#i just want a vampire lestat that i can have the same attachment to as creeper

[mysewingadventures]

Making the ✨Lioncourt Gown✨ (Part 4/4)

It's been such a fun project working on the Lioncourt Gown (aka Interview with the Vampire's Lestat de Lioncourt's theater costume -

made into a 1790s women's redingote) and I can finally say that I have finished it. It's done, and I love it. It didn't turn out exactly how I'd planned, but that's how it is with me and sewing. I admire anyone who can just stick to their original plan haha but that person is not me. Usually, when sewing I don't think too far ahead, I just do it until I hit a point where something just isn't working out and have to find a way around it. I'm also self-taught, so my workarounds may not be standard procedures when you actually know what you're doing. But I'm still really, really happy with it, and I did a little photo shoot as soon as it was done.

But anyways, here's the final part of this project.

In my last post, we left off with the still detached but finished collar/yoke and the finished bodice. I attached the yoke to the bodice, and then went on to make the final piece - the outer skirt.

For that, I essentially did the same thing I did with the bodice and the sleeves. I attached the colored satin triangles and stitched them down with the tape. Here is a picture just before I attached the tape:

This process is very time consuming and I had severely underestimated it. I did end up finishing it in a day, but it was the only thing I did that day. You have to stitch super close to the edge or the satin is going to fray and stick out and it's not a pretty look. It did end up happening in a few places, so I had to take the stitches out and redo them. But when that was done, I added red tape to the raw edges of the fabric and finished the skirt.

Then finally, it was time to attach the skirt to the bodice. For that, I gathered it with a quick basting stitch to bring it to the needed width and then had to hand stitch it in place, making sure I was attaching it only to the lining layer so the stitches wouldn't be visible from the right side.

Once that was done, it was time for the first complete try on! For one, I was really excited to see it as a basically completed project, but more importantly, I needed to know where to put the buttons. So I put on all my layers for this (shift, stays, bumroll, two petticoats, the skirt, and the bodice with the outer skirt), and realized... it was a bit smaller than anticipated. It fit, but I'd planned to make it double-breasted and the front panels didn't overlap quite enough to make two button rows possible while keeping them centered. So I ended up deciding in that moment I was only going to do one row of buttons. The original only has one row, so it was fine either way. But while on the topic of buttons, another thing: I'd mentioned in a previous post that I wasn't sure whether to add buttonholes or to fake the closure with hooks and eyes, and I decided to do neither. I was way too scared of the satin fraying if I did button holes and the whole hook and eye system is pretty annoying to do, and since I'm only really gonna wear it once or twice a year I decided to just use some red pins to pin myself into the dress for the day. This protects the satin from fraying and is less work for me. It doesn't look super professional though and while historically accurate for some dresses in the 18th century (some even used to sew themselves, or have someone sew them into their dresses), it was not used on redingotes (as far as I'm aware) for practicality reasons. Redingotes are essentially riding coats and were used primarily outdoors, so buttons was the most common way to close up these types of garments. Still, I did not want to risk ruining the fabric, so I decided to do it this way.

So once I'd figured out where to place the buttons, I sewed them into place. On a side note, I do love the way they look. They're so pretty.

I added four in the front, two on each sleeve and four in the back.

So this is it. It's done.

This was, mostly due to the color details, the most time time-consuming and frankly expensive project I've ever worked on (well, maybe except for my very first dress as I still didn't know what I was doing back then - that one took me literal months hah). But it was so worth it. It's been in my bedroom for a few days now and I smile every time I see it. I still can't believe it's in my possession.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |

[chaotic-multi-fandom]

WHERE DOES IT START? ARUN, AMADEO, ARMAND

- My personal reflections on Armand's names in Interview with the Vampire (show version)

“Who am I Louis?” Armand asks while staring at a painting of a boy that only he would ever be able to recognize as himself. He stares at what is supposed to be his essence captured forever on a canvas, and yet the kneeling boy is a stranger to him. When he asks Louis this, he is earnest. Armand does not know who he is, and this lack of identity crushes and torments him. Armand seems to constantly define himself by his attachment to other people or things, such as a “servant”, as “the job (he) did not want” or as someone’s “companion” because he has never known anything else, he is never just “Armand;” he does not know who that is.

This is further reflected in his names, and the fact that despite having several none belong to him. First there’s Arun. This is supposedly the name he was born with, but even he is not sure of this due to his memory being clouded as a consequence all the horrors he suffered as a child. This name is not his, it is a name so linked to the abuse he endured that it has become the name of said abuse rather than the name of a person. His use of third person when talking about himself as “Arun” signals both a coping mechanism to distance himself from those experiences as well as the disconnect he feels from the identity attached to the name.

Then, there’s Amadeo. A name given to him by Marius, not only linking him directly with his maker and master but with God and worship, the name meaning “lover of god”. This name is also not his, but rather a projection of what Marius saw or expected in Armand. This is what we see in the painting, an ideal: a submissive, worshipful, whitewashed Armand degraded to kneel at the same level as the dog behind him, “basking in (his) worshipful mercy.” Regardless of how Armand did embody this role of worship and servitude during his time with Marius, that painting is not him, it is the fantasized construct that is Amadeo, who doesn’t really exist. When you think about it, Amadeo being a projection of those around him is not entirely different to “dreamstat” being a projection of Louis. This is of course largely my own interpretation and not fact, but I think anyone can agree that who is being portrayed in that painting is Armand only in name. It is simply another example of his body being used for a purpose, an artistic one in this case, his true essence and even features entirely forgotten and replaced by Amadeo’s. So, that name and the identity attached to it wasn’t entirely Armand’s either. Much like “Arun” being tied to his parents abandon and the brothel, Amadeo is trapped in the painting: just another property to be “sold” or “donated;” what Armand has always been treated as.

Finally, there is the name we call him by now: Armand. A name given to him by the Roman coven before sending him to the Paris coven, a collective that he is now supposed to lead and put before himself as an individual. It is a French name, a place he had no connection to before-hand and that only further distances him from who he might have once been, forcing him to adapt and assimilate into the new role he has been chained to. The name is a role in itself, as it means “soldier.” Furthermore, he is not a simple leader to this coven, he is the somewhat paternal and religious figure through which the coven; his “children,” serve Satan and through him, God. He is part of a “murky trinity” as Lestat calls it, a twisted parody of the holy trinity. So, “Armand” is once again much more than a name; it is another projection the lost and abandoned coven latches onto. Of course, they mostly refer to him as “maitre,” the implications of which I’ve already discussed in a different post. In this case, the dual titles “Armand” and “Maitre” are parallel to “Amadeo,” they both link Armand to the concepts of owner and God, except the roles change from being the owned worshiper to the worshiped owner. It remains someone else’s image, someone else’s name, one that prevents Armand from exploring who he is without it.

Armand does not have a name; how can he know who he is?

Even now he seeks the answer in Louis where he will not find it. There are, however, moments in which this seemed to be challenged. For example, shortly after meeting, Armand asks Louis to address him as such instead of “maitre” as his coven does. It is a moment in which he takes agency over what he wants to be called, a privilege he has never had before. Later, Louis calls him Arun as a way to indicate that he can see the person that lies behind the roles he plays, and that he can be himself around Louis. Yet these moments are still tainted. The name Armand does not reflect who he is, and in the conversation with Louis, Armand falls into his old patterns by addressing Louis as “maitre.” Plus, Louis too will go on to misuse this, but that’s a whole other topic. These instances, though revealing a more loving and honest side to Louis’ and Armand’s relationship in which they allow themselves to be open, they can not give Armand a sense of self. No one but himself can, and yet he doesn’t know how that is. It is a tragic never-ending paradox as immortal as he.

[dxxtruction]

Louis' "You're boring!" Could mean so many things, but I think what's most apparent about that line is that Armand takes no initiative just for himself. He's not really anybody, because he never goes out and finds himself or gets attached to anyone but Louis. Without Louis as his guide he's literally just sitting on a couch picking lint! That's the thing.

He orbits constantly around what would make Louis happy, and never really fully going what would make me happy? Ultimately that drive to please Louis is what drives him to torturing Daniel, not so much that he'd care to just do it. Ultimately, not giving proper care to Louis is just a way to make sure Louis knows he has to orbit around him as well, with shoving Lestat onto him just that other nail on the coffin. So, even if he fails to figure out how to make Louis happy with him, he still knows what Armand is good for, and better than.

That dependency is what drives Armand's abuse. It really just comes down to that. Armand doesn't even realize how suffocated he is by his own dependency. This is just how life is to him. (It shouldn't be lost either that dependency is a theme considering this episode also deals with addiction).

Daniel's fascinating because he's just so driven to be somebody. He's largely independent, he seeks things because he wants them. It's his drug to poke and prod at all the things that he shouldn't. Daniel's exciting because he lets Louis in to something different, lets him in to all this potential in another person that he can also do the same with for himself. It's a real connection. A two way street. It's easy to tell how Armand can be smothering then because he's never introducing him to anything really new, and most the ways both of them connect are all painful and traumatic. It's never just fun because there's always that layer of that pain. Fun died with Claudia.

50 years on they've gotten to a lot better place, both of them, but it's still that same shit. No seriously, "How is this any different from last time, Louis?"

Well... Because Armand's going to be, at the very least, making one [1] decision only for himself - and that's to hold power over Daniel's life. Fucking sick foreshadowing.

They aren't driving each other to the brink anymore but "The vampire is bored" STILL. Maybe it's even worse, despite being in better places, because Louis' sort of just been defeated by it. (I mean, can he even really leave this either?). He's accepting the dependancy cause he kind of has to. He'd literally ended up letting all the enjoyment be up where he can't reach [The book shelves]. Armand so desperately wants Louis happiness but what really ends up happening is that Louis ends up having to give Armand all his own. He's got no one or anything else to get it from. But like an iPad and an over the top eating ritual. Two extremes of what's just more lint picking.

This whole relationship is one I find just tragic inside and out. You have to just pity it, really. There's ways in which you can find yourself feeling bad for both of them. But you can only really be mad at Armand for any of it. Armand, who isn't even 'free' in any sense, having so little concept of his own independence, but is at the same time so controlling over other's. It's a tragic cycle. It's an infuriating one.

Louis at least has the mind to know when enough is enough. If just needing that extra push to get there. Armand's too scared of it being over to even try.

[adamnablelittledevil]

Only Blood Communion and Interview With the Vampire to go now. I'll make more elaborated posts about my thoughts once I'm done with everything, but here are some of my opinions:

TVA is absolutely my favorite (I've said it before and will say it again: the most purifying cry I had in my life, it destroyed and restored me in the best possible way), TVL, TQOTD and Prince Lestat are also on my top 4, though I don't know where to place the latter on my personal ranking. The others are sort of tied and the order changes according to specific aspects. Like, Blood and Gold covers a lot of eras and places of the world, has multiple interesting characters, so it's fun in the sense there's a lot of stuff to see, even if I'm not a Marius's fan and he isn't the best narrator imo. On the other hand, something like Merrick is more packed, just her, Louis and David (and some Lestat), but I just love her as a character and the whole story of her family. I can't really choose.

Memnoch would be the last because it was the one I struggled with (tho I loved Armand on it), I thought the concept was great and I could've loved it with a more active, intense and eventful execution. Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis is second-to-last because most of the plot was dumb to me, the part that made sense was solved in an unconvincing way, I had to do a lot of suspending disbelief even for a supernatural/sci-fi story... But it was nice to have so many characters I love reunited, even if some didn't have lines, it's nice to know they're around and I enjoy the vampires having sort of a healthy little community.

Favorite character is definitely Armand, then Lestat, then Pandora, Maharet, Mekare, Flavius, Merrick, Bianca, Gabrielle, Mona, Benji, Avicus and Petronia (they didn't appear much and did awful brutal stuff, yes, but having an intersex/gender-fluid character was great and they had so much baggage I could empathize with them). Most after Armand and Lestat are tied. I don't know if I'd call Benedict a fave, but I'm somewhat attached to him (and I KNOW about those spoilers). I LOVE Vittorio and Ursula too and I hope they can appear in some shape or form on the show. I don't looooove Antoine, but he's alright to me. He just seems to be a poor/broke dude who wants to live, have friends and dedicate his existence to his hyperfixations and I can relate because same lol. I get him.

Favorite pairings (either as an OTP or brotp): Lesmand (👑👑👑), Pandora and Flavius (👑👑), Maharet and Mekare (👑, they just don't get more crowns because they don't appear as much as I wanted 😔), Armand and Benji and Sybelle (as duos and a trio), Armand and Riccardo, Armand and Bianca (pretty much Armand and everyone that isn't Marius lol), Lestat and Mona (their childish siblings-coded beef entertains me), Maharet and Jesse and Vittorio and Ursula (👑👑). I wish I had seen more of some characters/dynamics, tho.

MAYBE I could tolerate Marius and even love Magnus (he seems to have a sad and interesting story) if all I'd seen of them had been the content of the last trilogy, but given the previous books, I'm not sure I can enjoy Anne's decisions. I have a lot of mixed feelings about Magnus apologizing and Marius's behavior not even being seen as something to apologize for in the first place, but that's for another post.

Some of the books I would've been able to read and love with or without the show, some I only read to get information, but I'm mostly glad I'm equipped with so much of the lore now. That's not to say there aren't problematic things even for the genre that I need to compartmentalize and ignore (to some extent and not completely) for my enjoyment, because there is a lot of that, but it hasn't been a waste of time. And I'm glad I know what can happen in the future, make silly little fancasts and have events to look forward to seeing on the series. Obviously, opinions can change with the next books, when I re-read the novels or even with conversations and discussions... And that makes me excited as well.

[notgilderoylockhart]

The Wolfkiller Cloak

So I have this thing where sometimes I see something on screen and my brain just short-circuits. It scratches my brain just right, I need to have this, I need to make this. And that’s what happened in nearly every episode of Interview with the Vampire, but especially in season 2 episode 3 “No Pain”. 

This cloak has seared itself into my brain. The soft shine, the drape, the movement of the fabric (as Lestat is dragged across the floor and smashed against the wall) had bewitched me, body and mind. So I went out researching and decided to make one for myself, based on this pattern for a hooded cloak.

The fabric I used was stretchy velvet (for budget reasons, 6m) and a black lining fabric with a small diamond print (for fun, 4m). The pattern I used doesn't include a lining and I did think about leaving it out but in the behind the scenes footage (and when Armand smashes him against the wall, thank you for that) you could clearly see that there clearly is a dark lining on the inside of the cloak and my brain decided leaving it out just wasn't an option. So I just cut out the front and back piece twice, one velvet and one lining.

It might be 35°C and sunny outside, but you gotta press those seams. At least for the lining fabric. Then we can pin the lining to the the velvet, sew them together at the collar and start hemming the sides. Be warned. It's a lot of fabric, so you're gonna need a lot of space. I would also recommend (if you're using a stretchy fabric like me) to pin and, if you're able, even sew the hems while it's hanging on a hanger. Yes, I handstitched the sides and bottom hem. Ever since I started looking into historical reconstructions, I have kind of fallen in love with the lack of visible seams. Not to mention that hand stitching has also become something of a favorite pastime of mine while rewatching IWTV.

Now I shortened it, which was quite hard to do simply because it's so much fabric and I don't have a mannequin. So I hung it up, pinned where I wanted to cut it, tried it on, took a video, so I could see the where the cut would be and went from there. Took me a few tries, but I'm quite happy with how it turned out.

Now that that's done, we can attach the shorter layer and the hood. My biggest issue was finding some fur, but lucky for me, I was cat-sitting for my downstairs neighbor who has been working as a theater seamstress for 40 year and who was out of town for the weekend, visiting her son who, unbeknownst to me, also worked for a big theater company. And both of them had made it their personal mission to find me some faux fur. And they did. This incredible faux fur was everything I wanted it to be. A wolf-gray with a red shimmer and some darker spots. I was over the moon.

And it was totally worth coughing up hairballs for the rest of the evening. In the original pattern there actually is a hood lining, but I just replaced that with the fur. I would absolutely recommend stitching the fur and the hood together, as the pattern instructions say. Do as I say, not as I do.

The other issue I had was the fur on the hood. I had ordered a faux fur hood attachment for a winter jacket, but the look and the feel just wasn't the same. So I went on ebay, as I so often do late at night, and kind of hit the jackpot. A fox fur stole, not one person bidding on it, 3 days left to go. Yup, I got it. 30 bucks plus shipping.

I mean, come on. What a difference.

The last issue, the final problem so to speak, was the fact that there was a big border of velvet on the inside of the cloak. Now I tried attaching a long piece of velvet fabric, but it just wouldn't sit right and after the 3rd time attaching and reattaching and getting increasingly frustrated I simply took the easy way out. I cut out a triangular piece of velvet and attached it right where the cloak would open. Sue me.

And there you have it.

And because it's summer rn and I don't have the energy to head outside at night to take some actual pics, I decided to whip something up in photoshop.

[cottagecoreloreee]

Rating: M

Pairing: Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac, Daniel Molloy/Arman (Background), Daniel Molloy & Louis de Pointe du Lac

Tags: Rockstar Lestat, Mutual Pining, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Flashbacks, Drug Use, Biting, Blood Drinking, Drama, Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, Anal Sex, Jealousy, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Sex, Bottom Louis de Pointe du Lac, Top Lestat de Lioncourt, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, Friends to Lovers, Post-Episode: s02e08 And That's The End of It. There's Nothing Else (Interview with the Vampire TV) Summary:

After the hurricane, Louis and Lestat's relationship became strained. With Lestat's newfound fame as a rockstar, he became an unavoidable presence in Louis' life. It might have been easier to ignore him if every song Lestat wrote wasn’t about Louis, and if Daniel hadn’t kept calling to complain about the interview for the sequel named after the band--The Vampire Lestat. When Daniel asked Louis to come and get Lestat to talk, Louis refused—until Lestat started calling him himself.

"We can be just friends," Lestat said.

Louis promised himself he’d keep Lestat at arm’s length. It would be easier if he weren’t in love with him.

-----snippet-----

It was longing that persuaded me to offer Lestat my hand, that had me bring Lestat to one of the apartments I owned in the Quarter as an investment. Our history was reason enough–I couldn’t leave him to the wreckage, though I knew he could save himself from the hurricane. I suspect my arrival had been no surprise to him. For the first time in decades, the cord that attached us wavered. As my feet stepped on Rue Royale, I felt him. He heard my call as I approached his squalid residence and prepared himself accordingly. It was our reunion, and he wouldn’t risk an unsavory outcome. 

We were, for the first time in an age, alone, and though yearning flowed from him, Lestat was respectful. In the beginning, he didn’t question or test my boundaries, and he treated my apartment as a temporary home, thanking me for my generosity. Once he was settled, I planned to return to my hotel room. 

Then we faced each other, Lestat looking down to his feet and then up to me, smiling coyly, his plush pink lips as deceptive as they’d always been. “I suppose you’ll be going,” he said.

“The sun’s coming up soon.”

Lestat nodded to himself. “Will I see you again?”

“When the storm’s over, I’ll swing by. Take care of yourself, alright? I don’t want to come back in a week and find your skeleton in a corner.” 

I made the steps to the door, my feet committed to the exit. Outside, the wind was howling and rain came down on the Quarter more violently than it had in storms a century ago. I hesitated as I neared the door, the sound of Lestat’s heart pounding in his chest eroding my determination. Lestat stood still, transfixed by our parting, and I felt his gaze linger on my back.

“Stay,” he whispered. 

“Lestat.” My hand hovered above the doorknob. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

He laughed then, that uncontrollable, hysterical laughter that had haunted my memory–in those most passionate moments, whenever I was most vulnerable to him, that same laugh escaped his belly. I was enthralled by its untimely entrance every time. And, goodness, I started laughing too, laughing with Lestat, laughing at how incredibly miserable we had been, and laughing at myself for how susceptible I was to him after decades of trying to purge myself of the impulse to run to him.

“I’ll leave tomorrow,” I relinquished.

[horizon-verizon]

Interview with a Vampire: Claudia

I watched this series a long time ago, both season, but I remember that I never expressed my disdain for Claudia-hate.

Some people argue Claudia had no right to be angry at Louis for telling Armand about Lestat...ugh.

While you may be part of a community, I don't think that means that said community has a right to force you to dehumanise yourself or to dehumanise/infantilize you. Or to ignore and dismiss what are very deep core, defining wounds in favor of their own "order". They know she is an adult and a community very much can change or shape itself towards some members' emotional needs as long as there's a unresentful understanding amongst all.

That play, if you notice, is basically describing--metaphorically--Claudia's existence, how others see her, how the coven members can and might abuse her, as well as foreshadowing the end of this story Claudia may have chosen to be a part of a coven, and specifically one in theatre, but she did not ask for infantilization. It's like if you have an insecurity and then tried to find a group to "belong" to, say a church community, but you find out right after you joined that you have to basically hone or perform your insecurity many times a week. For Claudia, that's x50. If you go back to the last episode, in the after credits, the directors and actors reveal that for the vampires, performing's only purpose is for them to be as they are (killing humans for glee, blood, etc.) while in front of the very humans they have to hide from so as to not be hunted or else.

Claudia has another layer of tragedy--her being a vampire adult stuck in an immortal body. And she has been forced into posing as a child for all of her vampire life, AND she has never been a human adult. While every other vampire she has met has at least experienced--even if they don't remember--what being a human adult was like and have carried whatever makes one "adult"/become physically "mature". Claudia is arrested in childhood not just physically of body but partially of mind, as you said. She has been trying to understand what it means to be a vampire and to be a realized vampire all this time, which is why she was so single-minded in finding other vampires--to find any frame of reference as well a a community that knows and appreciates their own vampire "self". So she could then find what she can be without it always going back to her entrapped state. Who is she, what is she? The girl who has never been "fully" mature? Who has only known adult" life as a vampire but is trapped with the form of the human self she no longer has any real attachment to? She quite literally doesn't have much clue what it's like being a more comparatively complex "human" (kids are still people, still complex, and have good cognitive skills) and has had no mental grasp or sensory experience of "humanness" to actively use when defining-measuring her own actions and self. Or others'. Other than the memories of an abusive aunt and a father who neglected her that are diluted to its most potent foundation of fear that obviously she nor others would want to dwell on, thereby making her even more focused on being a "vampire". There is quite literally nothing like the "leftover" shame Louis has from his mortal life in her, nor something else in the same "family" in potency.

Therefore she has no real interest or feeling of proximity or stake in understanding humanity nor her own proximity to the possible meanings of "humanity"--which explains her lack of patience or care or empathy for humans. She has nothing else but vampirism. So yes, there are more sticky, overlapping motivations for her "demanding" is not strictly the same sort of demanding as the kind of a child's natural forwardness, curiosity, & self-centeredness. Rather, this is a separate, related, and mutually informing phenomenon to how she is partially always a child with impulsive, demanding self-concern of a teen/child.

No one else has this sort of condition, even if they are also trapped in some ways and by their own actions. Only for her to be forced into playing a child in front of the very mortals she and the others do not think of as actual people. It is also like they are excluding her from their own process of self-actualization of vampirism, even inadvertedly. The effect is cruel and unnecessary. She can play a little person, or Armand can do as she asks and relegate her to the back, but he specifically states how he wont' bec "he said so", she should be "grateful", and that they are making a lot of money. As if that is actually why they perform in the first place. So, it's also form of exploitation. In a way, the coven is "feeding" off of her or she is going through special "punishment" before Armand actually punishes her. Child star, anyone? It's also interesting, considering how she is a walking violation of their laws, how they already show that they hate when their precious rules are broken, and how they resent Armand for making Louis just walk around breaking rules...she likely will/would have always been an outlier--socially--in the community she looked for all her life. So, they could also be said to take pleasure in her de-personing similarly to how they take joy/self affirmation when they kill humans onstage--"look at how we enforce our own laws, watch us punish this girl and watch as how we mock 'innocence', how opposed we are to the very concept." And they literally sucked the joy of performing from Claudia by trapping her in the performance she wanted to use to "free" herself--a thing she would have loved and thrived in, used to destroy her.

Claudia is in the most danger if the coven finds out abt Lestat, since Louis is at least in Armand's favor by having slept with him/Armand being in love w/him. And she is physically weaker, smaller as well as a literal "abomination". Louis using the reason of "you were unhappy" is simply not enough in the face of this danger mostly stacked against her, so his superior motivation is that he wanted to keep close to Armand. He had a whole year, mind you, to tell her Armand knows. S2Claudia is not the girl who kept secret the bodies of people she indiscriminately killed after her breakdown last season, which itself again was, as self-destructive and messy for not just her but Louis and Lestat, was a mental breakdown from THEIR actions in turning her as she is now that lead to her killing her first crush/how Lestat handled that. Yes, she needed to know her actions' consequences; however, with Lestat & Louis having not actually not engaging with her as a person but more an accessory-child so they could properly discipline her teenage-child stage, that was also most of their own doing. They needed to connect the consequences of their own actions to their actions that have lead them all to that point--w/o them, Claudia wouldn't have had to live as she did, and that will never change or not matter or not define why she does what she does! (btw, the first crush kill has its own plethora of meaning: it is when Claudia first really comes to realize that she is too dangerous to even that who she could love/value [like a child who's finally broken a much-loved thing what it did not fully internalize was the same as all the other things they did not "love"]).

Having read the book, this TV iteration Armand is not at all interested in really incorporating Claudia into the coven on her own merit, but just to keep Louis around, so he tolerates her emotions and psychological state even less. In fact, it works toward his benefit, bc it isolates her from Louis. I think it's good to remember that these people/vamps are not really trying to act in good faith to each other and might=right is what they really respond to unless they actually like you. Which isn't often.

Then there are those who question why Claudia is so fascinated and comes to trust Madeliene. And vice versa.

Claudia is fascinated by Madeline bc Madeline is a woman who really lives in her womanhood with no trace of self victimization or apologizing for it. Madeline actively listens to her, to her pain, Claudia is the interested in her own. Madeline is not distracted or putting anyone else above Claudia and is interested in what she has to say. It began with Claudia seeing how isolated the woman was in the other episode, how people tried to "warn" her away from her, and defying that boundary to see for herself what made this woman so ostracized. Like a teenager who doesn't like being told what to do (like Lestat), but also bc she had already desired to see herself in a dress that the woman was making that she wanted to use to see herself as she thinks of herself--a woman. You can compare it to how a trans person will wear clothes they/we see as "feminine" or "masculine" to identify and see their denied inner selves outwards. And the guy telling her not to enter likely re-reminded her of her limitations & childness. Also, Claudia cannot talk to other vampires both bc they are not interested and she would have to divulge information that could get her killed. Which makes Louis' telling Armand all the more enraging for her bc it's not just his secret but hers, she has been keeping the end of the silent deal they have to do so, and he never told her he was thinking of telling anyone--much less the vampire who could destroy them both consequently. In fact, Claudia is so much alike to Lestat. It is true that Claudia is trying to go back to Louis with how the coven is doing what they are doing, but she is very valid in that considering all the above and how we still expect our loved ones to have space for us when we see that the space we found with others is actually not conducive to our happiness or safety or mental stability--as the coven has proven to be and she instinctively knows but is clinging onto she has also felt Louis to be so unhappy even before they arrived at Paris (remember how he talked about wanting to go back home, how she was incessant in her search as if he resented her for the constant movement). In fact, it can be literally be life saving.

No, Madeliene is not a pedo nor does she only love or is attracted to Claudia bc she reminds her of her younger sister who she lost and their relationship re-fulfills a lonely failed-protector need in her. Just because you may not like her or understand why she has any appeal to anyone in the series or in real life, doesn't mean she has none nor that there isn't real meaning people get from her character.

Madeleine loves her, is loyal to her, and wants to be her vampire companion in any way--platonically or romantically--bec Claudia similarly rejects nothing about her when quite literally most people in Madeline's life has rejected-abused her or has died. Gender and sexism is a huge part of that; we see how Mad is dragged to the public and had her hair shaved in a public shaming for sleeping with the Nazi guy, and no I don't think sleeping with a Nazi soldier is morally unquestionable (at best), but the crowd's fury was not at her seeming inhumaness but them deciding to re-enforce a control over the female body. think Cersei's walk of shame, how that was clearly not about her murdering people but punishing her sexual decisions culturally denied to women. Would we really have seen a mal townsman be similarly shamed in public if he had slept with a Nazi lady spy or office worker, or the wife of a Nazi officer? A female Nazi officer?

Madeliene loves Claudia because despite all that Claudia has been through and still goes through, she is defiant and relatively easygoing (if people leave her be) and is as defiant as she is. She loves her strength and humor; is impressed by how Claudia is herself and relatively steady in her convictions to be herself. This inspires not just admiration but a faith that Claudia has an emotional steadfastness to be a "permanent" fixture in her life when change in Mad's life has mostly always been negative AND constant. Claudia is both intriguing, never boring, as well as immortal. Which goes back to why the book Mad wanted to be changed and be bk!Claudia's eternal companion--having lost her daughter and having lived her life forever haunted by the regret, she saw Claudia as a self restoration. With show Mad, she's also eager to leave behind human life not just for her lost sister but everything else on top of that. Where she would not have to be beholden to tragedy and have the vampire beauty and strength to be her "optimal" self. Humanity offered her nothing but pain and with the war, and thus far into her life as a dressmaker, she didn't seem to feel there was hope for an actually satisfying life...and without Claudia saving her from being raped, she def would have had an even worse life.

And she likes/is grateful for that Claudia is not put off by her own weirdness; Madeline is weird, she invited a vampire to suck her blood without really knowing beforehand what could happen to her aside from Claudia perhaps losing control and killing her accidentally. (No, I don't include her being dismissive and flippant with Armand when he was questioning her abt her readiness to become a vampire. One, she might have learned from Claudia abt his treatment of her and we already know that she puts Claudia before literally everyone else. Two, Armand may have been sincere in his desire to assess her and impart vampirism's bleakness, but he also was very clearly trying to intimidate her and it is very clear Madeline is not a person to take such things for long & unchallenged...she was nearly raped for it before. She's quite literally the definition of protecting any shred of dignity & happiness over he very life, she's just very...hard as reflective of her "dead" and disillusioned era. We have to remember that this is a time where people are coming back from a terrible world war and brought out the very worst in people--survivors aren't going to majorly be exactly pleasant to be around nor emotionally accommodating but challenge people to assess worth of personal investment.) If you really think abouu Claudia as a person instead of as an attachment or "obstacle" to LouisxLestat or some sort of "child", it's really not difficult at all why anyone could admire her. She could have folded at any time but she pushes on.

They match each other's "freak" AND sense of survivorship, basically.

Was it at first a little strange that she took an interest in Claudia before she ever saw her as a vampire or knew of her nature since Claudia is supposed to look like a teenager? And is Claudia's trappedness as adult-in-body define much of the material that developed into those traits I described? Yeah. But she's hardly a pedo if she has proven herself to see Claudia as an actual woman and treated her like she was one as if she instinctually knew she was (which is what I think happened)...unlike book Marius' weird attraction for kids.

[blacclotusss]

Like the Light by Which God Made the World Before Light

I mainly want to talk about three main things that I gravitated towards in this episode: Claudia & Madeleine, Armand & the Coven, and The Trial. 

Claudia & Madeleine

I didn't expect to be all for this companionship the way that I am, but this relationship is so sweet and as pure as it can get between a human and a vampire turned immortal love. I think their connection and their relationship represent what all these immortal relationships could be. They seem to understand one another and learned how to work with what the other was offering and I think that's the sweetest thing. I knew they would get along and probably form some sort of bond from their first interaction (absolutely loved Claudia in this scene and how she moved). I'm glad Claudia found someone who is all for her without their being any weird animosity, like with the coven, or feeling as if the most important person in her life is choosing everyone else but her. The description of the little scene of Claudia in daylight with her beautiful yellow dress being from Madeleine's mind was so, so beautiful and nearly moved me to tears. Finally, even if it was just a vision, we see Claudia happy and cheerful as she deserves to have been all her life. This woman has been through enough and it stinks that things end for her the way the way they do, at least in other versions of this story. I'm glad she was able to find a companion, even if it were just for a short period of time. Oh how I wish they would have stayed traveling the world...

Armand & The Coven

Let's start with Armand by himself and everything he has going on. Armand is a powerful, yet insecure guy that needs some structure in his life and will fall apart if he doesn't have it. My personal belief is that's the reason why he doesn't let that coven go not does he really get too physical with them, I mean he's got the whole mind thing going on so he doesn't really have to. But, as much as he is insecure and powerful, he's also manipulative. Manipulation is literally this man's day job and it was hilarious when he said "Are you asking me, Maitre?" when he and Louis was like "...okay girl we ain't doing this today." But, he knows how to work a crowd and a room, which we've seen with the dinner and in San Francisco and even in Dubai with the whole "you asked for it" thing. He likes to spin things like he's a DJ playing a set and even I had to come to the realization of just how bad he is. Again, he is a beautifully tragic individual (the third tragic beauty I have attached myself to) but that's a sneaky little thing. 

Now, in regards to him and the coven, Armand was never going to fight that coven on matters regarding Claudia. Louis? Probably. But he has the same goal of getting Claudia out of the way that Louis' previous man did. Not only does he feels she's in the way of their relationship, but she is the living embodiment of a broken immortal law. I think he probably wanted her out from the moment he figured them out, which was day one. I was also trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, but there was absolutely no way he didn't hear them plotting. Maybe that's why he told Louis they should leave...O don't know! My question is if he will actually interfere with them, and I'm assuming, trying to kill Louis? Like, that's supposed to be his love, I'm hoping he does something. And, I need to know what Louis' reasoning was for staying with him after that, unless it's some more memory stuff. Did he know Lestat would be there? Also, cannot wait to see how Daniel will aid in unfolding all of this. 

The Trial

This whole thing is really a damn headache and I hope every coven member gets burned down to a crisp, especially that bleach blonde heifer parading around like he's the best actor to walk the earth. I'm glad Armand AND Louis yoked him up! Buffoon! I always knew there was something with that man, he gave too many mysterious looks for me as if he was trying to pick them apart from the inside. He even goes on to try and get close to Claudia just to put her on trial for killing her abuser. Guillotine! Go meet you maker, thesp! And speaking of abuser...it's so funny how they bring Lestat into this whole thing when he's definitely a part of the problem. Aside from all of the nonsense and abuse he's put Louis and Claudia through, he also broke one of the rules by turning Claudia at 14 years old all because his miserable self couldn't bear to be alone or without Louis. Are they going to try and kill him, too? Or is he their God just like Armand once was? This is sarcasm if you didn't catch it. It's just...very questionable that they overlook everyone else's faults to get rid of her. And why is Madeleine on trial? That girl ain't do a thing to them people. Will they torture Armand as well by making him watch? I'm just rambling my thoughts at this moment, but I can't help but notice...something about the way these people move. 

[see-arcane]

I'm genuinely surprised we haven't really gotten a Carmilla adaptation that really leans hard into the fucked up psychosexual horror angle outside of some broadly not-good softcore porn flicks from the 70s' and maybe arguably to an extent The Moth Diaries.

Like, the source material just begs for that sort of reinterpretation, with Carmilla's obsessive vampiric yearning for Laura and Laura's own simultaneous repulsion and attraction towards Carmilla.

Doesn't surprise me too much, honestly

The most prolific and mainstream-preferred vampire stories center around a male vampire as the main antagonist/protagonist/love interest, with female vampires--however rich character-wise--only coming as attachments or secondary characters. Everybody wants a Dracula or a Lestat or a Spike taking up the screen, not a Carmilla or a Claudia or a Drusilla.

But I will say that I suspect this habit is coming from studio preference as much or more than actual audience desire. Dracula is always the safest bet when A Vampire Story hits the screen, because having the name 'Dracula' on it automatically makes it seem like printing free money in Hollywood's eyes. By the same token, whether it features another Dracula or not, male vampire leads have always gotten a big box office/viewership payday because of the mass appeal to

1) Escapist dark fantasy elements for the pining crowd and

2) Escapist power fantasy elements for those who want to BE the cool vampire wooing/stealing up a harem/Designated Girl to Target

The formula hasn't really been properly attempted with a female vampire lead outside a skinny handful of films, and those generally with a male human lead playing opposite. If there are good vampire lesbian films happening out there, they're simply not reaching the big screen or coming up on the home audience's radar because they're being done by teeny dedicated studios and indie creators. In order for future films and shows to gamble on Carmilla or even a lookalike to her story, studios have to be shown that it can be done for a Big Audience and make bank the way (grinding my teeth to dust) Coppola's fucking fanfiction did.

However, the only recent Carmilla film attempt I know of for theater audiences was the 2020 film:

And it was fine. Not great, not a bomb. Just fine. I didn't even know it existed until well after its skinny theater run. This thing had less promotion than The Last Voyage of the Demeter and that thing got utterly screwed when it came to pre-release hype.

That being said, I think the only thing that would get mass public interest brewing for a big budget psychological sensual horror Carmilla picture is...someone just putting that out and cramming it into theaters with full media pomp on their own. Say, on a level between Mike Flanagan and Guillermo del Toro kind of punch.

It has to be a passion project attached to a Big Name before it can get its foot in the door and encourage studios to follow the leader :(

[nightcolorz]

Hey, I’m the anon who asked about Armand being in love with Marius, Lestat, Louis and Daniel at the same time. First off I’m sorry if the question was offensive, that really wasn’t my intention and I was being genuine. But also can he ever be fully happy then? Like he was in a relationship with Louis but still loved Marius and Lestat and next season he will be with Daniel and still love Marius, Lestat and Louis? Can that be enough? My brain kinda can’t comprehend this, like is this a trauma response? Will he ever get over them?

donttt worry anon I didn’t think ur ask was offensive and I didn’t mean to put u on blast or shame u, I just thought the way it was worded was funny and wanted to make a joke. Absolutely no shade on you

I think I see what u mean. I don’t think Armand loving multiple people at once is a trauma response. The way he acts about the people he loves and the way he functions in his relationships sure is! But considering his life span and the depth of each of his relationships, it makes sense that he would continue to love his “exs”, and that doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative thing. In the books all vampires are polyamorous and they barely even have a concept of monogamy, they all just are together forever and it works out fine. But in the show while they are currently behaving very monogamously and breaking up with each other and stuff, I see how the clinging to lost loves things would be an issue. I think that Armand’s attachment to Marius is more of a problem than his attachments to his other lovers tho. Like, the reason that someone can love multiple people at once is bcus everyone gets something different from different people. The reason Armand’s love for Marius causes him problems while other loves don’t is bcus armand constantly tries to recreate his relationship with Marius with his new partners and is never being fulfilled by them as individuals bcus he’s chasing smth he doesn’t have anymore. But that doesnt manifest in his dynamic with Louis + Daniel + Lestat collectively. Like armand doesn’t try to make his relationship with lestat into his relationship with Daniel, etc. if that makes sense

so in conclusion, ig what I’m saying is, for someone as old as Armand love and relationships works differently then it does for a lot of people, so it’s alright

[midnighttreasureseeking]

That's fine just drop the show. I dont know what you want AMC to do about Jacob not being nominated, they put him up for consideration and it's upto the award show to nominate him, Jacob acts out pretty much every actor who got his place but he wasnt awarded because award shows are racist as well as other things that influnce their choices.

As for Jacob may have gotten in if he had been in supporting catogary, you are being willifully obtuse to what people are saying. People arent saying Jacob as a lead should have been entered for best support actor, they are saying that historically in award shows best supporting actor is easier to break into then lead actor, therefore in s3 if Jacob was to be put forward as best supporting actor he may have a better chance at the nomination.

As for Sam getting a nomination he deserves, he has been one of the best supporting actors in a show this year. You may not agree, that's fine but you cant force everyone to see acting in the same way.

I also do not understand why it is that I see people complain that Sam has been nominated instead of Jacob but barely a single peep about the white actors jacob lost to who definitely dont deserve to be there like Anthony starr and eddie redmayne?

But back to what I said above, yes, drop the show because as of s3 Lestat will stay a main character along with Louis. Meanwhile Jacob has a new album coming out, another movie called 'bad apple' or 'bad apples' that you may enjoy more but if you choose to continue to stay you may want to focus your energy on the award shows that are historically racist and always giving out badly timed awards to actors or who are brought by money. I cant blame AMC for not spending money for noms when they can spend it on the show instead.

Hi Anon! Thank you for your points!

First of all, please don't tell me what to do, i did not ask. This has actually invigorated me to watch Season 3 anyways. So thank you for that, my hyperfixation prevailes out of pure spite.

I dont know if you realize but " Lestat and Louis are main characters" is exactly what i want. " lestat is now the main character and louis is a supporting character who's two seasons can be ignored as a falsehood now" is something i don't want and something i don't actually see happening in the show. My post wasn't even about that. My post was about Interview with the vampire in relation to its attached company, PR, and its fandom, not the film industry, the plot or award shows in general. Yes award shows are racist, and sexist and homophobic, they have been that way since the beginning all over the globe. I'm not sure why you're advising me to watch more of them? I have never and will never watch an award show.

I like that you bring up this point tho:

"I also do not understand why it is that I see people complain that Sam has been nominated instead of Jacob but barely a single peep about the white actors jacob lost to who definitely dont deserve to be there like Anthony starr and eddie redmayne?"

Its something good to chew on, tho i do suspect that when people just talk about Sam it's because they are speaking within the context of the show and not of the CCA as a whole. But it is a very good point!

I'm trying to figure out why you sent me this message on anon, when you could have just responded to my post? The only conclusion i can come to is that you want to discourage me from watching the show because of the points i possited, one of them being that quitting the show now wouldnt break my heart as much as it would have done a year ago. The reasons i gave for this had nothing to do with the plot, and everything to do with the culture around it, and yet you do call upon that as the reason i should quit? why do you want a person not to engage with a media because they have the ablitily and guts to view it critically and express opinions it and its culture around it? interesting..i wont be doing that.

ps. this was kinda strange anon not gonna lie. I mean going on anon is such a statement. If you don't want me to know who you are it suggests that whatever you're gonna say is kinda controversial....but you didn't do that....? you just told me to leave the show because there are somethings i dont like about its culture around it......wierd

[licncourt]

I just went back and read your original Louis head canons, so I have to ask: do you have any new ones? They're all so good, I could listen to you talk about him for ages !

Nasty baby boy!! Thank you for asking, I need to gnaw on him like a chew toy rn because of my IWTV reread. It's giving me even more Louis brain worms than usual. Little guy....

He is not an animal person in general, but he has a very special and very strong affinity for birds. He has bird feeders at all the windows in his favorite spots, and an assortment of little bird friends (he's had lots of different kinds) in a big aviary who are very spoiled and very well trained. He's also a big fan of the birdtok scroll hole and fighting about birdkeeping on reddit until someone is crying

Louis knows his original family name from France, but never uses or speaks about it. If anyone were to ask, he'd say he doesn't care for it because he wants """his""" achievements to speak for themselves, but in reality it kind of bothers him that his ancestry is "common" and nouveau riche

Lestat's dumbest nickname for him is Minky (because Louis' hair reminds him of those fancy mahogany mink coats, all dark, shiny and fluffywavy). He perhaps maybe possibly finds all the stupid pet names a little bit sweet

Phone game junkie. If brass buttons were that interesting to him, imagine candy crush or the businessman enrichment he would get from animal crossing. Lestat has to limit his screen time so he doesn't rot his brain

He watches Protestant televangelists and bitches at the screen like a dad watching football. Just in general he likes to look at things that make him angry and then complain about it (big fan of Facebook and the news for the same reason)

Really into modern self-help and wellness culture. He konmaris his house every two months and is a top user of the headspace app. It's really annoying for everyone else but it does seem to be working

He uses his vampire prodigy skills to do a lot of sketching outside, especially when the weather is nice. He's always been a nature enjoyer but now he can capture it easily and keep it close. He likes to take pictures too. And show them to other people whether they care or not. The oak tree in his favorite park is like a grandchild to him

Because of his poor feeding habits very early on after being turned, his fangs are just slightly smaller and duller than the average vampire. It makes his kills messier/harder to keep tidy because there's a bit of sawing and ripping involved in the feeding process instead of a clean bite

Contrary to popular belief, he does enjoy physical affection from very close people, like his siblings when he was human and Lestat now. He needs more space than his stage five clinger husband (they would be surgically attached if Lestat had his way), but he likes having someone to lean against while he reads or a lap to sit in during a movie or cuddles after a long day. It just took an acclimation period and some trust building/bonding to get there

His hatred of granulated sugar was partly financially motivated (business competition) but also because he had a massive sweet tooth as a human but it didn't fit his image. Almond mom who sneaks twinkies in the bathroom

On a somewhat related note, his disordered eating wasn't a totally new thing as a vampire. His image of himself was always very reliant on his ability to be "godly" and In Control which led to a lot of extreme monk food habits and secret binging on fat, sugar, and alcohol. It's also why he spiraled into being an actual alcoholic so quickly after Paul's death

Against all odds, he is a fancy bath guy. Hot water was obviously not super easy to get and regulate for most of his life so it wasn't really a feasible option, but now he's extremely into the idea of being up to his neck in hot water that smells like lavender. He's kind of embarrassed about it though so he takes them when he's alone like it's some kind of petty crime. Lestat knows and leaves him little bath product gifts (and eventually gets to be in included in the baths sometimes)

[ca-suffit]

I really want to know why book fans get mad and up in arms when people don’t like Marius…a canonical pedophile. When I read the books I didn’t really like him at all so why would I get excited for his AMC debut? Sorry but not all of us fold on sight just because the predator happens to be a pretty white man with yellow hair.

This insistent defense squad for him feels very strange. Especially because they all seem to know what he’s hated for and yet whenever someone expresses any kind of contempt for him they run in to protect him and usually talk down to others like he’s some misunderstood teenager who we’re too stupid to understand. I noticed many Book fans tend to have Anne’s arrogant, know-it-all, “I can never be wrong because I read words” attitude as well which usually hinders any proper discussion or response. No one wants to talk to an arrogant stranger that is heavily implying that they’re stupid. But these fans continue to take that approach and then act superior when they’re not responded to.

(It’s also weird racist that from their perspective book!Louis and even movie!Louis are victims of Lestat but AMC!Louis? Well he deserved it because he was mean, ungrateful and stopped putting out. Never thought I would see people claim that because Louis made empty threats towards Lestat that they were mutually abusive to one another and yet these are common stances that I’ve seen an alarming amount of people accept with no questions or forethought attached. but that’s an issue for an entirely different rant.)

even if ppl want to remove the pedo thing from marius with whatever excuse they have, his personality is ass anyway. I think a lot of ppl who read the books started off thinking he's gonna be likeable and wise and then he's just....some dickhead.

a lot of these ppl are not ppl who can stand critical thinking or have looked at maybe their own trauma in regards to how they perceive these characters (and at what ages they read the books too). a lot of ppl in this fandom have linked characters to themselves somehow, so there's no way to talk about a character without personally insulting ppl. it's rly tiring. that's not unique to this fandom either but the level of harassment u will receive kinda is, cuz it's based on anne rice's behavior (as u noted).

a lot of this racism too stems from the same ppl who can't hear criticisms about characters like marius bcuz the whole book series is nothing but promoting white supremacy. I don't think it's something she did consciously but it's so fucking blatant (the vampires literally get whiter as they get more powerful, for one?????) and shouldn't even be controversial for adults to say out loud. so many ppl bonded to this shit at young ages tho that it's "fun" nostalgia to them and fuck anyone who tries to say otherwise. that's how we're here. ppl cling hard to this notion that something has to be "pure" to be enjoyed or else ur a bad person for liking it. idk how that's become a thing bcuz u can still like things but be critical of them, that's how most things work???

[adamnablelittledevil]

Hello,Can you rank your Armand favorite relationshipw and why ? (I just love reading opinions , nothing serious)

Hi!

Fistly, thank you for the question! I get sometimes sending messages can be uncomfortable and you may not receive the nicest answers, but you don't need to explain yourself. Whether is a fun or serious question, asking my opinion or sharing your own: I LOVE talking about this universe and always welcome it.

Anyway, now to ranking!

P.S. This is long and contain spoilers. These opinions are based on the sequence from The Vampire Lestat to The Vampire Armand and aren't necessarily permanent.

Lesmand / Armandstat

Favorite relationship on the books as a whole for basically three reasons: it's always interesting (even on its smallest moments), they are deeply mirrored so it provides a compelling dynamic and is often intense. They are two sides of the same coin and parallel one another so much in terms of personalities and experiences. From their first interaction, it already seemed that they knew each other their whole lives because they could read one another like an open book. There is this mix of unconscious, but immediate recognition, understanding, curiosity, care, attraction, insecurity, fear, anger and frustration because they're the only ones that fully get each other. It's one thing to know someone for what they share or you observe, but you only fully comprehend somebody when you have a lot in common like they do. Still, that's terrifying because you're completely bare, vulnerable and forced to confront stuff you want to run away from. They have a lot of sharp dialogue and arguments where they throw the hardest truths on the other's face and they know how to push each other's buttons from day one. Yet, the fascination, affection and protection are still there and they always stay somewhat close. And that results in a lot of first class tension: what brings both together also pulls them apart and they're often fighting so many conflicting emotions (as a duo and individuals) because they keep going back and forth. Obviously, they're far from perfect and have both tremendously hurt one another verbally, physically and with Claudia's death (which Armand's is responsible for). But even then, they were never enemies or rivals. I get why people would use such words, but I think they would need to hate or wish bad things for each other to be classified as such and that's never happened. Even if they did something to give that impression, it wasn't genuine and they made themselves suffer in the process too. There was definitely hate for words said and things done, but for the person it was always love. Through the good, the bad, the ugly and the complicated. This dynamic defies definitions and there aren't enough words in any language I know to fully and precisely categorize or desxribe even it. For better or worse, they're on a league of their own and I've never seen anything like it on books, movies or TV shows.

2. Armand x Bianca

I love Bianca. She's been such a great addition and it's a breath of fresh air whenever she appears. It was so satisfying to see them being friends, connecting and Armand having something that was entirely his own without Marius being involved (though considering the pattern of this book, it will probably change). I also enjoy the fact they met and bonded as humans, you know? There's something lovely and unique about it since most pairings had one or both parties already being a vampire on their first encounter. And another sweet thing is that even centuries later Armand still emphasizes how he'll never forget her. They have become really special to me.

3. Armand & Riccardo

Usually relationships where one is a small or Marius is somewhat involved don't work for me, but that's an exception. Riccardo isn't as developed as Armand and part of this (creepy) palazzo where Marius keeps several teenagers/children in, but you do know enough to grow attached to him. Actually, given the situation these boys are in, I ended up caring about the ones who don't even have a name. And despite the proximity Marius has to them, the kids have friendships of their own. Obviously, this isn't the healthiest environment and they all deserved better, but I'm so glad they had each other and a sense of family (specially because some of them don't even remember their own relatives well anymore). That brings me some kind of comfort. There are these moments when Armand gets emotional thinking about how much he loves them all and would die for them and when he almost does and they're all (with Bianca) crying and Armand is surprised by their reactions because they loved him so much... It really moved me So, I adore them.

4. Armandiel

The Devil's Minion chapter is one of my top favorite pieces of The Queen of the Damned. Its best aspect is seeing Armand on his self-discovery journey and how Daniel was just patient and supportive. And that's so important, because a big part of Armand's characterization is how he has no sense of identity. He's gone through so much trauma since early and formative years and always adapted to please others or even make out alive. This made him lose key parts of his memory and every sense of self and he definitely needed that. So, to see Daniel not tell him what to do, but instead let him try new stuff, see what he loved or not, on his own terms and pace and Daniel just going along with him... It was wonderful. The only downsides is that I believe Daniel deserved more individual development and it was rushed. Twelve years deserved more chapters, probably books plural. That said, I bet the show will take its strong points and only elevate their story. And I can't wait because I've already lost my mind with them on season 2 (they have my favorite scene on the show, by the way).

Honorable mentions:

Armand & Benji + Sybelle

Haven't seen a lot of them, but Armand opened his book saying he was full of love and excitedly talking about these children he took in. There's also this moment he asked David if he liked his kids and he just sounded like a proud dad. It was adorable. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of them.

Armand & his family

There's been very little of them and I doubt there will be more, so I can't talk about their relationship per se, but the chapter they say goodbye is devastating and beautiful. Those recent posts of me losing my mind were because of it. I've never cried so much with art and rarely cried like that even in real life. It was an experience I'd never had before and an emotion I didn't know was humanly possible. I was mentally, emotionally and spiritually touched to the point of exhaustion. It's been the best part of The Vampire Armand, if not of the whole chronicles. And it will stick with me forever.

[valend]

* I got scared I thought that I skipped an episode or something because of how suddenly it started

* Armand is so fucking annoying oh my god like shut up

* Also Louis being visibly uncomfortable while Claudia is doing her performance knowing the song reflects her perfectly (wanting freedom, being pinned down, her infantilization, freedom only being momentary and only permanent in death) ALSO the repetition in her doing the performance over and over again reflecting on the repetitive cycle of Louis and his bullshit but also the way that even when they’re in a different place, she’s still are not happy and they eventually have to leave and start over again. You can also just tell she knows the cycle of Louis throwing himself at someone else and picking them over her is starting again

* Santiago is literally just twink death he reminds me of that old gay guy that shoved Britney broski at that Charlie XCX concert just to have his moment on camera

* I kind of find it interesting that Armand speaks over Louis cause it really seems like he’s projecting on Claudia. I think he sees himself in her as they both are stuck in their past that they can’t get away from. But at least Claudia is interesting so Idgaf about him

* The way everyone else is noticing Armand’s favoritism for Louis too like no wonder your coven is falling apart…

* I still think Lestat is funny but then I remember that there isn’t gonna be anything funny about the last few episodes

* “Louis are you schizophrenic?” “No🙂” the way he says it makes it so obvious that he doesn’t even believe what he’s saying💀

* Daniel having flash backs is stressing me out

* The two neurons in my mind connected, both Claudia and Armand share that same second choice feeling when it comes to Louis choosing someone else over them (Louis chooses Lestat over Armand and Louis chooses his love interests over Claudia) idk how I didn’t see that before I knew they were similar some how

* That scene where Santiago catches her writing in her diary lowkey makes a good point though cause Louis is not even making sure Claudia is being safe or cautious anymore cause he’s so busy with Armand and his Lestat hallucinations

* CLAUDIA AND MADELEINE❤️❤️❤️❤️

* The way they lowkey hate each other but know that they’re exactly what they’re looking for

* Armand stirring the pot by putting photos from other artists in Louis’s portfolio is so petty 😭 you can tell him and Louis are only together because they hate being alone like they disagree about everything. Also I don’t really get why Louis was so embarrassed about that he was being so extra.

* “You’re making love to me, and you think it’s wrong to look at me” AS THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER IN THE MIRROR‼️

* Madeleine is kinda the opposite of Louis, she doesn’t really mind being alone and also doesn’t get overly attached easily which is probably so refreshing for claudia😭

* Armand better get the fuck away from Claudia. Also he doesn’t do shit like he wonders why the coven is falling apart like he isn’t forcing everyone to do everything while he messes around and does nothing (also sort of connected to his past of being enslaved and being controlled)

* The way Louis uses Claudia’s desire to find other vampires against her to put the blame on her for even wanting to find community while in reality it’s him that ruins everything,,,, is pissing me off bad…

* “That doesn’t sound like him” girl go kys you are literally the problem. “You picked the coven, You left me!” WHEN DID SHE LEAVE YOU??? Like am I missing something??? she never left him for a second but left her the second he saw a replacement for Lestat… please kill this man immediately.

* “The wilderness that is our daughter” reminds of the line “is there anything so undoing as a daughter” from arcane

* even before watching the first season, I just knew I was gonna hate everyone in season two except Claudia and madeleine😒

This is so long sorry💀

THE SANTIAGO COMMENT IS SO SPOT ON IM GAGGED

Louis is literally always busy with either Armand, Lestat (hallucination or not) or Daniel 😭😭😭

YOURE SO RIGHT CLAUDIA AND MADELEINE 🗣️🗣️

And tbhh yeah Louis was being soo pretentious with the photographs like who gives a fuckkk and Armand was just trolling or something

LITCHHH LOUIS WAS BEING SUCH A HYPOCRITE ITS CRAZY

[bandedbulbussnarfblat]

Video Killed the Radio Star chp 2

Here it is on ao3 or read it below

Armand slips into the bedroom to find Louis sprawled over the bed.  He’s reading The Ethical Slut  and seems completely absorbed in it.   Armand crosses the space to the bed and climbs up to swing a leg over Louis’ lap.  Louis glances over top of the book.  “Something you want?”

He’s smiling, so Armand thinks he probably has an idea what he wants.

Armand plucks the book from his hand and skims the pages.  “Fighting is the ultimate act of intimacy,” he reads aloud.  Considering the fights he’s had with Daniel, Armand can understand the train of thought.  There’s something violently intimate about a person knowing precisely what to say to destroy you.

“It makes sense in context,” Louis says and rests his hands on Armand’s waist.  Armand carefully marks Louis’ place and sets the book on the nightstand.  He dips down and begins sucking kisses along the edge of Louis’ jaw.  Louis hums contentedly and threads fingers through Armand’s hair.  “What’s got you all worked up?”

Armand nips behind his ear, then soothes over it with his tongue.  “I was watching our old videos to decide which one to send Daniel.”

“You mean our sex tapes.”  Armand had gone through a phase where he liked recording himself.  Louis had obliged him.  They have actual physical tapes from the 70s somewhere, though Armand has digitized his favorites.  

“Mm,” Armand says, and gets distracted for a minute by Louis’ neck.  It’s a nice neck.  He mouths kisses over it and just lets his fangs scrape along the flesh.  “I chose the one we made for Daniel for his birthday one year.  Do you remember?”

He had ate Louis out until he came, then fucked him until he was hard again, then sucked him off.  He’d told Daniel if he could watch the whole thing without touching himself, he’d do the same to him.  

Louis hands slide under his shirt and along his sides and his head tilts back invitingly.  “Why don’t you remind me?”

/

Daniel doesn’t download the attachment in the email.  He doesn’t trust it.  

“...you can stay here indefinitely until you finish the story.”

He glances over at Lestat who’s sitting across from him.  He’s immaculately dressed and in person Daniel can admit he has a sort of magnetism that could draw someone in.  He still doesn’t like him much though.  “Yeah, no.”

He’s not staying in the same house as Armand any longer than he has to.  

“Louis likes having you here,” Lestat says.  Daniel can’t tell what he’s thinking.  

“He needs enrichment in his enclosure,” Daniel says dryly.  The penthouse here feels a lot like Night Island.  A gilded cage.  It has everything Louis could want, everything he could need.  Why would he ever have to leave?  Armand’s there to take care of everything.  

It feels sickeningly familiar.  

These vampires keep mistaking codependency for love.  Well, Daniel wants no part in it.  

“He needs an interior designer,” Lestat says, then turns a blinding smile towards Daniel.  “Surely this is not how the imp decorated with you?”

It isn’t exactly a smooth segue into prodding into his relationship with Armand.  

“He had a new style for every apartment,” Daniel says, waving a hand around.  “Minimalism is probably his latest thing.” 

Lestat casts his eyes around the living room with distaste.  “You can help him redecorate when I take Louis from this place.”

There it is.

“You think my being with Armand would leave Louis open for you,” Daniel says.  “You should ask Louis about us.  I won’t be the reason he leaves.”

Lestat pulls a face.  “Yes, yes, you were their pet.”

“I wasn’t anyone’s pet!”

Lestat slides to the edge of the seat and meets Daniel’s glare with twinkling eyes.  His hand comes up to rest his fingers on the outside of Daniel’s knee, stroking ever so gently.  “But what a fine pet you’d make, Daniel.  Louis wants to keep you, you know.”

Daniel’s about to say something scathing when Lestat’s voice enters his mind “Would you like to make Armand very angry?”

“Almost always.”

“Then play along, pet.”

Then a cool hand is cupping his face and tilting his head just so and Lestat is kissing him.