Hmmm, he’s not my headcanon of Armand, but maybe for Riccardo? Or an unnamed de Romanus lost boy? @lostsoulofvenice RPs as Riccardo. @perladivenezia (Bianca RPer), @riccardo-de-romanus (another Riccardo) what do you think?
I haven’t studied the MBTI personality theory well enough to do this, so I can’t say 😛
[^X] I’ll open this up to everyone else to answer, tho!
Also, I think it could be interesting if ppl take the Personality Test in a character of their choice and let me know the results, and see if multiple ppl get the same result for specific characters. Do the thing!
(But I also feel like applying human psychology may not be so easy to do to vampires… they are people first and vampires second, but we know that the way they experience and process emotions changes post-turning. It seems like their emotions are especially volatile as fledglings for some amount of time.)
There is PLENTY wrong with TOBT. Plenty. So much so that there are many fandom ppl who don’t consider it canon.
I’ve seen attitudes about this book change over time. In ‘94, when that book was 2 yrs old, I remember ppl telling me they felt the series had ended with QOTD, bc TOBT was written off as simply being “the body-swap episode” (many films and TV series have tried their hand at that concept, and it’s usually a wacky ride). When Memnoch the Devil came out in ‘95, ppl didn’t like that one either, too offensive for its ideas about religion, and/or too preposterous of a plot; TOBT + MTD seemed to confirm that VC had jumped the shark, and a lot of ppl decided that the series ended at QOTD.
TOBT has wackiness in it, I mean, the difficulty of peeing (with a dick) is described in such vivid detail, there’s just too much comedy in it for me to discard it all outright.
(Oh! And perfect cinnamon roll Mojo the doge is in this book <3)
(Trying not to spoil it too much here but it’s pretty obvious what happens, but POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD)
If TOBT was really just “the body-swap episode,” it could be written off as “wacky,” we could talk about the silliness of the details of the body swap, all that. We could even talk about how frustrating it was that Lestat went into a deal with a self-proclaimed THIEF and assumed that this dude would, you know, HONOR THE TERMS OF THEIR DEAL to the letter, but such were the poor state of the trust issues of our lovable but hamburger-brained moron de Lioncourt at that point in canon. He was also extra vulnerable to being taken advantage of bc he was feeling unworthy of life at all and pulled an Icarus ;A;
^So this was the cover for the edition that I read, it’s the first edition that was published. And the cover actually is relevant to this story, bc the statue you see here getting enveloped in a gray mist (it was a dull silver in real life) is The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna in Loggia dei Lanzi. I’m not going to go into a deep comparison of this to TOBT, essays can be and probably have been written on it.
I think a lot of those ppl in 1994 who wrote TOBT off as “wacky” had not actually read it bc this book takes the body horror to a place that most body-swap episodes/films wouldn’t dare to go. There are major consent issues, sexual and otherwise. There’s rape. I think AR was exploring sin and consent, she unflinchingly went there. Some ppl in the fandom refuse to accept it as canon bc they did read it and are repulsed by how far it went with these explorations.
Personally, I always advocate reading the book, and stopping if you need to, or engaging with it however works best for you. I think there are good things in that book and I think Lestat changes through the course of the story. Improvement is not always an easy trajectory. Just like in real life,
improving oneself can be a struggle, and there are often setbacks, sometimes devastating. One could say he ends up worse than he begins this story, one could say he ends up better than he begins. Just because you read/write problematic things, does not mean you condone them.
Oprah walked out of a screening of IWTV when it was first in theatres. [X] Tom Cruise told her afterwards that he wasn’t surprised. “The movie is not for everyone.” Similarly with fiction. This book is not for everyone.
[^X The pic I chose of the statue is not from the same angle as the pic used on the cover, but you get the idea.]
♛It’s probably for the best that he doesn’t know how much he captivates us all, how even his prone and unconscious form strangles my heart.
He also detests being praised for his physical appearance unless he put his own effort into it; after all, he didn’t give himself those piercing green eyes or the tender crease that appears between his brows when he’s worried about me. His beauty lies not just in his features, really, but the way he aches for the beauty of the world around him, his openness, his dignified demeanor even when I’m testing every last bit of his resolve. And I don’t think he considers any of that to be effort on his own part, it’s just the way he is.
Only the first 2, wow you have a ways to go!
Yep, she gave us their birthdates (Louis – October 4; Lestat – November 7) outside of canon. Neither date is mentioned explicitly in canon, and so some ppl do not accept that information as canon.
(There is also some fanon that Armand’s bday is November 11, which AR never mentioned at all.)
I don’t recall the vampires ever celebrating their birthdays explicitly in canon, but I headcanon that some of them do. Some of them prefer to celebrate the date they were turned, some celebrate both (exception: I headcanon that Lestat doesn’t celebrate the date he was turned) and some celebrate neither (Khayman, maybe).
EDIT: Claudia mentions in her diary entry in QOTD that Sep. 21 is the night her dads honor every year as her birthday, and she doesn’t know why. It’s probably the night she was turned, bc Lestat tells her “‘It was the day you were born to us.’ ” It’s Michele Rice’s birthday, Anne Rice’s daughter.
[X] BTW, I was looking for a reference as to Lestat and Louis’ birthdays for an Ask and found this. Someone used one of my memeythings for Becket’s birthday in 2015. The POTP are aware of me… *shudders*
And no, AR was not among the 21 who Liked that pic.
[X] Anon, looking at her question, I really don’t think this shows a lack of care for her characters, it shows AR looking for intriguing ways to tell these stories and seeking feedback on her ideas.
Lestat did compare Nicki and Louis, and there are similarities and differences, I think AR was just curious about it as an idea… I’m sure this has been done in live theatre at some point, casting one actor for 2 (or more) roles in a given production. She did say she’d want a talented, versatile actor who could create each role distinctively.
But yeah, I personally would prefer they were separate actors rather than introduce the idea that Louis was merely Nicolas in disguise or something weird like that.*
Hey, at least she’s listening to the fandom! We have to give her credit for that. Not every idea is going to be a great one, and we’re fortunate that even when we shoot her down, she keeps brainstorming, unfazed by the negative reactions she might get *u* I think that shows enormous character on her part, especially considering how she USED to react to negative reactions or even moderately critical reviews of her work.
*
… I would, however, accept a Claudia who was played by the same actress who plays Lestat’s little sister (presumably a sister, the mysterious unnamed 8th de Lioncourt!) bc that could have super adorable and haunting potential!
Um, autocorrect maybe??? But I get you, it always makes me think of Saint Nicholas aka old skool Santa Klaus… and then I have to put in annoyed 90′s Trent Reznor for Nicolas bc I LOVE HIM of reasons…
BUT…. I think I figured it out! In the translations of her books into other languages, maybe they spelled his name like that for some reason? And she got so many questions from ppl who wrote it that way TO HER that she assumed it actually WAS that way? BC she hasn’t really mentioned him in canon since 1985? IDK *throws up hands*
Regardless… even though he didn’t choose his name, Nicki has no patience for his name being misspelled.
♛Pardon the delay in reply, anonyme. I received this on Valentine’s Day but I was very busy with… romantic activities. Not to brag about it, I’ve spent many Valentine’s nights alone, and I’m… taken aback and more touched now for the nights I’m fortunate enough to spend with a loved one, whether it’s Valentine’s or any night of the week. There’s nothing all that inherently magical about holidays, only that we make them special by honoring them together.
[X by @gifsfortc]
There are times when yes, the loneliness overtakes me. I do feel emptiness at times. Sometimes solitude is needed, just to get to know myself once again, so that I can return to my loved ones. I can’t advise you about your own loneliness because I feel that it has healing properties. And there are times when I need to be quarantined, when it’s better for everyone if we’re not together.
But I don’t let loneliness destroy me. I don’t let it take over. I can’t. I’m not built that way.
I never give up. I never despair for long. I can’t. I’m always spinning straw into gold. And this is why I survive, more than anything. I am in my unfolding stories what the world calls a comic character, rather than a tragic character, because I am never permanently undone by anything, never finished or ruined, never permanently destroyed, no matter how great are my own flaws. I always come back. Always. [X, from Fan Questions for Lestat]
[X] Anon is correct…
FOR REAL?? My gut reaction is NO. Also Anne can you please spell it Nicolas w/o the H? Plz? *cries*
^This person makes a good point but… idk, Louis and Nicki are not the same. I feel like it would seem too much like “Louis” is trying to trick Lestat, a weird consideration I’d rather not have introduced.
A Real Life Amadeo, nice! I hope he had a cool last name to go with it, and not something too normal, like, idk… Malloy.
@ the Armand RPers or anyone, can someone plz send me Armand’s signature in his handwriting with
“Molloy” (or “Malloy”) as his last name? I suddenly have a need. I feel like it would be smtg like this…
I-want-my-IWTV 