Cutting Armand’s hair every night isn’t something new. He does it on his own sometimes, and he accommodates Daniel’s giddy, childish curiosity about it on those nights, too. It starts just with scissors, and then Daniel teaches him about electric clippers, and then it turns into crewcuts and flattops and elaborate patterns carved in. Daniel sometimes touches the tufts of hair that land in the sink and on the floor, and he rolls the strands between his fingers in rapt fascination.
“It doesn’t… feel like real hair,” he says one night. Mohawk tonight, and Armand runs a hand down his shorn scalp, just above the sideburn left behind, and even on a vampire it feels soft like peach fuzz. Daniel pulls a long lock from the sink and wraps it tight around his knuckle until his fingertip turns white.
“What do you mean, Daniel?”
“I don’t know, it feels…” unnatural. “Different.”
He shrugs and drops it, then touches the shaved side of Armand’s head, as well. He scratches behind Armand’s ear and it elicits a head tilt and a smile and soft purr.
“Hey, Armand?”
His eyes are closed and his head is still tilted towards Daniel’s hand, nuzzling the warmth in his palm. “Mmm?”
“Can we try to dye it? Do you think it would take?”
They start with a strip test. Daniel runs out and buys the bleach during the day so that they can try immediately when Armand wakes up. At first it’s just a streak that comes up from his forehead and curls around his face. It takes longer than it should on regular hair, but they’re not worried about the damage it might cause, and Armand doesn’t seem to feel it burning where it’s too low against his scalp. Hours later and it’s done and they can’t stop touching it. Daniel can’t stop combing his fingers through it and marveling at the way it twists in with the other curls. Armand keeps it for three nights before he cuts it off and starts again.
Then it’s his whole head one night, and it takes hours for the auburn to burn down to a pale yellow, almost white. Daniel inspects it every night, curious to know if the Dark Gift will restore the stripped cells and pleased to learn that it does not. The hair still feels unnatural but doesn’t feel damaged the way human hair would. Several times, he catches Armand frozen in place, staring at himself in the mirror with his knuckles against his mouth, and it’s an expression he doesn’t know how to read.
“Can I straighten it?” he asks one night, and It takes hours and way too much hair spray because the curls keep creeping back into place, and eventually Daniel settles for snapping a quick Polaroid before they all pop back in, so that he can have this one memento of the ten minutes Armand had straight blonde hair. They try it again a few nights later with Aqua Net in an aerosol can and wind up with some approximation of Siousxie hair, and even though Daniel thinks it looks cute, Armand mumbles something about being too flammable and washes it out as soon as he can.
And finally there’s the trip to Manic Panic on St. Marks, and the cat hisses at them when they come in, and Armand stares at it coldly as his skin gleams in the ugly fluorescent light, and the girls behind the counter delight in advising them on all the best colors, and they’re nervous, they can feel something is off but can’t figure out what, but they’re still drawn to the danger, as seduced by it as Daniel is. He and Armand leave with one of every color.
Daniel tries a purple on himself, and his hair is light enough that it takes without bleach, and he’s stained the tops of his ears and the corner of his forehead. Armand goes with a dark green. The excess never permeates his skin, because nothing really ever does, and afterward Daniel can’t stop staring at the way it lights up the amber color of his eyes.
But Daniel’s fades after a few washes, and he stares at the way the color tints the shampoo bubbles, and the way it rinses and drips through his fingers. Stark and vivid against the white porcelain tub. And he sees the way it dissolves, night after night, from something lively and exciting to something dull, while Armand’s stays as bright and vital as ever.
And when he’s tired of it, Armand shaves his hair off so that it’ll grow back normal. And Daniel’s remains a fucking mess.
Something came back to him, something he had known long ago – that in the language of an ancient people, the word for flowers was the same as the word for blood.
//As somebody who got their last mark/grade on all of their egyptology exams at the University today and finally passed, I want to set my inner history nerd free:
(sources are to be found at the bottom or within the text)
Enkil is supposed to be a predynastic King.
So what is the Predynastic Era to begin with? According to most historians that would be the Neolithic period (a.k.a. New Stone Age!), beginning ca. 6000 BC, with the first human settlements known in the area and ending around 3100 BC, with the first Pharaoh (= Narmer/Menes).
That’s right. Enkil’s reign as a predynastic king could very roughly(!) be placed somewhere in between 6000 BC to 3100 BC. For reference and amusement: the creation of writing is roughly to be sat about 5000 years ago (which marks the beginning of history).
Now, we can’t have the Father of all Vampires be Stone Age man, can we? Let’s try to narrow that time frame down a bit:
I think, since Anne Rice describes some sort of a holding of court, we are pretty safe in ruling the time of the earliest settlements out (little mud brick houses consisting of only one window-less room for a whole family and the earliest form of homo sapiens as subject just don’t make for an epic court to rule over.)
Egyptologists speak of a so called Naqada culture, spanning from ca. 4400 BC to 3000 BC, which can be divided into the following three parts:
Naqada I (4400-3500 BC) -> almost no refined artwork/craftsmanship
Naqada II (3500-3200 BC) -> first metalworking (meteoritical iron)
Naqada III (3200-3000 BC)
We can skip the first two Naqada periods, since there wasn’t really any (known) form of sovereignty comparable to the rule of a king.
Which leads us to Naqada III: Naqada III is also referred to as Dynasty 0 or the Protodynastic Period.
Here is the issue with chronology within the subject of Egyptology: When the early egyptologists tried to name dynasties there were multiple debates and, like every time when too many big egos are involved, things went wrong. To make things short: There is now a time called “Zero Dynasty” (which comes before the 1st dyn.), which might be characterized as Predynastic by some and Early Dynastic by others.
There were kings in Naqada III, but they weren’t part of a dynasty yet (hence Protodynastic or Predynastic). Most of them were most likely not related (a dynasty is the succession of kings of the same blood line), but fighting for dominion with each other. The above mentioned King Narmer (aka Menes) is thought to be the last King of that period and the first Pharaoh of the 1st dynasty(He had been the first known King to unify Egypt).
In conclusion, Enkil’s reign should precede Narmer, but still be set in Naqada III, around 3200-3100 BC.
(We managed to narrow his reign down to 100 years, yay!)
There are, actually, some known Kings from that time that could give us an example for Enkil’s reign, or – which I find very interesting – a possible alias. Stay with me for a bit longer.
9 of them ruled in Lower Egypt, but only one can be placed in Naqada III for sure (forgive me for leaving out the rest): That King is known as “Double Falcon”, after the depiction of his crest (they didn’t use cartouches by then but crests known as serekh and the historians named them after the depicted animals). Some say he might also have ruled in Upper Egypt. 3 kings are known to have ruled Upper Egypt during Naqada III: “Elephant”, “Bull” and “Scorpion I.”
Bull was probably the predecessor of Scorpion I., whose successor is believed to have been Double Falcon and later a king names Iry-Hor (late 32th dynasty.Iry-Hor is the earliest ruler of Egypt known by name and possibly the earliest historical person known by name). No one knows for sure where to place Elephant. All of them are believed to have lived during the early 32th century BC (which allows us to place them near the year 3200 BC to 3150 BC).
Iry-Hor was succeeded by “Ka”/”Sekhen”, who was probably succeeded by “Scorpion II.” or, more probable, by Narmer himself.
Now we have a sorry excuse of a chronology of rulers close to Enkil’s mortal years, ending with Narmer:
Bull
Scorpion I.
Double Falcon
Iry-Hor
Ka (Sekhen)
Scorpion II. or Narmer (Menes)
As you can see, there is a line of succession, albeit not one you should bet on, since egyptologists are still not 100% sure about the line of succession. BUT: Where to place Elephant?
Enkil was the Pharaoh, whose throne-name was Pen-abu (“Great one from the (throne) seat”) how fitting. Historians how call him “Elephant” and he was the predecessor of “Bull”, one of the earliest rulers of Naqada III period, in the early 32. dynasty.
Hello hello~~~ This post got very long! It’s a big question!
I guess I haven’t talked about Lestat’s singing voice bc I can’t find it, but YES, #headcanon accepted, Lestat would have a kick ass falsetto voice!
I just drafted this post and it’s too long, so much more can be written and more vids could have been featured, but I’ve spen
The short answer: As with Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is music in the ear of the beholder, and your idea of Lestat’s voice is as valid as anyone else’s. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
I’m gonna offer a few responses on this, from AR, from canon, from a mutual VC fan friend of mine, and then respond to your suggestions. I had to make a cut bc the post was getting long.
SO, AR has said, on several occasions, that Bon Jovi was a big influence on Prince Lestat. She even dedicated Prince Lestat to Bon Jovi (as one of her muses). [X]
I also seem to recall Lestat mentioning a love for Bruce Springsteen in canon, but that might have been fanon. In QOTD, Baby Jenks says Lestat sings like the Boss:
Baby Jenks did love the Vampire Lestat’s music,… Yes sir, that was the one she loved… It wasn’t the words that got to her, it was the way he sang it, groaning like Bruce Springsteen into the mike and making it just break your heart.
I’m on Fire, the lyrics and the way he sings it, seem very Lestatuesque to me. Try Dancing in the Dark, also very Lestatuesque to me…
What do you think Lestat’s band would sound like now?
Well, it always sounded to me like Jim Morrison. That was the band I based it on — Jim Morrison’s voice, physical beauty, and the sound of that band in a song like “L.A. Woman.” That’s how I imagined Lestat’s band sounding. I don’t know a lot about rock music right at this moment; I haven’t listened to a stadium band in a while. I don’t know the latest stuff. I really don’t know. The main thing in emphasizing Morrison is that I’m emphasizing hard rock. It’s really acid rock. It’s not lightweight rock music and there has to be a good voice at the helm. Morrison had an exceptionally good voice for a rock singer. But modernizing it? Sure, whatever. Bring it on.
AR also sort of answered this in response to her Fan Questions for Lestat series on FB, I’ll post the whole response momentarily, but here’s a relevant snippet:
“Of course I am enchanted by popular music of all kinds — Jim Morrison, Tina Turner, Bon Jovi, Joan Jett. I find myself highly susceptible to the most emotional and intense music.”[X, 10/12/15]
@liquorandptsdvarietyshow, VC fandom friend of mine, had commented on a post re: Bon Jovi:
1) Lestat has pretty schlocky taste in music, all things considered. Yes he is a musician and a rock star but basically he likes anything you can dance to;
2) Bon Jovi are tbh pretty cool. I’m not saying rush out and buy all their albums, but Slippery When Wet is a good time with a gross title.
Personally, I’ve always felt Brett Scallions of FUEL would have done well as Lestat, and Last Time feels very Lestat/Akasha to me.
ANYWAY. Anon’s suggestions!:
I personally always thought of him as having an almost Bowie sounding voice
*nods* I think that’s possible, but subtract the British accent. I bet Lestat could emulate it easily, though.
but with the energy and range of Brendon Urie from Panic at the disco. Idk if you’ve heard the song Emperor’s New Clothes by Panic!
I’m not a Panic! fan, I’m still stuck in my love for 80′s + 90′s music, but listening to this song now, first of all, yeah, I hear some Bowie in Urie! And there’s a lot of charm and silliness, but it’s all grounded in real feeling, IDK, you may be starting to turn me into a Panic! fan, Anon!
^I also really like the sass in the lead singer, and the lyrics are pretty Lestatuesque!
Ave Cesaria by Stromae – Well, it is a nice song, but something about the singer’s voice seems smoother and older to me? Not really snazzy and cheesy enough? Like this is how David might sing if David was a singer. Nice example for French music, tho!
I-want-my-IWTV 