#Dive Assad

[hornystiel]

ABSOLUTELY ECSTATIC about the fact that i, a spn fan, slammed myself at full speed into a fandom where actors also went to School of Character Possession

[4th-make-quail]

I don't understand why some people can't even entertain the possibility of Eric being not 100% straight when we have stuff like:

The young Daniel Molloy who we see in the show isn't that different from the young Eric Bogosian hitting New York in the mid 70s and also on one level kind of is willing to do anything, take anything, walk in any door -- I was always up for-- different stuff.

from the RT interview or

Much like Jones took the clear gay subtext of the books and made it explicit, the unreliability of Louis’ narration was always there to begin with. “Rolin takes the things in the books and presses them in higher relief,” Bogosian explained, before immediately diving into the queer layering without any prompting from me whatsoever. “The part that’s very interesting to me is Molloy. His subtext is there, but you can barely see the outlines of it in the original writing.” Bogosian compared the journey that this character goes on—recontextualizing and questioning his own experiences as a young journalist—to his own journey. “I’m at that point in my life where I am intrigued by my younger self. What the fuck did I think I was doing in 1975? That’s when I got to New York, and there were a lot of adventures to be had. There were a lot of seedy places just like that San Francisco scene in the book.” Bogosian was on a tear at this point, and I was just along for the ride. “I didn’t give a shit. I didn’t care if it was a gay club or a straight club. I didn’t care if it was heroin, cocaine, or what the hell it was. I just wanted to try everything out.”

From Lin Codega interview https://gizmodo.com/interview-with-the-vampire-eric-bogosian-assad-zaman-1849792499

YEAH honestly, I feel much the same about this!! I don't like speculating about people's sexualities and personal lives so much, but I can say I'd honestly be shocked if Eric isn't queer of some variety.

[nightcolorz]

Assad's face when that reporter went "I understand the next season is gonna dive into the devil's minion"

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH

I DID NOT SEE THIS INTERVIEW IVE BEEN OFF LINE FOR THREE DAYS OMF SEND LINK

[brsb4hls]

So I've been following the 'devil's minion in show' speculations since the start and here's my take on it.

At first I was pissed the show seemed to have cut it and I stand by that.

The show did cut it.

They changed the dynamic by aging Daniel up and building the show on a 'recent' interview, putting the one chronologically closer to book canon in the past as a failed attempt.

And I still think nothing 'romantic' or whatever you want to call it in regards to the Daniel/Armand dynamic was intended.

They did the bottle episode with a different take on it and that was it.

The flashbacks were revealed to not have the context people expected, so I'm convinced the show did not plan for or hint at DM having happened in the past.

And Armand's 'fond' looks might as well be amused-condescending.

This also ties in with Eric referring to Armand as Daniel's 'nemesis'.

It started off with that cat and mouse play between them, which also makes for a great dynamic btw.

And Daniel being revealed to have been turned at the end is a classic horror story move and a nice extra. Especially when season 2 could have been the last.

So there's that.

Now we have a third season and an, albeit smallish, pretty dedicated fanbase.

DM content is all over social media and Rolin and the cast get asked frequently about it.

We also know Assad would be very open to that storyline, he read the books and dives deep into every aspect of Armand's personality.

Eric seems to also get on board, judging from recent interviews.

So I do think Rolin did not expect the fans to be that dedicated to an arguably pretty small part of a big book series and just planned on the bottle ep and Daniel's turning (which is left ambiguous enough for anything), but he might now actually reconsider.

So I do think there could be a switch in Daniel's and Armand's dynamic in the future.

Nobody probs expected people to thirst over 71 Eric Bogosian tbh and so they most likely thought an aged up Daniel would be 'safe' from shipping, well surprise, he's still hot and people have taste.

Just to be clear, I a) do not really believe in creatives changing their stories due to fan response and b) I do not support actors getting pestered about certain dynamics.

But in this special case DM already is part of book canon, so nothing that would have to be changed or added and it wouldn't take away from the next big plotline.

It can be squeezed in as a treat without affecting anything major.

And the fan support I've seen was mostly positive and respecting boundaries (nobody has yet told Assad to his face to 'fuck that old man already', and please let's keep it this way).

So it's mostly just enthusiastic DM shippers promoting the show in their own way.

Plus the actors have built great chemistry and are quite ship positive.

To conclude: I do have high hopes for DM to be part of a background story in season 3 and I would also be fine with a reversed chase/cat and mouse/resentment and fascination dynamic.

But I still don't think it was planned beforehand.

[brian-kinney-apologist]

i might just be delulu but the fact that they're all keeping so quiet about the daniel/armand side of that triangle aside from pointing out the obvious that armand fucked with his head and now daniel is pissed, the fact they're not even touching book lore with a ten foot pole has me very suspicious. almost like they don't wanna talk about it 'cause they know they're diving into more of that later and maybe they've not figured out from what angle. i think if it wasn't happening at all they'd just say it, they respect the fans of the source material too much to just not be upfront about it i think

agree!!! I do think from how the show develops and everything, we won't just drop all the characters and won't only focus on lestat's life story. they've changed so much timeline wise so I think later on they will be able to revisit certain events from different character's povs, them also being more mysterious about 2nd part of the season and possible future seasons is and makes me think that they're cooking something behind the scenes (it's giving them not revealing armand's casting in s1 and not bringing assad to all the events)(alsothe fact that s2 was revealed mid s1 or smth while there was less hype around the show AND bigots were hatebombing the reviews to lower the shos rating whereas rn visibly a lot more people are watching it makes me go 🤔👀)

also there're 3 more episodes in this season, so anything can happen, something will happen for sure in the dubai timeline at least

[vergess]

Okay okay okay.

For wrapped, obligatory ones first:

4, 14, 44, 64, 69

Then, for me: 11

Ahahahahaha, this is great, this year's wrapped is WAY more full of weird stuff than last year's. Strap in lads, we're diving deep!!!

Number 4: Love After You by Madds Buckley

Number 14: Dust Bowl by @phemiec

Number 44: Beatriz, Guitar arrangement by Sergio Assad, played by Plinio Fernandez

64: Mozart's String Quartet in C Major, Number 4, played by the Jerusalem Quartet

69: Little Big Boy by Madds Buckley (again!! She really makes up like half my wrapped this year)

11: My Love is Sick by (drumroll please) Madds Buckley

This seems like a great time to remind you all that Madds buckley's newest album, My Love is Sick, is absolutely 100% no question my album of the year. No fucking contest. YES that includes the Janelle Monae one (which is second place to be clear), I'm SORRY but I am a sucker for a lovesick concept album and this one is just banger after banger you HAVE to listen to it.

If you have a vinyl player, there's even this glorious gold drip vinyl run:

[savagewildnerness]

For that ask meme: 4, 6, 13?

Helloooo! And thank you so much for your ask! 🥰 I actually meant for you all to answer the questions! But I shall happily answer these! And in answering, I realise asking 15 questions of you all would be A Lot! So, oooops! My apologies! 😇

4 - Any scene/moment you don’t like & why

I think it’s no surprise that I don’t like The Drop in S1E5. Book-Lestat wouldn’t do it. I don’t like that it means we won’t see the book-plot of the Armand-Lestat drop, I don’t like how it alters a lot of subsequent feelings, motivations & meanings that impact on the rest of the series (for example there was a big knock-on impact for me in the trial - both in its feeling & in many practical differences of events & meaning.) But it’s that it grates against Lestat’s characterisation for him to do that to Louis that troubles me most.

But I accept tv-Lestat did it. There is no part of me that thinks it didn’t happen in TV world & no part of me that excuses it in any way either. The revisit to the scene beforehand: I liked it, because adding the missing scenes added glorious gothicness… and Lestat got to apologise… but there’s literally nothing Louis could say or do that would make the drop existing ok for me, so that’s that!

It’s particularly hard to properly express why Louis smashing Lestat’s head on a coffin then saying he’ll chop his head off & feed it to the lions is yummy, transgressive violence & gothic glory, yet The Drop is so wrong I cannot abide it. I think I can best explain by saying that none of this is good or bad in terms of relating it to reality, and so it’s the feelings & meaning on the next, underlying level that matters. Which is a very fine, yet incredibly important (as I feel it!) line.

6 - Best thing for you about the TV show

The characterisations.

I’m a sucker for a deep dive into character. I adore all of the characters on the show (including small roles I don’t mention here.)

I adore Lestat as there’s my Lestat on screen! The second he watched Louis with his blade to Paul’s throat - instantly I saw & felt that that was Lestat! Lestat was THERE! Resonant!

I adore Louis, as he is absolute glow-up-Louis & I love that I can feel from him the way all the vampires describe they feel for book-Louis, but I never really understood from book-Louis! But now, oh how I feel it too!

I am astounded that Assad has somehow elevated my love for Armand, who was already my second favourite book character beyond even how I love book-Armand. S2 was your season. Armand was everything.

I love how smaller characters such as Santiago & Madeleine have been elevated too & then Claudia… I do need to caveat that Claudia cannot have the impact of an immortal 5-year-old vampire! However, this Claudia works & the changes add interesting, poignant & tragic elements to her story. I adore tv Claudia & I hope she haunts every season of the show.

Such incredibly strong characterisation also helps to access the spirit of Anne’s books & I love when I feel the essence of her writing in the show! Which doesn’t mean a strictly close adaptation necessarily. For example, I feel the spirit of Anne’s work incredibly strongly in S2E5 even though that’s in large part written solely for TV.

13 - Feelings about TV show versus books

I think I sort of answered this above. Generally speaking, I’ve loved the TV adaptation so far though! It’s such a joy to be able to see books that were so close to your heart & that you read at such a formative age they’re ingrained in your heart & soul & in how you see & feel & experience & think about the world adapted with such love & care & attention to detail & to the spirit of the books. And the exquisite poetry of the writing - Anne’s words directly on screen at such poignant moments & the writers’ own beautiful poetic language also.

Hope that’s ok! I’ll end there as my phone keeps randomly deleting paragraphs & I’m worried about losing the whole post! 🥶💀

And on this note, please feel free to just pick whatever question(s) interest you to answer, everyone! 🥰🥰🥰 I’m so curious to read your thoughts!

[chicago-sci-fi]

Diving into the #InterviewWithAVampire archives, season 2 gallery with characters Armand (Assad Zaman), Madeleine (Roxane Duran), Celeste (Suzanne Andrade) and Estelle (Esme Appleton)

[cylonbarnes]

i'm teetering on the edge of something. will i watch the bad hotel show for assad zaman or will i resist falling into the trap of filmography diving

[gohar-adventures]

Taverns, Hideouts, and Dives

We had all split up that night agreeing to meet up with Volo at the Yawning Portal at sunset.

Cassius had gone early to the My and Glitz with a tarp that Sister Margat gave him to repair the broken window / door.

My gave Cassius a tailored leather jacket with a cloth hood meant to hide his horns, offering him a partnership in the shop, which he accepted excitedly.

He managed to get off early from his shift in the shop when he mentioned meeting with Volo, leaving My shocked / impressed.

-3- invited Hollycover to go pick up something at Father Giuseppe’s house that he left for him there. Argan and Xander tagged along.

His house was a few blocks from the temple. It’s a humble home, but well-constructed. Not something a poor man would own.

The note Father Giuseppe left told -3- to open the chest in his bedroom. In it, they found: clothing, wristbands similar to Holly’s, an old and blunt but well-made sword (likely from the priest’s adventuring days), and a handy haversack.

-3-, Holly, Xander, and Argan are unable to read the writing on the wristbands.

Xander is fascinated by -3- and asks if he can experiment on him.

-3- explains that he doesn’t know who made him or why, that Father Giuseppe found him as he is, and that he would be OK with experiments as long as they’re not destructive.

The bag works like a bag of holding. To get an item out of it, you think of what you want to take out as you’re reaching in. There was a walking stick and 20G inside the bag already.

Everyone went back to the temple for Father Giuseppe’s funeral. Various people attend and speak kind words.

-3- had given the money that Father Giuseppe had received from Dalakhar the previous day to Sister Margat. He’s not sure what the amount was.

I decided to stop by my room after being away for so long to close my account and pick up my things: adventurer’s pack, a change of clothes, and my jeweler’s tools. Not sure I want to stick around where the Xanathar Guild know where to find me.

We met up at the Yawning Portal at sunset. A lady in white looked up at us as we came in, but went back to her drink.

There was a group of 4 raggedy people near her table. One of them was bald and has eyes tattooed all over his head. They started singing a drinking song:

Deep and dark down below, where only fools and braggarts go, where monster roam and dangers mortal, few survive the Yawning Portal, stand your ground or ring the bell, and hope you make it up the well!

A leonine warrior (Assad) was on the 1st floor, having a drink and taking in the sights.

A drunk guy, hearing the song, threw something at the bell near the bar and headed toward the portal.

Volo is near his table. He greeted us and motioned us to go upstairs to the second floor.

One of the Portal's workers, Bonnie lowered the drunk guy into the Undermountain.

Volo bought us all a round, but after a few minutes the bell suddenly started ringing and the drunk guy was getting pulled back up, followed by 5 or 6 stirge and a troll.

We all stepped up to get rid of the monsters while Volo hid under the table. Notable moments:

-3- dashed down the stairs with his bag, drawing a short sword and a buckler from the bag.

I stayed by the second floor railing and managed to shoot down a stirge with the crossbow I'd gotten the day before. Cassius commented on what a good shot it was... Fuck.

Holly jumped from the second floor and fell on a table.

Assad chopped off the troll’s arm and got covered in troll blood.

Durnan’s just playing around with this troll. Absolutely destroys it with a 4-attack flurry looking bored. Note to self: don’t fuck with Durnan.

After the troll died, Durnan pushed it down the portal and the remaining stirge followed it: an easy meal.

Volo called us all back up to the table, inviting Assad too. He offered each of us 10G to hear him out and all of us accepted.

He said he needs help finding Floon Blagmaar, his friend who has been missing for 2 nights. They had been out drinking in a Dock Ward tavern (the Skewered Dragon), and he had not seen him since. He tried speaking to his wife, but he said she was kind of stupid and too worried to share any information.

If we’re able to find Floon or information on where he is, Volo will give us 100G each. We agreed to help.

Xander asked whether Volo knows the halfling restaurant he remembers being sold in. Volo uncomfortably shared he is likely looking for a restaurant in Spices Street in the Dock Ward.

After agreeing to help, we all went to the Dock Ward and found the Skewered Dragon. All the houses near it are leaning against each other and looked really ramshackle.

The Skewered Dragon is a dive. The building looks like it’s falling apart and one of the windows is broken. The bar was full of sailors and a bard with a violin was passed out in the corner.

One of the sailors was feeling chatty and told us about seeing Floon in the bar 2 days ago with Renaer Neverember.

They left around 1 AM with Floon drunker than Renaer heading west toward the docks, and were followed out by 4 humans. One of them was bald and had tattoos on his head.

Xanathar Guild...?

I was trying to get a bit more information from the barkeep and the chatty sailor, when Assad flat out asked about the suspicious people and where they came from and the barkeep kicked us all out.

Out on the street we headed west toward the dock and passed by a group of the Guard arresting some people who were in a fight (with some dead bodies lying on the street). One of the men being arrested is the Zhentarim agent who ran away from the temple. I made eye contact and we recognized each other, but walked past.

We passed by the Old Xoblob Shop where everything is purple and there was a purple beholder plushie in the display window. At the same time, a gnome (Xoblob?) is exiting the shop, about to close.

He seemed tired, so I offered to walk with him while we talk. Xoblob mentions he saw 2 nobles get attacked 2 nights ago, both with red hair. Once he reached his apartment, around the corner, he got very scared of us as we kept asking questions and ran inside.

In the alley, Xander found the unicorn amulet Volo told us Floon wears, covered in mud. As we investigated more, he found a small blue pearl lying on the ground and we came through a small alley to what appeared to be abandoned warehouses.

Near the closest warehouse, a winged serpent symbol was attached to a tree...

Everyone decided to investigate the very obvious Zhentarim hideout but only -3- and I were the only ones concerned by this development…

There were dead Zhentarim agents throughout the building, with several smaller closed off rooms near the entrance. Each room had a single rat inside. We got rid of them as we looked. Looting the bodies, Xander found a dagger and gave it to me. I added it to the dagger and buckler -3- had given me earlier, as I was still without my things.

As we headed further inside, Holly cast thaumaturgy to let anyone and everyone in the area know that there are priests of Ilmater here to help.

No, announcing our presence is a wonderful idea! I loved this! What if I just die?

Thankfully, no one responded from inside, and no one seemed to hear or care outside.

Wandering deeper inside, 4 kenku attacked us in the main room. We killed most of them, but Assad got pretty badly hurt in the process.

He was able to grapple the last kenku, who pleaded for mercy.

We tried reasoning with them and we learn that they were sent by the Xanathar Guild and that the group came from the sewers. I tried to convince them to tell us where the sewer entrance was, but he was too scared of Xanathar and said they have nothing left to live for. We killed their family...

There was a cubby under the stairs and Xander, Argan, and I found Renaer Neverember inside, gagged and handcuffed. I borrowed Cassius's sewing needle and managed to get the handcuffs off.

Holly asked for the handcuffs to restrain the kenku and give Assad a break.

Renaer told us he was taken by the Zhentarim because they thought he knew the location of the dragons hidden by his father. (He does not.)

Assad asked for Holly’s permission and dealt the final blow to the remaining kenku while the rest of us investigated the warehouse.

We found Renaer’s locket. It’s about the size of an eyeball, open and empty. He was not aware that it opened. It was a gift from his father after his mother’s death.

Is the eye that Baharn asked Cassius to sew into his shoulder what was in the locket? Did the gnome from the temple take it?

Xander found a hidden cache behind a wall that had 10 lbs silver ingots and 4 fine paintings of Luskan, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, and Baldur’s Gate.

I carefully cut out the paintings from their frames and -3- allowed us to store the loot in his bag.

We get out of the hideout, Renaer grabbing a short sword from one of the dead bodies. We take him to speak to the Guard and take a short rest.

[4th-make-quail]

checking ur blog religiously every day for zamasian content

BLESS!!! I have a bunch of photos to post at some point soon so maybe I'll do that today! I went on a deep spelunking dive but they mostly have fucking getty watermarks so I've been working on getting rid of them

I'll definitely also share some of my first fic as well today, so please look forward to it! 💚

For the meantime, please consider: Assad on his knees sucking Eric's cock while wearing Armand's cunty little sunglasses, cig in one hand and then Eric's come all across his beautiful face 😏😏😏 this is the image currently plaguing my every waking thought!!

[quiet-longing]

The Vampire Armand would like to know who the hell Assad Zaman is and why he's created a fictional dynamic between his beloved and Santiago. He would also like to know if this Ben Daniels fellow is involved in this atrocity.

Daniel would like to go back to sleep. No, he's not involved in any "dynamic" with Santiago. Isn't that guy dead? Yes, he knows Ben Daniels. He knows who Ben Daniels is and so does Armand. He was in that show they just watched. The kid, the possession, the demons? No, the other guy. Yes, he's very sure they've never met. No, he doesn't know who Assad Zaman is. Google him. ...This is from google? This is from google ai. Daniel would also like to go on a good, long tear about AI and ethics, but mostly he would like to go back to bed. He's a tired old man. He would also consider it a personal favor if Armand didn't eat anyone in this little blurb. Except Santiago. If that guy managed to pull a Lestat, Armand can eat him. And maybe don't buy Google while he's asleep. They're discussing major purchases as a couple now. Remember the no more private islands without consultation conversation? Yeah, this is like that.

The Vampire Armand is sulking. And doing a speed run deep dive into AI. And sulking some more. This is why they can't have nice things. Daniel won't let him buy them anymore.

iPad kid Armand would be so mad at Google AI

[athanasia-alghul]

Al Ghul family fancast

I’ve seen a lot of posts about the batfamily and other DC characters, but there’s an alarming lack of (non-whitewashed) fancasts for the Al-Ghul’s. And since @arabian-batboy totally inspired me, I decided to go for it. So buckle up, kids.

I’m gonna do this

Nadine Nassib Njeim as Talia Al Ghul

Seriously, this woman was born to be Talia. She’s a lebanese actress and beauty pageant titleholder. Her pictures are amazing and she has the elegance to play the role. 

Ayman Amin as Damian Wayne Al Ghul

This guy is a singer and actor. He started his career in the arabic version of “The Voice: Kids” not long ago. As far as I know he’s lebanese (if I’m wrong, please correct me) and he’s fluent in english. He’s not very famous yet, but you can find good pictures in his instagram. 

Ghassan Massoud as Ra’s Al Ghul

He’s a syrian actor and filmmaker. He’s known for appearing in movies like “Kingdom of Heaven” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”. And seriously, this man exists, there’s no excuse for casting a caucasian actor to play Ra’s.

Dive Assad as Nyssa Raatko (Al Ghul)

There’s not a lot of information about her, but as far as I could read her father is syrian and her mother is mexican. She was born in Veracruz, Mexico, and is an actress and writer. 

Stephen Thompson as Dusan Al Ghul

I know, I know, this is whitewashing and there’s no way around it. This man is a model/actor from Brooklyn, so ethnically he’s far from the character. The only thing that they have in common is the albinism. So I wont justify my lack of research for a better cast in this one, and I’m open to suggestions.

I wanted to include Mara and Athanasia, but for now I haven’t found a proper cast  for them. Hopefully when I do, I’ll update the post.

[page58-blog1]

(Trailer) for Janicza Bravo's Quirky Dark Comedy 'Lemon' starring Brett Gelman, Michael Cera, Nia Long & More

(Trailer) for Janicza Bravo’s Quirky Dark Comedy ‘Lemon’ starring Brett Gelman, Michael Cera, Nia Long & More

    “Have you ever thought about cleaning the slate, making it new.” In the quirky dark comedy ‘Lemon’ by definition is a person or thing that proves to be defective, imperfect, or unsatisfactory. The story follows a 40-year-old man, Isaac Lachmann. He’s  a dud, a man n free fall as he watches his life unravel after he is left by his girlfriend of 10 years. He is immobilized by mediocrity.

 “I…

[mothmage]

I've been thinking about this! So I think you've hit the nail on the head: Anne Rice didn't intend for him to be a villain. Or, at least, not for his relationship with (grooming of) Amadeo. Other people have done deep-dives into her and theorized a lot of things about what may have so badly skewed her perception of a normal adult-child relationship, but that's simply none of my business.

I think the show has been doing a pretty good job of avoiding the "all or nothing"/"bad guy-good guy" dynamic that is so pervasive in media these days, so I feel like they're somewhat uniquely equipped to handle Marius. Personally, I think they'll probably evade the worst of it altogether by nature of the show changes. Like with Claudia being aged up and Louis being explicitly gay, that entirely sidesteps the...uh, more questionable parts of the book Louis-Claudia dynamic, without removing the narratively compelling parts entirely (I think we see it the most during Louis's recovery, when Claudia steps up as his "sister," but really becomes more of a mother figure, for a while). I think they'll probably have Andrei become Amadeo/get bought by Marius a little older, maybe around 16 or 17, rather than the ambiguous "not yet at puberty" he is in the book (what is that, if we're being generous 13? 14?). Probably so that they can make full use of Assad Zaman's talents (he can totally play 19, 20, etc, but 14, 15 is pushing it), rather than hiring a younger adult actor to play 15-year-old Amadeo. That said, I also have a feeling they'll make Marius older, too, to make that age gap more pronounced than it would be between late-20s Assad/Armand and early 40s-Marius. I think, to parallel the book dynamic, it'll probably be late-20s Assad/Armand and 50s-or-60s-Marius (also setting up a parallel for Old Maniel, probably).

I hope the show leans into the fact that Marius himself truly doesn't believe there's anything wrong with his relationship with Amadeo except for the fact that he's a vampire. He knows there's a skewed power dynamic there, but he's so far removed from the human experience that the only part that matters is his physical, preternatural power over Amadeo. Even as he's, like, disciplining and teaching Amadeo, it doesn't strike him as wrong in the sense of the social/hierarchical control he has over him. He believes he's helping Amadeo and the other boys, by setting them up with skills, money, and education to go far in life. It's only when Amadeo gets too attached (and Marius gets too attached) that he starts to worry and get all old-vampire-guilt over it all.

I also hope they lean into the fact that Amadeo is young, naive, and full of love and hero-worship for the god-like figure that "saved" him. I think they can show that both parties believe this is a genuine, loving relationship with no major issues aside from the vampirism, while at the same time conveying to the audience that there is a massive power imbalance at play here, not only in the age difference, but also the fact that Amadeo is a teenager that Marius bought from a brothel. It doesn't matter that Amadeo doesn't want to leave; what matters is that he can't, he has no way of supporting himself or making his way home. He is stuck with Marius, legally, financially, and practically, even without the added dynamic of their sexual and romantic relationship. And he's so incredibly childish, as Marius later laments (uwu my teenage boyfriend went crazy after I turned him into a vampire at 17 and then left him to rot in a cult for 200 years), which we see especially with his "acting out" by getting drunk, going to Bianca, and the fling with Lord Harlech (another middle-aged man, because Amadeo has so many issues. Personally, I think Armand would have waited until Daniel was at least in his 40s to turn him, if he hadn't been literally dying).

I have a feeling they'll also discuss it in the 2022/interview context (I want Daniel to be brutal, I want him to rip Marius to shreds in absentia, etc etc), in which case I think it's relevant to note that pederasty (older man/young teen boy, specifically in the context of mentorship for academics, art, etc, with the expectation that the "relationship" would end once the boy grew up and "became a man" ie no longer needed the mentorship of the older man -- also, theoretically, because once the boy becomes a "man," the older man no longer sees him as a sexual object. when young boys were written about romantically/sexually it was in the same way as women, NOT in the same way that men wrote romantically/sexually about other adult men) was so acceptable in Marius's time that he probably genuinely never thought anything about it. That doesn't make it, like, morally right or easier for a contemporary audience to accept, but I think the show will have to address it. Like, Marius would not have been seen, at the time, as some kind of pedophile or creep or anything, which is relevant to understanding how Marius and Armand themselves understood/understand the relationship/situation.

And for Amadeo, as well; his perceptions of what was "normal" or "appropriate" were so skewed, after spending an unknown amount of years in brothels full of other kids and teenagers. I think even in 2022, Armand still hasn't unpacked all that, nor does he ever intend to (based on how he talks/writes about it in TVA).

TLDR: Marius doesn't see his actions as wrong, neither does Armand, the show writers need to show this without downplaying the fucked up nature of the relationship but also without ignoring the historical context that made the relationship palatable to Marius, Armand, and their peers

question for the culture, how do you think the amc iwtv show will (or should) approach the character of marius. because in the fandom he’s (rightfully so) hated for being a pretty vocal pedophile and groomer. however, anne rice was a fucked up freak of nature who seemingly didn’t intend for marius to be perceived as a villain? morally gray maybe, for being a shitty and emotionally constipated maker, but she never condemned him fully for the fact he LITERALLY groomed armand, and it kind of leaves him awkwardly showing up as “one of the good guys” consistently in the series even though his actions are…not. the show can either option a) fully villainize him and address/establish armand’s backstory as the grooming it is, or b) exclude anne’s more than questionable character decisions (as seen with book vs show louis: you said WHAT about your five year old daughter?) and make him the “likeable” character he was probably narratively intended to be. thoughts?