#and I DO think some of Daniel's emotional memories of Armand and now mixed with her

[cbrownjc]

Alice is in her third trimester

I've seen a few comments about Daniel possibly cheating on Alice with Armand and I'm kinda like . . . you're assuming that Daniel or Armand -- who regularly, at least in the books, would be in situations where Armand would sit in a chair and watch Daniel have sex with other people -- would themselves view that as cheating. Because I don't think they would've. (At the very least, not younger Daniel.)

It's been talked about, more than once, about how the vampires in this universe are inherently polyamorous. I don't think Armand would care at all about sharing Daniel with another lover. And Daniel, being entangled with Armand (and quite possibly Louis as well) for so long might have himself become not overly concerned with such a thing.

I think Alice is the only one who would have cared that Daniel was sleeping with someone else (if she ever found out), and would have seen it that way. But I, personally, can see Armand and younger Daniel not caring about that view of things in the slightest . . . particularly because they were the ones who were together initially anyway. And that Daniel probably first ever got together with Alice during one of Daniel's running away periods.

Because the main thing that led to their splits sometimes, i.e. Daniel running away, was because Armand's refusal to make Daniel a vampire. Other than that, though? Nothing else in the relationship between them was a problem, particularly for Daniel. And I think that is going to be true wrt the show's version of events. Still being with his vampire lover, even after he may have gotten married? Don't think it is at all outside of possibility -- or that Daniel would have any guilt about it.

And THAT piece of information -- that the only problem he had with the relationship with Armand is that Armand wouldn't turn him -- is going to be the info that Daniel, in the present, likely won't want to face about himself IMO.

Daniel is clearly accepting of the fact that he was a shit father and a terrible husband. But accepting the possible true reason behind all of that?

I said it last year, and I'll say it again -- the revelation about the Devil's Minion that's going to hit Daniel the hardest is very likely going to be the one that reveals he has ZERO moral high ground when it comes to these vampires.

At the moment, Daniel can tell himself that he asked Louis for the Dark Gift because he thought Louis was wasting it. But that excuse is not going to work when it comes to the years and years he asked and wanted Armand to turn him.

That Armand refused to break his vow to never bring another into The Blood -- that is what ended up being what drove them apart. Not any moral conscious Daniel ever had, or grew, about being with Armand at all. Not even whatever transpired regarding Daniel and Alice (and Daniel getting her pregnant likely not just once, but twice, never mind marrying her.)

If Armand had decided to break his vow back then, then IMO, Daniel would have accepted. Alice or no Alice. Kids or no kids. Because while Daniel in the present has nice, even sincerely heartfelt memories about Alice? His past self was clearly emotionally checked out of whatever relationship he had with her by the time of that pregnancy announcement in 1985.

1985. The same year when, in the books, Armand finally did break his vow and turn Daniel, on Halloween. And this is what Daniel had to say about it when Armand finally decided to turn him:

"But don't you see," Daniel said, "all human decisions are made like this. Do you think the mother knows what will happen to the child in her womb? Dear God, we are lost, I tell you. What does it matter if you give it to me and it's wrong! There is no wrong! There is only desperation, and I would have it! I want to live forever with you."

As long as Daniel held any knowledge of not only vampires but of Armand specifically, this is what he would think, what he would always want. And that, IMO, is why he was emotionally checked out when Alice announced that pregnancy. Because, at that point in time, he still held the knowledge, of not just vampires, but Armand himself.

And they were still very much entangled with each other at that time IMO. Still lovers.

My theory is that it isn't Daniel kicking his drug habit that had him "getting his shit together." Well, okay, he did kick a drug habit, but the drug in question was actually Armand's blood. Not to mention Armand himself.

And I think that event happened sometime around when Alice was in her third trimester. (Hence, the name of that track listing).

. . . .

I'm also beginning to wonder if Armand actually was the one who repressed/blocked Daniel's memories of him, or if it was someone else. No, I don't think Louis was the one who did it, (or Lestat either btw), and Armand doing it does make the most sense, given he clearly is not harboring any happy thoughts about Alice, and Daniel splitting from him for her. But a day or so before the new clip came out, @faerywhimsy made a comment to me about who could have also done it, given a comment I made elsewhere about the timeline length Daniel and Armand were apart, and what book-event that matches up with and well . . . .

That person being the one who took Daniel's memories not only tracks wrt the timeline Armand and Daniel spend apart, but it would also track when it comes to the relationship Armand has with that person too. That's all I'm saying . . .

. . . .

Anyway, yeah. I think it was around Alice's third trimester when Armand and Daniel actually split for good. Which, depending on when she got pregnant could conceivably be around towards the end of 1985. Though, more possibly, go over into 1986. But I think that is why there is actually a track named that when it comes to the score for Season 2. Because that time period became a significant one. The time when Daniel actually "got his shit together."

And maybe why, in the present, he can have such love and loving thoughts about Alice. Because the reasons for his being emotionally checked out were no longer at the forefront of his mind for so long anymore (even if he still ended up being a shitty husband and father still -- with Alice as his ex and his kids not speaking to him -- without them).

[heliza24]

Devil's Minion Rec List (Part 1)

So I recently completed a little project I set myself-- to tag and organize all of my (iwtv) A03 bookmarks. I've never been motivated to this before, but there are SO many talented writers in the Devil's Minion tag and I had bookmarked so many things that it was becoming unruly. Devil's Minion is such a fun fandom space to be, because writers are taking inspiration from the book and the show, creating AUs, writing old Daniel/young Daniel/vampire Daniel, assuming the 1970s/80s Devil Minion era did or didn't happen... there are endless variations and it's such a creative space. So it was fun to go through and sort all of the fics I like into different categories. It was also great distraction during a personally stressful time when my disability was making it hard to type and work on my own fics. And now of course that personally stressful time has become a nationally stressful time. I was initially going to write a bunch of different rec lists, each with their own topic/themes, and I probably still will do that eventually. But I thought I would start with a list of some of my all time faves in case you need some sweet vampire escapism in the wake of the horrible election results this week.

cranefucker island circa ‘82

by katplanet/ @gatoplanet

Word count: 22,365

Rating: explicit

Summary/Why I'm recommending it: This is an interactive fic, where clicking through different highlighted words takes you to different parts of the story. I love stories that use interactive or found media, and the nonlinear structure of this one perfectly captures the way that older Daniel recovers his memory of the Devil's Minion era. The individual scenes are also so beautifully written. (The one where young Daniel realizes that Armand can fly is etched into my brain).

Eighty Proof and a Lifetime

by doztoevsky

Word count: 11,003

Rating: Mature

Summary/Why I'm Recommending it: There are so many great "what happened after Dubai/How was Daniel Turned" fics out there, and I have to say that my favorite subgenre is "Daniel goes home to New York as a human and Armand follows him." (I guess I'm biased since I am also writing one these!) This is one of my favorites, largely for it's mix of lighthearted scenes and heartfelt emotions and the perfect amount of simmering sexual tension, and for all it manages to accomplish in a relatively short word count/single chapter. The image of Armand breaking down Daniel's bathroom door and using it to create a temporary coffin lid over his bathtub is so endearing and memorable to me, and there's a scene in a vampire bar that I think is just *chefs kiss* in terms of creative world building, character development, and spice level.

Unmade

Words by Klimppisoppa, Illustrations by @verimuru

Word count: 22,483

Rating: Mature

Summary/Why I'm Recommending it: This is largely based on book canon, with some TV show character flavor thrown in. What if Armand made up his mind to win Daniel back after Daniel went to live with Marius? Armand and Daniel's reconciliation is so gentle and lovely in this fic, and it really lets both characters develop a sense of agency as they separate themselves from Marius. It also has some really beautiful illustrations.

i'll ask for more time (but mother forgive me)

by @ignorethepineapples

Word Count: 3,512

Rating: Mature

Summary/Why I'm Recommending it: I think this is my all time favorite Devil's Minion fic. It's a shorter fic that uses a nonlinear structure to tie together Armand and Daniel's turning and it is achingly beautiful. The author has decided that the illness that nearly killed Armand before Marius turned him was syphilis, which can have Parkinson's like tremors as a symptom. The author connects Amadeo's illness with the AIDS crisis that was ongoing during the first part of Armand and Daniel's relationship with older Daniel's Parkinson's. This fic is heavier than some others on this list, but it is so cathartic and wonderful. I felt like this author reached inside my brain and pulled out the exact reasons these characters are important to me. It made me cry but also felt like the most healing of hugs, if that makes any sense at all.

Backroads to Sonoma

by burntcrimson

Word Count: 16,409

Rating: Mature

Summary/Why I'm recommending it: It's the 1980s, and a closeted Daniel is road tripping across middle America, surviving on gas station food and interviewing run aways and truckers to try to scrape together enough stories for a book. He picks up the hitchhiking Armand, who has a dangerous secret, and offers to drive him to California.

This fic is technically incomplete (one chapter remaining!) but the first four are SO GOOD it absolutely doesn't matter and you need to read it. This is a human AU, which I am not always into, but this author does such a good job of capturing Daniel and Armand's characterization and still maintaining Armand's aura of otherness and danger that it totally works. I honestly think this author could file the serial numbers off of this and expand it into it's own novel. The world building is so evocative, and the pacing perfectly balances Daniel's developing feelings for Armand with dramatic plot developments.

Ok, that's what I've got for you for now. If you want to check out my own Devil's Minion fics they're here. If you want to sort through my now gloriously organized bookmarks for yourself to find something to read you can do that here. Or send me an ask if there's something Devil's Minioned flavored you're craving-- maybe I'll have a personalized rec for you.

Feel free to reblog and add your own recs or reply in comments if you have a fic you think I should read. I am going to try to do more of these soon!

Also if you are one of these authors or know their tumblrs, let me know and I'll tag them.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hi in the episode where Daniel is taunting Louis about Claudia, and Louis triggers Daniel’s Parkinson’s I felt sort of dubious about it because if they go for DM then why would Armand let Louis do that to Daniel?

From a concerned fan

Ps love your whole blog!

Glad you like!

Armand harbors some resentment towards Daniel, as is evident in a lot of his reactions, imho. And he was not in the room then.

The sources for this low-key resentment (I only call it resentment but it's more... a mix of a lot of feelings, if that makes sense?) can only be speculated about right now, I personally think it has to do with how Daniel lost his memories. With how they separated in the past. Which will come into play in season 2 I bet.

So... Louis can be quite sassy. And he has a temper. He and Daniel do give and take, back and forth.

And of course in that scene... that is a touchy subject. And Daniel pushes, well aware that he is worrying the wound.

I think... Armand thought that Louis was more in control of his emotions there. He did apologize for his "outburst" in episode 2 after all, and that was "just" a tear (that we got to see at least).

And Armand is there immediately when he realizes what Louis is doing and he is pulling Louis back.

And, and I still find that very interesting, speaks for him.

"Mr. du Lac would like to apologize and continue with the interview, if you are in..."

Speaking for someone is making the power dynamic very clear. It's putting someone into their place in a way. It's a reprimand wrapped into an apology.

Louis holding his hands up there was a sign to both Armand and Daniel that he acquiesced there.

So... I don't really see a "real danger" there for Daniel. I mean... Armand stopped Louis from killing Daniel before, and there he went literally for the throat and not just some... body manipulation. (Though there's nothing "just" about it, but obviously it's not a full attack.)

And now that Armand has dropped the subterfuge he will always be there.

I don't see any real danger for Daniel. Even if he might feel that there is.

[apoptoses]

What’s the best thing you’ve ever made? Can be a piece of writing or a craft or even a really good cake!

oh man, i can't pick just one, so in no particular order:

daniel's story in the copley fic about only going through with the act of confession in order to make first communion and taste the eucharist. i think it's such a telling little anecdote, that curiosity rules him and not belief and that he'll do anything he finds uncomfortable in order to get the experience he actually wants in the end.

daniel and armand's conversation about the meaning of safety and the necessity of routine in flesh and bone by the telephone. that's the tightest conversation i think i've written and i peaked there haha

angle of incidence. i had never read anything like that so i wanted to write it and make it exist, and i did. and shockingly, people loved it. i was wracked with indecision about posting it but i think it really opened up a door for me to keep pushing boundaries with them and brought forth a new side of armand in my mind. he's such a mix of serious, indifferent, and caring in that fic. it's emotions that contradict and i think let me layer him in a new way.

the decision to be brave and talk to some of my favorite authors, because without that i wouldn't have the friends i have now, i wouldn't have had monstersinthecosmos at my actual house last week to save me from my grief, i wouldn't have ended up with two perfect kittens. fandom can be hell but it can also be the best thing in your life and give you lifelong good memories and friendships and i'm happy i made the choice to participate.

[taketheringtolohac]

yeah adding on because i know we've discussed this a bit but it's also more than just the diction (which is always a dead giveaway, the way you can hear him enunciate so CLEARLY even when Louis is speaking over him is a testament not just to his training but to the quality of the sound mixing on the show), it's also a lot of his physicality in the scene as well. when you're on stage, all of your emotions have to be big-- even the small ones, or else no one can see them and no one will know what is happening in the play. he keeps his feet planted so he's easy to track and hear, his gestures are big (the ripping of the paper off the window, the throwing himself dramatically on the sofa), large slow steps back and dramatic scoop off the ground of the tapes-- all of these are very classic theater moves when you're limited by the fact that (typically) the audience can only see you from one perspective and you have to make it obvious what you're doing to keep the illusion of the play real. you very astutely note that he is acting at being angry, and that is very clear not just in how he says those words but in how he moves his body, how he signals to the audience the things his character is experiencing and feeling.

i think with armand as a character and the set of of this whole episode and this scene especially it works exceptionally well, given that the way that the entire interview is set up as one big performance on a stage for daniel-- but also in the sense that, as you mentioned, armand is always performing a role to SOMEONE. the moment in san fransisco is perhaps the most important stage to date though, since it's one of the most central moments in armand's manipulation of louis' memories and armand's desire to have the perfectly staged interview and the perfect performance that gets the standing ovation doesn't include THIS. him sounding and looking like a stage actor is a reinforcement of the desire for the stage perfect play that he himself has written, directed, produced, and acted in. armand will be playing the role of the innocent victim wounded by his lover pining over his toxic ex boyfriend, louis will be playing the role of the cheating womanizer-- as cast by me, armand, can't you see how i'm protecting you from that version of yourself?

and i think the direction of the scene really leans into the idea of the apartment in san fransisco as the stage as well. in the post episode talk back we hear that the actors themselves thought of the apartment set as it's own stage for it's own play, and i think that this scene is perhaps the most stage theatrical moment of the entire episode because it is intentionally staged to mimic that. in it's writing, the scene very much reads like the quintessential climax of a play, where there is one massive explosive scene and everyone is acting their heart out on stage and it's the emotional epicenter. the stage is quiet, you can almost hear louis' and armand's voices echoing in the (near) silence of the theater that is their apartment, they're arguing in perfect unison and they stop when the other has their "most important line" to be heard by the audience, and now we have the biggest emotional moment of the scene where one character screams and everything and everyone else is now silent-- you feel a pin drop in the theater as the entire world on stage has been stunned quiet and he repeats it once more for emphasis. the scene is theatrical by it's very construction, it's a three minute scene that every amateur high school theater has performed at some point in it's history because it's one of the most basic scenes in theater-- and it's easy to play angry when you don't know how else to act, and much harder to play the subtleties that come with it. it's formulaic, and it's familiar, and it perfectly encapsulates louis' and armand's life together.

i don't have a ton of on stage experience and my directing experience is limited, but as a frequent theater go-er for nearly ten years now these are just things that you pick up on when you're regularly exposed to it, and this is just what has really stood out to me about Assad's acting and the way it really fits for his character! I don't think being an actor with a noticeable training in theater is necessarily a good or bad thing, often it's just a silly thing to remark on for those In The Know bc you can't help how you're trained and your roots, but in this specific case it actually enhances the character's identity in a way that doesn't always happen, which is neat!

#funniest thing is when the stage actor gets mad and the stage acting leaps out of the dark - I agree but could you describe what about that scene is like particularly telling that Assad is a stage actor in your opinion? and also is that a good thing or a bad thing in that moment? just curious what other people's views on the acting are.

lmao of course! as a preface i don't mean it as a bad or a good thing. i think it's fun because i love live theatre and it's always fun to see that very specific kind of training bleed into actors on the screen; i also think it works really fucking well because of who armand is, as the theatre director and as essentially a 24/7 method actor.

what fucking leaps out like crazy re: his stage training is the diction. his enunciation is crystal fucking clear even when we cut back to dubai and hear him, in his louis impression, mock louis' emotional struggle with killing and eating humans. even through all the distortion and distance of the tape, it is SO fucking clear what he's saying. so the clarity of his diction marks him out as a stage actor, and especially, as i said in the tags, because he's acting at being angry. the T's especially are so sharp they're nearly their own syllables lmao. "louis' tri-annual fuck off and find me with apologies to follow" and "but revealing our nature to a reporter you met in a bar ten hours ago" stick out like crazy, again, not in a bad way, nor in a way that distracts from the scene. just in a way that i find amusing because of how it tells on him as a stage actor.

it's also worth noting that i was not and am not directly involved in theatre; i've frequently been on the orchestra pit side of things, i'm an avid lover of it, and i do associate with a lot of people who are quote unquote, theatre kids, but what i have to say about stage acting and picking up on things like that are from me watching actors or listening to them talk about acting.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hello! You probably already answered this but I can't find it through search (seems like Tumblr has bugs as usual)

Now that it was confirmed that Lestat was floating in ep6 too (though idk why it was such a controversy before, it was very clear to me), what do you think about Louis saying he didn't know Lestat could fly? I interpreted it as him thinking floating and flying are two different things (are they? in show it was never outright stated, are we supposed to view them as different skills?)

What are your opinion on this?

Difficult.

It depends heavily (once more^^) on "where/when" we are in Dubai.

Because Louis' refusal to apply "flying" to Lestat contrasts directly to Armand's ability to do so.

The Dubai apartment was done/set up for Louis. But... done in a way someone else, someone not really in Louis' headspace thinks he would like it.

There's a reading room, with no natural light (and no real earth for Louis to dig his feet in), because "he was missing the natural world". There are books shelves, but they're high up (Louis could obviously get a ladder, but that's not the point, the point is control. They're not easily accessible - for him.) His food is brought to him. When he has an emotional "outburst" he has to "rest". Armand protects him from himself. The doors and windows are controlled.

I'd actually like to point at the excellent article by Linda Codega once more: Armand is the reason (to watch...)

Because ultimately a lot of what Louis tells is influenced by Armand being there:

"Louis telling the story of his first abusive relationship to a third party in front of his current boyfriend, who also may or may not be abusive. He recalls the worst parts of his relationship to Lestat (Sam Reid), but also the best parts of his relationship, emphasising over and over the vampire bond that they shared and the obsessive, narcissistic, toxic love they had for each other… again, in front of the vampire he is currently in a relationship with. The motivation to embellish the worst parts and understate the best parts is literally standing in the room with him."

Of course Louis knew Lestat could fly/float/whatever, imho. If nothing else but their first night was of course one to remember. (If they can really all fly already, but that's another theory/discussion^^).

The question really is why he pretended Lestat couldn't.

Was he trying to feed a "hungering heart"? Namely passing a pacifier to Armand, so to speak?

It depends, on where we are in Dubai. :)

Some have theorized that Louis might be a prisoner.

Personally I hope he isn't locked away for Lestat to rescue him, but that he is more closely to the Merrick ending. That still involves rescuing so to speak, but... a very different one.

I don't know if you've seen the new summary - once more the point is made that there is more underneath the memories, and that their relationship... has impact.

So to get back to your actual question^^:

I think Louis very well knew Lestat could fly. But for Armand to twist the memory of the fight (and aftermath) into what we were told that must have been a cataclysmic event.

And so Louis (himself) is left with this mix of memories of his own, and "the tale someone else told to him" as Rolin put it - and they don't quite make sense within the narrative.

Yet.

Which is why Daniel is and will continue to tear the narrative apart :)