#lestat looking up at the camera like

[keeennyyyyyyuggghggh]

I desperately hope that when we get to TVL in the show, it’s done like a Bruno-esque pseudo documentary where Lestat is getting ready for his big show and talking directly to the camera the entire time. Putting on eyeliner while making direct eye contact through the mirror with the camera and being like “I’m what the Americans call a rock superstar”, giving a tour of his house while telling us directly about the egregious LIES Louis told about him. I want a complete dismantling of the 4th wall. It’s the only way.

#the vampire chronicles #interview with the vampire #lestat de lioncourt #amc iwtv #loustat #lestat looking up at the camera like #oh!!! I didn’t see you there!! I’m lestat :) I’m 200 years old :) #also I want him to still describe himself and what he’s wearing even tho we can see him

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hi! Love your blog!

We know that made Lestat's abuse of Louis way more prominent in show (decision I still don't agree with but that's not the matter) and we have Jacob saying that s2 is way darker than book. People speculate that it's because they'll include FrankenClaudia who technically wasn't in this particular book but do you think they'll make Loumands relationship more toxic too like they did with Loustat? (I know they added romance to loustat but they also added beating scene that was on way way more smaller scale in book). Do you think they'll add more gaslighting? Emphasize on Armand making Louis turn Madeleine against his will?

Thank you for answering!

Hey nonny!

So glad you like!

I do think that they will heavily lean into that, yes. (And this "interview" is already held with the content of several books, so imho it doesn't really matter where the content comes from... Rolin held 6? or 7 books up to the camera^^). This will be a bit longer^^:

As all things are said to be revisited we will see how s1 will hold up, but of course it will stay correct that they emphasized the abuse vector. And that is a very valid thing for the Vampire Chronicles! There is a LOT in there, especially abuse, but also like... everything else, too. (As the Twitter discourse currently on Marius also... shows.)

So to get back to your actual question: yes I do think they will emphasize this part (though if they add more? We will see.), I think they have already hinted at that in season 1, but the book canon and their chosen promotional posters give us a very poignant hint here as well.

If we look at the "elevator posters" for example, we have Lestat, Louis and Claudia looking sideways at the observer*, in various state of emotions: fear, anger, and aware consternation (maybe), respectively.

And then we have Armand, *the observer, who looks down the length of his nose at them, with an air of superiority and a hint of a smile, clearly the one in charge:

It is also important to note that he is half in shadow but from the front here, not sideways as the others. The other three are almost completely "in the light", visible as it were. Armand... is not.

Now, if you remember the poster of season 1, then this is a direct echo of it, as well as a development from it:

Lestat was only half visible, behind Louis, since we only heard of him through Louis. Now he is in the same "position" as Louis and Claudia, almost fully revealed.

It is interesting that those elevator pictures keep Claudia in this position here, too, but it makes sense when one knows what will revealed only in later books about her and her play (I have talked about the twist from Merrick).

Now the posters sold at SDCC are equally interesting, because they speak their own language:

First off, we have Louis, holding the mask of Lestat in his hand, a mask taken off, and the mask echoes Lestat's "death face". He is looking into space, beyond it, and he seems to be seated in the back of a stage (given that we have a scene photo with Lestat seated on stage that carries ... repercussions^^).

"La mémoire est un monstre". The second half of IWTV is (among other things of course) Louis yearning for Lestat and learning a few... uncomfortable truths. Masks are taken off, and the revelations will be bloody. Louis will be condemned to be a spectator for some of them, and in the book it culminates in a very poignant speech about passivity.

And then there's Claudia. "La famille est un monstre." Dancing as Carmen, the red flamenco dress making her seem older than she is (supposed to be). The dress emulates flames, the audience is dead. She is almost smirking at the beholder, definitely proud of who she is, and her feet are naked.

"Carmen, a searing depiction of a woman who craves love, but creates obsession and jealousy, is one of the most popular operas ever written." (x)

The Carmen reference feels perfect for me, it will be very interesting to see which aspects they take up for the show, who Madeleine will be, given the World War 2 context, and the jealousy of the soldier in the original opera.

Then there is "L'amour est un monstre". Love is a monster. Love is the monster. The lover is the monster. For these vampires all these variations fit, and I do not just mean Loumand here, but generally.

Armand seems to say something to Louis, who is looking into space, with a slight frown.

The movie poster from "Gaslight", a movie about a whirlwind romance and the new husband isolating the wife from the world and "gaslighting" her to make her appear mad and doubt her own sanity to get at what she possesses... now the IWTV people know what they're doing *laughs*

Anyone who has read IWTV and TVA knows that Armand spell-binds Louis on several occasions, and influences him to do things, for example turning Madeleine, as you mentioned.

Interestingly enough there is also a man with a face half in light, half in shadows here - and that is echoed on Louis in the poster, one half is painted red - indicating he doubles with the police officer of the movie, discovering the things that are supposed to be hidden from him.

And, last but definitely not least, the general poster, without caption:

Lestat is "almost" revealed, our "view" of him still restricted somewhat by Louis and Claudia, as well from the theater curtain.

Claudia is engaged with whatever is happening beyond our view, Louis... is not. He is restraining himself, hands in pockets, mouth set and his gaze is dark, somewhere between accusation and anger. Lestat's gaze is open here, carrying a vague challenge, an expectation.

If we take the elevator pictures back into account one could argue they are looking at Armand here - and that would fit with the story:

Lestat will come to Armand hoping for something, expecting something. Louis will come to some very uncomfortable realizations, and events that will make him beyond angry. Claudia will try to move on, leave Armand behind. And even Louis, arguably.

So to wrap this up: I'm not sure they will add more gaslighting. More toxicity.

Because I don't think they actually need to! There is plenty there already. They will however build on what's there, and it has been more than hinted at imho. (Arguably that happened in season 1 as well, as a lot of that ep 5 scene echoes something in later books, and we will know only after season 2 how it will click into place.)

Armand uses his spell-gift on Louis even after promising not to do it (in the book, I talked about it here), and given how this show drags things into the light they will definitely hook into this. I think both definitions of "gaslighting" will apply - given the structure of the show they might make Armand the "villain" (that he was in the first books) this time round, though of course this word doesn't quite fit for these vampires.

Armand is the one who tortures Nicki and chops off his hands. We are getting flashbacks to that time, and we know that we will get to see Lestat and Nicki in that time. I would bet money on it that they will explore that part of their history.

Armand is the one who tortures Lestat, and uses him to pull the mock trial off.

Armand is the one who throws Lestat off a tower, challenging him to love him... a scene many book readers expect to at the very least echo, if not replace the ep5 scene, depending on how they spin it.

Armand is the one who influences Louis to do things, and who lies to both Louis and Lestat about the other.

Armand is the one who has Claudia (and Madeleine) killed, because she was in the way.

I know show only viewers see Lestat as the epitome of toxicity right now, but... he's actually not. Jacob put it well in that interview that Louis is "angry at him and presents him as a monster".

The show made choices, and given that it's Lestat (who is just the tiniest bit important for the following seasons/books after all)... this requires other choices to be made.

And going by the posters they have given us - they do.

#Anonymous #asks #ask nalyra #toxicity #gaslighting #gaslight #amc iwtv #iwtv #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #iwtv 2022 #interview with the vampire #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #loustat #armand #loumand #claudia de lioncourt #iwtv claudia #posters #iwtv meta #iwtv s2 #monster #poster #elevator

[squirrellypoo]

Ep8 "What Can The Damned Really Say To The Damned" rewatch thoughts (Part 1)

On my third rewatch of the first episode of season 2, I noticed a ton more than I had before. Whether that's because it was on a brighter tv screen, or just that my initial buzz had stopped overloading my cognitive functions, who knows.

In any case, here's my first 10 things I missed!

Just after the massacre of soldiers at the checkpoint - Louis spits something out as they walk away. Did he also help kill them? Is that a tooth or something? I love the idea that Louis is doing a lot more human hunting that he ever lets on...

2. “Or is it the sleep of an infant? Tabula rasa” - I had to look up this term because I'd not heard it before, but it's roughly the philosophical idea that babies’ minds are born as a blank slate. (Wikipedia)

3. Just before Louis complains that he’s cold, you can see that the bonfire is using a dead soldier as fuel. Additionally, he's talking about his refusal to burn Lestat as they huddle around it (nice touch, sicko writers!).

4. Obviously I knew that the "Huns" were German soldiers, but I wasn't sure what “Beasts of Ivan” was referring to... Russian forces? Or Ivan the Terrible (Treblinka guard)? TBH, even after googling, I'm still not entirely sure.

5. Oh god the skeletons of the vampires they discover - Louis and Claudia don’t know to scatter the ashes so their souls are still likely trapped in there?? 😭 (See also: Daciana after the fire…)

6. The Dubai staff member taking Louis’s blood dish away is wearing a face mask and gloves but Real Rashid is wearing gloves but no mask… Who do we know that did that in season 1, eh?? 👀

7. Now, this might not be anything but I thought it was interesting that you can see Louis’s breath in the sequence with Hallucistat (whose breath you can also see). So does that mean he's fed recently to be warm enough to do so? There was a great story on the Truest Blood podcast where the actors talked about needing to suck on ice cubes so that their breath didn't show up on camera, and that detail really stuck with me.

8. Louis says “I had taken 7,000 souls by then.” Ok, let's do some maths - 7,000 divided by 35 years is 200 per year, or 3.5 per week. That's roughly one murder every other day, which seems like a lot for someone claiming to be a vegetarian?? Like, was he killing several a night in the early years with Lestat (the "blood-drunken night in Baton Rogue", for instance), and for the past several years with Claudia? Sure, we see him bite a rat here, but he's clearly killing more than he wants to admit to himself...

9. The little boy that Morgan bribes with a cigarette to take Claudia away from adult conversation - his name is Andrei. Book readers may remember that this was Armand's given human name. (I don't think it means anything, I just think it's a nice touch from the writers, and they might change this in the show to be something more appropriate to his background)

10. After Louis remembers that Emilia mentioned about the woods after Claudia left, Armand suggests Louis takes a break. Daniel then goes on a rant to Real Rashid, ending with “You I can fucking break!” Louis dismisses Rashid, but then then Armand immediately follows him out of the room. What was Armand following him for? What was he saying to Rashid?

Part II coming up! Let me know in the Notes if you also missed any of these...

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #iwtv s2 #iwtv spoilers #louis de pointe du lac #claudia de pointe du lac #the vampire armand #real rashid #daniel molloy

[bara-izu]

Do you have any advice on how to get over lack of skill? I want to do the Astarion Lestate trend but I don't think my skills are ready for it. I have references pictures of Astarion pulled up when I'm working, and even have the game launched so I can turn him if I need to (mostly for the attempts I did at his hair) but everytime I tweaked something or started over nothing looked right. I keep getting frustrated 😭

Hi anon- Sorry this took me a while to get to, i hope you and others can still find this useful! While the basic advise to get over 'lack of skill' is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! i hope this will help you knowig where to get started with that!

I'm going to put my teacher pants back on, this might be a bit long so buckle up- I'll go over a few areas:

Primitive Shapes

How to Use References

Delete your work (hear me out)

--------------------------------------

Primitive Shapes:

This is your foundation. Everything starts with this, and while you may find it boring to think of your art in terms of cubes and spheres- i kid you not it will help elevate your work.

If/when you are stuggling to draw a complicated pose, or a specific perspective, refering back to the form in these basic shapes can really help to simplify your process and help you problem solve.

A chill/silly watch for a more in depth discussion on what i mean / how this can help - Give Pikat's 'Draw boxes (correctly) to improve your art' a watch. They also mention this in the video but @/Uncomfortable on youtube also has some great fundermental videos.

-------------------------------------

How to use references.

Okay so references are great 10/10 very useful. But, unless you know WHAT to study from a reference, they can sometimes fall flat of their usefullness.

Anatomy studies are something a lot of us will be recommended as artists, but actually knowing what to pay attention to can boost your confidence in your work. Start with a goal, what do you want to get out of this sketch session? Do you want to get better at understanding the 3D form of a specific part of anatomy? Better at poses? Try to narrow down your learning each session to make it less overwhelming.

In this i'll focus on understanding the form so, lets start with a reference. Linking back to Primitives again, start off by braking down your anatomy into forms. Sketching over the top of your references is totally fine. But make sure you are doing so critically, otherwise it may look like a flat/unnatural trace and you're not really learning from it. Via the first sketch you can see where the primitive shapes fall on the body - think of it like a ball-jointed-doll, hips, knees, shoulders ect are ball socketed whereas arms, legs ect can be made up of tubes. (See the first image, when sketching your tubes, sketch your contour lines too- this can help determind how clothing / hair will fall over the body, and can help you understand the 3D Form.)

A BIG IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE - When using photo references, do be very aware that they may be distorted due to the height of the camera, or camera focal length - (you can see in my sketch i had to edit the torso and head because the reference was a little top heavy)

A few artists/books for some extra reading / reference : - Andrew Loomis (OG for body proportions, books are a little outdated but fundermentals are still useful), - Tenten云画画 (his stylised anatomy breakdowns are very interesting to me) - Anatomy Essentials (I've had this book for years, it covers lots of areas, is a bit complex though, i myself should reread it again 😅

Also, if you can't find a reference for a specific pose, don't be afraid to use 3D programs! Anatomy 360, DesignDoll, Clip Studio, Magic Poser - all nifty options~

SO taking when we've learnt from the primitive forms, you can now try applying that to the Lestrat Picture. (which, granted is a complicated pose, as it also has forshortening and an odd top down perspetive of the bottom character- so don't panic if you don't get it the first time!)

-------------------------------------

Final points- Delete your art (hear me out)

What i mean by this is, sometimes reworking the same face over and over again can bog your down. It can make it very difficult to actually see whats wrong. So, get rid of it and start again. (hide the layer/use a different piece of paper, please don't actually bin it (yet))

Next, redraw it. Use what you've learned the first time, and redraw it from scratch. (in this case, that might be just specifically the head, or the hair, or the eyes ect - you don't have to bin the whole thing, but sometimes it can really help give you a new perspective)

Once you've done this, unhide your original, compare, this may help you understand what you were doing wrong the first time. Or if there are areas of one that you like- its an opportunity to combine them as you see fit! :)

On a side note for Astarion's Hair, the lovely @mistercrowbar actually posted a breakdown yesterday! (i use p much the same method so-)

I HOPE this was of some use- do feel free to ask any questions if you've got them! i'll try to answer in a more timely manner next time 😅

#art tutorial #or more like #art tips #long post

[lyledebeast]

I have a few thoughts about nudity in the first season of Interview with the Vampire to share.  One of the refreshing things about this series is that the sex scenes were filmed with an audience that is attracted to men in mind.  That’s a fairly big departure from mainstream queer representation historically.  For example, in 2004′s Brokeback Mountain there is more nudity in Ennis and Jack’s sex scenes with their respective wives than in their scene together, and it’s the wives’ bodies that are on display.  It was not unusual in that respect.  Sex scenes were shot with straight male audiences in mind, even when the main relationship was between two men.

The sex scenes involving women in IwtV show the women’s breasts for a couple of seconds, but the nudity the camera lingers on is Sam Reid’s.  A lot of it. Often.  In the scene where Louis catches him in bed with Antoinette, she covers up immediately while Lestat just sits there, a sheet draped between his legs to hide his penis (This is AMC. after all, not A24).  There is no doubt Lestat is naked in that bed; his bare hip and thigh are an invitation to desire, not only for Louis but the audience.  Even so, Lestat is not objectified. He is a subject of desire here and elsewhere, and his nudity is not accompanied by disempowerment. Even as this scene continues, and an angry, horny Louis throws him around like a rag doll, it seems to be going exactly according to Lestat’s plans. 

This is one of two scenes where Lestat is completely naked while Louis is mostly or fully clothed.  We never see the reverse, and in scenes where both men are naked we see more of Reid’s body than Jacob Anderson’s.  The levitation/making scene is shot in such a way that Anderson’s body is mostly hidden by Reid’s.  This choice is not simply practical. There is a long, painful history of naked Black bodies being objectified, both in filmmaking and in Western culture generally.  Adding to these the racism Louis experience in the series and the fact that he is frequently abused by Lestat, Anderson’s nudity would carry  baggage that Reid’s does not.  It would be difficult to not make it objectifying or exploitative. Instead, Louis’s sexiness is presented through other means, such as Lestat’s insatiable, maddening desire for him.

It’s clear from these and other representational choices that there were Black and queer people in the writers’ room.  There is such thought and care put not only into making these characters compelling but also showing consideration to minority audiences that have often been ignored.  This is what sensitive, nuanced diversity in television looks like.

#interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #sam reid #jacob anderson #queer representation #black representation #queer sexuality

[lestatslestits]

An incomplete list of things from the modern world that I think Armand would be obsessed with

Those TikTok videos where people mix together all of those cleaning supplies into something that is probably forbidden under the Geneva Convention

Air Fryers

NFTs (sorry but I’m right)

Every smart device or appliance ever

Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared

Wattpad (he’s the author of some truly incomprehensible RPF about Lestat)

Wikipedia

True crime podcasts (he announces which ones he did as he listens)

Juicing machines (he juices rats, it’s….a whole thing)

Tamagotchis

Every single streaming service in existence

The Duolingo Owl

Among Us

Gacha Games

Drones

HelloFresh (he doesn’t eat the food but he does order the maximum number of meals per week)

Dating Sims

Livestreaming (he livestreams himself sleeping in his coffin, livestreams his hair growing, etc. When he’s awake, he stares at the camera and people in the comments place bets on how long it will take him to blink)

UberEats (when you think about it, it DOES work for vampires. He can order from it and food shows up at his house….RIP to those drivers)

ASMR

Unboxing videos (He forces Daniel to do a video with him where Daniel says he’s doing an “unboxing” and opens up Armand’s coffin and is like “look it’s a boyfriend” and every time he sees it Armand laughs until he cries and then watches it eight more times)

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #the vampire armand #devil’s minion #amc iwtv #daniel molloy #amc interview with the vampire

[kaelio]

DECEPTIVE MOVIE TRAILERS FOR DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES IF THEY WERE A CINEMATIC SERIES:

I love imagining misleading movie trailers, it's just a thing I do. If I had infinite money and time and a time machine and the rights to adapt the Anne Rice vampire novels, these are examples of extremely dishonest trailers for those movies I would enjoy:

Devil's Minion: Have it appear to be some kind of psychological thriller, either about a guy who is perceiving his stalker as a literal monster, or a guy who feels some Presence stalking him and envisions it as a mysterious, beautiful young man. He's not really my favorite but we need Christopher Nolan directing, like really hitting that Memento tone. What's real?? What's not real?? Daniel appears to be using drugs and the audience is like ohhh is this about addiction? And then it totally seems like a dark addiction metaphor, like Oscar bait maybe. Even when Daniel gets a handjob it isn't clear because Requiem for a Dream got a lot of awards.

(*Don't try to smoosh in with Queen of the Damned, you have enough going on here.)

Tale of The Body Thief: A romantic drama that doesn't seem to realize its intensely worrisome undercurrents (a la "Passengers"). We see a woman of the cloth ministering to a homeless man who, following a severe medical crisis that lands him in her care, seems to be having spiritual delusions. She connects with him over their shared faith... and their desire for meaningful intimacy. We get a swell of orchestral music... some sort of scene of them kissing in the rain... another scene from which we can infer they're in bed together, but the camera is centered on a crucifix on her wall. "I will find the power to come back to you..." he says.

Tale of The Body Thief (Part 2): Wham! Actually a lot of the audience doesn't realize that last trailer never gave you a title! Maybe they think it's a gimmick! It takes them a moment to realize this old man (Indiana Jones??) racing around the cruise ship is accompanied by the same actor as the homeless man described above. "GET THAT MAN!" David shouts as Raglan does some sort of parkour that isn't quite extreme enough to cue in the audience that he's supposed to be inhuman. We see Lestat-in-body pushing through people in a rave taking place on the cruise ship dance floor. It seems like a cynical tie-in because everyone is young and hot there (not really the primary demographic for cruises). Camera pans over some sort of jacuzzi tub with a bunch of women in bikinis in it. "Excuse me, ladies!" someone says as they jump over the tub and since he has a ripped shirt and he's hot the girls in the tub go "ooooooh!" And maybe they have cocktails so it's supposed to be funny. But really sell it as an action-comedy and then WHANG! "Tale of the Body Thief" appears in huge text onscreen like "COMING THIS SPRING" and Mojo's little head pops up from the bottom of the screen and barks.

The Vampire Lestat: Oh you just shoot it like The Favorite, like the exact same cinematography, or maybe Chevalier, but it's about a sensitive stage actor in pre-Revolutionary France, trying to focus on his art as the world becomes more fraught around him. It invites you into his sensitive artistic soul.... Is there time for gentleness, for optimism, for art, in an era of nascent conflict? What will social forces have in store for him, or for his troubled companion? And then maybe you do give away the game where at the last second you see the window explode and the big evil Nosferatu-Magnus bursts through the door with his big gummy mouth with the two fangs like "Rrrrraarrhg!!"

Memnoch the Devil: Starts with some overplayed song for 45-50 year old men in the background of a scene of Lestat and David stealing the artifacts from the dead Roger. Inter-cut with bits of Lestat dismembering Roger's body. They get into a car (no rooftops, Anne, it would look silly on screen! We can't!) and smirk at each other—apparent heist film. Lestat turns the knob for the radio and then another song for loser guys starts to play. "Dora's gonna get mad," David says, as if we're taking precious seconds of this trailer to no-homo the whole thing and establish regressive attitudes about women all at once. Lestat probably says something like "Chicks, man." The movie promises no actual content or any reason to be interested in it, as with most heist movies.

Memnoch the Devil: Hey? Is that the same guy? They're using the same guy for... what is this, a remake of It's A Wonderful Life? God this is worse than when Chris Pratt started voicing both Mario and Garfield. Find another actor!

Blood & Gold: We see a clawed hand sticking out of a glacier and suddenly... it moves!! Ice cracks around the hand! A huge, mysterious, looming figure bursts out of the ice, covered in rags and holding a giant battle axe!! Thunder and lightening appear in the background suddenly for no reason, and a song from Iron Maiden kicks in. Implies heavily that it's some sort of dark action film that may or may not be trying to lean on the popularity of Marvel's "Thor" movies. Like that Winnie the Pooh movie where he kills people. "THE OLDEST STORY..." the trailer narrator guy says, "... IS REVENGE"

The Vampire Armand: You start off with all of the boys sitting around, having a good time, talking about their futures, all the places they're planning to go, the things they want—like, highschool yearbook signing energy. And then there's this one kid who seems kind of smug and suddenly he's like, "pft, you guys, you think so small. You're focused about what the master can get you with his power... but I want the power 😏". And then you'd cut to him on his way up a big fancy marble staircase and you'd see him puffing himself up, excited, maybe even telling the narrator about the amazing situation he's in, but how since he's totally the favorite he's going to do what his peers are either too humble or doltish to consider: ask to learn the magic itself. And it's building tension and he's just-just-just about to ask and then you hear "No." Or "You're not ready. The magic isn't for you." Gives you this great set-up, like a Sorcerer's Apprentice thing. You're already in this kid's corner. How come he doesn't get the magic? Why would anyone try to keep someone from self-actualizing?? Not very cool. Anyway this would be almost exactly the same energy as the trailer for that new Disney movie Wish.

#the vampire chronicles #tvc #I can't explain why I love to do this but I do #plays on the back of my eyelids when I drive. cars in front of me as well.

[chiropterancreed]

i'm calling it now, they're going to have sam reid's lestat break the fourth wall in his own season. not even in the narrative model of talking with daniel, he's going to straight up address the audience. he's gonna look deeply into the camera with his beautiful blue eyes, smile with that fucking mouth of his, and beg the audience to love him. lestat is a first person omniscient character. he pauses multiple times in the books to tell the reader (directly!) about what he's wearing. he speaks directly to the reader about what is going on, asks the readers to please! please love him. i want sam reid's lestat to just full on reference real world shit. i want it like how they did in fucking blues clues man, i want to be totally under his spell. if lestat isn't looking directly at the camera, adressing the world, then is he really lestat?

#lestat de lioncourt #sam reid #interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #LIKE COME ON???? #the vampire chronicles #armand #louis de pointe du lac #jacob anderson #jam reiderson

[bubblegum-blackwood]

Vamptember day 29 - sunlight

Daniel uncovers an old video of him at the beach. Louis & Daniel, G, 1600 words.

Daniel hit ‘play’ on the tape. It showed him, a few years younger than he looked now, with slightly smaller eye bags and a bit of a bounce in his step that Armand hadn’t managed to drive out of him quite yet. He smiled bashfully at the camera, saying awkwardly, as if he didn’t know how to start, “Hey, Armand. So I’m . . . yeah,” he laughed. “So here I am. You said you wondered what I looked like in the sun, so . . . here. I’m in the sun,” he shrugged, blushing. “Enjoy.”

Vampire Daniel sitting on the couch smiled softly. “I remember doing that,” he said gently. “Armand was so touched, he loved it. He must have rewatched this damn tape hundreds of times, I was scared he might ruin it.”

Louis huffed through his nose, that small sound that for some reasons counts as a laugh. “I can see why. Daylight was a privilege he hadn’t known for around five hundred years or so by the time he met you. I’ve been in the Blood for far less time than that and I already miss it so terribly. It’s amazing to see you like this, to see the sky that shade of blue again. It’s beautiful . . . ” he breathed, his eyes misting over with a slight tinge of crimson as he watched Daniel, vibrant, human Daniel, conscript a little kid at the beach to hold the camera while he splashed his bare feet in the water and chased seagulls through the sand. Louis sighed. “Your hair looks so much more golden in the sunlight, I never would have guessed. And your eyes . . . wasn’t the peculiar colour of your eyes the first thing Armand notised about you?” Daniel blushed, and Louis leaned in a bit, almost unconsciously, as he continued, “You know, they were the first thing I notised about you, as well.”

Daniel stared straight ahead at the screen, very aware of Louis’s breath in his ear. “Is that right?”

“Yes. And with the sun shining through them they look absolutely stunning. It makes me sad that colour video wasn’t a thing when I was a mortal, or Lestat, or Armand. I’ve all but forgotten what I looked like in daylight, and I’m sure it would be breathtaking beyond all words to see the sun playing on Armand’s hair or light in Lestat’s eyes.”

“Oh man, it’s like you read my mind,” Daniel laughed, then he looked at Louis, more serious. “Did you read my mind?”

“I didn’t,” Louis laughed back. He had such a lovely smile. “Perhaps you unconsciously planted the idea in my head, who knows? It’s certainly a possibility. Or we just happened to be thinking the same thing. It’s a nice thought, after all, isn’t it? Imagining Armand in the sun.”

“Yeah,” Daniel nodded, and they lapsed into watching the video for a minute. It was funny, Daniel hadn’t been in the sun for so long, and yet watching this video, he could almost feel the heat of it beating down on his bare shoulders. Louis piped up again, “You’re the only one of us, aren’t you, that we can go back and see like this, mortal and in the sun? I don’t even think many of the younger ones have photo or video evidence of their humanity left. This is so unique.”

“It’s . . . yeah, you have to admit, it’s pretty cool. It’s like a time capsule. I was so different then. Still me, of course, but . . . younger, freer. If I didn’t remember being there, doing that, I don’t know if I’d be able to reconcile that boy sitting there in the sun with who I am now. It seems a lifetime ago.”

If you liked this snippet, read the whole thing on AO3!

#vamptember #vc #louis de pointe du lac #daniel molloy

[licncourt]

Any modern AU wedding HCs? 👀

Aww, yes! I should have done this before tbh

They have their wedding in a beautiful historic French Quarter building. During the planning, Louis gets kind of down about not being able to have a proper Catholic wedding in a church, but his sister and Lestat do everything they can to make the venue look traditional. They also find a priest from the American National Catholic Church to officiate with similar rites, which isn't quite the same, but the gesture is very much appreciated and Louis isn't even weird about it.

Rather than a big wedding party, Louis has his sister with him at the altar and Lestat has Gabrielle. They have shared custody of Daniel the ring-bearer. Lestat REALLY wanted Mojo in the wedding, but he was kind of alone in that. He came to the reception for a while though.

Lestat loved to make big extravagant wedding plans when he was younger without thinking he'd ever get married and Louis never planned anything but always assumed he would (to a woman), so it's an unexpectedly emotional process.

There was some arguing about who was The Bride, but in the end they both have cream tuxedos for the ceremony and it's very elegant but still a tiny bit non-traditional. Lestat has three outfits for the reception though and only two are tasteful.

Everyone is worried about Lestat getting out of control with the open bar, but it's Louis who ends up getting excited and drinking too much. He holds it together for the guests but by 10pm he's fighting for his life.

Lestat is bridezilla, but Louis ends up more invested than he's willing to admit. He totally doesn't even want a big wedding but he's keeping an eye on those gardenias. And perhaps the catering. For quality control obviously.

No consensus was reached on the cake so it's half chocolate and strawberry-champagne, split vertically down the middle even though it's a tiered cake. It's easier to pay the baker a premium than to bitch it out.

The best wedding photos are the candids because anytime Louis sees a camera he freezes and stares really stiffly and awkwardly into the lens. He has to be secretly captured in footage like a nesting pelican on a wildlife camera.

Lestat gets to sing ONE song at the reception with his band but he gives it his all, that's for sure. His shirt is not all the way on by the end. Louis finds it charming but he is also very drunk by that point so he's just having a good time.

Their honeymoon is two weeks in Italy, which is a compromise because Louis wanted one week (workaholic home enjoyer) and Lestat wanted a month (obviously). They rent a fancy villa in the Tuscan countryside that's a short drive to Florence. They spend 50% of the trip consummating the marriage, 45% on all normal honeymoon activities, and Lestat spends the last 5% facetiming everyone he knows without any regard for the time difference.

#answered #vc #human au

[astreetcarnamedkendall]

currently thinking about the shot parallels between the big church scene in the pilot and the loustat dance in the finale. during the church scene at the end of the pilot, we get a close up shot of lestat looking directly into the camera - essentially proposing to louis to be his companion for all of eternity and convincing him to become a vampire. this direct eye contact kind of swallows you whole; you can't focus on anything else. louis, on the other hand, gets the same treatment but at first is not exactly looking directly at the camera. he is the one telling the story, so we are going to get a more direct view of what he remembers seeing (lestat's face), but he then eventually makes direct eye contact with the camera - specifically when lestat says that he loves louis and louis is loved which is what he's been craving. when louis is convinced, we are convinced; when louis allows himself to feel all of these emotions he's been trying to suppress, we are allowed to feel them with him.

during the dance, we get a similar kind of close up shot of lestat looking directly into the camera. again, this direct eye contact swallows you whole; you can't focus on anything else. louis gets the same treatment again, but his eyes are looking less directly at the camera. we know louis remembers the mixed feelings he felt that night because he knew he and claudia were going to try and kill lestat, but louis was losing the thread of the current plot in that moment because "i was his, and he was mine" thus looking slightly off to the side. we again feel what louis feels when he feels it because of he's the one telling the story and immersing us into his world (as he wants us to see it because we love an unreliable narrator).

the pilot church scene is them officially coming together, and they both understand that in the moment; the finale dance scene is them unraveling "for good" (for now... we shall see how the other seasons play out), and they both understand that in the moment

don't even get me started on the setting differences too - the church scene occurring when they're technically alone but the eyes of God/religion are theoretically present; the dance scene occurring when they're surrounded by so many people but they feel like it's just them until claudia breaks their dancing apart. ugh delicious!

#so sorry for the length but this is what occupies my mind so much #and i need to get it down somewhere #the crew for this show are stupendous i love how they crafted the entire show #iwtv come home the kids miss you #loustat #louis du pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt #interview with the vampire #iwtv

[nalyra-dreaming]

is that restaurant photo the only reason people started this rumour about Justin Kirk being Marisu? because it's kind of weird to me.. was there anything else? First of all in that restaurant photo that person does not look like Justin to me at all... and also why would he even be there? we are still on "Interview with the vampire" storyline in season 2 so 99% Marius would not be in the show or filming yet at all... and yes I know they can sprinkle in stuff from other books but i don't think they would bring in character like Marius and introduce him in "IWTV" season for one or two shots only... and he would be already so close with the cast he's going out with them?

All of this is such reaching lol and it makes no sense...

Mhhh. I have to disagree.

It does make sense, and I believe that it is far from reaching given the leaked posters etc. 🤷🏽‍♀️

And yes, there was more. So let's recap, shall we? :))

I think there was this post a while back, that kicked the rumor off. Somewhere there was more, wrt him mentioning that if the show gets it's seasons he would come back in season 4 and 5, I talked about it here, but seem to have not tagged it (sorry). There were various posters from Prague mentioning him (or his name):

And then there was this blurry photo I reblogged earlier, and to me that does look like him in makeup.

*shrugs*

We will see.

He definitely has the range and the props to do Marius justice, and I do think he would be a fantastic one - he does carry that arrogant patrician air if he wants to, totally apart from his acting skills, which are immense.

Now, wrt to your question as to why he would be there....

Marius has been mentioned already in season ONE. In book canon Armand being able to stand the sun but Louis cannot places us in a very specific time frame. Armand is on the phone to someone (not using his mind gift), one of Marius' paintings hangs in the apartment and the "prime minister", a title Marius has in the later books, has been mentioned. We know they are taking from Prince Lestat and Blood Communion at the very least.

Marius is, as his maker, a big part of Armand's backstory, and we know that some of the flashbacks in season two will be to the 1790s... so they have to be from Armand's POV.

Marius also had a big part in the backstory Lestat has already mentioned, with Those Who Must Be Kept. Depending on what that groan in Dubai basement is... he might be very close, actually.

The show does not follow the books, at least not too closely, apart from reaching the emotional story points and using the beautiful prose and the emotional... carnage. They are taking from other books already, Rolin Jones has held 6? 7? books up to the camera to indicate what they're using.

The show being called "Interview with the vampire" is imho a concession to the "Vampire Chronicles" being too close to "Vampire Diaries"... and of course honoring the format, but it does not mean they are restricting themselves to the content of the first book, in fact they have already said that they used things from The Vampire Lestat and The Vampire Armand for the second season, because the content needed to be expanded.

All that has been mentioned in interviews again and again, and so it is very far from reaching imho, to expect Marius to show up.

And, I mean... I go out with my clients at work, too? Especially if you know that you will work with them again that's something that's actually a good idea. I've done that very often myself.

(Also… Assad and Sam did that too? 😅)

#Anonymous #asks #ask nalyra #justin kirk #marius de romanus #I do not understand why this riles people up? #this rumor has been out there for months #amc iwtv #iwtv #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #iwtv 2022 #interview with the vampire #rolin jones #iwtv s2

[dude-could-you-be-more-gay]

Lestat showed up like “I know I’m pretty scary and you’ve never seen anything like me before but-“ and David just looks into the camera like he's on the office

#i'm serious #this is what I remember about the end of qotd #i love David so much #king serve #the vampire chronicles #tvc #qotd #queen of the damned #vampire chronicles #anne rice #david talbot #lestat de lioncourt

[rainbowcarousels]

Day 6: Edging

“Are you sure you don’t want help?” 

If glowering were a vocal phenomenon, you would have been able to hear Louis’s expression in New Jersey. It didn’t seem to deter Daniel, but the man was a professional when it came to poor impulse control and no self preservation so this was hardly a surprise. 

Lestat was unable to see what was happening for himself. He was sitting on his stomach with his back to Louis and his alchemy on Armand’s ridiculously opulent dresser. Even watching Louis’s actions through Daniel’s eyes, Lestat was struck by how different he could look as if one of those camera phone filters were placed upon him. Still his Louis, of course, but somehow lighter, without a weight. It could be his imagination, but it seemed the same when Armand granted him access to his mind too. Little differences in perception.

“I know this has become something of a joke now, but I’m very adept with candles.” The flickering flame came to life in his hand with a singular strike of a match. So like Louis it was to prefer the physicality of the match, the feeling of the stick in his hand, the motion of lighting it more visceral than to use one of Daniel’s modern contraptions that you rolled your thumb over to light. 

“No one is questioning how adept you are with fire,” Lestat called back to him. “Least of all those of us who have experienced it first hand.”

“Pretty sure that’s just you,” Daniel oh so helpfully pointed out complete with a passable head pat for his troubles.

“I’ve always known our relationship was special,” Lestat sniffed at him. “I wouldn’t rule you experiencing a little toastiness out, isn't that something of your blood lineage’s pattern? Everyone but you?”

Daniel made a humming noise from his throat, “Bianca hasn’t.”

“Bianca isn’t direct,” Lestat pointed out. “If you go directly back to the Mother herself-”

The sudden burning heat of the wax was so sudden and so deliciously unbearable that Lestat was stopped mid flow, his words forgotten as the heat slithered down his back at an angle. The strangest sensation of it, the way Louis was carefully and purposefully covering his back.

For a younger vampire, this could perhaps have proven fatal. Even for Daniel with Armand’s blood in his veins, it could potentially spell his doom if Lestat were to buck up in exactly the wrong way and splatter him. That would defeat the purpose of this exercise, but accidents could happen.

If your desire to become my canvas costs me my firstborn, you’ll have more to worry about than the aesthetic cost. Armand’s voice dropped into his mind without warning and Lestat smiled to himself at the familiar timbre.

I promise to get you a new child to play with if I do. Plenty of other pretty blonde creatives in the sea.

Lestat didn’t have to see him to know his face at the statement, he could imagine it well enough to giggle and get a sharp smack to his shoulder. Those were not Armand’s hands – he had come to know the different ways the skin could be impacted by his hands and in comparison to Louis’ and this was most definitely the laughter.

Slipping into Daniel’s mind, he could see Armand fussing with the sharpened, pearl handled blade that he intended to use. It would take some time for the wax to cool, an hour or two at least if not more, so if Lesat was going to have to remain still in that time then at least he ought to be allowed his mirth.

Especially given how excruciatingly slow and methodical Louis was being. Every time the beautiful burning subsided, he would feel it elsewhere on his skin – so much care, so much control and all for him. It wasn’t that he was squirming on purpose but given the way his daredevilry was put on hold to become the sacred core and he couldn't risk himself or condemn the youngest and weakest to pain or even death, pain was such a luxury that he couldn’t help himself but groan under it.

It was only when it had hardened enough to stay in place that Lestat sat up to give Armand his canvas. It would make a beautiful carving, but Armand had stipulated Lestat may not see till its ending and had banished Daniel to the other side of him in case he chose to be devious about it. As if Armand were not the most devious and skilled with a blade in the room. Lestat was determined to be his lover's masterpiece and willed himself still as Armand cut into the wax and skill, drawing the blood to the surface to fill in the cracks in the wax. What he was drawing, Lestat did not know and for now, didn’t care – it was the most intense stinging pain, but Armand’s hands were so gentle on him that Lestat had never felt quite so relaxed and worked up at the same time.

It felt as if he were drifting, the echo of pain and what it felt like in his system. The smell of the wax and tang of the blood evoking memories of earlier times, not better times perhaps but important times, beautiful ones of the last – no, two centuries before. With every broken skin, the exposure to the air cooled the heat bruised skin.  

It was hard not to at least try to look, so Lestat tried to ground himself on other things: Louis’ exceptional State Candle collection from a subscription someone gave him at Christmas – that explained why he could smell sweet and warmth but he had assumed that was Louis’ new signature scent. Reflected in Daniel’s mind’s eye, Armand looked almost boyish in his concentration, his little tongue slipping out as he worked so carefully. The feeling of Daniel’s rough jeans beneath his arms, clearly not something Armand had picked out and Lestat was sure there would be consequences of this.

However, Lestat kept to his word. It took hours but when he was done, Lestat immediately demanded mirrors so he could see the work. It was so easy to see why people had considered Armand’s gifts to be something to do with divinity. Across his back in wax carving and blood stains where the wounds had healed, there was a snake eating itself – ouroboros, if he remembered correctly. A symbol of rebirth, never ending. Within it a tree, spindling branches reaching out as if to show that even though it looked barren, itt was instead ready to come into its bloom. 

“Yggdrasil in it,” Armand murmured, running his tongue over Lestat’s back. Even if he lapped at the blood, surely he was getting a mouthful of the wax too. “That is all things through all worlds reborn and forever.”

Just like them. Always reinvented, always gravitating together and always a home to return to.

“I never want to take it off.” Even after he made sure Daniel took around a thousand photographs of his proof of devotion that was encompassing his back, Lestat despaired over the idea of losing something so. But hadn’t that been their pattern too, to always lose one another and find their way back? Was it not fitting that something so agonising, stunningly beautiful and rendered from his lover's hands would be temporary? A reminder to always come back for more? “But we will do this again, won’t we?”

“I have fifty one more candles,” Louis replied, pressing a kiss to Lestat’s hair. “We have nothing but time.”

#i know it's a day late but give me a break here #edgeplay #knives #armand bedpile #louis/lestat/armand/daniel #logistics go out the window let's just go with it #vc #vckinkweek

[isabellehemlock]

stannide • Ansel Elkins • Roland Barthes • Josh Alex Baker • Ilya Kaminsky

Louis & emotions and Catholicism

Sources and image descriptions under the cut

Images via pinterest: x, x, x, x, x

First quote:

In me burns the most Catholic of longings: to devour the divine

First image:

A black and white still from episode one of Louis embracing Lestat in the church, accepting his offer to be his companion.

Second quote:

Let it be known: I did not fall from grace, I leapt to freedom.

Second image:

A black and white still of Louis and Lestat kissing on the steps near the altar. They are framed by the scenery within, pews to their sides, and a large crucifix hanging behind the altar.

Third image:

I am condemned to be a saint or a monster: unable to be the one, unwilling to be the other.

Third quote:

A black and white still of Louis looking up into the night sky in frustration and revulsion, about to bite into his flesh to satisfy the bloodlust.

Fourth quote:

I will never admit to him that his love feels like a tease from a God. A gift I only deserve as a prelude to punishment.

Fourth image:

A black and white still of Louis looking at Lestat off camera from episode six. He is conflicted by Lestat’s words, and his love for him, but is resolved to stand his ground in maintaining his silence at his efforts.

Fifth quote:

At the trial of God: we will ask: why did you allow all this?

And the answer will be an echo: why did you allow all this?

Fifth image:

A black and white still from the season finale, right after Lestat is murdered. Louis is covered in blood and staring down at the result of both his love and rage, a reflection and resignation for his own free will - God was not here.

#iwtv web weaving #my iwtv web weaving #louis de pointe du lac #iwtv #interview with the vampire #iwtv 2022 #amc iwtv #iwtv amc #tw blood #tw biting #tw violence #tw religion

[desertfangs]

Daniel & or / Lestat

Opening sentence/prompt: Both Marius and Armand had warned Daniel not to let Lestat be a bad influence on him, and yet here he was.

5 lines whomst? Thank you for the prompt! I hope you like where I've taken it.

Both Marius and Armand had warned Daniel not to let Lestat be a bad influence on him, and yet here he was. With Lestat. Surrounded by fans who’d swarmed them in the middle of the Adventura Mall in Miami.  

Which of course was no accident. Lestat had encouraged it. Courted it. Was now clearly reveling in it. 

They’d come to the mall for an innocent enough reason: Lestat, having seen some new trendy sunglasses, was now determined to get a pair and he couldn’t do so on Night Island, even though Daniel was sure they were sold at the shopping center there. No, no, that was no fun and besides, they were already on the mainland. And Lestat wanted to see another shopping mall, wanted to revel in the accoutrements of modern life! Or so he told Daniel.

Daniel suspected he just didn’t want to go back to the Island. He’d come out of the room he’d been holing up in and had found Daniel in the parlor, where Daniel had been listening to music on his walkman. Lestat had pulled his headphones from his ears, bent down way too close to Daniel so that their noses almost touched, and said, “You have your hard-won immortality and you’re spending it on the couch?” 

Daniel had glared at him even as his pulse had raced at the closeness of his face, his breath on Daniel’s skin. He’d set the walkman aside, grabbed the keys for one of the speedboats, and brought Lestat over to Miami.

The sunglasses in question had been on an ad near a bus stop, sending them on their quest. They’d only been at the mall for maybe ten minutes when the speakers, which had been playing a selection of current top 40 hits, starting blasting one of Lestat’s songs. He stared humming along—loudly—and several people recognized him. By the time they’d reached the fountain in the middle, Lestat was loudly saying that it was one of his best songs and he was glad people had not forgotten him. 

The crowd had swarmed around them, asking for autographs, a few tourists pulling out cameras to get photos. Lestat had jumped up onto the ledge of the fountain, using it as a makeshift stage, ever the rockstar. And he looked the part, too, in his leather jacket and violet sunglasses, his blond hair loose around his face. Daniel looked more unassuming, his own blond hair short and feathered, in a gray sweatshirt and jeans. He stood on the floor in front of the fountain, awkwardly positioned between the group of onlookers and Lestat. 

Lestat signed address books and receipts, and, for those who had the tape on their person or ran to the music store to buy a copy, the linear notes from their cassette cases. Someone even produced a copy of his book. 

Just last night, Marius had been telling Daniel how important it was for their kind to keep a low profile, especially after what Lestat had done. This was the opposite of low. And the last thing any of them wanted—the last thing Armand wanted—was for people to come looking for them in Miami. Not just curious mortals who probably didn’t really believe, but people like the Talamasca, or intrepid reporters hoping to chase down what happened to the lead singer of The Vampire Lestat and finding their private island.  

“Where have you been?” someone called. 

Daniel searched the crowd and saw that a teen with facial piercings was the one who’d asked. 

“Ah, well, I’m afraid that’s a secret,” Lestat said, with a big wink. “But you’ll be able to read about it in my next book!”

The crowd went wild and shouted more questions, asking if there would be another album, new songs, what the new book would be called? Daniel spotted a security guard near the edge of the crowd, looking bewildered and unsure what to do. Clearly having a celebrity jump up on the fountain and draw an audience was not common place here and he had not been trained for it. 

Daniel had been so focused on the security guy that he hadn’t noticed Lestat was talking about his concert in San Francisco, and then suddenly he’d grabbed Daniel and yanked him on the edge of the fountain beside him. 

Lestat threw his arm around Daniel’s shoulders and gave him a conspiratorial wink. “Do you know who this is?” 

The crowd looked blank, no doubt racking their brains to think of everyone discussed in Lestat’s memoir, in which Daniel did not appear.

“How many of you read Louis’ damnable book, Interview with the Vampire?” Lestat asked. 

A few people whooped and hollered at that. 

“This is our infamous little reporter boy. The one who started it all.” 

One or two people looked impressed. Most looked uninterested. Daniel felt heat creeping into his neck and cheeks. 

“Don’t be shy, Daniel! Address your fans.” 

Daniel did not think he had many fans in that crowd and didn't dare read their thoughts to find out. He waved awkwardly. “Hi, it’s been great to see you all, but Lestat has an errand to run…” Daniel started. 

“Sing a song!” someone yelled. 

Daniel gave Lestat a warning look. Marius was already going to blow a gasket when he heard about this and he doubted Armand was going to be thrilled to hear Lestat had been parading around Miami announcing his whereabouts, either. 

Lestat shot a questioning look at Daniel. Daniel frowned, suspecting that trying to talk him out of it was liable to make things worse. 

“Unfortunately, without my band, I fear the show would not be up my rigorous standards,” Lestat said. “You’ll have to wait for my reunion tour!” 

Relief washed over Daniel as the crowd made disappointed noises.

Lestat let Daniel go, and Daniel jumped back down off the fountain, followed by Lestat himself. 

Daniel snaked through the crowd and Lestat managed to extract himself from their grasp, calling that they should look for his next book in stores soon.

“Was that really necessary?” Daniel asked. 

“Danny boy, let me impart to you one of the great lessons of surviving the centuries,” Lestat said, putting a hand on his back, the pressure of it reassuring through his sweatshirt. “Have fun.” 

Daniel looked at him. “Fun doesn’t always have to be reckless.” 

“Pfft,” Lestat said. “Reckless! I’ve been holed up for weeks. I’m allowed to stretch my legs.” 

Daniel didn’t bother to point out that no one had kept him holed up in that office. “There’s just been a lot of talk among the others lately about how we should conceal our existence.” 

Lestat gave him such an incredulous look that Daniel stopped walking. Lestat spun backwards to face him. “Ah, but don’t you see? The more rules they make, the more determined I become to break them all.” He grinned. He had a charming grin and beautiful, penetrating blue-gray eyes that made Daniel want to stare into them for hours. With looks like that, Daniel could see how he’d gotten away with everything that he had. 

“You’re going to get me into so much trouble, aren’t you?” Daniel asked.

Lestat winked. “Count on it.” 

He took Daniel’s hand and dragged him on toward the sunglass store. 

#lestat/daniel #daniel molloy #lestat de lioncourt #night island era #thank you so much for the ask!!! #i hope it's okay #i was trying to do something a little light hearted hahaha #uncivilcivilservice #answers in the desert #first sentence game #vc fanfic #vc #vampire chronicles #I'm sorry i've been so slow to respond to these #work has been kicking my ass #i'm working on them! #i will get to the rest i swear