Tag Archives: ask

I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m honestly curious about your opinion: do you think sunblock would work for vampires? (Silly question, I know, but I love reading your responses on things like this. Also, sorry if you’ve already answered a question similar to this one. ^^”)

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Not a bother at all I LOVE being asked things and I do make an effort to answer bc honestly who wants to read a boring “Yes” or “No” like, no that’s boring bye. And, no, I don’t think I’ve answered this before so here we go…

Some vampires probably could do it with just sunscreen. Part of the difference is whether they can even be conscious during daylight hours. Mostly it’s due to their unique physiology. I could write an essay on this so I’m gonna keep it to 4 vampire types.

1. Meet Joe Black Deacon Frost, vampire from Blade, slathered up in sunscreen:

Well, Blade calls it sunblock, but same thing. It’s working for Frost in this scene (and I think he’s put it in his hair to cover his scalp, too, hence the greasiness), but as he says to Blade, “It’s a start, right? The goal, of course, is to be like you. Daywalker.” (Blade himself is a hybrid vampire so he can go out in the sunlight.) The rest of Frost’s skin is covered up with clothing which may also be treated in some way to protect him but his eyes aren’t protected, they should be affected but maybe it’s only light-sensitivity of the skin in that type of vampire.

For more, hit the jump.

2. This is Adam from Only Lovers Left Alive, getting a burn from sunlight:

Adam and Deacon share the ability to be awake during daylight hours. So it’s possible that Adam could wear sunscreen for protection, but given such a harsh physical reaction to such a small amount of exposure, I wouldn’t think any strength or amount of sunscreen would be strong enough for him, even if he was able to cover every last bit of skin, which would be a real challenge.

3. Louis de Pointe du Lac from movie!IWTV can’t handle the sunlight, but he’s fully conscious, reaching up to try protect himself.

Sunscreen might work for movie!Louis, too, but he would have the same issue as Adam, could he cover enough skin to make it work? I doubt it.

4. Louis and Claudia from book!IWTV fall into the Death Sleep during the day. They cannot be conscious during daylight hours, their physiology prevents it. So sunscreen, or other protective gear, would not work for them.

[fanart by Mangademon333]

The Death Sleep is basically the unconscious state that the Ricean vampires succumb to when their bodies sense the sun rising, and they only break out of it when the sun sets again or they’re under attack. There’s also fanon that they can wake from the Death Sleep during the day when under extreme emotional distress. Even defending themselves in their sleep, they’re not really conscious and only realize what happened when they wake normally. Lestat says in TVL:

And those mortals who did find us during the daylight hours, unless they exposed us to the sun at once, were doomed. For example, outside Palermo [Gabrielle] had slept in a cellar far below an abandoned house, and when she had awakened, her eyes and face were burning as if they had been scalded, and she had in her right hand a mortal, quite dead, who had apparently attempted to disturb her rest.

“He was strangled,” she said, “and my hand was still locked on his throat. And my face had been burned by the little light that leaked down from the opened door.”

Have you ever considered Louis asexual as a mortal?

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Louis doesn’t kiss and tell. 

…That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t kiss at all ;}

In canon, Louis did explain to Claudia that sex was, for him, the “pale shadow of killing,” and some other negative things about the experience, but it was probably meant more to try to make her feel better about missing out on it. She would never be able to experience it herself :-

In movie!IWTV, Louis seems to spend his mortal nights getting drunk and hiring cheap prostitutes like have you seen the higher quality ones Lestat hires?! so I would say he’s probably sexing them, I wouldn’t think he’s hiring them for their conversational skills…

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I can’t find the same info in book!IWTV, about the prostitutes, but he was getting drunk and passing out in cabarets.

Hi! Love your blog more than ever! What are your thoughts on Armand/Louis? Or specifically Louis’ feelings for Armand? Louis always seems to gravitate towards A whenever he is at loose ends with Lestat. If I am doing the math correctly, they have spent more time as companions than L/L. For some reason, though I love L/L, I am fascinated by A/L. Thanks again for your awesomeness in the VC fandom. <3

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Thanks, dearie! What do you love about it specifically, hmmm? Simply my awesomeness in the VC fandom? You don’t need to answer that, my awesome is unquestionable hehehe…

Armand/Louis: To ship or not to ship?

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[by garama bc apparently I’m having a GARAMA APPRECIATION DAY]

I have alot of Armand/Louis feels. The way they view each other seems built on their first impressions of eachother:

  • Louis saw Armand as the teacher/mentor (and lover??) Lestat could not have been. Armand definitely used some mental persuasion to draw Louis closer, but it seems the attraction was mutual, mostly natural chemistry.
  • Armand saw Louis as someone who could help him see the world anew, through younger eyes, and someone who was very much in tune with their emotions. Armand had closed off alot of those feelings, and was not very connected to any of the vampires in the Theatre des Vampires. Also he wanted Louis as a lover, but don’t we all? Also, Armand had advised Lestat in TVL that your fledglings will never make perfect companions, what you need is someone else’s fledgling. AND, it’s possible that Armand was even more attracted to Louis after reading his mind and knowing he was Lestat’s, whom Armand had a major unrequited crush on.

So they both sort of filled a void for the other, but couldn’t be together initially, as Louis was devoted to Claudia. Armand’s responsibility for her removal is subject to interpretation, whether it was his order or not, and other things that happened to her, but it seems to me that Armand had intended for Claudia to leave with Madeleine. He admitted to forcing Louis to make Madeleine for this purpose.

After all that, you would think Louis would want nothing to do with Armand, but he chose to spend some 100 yrs with Armand before passive-aggressively ignoring him until he left Louis, disgusted and on the verge of suicide, Louis not being a good boyfriend. (vampiredevelopment!)

Your math sounds about right, but a relationship’s quality is not based on the amount of time it lasts. Louis was probably much happier when he was with Lestat and Claudia for some 65 years. Of the 100 yrs he spent with Armand, much of it seems like Louis was going through the motions, letting Armand have him as a companion in various ways, but not really engaged fully in the relationship.

Lestat does often have to go off on his own adventures and leave Louis alone. There’s a kind of mutual respect between Lestat, Armand, and Louis now, it seems all of their past transgressions to each other are mostly water under the bridge. 

TL;DR: Louis does still gravitate to Armand, maybe not as the mentor/teacher he saw him as before, but more as an ex-boyfriend that he is on good terms with, someone he cares about, and who cares about him. Extended family.

Hi^^ I just finished Merrick and I have a question only you can answer, my dear! The character reactions at the end had me a bit confused, namely Louis and Lestat’s reaction to Merrick’s little love spell. Does Louis just not care that she put a “fix” on him or does he still not believe her? Is that spell still there? And why does Lestat react so nonchalantly to it, as if it was funny rather than a bad thing? Shouldn’t he be a bit more…I dunno, jealous and pissed? I guess? Help!

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A question only I can answer?! Pffffft, that would be true only if I was Anne Rice herself. Although really she ought to deputize me as one of her fandom spokespeople, my VC obsession has made me such a great resource for the fandom!

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[art by Thomas Blackshear, very Gustav Klimt, oui?]

Spoilers under the cut.

1. Does Louis just not care that she put a “fix” on him or does he still not believe her?

In his letter, Louis says that she admitted to bewitching him:

“No talk from Merrick of her potent spells can excuse my actions, though in fact, she does indeed claim to have brought me to her with magic I cannot understand. What I understand is that I love her…” – Louis de Pointe du Lac, Merrick

I think that as he writes this, he feels love for her, but he knows it can’t be real love. He must feel tricked at some level, why else commit suicide right after making a loved one into a vampire? If he really loved her, he would want to stay alive and be with her. I think he’s chosen death because he knows what he did was wrong and rather than just adding another vampire to the world, he’s taking himself out, so there’s no change in the number of vampires ;A;

2. Is that spell still there?

I think Louis is still bewitched as he writes his letter, but it’s probably worn off to some extent in the process of his resuscitation. It has definitely worn off by the time he is himself again, but I think at that point he has to consider Merrick with some natural love, because she is his fledgling and there will always be a bond there. The Dark Gift is probably the most intimate experience a vampire can give/receive. 

3. And why does Lestat react so nonchalantly to it, as if it was funny rather than a bad thing? Shouldn’t he be a bit more…I dunno, jealous and pissed? 

Lestat has just woken up again, cut him some slack! He’s disoriented! “With an awkward step, as though his body, so long unused, revolted against him, he made his way closer to Merrick,”

Lestat also often goes into a kind of emotional and physical paralysis when such devastating things happen. It happened when he was mortal, too. The humor that follows is also a defense mechanism against feeling the pain of the situation.

He knows that there will be an opportunity much later to get jealous and pissed, but in the immediate aftermath his thoughts are narrowed to the emergency and how to save Louis ;A;

I’m not sure why he insists on sharing his blood with Merrick, though. That seemed to condone her trickery too far for my tastes, but I suppose he did it because he saw that Louis still loved her. Making Merrick more of an equal was a gift to Louis.

Or, perhaps he wanted to drink from her to experience her side of the story, without any of her witchery, and sharing blood with her was an excuse to do that.

Hi there! I’m not sure if this question has been asked, I’m sorry in advanced if it has. Me and my friend were debating Lestat’s love interests and she swears that given the chance he’d choose Nicki anyday over Louis. I believe that Louis has been around long enough to be someone he cannot live without. So I guess two questions in total: Is Louis his absolute one true love and in the case of a “what if” universe would Lestat really prefer Nicki? Thanks a bunch!!!

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I don’t think I answered this before and anyway I love an excuse to post yummy fanart so here ya go:

Nicki & Lestat by garama:

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Louis & Lestat by garama:

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garama‘s fanart is a great illustration for this answer bc when you compare these two relationships, there are similarities, but you can see very clearly that there are almost 4 characters here: mortal!Nicki, mortal!Lestat, vampire!Louis, and vampire!Lestat. The 2 pairings physically resemble eachother, but there’s alot of deeper stuff going on that’s described by those poses. 

Anne Rice was answering Fan Questions for Lestat as Lestat at one point and she said: 

“…but if I did have to choose, the companion would be Louis. My longest most enduring friendship and love affair in this world was with Louis. And though his limitations can be maddening, they can also be as inspiring to me as his virtues… the best choices we make are not always the wise choices. Sometimes they are intensely emotional choices. And I’ve always had a deep Romantic respect for emotion. My love for Louis transcends wisdom. And I may need the pain as much as the consolation that an eternal relationship with Louis would involve.“

I’m inclined to agree with Lestat on that. Lestat would choose Louis over everyone. They have an inexplicable chemistry that binds them hopelessly together.

Do you really want my full opinion? Hit the jump. 

Nicolas was Lestat’s first real long-term relationship at a time when Lestat desperately needed love and nurturing and wanted to give it back, too. Nicolas is the first person who really listened to him and they both helped each other immensely. 

Lestat was a different person when he was with Nicolas; quite literally! They were mortal lovers, and they were in their early 20s, they went through alot together in escaping from their homeland to Paris, and thrived there. Their relationship was horribly shattered when Lestat was kidnapped from their apartment, and things were never the same between them after that happened. Even aside from that, Nicolas revealed that he had a different mission in life than Lestat did:

“And when we decided to go to Paris, I thought we would starve in Paris, that we would go down and down and down. It was what I wanted, rather than what they wanted, that I, the favored son, should rise for them. I thought we would go down! We were supposed to go down.” – Nicolas de Lenfent, TVL

So even in your Alternate Universe suggestion that Lestat could be with Nicki again, I don’t think that relationship could ever really work, because deep down Nicolas and Lestat always wanted different things out of life.

Lestat was about 31 mortal yrs old when he met Louis, and he had grown and experienced a lot. He was more mature, more in control of his emotions. He saw vampiring as being a great adventure and he saw the potential in Louis to be the companion he always wanted. He was right. Louis has been one of the strongest vampires in the coven, without needing to display it in physical feats of strength, but in emotional ones, and in the choices he’s made. 

Louis consistently chooses Lestat, I might add. 

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Bonsoir, chérie! I’m currently rereading the whole VC and I noticed something. Is it just me or does AR really like changing directions, insert 100 pages of some random topic that has no connection to the actual plot and then go back to the storyline as if nothing had happened? I’ve seen her do this a lot and I’m just sitting there thinking “was that really necessary?” I dunno if that’s just me and my not so perfect English or if that is actually a thing with her? Am I imagining things?

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Bonsoir à toi, aussi, mon avocat gris 😀 Rereading the whole series, my gosh what a challenge and what fun! oh if only i could lay around reading books all day and sipping iced tea or an adult beverage that would be heaven siiiiigh…..

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#pffffft Shut up Gaston #you’re like illiterate ok #Augustin de Lioncourt

Not sure which specific book you’re referring to, or if you meant that as kind of a silly observation, but I really enjoy how she jumps around! When you really consider these breaks in the “main” story, they’re like side dishes to a meal. When you really consider them you’ll find that those breaks are not so “random” after all, even if they are not connected to the actual plot. Not every piece of a story needs to be connected to the actual plot in order to make a story enjoyable. In fact it can keep you guessing, wondering whether you should keep this information in mind as the tale unfolds, or whether it was put there to throw you off the trail a bit! 

Of course, #your headcanon may vary. If you choose not to accept some of these side stories, that’s fine, too.

There are alot of stories-within-stories in the VC. Characters tend to dig deeper and interview eachother. At one point, we have Lestat telling us what Marius told Lestat about what an Egyptian vampire told Marius about the origin story of the vampires written down in archives! That’s like 4 levels?! Interviewception.

In QotD,

from the beginning

Lestat tells us straightup that the story will be laid out like that:

“So we will move out of the narrow, lyrical confines of the first person singular; we will jump as a thousand mortal writers have done into the brains and souls of “many characters.” We will gallop into the world of “third person” and “multiple point of view.”

And by the way, when these other characters think or say of me that I am beautiful or irresistible, etc., don’t think I put these words in their heads. I didn’t! It’s what was told to me after, or  what I drew out of their minds with infallible telepathic power; I wouldn’t lie about that or anything else. 

I can’t help being a gorgeous fiend. It’s just the card I drew. 

The bastard monster who made me what I am picked me on account of my good looks. That’s the long and short of it. 

And accidents like that occur all the time.

Now, be assured: though I am leaving you, I will return with full flair  at the appropriate moment.”

Could you give me a little help? I can never remember the difference between the VC characters Santiago and Santino. Are they even different characters or are they the same and I just imagined one of them? Sorry for asking but I don’t have time to skim the books and thought you would know :)

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I used to get them mixed up early on, too. They’re VERY different. And yet similar. (also I don’t think they’re ever in the same place together in the series, which is neither here nor there, but whatever) This is Santiago, we meet him in IWTV:

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[memeything by ouija—bored]

Santiago is a BAMF, and he’s Armand’s right-hand man at the Theatre des Vampires, also an actor there, usually plays the narrator or character of “Death” in their gruesome stage performances. Santiago does NOT like Louis from the moment they meet. Santiago can sense weakness in Louis, and Santiago is also suspicious of Claudia just for her existence; it’s against the rules to make child vampires. Santiago is not gonna let that slide. 

Santino is a BAMF, too. We meet him in TVL, he trains Armand to become the coven master of the Children of Darkness, eventually helming the Scranton Paris branch in the cemetery of Les Innocents. More on him in TVA and B&G, which I have not memorized yet. Santino is the leader of a coven of Satanic vampires, the members of which hold a common belief that they are meant to be the scourge of humankind. I can’t say more without spoiling you, so go to Wiki for more.

You can also ask a Santino RPer! vampirexsantino would probably answer more. He’s the only active Santino I know of rn, and I don’t know any active Santiagos. vampiresantiago is inactive, but you might like perusing their archive.

If I want to be selective, or semi-selective, do I need to make a list of people who I want to (or usually) roleplay with? What if that person (or everyone) doesn’t want to be in the list?

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{{I should be answering this privately, but can’t, bc you’re on anon. I do know some things about RP, but I am in no way an authority on it. Ask a few RPers for their definitions. Anyone can reblog this and add their comments, too.}}

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One thing is for sure: Don’t make a public list of people you plan to RP with. It can make the not-listed people feel left out and can lead to you getting anonhate. You can do what you like privately, of course! Make all the lists you want privately. 

Now, it’s fine to make a tag list AFTER you have been RPing and have multiple muse interactions, it’s a nice way to organize your threads and give your readers/followers a way to look on your blog for certain interactions ;]

“selective” means that you only RP with mutuals (ppl who you follow & who also follow you).

“semi-selective” means you RP mainly with mutuals, but are open to others on a case-by-case basis. 

In my blog’s description I have: “Sometimes a selective Ask blog” which I wrote before I knew the fandom definition of “selective.” I was/am using that in the normal context of the word, meaning that I will sometimes answer things as my muse RP, if it feels appropriate.  

How would you describe IWTV to someone who has not read the book or seen the movie?

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(I struggle to describe it to ppl, I usually cater the length and depth of my description based on my audience, for example, to describe it to my 7 yr old cousin (who loves vampires and was a vampire princess fairy for Halloween): “It’s mostly about a happy vampire family with 2 dads, and they don’t always get along with eachother or the world.”)

As Tom Cruise put it so eloquently, “The movie is not for everyone.” No value judgement there; it’s just not everyone’s cup of tea, so I don’t try to sell it. 

I will try to describe the story in the language of tumblrland:

“How would you describe IWTV to someone who has not read the book…?”

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“How would you describe IWTV to someone who has not read the book or seen the movie?”

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“How would you describe IWTV to someone who has not read the book or seen the movie?”

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“How would you describe IWTV to someone who has not read the book or seen the movie?”

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“How would you describe IWTV to someone who has not read the book or seen the movie?”

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You can also try my vc synopsis tag, but there be spoilers there!

….That last gif is also tribute to antoineandthepiano who loves that gif! And it’s appropriate here, bc if I think the person might actually like it, I do tell them to #READ THE BOOK in the hopes that I can make them one of us ❤

in the movie, louis’s eye color changed once he experienced mortal death and became a vampire. Do you think this is a normal occurrence or simply something added for effect for the film?

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*Takes a deep breath* *Tries not to write a lot* *Writes a lot anyway*

I think it was both. Added for effect for the movie but also, their eye color IS enhanced with the Dark Gift. Here look at Louis’s pretty eyes change color:

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First moments as a new vampire would be intense, Vampiring has just been installed into the system and director Neil Jordan probably wanted to make it very clear to the audience that this moment is as significant a moment as birth, and other than seeing the blood dry up and absorb into his face, and now we see the blue veins more prominently, it’s the eyes that really convince us that a change is happening. The eyes are the window to the soul!

In VC, it’s often noted explained at enormous length and exquisitely vivid detail how beautiful Louis’ emerald green eyes are *u* Both before and after turning. 

Short answer is, in canon, the Blood enhances what you already have. The amount of that enhancement varies.

~Hit the jump for 3 Shades of Lestat’s eye color.~

Movie!IWTV does not align with book!IWTV on eye color. It isn’t mentioned in the books that their eye color changes by a particular tonal measurement; the Dark Gift is different for each of them, but what it does do consistently is enhance what the fledgling already had as a mortal. 

For example, Armand has warm brown eyes as a mortal, IIRC, and they take on a golden (or amber) glow when he is turned.

Their eyes brighten and darken at different times in the movie, maybe it’s related to the intensity of their emotional state. I know for a fact that they all (main adult cast, not Claudia or Denis) had at least two shades of contacts in their color: a normal set and a brighter set and of course there may have been times, as with Orlando Bloom in LOTR, that someone forgot to put the contacts in before shooting, that’s human error. 

3 Shades of Lestat’s eye color:

Chastising your idiot child who could’ve finished you both would be intense:

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Finding out that your daughter has polluted her own bed, less intense or intense in a different way? i mean it’s HER bed after all you don’t sleep with her thank goodness:

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Pleased with self for A+ parenting, low intensity:

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