#outing myself as a IWTV fan

[quijicroix]

Sorry not to be a camera nerd but in IWTV S2 ep2, 3 and 4 Louis in Paris having a Rolleiflex and a Leica specifically for Armand is so significant to me!!! Two cameras used at the same point in time but not by the same people.

First the Rolleiflex.

For the the Rolleiflex to work- you have to take a lil bow before your subject. This is because the viewing mirror is on top of the camera's body, so to see what the lens sees you have to incline. A lot a photographers said utilising this camera is also showing humility in front of the subject specially in street style photography (Robert Doisneau said that the Rolleiflex is like gathering images and the Leica like hunting for them, he also was convinced that the Rolleiflex was an "ethic of life and art" not betraying the subject you are trying to capture). You have to take your time and bow before them. (showing also the fact that louis struggles with not admiring humans )

Now the Leica

The Leica on the other hand put you on the same level as the model. The mirror is in a more traditional position at eye level. And is more favoured for fleeting subject, at least one street photographer as describe the Leica's style of photo as "hunting" for faces capturing the moment ( i think it's Janine Niépce or Henri Cartier-Bresson but don't quote me on this). It's really interesting that he photographs Armand with it , capture the fleeting aspect of his nature ,he is being hunted or they are hunting together ,and they are equals in Louis's eyes.

The style of photo he is taking in ep 4 is called "Humanist photography".

The mouvement in France was criticised for being a postcard image of paris, cliché, naïve and not political enough. And giving a romantic image of Paris after the tragédie of the WW2. It focuses mainly on people, often doing daily mondain activities, Humanist photography really liked cafés and bars. The paradox was despite the cliché exterior a lot of pictures were of working class people (we can see that in the pics he gives to Daniel in ep 2, louis has a very similar choice of subject mater and view of the world, taking portraits of his working class lovers and of Parisians in restaurants). The goal was to heal post war Paris and to show a new beginning. (echoing louis owns personal struggles of finding his new self and a new lover in paris, but also the rose tinted glasses he has on this time has a tourist)

Also in post war paris this is sososos significant in the history of photographie hahhahha my nerd heart is dying....

[blueiight]

i think ppl assume jonah was a significantly younger man of a much lower social class than louis 1 to ‘equalize’ lou in the eyes of his progenitor [LOL] and/or 2 cuz bc jonah’s played by a dark skinned black man n was shipped off to the warfront which is.. jonah said he enlisted [wasnt drafted, enlisted] to go to europe bc he cant be accepted as a gay black man in the jim crow south & knows being american can offer him some ‘leverage’ in europe it otherwise does not in the states. its a tragedy that being a soldier in ww1, a war we know is one of history’s cruelest, is the only way he has out. complexion ≠ caste. its no way grace would know of jonah or even the dulac fam as a whole be cool with jonah being louis’s friend if he came from a significantly lower ses than they did. macon is an english[?] surname which suggests hes not part of the old french guard of new orleans, but it doesnt mean he was a dirt poor lil boy getting scooped up by big bad lou like some ppl would have u think. power dynamics r somewhat subtler than that .. colorism informing fan analysis of a fictional character or yani overthinking??.. idk. louis saying he was ‘older’ than 16 when they had their first sexual encounter could mean anything, but to act as if that one line is enough to be deterministic on the nature of jonah + louis’s relationship when we literally only have 15 minutes on screen w them is a bit much. this falls a bit into hyperanalysis i said, to where fans dont see pimping black women + turning claudia [much less his modern situation in dubai w a whole ‘farm’ of humans] as ‘enough’ of an ‘evil’ to them for s1 louis sofar

[dykesynthezoid]

Thinking about the frequent iwtv and wwdits comparisons but esp in the context of the past actions of certain wwdits cast members and just. Really chewing on that

[squirrellypoo]

I sewed a Wolfkiller Cloak!

I have been a fan of Lestat's Wolfkiller Cloak for 30 years(!!) so when it made a surprise appearance in season 2 of Interview with the Vampire I just knew I would be sewing one for myself.

It looks incredible in the show, but then we also got to see more of it in better lighting during the short, behind the scenes "Episode Insider" for the episode. Essentially, this is a calf-length, blood-red velvet cape with an additional, elbow-length capelet on top, and a fur-lined hood.

But having made capes in the past, I realised that they are really impractical to wear due to limited arm mobility and having either your arms or body freeze through the openings.

So instead of sewing exactly what I saw on screen, I realised I could instead sew a swing coat + little capelet on top with fur-lined hood! And even better - make the capelet removable via hooks at the neckline so that they could be worn together or separately. This was a Eureka! moment for me. I wanted to make something that is somewhat authentic to the look of the original, but also practical to wear as an every day winter coat!

After quite a few muslins, I settled on the Charm Patterns Swing Coat (with some modified sleeves), and a self-drafted capelet (similar to my earlier cape from Claudia S1 NYE look) with a fur-lined hood. I drafted the hood pieces so that the fur lining is longer and wraps around the opening edge. This makes the fur more visible when its down around the shoulders, as in the show.

I used 5m of burgundy velvet and 0.5 m of Arctic Grey Wolf faux fur from CRS Fabrics (UK) - the fur itself was £60/m(!!) so I'm extremely pleased the show version wasn't entirely lined in fur like the book description (scroll down for more on that!). I underlined it for warmth using cotton flannel to block the wind, and found an incredible dark grey skull jacquard lining fabric at Mood Fabrics (US).

The swing coat pattern only has one button at the neck, so I made it count! I found the most perfect wolf head button on ebay and adjusted my bound buttonhole accordingly, but it really is the best statement button I could've ever asked for! The rest of the front opening is closed with enamel hooks and hidden thread bars to not distract from the clean lines when worn open.

In all, this took me about 6 weeks to sew and I am SO chuffed with how it turned out. I usually only take daytime photos for my sewing in order to best show off the details and seamlines, but for this I couldn't resist an additional nighttime shoot, too.

Even better - after I posted it to Instagram, the costume designer for the show, Carol Cutshall, not only said she loves it, but revealed a new piece of iwtv lore - they originally tried the cloak entirely lined in fur, but it was too heavy for Sam to move in!! (Which I can totally believe because mine is super heavy even with a lightweight lining!)

[roxxyhoney]

Okay so this post may initially come off as corny to some, but I just had to make a birthday related IWTV post. Today is my birthday, and it's the first one I've celebrated being apart of the fandom. I started watching the show in March of this year and I don't think I'm the only one who feels like their life has completely changed😅. Without a doubt, IWTV is the best series I've ever seen and that's coming from someone who has watched many many shows and has had some obsessions here and there back in the day. From Buffy, to TVD (give or take a season), GOT (years after it ended), and so many more, but IWTV hits me on a whole different level that I could have never imagined.

When the show came out in 2022, I'll admit I didn't give it a chance like I should have, and apart of me is grateful that I didn't, because I don't know how you all survived the year & half hiatus. I almost didn't survive waiting only TWO months for the new season, so I can only imagine how it felt to wait even longer.

If you follow my blog or have seen a random post from me, it's no secret that I am a huge Loustat fan and I have such a tremendous soft spot for Jam. (I've spent an embarrassingly long time watching interviews and clips of them, and I can't get enough). Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid are both incredible and amazing at what they do. I absolutely can't wait for season 3 and all it has to offer. Ready to see some promotional images, videos, trailers, cast announcements, etc.

What's been getting me through this hiatus has been a lot of phenomenal things. Many people in this fandom have been wonderful and have provided great information and interesting theories (some I'm hoping play out). No, I haven't read the books but I do know quite a bit about what goes on and that's thanks to a lot of research and the many people in this fandom.

Sometimes the fandom can be on one and things can get crazy, but for the most part it's been a real treat getting to experience this show with those who love it just as much. From the fanfiction that is now apart of my daily read, to the fan videos, and definitely to the beautiful artwork from the most talented people out there (I think I have a redbubble problem with as much merch I have purchased). It's all just been a real mind-blowing experience, and I've pretty much "fallen into a well with no bottom."

And let's not forget the most amazing cast, show runners, writers, directors, etc. Yes, I absolutely LOVE Jam, but the whole entire cast was made for this show and their acting is astounding. I would love to meet them in real life one day as I've heard nothing but great things.

So, moral of this novel of a post, and if you've stuck with it this far, is I just wanted to say how much I desperately love the show and the talent that this fandom has showcased.

Not only that, I've met one of my dearest friends from this fandom. You know who you are♥️♥️♥️ And words aren't enough to express how much your friendship means to me.

So, I wanted to list below just a few things from myself and others.

If you read fanfiction and you're interested in an au/human loustat, check out my first fic in the fandom: "it's like a best friend, but more." So far, there are only 15 chapters with 5 left to go.

For more of my favorite fics, I've created a fic rec list. This list will be updated throughout.

I have a new loustat video posted. Check it out if you're interested.

A huge shout out to @haflacky for creating this beautiful loustat commission piece. I am still in awe and super grateful.

And if you want to follow me on twitter/x, youtube, and tiktok feel free 🥰

I'm staying lowkey this birthday and spending the rest of the day rewatching both seasons and working on a new chapter.

Until next time ♥️

[platoapproved]

just to get it off my chest because it's on my mind today (and none of this is a criticism of literally anyone, i am speaking extremely broadly here):

for iwtv, i enjoy fan speculation about future possibilities and when people incorporate knowledge from the books into their reading of the series. i do this myself all the time. but i do wish sometimes that people wouldn't get so invested in stuff that's not actually present in the text that they speak as if it's canon and anything ELSE would be a divergence.

like if in later seasons it turns out daniel and armand had more interactions between san francisco and dubai, that's cool! but seeing it be the assumed default, in fanfiction and in fan discussion, is weird to me, i'm not going to lie. it's a possibility amongst many, but there is no textual basis for it yet.

which is the opposite of course to everyone deciding that the 18th century lesmand stuff, that is actually present in the show, and the truth of which is never in any way brought under suspicion, is all... false? i know it's the unreliable narrator show. but there is no other part of iwtv where if i made a gifset of a scene from the television show we all watched and enjoyed, half the comments would be giving an opinion on whether or not it happened. yes, it's different from how it happened in the books, but like.... so is.... everything else? because it's an adaptation that's making changes?

i don't think this is evil or insidious or a problem even. they're all blorbos on tumblr none of this is that serious. i'm just saying that for me, personally, it's weird.

[wouldgaysexfixthem]

i don’t post ALL requests

only a fraction get posted

but i do what i can. here are some general guidelines to increase ur likelihood of getting ur pairing posted

latest updates in orange

REQUEST GUIDELINES

please don’t flood me with like 10 requests in a row, my inbox fills rly fast so u should b nice and let other ppl have a chance if u submitted a few already

ur pairing has to have interacted enough that there are actual photos of them together on the internet. this is a low bar but i physically cant do the poll if there’s no photos

while it’s a fun idea, i can’t do individual character requests bc my inbox will literally explode and die. so pairings of 2 or more only

i probably won’t do real life people UNLESS they are dead or they have joked about the gay rumours (ie maffleck) OR if i think its really funny and i want to make an exception (i am in charge)

no animated pairings under 18, no live action pairings with actors under 18

a few of you have submitted m/f pairings, and while i do respect ur grind, i probably won’t post those unless, again, i think it’s funny and i want to

i am a full time working adult and so i can’t heavily research the dynamic of every single request, so if you really do think i’ve posted a very troubling pairing then message me. but the point of the blog is toxic/troubled pairings, so these characters usually do bad things. and i am a horror fan so u rly gotta convince me

no book pairings (but if someone wants to make a version of this blog for book pairings u have my blessing. not that u need my blessing u can literally do whatever u want)

IF I DIDNT POST YOUR REQUEST IT COULD BE BECAUSE

ur pairing does not adhere to those guidelines ^

ur pairing honestly did not need fixing (i know this is ambiguous but try to understand the niche of the blog ok pookie)

ur pairing was from a fandom with a LOT of requests, so i’m spreading them out (yj, dr who, btvs, iwtv, star trek polls)

u submitted your pairing when i wasn’t taking requests

u weren’t specific enough and i had no idea what u were talking about

there are literally no photos of ur pairing on the internet (fan art doesn’t count)

your pairing was so deeply concerning to me that i couldnt bring myself to post it (rare)

twas a bit too niche and i have a family to feed with tumblr notes

it got lost, idk

this is my blog and i do what i want

if you really think a pairing deserves to be on this blog and it only doesnt follow the guidelines on a technicality (like alien ages being different from human ages), then u can submit the pairing but u must plead your case.

ok bye love u

[isabellehemlock]

Kat's Catholic Commentary - Part (I've lost track)

My focus for this episode will be on Lestat's speech in his parting letter to Louis.

The purpose behind the letter may vary depending on when it was written (before or after Lestat knew of Louis’ plan of betrayal).  However, my focus is on the language used - specifically “the veil” - and why my Catholic senses were tingling.

But first - the disclaimer:

This is purely a fan meta/theory.  Even when I talk about character motivations with some certainty, remember it's just my take, not a fact-based declaration.  This helps keep things brief rather than saying "in my opinion" before every other sentence.

All points and takes are valid - this is just one of them.  I'm exploring one potential aspect of Lestat and Louis' relationship, not the whole picture or even trying to suggest it as the main foundation.

Also, there are frank references to the Catholic Church, its history, practices, sacraments, and some Bible verses.  If at any point you need to take a step back for self-care, please do.  Your well-being comes first.

Before diving in, I’ll share why I see a potential for a secondary meaning behind it because I’d like to add some weight to my personal fan theory that Lestat is conscious of how faith is still an integral part of Louis’ identity and how he might use it (however the purpose of this, I’ll leave to the reader).

Several moments in the first season, and some from the books (spoilers ahead if you’d like to avoid events after IWTV), reference Lestat and Louis’ relationship and his faith (and especially with a context of Catholicism):

The entire monologue at the end of episode one as Lestat declares his feelings for Louis in front of the altar.

Lestat’s monologue of Saint Louis (both as an off hand reference in ep 1 and the expanded version of Ep 2 that ends with: “You’re challenge every sunset St. Louis, and I’d have it no other way.”)

After Louis asks about Antoinette in Ep 3, when Lestat is describing the need for various forms of pleasure for “anything that wards off the dungs of the everlasting road we walk” - pauses to point out Louis’ form of pleasure as “Pleasures of the Good Book by the fire for you.”

And then in Ep 6, when Lestat arrives to gift Louis something from his favorite bookshop: “‘The Book of Hours.’  Extremely rare, 15th century.” - the Book of Hours, is also known as the Liturgy of Hours, or Divine Office, used by both clergy, religious and laity alike for daily devotions on a rotating cycle for uniform prayer.

And from the books:

In IWTV, Louis’ reference to following Lestat as a kind of personal Jesus: 

I allowed myself to forget how totally I had fallen in love with Lestat’s iridescent eyes, that I’d sold my soul for a manycolored and luminescent thing, thinking that a highly reflective surface conveyed the power to walk on water. 

“What would Christ need have done to make me follow him like Matthew or Peter? Dress well, to begin with. And have a luxurious head of pampered yellow hair. 

Later, in Prince Lestat, when they are reunited, Louis says (from Lestat's POV): 

He leaned close to me, and he put his hand on my arm. “ ‘Wither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people’; and because I have no other god and never will, you shall be my god.”*

* This quote Louis is saying is from the Book of Ruth: She answered, "Do not be against me, as if I would abandon you and go away; for wherever you will go, I will go, and where you will stay, I also will stay with you. Your people are my people, and your God is my God.” - Ruth 1:16 CPDV

I’ve also shared metas and commentary on Tumblr and Twitter about Louis and Lestat's relationship to faith and the little nods I’ve picked up here and there (more on that below).  But this isn’t intended as a comprehensive summary, just a soft recap to add context for anyone wondering, “how did she read that in this scene?”

Now, onto the main point!  For anyone needing a refresher, here’s the letter in full:

In the event that you are reading this, something dreadful has occurred.  Which is not my own death, but rather, the fact that we both now exist in two different worlds.  Do not waste your life seeking revenge on the person or persons who did this.  Do not give them the satisfaction of the hunt.  Let treachery eat away at them from within.  And you, you go carry on with your living.  Know only this, mon cher: you are the only being I trust, and whom I love, above and beyond myself.  All my love belongs to you.  You are its keeper.  A veil will now forever separate our union.  But it is a thin veil, and I’m always on the other side, face pressed up against your longing.

Setting aside the beautiful writing, the language used, and the sentiments declared (it fed my Words of Affirmation love language meter well), my second thought upon hearing “A veil will now forever separate our union.  But it is a thin veil, and I’m always on the other side, face pressed up against your longing.” was what my Catholic senses were tingling.

In a previous meta I discussed how I viewed the scene of Louis’ turning as a nod to the Sacrament of the Eucharist (though I can also see the other fan theory of the Sacrament of Matrimony).  This furthers my idea of Louis viewing Lestat as a kind of personal Jesus.  Given the examples above, I believe there might have been some intention behind Lestat’s words to reach Louis on a vulnerable level through his faith.

But why would former Catholic altar boy Louis catch that meaning, and what would it mean to him?

In the Catholic Church, the Eucharist is veiled in order to symbolize the mystery and sacredness of the Sacrament.  The veil represents the separation between the divine and the mortal, indicating that the true essence of the Eucharist (Christ's Body and Blood) is hidden under the appearance of bread and wine (and it’s a practice that dates back to early Christianity, where the veil also served to protect the Eucharist from desecration and to enhance the reverence of the faithful during Mass).

As Catholics, we believe that Jesus, at the Last Supper, instituted the Eucharist, when He said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).  He also said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20).  They were declarations to emphasize the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist but also to serve as a message of hope - that there would be an intimate connection between Jesus and His followers, despite His physical absence after His death and resurrection - “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).  

Though death might separate the physical presence, the Eucharist provides a continuous, though veiled, connection with Christ.  This then allows the veil to symbolize hope and assurance that, while there may be a separation, it is thin, with the promise of a deeper, spiritual communion that transcends physical boundaries.

So, if Louis potentially viewed the Dark Gift as a kind of Eucharist that nourishes the soul, given to him through Lestat, then their spiritual interconnection and the nourishment it provided could continue.  His devotion to Lestat would not need to end.

I believe Lestat “I went to a monastery to become a priest” de Lioncourt, knew exactly what he was doing when he used those words to describe how interlinked they would remain.  

This furthered Louis’ (perhaps even subconscious) view of Lestat and Jesus - and himself as potentially Judas (meta here, and here), though I personally enjoy the view of Louis identifying with Mother Mary the most (visual reference and poem, art and another art piece here).

Whether intentional or not, or perhaps a completely different point that I read too much into (which can definitely be the case lol), it spoke to me on a deep level when I heard it.  I’d like to believe it did for Louis as well. 

[fitsofdespair]

i have hesitated to say anything before now. in part because i removed myself from fandom discourse and really from actively discussing iwtv a year ago. i consider it all a lose-lose situation.

but also because i’m generally of the opinion that black fans don’t need people to be their white saviors, least of all me. black people have never been saved by white people. they were never just given anything when it comes to strides in equality, they fought for it and still fight for it, against constant violent pushback every step of the way. only instead of the good ole’ days when racists just called those fighting for equality uppity, they’re now “bullies” for daring to call you out on your shit after the repeated condescension and the resulting harassment you’ve exhibited towards them.

in this day and age the word bully has zero meaning anymore. i mean come on, melania trump calls people mean about her husband bullies. elon musk thinks he’s being bullied by twitter users, though he clearly holds all the power and is absolutely the problem. its become a meaningless word that goliaths use to call davids because they won’t use the real word they actually want to say. some of these popular blogs are not being bullied, they’re being held accountable for their own actions.

it’s pretty disgusting the number of you who decided to identify strongly with these users that not only fail to question their own racial biases but have gone so far as to suggest black people don’t face racism anymore. this is so fucked. tbh it can be argued in many ways white people, especially in the deep south where i’m from, are inherently raised steeped in racism, even if its not direct. just because your family aren’t ostensibly racist doesn’t mean they didn’t bake their own little prejudices into your upbringing and being raised in your environment didn’t encourage them. even if you don’t see yourself as racist, you have to unlearn all this shit, even if it never once occurred to you that you are part of it. just cause you believe in equality and don’t hate people for their color or cultural background does not make you free of perpetuating microaggressions against them. this applies to fans across the world of course. (like for you white euro iwtv fans, you may say you have no problem with black people but i’ve heard some wild things some of yall have to say about the turks.)

i understand that probably half or more of you are not usamericans. but no matter what environment you live in, no matter where you were raised, there is no excuse for your behavior. just because YOU don’t see racism in your day to day life or are in the more likely situation, too blindly comfortable in your place in society to notice it right in front of your face, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist as a constant presence in other parts of the world or isn’t deeply ensconced in online rhetoric.

so for you white iwtv fans who can’t be fucked to mention let alone defend people you, in many cases once called friend, against the absolute horseshit your current comrades are spewing wrapped up in their nice safe cocoons of victimhood, i hope you do some serious soul searching to figure out if this is who you are, a person too cowardly to call out a friend because it might cost you their friendship. a person quick to condemn others on hearsay because you couldn’t be fucked to wonder am i on the right side of this? and if you do manage to get wise and change your mind, remember its not unforgivable to say, you know what? i was wrong. i wrote in an old post that the hallmark of being a functional adult is changing your views accordingly when you learn new information or even just ruminate on what you know (i myself was a little bitch about ep 5 when it first dropped until i had to sit down and ask myself why i was actually feeling some kind of way about it). dying on a hill is not all its cracked up to be. being told you’re wrong is not always a personal attack and its often an opportunity for improvement if you can be bothered to genuinely hear other people out. an alarming number from all walks of life never figure that out. for my part, i am still learning and hope i never stop learning.

while that sentiments all nice and gooey (i mean them, but i understand its still sacharine to put out there), i am still guilty for not having directly written anything about this until now. and thats on me and i earned any flack i get for that. again, i am more of the mindset that black people don’t need white spokespeople, but that doesn’t mean they'll mind allies. and as a sidebar, going out of your way to say you are rising “above the noise” or “ignoring the drama” is absolutely your right, but it does not make you superior. it just makes you complacent with the status quo. i mean as long as you get to squee!! about anything and everything who cares about other people, right?

[chalicedefinite]

That is not where the consensus of Lestat’s version being the true version comes from. Anne would send private newsletters to her fan club in the early 2000’s & in one of those newsletters she addressed the discrepancies between IWTV & TVL by saying “Louis was the side of myself that was grief and anger. He was the side of me saying things in moments of abject sorrow. Upon having clarity and making peace with my grief, I realized the Lestat side of myself was the truth and the light. I never wanted to explicitly address it, because Louis’s grief is something tethering many together. However, we all know my Lestat doesn’t lie. His version was the truth, because he had the clarity and the facilities to see things for how they are unlike my sorrowful Louis.” 

But this is Anne Rice not Rolin Jones and his writing team. Rolin Jones and his staff don’t see Louis as their personal grief and anger nor do they see Lestat as their personal light and truth. Anne retconned the events of the first book due to her healing from her grief. What grief is Rolin Jones and co. healing from that will have them go back and retcon the tale that Louis relays to the audience? There are some things like Lestat’s death and the depths of Louis’s grief that will be looked into further in s2 and the DV scene of episode 5 will be revisited but it makes no narrative sense for Louis’s tale to be retconned to the extent that Anne did with the first book. Especially because this is the second interview and the first one, as Daniel pointed out, was Louis being angry with Lestat. There are still some cracks but he is more willing to open up about how Lestat made him feel in the past. He was already a “bitter ex” in the 70s as we hear on the tape and that phase is gone. Being so sure that Louis is lying about everything including his abuse is what is giving me pause here seeing as how I heard that Lestat gets worse. Even Hannah Moscovitch says that beating Louis is not outside of Lestat’s evil so what is the point and what purpose will it serve to the narrative for all of it to be back tracked?

[artandhijinks]

My experience with the worst most toxic parts of the IWTV fandom

Okay, there are going to be details here that are changed or admitted for obvious mostly safety reasons. And I personally don't care if you think I'm lying, but it was still a scary experience and I do think there are people in the fandom that need to be aware this crap goes on all over fictional characters. So warning they're going to be mentions of threats a violence, doxing, harassment, the works, It was bad.

Okay a few months ago. I kicked the hornets nest when it comes to the worst part of the interview with the vampire fandom. I had engaged in some fan discourse. Made a couple of posts. A lot of it had to do with defending the added diversity with the casting of Assad and Jacob. Theorizing about possible characters in the future that can be race swapped how it could be a good thing and how it could be historically possible. You get the idea. I love what the show is done with all the race swapping it has added so much to the story.

And then all the sudden I woke up to my inbox being full of over 100 anonymous ask that ranged from the average calling me evil racist. I didn't know the books. How dare I it was ruining the story. I should kill myself. The usual online internet harassment. It was horrible. And they kept on coming and would not stop until I shut off anonymous ask. And they will remain off because of this but again I had well over 100 messages to go through. And it took me well over a week to go through them but when I got to like the last I think 10 one of them stuck out. Not because it was particularly bad because apparently I pissed off the Armand people who don't realize how creepy it is and kind of comes off as pro pedophilia when all of you insist that he has to be 17 much less the racist issues. There's a reason it took me over a week to go through all the messages they made my skin crawl. But this particular message scared the crap out of me it was a death threat with my home address. Someone cared so much about a fictional character. They tracked down my address and threaten to kill me. So guess who immediately started screenshotting the rest of the messages. And had to make a police report. Do you know what it's like having to explain to cops? Yes, I got a death threat with my address over a fictional gay vampire. No, getting death threats over Tumblr is not new to me unfortunately, but my address was new and that I want documented. So being harassed by a couple racist book purists turned into a police report and me buying security cameras. Thank you Tumblr. I nearly deleted the app.

I don't even know if I want to finish the Vampire Chronicles books now because of you idiots you took it way too far. And the worst part is I'm white. I can only imagine what you idiots are doing to the fans of color. Again someone tracked down my address to threaten to kill me. But again it's documented. I filed a police report and if any of you idiots try something I got cameras now.

And for all those who are going to be demanding proof well I thought about sharing a redacted screenshot or maybe a redacted version of the police report. But I decided I would ask the cops what they thought just to be safe. I'm glad I did because they advised me not to do that and they explained to me there is technology out there that if someone really wanted to they can remove that redacting. And I already have one crazy person that knows my address and is threatening to kill me so I don't want another one. So everyone is just going to have to take my word for it. However the cops were all for me sharing my story because of the rise of things like swatting. A in a nearby police department had to deal with a middle schooler (so a 11 to 13-year-old) who made a bomb threat at their school because they didn't want to take a test. So, they think this would be good for people to hear because what you do on the internet does have real life consequences.

So remember people the internet is real life. These things have real life consequences. And I'm pretty sure these people thought it was a joke. But now I have to worry about things like someone breaking into my house killing me or swatting. Which is something I didn't even think of until the cops brought it up. And it does affect my real life. I'm looking to move and hopefully we'll be out of my house soon. So, thank you, Internet stranger

So to sum it all up. The fandom needs to take a bunch of chill pills and calm down. Because we are literally harassing, bullying and threatening people out of the fandom. Again, I thought about leaving Tumblr due to this experience and now I'm having to move. Thank you. Interview with the vampire fandom please do better.

[cbrownjc]

hi! i had some questions for you as someone who only got into iwtv post season 1 of the show starting to air. i read from some of your other posts that you've been a fan since the 90s, and you mentioned how DM fans were disappointed post TVA. so i was wondering, what was the fandom like back then? did people mostly write about the chase/human!daniel era, or did people ever try to write fanfics that continued their story with them still together as vampires despite what anne rice decided on? i know what the trends were like on ao3 (i got obsessed with DM before season 1 even finished airing, i read the books that fast) but i was wondering if it looked different at all back then (pre-ao3). secondly, i was also wondering if most people ignored the "no sex" element of canon and included sex scenes in their fanworks, or if most of the work you saw was more at the canon level of erotica/blood drinking level? it's okay if you don't really remember, i'm just curious about fandom trends. the tidbit about the "boss" thing being fanon since the 90s despite it only being said once was very amusing to me (i noticed that myself haha)

Hello! Sorry for just getting to your question today, real-life things, and all that. 🙂

So, from what I remember from back then, (from the mid-90s to the early 2000s), at least from when fanfic was still not banned yet (😉) is that when it came to Devil's Minion, fanfic did have a mix of people writing things were Daniel was still human and people speculating on what Daniel and Armand's relationship was like after Queen of the Damned and Daniel had been turned. But I would say the Devil's Minion era -- when Daniel was still human -- was much more focused on a bit more since, at that point, there were only four books out, and not too much time had passed between book 3 and book 4. And because the Devil's Minion Era lasted 12 years in total there were at least more situations and ideas that were easier to get ideas to write about.

When it came to post-Daniel being turned, before The Vampire Armand came out, there just wasn't much of anything to go on. So it really was just speculation galore on that front, but there wasn't all that much to solidly speculate on.

At least until Armand seemingly killed himself at the end of Memnoch the Devil. Then I remember a lot of angsty Daniel-focus stories during that time after that happened. Or, angry fix-it fic because there was a very vocal group who kept arguing that Armand killing himself over what he did was just wildly OOC in the first place.

As to the "no sex" thing, there were some who very strictly followed it and those who, IIRC, would put a disclaimer at the start of stories stating that the characters would have physical sex in the story. Stories that had physical sex scenes between characters still tended to have the character still do blood drinking too, however.

In remembering things from back then, however, I'd say more people leaned into the "no sex" thing more than they did the characters having physical sex . . . even after The Vampire Armand book came out. Because even with the things that happened of a sexual nature in that book, there was a hot debate about if what went on between Armand and Marius, and Armand/Marius/Bianca really counted as sex or not. And most people fell on the "it wasn't sex" side of things about all of that.

In fact, I remember a long email chain post in my mailing list after that book came out arguing about this and someone even adding it to the FAQ for the mailing list that no, it did NOT count as sex because as a vampire, Marius wouldn't have/didn't get aroused or use his genitalia during the moment between himself and Armand in the bath; and then again with Bianca neither Armand nor Marius could have gotten aroused in that way because they were vampires, despite Bianca getting pleasure during that encounter because she was still human at the time; so it didn't matter that Marius used his finger on her and whatever, vampires still couldn't have sex.

No there were not a lot of human AU stories back then, not even to get around the "no sex" thing wrt canon back then either. People either stuck to the blood-drinking as erotic or, again, put disclaimers at the start to say the characters were having physical sex. That was it.

[blueiight]

can i ask your thoughts on the fandom’s heavy focus on louis as an object of desire? it sometimes feels to me like people are more interested in other characters reacting to louis than they are in louis himself. i know the “helen of troy” stuff is a joke but it genuinely seems like he’s often rendered oddly passive in his desirability, like we’re looking at him through the eyes of the other characters even though it’s his story (to be clear: in the fandom, not the actual show). or am i being uncharitable? either way, you always have interesting things to say about fandom reception.

i think the focus of louis as an object of desire arose largely in response to a lot of racially-charged nonsense about show louis, namely, where a loud minority of fans tried to deny the abuse and horror of season 1 and frame louis as the primary antagonist/abuser of his own story. which in of itself had the potential to go somewhere, especially considering the feminized role louis occupies in parts of season 1. unfortunately its spiraled off into its own dead end at this point to where now people, a year and a half removed from the release of s1, can box louis's character arc into this tale of getting all the hot boys to look her way. when this is a horror and tragedy series. romance is part of that, but is a piece of the full picture. classic romance is very much horror tbh but thats just me

if we're discussing the show strictly, majority of louis's relationships are antagonistic. even with his lovers, they love him as much as they seek to control him. 'his love is a small box that he keeps you in', trailer louis saying 'i knew who i was without those pieces [of myself?]' . so on and so forth. the first three episodes of season 1 are about louis's struggle to maintain a link with his mortal community, in the midst of increasing racist tensions against the city leaders, all as he struggles to come to terms with his existence as a vampire and how his relationship to lestat fits in relation to all these pieces of himself. doubly so, there is also the nature of the second interview in present time, and the sort of antagonism between daniel + louis as louis eventually pushes daniel into burning the old tape. the latter half of season 1, episodes 4-7 is squarely about the triad of lestat, louis, and claudia, how lestat increasingly tightens his hold over them both, claudia breaking them free of it, and louis's response to such. doubly so, daniel becomes more hostile the less he knows, and the more louis's composed 'master of his instincts' personage collapses to show the broken man thats underneath. armand comes in at the end bc the interview has reached a breaking point once more [as it did in the 1970s]. i know, im looking too hard into the meme, but so much of where louis errs, where his memory falters, where history is completely revised, has to do with the question of claudia. even book interview foundationally was about this grief, though not nearly with the level of depth+ gravity the show has added to the story.

where focusing on louis as an 'object of desire' most impedes analysis has to do with claudia as well, bc if u see louis as that solely, then what is claudia to u if not a 'child interfering in [louis's] romantic affairs'? why are people already seeking to write claudia off as a wayward child unduly 'taking out her anger on louis', when it was louis at the end of season 1 who strangled her against the wall and refused to let her burn lestat? when its louis in the trailer thats throwing claudia's words from season 1 back at her, evading her questions in the cafe? when claudia is having to dress as a baby doll and advertise with a sandwich board for a theater + a coven-master that all want her dead?

i think this is by nature of the fact that iwtv is canonly gay and isnt afraid of showing that, and modern fandom is mainly interested in romance. claudia's relationship to louis is secondary, if not tertiary, to all 'camps' of this tiny tiny fandom bc she is clearly established in s1 as not being a viable romantic option for louis, despite claudia's perspective and her story taking up the second half of the first season, and will continue to be important in the second season. the 'helen of troy' fixation on his desirability in relation to romantically viable vampires [or even men] seems to be another means by which fans can ignore this part of the story, just as the mutual abuse nonsense about louis being clarence thomas the third self hating black man who stole lestat's lunchables and is 'just as bad as the rest' drowned out and continues to drown out any other conversation for the past year and a half. it is very difficult to have conversations on this character precisely bc of this state of fandom, where many people seek to crack the whip over a fictional character for not being mother teresa and having a complex response to trauma, then instead of discussing that, some seek to fixate on the fact that mother teresa can be sexy, actually. when thats not the point. why is modern louis so full of grief and all but suicidal in dubai, if not for the fact that claudia is permanently dead, he still lives, he regrets something, and wants to find the truth under it all? the jokes are cute and all, but lets put our thinking caps on.

[maryhadalittlehobby]

Recap of my experiences at the IWTV Premiere April 30, 2024

I found out about if from one of the most unlikiest sources. A person I thought was an even bigger fandom lurker than myself😅 I wasn't even gonna ask but I said fuck it, maybe they know someone who knows someone. And they did but said people were under ndas. Initially said they couldn't say but then last minute said they believe they knew where it was going to be.

I didn't say anything because 1) I didn't want them or their friend to get in trouble by spreading the info. 2) possibly spread misinfomation if that wasn't the place and 3) nobody asked lol

I thought I would just show up and see what I could see. In the past I have done this at a Walking Dead premiere. At that event it turned out that they had a lobby full of props that anyone could enter and take pics of. They even had walkers roaming around. Then the kicker-I got into that TWD premiere TICKETLESS by pure accident! So why not fuck around and find out again.

I put on a "closet cosplay" of Claudia in the upcoming yellow dress using all stuff I already owned and headed out.

I walked up to Mckittrick hotel, asked if there was a standby or waiting list but the person said they didnt know. There was a lot of important looking people surrounded with guards double checking lists and whatnot so I gave up that angle and loitered around with the other 15 or so fans who found the location too hoping to just see a glimpse of our favs.

Didn't have to wait to long as one by one they started showing up. The first one I noticed was Delainey and she slayed in that black sheer number. She was soft-spoken and a little shy but took her time and signed/took pictures with all the people who were there. Not sure if she knew I was cosplaying Claudia but she did compliment my contacts.

I had all my pics on motion video so if I didnt like the actual pic there was a few frames of vid to pick from as well. The actual video is a bonus! Too bad I can only link 1 video here but a lot of vids are on my IG in the highlight. Same name!

Then Sam came. As soon as he exited the car the wind blew his hair back and I lost my train of thought. He is pretty and his eyes are a lighter shade of blue than they look in pics. Also he is blonder! And so slim! The suit they had him in was a fun nod to vintage suits.

He too complimented my contacts! In the vid he is asking me questions about them but as soon as I take the pic another fan was yelling his name and grabbed his attentionl. Not mad lol I probably would have gotten less coherent the more I talked😅

Jacob showed up soon after-all smiles. What a cutey. He was damn near falling in the garbage they had us lowly non invites next to trying to contort this way and that to sign and take pics. Again-so small! And he too complimented my contacts😁 if the suit would have been properly tailored( the pants looked to long!) It would have been slay

Not gonna lie I kinda blacked out after meeting Sam so my memory with jacob is fuzzy.

Assad and Luke arrived together shortly after but got whisked away pretty quickly so I didn't get a pic with them. Eric was the very first to arrive and despite me being there I missed him too.

But I was sooo happy getting the unholy family little else mattered. I contemplated waiting after but I was BUZZING with adrenaline and starving lol. My fandom plug said she did come after and met EVERYONE and their momma. Cast and crew alike and they were still happy to engage even after their long night❤️

Finally Fang Gangers, please do not repost/ reupload/ or screenshot anything of mine as your content. Linking back / sharing is ok.

🖤🧛🏾‍♀️

[monathedefiant]

okay yall it's official!

my new interview with the vampire podcast has entered planning mode.

i'm figuring out the types of topics i want to cover, the tone i want it to have, what exactly i want myself & others to get out of it, how to schedule it, and a bunch of other details (small, large, and in-between).

so i'm thinking about the what but i'm also thinking about the who. i absolutely want to interview other iwtv fans as well as folks associated with the show. and i'm gonna need a small team to help get this baby together. mainly folks to help with editing (tho i haven't decided if i want to do visual + audio or just audio), social media stuff, and marketing.

full disclosure! i have this tendency to throw myself into an idea, obsess about it heavy for a while, and then just drop it never to talk about it again. hence my last post about possibly starting an iwtv podcast where i mention struggling with consistency and committing to something long-term.

but i've successfully maintained a podcast before, for almost a year actually. and that was without most of the planning i'm doing now! this is the first time where i'm actually taking my time and paying attention to details beforehand. so it just feels different.

[brsb4hls]

Saw your post about Rolin and the possible disconnect between him and fandom. I think you might be right in some major ways - Rolin saying there will be “season and seasons”and that every interaction between them is DM might not mean what the fandom thinks.

I am interested in seeing an adaptation of the relationship, but I have to say that the latter half and ending of season two frustrated me. Basically because of how impersonal most of Daniel’s and Armand’s interactions were. I don’t mean that as opposed to romantic mind you (didn’t expect anything like that). I just wanted them to have any kind of personal dynamic and/or interaction at some point? The aftermath of s02e05 was really minimal in terms of of psychological fallout between them - sure Daniel’s angry and there’s the martini comment exchange, but otherwise it was all about Armand trying to save the situation with Louis (trying to spin everything relentlessly as AZ said). I just felt that it all was just in service to the bigger plot, at the cost of psychological realism (and character). Of course Daniel’s options were limited as he can’t really do anything to Armand - but expose the truth, but the relative “causal-ness” of s02e06 felt a bit… unrealistic (and convenient). If we’d seen Armand later turning Daniel in a rage as a consequence - him losing it as he lost Louis - him being angry at Daniel, that would have been something! A kind of showcase of an underlying tension - but Rolin skipping it kinda has made me think he just used the DM dynamic as a plot tool to reveal Armand’s lies. Him saying that the mere fact Armand turned him is something is really disappointing. I wouldn’t mind waiting to see it (since I agree IWTV is Louis’ story) but he’s said it’s not happening so… Plot and character moments can be married together in excellent ways, but I just really didn’t feel that was the case here.

I think to call something DM it has to be about Daniel and Armand, it has to be in some way personal. Armand panicking because his lies are being revealed isn’t it, and Daniel’s turning would have been it - but it was literally skipped so there has not really been any DM on screen. Maybe Armand “apologizing” without meaning a word could count, but I dunno. I would say the closest so far is Daniel’s annoyance (and vice versa) of Armand in s02e01 and s02e03. There’s been no real scene or dialogue actually showing these characters being curious or intrigued about on another - even in s02e05 Armand’s questioning of young Daniel is all anger and jealousy over Louis. He’s very quick to kill Daniel and very quick to being okay with letting him live, pretty nonchalant. Sure there is a few moments of them looking at each other which might indicate curiosity but those moments are so small and don’t have any context so I don’t think they even really count as crumbs (since they could mean anything or nothing). Like I was personally really into having them hate each other/be nemeses (plz give me point for proper plural form ;) ) but there was honestly so little. Like I’ve seen people reacting to this show being confused about why Daniel is relatively unfazed after s02e05 and/or asking if Louis and Daniel even told Armand that they remember. Yes, there’s scenes (sushi bar) which reveals more so people looking closely should be able to tell but it does say something about their minimal change of dynamic. If Rolin does dig into this dynamic next season and makes it personal - he has said they will at least have scenes - I’ll be happy, I just can’t help but worry a bit and I feel it’s too generous if fandom takes his words to mean we’ve already seen DM. Am I making any sense? I’m more than happy to be told I’m wrong or worry too much. Thanks for hearing me out! I enjoy reading your takes, as I feel you are quite sensible and avoid filling the gaps by projecting which I feel some other fans (and probably myself) at times do

Thank you for the long ask!

I was actually going back and forth for a while, since fandom can be pretty convincing, but looking back on my first impression when watching season 1 I was pissed they seemed to have cut the dm storyline by aging Daniel up (not that the age itself is a factor, more the 'lost time') and placing the show in recent times.

I think people might be a bit too positive for different reasons:

1) The ship is book canon, it already exists

2) The actors are ship positive

3) Assad does a lot of interesting micro expressions

4) Rolin does talk about it

Now for why that might not be enough:

1) Yes, it's canon, but a small part compared to a large book series

2) I think they are generally fan positive and think that dynamic is fun

3) Assad is clearly invested in that dynamic, he might have added something acting-wise from his own perspective

4) This is the main part, I think Rolin does have a 'red thread' for his show that's as close to the books as a 'modern' adaption allows. He will follow that thread but stray a bit to put in some extras for the fans.

The first two seasons were clearly about Louis, like the first book. Louis relationship to Lestat, to Armand, to Claudia.

With Daniel as a catalyst or plot device, like you said.

Third season will focus on Lestat.

Armand and Daniel will of course still be there, but not the main focus.

And I feel like Rolin treated dm more like an easter egg. Like Niki. Niki gets a tiny bit of screen time and the cut off hands are mentioned by Louis (unrelated to Niki) and part of the stage play graphics. Easter eggs for the fans.

If Rolin does the Lestat story with flashbacks (which he will, how else would you introduce Gabrielle f.e.) Niki might or might not get revisited.

Devil's minion got the easter egg treatment in the San Francisco bottle episode. There was past interaction, and an intense one, just not erotic or romantic.

Plus a blender mention. And from Rolin's perspective that might be enough.

Like, if he planned on filming as much of the books as possible, dm is not that prominent in the grant scheme of things.

It is prominent to fans of course, (like other characters that haven't even appeared yet are fan faves)

I personally was so taken in by that one chapter back in the day it easily became my favourite ship (and Armand my fave character).

But I think if we where to do statistics the majority of Vampire Chronicle fans are in it for Lestat (and Loustat as background otp, plus other Lestat relationships) or started out as Louis fans or simply fans of vampire horror drama.

And Rolin is trying to give those fans exactly what they want and now gets constantly asked about something that wasn't even exactly on his radar. That must be quite annoying.

And he does sound annoyed altho he's still answering playfully.

And I do agree with you about Daniel's and Armand's interactions. If we leave out Assad's possible extra acting choices there is mostly a competetive dynamic between them, where Armand is somewhat fond of Daniel from his own superior position, but also a bit condescending. And Daniel just wants to one up him.

Also yes, the missing fall out from 2x5. 'You tried to drain me, pal' especially the 'pal' that's such an understatement in regards to the whole situation. 6 days of physical and psychological torture and Armand just going 'well you also did drugs, same thing basically'.

So yes, while I do love to clown and enjoy all the dm posts and the cast being so positive about it, I don't think much was planned.

It might change due to popularity, depending on wether Rolin isn't too annoyed and how it fits the script.

They could also still do a reverse chase in the background without a 'romantic' plot simply with Armand going completely off the rails and Daniel still wanting to confront him about his turning.

I do hope for the classic enemies to whatever they have trope of course, but it doesn't have to happen. If every interaction between them is dm-coded already to Rolin he might simply go with a tense fledgling/maker thing.

Well, I cross my fingers, but if I'm staying realistic I don't get disappointed too much. ;)

And I gotta say, Rockstar Lestat looks fun af.

So that's at least something to look forward to.

And we'll always have Daniel being Armand's only fledgling! (Plus a ton of fan works, and that's always a comfort. But hey, maybe we do get a positive surprise.)