kidnapped, turned and groomed to be a lure on the cusp of adulthood, never having been properly loved (the relationship with her father wasnt good she says in s3, and her mortal mother i dont think has ever been mentioned (like laura's)). the only good relationship she seems to have had for the better part of 3 centuries seems to have been mattie, and mattie seems to love being a vampire. i can imagine carmilla just sort of going along with anything mattie wants to do just because shes so desperate for that friendship. not like, against her will necessarily really. but more like, she hasnt even had the space to develop her own will, you know? and philosophy lets you do that. philosophy gives you frameworks to understand the world and to develop your own opinions on it. and by the 21st century she seems to have developed those opinions, she has a sense of her own values, but shes also still stuck in that same situation. shes jaded and cynical in the face of laura's optimism and strong moral code a lot of the time in s1 because she feels probably pretty powerless. like she does what she can to save some girls but at the end of the day shes scared of her mother and she has nowhere else to go really, right?

i like how she grapples with that over the course of the series, in tandem with laura grappling with her black and white morality. she sort of jumps ship from her mother to laura bc theyve fallen in love, but then laura still stuck in her hero thinking refuses to see her monstrous side. not literally bc i think the biological vampirism never seemed to be a problem for laura, but morally. the having murdered. carmilla needs laura to see that and love her while seeing it bc the last girl she loved rejected her for being a vampire.

but you see her kind of swing back and forth in s2. she softens first with laura but then they break up and she leans back hard into the sarcastic cynic defense mechanisms, leans hard into "im a monster, dont expect heroism from me". but thats like, it's sort of learned helplessness i think. it's powerlessness, resignation. bc morally shes not a monster. maybe she doesnt have as strong a drive to help other people as laura does and is a little more selfishly hedonistic in that she just wants to enjoy her/their life, but she doesnt hurt people for fun, she never has. she just sort of didnt have another option for a Really long time. so she pretends she doesnt care. "im a vampire, this is what i do, this is who i am". but clearly from the way she talks about it when she turns back into one, she doesnt enjoy it

and i like how she goes even further in s3, where she starts swinging even more to the heroic side, bc she sees hope. shes like "wow if we kill my mother, i'd be free". theres hope and she becomes like a lot more active. and shes like that at the start of the movie too, a lot happier, a lot more relaxed, and then vampirism is back and bam depression gfhgkjh like shes immediately more gloomy, ashamed of her past and her self, retreats into herself

sorry i just took this as an opportunity to dump all the carmilla thoughts floating in my head on you. you didnt ask fhkghgjh consider this an open invitation to you or anyone else to come talk to me about carmilla