#i ship lestat with every and any character because i can

[aquarines]

loustaters who hate lestat are so funny like girl just ship something else

[lady-phasma]

I felt compelled to cite my sources for Armand and Lestat being an item off and on over the years. I’ve been in this fandom too long to get involved in ship wars or to really have an OTP for these crazy-ass vampires. I happen to love Armand and Lestat from the books and think that Assad and Sam make it work so well on screen. I hope we get loads more of them for season 3.

Anne wrote all of her characters as deeply flawed, we can all agree on that, but the nearly fanfiction level of “let’s see what happens when two of my most flawed characters get together” writing she did in TVA is brilliant. Book spoilers below.

Here's a link to a post I made about Lestat's perspective of Armand from TVL. (I have included one quote from TVL below because it's too precious to exclude.)

Lestat spends almost a full page describing how he sees Armand at a ball at the Palais Royal:

Yet never had Nicolas, mortal or immortal, been so alluring. Never had Gabrielle held me so in thrall. Dear God, this is love. This is desire. And all my past amours have been but the shadow of this. - The Vampire Lestat, p. 275

They literally feel the same about each other: instant attraction, love, desire, and so on. And it is powerful.

So powerful that hundreds of years later (in one of my favorite passages from any of her books) Armand is the only person allowed to approach an unconscious Lestat. Not only approach him, but allowed to lay down next to him and cuddle, caress, and console Lestat, to cry onto him.

I looked down on Lestat, who was unchanged, his hair fallen as before, a little over his left eye. His right arm was out, and his fingers curling upwards, and there came from him not the slightest movement, not even a breath from his lungs or a sigh from his pores. I knelt down beside him again. I reached out, and without flinching or hesitating, I brushed his hair back from his face. I could feel the shock in the room. I heard the sighs, the gasps from the others. But Lestat himself didn't stir. Slowly, I brushed his hair more tenderly, and I saw to my own mute shock one of my tears fall right onto his face. It was red yet watery and transparent and it appeared to vanish as it moved down the curve of his cheekbone and into the natural hollow below. I slipped down closer, turning on my side, facing him, my hand still on his hair. I stretched my legs out behind me, and alongside of him, and I lay there, letting my face rest right on his outstretched arm. Again there came the shocked gasps and sighs, and I tried to keep my heart absolutely pure of pride and pure of anything but love. It was not differentiated or defined, this love, but only love, the love I could feel perhaps for one I killed or one I succored, or one whom I passed in the street, or for one whom I knew and valued as much as him. - The Vampire Armand, pp. 368-369 (emphasis is mine)

But the contrasting absolute annoyance Armand has for Lestat is hilarious! He loves him but can barely stand him sometimes (that isn't unusual for Lestat's admirers).

Lestat, not a bad friend to have, and one for whom I would lay down my immortal life, one for whose love and companionship I have ofttimes begged, one whom I find maddening and fascinating and intolerably annoying, one without whom I cannot exist. The Vampire Armand, p. 276

But it's the way he describes things that happen to him that maddens me, the way that he connects one incident to another as though all these random and grisly occurrences were in fact links in some significant chain. They are not. They are capers. And he knows it. But he must make a gutter theatrical out of stubbing his toe. The James Bond of the Vampires, the Sam Spade of his own pages. - The Vampire Armand, p. 288 (emphasis mine)

Though Armand's head on Lestat's arm might be the most beautiful image of the two of them from any of the books, this line gives me chills every time:

"Lestat, my Lestat - for he was never theirs, was he? - my Lestat was crazed and railing as the result of his awful saga […]" - The Vampire Armand, p. 320 (emphasis mine)

Yes, your Lestat.

[lotstradamus]

i'm loving all your vampire posting lottie! if you're ever so compelled i'd love to hear what you make of the books vs the show and if there are any book things you'd especially like to see done on the show! (also, bookwise, are you a lestat girl or an armand girl or a louis/marius/david/akasha/claudia girl or or or)

as someone who tried to read Interview with the Vampire thrice (THRICE!!!) pre-AMC show revival and simply could not get through it (it is melancholy), I cannot BELIEVE how down bad I am for these books right now. I keep seeing bad reviews on goodreads and girding my loins for each new book expecting the quality to nosedive, but 1 star bitch WHERE? WHERE??? I AM HAVING THE TIME OF MY GODDAMN LIFE

in terms of books vs show, honestly after a point the books are kind of Unadaptable unless they radically change the main cast, vibe and format of the show every single season, and the changes they made to IWTV were good to the point of sending me fucking insane so they can just keep on doing whatever their little hearts desire with the source material imo!!! howmever I DO have some suggestions for the upcoming seasons:

Lestat crying twice an ep (non-negotiable)

I would kind of love it if Lestat is the only character who tells the truth. the most reliablest narrator and normal girl to ever live. and yet every time he says something like "I killed a pack of wolves single-handedly" or "I woke Those Who Must Be Kept by playing violin" or "I snog my mother with tongue" Daniel is just sitting there like "............riiiight."

Gabrielle. Gabrielle Gabrielle Gabrielle. mainly I would like to smash cut to Gabrielle in the middle of really intense Lestat/everyone else scenes and she's just like peacefully sleeping in the ground... strolling through a distant jungle... sitting on a mountain looking at the stars in silence...

EXCEPT that one scene where she pulls up to Lestat's concert like she's in 2 Fast 2 Furious

it'll be interesting to see how they adapt Queen of the Damned because so little of it is actually from Lestat's pov, and all of it is amazing and cannot be cut out: [Stefon voice] the Twins, Jesse, specifically Jesse being haunted in Louis and Lestat's old New Orleans house, everyone hanging out/playing out terrible interpersonal dramas at the Sonoma compound, NIGHT ISLAND...!

I cannot stress this enough: GHOST CLAUDIA.

I want them to do Body Thief. fuck it, why not. must haves are Mojo, a random hunk with a PhD in Sam Reid's mannerisms playing Lestat for 6/8 episodes, Lestat nearly dying 25 times cos he pilots his human body like a drunk muppet, and, most importantly, Lestat BEGGING David Talbot for some old man pussy

oh and an entire episode set on a cruise ship

my favourite scene from the whole of Body Thief was Lestat turning David at the end against his will cos it was genuinely quite awful and frightening but also. um. you know. awooga

if they include Gretchen, then I would like the opposite of my Gabrielle request for everything post-Body Thief: whenever there's a peaceful, quiet scene it smash cuts to the wilds of South America where Gretchen is absolutely stark raving mad on the floor of a chapel with stigmata

I can't even begin to think about how they'd adapt Memnoch, but regardless I want them to keep the scene where Lestat drinks someone's period blood. thanks

also his cunty little lilac-tinted sunglasses that he will not fucking stop talking about

and finally, human Armand getting drunk and falling into the Grand Canal

bookwise, I am a Lestat girl the house down boots... I love his over-dramatic idiot crybaby ass!!!!! although the final page of Memnoch the Devil made me burst into tears and cry my whole face off until I confirmed that Lestat comes back as the narrator in future books soooo maybe like calls to like. self recognition through the other, etc. I do also get a shot of pure joy every time Armand shows up, especially in Lestat's pov. 'ah, there he was, the Botticelli angel, so beautiful. I fucking hated him. we kissed.' sis THEE dopamine.

currently suffering because I want to a) stop reading the series immediately so I can go back and reread The Vampire Lestat, and yet also b) never ever stop reading the series for love nor money. please help me budget this my family is dying

[adamnablelittledevil]

I'm excited for Devil's Minion but I hope the Lesmand aspect isn't undermined in its favor. That ship may not be endgame but it's so important to both Lestat and Armand.

I only know Devil's Minion content from what I've seen on the tag, but I share the same feeling! I also enjoy Armand and Daniel's dynamic on the show. I can't wait to see more if it (and any possible duo, romantic/endgame or not, because they're all so appealing) and I hope they did have something in the past as well (and I think it's highly possible), because both Eric and Luke are great. And, well, this chemistry is too extraordinary to ignore.

Sure, this scene wasn't a positive one, but tell me they don't have potential to deliver the romantic content?

So, about the books, I'm still on chapter 5 of The Vampire Lestat (I'm leaving IWTV for last), but so far I don't see how they could reduce lesmand. I guess you could say there is some romantic aspect to them, but there's so much more than that too. Now, I might be interpreting this wrong or things will naturally change over the course of the books, but I believe they have this soul ties/mirrors/foils/two sides of the same coin aspect. It's only been a little over one chapter since Armand was firstly introduced, but their dynamic already feels so important. They're so similar and yet so different, they're fascinated by each other, they see parts of themselves that they don't like on one another, they see things they can't understand but want to, there's empathy, there's protectiveness, they're attracted to one another and not even just in a physical/romantic sense, but there's some genuine curiosity, admiration and magnetism there, but they're still afraid of each other, they still despise one another, they hurt each other, they know it's better to stay way, but don't really want to so it challenges them to the point they also HATE each other... I even feel like it's more frustration and projection than actual hate, but still... They're very INTENSE, in every sense of the word. And it keeps fleeting all the time, sometimes it's warmer, sometimes it's more explosive, sometimes they have similar reactions to one another and sometimes they don't... Which leads to different types of tension that is entertaining to play with. Plus, they have the best conversations and arguments for me. They touch on some really relevant topics about each other's existence, their collective existence as a species and as individuals (which is part of their conflict). Basically, we can call them whatever we want, but they're never boring.

So I can't see them being able to change that even if they want to? Also, because Armand is the first vampire Lestat meets after his maker and fledgling. Magnus kills himself shortly after turning Lestat, Gabrielle and Lestat are almost on the same level when it comes to powers and knowledge about vampirism. Armand exists out of their sphere, has been a vampire for a while, has more abilities/knowledge than them... I feel like you need that in order to 'shake' things up on the flashbacks instead of just being in the bubble of Lestat and his fledglings or using Armand as a small character.

And Assad is one of the main actors, he's paid for main actor screen time, so it would be a waste not to use him as such? And, like you said, it's so important for both Armand's and Lestat's arcs, and this is a main character + main character dynamic, it's not like a side plot with a guest star. It would be killing multiple birds with one stone, because you'd find a way to use two fundamental characters, tell the story in a proper and also engaging way. Not to mention they would be insanely stupid to waste this.

Yeah, I know this is different on the book, but my point is that the enigmatic chemistry they're supposed to have is there and Rolin should make the most of it. Like, I'm still a bit frustrated they didn't play a little more with Jacob and Assad's chemistry too.

So let's not do it again? I mean, this is the first show I watch where everyone has amazing chemistry and good reasons to have lots of scenes together because they live forever and need to have more than just one company, lol. I say let's explore all of it, whether something is romantic/endgame or not.

Anyway, I believe we'll see a lot of Armand in the 1700s flashbacks and that lesmand will be top 2 of Armand's dynamics on season 3. Depending on what they want to do with armandiel, they might even explore more of lesmand next season, since that's 'Lestat's' season and they can have all future seasons for armandiel? I mean, I can see something kind of like season 2, when we had loumand, but dreamstat was still a significant presence and then the big scene at the end. Plus, I'm expecting Daniel to have a lot of screen time with Louis and Lestat, respectively.

Btw, sorry I deflected so much, I just had a lot to say, lmao. Thank you for the message. :)

[fenicenera83]

Do you think that Marius prefers Lestat in every way? He always seems to choose him over Armand. It feels like Marius has a bit of a lack of respect for Armand. Do you believe that Marius loves Lestat more?

I think it is fair to start with a premise, namely, that my personal opinion is that Lestat, somehow, especially in the last trilogy, has been elevated by Anne to the universally most beloved character of any vampire, regardless. Probably because Lestat has always been her favorite character, and also because it is through his voice, more so, that Anne has told the vampire chronicles. I think Lestat is somehow the platonic love of all the other vampires, because for Anne, they all had to love him immensely. And I would like to point out another thing as well, love, at least for me, in the chronicles is an immense term. It is not simple romantic love, or simple ship, or sexual attraction. What I see now often in fandom is this, and personally I find it mortifying and reductive. I find all this animosity aimed at showing how one character loves this character or this character more absurd. It is childish and not appropriate behavior in a lore like the vampire chronicles. The love in the chronicles, I repeat, is immense, and it embraces an infinite if not all types of love that human beings experience in their lives.

From romantic love, to brotherly love, to friendship love, or love that can be turned to a father figure or mentor, etc., and in addition, the love of these characters changes, expands, evolves, transforms, and never stays still. It is constantly changing, sometimes it detaches, although it remains strong and alive in the hearts of the characters, sometimes it remains and is experienced with more or less intensity, but it remains. Love in the chronicles always remains in the hearts of the characters even when it changes. Having said that, I think they are two extremely different relationships between Marius and Lestat and Marius and Armand. The first thing that comes to my mind is that I personally believe that Marius sees a lot of his younger self in Lestat. Marius and Lestat have always had a very similar view of the world, about humans and their relationship with them, about posing positively toward the world and life, they are kindred minds. I could even be presumptuous and say that Lestat is a little bit of a young Marius, we know that as a human Marius was prone to adventure, to searching, his was a wandering heart, full of questions and constantly searching for answers. Just like Lestat.

With the only big difference being that Marius has always been his own teacher, open and critical always willing to confront and question thinking. And I think here is one of the important points. Lestat seeks Marius because he wants answers, we could say that he seeks him fervently, almost maniacally, with determination and innocence at the same time. Lestat sees in Marius something to aspire to, something he can "lean on," something in which he can find peace in his wandering. As I said, it is a strong and love-filled relationship, Lestat loves Marius unconditionally, but their love is that of a son choosing a father, and of a father who is alone and defeated, and is moved by the ardor of this young vampire. And I would also like to point out, it is not exactly true that Marius is always ready to help or choose Lestat, in "The tale of the Body Thief" Marius decides not to help Lestat, he tries to make Lestat realize that he has gone too far, that he has pulled too far.

I would also like to say that in my opinion Lestat and Marius also share, unfortunately, the trauma that Akasha generated in both of them. They are traumas of different nature, but Akasha, she has somehow traumatized both of them. Akasha, she has always been evil, she is a villain, she is cruel and ruthless, and both Marius and Lestat have been confronted with Akasha's evilness. It's another commonality that somehow like an invisible thread, binds them, and brings them closer together.

On the other side Armand, it is a different story. Meanwhile, I think it is fundamental that Armand is the choosen fledgling of Marius. The one and only one that, Marius ever chose, the only one that he desired and for whom he fought himself, because he did not want to deprive him of his mortal life, because Akasha did not want Armand around, because Marius did not want to turn him so young, the thousand why all indiscriminately killed by an immense and indestructible love, on both sides precise, just for clarity.

I don't think any other relationship in the chronicles has the intense and burning passion the religious ardor of adoration and need for belonging that there is between Marius and Armand. I don't have any other way to talk about the two of them, they belong to each other, they both carried the ghost of the other inside for centuries, and they accepted that ghost as long as they didn't give up their love. Armand has a way of confronting Marius that no one else possesses. Armand knows very well Marius' limits, and Marius knows very well Armand's need to challenge him, in various ways, and with various results…which in the end are always pleasant I might add ;). Marius is everything to Armand, father, master, lover, creator, savior, guide, Marius is the reason why Armand accepts and wants immortality. And Armand is everything to Marius, son, disciple, lover, the one who was chosen, the precious love who saw him and longed for him and loved him with a human heart, and who saw the immortal creature and did not take a step back, on the contrary offered himself with even more love to him. I don't think Marius disrespects Armand, on the contrary, it is precisely because Marius appreciates and esteems Armand's mind and heart that he pushes him to study to understand to ask questions.Pushes him to confrontation, to growth through confrontation.

And finally, no, I don't think Marius loves Lestat more than Armand, I think he loves him differently, I think each of them loves the others differently, and I don't think there is a more or less. But instead, I think it is perhaps much more intense and in some ways even funny, how both Lestat and Armand love Marius in such a deep and dedicated way. And I find it beautiful that in the last trilogy Armand compares Lestat on this. It's a crossroads between the two of them this love that they have for Marius. It was one of the most beautiful things to see how Armand is jealous of Marius and that generates this strange love/hate relationship with Lestat.

In the end as I said at the beginning, love, whatever kind it is, is one of the wonderful constants in the chronicles. It is a little like watching a wave, the love in the chronicles comes and goes, but the sand remains wet from that wave, as the soul of these characters from love, and as that wet sand waits for the wave to return, so is love for Anne Rice vampires.

Thank you for the ask!

[dreadfuldevotee]

exactly. while it's valid to critique armand's actions in the show and i do need him to get comeuppance in s3, i agree that certain anti loumand takes really seem to lack nuance. it's really the refusal from these antis to see the moments when louis and armand are genuinely vulnerable with one another. fans act like louis wasn't sincerely listening to armand in that museum scene, some even claimed that louis mocking him. but it was obvious from the way louis spoke that learning about armand's past did affect him. like people don't have to ship them, but reducing every action that louis and armand take with one another as just purely calculated or denying that they ever loved each other? doesn't make sense with the story shown to us.

(also side-eyeing the fans who think that louis would be disparaging about sex with armand, just so lestat can be propped up as the superior choice? some of them are lowkey racist about it too and it's fucking weird)

"The two of them getting to meet again when they have both rediscovered themselves, and seeing each other in new lights would be everything to me."

you! you get it. the potential of what armand and louis could be post divorce actually compels me. both characters have so much to work on with their identities, how will this change their dynamic moving forward?

You are absolutely right. The compounding factors of Loustat's favor among fans & production and straight up racist ideas of the sexualities of Black and Asian men (Louis being construed as sexually aggressive for being in a consensual sexual dynamic where he is dominant or; Constant denial that Armand could be desired by the rest of the characters leading to him magically coercing people into being physical with him or just straight up lying about encounters- typically to prop up a white romantic rival) make up a large part of miss-readings of this relationship and frankly the entire season.

It's not a new concept that people get attached to a ship, especially one(s) they know are Endgame and then come up with ways to make every other relationship about that endgame or just straight up denying any narrative or emotional impact it deserves. But it still pisses me off to see it happen here. I think the first time I read people saying that Madeleine was actually feeling Louis' love of Lestat during the café scene, I started contemplating my own sanity.

I'm really excited to see where both their characters go during s3 and though I am eager to see them interact at length again, I don't want to rush that reconnection because I want it to be earned. Keeping hope alive that Rolin & Co. balance all these complex emotions and ever shifting relationships. For my own personal vindication if nothing else

[loustat-0]

The complaining about interviews came off as people who still do not wake up from the fact that no, this ship was never meant to be the Main (Amazing) Ship. It is as usual all about expectation. I am not even that much of a Loustat shipper because they are just not my fav but I certainly went into the show knowing they would be the main characters and relationship. You just have to accept that the story does not align entirely with your tastes and was certainly not made especially and personaly for you. But some parts of the fandom have difficulties with that.

It's absolutely okay to not be Loustat shippers I understand why some people can't like that 👌🏻. But what's clear is that this is how the writers chose for the show version . That loustat is at the core of S1 and S2 . And hopefully every season they're gonna make . And it's so clear how important Daniel's role is also going to be in Armand's life because he's gonna be his lover who healed his broken heart when NO ONE , EVEN LOUIS COULD DO IT 😭 . No one was mentioned like that for Armand's character in the books . Only Daniel did that even though they broke up but Armand in TVA still believes Daniel healed his heart . Daniel's turning is a pivot and important part of Armand's life and characteristics because he hates making another vampire , ESPECIALLY IF HE LOVES THAT PERSON . and it was already hinted in 2x6 that the idea repulses Armand . And that HE NEVER MADE A VAMPIRE . so basically they're going somewhere with this in future . 🤩

Not to mention Armand and Daniel do kind of end up together again in prince Lestat so they're kinda each other's endgame like loustat . BECAUSE THEY ACCEPT EACH OTHER AND THAT SEEMED TO BE WHAT MATTERED FOR THEM ALL ALONG . The idea of these four dynamics in the books is so similar . Louis only goes back to be fully devoted and in love with Lestat when he accepted his nature finally and made peace with himself. And that's the exact same thing for Daniel's character . He only went back to Armand when he was finally in peace . 😭

And that's why they give us Luke / Eric / Assad interviews too . I have absolutely no complaints about seeing the main couples of TVC doing this stuff together. And believe me I don't even expect them to . But if that's how they decided to do it I don't have any problems with it because :

1. I know certain people just vibe with each other and certain people don't . 2. This starts to seem that loumand fans are pushing for real life chemistry and real life bond , they're forcing it on the actors now . Which isn't professional. And they seem like they don't like how Louis and Armand's story is going so they want it from Assad and Jacob . Not the characters . Because if they only cared about the characters there are a lot of written interviews about Louis and Armand's relationship in S2 . They can read those . 3. And you know what? Maybe Armand and Louis weren't supposed to be that pivot of a relationship & maybe they're not as major as other relationships and maybe you should just accept that instead of making heating comments on the cast and their bond and off camera chemistry . 🤷🏻‍♀️

What's interesting for me is that I've seen a few of those fans want Sam and Assad's interview . Because they had such amazing on screen chemistry too . They fit soooo well in 2x3 . But I've seen very few people want their interview too . 🙂

[gaywatch]

What are some ships/pairings/otps that have buried themselves so deep in your heart that you won’t ever be able to be anything but absolutely insane about them?

Like they are either constantly on your mind and you can’t shake them or you don’t think about them as often but when you do (or something reminds you of them) it’s like a punch to the gut and all the feelings come rushing back to you at once in an overwhelming way… I’m so curious because you obviously watch so many things and see a lot of connections between characters so I’m just wondering which ones have dug their claws in just a little too deep?

Okay, first of all, this is a banger question and a banger way to phrase it so good on you. <3

Any of the first five ships I ever had can make me feral at a moment's notice, and I could write an essay about any of them with zero prep time. My peak shipping period for all of them was high school and college, when my obsessive capacity was... particularly impressive. I made fanvids for four out of five (in one case I made 10+), fake trailers for a couple, and at least began writing a fanfic for four out of five of these as well:

Phantom/Christine (Phantom of the Opera)

David/Maddie (Moonlighting)

Jack/Elizabeth (Pirates of the Carribean)

House/Cameron (House MD)

Jareth/Sarah (Labyrinth)

This list alone tells you a lot about me, tbh.

Every single one of these come with the warning that you should never bring them up to me unless you're prepared for a highly intense and opinionated lecture.

And it's always difficult to compete with the formative stuff, right? They hit you hard at a hard-hitting age, that's a lot to surpass.

WELL.

I got into queer ships when I was 22, just out of college but still in the vital Young Adult stage, and long story short the rest of my life is quite literally all Star Trek 2009's fault. I saw the movie and (hilariously) got enough of a Kirk/Spock vibe that I wondered if anyone and the WiLd AnD cRaZy IdEa that they should be together or maybe that was just me and this was a Brand New Idea.

That gives you a good idea of how ignorant of queer fandom I was.

Anyway, fifteen-going-on-sixteen years later I'm drowning in queer ships but these ten in particular have some kind of cryptic Lovecraftian hold on my being despite the fact that as I've gotten older my appreciation for the fictional gays has grown wider, meaning it's usually less concentrated. So instead of having a list a mile long to answer your question, it still ultimately boils down to a top ten (in no order, don't do that to me):

Kirk/Spock (Star Trek: TOS)

Eliot/Quentin (The Magicians)

Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian (The Untamed)

Kang Yohan/Kim Gaon (The Devil Judge)

Thor/Loki (MCU)

Holmes/Watson (Sherlock Holmes, Guy Ritchie films)

Lestat/Louis (Interview with the Vampire)

Shiro/Keith (Voltron)

[redacted] (redacted)*

Arthur/Merlin (Merlin)

Nowadays the big indicator that I don't just love a ship, I love a ship, is if I'm so compelled that I feel the urge to Make Something (huge mega ADHD bonus points if I actually do it), usually a fanvid or a fic. And that holds true for...yeah, 9/10 of these.

Every now and then I'll remember one of these and feel that obsessive urge to think about nothing else for like a month and fully re-immerse. But Gaywatch, writing, and DMing for my D&D group make that really difficult. They're always there, though, and if I can ever think of way to shove them into Gaywatch for the excuse to obsess I totally do. (Merlin, for example, came in a really strong second for a Patreon poll last year but didn't win. And I was like 'fuck it this is my house and I'll watch Merlin after the winner' because I'd been waiting actual years to watch it for the channel.)

So yeah, if any of these--even the First Five because I'm obnoxious--make it into Gaywatch content somehow, that is not an accident. (If you were looking for details about each one I'm legit not capable of that. It'd be paragraphs per ship at least and we'd never get out of here.)

*Redacted because purity culture froths at the mouth whenever this ship is so much as mentioned. If anyone ever asked me point-blank if I shipped this I'd tell the truth, but Tumblr specifically can make talking about the ship insufferable/impossible.

[witchstone]

tvc for the fandom ask and batman bc i see you posting about it but i can never keep the names straight

hi ruby <333

the vampire chronicles

my favorite female character: i haven't finished qotd yet but i really, really enjoyed reading jesse's chapters. odd for me, since i don't tend to latch on to 'smaller' characters

my favorite male character: lestat lestat lestat. what a vivid storyteller

my favorite book/season/etc: i'm not exaggerating in the slightest when i say that the vampire lestat is everything i have ever wanted in a vampire novel, and more

my favorite ship: it's armand/daniel, while i am greatly enjoying a lot of the various dynamics most aren't really 'shipping' material for me?

a character I’d die defending: gabrielle. she was right to hate her husband and children

a character I just can’t sympathize with: louis. lmao. do have to agree with that post that describes him as a dried out husk of a soul

a character I grew to love: probably lestat, but i don't know if it's fair to use going from reading iwtv to tvl as an example lmao

my anti otp: i don't really have one? probably marius/armand just based entirely on how marius talks about armand in qotd

batfam. sorry but this probably isn't going to make anything clearer lol <3

my favorite female character: stephanie brown my beloved steph

my favorite male character: jason todd. number one favourite character of all time, no one's doing it like him

my favorite book/season/etc: under the red hood, the lost days, and steph's batgirl run were all pretty foundational

my favorite ship: jaytim (before i get any flack: i maintain my position that they're not brothers. i have worse ships, i promise)

a character I’d die defending: it seems to have abated but damian used to get a lot of flack in the fandom over things that were literally the most basic responses that you could expect from a 10yo child in his situation. (if this answer were for dc as a whole then it would be talia. deeply interesting character who frequently gets the short end of the stick both from writer and readers alike)

a character I just can’t sympathize with: honestly, it's bruce. i don't dislike him, but it got to the point that every batman run i read felt like it was just the same circular repeat of the one before. i just feel like everything about him that can be said has been said, and i don't find him or his reasonings to be particularly compelling

a character I grew to love: honestly dick grayson has grown on me over the years. i didn't find him particularly compelling when i first started reading comics (and his fanonization didn't exactly help) but he's started to grow on me. might actually get back into reading the comics because of it

my anti otp: love and light to my mutuals you seem to be happy when you talk about it but i don't get the appeal of batman/joker. could just be the fact that i don't find either of them interesting

[pynkhues]

I feel like from browsing tags on tumblr and on AO3 that DM is more popular than Loustat, which I find super interesting. Personally I love both so I’m happy to get any content, but I was initially really surprised that was the case given the amount of content in canon is almost the exact inverse to fandom.

I wonder if this is because DM hasn’t happened yet so there’s more to speculate, on up to and including the dynamics at play. But I do ALSO wonder if it’s because it’s more acceptable to ship and you’re less likely to have gotten hate about DM compared to Loustat over the last two years. Which I find soooo funny because if that’s the case, when it actually happens I suspect people will be in for a rude awakening.

Anyway, just wondering if you’ve noticed this and had any thoughts? You’re very insightful about these things and I know have been in various fandoms before.

Ah, it's kinda funny you bring this up, because I was actually talking about something adjacent to this with @hypermania yesterday.

I think they're a fun ship with a fun dynamic generally, and I think you're right that a part of it comes from the fact that DM hasn't happened yet. I think that opens up the overall possibility of what their dynamic and relationship could be, especially given there's a wide window of time to play around in between the 70s and the modern era. I think their particular dynamic can at first glance look pretty trope-y too in a way that often appeals to fandoms (enemies to lovers! Mutual obsession! A hardened character who's actually a traumatised victim who just wants love and the snarky antagonist who'll love him - entire fandoms have been built on the back of that), and I think as a ship, people probably see them as having less baggage than Louis and Lestat, both in terms of actual canon elements (no dead child, no dv, no murder, etc.) and in terms of -- y'know. *gestures to the fandom*

I also think, at least in terms of fic, that people probably think Daniel and Armand are easier characters to write, which - - mm. I think Daniel definitely is easier to write than Louis and Lestat are, but I don't think Armand is at all. This is actually what me and Courtney were talking about yesterday - that there's a tendency to defang all these characters, but particularly Armand it seems? There's this sort of fanon version of him that's almost as popular as housewife Louis which is as this waifish little weirdo, when Armand's pretty specifically dangerous, especially in the show. He's a master manipulator and an apex predator, and while, of course, he's not just those things, it does seem to be a part of him that's softened when it comes to writing fic which has him falling pretty neatly into a character archetype that I think is just generally very popular in fandoms, even though it's not necessarily the way I'd personally interpret him.

I also - - mm. Trying to find a way to say this, haha. Sex work is a pretty popular trope in fanfic, and it has been in every fandom that I've been in. I think Armand having a canonical past in that is appealing to certain parts of fandom, for better and for worse, to say nothing of the canonical BDSM element of his character (which I think is less popular with Louis, because I think Louis as a dom didn't match with established post-s1 fanon between seasons, which is kind of interesting to me in particular given I think it makes a lot of sense).

So yeah, I think it's a mix of things, ranging from them just generally having an appealing dynamic and being open to possibility and having less (perceived, at least) baggage both in canon and fandom, and them also - particularly Armand - being shaped by fanon into versions that just generally seem to be popular across fandoms.

[botanikos]

SHIPPING INFO. answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

what’s your OTP for your muse(s)?

Stolitz, obviously. Though I am also biased by saying I will also always readily pursue what I have with Horus & Stolas [ @sxlinvictus is stuck with me forever ].

what are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

As far as tropes go, I am open to most things. I am a slut [ affectionate ] for fluff and domesticity, but angst is also my game! I love friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, etc. The options are endless!

are you selective when shipping?

I can be. If I can't personally see our muses becoming romantically [ or even just sexually ] inclined, I'll be hesitant and/or let you know it's not going to work out or that I'm not interested. It's nothing personal! I just go based on how my Stolas feels or would approach the matter. On most occasions, I am heavily chemistry based. However, there are some instances where I'd be willing to just jump right into things! Especially if I've had enough interactions with my partners both or either ic or ooc!

Also worth noting — my portrayal will not show interest in women. Sorry, ladies. He will appreciate and compliment them, but there will be zero attraction.

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

This is a very good question! I will be honest, I never considered anything outside of Stolitz originally, excluding possibilities with Dae's muses as we discuss them. Mostly because I just wasn't sure where I stood on the matter or how Stolas would respond! But some interactions with others have me thinking. . . Broadening my horizons. . .

I would be open to exploring things with: Better Than Blitzo Guy [ why doesn't he have a fucking name?? ], Lucifer, Angel Dust, Andrealphus, Lucifer [ Netflix and probably to be an Exclusive ], Alucard/Adrian from Castlevania, and others idk I just can't think of it without like, prompting or scenarios. . .

I actively/passively ship my Stolas with Blitzo, Lestat [ @this-savage-garden ] and Walter [ @lapetitemxrt ], and Roy [ @flamesignite ]. But these are exclusive ships! I will not pair him with any other portrayal of these characters.

how often do you like to ship?

I love shipping! If it's not already obvious, I'm telling you right now!!! Good soup!

are you multiship?

100%, absolutely! Every ship is verse separate and occurring outside of others unless specified or agreed upon by any/all involved!

what is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

I love Moxxie & Millie so damn much — but if the question is muse specific, then Stolitz, of course.

finally, how does one ship with you?

Tell me! Tell me you're interested and if you have any ideas/desired interactions to get things going! 9/10 times I am willing and absolutely delighted to do so! Also, memes are a great jump into any dynamic! I will say, however, it helps to have interactions prior and/or chatting ooc! If you don't tell me or tag me in a post about wanting it — I won't approach you about it! Even if it's a ship I am interested in. Just slam that shit in my face! Let's goooo!

Additional notes:

Just because I have an interest in shipping with a character does not mean I will seek it out or expect it with you and your muse! Also, I am 100% down for unrequited feelings.

[lady-phasma]

Hey! I'm loving chatting with you on these last posts, so now I'm curious about your IWTVerse faves? Season, episode, scene, character, ship, book, chapter, quote. It can be more than one, btw! I know quotes are more specific and it can be hard remembering, so it doesn't need to be your ultimate favorite, but something you love. Also, how should I call you? 🙃💗

I am so excited to answer this! It's been lovely to meet you! You can call me Auntie but not everyone feels comfortable with that. So Phasma works or Phazzie (I've gotten that one before and it's fun).

My IWTVerse faves... hmm... let's see.

Season 2 is definitely my favorite season for many, many reasons but mostly because Assad got to shine so much more!

Favorite episode of all 15 eps? This is difficult. I love the more dramatic and powerful episodes like 2.05 and 2.07 but I really love the pilot. If I had to choose just one it would be 2.07. The trial is brutal but it showcases all the amazing writing, acting, set design, and camera work even if I watch it with tears running down my cheeks.

My favorite scene from any episode is probably Lestat's "little drink" scene with Louis. That is unbelievably hot and never gets less hot no matter how many times I watch it. But specifically, this shot in the room before they get started. The feelings. oof!

Picking a favorite character is probably the most difficult. Lestat has always been the love of my life (since I read IWTV & TVL at 10 years old) but I truly adore all of the main characters in the books and series.

I don't really have a favorite ship. I ship them all with whoever. I am incredibly intrigued by all relationships that Armand has, but no ship in Anne's world is more important to me than another. Each pairing helps us understand something about the characters which is why she shipped them all over the place with each other. LoL

The book answer is easy - The Vampire Lestat. Here's a link to a recent post I made about my 30 year old copies of the books. I read TVL until it fell apart multiple times but I still have it on my shelf.

Favorite chapter from my favorite book or from any of the books? Both? LoL My favorite chapter of TVL is chapter 1 of Part 3: Viaticum for the Marquise (when Lestat turns Gabrielle). My favorite chapter from the entire Chronicles is Chapter 4 of The Vampire Armand. Not only did Anne write one of the most beautiful dead doves, but she tossed in a little of her BDSM flavor in that chapter as well. The scene with Marius and Amadeo's brattiness is delicious every time I read it.

My favorite quote from the series is I had powers now and decades of rage to process, and it was both random and unfortunate the man picked that night to dabble in fuckery. - Louis

My favorite quote from the books is probably the opening of TVL: I am the Vampire Lestat. I'm immortal. More or less. The light of the sun, the sustained heat of an intense fire —these things might destroy me. But then again, they might not.

[thewhumpcaretaker]

Seven Songs of Suffering: Secrets

I'm gonna give all my secrets away - OneRepublic

I’m not sure whether a list will count for the challenge. Let me know if not! I'll try to do another one. But since today is whump day and people are talking about their whump journeys, here's every character I can think of who I’ve treated as a whumpee in my head at some point. Some were romantic for me and others were just pure whump. I left out nothing, even if it’s problematic looking back on it (I have regrets). Although I'm sure I forgot a few because there are a LOT! These are in roughly chronological order starting when I was a toddler to present day. Some have stayed blorbos in the back of my mind and others have not, but they were all important to me at some point. Send an ask about any of them if you want to know why I liked them so much!

Note: Characters from the same media are listed together, but it doesn’t mean that I shipped them.

Mickey Mouse

Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy

Anakin Skywalker

Mulder from The X-Files

Frodo Baggins

Stuart Little

Harry Potter

Aislinn, Tyris, and Tamika from Heroes of Might and Magic III

Mary Cicily Barker fairies

Any of the Rainbow Magic fairies

Any Babysitter’s Club character

River from Firefly

Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle

Marianne from Sense and Sensibility

Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre

Seven of Nine from Star Trek

Hamlet

Dr. Horrible from Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog

Tyler/Narrator from Fight Club

Jason Dean from Heathers

Neo from The Matrix

Sherlock Holmes from Sherlock

Light and L from Death Note

Ciel Phantomhive from Kuroshitsuji

Deadpool

Batman

Lucifer from…the Bible I guess

Michael Corvin from Underworld

Lestat and Louis from Interview with the Vampire

The unnamed narrator of Notes from Underground

Guts from Berserk

Karl Heisenberg from RE8

Shane from Stardew Valley

Heathcliffe

Astarion from BG3

John Wick, Marquis de Gramont, and Santino D’Antonio

Michael Corleone and Kay Adams Corleone from The Godfather

[monstersinthecosmos]

As a fellow Marius lover, I always find it kind of disheartening how most of the content/fandom talk about him (meta, fic, fanart, etc.) revolves around m/m ships (Marius/Armand in particular but I’d even go as far to include Marius/Daniel here) when, in my opinion, Marius is like the one male character in the VC universe whose relationships with women are far more interesting than his relationships with other men (the only other character might be Lestat but even then it’s pretty 50/50). They’re so monumental and so full of complexities and pain and so much love and they define him and inform his character in ways that I think, his relationships with men simply do not. Interesting/hot under the right circumstances? Sure but like ARE YOU GUYS SEEING THIS MAN??? AND HOW HE RELATES TO WOMEN??? It’s one of the best things Anne ever wrote and I can never get enough of it and it makes me sad how little content there is of it and I feel I can never say this out loud because I would never want to make people feel bad about what they ship (truly not my intention here) but ugh SO MUCH potential there for life changing discourse and meta about Marius and the women he’s loved and lost and have shaped who he is and there’s like… nothing.

Tl;dr the reason I’m sending this ask is because I’m a firm believer that you must be the change you want to see in this world and because YOU get it! And every time you post or write about Marius/Pandora (or Marius/Akasha! Or talk about Marius/Bianca) an angel gets its (black) wings. You are seen, you are loved and appreciated tysm <3

OKAY FIRST OF ALL THIS WAS SUCH A DELIGHT TO GET IN MY INBOX, SECOND IM GOING TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST AND ADMIT I FEEL TOO INCOHERENT TO TACKLE THIS TOPIC HAHA. I don’t feel articulate enough to do it justice. And I don’t say that to be obnoxious and self deprecating but like in all honesty idk how to synthesize it neatly but I think you’re sharing some GREAT IDEAS. 

I have to say this in bullet points because I don’t feel equipped to string this into a cohesive post:

Marius was based on Anne’s husband, and Marius/Pandora was based on their marriage!!!!! And I think it explains a lot about why their relationship feels so fuckin POTENT to me, like it’s so genuine!!!!!!! And like knowing that I think it makes sense why she wrote him so HOT lol. Like she’s just writing thirsty stuff about her husband right? LOL

Also like insofar as there’s a lot of genderfluidity in VC there’s also something vaguely misogynist about it at times. And Anne Rice was a mega feminist and her work had so much womens lib in it!!!!! So I don’t think it’s intended as misogyny at all vs. Anne having conversations about gender and maybe her own relationship to gender. I think enough characters have said vaguely misogynist stuff that it makes me think it’s an Anne Problem vs being Watsonian. (This is also a historical/time period issue and we can discuss another time if and when vampires are supposed to break out of that when they transcend humanity and social constructs even when they’re still saying weird sexist shit at their big ages.) But I say that to say all VC characters are a tad sexist, even if perhaps she was writing with the intention of her own male power fantasy/male superiority/penis envy. AND THAT MAKES MARIUS VERY INTERESTING. 

Cause like really the three main ladies in his life (Akasha, Pandora, Bianca) DO define him so much! And we don’t see him pine for Armand the way he did for any of them! Why!!!

Like there’s that aspect of sexism where women can be infantilized by men who don’t think they’re being unkind and it makes me wonder, especially when the author is a boomer, like where is that line between condescension and respect? I don’t have an answer here, this is too big-brained for me LOL but like he is SO devoted to the women in his life and I just wonder like if he sees them as creatures unlike himself, you know? 

This is headcanon territory but I bet he’s such a fucking sub to Pandora lol and it just thrills me that he spent 2000 years begging Akasha for affection and she ignored him the whole damn time wow. And he continued to simp!

AND ALSO LIKE, I think people DO NOT DISCUSS THIS OFTEN ENOUGH, but did we forget that he chose Armand because he needed a Bianca rebound? He was absolutely TORTURED by his love for Bianca and picked Armand because he didn’t want to kill her oh my god. Oh my god!!! HE KEPT HER LETTER IN HIS POCKET OVER HIS HEART OKAY??? HE DIDN’T WANT TO DRAG HER INTO HIS COLD AND FATAL DOMAIN????? Fuck lol

It’s so fucked up that he didn’t go after Armand but spent like actual fucking millennia trying to find Pandora. HE KNEW EXACTLY WHERE ARMAND WAS AND LEFT HIM THERE LOL BUT PANDORA HAUNTED HIM EVERY NIGHT OF HIS LIFE FOR CENTURIES.

After everything he wound up spending like 200 years with Bianca or something and ?????? CORRECT because Bianca was the fledgling he actually wanted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But it’s odd, I know I’ve said this 337589235 times, but Marius like. Has an idea of the person he wants to be and he tries SO HARD to live by logic & reason and he just can’t reconcile with the fact that he has EMOTIONS. And so like part of the person he wants to be like, open/empathetic/wise and he begs his lovers/students/fledglings to CHALLENGE HIM when he’s not actually healed enough to be challenged? And to me there’s something kinda like, extra spicy about it when you’re in Rice World and you’re a lil sexist; how much that burns EXTRA when it’s Pandora or Bianca sticking up to you or AKASHA FUCKIN IGNORING YOU. 

Just really incredible that this person who is like the epitome of a patriarch has such fucked up relationships with all the women in his life. And like he underestimates these women, like the way he tries to manipulate Bianca and she leaves him! PANDORA AND AKASHA ARE UNAVAILABLE TO HIM AND BIANCA FUCKIN LEAVES.

akasSHA JUST IGNROING HIM!! JUST STRAIGHT UP FUCKIN IGNORING HIM FOR 2,000 YEARS!!!! HE'S OBSESSED WITH HER!

Anyway Enkil is ignoring him too but he doesn’t give a shit about that guy tbh lol 

Also the amount of space he gives Eudoxia and Zenobia in his book like there’s more here too but tbh it’s midnight and I can’t start unpacking. I just think like, in 2000 years it’s interesting how Eudoxia wound up having such a lasting impact on his life. 

I did just peek at the Eudoxia part and I’m dying, he goes “Her face was small, oval, and as close to perfection as anything I've ever beheld, even though she bore no resemblance to Pandora who was for me perfection itself.” CERTIFIED WIFE GUY.

What kinda mommy issues are we dealing with here? HIS MOTHER WAS A SLAVE THAT DIED IN CHILDBIRTH AND HE INHERITED HER GENES AND LOOKED LIKE HER AND DIDN’T LOOK LIKE HIS FATHER & BROTHERS? AND HE’S SORT OF AN OUTCAST AS A HUMAN LIKE ? THE STIGMA HERE? AND THEN HE SPENDS 2000 YEARS WORSHIPPING HIS NEW MOTHER??? PERHAPS YOU COULD SAY ENSLAVED TO HER? IDK MAN. 

IS THIS ALSO WHY HE WAS SO OBSESSED WITH LOSING PANDORA?

The irony too, and something I think a lot of people miss, is that he DIDN’T WANT TO MARRY PANDORA LOL. He wanted to be betrothed to a child so that he could FUCK OFF and NOT get married because she wasn’t old enough to get married! He fucked off! He went exploring! He said this is not for me! 

AND TO GO OUT INTO THE WORLD AND BE MURDERED BY HIS MOTHERS PEOPLE???? IDK. 

I’m not sure how these last two points tie into anything but I just wanted to mention his complicated relationship with Pandora and his own heritage lol. And then Akasha like DELIVERS Pandora to him because she’s like “wow this guy needs somebody lol and I am not emotionally available” — Akasha who was famously a violent genocidal radfem and who would not approve of his relationship with Armand but explicitly allowed him to have Pandora and Bianca. IDK WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN! 

Did Akasha approve of these women because she knew Marius was completely pussywhipped and would worship them and she wanted to see someone mommydom the fuck out of him and she knew that Armand would never be that person? 🫢

And again I want to say like, taking the author into consideration!! Anne Rice had a HORRIFIC relationship with her mom so you see these themes pop up occasionally in her work. DESPITE ALL OF THAT SHE IS STILL A FEMINIST AND WRITES ABOUT MATRILINEAR FAMILIES like The Great Family or the Mayfairs. But thinking about Mothers in Anne Rice Works makes me think a lot about this like, the damage they can do and the voids they can leave even when you’re a feminist and love women! You see a TON of this with Gabrielle and I always think that Lestat & Marius are such similar characters that you can do a lot of extrapolating or backwards engineering to ask questions about them and how they work, since we get SO MUCH Lestat POV in this series to work with and how we can zoom out sometimes and ask like, what is common across her entire body of work and what is more specifically common between Lestat & Marius and WHAT EVEN MORE INTERESTINGLY is a result that they were both based on her husband in their inceptions. 

Like how much of this has to do with Marius’s actual feelings towards men vs women on purpose, or how much was subconscious author bias, how much was simply that Anne Rice based him on her husband and she was THIRSTY, idk. It’s always hard to say in VC because Anne was such an intuitive and self-indulgent author and the stories are so weird!!! So your mileage may vary!

But I agree with you that these are FASCINATING relationships!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I like Marius/Armand too (I recently made a post about how I didn’t “””””ship”””” them but then I spent 2 months working on a M/A fic every day and now I think I’ve corrupted and converted myself LMAO) but yeah like. There’s such a lack of substance between them in the end. He treats Armand like he’s temporary, fucks up and moves on, and it’s such a departure from how DEVOTED he was with all his other partners. 

Wow I didn’t think I had a lot to say, sorry about that. !!! EVERY TIME I BROUGHT A POINT UP I THOUGHT OF 5 MORE POINTS GOSH I COULD TALK ABOUT MARIUS ALL DAY.

[mocha-writes]

Tagged by @rlainarin to do this tag game

Three Ships:

Strahd von Zarovich/Patrina Velikovna (Ravenloft/Curse of Strahd): I admit they’re both close to—if not already at—the point of being original characters with the departures I’ve taken from canon when constructing my own lore for a potential CoS campaign, but I have been thinking about them for years (the guy who tagged me in this can confirm it). Every day I grow closer to the rewrite where the love story at the center of Ravenloft’s formation was theirs instead and they’re co-Darklords of Barovia.

Lestat de Lioncourt/Nicolas de Lenfent (The Vampire Chronicles): I just love how deep, meaningful, and ultimately terrible their relationship seemed in The Vampire Lestat. It’s such an inversion of the tropes I usually see associated with romance between childhood friends. The contrasts between them and their equally fierce emotions compel me, even though I know their story ends suddenly and tragically. (It also adds interesting layers to Lestat’s eventual relationship with Louis)

Orpheus/Eurydice (Hadestown): It feels a bit weird highlighting the musical rather than the myth it’s based on but anyway, I really love Hadestown Orpheus and Eurydice because of their contrasts and how they share each other’s worldviews (though in different ways) by the end, and how despite everything—despite reconciling Hades and Persephone and giving the world back its seasons—everything still ends bittersweetly.

First Ship: I’m pretty sure it was Erik/Christine from The Phantom of the Opera musical. I hadn’t even seen the 2004 movie or the stage version as a kid, but I squeezed everything I could out of (I think) Wikipedia and DeviantArt lists (the kind where one drew responses to prompts) about the film version and made things up in my own head. The memory that’s coming to mind is of gender-flipping them and trying to write my own play with that premise. Now, I personally prefer Raoul/Christine, but they still have a place in my heart, particularly the 1989 movie’s versions of them.

Last Movie: Hairspray (2007)

Last Song: “The New Girl in Town” (stuck in my head thanks to the aforementioned movie)

Currently Reading: The Vampire Lestat. It’s been slow-going with this one because Life but I have around 200 pages left. It’s made me appreciate Lestat even more, though I don’t necessarily believe everything he says.

Currently Watching: Not engaged with any TV series at the moment

Currently Eating: I had popcorn for a snack a while ago

Currently Craving: Stability, that setting up my new PC will go well, that I can play video games again and introduce my fictional people to my friends and their fictional people… I miss having the drive for OC asks and writing prompts. I’d like to get back into those somehow

This was originally titled something like “tag 9 people you want to get to know better,” but I struggle with thinking of people for these things… Tagging @perkeleen-lavellan , @hurl-a-can , @whenyoulosesmallmind and @darkspawntaxcollectors . There’s no obligation, as always, this was just fun and I thought I’d share. If you want to do this but weren’t tagged, do it anyway; let me enable you.

[nalyra-dreaming]

also a black fan that would like to add to the last post if i could. i agree with everything that individual stated. i don't want a boring show with unproblematic characters of color either. remember bonnie on vampire diaries? most unproblematic character on the show but they didn't do anything her or let her grow, develop, or shine as a character at all. i would have loved to see her go crazy and burn down a theater with a spell instead of just sitting there only showing up to save everyone's ass.

the show has also told everyone more times than anyone can count that they are doing the books. i never read the books but have heard enough to know lestat's melodramatic ass ain't going anywhere and it doesn't end up with loumand, nickistat, lesmand or any one else so why are we thinking that's gonna change or demanding it change? then we got jacob and sam saying loustat is end game and every magazine and critic that has covered the show saying how great loustat and jam's chemistry is, what gave anyone the impression that the show would drop what everyone keeps telling them they like about it and switch focus to a whole other ship? i think its okay to be excited to see loumand, i know i am, but getting pissed off because they aren't changing the whole ass narrative of the show is just crazy. scratching my head with some of y'alls logic. we do need color conscious casting but might need color blind viewership for this one.

(Of course!) Again, nothing to add, thank you!