#but i want to watch the show and also read mayfair witches and watch that show

[lighteyed]

haven’t finished a book in weeks. haven’t written a word for fun in a month. god what have we come to

[nalyra-dreaming]

I enjoy reading your blog and analysis on the show and books. I’ve read most the books years ago except…from Queen of the Damned as they were published. The only books I haven’t read are the last two in the Chronicles and the one tied into the Mayfair witches. I just could never get into that series, and the same has been true of the TV adaptation. I watched the first episode and was bored out of my mind and never went back.

However, I absolutely love the adaptation of ITWTV. The best thing on TV in years, and if I’m truthful, I find the adaptation better than the books. To me, the characters simply have more layers than in the books, and the dialogue is simply amazing. I have to rewatch every episode to make sure I didn’t miss any dialogue. And there’s nothing I can say about the acting from all involved that hasn’t been said before. Simply top tier from everyone, and deserving of all the Emmys in the world.

My post is actually not an ask but a comment. I’m seeing a lot of people ask you about the fight and the drop. I have to say, that from the time I saw the episode from the first season, I expected that the drop would remain, and I don’t think there is any reason they need to take it out. I think it would weaken that episode. What I think needs to happen and always expected would is the why and how of the drop.

I agree that Lestat would never drop Louis and so I think that while the fight did happen, Lestat didn’t use his full power on Louis and it was the latter’s fault that the drop happened. I always visualized the scene being one where Louis pulled Lestat’s hands away and FELL. He wasn’t dropped.

I also wonder if we will discover true revelation this season from Claudia’s missing diary pages, which I suspect shows her manipulation of Louis. 1973 Louis seemed to know the truth of things when confronted by Armand and being told that Claudia didn’t love him like Lestat and he did.

Armand very well could have manipulated his knowledge of said events and cut out the diary pages for that reason. Unlike in the books, TV Louis is very emotional. He would have ripped the diary pages out. The fact that they were precisely cut out screams Armand.

Hey! Glad you like! Oh yes, and I agree Armand probably did that post 1973, in an effort not to trigger Louis.

I'm not so sure book Louis wasn't as emotional, he wasn't then. He is, definitely, in Merrick, imho. And since the show has mixed all that up... but that just as a note.

I... am unsure if they will use the impact of the diaries as I would want them to. But... there, too they have switched things up, so who knows.

As per your drop theory - maybe?! I mean, that could happen, on principle? We will have to see. I'm not sure a "re-contextualization" actually changes a lot, but... on the other hand, they wouldn't revisit if there was nothing changed by it :))))

We'll see. Soon now. In... 9 and a half days^^.

[thenightling]

Mayfair witches first episode review

I just got done watching the first episode of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches.  I have to say it IS better than the Interview with the Vampire TV series in regard to faithfulness to the books.

 I never really liked the characters in the Mayfair novels. I couldn’t attach myself to them the way I could Anne Rice’s vampires, especially with some of the things Rowan does in the later books, which I never could quite forgive- such as when she murdered her own Taltos child after the child had literally nursed her back to health.  As far as I can tell The Mayfair witches TV series is a lot more faithful to the boks than the Interview with the vampire TV series.  Try and also keep in mind I was fourteen-years-old the last time I read The Witching Hour, Lasher, or Taltos.   And twenty-one when I read Blood Canticle (the novel where Lestat and Rowan finally meet and is, frankly, the worst book in The Vampire Chronicles). The biggest change, thus far, is the characters Aaron Lightner (of The Talamasca) and Michael Curry have been merged together. I actually don’t mind this change too much as the new character of Ciprien Grieve is interesting and compelling in his own way.  I hope he survives as Rowan’s romantic interest like Michael Curry did in the novels, and doesn’t die the way Aaron Lightner died.  

I know that merging Michael Michael Curry and Aaron Lightner together is a pretty big change for a lot of people but other than that it’s fairly recognizable to the original book, much more so than the Interview with the vampire series.

Considering my not-very-much attachment to the Mayfair Witch books I actually wouldn’t mind some big deviations with this one. In the books many of the characters were unlikable, incestuous, and just plain boring.  So far the new amalgam character of Ciprien Grieve is the most interesting thing since he’s also the biggest deviation. The Talamasca, thus far, though so far mysterious, is being portrayed better than it was in the Queen of the damned movie (2002) where they accidentally used the motto of The Watchers from Highlander the series (”We observe and record but never interfere”).  This new show seems to remember the roots of The Talamasca where they were inspired by the real organization of the SPR / ASPR (Society for Psychical Research).

It’s not bad so far.  It hasn’t reached any of the plot points yet that I disliked like the books. So far we have Rowan’s power to kill with her mind awakening, and the backstory of her biological mother, Deirdre Mayfair, which is just as tragic as I remember it being in the book The Witching Hour.

The Mayfair Emerald has a new redesign.  It’s not just a heavy rectangular emerald.  It’s also in a setting made to look like a large key.     

It’s scary to think of poor Diedre as being doped up with Thorazine all those years in what appears to be a chemically induced version of Locked-in Syndrome.   

And so far Rowan is more sympathetic than her literary counterpart. I hope it stays that way.  I always thought of the character as kind of cold and selfish and a bit narcissistic in the books.  And I never quite got over how in Blood Canticle she didn’t so much as show remorse for the Taltos child she murdered but instead wanted a “live specimen” to study and dissect.  Lestat’s attraction to her was completely “forced.”  And by that I mean it felt inorganic.  The attraction had no basis in established plot or character personalities.   I strongly feel it was one of those things Anne Rice later regretted as she later quietly pretended it had never happened.

Anyway, yeah, I may keep watching, if for nothing else but I kind of like the new Talamasca agent.  I wonder if he’ll turn up in the Interview with the vampire TV series when the story finally catches up to modern day.

[you-are-so-much-better-than-that]

Tagged by my pals @mishervellous @squidyyy23 @energievie @gardenerian @whatwouldmickeydo @ardent-fox @celestialmickey

rules: tag people who you want to get to know better.

relationship status: Independently operated thank you

favourite color: green

three favourite foods: today I'll say tacos, chocolate ice cream, and cheese.

top 3 tv shows: ooo I'll choose three that are brand new and I am currently enjoying: Shrinking, Mayfair Witches (Anne Rice BOO, dark witchy story YAY), and Poker Face.

top 3 characters: Buffy, Veronica Mars, Arya Stark

what i’m currently reading: Trying to catch up on some kinktober fic. Also been wanting to reread some Neil Gaiman for a while. Maybe Stardust or Coraline since they're both short.

song stuck in my head: Baby Love by the Supremes

last movie watched: The Wedding Year with @heymrspatel

last thing i googled: recipe for tres leche cake

last song i listened to: according to Spotify it was There She Goes, but to be fair, my phone was used to yesterday at a baby shower and that was probably the last song that played. (fun fact: the playlist was made by Julissa because I am Bad at Music)

dream trip: ummm right now somewhere warm! It's summer in New Zealand right now right?? Donna I'm coming!

time: 6:47 pm

anything i really want right now: ....a slice of tres leche cake....

I shan't tag anyone since I'm so late, but if you wanna play consider this an invitation!

[thoughtsandfiction]

Ep 3 of Mayfair Witches, or The One in which Rowan tries to walk to a house but is stopped by the plot.

So my major issue with Mayfair Witches is that it doesn't seem to be aware of it's own episode count, so it feels like it can have filler episodes. It cannot, and all they've been successful at doing is making me think there's not a lot of story to tell here (book fans, how dense is this story? Does it require a lot of stretching to make if a viable long running tv show?)

Not a lot happens in this episode and that worries me because we're approaching the half way mark, and it feels like we're still doing set up! I think Rowan should've gone with Carlotta. Would it be the smart choice for her? Probably not, but:

1) It would illustrate her desperation for family and answers about both her mothers (which is the whole reason she came here) 2) She asks Cip to identify the house in the picture (and later tries to go to it) but she didn't need him to do this! In Ep 2 the tour guide already told her it's The Mayfair House. Carlotta identifies herself as a Mayfair! Go with her! She is a more sure bet of having the answers you seek than stalker guy!! 3) Going with Cip is used as an opportunuty to explain The Talamasca and his powers, and do we need this right now?? We kinda get the gist of them as a supernatural bureaucratic organisation already, and Cip's powers have been demonstrated enough that I don't think anyone is hankering for a play by play. This whole thing slows down the urgency of Deidre's murder. 4.) This show needs more Carlotta/Beth Grant. There's something kooky about her performance that's made it one of the more enjoyable parts of the series. And Carlotta is the character with the most well articulated motives. She is a God-fearing (very Catholic) woman who is/thinks she is protecting her family from evil, and is fanatical about her protection (as VERY religious people often are). I want to see what her dynamic with Rowan is. It's time for Rowan really get into the woo woo shit. Also just the vibe of the aunts is so creepy. I mean, twin beds?? Give me weird adolescent sibling dynamics, yes! 5) I think Rowan meeting the Mayfairs, and experiencing the kinds of manipulation and restriction that Deidre was subjected to would be good motivation for her to run to Cip, and engender more feelings of sympathy for Deidre, and make Carlotta a viable suspect for her murder. 6) And I'm sure the Mayfairs have more of an idea about why Deidre was murdered. What is this 13th Witch thing? Why did Carlotta try so hard to keep Rowan away? Would Carlotta tell her? Probably not, but she's more likely to get some idea there than with Cip. 7) Lasher meets Rowan on the road, drugs her, seduces her, and then lures her to (what I'm assuming) is the Mayfair House. Carlotta and Catholic Hilda (seriously, what is her name?) are trying to find a way to get her to them. ROWAN ALREADY WANTS TO GO THERE! She has expressed this want! She was on her way! Why is everyone acting like she doesn't? Why are we getting in our own way?! And why get her there just to bring her back?! It's Two steps forward, two steps back! We're not moving!

Don't get me wrong, I understand why she goes with Cip. The moment is scary, and he's the only person she kinda knows. But get her to the house at some point in the episode. I mean, I would've rather heard Carlotta's explanation of what Lasher is and the evil he represents to her, and see Rowan try reckon with that, than hearing Cip repeat the vague descriptors we've been hearing since ep 1. Cip can still live his inspector gadget fantasy, cause somebody's gotta get the whodunit rolling, but this is Rowan's story. Let her drive the action! Give her things to do!

I'm gonna keep watching because I am very curious about how they're gonna write the rest of this. Most reviews I've seen and read say episodes 1-5 are meh and unfortunately that's proving to be true, but I'm nothing if not an optimist, so I'm still waiting for this story to kick it into high gear, and there are reasons for my faith. The scenes between Delphine and Carlotta are, I think, the most chilling stuff this show has done so far. Delphine's palpable fear? Carlotta's completely unsubtle manipulations? The race and class power dynamics at work? Her crushed in head?! Horro! Thriller! Good shit! It puts Carlotta up as a front runner for primary antagonist. There is something here, there's potential here. Let's hope we're done laying the groundwork and are finally going to tap into it.

Minor Asides:

So how does Lasher work?? Cause the reason Carlotta betrays Delphine is to trap Lasher, but he's still free enough to set fire to buildings, and dance around a funeral procession with Rowan??

What exactly were the Talamasca's protections? Cause Lasher could still find Rowan, and Rowan could just leave the building, so what did they actually do??

Witch hunters..... yay? I don't know. One the one hand, potential for some action and aggresive witchy woo, but one the other hand seems like a set up for Rowan to girlboss feminisim at some Men, a tactic employed by many "Show For/About Women," which can sometimes feel rote.

[mistresspandorawritesthings]

Get to know me

Tagged by:@meditating-honey-badger - Thanks for tagging me!

Rules: Tag nine people you want to get to know better (for once I’m actually going to try to tag the required number of people.... WHY NINE THOUGH)

Three ships: Listen, I will ship almost anything, don’t limit me with numbers. But gun-to-the-head-pick-three-or-else..... Jamie/John, Loustat, and Destiel. LJG fandom, we HAVE to come up with better ship names. The canon ship is Claimie ffs, we can do better than that.

First ship: Uhhhhhh ..... Buffy/Angel. I think. Destiel was my first non-canon ship and believe me when I say you do NOT want your ships becoming canon.

Fave colour: Purple. Although I’ve been vibing with teal lately, but still purple.

Last song: “Smoking in the Boys Room” by Motley Crue.

Last movie in the theater: Thor: Love and Thunder. Y’ALL. Make sure you have your bi panic before you see that one. Or it WILL be triggered. Also King Valkyrie, my beloved, please marry me.

Last show: Interview with the Vampire. If you have not seen it, you should.

Currently watching: HA Beth you’re funny. You know I’m not watching anything until we pick up with season 3 of @lordjohnlander 😂 Unless another season of Interview comes out before then. Or I actually finish The Mayfair Witches...

Currently reading: 😬 *IN THEORY* I am reading The Vampire Lestat for the second or third time, and How Your Book Sells Itself by Bethany Atazadeh and Mandi Lynn. But reading is hard lately so I’m just trying my best here.

Currently working on: Editing the season 2 finale of Lord Johnlander and two original novels as my alter ego @evybuchanan

Current obsession: Well YouTube seems to think it’s Motley Crue because it keeps pushing content about them or with their music sooooo. Honestly, I’m just trying to live through another day in fucking paradise.

Okay I am actually going to try tagging nine people. No pressure if you don’t wanna. Also sorry if you get tagged more than once because of me LOL. ... @saltybenchday​, @littlecrabbs​, @tinyfrenchowl​, @faeriesfanficblog​, @dyallonpostsfics-blog​, @derpandabar​, @narastories​, @iihappydaysii​, @deanwinchesterangelfucker​

Okay the hardest part was counting to nine 🤦‍♀️ And I do math for a living good lord.

[goddesspharo]

Tagged by @antiquitea.

3 ships: This changes like...all the time. Wave something shiny and pretty and vaguely antagonistic at me and I'm pretty much yours.

I rewatched Top Gun Maverick over the weekend and even though the point of The Hard Deck intro was to establish that they all knew each other carnally, I'm feeling very into Hangman/Phoenix at the moment because who doesn't love a pairing with two extremely attractive people being shitheads to each other while secretly wanting to bone?

I feel a flare up of "why didn't Grace and Daniel make out in Ready Or Not?" at least once a month so that's still a thing, I guess. Adam Brody deserves better than being a second tier character in those dumb Shazam movies.

I miss seeing Kyle Valenti's face every week for two minutes an episode on Roswell, New Mexico so I am still extremely bitter that my garbage CW show got cancelled (except that I genuinely believe the first season was stellar and not just because every music cue was from the 90s) and after four seasons of wanting someone to love Kyle Valenti back, we fiiiiiiiinally got Kyle and Isobel getting together in the last episode after a season of secret and not so secret pining only so they could have...one minute of screen time together in which they...didn't even kiss? THANKS FOR DEPRIVING ME OF ALL THE NICE THINGS. Am I ever going to stop being bitter over not getting to see them date or make out or do all the things that Lily Cowles probably put up on her vision board? NO, I WILL NOT. Get them booked and busy!!!!

1st ever ship: I can't think that far back! I'm sure there were many before this but off the top of my head, my first thought after "I'm too ancient to remember this" was that Tommy and Kimberly in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers ruled. Remember the proverbial water cooler discussions in elementary school when they introduced the green ranger? SPECTACULAR. Ah, back in the days when we thought some dude using a flute to summon a robot dragon was the height of being a bad ass. (Side note: the Power Rangers movie with Dacre Montgomery and Naomi Scott doesn't get enough credit for being a really good time. They teased a sequel that will never happen because not enough people recognize a good reboot!!!)

last song: Last week, I was inexplicably listening to A LOT of Dave Matthews Band live performances. I guess the inexplicable bit is that last week Spotify's Discover Weekly decided to randomly put a Stevie Nicks cover of "Crash Into Me" on my playlist, which sent me into a DMB spiral - I know this is deeply uncool because anyone who was alive in the 90s heard that song at least once a day for YEARS on the radio so we are all hardwired to roll our eyes at them, but this spiral led me to this (in which the late great LeRoi Moore's sax solo is the closest I will ever come to understanding Damien Chazelle's obsession with jazz) and, even more spectacularly, this, which is worth even listening to in the background. But actually none of that is what I've been listening to more recently. I was on call the other night and the only thing that got me through 48 hours on 4 hours of sleep was Tina Turner, particularly "Nutbush City Limits."

currently reading: Patricia Highsmith's Strangers On A Train.

last movie: I watched Breathe (2014; dir. Mélanie Laurent) last night and it was SO GOOD! Highly recommend! It was also refreshing to watch a movie that wasn't two hours long. Bring back 90-100 minute movies!

currently consuming: I'm drinking black tea with milk.

currently watching: About to watch the pilot of Mayfair Witches even though Alexandra Daddario has the acting range of a beautiful block of wood, but I'm in the intersection of AMC's venn diagram of "bitches who miss Interview With The Vampire" and "bitches who miss Jack Huston's face."

currently craving: Lychees, but they're out of season :(

Tagging whoever wants to do it!

[cbrownjc]

Um, hi new followers!

Wow, I’ve gotten a whole lot of new followers lately. And I know it’s because of my Interview with the Vampire theories and posts. 

As someone who’s read the majority of the books, I will try not to spoil anything I think is immediately coming on the show. If talk about anything really spoilery I will label it #spoiler or #spoilers. 

I’ll be watching The Mayfair Witches series when that starts as well, as I have also read those books too. 

And please feel free to ask me questions if you want. I’ll answer whatever I can. 

ETA: It’s been so long since I was last on Tumblr that I forgot that I had closed my Ask. Anyway, I‘ve opened it again. Sorry for anyone who tried to message me before but couldn’t this way.

[lowcountry-gothic]

I’m re-reading The Witching Hour now, for the first time in almost twenty years, after watching season 1 of The Mayfair Witches, and it’s confirming the feeling I got from the show, that they got Lasher so wrong. Jack Huston plays him as charismatic in a confident, smoldering, almost predatory way. But the Lasher of the book feels more childlike; passionate, but in the way of a young boy in love for the very first time: reckless, zealous, almost religious. Huston also plays his relationship to the witches as subtly manipulative, while in the book I’ve always felt he's too impulsive to be effective at deception. He knows what he wants, and (sometimes) knows what needs to happen, but I think his success in the end is less due to his own cunning than it is to the oppressive sense of fate that hovers over the entire novel.

[alwynwitch]

Mayfair Witches season 1 review

Everyone seems to be doing reviews, so I thought let’s also write out my thoughts now that I have seen all episodes.

What I liked most: the dark aesthetics/visuals and music/soundtrack. The show was simply beautiful.

Regarding the story: I liked episode 2, 5 and 8 best, where they most tapped into the gothic horror. This includes Deirdre’s story and the beginning of episode 6 when Lasher fucked with Rowan’s mind.

But I thought over-all there is not enough gothic horror. It felt too much toned down and sanitized. While this is literally a story about a family of murder, incest and madness that is manipulated by spirit Lasher who has sex with every generation and manipulates the blood-line so he could create the perfect witch, with whom he has sex so he can be reborn into her womb. I mean... more gothic horror it can’t get, right?

So... I want more dark and creepy stories, family history, the house, incest and madness. And less of the men’s right movement and Tessa. That felt completely uneccesary and didn’t click with me.

The sex scenes could also have been shot a bit more appealing lmao. 

The new characters Cip and Jojo were a very smart choice. I didn’t miss Michael and Aaron at all, I thought they were kind of boring anyway. Cip is a really likeable character. And Jojo was so cool as well! Really nice that they gave us a transgender witch. I wish we had seen more of her and her complicated relationship with her father. 

Speaking about which... I have been calling Cortland the creepy incest uncle since episode 1 so I am glad he finally got unmasked lmao.

The casting was fine imho. I liked Lasher. He was creepy and manipulative, but not so much that it was off-putting. The actor played it really well. I am also fine with Rowan.

The Talamasca was different than I imagined, but I still liked it. They were more ominous and corrupt than I expected, but this can be a good thing.

Over-all, I enjoyed the season, though I don’t agree with all the choices they made. I’m definitely going to watch season 2. It got me also curious to read the books further (I have only read book 1 and the cross-over books with VC), so that is good.  

[v-e-l-v-e-t-g-o-l-d-m-i-n-e]

I was tagged by @airneeus to do this a few days ago - thank you! (also I’m sorry for everyone who tagged me in these games the last couple of months, I love doing those but I’ve been so busy this past month)

last song — i’ve been into a Roxy Music kick the last couple of days so it would be If There Was Something (the Viva! live version because that version is 🔥🔥🔥)

last show — Mayfair Witches! it’s honestly better than I expected judging by the reviews.

last movie — it was Glass Onion last week, which I liked a lot, even if I still prefer Knives Out.

currently watching — since Star Trek: Prodigy ended last month the only show I’m following is Mayfair Witches. tbh I’l already missing a weekly Trek show after almost a year of having a new episode every single week

currently reading — The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, and I’m almost done with it and its 1200+ pages

current obsession — not sure if I have a current obsession, but the AMC shows did woke up the Anne Rice fan in me. I’m pretty immersed in the Mayfair witches histories atm, to a point that I’m even considering re-reading Merrick, of all things lmao

tagging: uhhh i’m terrible at tagging for these games but let me see @marley-manson  @tirlaeyn and anyone who wants to do this, feel free do to so.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hi, I'm sorry if you've been asked this before, I tried to have a look but didn't see. I'm in the middle of reading the books now (I've just started menmoch) but I'm getting a bit confused about the reading order after this because I've seen a few different answers from Google about what the order is to read because of the Mayfare witch books as well so I just wanted to see if you knew a good order to read them? and if I need to read the Mayfare witch books as well to have it all making sense (I want to read the witch books as well but I've heard they're quite incest-y so I'm not sure how I'll be able to cope with it) I also just really really love lestat so I'm intrigued to see how I get on when lestat isn't the main character in some of the books 😔 thanks for any help!! Love your blog so much!

Hey nonny!

Nope, not been asked before ;))) And thank you, glad you like my little corner of the internet ;))

Ok so….. personally I‘d stay (and read the Vampire Chronicles) in the order of how they were written/released:

They do build on each other (and sometimes contradict/retcon things) and the character journey is quite interesting.

Now, Merrick, Blackwood Farm and Blood Canticle are the crossovers with the Mayfair Witches. The show to that will be on in 4 weeks (wohoo) and I personally cannot wait.

That said, I do get your reticence in regards to some topics - however a lot of the other VC books also carry those themes (i. e. IWTV and TVL both did, too). Anne never really shrank back from any kind of topic and her characters are anything but one-dimensional, which can be quite something. I‘d say coming from The Tale of the Body Thief and going into Memnoch…? You’re probably well prepared ;)). (Imho, of course).

If you really need to read all of them… probably not. Blood and Gold is a retelling in large parts, so is The Vampire Armand though both books also carry (of course!) important bits.

If you want to get the full picture of what AMC plans it’s probably necessary to read them all. AND the Mayfair Witches series, yes.

Blood Canticle has Rowan Mayfair in it. That character is main character in The Witching Hour. So it would (probably) make sense if you would read that book of the Witches‘ series before?

That said it might suffice if you watch the show *laughs*. But we’ll see how they spin it there (and the planned crossovers).

The Vampire Chronicles make sense without reading the other books imho, if you want/need to skip. Just roll with it would be my advice. Lots of stuff coming at you in the Vampire Chronicles still, too ;))))

[thenightling]

The Mayfair Witches episode 8

I finally watched the season Finale of the Mayfair Witches.

As much as I loved what they were doing with the Talamasca, turning them into a semi-sinister supernatural variation of The men in Black is where they lost me.  Since when does The Talamasca erase people’s memories?!

Why doesn’t AMC just give them Neurolizers and complete the MiB theme?   Odd that a society so secretive that it would erase memories carries around business cards with their logo and phone number AND have giant sacks of salt with their logo on it.   You can’t be a secret society and a brand name at the same time. Make up your mind.    

I wonder if the SPR / ASPR is mildly insulted by this portrayal since The Talamasca is based on them.

Though I read The Witching Hour (back when I was fourteen and I’m forty-one now) I was still surprised at the reveal that Cortland orchestrated Deirdre’s death and was who really impregnated Deirdre to begin with.  I thought the show was going to leave out the incest but I suppose in the post-Game of Thrones world TV has gotten less squeamish about such things.

The 1960s supernatural-themed Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows had incest but it was subtle and you had to pay attention to notice it.  Such as with Laura Collins (the Phoenix) and when another Collins was being pressured to marry his cousin.   I know that the child IS Lasher but Sip seemed a little too eager to want to want to hand over a baby to be poked and prodded by The Talamasca for the rest of his life, especially when he was just starting to see the sinister side of The Talamasca.  Though The Witching Hour novel and existence of the speed-maturing Taltos existed since the 90s, was anyone else getting a Twilight Breaking Dawn feel from this?  Including from Ciprian’s reaction to the baby?

Rowan’s chosen punishment for Cortland was harsh.  I know he did many terrible things and was a manipulator and rapist-by-deception and hired someone to murder his own niece but the idea of being frozen in stone forever and still able to see and hear is pretty damn horrific.  I’ve seen it in horror films before like in the Wishmaster franchise and TV shows like Warehouse 13 and Angel and it’s still horrific.     

Honestly, every character was kind of unlikable in that last episode.  Sip was clever with how he handled the situation with The Talamsca.  HIs sister was an idiot. Paraphrasing:  “Hello, powerful, illuminati-like secret society I am not supposed to know about, Is my brother there?” But what Sip wanted to do with the baby (even knowing it’s Lasher) is kind of terrible.  I hope he had a scheme up his sleeve outside of “Hand the baby over to be vivisected.”   It was also kind of cute seeing baby Lasher try to teethe on the Mayfair necklace.

The only character who didn’t say or do something terrible was Josephine.  Go, Josephine, you go take over the Mayfair family. You’re the only sane one there.  By the way, I want her actress (Jen Richards) to play Wanda in The Sandman Netflix series. She’d make a perfect Wanda.

The show is addictive but some of the characters have lost likability and I hope Cortland doesn’t really stay stuck as a statue forever. He’s fun. 

[pynkhues]

iwtv is sooo good. do you think rashid is a vampire? i think it's more fun if he's another type of immortal and the fact that this is the first series in 'the immortal universe' and that they have another series in jan makes me feel like this is a good set up to introduce that to the world. i think its also very deliberate that they set up that he COULD be a vampire and THEN have him walk into sun and THEN show him in the 70s to mess with us... its so good i love it

SO good, anon! I loved the first two episodes, but ended up having a friend visit and stay with me from out of town for a couple of weeks, and so put most of my tv shows on hold. She's head home now though, so it was great to be able to catch up and binge those four episodes the other day.

It's been such a trip to watch it too as I read the first five books when I was in highschool and was legit obsessed for a while. To see it adapted and updated and turned into a series that embraces the spirit of the books but also really makes it something fresh and new in a genre that has leant heavily enough on tropes Anne Rice created to make the original text feel a bit derivative, just - - yeah! Awesome. I love how they've approached it.

And god, totally agree about Rashid - I screamed when he showed up at the tail end of that 70s flashback. I've seen a lot of speculation that he's Armand from the books, which I think is likely? To keep it as spoiler free as possible, Armand's a character who's a lot older than even Lestat in the books, and formed attachments both to Louis and Daniel, and um, something I would call Not An Attachment to Claudia and Lestat, haha, which I think we're kinda seeing in the show.

I'm not entirely convinced though? Like you said, with The Mayfair Witches coming out between IWTV seasons and them p clearly wanting the shows to crossover (as the books do), he could definitely be an original character designed to introduce the broader supernatural world, or he could even just be a new bridging character to bring Louis more into the fold of the other stories. Louis drops off a bit as a protagonist in the books, and I think the show is investing hard in him as the continued lead, which I love as a choice especially given Jacob's wonderful performance, so there'll be a lot of story to build to give him more to do.

Does anyone else have any theories?

[itsjustpoopeh]

I'm not normally a "well you should read the books" person, but seeing the IWTV discourse is wild.

Also, as a long time Armand and Daniel shipper I've been out of fandom since Memnoch, but have y'all gotten David and Maurice yet??? I might actually watch if it isn't the Lestat and Louis pouting hour constantly. May even get back in fandom.

thing is like... it's all obvious even without reading the books, but people canNOT read a show anymore.

we haven't even properly got to The Vampire Lestat yet, though that's supposed to be next season. they're sort of taking stuff from later books and weaving it in though. no David or Maurice, but we've already met Raglan James and the Talamasca and Akasha and Marius have already been mentioned, for instance.

my biggest fear is that they'll start relying on the Mayfair Witches TV series to build lore as well and just reference it happening that way because Mayfair Witches is... not good and I don't want to have to watch it

anyway, the show has made a lot of changes in relation to the books but in my opinion they've all worked extremely well. highly recommended

[ofwizardsandmen]

Pride and prejudice

Characters: Minah Delacroix, Enzo St. Pierre, Johnny Suh, Leah Richmond

Word count : 1,3k

Collection of drabbles in which Tara & Mark's friends react to their engagement

Mayfair - Beauté+

“I can’t believe them” Enzo St. Pierre’s voice echoes in the silence of Minah’s large office. For a man with quite a free-spirited approach to life and his easy-going temperament, he sounds particularly bitter. Minah ignores her friend for a brief moment in favor of the contract in front of her. After all, Enzo had installed himself on the pink velvet sofa across her desk hours ago and so far he’d done nothing but to watch her go through paperwork as he scrolled down his OwLine’s —Sungjae’s latest social media app— feed.

Now, despite the rumors that circulate about him, Minah knows that Enzo Saint-Pierre is not one to enjoy watching women like some creep. No, Enzo can’t lie for his life —at least not to Minah—, so she is aware that the only reason he’s pretending to wait for her approval before embarking on a new project is the long-forgotten mail in his office that keeps —literally— exploiting on his desk.

Biting down a laugh, the young woman watches Enzo toss his phone on the couch with a scoff and the sudden urge to discuss Gossip Witch’s latest blast prompts her to push aside the stack of documents in front of her.

“So you heard about the Olivier’s launching a lipstick collection?” she asks visibly amused.

“What?” For a second or two, Enzo seems the slightest bit perplexed, but his confusion quickly morphs into a disgusted frown. “Eww. No. That’s obviously a desperate attempt to one-up our company and we’ll get back to this real quick, but I am talking about Tara and Yang” Enzo says, leaping out of his seat to slide his phone across Minah’s desk.

Minah can’t remember a time Enzo has ever used that uncharacteristic whiny tone to talk about his best friend and her boyfriend, so she eyes him with a confused frown.

Moving closer to her, Enzo simply deadpans “They got engaged”.

“Engaged?” The young woman looks at Enzo over the rim of her Dior reading glasses, almost refusing to believe one of their closest friends —and arguably the wisest of them all— would make such a life-changing decision overnight. This is surely her business partner reading that Gossip Witch rip-off website again. “Love, I’ve told you to stop reading that fake Gossip Witch page-”

Enzo rolls eyes fleetingly before pushing his phone closer to Minah. “This is real, Min. Look for yourself”

Still downplaying the situation, Minah slowly takes her glasses off and grabs Enzo’s phone. She almost has an “I-told-you-so” escaping from her crimson lips when her eyes catch a glimpse of a red box on the screen. Minah blinks twice before reading Tara’s very simple message. “Mark proposed”. Two pictures are attached as proof: the first one shows a huge diamond ring —Cartier, evidently—; the other captures Mark and Tara smiling brightly to the camera, he's holding his guitar with one hand while his free arm holds his girlfriend's waist.

“Well, this is-“ Minah flounders at a loss for words, unsure of what and how she is supposed to feel. Surely those are good news, but there is also a part of her that feels wronged by the fact she is finding out about them through a message sent to Enzo.

“Horrible” Enzo completes the unfinished sentence, a huff slipping past his lips.

“No!” Minah is quick to deny. She throws her shoulders back and fixes her position to appear composed “I mean, completely unexpected yes, but those are great news.” She goes on, in an attempt to brainwash herself into believing she isn’t offended at all “I just-“ The woman purposely ignores the way Enzo rolls eyes for a second time and instead reaches for her own phone, secretly hoping that Tara had the courtesy to inform her too. “Isn’t Mark famous? Why would he propose without a big eve- wait, did he plan a proposal event and kept us out of it?” She bombards Enzo with questions as she goes through the dozens of messages she’d received that morning, a cold trickle of anger shivering down her spine when she realizes she has received the exact same message.

___

Camden Town - Leah Richmond’s house

On the other side of Regent’s Park, in a small residence in Camden Town and with Natalie Imbruglia’s most —and probably only— famous song playing in the background, Leah Richmond walks into her kitchen to find the broad-shouldered and tall figure of Johnny Suh. Her first instinct is to laugh at how ridiculously cute her boyfriend looks, dressed in a simple t-shirt, cuffed jeans that barely cover his ankles, and a yellow apron with a silly duck print, but upon registering the way he is angrily holding a frying pan and a plastic spatula, she decides against it.

“Is this about to become another how-do-you-even-survive-without-me speech?” Leah questions biting the inside of her cheek when he turns to look at her. The fact she has gotten used to Johnny’s slightly obsessive cleaning habits and long rants that remind her of her mother doesn’t mean she’s learned to appreciate them. Especially not when she has huge news to deliver. “If yes, I’d like to skip it or save it until you hear the news. I was on the phone with Tara and you won’t believe-”

“How stupid Mark is?” Johnny interrupts, he places the frying pan and the spatula on the counter before turning to the fridge. “You’d think he can’t possibly get worse, but he always delivers. I’m actually glad Tara is…” Johnny makes a pause to look at Leah and see her reaction, so far she looks perfectly confused. “…so brainwashed or so in love, whichever it is” he shrugs, earning a soft chuckle from his girlfriend.

“Wow, news surely travel fast.” Leah rolls eyes playfully and clicks her tongue disapprovingly “And Tara said I was the first person she called”

“Well, Mark was panicking and about to tell Tara he was joking, so-” Johnny pulls the fridge open with such force the door ends up hitting the wall. Johnny stops on his tracks, shocked by his own strength and expression mildly panicked making its way onto his face. Leah still wants to laugh, but there’s something holding her back, something she can’t quite figure out yet

In its place, she glares at her boyfriend until he’s purposely avoiding her eyes. “Great, destroy my house because you’re jealous of your crush getting married”

“And who are you even marrying to?” Johnny replies smoothly, earning himself a quick peck on the lips and a soft slap on the shoulder. Leah also gifts him with an inexplicable warmth spreading in his chest as she laughs.

“Now, for real, I know Tara doesn’t really care about that kind of thing, but I can’t believe Mark improvised a proposal.” Johnny pulls out a carton of eggs, picks a couple of tomatoes and pushes the fridge close with a loud thud. “That’s no way to ask the love of your life to marry you, where did he even learn about relationships? Clearly not from me or Taeyong” Johnny shakes his head in disapproval as he moves around the kitchen opening cabinets and taking out ingredients and supplies “I hope Mark is dealt with accordingly, no woman deserves such a lackluster proposal. Especially not Tara.”

“Well, knowing Ara and Adela, I’ll be surprised if Mark even makes it to dinner tonight” Leah chuckles “And don’t forget Enzo”

“Or her brother” Johnny shudders involuntarily when the image of Tyler Lee invades his mind. “Tara will be lucky if Mark even makes it to the wedding”

Minutes later when Johnny settles a plate of scrambled eggs and a mug of steaming coffee in front of her and complains about Mark’s “lack of creative effort in the romance department”, Leah finally dares to ask a question that has been reverberating inside her brain. “Hey, Suh, what’s the right way to propose to a girl then?”

Johnny is briefly taken aback. His eyes widen the slightest bit and he gulps almost imperceptibly before replying with a smart “You’ll know when I do it” that leaves Leah bursting out in laughter but feeling oddly flattered.

...