#Rashid gets to answer this one!

[sins-of-the-sea]

🌱

Questions for Immortals/Ancients

🌱 What is one thing about the world you’ve come to appreciate?

"That nothing is truly alien or beyond understanding in any part of the world regardless of the time, regardless of the cultural climate or the language spoken. Everything and anything can be learned as long as you take the time and be earnest with it. Our understandings of the world do change, but it can be caught up with, or rewound to see where we are coming from. But I always appreciate when that understanding becomes wider and more widely embraced."

[dxxtruction]

Honestly, the only one to gain any legitimate benefit from planting those photos would be Daniel, so he could have them distracted long enough to look through the files he had. Notably, he only starts snooping through them alone when he can be sure they’re distracted. Rashid doing it via Raglan's orders. From a writing standpoint this would be really good set up for the later pay off of Rashid doing the same action again so that the truth can be revealed, again.

I also think, it’s possible, Raglan was the buyer of the three furies (he's an avid art collector), which was the first time Daniel had a distraction. I think they were both working together on giving ample distractions, so Daniel could use his Talamasca resources without being caught. This was a way to get Daniel what he wanted (his book and to live), and also get Raglan what he wanted (some paintings, information for his job, and someone who now owes him a favor). This read to me gives a larger plot relevance to Daniel, Raglan, and Rashid, instead of them just being mostly passive actors in the story. This also provides greater validity to some of Daniel's own characterization as someone good at getting angles, and who believes 'honesty is not a tactic'. It also tells us how easy it is to have vampires distracted, thus better legitimizing the plausibility of certain events in the interview. It would also explain why it's Raglan and not some other talamasca member, as he's definitely more the type to get up to sewing discord and such to achieve his greedy ends. That's actually, all his character in the books really is.

I feel this gives the photos far better plot relevance and also simultaneously reveals something about every single one of the characters involved. How do Louis and Armand respond to being on the receiving end of having these photos planted by neither of them? What sort of assumptions and actions do they take for it? These sorts of things are answered, alongside Daniel getting his answers, and this revealing something about him. That getting the truth is more important to him than how he gets it. And that getting his 'score' is more important than even the truth.

[teecupangel]

Hi teecup, I hope ur having a great day/noon/night!

Forgive me if the things i'm about to say don't make much sense. It's been a vey, very, very, difficult time for me and my countrymen here, and my ability to make coherent sentences have declined drastically. So, yeah... BUT! That doesn't matter haha.

Anyways, I had a thought. And i'm not even sure how or why i got it but.... hear me out now...

Our boy, Desmond, gets thrown back in time as usual, same old same old, right? Exept, this time he doesn't end up in the Big Three™'s time-line. He ends up in Al-Mualim's time. *insert mind-blown emoji here cuz i can't find it rn*

And ik that i'm not a certified AC Expert like u and many others, and i haven't really finished any of the AC games yet (i've only seen bits of AC III and have only started AC 2, I also haven't finished AC 1)

But I do know that he wasn't really that creepy and evil in his youth/ b4 he became The Old Man of the Moutain, so i was thinking maybe Desmond ends up in that era of Al Mualim or is it Rashid al-Din Sinan? I know that he's based on a real historical figure but i'm not so sure if he's called that in-game?

And knowing Desmond, he'd probably get the urge to kill Rashid (i hope i'm using the name correctly) the time he figures shit out and connect that dots. But he would end up not doing that, cuz u know, it might fuck up the time-line and Altaïr might end up not being born, creating a domino-effect.

I want Desmond to meet Rashid before he starts to becom the Al Mualim we know today, so that Desmond can see how he was b4 the evants of AC 1.

Maybe Rashid's an arrogant ass, or a nerdy loser, or a popular assassin- who knows! The possibilites are endless!! (or maybe he's an obsessive bastard who gets obsessed with Desmond cuz he's just full of mysteries and wonders :Dc )

And blah blah blah, plot here, plot there, Isu-bullshit this, time shenanigans that, and BOOM they meet.

And romance ensues? :3 (romace wil absolutely ensue :}}} )

NOW, BEFORE- BEFORE YOU TIE ME TO A STAKE AND BURN ME ALIVE FOR THIS- i think it'd be a cute idea, and who knows? maybe Rashid was hot in his prime *insert lenny face cuz even after all these years i still don't know how to type it and is too lazy to cop paste it* and maybe he liked to solve mysteries and had a thing for the unexplainable. And Desmond is the most unexplainable, most bizarre thing to have graced the earth :33333.

Now that i've got this idea out of my system i'm gonna go pray for the down fall of my coutry's shit for brain, good for nothing military government/hj.

bye! *evaporates*

I hope you’re doing alright and I’m sorry that it took two months before I could answer your ask TTATT

As far as I know, he was only called Al Mualim because of legal reasons but Rashid ad-Din Sinan was the leader of the Assassins in Masyaf during 1191 so it’s safe to assume Al Mualim is AC’s version of Rashid (historically he died in 1193, not 1191.

.

Okay. We can make this work.

We put Desmond at around the same time he’s the recruit and we make it hard for him to realize he’s Al Mualim until it’s too late by doing one simple thing:

Desmond doesn’t know Al Mualim’s real name.

He always knew it as Al Mualim. As far as he knew, Al Mualim was his actual name.

Then he remembered that Al Mualim can mean mentor and bangs his head on the nearest flat surface.

His mission has been clear from the start.

Become an Assassin, take out Al Mualim before he does shit, find Umar and adopt him then play matchmaker so Altaïr would be born.

And no.

Desmond wasn’t going to think about the whole “can you truly be sure that the person who will be born will be Altaïr if you change the circumstances of his conception?”

Yeah.

His head hurts just thinking about it so he won’t.

For now, he’ll focus on his training while keeping a look out for anyone who gives of Al Mualim vibes.

What’s the Al Mualim vibes?

Manipulative old man vibes.

The problem is…

Rashid is one of the recruits in the same batch as Desmond and he becomes Desmond’s closest friend.

And there was no way Desmond would ever be friends with a future power hungry asshole like Al Mualim.

No way.

.

The way their relationship becomes romantic really depends on the kind of personality young Rashid would have.

A nerdy loser who starts making a name for himself because of his intelligence and tactical mind would start off as the kid Desmond sorta looks after. When he starts to show that his strength lies in making plans and quick judgments, he becomes the man whispering on Desmond’s ear. Providing plans and suggestions while giving Desmond a heads up on the less savory words people say about him. Desmond would never think this Rashid is Al Mualim because he’s nice and truly do want to help Desmond. This is also how Rashid would show his love for Desmond and, really, Desmond would think they’re bros and when he realizes that Rashid actually loves him, he’d think “oh, I am Ezio’s descendant”

An arrogant ass Rashid would butt heads with Desmond but Desmond would find himself fond of the man because he reminds him of AC1 Altaïr. This is the Rashid who would definitely be counted as a tsundere and their relationship would start when Rashid just flatout tells Desmond that he wants to do unspeakable things to him while they’re arguing. Desmond is offended because “tugging on my pigtails doesn’t work in real life, dumbass!” and Rashid is just “???” because what the fuck are pigtails??? Lots of awkwardness until Desmond realize that butting heads with Rashid is really how they flirt.

Now. Popular Assassin Rashid is more on the side of polite but is absolutely Desmond’s rival. Whatever it is, the two of them are always competing. Unlike the arrogant ass version, this Rashid is always nice to Desmond. The whole “no hard feelings” and pure competitiveness are what drives their relationship. This is the one where the two of them spar privately one time and things happen. They would try to distant themselves from one another for a bit until they finally talk it out. Rashid honestly didn’t think he loved Desmond until the whole ‘after-sparring’ thing.

Whichever you pick as Rashid’s background, he will become obsessed with Desmond but it’s more on the side of “I will do everything to make Desmond happy” which is good for Desmond but not really good for anyone against him.

.

Desmond is the one who adopts Umar in this one and Umar imprints on him like a baby duckling to a mama duckling. Everyone actually assumed Umar is his bastard son. Desmond ignores it even though he’s only like… a decade and a half older than Umar.

Rashid definitely treats him like Desmond’s son. He’s Umar’s favorite of all of Desmond’s friends.

And really, Desmond should have seen that as a hint of Rashid’s ‘future’.

Speaking of the future.

He’s been looking for Al Mualim this entire time and he has his suspects (Rashid, however, is not on the list) but honestly?

He’s just waiting for the person who would be picked as the one to lead the expansion to Masyaf since that would be Al Mualim.

Desmond has, unfortunately, fucked up the timeline so badly that the person chosen to lead the expansion?

It was Desmond.

.

Sidebar: Faheem would be that cute younger brother who turns grumpy when he grows up. Desmond will forever grieve the lost of little cute Faheem. Faheem is always embarrassed when Desmond talked about his ‘past’.

[avelera]

I’m dying for your thoughts on what is going on in Dubai with the triangulation of Armand and Daniel in Dubai because nothing in 2.05 explain ms what they(beddeath vampires) could want him to tell them as referenced earlier in the season or warrant all the Rashid pageantry. Especially not with how Armand looks at Daniel like he just got home from the wars.

Your takes are exquisite and I’d love to hear them.

Ok, I THINK you're asking what the hell is going on with Daniel and Armand and Louis and the longing looks Armand keeps shooting Daniel and I might be missing some nuance to your question but that is the question I'm gonna answer because I can't stop thinking about it.

Ok. Ok, ok, SO!! The biggest question I think we're facing as of 2.05 is did the Devil's Minion chapter of Queen of the Damned ever happen?

For the uninitiated (LOTS of BOOK SPOILERS but like the books have been out for decades, sorry): Louis/Armand is like... not a thing. At least, it's not one of the big love affairs of the series compared to Louis/Lestat. I mean they've had a situationship but they're definitely not a long devoted love affair going right up to the beginning of the events of Vampire Lestat/Queen of the Damned, which is where the show seems to take place. They traveled together for a bit after the events of Interview with the Vampire but then parted ways because What Happened In Paris changed Louis irrevocably.

The big love of Armand's life in the books is Daniel.

And we learn this in the chapter of Queen of the Damned called the Devil's Minion.

Because Armand stumbles upon "The Interviewer" and falls in love and they have this fucked up whirlwind torrid romance where Daniel teaches Armand about the modern world and basically "how to be fascinating" and Daniel begs over and over to be made into a vampire.

Lots of stuff happens between them but short, TRAGIC version is that Armand does make Daniel into a vampire and it breaks Daniel's mind. He's not a cool powerful vampire once he's turned, he's basically a vegetable, he loses his mind and becomes a hollow husk of himself. (Ironically, insane-new-vampire!Daniel is left in the care of Marius of all people lol)

SO, from the book reader perspective, I shot upright on my couch when I saw old Daniel. Because Old Daniel means we're in... some flavor of happy AU? We're in an AU where Armand did the "responsible" thing and didn't give Daniel the Dark Gift, so Daniel got to grow old and actually be a person instead of being the Devil's Minion where Armand became his whole personality and then he lost his mind.

Thing is, since S1, I've been assuming, like others I think, that we're in an AU where the Devil's Minion didn't happen at all. That Daniel did the interview, he and Louis parted ways, and now he's back to finish it. It seemed neat, clear, if a little confusing for book fans because Daniel/Armand is one of THE great love affairs and it seems like it just got skipped entirely, which kind of makes sense since no other film version has really delved into it, right?

WRONG. OK, so with the longing looks that begin RIGHT when Armand finally reveals himself, the whole mic drop moment of "Armand, the love of my life" while Armand stares at Daniel, almost seeming to plead with his eyes "GET ME AWAY FROM HIM" and looking at Daniel with such longing, going into SEASON 2 where we learn that ok, the 1970s beat was WAY more complicated than it seems, Louis' memory is very faulty, Armand has actively tampered with both of them and we DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH....?

So my current theory is: the Devil's Minion DID happen.

Armand and Daniel had their love affair, but instead of turning Daniel, which by the way he had to be talked into doing because of Daniel's suicide attempt basically, Armand set him free. But CLEARLY he continued to stalk and pine after Daniel, if he was there at Daniel's fucking engagement reading his girlfriend's mind enough to tell Daniel what she was really thinking then. Armand was definitely still OBSESSIVELY IN LOVE. And, IMO, has been the whole time.

Now, what does this mean going forward? What do I think is going on?

Armand wants out of his relationship with Louis but he's chronically, pathologically, incapable of breaking up with anyone. He used Lestat to break up the Children of Darkness, he used Louis to break up the Theatre des Vampires, and now he's using Daniel to end this fucked up marriage he and Louis are in.

Armand is doing this first by consenting to renew the interview, Louis gets a walk down memory lane, remembers how much he loves Lestat. Not to solidify their bond with how good things are now, but to break it up with nostalgia.

Armand is also going to reveal things he's hidden from Louis, I think. Like the fact Armand killed Claudia. I think right now they're both operating under the excuse that Santiago and the coven did it in defiance of Armand but that is simply not true, Armand ordered her death to get Louis all to himself. But (book canon) her death broke Louis so basically Armand destroyed what he wanted in Louis in the gaining of him.

Armand also misses Daniel. He's doing the classic passive lover thing, using the next lover to get rid of the current one. That's why he picked Daniel specifically as the vehicle of his liberation. Boy wants to get white knighted in the most fucked up way possible. Evidence: every single painfully longing, puppy dog look he shoots Daniel's way and how those looks only get more intense the more Louis waxes poetic about how great the Loumand relationship is.

Armand appears as Rashid in order to establish for plausible deniability for Louis that he DIDN'T have a relationship with Daniel OR, if Louis knows about it, that he really did do as promised and wiped Daniel's mind. Look, Daniel doesn't even remember him! When he's standing right there! Pretending to be Rashid! He definitely didn't summon his former lover here to break up Louis and him, obviously this is JUST about Louis' desire to do the interview haha, definitely not trying to bring his old ex to break up his current relationship the guy doesn't even remember who he is.

In conclusion: Armand still wants to fuck that boy old man. And he wants to get rid of Louis by making Louis break up with him because that's how Armand rolls. And that's why this whole ridiculous pantomime is happening, because Armand will never, ever be the active party in the breakup because the boy is way, way too fucked up by his supremely fucked up life up to this point to ever be the initiator. Instead he will always, always manipulate those around him to do what he wants.

[funtheysaid]

IWTV 2x01 Initial Thoughts (Stream Of Consciousness)

- That title card for Delainey felt very stage play to me (ahhh I adore the theatrical elements for this season)

- Ooh I love the idea that vamps can take on the emotions of whosever blood they’re drinking - it’s like the vampire equivalent of when werewolves can smell ppl’s emotions and fears through chemosignals (a la Teen Wolf iykyk)

- “Disregard” is the funniest shit ever 😂 Oldmaniel they could never make me hate you

- There’s a Real Rashid OMFG ??? Lol imagine he’s not actually Rashid and they pull one over on us again I’d fucking shit myself

- “Your love was in a box” OH MY GOD EAT HIM UP DANNY BOY

- OMG OMG LOUSTAT ITS HAPPENIGN ITS HAPPENING EVERYONE SHUT UP

- I MISS YOU TOO LESTAT

- “Quite fucked” 😏😏😏

- “mon amour” “mon cher” “love” IM GOING TO EXSANGUINATE MYSELF ISTG

- The singular finger on Louis’ chin 🥲 so delicate so soft so bad for my mental health

- I like Emilia

- “They are not used to seeing man with good looks” OKAY I know they’re just racists BUT she also wasn’t lying bc beautiful Louis is canon god bless you Jacob Anderson

- Lol Morgan a little fruity

- OOH memory is a monster! They be redoing scenes as Louis “fixes” his memories !!!! That’s gonna show up again for sure :))))

- “Stupid Halloween costume” Daniel Molloy the brat that you are (is okay, Armand likes brats) *cough cough*

- I’ve never seen someone *elegantly* close an iPad before. Armand, you have bewitched me.

- The fucking sexual tension between DM is stifling 🥵😶‍🌫️ Um if this is us “not getting Devil’s Minion” then I think imma be okay

- Claudia pushing the little racist boy 🤪🥹 we can’t help but to stan

- WTF AMC you can’t just jumpscare me with a Grace photograph :’)))

- “UP YOUR BUM” EXCUSE ME MORGAN I KNEW YOU WERE FRUITY BUT SIRRRR?

- so the makeup department really put their whole sfxussies into that decrepit ass abomination

- Louis: Alexa, play Mr. Steal Your Girl by Trey Songz

- Claudia calling Louis Daddy in S1: ☺️🍭👼 Claudia calling Louis Daddy in S2: 😖🤢😟

- I’m dubbing Louis “The Rat Prince”

- “If he can’t take you ballroom dancing and call you pretty” ICONIC.

- “the motherfucker” it’s on sight Bruce or Killer or whatever the fuck your name was 🤕🥊

- “her hand twitched like yours would” why was that line lowkey out of pocket. My mans has Parkinson’s Louis !!!!

- SHE DREAMS 😭 MY FUCKING GOD STOP MY EYES ARE GONNA BE PUFFY WHEN I WAKE UP TOMORROW

- that wasn’t even acting that was some REAL shit. Get Jacob Anderson his Emmy or Oscar or Tony or whatever the fuck I just need him to be awarded for his talent

- Daniel’s soft compassionate side: rare but that much more meaningful when it makes an appearance

- LOUIS you did not just do Emilia dirty like that TF!?! She helped you dude.

- “Human affairs. Their problem.” Not you listening to Lestat now of all times

- “Catfish with teeth” Louis can really read a bitch to filth can’t he?

- AHHH THERE ARE TWO OF THE FUCKERS 👹👹

- Oh shit he’s a kid okay I’m sorry for calling you an abomination earlier. That was mean.

- Woman vampire, you standing precariously close to that fire 👀

- Delainey’s facial expressions are the perfect blend of innocent and slightly unsettling

- OPP INTO THE FIRE SHE GOES rip 🔥

- What the hell is a bacon triptych am I just stupid don’t answer that

- Armand you ain’t beating the iPad kid allegations

- “It’s his drug” He said that with such malice. Is this a “he needed me but he needed drugs more” plot line???

- So Dubai Loumand is chilly frigid tepid frosty glacial

- Free feet? Okay im sorry

- “We can have him saying what happened next in no time” okay wait hold up why you making it sound like YOU don’t know what happened next and you need him to tell you???

- oh danny boy whistling while the couple he’s counseling walks in… is this a comedy or ?

- Daniel: yeah? 🤓 Armand: yeah 🫦

- “the mother of New Orleans” oh he misses home

- LMFAO Daniel interrupting Armand before he can start soliloquizing

- Louis and Claudia in a truck full of art which they belong in bc they too are pieces of art to me

- hard words. soft words. 🥺

- “a shit life beats no life” god damn this monologue feels like Louis is speaking directly to my soul

- ��as long as you walk the earth I’ll never taste the fire” If this is foreshadowing I- I- I don’t know what I’ll do but it’s going to involve a baseball bat and a waffle iron and my head

- “it would be enough” pan to Lestat 💀 you can’t be fucking serious right now you just cannot

- okay it’s over and the teaser for the season just started playing and I just have to shout out the score bc damn if those violins don’t get me every god damn time

(Stutter) That’s all, folks! 🐷👋

[nalyra-dreaming]

Some comments on episode 3 / episode 10 - SPOILERS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Daniel not wanting to eat the living fish…. yeah I can empathize

Raglan James - Is that a real name???? (LOL)

Love the banter

Daniel doubting how many Rashid’s there are… indeed

I like that they’re echoing Louis being away in last season this one as well

The underlying threat of Armand being able to kill them all if he so chose

That audio visualization will become important still I bet

How do you hide from the cloud indeed

Louis being asleep during the day?! Why this time? He was awake during the day before?

“Lestat’s prophetic vision”

Yes, be snarky Daniel :)

Flashback!!!!

Ugh incineration by fire gift

Oh Armand watching Lestat as harlequin - he has it baaaaad

Armand hinting that Lestat has powers he has not touched, and them talking to each other in their minds….

Viens a moi! Come to me!!! There it is! Armand said it to Lestat, yes baby!

And Armand admitting to stalking and then kidnapping.

And I love that they’re doing it all in French - I cannot quite judge but hope it’s well done

mhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh YES I CANNOT LIE I APPRECIATE IT AND I LOVE IT

the time freezing was so well done

Gosh Nicki. Gosh that feeding

to summarize: Liar, liar, pants on fire (LOL), but I love it. Ah yes, great fanfic, I like

Great now I will imagine Lestat and Armand beeeeeeeep in that box for ETERNITY lol

And Daniel… not buying it lol

“He abandoned xyz”… ohhhh there we have it. There we have it (not). The crux of the whole matter.

Louis knows what’s up. Deep down he knows. But them matching the stories is almost cute.

Claudia humbling herself like this to be part of it all breaks my heart

The sneezing made me cry with laughter

Ahhhh the wet room. And the rats. And the tombs. The tombs. Ohhhhh they’re so gonna lock Louis up there later. Oh boy.

“That’s a bit german” re the incinerator !!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Holy shit?!)

God Lestat interrupting that moment. And Armand sensing “Bruce”. Daaaamn.

Daniel getting distracted but the Talamasca. Who have access to his computer. (!!!)

“Where is Claudia at this point” 😔 (and no answer)

Santiago’s maker being down in the tombs is IMMENSELY interesting. WHO THE FUCK IS HE

Also him telling Claudia that her lies are almost convincing….

The “come to me” scene. Even better in total. Oh Louis. Armand calling him out on it.

And the philosophical discussion there. The admission despite the warning. Something Louis ALMOST remembers…

“that’s debatable” - “she did”. Oh MAN LOUIS

“I told you I loved you” - “And you said nothing.” Holy hell.

THAT KISS. the music.

It’s RAW.

God they’re on another level

AND THE PHOTO: Lestat being there… and then vanishing!!!!

Louis knows. He knows. Also that little story Claudia makes up there… oof.

The Bacon triptych - that is so weird. WHO wants to buy it. I BET that’s important.

And Daniel using the time to go through the material and find the proof of the theater burning.

The coven pressuring Armand. I LOVED that. The trepidation. Ugh.

And them throwing Louis out when she is initiated. Does he know of the five laws??????

And Claudia’s expression at the laws. Oh maaaannnnnn.

And I KNEW it!! Armand is playing with the fire there “threatening” Louis. I mean, he ultimately doesn’t, but he ALMOST does. The discussion in the sewers. The foreshadowing once more. Louis calling on what Armand promised, and Armand throwing the lies into his face. DAMN.

And Armand stating that Claudia won’t be there for long.

God I knew the coven would go and humiliate Claudia with that role. I knew it. Damn. Her face.

“The Savage Garden”. The roaring of the fire behind Louis. More foreshadowing.

“Did he break you? Or did you break him?” 😭😭

A century ago. Yesterday. So much pain.

That kiss. And Louis inviting Armand in on the premise that he won’t kill him!!!!!!!!!! Holy shit.

NO PAIN.

AAAAALLLLLLL THE PAIN.

Argh, loved it, maybe a favorite so far. There is so much going on. So much foreshadowing. So much knowledge suppressed, or endured. So much bitter realization. So many things hinted at and introduced.

Also, as clear as it is (and was said in the episode insider) that this is Armand’s little fanfic version… (as Assad how much of it is used to "paint Armand in a good light"?!) :))) . It was a LOT of fun. :)

And that banquet scene will be in the next episode already!! Whoop whoop, cannot wait!

[irisbleufic]

New IWTV Fic: "Everyone Here Sucks" (Daniel/Armand & others; Explicit; 5,120 words so far; 2 out of 4 chapters)

This stand-alone will only have 4 chapters; 2 are up. It’s partly in answer to a prompt from yesterday, partly pulling in some of the groundwork from the longer story I just finished (which can be treated as a stand-alone and as background on any other version of their reality I happen to write where the Dubai stretch happens, for the most part, as we see it in the show). I’m playing with Daniel making a sequence of altered decisions based on evidence at his disposal, which in turn leads to a version of the dinner and surprise we never get to see. I haven’t ever played with that before; I figured a stand-alone before more series work might be fun.

CHAPTERS:

Something Tangible (2025-01-19)

Cuttingly Profound (NEW, 2025-01-20)

TEASER:

“You know that we’ve been listening to what goes on in every room of this penthouse,” Rashid says quietly, finally speaking to Daniel again. “It’s not the…sensitive content of a little while ago that I’m here to discuss. It’s something you said to Armand beforehand.”

“That’s reasonable of you,” Daniel says, swallowing hard. He’s not sure how to feel about the Talamasca having listened in real time as he literally fucked one of these vampires. Not only does everyone here suck, but they’re all depraved, too. “What did I say to him?”

Rashid puts on that attitude of weary disdain that’s more amusing than it should be. “You told him that in an ideal world you’d need to speak to the other surviving eyewitness of the events leading up to the fire. If you were offered the chance to do so, would you take it?”

Daniel feels that uncanny slippage again, but he thinks he gets it this time. His heart stutters in his chest with awed, terrible understanding. Wait a second, how does the full line go? Ticking, ticking, ticking—with the precision of a clock in a room as vast as the universe.

“No way,” Daniel says in disbelief. “No fucking way.”

[ravennawritesfanfiction]

Beauty From Darkness Part 3

Words: 2143

Pairings: Armand x Reader, with Louis and Lestat living in denial.

Summary: Our favorite vampires make their way to San Francisco to try and make things right with Daniel.

Lestat wouldn’t get on the plane, even for Louis. So, trusting Armand and Lestat alone together, you boarded the plane with Louis. It was a straight flight, no layovers or plane switches, but you still felt like you could have arrived before the plane did if left to your own devices. This conclusion was further evidenced by the fact that Armand and Lestat were waiting for you at the airport when you landed.

Louis knew exactly where to find Daniel; it was helpful that they had been in contact since Dubai. Lestat was apprehensive about seeing Daniel. Their first meeting had been rather vulnerable for Lestat. Armand was nervous; Louis and Lestat may not be actively trying to kill him, but he wasn’t so sure Daniel would be so calm. You on the other hand were excited for your role as Auntie Vampire.

Daniel took his sweet time answering the door. Louis knocked incessantly, purposely being annoying for Lestat’s benefit, who was getting pissy about waiting so long. Armand clung to you like a child hiding from an asswhooping. You stood there patiently, the only calm and collected one of the group. 

Daniel finally answered, still in his loungewear, everyone piled in before he could invite you all in. He shook his head and muttered something along the lines of “sure come on in”. He stood by the door, not really sure why four vampires would be paying him a visit when he had gone largely ignored since Dubai.

“You have a lovely home, Daniel.” you commented as you took in your surroundings. 

“It does the trick.” he looked at the group, you were all seemingly getting along now. You were even situated between Lestat and Armand; not somewhere he imagined you willingly being if given other options. “How can I help the vampire quartet tonight?” his usual sarcasm not going unnoticed or unappreciated.

“Well, Daniel. You can help us by making it a vampire quintet.” You gave it right back with a smile. Armand was still not fully confident about your plan, having only agreed to make you happy.

“Only if you wish, Daniel” Armand added, you assumed in hopes that Daniel would decline. 

“Now it’s about what I want?” Daniel dropped his fangs, not as a threat, but to punctuate that his desires had never been a concern before. “I don’t recall you being concerned with what I wanted when you killed me, Armand.” Armand cringed. 

“Yes, we want you to choose your path. For Dubai and San Fransisco I am unmeasurably sorry, I was immediately disgusted with myself for it.” Armand made himself small.

“Yeah, I’m sure you were.” Daniel rolled his eyes. He had never fully believed Armand, but the little trust he had went out the window with the reveal of Fake Rashid.

“You can’t read his mind, but Armand is being completely honest with you.” You jumped in to defend Armand. Had he been right? Absolutely not; not even remotely. However, you wouldn’t stand for the attitude now. You were more than a little shocked to hear Louis and Lestat’s chorus of agreement behind you.

“Ok, then why now?” Daniel was hesitant to ask and he was almost certain he didn’t want to actually know.

“We are all working to right wrongs. We are all connected, you included.” You supplied.

“All as in all vampires or?” Daniel was really confused.

“Well, Gabrielle and Marius as well, but she’s speaking presently.” Armand amended.

“Ah, yes. One big fucked up family.” Daniel was being difficult. He had earned the right, honestly, but Lestat was getting pissy again with the back and forth. Louis was questioning if this had been a bad idea. You weren’t stepping down and Armand was literally only continuing this for you.

“As long as I get to be the Aunt.” you joked with a grin. No one expected you of all people to go toe to toe with Daniel. You were so sweet and soft spoken, but you were quick witted apparently. You were also very obviously wearing him down.

“But you are with Armand. Wouldn’t that make you Vampire step Mommy?” eyebrows raised, he waited for you.

“Technically, but I do feel like Aunt is more the vibe.” you would die on this hill.

“It’s the physical age difference isn’t it?” the only logical conclusion.

“That is absolutely it, yes.” unashamed, you both got a laugh out of it. Daniel finally started to relax.

“If I may, I genuinely would like the opportunity to make it up to you. If you’ll allow me.” Armand was as polite as he was sincere. “I have done terrible things to you. I would like the chance to prove I am not as horrible as my actions.” Armand left it there.

“Have you all kissed and made up?” Daniel looked between everyone in the group; last he’d seen you, you wouldn’t be in the room with Lestat without Louis and Armand. Lestat was crying over being called out for something you wouldn’t discuss. Louis and Lestat were just friends and even that was barely. 

“Not (Y/N) and I,” Louis’ joke went over Daniel’s head.

“Let’s hear it then!” He waved between you two, waiting for either tea or sincerity.

“Louis, I’m sorry I missed your birthday this year.” you did still feel bad. You completely blanked on the date and didn’t realize it until two days later. That had been the first time in almost fourteen years that you’d missed it.

“I’m sorry we were doing the interview when you were in town, so you couldn’t stay with us.” Louis and Armand had both felt bad and disappointed they had missed you.

“I’m serious you two.” Daniel was unamused. 

“So are we. We are the only ones who have nothing to apologize to each other for. We have always gotten along. No slights, no issues. We are just really good friends.” Louis explained.

“She is the only one present who is both forgiving and unproblematic.” Lestat defended, having been on the receiving end of your grace. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it before.”

“Fine. Then I want to hear what everyone has done to her.” He was as nosey as ever. You kept your mouth shut; if they wanted to explain what had been done, that was their decisions.

“I chose my coven over her, although it was to save her life. My greatest regret was letting her go.” Armand admitted before kissing the top of your head and pulling you close. “A mistake I will not repeat for as long as I live.”

“I was married to her in my human life. On our wedding night, I banished her from my presence and left her utterly alone for eleven years. I never even tried to get to know her.” Daniel looked between you two in confusion.

“It was an arranged marriage.” Louis explained, hoping it would shed clarity on the situation.

“You are younger than him though?” He knew vampire age was hard to establish since time stopped at death, but he was still confused how this would math.

“I died when I was twenty-seven; Lestat at thirty-four. I am actually almost exactly seven months older than him. I was a vampire for eight years before he was turned.” Daniel was perplexed at the complexity of the situation.

“What are the odds you’d both end up vampires?” he pondered the implications.

“Astronomical.” Your response was one of wonder.

“He was made by Magnus. Who turned you?” he queried further, trying to piece together the shitshow that occurred.

“Armand and I share a maker, Marius de Romanus.” he nodded. 

“Let’s say I make up the vampire quintet. What does that mean for me?” Just like that, you’d broken through. 

“You continue with your life however you wish, so long as you don’t violate the five great laws, the only difference is you do so with the knowledge that you are not alone. We will each be there for you when you need us.” Armand laid the offer out for Daniel.

You all had agreed that you would respect whatever answer he provided. He left the room and you all took a seat on the couch; rather you sat on Armand’s lap given the couch wasn’t big enough for four adults to sit comfortably for an extended amount of time. You each watched the clock tick by the minutes, then hours. Three hours later, he finally returned.

“Armand,” he tensed below you.”You have been a lying, manipulative asshole the entire time I’ve known you. However, she’s a fucking saint according to all of you and google. I’m choosing to trust her.” Daniel had given his answer. You hopped up from Armand’s lap and hugged Daniel.

“I won’t let you down.” you promised him. Even if the others did, which you didn’t foresee happening. 

You really liked Daniel. He was very smart and had interesting points of view. Taking pleasure in winding him up, you debated a wide range of topics. Daniel was very lively when arguing. Everyone sat and listened to what you had to say; no one knew why they had the mindset that you weren’t educated, but you were well read and you had seen the world. That’s not to say that they thought you were dumb, but you never showed this side of you before.

Marius and Gabrielle joined the next night. Gabrielle really tried to be pissy with Lestat until you explained that you had talked it out and were not only alright, but friends now. You proved your point by giving Lestat a hug, which he returned quickly. She was skeptical but dropped it, turning instead to talk to Armand.

Marius was excited to meet the newest addition to the family; he was the overjoyed grandfather. It was more than a little strange to watch. Gabrielle was far less enthused about Daniel, finding his personality off putting. She instead retired to a quiet corner and attempted to get to know Louis better.

After the initial introductions and sidebar conversations, it was decided that almost the entire group was hungry. A group hunt was proposed to which Marius volunteered to stay with Louis so he wouldn’t have to be alone. Marius had already deduced that Louis didn’t enjoy killing. He knew that Armand would absolutely go with you and Lestat enjoyed the hunt too much to ever think of staying. 

It was announced that they would hunt outside of San Francisco so as to not cause any issues for Daniel later on. The thrill of the group hunt was exhilarating. And the sight of watching you and Armand hunt together, a lethal couple, was a lot for Daniel to take in. He had known how Armand enjoyed hunting, loving the chase; he couldn’t picture you finding pleasure in it too, but here you were. It was as marvelous as it was terrifying. You were better at it than Armand, to everyone’s shock. In the end, the bodies were tossed into the bay for the currents to pull out to sea. 

Daniel had been amazed watching Armand hunt, but he couldn’t have known Armand was watching him just as closely. Armand was impressed by Daniel. With little instruction, none outside of the details of the interview, he had become a predator in his own right. He played the role of poor old man well, his victims coming to him. Not Armand’s preference but to each their own. 

When Armand commented to Daniel about his skill, he retorted with being a bloodsucking journalist in a previous life. That earned a chuckle from Gabrielle. Gabrielle informed Lestat that she really liked Louis. You had tried not to eavesdrop, but you were relieved.

You returned to Daniel’s apartment to find that Louis had found a stray cat. You knew from having stayed with them in Dubai, that there were farms for blood the thought sounded a lot like a blood bank. You pondered the idea aloud to which Louis agreed that he would look into local blood banks if they were still there the following night. Marius didn’t want to say anything, but hunting animals just made him sad. It was no way to live. 

“Ok, I know vampires aren’t supposed to write histories, but can I get another interview?” Marius went still. Everyone watched him.

“I’m out. I haven’t announced mu undead status to the world.” you broke the status. “If permitted, maybe you could interview Lestat and get his side of the Dubai interview?” Lestat agreed immediately. 

“Why not? He has already announced himself. Just don’t include (Y/N).” Daniel was bummed by the obligatory omission, but was thrilled that he would be getting another interview.

“I’ll tell the story, I just won’t name her.” Lestat declared. Everyone groaned. He never was one to listen. 

[maevelin]

SO MANY QUESTIONS

Now that I had time to digest there are things I NEED S3 to answer me. And I am only focused on the show's mythology here and not by trying to have answers from the books.

I want the show to follow through:

"Why."

Why did Lestat go to Paris for the trial?

He felt compelled to? He wanted revenge? He knew it was inevitable and wanted to be there for damage control? Why did he rehearse the whole thing when obviously he was reluctant in doing so?

"Why do I do the things I do?" It is a good question because he did cross an ocean to get to that trial and I want answers.

"Trial."

I feel there are still missing pieces from the trial. And what led to it at least from Lestat's perspective.

"Why."

Why did Armand got Louis out of the coffin?

I am assuming (for now at least) it was Armand and Louis could taste his blood and it was not something he was believed due to his insane state at that moment.

But at first Armand is set on convincing Louis to get out of Paris. If that was the goal why? To save him from the coven? Or to ensure that Lestat would follow Louis? Lestat obviously remained on Paris waiting for Louis and Armand knew where he was.

"Adaptability - Machinations"

Obviously Armand orchestrated the trial. He chose the coven. He then convinced Louis it was his one act of cowardice and followed Louis.

But if we take a step back you have two covens destroyed and Armand the Coven Master has no liability for it if it ever comes down to his trial. Was that the purpose all along? Half a millennia and he is adapting to circumstances or is he creating them?

"Dinner preparations - I do hope you join us - we have something special prepared for you Daniel"

COME ON NOW! You can't just expect me to believe that this was not put there for a reason? What what that THEY HAD PREPARED FOR DANIEL?

The get out of there NOW from Talamasca was because of the impending fight between Louis and Armand or because Louis and Armand has something special prepared for Daniel? Both?

"What's the observation? The boy we met in San Francisco...he is still in there somewhere...we can find him...we can have him saying what happened next in no time...we do it together"

There are still missing pieces from San Francisco.

We know that when a vampire injures themselves heavily it takes time to recuperate. So something in the timeline does not exactly add up.

Armand is strong enough to carry Daniel away on his own but we see Daniel being carried in the photo by both Armand and Louis. Even if Louis was needed which he was not (or even he wanted to be there to ensure Armand would not hurt Daniel) would he have been able to do that in his burned state?

Then there is the part where supposedly Louis asked Armand to erase his memories. Do we trust that part or we need to see more of what actually happened?

"The Fight."

So we have seen how the fight between Lestat and Louis was shown in parts in two seasons from dual perspectives. And in S1 there were parts of the fight off screen. But in the both there was chaos and blood.

Now in S2 we get the fight between Armand and Louis. It is OFF SCREEN again. We hear Armand's words but that is pretty it. After such "seismic" lie one would believe Louis would be off the rails and the fight would be monumental.

Instead we get very little damage. There is almost no blood. Armand the 500+ POWERFUL vampire is very easily subdued. The fight basically ends just before it begins. And Louis...leaves. He simply leaves with a weak warning at best and Daniel is left alone with Armand. No Rashid, no Louis. Just them.

Then - time fast forward - Daniel is a vampire and Armand is nowhere to be found.

And then Burdened out of spite, not just turned. And all that while Louis himself admitted previously to Lestat that this had been a gift and not a burden even if he felt it as such at the beginning.

Something just does not add up.

And Daniel is searching for Armand (or so we think, or so he wants Louis to believe, or actually is happening).

"It is the other - Louis (?) - you should be afraid of."

This can not just be an empty warning by the Talamasca. Why would Daniel not need to be afraid of Armand? In comparison to Louis Armand is far more powerful, manipulative and has no reason as to keep Daniel alive...right?

And then Armand that has not turned ANYONE, turns Daniel. If this is to be believed then Daniel is his first fledgling and he did it out of spite? Something still does not add up.

Plus the Talamasca knew from the start that Daniel would not get out of this interview alive. Was it a safe deduction given how vampires operate? Or they had more to go on when it comes to Daniel and his relations with the vampires?

And also by the time the book is written and published there is some undefined time in between. It has to be a lot of months AT BEST.

Too much time. You can't just have a gap like that without explaining it to the audience.

"Daniel publishes the book." Louis burned the laptop but it is no use.

So Daniel publishes the book and so far we have seen that only Louis is getting threats. Daniel is living THE LIFE out in the open where even Daniel is warning Louis to hide. As if there is an added layer of protection no one would dare cross when it comes to Daniel when in reality he is now a vampire (but he IS Armand's Fledgling) and he was the one who published the books (plus he has ties with the Talamasca).

"Blood of Akasha."

Okay enough said, we need to know. NOW.

P.s: there are by far more questions that I have but yeah...I need to stop somewhere. LOL

[pynkhues]

https://www.tumblr.com/pynkhues/770330080935346176/httpswwwtumblrcomloustat-0770311728091299840?source=share

That is something I love about your fics, how viscerally you convey their need to touch each other, not just sexually, but all touch.

Anon, 😭😭 you're very lovely, thank you. This is still a little sexy, but have a domestic snippet from the Cruising fic:

-

Bzzt.

Bzzzzzzzzttttt.

Louis feels his face pinch as he’s roused from his slumber by the sound of the loud vibration, glass ricocheting off glazed wood, echoing through the quiet sanctuary of his bedroom. It’s enough to pull him into the moment, into this new night, to this bed, to this city, to this entanglement, for he feels the knobs of Lestat’s bony spine against his chest before he feels anything else. Before he feels the numbness of his left arm, caught between Lestat’s side and the mattress, before he feels the curve of his perfect ass, cradled between Louis’ hips, and he works his mouth. Tastes the stale remnants of last night – of sleep and blood and Lestat – and he pushes his nose into the valley Lestat’s neck makes with his shoulder, inhales deeply, lets Lestat, however briefly, fill his senses as the blood drips south, and he drops his free hand to Lestat’s hip. Tilts it ever so slightly back against him, the blissful pressure, weight, seam of him there in his lap and- -

Bzzzzzzzzzttttttt.

And - -

Right.

With a low groan, Louis leans back just enough to fumble a hand out behind him in the dark, reaching for where his cell phone sits on his bedside table, blinks bleary eyes up at it as he turns the screen on, but despite a flurry of messages from a flurry of people, his phone’s not the one that’s ringing. He glances across the bed at where Lestat’s phone is glowing bright on top of the other table, and rolls over again to pull his left arm out from beneath Lestat, draping himself over him as he starts to stir, pressing a quick kiss to his shoulder and giving his bare ass a quick, light good-evening slap.

“Phone, baby.”

And Lestat practically growls at that, yanking himself out of sleep only to flop pathetically over in the sheets, grabbing his cell off the bedside table and letting loose a string of cusses in French when he recognises the contact. Still, he promptly answers, even if he does hook it between his head and shoulder so that he can reach a hand back behind him to fondle Louis’ cock briefly as he does it.

Despite himself, Louis can’t quite bite back the grin, half-hard but also awake enough now to know that this ain’t gonna happen on what seems like a work call, so he detaches Lestat’s hand from his (hot, already pulsing - - fuck, no one gets him going like Lestat) member, entwines their fingers briefly with an affectionate squeeze that has Lestat staring back at him unblinking over his shoulder, and sits up in bed, giving them a little distance. He rolls his shoulders back, wills his arousal away, shakes out his left arm to try and get some circulation back into it from where it was pinned beneath Lestat’s body for likely the entire day, before grabbing his phone again to actually read through his messages. There are a few from his assistant, passed on follow-up from the Whitechapel Gallery and meeting requests from property developers back in Dubai, a few from Margot, and one from Rashid about a potential buyer for another Klimt coming through a contact at Sotheby’s.

Enough to get to work, he thinks, slipping out of bed, feeling Lestat’s too hot gaze on the line of his nude body as he tosses on a slate grey cotton t-shirt and a pair of deep, autumnal red silk lounge pants, grabs his laptop from atop the dresser and pads downstairs towards the kitchen.

[dont-justdont]

here is a list of things that i so wish would happen in s2 of iwtv but im not really sure they will (im manisfesting it into being, sue me) :

- the europe trip before louis and claudia come to paris. i absolutely love that part of the book because in canon, louis and claudia do not know whether or not other vampires exist, and there's this desperation of are we alone in this world and can we go on knowing that? except in the show 1) claudia has already met killer so they know they're not alone so that desperation is not as palpable and 2) with everything that went down last episode and with rashid being armand i feel like it would drag things and not fit as well in the story to spend a whole episode before paris both for the viewers but in the perspective of story telling as a whole

- this does not happen in the books but just imagine : claudia and louis come into armand's rooms for the first time, louis is enamored with armand but claudia is looking around and armand has all these gothic horror looking things around including a pair of hands that kind of look like a statue but are also too gruesome and look too real to be made of rock and armand just says something along the lines of "you know how violinists can be" and changes the subject but i just want, no i need armand to have nicki's hands as a decoration somewhere i feel like he would definitely do that and it would just be a nice easter egg to put in the show (please mr producer please)

- lestat clutching claudia's dress in the theater after she dies and louis seeing him. THE DRAMA is just unbelievable and i absolutely love that scene, it's one of the things im mad they didnt include in the movie and i just hope with all my little heart they will include in the series. just imagine: feral louis who just got buried alive, armand in the back SATISFIED WITH HIMSELF (he is so manipulative i love him) and lestat just small and weak clutching a piece of claudia's dress while louis is both relieved but also terribly mad at lestat for being alive and just???? i love the entirety of this please make it come to life

- daniel fucking malloy requestioning the veracity of the entire story and just him being like was it raining louis?!? everytime louis speaks. i mean this is obviously going to happen but im so ready for it

- additionally, armand questioning daniel (cue devils minion? please pretty pretty please mr producer?) about the last years because i am convinced devils minion happened after the first interview but daniel doesnt remember/doesnt want to remember and i just NEED armand to torture him with that (not literally, or literally as well im not picky) and i need to see them together please

- lestat being seen through armand's perspective. now hear me out : sam has said multiple times that while he was playing lestat, he was playing him through louis' perspective of him, and he'd go like "nope that's not what happened" and bla bla bla. except now we get narrator!armand so im asking the question (and praying we get the answer) : what does lestat look like from armand's perspective? how does he act and how does that version of lestat contrast with louis'? DO THEY SEE THE CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND FREAK OUT ABOUT IT?!? (because i will) daniel you better call out their bullshit or i am coming for you

this is already a long post so ill leave this as is for now but i might (will) come back with more eventually, please tell me your hopes for s2 i cant wait!!!

[impressionism]

Since we’re inching closer and closer to S2, I have one collective thought/question I hope gets answered and it is…

Why? Why a second interview? Why at this point in time and why with Daniel? Like it can’t be just wanting to make amends or because Daniel’s dying. I’m sure there was a point when Daniel was in a better space health wise, why not then? There’s way more to it imo cos at the end of it all, Louis can tell his story to ANYONE…

Why the charade of Armand as Rashid? Daniel doesn’t remember you. You miss him that much you want to see him constantly face to face and not in the shadows of watching over him at his home from a distance?

Like they said in recent interviews/previews, what’s REALLY real? I hope we get little nuggets or clues that are more flat out than vague.

[lmaster37]

writing down some questions to consider for whenever i actually get around to rewatching iwtv seasons 1 and 2. if anybody has thoughts on/answers for any of these, or can point me towards some like metas on the topics that they fuck with, i'd appreciate it—i do love media analysis, but i am, frankly, not great at it, especially when it comes to shit like unreliable narrators or memory fuckery

point 1: armand's character motivations. like honestly why the fuck did he do half that shit. assumptions i'm making when considering armand: the script is real, as presented to us by the show (the notes are written by armand, he did at minimum attend rehearsals regardless of whether he was actually in charge, he was trying to kill louis as well); armand is genuinely in love with louis, if in an incredibly unhealthy/dysfunctional way (or, at the very least, wants louis to stay with him); armand has specific, consistent character motivations for the things he does (jury's out on this one)

specifically, i'm thinking about:

a) why did he try to kill louis at the trial? was there a specific slight beforehand that i missed/don't remember? is he trying to reintegrate himself with the coven or is it purely personal?

b) on that matter: did santiago actually depose him or did armand remain in power of the coven the whole time? if the first, why did armand then work together with them for the trial (again, possible way to regain power/get back into their good graces)? if the latter, like. why. what was the point. getting louis to trust him more? manouvring louis/claudia/madeleine into a position where it would be easier to have them taken for the trial?

c) honestly yeah i'm just confused about the trial in general i think. i kind of understand why armand would want to kill claudia (if we're assuming it's like a being jealous of louis's attentions situation?), and i think madeleine was caught up by virtue of being claudia's companian, but like. genuinely it would have been so much easier to not do all that shit. like what was he trying to achieve with this

d) the whole rashid thing. why did he do all that. to be clear, these aren't necessarily questions that aren't answered by the show, these are mostly notes for me to consider during my next rewatch to consider specific aspects with the context of S2

e) IF HE TRIED TO KILL LOUIS, WHY DID HE THEN GET BACK TOGETHER WITH HIM !!!! MAKE UP YOUR MIND BITCH DO U WANT HIM OR NOT !!!!!!!

f) why did he first betray louis/claudia/madeleine only to then betray the coven in louis's favour. that seems like a really quick way to make sure everybody's pissed at you. is this like a bad trauma response thing does he need everybody to be mad at him all the time

g) the san francisco situation. hoo boy. i don't even have specific questions here i think i'm just gonna have to rewatch that entire scene with the context of the rest of S2. gonna try to formulate a specific reasoning for why he didn't kill daniel here

h) hold up i'm not done with the trial. why didn't he counteract lestat making the audience spare louis. is lestat stronger at influencing people? did armand not want to risk directly entering a power contest with lestat for whatever reason? or did he choose not to counter lestat (perhaps while he would have let louis get killed here bc he's already committed to it, now he can simply choose not to intervene and that will save louis? inaction being easier to justify than action)?

point 2: is armand actually a good liar? obviously, he's excellent when he's prepared, but can he lie on the spot? bc let me tell you, s2e8 was a pretty spectacular fumble. keeping this in mind, it might be easier to tell apart when he's actually telling the truth

point 3: the maitre shit. idk man i have many thoughts on this and most of them are horny but like in what ways do louis and armand hold power over each other ? (/in what ways does armand let himself be controlled by louis, despite being ostensibly in a position of power over him)

point 4: why did the dubai interview happen in the first place? was armand unable to prevent it? did he choose to let it happen? if so, why—surely, he must have realised that this is an excellent way to risk louis finding out the truth of it all. possible considerations here:

a) if he was unable to prevent it, why? in what ways is his ability to manipulate louis's memories limited? (for example, could he have entirely erased san francisco's interview/daniel? could he have made louis believe that daniel declined the interview?) are their staff more loyal to louis than they are to armand (or is the talamasca more inclined to support the interview happening)?

b) if he chose to let it happen, why? pride? curiosity? did he think he could keep it under control, that this might help him shape the narrative with louis more clearly? is it a daniel thing?

point 5: think more clearly about claudia's relationships; specifically, the difference in dynamic with her and louis vs her and lestat, and her romantic endeavours

a) subpoint to this: why the fuck does armand hold such a personal hatred for her. is this all a louis thing or did she piss him off at some point and i forgot

b) also how does her relationship with louis develop over the years, especially as a daughter/sister/friend/reluctant ally

point 6: back to the trial but now from lestat's point of view. again. like. why. why go through with all of this, reconnect with the coven and its leader you left behind, only to spare one of your victims at the last second? why go off-script and confess your own transgressions so boldly, only to let two of them still get murdered?

point 7: actually i don't even know what the coven got out of this. the trial scene was very well-written and -acted, i'm just confused why it happened, like, at all

point 8: bit confused by why louis isn't more upset at lestat in their present-day reunion

point 9: why the HELL did armand turn daniel !!!!! what !!!!!!!

point 10: pay closer attention to which parts of S1 were altered, especially the things that daniel calls closer attention to post-interview

[nalyra-dreaming]

A question I've had ever since 2x06 came out is why Armand asked Rashid if they talked to anyone while at the restaurant. He suddenly blurts out the question right after he was called out for surely being able to read the coven's minds as they plotted which gives the impression that he caught a thought that betrayed Daniel's actions with Raglan. However, Assad has said in an interview that Armand has never read Daniel's mind while he was in Dubai which makes that answer pretty unlikely.

A follow-up thought/question to that is what was the reason Armand even cared about Daniel's actions outside of the penthouse? Was it out of fear of him being contacted by other parties such as the Talamasca? Or was it more out of concern for Daniel? I've never been able to discern the most plausible reason/explanation for all of this

For reasons that have not yet been explored (but hinted at being intentional) Armand does not read Daniel's mind.

As such, he has to turn to Rashid to get any answers - he probably senses something is off and tries to surprise Rashid there.

And I think Armand cared because... well, it's Daniel, for one. There's history. We don't know how much (yet) but I do think there's quite a lot, and intense.

And Armand is not stupid - he knows Daniel is a very, very good journalist. He has to intervene and direct the interview at various times. Assad said Armand was spinning the web the whole time, just readjusting the whole time, and for that he would obviously need to know... as much as he could.

For me it is only logical he would like to know everything so he can react accordingly.

[irisbleufic]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/61528000

This new story is in answer to the anon who wants the backstory on how Rashid and Sam met and became a couple (since I only show them as an established couple so far in this series). This is Part 22 of Caldera, but can also be read as a stand-alone. Currently 10 out of 14 chapters posted; yes, this number has risen slightly. It will cover a number of scattered instances from ca. 2007 (Rashid is a teenager in the prologue) until the two weeks in Dubai; it’ll end right around or just after where “Not the Good Guys” begins.

Never a Mercy (2024-12-21)

Hand-Picked (2024-12-22)

False Modesty (2024-12-23)

Digital Regrets (2024-12-24)

Clear a Path (2024-12-25)

Job Interview (2024-12-26)

Back Burner (2024-12-27)

Method Acting (2024-12-28)

Work-Around (2024-12-29)

Duty and Honor (NEW, 2024-12-30)

TEASER:

When Rashid gets home, Sam is on the sofa with his headphones around his neck and bloody tear-tracks on his cheeks. He’s bitten one thumbnail down past the quick, which takes immense doing even with indestructible teeth. Rashid rushes to his side, pulling him close.

“What if you were collateral damage,” Sam says. “That’s all I could fuckin’ think when I heard…what the hell did I hear shatter, anyway?”

“The coffee table,” Rashid sighs, taking Sam’s injured hand in his own. There’s almost nothing left of Sam’s thumbnail. It’s impressive and horrifying. “This’ll grow back by tomorrow night?” he asks with concern, having never seen Sam with an injury that didn’t heal instantly.

Sam nods absently, curling his hand around Rashid’s. “Something’s crawled up Louis’s arse of late, I’d bet my undeath. He’s likely been killing while he’s out, too. Chances are high you’ll see more bodies ’round the penthouse like we used to in the Bois de Buologne.”

[teecupangel]

Ah I worded that weirdly I meant that al mualim retired so he gets to spend time with Desmond and Desmond and Altaïr's child while Altaïr still has to work

The Desmond is reborn as Al Mualim’s daughter post and the “I misunderstood the ask so now Al Mualim has a wife oops” follow up idea for those curious.

It’s okay, nonny, my reading comprehension was shot that day as well XD

As an apology, please accept this little thing.

.

Her father was the strongest Assassin in history.

That wasn’t an exaggeration. Everyone agreed on that.

That was why he was almost always away, finishing mission after mission to ensure the safety and peace in Levant and all the neighboring lands the Brotherhood could help.

It was tiring work.

Eli would have wondered how her parents would have time to the two most annoying children in existence…

Eli’s younger brothers.

But she remembered how they looked at each other. The soft touches they had for each other and the whispers they would tell each other.

… Eli wished she didn’t remember those times when she had been too young to leave her parents’ arms so she wouldn’t have be forced to be a bystander in their physical and vocal displays of affections.

Eli wished she didn’t remember a lot of things.

Like Aita’s memories.

Aita was the kind of person the Brotherhood would assassinate.

His memories were nightmares that plagued Eli when she had been young, waking up in the middle of the night with tears in her eyes and walking towards her sleeping parents to cry in their arms.

As she grew older, she understood what she was.

What Aita was.

What Desmond bint-Rashid had done.

She was not meant to exist.

Some nights, that very truth would shake her to her very core.

“Can’t sleep, habibti?”

Eli glanced to her right as Altaïr sat next to her, their feet dangling from the tallest tower in Masyaf.

“Nightmare.” Eli answered truthfully, knowing her father would know if she lie anyway.

“I see.” Altaïr didn’t say anything else, knowing his child enough to know that any words would be unnecessary at this point.

Eli learned how to get used to her nightmares.

It never stopped them from being worried but their oldest daughter would simply grow irritated if they do anything else.

Instead, Altaïr said, “The training ring is empty right now.”

Eli hummed.

And they grew quiet once more.

A minute passed before Eli said, “One round?”

“Alright.” Altaïr patted her back before he stood, “Wooden swords only. First to disarm their opponent wins.”

Altaïr offered his hand to Eli and Eli nodded as she took his hand.

Even if her father was usually busy, he always made time for his children.

And that was why…

He was Eli’s secret favorite.

This is also connected to @fanworldbuildingfun’s reply

Consider this: Eli is still the sage of Aita and Aita is constantly torn between panicked screaming and reluctantly enjoying his new life