#benjamin Mahmoud

[loumandism]

can everyone walk with me for a moment please. the writer’s room has set up armand’s redemption, his true understanding and love for another individual, to come through benji so perfectly. what armand experienced—and what has always been a core part of my understanding of his characterization—was both a personal and systematic decimation of his culture and people. he’s comparable to a survivor of genocide with what european colonizers did to the indian population and i do think so much of Why he wants to survive is because he’s surviving for so many other people. not just names we know, like Riccardo, but names we don’t, that he doesn’t, because they have been lost. were erased. benji is an explicitly palestinian character who was trafficked and forced into a caretaker role by an abusive white family, and I’m thinking in the timeline of the show it could be very likely he was displaced during the settlement expansion into sheikh jarrah in 2021 (bc he is from Jerusalem in the books, albeit in a different time period).

both of them were trafficked, displaced, and survived a genocide, and it is so rare for armand to look into someone’s eyes and see the horror he has been through be reflected, but i think it really is in benji. and for once armand could really feel the need to *protect* something, it’s just one life, but he failed claudia specifically because she reminded him of everything he was and everything he couldn’t be, but he’s given another chance in benji. i’m thinking specifically about colonial understandings of manhood as reflected in their two characters (everyone read uncle give me a cigarette by walid daqqah)—benji forces himself, *has been forced*, to be mature, grown, as Adult as a 12 y/o can be. but armand’s childhood was stolen from him, and he retains a boyishness. in this way both of them could be jealous of the other—eternal child longing to be a man and eternal man longing to have the solace of childhood—but there is still such a deep resonance they can have with each other because of this.

so for marius to hurt benji, benji, who is a reflection of arun, or who arun was, or all of armand’s identities really, absolutely has the opportunity to be armand’s true wakeup call IF the writer’s room has the guts to tackle all of the implications of benji’s character head on. especially if they keep marius’ obsession with the “saving of the west”. armand seems to think he deserves white supremacist and sexual violence, but benji? is exactly who he seeks to protect. and it could be so beautiful and so powerful and so poignant to allow armand and benji this moment of realization and reconciliation and the rejection of violence they’ve been told is natural for them to receive. this is by far my biggest wish for the show.

[mercuryspit]

vamp intel

[carabinerdrawing]

Welcome to the stage, the official "Voice of the Vampires", Benjamin "Benji" Mahmoud!

[nightcolorz]

one of my favorite things about Benji Mahmoud is that if Daniel and Armand had a biological child and u combined their traits he would definitely act like that 💀. Twelve yr old smart ass weirdly intelligent and mature highly traumatized technology savy PODCASTER who chain smokes who’s equal parts strange as he is charming as he is a huge mouthed ass hole. Too good to be true frankly. if u told me that amc Daniel put a baby in amc Armand’s tummy and it was Benji I’d believe u

[adamnablelittledevil]

More than romances and situationships (and I love that kind of thing and am a shipper heart), I really want to see Armand's biological family, Benji and Sybelle and do hope they stick to the books when it comes to that.

Armand briefly reuniting with his parents is my favorite TVC moment, it made me cry like nothing in this world ever had and washed over my soul in the most devastating yet beautiful way. It went as far as touching the very core of my soul. I think I'll never be able to forgive it if Rolin doesn't go there.

And as for Benji and Sybelle, I believe most of Armand's growth and healing happened with them. Sure, other people such as Lestat, Louis, Daniel, Bianca and Riccardo played a role in that too (the latter more when he was still human, though), but saving Sybelle and Benji was the biggest shift in his life for me. And not only him protecting them was important, but he has so many parallels with those two as well and it did him wonders to have such connection with both. I really do hope we can see it.

[lady-phasma]

Armand x Benji x Sybelle x gn!reader (vampire reader)

No warnings or summary other than this is really, really fluffy. 1.2k words of the fluffiest fluff.

a/n: aged up Benji to about 25 before he was turned because I think the show would do that if they include him, Sybelle was around 25 when she was turned.

Sybelle’s fingers flew lightly over the piano keys. You loved listening to her play, especially while reading. You could read faster as a vampire, but sometimes you enjoyed reading slowly and savoring the experience. Sybelle had recently been composing her own music, rarely writing it down, often improvising. Tonight’s music seemed heavily influenced by Max Richter and was lively yet somehow somber.

She was playing something slower now, mellow. The city lights flickering through the windows and the night sky through the skylight created an ethereal, disconnected atmosphere. You turned the page of your book. Soft footsteps approached and you looked up to see Armand. He sat down on the sofa after you pulled your feet up to make room for him.

“Everything okay?” you asked, placing your finger in your book as you closed it, holding your spot.

Armand didn’t answer, just watched Sybelle. His fingers slid against each other, the only outward sign that his thoughts were overwhelming tonight. You looked away from him to snag your bookmark from the arm of the couch. You dropped your book on the floor and turned to rest your back against the arm.

“Hey. You.” Armand turned to look at you. “Come’ere,” you patted the pillow you had placed in your lap. Years with this group had given you the ability to bypass unnecessary words. You knew from previous experience with Armand that he would decline an offer, but would likely accept an invitation if you seemed to not give him an option, not exactly an order.

He moved slowly, not like a vampire at all. He lay on his side between your legs, one of which was curled under the pillow, the other leaning against the back of the couch behind Armand.

He gracefully tucked one hand under his head and laid the other on your thigh. A human could not have heard the sigh he let out, but you did. Sybelle may have as well, but it was a nearly silent sound. Very gently, almost cautiously, you moved his hair back from his face and traced his ear with your fingertips. His eyes closed as he let himself focus on your touch. You stroked his hair and sent soothing, non-verbal thoughts to him telepathically as he laid perfectly still.

Benji came into the room, shoes clicking lightly as he walked across the hardwood. He kissed Sybelle on the top of her head before walking over to where you sat on the sofa with Armand.

“What’s up kiddo?” Benji pressed a lovely kiss to the top of your head as well.

“Not much old man.” You glanced up at him, no less enamored with his beautiful face than the first time you met. You saw him every night, yet Benji remained one of the most unsettlingly gorgeous people in your sphere. His round, youthful features looked so out of place against his vampiric presence. Damn near unsettling and very sexy.

“How was the podcast?” You were genuinely interested. You loved listening to every episode even if the topic wasn’t always new to you.

“It went well,” he answered as he placed his fedora upside down on the coffee table and sat next to Armand’s feet. “A shorter episode than normal, but Lestat and the ancients have been behaving recently, so…” his voice trailed off as he looked at us. “It seems all the excitement is in this living room anyway.” He smiled and stroked Armand’s shin.

“I’m the life of the party,” you smiled back at him. You gently ran your hand down Armand’s shoulder, resting it on his bicep. “I’ll feed before dawn, but I wanted a chill night in tonight.” You glanced down at Armand’s head in your lap and then back to Benji, catching his gaze. “We all needed some down time, but we’re fine.”

He smiled gently again and shifted at his end of the couch. Armand moved his feet next to Benji’s thigh and Benji rested his hand on one calf.

You made quite the tableau: Armand curled on his side, between your legs, his head in your lap, both of you in comfortable clothing, Benji sitting comparatively stiffly in his suit vest, shirt, and slacks.

“You know,” Sybelle’s voice rose just above the volume of her music. “I think we may need a larger sofa.” She giggled and the sound was as musical as the piano. She finished the last few notes of the song and turned to face the three of you.

“I do feel ever so left out!” Her tone was sweet and jovial.

“Pile on, sis!” Benji laughed as he spoke. Sybelle glided across to you, but instead of ‘piling on’ she knelt in front of Armand and placed her arms on the cushion. She tilted her head and laid it on her forearms. Their faces were mere centimeters apart and the gaze they shared was almost as intimate as if they were speaking telepathically. A tiny smile lifted the corner of Armand’s mouth. Perhaps something had passed between them.

Sybelle slid one hand out and interlaced her fingers with Armand’s on your thigh. You stroked the top of her head then let your hand rest back of the arm of the couch. Benji moved his hand from Armand’s leg to yours, absently rubbing circles on your pants with his thumb. You didn’t look up from watching Sybelle and Armand when you heard Benji’s voice in your mind.

What’s wrong? he asked.

He didn’t say. He came in like this, you answered. You gently smoothed Armand’s hair back. Sybelle looked up at you, her face full of kindness.

“I have an idea,” she beamed up at you as she spoke. “Come. All of you.” She popped up from where she knelt. You looked over at Benji and smiled. He returned your look of bemusement and love. Sybelle was sweet and slightly peculiar.

You watched Benji stand and extend his hand to him. Armand sat up and took Benji’s hand in one movement. They followed Sybelle out of the living room. You rose and followed as well. The four of you went into the bedroom, Sybelle nearly floating, Benji holding Armand’s hand.

The bed was a king size and swamped with pillows. Sybelle tossed a few on the floor. She grabbed Armand’s free hand and led him to the bed. As she did so she kissed his cheek. You stood next to Benji while they lay down. Benji guided you forward with his hand on your back. You slipped onto the bed, facing Armand, while Benji stepped out of his shoes and laid down behind you.

Armand looked at you with large, grateful eyes and you snaked your forearm between his arms and interlaced your fingers with his. He held your arm against his chest. Your knees touched gently. Sybelle wrapped her arm Armand’s waist and snuggled close behind him. Benji reached over you, laying his arm on you and his hand on Armand’s bicep. This wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last time you all piled into this bed, but it was one of the more chaste times.

Armand still hadn’t spoken. His face was softer now, his shoulders less tense. He closed his eyes and relished being in your arms, surrounded by his family.

Masterlist

[aloafteas]

it's funny to me how Daniel and Marius just basically became dads, Marius made Benji for Armand because he knew Armand wouldn't do it himself and they just kinda ended up with a 12 year old iPad kid with a podcast

[kutputli]

I doubt the show will make it that far and I KNOW they will fuck it up but I just want Benji to be explicitly on-screen Palestinian and played by an actual Palestinian (diaspora included) actor.

[proffbon]

What's up with that child?

[goldenfurevamp]

Benji and Daniel at their Podcast. The Coven of the Articulate.

Hey.

Les habla Benjamín queridos hijos de la noche. A mí lado tengo al gran periodista y novelista de los libros más vendidos en los últimos años Daniel Molloy. De unirá a mi en esta investigación de curiosidades lo que hablaremos en este lugar.

¿Quienes son los vampiros?

¿Que hacen para vivir?

Que tan cerca están de ustedes. Daniel es un mago en todo esto, es decir fue el primer comiunity manager de Trinity sin saberlo ¿Cierto? Quien más le daba tanta publicidad a Lestat a su forma de vida, a como era Louis, como era la vida de Armand el vampiro antes de ser quien es, como llegó Akasha está historia y Marius el romano el creador. Jesse Reeves como la magia y el vampirismo se juntan. Como Fareed logro darle un hijo a Lestat.

Daniel

Queridos oyentes, aquí estoy de nuevo. Quizás desde un punto de vista diferente al que estuve en el pasado. Mis libros como los dijiste tú Benjamín relatan la historia de los más grandes vampiros existentes aunque también hablo de los que no existen son relatos reales pero ¿Como es su vida noche tras noche? ¿Donde se crean las leyes ?

Todo eso y más lo tendrán aquí.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Emily Tankin for The UnPopulist:

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too.” So declared U.S. President Donald Trump at a Feb. 4 news conference while standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first leader to visit the White House following Trump’s inauguration. “This has been happening for years. It’s all death. If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza.” It is not a defense of Hamas, the designated terrorist organization currently in power in Gaza that carried out the brutal attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, to say that Trump’s plan would constitute forced displacement, given that he is on record saying that Palestinians wouldn’t be allowed to return to the shining, new city he plans to build.

This is hardly the only concerning step he’s taken toward Palestinians or the Middle East. Trump lifted sanctions on violent, extremist West Bank Israeli settlers during his first hours in office. And then there are those he has chosen to be part of his team: U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, a Christian Zionist who once said that Palestinians aren’t a real people and that annexation of the West Bank by Israel is “of course” possible during Trump’s new term; as well as his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, who appears to support the West Bank’s annexation by Israel.

The Trump administration’s disregard for the human rights and dignity of Palestinians extends to the institutions and international legal frameworks that provide them some modicum of support. He has again withdrawn the United States from the U.N. Human Rights Council and has cut future funding from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a body created three quarters of a century ago specifically to provide aid to Palestinian refugees. And he sanctioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, describing the warrants as “illegitimate and baseless.” The point is not that the Trump administration disagreed with the court’s verdict. The point is that it retaliated and tried to totally quash the international body, one of the few that tries to deliver justice under international law.

Meanwhile, here at home, the Trump administration has gone after pro-Palestinian protesters and activists under the guise of fighting antisemitism. It was allegedly to fight antisemitism that last week it suspended $400 million in grants to Columbia University, home to some of the most high-profile protests against Israel and its war in Gaza. It was also allegedly to fight antisemitism that it announced it was deporting Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and green card holder whom the Department of Homeland Security accused, without presenting any evidence, of being “aligned to Hamas.”

Supporters of liberal democracy ought to be outraged by the assault on Palestinian rights in the Middle East and the United States and on international law and institutions. Trump’s foreign policy, both towards Palestinians and in general, is marked by cruelty and caprice. He vacillates between an isolationist abandonment of allies in one moment and talk of “taking over” Gaza in the next. He displays neither a sensible regard for long-term national interests nor a hopeful vision of America as a force for good in the world. His domestic policies likewise respect neither the Constitution nor rights like due process. In this sense his approach is markedly different from that of previous administrations.

[...]

Biden’s Vacillation on Human Rights

Sadly, many previous U.S. administrations have excused Israeli actions that have violated the human rights of Palestinians and caused great suffering. Consider the West Bank settlements: despite a 1978 legal opinion from the State Department declaring Israeli settlements inconsistent with international law, successive administrations have failed to apply the political pressure necessary to convince Israeli leaders to seriously address the problem. The Biden administration’s own State Department acknowledged that there were credible reports of a wide range of human rights abuses. But to acknowledge the abuses and not change policy is to effectively say that human rights abuses don’t matter. If they did, then it shouldn’t matter that Israel is an ally. Universal human rights are universal or they aren’t; the United States believes in their application or it doesn’t. Biden’s posture towards international institutions represents another missed opportunity to defend liberal-democratic principles abroad. Biden had ordered U.S. agencies to share evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine with the International Criminal Court, even though the United States is not a member of the court. But when the court issued warrants for the arrests of Netanyahu and Gallant along with those for Hamas’ leaders, Biden blasted its action as “outrageous.” Biden proclaimed that, “whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence— none—between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.” But the ICC’s arrest warrants for both Israeli and Hamas leadership do not claim a moral equivalence. They merely assert that the court found reasonable grounds to believe that the parties involved each violated international law. Again, it is not a defense of Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, to say that Israel too is not exempt from international law. The Biden administration could have argued that the ICC had not presented sufficient evidence of war crimes to justify the arrests of the Israeli leaders. Instead, its statement suggested that it believed that international law should simply not apply to Israel. In other words, it is appropriate to hold some parties accountable to it, but not others. The same double standard was evident in the Biden administration’s handling of campus protests. It could have stressed that, though all students had the right to learn with safety and dignity, free assembly and protesting government policy were cherished rights that needed to be protected. Instead, it stressed that ���order must prevail” and blasted the protests as antisemitic. There have been protesters who have crossed the line into antisemitism, violence, and violent antisemitism. But to concede that protests against Israeli actions are inherently antisemitic or motivated by antisemitism is bad-faith politics.

Trump’s attacks on the human rights of Palestinians is predicated on cruelty. Biden wasn’t much better on Palestine issues, but compared to Trump, he tried to show some dignity towards the Palestinians.

[nightcolorz]

Sad, tragic even that Benji Mahmoud is more often then not fandom declawed as a fairly average 12 yr old boy with fairly average 12 yr old boy traits when in canon he was chain smoking pre puberty, so chronically adultified in life that he is practically unfazed by his eternal child body bcus he was able to pass as a young looking adult as a mortal anyway just by how he acts alone, Bedouin boy from Palestine who made a living for his family by getting white American tourists to pay for pictures with him for the “exotic” vibes, self taught himself fluent English, was then practically enslaved through insane human trafficking means, known as a freakishly young actual genius who is so smart that Armand is about to enroll him in collage as a preteen, extremely passionate and outspoken activist as a kid to the point that he would erupt into emotional crying and ranting fits while watching the news regularly, then went on to grow into the man in the immortal body of a 12 yr old responsible for the vampire government the final trilogy is centered around by virtue of his activist vampire podcast alone. Put some respect on his name god damn it Benji is such a guy he’s such a character he is not just any 12 yr old boy he’s the smartest bitch in tvc and Lestat would be stewing in misery and self isolation as every vampire around him explodes for all of time if it wasn’t for his fuck ass radio show telling him and the other older vampires to get on there asses and do smth 🙌 my man is a whole adult he owns five galleries a restaurant and a straight up haberdashery shop, he has a legal drivers license guys. I bet Lestat doesn’t even have a legal drivers license. As an actual literal 12 yr old he was more competent and mature then the vast majority of adult characters bro was assisting armand in murder and single-handedly caring for Sybelle while devouring five packs worth of nicotine a day with the grace of a dancer. Bro is NOT on Xbox 🙌

[adamnablelittledevil]

Anne Rice really lost the opportunity of locking Lestat, Armand, Daniel, Benji, Sybelle and Pandora in a room and letting them neurodivergent together. I'd like to see what would happen. It could end in giggles or tears, but I'm positive something would definitely happen.

[lady-phasma]

What if I were to post a short fic (like 800 words) before kinktober starts that's just Armand x Benji x Sybelle x reader fluff? Just some cuddles with the fam.

Update: I did.

[vyorei]

Updates from the last 20 minutes