#i adore Claudia with my entire heart

[blue-aconite]

every little thing she does is magic || j.h.s

Summary: What is really the best way to tell someone you love them? At 7, Jake doesn't really know. All he knows is that Dani makes his heart flutter, and she's just - she's just magic.

Warnings: fluff, fluff, fluff

Word Count: 1.7k

Pairings: Jake Seresin x OC

Authors Note: This is for @roosterforme's '80s Rocktober challenge! Thank you Em for creating such a fun event! Also, thank you to @demxters and @hangmanssunnies for beta'ing and being a huge support!

Age 7

“Dad. How did you know you wanted to marry Ma?” Jake clambered up onto the couch next to his father, legs swinging back and forth as he sat on the edge. His dad put down the newspaper he was currently reading, pocketing his reading glasses as well. 

Jake could tell that his dad was thinking really hard about his question because his eyebrows dipped and he rubbed his chin, something he always did when thinking. He waited patiently for an answer, picking at his shorts where a colourful plane bandaid was sat over a scrape he’d gotten falling off the monkey bars at school. It hadn’t hurt very much and Dani had shared her cookies with him, making him feel better instantly. 

“Well, I love her more than I could explain, so I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.” Joseph said, leaning back in his airchair. 

Jake hummed, biting his lower lip. “But how did you know you loved her then?”

His dad laughed, reaching over to tug Jake onto his lap and ruffle his hair, much to his dismay. “Whenever I was around her, I felt light. I felt happy, just seeing her. Her smile brightened up my entire day. Still does.”

Jake pondered his dad’s answer for a moment, small fingers toying with the wedding band adjourning Joseph’s ring finger. 

“Dani always makes me feel better.” He admitted, once again thinking of how seeing his next door neighbour always brightened his mood.

His dad laughed. “Does she now?” 

“Yup. She’s like.. um.. she’s like magic.” Jake was proud of himself for finding the perfect way to describe Dani. 

His father oh’d, eyes sparkling. “Like magic? Well, then you gotta hold onto her. People like her are very special.” 

Jake made an agreeing sound, nodding his head determinedly. “Do you think Dani would want to marry me?” 

Joseph coughed, rattling Jake in his lap. “I think the two of you are a bit too young to be thinking about marriage, Jacob.” 

“But dad, you married Ma because you loved her.” Jake whined, stubbornly crossing his arms across his chest. 

Jake knew now that he did love Dani. She always made him smile, made him feel better and she was indeed magic. Everything she did was magical, Jake thought. 

“You have to wait until you’re a bit older, son. Me and your mother was adults when we got married.” Joseph laughed, finding his son’s crush on their neighbour adorable. 

He pondered for a moment, legs swinging back and forth. “But how will she know that I love her then?” 

“Who do you love?” Claudia appeared in the doorway, flour dusted on her apron. 

Father and son looked up at the interruption, watching as she leaned against the doorframe. “Well? Go on then.” 

“Dani! Dad said he knew he loved you because you always made him smile and he was always happy to see you. When I see Dani, I always feel better,” Jake rambled, missing the look shared between his parents. “And she shared her cookies with me last week, after I scraped my knee and she’s just so pretty and I wanna make her laugh all the time -“

“Jake, slow down.” Joseph smiled, ruffling his son’s hair once again. 

“Maybe you can pick some flowers from the garden?” Claudia suggested. Jake lit up, sliding off his fathers lap, almost tripping over the carpet on his way to the back door. 

“Dani loves flowers! Thanks Ma!” Jake pushed the door open, hurrying out into the garden, excitement seeping into his veins. Flowers would be the perfect way to let Dani know how much she meant to him. 

His mother had rows and rows of flowers in the garden. Jake wandered around for a while, trying to find the perfect ones. Dani deserved the best.

“Hi Jake! Whatcha doing?”

Dani was leaning over the fence, smiling widely at him. Jake felt his heart flutter and he quickly hid the flowers he’d picked behind his back. “Uh, I’m just -”

“What’s behind your back?” Dani asked as she climbed the fence, entering the Seresin backyard. 

Jake felt the blush creeping up his cheeks, suddenly nervous about his gift. What if she didn’t like it? What if it wasn’t enough? 

Dani was still smiling, bouncing on her feet as she watched him blush and stutter. Jake tried to find the right words but nothing came out. Eventually he just held out the small bouquet to her, hoping it would be enough. 

“Um, I picked them for you..” Their hands brushed as Dani took the flowers from him, holding them up to her face to smell them. Jake waited nervously with a bated breath for her reaction. 

Dani threw her arms around his middle, hugging him tight. Jake automatically wrapped his arms around her waist, heart thumping as her scent invaded his senses. “I love them so much! Thank you, Jake!” 

Her words were muffled against his shoulder but it didn’t matter, Jake heard her. She loved them. She loved the flowers. 

“Do you wanna come and feed the horses with me?” She asked, pulling back slightly. Jake nodded as they pulled apart, offering his hand. Dani laced their fingers together and Jake felt that rush again, the same one as he always felt when Dani was in the vicinity. It felt like magic.

Age 18

“I’m going to miss this,” Dani sighed as she leaned back into Jake’s arms, pulling the blanket tighter around them. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, listening as the car radio played quietly in the background. The truck bed was filled with blankets and pillows. He’d opted against candles even though it would have been a nice touch. But he didn’t feel like tempting fate playing with fire so close to fabric.

He let his fingers trace mindless patterns up and down Dani’s arm, content to just hold her as they watched the stars and listened to old 80’s songs. He hummed along to every little thing she does is magic, enjoying the moment. 

“What are you going to miss?” He asked, lacing their fingers together. 

“Everything, I guess? This, us -”

“It’s not the end, baby. You don’t have to miss us, I’m right here.” Jake interrupted, squeezing the hand he was holding. 

Dani twisted in his arms before sitting up. Jake instantly missed the warmth and tried to tug her back against his chest. “Dani -“ 

She frowned, trying to pull her hand from his. “Everything’s changing. In two months we’re going to be on the opposite sides of the country, you’ll be busy with flight school and I’ll -“ 

“Stop! Baby, listen to me,” Jake grabbed onto both of her hands, pulling her closer despite Dani’s attempts to keep a small distance between them. “Danielle, look at me.” 

Dani sagged against his side, sniffing slightly. Jake rarely called her by her full name, so he knew she would listen. 

He pulled her upright again and gently grabbed her chin. “I have loved you since I was seven years old. Maybe even longer. That’s not going to change anytime soon. So it won’t matter if we’re on opposite sides of the country, okay? We’re going to make things work.” 

Dani huffed, smiling at him with watery eyes. “Since you were seven?” 

Jake nodded, pulling her into his lap. “Yes ma’am. I think it was earlier but I remember asking my dad about love and stuff, and when he explained it, I knew.” 

Dani stayed quiet, fiddling with the hem of her shirt as Jake continued to talk. 

“I remember asking him if we could get married. He said we needed to be older but that I should hold onto you. I told him you were magic.” 

Dani barked a laugh. “Magic?” 

“Yeah. Every time I saw you, I instantly felt better. You always made things better, brighter. You made me feel warm, that fuzzy feeling in my chest whenever you smiled at me. And guess what?” 

“What?” Dani mumbled, nose pressed to his pulse point. 

Jake smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I still feel that warm, fuzzy feeling when you smile at me. That’s how I know we’re going to be fine.” 

“I knew I loved you when you punched Micheal Pearson after he pushed me from the swings.” 

Jake laughed, shaking his head. “He deserved it.” Dani joined him, laughing together as they remembered their childhood. 

After a while their laughter died down and they sat in silence again, bodies intertwined tightly together. 

“We’re good, you and me, right? We’re going to be fine.” Dani whispered, kissing his knuckles. 

Jake smiled. “We’re better than good, baby. We’re magic.” 

Five years later 

“When Jake was seven years old, he asked me how I knew that I loved his mother. How I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.” Joseph laughed, adjusting his tie. 

“At first, his questions caught me off guard. I hadn’t really expected to have that conversation with my seven year old.” The guests laughed, most of them turning to look at the blushing groom. 

“After I answered him as truthfully as I could, Jake promptly asked me if I thought Dani would like to marry him.” The laughter rose, many of Jake’s squad members making kissing noises at the newlyweds. 

“It definitely threw me, but I quickly told him that they needed to wait a little while longer. That they were too young. But me and his mother made sure to let him know that he should still let her know how much he liked her.” 

Joseph paused and took a moment to study his son and his new wife. 

“As we watched him trying to find her the perfect bouquet of flowers from our yard, I knew. I knew that one day I was going to have to speak at their wedding.” 

Dani was crying, leaning into Jake’s side as they listened. 

“I’m gonna wrap this up before I start crying. Jake, son. I am so proud of you, and what you have achieved so far. And most importantly, I am so proud of your choice of wife. Dani, keep him on his toes, he needs it.” 

“I told you once as a kid and I’m telling you now again as a man. Don’t ever let go of her. Don’t ever let each other go. What you have is special. Like Jake once said, it’s magic.”

Taglist: @wildbornsiren​ @therebeccaw@imjess-themess@antiquitea@fuckyeahhangman@writercole@hederasgarden@yanna-banana@wkndwlff@bobfloydsbabe@hollandorks@anniesocsandgeneralstore@ereardon@luminousnotmatter@roosterscock@thedroneranger@fandomxpreferences@top-hhun@princessmisery666@bradshawsbitch​ @princessphilly@a-reader-and-a-writer@green-socks@angstybluejay@seresinhangmanjake@ayorooster​@notroosterbradshaw​ @indynerdgirl@gigisimsonmars@girl-in-the-chairs-void@bradshawbabes@unhinged-btch@horseshoegirl@sadpetalsstuff@bradshawbaby@ahopelessromanticwritersworld@ummjustfics​ @septemberrie​ @somenamewithepineapple​ @seresinsweetie​​ @crescentwolf​ @seresinhangmanjake​ @sylviebell​ @waklman​ @roosterforme​ @rosiahills22​ @dempy​ @i0veless​ @ilovewriting06​ @kmc1989​ @demxters@amortentiadrops@teacupsandtopgun@hangmanscoming

[savagewildnerness]

Now DreamStat has dissolved forever, what’s your favourite DreamStat scene?

I love them all, but for me it is this one. Three of the scenes made me cry (this one, the letter scene & the final scene) & I obviously also adore the “kill me again” scene. Mmm, more gothic-horror-romance please. Love me to death. Oh yes please. 🩸🖤🗡️

But the you & me scene, I could watch it a million times & I think it would still make me cry. It makes my heart ache. I love that the scene has Louis, Claudia & Lestat in it. It’s like a perfect creation of feeling; a work of art.

I adore Daniel Hart’s score here: I don’t know how he achieved it, but in this cyclical, undulating style of music he manages to capture a kind of emotion that just tears through my heart & makes me feel the yearning of characters so deeply. It’s like magic. I don’t understand how, but I feel it. I feel it. The music, as the character’s hearts & into my own heart.

I love that Louis is the only character who speaks here (beyond an “okay”) & that so much of the emotion in the scene - almost all of it, comes from wordless acting.

Louis, wanting to be there 100% for Claudia. Believing entirely in what he tells her, while his subsconscious simultaneously reveals the lie in it. The pain.

Claudia, wanting to trust Louis. But afraid to open her heart to believe in it, in him. He’s saying all she needs. Can it be true? Heartbreaking.

Lestat, looking first at Louis, as though Louis is the only being to exist in The Universe. Steadfastly: there. Then, at Claudia - with a look of such compassion & sorrow - Louis’ compassion & sorrow that this isn’t the full truth he’s telling. And Louis’ imagined compassion & sorrow for Claudia that’s Lestat’s for his daughter too.

Exquisite.

Before we move on to the second half of the series, where I sense things will be ramping up, I wanted to take a moment to revisit the utterly perfect art that is this scene. Everything about it, imbued with feeling & perfectly rendered. I wish I could frame it. Project it onto The Sky. Seared in my heart.

[1lostsoul0fishbowl]

August 21 is Fanfic Writer Appreciation Day 💕

…so I tried to make a list of 21 of my absolute favorite fanfics, but I couldn’t quite narrow it down enough. Instead you get 25!

(will tag the author if I know/can find their Tumblr— if I miss any please let me know)

🎉🩷🎉🩷🎉🩷🎉

Warm by @patternscolorsflowers - I made an Ao3 account for the sole purpose of bookmarking this as my very first favorite fic. A gorgeous one-shot of Joyce giving Eddie some much needed motherly TLC. I must’ve read this fic at least a dozen times, and cried every single time.

Disliking You Less by @claracivry - Claudia Henderson slowly learns to accept Dustin’s weird new metalhead friend. Just the sweetest, cutest fic!

Red and the Metalhead by @cunninghamschrissy - of course! The adorable fic that inspired me to write Not-so-iron Maiden! Max and Eddie as sibs have my heart forever.

Best we can do is to pick up the pieces by @hearjessroarfics - very, very sweet fic from Wayne’s POV as he observes Eddie and Chrissy in an unguarded moment.

Come True in the End by Many_Impossible_Things - absolutely BAMF Chrissy is tired of being underestimated, and comes back to life with a vengeance through the power of Pat Benatar. Seriously, read this one!!!

Take a chance on me by @womanof-1000-faces - Chrissy joins Hellfire. And it’s just as awesome as it sounds.

We’re not alone (I’ll find a new place to be from) by @grasslandgirl - Eddie learns to love Dustin’s hugs. Soooo cute.

Of All The Waffle Houses In The World by Babeinthewoods - a few unconventional wingmen (aka, the Party) help Eddie get a date with Chrissy, with lots of hilarious shenanigans along the way.

Eddie My Love by @ghostlynimbus - sweet little Hellcheer scene, and you’ll end up with the song stuck in your head for days.

Graceland, too. (Whatever she wants) by cunninghams - Eddie and Chrissy survive Vecna and then make a bucket list to take advantage of their new lease on life.

Five Drunks and a Cheerleader by @phoenixwrites - Chrissy goes to see Corroded Coffin at the Hideout. It sounds simple but it’s so.dang.cute and there’s a whole delightful series now!

That’s all I’ve got to say by @barriss - Eddie gets a little too emotional during movie night. Absolutely adorable.

The shop around the corner by @adelaideelaine - Hellcheer meets You’ve Got Mail with a little dash of tattoo parlor AU thrown in. One of my favorite ships plus one of my favorite movies? Heck yeah!

Have no fear (the monster’s gone) by JuliaRose12 - Heartmelting Wayne and Eddie fluff, as everyone’s favorite uncle looks after his beloved nephew in the hospital.

In Her Mercy Does All Abound by viharker - medieval troubadour AU. Nuff said, right? This one is so beautiful.

the buzz by @hangon-silvergirl - modern day Eddie as a chaotic DJ wooing Chrissy the Barista via music and text. Absolutely hilarious!

Come What May by @lokinightfury - Hellcheer starring in Grease? The entire Party and Corroded Coffin as wingmen? Yes please!!!

Wasted Years by @bratanimus - Eddie and the guys listen to a new album, as Eddie comes to terms with the past and prepares for his future. So introspective and beautiful, I cried so much reading this one. Really the entire Man to Man series is amazing!

The Kingdoms Never Weep by @sokkas-first-fangirl - Eddie’s estranged family tries to come back to haunt him, but the Party has his back. I love the gorgeous friendships in this fic and the whole series!

Guidance Counseling by @khaleesa - Eddie is determined to graduate, and slowly gets his life on track after surviving the Upside Down. I wanted to climb into this fic and live in it forever.

On the Other Side by @iwasateenagevirginiawoolf - One year after Vecna’s attack, Eddie and Chrissy are both learning to live again. Absolutely heartbreaking but so beautiful and optimistic at the same time.

Long is the Road out of Hell by @justhere4thevibez - Chrissy joins Hellfire, but this glorious fic comes with the added bonus of her escaping her mother, and the best Mike Wheeler I’ve ever read.

Family Recipe by @foxylibrarian - the cutest fake dating AU, Chrissy has Nancy, Robin, and Barb as her BFFs, and there’s lots of Wayne too. It’s everything you could want!

On My Terms by @pipergirl17 - Jason injuring Wayne in an accident doesn’t sound like the basis of a Hellcheer hospital meet-cute, but trust me, it works.

In the Shade of Aurelias by @pearlypairings - last but MOST CERTAINLY not least, is my favorite fic by my favorite author! A magical fantasy AU, with hints of D&D, mystery, intrigue, and romance. It was hard to choose just one from Pearly, because all of her works are amazing, but this fic is truly outstanding.

Happy Fanfic Writer Appreciation Day to all of my favorite writers, and happy reading to everyone who enjoys these fics!!! 💕

[bluedalahorse]

Two options for the character breakdown game: Sara (because you haven't done her yet, and we can't leave her out) and Claudia

You know what? I’m going to do both.

Claudia

How I feel about this character: TV CLAUDIA IS THE ABSOLUTE GREATEST. I’ll be honest, book!Claudia kind of weirded me out conceptually, especially the part where she and Louis are kind of in love but she still looked like a little kid? I also read Interview with the Vampire at the age when I was just… not great at loving female characters, and when I sort of wanted to ship mlm ships exclusively. But show Claudia is incredible. I mean, there’s the part where she’s extremely badass, and one of her first acts as a vampire is to just. Straight up eat a cop. But I love that we start from that badass, highly emotional teenage space but then go deeper with her, and I love how unapologetically herself she is. I love that she dreams about the idea of finding vampire community. I love that she stands up for herself. I love that she and Lestat are so alike and they fight about it. I love that she refuses to let her truth be erased by the way she records everything in her diary. Claudia deserves the world and I cannot say that enough.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: CLAUDELEINE OBVIOUSLY. They deserved more happiness together than they got.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: If there were a universe where Claudia and Daniel could have existed at the same time and become friends, they would have been unstoppable, and they would have adored one another, and everyone else would have suffered for it. Hilariously.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Occasionally I see book only fans argue that the tragedy of Claudia is ruined when she’s turned as a teenager rather than a little kid. This is something I very much disagree with. Teens are just as tragic as little kids, first of all, but people do have a weird bias against teenagers and actually feeling for teenagers, and I wish they wouldn’t. Also, since Claudia looks like someone in between childhood and adulthood, the age that people in-universe read her as is like… entirely determined by what they want to read her as to control her. Sometimes people infantilize her and make her play Baby Lu. Sometimes they subject her to very adult forms of abuse. Claudia is still tragic no matter what, okay?

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish she and Madeleine could have lived in that cute cottage forever. (Gosh if only Armand hadn’t been stuck behind the baby gate…)

Sara

How I feel about this character: MY WONDERFUL DAUGHTER WHO HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG IN HER LIFE. But, while we’re talking about teenage girls, she’s one of the best teenage girls ever written on TV, ever. Sara reached out through the screen and grabbed me by the heart. Her care for others, her willingness to look past the obvious of a situation, her curiosity about who she is and what she values… when she said “no one likes me when I’m me” my sixteen year old self felt seen. I am consistently floored that all my favorite YouTubers who talk about autism and ADHD rep in television have weirdly never talked about her. I almost avoided joining YR tumblr fandom because the abundance of “Sara is on thin ice” posts I saw while lurking made me hesitant and disappointed. Most of my fandom hiatuses were caused in part by people being shitty about her. Sara has one of the best damn arcs in Young Royals, hands down.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Well, obviously August, controversial as that opinion is. I think their relationship ended up in the right place by the finale, but I can’t resist their chemistry along the way. And as I was saying to @heliza24 earlier, there’s just something about characters who perceive themselves as unlovable finding love with one another. Now, I want to have other Sara ships, but… I don’t know if I do, really? I might read Sara as a little arospec, like gray aro or something, and it actually means a lot to me that she chooses friends and family over romance in the end. But if you get back to me a few months from now maybe I’ll feel differently, who knows.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: potentially weird turn but like, Wilhelm? Specifically in Heart and Homeland where they end up in a kind of disability solidarity queerplatonic partnership. I don’t know if I feel that as much in canon. As far as canon goes, Felice first and Simon second.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I’m going to make this an extension of my August Unpopular Opinion on my August post, because I’m vibrating on a higher sargust frequency than usual this week due to anxiety about travel and I kinda just want to talk about sargust because it’s a comfort pairing. And that is… Sara’s feelings for August are something we can enjoy fannishly, too. They are something we can write fic about and come up with AUs for and make gifsets and fanmixes of. The AU stuff especially—I feel like sargust still could have happened in an alternate universe, or in a universe where Simon didn’t end up at Hillerska, or whatever else. Sara and August have a relationship in their own right and while they are a superb foil to wilmon they are not only a foil to wilmon. There is a level of Weird Teen Girl Horniness represented onscreen in the portrayal of Sara’s crush on August that just feels like, refreshing and authentic. The yearning with the picture of him in 1.5, like girl his hair is terrible in that picture and yet you are there for it! The grinding in 2.2! The dumb little arm punch in 2.3 before they just give up and make out! Seeing a lot of people who’d previously said only negative things about Sara suddenly decide they like her after season 3 when she dumped August was… not as comforting as I’d hoped it would be. Like again, to be clear, I do think their relationship ended in the right place and I want Sara away from him, obligatory “August did terrible things that I do not condone” disclaimer that I’m very bored of typing by now etc etc, I get why this is not everyone’s cup of tea, and so on and so forth. But I just… like them together, okay. And I wonder about all the other people who liked them together who ended up leaving the fandom because there wasn’t as much of a place to express that.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Sara’s arc is pretty perfect. I have one thing I maybe wanted to say about S3 but I’ll hold back for now. EDIT: I wanted her and Wilhelm to have more interaction in season 3. What was the lack of that about?

One thing’s for sure, after typing all that I really want Sara and Claudia to be friends, and to be able to play with horses together.

[allegra-writes]

"First word"

Lestat De Lioncourt x Louis De Pointe Du Lac & Claudia

General Audiences

Warnings: None. Tooth rotting fluff.

SERIES MASTERLIST | MY MASTERLIST

"Dada, daa-daa. Come on, ma petite, I know you can say it: daaa-daaa"

Louis halted his steps just outside the kitchen when he heard Lestat’s voice. He was well aware that his husband -and how crazy that was: The Vampire Lestat, international rockstar, his husband- was trying to win the 'Dada/Papa' competition ever since little Claudia had turned ten months old, so it wasn't very surprising to find him like that.

What it was, was beyond adorable.

Sneaking a little peek inside the kitchen he found a scene cute enough to melt his heart: His little baby girl, the prettiest baby he had ever laid eyes on sitting on her bright yellow high chair, as Lestat, domestic as he ever saw him with his long blonde hair tied back and a simple black t-shirt, fed her, or at least tried to, some mashed butternut squash, making little airplane motions with the spoon.

"Dada. Don't you want to say dada?"

Little Claudia took the spoon from his hands, splattering the orange goo around and giggling, babbling nonsense at her dad, big green eyes intent and focused. It was a little unsettling sometimes, that stare of hers way too smart, way too old for her age.

Lestat chuckled, 

"You know what, my little milkweed? I actually think that's exactly what I said to your papa the first time I saw him…"

"De doo doo?"

"Yes! Those were my exact words, I remember now!" He leaned in, confiding, "I was a mumbling, blushing, hot mess. You can't judge me, ma cherie, you see, he was just standing there, and I just… I thought he looked so beautiful, the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He still is." He took the spoon back from his daughter, scooping a little of the orange concoction, examining it carefully, "My brain turned to mush, just like this…" 

Of course, baby Claudia did not see, and continued to babble. 

"Da-de do do do…"

"Precisely! I was a vulgar Sting imitator. De do do do, de da da da, is all I want to say to you-ooh…"

Louis had to cover his mouth with his hand to stifle his laugh so as not to give away his presence. Lestat’s singing had to be on the top ten of his favorite things in the world, right under his daughter's giggles. 

"Do do do da da da" Repeated Claudia, lovely tiny frown of concentration on her lovely tiny 

face.

Lestat froze for a second, then jumped from his chair, arms high in the air.

"Yes! Yes, you said it! You just said it! Can you say it again, ma petite? Say it for Dada?"

"De da da da…" 

Louis couldn't contain himself anymore, bursting out laughing and through the door, 

"I don't think that counts, she's not calling you dada, she's just singing!"

Lestat stuck his nose up, offended.

"It's close enough!"

The brunet finally stepped into the kitchen, mouth already open to reply, when he was rudely interrupted.

"Papa!" Baby Claudia yelled excitedly, words loud and clear, "Papa doo doo de dadada!" 

Louis' hand flew to his mouth again, but for entirely different reasons as his eyes filled with tears of joy. 

Lestat gasped,

"You little traitor!" He accused, in mock outrage, but the massive smile that broke on his face belied his own happiness. 

As he picked little Claudia up and Louis wrapped his arms around the both of them, it was hard to feel like he had lost. 

Next part

[littlemisssquiggles]

...SO...ABOUT THE DRAGON PRINCE SEASON 5...

So I finally settled down to watch the new season of The Dragon Prince: Mystery of Aaravos and oddly enough, I don’t have much to say about for this current season.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s not to say that the season was bad or that I didn’t enjoy it. I just don’t have a lot to gush about for S5 to fill an entire musing post so I’m just gonna give my general thoughts:

Overall, I thought S5 was pretty solid season. I definitely enjoyed it a lot better than S4, for sure.

As always, the art and animation of the series looked beautiful and I don’t know if it’s cause I haven’t watch TDP in a while but somehow the animation looked a lot better to my eyes than ever

But given how S5 ended, now I am completely confused as to where exactly this story of Aaravos is going to go. Here I figured it would’ve played out as what you’d expect---I figured Claudia would’ve succeeded in retrieving Aaravos’ prison; freeing him entirely and saving her father in the process---y’know her entire motive for this current arc.

But instead, not only does Claudia fail compared to last season’s conclusion (and losing a leg in the process! Like that surprised me. I wasn’t expecting Rayla to have cut the tentacle that was actually Claud’s real foot. That got me good) but to my surprise as the audience, Viren actually had a change of heart?!

Not only does he wish to do away with dark magic but also Aaravos’ influence as well; basically resolving himself to die and the season just ends with him preparing to do so.

I...was not expecting that at all.

And do you know what else I wasn’t expecting? That little tidbit about Viren’s past with baby Soren and what was hinted during that sequence.

From what I gathered from Viren’s memories, it seems like as a toddler, Soren was very sick and appeared to be at death’s doorstep until Viren used dark magic to either bring his son back from the brink of death or cure him of whatever cursed disease he had that was plaguing him.

This is about the second time Soren has been saved from some life-threatening event by his loved ones using dark means to do so. We got a taste of it back in S2 when Claudia killed the baby deer to cure Soren of his paralysis and now we have the reveal of Viren doing the same to cure him of some unknown illness he has a baby.

This makes me wonder something about Soren---is he supposed to die at some point? Is this a sign by the narrative that there’s going to be death flags for Soren? Both his sister and their father have done bad things just to keep him alive.

Imagine if…in the end, Soren sacrifices his life for either his father or Claudia or both of them?

As adorably naive as the show often likes to portray Soren at times as our veteran himbo, Soren is also pretty selfless and loyal, almost to a fault---willing to do anything to protect the people most dearest to him. Before it was his family and now it’s his friends. And what’s worse is that Soren is oblivious to what both his sister and their father have done for him.

How do you think Soren will react to knowing what his dad did for him when he was just a baby boy?

Dear Dragon Prince, you can’t just have Viren be a complete awful dad to Soren last season (which fits the bill since Viren has always been an ass to his son) and then be like “Nah, Viren actually loves Soren more than we’ve led ya’ll, the audience, to believe for FIVE WHOLE seasons. Here have a flashback of Viren actually being loving and affectionate to his only son and first born child.”

Viren has always been that kind of conflicting villain where you don’t like him for his actions but you can’t completely bring yourself to hate him because most of his heinous acts have been for the betterment of people he cares about deeply. So between, this new Soren revelation and Viren hitting Aaravos with dem divorce papers after telling him to kill their discount Smeagle/Gollum love child to bring himself back to life fully, this just adds another layer of conflicting feelings for yours truly with Viren as a character and what the f***k Aaron Ehauz and Justin Richmond.

And this is ONTOP of whatever the f***k they intend to do with the King Harrow’s soul being trapped inside of a bird which they actually teased this season.

Oh good! I thought they FORGOT that plot line because two years have passed within the TDP universe and neither Ezran nor Callum are aware that their father is alive…kind of? It’s kind of up in the air right now like the bird that his body was swapped with whose whereabouts are unknown.

All we know is that the bird escaped way back in season…what is it? One? The very first book and FIVE SEASONS later, we still don’t know what became of it.

FIVE SEASONS and HOW MANY BOOKS OF SIDE STORIES and we still got no closure on that, among other things.

I have a feeling that by the time the Mystery of Aaravos is resolve, the whole main cast is gonna have their dads back.

Callum and Ezran are gonna get their dad back cause he ain’t dead---he a bird.

Rayla is gonna get her dad, her dad figure and even her momma back too cause they ain’t dead---they got turned into money!

Claudia and Soren are gonna get their dad back cause Viren ain’t dead---he got brought back to life and there may be a sliver of chance in the plot that he’ll end up surviving and living long enough to have an actual healthy relationship with BOTH of his children, no dark magic required.

And finally Zym---the Dragon Prince himself---is gonna get his daddy back because the Dragon King ain’t dead either! He just turned to stone and I’m sure there will be some magical way to turn him back.

It’s actually kind of funny---NOBODY’S DAD IS ACTUALLY DEAD IN THIS SHOW XD

I feel like they’re gonna pull a complete bait and switch. Since this is the second season they’ve teased an alternate opening with Callum as one of Aaravos’ key pawns, this cannot be a coincidence now.

In a future season, Callum will fall to the dark side and become a dark mage; whether he does so willingly of his own choice or not as a result of becoming possessed by Aaravos again.

Here I thought it was going to be Claudia who would ultimately turn full evil and we’d basically get a similar scenario as to what we got in S3 with her replacing her father as Aaravos’ main vessel.

However; after watching this season in full, it dropped just enough nuggets to debunk this. Following the ending of “Finnegrin’s Wake”, hinting more at the possibility of Callum experimenting with dark magic, I feel like that will be the twist or subversion for the next book/future season: Aaravos trading Claudia and Viren for Callum becoming his dark mage with friends needing to come together to save him.

That’s my theory for now.

So in conclusion, Season 5 was pretty good. Not gonna gripe too much about Rayllum this time since they actually delivered good on some decent Rayllum crumbs for this book. Still no kisses as yet (except in a flashback to the SUPERIOR S3) but I'll take what I got from this season. ESPECIALLY the part where Amaya popped off on Rayla for breaking Callum's heart and leaving him.

Mad respect for Amaya for looking out for her nephew's best interest; even jacking up his ex. Especially since it led to a cute moment between the couple later. I mean, they're still not back together-together as yet officially but like I said I'll take it for now.

At least we got some Terry and Claudia kisses this season which were quite sweet.

Terry wasn't as big of a focal character for this season sadly as he was last season but still loved his moments of being a more grounded and positive source support for Claudia. No pun intended here but Terry is really growing on me as a favourite from this side of the TDP story.

If I have anything more to say, I'll say in seperate post. As for now, these are main thoughts on TDP S5.

~LMS (2023)

[licncourt]

top 5 moments of louis characterization

or

top 5 pieces of vc fanon

Honestly, I'm at the point where I hardly know what's canon and what's fanon because AR lore is so wild, so I'm taking option one for my own sanity.

The lead-up to Paul's death! What we find out about mortal Loui really encapsulates the clash between the moral pillar Louis aspires to be (and believes himself to be in some cases, whether he'd admit it or not) and the reality of his selfishness. He's a spoiled brat who has the privilege to sit around and contemplate his adherence to Aristotelian Christian morals while his lifestyle is made possible by pure exploitation. It tells you everything you need to know about Louis and how his moral compass, how it's all theory and no practice. That carries over directly to vampirism in so many fascinating ways.

THE PRIEST SCENE. I think that's really the first time we see what Louis is capable of when he loses it entirely. Feeding on Claudia was a lapse in control, but the priest scene was a concentrated descent into madness, like a microcosm of his issues around desire and control and guilt. He goes from a quiet, pious young man to a bloodthirsty monster over the course of a few paragraphs. It's so chilling and so revealing, Louis as he wants to be and then Louis at his worst (which is also what he thinks he really is). Truly masterful and one of my favorite scenes from VC as a whole.

His stupid little Aesthetics monologue. Literally what the fuck is this Lewis. What a fuckhead.

"But why…you’ve said Lestat shouldn’t have made you start with people. Did you mean…do you mean for you it was an aesthetic choice, not a moral one?"

"Had you asked me then, I would have told you it was aesthetic, that I wished to understand death in stages. That the death of an animal yielded such pleasure and experience to me that I had only begun to understand it, and wished to save the experience of human death for my mature understanding. But it was moral. Because all aesthetic decisions are moral, really."

"I don’t understand,” said the boy. “I thought aesthetic decisions could be completely immoral. What about the cliché of the artist who leaves his wife and children so he can paint? Or Nero playing the harp while Rome burned?”

"Both were moral decisions. Both served a higher good, in the mind of the artist. The conflict lies between the morals of the artist and the morals of society, not between aesthetics and morality. But often this isn’t understood; and here comes the waste, the tragedy. An artist, stealing paints from a store, for example, imagines himself to have made an inevitable but immoral decision, and then he sees himself as fallen from grace; what follows is despair and petty irresponsibility, as if morality were a great glass world which can be utterly shattered by one act. But this was not my great concern then. I did not know these things then. I believed I killed animals for aesthetic reasons only, and I hedged against the great moral question of whether or not by my very nature I was damned."

4. The flower picking and stargazing and singing!! It's an adorable passage, but it also encapsulates what makes Louis so endearing. No matter what happens, he never loses his reverence for the wonder of being alive, the inherent optimism and love that keeps him going through everything and the unexpected whimsy that makes you so aware of why he winds hearts like he does. It's so little but so much. I talk a lot of shit about Louis, but God. He's a cutie pie. Baby.

5. The Prince Lestat epilogue, my beloved. It may be the bare minimum from Anne, but my little guy is HAPPY. He is forgiving himself and finding peace and it makes his arc feel worth it. I'm SO glad AR let him have this after so much suffering. It's so lovely and so needed.

+ Honorable mention to him standing in the rain and watching Romeo and Juliet (1996) through the storefront window. It serves functionally the same purpose as no. 4, but it is so.

[savagewildnerness]

S2E1

Initial thoughts on episode 1, under the cut....

OK, that was incredible. A few initial thoughts...

- I absolutely adored how poetically it was written - it really had the feeling of a play and to me felt a step up from the writing in S1 even

- Delainey was fantastic and the animosity borne of love between Claudia and Louis was incredibly powerful. I loved how she holds Claudia's pain in, yet you can feel it and I loved her vampire nature. She feels very true to Claudia's character. Wonderful. Oh you are going to break our hearts, Delainey.

- Jacob was all of the feelings. Oh Louis.

- Armand! Oh YES! Assad is SO GOOD. I need MORE ARMAND.

- Lestat was like an actual angel. I didn't expect Dreamstat scenes to be so powerful, but that final scene of the episode, where Louis is telling Claudia "You and me" etc. actually made me cry and it was Lestat's face - how he looks at Louis and how he looks at Claudia that achieved that. How is Sam so powerful? Lestat didn't even utter a word. It's making me remember - has anyone seen the film The Place Beyond the Pines? Well there's a character in it who dies early on, but they haunt that entire film, and even when he's not on screen, I can feel Lestat haunting, here. But yeah, that last moment - so emotional.

- The music is utterly divine... in fact I would go so far as to say it is a little bit TOO good, because at the start of the episode, I was finding it really quite hard to concentrate on the actors' dialogue as the music was just so beautiful I was unable to take in both the music and the dialogue! Like, my heart was feeling the music too much and my brain couldn't concentrate on the words as well as it!

- Though she was great (& I think the revenant alone would have been hard to convey on screen due to them not speaking so I see why she is inserted here), I'm a bit sad about the female vampire, because that's clearly the old Queen Vampire from The Vampire Lestat, so Lestat isn't going to get to meet her now that Claudia and Louis have met her instead. She even is the one who tells Lestat the Devil's Road phrase, but here she tells it to Louis and Claudia. Still, it did work for the story. It's just my own little issue of sad we won't see her in the theatre.

- Dark, how Louis just leaves the humans to deal with chopping off people's heads with an axe. This is a different Louis - distanced from his humanity.

- Interesting the glimpses we're getting of hoe Claudia feels let down by Louis already...

- The line about Lestat's death being the only death of 7000 that felt like murder was woah, YEAH powerful

- I found it really interesting that we already got flashes of Louis' memory, like he is remembering elements right away... and he's already asking for the missing pages of Claudia's diary

Also - that sound when Louis and Armand were in bed... what was that?

[murfpersonalblog]

Oh this is lovely--Louis had vampiric hypertension. But IMO, instead of in his head, it was in his chest ("you share a heart with him"), which is why he was always clutching his pearls when ish got real.

WHAT!? They almost rejected him! JAIL! Thank GOD Rolin listened to Alan and let Jacob keep cooking! Smartest move he ever made--Jacob brings so much SOUL to Louis!

Could another actor have done it? Absolutely--the writing's still immaculate. But I'm glad I don't have to imagine anyone else in Jacob's place--he gave us the entire titular book, so this is the Louis that I'm gonna die with, and I'm so grateful to have been alive to witness it.

Something that really works with how AR's purple prose is conveyed is Jacob's CADENCE--Louis' voice is so effing hypnotic. He sounds like an uber-smart oldschool southern Black gentleman. I've lived in Florida, so I've heard people like him down South. It's not affectation--people back in the day sounded more sophisticated. Just put on any movie from the 30s-60s, and even the white Americans sound foreign--like fancy Brits. (Cuz a lot of them were 1st/2nd generation.) So Louis can go on & on about the rumbling beast of the moveable feast, and MY dumb uncultured arse is like huh?, but BECAUSE he's old AF & smart & genteel to boot, it just makes sense.

TALK ABOUT IT, JACOB. I adore girl-dads who GAF about the cycles of toxic masculinity they might perpetuate through daughters who look to them as models/blueprints for every other man they'll meet in their life.

And you KNOW that was part of Claudia's trauma, not just cuz Charlie died, but because her fathers just dropped the ball with her--from her widowed biological father giving her away to an abusive aunt; to her Blood-father Les being an abusive "uncle," to her adopted father Lou being "dead weight."

Does Mark Johnson have insurance for POSSESSION? How many exorcists are on staff for these poor actors, out here literally being puppetted by the spirits of these effing vampires? U_U

Please don't; there's too many racists out here in these streets.

(I cannot WAAAAIIIIIIT for the juicy tell-alls that come out after D&D bite the dust. EXPOSE THEM, Hollywood! Those last 2 seasons were a waste of my dang time!)

Which is why I commend him for digging into DARK recesses of himself to convey so much of Louis' trauma & depression--that ish CANNOT be a good time.

YOU'RE lovely, Jacob, Emmys be darned. The more Black protagonist vampires on my dang screen, the better.

Jacob Anderson for Red Magazine

Read online | Buy magazine | Scans by Ari

[droughtofapathy]

2, 19, 7, 25 (out of curiosity) and 15 for the fic writer ask game!

Oh, damn, now I actually have to do it instead of making empty threats. Okay. Original post here. Thanks @voltives for being the first person to actually ask for one of these things.

2. How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!) Eighteen published (210k), and an additional seventeen RPFs (434k) that are not for public consumption. Though I may let some of the Agatha Christie rip-offs out of the vault since I already put out the Murder on the Orient Express one. I've done Death on the Nile, Cat Among the Pigeons, and And Then There Were None... It's very self-indulgent. I also have a few abandoned things that I have fully planned out, but alas, limited desire to take out of my mind and put onto a word doc.

19. Share your favorite opening line. "Ever since Lina Astor had been caught with Sylvia Chamberlain’s hand down her blouse in the country club powder room, book club just hadn’t been the same." (Aurora and Anne at the Noir De Lune)

Every time I read it, I just start cackling. Most of my openings are just something I have to get through to get to the rest of it, and I don't put much thought or effort into it, otherwise I'd be stuck there all day. But this one is just too funny. To distill a massive sex scandal in a sleepy suburban neighborhood down to its ramifications on a book club? Incredible work, if I do say so myself.

7. What character(s) captured your heart? Claudia Friend and Carmella Romano were the one-off characters from a fun little smutty scene and I didn't think I'd ever revisit them. And then I fell in love with creating an entire backstory and love affair. Because they show up in maybe collectively five episodes across over a decade, and never once cross paths, I get so much freedom to do whatever I want. And like...c'mon. Bebe Neuwirth and Joanna Gleason. What more do I need?

And of course, my ongoing love for Lina Astor and Aurora Fane from The Gilded Age because c'mon, Donna Murphy and Kelli O'Hara.

Aside from them, I adored writing Diana from Summer, 1976. Laura Linney did an incredible job bringing her to life on stage, and it’s the kind of character that I already love: an uptight, sexually repressed woman who goes through harrowing emotional experiences. Writing her was the first time I'd done any first-person POV and I wasn't sure how it would go, but I wanted to keep it in the style of the play, and the whole time I just had Laura Linney's voice running though my head.

25. What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.) Microsoft Word, my beloved. Occasionally when commuting on the subway, I’d also jot down some things in my phone’s notes app.

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023. For something a little longer, I am going to recommend People Get Hurt, especially if you love a Mrs. Danvers-type situation. For those who don't have that kind of time, go with A Chicken Named Diane. But also, don't do that until you've read its two predecessors for the full emotional impact.

[bioshocked-astroghost]

I also want to mention how fucking DEVASTATING the graveyard scene with Grace and Louis was. In that moment we literally see how everyone is or has abandoned Louis in their own way. Claudia straight up left. Lestat has been deadass cheating on him for who knows HOW LONG with a woman he said he wouldn’t see again. Paul committed suicide right in front of him. His own mother, before she died, had pushed him away and called him the devil. And now we see him being abandoned once more for GOOD by his own sister as she stands in front of an empty mausoleum bearing his name and tells him she had to do this, that this was the only way for her to move on.

And then Claudia realized in this moment as she watched him break down in front of his own grave how alone Louis was, and I was WEEPING when she decided to come back for him and stay and protect him.

This show really just loves to break my heart huh

[nerdasaurus1200]

I saw Dragon Prince season 4 and hoo boy do I have thoughts (in no particular order)

First off, it's adorable how much of a magic nerd Callum is. He's grown so much and become so much stronger in two years

Stella is baby. She's living her best life with her cuddlemama and future cuddle papa. Speaking of, let Callum becalled a cuddlepapa by himself or Rayla next season

Zym and Ezran have grown up so much and it both breaks and warms my heart

Okay, so Rayla is a Dragonguard. Good to know.

Terry is my son now. I adopted him, he's mine.

I feel like Callum is just a little bit jealous of Stella getting love from Rayla

“The other elves saw me as a doe, but I knew. I always knew that I was a buck. I..chose the name Terrestrius.”....This line here. This line is gonna stick with me forever. I honestly didn't expect them to outright tell or show us Terry is trans but I'm so glad. That's gonna mean so much to trans kids watching this show. And the fact that Viren has no problems with it at all makes it even more special. Although Terry's wording makes me wonder if someone in his family didn't accept him.

Oh man I just read his wiki page and apparently Terry is still mid transition

I'm calling it now, that girl that figured out Araavos is Harrow and Ezran's descendant

Well, at least we know how loyal Terry is to Claudia.....someone get this poor boy a mug of hot cocoa, a blanket, a hug, and a therapist; he's earned it. He was 100% having a panic attack

"I'm gonna feel all the feelings!" THAT'S RIGHT YOU GO MY FUNKY BOY

I KNEW IT! I KNEW RAYLA'S PARENTS WERE IN THE COINS!GOD POOR RAYLA! ETHARI AND CALLUM ARE GONNA LOSE THEIR SHIT!

Hot damn, Ezran's speech combined with Ibis and Claudia fighting was powerful...that whole scene really encapsulates what the entire show is about, I think

Zubeia gets more and more badass with every episode

I wasn't expecting the chocolate tart to be brought back but it's nice that Rex Igneous liked it. Although how could he taste so much of such a little thing?

Ohhhhh wait, I just got that! Rex means king, he's KING Igneous!

Oh man I had no idea Ezran's crown is made from Harrow's sword

That possesion scene was straight up creepy, I honestly thought Callum died for a second

Speaking of creepy, I never wanna see snake Claudia again, please and thank you

I know Callum is angry at Rayla but he needs to talk to her, really. I feel like he's using the possession thing as an excuse to not talk about their relationship. Like, I do think he's genuinely shaken up by it but he's choosing to focus on that because it's easier

Soren...god, Soren has changed so much. In just 3 years, this boy has gone from picking fights with dragons and being eager to kill them to not being able to turn away from a dragon in need. He even shed his armor for her. Season 1 Soren would NEVER have done that in a million years

Another thing S1 Soren would never do is that talk with Claudia. Man, that was deep.

Also I love Soren's new look, I feel like it suits him way better than his knight armor

I dunno why I expected an out of the gate dramatic conversation when Soren found Claudia. Although I am glad we still got them having that conversation

I will say though, I do wish we got more of a reaction to Terry from Soren

Can Squeaky return next season as Soren's dragon pal? Please? he's the only one that doesn't have an animal companion

"I wanna spend the last month traveling with my daughter, the most important person in the world to me" I....it's nice that you're finally learning to not be a jackass Viren, but did you forget that you have a son??? Is Soren just chopped liver to you?

That said, I do appreciate that Viren has changed. I feel like he's definitely not gonna become immortal.

Regarding Claudia's speech about human suffering....either she's been fed TONS of propaganda by Araavos or she's taking it way too personally after all this time. Like, girl, you have an elf boyfriend, calm down

Awww the return of big feelings time!

[gothiclover13]

Interview With the Vampire Episode Five Review: Some Thoughts

*Spoilers

TW: Discussion of SA and DV

Ok. So I normally don't write reviews for episodes, but last night's episode of AMC's Interview with the Vampire: "A Vile Hunger for Your Hammering Heart," has understandably been pretty controversial with fans and I just wanted to share some thoughts.

First, I have really been enjoying the series so far and the direction they have taken this adaptation. I have loved how the series has incorporated its changes into this adaption. I also think the show has stayed true to the spirit of the book and the characters. One thing I really appreciate is how well-casted it is and how much the actors clearly cared for Rice's work and bringing these beloved characters to life. Sam Reid is clearly having the time of his life, Bailey Bass has been so moving, and Jacob Anderson OH MY GOD! Louis was the character I was least interested in seeing and Jacob's acting has been the highlight of the series for me. It really speaks to his talent that he can imbue a much less "showy" role with such subtle nuances and pathos. There is such a difference in "early vampire Louis" and "interview with Daniel" Louis and Jacob's acting has conveyed that so beautifully. I also adore the beautiful rendering of New Orleans and my hat goes off to the entire production.

So...episode 5. I knew this one was being talked a lot about based off of what fans who had had early screenings said, but I was still not prepared. Holy shit.

Before I get into THE scene, I will say the rest of the episode was really good at establishing Claudia's hopelessness and frustration, Lestat's growing impatience, and Louis' ennui. It also seemed like a natural progression from the previous episode and I knew the episode was going to inevitably raise tension between the three characters in order to have an effective buildup of resentment that would plausibly end with Lestat's "murder." Also. I finally got to see Louis in his Mr. Roger's grey, cable-knit sweater. Points for Louis' cozy-core aesthetic.

My first main criticism is the decision to have Claudia's character be assaulted by Bruce/Killer. It just feels like another example of a series using SA for shock value. What did it add to the story? For Claudia to find out vampires can be really mean? Was there no other way for her to find that out? Why have her meet Bruce/Killer, other than for it to be an easter egg for Vampire Chronicles fans? Bailey Bass's acting has been so incredible and I absolutely love her Claudia, so to see this happen to her was pretty upsetting and it felt like a disservice to the character. The whole thing just seemed like another problematic example of writing using SA as a way to make a female character "stronger," or more worldly. Thanks. I hate it.

Now. The final sequence in the episode. Whew boy. When I first watched it I was pretty much in shock. Lestat and Louis's fight is undeniably intense, visceral, and brutal. So much of it also felt uncomfortably close to similar real-life instances of domestic abuse. From Lestat saying he's "trying to restrain himself," to Louis trying to protect Claudia. I completely agree with Sam Reid that the episode should have had a trigger warning and I understand why this scene was upsetting for some people.

Lestat flying with Louis into the sky (which, ugh, this is the context for their first flight!) begging him to say he will, "never love him," all seemed like it was meant to be one big crescendo to this entire sequence and the series, thus far, with Lestat finally snapping from his fear of abandonment and inability to make Louis love him. Lestat dropping Louis back down before finally hovering before Claudia and Louis all seemed like pretty deliberate framing to put the characters, and the audience, against him.

So, did I hate this? No. Was it out of character for book Lestat? 100% I emphasize book Lestat because while I believe the series' show-runners and cast do care about respecting the spirt of Rice's works, adaptational changes have kind of necessitated these characters take on a life of their own separate from the books. Louis is waaay different, but also similar to his book counter-point in a lot of ways. Claudia is essentially a new character with new issues and obstacles to overcome. Lestat is actually pretty close to his book counter-part and the series has kept the fact that he and Louis's relationship was initially toxic and abusive.

No, I don't think Anne Rice was at her typewriter in 1973 visualizing this abuse as a Dragon Ball Z-level fight between these two, but they were also never the healthiest relationship (initially). Would book Lestat ever brutally beat Louis and drop him a mile back to the Earth, heck no! Again, the Lestat in the books would never have done this and I completely understand why this scene may have been too much for fans. I do, however, feel like the scene is in keeping with the characterization we have gotten thus far for series Lestat. He has been shown to be a lot more violent (he punched through a guy's head in the FIRST episode), disdainful of humans, and is given to fits of angry outbursts. Louis considering leaving with Claudia seemed like the plausible final straw based on how they had been setting his character up. It's funny how the series showrunners emphasized telling the story with the context of the rest of the Vampire Chronicles in order to make Lestat less villainous, when this is, arguably, more horrible than anything he did in the original book.

So in short, I feel like this scene worked within the established context of this series, but I understand if it turned fans off. My only question is how the series will handle the fallout now that Lestat has committed such unforgivable abuse. How will the series justify Louis ever forgiving him? It's a lot and I am very curious to see how the next two episodes will handle it. Hopefully with sensitivity and care.

So those are my two cents! I'm still very invested in the series and these characters and am curious to see how this episode will situate itself in the overall series down the road.

[gildatheplant]

I fell in love with the show a few weeks after it came out.

I discovered it on tumblr after some gifs came across my dash from episodes one and two...I was able to watch those two episodes in time for episode 3 to come out.

I've talked to people about it, but so far I haven't convinced anyone to watch it yet.

I'd call it an updated version of IWTV that manages to be really close to the heart of Anne Rice's original, while also exploring issues of race and sexuality that the original book only touched upon. I'd also emphasize how great the shift of time period is because the Jazz Age really isn't shown much in modern media, particularly vampire media, so it creates a really unique feel to the show.

Yes.

I read the book (the series up to and including TVA, though I can't remember if I went beyond that initially) about 20 years ago. After I watched the show I decided to try reading Prince Lestat, but quickly realized I needed to refresh my memory of the earlier books first. I've reread most of IWTV, and will be starting TVL and QotD soon.

My favourite change is the change of time period. Which is funny, because when I first saw the gifs and realized the time period was changed I was worried it would hurt the story. Instead, I found the change in time really made New Orleans stand out as something special- the music, the fashion, the people, the politics- in a way that it didn't in the books.

This one is incredibly tough. I'm going to say Jacob because he had the toughest job- in the wrong hands it's very, very easy to make Louis feel like a one-note character. The time period update and race change helped enrich the character for sure, but it's Jacob's performance that really sells it.

I've rewatched most of the episodes now, but I'm still trying to find time to rewatch the last episode.

Honestly not sure.

I can't really say until after I rewatch the last episode. Initially my fave was ep. 4 because it was the 'fluffiest' episode, but I'm less sure now.

Too many to choose from. Although I always get a kick out of Lestat's reaction to the opera tenor in ep.2 because, as a trained opera singer myself, his cringing reaction was the same as mine LOL

The entire soundtrack is amazing.

Rue Royale is so gorgeous and inviting.

Again, too many great ones to choose from. Claudia had several dresses that I would've happily worn, particularly her red dress from episode 7. I also love her purple outfit in the season 2 trailers.

I love the black and white photo/gif of the vampire family. If I could introduce Louis, Claudia and Armand to the work of an artist I would pick Canadian artist Emily Carr.

I'd be curious to reread A Doll's House. I actually performed in a comedic version of it years ago, but it's actually a very serious play and one that fits very well with season 1.

The killing of the tenor scene. Admittedly, I get why ep.2 is generally considered the weakest episode of the season, it's mostly an 'explain vampirism for the audience so we can get back to the meaty stuff' episode, but I do think the tenor scene is under-appreciated. It tends to be compared unfavourably to the equivalent scene in the film, but I think they're equally good, just different. The film goes for more straight up violent horror, while the show goes for a more subtle, existential horror. I keep thinking of how the tenor is ALIVE and listening while Lestat and Louis argue...and he's still alive long after the scene fades to black.

Impossible to choose. The dialogue was amazing.

Much like Jacob Anderson, I adore the 'dabble in fuckery' line

I'd have to rewatch the final episode before I can commit to one.

If I'm going strictly by season 1, I'd probably say Louis.

Fenwick. I get he serves a purpose, and he's supposed to be vile, but I was relieved when he died. I also find his death is the closest thing to a plot hole in season 1, as I can't imagine how Louis managed not to be a suspect for his murder, since he had a clear motive. The only thing I can think of is that Tom Anderson covered for him, but then it's never explicitly stated.

I'm assuming this isn't just about romantic relationships, so I'll say Louis and his mother. Florence is incredibly hypocritical and emotionally abusive towards Louis, it's hard to watch. Second least favourite is Grace and Levi...she just seems like such a beautiful firecracker and he's such a bland dud. In fairness, that's accurate to Grace's book husband though.

I love the complex relationship between Louis and Claudia. I love that the show went the father/daughter to brother/sister route. It's so much more tragic yet somehow more wholesome than their relationship in the book.

I'm gonna say Daniel and Armand. I can't wait to see them butting heads in season 2.

Not really.

Louis and Claudia. So I know my heart's gonna break. Runner up is Louis and Daniel, though I'm not 100% sure they're gonna stay platonic. In the book there were definite hints of Daniel having a crush on Louis, though in the show I can only see that being the case with past Daniel.

I would've liked to see a stronger bond between Lestat and Claudia. Yes, Louis is her favourite parent, but I feel her murder attempt on him would've had more impact if they'd built up the positive aspects of their relationship more.

Armand, Armand, Armand. Assad Zaman is so beautiful and so talented I can't wait to see him really sink his teeth into the character.

Theatre des Vampires. Specifically the trial.

The tower scene between Louis and Armand, where Armand tells him he wants him more than anything in the world. I also hope they use as much of the book's dialogue from that scene as possible because it's all gorgeous.

I'm trying to avoid making predictions LOL

I want to see Marius. I'm especially interested in seeing the relationship between Marius and Daniel, as I imagine it would be VERY different than in the books. There's no way bitter, cynical, old man Daniel is going to be as taken by Marius as young book Daniel was.

Can't think of one atm

I'm not sure how unpopular it is, but I think old Daniel will be turned into young Daniel somehow. I absolutely love Eric Bogosian, but I know they're planning to do at least 3 or 4 seasons of the show, and it'll get harder for him to film. I don't think it'll be a case of body switching either, I suspect it'll be his body getting younger. Yes, yes, I know vampires stay the age they are when turned, HOWEVER, there IS precedence for this. Gabrielle is described as returning to the fullness and beauty of her youth after Lestat changes her, and he was barely more than a fledgling when he made her. Armand is far older and more powerful, who's to say he can't rejuvenate Daniel?

This fandom is full of great meta.

I do read fanfiction, and I've read some great stories. While I tend to prefer stories that revolve around them being vampires, I have read some great human AUs as well.

There's a lot of great artwork out there, but I'd have to look up the creator's names. There's one artist who does some really phenomenal work where they make Armand look like a shadowy, flame eyed cryptid that I adore.

I've only completed one fanfic for this fandom. I got about halfway through a second one, but I got over-whelmed by how massive it was getting and haven't continued. I'll try to revisit it in the new year, or perhaps start a new one.

A year (and change) with our vampires: 2022/2023 in review!

When did you fall in love with the show?

How did you discover it or get interested in it?

Have you gotten anyone else to watch it?

Say you’re recommending the show right now, how would you pitch it?

Do you recommend the show to your IRLs? 

Have you read the book (before or after watching)?

If you read the book, what are your favorite changes from page to screen? 

Who’s your favorite actor? 

Have you rewatched the first season? 

What was your favorite episode of season one? 

Has your favorite episode remained the same since you first finished the season? 

What were your favorite moments of season one? 

What was your favorite piece of music from the first season’s OST?

Do you have a favorite set?

What were your favorite costumes? 

Do you have a favorite piece of art (book, movie, painting) that’s referenced or featured in the show?

Have you read or watched anything because it was referenced in the show?

What’s a scene you feel is underrated?

What was your favorite dialogue of season one? 

What was your favorite one-liner of season one?

What was your favorite monologue of season one?

Who's your favorite character? Why?

Who’s your least favorite character? 

What’s your least favorite relationship?

What’s your favorite (show) canon relationship? 

What’s your favorite relationship that isn’t show canon (yet)?

Do you have an ideal endgame?

What’s your favorite (platonic) dynamic? 

What’s a dynamic you would have liked to see more of in season one?

What’s a character you’re excited to see more of in season two?

What’s your most anticipated season two storyline?

Is there a specific moment or plot point you’re hoping to see next season?

What are some of your predictions for season two?

If you read the books beyond Interview, what’s a plot point or character you want to see in later seasons?

Share a headcanon of yours.

What’s an unpopular opinion you have?

Have you read any meta that completely blew your mind? Share with the class! 

If you read fanfiction, do you have any favorites? 

If you follow any fanartists, what are some art pieces you loved?

If you made any fanworks of your own, what are your personal favorites? Throw yourself some flowers! 

[bakatenshii]

Hello, I was wondering if you can help me find more Bnha dark blogs? I been looking and trying my best but have not found much. Maybe I am not looking hard enough but can you please recommend stories and blogs? Hope this not a bothersome. If it is please ignore this and thank you.

heeeeeello! sowwy took me a hot sec to get round to this, wanted to compile a nice n solid list so

@tomurasprincess | masterlist — villain fucker extraordinaire (mostly shigfucker tho), filthy degenerate porn

@ichor-and-symbiosis | masterlist — I would not be the shigfucker I am today sans alison. her writing flows so beautifully and every one of her works has me screaming

@kazooli | masterlist — the queen of filth and dark content, god said let there be light and so light was created, god said let there be dark lewd so kaz was birthed

@blahkugo | masterlist — my own wife, hasn’t actually written bakugo don’t be fooled, writes a lot of shig (for me)

@rat-suki | masterlist — the debil to my angle, her writing gets darker with every fic & that’s called character development

@inkykeiji | masterlist — my baby, I adore her with my whole heart & would fight the sun for her. touya-nii enthusiast

@villain-hotline | masterlist — hades my yan queen, her blog is an abso treat

@unmeiii | masterlist — dee (formerly dee-madwriter) writes the most delicious, vivid smut. all hits no misses

@morgana-ren | masterlist — another blog that shaped me as a shigfucker, has some downright religiously stunning works and just overall incredible writing

@koiibito | masterlist — sawa’s writing’s the perfect mix of poetic and dark, it reads so beautifully I adore her works

@vermiliren | masterlist — ren’s prose and tone and rhythm is simply unmatched. her works read like a horror flick in the best way

@kugutsuu | masterlist — I’m biased and adore lydia bcos she’s got an entire separate shig mlist and that’s just a gift that keeps giving, but dark bnha galore

@cannibalchan | masterlist — belle was another og blog I followed and, just go down her mlist u will be well fed™️

@writingsbymo-mo | masterlist — filthy filthy delicious porn, shig haven <3

@love-toxin | masterlist — one of the best yandere writing blogs I follow, their quality is insane

@hisoknen | masterlist — rafiki is the first ever bnha blog I followed. her writings so sexy and her smut is top tier

@thisisthehardestthing | masterlist — claudia’s writing is pure poetry, dark literature, just art

@whumperooni | masterlist — miss rooni’s writing is unfairly sexy, her prose and style are just *chefs kiss*

feel free to also check out my general blog recs here!

[dragonnguard]

I know I always love reading everyone’s first thoughts with no filter after a season, so here are mine!

EPISODE 2

Claudia maybe don’t take your newly exhausted dad up the entire spire?

Pls Zym not eating his veggies with Ibis was adorable

I LOVE THE DRAGON LAIR OH MY HECK ITS SO MAGICAL CAN I LIVE THERE, the happiness is 🥺

Viren is like kill me now i DoNt want to hang out with my daughter and her bf any more after all the fart jokes

HEIGHTS SHOULD FEAR YOU 😏

Pls Terry 🥺🥺🥺🥺

@hoothalcyon GET YOUR GAY during the whole janaya scene

Stella you are evil don’t take that cube

Noooooo his face looks so sad when he sees rayla 😭

EPISODE 3

Pain and love I’m our hearts at the same time 🥺😭 ezzzzzz (out here giving a full therapy session haha)

The overlay of Ezran talking about pain and love when terry kills and the implications of doing and undoing happening at the same time was so good

EPISODE 4

Bait being so excited like he was going to get food from Barius 🥺🥺🥺

FLEXIO (love you Soren)

I’m so angry about the human putting out the flame. Interesting Native American parallels

EPISODE 5

MMMMM CALLUM - strong mind, strong heart, fascination with magic. gotta love more dark Callum foreshadowing

I dunno how I feel about rayla being gone two years and finding nothing. Why did it take her so long to come back. I hope they answer this when her and Callum finally talk. I guess it plays in well to the whole “she needs to figure this out” because she is literally isolating herself for no good reason and hurting herself and others in the process. (Ah ha ha actually this mirrors my own life in some trauma responses in ways that are way too telling)

DRAGANG 🥺

Lol Soren is the court jester according to Zubeia (one of my fave quips)

I would die for the gate guardians

EPISODE 6

Love the parallels between ezran and janai in choosing peace and doing things differently than history

EPISODE 7

HELLO HAI THEY ARE GOING TO KILL JANAI?

Oh no Soren is alone

Soren is going to lose his shit when he sees Viren is alive

SOREN IS SO CUTE - PJs under armor

Geesh is one of the siblings going to die eventually? I feel like it may be setting this up

YIP YIP of course they had to do that

OMG rayla are you high why are you doing cartwheels

Wow they went straight angst. No messing around. Rayla kill me if i mess up

I legit thought Callum was about to fling himself into the lava

EPISODE 8

OMG pls Is ez going to give Rex igneous jelly tarts 🥺🥺🥺🥺

EPISODE 9

IM GOING TO DIE PLS. I can’t watch. This is how rayla is going to be in danger 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

THEY DID NOT

IM SCREAMING

we did get a coin reveal

I could not control myself after this point haha

Terry is the GOAT tho

Also for fun, here’s my bingo card before and after based on what kinda happened and didn’t!