[ID: Photos of painted caly horses inspired by the cave art of Lascaux and Pech Merle. The Lascaux horse is standing, the Pech Merle horse is lying down. Both have their heads bowed down. End ID.]
Commission from December 2025
Made to order listing on my Etsy:
eredhes.etsy.com
The irony being, she probably drove him to ground inside the halls of their ancestral home with this one act of “motherhood” she took the time to perform.
Caused a stutter, a questioning of the self, a desperate need to stay near her, the fear of the outside perspective, the list goes on.
Much has been said about the differences in Gabrielle's characterisation in the books, to Gabriella in the TV show. And I agree, it's quite different, if we're only looking at TVL. But, I recently re-read The Vampire Armand, and [minus the sexual abuse] his description of her is much, much closer to the one in the show.
Highlights of Armand's description of Gabrielle include:
Everyone hates her.
She abandons Lestat for centuries
Doesn't heed Lestat’s frantic cries for help
Looks just like Lestat, except she’s a woman,
small-waisted
big-breasted
Sweet-eyed in the most unnerving and dishonest fashion
Looks gorgeous in a black ball gown with her hair free
A vampire so cunning and cold that she has forgotten what it ever meant to be human or in pain... if she ever knew it.
In mortal life...she always wondered what the others were carrying on about.
Low-voiced
Unintentionally vicious
Glacial
Forbidding
Ungiving
a wanderer
Something more akin to a prehistoric reptile than a human.
A stalker
a quick killer
a pitiless and seemingly thoughtful but eternally secretive thing.
virtually useless to anyone but herself
See what I mean?!
It makes me suspect that Rolin and Hannah agree with Armand. In writing her character for Season 3, it seems likely they consciously decided to put aside much of Lestat's perspective on her personality, in favor of Armand's much more blunt and unforgiving assessment.
Fascinating choice!
(full TVA quotes under the cut)
"Gabrielle. She’s around now. She was around on The Night Island. Everyone hates her. She is Lestat’s Mother, and abandons him for centuries, and somehow doesn’t manage to heed Lestat’s periodic and inevitable frantic cries for help, which though she could not receive them, being his fledgling, could certainly learn of them from other vampiric minds which are on fire with the news round the world when Lestat is in trouble. Gabrielle, she looks just like him, except she’s a woman, totally a woman, that is, sharper of feature, small-waisted, big-breasted, sweet-eyed in the most unnerving and dishonest fashion, gorgeous in a black ball gown with her hair free, more often dusty, genderless, sheathed in supple leather or belted khaki, a steady walker, and a vampire so cunning and cold that she has forgotten what it ever meant to be human or in pain. Indeed, I think she forgot overnight, if she ever knew it. She was in mortal life one of those creatures who always wondered what the others were carrying on about. Gabrielle, low-voiced, unintentionally vicious, glacial, forbidding, ungiving, a wanderer through snowy forests of the far north, a slayer of giant white bears and white tigers, an indifferent legend to untamed tribes, something more akin to a prehistoric reptile than a human. Beautiful, naturally, blond hair in a braid down her back, almost regal in a chocolate-colored leather safari jacket and a small droopy brimmed rain hat, a stalker, a quick killer, a pitiless and seemingly thoughtful but eternally secretive thing. Gabrielle, virtually useless to anyone but herself. Some night she’ll say something to someone, I suppose. "
It’s not her personality that is problematic but her relationship with Lestat.
Book Gabrielle would never have crossed the physical boundary with Lestat (I won’t take the kiss as counter example) she was cold but she cared about her son’s wellbeing while he was human, she cared for him and Nicolas and when the concert arrived she was the one to save both Louis and Lestat.
These two keep fighting on screen, being so hard upon one another (no pun intended), you barely see why they care for each other aside from the blood and later vampiric bond.
I get the abuse but the abuse became the relationship where the books fleshed it much MUCH more.
ellievsbear
areudirty
stormborns
2087
yousharknotpass
turnnoffyourmind
jacobvanloon
gracieabrams
dailybridgerton
snowghoul
amandla
tangentwithtanner
