#i have a lot of feelings about armand and religion

[devourcr]

name thoughts about religion and armand.

i'm not going to dive too deep into religious headcanons right now, but arun is absolutely the name that armand considers himself when he's in prayer or when practicing religion. now, i don't think he's super consistent, but this is because there's an endless struggle between armand and the idea of religion. he also used it in badly negotiated bdsm but 🤷

his crises of faith are not over by any means. and he's well aware that he's a vampire and a vampire that will kill innocent people without a second thought.

but as a child, armand was very devout. he wanted to dedicate his life to god. and that devoutness continues to come up in his life, essentially forever.

when daniel catches "rashid" praying, i don't portray it as an act. in modern day, i wouldn't be surprised by armand is reclaiming his religion and exploring who he is through it. armand is a name that served others, that served satan and while it's his name, it can't be a part of his religious journey. arun represents his islamic identity.

and i think there's a lot of accessing who he was in the past as a way to reclaim what he'd lost. and arun was always devout, never in service to any other god. and so it functions as two things. one, to reclaim the name, and two, to reclaim his religion.

[bloodiedsaffron]

notes from an actual Romani person : I've seen this talked about a lot on here and I feel the need to clear this up. so here's some FAQs

I though the Romani left 1000 years ago

yes, we did. we also left during the years in between and about 500 years ago was when the last waves of the Romani left India. because of the Mughals. it's why there's such a wide diaspora of us that exist with different dialects, practices and religions. we left in waves.

Armand can't be Romani he was born in India

that's a yes and no answer. he would be a stepping stone. where we began as a people. that while the label "Romani" would not apply to him at the start- he was not raised by us he doesn't know what our culture is so completely but. still he'd know where that applied later on his journey. sort of like how we went from being Indian to our label changing to Romani. he'd have witnessed that first hand. I can't imagine he wouldn't have questioned if that means his label changed too.

Armand is our history

really, regardless of the time his origins began. we have been slaves. used as sex workers. no longer belong to our country of origin and it wasn't until recently we even knew who we were as a people. we were ripped of everything and every identity- and seen as inhuman, animalistic, and magical creatures before we were seen as human.

that is Armand. that is his story. and in the book it has a very strong Romani reading; which I strongly believe is where the casting decisions to make Armand Indian came from.

more on the topic ;

I know tumblr has had a hard time with this one. any questions about this are welcome in my ask box. I'll do my best to answer them.

[savagewildnerness]

https://www.tumblr.com/savagewildnerness/767576062367563776/i-found-this-while-scrolling-the-tags-it-looks?source=share

Ah I'm sorry I thought we had to ask you about your opinion on the characters

Oh! Now I understand!

I had meant for everyone else to say what they think! I was intrigued to hear your thoughts! Sorry about that!

I am very happy to answer myself though!

Anyway! You chose Armand, Anon! The most difficult to analyse, I think! But I shall endeavour, as I see him!

1. Character: Armand

2. Biggest motivations: To be safe, to seek a way to continue existing, to seek something to fill him up inside so that he has enough spiritual sustenance to continue, to control in order to be safe, to love, (ironically) often to do no harm & to protect those he loves (but obviously, the actual result is often the opposite to this!!)

3. Deepest fears: being alone with his absence-self with no external meaning to surround himself

4. Insecurities: that he is inhuman, that he could be repulsive, that he is not truly loveable, people who threaten him in any way - threaten his safe structures, are too powerful to control, or who are resistant to his charm/spellbinging/allure (nobody is resistant to Armand’s allure, SURELY!!?!)

5. Biggest dream: to be loved & accepted unconditionally

6. Most important moments in human life: Marius. For good, for bad: Marius. And the memory of religion from his childhood home.  But I think the whole way Marius *saved* Armand is how he seeks to be saved and to save… which explains a lot…

7. Difference between them as a human versus a vampire, if any: Stronger as a vampire and more inhuman.  He was never all *that* human even as a real boy, poor little Angel-Demon-Armand, so perhaps his form now fits him all the better.

They love: I am not sure Armand understands how to love, but he holds infinite reserves of love to give.

9. They hate: loss of control, feeling unsafe, having nothing external to himself to give existence meaning.

Obviously, disagree where you will! I'm interested to hear everyone's thoughts! Just a quick instantaneous response to these from me....

[rapha-reads]

To those of you wondering (aka no one), I finished both The Vampire Armand and Merrick and I have a lot of thoughts and feels. I'm skipping Blood and Gold for now to go directly to Blackwood Farm (I'll read B&G later), but first I'm going to read something else, just to take a break.

TVA thoughts: man, Armand is messed up. And extremely compelling. But so messed up. As always, the theme of faith crisis, which seriously reaches new heights with these bitchy vampires, is not something I can fully immerse myself in, but it was fascinating to see his numerous metamorphosis. I liked how he bridges Western and Eastern Christianisme, especially through art. Now I'm thinking that if Rolin Jones makes him originally Muslim in the show, that could expand even more the conversation on how faith, and especially Abrahamic faith, has been in conversation for thousands of years and could be such a rich, diverse and spiritual, intellectual and artistic theme. I can already imagine some fascinating discussions comparing (not in a superior way but in a complementary way) coming from Muslim faith to Roman Catholic faith, the way book!Armand talks about the richness of his life in Kiev Rus despite the poverty and ascetism, and the richness of his life in Venecia despite the luxury and abundance.

As for Benamin and Sybille... I don't have much thoughts about them. Sybille is one of those female characters AR seemingly favors, not so much human as a nymph or a dryad, "perfectly splendid". And Benji is a caricature of an Arab child. Nuance? 401 not found.

Merrick thoughts: David for the love if everything, shut. The. Fuck. Up. Holy moly. I like David, I do, but damn the entire recollection of his history with Merrick was looooooong. I'm here to see Louis haunted by Claudia and haunting Lestat's coma, not how hard you're pining for the kid you practically raised! Also. ALSO. You're just going to leave that whole thing with the Olmec or possibly another more ancient Mesoamerican civilisation without ever giving us more? That was the most interesting part of it all! The vodoo history, the connection between Louisiana and Caribbean vodoo and old Native South-American religions! More about this, less about Merrick's perfect breasts, I am begging you. (It is at this point that the reader of this post realises OP is 100% definitely ace and more interested in books and witchcraft than breasts and whether a 70yo man can still get it up - also, hey, Anne Rice's vampires are practically asexual and their lust and pleasure is mostly derivated from blood, with some notable exceptions like Armand and Marius, and a love relationship between two vampires is then based on romantic love and blood sharing, so can I hear a hell yeah for some ace representation or are we still conflating eroticism with sex)

Another thing I kept thinking about throughout the book is how Louis is perceived by his fellow vampires. Since basically the second book, since we've lost his own POV, everybody who's ever said anything about him (so Lestat, Armand and David) have insisted on two points: how very weak and meek Louis is, and also how irresistible, beautiful and charming. Granted, I've known Louis first through his portrayal on the show (hi Jacob you're so fiiiiiiine), and then through his own narration in the first book, but I've never had the impression that he was weak. Beautiful and seductive, yes. Weak? I see a human man going through tragedies and still enduring, going through vampiric transformation and then suffering for decades the loss of his humanity, struggling with reconciliating both sides of himself, but mostly I see a vampire who rebuilt himself after losing everything without sacrificing his sense of self. I see Louis as very strong actually (up to the point where resilience breaks, because resilience cannot be sustained on a long term, but that's another debate). He knows who he is, and don't you know how hard that is? He doesn't cling to faith or pride. He knows he's doomed, he knows he's monstrous, he knows there's nothing he can do to change that, and instead of railing against his fate, he goes on about his undead life. He gets his books and he reads them, he surrounds himself with literature and what little comforts he thinks in his shattered self-esteem he deserves (his ragged sweaters and soft trousers); let's not lie to ourselves tho, Louis doesn't like himself, or more exactly he doesn't care about his corporeal body - what matters to him is his mind, and once again, this author is extremely ace and also very aro and very nonbinary, so Louis to me is very much ace and agender coded, though really not aro, because his love for Lestat (and sometimes his fondness, shall we say, for Armand) is the only thing that can rouse him up from his literary slumber.

...

Oh, man, I have a lot to say about Louis, for how little he appears in the books so far. Still have BF, BC and the PL trilogy to devour. So I guess you can say, for as much as Lestat is occupying my entire brain, very much like him, my favorite is Louis? Yeah, that tracks. Melancholy, quiet, dark-haired green-eyed monster with more humanity than humans, preferring his solitude and the company of books to anyone else, hopelessly and helplessly devoted to one person, expert in brooding and grieving, literature specialist, not very attached to his physical self. Yeah. I'm not surprised.

[ismyverynaturethatofthedevil]

Brilliant comment I read on YouTube about Armand’s life. (Will link the video if you want to watch it)

@residentialpsycho1075

9 months ago (edited)

This is one of my favorite novels. It definitely has the trigger warnings for child slavery, child rape, pedophilia, child prostitution, child grooming, brainwashing, torture, and so on; it's not what everyone can tolerate, but I feel like it helped me grow as a person. It's a book I had to contemplate afterward. (I was quite shocked to encounter this material in my middle school library, though. Yikes.)

Armand allows us to experience his life in those times and the ups and down. He is an easily-influenced child who wants to be the leader of the pack and is rarely alone, even as a vampire. He is ALWAYS a child and never fully breaches the cusp of being an adult, and this is of critical importance to his character. He strives to have companions and to be admired by them. As Andrei, he's influenced by the monks and even dreams of holing himself up in the ground to starve to death with them some day. As Amadeo, he quickly adapts to Roman life and becomes the leader of all the boys there. He excels in being crapicious, which is how his master instructed him to act. Once he's been kidnapped, tortured, and brainwashed as Armand by Santino and his cult, he adapts to their teachings and follows their orders even long after Santino is gone. When Lestat first meets him and destroys the cult, Armand begs to go with him only to be assigned to watch after the Theatre des Vampires for a hundred years. When Lestat returns and Armand hopes they can finally travel together, Lestat betrays his expectations by only wanting his blood to recover. He no longer needs Lestat's approval and lets Louis destroy the vampires there before traveling with Louis as his companion. Even once he separates from Louis, he stays and guards New Orleans for Louis and Lestat, protecting them from other vampires until they arise. He leaves with Daniel before uniting with the other vampires. Conveniently, he's bought an island in Florida for all the vampires to hang out together and meet each other.

He's a teenager struggling with having a group to belong to. He's easily influenced and can be quite impulsive and destructive at times. Although he's been through a lot, he can't define himself or his own identity as an individual rather than a member of a group.

Armand can be regarded as having been brain-washed twice. Although the second time was by Santino and the cult, the first time is as a slave. He "loves" Marius because Marius rescued him by buying him, and he's grateful to his hero/owner. He also loves Marius's appearance and his paintings. However, this is an unhealthy and predatory relationship where they are not equals and will never be equals. Should anyone mistake the two as having such a good relationship or having had one, Armand snaps readers of this by always referring to Marius as his "Master," even in modern times. This reminds the readers that Armand is a slave Marius took advantage of, and Marius acknowledges this.

Marius himself lusted after Amadeo, but he wanted Amadeo to grow to his preference and also be more obedient to him. I appreciate how the pair describe this love as selfish. Although Armand was happy with him, it's also true that Marius took advantage of him and his situation. He never asks about Amadeo's home or religion since these were not part of the description Marius was grooming him to have. It's only when they visit Kyiv that Marius appears to truly realize Amadeo has his own story and background aside from being Marius's ideal lover and that Amadeo is actually... a person.

When Armand makes his human friends with unconditional love, Sybelle and Benji, a childlike woman and a mature twelve-year-old, both are whom could be viewed as Armand's peers given their mortal ages, Marius turns them to give Armand a new group to be with but also to tie Armand more to the world of the living, so he doesn't try any more trips to Heaven. Unsurprisingly, this involves Marius breaking his own rules to never turn a child into a vampire.

It's quite shocking the first time through, but Armand's representation of a teenager trapped in time while struggling to have his own friends and never maturing into adulthood is striking.

Marius's "good guy" reputation is tarnished beyond repair after this book.

I'm not entirely sure what the metaphor of the child's dress in the wall means, but I suspect it might represent Armand being a child or even a decorative item (slave) that was abandoned when hard times fell. After reading the previous books, Armand knows quite well that Marius refused to rescue him from the cult once Marius found out about him again.

As a middle schooler, the series hit me a bit differently, and I couldn't appreciate it to this degree. It may have slightly traumatized me since it was my first exposure to written sex descriptions and featured and underaged slave and his master. WTF was this doing hiding in a middle school library??? Once I recovered from that, I empathized a lot with the tragic Armand as a teenager myself. I struggled with depression from undiagnosed Celiac disease, and I absolutely loved art. The Vampire Armand taught me a lesson that, even if you commit suicide, you may end up in a worse situation than you started with. If you remain alive, you can encounter something really worthwhile and meet people who love you unconditionally.

I'm glad it has different meanings for different levels of comprehension.

[obeetlebeetle]

genuinely I think the thing that separates contemporary vampires from their 19c progenitors is like. the turning, the before and after. we can see this in iwtv s1, where Lestat is The European Vampire and he arrives in Louis' story as this great confused symbol that is, importantly, only ever a vampire and thus only ever symbolic. like ruthven and carm and drac, his role is the vampire, and all his personhood is folded into our understanding of The Vampire. Louis and Claudia, by contrast, start out human. they are turned; we witness the violence and we know that something in them was annihilated by the turning. we have them before and after all of those signifiers are attached.

but something that has been on my mind in s2 is that those signifiers are both broadly applicable AND unique to Lestat. like. a lot of what he's doing in s1 is originally read as The Vampire, but now that we have access to other european vampires, we can see and are explicitly told that Lestat's role was different than theirs, that he negotiated a new way to read The Vampire as symbol -- and we can infer (or otherwise know) that many of the signifiers he packed into The Vampire predate his vampirism and are direct responses to both his life as human and his own turning. Lestat can't be The Vampire, so he joins Louis and Claudia in their role, and the three of them are set in opposition to Armand -- who is constantly telling us about the Laws of his kind and the Rules of his coven and who tries extremely hard to maintain his status as The Vampire. still, we can't be fooled by that anymore. we know that there was an Armand who was turned, and we refuse to view him as the symbol that we had so easily applied to Lestat before s2. Which is interesting to me bc I feel like Louis and Claudia taking on Lestat's concept of The Vampire is not unlike children learning how to be people by modeling their parents, and their encounters with Armand and the coven respectively feel like when you step out from that framework and learn that no one anywhere knows how to be a person. It gives us a lot of immediate and useful shorthand with which to understand Armand's control over the coven and why it means so much to him, why he wants to be The Vampire and why he needs to redefine himself whenever that symbol gets complicated. and that's not even getting into the religion -> theater -> storytelling progression of his obsessions!

[licncourt]

What character development do you think Anne rice missed out on for Louis when she threw him to dust? I know he pops up a few times in the books here and there but we never get to explore him again 😭

Oh my God soooo much!! Firstly I wish TotBT was a better book overall because Louis' characterization is so spot on and there's some really compelling stuff going on with Lestat too in a way that could have been promising in another universe....

Even if everything bad and annoying about the later books remained exactly the same, I think Louis could have had a really satisfying arc! In TotBT I wouldn't really change anything about him really, I just wish he'd been around more because that's such a weird time period for him where his life is almost normal but he's at this weird impasse with Lestat where they have to decide to move forward, repeat cycles, or just stay in limbo. I would have loved to see even more of that as a pivot point for Louis.

Memnoch was a HUGE wasted opportunity because of how explicitly it grapples with religion (for better or worse). I feel like we see more of this with Armand, but I would have loved to see a lot more about how Louis is handling this..? Even though Anne retcons Memnoch somewhat later, at the time it should have been a truly crushing blow for Louis, basically confirmation that God and the devil are real, Christianity is the true religion, and he is indeed inherently evil and damned to burn in hell. I feel like this should have been huge for him, like full on spiral into religious obsession.

If that had happened, I think Merrick would have had even more impact7yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu56 (leaving my cat's input on the subject...) if Louis was coming off this ultimate religious trauma, it would make his aimless state make even more sense than just being without Lestat and give him a fundamental issue to grapple with. In my opinion, it would also really drive home his mental state in Merrick.

Even with the supposed knowledge that eternal damnation is waiting for him, the anguish of being vampirically sexually assaulted/forced to turn a human, hearing that Claudia's maybe-ghost hates him and always did, and the knowledge that Lestat might be gone forever still drives him to a suicide attempt which is even more horrible to think about. Then when he "dies" and Lestat brings him back, the realization that nothing actually happened would be something to grieve, but also a potential fresh start to start questioning the validity of Memnoch and his Catholic upbringing by extension.

I think that slow progress out of a vampire-length lifetime of intermingled religious fervor and nihilism would be an excellent backdrop to his time at Trinity Gate. I wish so much that we had gotten a way more in-depth look at that ten years because the change at the end of PL is DRAMATIC. In his epilogue, he's somehow almost completely at peace. I feel like we really missed out on watching him come full circle from the man we met in IWTV. There are so many character chapters in the final trilogy, I wish Anne had cut 95% of the new characters and split the chapters between the established major characters, especially Louis considering where he's at by the end of PL.

I've always felt like the PL trilogy could have easily been just one or two books, but since there's three, I feel like RoA should have been heavily Louis-focused as we see him living his new life in full. Especially with his background, seeing him in a position of power in a royal court structure would have been really interesting. I don't even want him to be a good person in this role, just Himself only happier and therefore potentially worse. I think it would have been really fun to see him as snobby, perpetually dissatisfied, detail-oriented businessman doing the real ruling and making everyone miserable from his fancy consort position while Lestat fucks around with a crown on. That was stolen from me, that's Louis' final form.

[knightotoc]

Just finished IWTV book, so now I can say the differences between the book, movie, and show. The movie is quite accurate to the book, while the show is more original. I love them all quite a lot, but I think the show is my favorite since it's the most romantic. Long post with spoilers below the cut.

book:

The depth of Louis' interiority, especially his thoughts about religion, can only be found in the book. I am also ex-Catholic so this is high-key my shit. Especially knowing Anne Rice went back and forth later in life. I can relate. Louis wants to talk about his feelings with other vampires, but Lestat and Claudia aren't interested, which is the main reason Louis is attracted to Armand. Where is the Brideshead Revisited crossover?? Louis get in a bisexual love triangle with the Flytes for me🙏

I learned in the Matt Baume video on Anne Rice that she wrote IWTV while grieving her daughter, who died of leukemia just before her sixth birthday. This feeling of grief, reflected so clearly in Claudia, is the most moving and unique aspect of the book, far more than anything between the adult characters.

One reason this feeling is watered-down in both adaptations is that in the book, Claudia is only 5/6, the age of Anne's real daughter. In the movie she is 10 and in the show 14. Of course it would be impossible to find a 6 year old actress who could act with the maturity of an 80-year-old woman. But the character is even more pitiful and bizarre as a little child than as one nearing puberty.

In the book, Lestat is shown to have survived the murder attempt pretty early on, and he keeps jump-scaring Louis and Claudia on their adventures. I prefer the movie's version where they hold off on this reveal. Though of course I always love to see him, lol

In the book, I got the impression that Lestat and Louis are both bi, but Lestat prefers men and Louis prefers women. Still, their motivations aren't driven by sexuality in a straightforward way. For example, Lestat's ideal prey is a young man, because he loves to destroy their potential. Louis feels something like love for a few women characters, because he feels empathy for their misfortunes.

The adaptations soften/change Louis' status as a slave-owner; in the movie, he frees his slaves, and in the book he just flees. As much as Louis is a soft-hearted quasi-feminist, defined by his guilt and regret, he is still racist and close-minded in most ways. This seems realistic to me.

I did think it was interesting and cool that the enslaved people can tell Louis and Lestat aren't human, while the other plantation owners and even Lestat's dad have no idea. But we don't get their perspective, just Louis' racist assumptions.

Yeah in the book Lestat has a dad! It is rather confusing since Lestat explains nothing, but it creates some great melodrama. I guess I have to read the next one and hope for a backstory reveal.

Fun spooky detour into Eastern Europe! I hope the show goes there in season 2.

Louis and Armand's discussions are really cool. I especially loved Louis' monologues after Claudia's death. There wasn't room for these discussions in the movie, but I feel like it'll be a main focus in season 2 of the show.

movie:

Like I said, the movie is impressively accurate, and a beautiful work of art on its own. The best innovation is holding off on the Lestat reveal until almost the very end. This makes it look like their murder attempt really did a number on him, and it took decades and decades of rat-eating to even drag himself out of the swamp. I like that.

The movie also has a more exciting and ridiculous ending, in which Lestat attacks the reporter in his car and drives away to Guns N' Roses. The book ends with the reporter hurrying off to find Lestat himself. It's funnier and more awesome if Lestat is the one driving the plot and the car. Pleased to meet you :D

"How avant-garde." Best line in the movie, and it's not from the book!

Since the movie cut out most of the minor characters, there isn't as much evidence for Louis' bisexuality. Louis seems more like, gay but closeted. And Lestat seems more like, gay but misogynist, so he'll prey on women just for sport lol.

I'm a Fight Club guy so I love that this is, like, a reverse companion movie (this time, Brad Pitt is the pushover in a dangerous gay duo)

show:

This is the only version that is clearly gay. But this dynamic is the same: Louis wants to talk about things, and Lestat does not. In this case, the focus of these discussions is not vampirism or religion but their relationship. Louis points out that he is gay and Lestat is bi. Perhaps it's just because I saw this version first, but this is my favorite version of their sexualities. The show simply spends more time with this dynamic, and how it affects everything, including their interracial relationship and openness in society.

In the book, Lestat is a talented but soulless musician. He can play anything, but without heart. In the show, music is Lestat's one genuine connection to humanity (even if this connection just leads him to kill musicians who don't impress him). I believe later books go more into Lestat as a musician, so I'll have more thoughts on this later.

Since the reporter is cynical, old, and dying, this creates a much more compelling conversation within the framing device. He holds Louis to task with a forcefulness that rivals Lestat. It is a clever way of modernizing the story, since Daniel references their last interview in the 70s (when the book was published), and you are meant to wonder which version is more truthful.

Since Claudia is 14, she can pass as an adult, and she is able to go on her own rather disastrous adventure. It is exciting, terrifying, and sad, and a welcome addition for this character, though it is much different than the book's helpless, heartless Claudia.

The Catholicism in the show is flashier, but not as interesting as the book. For example, in the book, Louis is haunted not just by Paul's death, but Louis' failure to meet Paul's faith-driven monetary demands. In the show, Paul's ideas seem like more of an annoyance. Maybe there will be more religious doubt in season 2, but I don't really expect it.

In the book, it seems like Louis and Claudia throw Lestat in the swamp since it's faster and more thorough than fire. In the show, the oven they use is a major plot point, and Louis can't bear to put Lestat's body in it because he still loves him. Instead they throw Lestat in the trash, which is one of my favorite tropes (see: Maul in The Clone Wars, Soldier 1998). This is just one of the many ways the show complicates and deepens Louis and Lestat's bond.

I feel like the show is more believable and has more deepness in general, since it's a smart retrospective on an old franchise and a response to decades of vampire fun in pop culture. For example, in the show Louis has volunteer humans to feast upon, and it's very "safe, sane, and consensual," versus the universally predatory relationships in the book and movie. Because we all know now that if vampires were real, and they were hot and rich, they could get all the blood they want without hurting anyone. An ethical vampire like Louis isn't impossible anymore. Compared to other billionaires, he's a pretty decent guy.

So, I'd say the book has the most profound perspective on grief, the movie has better structure, and the show has the most complex romance.

[adamnablelittledevil]

Reacting to The Vampire Lestat - Part VII (with maybe big spoilers and quotes?)

Let's keep this funny little tradition one more time as this book comes to an end. :)

Okay, so the whole story about Akasha and Enkil was cool, but didn't have to take like a hundred pages? It got exhausting after some time.

Didn't care about Marius's, though.

Tbh, I don't like Marius.

My ranking of characters so far: Armand > Lestat > Gabrielle > Nicki > Marius.

Louis and the others didn't have enough book time for me to form an opinion.

Armand mention! Still collecting those like Pokemons while my babygirl doesn't return from the war.

Btw, I still miss Armand. Armand, COME BACK, THE KIDS MISS YOU!

I think it's funny how Lestat always has the need to low-key compare the beauty or his feelings for each character whenever he meets someone new lmao.

Armand takes the prize of The Vampire Lestat's beauty pageant, though. Lestat literally mentioned his beauty every single time he saw him (and even when he didn't). Like, I wish I was making that up. He talked about Armand's beauty even more often that he cried lmao.

Lestat's issues/trauma with his father, Magnus, God and religion run so deep I don't even think he fully realizes the depth of them.

And that's the reason he's so obsessed with Marius to me?

He's always asking him for permission, apologizing, trying to please him, make him proud, one minute with him and he was already talking like they were intimate friends, I'm like????

He literally just became a child all over again.

Lestat de Lioncourt, I am once again begging you to go to therapy because Marius can't help you with your issues.

And you have A LOT of issues, so DO IT, please.

Marius: Lestat, no. Lestat: Lestat, YES!!!

Like, you guys don't get it, the idea, THE I D E A!!!!!!! IT WAS STRONGER THAN HIM!!!!!!!!!

In his defense, I believe that might've been the case. Lestat is chaotic and breaks the rules by nature, but the whole thing with Akasha and Enkil is kind of hard to tell and I believe he could've been controlled by them or maybe a natural force/pull. Idk.

Btw, the idea of playing the violin was smart.

If only in all these years somebody had the brain to think about this musical instrument lol.

This whole moment with Akasha felt like I was watching something so explicit lmao.

The "make them in love" part was sweet. I hope we can get that on the show. Preferably talking to/about Louis.

“Impossible was that I was leaving Marius and this island right now. ‘You needn’t come down with me,’ I said, taking the valise from him. I was trying not to sound bitter and crestfallen. After all, I had caused this. 'I would rather not weep in front of others. Leave me here.’” This is a child on their first day of kindergarten being bitter and too proud to admit lol. I can see him so clearly, pouting and all.

“I had what I wanted, what I had always wanted. I had them. And I could now and then forget Gabrielle and forget Nicki, and even forget Marius and the blank staring face of Akasha, or the icy touch of her hand or the heat of her blood.” OH?

Thinking thoughts.

Thinking SO MANY thoughts.

I'm not sure you guys understand, actually.

I'm (not) fine.

Not only Lestat and Armand are potentially two BPD Scorpios, but NEURODIVERGENT too. Jfc. This would actually explain the chaos so much tbh.

This moment between them feels kind of weird and random, though? Like, I know that they can fight ugly, but I feel like I'm missing something with these accusations? Because the last time they saw each other they were in a good place?

I hope when I read Interview With the Vampire I'll find an answer for why Armand was pissed at him again?

Because, no, I don't think just "waiting for Lestat's love" is a good one. But... Whatever.

That's the only part of the book that has me feeling like maybe I'm missing something and should've started in the right order. But it's like this one thing at the end and didn't affect my comprehension of the book as whole, so I'll wait. It's just, like, this feels random and I'm confused???? But okay, I'm used to their insane dynamic now lol. We'll all live.

Ok, but what the actual hell is happening?

Is Lestat just insane or is Armand mind-controlling him or something lol

Oh?

Okay...

He basically said “I thought I was delusional. But if that were the case, Armand wouldn’t be the person I’d see. I was so weak, but managed to overpower him. But memory plays its tricks, so maybe I did imagine him. But I also knew he was there.”... Like, WHAT ARE YOU EVEN SAYING???????

Either way... OUCH! And I don't know what would hurt more.

Him being all alone and imagining/hallucinating ARMAND of all people.

Or Amand being there because, idk, as insane as they are and even Armand on his “villain era” I guess that might be better than being completely alone? Since loneliness is his chronic and biggest fear? Idk. Maybe I'm going just as insane as these vampires.

Like, obviously, if that's true those aren't sweet moments and they still emotionally hurt each other (and themselves in the process), but that's some level of care in a messed-up sick in the head vampire way?

Idk. I guess I'm just insane like they are.

"'Love me and the blood is yours,' he said. 'This blood that I have never given to another.' I felt his lips against my face. 'I can't deceive you,' I answered. 'I can't love you. What are you to me that I should love you? A dead thing that hungers for the power and the passion of others? The embodiment of thirst itself?' And in a moment of incalculable power, it was I who struck him and knocked him backwards and off the roof. Absolutely weightless he was, his figure dissolving into the gray night. But who was defeated? Who fell down and down again through the soft tree branches to the earth where he belonged? Back to the rags and filth beneath the old house. Who lay finally in the rubble, with hands and face against the cool soil? Yet memory plays its tricks. Maybe I imagined it, his last invitation, and the anguish after. The weeping. I do know that as the months passed he was out there again. I heard him from time to time just walking those old Garden District streets. And I wanted to call to him, to tell him that it was a lie I'd spoken to him, that I did love him. I did." OH?

Seriously...

WHAT THE HELL IS THEIR PROBLEM WHAT THE HELL IS THIS??

I would like to see Anne talking about whatever Lestat and Armand have going on because how do you even begin to explain it...

Like what was that crazy individual thinking when she wrote them?

I need to know.

I'm so stressed.

Immortality if dumbass vampires knew how to use their words:

These are literally fictional characters and they're ruining my life.

Season 3 can be so insufferable omg.

Btw, I LOVE the concept of one character hurting another and "winning a fight", when in reality they're just pretending and the two are actually losing. This is so intriguing. Congratulations, you're both idiots! Here, you won a tissue!

OH???????

IS THAT STILL HAPPENING?

WAIT.

WAIT MORE!

IS THAT THE OTHER THING?

“Lestat de Lioncourt In the year of his Resurrection 1984” HE’S SO UNSERIOUS EXTRA AND RIDICULOUS LMAO.

NOT HIM CALLING MUSIC VIDEOS VIDEO FILMS LMAO.

OMG IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?

LOUIS??????????? IS THAT YOU?????

Or maybe Gabrielle since he kept saying how he hadn't heard from her since their farewell but wanted to etc etc.

Or Marius.

Or Armand, but that's less likely?

Or Akasha because I know there's a certain moment coming, but I don't know if it's on TVL or QOTD...

...Or like a secret sixth thing.

But I hope it's Louis, I want to meet him so bad!

If that’s another dream/delusion/hallucination/piece of his imagination istfg!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m so invested, this CANNOT be for nothing!!!!!

fr Lestat describing people and stuff is somehow gayer than loving men, lmao.

Btw, is that really sooooo dramatic or does Lestat need to turn everything into a spectacle? Like, why does this feel like a big Hollywood movie scene?

“‘There’ll be time after,’ I answered. 'Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Nothing is going to happen. You’ll see.’” Can Anne Rice stop with the "five minutes before disaster" lines, please? Bruh is NOT subtle. Like AT ALL.

“And I had always loved him, hadn’t I, no matter what happened, and how strong could love grow if you had eternity to nourish it, and it took only these few moments in time to renew its momentum, its heat?” I NEED THIS TO BE SAID OUT LOUD ON THE SHOW SO BAD OMG???!!!!!!!!!!

I hope Sam Reid has been practicing this in front of a mirror since he was 14 just like he must've done it with the book's opening.

“‘Whatever happens, it will be worth it,’ I said. 'That is, if you and I, and Gabrielle, and Armand… and Marius are together even for a short while, it will be worth it. Suppose Pandora chooses to show herself. And Mael. And God only knows how many others. What if all the old ones come. It will be worth it, Louis. As for the rest, I don’t care.’” As I said before, this sounds like those dramatic child movies where a kid does the most over-the-top and probably dangerous thing ever just to get the attention of their relatives and bring their dysfunctional family together...

Maybe, deep down, Lestat is just a simple little boy who still wants a big family lol. It's not even just about having a father figure anymore, he wants big house full of people to love and hug. :((((

Or maybe he is just bored and wants chaos, lol.

Or both.

“I bowed my head. I laughed. I slipped my hands into the pockets of my pants the way mortal men did in this day and age, and I walked on through the grass.” Louis just made Lestat get shy like a teenage girl and I didn't know that was possible. Gotta respect him for that.

NOT LOUIS SAYING VIDEO FILMS TOO LMAO YOU’RE SO OLD AND LAME????

“Lestat, you think you understand,” this is literally them btw

Btw, now that I know New Orleans is "Armand's territory", maybe those interactions with Lestat were real? I need to check to see if there's info about the dates and if it adds up.

Lestat's concert lasting 3 hours. What a dream. Just some hard-working artist that really cares about his fans. Wow. Can musicians all over the world follow his example, please?

I'm glad he's having fun.

He's having WAY TOO MUCH FUN exposing himself like that lol.

Okay, so I think this rockstar thing made him even happier than the books or theater and that's cute.

I get him because the two best days of my life happened when I went to my favorite concerts.

“This little war of mine would put all those I loved in danger.” Congratulations for stating the absolute obvious, Lestat!

GABRIELLE!!!!!!!

Gabrielle is so done with her manchild of a son lol.

She has never been wrong, though.

Lestat, I love you, but you're exhausting.

I totally get Gabrielle wanting to run to the mountains, jungles, live among animals and not see another person again for so long. You're too high-energy and your parent is tired, Lestat.

Btw, their dynamic can be so funny, I hope the show explore that on season 3.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT ENDED LIKE THAT??????

I knew it would be a cliffhanger, but OMG???

Anywaysssss, that's a wrap on The Vampire Lestat. Mission finally accomplished! That was really fun, wohoo! x :) ^^

[nalyra-dreaming]

Heyyy

What are your thoughts on religious symbolism or just religion in general in the story? Cos I started reading the books and was really surprised by how much the characters GET INTO IT lmao it’s really present in the story in a way the show mostly shied away from after the first episode I think, other than a couple exceptions it was mostly not explicit except a few references to hell.

Sooo I’m pretty hyped seeing some crucifixion imagery in season 2, I suppose I makes sense that Louis would be having a religious reckoning after losing lestat, and Armand is a character really defined by his faith so it will be interesting to see how deep they go with it. What are you hoping to see?

Hey!

Yes, there is a LOT of religious symbolism in the books (Anne struggled all her life with it, and that is threaded through). Lestat (and others) has a rather complicated relationship to the divine. In Memnoch he literally encounters God, and drinks his blood. Lestat is often likened to Christ in the books, something the show has obviously picked up on. After his ordeal with Memnoch he is bound and raving mad before he quiets into a coma, in a chapel.

(Young Lestat wants to become a monk/priest, prays to be released from his abusive family, shivers at the vicious futility at the Witches' Place.)

We have other characters who come from a vastly different backgrounds, too, like Marius in pre-Christian Roman Empire, or in the extreme (in a way) Akasha and Enkil in ancient Egypt, building themselves up to (Blood) Gods. For example.

The show has given Armand a muslim background, Daniel might have yet another one, maybe jewish.

I do not actually think they're shying away from all that - but they are giving themselves time to reach the important points here... and, of course, season 1 being told by Louis, put the focus somewhere else, because Louis actually did not wish to think about all that too deeply. Or, better, address it.

Now Louis obviously believed ... enough. Enough to feel deeply and utterly tortured about it all. I think that is true for book and show, and the show has taken the book comment and made it literal:

"What would Christ need have done to make me follow Him like Matthew or Peter? Dress well, to begin with. And have a luxurious head of pampered yellow hair."

Louis goes and runs to church when all else fails, in desperation. He kills the priest there, in the book.

Louis... will lose his faith in god, or, maybe better, switch it over to Lestat as his god, book canonically. (And he struggles with this, for a long time):

"He leaned close to me, and he put his hand on my arm. “ ‘Wither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people’; and because I have no other god and never will, you shall be my god."

Armand has also spoken of "I serve a god", which might be a callback to the events surrounding Memnoch. And, as you say, he is deeply defined by his faith. It will be truly interesting to see where they go for it in the show - how they go for it.

Of course the image of Lestat as if on a cross is imbued with meaning.

Louis himself later mediates on the fact that he "hated Lestat for the wrong reasons", and that the feelings that Lestat arouse in him did not have "hatred among them".

Lestat has been murdered, for sins he did not commit(*).

(*)Of course there is plenty to say about that - and Lestat himself never blamed Claudia! - but that which they (ultimately, simplified) hated him for... was not his fault, not really. Vampirism never freed any of them, it simply could not, and Claudia didn't have a choice in any case... and eternity is a long time to build up emotions. Or hate. (Or forgiveness.)

And so Lestat as Christ on a cross... calls back to that, in Louis' imagination.

So what I hope to see... hmm.

I don't think they'll put Memnoch into the show. I think if anything then Memnoch or a Memnoch-like event has already happened.

I hope... that we will get to see the characters struggling with their faith - or lack of it. I hope that we will get to see Lestat destroy the Parisian coven and the satanic cult there. I hope that we will see Armand struggling to find something to hold onto (and find it!). I want Louis to free himself from the shackles of catholic guilt, whether they go book canon or not. I want Lestat to make his peace with the Witches' Place and the futility of it all, the "dark" moment. I hope that we will see characters reflect and mirror the perceived truths of faith - and destroy the preconceptions.

I want all that.

I hope for all that :)

We'll see if they dare, but... I'm carefully hopeful^^.

Oh yes, and at the end... I want them to find their peace in their own religion, as in the books... their "Blood Communion".

[devourcr]

christmas / religious headcanons

while catholicism was never forced on him, it surrounded him in nearly every aspect of venetian culture. in the early days, he struggled because of his faith. the muslims in venice weren't exactly in his circle and there were no mosques, so he'd feel incredibly severed from his faith.

he absolutely had his fair share of religious crises.

what he does have, however, are people he cares about who were most likely catholic. the household wasn't religious, but i do imagine many of the boys still were incredibly so. after all, they called a priest when he was dying. i can imagine that riccardo and bianca both had their own traditions and religious leanings, and armand would have followed their lead ( respectively ) with interest.

when he looked past the doctrine, i think he'd have found beauty in the religion, beauty in the art, in the churches, in the celebrations. and that's throughout the year, but when we get to christmas time, i think it would have become a time of year that he loved and respected.

at least until the children of darkness, then there's none of that for over 200 years.

i feel like there was probably a revival in his interest in 20th century paris ( for his book verse, much earlier ). but even still, it's just taking note of the season, of the decorations, of the traditions, particularly how the holiday has evolved from what he knew in renaissance italy.

in modern day, i feel like armand does a lot of soul searching. he's someone who considers himself to be of multiple cultures and where religion is concerned, he's in a constant state of questioning, what does he believe, what is allowed for him as a vampire, etc, etc. so while he does try to embrace what was taken from him, it also doesn't mean that he strictly follows holidays when it comes to islam or christianity.

in december, if he's with others who celebrate christmas, he's very interested in their traditions and wants to be a part of it.

if you want to make him a part of the celebration, he'll also be fucking heart eyes about it. he enjoys the lights and the decorations, and it's the one time of year he doesn't mind the chilly weather.

[nicklloydnow]

“At first, after all I had just been through, there was something very comforting about the peace and silence of the place, despite the wretched food, and the almoner's trousers, and the lack of freedom, and the harsh exploitation that I was already beginning to suspect . . . I made little attempt to reason things out. I just wanted to pray. Remorse for my past behaviour or, rather, the feeling of exhaustion it had left me with, had aroused a fervent longing for repentance and forgiveness. Several times I made my confession to the almoner, yet though my intentions were quite sincere, when I thought of having to mend his filthy trousers, I couldn't help having the most irreverent and ridiculous ideas... He was a funny character, this almoner, round as a barrel, very red in the face, rather coarse in speech and manners, and smelling like an old sheep. He used to ask me the strangest questions, especially about the kind of books I liked reading.

'Armand Silvestre? Well, yes . . . I suppose so . . . Pretty smutty of course . . . I wouldn't exactly swop him for the Imitation of Christ . . . Still, he's not dangerous . . . What you mustn't read are blasphemous books . . . books against religion . . . Voltaire, for example. Never read Voltaire—that would be a mortal sin—nor Renan, nor Anatole France either . . . They are the kind of writers that are really dangerous.’

‘What about Paul Bourget, Father?’

'Bourget? Well, he's certainly turned over a new leaf . . . I wouldn't say no, I wouldn't say no. But he's not a genuine Catholic, not yet at least . . . He's still very muddled . . . He seems to me, this Bourget, rather like a wash-basin . . . Yes, that's it . . . a wash-basin that all sorts of people have been washing in, where you're apt to find olives from Mount Calvary floating about amongst bits of soap and hair . . . It would be better to wait a bit . . . And Huysmans? Well, he’s a bit steep . . . Still, he’s quite orthodox.’

Another time he said to me: ‘Yes, I see . . . So you commit sins of the flesh. Well, that's certainly not right. Indeed, it's very wicked of you . . . Still, if you've got to sin, it's better you should do so with your employers—provided, of course, they're really religious people—than by yourself or with people of your own station in life. Sins of that kind aren't so serious . . . they don't upset God so much. Besides, people like that may very well have a dispensation . . . they often do, you know."

But directly I mentioned the names of Monsieur Xavier and his father, he cut me short:

‘Oh, no names, no names. I must ask you never to mention anybody by name . . . After all I am not a policeman. Besides, these people you refer to are rich and respectable, and extremely devout. By naming them, it is you who are committing a sin, because it means that you are rebelling against morality and against society.’

These ridiculous discussions, and especially the nagging all too human memory of his trousers, which I simply couldn't get out of my mind, considerably damped down my religious enthusiasm and longing for forgiveness. The work I had to do also got on my nerves. It made me feel a nostalgia for my proper job. I longed to escape from this prison, and to return to the intimacies of the boudoir. I yearned for cupboards full of perfumed underclothes, for wardrobes filled with taffetas and satins, for the soft feel of velvet and the sight of white bodies, relaxing in luxurious baths and half hidden by the soapy water. I missed all the gossip of the servants' hall, all the unexpected adventures that lie in wait in every bedroom, on every staircase . . . It's strange, because, when I am actually in a situation, such things disgust me, yet, as soon as I'm out of work, I miss them . . . And another thing—I was absolutely fed up with the jam we'd been getting for the last week . . . always the same, made of overripe gooseberries, simply because the Sisters had managed to buy a cheap lot at the Levallois market . . . Anything that could be saved from the garbage pail was good enough for us.

But what was really the last straw, was the quite obvious and shameless way they exploited us. It was such a perfectly simple trick that they scarcely bothered to conceal it. The only girls they found places for were those they themselves could no longer make use of. As long as it was possible to make any kind of profit out of them, by taking advantage of their talents, or strength, or lack of experience, they kept them prisoners. As the height of Christian charity, they had discovered a way of getting servants to work for them who would pay for the privilege of doing so, while at the same time robbing them, quite remorselessly and with incredible cynicism, of the modest resources they had managed to put by, having already made a profit out of their work . . .

I complained, feebly at first but later on more emphatically, that I had never once been summoned to the convent parlour. But to all my complaints these holy hypocrites merely replied:

'Have patience, dear child. We have you in mind for a very special situation, and we intend to tind it for you. We know just what would suit you, but so far nothing has turned up . . . not what we would like for you . . . not what you deserve.'

Days and weeks went by, yet still none of the situations were good enough, 'special' enough for me . . . And all the while my debt to them was increasing.

Although there was a nun in charge of the dormitory, the things that went on there night after night were enough to make your hair stand on end. As soon as the sister had finished her rounds, and everybody was pretending to be asleep, white shadows would suddenly appear on all sides, gliding from cubicle to cubicle and disappearing behind curtains, and the whole room would be flled with the sound of stifled kisses, cries, bursts of laughter and whispering. My companions were completely unrestrained. In the dim, flickering light of the lamp that hung from the ceiling in the middle of the dormitory, many a time I witnessed scenes of the wildest, saddest depravity . . . And all these holy nuns did was simply to close their eyes and ears, so that they should neither hear nor see what was going on. Anxious to avoid any scandal—for they would have been obliged to dismiss anyone caught in the act—they put up with these abominations by pretending to ignore them . . . And all the time my debt to them was increasing . . . “ - Octave Mirbeau, ‘The Diary of a Chambermaid’ (1900) [p. 207 - 210]

[emeraldracer]

It will be kind of a personal post, and I contemplated if I should write this, but it bounces in my head for some time now, and maybe it'll be relatable to some people. I value fiction in my life a lot, as probably any person who went through some shit in their childhood and found a shelter in stories. I also learned to overcome difficult things through looking at characters with a similar experience. That's why the rejection of so called problematic hits me so hard.

Armand's relationship with Marius is a goldmine of therapeutic stuff for people like me. I do empathize with Armand in general, but Marius as a figure who's done him plenty of harm however still was loved by Anne and is loved by Armand is what I dig in often.

Maker/fledgling dynamic mixes a lot together as it is (the show is actually very good at exploring this), but with these two it's done to the extremes. I don't see it as a bad thing personally, because I'm in the category of people who were emotionally abandoned by their parents and have issues with not seeking the parental type of love from their partners. Hence plenty of consequences that it entails. You look for someone older who very possibly will abuse your trust. You struggle with responsibilities in a relationship. You don't have boundaries. What Anne did by sticking roles of a parent and a partner to one person can be quite helpful to understand the pattern. There's a lot of bitterness on top of it all that I do recognize: the addiction and the doubt on Armand's part, particularly when they talk religion. You depend on what they give you, you let them scramble your brain on the regular.

Why I think Marius still being lovable to the characters is meaningful? The most realistic thing about this is that people continue to have feelings for their shitty parents and crave the warmth they didn't receive.

"Master, I love you, but now I must be alone," I said. "You don't need me now, do you, Sir? How can you? You never really did."

Usually the family, if they aren't complete assholes, will still have people that respect them, too. I appreciate that Anne wrote Marius ignorant and not purely evil, because it's the most common thing to be harmed by ignorance. I've said it before and I'll repeat it many times later, I'm sure.

I love the church dialog in the beginning of TVA (the quote above), because Armand there is contemplative and tries to distance himself from Marius, despite being emotionally wrecked. Comparing to how mindlessly needy he was in Venice it's a progress. He grew, he knows how to say no, even if I would like it to be firmer.

The answer to why they are talking at all is quite obvious to me, too. Fandom wrote a lot about how being eternal might affect the desire to mend things even with those who caused you grief. But again, people choose to do it with parents all the time.

And (!) by QotD Armand chooses his partners quite differently: from Lestat - a Marius's carbon copy, to Daniel with a completely different dynamic. The fact it can be seen as a reversed thing is a separate conversation, though.

I totally believe these plotlines go beyond bedroom scenes and fetishizing and magnetize the faulty nature of such a thing. As an afterthought, another similar line Anne did is Lestat having a thing for Gabrielle. And I know we like to laugh about it, but it's not a leap of imagination to compare this to infantile boys who cling to their mothers and expect their girlfriends to give them the same treatment. The fact he is forced to let Gabrielle go is a perfect conclusion to this, if you ask me.

[danlous]

church anon here I’m really glad you’ve found a faith you can believe in because like you said western Christianity can be pretty bad in some ways! im surprised ur surprised (i think) other Christians watch the show though, its always struck me as deeply Christian — Louis’ struggles w his sexuality, faith, and murderous needs are really Christian to me, so is Lestat’s aggressive casting off his fate when he realized no god would save him from the cruelty of men, even Armands ascetic dedication to meaning all seem to me like extremely textbook Christian struggles. Like maybe I’m biased, but I’ve always seen faith at the center of the show, and I see a lot of the characters struggles are fundamentally about questioning faith, doubt, exhaustion, the search for meaning, the search for absolution, the repeated question of if one sin is enough to damn one’s soul (I know Louis mentions it verbatim, but even before that it seems to me he’s struggling with it, because he feels he damned his soul when he chose Lestat), and even Lestat’s aggressive desire to enjoy himself after being forced out of the seminary and getting beaten up feels like a hedonistic impulse in response to deep anger at the emptiness of faith. idk it’s always just struck me as a deeply Christian show, maybe not necessarily pro or anti Christianity, but deeply linked to the struggle that comes with a demanding faith that has a big focus on sin, meaning, and pleasure. and have fun at church I’m looking forward to it too <3

This is really well-put i agree that the show (and of course the original books with Rice being catholic iirc) has strong Christian themes! And themes of religion and faith in general for example with show Armand being a muslim. I think i was surprised because in my country most people who identify as believing Christians that i've met are conservative and wouldn't want to watch a show with homosexuality and supernatural horror etc. But i've learned those are only one type of Christians and probably a minority! And this show is so full of deeply resonant themes i'm happy that people of all kinds of backgrounds have found it

[inexplicablepeas]

Pandora Thoughts

So I finally read Pandora for the first time (first new to me book in the series since I started re-reading). I'm just gonna ignore that whole "New Tales of the Vampires" thing as it fully just seems like one of the Vampire Chronicles.

Thoughts below the cut!

From the off I liked Pandora's voice, she's sardonic and playful as well as having a commanding and in control presence. She's a good character to spend some time with and I was veeery interested to get her perspective on things. She's quite romantic and poetic like Armand but she doesn't take herself quite so seriously and there's some humor and light moments to enjoy as well, which was kind of a surprise, with her only previous POV chapter being her searching for Marius in QOTD at Azim's temple and fairly serious and angsty, given the circumstances.

One thing I noticed is that she seems a lot less vain that a lot of Anne Rice's other POV vampires, she seems to be quite happy to give us unflattering details, like when she has to dress herself without any help as a Roman upper-class woman for the first time in Antioch and she picks clothes that are awkward and unintentionally revealing and makes a total mess of her hair and makeup. She could have just as easily left that out but she'd rather poke fun at herself. You get the feeling that she'd be fun to hang out with (when she's not catatonic)!

Her early life is interesting and entertainingly told. We zoom through her account of her childhood through two divorces (she has nothing to say about her mortal husbands lol), by her 30s she's living as kind of a weird spinster with her beloved old dad. In the early sections there's few little moments of Marius here and there (and they're great, pretending to be bear like a total dork etc.) but nothing substantial until we get to the real action in the second half of the book, after her father's death and her fleeing Rome for Antioch where she finds Marius again. Even though I'm always dying to get-to-the-vampires-already in these life-story style chronicles the details of her early life do add a lot to her characterization. You get the impression of a sharp and passionate young woman who chafes under the patriarchal Roman social strictures but who tries her best to live up to cultural expectations for her dad's sake. After her dad dies, despite her considerable grief, she knows freedom for the first time in her life and she's just coming to fully embrace that when vampires happen.

When we do get into the proper plot of the book (her being lured by Akasha into a perilous situation that will culminate in Marius turning her to prevent her death) it does feel a little rushed. When we finally get to the bit we're interested in (her life as a vampire with Marius for 200 years and what she did after he left) there's only 3 chapters left, and it's a short book, so these are short chapters! I did absolutely love getting more details on her life with Marius, chapter 10 in particular gets into the nitty-gritty of how they both came to terms with and understood her turning and as well as being juicy in those terms it's also quite a love letter to Marius at times. It's good to get the details that Marius will never tell you and to get her perspective on what went wrong in their relationship, which is a bit more in depth and revealing than the version we get in Blood and Gold (well I did read them out of order so I suppose you're meant to have those details already). We get a bit more specific on things that Marius only hints at in his account (how extreme Marius' fear of emotion was, how overbearing and insulting he was to Pandora and the role that fundamentally different perspectives on religion played in their disagreements) and things that he omits entirely (like Flavius' existence and turning).

There are things I had hoped would be covered but that we get little to no new details on, I'm realizing that expecting something in particular when you start an Anne Rice novel is a fools game. In this case I was really curious to learn more about her relationship with Arjun, it seems to be very complicated in Blood and Gold, and well… OK, so in one of the last chapters (I think the last one) Pandora does briefly address their relationship. She doesn't refer to him by name (only as 'the Asian' =/, yeah, it's gross) and simply says she never cared about him. A bit disappointing, I suppose Anne likely had character-based reasons for this (maybe they had a nasty break up) but I would have liked to have known more about how they met and that period they spent traveling around Europe in a Disney villain ostentatious black carriage that carried their sleeping forms by day. I'm kinda curious! I'm also suspicious of her account of their relationship, that he almost held her captive, because she's an extremely strong and (as we come to know in her account) willful vampire and I wonder if she's giving the version of their relationship that she's knows Marius would prefer, with her as a damsel in distress. On the other hand I also wonder if being abandoned by Marius all those years ago had a lasting effect of making her less willing to assert herself in romantic relationships, feeling that her assertiveness was the quality she was abandoned for… I want answers damnit!

Anyway, getting back to the point, the ending did feel a little rushed for me, and guys, I can't help but roll my eyes when we get "I must go to Lestat" - practically mandatory for a non-Lestat POV character to end their narrative with something like that, right? 😅 I like Lestat but not half as much as Anne Rice or her vampires. I'd like to see them ignore what he's up to and just get on with their own lives sometimes. Behind her plan to go to Lestat though is her desire to reunite with Marius, evidently in recalling past events she's become nostalgic for what they had and wants to give it another go maybe! I guess they have a lot of arguing to do about the nature of Lestat's religious experiences! So it does tie in with her narrative but I can't help but have that "give me a break" reaction when she says that. Overall it's a great, zippy little read (could be longer!) that fleshes out Pandora's character and gives some great insight on Marius and their relationship.

I've got Tale of the Body Thief next (because I will insist in reading these books in a stupid order) which is also new for me! Exciting!

[hekateinhell]

“They promised, and atm they're getting hammered at Lestat's house (Gabrielle isn't around) and discussing Armand's virginity.” Here, my firstborn 🤱 LOVE everything about this insane premise that makes perfect sense. Those two imbeciles getting hammered and talking about sex and trying to FaceTime Louis while he’s having dinner at some high end restaurant with his conservative family in New Orleans. Louis starts panicking when he hears them slur the words “dare”, “tattoos”, “prove our love to you” and has to excuse himself from the table. As for the tattoo themselves, I’m on board with the initials but perhaps they’d want to get something that reminded them of Louis? And then have Louis see what they chose and based on his reaction, pick the winner. No idea what those things could be though, only wet cats come to mind 😞 “And then they bond and double-team Armand.” The only natural conclusion of course. Armand will go on and save the lives of 10 patients on a single night after that experience. “I think about them in canon a lot too, I feel like there's a fair bit of Lestat's personality mirrored in Daniel”, yesss and I’ve always thought he was probably amused and secretly proud of Armand for having found himself a mini-brat prince for a boyfriend. Lestat/Daniel the unsung brotp of VC 🤜🤛

I just woke up and realize I left off where Louis's FaceTiming them back like, "I'm glad you two are getting along, I guess?" Which I feel was also the energy in the RoA phone call scene (Louis out there doing his best to make his two guys get along <3).

"Wet cat" sent me! 😭 I think I have a decent tattoo idea now though, it's been a very productive Sunday already.

Irrelevant side note: I think of Loustat as Pepe Le Pew (Lestat) and the little cat that keeps trying to get away from him (Louis). Nobody @ me, you know I'm right.

Daniel and Lestat are simply doing what they have to maximize their hospital's life-saving efficiency. Now more than ever, since we've decided Armand's a ✨trauma✨ surgeon. Stress level = unmatched.

You know, it's funny because I once got an ask to the effect of "How do you think Armand would feel if Lestat drank from Daniel, since he never drank from Armand?" and my answer was, "He'd probably be proud and a little happy some part of him is inside Lestat." 😌

But on a more serious note... I always thought one of the many reason Daniel appealed to Armand was because he reminded Armand of himself as a mortal. And I also always thought human Armand and Lestat would've gotten along so well because aside from their personalities, they have so stuff in common regarding their early life experiences (religion, abuse, etc.).

Daniel, the Mini Brat Prince though. DA, please... I'm shaking. 🥹💕 (I can never forget it's actually Lestat who wrote Devil's Minion in-universe. Makes it that much better).