Drabbles

[rebness]

So, a fair while back,pandorasblog  and I were being all geeky and analysing IWTV a bit too far. Occitan/Langue d'Oc/Auvergnat was much more commonly spoken in the Auvergne in the 1700s than it is now. It is spoken with a very distinctive accent and it's fair to assume a character such as Lestat would speak that language with, say, his shouty father, or at least retain the distinctive pronunciation of words similar to French. Why did superdetective!Louis not pick up on it, huh? That  silly drunken Creole! Wouldn't it be good for a spec?

Well, probably. But hey, my writing skillz are wanting northern kitchen-sink drama lately and I couldn't work up to a proper fic about it. Here are some drabbles, though. They're light and a bit *meh*, but at least I've written something other than a shopping list for once.

Also, whilst I do so love being pretentious, I've provided translations of Occitan words used below, though the meanings don't add all that much to the drabbles, save the last one.

Misunderstanding

The old man was particularly loud in his complaints tonight. Louis listened from the parlour as he raved beseechingly at his son. ‘Cal que vos diga, Lestat…’  

Lestat, gruff as ever, spoke tersely. ‘Me fotes, papa! Bona neuch!’

Louis sighed. Guttural French, too thick and unintelligble for him to catch. Common farm boy, speaking like that to his father. Who was he, to withhold everything? Why was Louis in thrall to such an unknowable monster?

Lestat entered the room, sitting down to play with his cards.  'What is it?' he snapped crossly, catching Louis' eye.

'Nothing,' said Louis, 'absolutely nothing.'

***

Puzzle

They were in Vienna, wandering through the rain-soaked streets, when a mortal couple passed them, speaking softly to one another. Louis stopped.

‘What is it?’ Armand was at his side, concerned.  

‘They were speaking… did you catch the dialect?’  

‘Langue d’Oc,’ said Armand. He paused. ‘Lestat spoke a form of it sometimes. Auvergnat. It’s a language, not a dialect.’

‘He was from the Auvergne, then.’ 

‘Yes, but so what?’

‘I just wonder… why was I…? The pieces of the puzzle were there all along.’  

‘He’s gone,’ said Armand quietly. ‘There’s no need for puzzles, now.’

‘Yes’ 

‘You have me.’

‘Yes.’

***

Understanding

Louis nuzzled against Lestat, settling his head into the crook of his maker’s neck. ‘Meu estela’, he murmured.

‘Don’t you speak that dirty language to me.’  

‘Why not?’

‘Why should you? Are you winding me up?’ 

‘It’s your language.’ He looked up, ‘aren’t you glad I’m interested in it, farm boy?’

Lestat snorted. ‘We were fine feudal lords, who ate with our hands while your lot were prancing about in powdered wigs.’ 

‘How dreadfully rude. What’s wrong with a fork?’

‘Bourgeois pig.’ 

He kissed Lestat. ‘T’aimi.’

Lestat caressed him absentmindedly. He was glad that Louis could not see his smile.

******

Cal que vos diga  - I must tell you

Me fotes - You're getting on my nerves

Bona nuèch - Good night

Meu estela  - my star (I know,  I know, but it  was hard to find good terms to use.)

T'aimi - I love you

Comments

[runcible.livejournal.com]

:(((((((( I MISS BEING IN VC I HATE YOU.

These were amazing and so IC. God.

[rebness.livejournal.com]

They will always have your heart! I bet you just ache to draw Lestat in his boxers all the friggin' time!

Thanks for reading. :D

[runcible.livejournal.com]

my secret, you have discovered it :O

[rebness.livejournal.com]

>:D

[versailles-rose.livejournal.com]

*smooch!*
It's such a treat to find a VC bit.

[rebness.livejournal.com]

It is, it is! Thank'ees!

[x-x-sickgrrl.livejournal.com]

these were so good i shall make up a word to describe their greatness; SLENDIFEROUS.

spread it like wildfire! :)

[rebness.livejournal.com]

Ehehehee. Thanks. :D

[gairid.livejournal.com]

*LOVE LOVE LOVE*

Ah, how wonderful of you! I've got a book called The People of the Auvergne, a facsimile book of one published in the last half of the 19th century (I don't have it at hand and I don't recall the date) where the languages/dialects are discussed but there are only a few examples given. I am so pleased to read these lovely little drabbles--and they are so spot on. *LOVES*

[rebness.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

The book sounds really interesting! Where did you get hold of it?

I didn't realise until reading up on the language how much closer it is to Catalan than French. I like that I can follow a lot of it (reading, anyway... it's really hard to follow when spoken because of the harshness of the accent), but French will always be my first love. ;)

[gairid.livejournal.com]

Of course I had the title backwards--it's Auvergne and Its People written by Frances Marion Gostling, published in 1911 by Methuen & Co., London. I have a facsimle copy published by Elibron Classics.

www.elibron.com

This is the first paragrapgh of the preface in all it's flowery (and somewhat condescending) glory:

This book is about an undiscovered country. I find that many English people scarcely realize the difference between Auvergne and Brittany; only the other day a friend of mine asked me when my "new Breton book would be out!" So it is surely quite time some one took in hand the task of opening up this romantic and beautiful land, le Centre, as the French call it, the Heart of France, whence flow most of the fertilising rivers on which the prosperity of the country depends.

The book has reproductions of the original plates, both color and black and white, as well as being printed in the font obviously used in the original edition, so it's interesting from that point of view, too.

Miss Gostling travelled about the area speaking to people and collecting local legends--and while the writing is somewhat distracting (flowery & condescending as noted) there is a lot of information in the book. It's annoying how she speaks about the people there, more like they are quaint objects of curiosity than actual people, but then, I expect that was only the time she was brought up in. It's worth a read, though.

I received the volume as a gift from a woman who likes my fics: she and I have written exhaustive emails back and forth regarding Lestat and his familial line--she's a librarian and has some pretty good theories :)

When I read the lines I thought they looked sort of Italian (though I know very little of the language) but I'll take your word for the Catalan connection. That made me happy because that connects to my love of Patrick O'brien's work--nothing makes me happier than connections like that, as tenuous and odd as they may be :)

You can find the book on Amazon, too.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1402153155/ref=nosim/librarythin08-20

[rebness.livejournal.com]

I am deeply interested in that book now. I think even now the Auvergne and that whole region is overlooked with regards to culture and French tourism, at least for those of us not from France. I managed to visit parts of the Auvergne back in 2003 whilst working in France, but it's a pain to get to, even now. I'm ashamed to say I've only just started learning about the language.

Well, I can't blame you on thinking it like Italian. Catalan itself does bear a lot of resemblance to Italian, anyway. I find it comes across like a Spanish-Italian-French hybrid, though say that to a Catalan speaker and expect lots of stabbiness and exclamations of 'caga'. For example, their word for window is finestra, as in Italian, compared to Occitan's 'fenestra'. It's really interesting.

You've peaked my curiosity on the family line thing, now!

(Also, have you read O'Brien's The Catalans? My flatmate and I were considering reading it after seeing it in a store here...)

[gairid.livejournal.com]

I think you'd enjoy the book reading the history of the place from an earlier historical POV is interesting in and of itself.

I have not read O'Brian's The Catalans though it's on my list--I've read all the Aubrey-Maturin tales, though, and as Dr. Maturin is Irish/Catalan, there is quite a bit abut the culture, geography and languge discussed in the stories since O'Brian is nothing, if not thorough in his ability to be descriptive, informative and interesting all at the same time!

As far as the family line, our theory followed the Valois line; since Lestat took that as his stage name we figured there might have been a concrete reason for that. There is a lot of information to be had in the book Lines of Succession - Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe (Tables by Jiri Louda, Text by Michael MacLagan - ISBN 9 781840 125039 ).

I can email you the notes she worked out if you are interested--it's always nice to know I am not the only one who likes to drown in minutiae. I only wish I was better at organizing the swirl of ideas I have regarding history like that as it might affect the VC-verse that I love so well--organizing and then, of course, disciplining myself to make better use of free time!

[rebness.livejournal.com]

Good stuff. I'll try and give both books a go, then! I looked through the Auvergne book on the Amazon link you gave me and read the first page -- very flowery, but you know... that's what I love about old books. I love the difference in style and how evocative the writing is.

I'd be thrilled if you e-mailed me the notes. It makes me all geeky and happy, seriously. :D

[gairid.livejournal.com]

E-mailed, doll. ;)

[pandorasblog]

That's fascinating; I read something years ago that suggested that we must be meant to infer something from his use of "de Valois". Anne Rice would certainly not have been ignorant of the history of that name...

[stovetop00.livejournal.com]

It's been soooo looong since I've read any VC fic. Especially one as nice as this. Say what you will but your drabbles are better than some people's best attempts. Keep the faith alive!

[rebness.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks! Much appreciated and thank you for reading them.

I've been feeling nostalgic for fic of late...

[zhonghua2000.livejournal.com]

Niiiiiiiiice. I wish you'd write more. Understanding made me all: Awwwwwwwwwww and I don't do that much over Lestat/Louis.

T'aimi.

[rebness.livejournal.com]

Hee! Good stuff! Thanks for reading. <3

[pandorasblog]

*sigh* I'd forgotten that conversation. :D

I find it so interesting to think of the social consequences of Lestat speaking a different language or dialect. I'm interested in where the line between dialect and language is drawn - you probably know of the bickering over what exactly Ulster-Scots (or Scots-Irish, as our American friends call it) is. And a woman from Mum's church has just given me a little book listing words and meanings from a dialect of a particular part of Armagh. It's at Rem's and the name of the dialect (and thus, the book) eludes me right now, but it was interesting to see words that we use commonly (and my family's from Belfast/South Antrim and living in North Down).

I forget if I've told you this, but Rem grew up speaking in a dialect rather than in Dutch until he was about six - Gronings, the dialect of the province of Groningen. Even within his immediate family, different versions of the dialect were spoken, because his mum is from outside the area where he grew up.