#it has NOTHING to do with lestat missing louis ok???

[jaypentaghast]

2x5 magnitude drunken argument in season 3 where Lestat gets frustrated with Daniel after he says something nasty about him & Louis

"It is all I can hear on set all day, an inescapable echo of repetitious longing. The soldier's wife, you tell his name to the wind in the hopes it will carry to him. Armand Armand ArmandArmandArmand... I could leave the continent and still not escape your whimpers.

All you do is embarrass yourself! He can't hear you, Daniel. Even if he did, he would not grant your wish! If your youthful promise of devotion was not enough to appeal to the gremlin's needy nature then you better set yourself up for disappointment."

+ Daniel looking more and more like a kicked puppy while he listens

[avelera]

I’m dying for your thoughts on what is going on in Dubai with the triangulation of Armand and Daniel in Dubai because nothing in 2.05 explain ms what they(beddeath vampires) could want him to tell them as referenced earlier in the season or warrant all the Rashid pageantry. Especially not with how Armand looks at Daniel like he just got home from the wars.

Your takes are exquisite and I’d love to hear them.

Ok, I THINK you're asking what the hell is going on with Daniel and Armand and Louis and the longing looks Armand keeps shooting Daniel and I might be missing some nuance to your question but that is the question I'm gonna answer because I can't stop thinking about it.

Ok. Ok, ok, SO!! The biggest question I think we're facing as of 2.05 is did the Devil's Minion chapter of Queen of the Damned ever happen?

For the uninitiated (LOTS of BOOK SPOILERS but like the books have been out for decades, sorry): Louis/Armand is like... not a thing. At least, it's not one of the big love affairs of the series compared to Louis/Lestat. I mean they've had a situationship but they're definitely not a long devoted love affair going right up to the beginning of the events of Vampire Lestat/Queen of the Damned, which is where the show seems to take place. They traveled together for a bit after the events of Interview with the Vampire but then parted ways because What Happened In Paris changed Louis irrevocably.

The big love of Armand's life in the books is Daniel.

And we learn this in the chapter of Queen of the Damned called the Devil's Minion.

Because Armand stumbles upon "The Interviewer" and falls in love and they have this fucked up whirlwind torrid romance where Daniel teaches Armand about the modern world and basically "how to be fascinating" and Daniel begs over and over to be made into a vampire.

Lots of stuff happens between them but short, TRAGIC version is that Armand does make Daniel into a vampire and it breaks Daniel's mind. He's not a cool powerful vampire once he's turned, he's basically a vegetable, he loses his mind and becomes a hollow husk of himself. (Ironically, insane-new-vampire!Daniel is left in the care of Marius of all people lol)

SO, from the book reader perspective, I shot upright on my couch when I saw old Daniel. Because Old Daniel means we're in... some flavor of happy AU? We're in an AU where Armand did the "responsible" thing and didn't give Daniel the Dark Gift, so Daniel got to grow old and actually be a person instead of being the Devil's Minion where Armand became his whole personality and then he lost his mind.

Thing is, since S1, I've been assuming, like others I think, that we're in an AU where the Devil's Minion didn't happen at all. That Daniel did the interview, he and Louis parted ways, and now he's back to finish it. It seemed neat, clear, if a little confusing for book fans because Daniel/Armand is one of THE great love affairs and it seems like it just got skipped entirely, which kind of makes sense since no other film version has really delved into it, right?

WRONG. OK, so with the longing looks that begin RIGHT when Armand finally reveals himself, the whole mic drop moment of "Armand, the love of my life" while Armand stares at Daniel, almost seeming to plead with his eyes "GET ME AWAY FROM HIM" and looking at Daniel with such longing, going into SEASON 2 where we learn that ok, the 1970s beat was WAY more complicated than it seems, Louis' memory is very faulty, Armand has actively tampered with both of them and we DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH....?

So my current theory is: the Devil's Minion DID happen.

Armand and Daniel had their love affair, but instead of turning Daniel, which by the way he had to be talked into doing because of Daniel's suicide attempt basically, Armand set him free. But CLEARLY he continued to stalk and pine after Daniel, if he was there at Daniel's fucking engagement reading his girlfriend's mind enough to tell Daniel what she was really thinking then. Armand was definitely still OBSESSIVELY IN LOVE. And, IMO, has been the whole time.

Now, what does this mean going forward? What do I think is going on?

Armand wants out of his relationship with Louis but he's chronically, pathologically, incapable of breaking up with anyone. He used Lestat to break up the Children of Darkness, he used Louis to break up the Theatre des Vampires, and now he's using Daniel to end this fucked up marriage he and Louis are in.

Armand is doing this first by consenting to renew the interview, Louis gets a walk down memory lane, remembers how much he loves Lestat. Not to solidify their bond with how good things are now, but to break it up with nostalgia.

Armand is also going to reveal things he's hidden from Louis, I think. Like the fact Armand killed Claudia. I think right now they're both operating under the excuse that Santiago and the coven did it in defiance of Armand but that is simply not true, Armand ordered her death to get Louis all to himself. But (book canon) her death broke Louis so basically Armand destroyed what he wanted in Louis in the gaining of him.

Armand also misses Daniel. He's doing the classic passive lover thing, using the next lover to get rid of the current one. That's why he picked Daniel specifically as the vehicle of his liberation. Boy wants to get white knighted in the most fucked up way possible. Evidence: every single painfully longing, puppy dog look he shoots Daniel's way and how those looks only get more intense the more Louis waxes poetic about how great the Loumand relationship is.

Armand appears as Rashid in order to establish for plausible deniability for Louis that he DIDN'T have a relationship with Daniel OR, if Louis knows about it, that he really did do as promised and wiped Daniel's mind. Look, Daniel doesn't even remember him! When he's standing right there! Pretending to be Rashid! He definitely didn't summon his former lover here to break up Louis and him, obviously this is JUST about Louis' desire to do the interview haha, definitely not trying to bring his old ex to break up his current relationship the guy doesn't even remember who he is.

In conclusion: Armand still wants to fuck that boy old man. And he wants to get rid of Louis by making Louis break up with him because that's how Armand rolls. And that's why this whole ridiculous pantomime is happening, because Armand will never, ever be the active party in the breakup because the boy is way, way too fucked up by his supremely fucked up life up to this point to ever be the initiator. Instead he will always, always manipulate those around him to do what he wants.

[savagewildnerness]

OK, Here we go: S2E7 - I could not prevent it:

SPOILERS

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Random train-of-thought thoughts...

The thing that I find most difficult is that in the books you know nobody deserves death & you know when characters are justified or not justified in their actions or inactions.  But on the TV show I just feel increasingly all-at-sea, especially regarding Lestat seeing as we haven’t had any thing from his own perspective yet and it is just A Lot.

For example, in the books, Lestat does not deserve to die, but Claudia is 100% justified in murdering him… but Louis’ inaction is not entirely justifiable, though it’s understandable and Louis’ passivity and his regret at this is the hinge of the entire novel!  You can understand why Louis has anger towards Lestat and Lestat towards Louis and you understand that the love is more powerful and they always both loved each other.

And you know what characters want: Book-Armand wants Claudia dead from the first second he sees her; Armand & Lestat both want Louis alive more than any thing & Lestat doesn’t want Claudia to die, though if it were the only way to spare Louis he’d do any thing.  And book-Lestat is in an incredibly fragile place both mentally and physically even BEFORE he arrives in Paris.  Book-Lestat literally couldn’t have done the trial the way we saw in E7.

But in the show, all the stuff around memories mean it’s unclear exactly what anyone wants or deserves or is justified or not in in many cases. And sometimes it’s opposite.  Lestat truly does deserve death in the show to a degree he doesn’t in the book at all, which is SUCH a huge alteration.  If you haven’t read the books I can’t articulate the difference it makes.  The fact that Lestat has done absolutely nothing to deserve death in the book HANGS OVER all of the pages where Lestat is not present.  It hangs over Louis and obviously it hangs over the trial!  Louis isn’t thinking about Lestat all the time in the book because he knows he loves him anyway despite everything as Louis hasn’t realised that yet and is only starting to realise it.  He just knows he feels some thing and he knows Lestat was wronged and he misses him.

On the TV show I find it unclear whether Armand actively wants Claudia dead and if so, why?  Or to what degree he needs it?  I can see Lestat doesn’t want to be at the trial, but it isn’t clear whether he could not bear to see Louis die from this episode.  Santiago, confusingly seems to care more about killing Claudia than Louis which makes zero sense…. And I don’t understand the why of everyone.  The clearest character is Madeleine, who simply loves Claudia & that’s it. 

I hope it can all become clearer, but I don’t feel 1 episode is enough for that…?

More notes:

Anyone know what Santiago says to Madeleine?  Clearly hypnotising her, but what does he say?  And why is she hypnotised.  Just because she is irrelevant, so to keep her quiet?

Why would Santiago want to torture Claudia pre-trial more than Louis?  He absolutely despises Louis more!  So it doesn’t make sense to me why it’s Claudia who’d be put in the rat box?

“With additions made by The Vampire Lestat de Lioncourt” added to the play script.  How is this achieved?  Lestat’s telling?  Invading Lestat’s mind?

Incredible acting by everyone

Why did Santiago just go with the audience’s decision for banishment?  

Some kind of DreamStat in Dubai?  It felt that way…

Let’s talk Lestat:

I had expected something similar to Armand’s E3 story-Lestat: a very twisted version so was pleased this episode isn’t that.  Lestat sometimes seems very much his real-self… and at other times he seems like he does’t know what he’s doing… but the times he is his real-self, why doesn’t he scream about the fact that Louis is about to be condemned to death here!?!?!  I mean…. It is exquisite the way Lestat first looks at Louis, with no mercy… then turns away, a broken thing - the acting by Sam.... but like... is Armand in his head the entire time and we just don't know it yet? Some of it must be from Lestat's own volition or he would not be able to go off-script the way he does. The trial feels very different to the books.

It’s an odd mix of what seems very true and what seems total lies - there’s enough of real-Lestat that it feels real a lot of the time, but then it’s a weird mix of sincerity and insincerity crushed against each other and it’s hard to feel from when you can’t entirely tell the boundaries of this…

Lestat’s first speech is obviously scripted and it feels like Lestat is on autopilot almost.  When he says “It’s a story of love, not butchery” I already can’t tell if that’s scripted or if it’s Lestat going off-script?  BUT pointing out Armand’s influence on Nicolas’ death must surely be off-script?

After the “Come to me” bit, where Lestat displaces what he did onto Louis, which is clearly a (scripted) lie Lestat tells, we see Armand looking some way, then Lestat sits & looks exhausted/devastated… I wonder if Armand is mind controlling Lestat there to get him to say that? But it’s very confusing as at other times Lestat is clearly sincere & even goes off-script to be sincere, so it is quite confusing what we are/are not supposed to question…. I also noticed Sam mouths the words of Lestat’s Nicolas story along with Lestat speaking that, so he must have written that part of the script….

Obviously the take down of the homophobic soldier was incredibly satisfying…

I am reminded of when Claudia said the best lies contain truth, but it’s a lot.

At least Daniel knows Armand isn’t telling every thing truthfully…

So!  Let’s get to my least favourite thing - The Drop.  I believe the drop happened after this episode.  I do not see any way it didn’t.  The fight was pretty much as I expected inside.  Though Louis said crueller words than I expected, I guess.

But it seems to me the writers have decided to lessen Lestat’s responsibility in making Claudia, but to up his wronging of Louis - Louis who Lestat NEVER WRONGED!

While in themselves, these changes could be perceived as minor, the impact they have on the characters is massive.

As I say, I do believe the drop happened now.  That off-script apology - I do not see it being taken back or not being real.  That definitely wasn’t Armand making Lestat say that on stage, and in Paris Armand’s book-canon Lestat-drop wouldn’t have happened yet.  The whole feeling of it felt 100% real and a genuine apology.  It is what it is, but for me in terms of the writing it is 100% a mistake because it is a misunderstanding of the essence of Lestat.  Lestat would not do that to Louis.  Specifically, to Louis.  I cannot say it is in any way even in the spirit of Lestat.  And it seems very odd the show is including it because actually they’re emphasising the relationships more than the books so it matters even more in my opinion!  But, I accept that Lestat dropped Louis on the show.  I see no alternative scenario.  The implications of it will carry through Loustat’s entire relationship though and I do not like it.  The ending of Queen of the Damned, if they go with it as written will be SO different in feel as well, which even though that is so far away, makes me sad to even imagine how different it must feel already.

I get why there is an alteration with Claudia due to her being very different from in the books… but in the end I feel this episode should have been all about Claudia and I didn’t think that much about her or feel that much from her because there was so much else I was trying to work out, I suppose?  The biggest feeling was Madeleine choosing her, which was beautiful.  But not big enough.  Claudia deserved more.

Preview for next episode shows Louis seeing Lestat locked up AFTER the trial and with the fire gift, presumably going to kill him.  At first I was panicked that Lestat would *only* be seen locked up after the trial (and I am sure that’s what Armand will tell Louis), but we saw Lestat in that trailer in a different outfit, so we must see him pre-trial locked up too.

Yeah… my brain feels fried.  I did think Lestat would be painted more-the-villain than he was.  But the way things were it feels very confusing.  I couldn’t even guess what percentage of that trial was exactly as it happened and what percentage not…

But anyway, the episode was beautifully acted...

[rottenbrainstuff]

IWTV Season 2 ep 1+2: getting to the good stuff now!

I like that they expanded the events in Eastern Europe ep 1 and added in the mother character. As I keep saying, it's been something like 20 years since I read the book but I do remember that that part was brief and disappointing. I mean, it's supposed to be disappointing: Claudia and Louis desperately want to find others like them and they think vampire old country is the place to start, and all they manage to find is a filthy revenant barely better than an animal, and they leave. But as a reader generally it was disappointing to me. Anne Rice's vampires were so ridiculously eurocentric (I know there we got into ancient Egypt, but, and I know this sounds weird, ancient Egypt is actually part of eurocentrism, it's a whole thing) and I dunno, when I really think back on it it just seems so silly, the only vampires that matter were all in western Europe?

In this episode I didn't feel that frustration. It did a better job at showing, well, maybe there's not much here NOW, but you get a sense that there used to be something here, and Claudia and Louis have missed it.

I understand the logistics of why they couldn't have a younger actress for Claudia, but I will forever wish that it would somehow have been possible. I like the shifting of Claudia and Louis' relationship now and how now they're equals at least, and Claudia even often takes the lead and Louis relies on her, and this would have been even more interesting if the actress looked even younger. But! It's a small complaint and again, again, I do understand why it is the way it is.

Then episode 2: AUGH. The Paris vampires are just....... *chef's kiss* unbelievable. I loved Armand's demented coven in the books, they got the barest briefest little flat appearance in the movie, and now here they are, fleshed out and delicious and absolutely PERFECT. They're insufferable, they're interesting, they're dangerous and poor Claudia has absolutely no clue. Well. I think deep down she has a clue, she just doesn't care, because this is what she wants and she's convinced herself it will be ok. (sigh Claudia)

I do like they've established right away that Lestat was an important person to them. As much as I liked the Paris parts in the book, I remember feeling like the coven's persecution of Louis and Claudia didn't make a huge amount of sense to me at the time. These travellers, these outsiders, being held to these rules that they didn't know about, accused of a crime that didn't happen here, judged and punished by a group of people who have nothing to do with them and really no authority over them at all. Especially when the coven is behaving so hedonistically in every other way you can imagine. Ok whatever, suspension of disbelief, it shows, I guess, that the coven is dangerous and confusing and spiteful, ok whatever. I guess you could say as well it was all orchestrated by Armand as an elaborate plan to get rid of Claudia and have Louis to himself, ok whatever. I guess when you really think about it, book Claudia being only five years old is quite horrific and I could see why other vampires would totally and completely reject her and by extension Louis based on that on its own, sure.

But if you emphasize early on that Lestat has some history here and is an important person they looked up to, then it's not just "oops we might have broke some vague vampire law that we didn't know was a law up until now" but instead it's "oops we murdered the muse of this theater" and that just works better.

But speaking of changes from the book... I was trying to explain to my daughter that nothing that happens in this show actually happens in the book. (which surprised her a lot: no Dreamstat? No sister Grace and nieces and nephews? No masquerade ball? etc) I think Louis' meeting with Armand and the intro of the vampire theater is the first thing I've seen so far that actually sticks more or less to how it happened in the book (minus Santiago being at the initial meeting, minus Armand stepping in in the play) and I think that's really neat. Like, I think the changes they've made so far are all smart and I enjoy it, it keeps me on my back foot not knowing what exactly will happen next, I think this is a masterclass in how to adapt something for a different medium and context, but somehow I also think it's really really neat that this one section is almost exactly the same.

Every time they throw a little reference back to the movie, with recognizable camera shots, or with wardrobe, or even sometimes with lines, it makes me so weirdly happy, somehow. I'm not sure exactly why. I think it's a case of... I don't hold the old movie in very high regard these days, but I do remember it being important to me when I was younger, and these little references are almost like the show is reminding me, look, don't feel bad about enjoying that movie so much, there were good things there as well, let me show you. Or something?

Augh, perfection, perfection.

Coincidentally, my daughter visited Prague shortly after I watched this and found the outdoor location they shot the theatre entrance at and that was super neat.

I am just squealing with delight over how much I love Assad Zaman. I love how larger than life all the other vampires are that we've seen so far, Lestat, and Santiago, and all the other Paris vampires. And here's Armand, looks small, looks young, looks angelic, tiny little mouth that's too small for his face, quiet, calm, but his eyes are burning like a panther in a bush, watching you, and you know you're fucked.

[micamicster]

Hey micaaa, i just finished IWTV thanks to your passionate blog work on the show and I remember seeing you answer an ask about your thoughts on the second season but i didnt read it to not spoil myself and now i cant find it 😭😭😭 would be grateful if you could help a gal out xxx

Hi babe! So either I never answered an ask like that or its been lost to the bowels of tumblr, but that's ok because this is an ask! and I can share my thoughts here! And my thoughts are... mixed but overall positive. I will expand under the cut.

When I watched the first episode of the new season, I called my sister immediately and said, don't worry, they've done it, it's just as good as it ever was. Now I'm not sure I would say it's just as good as it ever was, (I have things to criticism this season whereas last season I really had not a single bad thing to say about the show at all) but it's still at a level of acting, writing, set and music and costume design, and thematic depth that I think is hard to find anywhere else on television. Complement sandwich coming up!

The acting, music, sets, costumes: this show is the opulent gothic romance I've spent my whole life craving and modern media not giving to me. (Fire emerald fenel or whatever her name is immediately and hire this team for wuthering heights or i riot). As in season one, there is a level of cohesion, thoughtfulness, detail, and sheer skill that goes into every element of this show that makes it just a joy to watch. Jacob Anderson is a revelation, and he's got a team that is on his level.

I agree that the pacing is not as good this season. In season one, I felt that each episode was its own distinct chapter in the story with it's own distinct arc, and I have to admit that I'm biased toward that sort of clearly structured storytelling when it comes to television. (It's television! It's got episodes for a reason!) For example, I thought the San Francisco episode was one of the best of the season, and I think that's because it's (sort of) a bottle episode, and because it's about the complicated dynamics between just a few characters, so it has that tight focus that other episodes in the season were lacking. I get the inclusion of hallucistat because I, too, missed the explosion of chemistry that is jacob and sam playing off each other. However I felt that there were times he was overused or unnecessary, and in some of the later episodes it felt like the writers worried their audience would get bored. I thought that it took a while to get a direction on what the dubai portions of the show were doing (rather than them just being a tool to enable story digressions, like the lestat/armand backstory). For as significant as they are, we really learn nothing at all about the coven aside from santiago (ben daniels u were having SO much fun, weren't you?). And it makes their betrayal, their plotting, and their deaths less interesting when they're just background costume hangers. (And it's disappointing when I think of how well other minor characters are sketched out in equally small screen time other places in the show.) Similarly I think that the last episode confrontation was underwhelming--maybe we needed an episode for the dubai climax and for the backstory climax?

(Not really a criticism here, just givng my personal opinion that despite what the actors are saying I have a hard time believing 100% in the louis/lestat reunion. We've never seen anything so far in the show not narrated by someone else (or directly experienced by daniel) so I have a hard time seeing it as "the truth" (what does that even mean in a show like this?) but instead as a version of the truth filtered through Daniel's imaginings, for his story's conclusion. But that's just my interpretation!)

(Also not really a criticism of the show but the fan experience hasn't been as fun this season. Last season everyone I followed was a fun little bubble against the wider fandom, this season the mutchies are at each others throats lol I of course stand alone as always being correct (in the secret takes I text my sister), everyone else is correct sometimes and incorrect others, or even both correct at the same time although they wouldnt like to hear it)

Final compliment! Theme: This show remains one of the best, most nuanced, and most empathetic portrayals of abuse that I have ever seen on tv. It's the gothic! It knows what its about! And what it's about is the way that people can both love you and hurt you, or want to control you, or be cruel to you, or damage you by loving you in a harmful way. It shows how abuse can use the structures of race, gender, age, and family, to trap a person, manipulate them, and control them. It shows how society aids abusers and punishes victims through these same structures. It shows how trauma can fracture a person's understanding of themselves, and of their own memories and experiences. And it says, with relationships and emotions this complex, there are always going to be new perspectives on what happened--even between a person and themself there are different versions of the truth. There are no easy answers, there are no one-size-fits-all truths in this story. The complexity of the emotions victims of abuse, the love and rage and fear, the gratitude and resentment, they feel toward their abusers are all present without the writing using these emotions to judge or vilify the characters. It manages to be empathetic in its writing of perpetrators, without demanding "forgiveness" from the victims or excusing/minimizing the abuse. (I know some people have different opinions on how successful the show is on this topic, I fall into the camp of thinking this is what the show does best--allow multiple complicated feelings and perspectives to be true at the same time). I think constantly about one of the showrunners quotes where they said (im misquoting) that is the gift of immortality and maybe also its curse--you always have time to try again, to get it right this time. Which is in many ways the allure and the curse of family--people you can't shake. People you can't escape. Immortality and memory and trauma as time loops. This show is so fucking good.

[captain-noir]

Previous anon but omg I didn't even see the reply to your post or the fact that you've apparently gotten infamous on Twitter 😭. I'm sorry for people being weird and misinterpreting of that, honestly I like reading your posts a lot because you don't attack Louis so much as point out the obvious ticks to his character and his hypocrisy which, a lot of fans don't seem to even want to talk about? Like fans go on about what a wonderfully complex character he is yet don't even want to go into the specifics of it, and analyzing a character's flaws and how they contribute to his decisions and how it affects HIS life when done correctly doesn't automatically translate to hating on said character....

oh its ok im made of sterner stuff i just find it funny that they're that incensed by an opinion on a fictional character. far be it for me to dictate how one enganges with media but i never understood people who tie up their entire identities around characters/ships. who are you fighting for? a figment of someone's imagination? you're going apeshit over words on paper brought to life by an actor doing a job? like louis is fascinating because he's a lying murderous hyprocrite who would sacrifice his child in a fire to save his spouse and then tend to that vacuous guilt so he can have something to nurse until the new baby arrives. he was a pimp for godsake, a slum lord who continued on even after 'making enough money to retire and be buried like a pharoah' continued that exploitation when he had other investements and means of income as. thats fascinating. thats good character work. it doesnt mean he wasnt a victim of abuse, it doesnt mean he didnt experience violent racism. he has dimensions! the biggest crime a character can commit is be boring and those losers want louis to be a boring hapless victim who just keeps falling into the clutches of these evil evil men and would someone think of the optics of this black character he has to be good why are you villaini[gunshot] ironically they miss the entire point of louis who is overly concerned by how he comes across so he rewrites his entire story and they buy into it. jacob anderson said he was glad that the jig was up and louis couldnt continue to paint himself as the tragic hero of the piece. if nothing else listen to jacob anderson. anway i predict season 2 is going to be rough for them when the show double downs on louis' bad choices re armand and lestat and claudia. when heads hit the floor literally and figuratively...phew

[dwreader]

You're lucky you missed November-January part of IWTV fandom. It was EVIL. A few people on twitter were overreacting a bit to some things (mostly black fans so Im not going to say they had no right to feel that way) so people on tumblr decided to be reactionary and be racist in response.

Ok was that about rolin saying some dumb stuff in interviews? cause i feel as though we need to accept that as an old white man with no filter he is going to either give us insane unhinged big-brained quotes or extremely cringey cancellable quotes there's no in between with old white men just accept that!

Also anytime I see commentary on the Louis+Claudia relationship from anyone who's a Lestat stan/apologist (most of the notes in that uppity negro post) I'm just like ignore block do not call etc cause your opinion means nothing to me, like Claudia has a right to be upset and betrayed but YOU don't so shut it.

[murfpersonalblog]

I am stunned how people can watch ALL of these grown effing vampires do horrific things, and single out the CHILD as the worst one whom they hate the most; saying what happened to her was "karmic" cuz she deserved it.

Yes, Claudia's a little monster, but she's "never called out on it" cuz she was a literal CHILD. It was LESTAT (the MOST sadistic vampire we've seen on this show thus far) who raised her & taught her to kill & told her to be "most ferocious," and to look down on Louis as looking down on them for their vampiric (read: monstrous) needs. She was LITERALLY a product of her environment, and GROOMED to be a coldblooded killing machine!

And how does Claudia do it "all the time"? How many times did we see LESTAT play with his food, and do horrific stuff to the people he killed--both before AND after? Like, sometimes not even for FOOD, but just purely for the act of killing/getting rid of people in his way--"cruelty for cruelty's sake"? Every single bloody episode!

Miss Lily in Ep1

(some fans STILL blame him for Paul's death cuz of what he did at the dinner)

the 2 (TWO) priests (punching a HOLE in one's head) in Ep1

the guy whose back he snapped in Ep2

the Tenor in Ep2

the entire army platoon he planned on killing in an orgy in Ep3

the couple at Lover's Lane in Ep4

the red X he marked Tom's face with in Ep5

TICKETS PLEASE in Ep6

the bookseller he drained at the dinner table while insulting all his books in Ep7

the lady he did the "come hither" fingers to (and everyone else he killed) during the Mardi Gras slaughter in Ep7

Why on earth would Claudia EVER feel guilty killing or being a vampire, when the ONLY moral compass she had (Louis) was ANOTHER serial killing vampire?! How confused & effed up would YOU be if one parent's telling you: It's ok to kill so long as it's not "extravagant"--lemme help my husband murder & rob a funeral home owner just cuz he realized WE'RE ALL SUS lying to his frikkin face; while the other parent's calling the blood "kill juice" and telling you: It's ok to torture victims, so long as you don't pick our neighbors & bring your souvenirs into THIS house so the cops don't catch us--lemme give you the amputated finger of my publicly known mistress (whose "death" was reported in the news) cuz you like souvenirs. BOTH of her parents SUCK, and they utterly failed at raising her, yet it's HER fault that ALL vampires are inherently IMMORAL/EVIL by NATURE?

Then she gets to Paris, and the vampires are EVEN WORSE. Lestat warned her (and the audience) that if we think the mess going on in NOLA's bad, then we ain't seen NOTHING yet--they're VICIOUS. Santiago's out here teaching her how to get in his victim's thoughts & eff with them, before dragging them on stage to kill them in a performance gaslighting the entire crowd into thinking they're not witnessing/accessories to MURDER. The Theatre's doing LIVE SNUFF FILMS in broad daylight, humiliating EVERYONE. And wtf has master Mind Gift master manipulator Armand been up to with Daniel (both in SanFran and Dubai)? And Loumand's been killing the guys they sleep with on some Dahmer trip for DECADES.

But CLAUDIA'S the one being singled out? The little girl whom the entire premise of TVC centers around as the most tragic & victimized vampire in ALL of AR's Immortal Universe?! Claudia wasn't keeping that guy in her wardrobe for cruelty's sake, but because she was trying to TURN him; she LIKED him enough to want to make him her eternal COMPANION. Cuz she's LONELY.

Wardrobe Dude only died cuz she's too weak to make a proper vampire--they "just lie there, gasping!"

Pay attention, y'all!

I hope that poster keeps the same energy about Kirsten Dunst's Claudia keeping a dead woman's corpse IN HER BED with all her toy dolls. It's CANON behavior.

The Most Common and Expected Post About Black Girls in Fandom...

On the screencap from a post in the #iwtv tag, about Claudia below...

The below line of thinking isn't uncommon or unpopular. This is just typical racism/misogynoir in fandom. Typically white fans struggle with empathizing with characters of color, and especially Black girls/women. Hence, entire subcultures/communities are dedicated to tearing Black women and girls down, when they exist in mainstream spaces, see: Qanon-type stuff being spread around Meghan Markle.

Because not only it's awful behavior, but it's a common enough online hobby, that thousands of white women are a part of it. I do not understand hating a stranger as a hobby. We saw and continue to see people like Francesca Amewudah-Rivers get viciously bullied for simply existing in a space, while unambiguously Black. And I'm tired, been tired of the default being treated like some uncommon, special thought. It's not.

You're not for posting it. Halle as Ariel, Francesca as Juliet, and on and on...It's just the default thought for too many. It's hard for people to see themselves in the other when they are used to their reflections as default, so the first instinct is to hate instead. So, as difficult as this is to face for someone who feels this. Yes, the below is in the same line of thinking. It's not uncommon. It should be self-examined. 10 dollars (not real dollars, imaginary!) says the person who posted the below, does not feel this about Lestat and will struggle to identify why they feel this for Claudia and not Lestat when Lestat has done objectively worse acts and was turned as an adult. Anyway... Just a smidgen of self-examination, when these thoughts cross your mind. 👇🏾 Ask yourself if you've ever ID'ed with any Black girl? Ask yourself how many Black girl vampires have you seen at all?

[creek-cryptid-deluxe]

per request (from a single person, that’s all it takes), my thoughts and feelings about...

the movie adaptation of Queen of the Damned! (buckle up motherfuckers because this is going to be a long thing)

Ok, so it’s pretty much universally known that the movie is... trash, despite the soundtrack being absolutely baller. Let’s examine why this movie is trash, shall we?

So, my first point of contention is that it was meant to combine 2 books. As I’m sure everyone knows, this movie and Interview with the Vampire are based on books from The Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice (which she’s still milking by putting out books nobody is asking for. Anne, girl. Stop. Please. You’ve killed it. It’s dead. Move on.) The book series goes Interview with the Vampire (Louis talking to a journalist or author, about his life and afterlife as lived by him), The Vampire Lestat (which is penned by the monster himself about his life and journey into immortality up into his rise to fame with his band, and the awakening of Akasha), Queen of the Damned (which is basically the concert and the aftermath), then is Tale of the Body Thief but after reading it once, I never went beyond Queen of the Damned ever again and that was when I was like 17. 

Now the movie Queen of the Damned was meant to combine the second and third books, thereby skipping out on a TON of important information and background regarding Lestat’s motivations and behaviors. (Plus The Vampire Lestat is my favorite of the series. It’s a good fucking book, ok?)  So in the movie, we see Akasha being awakened and ripping out her king’s throat with ZERO CONTEXT! Ok, not zero context, but absolutely not enough context to paint a full picture of wtf is going on. Same with his motivation behind joining the band or explaination of his attitude in Interview. (BTW at the end of Interview, he ISNT the one who turns Daniel, the author, into a vampire. It’s Armand.)

So yeah, lots of missing info that I feel is pretty necessary for the narrative to make sense. And I don’t mean that in the usual “omg they left this bit from the book out of the movie!!!” way. I mean it in a significant information for the storyline was just GONE causing the story to make significantly less sense.

Now let’s chat about that casting, boi! 

I think we can all agree that the entire thing was acted pretty terribly, yeah? 

great. so looking beyond that...

Let’s start with my main issue and that’s Lestat. So his casting in Interview wasn’t physically ideal, however Cruise did manage to capture the personality Lestat had for that novel. While Louis is ‘a whiner’ as a friend put it, because he can’t shed that humanity and the morals and softness of heart that comes with that, Lestat is much the opposite. In Interview, he has completely embraced the decadent, indulgent, ruthlessness of an immortal who has been around and seen some shit. You learn more about why in the second novel. Really, he sort of knew how to play the game from the start. Yes he still had a handful of human attachments, like Gabrielle and Nicholas, but he cut ties with pretty much everyone else outside of a proxy lawyer of sorts to manage his shit and be a point of contact almost immediately. Yeah, occasionally he displays a softness, some humanity, but it always fucks him over, so by the time he meets Louis he has learned that it isn’t the way to go. 

Stuart Townsend had potential. Physically, absolutely nails it. Could have easily pulled of the ‘present day’ Lestat of the end of the second/third novel who is basically sick of all the vampire rules about keeping to the shadows and fronts a rock band to give all the other immortals the finger. HOWEVER, he acted it so fucking poorly that it physically hurt. It was like he latched onto the fact that Lestat is indisputably attractive and vampires are generally seen as sensual creatures, then turned that shit up to 1000 and turned it into a caricature. Look at his movement. God the faces he pulls. Christ on a cracker. 

Then there’s the ‘singing’. So when an actor lip syncs in a movie, unless the voice of the actual vocalist is super distinctive and recognizable (looking at you Jon Davis. Also on that subject, Jon get your shit together. fucksake. clean it up bro. you didn’t invent dubstep, come off it already. nobody buys it and you’ve become a joke.), you shouldn’t be able to tell that the actor isn’t the one singing. In this movie, there is an OBVIOUS disconnect between the song/voice and the actor. His body language and facial expression NEVER ONCE align with the fucking vocals that we are meant to believe are coming from him. Genuinely, and I say this in all seriousness, the worst lip sync I’ve seen on RuPaul’s Drag Race was a fucking tour de force compared to what Townsend gave us in this abomination. How was there not a point during the shoot where someone stepped in and said, “You know, maybe we should get him some lessons and practice doing a proper lip sync...” HOW DID THAT SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS Y’ALL??? Him singing is a (if not THE) main plot point!!!! Fuck!

Casting for everyone else? Ok. Not well acted but nothing was so... whatevs? But on the subject of casting, in Interview, as much as he looked like walking sex as vampire Antonio Banderas was, he didn’t fit the description of Armand in any of those first 3 books. When Lastat first meets him (long before Louis was a thing), he’s described in such a way that it seems he was turned as a young man, not an adult. He was described as looking beautiful and innocent (I think the phrase ‘cherub like face’ was used?) which are not words I would attribute to Mr. Banderas. (No offence to the man, because again... absolute walking sex with pointy teeth in that movie.)

Another thing that really bugs me is the secondary plot with Jessie and the talamasca was, again, missing almost all relevant information! like... honestly if they were going to do it the way they did, they should have just left it the fuck out. you don’t get any sort of information about who the vampires in the house are and how they relate to Jessie, aside from some vague b.s. Jessie was already a vampire at the damned concert, having been turned by one of the vampires associated with the vampire lady she was descended from who turned to marble at the end, becoming the new Akasha basically. They didn’t explain anything about elders or ancients and the entire power structure/hierarcy within the vampires. 

they just took those 2 books, smashed them together haphazardly, left out FUCK TONS of pretty relevant information, then went “oh here’s a dope soundtrack. hope that is enough to carry this dumpster fire of an abomination that has stuff happen but doesn’t explain shit!!! Enjoy kids!”

UGH. 

ok i’m done. but angry. so i’m going to go paint or hassle J into bringing me a dremel to sand his fucking dragon sculpture. thank you for coming to this episode of Dr. M Rants. 

[tatselk]

TVC: Thoughts on Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis

Finally got hold of PLATROA. Definitely not one of my fav TVC books. Would probably give it an overall score of 5/10. 

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The concept behind the Replimoids, Amel and Atalantaya is actually quite interesting. But it probably would have worked better as a standalone book/ series with cameos by TVC characters, rather than what is essentially a crossover book. 

Kapetria’s Tale gave us so much extra information which didn’t really seem to matter to the plot that it felt like some sort of omake chapter of PLATROA or a chapter torn from a textbook on the secret history of the world. This chapter might have been easier to take if Kapetria’s monologue was slightly punctuated by questions and/ or reactions from the other vampires (like Daniel did with Louis’s interview in IWTV).

I couldn’t relate to the Replimoids as individuals at all since I don’t get what their motivations are other than to band together and keep replicating. I’m not quite sure why 4 Replimoids were needed for the story either. Ok so, Kapetria is the Analytical One who told the Replimoids’ story and Derek is the Emotional One who helped to introduce the Replimoids into the TVC universe. But frankly, Welf and Garekyn felt like interchangeable characters who could have been combined into just 1. In fact, Kapetria was basically the only Replimoid involved in an active/ speaking role in the second half of the book/ when liaising with the vampires so...

As for the vampires themselves, it felt needlessly complex to intellectualise/ scientific-ise the vampires’ origins by going another 6000 years into the past and bringing in bird-alien creators to explain everything. Kinda took all the magic and mystery out of the vampires’ nature (i.e. moving from horror to sci-fi territory).

For me, all those sweet little Loustat moments were amongst the main highlights in PLATROA (yeah ok, there was about 30% bitterness there since it took them over 200 years to get this far and on some level, Louis seemed to have returned to Lestat as some form of sacrificial lamb but still…). In particular, Chapter 4 was a treasure trove for any Loustat fan. It also helped that Amel is like the President of the Loustat Society. XD

Another highlight was the phone call between Lestat and Armand in Chapter 6. This little exchange probably tells you all that you need to know about these two and the dynamics between them. 

Yet another highlight was the sarcastic exchanges between Lestat and Amel and how they battled for dominance in Lestat’s body. Although it was abit of a missed opportunity to make more out of this battle of contesting wills since it ended with barely a blip with Amel being quickly and conveniently moved into a new body of his own.

The whole brain surgery thing with Lestat could have been more been more impactful if there were more tension/ drama as to how it unfolded (e.g. more protests made, more details about the battle which apparently ensued before Lestat’s abduction, something going wrong during the surgery itself). All that happened was Rhosh more or less spiriting Lestat away effortlessly for the operation and the operation happening quickly, without incident and without further explanation about it from anyone.

I would have liked to have seen more of the Rhosh/Benedict relationship since it now seems to be a Dark!parallel of the Lestat/Louis relationship. I would also have liked to have seen what exactly happened with Marius, Armand and Daniel rather than just having one short paragraph describing how they are in some relationship angst. On a side-note, it was actually painful to see the Marius/Armand relationship disintegrating again (the only hopeful note that they will be okay with each other is the tiny detail that Armand has a crypt kept just for Marius in Trinity Gate). 

Not sure whether to find Gregory’s evasive answers to Fareed’s questioning in Chapter 9 amusing or threatening. Probably should keep an eye on Gregory in future TVC books…

Also not sure why Rhosh is now so deeply reviled in the vampire community when other vampires have also done things that are just about as murder-y as what he did. Especially when Amel was kinda responsible for Rhosh’s actions too...?

When was Lestat’s father downgraded from being a Marquis to a Count (Chapter 17)???

Technically, the role of the Vampire Court’s Prime Minister looks like it was made for Marius’s interests and inclinations. You know, since he likes asserting control whilst not being in the limelight and has an innate need to act as a caretaker. But it is a little disconcerting that not only did Marius seem to be the only one who was left to draw up the rules that were to apply to the entire Court (what in the world were all the other Elders doing?! They can’t just be attending balls all the time…), Lestat had to step in eventually and help Marius with this because the latter’s rules were too biased/ one-sided (if even Lestat can perceive the rules as such, they are pretty poorly drafted). Marius’s unilateral law-making sounds like something that is going to blow up in the later TVC books…

Since Lestat is the Prince of the Vampire Court and Marius is its Prime Minister, can we go ahead and make Armand the Duke of the Vampire Court? He does own the properties housing the Paris and American Courts, is de facto in charge of the Paris Court and one of the few people at the Vampire Court who are powerful enough to voice out/ comfortable with voicing out dissenting opinions (i.e. not falling prey to groupthink which some of the other vampires are seemingly increasingly subscribing to).

As much as the Vampire Court likes to pretend that it is all stately and ruled in an orderly manner by a Council of Elders (i.e. Old and Powerful Vampires), I think it is pretty clear that anyone who happens to be in Lestat’s inner circle/ close to at least one person who really is an Elder can have a lot of power/ say at the Court. Like Louis, David and Gabrielle were at the council meeting in Chapter 13 even though they are technically not Elders and had nothing to contribute to the issue of dealing with the Replimoids anyway??? Fareed’s presence there was also iffy but at least he could arguably contribute to the council’s discussion since he was involved in suspecting/ investigating Kapetria in the first place.

Wanted to see Viktor and Rose develop real personalities. It didn’t happen. 

[alliswell21]

I wish you would write a fic where... vampire!Finnick and vampire!Peeta try to understand human's modern-day social media! :P

Hi @thelettersfromnoone!!! Sorry it took me so long to answer your ask… I have to admit, when I first read the prompt I laughed, I envisioned it as a cheerful piece of comedy, but when I started writing it, it pretty much beat my hiney. I just couldn’t get the voices right, and the tone was all wrong, I think I rewrote it 3 times… it’s still not exactly what I set out to do, but it’s close enough… I hope this is ok.

Rated G

Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt meet Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield in this Peenick fic. Enjoy. (Most of the dialogue are actual rants I’ve heard from my husband’s grandfather, plus a few debates between my husband and his best friend from high school)

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Daylight Savings Time is finally at an end. All the clocks have been set back an hour, and sunsets come earlier each day… too bad I can’t see the glorious colors painting the sky with my own eyes tracking the sun’s slow descent into the horizon while the scattered clouds turn gold, orange and intense pink. It’s the thing I miss the most about being alive. The good news is that cinema is there to provide glimpses of my beloved sunsets, even if they are a flat replica.

I take a look at the clock on the wall, and then eye the sun setting charter taped directly under it. Fall is our favorite time of year, with its longer, darker nights. We are free to leave our den and roam the town, we can even walk into any establishment while it’s still regular business hours like normal people, because while the clock says it’s 17:00, it’s inky black outside, and no trace of the cheerful sun can be felt.

Today is special, though. “We are renewing our wardrobes!” Announced Finnick earlier, so as soon as the sun goes down, and it’s safe to leave our place,1 we’re heading to the mall on a business call errand.

“Is it time yet?” Asks Finnick entering the room, wearing a different outfit than the one I saw him in 10 minutes ago. He’s anxious. We haven’t been out in a while, and I know he’s both looking forward to this and nervous at the same time.

“Two more minutes, then we can go.” I tell him.

He makes a face that’s full of annoyance. We just heard the weather report, and it’s supposed to be a gorgeous evening. He hates going out on nice evenings to run errands when he could be luring beautiful, warm-blooded gals into the darkness of his bedroom. He considers it a waste, if he’s isn’t hunting, but he was the one to call for a day of shopping, I could care less about clothing.

“You know most everything can be acquired online nowadays. There’s very little instances your physical presence is required for a transaction to be made.” I offer softly. His glare is immediate and expected, but there’s mirth behind it as well.

He wrinkles his nose in disgust, but smiles nonetheless. “So impersonal, Peeta. Not at all how a gentleman should conduct business.” He says in his usual debonair tone, “It’s almost as if you don’t know me at all!” He flashes me that smile he uses to enchant his victims before his fangs graze along smooth, pulsating, bare necks, like a deadly caress.

I simply avert my eyes. Finnick is not my creator, but he was made 50 years before I was even born, and that makes him my elder, but sometimes, he can be such a brat! Is hard not to think of him as a child at times. His smile doesn’t have quite the same effect on me, though. I’m not a living woman, so I drawl out a response.

“With all the technological advances of the time, why bother going out, for something you can get from the safety and comfort of your lair?” I shrug, then smirk, “I’m sure you can find other, more suited pursuits for a night such as this.” I fan out a hand.

Finnick’s devious smile widens, a dangerous glint takes over his eyes.

I was told once, that Finnick used to have a lovely set of eyes, the color of the sea; that his gaze held the warmth of the tropics and the light of the sun. But when I look into his eyes now, all I see is a washed down shade of green, with pupils as dark and empty as the abyss and a danger that thrills as it pulls you in the darkened recesses of his penetrating stare, where natural light is nonexistent.

“Humanity has made the current time a very convenient era for our kind, hasn’t it?” He says taking a sit and crossing his leg over his opposite knee. “But first impressions do matter, my friend. You can’t just buy clothing from stock. Tailors exist for a very, good reason!”

This is just a variant of his many sayings of ‘the suit makes the man’ sentiment. I check the clock again, nodding in agreement, “But the internet is so much safer, what with all the ways you can interact with others, without really doing it.” I say more to myself than him.

“Why yes, one only needs to fiddle a smart phone apparatus, and everything’s there at your fingertips… what’s the fun on that?” He sounds partially angry.

“It’s convenient.” My voice is soft and monotonous. “Efficient and saves you the hassle of having to interact with vendors that may be irritating.” But for me, is more than that.

I’m not really into eating humans all that much, I rather take a stroll to the blood bank and peruse through the samples until I find something I want. I hate looking at the lifeless eyes of my feed providers after. So gruesome, ugh!

“It’s boring,” He states. “How much longer?” He asks impatiently.

“Take your coat and we may go.”

The drive to the mall is uneventful and quiet, but as soon as we step into the building, we both wince at the brightly lit entrance, artificial light bathes everything the eye reaches, but at the end of 10 seconds, we grow used to the glare. Our instinct is to flee the light, but our reason tells us it’s harmless so we walk right in. While we could smell the whole town since leaving our house, the scent of fresh blood assault our senses like a tide wave; I inhale deeply and allow a satisfied smile take over my features, but next to me, Finnick hisses in displeasure at the throng of people meandering about, as if he just walked into a fresh meat market, after pledging to be a vegetarian under duress. I wished I could say I was sorry to find enjoyment in his pain, but it’s actually kind of funny.

We make a left turn after passing the hubbub of the food court, and then we see them: people meandering around with their cellphones aloft, heads bowed towards the luminous screens, while ignoring anything and everyone else around them. Is one thing to see someone checking their email while sitting and consuming a tray of food court bourbon chicken and a 32 ounce Diet Coke, but another one to see an almost accurate representation of a zombie apocalypse, where the undead only respond to pings and blips. I know in my frozen heart, there will be no shutting him up until we get to the menswear store.

“Why do they do that?” Finnick asks under breath. “They look like sheep. Silly ones at that.”

I observe the few people so absorbed in their phones that narrowly avoid crashing into things along the way by sheer good luck with mild interest while we take the escalators in the middle of the first floor, then shrug.

The whole ride up, Finnick rambles, watching the hypnotized humans with contempt. “Why do they insist on developing this, so called, ‘virtual community’ nonsense? It keeps them from real life interactions, everyone so enthralled with their media devices?”

We climb off the escalator and fall into step side by side.

“It keeps them informed, connected with people they don’t normally see.” I tell him as we pass a kitchen and baking supply store, my head turns to look at a handsome set of measuring cups… you can take the corpse out of the bakery, but can’t take the bakery out of the corpse. “It expands their horizons even from the confines of their homes.” I say calmly, like I’m speaking to an overexcited child. “It’s in their nature to network and exchange opinions. Man was not created to be isolated, Finnick. Humans have a driving need to belong, and social media satisfies the void.”

“They abuse it, Peeta.” He says easily as we take a right turn, “Give a person an internet capable device, Twitter, Facebook… hell! Give them a comment box on a news article! humans can’t shut up! People behave poorly and opts to ignoring their sense of decorum. Is like they lack a filter, they become rude and attack one another when their ideologies don’t match completely.”

“Humans depend on social media now, there’s nothing else to it. It’s not a perfect development, it has its drawbacks, but it also has many pros and benefits. There’s no need to write it off entirely because humans are naturally imperfect and they tend to use their tools inappropriately at times. It happens.”

Finnick stops and sighs exaggeratedly. We really don’t need to breathe, but we still need air to pass through our bodies just the same, he just does it out of habit. He glowers at a passerby that makes the mistake of looking up when he feels someone staring, and judging by the way he trips while rushing to get away, he’s scared witless. I shake my head.

“I hate it when humans lie online!” Finnick mutters sullenly.

‘Ah! the truth at last’, I think to myself, understanding dawning on me. Finnick continues, ignoring my knowing half smile.

“You try to make acquaintances online, you find people that pique your interest and their life story at your fingertips, you could’ve very well just st found your next conquest, but if the information on them is false, further interaction gets hindered.”

“And if they decide no to meet in person?” I propose, taking a step forward.

“It’s truly inconvenient, not to mention disappointing especially when you need to feed.” He smiles, flashing his fully extended fangs, and then retracting them back into his skull.

“How romantic.” I deadpan. “You sound like one of those desperate types that uses date sites… wait, you are one of those.” I say in fake surprise.

Finnick discovered one questionable such site, and had one extremely bad online entanglement with what he thought was a living women; it turned out, he’d been chatting and enchanting an overweight, greasy hair, foul looking fellow that posed as a girl looking to befriend other girls for his own nefarious agenda. Of course, Finnick really wasn’t there innocently trying to make friends either, but he never pretended to be an oversharing teenage girl to lure anyone to him. Somehow Greasy Hair Fellow- I like to think of it as providence- crossed paths with Finnick, and when finally the truth came to light… let’s say, a number of unsuspecting girls got spared both Finnick and Greasy Fellow for good. At the end, Greasy Fellows remains. were a real messy business no one likes to reminisce about.

Finnick values my partial humanity warring with my undead nature most of the times, it’s what called to him when we met, but sometimes he hates the fact that I still have morals.

“I know how you feel, about it Peet!” he defends. “Social media may suit you as it is, but not me, I see it as the biggest pest the world has seen, and I’ve seen pests in my time roaming Earth.” He ‘dusts’ himself, as if merely talking about it has made him sooty. “Facebook will be the demise of mankind, mark my words.” He enunciates each word for emphasis.

“Now you’re just being dramatic.” I tell him, bored. “You make it sound like it’s impossible to find people out in the streets. Plus, there are a great deal of amazing things online. For example, Wikipedia is possibly the crowning achievement of humanity. People of all backgrounds have come together to record an amalgamation and collection of knowledge, that can be expanded, corrected and consulted when needed. That’s a good part of social media.” My tone is monotonous, because I really cannot muster the energy to be excited. Finnick says it’s a side effect of my dietary restrictions, that if I fed from a fresh live donor, I’d be healthier and livelier. I cannot dispute him on it, but I won’t go tempting myself with someone’s life, just to feel peppier.

“People can get facts wrong on Wikipedia.”

”That’s why there’s other people scouring over it at all times.”

“If you enjoy it so much, then donate to its maintenance.” He sneers childishly. “People hide behind their anonymity shield, and act and talk as nasty as they can. There’s no respect or consideration anymore.

“Back when I was a child, no one even had a telephone! If a person wanted to chat with another, they met face to face. People used to visit one another. Letters where the way to communicate with long distance acquaintances. None of this nonsense!”

“Finnick, you truly sound your age.” I drawl annoyedly.

This causes him to snap his eyes at me scandalized. “Take it back,” he hisses lowly.

Then, give. It. A. Rest! Social media is a useful tool.”

“A tool? Social media is not merely a tool anymore, Peeta, it’s part of their culture, they need it, they crave it, they can’t go a moment without it… why it’s like they’re addicted to it!”

”That may be, but the same can be said about food, oxygen and sleep. Social media aids as the ability to reach others. Now shut up and shop!”

I arch an eyebrow at him and he finally grunts in displeasure but walks purposely ahead. I just watch him as he rattles the door to the store open and steps inside smiling a beatific grin.

“Ah! Wonderful! Colorful display. That should cheer you up, Peeta!”

I suppress the urge to roll my eyes, since he’s making it sound like I was the one raving and raging our whole commute about social media and it’s dangers. He’s finally changed the subject, there’s no need to rile him up again, which still does not change the fact that he’s insufferable.

“Absolutely gorgeous,” I whisper relieved and step inside.

[savagewildnerness]

For that ask meme: 4, 6, 13?

Helloooo! And thank you so much for your ask! 🥰 I actually meant for you all to answer the questions! But I shall happily answer these! And in answering, I realise asking 15 questions of you all would be A Lot! So, oooops! My apologies! 😇

4 - Any scene/moment you don’t like & why

I think it’s no surprise that I don’t like The Drop in S1E5. Book-Lestat wouldn’t do it. I don’t like that it means we won’t see the book-plot of the Armand-Lestat drop, I don’t like how it alters a lot of subsequent feelings, motivations & meanings that impact on the rest of the series (for example there was a big knock-on impact for me in the trial - both in its feeling & in many practical differences of events & meaning.) But it’s that it grates against Lestat’s characterisation for him to do that to Louis that troubles me most.

But I accept tv-Lestat did it. There is no part of me that thinks it didn’t happen in TV world & no part of me that excuses it in any way either. The revisit to the scene beforehand: I liked it, because adding the missing scenes added glorious gothicness… and Lestat got to apologise… but there’s literally nothing Louis could say or do that would make the drop existing ok for me, so that’s that!

It’s particularly hard to properly express why Louis smashing Lestat’s head on a coffin then saying he’ll chop his head off & feed it to the lions is yummy, transgressive violence & gothic glory, yet The Drop is so wrong I cannot abide it. I think I can best explain by saying that none of this is good or bad in terms of relating it to reality, and so it’s the feelings & meaning on the next, underlying level that matters. Which is a very fine, yet incredibly important (as I feel it!) line.

6 - Best thing for you about the TV show

The characterisations.

I’m a sucker for a deep dive into character. I adore all of the characters on the show (including small roles I don’t mention here.)

I adore Lestat as there’s my Lestat on screen! The second he watched Louis with his blade to Paul’s throat - instantly I saw & felt that that was Lestat! Lestat was THERE! Resonant!

I adore Louis, as he is absolute glow-up-Louis & I love that I can feel from him the way all the vampires describe they feel for book-Louis, but I never really understood from book-Louis! But now, oh how I feel it too!

I am astounded that Assad has somehow elevated my love for Armand, who was already my second favourite book character beyond even how I love book-Armand. S2 was your season. Armand was everything.

I love how smaller characters such as Santiago & Madeleine have been elevated too & then Claudia… I do need to caveat that Claudia cannot have the impact of an immortal 5-year-old vampire! However, this Claudia works & the changes add interesting, poignant & tragic elements to her story. I adore tv Claudia & I hope she haunts every season of the show.

Such incredibly strong characterisation also helps to access the spirit of Anne’s books & I love when I feel the essence of her writing in the show! Which doesn’t mean a strictly close adaptation necessarily. For example, I feel the spirit of Anne’s work incredibly strongly in S2E5 even though that’s in large part written solely for TV.

13 - Feelings about TV show versus books

I think I sort of answered this above. Generally speaking, I’ve loved the TV adaptation so far though! It’s such a joy to be able to see books that were so close to your heart & that you read at such a formative age they’re ingrained in your heart & soul & in how you see & feel & experience & think about the world adapted with such love & care & attention to detail & to the spirit of the books. And the exquisite poetry of the writing - Anne’s words directly on screen at such poignant moments & the writers’ own beautiful poetic language also.

Hope that’s ok! I’ll end there as my phone keeps randomly deleting paragraphs & I’m worried about losing the whole post! 🥶💀

And on this note, please feel free to just pick whatever question(s) interest you to answer, everyone! 🥰🥰🥰 I’m so curious to read your thoughts!

[rottenbrainstuff]

Iwtv first episode:

Well…. Huh. That wasn’t bad at all. That was pretty good, wasn’t it?

There’s some little wonky things here and there, took me a little while to warm up to Lestat tbh, but mostly that was really good. It’s funny how… like… there is nothing there that is the same as the book, like, almost every detail is different, yet it’s still… like… it feels exactly like the book and the characters I liked, it’s hitting all the same points and tbh it’s doing it better, I think. I think this is a really great rebuttal to the stupid idea that the quality of an adaptation can be judged by how close it sticks to the source material.

Loved Louis, instantly loved him. In the contemporary scenes, do you think he’s purposefully trying to copy the soft timber of Brad Pitt’s voice in the old movie, or was that just a coincidence? I loved how they were doing funky things with the eyes. I loved how Daniel has an extremely direct and piercing gaze, fixing Louis with the same predatory stare as Lestat. Loved Louis’ family, loved Lestat’s little tricks (had to pause for a second to stop laughing when I realized I was watching yet another arrogant blond vampire with the ability to stop time)

I took screenshots of Paul giving Lestat the side eye at dinner because I thought it was so funny, also Louis and the stink-face he was making when he found Lestat sitting down with Lily. Which was btw my initial reaction as well. As I said it took me a little while to warm up to him. I think it was a combo of his ridiculous hat hair plus how he was more creepy than charming in his first few scenes. I think Lestat is a hard character to get right. I also think that actor is… I assume? conventionally attractive? would you agree? and I tend to not really like that so much, I tend to like people who look a little stranger, and when there’s a character who’s supposed to be attractive and seductive, inevitably I imagine them looking different in my head. But by the time he was doing vampire tricks and showing how good he was at manipulating feelings I think I was ok with him.

Unfortunately, online being online, it seems I’ve exposed myself to spoilers, and I’m guessing I’m not supposed to know the identity of Louis’ assistant there yet. Hope that’s not too huge of a plot point reveal.

(I’ve also just realized, I’m missing books! Where is my copy of the Vampire Armand? where is my copy of Queen of the Damned? I can’t find them on my bookshelf…)

[rottenbrainstuff]

IWTV s2 ep4 - a lot of thoughts before the plot comes sweeping in

(I am delighted to report that my daughter watching the show finished the end of season 2 and was extremely emotionally compromised by it, and I can now send her all the Rockstar Lestat and devil’s minion memes I've been saving up.)

This is the obligatory plotty setup before the really cool shit hits the fan (ep 5 withYoung Daniel which I have been itching to watch for weeks and weeks) but this is still a good ep, it's all good eps, this show is so good.

Did I ever talk about how cool I think the vampire plays are? Like, unironically, I think the way they use animation and projection is really fucking cool. I want to research and see if this was based on anything that was actually a thing in avant garde theatre. If it was, that's really neat and I'm a bit grumpy that we didn't look at it in the film/animation class I took, and if it wasn't, then wow that's a really cool and smart thing they made up for this show? I know Claudia is not having a good time, but I love her play, it's so fucked up and weird.

Madeline. Ok you assholes. Before I watched the show, I'd seen a little bit of discourse about her in the tags, and the way you guys were talking, I thought she was going to be a nazi sympathizer that was helping out the nazis while they were in Paris or something, honest to god. Imagine my surprise to learn that the whole deal is, she slept with one single german soldier one single time. And it appears that's it, that's all. (if there's more later on, I take back this entire paragraph and apologize) THIS is where the discourse comes from? You know what, I don't like you guys. I don't like you as a person. I don't like how you boil the complicated issues that happen in life down to binary "good/bad" categories. You seem to understand that gender and sexuality can be a spectrum but you don't seem to be able to apply that understanding to a single other thing. (why is that?) Life and people are complicated and messy and if you require everything to be categorized into good and bad because you can't deal with that uncomfortable unclear area in between, let me give you this warning right the fuck now, kiddo: you are going to be deeply, deeply unhappy older adults, either lying to yourself constantly in order to fit your worldview into your narrow binary, or else wondering why, after cutting out everything "bad", you have nothing and no one left. Also, I think this story in general is not for you (and I don't want it to be either). This is a story where all the bad people are compelling and all the protagonists do awful things and everything is complicated and sad and a thorough exploration of the borders of humanity, and crossing that border. If you want something with clear and comfortable morality, go watch cartoons (although it seems people even have a hard time with that these days) and leave this beautiful story and its complex characters alone.

Anyways I love Madeline, I love how the war and her life experiences have made her blunt and unflinching, how her and Claudia flirt by insulting each other, it's so weirdly charming and honest. If you haven't read the book or seen the old movie, Madeline is a very different character, really barely a character at all. Instead of a kindred spirit / lover, Madeline connects with Claudia because she has lost a daughter and thinks she can replace that with Claudia, and Claudia recognizes (being five fucking years old in the books) that she needs someone to help her out, if Louis is going to leave her for Armand, and this woman will probably always be loyal to her and never leave her behind. It's definitely an interesting idea, this vampire mom and daughter, and the mom is actually the fledgling and the daughter is actually the older one, and it's kind of sad as well, Claudia seeking out a mother figure she has been missing... but Madeline is not an interesting character, barely a footnote, and I actually remember very little about her at all. So this is great and I love her a lot.

This show is doing such a good job of taking things from the books and changing them, reinterpreting them, and updating them. I continue to really dislike Bruce and Antoinette. Compared to the other characters, they feel so, so flat and pointless. I wish they had taken this first draft story and pretended that this was the book, and they looked at these two characters and thought ok what spin can we put on it to make it more interesting?

So, Armand is a terrible character, dangerous and manipulative, but damn he's so sad too, they all are. He's so.... pathetic. He's very old and very powerful and very good at what he does, sure, but he's also this hauntingly sad lonely boy who has never had anyone want him for anything besides his body, he loves so intensely and obsessively and can't understand why no one loves him back the same way. He's so strong and powerful, can control people so easily, and he takes Louis to this museum to show him this painting and he flays himself wide open to show to Louis, pleading for him to understand, so vulnerable and simple. This 500 year old eldritch horror that's just... this is my sad backstory, please love me? Armand was always my favourite character from the books, and this show does SUCH a good job with him, and Assad is absolutely amazing, absolutely perfect.

So this is the ep where Lestat eats the photo. So. I had seen clips of this, a lot. It was one of the things that made me go "what the fuck is even happening in this show, I need to watch this". Even so, I was unprepared for the context of how the clip exists in the ep, which is.... there IS no context. There's... just... I... I dunno, I thought it would... I thought... there would be something happening, I thought there would be some explanation, but like lmao... Louis... he doesn't even REACT, it's just...

You know, you're having a conversation with the comfort hallucination of your ex soulmate, as one does, and you know, you're talking about your photographs, and you know, he just, eats one. He eats it. Munches right on it. Louis doesn't even SAY anything or acknowledge this is happening! Yeah he's eating a photo, he just does that sometimes. No biggie. Lmao. Somehow that makes it even funnier????? Aw man. Laughed so hard.

It's interesting how important this comfort hallucination has become to Louis, it really is like a companion, so much so that he feels he has to formally break up with it. (the physical effect of the dissolving in the rain... dunno if that quite worked for me, but I liked the idea behind the scene and as always they succeeded in cutting my heart out) Makes me sad. Poor lonely Louis. Poor lonely everyone.

I know that Santiago is only being nice to Claudia to trick her into revealing more information, but man. I want to imagine an alternate universe where circumstances are different and they end up being wicked snarky besties. There's just something about their interactions that I love, some kind of camaraderie, some kind of common wavelength. If Santiago wasn't jealous and trying to plot Louis' downfall, I feel like he and Claudia could have got on. Dunno. Maybe I'm wrong. I do love Santiago though, like I love all the characters. I love how he's visibly the oldest but apparently the youngest in vampire terms, (an interesting flip of Claudia's situation?) I love the fucked-up situation with his sire dead / in torpor and the corpse / ashes / whatever kept in the basement, I love how we don't get it explicitly explained how he feels about this, obviously he feels a great big pile of SOMETHING about it but we are left to decide what exaclty that is, I love his nasty bitter jealousy towards Louis for taking Armand's attention and Claudia for taking the audience's attention. Chef's kiss, just like everything in this show.

Anyways. Perfection as always, and now I have ep 5 to watch, yay!