Idk, I would always advocate reading the books, as cracky as some of them can be, bc there are always moments that are really great! Single lines worth digging up, some phrasing that hits you #Right in the Feels. Don’t you want to know what happened to Louis, David, and Lestat, before PL? You don’t have to agree with it but the ride is always at the very least stimulating… you can always just skim it for plot points if reading it is too much of an investment.
If you like Louis, especially yes! This is a story he gets a starring role in. It’s cracky but heartbreaking, and it changes the dynamics of the relationship between Louis and David, and between Louis and Lestat, and also there’s a strong FEMALE character?! Who is NOT a Mary Sue (ok she has some Mary Sue elements but whatever I liked her)? Woah.
It also changes Louis physically, gives him the powers we see him use in PL, and it also allows him to experience a new level of intimacy with Lestat (and others potentially) that he refused to have before. It changes him emotionally, but we don’t get too deep into the specifics on that, but I think we’re starting to see those effects in PL.
My main issue with it is that it would have been SO MUCH MORE fun from Merrick’s (or Louis’!) own POV, rather than David’s. David was largely a third wheel and I didn’t really care about his youth in the jungles. More interested in the voodoo that Merrick could do, and especially how she used it on Louis ;A; <—Hopefully not really spoiling anything there bc I’m being really general in that statement.
[^Melodie Monrose as Merrick and Jackson Rado as Louis de Pointe du Lac]
I don’t remember if Merrick spoils any other major plot points from books that come before it, I don’t think so. I recall it as being almost a standalone novel.
[X] Awww you sweet thing! I’m sure there are some who fit that description… I don’t really ask much in terms of loyalty. Having a hungry audience is pretty much reward in itself ♥u♥
——->——->——-> DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA how long I obsessed over this stuff alone?? Well, okay, I had a few RL VC friends who had to bear the brunt of my… outpourings. Dark times…
;D I aim to please. Yes, we need more fanart always! But we also need more porn ❤ Tastefully done, of course! What I need is a huge pile of cash that I can shove at all my fave fanartists for moar…
^Armand Santino also appreciates such fine art in this category.
“I imagine in this moment Louis thinking “It’s not how I imagined to met my mother in law” xDD “
Some things Lestat learned from Gabrielle were good, tho, like giving really thoughtful gifts at the right time. Actually he gives gifts far more often and extravagantly than she ever could bc he became richer than she had been and also he came to associate materialism w/ ownership and love, and that giving someone things could possibly *~buy their affection~*. 60% of the time, it works all the time 😉
Gabrielle was not the worst parent. She was possibly a very introverted person further pushed into herself bc she was focused on surviving the situation she was put in. Locked in a loveless marriage in a freezing castle in the middle of nowhere. She’d lost 5 of her children, and by the time Lestat came around, I’m not surprised she didn’t give him much affection; she probably couldn’t bring herself to invest in him emotionally when the odds were so high that he would never live to adulthood ;A;
HOWEVER, on the good parenting side:
she defended him against his father and brothers,
she supported him going to school at the nearby monastery to get literate and have a better environment “with people who
believed I could be good if I wanted to be.” ;A;
she gave over her precious family heirlooms to buy him the dogs, mare, and gun that would take his hunting skillz to the next level,
which led to his ultimate triumph over the wolves…
she encouraged him to run away to Paris,
and then stayed with him for a good decade exploring the world, before she finally went 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 think she did the best she could given her own personality and their environment.
I love you guys, too! You make my day on a daily basis *u* This is a social media platform after all, it’s all about making those connections w/ your followers and the ppl who you follow, even making some closer friends out of mutuals.
You actually already hit upon the main parts of running a great fandom blog, to quote you directly: “it’s not just about dedication and chasing off haters (which are super important) but like the mechanics of it (organizing posts, engaging followers, keep people interested).” And of course it’s about “being so kind and welcoming with all your followers!”
The main thing is to Make the blog you would want to see, and build social connections w/ other bloggers. You’re not posting into a void, this is a very public forum; ppl are more likely to engage w/ your content if you engage w/ them and/or their content, too. Some will just follow you for your content, some ppl are also looking for that *~meeting of the minds~*. I think that’s what ppl get from my blog, that their opinions are validated, or that they like to consider and possibly absorb whatever ideas I share here.
–It’s Not About Your Follower Count.– Mine fluctuates, I lose some and gain some
almost daily. It’s not like you’re going to get an award for it at the end of the year! If all you want are followers, then you’d have to ask a much more popular blog for pointers on that. If I gave just one person #feels through smtg I shared here, that’s reward enough for me. I think of it in terms of “What would have made my 15 yo self happy?” Bc she couldn’t find the fandom! My 15 yo self is always very thirsty for the content and the interactions of fandom >;} And I think that passion translates through and that’s why ppl choose to follow this blog.
I do have some pointers and they fit in well w/ what you wrote, I just rearranged the order a bit ;]
Make the blog you would want to see. Obviously! Don’t post stuff just bc you think ppl will like it, post what -YOU- like. Your passion for your topics will come through; that’s what ppl follow.
Add your commentary on reblogs respectfully. If you want to praise fanart, go for it, but realize that the fanartist might see it, especially if they posted it originally. I really enjoy reading other ppl’s commentary on all my posts, even when I disagree with it. Sometimes the commentary improves the post so I’ll reblog it, which promotes that other blogger, and that’s almost always appreciated. You can also message them directly and tell them you liked their opinion, strike up a conversation about it. You might make your new friend who’s always up for talking w/ you about X topic ;]
If you’re iffy on whether your commentary should be added, put it in the tags. I put lots of commentary in there and when ppl copy and paste it and reblog it to make it visible bc they liked it so much, it gives me such feels! I also read other ppl’s tags and it’s pretty hilarious when ppl write out their hyperbolic reactions like “WHY WOULD U DO THIS??” “MY HEART” and even the fake-mad stuff like “DELETE THIS” and I love that stuff.
Relatable stuff: So my blog is a fandom blog, and half the work is done for me w/ the characters and stories being relatable to ppl who love the them already. So if I can make posts that just exemplify those things, ppl who already relate to the material will relate to the posts. Like this one of Louis smashing his own reflection in the mirror. Ppl identify with him doing that, and by adding that textpost I’m underscoring his feelings of self-hatred. Ppl also sometimes have that same feeling when passing a mirror so it’s relatable.
TAG E-V-E-R-Y-THANG. Try to tag every character that’s in the post, whether shown in fanart or mentioned in the topic. Bc ppl track tags and then your post will end up in their dash, even if they don’t follow you.
So for example, that Louis gif is tagged: #twerkingdead (for the OP of that textpost) #textmeme (type of meme) #memeything (my word for my own memes bc they’re didn’t seem to fit the definition of a meme when I started doing them) #mirror abuse (so I can find this one or similar ones easily) #Louis de Pointe du Lac (for ppl looking for stuff about him) #iwtv #interview with the vampire (for the movie and book, which ppl track) #gif (in case smne just wants to look at all my gifs, or they want to block gifs w/ Tumblr Savior).
Mechanics of it (organizing posts, engaging followers, keep people interested)-
Variety: I post a variety of types of posts: fanart, fanmixes, fanfic, fanvids, music, commentary, news (old articles and new), other related fandom material, headcanons, RP, non-fandom things that are too good to pass up, non-fandom things that I can somehow lasso into being fandom things (#How to make a post a VC post), the occasional shitpost, cats (well I can’t help that c’mon), aesthetic sets… I tend to queue the things I’m not as passionate about bc as long as it ends up in my collection eventually that’s fine.
Brass tacks: Keep your theme clean.Make it easy for ppl to find your “Next page,” “Like,” and “Reblog” buttons. Make the text easy to read. I’m in the process of revising my layout bc it needs a facelift/makeover like, yesterday, but I’m patient, slow and steady wins the race ;]
Nav page/Tag list: I gotta do this, too. But it will make it easier for your followers to find the specifics of what they’re looking for on your blog, and then send you an Ask if they want more.
FAQ: I gotta do this, too. Bc first-time visitors to your page may not be aware you’ve answered smtg already. Though, on some topics, my opinion changed over time, so it’s kind of refreshing to reconsider the same question, especially if it’s phrased a little differently.
Post your own original content. Even if you can’t do graphics, you can write your thoughts, it might inspire fanartists.
“Shitposting”: So I try not to do this, bc I don’t want to be that offensive, but I get it, it’s just being silly. If that’s your thing, go for it! They sometimes make for good text posts for me to use in memeythings, admittedly. I’ve seen whole blogs of just shitposting and it can be really funny!
Comments on reblogs: Did smtg on your dash make you think of smtg related to your blog’s topics? Happens for me often. You can reblog that cool quote you found w/ your own commentary and ppl may jump on it.
Reblog immediately: fresh fanart, stuff that you know is news related to your topics. Fanartists who post original content love getting a bump!
Queue for later: older fanworks, things that are not time-sensitive, so that when you’re away from your blog, the content will still come out. Plus, it will be in the dash for ppl in a different time-zone than you. I have about 100 posts in my queue at any given time.
Moderation? Yes and no: So I have a personal post limit, I try not to post more than 10/day, bc I am really discerning about the fanworks and other stuff I post, and I also don’t want to spam ppl’s dash. HOWEVER, I have seen other blogs rise to huge success by posting up to their limit on a daily basis. So that’s up to you, but I feel like being more selective has given my blog a more curated feel.
Post respectfully: I know I mentioned it before but consider who might see your blog. Put spoilers under cuts when possible. If you have fiery criticism, that’s fine! But try to frame it respectfully, because the creator of the media you’re criticizing might see it and you wouldn’t want your blog shut down over one fiery post, right?
Being kind and welcoming with all your followers!-
Be the blogger you would want to interact with. Part of why I’m so open and responsive is that there were ppl I had fandom crushes on and the ones who were responsive to me made me so happy! Senpai noticed me *u* I still get that feeling from some fandom ppl. They know who they are.
Make friends with other ppl who blog about your topics. You can find them in the tags you follow.
Answer ppl who message you privately. They may be too shy to want to interact publicly. That’s fine.
Answer all your Asks. Be sincere with your answers. I’m behind on them, admittedly! But ppl have come to expect that it takes me awhile to percolate on some answers and it’s always worth the wait ;D Support your answers with reasons.
If you’re not getting Asks, post Askmemes. Here’s one site I found with them @fyeahaskmemes. Or you can invent your own, like, “Send me a character and I’ll tell you the first song that comes to mind about them.”
Add graphics like gifs or fanart to your answers whenever possible, we are visual creatures! Try to include the source for your graphics. If they are a common gif reaction you’ve seen floating around, that’s not as necessary, but ppl put time and effort into making fanart, so linking back is advertisement back to the artist. Its respectful to do but they might also be really flattered that you used their art to illustrate your answer ;] If they ask you to take it down, do it as soon as possible.
If you don’t know the answers, toss it out for your followers to answer and/or tag ppl you think might know. It’s so flattering when ppl do that w/ me!
*~Ask Karma~* Send Asks to other ppl! They will probably return the favor. And your followers will enjoy watching the conversation.
Reblog and contribute to someone else’s Ask response. Although some RPers prefer that you don’t do that bc that may be a muse/muse thing. Can you add anything to the discussion? Even a funny gif might be adding alot!
A couple of Don’ts: It’s your blog and you can do whatever you like, but just from my experience, these are things that tend to be divisive rather than inclusive.
Don’t brag about your follower count. I get it, when I got to certain numbers I was pretty damned surprised that so many ppl wanted to follow me, how could there be ppl who even cared about my opinion in this fandom? When you reach your first few hundred, it feels really gratifying, so I wouldn’t stop anyone from being proud of that, butI have found, from watching interactions here for the past few years, that posting your follower count breeds jealousy among other bloggers, which can lead to drama and/or invite anonhate.
Don’t do too many Follow Forevers, if you feel the need to do any. Try not to post things that portray you as very cliquey/exclusive, unless that’s what you want to express. I have seen too many ppl post Follow Forevers, and those that were left out may have felt, well, LEFT OUT, and it engendered some off-site animosity and gossip. If you want to give a shoutout to a specific blog, do it as its own post, or send that person an Ask praising them, they will be very flattered 😉
Don’t repost art w/o source links. Do the google Reverse Image search and include the source link. If you’ve done that and found nothing (or a ton of pinterest/weheartit/etc. links), add in the tags smtg like, “Source unknown- if you know the source plz tell me and I will add it”. Speaking of which, I don’t know the source of the bunny pic above, if anyone knows it, plz tell me and I will add it! Generally, with ubiquitous memes like that, the source is unknown, so I usually don’t mention it in the tags.
Don’t take your fandom blog too seriously/personally. Even if you get anonhate (YOU WILL, everyone does eventually), or ppl write to you disagreeing w/ you (THEY WILL, everyone does eventually), be calm, collect your thoughts. Remember the old “sticks and stones”? Words can never hurt you. If you realize you posted smtg that you may regret, delete that post. It’s not a sign of failure or weakness to retract a statement rather than go deeper into a dialogue you may not be informed on enough to continue.
Chasing off haters-
Best way to chase off haters is to expose how silly and trolly they are by giving them the most minimal response possible. While it might not have been hate per se, smne sent me an anon that “vampires are stupid” and rather than argue the point, I just plopped in this gif of Lestat (by @gifsfortc) reacting [X]. A picture is worth a thousand words and I think what makes it even funnier is that it’s a gif, so he could be sobbing or being more emotional, but his expression is just a kind of pity!
You are not obligated to respond to hate, I give you full permission to just delete it.Isn’t it actually kind of better when you know they are constantly refreshing your page, hoping for a reaction that never comes?!
Hope all that helps! I’ve left out alot of normal etiquette for topics like social justice (bc that’s more along the lines of life advice than a fandom-specific blog), and left out specifics about blogging to my own fandom so that it can apply to any. I might do a followup post about engaging ppl in this fandom specifically.
As always, anyone is free to reblog and add their own ideas 😉
Was it an accident or kismet that Lestat found Louis randomly in a tavern in a sketchy neighborhood in NOLA?
Lestat went there for normal reasons: hunting evildoers as per usual, but it was NOLA bc he was looking for a fresh start in the New World. And Louis was there for also fairly normal – if not kind of upsetting – reasons, too: looking for someone to put him out of his misery, basically.
I would say it was kismet: Lestat was created for Louis, he was originally intended to serve as Louis’ maker, since we are introduced to him that way in the first book. Even Anne Rice didn’t anticipate that Lestat would essentially take the driver’s seat and create the rest of the series.
But it’s important to remember that, because he wouldn’t exist at all without Louis, in the fictional sense, and I think that’s part of what makes him so loyal to Louis in an ongoing way throughout the series. Louis’ rebelliousness as a fledgling and then the precarious but loving peace they shared for decades sets Lestat up for the pining for him forever after, and it’s only recently in the series that it feels like they are explicitly more in mutual love and awe of eachother than ever before.
If we look at it from Lestat’s perspective, which begins before Louis’ story chronologically, that relationship was a huge turning point for him. He lived out that lifetime that Marius told him to do, and for the most part, it was very good for all of them as long as it lasted. Lestat was the provider again, but this time, it was for a family who actually loved him, who he could love back ❤
^So of course I really love this fanart bc I COMMISSIONED IT, I asked for this composition, w/ Lestat in between Louis and his “dinner.” It’s actually based on an iconic moment in Dirty Dancing but anyway… Lestat had alot to teach Louis, and at least in this moment, he was saying, “I’ll bear the moral burden of killing tonight, it’s more important that you get what you need, so you can take it from me… rather than have /junk food/… but we’re not doing this EVERY night…” Also, he likes it when it’s HIS bodice being ripped open by Louis, for a change of pace!
They’ve also been through alot of canon events, terrible betrayals of eachother, generous forgiveness… so much feels. Which is why I can’t throw out entire books, there’s something worth saving in even the most difficult books to accept.
They say that your relationship with someone is established within the first 5 minutes of being with them, and I think those mutual feelings of friction and awe and attraction between them, added to the decades they shared as murder dads, and the other canon things they’ve survived, it’s all added up to keep them tied together, inexplicably. I think they’ve encouraged each other to be better versions of themselves, for the most part.
Hit the jump for moar thoughts.
In the universe of the books themselves, to elaborate a little: both Louis and Lestat were in a bad place when they found eachother. Lestat had a pretty rough first decade as a vampire, had already made and lost two fledglings. He lost them for different reasons but it still had to hurt. He had successfully gotten kicked out of Marius’ house for his usual bad behavior. Paris was no longer that great of a place for him. He had his blind old dad to deal with.
Louis was almost worse off, a lifetime spent as the man of the house, vigorously trying to kill himself by drinking all night and picking fights w/ whoever would fight him, feeling like a huge failure in the eyes of his family for the death of his younger brother.
So when they met and fell for eachother, it was intense, because they filled a void for eachother. Lestat wanted that companion that he thought Louis could be if he worked the magic on him, and Louis was overwhelmed by the attention of this supernatural creature, not just that he was a vampire (which would have been enough on its own!) but that he was LESTAT, with all that bravado and charm.
Add to that that they were both pretty awful to eachother, too, the friction actually adding to their mutual attraction in a way; Louis felt that vampiring was a great way to damn himself (tho he does admit he appreciated the heightened senses), and Lestat had found someone to question his authority ALL THE DAMN TIME.
It’s a very good ship from all angles, as dysfunctional as they both are.
Y’know, I’ve seen him in the MCU movies and not a lot else, so when I googled him I was pleasantly surprised to find the gifs below.
But before we get to Stan, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if he works for you, that’s totes fine!
For meeeee, however… I’m not sure about him playing Louis bc my heart is pretty set on someone I would consider more sinewy, like Miles McMillan (BTW he paints, sometimes does amazing self-portraits! Check out @fuckyeahmilesmcmillan, there are nude pics of him there, too *u*), someone w/ a more narrow face shape w/ these defined cheekbones that are almost feminine:
^Lestat forced him to replace his decaying sweater w/ a jacket to go out but couldn’t get him to put on a t-shirt first.
Whoever they cast as Louis should bear some resemblance to whoever they cast as Nicolas, bc they are described as being similar in appearance (and attitude to some extent!), but I would imagine Louis as being slimmer and more delicate-looking, since he was in pretty bad physical shape when Lestat found him, a combination of malnourishment and excessive alcohol and picking fights w/ whoever would fight him ;A;
^Plus, his sass is a more gentlemanly brand, he has a dignified way of shooting Lestat down.
Stan is built more sturdy, his facial structure is a little wider, seems more like Nicolas in my mind. And I think he’s played non-straight characters before so I think he’d be willing to do that here, too ^_______^
Difficulty: I bet he is SO FRICKIN EXPENSIVE NOW like damn! ANYWAY LETS FANTASIZE…
^Late night drinking w/ Lestat in the tavern.
^When his mood has been significantly improved and he’s like, “Let me show you some new fingering I worked out…”
I-want-my-IWTV 