#memeything

Yes, absolutely! Especially the purple to red, it's like a sunset ✨

Adding this to #those violet shades tag 💜u💜

…"Are we close to God when we create something out of nothing? When we pretend we are the tiny flame and we make other flames?"

nansorella, this question could be an essay answer 💗! I'm glad to hear you're rereading the books, definitely try to get through TOBT if you can, that's where the above quote came from. There's a lot of layers with Lestat giving the Dark Gift to Louis. But I'll try to keep this as short as I can, and we can always delve further in a follow up ;}

[^X by @xxhellonursexx, read the caption on that bc it's in line with my answer on this ask! Vampiric feeding could be compared to breastfeeding, but specifically their turning is really the most comparable, a child feeding on the nutrition from their parent's own body.]

Focusing on the book, yes, my reading is that it's intentionally very sexual (even complete a**holes can be capable of sex!). Since vampires can't get pregnant, the Dark Gift is their method of sexual reproduction; I would argue that it's the most intimate act they can perform. Yes Lestat is being more than a bit of an a**hole in that moment but I can excuse it partly bc it was AR's first time writing a vampire turning and Lestat was for sure the main antagonist in that story, so he had to be sassy/cruel even in what should have been a loving moment but that's another entire discussion. Ppl can be awful during the act of giving birth, too, so... yeah... I would also argue that the '94 movie softened that scene somewhat, Lestat was positively thrilled about doing it and wasn't awful to Louis (except for when he had to break away from Louis, but that's also comparable to childbirth, which has pain involved for sure, and then you can see how sexually gratified he is laying back and watching Louis transform after they separate so ANYWAY!).

Since Lestat has so many fledglings, it was kind of a fandom joke that every time X sound occurs, Lestat makes another fledgling... maybe it's because he gets so much pleasure out of performing the act itself, and, transforming someone into a vampire, he gains a kind of parental and creative ownership of that person. It's his blood in them, after all!

Louis describes the act of killing as being a celebration of his making, (my bold & italics emphasis added):

"Killing is no ordinary act," said the vampire. "One doesn't simply glut oneself on blood." He shook his head. "It is the experience of another's life for certain, and often the experience of the loss of that life through the blood, slowly. It is again and again the experience of that loss of my own life, which I experienced when I sucked the blood from Lestat's wrist and felt his heart pound with my heart. It is again and again a celebration of that experience; because for vampires that is the ultimate experience."

[X for a great gifset of this quote by @fetch-me-a-block]

And then in Tale of the Body Thief, Lestat's reflecting on the creation of Claudia in a similar way to how ppl talk about the creation of their children:

[^X St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC, 11/7/15.]

“I lifted the long wax wick, dipped it into an old flame, and carried the fire to a fresh candle, watched the little tongue grow orange and bright. What a miracle, I thought. One tiny flame could make so many other flames; one tiny flame could set afire a whole world. Why, I had, with this simple gesture, actually increased the sum total of light in the universe, had I not? …«But why, Lestat?» Because she was beautiful, because she was dying, because I wanted to see if it would work. Because nobody wanted her and she was there, and I picked her up and held her in my arms. Because it was something I could accomplish, like the little candle flame in the church making another flame and still retaining its own light - my way of creating, my only way, don’t you see? One moment there were two of us, and then we were three. …«Are we close to God when we create something out of nothing? When we pretend we are the tiny flame and we make other flames?»

Sorry, I don't know that one, opening it up to others to answer...

♛(Lestat) Merci beaucoup, anonyme! After my long rest, Louis appreciated the effort taken to welcome him home for date night. Well, he didn't respond. He was surely consumed with emotion.

Yes of course! I was really happy to see that SOMEONE remembered it, I originally posted that in 2014, which feels like centuries ago. It's Thor from the first movie in 2011 (bleached eyebrows version!), very Mael to me, a perpetually PMSing Thor! pffft. We were Allowed to be Silly and Hyperbolic back in 2014, what a time to be alive. 

The original post only has 5 notes currently, but I did add it to posts a few times over the years! I stand by my original tags: #mael #memeything #he doesnt get enough love #poor druid #thor #kinda sorta #i just feel like he's always on the edge of breaking out a can of whoopass #cloudsinvenice #this r serious discussion #chris hemsworth #bag of dicks #remember that saying?

I thiiiink even by 2014 "bag of dicks" had fallen out of favor, but I'm sure some ppl still use that, and Mael for sure would attempt to use the slang of the times, and get it wrong.

Here's a new one dedicated to you ♥

here. i made a funny. am i still young kids?

no but for real there’s exactly one infant in my family and friend group right now, otherwise we’re all 25+. i understand some people don’t think you’re worth anything past that age, as a person or a fan. it sucks.

[Library/book store worker comment here]

it’s nice to hear a different perspective book store worker, but for the record i wasn’t solely referring the under 25 demographic.

Sorry, I'm not sure which anon you are, if you're returning from a previous ask on this topic [1, 2, 3], or are just now coming to the conversation.

This anon seemed disappointed that "people read less and less everyday. i don’t know a single person among my friends or family that bothers to read books of any kind... idk about [the AMC TV series] [bringing] new blood to the fan groups", but they didn't specify what age group they perceive isn't reading, just that "actually i don’t think i’ve met anyone who reads for pleasure since maybe high school."

This anon responded to the previous one that "I think the idea that the show wont bring in new readers is a little ridiculous tbh. Like when a new season of the Witcher TV show comes out the books are always on a waitlist at the local library," which, again, did not specify the age group of the people seeking the books.

I thought it was great to hear from the Library/book store worker anon that people under 25 do read books! They split the demographic to show that both people over & under 25 will read the books:

➡25+ demographic: "Fans of the show will read the books, even if only adult fans enjoy them." - Library/book store worker anon is speaking to the anon's negative feeling that people don't read, reassuring them that older/adult people will read the books. ➡Under 25 demographic: Library/book store worker anon also added, that from their perspective: "over half our customers are under 25," to provide evidence that younger people do read books.

i know this may be difficult to understand for tumblr users but our lives don’t stop after 25; we don’t curl up, die and suddenly become boomers. sad as it may be, we’re just past prime vampire turning age.

here. i made a funny. am i still young kids?

Lol, well, I mean it depends on the vampire media, but there are VC vampire characters over 25 who are turned: Marius, Gabrielle, David (well, technically he's over 25). In other media, probably most of the What We Do in the Shadows TV and movie cast, other than Nick from the WWIDITS movie.

no but for real there’s exactly one infant in my family and friend group right now, otherwise we’re all 25+. i understand some people don’t think you’re worth anything past that age, as a person or a fan. it sucks.

Yeah that does suck, when people say that, it's ageist and narrowminded, people will take low hanging fruit to bully each other on the internet.

So looking back through the conversation, maybe you can point me to where someone said that people who read the books and are over 25 aren't worth anything, I didn't get that impression from any of them...

But YES, people over 25 exist in fandom, engage and contribute in many ways, offering some of our perspective of fandom from our experiences ("what were zines like? what was strikethrough like?"), the questions about canon/characters that people debate over time ("Could Nicki have survived?"), as content creators with the skills we've developed over our lifetimes, offering comments/Kudos on fanart/fic, Likes/Reblogs, etc.

Overall: "Beauty companies will sell you aging is a curse, when in fact it's a blessing not given to most"

I am 100% with you on this, Anon. I'm also not thrilled about the new IWTV casting for many reasons, but I'm willing to give it a chance as a spin off/another take/fanfic! I'm not saying everyone else has to feel this way, that's just my feeling on it. I still want more graphic novels, really 😊

AND, the movie was your gateway to the series, so, the other Anon's concern about that, see, your experience confirmed what I said, that the adaptations can be advertising for the books.

[X by @pondmelody]

When I first read IWTV, which was my intro experience to the series, I didn't get the impression that Armand was as young as he's depicted in canon later on, in TVL he's described as much younger than in IWTV, if I recall correctly. In IWTV, it's mentioned that he has auburn hair, but that also comes in a wide range of shades, and at the time, I imagined it as pretty dark with auburn highlights. So seeing Antonio Banderas play Armand as being older, with dark hair (no auburn highlights, oh well) fit just fine for me. His acting was more important to me than his appearance, and I really enjoyed him.

And you're right, Antonio brought a lot of depth to the role, I bought that he was the world's oldest vampire, he did have that etherealness, the presence, and that voice! And in moments where I find myself reliving some past regret that's unproductive to dwell on, I can still hear him say, "We must be powerful, beautiful, and without regret."

Adding: I think most people agree that Aaliyah was an amazing Akasha and she didn't match the canon description, but her acting, her costume, it was believable as the queen of all vampires, with her deranged mission, almost fully divorced from any shred of humanity.

TL;DR: My kneejerk reaction was to be saddened, and I don’t like that this is starting up, and will continue to fuel, fandom drama. Ultimately, if we want peace, we’ll embrace the fact that the existence of this adaptation doesn’t take away from the existence of the books, and it also doesn't mean we have to acknowledge it.

It makes me wonder whether AMC wants us to make a storm about this. We’ll see...

After all, what makes this adaptation any more important than the graphic novels of the ’90s, the graphic novel Claudia’s Story, movie!IWTV, or movie!QOTD? In fact, many fans here on tumblr consider VC to be a trilogy only!!! and don’t accept the majority of the PUBLISHED CANON so what makes anyone think we have any obligation to swallow this AMC adaptation as some kind of gospel?

I see movie!QOTD as a buffet of ideas carried in an official fanfiction work, and I don’t accept as my headcanon the various things it changed about the books that I didn’t particularly like, such as merging Magnus and Marius (which, IMO, effectively made both characters more morally reprehensible). I accepted the things I did enjoy, like casting a Black/POC actress to play Akasha. I see this AMC adaptation as a buffet of ideas, some can be taken, and some not, it’s just another official fanfiction work.

[Anon, I need to catch other ppl up on the information, too.]

Deadline.com informs us that in the AMC adaptation for Interview with the Vampire, Jacob Anderson has been cast as Louis. I'm not familiar with him, but it looks like he’s a successful actor, from Game of Thrones and other things, he’s also joining Series 13 of Doctor Who. I’ll have to check him out from an acting standpoint!

Aside from his talent as an actor, this is by far the most controversial thing that's happened in VC fandom recently. I've been thinking about this for a few months now, talking about it privately online and offline, still gathering my thoughts. So this post is not engraved in stone, it’s initial thoughts on this.

I’m glad to see ppl talking about it and I’m sure we’ll have more public discussions. I’m trying to discuss it very carefully, but also, this is an entertainment blog, my opinions are mine alone, and I’m not looking for dogpiling on anyone, I have no obligation to respond publicly or privately to anything. Plenty of other ppl have differing opinions on this. So take all of the following with more than a grain of salt, I’m not being salty, I’m providing the links to the little info we’ve seen pulicly, I’m giving my initial thoughts, and I’m also trying to add a little levity because ultimately, again, this is an entertainment blog, and I try to add a little humor to help with such serious topics, humor can help ppl talk about controversial things.

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The casting of a POC/Black actor (I’m sorry I don't know the preferred terminology, let me know if you know what Anderson prefers) confirms at least one part of theilluminerdi articles that stated that Louis’ race will be different from the books. I didn’t post about these before bc I wasn’t sure how reliable theilluminerdi’s sources are (and I'm still not sure), but this was one major aspect that theilluminerdi announced before Deadline did, so now seems to be the right time to share those articles. For now, you can go check them out yourselves rather than have my reposting of the information, trigger warning: mentions of sex workers and race in the changes to the canon story of Interview with the Vampire.

>>>theilluminerdi articles from May 21, 2021 and July 15, 2021:

www.theilluminerdi.com/2021/05/21/interview-with-the-vampire-amc

www.theilluminerdi.com/2021/07/15/interview-with-the-vampire-amc-2

^Meme of Dr. Ian Malcom from Jurassic Park reads: “Your writers were so preoccupied with whether they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

I’m using that meme with a little levity here, clearly an AMC adaptation of vampires in which the producers/writers have chosen to change the race of a main character (arguably the original protagonist of the series) isn’t in the same VICINITY as the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park that broke out of containment and killed visitors to the park, but John Hammond’s intention for the creation of that park was very good, as I assume this race change was intended. Time will tell.

“But with this place, I wanted to show them something that wasn't an illusion. Something that was real, something that they could see and touch. An aim not devoid of merit.”

“Creation is an act of sheer will.” 

- John Hammond, Jurassic Park

Race is a more complicated subject than ever, so for AMC to make this bold change, I hope they have POC and Black writers on staff and are handling this very carefully. Even then, no racial group, including POC and Black people, are a hivemind, disagreements are bound to happen in the writing room, whether in good faith or bad. People have different intentions and motives, compromises will probably be made with the story in many ways, we all know how it goes with collaborations; the end product is a shared vision among multiple creators. This could be a potentially controversial adaptation, I don’t know whether they’re aiming for that or not, but with the elements it has so far, it seems to be headed that way.

Here's a comment by "Angellus" on the 5/21 article. It's undeniable that there's going to be the accusation of racism thrown at anyone who has any negative view of this change, regardless of their reasons. I find it unfair and narrow-minded that any negative response is automatically assumed to be coming from a racist point of view. To say that changing Louis' race is unequivocally an improvement fails to take into account how that change has a Domino effect on all of the other parts of the story. Not the least of which is that, if he is still a slaver/slave holder/plantation owner/(insert your preferred term) that adds a whole new racist element to his owning Black/POC people, even though, apparently there were Black/POC plantation owners. 

Not the least of which: How will this change impact his relationship with Lestat? Particularly when Lestat has the added issue of being described in those articles as having “mind control abilities” and “insistent that he gets what he wants and when facing rejection,” a terrible combination in terms of consent, even in a relationship of the same race, let alone invoking Caucasian/white dominance over Black/POC people, AND Lestat being the catalyst to Louis’ questioning his sexuality:

Lestat is insistent that he gets what he wants and when facing rejection, petulance can quickly turn to ruthless rage which causes frenzied acts of horrifically brutal violence. Lestat also has mind control abilities. Lestat initially infuriates Louis, but this soon turns to fascination which leads Louis to question his religion and sexuality. 

^Screencap reads: "I love how racist everyone is in the damn comments, this doesn’t pervert the story you’re all racist and it’s disgusting. I’m looking forward to it, I hope you keep crying your salty racist tears asswipes."

It makes me question whether Angellus truly believes what they wrote, if this is an ideology, or a troll. I would suggest their use of the term “pervert” is correct though, pervert means: “alter (something) from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended.” That’s what this race change does, factually. Although, in this context, “distortion or corruption” carries a negative connotation. It would take a lot to show how this change does not meet the definition or “to pervert,” though.

I hope the rumours of Louis being a brothel owner aren't true

I agree 1,000%, I was hoping that these were just rumors. But, aside from the race change, if this were the only change, I find Louis being a brothel owner to be equivalently morally reprehensible to being a slaver/slave holder/plantation owner/(insert your preferred term). Ideally, they’d change his career to something that doesn’t involve benefiting from the bodies/labor of others in any morally reprehensible manner.

I mean, with a black Louis they can't have him being a slaver anymore, so maybe they're trying to find something that is also morally reprehensible for him to be.

He might still be a slaver. Who knows. Being morally reprehensible as a mortal man didn’t seem to me to be crucial to the story, but they still could have chosen something better. It seems to me like they want a brothel so they can have eye candy for an audience who want to see sex workers, maybe full frontal nudity. 

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