It’s worth mentioning that in another thread, in another topic, AR is asked about “But as a long time fan, I’ve ( and many other fans, I´m sure..) never understood the whole “Lestat and Louis- thing” and I think in a psychologically way it is also very interesting. Please, can you POFOUNDLY explain this whole relationship?”
^What CAN she really say that would change one single line in any novel about her characters? She’s told us the story, she’s saying it’s up to us to interpret it however we choose. #Your Headcanon May Vary.
Questions like those are the kinds of things that make her want to explicitly spell it out for us (through Lestat’s POV, in PL, here):
““I love you,” I whispered. In a low intimate voice, [Louis] answered: “My heart is yours.””
In writing/storytelling, as in art, there’s the old adage “Show; Don’t Tell.” In this age of social media where we can ask the artist/storyteller anything, should we? Why do we need her Official Confirmation? It doesn’t hurt to ask, but one should take the answers with a grain (or truckload full) of salt.
It seems to me that it’s better to read the story and have your own interpretation, “Read between the lines,” rather than have it broken down and explicitly stated.
I think AR’s comment could be a little misleading there; she says Gabrielle is “cold and selfish and essentially a bad human being” and then, separately, that Gabrielle is “a bad vampire.“
^Reason enough for AR to dislike Gabrielle. Gabrielle defended him against his father and brothers, helped him run away to Paris, stayed with him for a good decade exploring the world, and then wanted to go off on her own. Idk if I agree that she treated him SO badly, though she could have shown kid!Lestat a little more affection, he was starved for it.
I don’t think AR means that coldness and selfishness = bad vampire. One would think that those are "good” vampire qualities.
(^Catherine Deneuve bc of reasons)
What’s MOST likely is that AR modeled Gabrielle after someone AR is not particularly fond of, thus our dear Gabs was doomed to never be able to bask in the glow of AR’s love ;A;
So who’s an example of a “good” vampire in AR’s eyes? Marius, Lestat, Louis. Vampires who still strive to be part of the fabric of civilization to some degree:
Marius still finds pleasure in painting, socializing w/ the coven members, he studies history, he’s a people-watcher.
Lestat is a sensualist; he wants to crash parties, sample all types of victims, acquire all kinds of toys, be Good at Being Bad, share affection with his covenanyone.
Louis does not in fact want to be left completely alone. Even though he’s a huge bookworm, he also has a deep appreciation for art, and does relish frequent *ahem* cuddles with Lestat, bc who doesn’t?
… Oh right, Gabrielle doesn’t. Gabrielle would rather not be around any vampires or people at all. For legitimate reasons, for sure, but she seems to have little interest in making any connections with civilization, no interest in art or fashion, only a tenuous commitment to her coven,… she wants freedom. Perhaps that’s too lonely and empty an existence for AR to contemplate.
But mostly it’s bc Gabrielle “treated Lestat badly,” and that she doesn’t need or want to be a regular part of Lestat’s family in the way he would love her to be, and since Lestat is AR’s precious bb, Gabrielle’s rejection of Lestat is a rejection of AR herself (which is slightly amusing considering that AR’s commitment to writing Gabrielle in character prevents her from modifying Gabrielle into someone she finds more likable!)(#PROFESSIONAL AUTHOR PROBLEMS)
So. Is fanfiction okay now? Like, I’m sure Queen Anne isn’t still chasing people down with legal papers, but did we get outright approval to post stories? When did that happen?
Short answer: Yes, fanfic is okay now. AR now “ignores fanfiction.” That’s her current stance. We don’t have her approval, we have her tolerance. Not sure exactly when that happened (but there are timestamps in my FB screencaps below).
*~And AO3 has pledged itself as a safe haven* for fanfic writers to post their works!~*
*meaning: AO3 will attempt to defend the writers against copyright infringement claims. The legality of fanfic is nebulous right now, as the courts are slowly defining fanworks under the Fair Use doctrine on a case-by-case basis.
“I got upset about 20 years ago because I thought it would block me,” she says. “However, it’s been very easy to avoid reading any, so live and let live.” – Anne Rice, Nov. 2012.
Aaaaand here are the best FB screencaps re: AR’s stance on fanfic I could find, in reverse chronological order (there’s more, just trying to keep this post from getting too long, emphasized w/ my highlights, of course):
(^Year unknown on that one, old screencap; couldn’t find it again.)
…You want MORE? Hit the jump.
Also this is relevant, from 2014: “A big congratulations to Anna Todd, 25 year old author of One Direction fan fiction, "After” on her new deal with publishing house Simon & Schuster and her movie deal.”
In her comments below, AR seems to compare her inspiration of Hollywood’s vampire movies made in the ‘40s as being similar to Anna Todd’s inspiration re: the boy band 1D. In a way, AR is saying what we all know that writers ARE influenced by outside sources, in various media; Anna Todd’s work cannot be simply written off (no pun intended) as purely derivative fanfiction of 1D just like AR’s work cannot be simply written off as purely derivative fanfiction of Hollywood’s vampire movies made in the ‘40s.
Not that anyone has accused AR of that that I’m aware of, but it might have been an issue raised in 1975 when IWTV first came out.
“Anne Rice objected to fan fiction based on any of her characters (mostly those from her famous Interview with the Vampire and its sequels in The Vampire Chronicles) or other elements in her books, and she formally requested that FanFiction.Net remove stories featuring her characters.[52]However, in 2012, Metro reported that Rice has taken a milder stance on the issue: “I got upset about 20 years ago because I thought it would block me,” she said. “However, it’s been very easy to avoid reading any, so live and let live. If I were a young writer, I’d want to own my own ideas. But maybe fan fiction is a transitional phase: whatever gets you there, gets you there.”[53]
“
[this was re:my recent Nicolas casting post] Thanks! Glad to know someone appreciated the effort in rounding those up ;]
I searched AR’s FB page re: “someone suggested Kit Harrington as Nicolas to Anne and she loved the idea,” and didn’t find it 😛 Has anyone else seen that? I know she’s a big GoT fan, but idk about Kit playing Nicolas. Kinda big, isn’t he? Not sure if I believe that AR was into that suggestion, but hey, it’s possible! Maybe she was just being supportive?
But he is a good actor, and I do also approve of him shirtless so let’s get him a job somehow…
I-want-my-IWTV 