#cause that's not marius de romanus at all

[chicalepidoptera]

What? Can't two old men go on sushi restaurant dates now?

🕯🕯🕯

[wellijustfinnihedoneofthebooks]

Coming out as marius pilled since reading blood and gold

[iwtv-theories]

The more I think about it… the more I believe Marius wiped Daniel’s memories & messed with Armand’s childhood memories .

Marius messing with Daniel’s memories would be a parallel to how in the books: Marius (for a while) was a barrier between Daniel and Armand eventually getting back together. And we see in the first episode , Daniel’s memoir (about his faulty memories) was published under Roman Weiss (a possible Romanus easteregg since Marius was prideful about being a Roman). Not to mention the shot where Daniel stares at Marius’ painting and says “never heard of him” while Armand is blurred in the background . This could be another hint that Marius blurred his memories of Armand .

Plus, when Daniel has archives of Armand and Louis he first types into the search bar “Marius de Romanus” . It could indicate his subconscious may remember something about Marius. Which is why he seems to have such an interest in him.

Marius forever altering Armand’s loving relationships because he thinks he knows what’s best for Armand is why he turned Sybil and Benji against Armand’s wishes , and behind his back. Armand claims that Marius changed them as an act of spite because Armand could not be the fledgling Marius wanted him to be. So it wouldn’t be that out of character to mess with Daniel’s memories (behind Armand’s back for similar reasons ). And I do wonder if he messed with Amadeo’s memories too.

In the books Armand’s dad loved him and was attacked when chasing down the slavers . So , the show change of his parents selling him is interesting. Maybe it’s just an adaption change but maybe it’s more sinister than that . And in the show adaption Marius altered that memory (cause he wanted Amadeo to believe he was the only loving ‘father figure’ in Amadeo’s life/ the first person to ever love him). If that’s the case that opens a lot of other horrifying possibilities . For instance, Marius (in the show) may have done so since he wanted to ‘groom’ Amadeo in to the perfect companion: “ to make a blood drinker for my own companionship, indeed to educate a mortal youth for this very purpose, and to GROOM HIM EXPERTLY so that he might be the finest choice.” / “A helpless child. I could mold you and change you, all of which I've done." To be fair, it wouldn’t surprise me at all that Armand doesn’t remember certain things because of tra*ma .I believe some of his amnesia is from that.

But, also in the books there were lines that could be recontextualized in the show as foreshadowing that Marius altered Armand’s memories. Marius to Amadeo : "whatever the past hammered into your soul let it go... Don’t chase these memories" . Amadeo : "(Marius') mumbled words. By the end of week I could not remember one word of my mother tongue.”

The lines made me recall how Armand in the show mentions “tabula rasa” ( which in Latin means “blank slate”) . In philosophy tabula rasa is a theory that says : at birth the mind is hypothetically a blank or empty slate before receiving memories that shape them into who they are. '

‘Tabula rasa' originates from ancient ROMAN civilization. The term comes from the Roman tabula, a wax-covered tablet used for notes, which was blanked (rasa) by heating the wax and then smoothing it.  In the books Armand called himself a " wax doll". And maybe Armand and his tablet obsession is a word pun. Hm?

Would Marius be interested in testing the theory of 'tabula rasa' in order to make the “perfect companion” ? Amadeo essentially was a blank slate for Marius to shape . He was mute and barely remembered anything of his past before Marius - a blank slate that Marius would have benefitted from. Was this just a coincidence? Did he chose him for this reason? Or did Marius have something to do with it? Later in the books he wanted to help Armand recall his forgotten memories but the show may go in another direction entirely . There must be some significant reason to introduce this new power to the canon? Marius: "some memories will yield nothing of their beauty or their splendor. Rather they remain as hard as gems "/ "Memory knows that we cannot endure its company. Memory would reduce us to fools"/Memory was a curse, yes, he thought, but it was also the greatest gift. Because if you lost memory you lost everything. memory is desperate to leave us."

Would he try to mess with Armand’s memories even in the 70s/80s???! I don’t necessarily believe he’d go that far to be honest. Unless Armand had such a negative reaction to him wiping Daniel’s memories that Marius decided to just cover his tracks and brain wipe Armand too .In the books , Lestat could ‘mind -read / speak’ to his fledglings cause he drank from Akasha . So since Marius also drank from her - he may (theoretically) be able to mess with Armand’s mind in the 80s. If so, the biggest “telenovela “ twist would be that Armand doesn’t remember devil’s minion either . 😅

[kindaeccentric]

Ok, some people were half joking The Chase will be reversed now considering Armand disappeared on Daniel, but I really do think it's a brilliant idea.

The dynamic is very different now than it was in the book original, Daniel is not a kid begging for immortality, who can't stand the weight of vampirism once he actually gets it, he was an old sick man who refused Louis' offer to get turned, because he was no longer someone who would make such a decision on a whim. It would make sense for him to avoid the moral crisis that caused his spiral into insanity now that he has more life experience.

Armand, on the other hand? He just got dumped by someone he spent 77 years with and thrown out of the house, he got beaten at his own game by a man unlike any he ever met and made his first and only fledgling out of him and now the word about the existence of vampires is out too. He must be sad, irritated, confused, disgusted with himself, afraid. On the run. Despite all the experience of 500+ years he's not mentally prepared for any of it. What if it's him whose psyche became too fragile, what if someone he once presumed dead swoops in with a promise of comfort he so desperately needs? What if that person's intentions aren't entirely pure?

What if that's the introduction of Marius de Romanus?

And what if Daniel, who now is aware of at least part of the story, realizes he cares about Armand and wants to find him?

I don't think it's possible for the show writers to have the exact same idea, it would be bonkers, but just throwing it out there, you know... AU if you will.

[nocontextlestat]

please speak on marius🙏🙏🙏🙏

I just want to say firstly that English is not my first language and when I get upset, I mess up how I express myself in this language. Just know that my anger is not directed at you.

TRIGGER WARNING//pedophilia, rape, racism, marius

I’m drinking an energy drink as I’m writing this. Because I’m pissed and triggered due to having to talk about that abomination. I don’t like talking about him and I don’t understand why people are asking my, a Lestat account’s opinion on that dumbass.

Marius de Romanus is the notorious pedophile of the Vampire Chronicles. He asked for Pandora’s (back then, known as Lydia) father’s “permission” to marry her when she was only 10. He had a harem of underage boys in his house. He groomed and beat/whipped and raped at least one of those children. And that one child was Armand. He “rescued”/bought this traumatized, emotionally and mentally vulnerable child and made a “child bride” out of him. He also sent Armand to various brothels to “learn sexual activities”. Armand wasn’t even 17 then (that was when he was turned). Also, when Armand was kidnapped by the Children of Satan and was forced to join their cult, even after Marius recovered from their attack, he didn’t go and rescue Armand even though he knew what happened to him. He used Armand for years from the age of 12/13 till 17 and then completely abandoned him. Armand never recovered from that. Lastly, Marius went against the vampire rules (like Lestat) and turned a 13 year old child named Benji and a 20 year old Sybelle, who were basically Armand’s children, into vampires without asking Armand, which caused him misery in return. Marius is one of the reasons Armand is such a traumatized character.

He’s also a racist piece of shit who thinks the western civilization is superior. He is a colonizer through and through. As someone here also mentioned, when he talked to Lestat about Those Who Must Be Kept, Marius brushed off Akasha’s genocidal tendencies as “taming savages”. He only went against Akasha when he realized she had never loved him back.

There are so many ugly details about this character and if I remember correctly, him and Magnus are the only VC characters I refuse to dismiss as characters, saying that “they’re all gothic characters”. I can handle gothic, gore-y, fucked up stuff but I cannot and will not get used to pedophilic characters because it’s highly triggering to me. I repeat, ME. This is MY opinion.

I don’t care that “it was normal for grown ass men to marry/fuck literal children during Marius’ time”. It is fucked up. Even in the books other characters make fun of Marius for having a harem of underage boys. It’s not like everyone accepted his behavior as it is in the books either.

I know I’m open to questions about VC in general but I don’t want to talk about Marius any longer, because if I do, this post is what happens.

[ca-suffit]

To go exactlyyy at the other anon, Rice's racism was most blatant when it involved Marius. (Despite enslaver Louis! That's how bad it is!)

So Teskhamen (The God of the Grove from TVL) wanted someone who knew Egyptian/had been to the Lower Kingdom of Egypt to give the Dark Gift, but the Celtic (read: white) druids want a Celtic (read: white) man. Like that is explicitly why Mael kidnaps Marius, because he's a white blonde man (who knows Egyptian). Marius really has no redeeming qualities, regardless of how hard Rice's writing tries to circumvent that obvious fact, besides his whiteness.

I think the reason that Marius de Romanus' flaws and transgressions are so loudly ignored is bcuz he's really Anne Rice's thesis statement. In and by Marius history is literally whitewashed. (Well also bcuz Rice was bad at writing consistent relationships and too hung-up on her Catholic instant forgiveness complex to meaningfully reckon with her characters' actions.) The Pandora-Arjun-Marius "storyline" is probably the most fucked up in terms of sheer racism. God don't get me started on the Orientalism.

As for the pedophilia apologia, I think that has a lot of causes. One is def how normalised pedophilia was in SF/F spaces back in the day (look up Marion Zimmer Bradley), so combine that with people getting into the books in their early tweens and then developing 20+ year long parasocial relationships with Anne Rice so they never dare critically examine her work and... Well. Some fandoms also used to be sort of tolerating towards simulated CSAM, if you don’t know what "chan" was, count yourself lucky. Or look it up on fanlore I guess. Anyway, I think that's where these Marius defenders and Marius/Armand shippers come from. I reckon most of them lowkey got indoctrinated into this stuff.

(This is not meant in defense of them obvs, I just think that's what happened there. Mind you I was never actually in this fandom before the show. I read all the books without ever engaging in this Anne Rice Extended Universe but I am otherwise fandom old.)

Fascinating that they lack the wherewithal to realise the show's fandom won't tolerate them. Or maybe it's just entitlement, since like you've said somewhere before, they feel they're "owed" an adaption of the Vampire Chronicles so they'll "suffer" through IWTV.

Feel free to add to this if you think I missed something. - 🦁

(context)

that covers everything I could think of off the top of my head anyway. sometimes all these details are hard to keep track of bcuz there's just *so much* all the time. it's not just a genre thing either, it was whatever personal reason she put all that in there. most of it serves no purpose to any plot, it's just there. that's why defending a lot of it is even more crazy bcuz u could take a lot out and it doesn't change anything?? that's what makes the books so annoying and ppl who think it's high literature even more so. they don't rly say anything after a point and her themes get repetitive for no reason. she doesn't even write this stuff to make it horror or be critical of it (despite what a lot of book ppl claim), she just liked it for whatever reason. she was also out there in interviews over these time periods saying rly weird shit all the time as an adult woman and nobody ever pushed back about it, which also didn't help anyone to learn to question this stuff.

[hexenmeisterer]

THE ARMAND PLAYLIST

this goes basically chronologically through Armand's story, up through the end of The Vampire Armand. There is definitely show stuff in there as well, I just cannot separate them out! I tried to choose songs that not only describe a specific moment in his story but also apply to him in general. I had a really fun time seeking out songs about Spiritual Bird Stuff, The Movies, Complex Trauma, and Jesus. and finding music in his languages-- there is at least 1 song each in Ukranian, French, Italian, and Latin! (dang, no Greek tho..)

a truly excessive amount of liner notes under the cut!

Seven Swans: religious bird stuff!! references the Book of Revelations, the second coming of christ. all the sevens, the seven seals seven churches etc. 

"UNCUT: Your god seems very vengeful in your songs. STEVENS: [Laughs] Oh no. There's no element of revenge in the character of God, but there's definitely an aggressive joy. He's not chasing you like a stalker, he's chasing you like a lover chases you. There's a lot of aggression in that kind of romance. We pursue things out of reverence, out of our need to worship."

He will take you If you run, He will chase you 'Cause He is the Lord

Afraid: 

Cease to know or to tell or to see Or to be your own Have someone else's will as your own You are beautiful and you are alone

Donna Donna: RELIGIOUS BIRD STUFF PT 2 

the various translations from Yiddish on the wikipedia page are interesting!! 

On a wagon bound for market There's a calf with a mournful eye High above him, there's a swallow Winging swiftly through the sky

el árbol del olvido:

 lyrics translated

Where I was born there is a tree that is called forgetfulness Where, to console themselves, vidalita(my little life) the moribund souls go

Rock me Amadeus: the lyrics of rock me amadeus are profoundly irrelevant. except for the Rock Me Amadeus part :)

Mi Sei Scoppiato Dentro Il Cuore / You Burst Inside My Heart: 

lyrics translated

Maybe because you looked at me Like no one has ever looked at me I feel alive Suddenly for you

Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy : marius de romanus literally founded the good old fashioned school of lover boys, and armand did, in fact, learn his passion there :)

Gronlandic Edit:

So am I erasing myself? Hope I'm not erasing myself I guess it would be nice to give my heart to a god But which one, which one do I choose?

Amarilli Mia Bella: “The verse alludes to the Greek myth of Amaryllis who, picking flowers on a mountainside, falls in love with the shepherd Alteus. He, however, is interested only in flowers, and says that he can love only the girl who brings him a new flower. Amaryllis follows the advice of the Oracle at Delphi, taking a temple arrow and waiting on Alteus’s doorstep each night, piercing her breast and her heart as she calls his name. Because of the shepherd’s dilatory response, she is obliged to repeat her action for thirty nights, after which he finally emerges to find a beautiful flower where her blood has fallen. Naturally, the flower was named in her honour.”

Lyrics and commentary

take this my arrow, open my breast  and you shall see written in my heart:  Amaryllis is my love.

Venus in Furs: hashtag masochism... Also probably marius loved this painting which masoch was referencing in the title of his book 

Whiplash girl child in the dark Comes in bells, your servant, don't forsake him Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart

Liquid Smooth:

I'm beautiful, I know 'cause it's the season But what am I to do with all this beauty?... I'm at my highest peak, I'm ripe About to fall, capture me

Angry Johnny: this one goes out to you, Lord Harlech! 😘

Johnny, angry Johnny This is Jezebel in Hell I wanna kill you I wanna blow you … away

Ave Verum Corpus: Armand’s experience of near-death.

Hail the true body, born of the Virgin Mary: You who truly suffered and were sacrificed on the cross for the sake of man. From whose pierced side flowed water and blood: Be a foretaste for us in the trial of death. O sweet, O gentle, O Jesu, son of Mary, have mercy on me. Amen.

“William Byrd’s setting of this text was written to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, which had been outlawed in England in 1548 following the Reformation. But Roman Catholics still surviving in England still celebrated the feast secretly, sometimes more brazenly.

Kerry McCarthy (in her book Byrd) writes that Corpus Christi had been an especially festive holy day before the clamp-down on popish rituals commenced. “Medieval parishes had celebrated it with lavish floral displays and elaborate outdoor processions [of the Blessed Sacrament], and this sort of activity continued even after Catholic worship became illegal in England.” https://canticasacra.org/byrd-ave-verum-corpus/

What Was I Made For: 

I used to float, now I just fall down I used to know but I'm not sure now What I was made for What was I made for?

II MOST WANTED: Armand is a passenger princess! No but fr I really like the two meanings of “most wanted” here — they are pursued by enemies, and also armand sees himself as the most desired, most beloved. (Also I like this next to “In The Backseat” later as two moments of Carseat Metaphor.) also just this sense of being devoted completely to marius forever.

Didn't know what I want 'til I saw your face Say goodbye to the old me Came out of nowhere, didn't give no warnin' Pedal so heavy like the two most wanted… I’ll be your shotgun rider ‘til the day I die.

Suffering Mother: Armand’s return to Ukraine and seeing his parents again.

Lyrics translated

Lovingly I bathe you with my bitter tears, As I sought to hide you from the wicked foes. My heart is breaking, for I must now lose you Never more, my dear son, will I ever see you Son of mine

Water Me: 

He told me I was so small, I told him “water me” I promise I can grow tall when making love is free

Linger: "I'm such a fool for you" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Dies Irae: Children of Satan arrive on the scene!

In the Backseat: Armand losing the anchor of Marius and getting forced onto the path towards coven leadership

I like the peace In the backseat I don't have to drive I don't have to speak I can watch the countryside Alice died In the night I've been learning to drive My whole life

You Want It Darker: Armand’s conversion to Children of Darkness .. no one is coming to save him, God is terrible actually, this might as well happen!!

A million candles burning For the love that never came You want it darker We kill the flame

Year Zero: just fun with Satan! 

Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub Asmodeus, Satanas, Lucifer

Like A Parrot: bird trauma stuff!

Like a parrot and a picture window I can see where I'd like to be But repeated blows to my feathered little head Have taught me not to fly straight.

Think Of Me Once In A While, Take Care: the vibe of when he’s languishing on the chair staring into the fire of a burning vampire

DO YOU DOUBT ME TRAITOR: Lestat the traitor shows up and fucks up his whole thing! And then he has to commit covenicide..

Satan, fortify me! I don't eat, I don't sleep, I don't eat I let it consume me How do I break you, before you break me?

I’m With You: begging Lestat to love him! and feeling utterly abandoned in the world.

Isn't anyone tryin' to find me? Won't somebody come take me home? It's a damn cold night Trying to figure out this life Won't you take me by the hand? Take me somewhere new I don't know who you are But I, I'm with you

Pour Nes Pas Vivre Seule: taking leadership of Théâtre des Vampires

lyrics translated

In order not to live alone,  One lives with a dog One lives with roses Or with a cross. In order not to live alone, One makes cinema One loves a souvenir A shadow, anything…… In order not to live alone, Others have children—  Children who are alone Like all the children.

Thankless Job: I love listening to this and thinking about Armand passive-aggressively cutting off people’s hands and murdering interlopers as leader of the Theatre des Vampires

Harvesting the kidneys for the fall; Savin' up the livers in the fridge No-one ever thanks me when I'm done How self-absorbed people can be!

Blank Space: Loumand budding romance anthem <3

Got a long list of ex-lovers They'll tell you I'm insane But I've got a blank space, baby And I'll write your name

Don’t Leave Me (Ne me quitte pas):

They say, "Sir, do you got a light? And if you do then you're my friend And if you don't then you're my foe And if you are a deity of any sort Then please don't go" Ne me quitte pas, mon cher Ne me quitte pas

Phenom: 

Careful I'm an animal Trap trap trap First of the secondary class class class You know I don't trust you what's the catch catch catch Don't you fucking touch me I will gnash gnash gnash Cause I am an old phenomenon And I am an old phenomenon

Experimental Film: extremely fun to think of him working on writing/directing the trial to this. But in general I feel like this his approach to relationships and life

You're all gonna be in this experimental film And even though I can't explain it, I already know how great it's I already know the ending It's the part that makes your face implode

Paparazzi but specifically the 2009 VMAs performance of it with the blood: generally his one move to start a relationship of any kind. Could specifically be start of devil’s minion tho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h6Vc9__kqM&ab_channel=MTV

Pet: here bc of this fanvid, it’s so perfect! https://archiveofourown.org/works/57352849

你快樂所以我快樂 You’re Happy So I’m Happy: This is just the codependent national anthem… I lovingly pin it to armand’s lapel. Loumand, but also every relationship he’s in probably.

Lyrics translated

Your hair was dripping So I became feverish You were feeling tired So I fell asleep Ah.. heaven knows People say, If you're happy, then I'm happy too. Roses are blooming—  What else could I want? Something out of reach, out of reach.

household blender: beware. this is literally just 30 seconds of blender noises. 

Movies: 

Put me in a movie and everyone will know me You'll be the star, you know you are

Seventeen: specifically his relationship to daniel’s + his own age 

I used to be free I used to be seventeen Follow my shadow Around your corner I used to be seventeen Now you're just like me

Eat the Acid: refusing to turn Daniel

you don't wanna be changed like it changed me

All I Want: Devil’s Minion <3

I wanna talk to you, I want to shampoo you I want to renew you again and again Applause, applause, life is our cause When I think of your kisses, my mind see-saws Do you see, do you see, do you see how you hurt me, baby? So I hurt you too

Will Anybody Ever Love Me:

Will anybody ever love me? For good reasons, without grievance Not for sport Will anybody ever love me?  In every season pledge allegiance to my heart

Let X=X: pure vibes

As Good As It Gets:

I want you to disappoint me On and on until we're old I'm inside folding laundry You're outside fixing the hose And I think this is as good as it gets, my love I think this is as good as it gets Pray to God that you think that it is enough

Dirty Computer: love thinking about Armand’s deeply freaky and loving relationship to technology. and feeling broken

Dirty computer, walk in line If you look closer you'll recognize I'm not that special, I'm broke inside Crashing slowly, the bugs are in me

Two Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter songs from SAVED!: for the end of memnoch the devil

(this is the same artist under a different name who sings DO YOU DOUBT ME TRAITOR as lingua ignota.)

Relevant bits from the album notes:

"SAVED! is an apocalyptic revelation on the complex, sometimes ugly, always nonlinear process of healing. Herein, Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter documents an earnest attempt to achieve salvation through the tenets of charismatic Christianity, focusing on the Pentecostal-Holiness Movement, which dictate that one’s closeness to God is demonstrated through transcendental personal experience. Sonically and thematically, the record is both a logical conclusion to and a significant departure from Hayter’s previous work as Lingua Ignota. Mirroring her personal evolution away from pain, she sheds the moniker that made her successful for its unflinching expression of lived trauma and instead builds herself anew, claiming her full given name, determined to see value within [...] To evoke the lonely roads of salvation-seeking, SAVED! is stark, confined mostly to vocals (sometimes overdubbed into a dissonant chorus of twelve simultaneous voices) and piano prepared with bells and chains, the earthly and celestial. Speaking in tongues is achieved by self-imposing a variety of conditions; sleep deprivation, fasting, repetition of prayer, and sensory overstimulation. [...] in its quest for salvation and healing SAVED! is a renunciation of life. Here solace is found in absolute retreat from the world, far from pain and sin, burning with the holy fire until the end comes. And it is written: as you are when the end comes, so will you be when you must face Him. Whether this is enlightenment or insanity is up to the listener to decide. 

ORIGINAL MUSIC AND TRADITIONAL HYMNS PERFORMED BY REVEREND KRISTIN MICHAEL HAYTER OF PERPETUAL FLAME MINISTRIES ON PIANO PREPARED WITH BELLS AND CHAINS.

DOCUMENTED BY BROTHER SETH MANCHESTER AND HIS ALMIGHTY AUDIO RECORDING MACHINE."

I KNOW HIS BLOOD CAN MAKE ME WHOLE:

I know His blood can make me whole I was a gambler just like you I was sick and I couldn’t get well I just touched the hem Just touched the hem of His garment.

HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING:

Through all the tumult and the strife I hear that music ringing It finds an echo through my soul How can I keep from singing? No storm can shake my inmost calm While to that Rock I’m clinging Since Christ is Lord of Heaven and earth How can I keep from singing?

The Apassionata obv

Ever New: Being Alive, full of wonder about Benji and Sybelle

Welcome the spring, the summer rain Softly turned to sing again Welcome the bud, the summer blooming flower Welcome the child whose hand I hold Welcome to you both young and old We are ever new, we are ever new

Hermit the Frog: @ Marius at the end of TVA

Oh, my heart just burst like a glass balloon We let them fly too high and they shattered too soon Are we the wrong damn people in the wrong damn room?

You Left This:

You left this in my chest You left this in my chest  Dark door closing on the rest  You left this in my chest

[argesta]

Academia, in my fanfiction (or at the very least, the ones I gravitate towards reading)? It’s more likely than you think!

In your last reply you mentioned chapter titles, so here I am to ask about the chapter titles!

And also how you decided who plays which roles. Ex. Santiago as Lestat’s oldest friend (from before he married Louis even) and member of his team.

I love this.... academia in my fanfiction more likely than you think... say that 😩

I’ll answer your second question first because it’s so, so good.

When adapting canon to an AU, what I’m interested in is the dynamic capture of a character over the static one. So by static, I mean a 1:1 parity with the character, a modern version of their job, direct translation of their personality, social status, identity etc. Dynamic essence is how they impact other characters + overall context.

To take Santiago - because he's this circus ringmaster in canon S2, this satyr, lurid spotlight figure, I could’ve easily just made him a tabloid guy, go the TMZ route. But that wouldn’t really convey what I needed him for - he’d just be a cameo.

Given that in canon he has such a fraught relationship with both Armand and Lestat - need but rivalry but resentment - I wanted to translate that above all else. And there is no better framing device for this dependency than to have him be this older, grizzled spin-doctor that has been working for “the cause” since forever, knows enough dirt to bury both Lestat and Armand, but does not have the resources to take on any of them individually. Armand himself is a new upstart that technically should be Santiago's subordinate, but in PV he comes with his own capital (the name and power and connections via Marius “eugh” de Romanus at his back).

To me, Santiago’s main draw in all his canon appearances is the fact that his power is so uncertain for all its apparent flashiness. His control is predicated on so many elements which lay behind the curtain (LITERALLY) and which we do not see until the finale.

We think he is calling the shots, but then: oh. You take a closer look and he’s no ringmaster or eminence gris, he’s just the town crier. There is no vertiable eminence gris in either IWTV canon or PV, because they’re all defanged. They are consequences of history and fatherhood, especially if you compare them to figures such as Magnus and Marius - these old men still moving pieces on the board from beyond the grave and/or before the start of the story.

Anyway, am I unnecessary and unserious for thinking this in-depth about it? Absolutely. Is this some artistic credo that I think all AU/fic writers should do? Definitely not.

It’s just the by-product of me outlining this AU-verse in 6 PoVs so far (Lestat, Louis, Claudia, Armand, Daniel, Nicki) so it’s inevitable that the world becomes part of the story. I’d love to get a chance to tell the events in PV from other characters’ point of view, or at least write more fic set in the same PV universe, so I just think of it as doing the planning in advance because I know it’ll come in handy later.

Chapter titles meta under the cut <3 sorry mutuals :’)

The chapter titles are all film techniques! Names come from either cinematography study (frame camera angle perspective etc.) or editing and transitional devices (montage, scene cutting and so on). They are mostly made for motion picture, but some are of course also used in other contexts like news live reporting social media etc. (though I do believe sm apps like CapCut come with their own name for stuff or whatever - I avoid platforming TikTok until it pays me).

I like taking this angle with all present & future chapters because it���s a clin to how the characters are mediating (and meditatizing) their experience through these like - artifacts and artifices.

I.e. TWO-SHOT being a wide-frame, single-take conversation between two people, with almost no one else (certainly #norealpeopleinvolved) entering or leaving the shot until the scene ends. CROSS-CUT being... well, to take it from the definition:

Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and often in the same place (...) can also be used for characters in a film with the same goals but different ways of achieving them. Cross-cutting is often used during phone-conversation sequences so that viewers see both characters' facial expressions in response to what is said.

Sometimes it's genuine - TWO SHOT really is just a two-shot, sometimes it's an irony/play on purpose/subversion, like SPLIT SCREEN showing on one level Louis-Claudia conversing on a literal screen, the proverbial split between Louis/Lestat, and the disturbing, growing similarity between Lestat/Armand as a common front (as perceived by Louis; being the split image of someone else, etc.)

Certainly I don’t need to oversell the point of why the performativity of editing and montage fits the universe these miserable girls are living in, or why the chapters are defined and sectioned through the techniques it would take to adapt them to screen. (Very clear that none of these characters can define their life without an audience, they’re so consumed with the self-narrative that they forget they are not only participating in it, but fully have the power to change it).

[murfeelee]

IWTV 2022 INSP - Course Seven

Daniel: *stares at painting* ??? Rashid: It's Venetian. A contemporary of Tintoretto's. Daniel: "Marius de Romanus...." Never heard of him. Rashid: Little of his work survives. Mr. de Pointe du Lac covets the rare. Daniel: Did you always work for him? Rashid: Your meal is ready. Please have a seat. Daniel: Sign an NDA? I mean, is it only work or are you and he...? Rashid: I serve a god. It is my honor to serve. Mr. de Pointe du Lac will join you at course seven. Daniel: Seven?! Wait, but how many courses are there? Fattening me up for the inevitable end?! Louis: *enters* Daniel: There he is! You missed at least three or four endangered species. This is session two, with Louis de Pointe du Lac. Louis: Two vampires walk into a church. That's where we left off. Butler: AB negative, fresh from the farm. Bon appétit. Daniel: Part of me wants to ask about the farm.... Louis: ....Lestat was wrong. I was never going to be a natural. I was never going to savor the aftertaste. I was a shame-ridden second, a... a fumbling, despondent killer....a botched vampire.

-- Interview with the Vampire: S01E02

MY THOUGHTS (Ramblings about Louis' "veganism")

Motherfrikkin RASHID.... 👀

That whole penthouse situation was so dang weird--I wanna know about "the farm," too!

Like, the popular theory is/was that Lestat is the one causing "The Groan;" either still recovering from how Louis & Claudia effed him up, or how Armand will eff him up in S2/S3, or whatever other book plots they include.

But I'm wondering if The Groan is caused by whatever poor unfortunate souls are on this "farm!" O_O Are the lower floors of the penthouse just PENS, housing evil-dooers being bled dry, or fang-bangers cool having vampires nibble on them for money like Damek?

Like, Louis calls himself a "botched vampire" who hasn't killed since 2000, and pays Damek to suck on him a bit, and made a whole show out of eating ice-cream with Daniel at the end of the episode.

But naaaah, he nommed on that scared baby fox while it was screeching and hollering in pain--there's a reason why some folk go vegan!

Cuz like, why was trying so dang hard to freak Daniel out!? Like sure, he's trying to teach Daniel a lesson about the curse of vampirism and the bloodthirst; looking as creepy and predatory as possible.

Meanwhile he's ALSO trying to make himself seem like he's reformed and above it all, he's figured everything out, he's got all of life's answers--when his mental state's the most fragile it's ever been.

Like Louis said: he humans don't contemplate the life of the rabbit before we cut it--so I'm just not buying into too much of what he tells Daniel about his holier-than-thou diet. I think The Farm is chock-full of Groaners, and I wouldn't be surprised if half of them were there against their will.

[tenaciouswile]

Solo "A starry spring night" Marius de Romanus

It was one of those nights where Marius sat alone in his apartment, the balmy air coming through the window and he listened to the music coming from the people who were in their gardens partying. A slight smile crossed his lips as he walked towards his easel, there was a picture drawn from his memory.

A memory from almost forgotten days. You could see a landscape on it, but there was also a house on it, it was his. It was the last memory he had before it burned down. Painting the picture was his way of dealing with his past, the fact that he lost everything that night. He had never been one to openly share his feelings, which also made him a very lonely being. But if you looked at his paintings, all his dedication was there - it was his style and would always be his.

A light sigh escaped his lips and even if he wanted to paint that night, he couldn't that night. He turned away from the painting and took his red coat and wrapped himself in it and left his apartment but before he could leave the house he felt someone grab his arm, holding him back and he looked into two dark brown eyes and recognized Gabriel was holding him back from leaving the house. "Where are you going? Are you sure you want to get out now? I heard the people in the neighborhood are very suspicious. They know you never leave the house during the day. I would advise you to be careful."

Marius knew Gabriel was worried and he gave his friend credit for that, but it wasn't the first time people around him had become suspicious. "I know you're worried, but I've got everything under control. Try to relax and spend the evening with your wife. I'm going to take an evening walk." And with that he left the house and headed towards the park in town.

It was a mild spring evening, he liked nights like this and enjoyed nature as much as he could. But in the city it was more of a challenge to find good places. When he got to the park he sat down on one of the park benches, took off his coat and put it next to him. Now he was just sitting there with his dark red suit fitting in the period of this time, red was his favorite color and matched perfectly well with his blonde hair.

His gaze went to the sky and he imagined what it would be like if it was day, he missed the sun but the imagination was enough that he felt like it was real. This brought a soft smile to his lips when he suddenly heard noises behind him and someone approached him from the shadows.

The thoughts he heard were loud and cruel, causing his icy blue eyes to darken. "I advise you to go. While you still can." It was a little warning and then the man pulled out a knife and waved it in front of Mariu's face. He demanded that he give him his money, which made Marius even more tense since he hadn't eaten in a while either. But the law was strict and with this he had to pull himself together.

A soft growl came from him and he went into the human's head with his voice. "You got lost last night in one of the bars and drank too much. You forget that we met and you're going to have a bad hangover in the morning. And now you're going home." The man got a slightly dopey look and lowered his hand and the knife dropped to the ground which Marius took then.

The young man nodded in a trance and turned around as he slowly walked away. Marius felt the tension leave him when the human had moved away from him and he was alone again. His heart grew heavy as the night wrapped itself more and more around him, even looking at the sky couldn't make the feeling in his heart any easier now.

Because when the night wrapped around him, the loneliness creeped up in him and had a tight hold on his soul. Which also caused his feeling of missing someone to grow even bigger than usual, his thoughts were often with him and he was glad that he had found him again. It was his fledgling Armand. Marius bowed his head and thought of him and oh how he wished he was with him now and he could sit here with him and enjoy this night together. But he didn't know where he was and so his thoughts were only with him that night.

[stylosha]

alright fine i confess 😭 marius de romanus (the vampire chronicles) x poseidon (epic the musical) = ... mariseidon? maridon? poseirius?

(marius pic is him portrayed by michael genet in lestat the musical, poseidon pic is him designed by neal-illustrator)

for non-portmanteau ship names im already fond of ruthless romanus (+ theyre a blue x red ship!) and made it my username on a few sites already... well you can choose whether its actually a ship or not i just really want to put them in the same room for prolonged periods of time and see what happens. like in the sims

idek if there are others who like tvc and epic at the same time but the vision is basically something along the lines of 😭 ancient roman guy (marius) and even more ancient greek guy (poseidon) who are so stubborn in a philosophy (as products of the times they were born and raised in) imprinted onto them all their lives (poseidons "ruthlessness" & marius "[roman] rationality"... and oh hey, they both start with an r!) that it causes like half of their problems but they just cant let go of it because thats all they have and they have no idea how to live without it despite everything that happens because of it

these two can either bring out the worst (both enabling eachothers stagnancy and although they find solace in their similarities theyre still gonna be soaking in their own misery for centuries probably) or best (both lock in together and although they find solace in their negative similarities they in each other they decide neither can stay like that forever) in eachother it just depends on which one youd like to indulge yourself in i think! (them making eachother worse is more likely to me LOL 🥲 those greeks / romans...) im rambling now but let me know what yall think of my insanity tho

i think i just made up a new marius ship / au but it is genuinely so strange idek if anyone else will be able to see the vision 😭 its a crossover sorta thing but the other media involved is such a shift from tvc

[monstersinthecosmos]

do you have any daniel molloy headcanons?

OH BOY, DO I.

I like to think he’s from the east coast, maybe somewhere accent-neutral but not too far from a major city, maybe Connecticut. Like one of those fancy places in western CT where people can commute to NYC for work.

He was in San Francisco for college but he dropped out.

His family didn’t approve of him dropping out and gave him a lot of shit about it but then he started dating a vampire and stopped talking to everyone so who cares.

His dad fought in WW2 and had PTSD but no one talked about it.

Alcoholism runs in the family.

He narrowly missed Vietnam  because he was a smidge too young, but he had friends who were drafted.

Obsessive Twilight Zone fanboy. Watched the original series and babbled about it nonstop to anyone who would listen.

Often slept with the people he interviewed.  

Spends a lot of time on r/gifsound and like 10 years ago spent a lot of time on YTMND. Armand and Benji think gifsounds are funny and indulge him; Marius never understood YTMND and would often roll his eyes and leave the room. 

He has a scar on his neck from Louis attacking him. Louis didn’t take the time to heal it and by the time he met Armand it was already scarring. (Daniel was probably also picking it and making it worse.) Armand wouldn’t have healed it because he’s stingy about sharing his blood and didn’t do it until that first time when they declared themselves SECRET LOVERS.

Did a TON of blow in the 80′s during the clubbing phase with Armand.

He LOVES David Lynch.

TOTAL TREKKIE; made Armand watch the original series and when they got back together in Trinity Gate they binged The Next Generation together.

He’s one of those like ingenuity potheads that will make bongs out of apples and shit.

Had all the early rare Pentagram albums and listened to them a lot during the bad Armand times. #relatable

Sends Marius classical history memes a lot. 

[the-marius-de-romanus]

Alphebettery- Marius Entry

Marius de Romanus was born in 30BC, the illegitimate son of a Roman nobleman and a Celtic slave-woman, in the city of Massilia (modern-day Marseille, France), in the Roman Empire along the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Italy. As he matures into manhood, Marius becomes a scholar and a traveler throughout the Roman Empire. In his mid-twenties, he meets his future fledgling Pandora (then named Lydia), and he desires to marry her, although his proposal is ultimately rejected by her father because she is too young. Almost two decades later, Marius is kidnapped by Mael and other Druids, who take him to the ancient vampire Teskhamen, whom they refer to as the God of the Grove. Badly burned and weakened by the Great Burning of 4 CE, Teskhamen turns Marius into a vampire through a very long process of blood exchanges, with the expectation that Marius will travel to Egypt to discover the fate of Akasha and Enkil, the first to be made.

Marius escapes the Druids and flees through the woodlands of the Celts. He travels to Egypt, where he finds the Elder who cares for Akasha and Enkil, now called Those Who Must Be Kept, since their great age has transformed them into unresponsive statues. The Elder lies when, in response to Marius’s questions, states he does not know the cause of the Great Burning, but Akasha speaks to Marius telepathically and informs him the Elder set them in the sun and that he is planning to sink them to the bottom of the ocean. Akasha then kills the Elder, and Marius takes her and Enkil out of Egypt to Antioch, where he reencounters his mortal beloved, Lydia, whose family was murdered, and as a result she is living in exile under the name Pandora.

Also in Antioch appears the ancient vampire Akbar, who, like Marius’s maker, Teskhamen, is badly burned. Seeking to drink from the Mother and the Father, Akbar learns that Marius is their caretaker and that he loves the mortal Pandora. Akbar drains Pandora to the point of death and threatens to kill her if Marius does not let him drink Akasha’s blood. Marius acquiesces and saves Pandora by turning her into a vampire, but when Marius brings Akbar to Akasha, the Queen destroys Akbar. Marius and Pandora remain together for the net two hundred years, caring for Those Who Must Be Kept.

When Pandora begins living with her maker, she brings her one-legged Athenian slave, Flavius, to serve them. Marius grows to deeply love Flavius. When Flavius becomes deathly ill, Pandora thinks they should turn him into a vampire. Marius refuses, but Pandora does so anyway. Marius is greatly angered and exiles Flavius from his house and from the Roman Empire itself. Her disobedience plants a seed of bitterness between Marius and Pandora. He has a great desire to teach her, but she refuses to learn from him. When he can no longer live with that or their arguing, he takes Akasha and Enkil from Pandora and will not see his fledgling beloved for many centuries.

Marius returns to Rome, where he encounters the ancient vampire Avicus, who is—like Teskhamen—a God of the Grove, but in ancient England. Marius is greatly amazed to also encounter Avicus’s fledgling Mael, the former Druid who held Marius captive for Teskhamen and was sent to Avicus to take Marius’s place as the new God of the Grove, Teskhamen’s successor. Despite the fact that Marius begrudges Mael for forcing him to become a vampire, Marius and Avicus become friends. As the three of them begin living together in a small coven, Avicus and Mael soon learn Marius’s secret, that he is the caretaker of Those Who Must Be Kept, and they willingly help him fulfill his duties.

At the fall of Rome, Marius, Avicus, and Mael move to Constantinople, where they continue their duties for the Mother and the Father. They discover another coven dwells in the city, led by Eudoxia, the fledgling of the ancient Egyptian vampire, Cyril, who is the fledgling of Marius’s predecessor, the Elder. Referring to herself as “the Vampire Empress,” Eudoxia demands to see Akasha and Enkil, but Marius refuses. With her coven of Rashid, Asphar, and Zenobia, Eudoxia attacks Marius, at which point Marius discovers that, because he has been drinking Akasha’s powerful blood, he is stronger than Eudoxia, even though she is much older. He also discovers that he has the Fire Gift when he burns Rashid to ashes. Eudoxia returns later, showing greater humility and imploring Marius to let her see Akasha. Marius reluctantly agrees, but when she stands before the Queen, she is so enraptured that she offers herself as a sacrifice. Akasha arises and drinks from Eudoxia to the point of death. Although Marius saves her, Eudoxia is greatly embittered. In a plot against Marius and Those Who Must Be Kept, Eudoxia kills a nobleman and leaves the body exposed in such a way that the mortal citizens of Constantinople blame Marius for the death. The mortals ransack Marius’s house and nearly destroy the shrine. Enraged by this, Marius goes to Eudoxia’s house, destroys her coven, sparing only Zenobia, and then drags Eudoxia before Akasha, who immolates Eudoxia to ashes.

Marius leaves Avicus and Mael and takes Akasha and Enkil back to Italy. He creates a secluded shrine for Akasha and Enkil in the Italian Alps, unreachable by any mortal at that time, where the vampires can rest safely while he makes a home in Venice.

He becomes a painter and a patron of the arts. He invites many young boys to live in his house to learn the artistic crafts.

Marius soon encounters the mortal courtesan Bianca Solderini. While feeling a deep attraction to her physical beauty, he marvels how her mortal mental ability prevents him from reading her thoughts. His attraction to her sours when he learns that she is a murderer. But when he uncovers that a merciless relative is extorting her to assassinate his enemies, Marius’s attraction is rekindled and he resolves to give her his powerful aid.

Marius also encounters the mortal Raymond Gallant, a member of the Talamasca Order, who provides him with news about Pandora and how the vampire from India is manipulating her, yet their whereabouts are still a mystery. Raymond promises to keep Marius informed if the Talamasca discovers any new information.

During that time, the vampire Santino, leader of the Children of Satan, introduces himself to Marius. He reads Marius’s mind, learns of Akasha and Enkil, and requests a meeting with Those Who Must Be Kept. Marius denies him, finding his Satan-worshipping coven abhorrent. When Santino insists, Marius threatens to destroy him; Santino withdraws but watches from a distance the keeper of Those Who Must Be Kept.

Marius eventually finds a mortal child from Russia, Andrei, who will later become the Vampire Armand. Andrei was abducted by Tartars and is now locked in the dungeon of a brothel. Marius buys the young Andrei, renames him Amadeo, and brings him to live in his palazzo. Marius and Amadeo develop a deep relationship. Amadeo doesn’t learn that Marius is a vampire until the night Marius saves Bianca from her extorting relative and his malicious family. Amadeo begs Marius to turn him into a vampire, but Marius refuses. In an attempt to incite Marius’s jealousy, Amadeo begins a brief affair with the Englishman Lord Harlech. When Amadeo ends the relationship, Lord Harlech storms into Marius’s palazzo in a jealous rage, armed with a poison blade, and duels with Amadeo. Amadeo slays him, but Lord Harlech mortally wounds the boy. Bianca nurses Amadeo until Marius arrives. When Bianca leaves, Marius turns him into a vampire.

Marius and Amadeo live happily together as maker and fledgling, both developing deep feelings for Bianca, until Santino and his Satanic coven invade Marius’s home, kill most of the boys, set Marius on fire, and kidnap Amadeo. Severely wounded, Marius mentally summons Bianca and receives her permission to turn her into a vampire. She takes him to Akasha and Enkil’s shrine in the Alps, where Marius drinks Akasha’s blood.

While his health is restored, Bianca, like Pandora before her, helps Marius care for Those Who Must Be Kept. When his wounds more fully heal and he can walk about among mortals, he goes to Raymond Gallant, who is now an old man and who informs Marius that the Talamasca have learned that the mysterious Indian vampire is still controlling Pandora and that they are likely living near Dresden.

Marius takes Bianca, Akasha, and Enkil to Dresden, where he finally reunites with Pandora and discovers that her companion and fledgling, Arjun, is not keeping her against her will after all. Marius begs Pandora to return to him, vowing that he will leave Bianca if she will leave Arjun, but Pandora rejects him and leaves. Bianca overhears Marius and leaves him also.

Nearly fifty years later, when Marius is packing up his belongings to take Akasha and Enkil to another region, he uncovers a note left by Pandora on the night they separated, asking him to find her in Moscow and help her leave Arjun. Marius immediately goes to Moscow, but by then she has already left. He can find no trace of either her or her fledgling lover.

Marius brings Those Who Must Be Kept to an island in the Aegean Sea, somewhere between Greece and Turkey. He remains there for years, caring for the people living on the island, until one night he begins hearing the voice of a young vampire searching for him, calling to him— the vampire Lestat. Hearing Lestat’s persistence, Marius leaves his island and finds that Lestat has buried himself underground after his fledgling Nicolas committed suicide and his fledgling mother, Gabrielle, abandoned him. Marius exhumes Lestat, revives him with his own ancient vampire blood, and then takes him back to his island sanctuary. After Lestat awakens, Marius shares some of his history with him, tells him about Those Who Must Be Kept, and swears him to absolute secrecy. When Marius briefly leaves, Lestat goes to the shrine and plays the violin for Akasha. Moved by his bravado, Akasha awakens, drinks his blood, and lets him drink hers also. Full of jealousy and anger, Enkil awakens and attempts to destroy Lestat. Fortunately, Marius saves him, but warns Lestat to leave to let Enkil’s anger diminish. Before Lestat can return, Marius takes Akasha and Enkil to a new hidden location in the frozen lands of northern Canada.

He fills their shrine with every new technology, partly to show them human development but also partly in the hope that they will awaken for him. By the time of the late twentieth century, Akasha and Enkil watch on television how Lestat has returned with new rock music in a successful band that is revealing secrets of vampires and challenging Those Who Must Be Kept to arise. Impressed once again, Akasha rises from her throne for a final time. She kills Enkil and buries Marius deep beneath several tons of ice. He projects out mental warnings to the other vampires that the Queen has arisen, but she is already flying throughout the world, immolating most of her vampire children. When he is finally freed from the ice by Pandora and Santino, he rendezvouses with many other vampires, including his fledglings Pandora and Armand, at the compound in the Sonoma Mountains belonging to Akasha’s mortal enemy, the ancient vampire Maharet. After Maharet informs Marius and the others of her version of the story of the Queen of the Damned and the Legend of the Twins, Akasha appears and offers them a choice of joining her cause for global domination as her servants, or perishing. Marius stands with Maharet and refuses to serve. So do all the others, including Lestat. They all fight against Akasha, but she is indomitable. In the end, Maharet’s twin, Mekare, suddenly appears, beheads Akasha, consumes her brain and heart, and takes into herself the spirit of Amel, to become the new Queen of the Damned.

Now that Marius is no longer the caretaker of Those Who Must Be Kept, he keeps closer contact with other vampires, especially Armand’s fledgling Daniel Molloy, who sinks into madness and bitterness towards Armand. Marius welcomes Daniel into his home, takes care of him, and helps restore his sanity; and in doing so, Marius finds a wonderful companion who also helps him make contact with the modern world.

Marius mourns when, after Lestat returns from his journey with Memnoch the Devil, Armand appears to commit suicide, but Marius’s mourning turns to joy when Armand reappears a few months later, having been saved with the help of two mortals, Sybelle and Benji. Marius decides to do Armand a favor and turn Sybelle and Benji into vampires to give Armand excellent immortal companions and also to protect them from mortals seeking to destroy Armand or any vampire. In the beginning, this greatly angers Armand, but Marius and Daniel both convince him that if Armand had turned them into vampires, they would have been weaker than him, the telepathic connection between them would have been lost, and they would have ended up hating him, the way Daniel had; but when Marius’s powerful blood in them, Benji and Sybelle are Armand’s equals.

Following this, when Marius is alone one night, he hears another vampire whom he has never encountered using the Mind Gift to send out a telepathic invitation to any vampire for friendship. Marius responds and meets Thorne, an eighth-century Viking made vampire by Maharet.

Marius and Thorne tell each other their histories. Marius is surprised to learn how Maharet abandoned Thorne for Mael, and Thorne is enraged at how Santino’s injustice towards Marius has gone unpunished. Marius advises Thorne against Thorne against seeking revenge against Maharet for rejecting him, but sensing that Thorne will not be dissuaded, Marius sends Maharet a telepathic warning. Marius and Thorne go to sleep that morning in Marius’s home but awaken the next night at Maharet’s Java compound. Much to their mutual surprise, Santino, is also there as Maharet’s guest. Out of a sense of honor and duty, Marius begs Maharet for vengeance for the wrongs that Santino did against him and Armand, but Maharet does not allow it. Knowing that Marius will not act without Maharet’s permission, Thorne does Marius a favor and exacts an old Viking custom of wergild—or exacting a “man’s price,” often taking a life for a life—and blasts Santino with his powerful Mind Gift until Santino is a bloody pulp. Thorne then uses the Fire Gift to burn Santino’s remains to a charred scorch on the ground. Everyone is equally surprised at Thorne’s behavior, especially Marius, who, although he would never be so bold as to disobey Maharet, smiles and nods at Thorne, showing his inexpressible gratitude.

Marius relocates to the Chateau de Lioncourt, where Lestat becomes the Prince of the vampire race. The Court of the Prince forms, and Marius is one of the most prominent figures. Arjun challenges Marius’s authority by attacking him, but he easily destroys Arjun. Prompted by this event, Marius creates new laws for vampires in the new millennium and helps guide the formation of this new Court, inspiring Prince Lestat to dub him the “Prime Minister” of all vampires.

Marius is the noble heart of the vampire clans. His sense of honor and duty guides him through every age. He is the caretaker of Those Who Must Be Kept and the sharer of vampire secrets with Lestat, who reveals those secrets in the twentieth-century, causing Akasha to rise for the last time and incite the Great Burning of 1985.

________

Please give credit to @mariusderomanus-rp-help

[oficariian]

He felt almost juvenile excitement at the small smile Daniel so graciously offered him, and if he wasn't so eager to hear Daniel talk again, to see his features move and adapt, to witness a small quirk of his brow or a nervous blink of his eye, he might have just frozen the entire café, the city for all he cared, just to stare at that smile a little longer. Instead, Armand consoled himself with the fact that, provided he played his cards right, he'd be presented with many more opportunities to witness Daniel's joy. And his sadness, his pain, every emotion the human specturm had to offer, Armand would gladly take it. A dismissive, casual wave of his hand, Armand gave a shrug, pretending to appear only half-interested. "I haven't gone by my full name in lifetimes. In fact, if you were to ask me now, I can't say with absolute certainty that I would even recall my surname." De Romanus, yes - or so he'd styled himself while with Marius. But before that ? There are significant gaps in Armand's memory - the irony of having caused the gaps in Daniel's memory was not lost on him - that not even half a millenia of immortality has not been able to bring back. Perhaps it was for the better, shielding himself from becoming consumed with what he has had to endure. Had he even had a last name ?

With all the delight of a natural predator Armand took notice of the shift in Daniel's posture, how he leaned forward, came closer. Perhaps this really was a gift, perhaps the person decades had shaped Armand into was one that could entice Daniel with allure and attraction rather than the threat of death looming over him. Even if, thus far, no paramour of his had ever given in to Armand's pull just because of his charm. Marius had seen a lost cause, something to save and eventually own. Lestat had barely so much as glanced his way, abandoning Armand the theatre seemingly the very second Armand had lost power over his coven, rendering him somewhat less dangerous. And Louis - even though they had danced around each other for weeks, months, he had only inivited him up to his flat mere moments after it had seemed like Armand was about to kill him. He lost focus for a short moment, looking at a spot behind Daniel, the expression in his eyes far, far away. But was an ordinary love really what he craved? Wasn't his very nature standing in the way of that? Armand might have been a formidable actor and director but could he truly pull this off, would he be able to put on the pretense of being a mortal looking to engage in courtship?

'Because I wanna hear from the outsiders'. And there it was again, that cursed smile, more confident now, more self-assured and Armand suddenly thought that, for Daniel, he was willing to try. Give it his all - pull away, leave him in the middle of the street if the urge to drain him overcame him, if need be. And, perhaps, in time, when trust had been established, he'd tell him. Restore his memories, if he was even still able to do that. That was if Daniel hadn't figured it out himself way before that. Armand wouldn't put it past him.

"Hm.", he hummed, content, clearly satisfied with Daniel's answer, and leaned back in his chair, draping an arm over the backrest. Adding a muttered: "You really are a bright young reporter with a point of view, aren't you.", more to himself. Sensing that Daniel was more eager now he stopped at that, allowing him the feeling of being in charge a litle longer. Though in a way Daniel had always been in charge, perhaps not in San Francisco but every minute of every day after, all the way through the tiresome chase, even if he hadn't been aware of it. The hold he had on Armand, the positively magnetic pull he felt towards the mortal was frightening. Exhilerating. "A theatre background ... yes, you could say that, I suppose.", and Armand had to work hard to stifle a chuckle, not succeeding in stopping it entirely. "I have always held a fondness for the arts - though, I have to admit it wasn't until a certain opinionated young man waltzed into my life that I put my focus on the performing arts." Fingers drummed on the table in quick staccato and he tilted his head to either side, stretching the muscles, giving him another sensation to focus on. "But, as so often in life, our ... acquaintance was unfortunately short-lived. The passion for the stage, however, endured."

Armand straightened up, lifted his hand from the table to examine his nails for a second. "Have you had the chance to attend one of our performances, Daniel?" Only looking up to meet the other's eye at his name. "If not, allow me to correct that and invite you to our midnight performance tonight."

And to get all lingering formality out of the way. Jeez, who spoke like that? Daniel looked up sharply from his notepad, and met Armand's gaze. "Yeah, I noticed your surname doesn't appear on any of the theatre's posters," he said. "What's that about? Don't get me wrong, man, I love the whole Cher thing, it just struck me as kind of an... interesting choice." He smiled, but underneath the joke there was a genuine curiosity. It was intriguing, and it had been one of the first things he'd noticed when he'd gone to the theatre to arrange this interview, and seen posters for their past and forthcoming plays on the walls, with his name at the bottom.

Then Armand started talking, and his voice was like a song — no, wait, that wasn't it. It was like a spoken word poem. Rhythmic, melodic, repetitive. Like honey. Like a warm bath. Daniel felt himself lean forward automatically. He forgot about the pen, now loose in his hands. He forgot about the cafe. He forgot about his mug of coffee. It all melted away. The mainstream — the musicals — time and time again — rewritten into oblivion — Man, who spoke like this? His poetic words, his soft voice, his lilting accent, his dark eyes — it was a trip without the stimulants. Daniel had once been high as a kite, lying on his back on the floor of his apartment and staring at the swirls on the ceiling, listening to 'Somebody to Love' by Jefferson Airplane on repeat for hours. Listening to Armand felt like that. The world fading away. Just words, just sensations.

He registered, dimly, he'd been writing blind the whole time, scribbling notes without looking away from his gaze. Then Armand finally broke eye contact, and the sound and bustle and commotion of the cafe flooded in again. People chatting on other tables, orders being called, cell phones trilling — it all rushed back, and Daniel blinked and looked down at his notepad. Thank God he'd written some of it down, though his writing was even messier than usual. He was about to reply, when Armand spoke again, and there it was — Tell me, Daniel. He almost didn't want to look up, because he knew that he looked have to look into this guy's eyes again, and whatever the fuck had just happened might happen again. But he wanted to tell him, to explain his point of view. He knew that wasn't the point of the interview, and he distantly knew he should be staying on topic, but he didn't care.

"Because I wanna hear from the outsiders," he said. "Anyone with a tape recorder can interview some big shot director on Broadway, but I wanna hear what someone like you has to say, someone who doesn't care what the masses want. You're doing avant-garde plays man, you're really saying something. The fringes of society — the independent theatre companies, the seedy bars, the underground clubs — that's where the real shit is happening." He smiled now, feeling way more in control than he had a few seconds ago. "It's all that stuff you were saying, about rejecting the mainstream and going with the counterculture. I feel you. That's why I wanted to interview you. I'm all about that." He realised he'd rambled, so he picked up his coffee and took a sip. He registered that he'd drunk a quarter of his, but Armand's was untouched. His gaze flickered back to Armand's.

"Okay, next question," he said, desperate to ride the wave of control he felt for as long as he could. "How did you get into this? I mean, d'you have a theatre background?" He hoped that was more subtle than it felt, because it felt like a very obviously probing question. Tell me about you.

[bestnoncannonship]

Alright..I'mma get in on this VC fancasting debate.

As a director, I often have a LOT of opinions on people's casting decisions. A LOT. (Someday, I'll write a novella on Ken Brannaugh's casting.) So as I see a LOT of fancasts casts based on how people look and few based on whether or not the actor can likely handle the role, I'mma throw my hat in the ring. (Warning....the more I write the less technical and more shitposty this is gonna get!) So here you go! The Vampire Chronicles series if I got to cast and direct it!!

The Brat Prince:

Most importantly....we gotta get us a Lestat. And the choice is clear:

Evan Williams: this fabulous shitposting aesthetic trash is as close to the one and only Vampire Lestat as we are gonna get on this plane of existance. He is all charm and quite light in his loafers and a complete mess.......but most importantly, he has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is able to play a character that does inexplicable and morally reprehensible things while still being read as highly sympathetic, likable, and even a hero. That's what I worry about most with Lestat. He really is a very terrible person who doesn't learn or face too many consequences. And he has to be very very very sympathetic. Not just "Oh I Stan that villain" likeable.....but a true hero. And it takes a very. Special. Actor. To pull that shit off. And this is it. This is the guy. He was hired to play an Iago-esque gay villain type in Versailles, STOLE THE SHOW OUT FROM UNDER GEORGE BLAGDEN (no mean feat as Blaggy was giving a hell of a performance) and made his character a beloved icon. Yeah....I trust him to lead a show. I trust him to be Lestat.

Nicholas L'enfant:

Okay not gonna lie I struggled with this one. There was someone else I wanted to see in this role....but I decided he was better employed elsewhere. And this is who I ended up with:

Yep. George Blagden. See...in the grand scheme of things Nikki is a very low-screentime role that has a LOT of impact on the story. And who better to trust with low screentime that the god of grantaires, who took a few small shots and lines and GAVE US A FULLY CHARACTERIZED GRANTAIRE in the Les Mis film. He is very sweet faced, and easy to like, can make being an on screen depressive fascinating instead of dull and has proven time and time again that he is the master of the complete mental breakdown, complete with horrifying but tragic crazy eyes. Also.....he bears a strong enough physical resembles to.....

Louis!!!!:

Our beautiful depressed dark angel with a vampire eating disorder who has no self esteem and is still in love with his abuser needs nuance. He needs soul. And he needs a sweet and delicate beauty. And so:

Alexaner Vlahos!!! The soulful eyes!! The delicate bone structure!!! The slight tones of simmering resentment!!! The ability to play a character that could have become VERY one note VERY quickly with goregeous amounts of nuance and sympathy!!! Vlavla has quite the varied resume. Mordred. Phillipe. Romeo. Captain Hook. To put it lightly he has a LOT of range and the one through line is he is NEVER boring. He plays a lot of roles that could very quickly become boring and one note (Romeo? Captian snooze right there!). But every second he's on screen or stage he is so completely alive in whatever he is feeling. I TRUST him to keep the entirety of Louis's brooding nuanced and fascinating for an audience and to physically and facially convey Louis's very important internal monologue that we will not be able to hear because this version is going to be from Lestat's point of veiw. I toggled with the idea of making him Nikki for a while....but ended up with Louis for 2 reasons. 1) he doesn't need the scripted plot drama Nikki has written in to make a compelling character and 2) he and Williams share such beautiful chemistry. Whenever they're together, even off screen, their focus shifts so that they orbit each other like bianary stars and any director can see that that's something that should be explored and exploited to add demension to the Louis/Lestat relationship and justify why they keep coming back to each other.

(And so ends the Men of Versailles segment of my fancast. So sue me. There's some incredible actors there.)

Let's return with

Gabrielle De Lioncourt:

The incomparable Alex Kingston, lately of River Song fame, though I met her as Elizabeth Corday, and Doctor Corday is driving this casting choice. I wanted an actor who was an appropriate age to play Williams's mother cause we don't fuck with that women are "old" at 30 shit in this house. And she can carry off the kind of "I will not hesitate to kill a man" BDE that Gabrielle requires without trying, but she's also proven herself comfortable and competent with the level of CAMP that VC requires. I can see her easily showing up on set for a few scattered episodes, slipping easily into the verse, and nailing the kind of woman who can put Lestat in his place then run back off to the jungle. Also....that De Lioncourt hair!!!!!

Marius "Daddy" Romanus:

Yep. This fuck. I can hear it now.... "Why isn't he lessssaaaat??? He's so blonde and prettttyyyyy????" Well....mainly because....I ain't sure this lil fuck can run a show as a very despicable but likeable hero yet. He's admirable. A good actor. A great villain. But not a hero and not heroically likeable. Personally, I'm of the opinion that in 10 or 15 years he will have grown into the ability to play something as complex as Lestat with likability....but for now.....DAMN is he a creepy imperial thing. He's got that "My house, my rules" vibe down. He's preditory. He's distinguished. He is Marius. And he's go the best Roman coin profile I've ever seen.

Armand:

N/A

Ok. Controversial decision....but I want to see a complete unknown as Armand. Send casting out to cast a wide net, scour the world for the Botticelli death machine. But definitely don't pull him from the pool of already famous younguns. Because your Armand needs to be deep. Skilled. And primarily UNSPOILED by the school of child acting that is forced upon child actors. (I was a commercial kid and child stage actor. It was terrible.) Go out and get some twinky fresh faced raw talent so you get depth.

Claudia:

N/A

Big old ditto on what I said above about child actors. A nice doe eyed unknown, preferably without a stage mom.

AKASHA:

Yikes. So many amazing choices!!! How do you follow Aliyah??

With literal human perfection Gina Torres of course!!! Again....I wanted to go with an older woman. Someone who would be seen as an authority to all vampires. Someone god damnned goregeous. And someone who I find intimidating. Also, since I'm skewing a little tall with this cast (at least as TV actors go) I wanted someone who comfortably stands among and above most of them! She's a seasond tested actor, and certified badass. And we know she can steal a scene. Besides if she can look regal as a queen in that weirdass dress they gave her in the serenity movie she can pull off whatever monstrosity costumes comes up with to follow the Aliyah getup.

Khayman:

Don't @ me but....I have a LOT of feelings about Khayman. I love his particularly breed of immortal insanity. I love the way immortality drove him mad into a childlike enjoyment and curiosity. And I knew exactly who has to be casted to play that combination of intimidating ancient and innocent curiosity:

This is Howard Charles. He is capable of playing both an intimidating giant and a sweet soulful cinnamon roll at the same time. I cannot sing this man's praises enough. Am I scared of him? Do I want to hug him? Both? He's also one of the best scene SHARERS I've seen on screen in a long time and that's very important in a supporting role.

Maharet:

Just because Anne Rice doesn't know shit about Mesopotamia doesn't mean we have to follow her in that. I wanted to pull from Middle Eastern or Indian populations for her to best reflect the look of the region in a time that's roughly in line with the pre-dynastic Egyptian mish-mosh associated with Akasha.

So I'm gunning for Indira Varma. When I say this woman has timeless beauty.....I mean timeless. She's as prehistorically hot as she is today. And she's such a strong actress, I want to give her a role that isn't 50% sex scenes. She's got both the warmth and the commanding strength to play Maharet. I would ideally like to get a dancer to play Mekare....someone who can handle the physical interp of the role. Probably an Indian dancer to match Indira Varma.

David Talbot:

In the newly declared tradition of Doctors playing Talbot:

This is the only current Gif I could find of Sylvester McCoy. Known to many as the Seventh Doctor. And to many as Ratagast the Brown. He embodies that sort of huffy aging britishness that David projects, but has the over the top personality that can give us those hints of the vitality of David's youth. Basically I can see this man telling stories about hunting tigers in India. Then when he gets the hot young Raglan James Body:

Luke Pasqualino. Swarthy young troublemaker. But for all the youthful good looks, he proved that he was able to play grace and gravitas as D'artagnion in the final season of the BBC Musketeers. I'd love to give him a chance to explore that deeper part. I also trust his ability to match the energy of a cast, which he did repeatedly on musketeers, and portray both the impulsive self aggrandizing Lestat in the Raglan James body and to play the DarkAU Musketeer type that is Raglan James himself.

That's literally all the Gifs I can put in a post. I know I skipped Daniel......but that's because I have surprisingly few opinions on Daniel.......he's very much a vanilla audience connecting character. I'd almost like to see an unknown in that role....just to see what we a new face could make.

And thus ends my casting of the Vampire Chronicles!!