Are you ticklish? If you are I’m totally going to tickle you. If Louis is ticklish that I might just tickle him instead. After all he is my favorite vampire out of all the vampires in the VC.

♛I’ll confess that I am very ticklish, when I’m in the mood for it. More so when I was a child. My nurse, who you’d call a “babysitter” now, or a “minder,” I suppose… an older villager with limited energy, she would shuffle after me down the halls of the castle, I’d let her catch me up and reduce me to a painful amount of giggling on the floor. She wasn’t satisfied until we were both hoarse from laughter! 

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Anon, let me be very clear: my defensive reflexes are too fast for a mortal to get to those sensitive areas, unless I’m already compromised… with sufficiently adulterated beverage. You’ll have to find me somewhere in that state if you hope to accomplish this little mission of yours *winks* and then there’s the added mystery of where those areas are since I’m not telling you *smirks*

Louis is your favorite? I’d be offended but that we have that in common, he’s my favorite, too. Getting Louis into full-blown laughter is a real challenge. More of a mental game than a physical one, but I’ll use anything at my disposal to make it happen when the moment is ripe. Protip: he is not physically ticklish unless he is warm and well-fed, and already in a pleasant mood. The difficulty is that much of his pleasure is experienced inwardly.

One of the best and cheapest tactics to get Louis to laugh audibly is the simplicity of a staring contest. He can’t help it. No need to announce when the contest begins, just set yourself up comfortably before him and begin staring. He can’t resist the challenge. Even from mortals. 

♛Salut Lestat! I have been invited to a theatre party to meet some new cast members of a play I’m in and I’m so excited! Any advice on how to absolutely exude confidence while also having fun, seeing as you are so fabulous yourself? :) (lady anon btw!)

♛Bon soir, mademoiselle…. How jealous am I of your upcoming theatre soirée? It is the appetizer for the actual performance you’re part of, so in a word: Very. I miss the stage. I ache for the spotlights! I miss being part of a cast, and all the bonding and trusting that go along with it. 

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I’ll tell you what I told Louis all those years ago, as obvious as it sounds, it must be said: Don’t overthink things. He really did for a long time there, focusing on the mechanics of interactions and trying to come prepared with lines *hand waves* it was all totally unnecessary. Most people are already in a convivial enough mood at these gatherings, more so if they’re given enough sugar or alcohol, all you need do is go with the flow.

This must also be said: Please do not wear jeans. Even if everyone else is. You will stand out as taking it all a little more seriously in a skirt, dress, or really, anything other than jeans. What, are we all farmhands now? I look down the street and I see all these torn jeans, people pay extra for them to be “pre-distressed.” Please. 

(Alright, I buy them like that, too, but I have to blend in! It’s part of the costume to fit in with you people.)

And if you find yourself not engaged in conversation with anyone, that’s fine. It’s sometimes to my benefit to withdraw from these groups to recharge for a moment (to grab a quick drink, you know…).

With the ‘exuding confidence’ part, since you are a practitioner of the theatre, here are a few points that helped me in the beginning:

Walk as if you are leaving melted gold wherever you go. Touch things, like your glass, as if your hands have the same effect. Gently but with intention. Focus your energy and attention on whoever you’re with, but know that you are glowing, even when you are simply listening. Theatre people love to talk, so just listening can have a lot of impact on them.

It’s always good to attend these gatherings with someone you are already close to, I do love dragging Louis or David around with me, but don’t tie yourself down to them. You can break away from them and then rejoin them throughout the evening. 

Find something to compliment one of these new cast members on; jewelry is a good thing, people usually have stories attached to those items. Or a piercing that you find intriguing! Ask if it hurt, they’ll probably give you their reason for doing it, too. 

If you follow that advice, it won’t fail to be a fun experience.

Gather stories from the new cast members.

Treat it like a kind of performance, is what I’m saying! 

Lestat, who’s a better dancer you or Louis?

♛Obviously I am. He’s just so stuffy about it! Needs to learn how to loosen up. I’m grateful that he IS willing to learn and can take an enormous amount of criticism so there’s a chance we’ll be able to dance at our

alleged forthcoming nuptials.

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[X by @ashetray]

I hate when people ask me why I am always in such a melancholy mood. It’s part of who I am, and my past has shaped me to be this way. It’s seems that no matter how elated I get, I may never have my sunlight. May my deepest wishes never be granted?

♠ Dear Anon, 

I deeply relate to your concerns and find it as irritating as you do when my attitude is questioned in this manner. I’ve often asked it of myself, whether this melancholy “mood” is simply an element of who I am, who I always was, and not only the result of what I’ve experienced.

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I see others thriving in the sunlight, metaphorically, and I have yearned, at times, to strip away my burden and join them. I have only ever done that when in a state of mortal drunkenness, and even then, I never fully took leave of my senses.

But this pervasive feeling is not truly a burden, it has its benefits. Are we more introspective than others? Possibly. More sensitive to the pulse of life in a different way than they are. Not all flowers require sunlight, some can only bloom at night. 

When curled up at home with

a good novel in my hands, only the song of the cicadas outside, and ambient lighting, that’s peace for me. I’m sure that you have similar moments. Your deepest wishes of happiness can be achieved in the simplicity of allowing yourself to enjoy the things you enjoy, and forgiving yourself for the way you are. Treat yourself as you would a very dear friend, not an enemy. 

Ah, Louis. I have claustrophobia as well. So instead I sleep in a moselieum.

♠I no longer have the issue with enclosed spaces as I once did, it was a vestigial fear from my past, but one of the things that helped me at that time was focusing on something else, even a small object like a ring or buttons could help reduce my anxiety. 

Mausoleums can vary greatly in size, but the ones I am most familiar with are the small structures we had in New Orleans where members of my family are buried. The angel statue here was my mother’s idea, she always adored angels. 

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Lestat, how do you feel about Viktor?

[Note: Mun & muse do not accept the entirety of PL as canon, definitely not Viktor, but Lestat said he’d play along for the sake of this Ask.]

♛Honestly, I try not to feel anything about Viktor.

 

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I barely know him and he has shown little interest in me. I assume he’s read my books but I have no idea. He seems to prefer thinking he burst forth riding a giant gilded petri dish like Venus on her scallop shell. Fine. That’s probably how I’d act in his position.

[Spoiler Alert]

Here’s the thing, anonymous person, how would you feel if someone told you you had a son, and before you could hardly even entertain the idea, they tell you he’s practically an adult, he was raised in a lab full of scientist-vampires, and that what he wants more than anything in the world, more than anything money can buy or any experience, even a relationship with you, is to become a vampire, too? Just another mortal who finds us beautiful, magical, has little idea of the grotesque nightly payment required? Killing is not always fun. Often it’s repulsive. This is a true customer service job, closer to butchery than the refined elegance people love to romanticize it as being. 

Before you start with me on that, yes, I’m sure his “parents” told him about that part of it, too, but please *waves his hand* I met him when he was mortal and had all the starry-eyed wonder of someone who idealizes what we are, ignoring whatever they find remotely distasteful.

It’s been years now and I’m still livid about it. Surely there would have been a way to reach me about him sooner? What’s been stolen from me is priceless. His first words, his first steps, all the joy of sharing my son’s childhood. Earning his trust. He acts like I abandoned him all those years! I am a “deadbeat dad” by his creator’s design.

Did they think I would confuse him?

Did they think I would hurt him? Kill him? They’ve done so much damage keeping us apart that there may be no healing of that wound, even with vampiric blood. 

I’m livid about all of that, and that’s only the second chapter beyond the fact that his very creation was not my choice, either. I didn’t sign any waivers giving them permission to make a child from my little experiment. What of possible failures they made before him? Potentially: other children who were biologically unstable, never made it to adulthood, suffering in their short lives. It horrifies and disgusts me.

Are you starting to get the picture? Do you have the faintest idea? I’m livid. I’m a father to him in the biological sense of the word only. It even seems that he actively tries to suppress anything of me in him, and isn’t that part of the thrill of having a child? Seeing yourself reflected in them? He reflects nothing back to me, only that we share an uncanny physical resemblance. He should dye his hair if he hates me so very much.

I try not to feel anything about Viktor. It takes me down a road that leads nowhere.

Could I maybe get. A happy birthday from lestat its my 19th birthday today 😊

♛Bon anniversaire, ma petite! I would send you a doll, but some girls outgrow them at a certain age, apparently. Myself, I’m over 200 years old and I love dolls. There’s no accounting for taste in some people.

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Hey Lestat, just curious… the song Sahara, by Nightwish. Any chance it’s actually one of yours? Because I stg it sounds so much like it’s about Marius and Akasha that it gives me chills, and I can’t help but laugh at the thought that maybe you let Nightwish record it so that you could sneak one more song past the rest of the coven. ;P

♛It is a good song and good ear, anonymous person! I won’t confirm or deny *smiles* That’s one of my little secrets… I do collaborate with musicians, but under pseudonyms. If they knew they were working with the famous Rock Superstar Vampire Lestat, they might hold back creatively, or get all overly obsequious, or both, and I wouldn’t want that. So stifling.

The coven does not, generally, support my original musical compositions, probably because they are envious of my incredible talent with it. Especially with lyrics. 

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That’s their loss. I don’t bring them along to the recording studio anymore. 

I mean sure, they’ll ask me to play Chopin or Haydn or whatever at gatherings, they know I can’t refuse. So I’ll throw in some improvisation until they catch on and beg me to go back to the music as written. 

surely Lestat, you look into your fans messages on social media? What do you think of the mortals of tumblr who appreciate your work?

♛Of course I do! I’ve been answering my fans’ messages on this account, and on other accounts as well (Have to maintain a variety of them, so you don’t know which of these is the real McCoy, can’t put Louis’ safety in jeopardy and all that, you understand). 

I’m deeply touched that my fans want to dig deeper and ask for more than I’ve already given, I never could have predicted that their ravenous thirst would only increase over time. They’re never satisfied! I also keep their beautiful artworks and writing and go through them whenever I need a little ego stroking *smirks*

That there is such a glut of other vampire media out there and my fans still demand my stories, over and over again, just goes to show that they’re not just into my species as a whole, but specifically, the tales revolving around my coven. I read Sam Spade comics for him specifically; I’m not drawn to all fictional detectives. Something about him and his allies and enemies was compelling. Probably like that for my fans, and is there anything more flattering than being preferred?

My will gives me the strength to continue on the Devil’s Road, but my fans give me the responsibility of being their driver. I know that they ride along with me, and they are always in the back of my mind. Some of them are backseat drivers and would prefer I respect things like the speed limit, but I’m very good at ignoring backseat drivers by now *winks*