LK Bitters

The Gremlin. The Coven Master. The Soldier. The Monster.

Based on gargoyle and grotesque faces. A creature adorning a religious structure. They are said to be visual warnings of sinful behaviour, sometimes representing souls condemned for their sins, eternally punished in hell.

Others suggest they are agents of the devil acting on behalf of God. A soldier for Satan. The Children of Darkness. This is the form that will stand the test of time. This form is fortified. Armoured. Able to protect itself. Strong. Powerful.

And must be retrained. Hidden. It is shameful. An abomination in the eyes of God. Dangerous. Unlovable. But it is not restrained here. Its features are distorted, scrunched up, unhinged jaw, fangs drawn, horns sprouting from its skull.

There are no openings for eyes, no window to the soul.

It is frozen in stone, frozen in time, locked in intensity. I tried to keep the expression ambiguous. Is it an anguished scream? Manic laughter? A shouted command? A creature lunging to attack its prey? Lashing out? A snarl, a warning to stay back? To stay away before I hurt you?

This is the last thing Riccardo saw. The lost cause that made Marius give up on Amadeo. The creature that repels everyone, repulses everyone, most of all Armand. This is vampirism. This is the monstrous existence he wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Amadeo. The Muse. The Temptation. Beloved of God.

Based on Venetian Carnival masks, specifically the “gnaga” mask, worn by male sex workers to avoid being arrested for homosexual acts. According to Venetian law at the time, wearing a mask meant becoming the mask, playing a role, and the person under the mask couldn’t be held liable for anything they did.

Gnaga would make “meowing” sounds to entice passers by. Amadeo is often viewed as a tease, a devilish manipulator corrupting the otherwise good and righteous men around him. (Amadeo had a skill.)

I went back and forth on making it a human (whitewashed) mask like the reference on the right, but decided to go with this. There is a lot of symbolic meaning simply in it being a cat mask. Cats are domesticated animals. Kept as pets. Marius sees himself as having saved Amadeo from his savage nature. Groomed him to be the perfect companion.

Or maybe a stray creature to tame? A possession to be displayed, passed around? An extension of others, unable to be seem fully as a person. Beautiful. Delicate. Tempting. Requires discipline and teaching. Whitewashing and romanticising. Saving from himself.

The mask has no mouth to voice any objections. Ought to be seen but not heard. No discernible expression (all the easier to see whatever you want to see, to project whatever you want it to be, to paint however you want to remember it).

It is elevated in the line up. Pedestaled by Marius, but doomed to fall from grace. Pedestaled by Armand, as a good time in his life. This was when I was loved. This was safety. This was more than I deserved but I long for it anyway. This is what I will search for in everything.

Arun. The Boy. The Slave. The Wound. The Beginning.

Loosely based on Kushmandi Gomira masks, from West Bengal. They are worn during ritual dances to invoke benevolent forces and ward off negative energies.

This was the most difficult mask to decide where to draw inspiration from - I avoided basing any specific figures or deities, out of respect and feeling that that wasn’t appropriate for the intended meaning of the mask either.

The references I draw from are from an artist Parmesh Sarkar, who is inspired by the Gomira art form but combines it with outside influences. I felt this linked to the fractured memories of this time in Armand’s past, and the disconnect from his homeland and culture, from the time and place of his origins.

The masks are carved from lightweight wood then traditionally painted with bold colours and designs. This mask is not painted. Exposed. Incomplete. Interrupted. Stunted growth.

Misremembered and misshapen. Deformed; two mouths, two noses, too many eyes, seeing too much. Not quite a person (so do whatever you want with it). Twisted forms. Gaping holes; in the memories, in the identity, in the soul. Hollow. Hollowed out.

And yet, so full of pain, tears escape from what should be an inanimate object. So full of pain, the pain eclipses anything that came before it. Until the pain is all that is left. The wound that never heals. The thing that is impossible to look at, to remember, to acknowledge, to embrace… without feeling the crushing despair that comes with it.

Armand.

The only one with the capacity to change. The past is immutable, no matter how much we avoid it. We cannot control how others perceive us, no matter how meticulously we construct our image. The only one with a body attached, even if there is a void, a black hole beneath it.

The only one not looking at us, even though he faces us. Instead looking back on the other masks (because this form is also a mask, just as interchangeable and separate from himself, if there is a self underneath it all, as the rest of them). What is his expression, his feelings? Regret? Discomfort? Shame? Mourning? Disgust? Rejection? Acceptance?

There are several running themes and ideas across these masks. Dehumanisation. Identity (and lack thereof). The fractured self. Compartmentalising and repressing trauma. Self perception.

Becoming what others make you, what others see you as, what you must become to survive, what you could only ever be, what you were doomed to become, what you seem to doom yourself to become with every choice you make and every one that you don’t.

Your goal is constructive criticism

I know, this feels like playing nice, or giving them flowers they may not deserve, but the people receiving the review will not know you participated in good faith unless you show your work. This is basic communication 101; you need to communicate that you see TVL as a work of art, and show that you did engage with the material with intent to understand. Lie, if you have to, but pure vitriol will not be taken seriously.

Before you start writing the review, identify:

1 or 2 CREATIVE decisions you liked. This could be actors, costume, set design, original content, dialogue, music, ect. These are things that make the work artistic. Map them out, and treat them seriously: for example, I really liked that the gift to walk in sunlight is a skill that can be taught, and doesn't come from age.

1 or 2 ADAPTIVE decisions you liked. This could be how they condensed something satisfyingly, an ambitious change that you think was compelling, character choices that surprised you, ambiguous details that have you thinking, or things you thought were interesting and were disappointed they did not explore more. Adaption is an art, so let them know how the art impacted you. For example: I really liked the choice to have Magnus be depicted in a music video first, and return as an aggressive and haunting muse. I think it was extremely effective, and I would have liked to see more music-video style narration.

1-2 points of strong criticism. It is easy to dogpile on a whole bunch of flaws, especially when you are irritated, upset, disappointed, or disgusted. Take a deep breath, and make sure your criticisms are substantial. I think everyone who reads this post should make one of these points reference the offensive and poorly framed racialized dialogue, and the striking and hurtful orientation of Louis as a character punished by the narrative.

The conclusion should include actions you wish to see taken to prove the creative team has considered and respected our critique. One or two requests are enough, and I will share my example at the end.

Once you have clearly identified your points, you can move onto the next step

Organize your points

Part of what makes a successful critical review is how it summarizes and analyzes a text's strengths and weaknesses, which means you won't just be writing bullet points. In academia, this would be an introduction and paragraphs based around topics abc, but we don't have to do that. These will be organized into "sections," but that's more to prevent rambling than to grade you. I'll include examples of what I would say, but don't be afraid to use your own voice and just use my words as inspiration.

I'll give you guys 3 methods you can choose between:

Concerned Viewer

If strong criticism scares you, this is a good option.

Start with a short introduction using casual language: "Hi, I am a fan of AMC's Immortal Universe, and I wanted to reach out to share some concerns I had watching the latest season of 'The Vampire Lestat.'"

Next, mention one of your negative points, and follow up with a positive point: "When watching the adaption, I was struck by the realization that ___. This disappointed me so much, because the story and themes could have added so much more to the world and characters, but I don't feel ___. I was happy that some elements made it through, such as ____. I would have loved more moments like this."

The next section should be this, but reversed. Start with a positive point, end with a negative point: "____ really stood out in their performances this season. ___ and ____ stuck with me for days after I watched. I was, however, distracted from complete enjoyment because of _____."

-- I will address the conclusion under a different header --

End with: "I would love to continue to watching The Immortal Universe franchise, however I do not feel comfortable returning to the franchise unless these criticisms are taken seriously. Thank you."

Analyst

This is a good structure if you have very precise critiques that extend beyond surface-level impact that you want to convey.

Start with a strong overview of your impressions of the season. Briefly address one good point and one bad point. You will return to these later: "Dear writers and producers of 'The Vampire Lestat,' as I have tuned into this season weekly, I found myself increasingly dismayed at ____ which damaged my enjoyment of ____ and I wanted to convey my impressions to all concerned parties, to avoid a repetition of this experience."

First section should include your weakest points. You're leading them into the criticism. It is good, also, to describe what story-telling elements you were paying attention to: "I was most excited to see the portrayal of ___ to explore the themes of ___. I was, however, distracted by ___, and found my attention torn between enjoyment and confusion."

Next section should hit your most appreciated moments, but why the flaw you chose made this feel lacking, despite your appreciation: "I was most impressed by ____ which landed with me in ways I didn't expect [fill in details]. However, the ____ were not only distracting, they completely circumvented my deep appreciation for ____ [fill in with details].

-- I will address the conclusion under a different header --

End with: "I am disappointed in the result of this project, despite how interested I was in the story being told. Unless these points are seriously addressed, please do not consider me to be a returning viewer."

Offended Viewer

If you cannot find it in yourself to be polite or logical, you are not a problem. There are ways to structure your argument to convey that emotion without having to "play nice." This will be if you can't seriously commit to the positives from above, but you should still mark things you COULD have enjoyed if the other things didn't ruin your experience.

Start with a direct address (don't name names - yet.), and then give a summary of your issues: "For those at AMC who take criticism for 'The Vampire Lestat,' I have some things that need to be said. ___ and ___ were flaws of the project that ruined my enjoyment, and taxed by emotional and intellectual well-being because I tried so hard to give this adaption a fair chance."

Next section, start with the creative/adaptive things you were looking forward to, and then transition into the moments/episode when you realized that they disappointed you. If you can name the scene, do so. Precision will get you everywhere.

Next section is when you really beat the drum. Name head writers of the episode that pissed you off, detail 2 or 3 moments that you cannot in-good-conscience accept as art, and then provide the summary of what the show seemed to tell you while depicting these things. Tell them what the story impressed on you, because a message delivered ignorantly is still as painful as a message delivered intentionally. Make sure they KNOW what you took from the story.

-- I will address the conclusion under a different header --

End with your earnest disappointment and frustration, and what guided you to this show in the first place: "I expected to enjoy this season. I wanted to respect the changes and experimental approach. I wanted to see ___ and ___, but I did not enjoy it, and my opinion of the project is forever changed because of it."

Conclusion and Action

I put this under its own header because any activist will tell you that you get the most reward out of being united, and if our demands are the same, or are similar, we are more likely to see the results we want. Giving them actions to prove they have listened will also tell the audience if it's worth it to tune into the next season.

You can shift this to be in your own words, with your own criticism. You can even choose different actions. This is just my example, to help you see exactly what I mean.

I do not expect to find myself returning to 'The Vampire Lestat,' unless I have proof that the criticisms I outlined here have been heard and understood.

First, because of the failure of the narrative framework to build a substantial critique of racism -- that included racially offensive dialogue and insults directed at Black characters -- I will not return to The Immortal Universe unless two or more Black writers are hired to share their voices in the creative space. I do not trust the creative team to further address the topic of anti-blackness without them. Second, I request a public and published acknowledgment of the creative missteps, and the insult they have given, so that I have evidence that the creative team is interested in audience feedback.

I know some people are probably not interested in returning and I get you, but I encourage you to lie anyway. Executives speak in numbers, much to my absolute disdain, so if they know they could do something to get you BACK, they will have more incentive to actually do it.

So lie: lie for the fans who want to return, for the actors who want to return, for AMC to treat us seriously, and because it's fun to give a little lie to people who won't be harmed for it. Does AMC really deserve our total truth?

You can screenshot this post, share it on other social media platforms, discord groups, group chats, whatever you need. You can do it without crediting me. Just get the word out there, so AMC's creative team is aware of the impact of their massive fumble of the season.

This isn't about personal taste, it's about solidarity and refusing to accept anti-black writing without calling it out.