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Ok but tattoos and vampires?? If you were to have a tattoo and get turned into a vampire, do u think it would fade since the vampiric blood supposedly erases all the “imperfections” or not?

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Hello! This question, actually, is much deeper than it appears. 

I’ve addressed it physiologically before, and originally, I was going to link you to that privately, but then I remembered a tattoo from years back (under the cut bc it was under a cut on the person’s blog), and it inspired me to make further considerations, more in the context of the purpose of a tattoo. In that secondary but equally meaningful aspect, I haven’t addressed what the tattoos represent to the ones who wear them, and why the erasing of a tattoo could be devastating to a fledgling vampire. (As always, this response is only about Ricean vampires.)

I’m answering this with good intentions, just the exploration of this deeper question and context. I’m not trained in the issues that I will touch on, but these are just my thoughts on the topic at hand, and not meant to be authoritative in any way, shape, or form. I invite anyone who has gotten tattoos or is thinking about getting them to share your thoughts on this, to get some more perspective.

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[^X is @page537​‘s VC quote tattoo!]

PART I: The physical aspect:
I don’t remember any tattooed Ricean vampires in canon, so I can’t say definitively whether the tattoo ink would remain or not :- This may be a question for the author. For our purposes:

On the one hand, as @thebibliosphere added to one of my posts: “I treat vampires as just very long living humans, which means even tattoos fade over time as the skin cells regenerate.” [X] I’m inclined to agree. I also think a tattoo could be removed from vampire flesh “by scraping/cutting/etc. off the tattooed skin and letting it regenerate to its natural state).” as @skeletalroses put it [X]. 

HOWEVER! On the other hand, the ink could be flushed out along with anything else on the body that is incompatible* to the vampiric parasite at the time that the vampire is turned (*“incompatible” meaning “unnecessary,” like the bodily organs for solid food breakdown or whatever else that are flushed out). Is a tattoo, or the ink thereof, an “imperfection” also an “incompatible” thing? I don’t know. So would the vampiric blood erase a tattoo? It’s possible! 

– PART II – 

People get tattoos for a wide variety of reasons, here’s just a few (and the first three I’m asterisking & bolding bc I feel like those are the reasons that I didn’t address properly before, and I want to try do so, albeit in a limited way, further down).

  • *To change something about themselves bc they are unable to change a larger aspect of their lives, possibly they want to transition from one gender to another, and are not financially able to do so, 
  • *They are in the process of changing

    a larger aspect of their lives, maybe they are gathering more information about the processes in order to make informed decisions about transitioning, or are taking HRT and gradually seeing the changes, or they have a specific quote/motto that is helping them through the change,

  • *To show that they have MADE a change about themselves and want to commemorate/celebrate that change, maybe they transitioned genders, or accomplished a life-long goal,
  • For protection/good fortune/etc., – my cousin has a viking rune of protection

    on his sternum, Angelina Jolie has a number of tattoos for blessings and other reasons,

  • To be part of a group – symbols that indicate allegiance to a group or religion,
  • To advertise one’s interests – like getting a Superman logo might draw other fans of the character to you and strike up a friendship or more, 
  • (Some ppl do get tatts purely bc they’re aesthetically pleasing)
  •  Etc….

Those first three are my focus right now, and I have not undergone a life change of that magnitude so I do not wish to offend anyone by presenting any misinformation. 

But I can speculate that it is a deeply meaningful body modification. In some cases, it’s the only body modification that can be made and it has tremendous value to the person who chooses to have it. On a related note, when ppl ask about vampires and hair dye, I think this may be a similar kind of body modification, something that one can do if they are unable to do the larger desired change. 

>>So a mortal gets a tattoo, or several, that help them feel like they’ve made at least that change to their bodies, and it helps them, whether it’s for a change desired, a change accomplished, or a change-in-progress. 

  1. If that mark is erased when they become a vampire, what does that mean about the change that the tattoo was about? 

  2. Is it erasing the change

    desired/accomplished/-in-progress?

  3. If that mark is erased, is being a vampire a sufficient replacement? 
  4. What are the consequences of erasing that mark as it pertains to the change desired/accomplished/-in-progress?
  5. What emotional impact would it have on the vampire that that mark was erased?

So when this question is asked, it’s also about the fact that when someone chooses to get a tattoo for the sake of representing CHANGE, will that representation of change last into eternity? Would the mortal WANT it to? Would they be devastated that it was gone? These are all considerations and I don’t have the answers. 

On the other hand, and on a lighter note, 

  1. Does this mortal really want that conversation-starter of a Superman logo on their thigh for ETERNITY?
  2. How frustrating would that be to be stuck with something they’ve decided they DON’T like and/or support anymore, and keep getting asked about it repeatedly?? 
  3. It could make for some intriguing vampire emotional exploration. #NO REGERTS indeed.

Again, a tattoo that I remembered from years back, which inspired me to make these considerations, is under the cut bc it was under a cut on the person’s blog originally.

@daniel-james-molloy​‘s VC tattoo [X]:

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Hello! I hear there is actually a tv series in the making for ‘let the right one in’. The first people have been cast! I just read your thoughts on the swedish movie. Spoiler alert for Elis gender (it doesn’t influence the plot at all tho). Eli was born a boy and her full name is Elias. Eli got castrated while she was turned into a vampire by a vampire. She does say ‘I’m not a girl’ in the book and both movies. But it isn’t clear what she wants to be called or seen as.

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Thanks for the info! Wow, we are going to be spoiled w/ all these TV adaptations… all the glorious bingeing…

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The whole gender thing for Eli is ambiguous in the films, and, from what ppl who have read the books have told me, also ambiguous in the book. 

From what I’ve heard about the book, the character is referred to with female pronouns until the ritual castration is revealed, and then the character is referred to with male pronouns. It is up to every reader’s interpretation to determine gender of the character at any point. If the author wanted us to have a definitive answer, I feel like that answer would have been made less open to interpretation.

  • amadeo-child-of-the-renaissance said: //Adding it here: Eli himself doesn’t mind being addressed with female pronouns. Please keep that in mind. Best regards- a genderfluid person. 
  • skeletalroses said: I ~have~ read the book (and seen the Swedish film), and Eli did not seem to me to identify as a cis boy. I could certainly see agender or something as an alternative to the transgirl interpretation, but I’d be pretty skeptical of calling Eli a cis boy. 
  • Re: Eli saying “I’m not a girl,” in the films, annabellioncourt said: yeah the book (original and translation to english) and the american film call her “her/she” and its 90% clear she means “not human” in this film. 

Hopefully, the TV series will clarify this debate, if it is important to the creators/director to do so. Even without an answer to this, the story is still very compelling and I’m excited to see more of these characters!

I’m reading Armand for the first time, and I’m sorry, but at almost 200 pages in, I have to ask—does it ever become not a porno?

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[X] Well there’s fighting, which usually is not part of a porno? There’s a lot of pain and misery on its way to balance out all that smut ;]

After the second journey, [Marius] came home weary and uncommonly sad. He said, as he
had said once before, that “Those Who Must Be Kept” seemed to be at peace. 

“I hate it what these creatures are!” I said. 

“No, never say such a thing to me, Amadeo!” he burst out. In a flash I’d seen him
more angry and uncomposed than ever in our lives. I’m not sure I’d ever seen him
really angry in our lives. 

He approached me and I shrank back, actually afraid. But by the time he struck me,
hard across the face, he’d recovered himself, and it was just the usual brain-jarring
blow. 

I accepted it, and then threw him one exasperated searing glance. “You act like a
child,” I said, “a child playing Master, and so I must master my feelings and put up
with this.“ 

Of course it took all my reserves to say this, especially when my head was swimming,
and I made my face such an obdurate mask of contempt that suddenly he burst out
laughing. 

I started to laugh too.

^Could they have really lasted as a ship if not for what separated them? Idk really but they are like many VC ships, beautiful and

beautifully dysfunctional.

I absolutely love your blog! I’ve gone through all the VC cannon and so many of the wonderful fanworks, but now I’m having withdrawals! Is it strange that my solution is to watch Rise of the Guardians? I mean, Jack Frost IS a cheeky undead optimist who’s trying to find his purpose in the world :P My real question is, are there any Lestatesque/VC-esque books or movies you’d recommend? I agree that OLLA and What We Do in the Shadows are fantastic >:D

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Merci beaucoup, glad you like this thing! You want more?

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You do, I see >:}

I’d agree w/ you about Jack Frost, he’s forced into his immortal status by accident, too, and he’s orphaned and has to figure out what to do w/ himself, too. Jack and Lestat are definitely both

cheeky undead optimists! And yes, OLLA and What We Do in the Shadows are fantastic, that’s for sure! Those movies were very much the VC movie we had been waiting for, with different facets of VC-adjacentness. OLLA more for the aesthetic and WWDITS more for the comedy.

I don’t think that any ONE movie or book (or book series) has all the ingredients that make up that unique VC flavor but there are many that are adjacent. I knew this was going to end up being a masterpost, that’s why it took so long. Also I restrained myself from any Tom Cruise movies. He should have his own masterpost ;D

*cracks knuckles* Okayyy… SO, 

VC-Adjacent is more doable than Lestatuesque, bc everyone’s headcanon of Lestat varies and we all know how attached I am to Tom Cruise So I’ll give you one Lestatuesque rec and the rest are VC-Adjacent.

Lestatuesque: 

Blade Runner (1982) – this movie is mentioned in canon (QOTD). AR had wanted to cast Rutger Hauer as Lestat. But he was too old when they finally got IWTV into production D: so watch this and see her vision for Lestat.

Over and over [Armand] watched Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, fascinated by Rutger Hauer, the powerfully built actor who, as the leader of the rebel androids, confronts his human maker, kisses him, and then crushes his skull. It would bring a slow and almost impish laugh from Armand, the bones cracking, the look in Hauer’s ice-cold blue eye.

“That’s your friend, Lestat, there,” Armand whispered once to Daniel. “Lestat would have the… how do you say?… guts?… to do that!”

In no particular order* 

(and @annabellioncourt​ helped me out here, so wherever there’s an *, those are her recs that I agreed with)(and there are other movies I love obviously, but I tried to limit this list to VC-Adjacent only; and I couldn’t think of any of my fave books that come close enough to fit in here).

Vampire movies:

  • *Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) – Well this goes w/o saying, and it also shared movie!IWTV’s Michele Burke as head of the makeup dept ;D
  • The Lost Boys (1987) – @skeletalroses​ is kind of my authority on this one, and >>>this movie is cited as a major inspiration for WWDITS.<<<
  • What We Do in the Shadows (2014)- Including it on here bc of reasons, this is a very classy documentary of several vampires flatting together in New Zealand as a big coven ball approaches.
  • Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) – Including it on here bc of reasons, this is a very classy film of several vampires visiting together in Detroit, Michigan, and Tangiers, Morocco, as the world is slowly taken over by the “zombies” (not actual ones, metaphoric ones). And there are alot of parallels between the married couple and Claudia Ava, who is thirsty all the time and above the law bc of course she is.
  • Shadow of the Vampire (2000) – It’s a behind-the-scenes fanfic of the filming of the legendary Nosferatu! Mostly horror w/ a dash of comedy. Bonus: Eddie Izzard.
  • Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) – Yeah I love Leslie Nielsen, fight me. It’s a Dracula parody. This will never not be funny.
  • Jennifer’s Body (2009) – well she’s not really a vampire but she eats ppl, so close enough. I love the dynamic between Jennifer and her best friend, how you’re not sure whether Jennifer wants to bring her into this, or just terrify her, but there is something kind of Akasha-esque about this creature.
  • Let the Right One In (2008) – the original is better than the US remake (Let Me In, 2010) but they’re both worth watching. Child vampire! Choosing a new BFF! She has to respect the Being Invited In Rule, tho.
  • The Little Vampire (2000) – a cuter child vampire, w/o much of the angst of being a child vampire, overall super cute and I had to include this bc of Jack Frost. 

Other Horror movies/shows:

  • *Crimson Peak (2015) – @annabellioncourt​ says: “would be a fair addition because of the atmosphere of it as well as its campy factor”
  • Hannibal (2013-2015) – the TV series bc #murder husbands, like c’mon. One pushing the other into being more murdery and the other resisting it. @cloudsinvenice informed us that “Bryan Fuller was a huge IWTV fan growing up – there’s a Nerdist podcast in which he describes how, at the age of 13, he phoned Anne Rice because he wanted to work on the IWTV screenplay. The story is a gem and starts about 32 minutes in, but the whole thing is really great.”
  • The Walking Dead (2010-current) – my new drug, group dynamics, fighting for supremacy, survival, romance, killing!
  • Sweeney Todd (2007) – It’s pretty goth, it has some comedy, it has murder, it has ppl pining for each other. Also, a musical. My fave is the whole By the Sea song sequence bc Helena is trying so hard!
  • The Witches of Eastwick (1987) – Jack Nicholson is the devil and wants to make his own harem of 3 powerful witches what could possibly go wrong? There is a hilariously awful scene in a church. Jack approaches Lestatuesque levels of charm as he courts these women, and then there’s supernatural stuff going on. 
  • The Addams Family (1991) – Gomez and Morticia have the kind of ship Lestat would kill for. He would probably dig their aesthetic to some extent, too. Also murderous kids, who are encouraged to be murderous. ONE HAPPY FAMILY.
  • Black Swan (2010) – something about this, maybe the aesthetic, feels very Theatre Des Vampires.
  • Beetlejuice (1988) – Alec Baldwin! Looked like this once upon a time! But mostly, ppl dealing with being dead and not having a very helpful ghost w/ the most trying to help them. When it works for him.
  • Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – campy, musical, murdery, I still don’t really know what it all really means but it’s fun. Dr. F can be compared to Lestat, in that he’s lusty, charming, glamorous, materialistic, bossy as hell, has a real mean streak, tries to make the perfect lover for himself and fails at it over and over… an essay could be written comparing them. @laurasking is my authority on RHPS.

Other movies/shows:

  • Phenomenon (1996) – Telekinesis and someone dealing w/ acquiring it, and how his community treats him bc of it. THIS IS CUTE so like, yeah, much further away, I almost didn’t include it. Gonna lose my reputation over this rec OH WELL it’s your fault, Anon, bc Jack Frost.

Anime – recc’d by my best friend:

  • Vampire Princess Miyu – “similar atmosphere" 
  • Witch Hunter Robin – “quite gothic”
  • Otogizoushi – “very atmospheric" 

Annbellioncourt’s Recs bc she is classier than me:

  • Byzantium (2012) – Neil Jordan’s first vampire movie since IWTV
  • Wolfman (2010) – “its cheesey, but its atmospheric, spooky, and bloody”
  • The Hunger (1983) – “is one I always suggest to people wanting more”
  • The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories – Angela Carter
  • Carmilla – Bunch of adaptations of this.
  • A Taste of Blood Wine – 

    Freda Warrinton

  • Blood Opera Sequence – 

    Tanith Lee

  • Historian – Elizabeth Kostova

  • Fevre Dream (yes its spelled fevre) by George R. R. Martin (yes, its THAT Martin, and his take on vampires is Very Good.)
  • Sunshine by Robin McKinley
  • The Delicate Dependency by Michael Talbot
  • The Hunger by Whitley Scriber

Voice of Louis – or, “I’ve had to listen to that, for centuries.”

@annabellioncourt​ had cited the following as similar to Louis’ voice in IWTV:

  • “Oscar Wilde’s era of the very late 19th century, which is what most people think of today when they think “Victorian writing.”

“Similar in voice (though not subject) would also be:

  • Matthew Arnold (read some of his essays, and tell me that’s not how Louis talks),
  • Wilkie Collins
  • Henry James

Moar recs from her under Spooky Book Recommendations

Anyone can feel free to comment or reblog this with their own recs *u*

Please make Interviews & Rec an ongoing thing.

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I think I can accommodate that request…

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skeletalroses reblogged your photoset and added:

Honestly, I feel like 99% of the dialogue from What We Do in the Shadows could be taken out of context to create The Vampire Chronicles: Abridged.

Yep. It was one of the best vampire movies ever, and I consider it VC-adjacent for so many reasons. The dialogue (such perfection) being a main reason! VC, or at least movie!IWTV, had to be a big influence on WWDITS. 

BTW: I was at a screening of it in NYC w/ the creators and they said that they were considering doing a werewolf sequel: What We Do in the Moonlight.

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skeletalroses:

Anne Rice’s ‘Vampire Chronicles’ Takes Flight at Universal

calantheandthenightingale:

gothiccharmschool:

theladylovesmonsters:

Setting up a potential “Twilight”-like franchise, Universal Pictures has acquired movie rights to Anne Rice’s novels in “The Vampire Chronicles” series for Brian Grazer and Imagine Entertainment. 

YOU GUYS.

According to Variety, Universal Pictures has acquired the production rights to multiple books in Anne Rice’s beloved Vampire Chronicles series, apparently including but not limited to The Vampire Lestat.

The first screenplay they mention within the article is an adaptation of Tale of the Body Thief, which you’ll remember is actually written by Anne’s son Christopher Rice.

The article mentions Interview with a Vampire and the latest book in the series, Prince Lestat, which raises the question of a remake of the Brad Pitt/Tom Cruise version of Interview we’ve all come to adore in its be-wigged glory.

Imagine President Erica Huggins will oversee the films for Imagine Entertainment, Bobby Cohen will be executive producer, and Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are onboard to produce. The latter two are also known for teaming up on multiple projects such as Transformers, Now You See Me, Cowboys and Aliens, and Star Trek Into Darkness which worries me just a little.

No word yet on any release dates, but since Body Thief sounds like maybe it’s already being worked on, that might be the first to go, I’m not sure.

So. Thoughts? Dreamcasts? General freaking out? Hit me up at my askbox and let me know.

WHAT? WHAAAAAT?

I would love to see a film version of The Vampire Lestat (as long as it was better than Queen of the Damned), but … aaaugh! I am wary of that production team, who would write the script, and dear G-D, so many possible casting pitfalls. 

… The Vampire Chronicles would probably work better as a TV series than a series of movies; I’d much rather see the plot of a book unfold over the course of a season, as opposed to seeing it crammed into a 2 hour film :  But I honestly don’t think I want to see anything from that production team.  Also, IWtV is a classic now.  I don’t want to see a remake of it.  Ever.  It’d be like trying remake The Lost Boys or Amadeus— there are certain films that are so perfect, so iconic that the thought of someone remaking them just makes me feel ill.

I’m…somewhat less pessimistic than the previous commentator. While I think a TVC miniseries would have its advantages, I take the IWTV film as proof that those stories can be executed well in movie form, if handled properly. As for the production team…I like the Star Trek reboot films quite a bit, but I can’t say I’ve heard anything good about the other examples on that resume. That certainly makes me wary.

Regarding a possible IWTV remake, my feelings are mixed. On one hand, I don’t know that I’m necessarily opposed to a remake in principle–not on the level that I would be opposed to a remake of The Lost Boys, at least. On the other hand: for one thing, IWTV simply doesn’t need to be remade. It’s a damn good movie as is, it’s become something of a classic, and it’s not outdated or (in my opinion) flawed enough that it requires or would even benefit from a new version. For another thing, while I’m not opposed to a remake in principle, I probably wouldn’t trust anyone to do it well. (Frankly, I would say of IWTV what I say of other classic films–such as The Lost Boys and even things like Near Dark–whenever I hear people chattering about remake ideas: you don’t need to remake it. Just re-release it.)

I would absolutely love to see a good series of TVC films. If the filmmakers could pull it off. I’m not sure if this news has me more excited or more nervous.

I don’t know that I’m necessarily opposed to a remake in principle… for one thing, IWTV simply doesn’t need to be remade. It’s a damn good movie as is, it’s become something of a classic, and it’s not outdated or (in my opinion) flawed enough that it requires or would even benefit from a new version…

I would absolutely love to see a good series of TVC films. 

AGREED

Since you mentioned me as a potential reference re: The Lost Boys vampires and tattoos (I’m oddly flattered to be considered the TLB reference, by the way): no, in the movie none of them are shown to have tattoos–just piercings. However, in theory I think they would indeed retain any tattoos they had from when they were human, and could get permanent ones after being turned (which could be removed by scraping/cutting/etc. off the tattooed skin and letting it regenerate to its natural state).

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You are ABSOLUTELY The Lost Boys authority! 

thank you for your commentary on tattoos, I agree 100%. I think it would be the same for the Ricean vampires. 

So a tattoo, gotten before or after turning, could potentially be permanent, or it could be removed as you’ve described.