#vampire hunter claudia

[reve-de-sang]

for @vamptember -- the Sept. 5 prompt "meet cute," with a soupçon of a second prompt, "Romeo and Juliet."

louis discovers an embarrassing new problem.

lestat discovers a young human man with a most disagreeable disposition waiting for him for breakfast.

gabrielle does not discover her son is a boy-crazy lunatic: she already knew that.

--

Given the power in his blood, Lestat always rose earlier than most. Right now the sky was still a searing pink in the west with one of those gorgeous pollution-enhanced sunsets.

He headed down to the basement. When they were in cities, lately basements were where Gabrielle seemed to feel most comfortable sleeping away the day free of a coffin. She liked to sack out on a sofa while the television murmured the dialogue of TV shows a streaming service would cycle through in an endless “recommended next!” chain.

There was a knocked-out teenage girl blocking Lestat’s way at the foot of the stairs. She looked like she had been thrown.

A soft gasping drew his attention to the sofa.

Gabrielle was still in her daytime sleep, and she had one clawed hand locked around the throat of a man who was awkwardly half crouched by her side. He obviously couldn’t get free, and Lestat suspected he was trying not to trigger Gabrielle into unconsciously finishing the job of crushing his throat. His breathing was careful and labored. He was looking a little blue around the edges, though.

Lestat eyed the bag at the man’s feet; wooden stakes spilled out of it.

“It’s an automatic response,” Lestat drawled as he stepped over the girl and sauntered over. “We may be asleep, but we’re not defenseless. Are you new?”

The man tried to appraise him from the corner of his eye without turning his head. “Yeah,” he whispered.

Lestat stopped in front of him, and kicked away the bag and its stakes. They clattered against the far wall like bowling pins.

Lestat rested a knuckle under the man’s chin and studied him. “You are too handsome to be this stupid.”

That got an ugly expression. Lestat laughed in delight. 

“Well. Pray to your god that this works?” Lestat smirked. He gently took Gabrielle’s wrist in his hand. She was like marble. Still, he pressed his thumb carefully into the meat of her palm. “Gabrielle. Gabrielle, let go. It’s fine now. I will take care of this.” After a moment more of soft words and firm massage, her unconscious fingers relaxed infinitesimally enough for the man to pop loose and scurry away, sucking in greedy gulps of air.

“You gon kill us now?” the man rasped, falling to the ground.

“Your name?”

That got Lestat narrowed eyes.

“Oh please. You attempted to murder my companion. I feel like we’re on a first-name basis now.”

“Louis.”

“Louis!” Lestat beamed. “Beautiful. It suits you. I am Lestat--Lestat de Lioncourt--which you may already know?”

Louis shook his head, rubbing his throat.

“Oh dear.” He sighed and crossed to perch on the arm of a recliner. “Though perhaps it’s best my reputation does not precede me.”

“…We’re outta New Orleans. Never encountered something like this before,” he said defensively. His eyes slid back to Gabrielle.

“Am I to understand you have run out of vampires to kill in New Orleans and made the trek to Shreveport to carry on the work.”

Louis started to speak, thought better of it, and gave a grudging nod. 

“Well then, I must thank you. New Orleans is where I am headed,” Lestat declared. “And other vampires tend to be tiresome.”

“Although,” Lestat added, shifting to make himself comfortable by curling up in the chair itself, “I admit it will be very lonely. My companion and I were parting ways tonight. I’m determined to make ‘The Big Easy,’ as they say, my home. But she hates the idea of a place without basements.”

“How sad.”

“Ouias hein, t’as vu,” Lestat huffed. Yeah, you get it.

The girl by the stairs groaned. 

“Did you want to be breakfast, my beautiful Louis? This,” Lestat gestured at the debacle, “wasn’t particularly well thought out. Should I be concerned you have a death wish?” He thoughtfully dragged the pad of his thumb over the point of one long incisor.

“No. Just, uh. Stupid. Apparently." Louis cleared his throat. “How about you just let us get out of your hair. Pretend this never happened.” He gave a wry smile. 

“What is it Westley says in The Princess Bride? ‘I would sooner destroy a stained glass window than an artist like yourself’? Though in our case, you are more like the beautiful Buttercup.”

Louis looked offended on several different levels, but was obviously trying not to escalate the situation. 

“Thanks. Admit I always pictured myself as more of a Westley if we’re picking roles.”

“Oh, I would be your Buttercup anytime, Louis.”

Louis furrowed his brow. “Well you got that hair going for you.”

“Perhaps next time? I hope you won’t abandon the profession, Louis. You should definitely hunt me in New Orleans. I could give you some tips when next we meet.”

“I know I have the disadvantage here, but. Anyone ever ask you what’s wrong with your head?”

“I am perhaps foolish around pretty men,” Lestat reflected, his eyes lingering on Louis's bare forearms.

Gabrielle snapped awake just then, and gained her feet in a swing of blonde hair; Louis wasn’t near her anymore, but he still lunged back a couple yards. She started to advance on Louis, but paused at the sight of Lestat.

“Don’t worry about him, love. This is my new friend, Louis. And his little assistant…” he narrowed his eyes at Louis, seemingly deep in thought, “…Claudia.”

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. “I’m going to go take care of this,” she said, grabbing her fall of hair in one hand and shaking it hatefully. “Start the fire on your way out.”

“Yes, yes,” Lestat sighed, watching her go. He smiled at Louis. “The previous occupants are starting to stink up the place.”

“Wow.”

“I want to live in the French Quarter,” Lestat said, standing. “Perhaps I can convince someone to sell. You must visit me!”

“Kinda feel like I need to study up, first.”

“Study quickly, Louis.” Lestat glanced over at Claudia’s body. “She’s not exactly bouncing back. Do you think she needs some healing blood? I don’t suppose you’d like to make a pact, let me tempt you into being my immortal companion?” Lestat purred, swaying a little closer. “I would throw your friend in as a gift, possibly save her life.”

“Pass.”

Lestat smiled. “Well. You know where to find me, my Louis.”

He backed toward the stairs, eyes covetously on Louis, stepping over Claudia without a thought. “The fire will begin in the second floor bedrooms. You might have about ten minutes. Louis, do you want my number?”

Louis cautiously got to his feet. “Oh, no. Why ruin the mystery.”

Lestat grinned. “Quite right. Until we meet again!”

He took the stairs three at a time as he listened to Louis rush to Claudia’s side, and her fuzzy responses to his worried questions.

Lestat could be in New Orleans before dawn.

[asthedeathoflight]

Yk I made a post a while back saying i didnt see the appeal of Armand orchestrating Claudia and Louis' deaths but ive changed my mind. Maybe this is proof that I'm insane now but like. I think that would be kind of hot of him to have done that. To be clear I dont think thats the angle the show is going for I think Armand was too stuck to make a decision in either direction and thats the tragedy of him but this is me saying that even if he DID come up with the whole plan on his own I support him. And its kinda hot.

[venusintheblindspots-blog]

My favorite characters for 2023

1. Nina Burgess, A Brief History of Seven Killings, by Marlon James

2. Sophie Caco, Breath, Eyes, Memory, by Edwidge Danticat

3. Sansa Stark, A Song of Ice and Fire, by George RR Martin

4. Louis de Pointe Du Lac, AMC’s Interview with the Vampire

5. Nettles, Fire and Blood, by George RR Martin

6. Ishaya Bello, Far from Home, Netflix

7. Bulbbul, Bulbbul, Netflix

8. Claudia Coleman, Monday’s Not Coming, by Tiffany D. Jackson

9. Agatha Danbury, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

10. Kurapika, Hunter x Hunter, Yoshiro Togashi

[samd1o1]

New Header I Made For All My Kins

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[sam-reid]

Only Claudia had been the exception --my intrepid little Claudia, companion, hunter and slayer of random victims-- vampire par excellence. And it had been her alluring strength which caused her ultimately to turn upon her maker. Yes, she had been the only one who had been like me really, as they say in this day and age. And that might have been the reason that she was haunting me now.

--- The Tale of the Body Thief

[mossycakes]

i love claudia so much. shes so good at being a vampire. shes terrifying, she's legitimately like a little serial killer with her rituals, her "souvenirs", recording everyones last words. shes a hunter, she lures people in, she knows exactly who to target. and shes so scary, like, a little girl eerily humming alone at night? fuck omg? i support womens rights but i also support womens wrongs

[manynarrators]

Hear me out: an Armand/Lestat “we’re not actually dating but we’re doing couples therapy to see how long it takes the therapist to realize that” au.

They are forced to address the Nicki Shaped Elephant in the room, and also the Claudia shaped one. This is not, actually, the most productive session and ends with a lot of screaming. The next session, however, a comparative success! Who knew that once they actually talked about the whole thing, it helps?

The therapist realizes they’re… strangely in sync, masters of communication without speaking (it’s telepathy, that’s what it is).

How much are they hiding the vampirism/time? I suspect it’s… a token attempt but not well done. None of the dates line up in ways that make any sense to a human. They seem to share at least one ex?

They both seem to like theatre though! Maybe that can be a point of rekindling their relationship…? (Initially refused by both of them, and then they come in one session still bickering about the show they saw the night before). This is progress?

I suspect the actual idea is Lestat’s because I can’t see it being Armand’s, but the story they pitch to the therapist is that it’s Armand’s suggestion. The backstory is simultaneously too elaborate and not detailed enough.

Every time the therapist starts to consider the suggestion that they just… break up, they do something that shows just how obsessed they are with each other (this is genuine). Privately, the therapist has the thought of “these two deserve each other because no one else should be subjected to them” which a gives two things: make them even more certain these two actually are together, and, after they leave, to make Armand and Lestat laugh, because sadly, their thoughts aren’t nearly as secret as they might like.

Please someone, tell me other wild shenanigans you can see these two subjecting their therapist to. What are they actually like in session?

[eesirachs]

For a school assignment, I'm assembling an anthology around the theme of queer divinity and desire, but I'm having a hard time finding a fitting essay/article (no access to real academic catalogues :/ ), do you know of any essays around this theme?

below are essays, and then books, on queer theory (in which 'queer' has a different connotation than in regular speech) in the hebrew bible/ancient near east. if there is a particular prophet you want more of, or a particular topic (ištar, or penetration, or appetites), or if you want a pdf of anything, please let me know.

essays: Boer, Roland. “Too Many Dicks at the Writing Desk, or How to Organize a Prophetic Sausage-Fest.” TS 16, no. 1 (2010b): 95–108. Boer, Roland. “Yahweh as Top: A Lost Targum.” In Queer Commentary and the Hebrew Bible, edited by Ken Stone, 75–105. JSOTSup 334. Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim, 2001. Boyarin, Daniel. “Are There Any Jews in ‘The History of Sexuality’?” Journal of the History of Sexuality 5, no. 3 (1995): 333–55. Clines, David J. A. “He-Prophets: Masculinity as a Problem for the Hebrew Prophets and Their Interpreters.” In Sense and Sensitivity: Essays on Reading the Bible in Memory of Robert Carroll, edited by Robert P. Carroll, Alastair G. Hunter, and Philip R. Davies, 311–27. JSOTSup 348. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002. Graybill, Rhiannon. “Yahweh as Maternal Vampire in Second Isaiah: Reading from Violence to Fluid Possibility with Luce Irigaray.” Journal of feminist studies in religion 33, no. 1 (2017): 9–25. Haddox, Susan E. “Engaging Images in the Prophets: Feminist Scholarship on the Book of the Twelve.” In Feminist Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Retrospect. 1. Biblical Books, edited by Susanne Scholz, 170–91. RRBS 5. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2013. Koch, Timothy R. “Cruising as Methodology: Homoeroticism and the Scriptures.” In Queer Commentary and the Hebrew Bible, edited by Ken Stone, 169–80. JSOTSup 334. Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim, 2001. Tigay, Jeffrey. “‘ Heavy of Mouth’ and ‘Heavy of Tongue’: On Moses’ Speech Difficulty.” BASOR, no. 231 (October 1978): 57–67.

books: Ahmed, Sara. Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2006. Bauer-Levesque, Angela. Gender in the Book of Jeremiah: A Feminist-Literary Reading. SiBL 5. New York: P. Lang, 1999. Black, Fiona C., and Jennifer L. Koosed, eds. Reading with Feeling : Affect Theory and the Bible. Atlanta, GA: SBL Press, 2019. Brenner, Athalya. The Intercourse of Knowledge: On Gendering Desire and “Sexuality” in the Hebrew Bible. BIS 26. Leiden: Brill, 1997. Camp, Claudia V. Wise, Strange, and Holy: The Strange Woman and the Making of the Bible. JSOTSup 320. Gender, Culture, Theory 9. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000. Chapman, Cynthia R. The Gendered Language of Warfare in the Israelite-Assyrian Encounter. HSM 62. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2004. Creangă, Ovidiu, ed. Men and Masculinity in the Hebrew Bible and Beyond. BMW 33. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2010. Eilberg-Schwartz, Howard. God’s Phallus: And Other Problems for Men and Monotheism. Boston: Beacon, 1995. Huber, Lynn R., and Rhiannon Graybill, eds. The Bible, Gender, and Sexuality : Critical Readings. London, UK ; T&T Clark, 2021. Guest, Deryn. When Deborah Met Jael: Lesbian Biblical Hermeneutics. London: SCM, 2005. Graybill, Rhiannon, Meredith Minister, and Beatrice J. W. Lawrence, eds. Rape Culture and Religious Studies : Critical and Pedagogical Engagements. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2019. Graybill, Rhiannon. Are We Not Men? : Unstable Masculinity in the Hebrew Prophets. New York, NY: Oxford University Press USA, 2016. Halperin, David J. Seeking Ezekiel: Text and Psychology. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1993. Jennings, Theodore W. Jacob’s Wound: Homoerotic Narrative in the Literature of Ancient Israel. New York: Continuum, 2005. Macwilliam, Stuart. Queer Theory and the Prophetic Marriage Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible. BibleWorld. Sheffield and Oakville, CT: Equinox, 2011. Maier, Christl. Daughter Zion, Mother Zion: Gender, Space, and the Sacred in Ancient Israel. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2008. Mills, Mary E. Alterity, Pain, and Suffering in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. LHB/OTS 479. New York: T. & T. Clark, 2007. Stökl, Jonathan, and Corrine L. Carvalho. Prophets Male and Female: Gender and Prophecy in the Hebrew Bible, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Ancient Near East. AIL 15. Atlanta, GA: SBL, 2013. Stone, Ken. Practicing Safer Texts: Food, Sex and Bible in Queer Perspective. Queering Theology Series. London: T & T Clark International, 2004. Weems, Renita J. Battered Love: Marriage, Sex, and Violence in the Hebrew Prophets. OBT. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1995.

[kitcat22]

Au in which jango is a little bit more fucked up by the killing of his people, followed by his years in slavery and instead of requesting an unaltered clone, he wants one that will age slower than the average human.

Maybe he tries to excuse it as wanting more time to enjoy being a parent and more time to train Boba but really it comes from his desperate need for someone that is completely his and won’t grow up and leave him before he’s ready like everyone else he loved. He’s lost his parents, he’s lost Jaster, he’s lost Arla, he’s lost the true mandalorians, he can’t lose Boba.

This obviously majorly fucks up Boba.

Either his mind ages at the same rate as his body meaning he’s a 10 year old, traumatised, orphan bounty hunter for even longer in a world that does not care he’s a child and will take advantage of that

OR

His mind ages past his body and you get a body horror situation similar to Claudia from Interview with a Vampire, where he has an adult mind but a body far to immature for him.

Like the psychological horror of being treated like a young child and expected to act like one when you are in fact an adult. The inability to make any friends as the only people around you outage you even more rapidly than before, leaving you utterly isolated in the white hell that is Kamino, except for your father who has kind of ruined your life

I think this really emphasises that even though Jango loved Boba he was not a great parent, probably wouldn’t even call him a good one, while also adding to Boba’s not great mental state and identity issues.

Also consider Book of Boba Fett with Fennec Shand now taking orders from a teenager and Din getting his ass saved by one. Han, Luke and Leia having beef with a teenager.

[gallierhouse]

I’ve seen people talk about how the costuming in the show sometimes makes Assad look smaller than he really is (I thought Assad was the slightest cast member for a while and boy he is not) but do you think Armand purposefully wears clothes that make him look smaller? Since he tends to wear giant hats and coats that his figure drowns in in Paris especially

Probably. “Rashid” definitely wears unobtrusive clothing that says, I’m not a threat. In Paris, when he’s with Louis he’s usually wearing layers complete with a long coat. Most of his clothing lacks structured shoulders, which makes him look smaller (contrast with Lestat, whose shoulders are always tailored to make him look larger and more imposing). Obviously, the length makes him look smaller too, and like you said, it drowns his figure.

Here’s a handy example for the audience. But there are times he wears more structured clothing, too. Never as structured as Lestat, but enough to show off his figure.

The first outfit is from when he takes Louis to hunt with the coven at the chateau. Here, we see his signature layers, but you’ll notice that the shoulders are a little more stiff than the coat above. He’s a hunter. He’s taking charge, showing Louis his city, his coven, their shared ferocity. He’s not making himself smaller. The second suit screams “I’m in charge.” Sharp shoulders, high contrast. It’s from Claudia’s initiation. It makes sense. He’s the maitre. He’s projecting power. But it’s also a nice outfit. The sharpness makes sense for the formality of the occasion. It goes the line between imposing and appropriate. He’s not being as scary as he could be. The third outfit, San Francisco. Not as many layers as Paris, not quite as structured as Lestat’s power suit shoulders, but designed to show off Assad’s arms and chest, which are usually obscured by his clothing, making him look less physically imposing. He’s wearing high-waisted trousers that make him look taller, too. This is Armand, stripped back, no layers. Physically imposing, sleeves rolled up, muscle on display. Last outfit. No layers, just a turtleneck. Shows off his figure, shows off the muscle, covers up his neck. Guarded, but not making himself smaller than he really is, like how he does with his coats. This is also from a scene in which he’s unabashedly in charge. Madeleine talks back, he’s disoriented by her confidence, but ultimately, it’s up to him. Will he make her a vampire? It’s his choice. The outfit goes a long way to conveying his emotional state.

Do I think Armand looks at his wardrobe every day in contemplation of the persona he’s going to project? Yes. Maybe not this consciously, but the costuming does shift depending on his mood and role in the story. It’s not like Armand is ignorant of his daily activities and this is all happy synchrony. It’s something lawyers do. In court, it’s usually advantageous to dress the defendant (and often some witnesses) in baggier clothing to make them seem less imposing. They’ll often be dressed down, made to look small or less attractive or less confident, to project victimhood and vulnerability. Armand’s capable of putting on coats and taking them off. He’s got them on when he’s wandering the streets with Louis and playing pretend that they’re equals, but he’s always wearing something more structured or revealing when he’s reminding everyone that he’s in charge. Plus, he’s obviously fashionable, so it’s not like he’s blind to the principles of fashion. So, yeah, it is on purpose. Even in Dubai his necklines change depending on what’s going on (the lower the cut, the stronger his position). I really can’t imagine that someone could dress themselves this meticulously without putting an ounce of thought into it. And we know that he’s a veteran in puppy eyes, and that he knows when and how to deploy them, so why wouldn’t he do the same with fashion?

[desertfangs]

I haven't yet read the books (there's so many!) I've only watched the iwtv movie and TV show and I love Claudia in both but I've had people tell me in the books she's awful and considered to be one of the series villains. Idc about spoilers I just wanna know how true that is bc I dunno if I'd want to read that lol

Hi anon! I was excited to see your ask this morning because I'm gonna tell you something: Claudia was one of my first favorite characters in the series and her death devastated me. Louis was my first fav (understandable, he's literally the protagonist of the first book, we're meant to sympathize with him!) and when he lost Claudia and became numb in his grief, I related. I hated Armand for what happened to Claudia and I held a grudge for a long time.

Anyhow, I can't speak to the show so much as I've only seen season 1, but if you like the 94 movie, you will probably like the novel Interview with the Vampire. It's a pretty close adaptation.

To get to the heart of your question, no, Claudia not an awful villain. Anymore than Louis or Lestat are. If anyone is a villain in IwtV, it's Armand, and even he is not a mustache-twirling evil guy.* Everyone in this series in morally gray and does terrible stuff. I emphasize that because I've been in this fandom for a long time and I've seen all kinds of arguments about who is evil and who is not, and the fact is, all of our vampires do questionable things. That's sort of the point. So it's arguable how much there even is a villain in IwtV outside of Louis' own depression and grief, but Armand probably gets that honor.

Claudia in the books was turned around the age of 5. She is a very small, doll-like child who doesn't seem to retain much, if any, memory of her human life. She is more purely a vampire than Louis or Lestat can really fathom because she lacks that humanity and a connection to humans. She's a natural hunter and killer.

She doesn't understand Louis' sentimentality for humans, and resents Lestat for withholding information she knows he has about their kind. She is a complex and fascinating woman trapped in the body of a small child to the point where even Louis, who loves her dearly, cannot really see her as an adult and struggles to accept her agency. She does manipulate both her parents, in part because they don't often see her as a capable equal, which she very much is.

She does eventually rise up to kill to Lestat out of desperation. She believes he will not let Louis go and knows she can't travel around alone, given her appearance. Lestat himself is devastated by this and by her loss, and even says later he understands why she did it. That he probably deserved it for what he'd done to her, which was trap her forever in the body of a very young child, something he admits was selfish. (And something Marius had actually warned him against doing beforehand, LOL!!)

Like in the movie and the show, she does die at the Theatre des Vampires, and Armand is more responsible for that than I've heard he is on the show (he tells Louis he couldn't have stopped it, only to later reveal he orchestrated it, which Louis knew the whole time).

She appears later in The Tale of the Body Thief mocking Lestat and acting as a sort of voice for his subconscious, but she is just his hallucination in he book. He's dealing with a lot of trauma and grief and that manifests itself as Claudia's ghost.

Where you might be hearing she's a villain is from Merrick, where both her diary and spirit appear and are... not very nice. I gotta say, I am not convinced that is actually the spirit of Claudia that gets conjured, and even if it is, it's possible she's been warped somehow. But I also haven't read that book in decades and often tend to ignore it, so I am not an expert on that score.

I hope this helps! I'm always happy to answer questions about the books! (They are my special interest, if you cannot tell.)

But I do want to say that if you are a fan of the show and curious about the books--which are very different!--I highly recommend you read at least the first few yourself. The best way to judge if you'll like the book versions of the characters and story is to experience it yourself. There's a lot of misinformation that gets passed along about the books, and a lot of misinterpretation due to that because people just repeat what they've heard without having read them. And hey, they still may not be your cup of tea, and that's totally fine! But you won't know if you don't try, you know?

Anyhow, thank you so much for the ask! 💖 Claudia is awesome and deserves more love in the book fandom, but because she dies so early on, she doesn't get as much attention sadly.

*And even when he is, we love him.

[vorbarrsultana]

the vampire lestat reread, pt. 1 (lestat and nickistat)

also known as "i decided to reread tvl after the season finale because some takes i've seen online give me the impression i read a completely different book two years ago". i've finished it two days ago, and turns out i have more than 5000 words of notes that significally exceed tumblr character limit. so, i had to split them into three parts.

here is part one, all about dramatic theater kids full of love, sad violinists of infinite beauty, and friends-to-lovers romances doomed by the narrative.

i love lestat.

i forgot how fun and likable tvl lestat is from page one. and how different he is from his fanon characterization!

lestatposting is fun, i get it, but i am starting to get annoyed at the amount of fanfics where lestat needs someone to help him adapt to modern times. he is doing fine on his own, thank you. it took him less than two weeks to start a rock band.

(and the whole iphone thing from "prince lestat" is more about him not seeing it as something useful since he has a mind-skype ability to talk to any vamp on planet earth, and they cannot decline the call.)

lestat is not stupid. impulsive? yes. stubborn? of course. but clever, resourseful, and cunning when he needs to be. all of this makes him a great hunter! also, really thoughtful when the mood strikes, and his quiet, existential moments have some of the best prose in that book.

i wish someone smarter than me wrote a good meta about lestat & social class because he really seems to buy into the idea of "noblesse oblige" i.e. the belief that aristocrats are obliged to take care of those less fortunate. it's present in the way he kills the wolf pack for the villagers (who live on his father's land), and later takes responsibility for the theatre troupe & remnants of armand's coven, even though he doesn't owe them anything.

also, characterization of lestat as someone socially cluesless is simply untrue. sure, he plays dumb on occasion (and hates it every time because early life illiteracy trauma), but he is also good at reading people. like, he got a pretty accurate read of armand behind the angelic facade during their first face-to-face meeting. the only people he has trouble reading are those closest to him because he heavily projects his abandonment issues on them.

lestat's struggle of being "too much" contrasts nicely with the struggle of never being enough which is so crucial to louis. hashtag made for each other.

and juxtaposition of lestat's desire to be loved for who he is and louis's struggle with identity is also delicious.

this time i also related so much to lestat's "malady of mortality" and his search for meaning in the world. which ultimately fails because he is forcibly turned into a monster, and now every ounce of happiness he might bring into the world (and lestat desperately wants to do good!) is outweighed by him killing to survive.

and marius later reinforced the belief that vampirism has no higher purpose, and no wonder that nola!lestat is a shell of his former self.

lestat's turning is the most classic horror moment of the vampire chronicles to me. the mina harker of it all. the creature of night shrouded in terror snatching an innocent victim from the arms of their love right before bleak november sunrise.

also, all the implications of what magnus has done to lestat were even more clear during this reread, and i wonder if that was the reason rolin "i-love-narrative-parallels" jones added bruce into claudia's story.

the book also explains perfectly why lestat is so well suited for vampirism. his curiosity, thirst for new experiences, and adventuring spirit are his eternal engine on the devil's road :)

however, the downside of that personality facet is that lestat steamrolls over his trauma telling himself "this is fine! look, satan, i am making the best of it", which in turn leads to the iwtv nola mess.

and i feel like this constant search for positives in vampirism (that unwilligly turned lestat & claudia share) is why they can't really relate to louis, who chose it for himself. if these two start to get too existential, the temptation to throw themselves into the fire might become unbearable.

lestat equating his loneliness with his evilness is interesting, but i have nothing to say about that for now other than equation being there.

lestat's explosive temper is also present in the book. there is a constant pattern of lestat doing things he regrets the most (like the theater performance fiasco or eating people at notre dame's steps) when he is angry or upset.

let's talk about nicki. i love him, despite half of fandom hating on him for some reason.

lestat has a type, which is "good catholic boy" with narrow view of good and evil. except louis is of a parent's favorite, conforming variety, and nicki is the rebellious one, driven to the utmost cynicism by religious dogmas.

however, despite being a self-proclaimed cynic, nicki practically drowns in catholic guilt, almost reveling in the fact that everything he does, from playing violin in the boulevard theater to having an affair with lestat, is wrong. there is no meaning in anything, and he is doomed to die a sinner's death.

he is doomed! by the narrative though.

lestat and nicki's philosophical difference seems to be that nicki (unlike lestat) does not believe in inherent goodness of the positive emotions. for him, "sin always feels good", therefore happiness they bring performing = sin.

but still, nickistat's love is so touching. after lestat ghosts nicki to protect him, he still trusts lestat's love for him and the troupe, thinks best of him, and shuts down all nasty rumours. in turn, lestat equates all the good that was in his mortal life, all his hopes and dreams with nicki. he is a symbol of everything magnus took from him.

AND THEY COMMUNICATE THROUGH MUSIC, AND IT'S THEM AT THEIR BEST, AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

nicki almost became lestat's charlie. when they meet face to face for the first time after lestat's transformation, he can barely contain his hunger magnified by attraction.

the most terribly sad thing about nicki is the unfairness of all that happened to him. he had seen lestat being shot right before him, then he disappeared with dying gabrielle, then the coven kidnapped and tortured him until he lost his mind.

and for nicki, the dark gift is a confirmation of everything he believes in being true. the meaninglessness of it all. evil being the only certain thing in the world. the way to fall into a deeper, darker abyss than the one that was before the mortal him. and it is a confirmation that lestat's inner light he loved so much will eventually burn out.

(his spark in the dark, if you will.)

(and lestat's dream before turning nicki hurts, because he dreams of growing up and growing old together, of maturing past magnus's eternal lelio with sunlight in his hair and summer sky in his eyes. oh, the lesdaughter of it all.)

there is certainly a parallel between nickistat's bitter "in darkness, we are equal now" vs loustat's comforting "in the quiet dark, we were equals".

[meerawrites]

hi!!! 📢 Three other vampire-related media you recommend. &♟️ Do you have any headcanons for Claudia and/or Claudeleine?

Three other vampire media I recommend:

Dracula Daily / @re-dracula

A Dowry of Blood by @saintmachina <- according to her all her characters are bisexual-biromantic (canon) and poly on purpose, also it is a cathartic and short read and as mentioned like Lestat, every single character is bi and poly af, also there is murder and girlbosses and hunter/hunted ships

A Flame in the Night by @ghostpoetics <- everyone is bi the lead female MC is a cabaret/Chicago ish girl (like Antoinette Brown) and León is genderfluid and bi, but also helplessly in love with his wife (who is a girlboss)

Claudeline headcanons:

They are both bi (Claudia just prefers girls in general cause trauma from her father figures yes both of them)

They got the sad artist (Madeline)/hopeful person of fashion (Claudia) swag… mirroring Nickistat

If you see them commit murder no you have not, they did nothing wrong ever

They are so in love they make young! Nickistat and honeymoon era Loustat (any version) look not pathetically in love, which is a feat cause Nickistat mastered the bi yearning and Loustat got that romantic tension down.

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep1 Musings - Dreams, Nightmares, and Faith

Wow. 😍 I love the new title card, with the bomber jets & explosions over upside-down...Paris? Romania? IDGAF--it's cool! I am SO glad AMC took us through war-torn Europe!

Something I found so interesting was the question of whether vampires dream or not.

(Armand stfu omg, him & Les both calling Claudia Infant Death 😅)

In the books, AR's vamps go into deathlike sleep--they're not really conscious, don't get woken up by much unless THEY'RE ready to wake up, and don't dream.

Vamps are like the dead, but UNdead--they're DAMNED. The damned don't get to wish for rainbows when they dwell in darkness. They die with their heartaches and grief, and spread it to others as harbingers of death.

In WWII Europe, societal vampires (Nazis, Soviets, etc) and actual vampires coexist, each preying on the innocent & vulnerable. Louis & Claudia literally tear through the battlefields and waypoints. I was wrong about them eating the dead/blown up body parts--they were feeding on dying soldiers, not ones already dead, but TBH at this point I don't know which is worse?

You feel sorry for Darciana and her revenant "child," sure, but there's also Morgan & Emilia--and what about everyone in that bunker (all those old women & kids), who'll probably starve now that their sole hunter/trapper can't get food for them anymore? Just so these serial killing vamps can eat!?!

Louis thinks "the blood is bad here" cuz they're drinking "misery and hopelessness" in war survivors & POWs etc; but really the misery & hopelessness is IN THEM. LOUIS is miserable (without Lestat). CLAUDIA feels hopeless (with Louis/her own companion). THEY (as vamps) bring misery wherever they go, internally & externally.

You're the walking DEAD, Louis. :( You will ALWAYS be cold. U_U

It's bad EVERYWHERE--love & community is what keeps people going--

--even in the middle of what seems like an apocalypse--be it WWII, or the "flying vampire apocalypse/Great Conversion." Even in a hellish place like the Theatre and the Children of Satan/Darkness. We all need/want a HOME.

Louis & Claudia have been stuck in a figurative nightmare, walking through the valley of the shadow of death along the Devil's Road. But poor AMC!Claudia has actual nightmares. 😭

She tells herself (through her diaries) that she doesn't dream, denying the suffering she goes through, trying to stay strong and not give her trauma power.

The tabula rasa of "infants" and child-like innocence that Armand refers to is just The Void for her. By avoiding her troubles, she's probably giving more power to the things that scare her the most.

AMC KNOWS what they're doing! Claudia's in denial too, and DreamStat's calling them BOTH out on it--but like Delainey said: unlike Louis, Claudia doesn't need a hallucination version of Les to tell her what she already knows--he's in her; he's her father--moreso than Louis, who only ever gets called "Daddy" now when they need to fake it! (Or is it REALLY fake for her? When she gets hurt, she yells for Daddy Lou's attention....)

There's her behavior with Louis', and her nightmares, compared to DreamStat. Cuz Louis' not asleep--he's wide awake, but being awake for him is like living in a nightmare with his eyes wide open. Louis said his own dreams were "erratic and often," but which ones is he even talking about, REALLY? His actual dreams? Or DreamStat; the figment of his imagination he admitted to "inviting" inside his head?

The Disney song goes "Have faith in your dreams and someday...the dreams that you wish will come true." For Louis his dream is obvs Lestat, and obvs by PLatRoA and Blood Communion Looustat's dream finally comes true. But for Claudia her dream is companionship, but also knowledge. She wants/demands answers.

(Only for us to find out 2 books later that all the legends really ARE true!)

Louis's having a crisis of faith--he is SCARED of his dreams, and what it says about himself, and has accepted his damnation with fatalistic & willfully blind cynicism--just like Armand does with the Childrren of Darkness/Satan, he's slowly losing his religion/faith in God (read: their "dead" exes: Lestat & Marius), while doubling down on the idea that they are damned and that all that exists is Hell/Damnation/Satan/etc.

He'd rather believe that baboons are roaming Europe than face another vampire who might reveal more about him than he's ready to accept.

He talks down to Claudia just like Lestat did; and constantly crushes her dreams by being a wet blanket. He gives her NOTHING positive or affirmative to look forward to.

Daciana's suicide is a wake-up call: she IS a good vampire (reltively speaking, ofc). She has dreams and wishes and loving feelings, too. She's visibly in emotional turmoil & pain, which Louis can relate to; acknowledging her as human, and finally looking forward to the future Claudia wants for all of them: companions sharing stories & knowledge & love; "we're a family?"

Louis COULD'VE followed Daciana into hopeless misery, but luckily he DOES have Claudia; them helping e/o to stay out of the fire.

And as sick as it is, Lou also has Lestat, and the comfort of knowing that no matter how bad he acts/gets, he's still alive.

There's still that glimmer of HOPE: "a spark in the dark."

As an aside:

Romania as the "ancestral home" of vampires is hilarious. Claudia's desperate to find out the truth--and she's close, for sure, as there are obviously vamps crawling all over Europe--but my heart just aches thinking about how mind blown Claudia would be if she found out that the REAL ancestral home of AR's vampires was Egypt.

Cinematic poetry, putting AR in the same frames where Louis talks about Dracula--only to drag vampire superstitions a few minutes in, as Louis and Claudia bicker over garlic & crucifixes. XD

[plantmommoonbaby]

I have covid (rant about that later), and to keep my mind from rotting, I'm rewatching IwtV. So, please enjoy

My Delirious Ramblings about Our Favorite Beautiful Vampire Divorcés (pt 1)

Episode 1:

It feels like it means something that went Lestat does the mind control thing, his victims eyes look like his

Uuugh i saw a tumblr post wondering if the widow du Pointe duLac ever convinced herself Louis pushed Paul so she could believe Paul went to heaven and 😭

That means his mother starts to see him as a monster the literal morning he chooses to become a monster

God, if she never subtle accused him, would he even have agreed to Lestat's offer??

Louis talking over what Lestat said to convince him makes me think all he had to say was that he loved him...

I mean... valid since he just lost his mother's love 💔

Episode 2:

Ummm, Louis, why do you have a painting by your grampa??

Armand isn't even acting in this scene, is he? Boy worships Louis

But, like... how is Armand--sorry, Rashid 🙄 being the only staff member who doesn't mask not a dead give away?

Louis's eyes go green when he has blood lust

Tiny buns 💓

I have a hard time believing Louis diets out of compassion when he'll eat a hogtied endangered species...

God bless Grace du Pointe du Lac

You can say you aren't buying in to the killing, Louis... but your eyes are very green...

Oop, Daniel couldn't stay objective while reliving that little dish... this is when the lines start getting blurry

Episode 3:

It has to be a superiority thing, coz the way he ate that poor kitty was brutal...

Daniel has not kiki'd over exes enough and it shows. Louis reeks of missing his ex. You don't point out how obvious it is until after a few drinks and making sure he can't slide into the DMs first...

Ooooh if looks could kill. Our literal green eyed monster damn near drained Antoinette right there... I guarantee the only reason he didn't is because he thought Lestat was going to drain her later

Checking to make sure Lestat is paying attention before making Jonah think about "them old days" 💀 Louis said "fuck around and find out, Daddy 😘"

Jonah, I know a certain European who is cares a whole lot about who you are looking at, and I'm pretty fucking sure he's not gonna be sensible about it...

Louis, you're not you when you're hungry...

Lestat plays fucked up games, but seeing Louis's green eyes and knowing he isn't stable enough to actually restrain himself and then hurting himself to get them all out is actually pretty respectful of his diet...

Lestat wasn't wrong about Louis being a natural... he's just a natural serial killer, not hunter. He has to want to kill his victim...

Louis kicks in one door, his sister sees him as the devil. He kicks in another and Claudia sees him as an angel 😭😭😭 IM NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING

I think I need a nap...