Been awhile since I've drawn Sol, and I've long since ported her into my revenants setting, so lets seee.
A vampire, but not in the traditional sense! Vampirism in this world is typically the consequence of an over reliance on blood magic involving other creatures. Technically most magic in this world is blood magic, even though what is actually being manipulated is the soul. Humans, tactile beings that they are, tend to be unable to manipulate something as ephemeral as "the soul" without some sort of tangible medium.
So, naturally, this is most often blood. Everyone has it, easy to use, direct conduit. Problems arise when you start to use the blood (or rather the soul) of others to go above and beyond your own psychical limitations.
Sol is one such case, as her technique involved bloodletting, general sacrifice and entrail reading in order to boost the intensity and clarity of her visions. Do this enough, say in a time of strife when you must make many many divinations to satisfy the needs of your people, and ones body may begin to struggle to make its own blood, instead adapting to be reliant on that of others. The expanse of ones soul outstrips their body, organs rearrange and atrophy as a strange form of hematophagy takes hold.
Not quite living, not quite undead, a vampire must gorge upon an amount of blood roughly equivalent to their soul, usually only about once a month or so. The blood is pumped through their body via a stomach to heart connection, where it then begins to congeal as the actual source of nourishment, the soul, is absorbed from it.
Once stripped of all essence, the tar-like sludge is pumped back into the specialized stomach, vomited up, and the now the very hungry, very dangerous individual must feed again. Equivalent souls satisfy for longer, and a large meal is preferable to many small ones.
Sol doesn't divine so much anymore as most people don't like it when your oracle becomes a bloodsucker, but will if provided an enticing enough meal.
anyway consider this my argument for why we should start calling hannah & bacon revenants instead of crashouts bc crashouts is lame and boring and revenants is cool as fuck and applicable to their relationship
hannahxxrose 05.09.25 / princezam 05.06.25 2 / langston hughes, poem 26 / i saved a griefed minecraft server / baconnwaffles0 05.05.25 / princezam 05.06.25 1 / definition of revenant / baconnwaffles0 05.19.25 / baconnwaffles0 09.07.25
The creation of the revenants is so beautifully close to the book lore, closer even that IWTV depicted it (or show!Louis knew it I guess).
Helen and her glasses... well I reblogged the post by @romaroy the other day, and it is very interesting, especially given the backstory. And how it makes her look.
Also - the wig looks... IDK. Black hair, the way it's styled.... Doris is that you? 😅
(Also this reminded me of the movies "Split" and "Glass", actually. Different personalities or personas merged into one?! And the whole demeanor is so different here.)
Episode 4 was a lot of fun, especially. And it more or less opening with Helen asking if the gardener had seen her before?! Interesting.
But of course the most interesting parts in 4 were Guy and Jasper... and Raglan.
At the beginning of the episode Jasper takes Guy into the basement to show him his revenants, and tells him a story of Bacille. Bacille, who, in 1271 Romania gets banished for going "vegetarian". He turns to the Talamasca to find out who is responsible, and the Talamasca agent finds out it was Morgut who had him banished in 1271, and is now heading a coven in Bolivia. And Bacille kills all those 17 vampires.
Now Jasper... for him this story seems to be personal, a young boy is shown being killed with the flashback (Guy later infers that this must have been Jasper.).. but he then does something very interesting - he calls the Talamasca agent who found out the name "greedy", and that he isn't the "exception but the rule".
Jasper notes that the power in their world isn't blood, but information. And that the Talamasca ... kept "them" in line through that information - and that "they" let them.
And then ... the Westcroft - the only vampire coven in town.
A hotel as a front for a coven.
It brings back memories of Louis' Azalea for me, and is a perfect explanation for the in-universe canon suites that are kept everywhere for vampires (in the books Lestat has several on "stand-by").
Jasper also heals Guy's forehead wound with some of his blood, and it sets up perfectly the context for what happens at the hotel a bit later.
Jasper claims before Guy goes in that he wants to bring the Talamasca down - talking about how "that book" contains all the whereabouts of every vampire, and that there are "not enough" vampires in the world.
And that the Talamasca... break families apart.
Now, if that is Jasper's real backstory... then Jasper was a kid in the 1920s. And was turned later.
And I find that VERY hard to believe. Because if he was like... 12(?) in the 1920, and was turned in his, what, 50s, 60s? then he was turned only in 1960 plus.
Making him a mere 60 years old vampire.
A 60 years old vampire running/overtaking the London motherhouse. Sure.
There is of course more, and here we get to the lovely Raglan.
Who was a JOY this episode.
Not only does he pick Guy's pockets for the medication, but his comments and whole demeanor made me cackle more than once.
I absolutely loved that Raglan was able to clock Guy's abilities right away, and called it, too. And that he implicitly warned him about Amsterdam and made clear he was looking out for his own interests first and foremost.
Now Guy accompanies Raglan to the transaction - and what a transaction it is.
Not only is the whole thing gloriously gory (because of course shit goes wrong), but it is also perfectly underlined with Pat Banatar's "We belong" LMAO.
In any case, Raglan gets shot, but he gets what he was after - a suitcase full of vials of a 600 years-old vampire's blood.
Now... if you know the story of "The tale of the Body Thief", then you know that Raglan will, ultimately, end up "stealing" Lestat's body, for immortality... and power. (And his money)
Ragland loves power.
He revels in it, the canon expression of flaunting his (stolen) wealth and power on the cruise ship is his downfall, but never is it more clear, imho, as when he takes the vials of (already) powerful vampire blood... and only holds it up implying he has everything he needs to... heal his shoulder.
"This is all the hospital I need" indeed.
Not to collect it (or any vampire blood) to turn himself, no... if it were that, then it was made more than clear this episode that he has more than enough access already.
But the truly most interesting scene comes shortly after, when Jasper arrives in the hotel suite... and finds the "ancient" vampire that they (not even completely) drained to get the vials of blood.
Jasper calls the vampire in the bed "600, 700 years old. Born before the printing press, before the discovery of the New World".
Which... how would he know that? This age frame? How would he know where that vampire was born? Did he read the mind? Does he know that vampire? If Jasper really is only 60 years old, then ... that is a massive display of power - and experience.
Which leads to the next part - his little rant speech against the Talamasca:
"The Talamasca watches? They're always there? They keep things in balance? Bullshit. This, this goes against everything we believe. What good are they, if they can let this happen right under their noses? Back when the Talamasca started, vampires like him, they had a seat at the table. They were there in the beginning. And when there's more of us... they'll be there again. You watch."
And then he just kills that... "ancient" vampire. Just like that.
Imho there is NO WAY that Jasper is only a few decades old.
Not only does he know too much about the old Talamasca, no, he also slips, imho: "this goes against everything we believe". And: "vampires like him".
Oh, so vampires a few hundred years old had a seat at the table when the Talamasca started????
Yep. That tracks with canon.
Because the Talamasca were founded by vampires and ghosts (Gremt, Hesketh and Teskhamen (Marius' maker)), triggered ultimately by an encounter of a ghost with Pandora.
In the year 752.
I think he ... is hiding in plain sight.
Which is why he also knows the old lore, of the iron head cages, making controllable revenants, and so on. Can kill supposedly ancient vampires. Can overtake and run a Talamasca motherhouse.
If I am right, then the reveal wrt this will be only something for the upcoming seasons though... there is no way they will do this reveal this season. So... we'll see. Eventually 😈
Honorable mention: twins, twins, more twins. A twin named "Rose", and the fitting music: "Ring of the Roses", WHICH, in turn, is extremely interesting not only through the name connection, but also by the connection to the "great plague"...
The revenants from MK X could have Been great villains for The game following it had MK 11's story Been More of a continuation to X's story than it is.
And they could have Been pretty complex too since they arent villains because they are evil, but because they are corrupted former Heroes.
Like as for examples:
Liu Kang whos corrupted by having Power, ability to choose how things are fine and getting to Be selfish with his desires, instead of having to listen to a higher Power and Make sacrifices for The greater good'.
Kitana who feels freed in this hellish Life by now longer being a pawn in someone Elses game, getting to lead The way she sees fit and being reunited with her mother.
It could have also Been very interesting to Explore The idea that not all Revenants want this new undead Life and are suffering because of it.
Like for an example:
Kung Lao who feels deep shame and regret for what hes become, forced to destroy what he had sworn to protect and being made and treated as nothing but a Tool by his best friend that hes known his entier Life.
They just had so much missed potential both character and story wize.
