#lestat has so many red flags and louis is like

[professional-girlkisser]

loumand + dreamstat

its so funny to me how some ppl keep trying to convice loumanders that the presence of dreamstat means louis hated armand. umm no?? it was quite literally the opposite. louis felt so much guilt and shame for liking armand that he was literally slut shaming himself and calling himself a whore 😭 he wanted that man so bad, his catholic guilt couldn't handle it.

also some ppl interpreting the ha! as louis getting the ick when armand shares his sexual trauma is so fucked up and just simply not true. 1) louis has been shown to be the most (if not the only) empathetic vampire in that show. 2) the ha! only comes after armand mentions lestat ("magnus who beget lestat, lestat who begat louis on and on and on") which many ppl have pointed out may be louis recognizing the cycle of abuse.

in that regard, it's also been mentioned that dreamstat was louis' self-protective instinct bc he (subconsciously) recognized the pattern of abuse from lestat repeating itself with armand. when dreamstat says "romeo? he's not even balthasar", its louis not buying armand's grand romantic gesture bc it's not a *real* apology, its manipulation ("flex your powers one night and follow it with grand grovelling the next, vintage lioncourt"). also, this would honestly be a much more realistic scene to talk about louis getting the ick, if the discussion was actually genuine and not just a way to dunk on a ship.

anyways, a part of louis sees the red flags but he is not ready/ willing to accept them bc he loves armand (and this is not just my opinion, it is stated plainly in the books). paris louis loved and trusted armand right until the very end. he literally screams for armand when the coven kidnaps them in the cafe (which is so heartbreaking and gut-wrenching 😖💔). if you wanna talk about louis hating armand talk about san fran or dubai or literally any time following the trial.

(ps: this is the only good take i've ever seen about dreamstat.)

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hey!

It'll be long post, so i understand if you decide to ignore it, sorry :)

You know, there were a lot of people that were convinced loumand kiss we saw in trailer was goodbye kiss, because of Louis' expression. I was one of them.

Turns out that it's NOT truth and everyone just accepted it and moved to talk how romantic it was and that apparently Louis just has this face when horny or whatever.

And I truly struggled to see it. And at first I felt incredibly guilty because I'm loustat shipper first, other ships appreciator second. I thought my mind doesn't let me see romance in other ship because I'm too loustat centric.

I tried to rewatch that scene and tried to brighten it up to see kiss and expression better (I'm sorry but while almost silhouette kiss is beautiful I'd prefer see character's expressions better in show like this, wish lighting was different)

But still! While during date Louis had more carefree and flirtatious expression, that kiss felt very off. I get that it's after talk about lestat but shouldn't he show more... Joy? Anticipation of more to come? Basically don't look like he does it because he HAS to.

So I thought, well, it CAN'T be jacob slacking, he's terrific at his job. And it can't be that I'm THAT biased, right?

So, let me tell you, I'm SO GLAD to found your post about this kiss! I saw too many people writing about Louis being fucked up to invite Armand to fuck after being threatened, that he loves them dangerous (he kinda does, but that's not the point), that he thinks only with dick, ignores red flags (again he does,but we talk about this particular moment) etc

He knows Armand is interested in him. He knows Armand has power. Armand technically didn't lay his hands on him but he COULD'VE and WOULD'VE if it's not for his affection to Louis.

I truly don't believe Louis viewed this as "I HAVE to kill Louis, you committed a crime, no hard feelings though, that's just my job! You know what?... You're cute so I'll let you go actually"

Maybe I give Louis too much credit but he's smarter than that. He also knows power play intimately, was on giving and receiving end countless times in his human and vampire life.

Add to it that tale Armand told about his old coven killing themselves when he actually threw them in fire. It was 100% to position himself as someone who has way less power over other vampires that he actually does. I don't believe coven can pressure Armand into ANYTHING. And glimpses of him abusing his power over Claudia prove it (CONSENT TO LOOK IN THE EYES? ARE YOU SERIOUS?)

And Louis was THERE to witness all this and I absolutely believe he noticed it. That scene with dreamstat where lestat says he's the only one who Louis can trust made me think Louis is not as blind to Armands red flags as he appears.

And what we know about ep4 confirms it. Lestats "HA!" in museum already indicates that Armand is telling some bullshit and Louis at least subconsciously doesn't believe it. There's also scene in park from teaser "I want you" "You sure about that?" Maybe it's misleading or maybe it goes like this, guess we'll see

I wrote so much, again, i'm sorry.i just wanted to say, I agree so much with your post, and I hope crazy people in fandom already blocked you so you don't get any hate for pointing out that consent under threat of potential death is not really THAT consensual. Hope it won't be repeat about people attacking you like for post about hate sex in ep6

All good. And I wasn't, and I have seen I wasn't the only one clocking in on things (just reblogged a post wrt that).

Jacob is too good an actor to not show the fitting emotion if it was meant to be something positive. But he didn't.

The show went dark, real fast. And they're about to go even darker. A lot.

[knifeeater]

hii love @dictee i wanted to reply but this got so long & didn't want to add it to an already massive post, hope this is ok!

i 100% agree on the coercive element which is fully a textual layer and the reason why their relationship is only 'equal' in appearance but not materially. louis i think needs to believe in this kind of equal footing to stay sane and armand plays into it to keep him. power imbalance is an intrinsic part of their relationship same as it was in lestat's and louis' relationship, which brings it back to the meta-textual level of domination and submission.

as for the boredness we see that in dubai for sure - 'the vampire is bored'. they have been in the same circulation for 70 years now. as for paris era, and this is in the end of course a matter of interpretation and i hope i'm catching ur meaning here, for me personally ghost lestat and his slights against the romantic nature of armand's 'courtship' mostly represent the holdbacks of someone not wanting to give himself fully into a romantic relationship with someone so obviously dangerous, with that many very familiar red flags and as we've said just now representing a coercive situation that seems very close to louis' turning and subsequent housewife imprisonment. lestat's voice to me personally reads almost like self-sabotage that accompanies an (if extremely founded) fear of committment. he represents louis' old life, his fears, his relational trauma, his self-hate and to a certain extent his hold onto a smidge of humanity (lestat being the last person alive who has known him as human).

armand is of course not wholly the suave lover from the book, he fumbles and uses basic stereotypes of love because it's not something he ever learned and louis does get tired of that (light his fucking cigarette!). while not at all dismissing the play louis is making here (he did learn, after all, the hard way a woman's tricks on how to appease a violent man) i do still believe there is a genuine need in louis to make this relationship work as well as a genuine love for and attraction to armand. as in his relationship with lestat love and resentment go hand in hand. i don't believe it to be only calculated manipulation because why else is he doing this now when he could have just done it directly after the threat was made to claudia's and his life. and this is why, as i've tried to explicate in the og post, it's not coincidental that this version of lestat fades at the point he does.

it's both, to me. it an ensuring safety for claudia and himself, a learned survival tactic. but i think it is uncharitable to say that there is no desire or love from louis towards armand. claudia did not say 'two blood fat cocks clapping together' for nothing. the love is what makes it a tragedy.

[inexplicablepeas]

Tale of the Body Thief Thoughts

I finally read Tale of the Body Thief, my long-ass thoughts under the cut (spoilers for the whole book of course):

Other than Pandora (and you'll have to excuse my weird reading order but after QotD I had to read TVA, and then I had to read B&G to get Marius' perspective and then it just made sense to read Pandora while that was fresh in my mind(!!)) this is the first new to me read in the series since I started my re-read - I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, which is also new because the previous three books I read are basically THE books for those characters, which is a lot of expectation and does lead to disappointment when certain things aren't covered, whereas I was putting a lot less pressure on this one, it's just more Lestat shenanigans! 

It was interesting to see that Anne is also kind of managing expectations in Lestat's in-character intro chapter when she kind of warns the reader that this isn't going to be an epic, millennia-spanning, multiple POV tale like Queen of the Damned was - I guess she had her concerns about how this one would be received in comparison! Speaking of the intro I really liked it, it was fun (Lestat intros usually are), very silly and meta with Lestat exorcising some writerly angst as he witheringly lists out a bunch of famous banger first lines and lets the critics know that the "sensual", "humid" style is here to stay. Other than this fun meta stuff it's pretty clear in the intro that Lestat is NOT DOING OK, he's in a dusty period, not really taking care of himself or spending time around any other vamps apart from Louis (who occasionally deigns to leave his rundown shack to watch his TV). It's not surprising after everything that went down with Akasha that he's not doing well (and I know I just said I wasn't putting a lot of expectations on this book but wow, it is really frustrating that he's sparse with the details of what went down at Night Island, although this does fit with his overall character journey in this book, he's just desperately trying to avoid dealing with his feelings about everything that went down by any means possible for most of it). I do wonder how this was received at the time, I can imagine a lot of fans being frustrated that the Night Island coven era just gets skipped here as there's so much promise for various character interactions and shenanigans that's just left to the imagination, I'm sure that people must have built up some expectations between QotD and this book.

Anyway, as for the story itself, I really enjoyed it! Lestat's time as a mortal is packed with so many darkly humorous moments and I just feel like Anne was having a lot of fun venting the frustrations of existing in a mortal body through this character who's become alienated from the inconveniences and humiliations of that particular reality over the past couple of hundred years. Lestat as a mortal is really pathetic, he's scared of everything, he's a whiny disaster and it just goes to show how much he's gotten used to living life with the cheat codes on as a vampire. He was chosen for this life by Magnus for his courage and now he's afraid of taking a shit.

Lestat is looking for an escape in this book from an existence he's come to find intolerable, he's suicidal at the start of this tale, attempting to end himself in the sun of the Gobi desert, then crawling back to David's English country manor to lick his wounds when that fails. A few days after recovering from that he's desperately pursuing the perceived opportunity that Raglan James, the Body Thief, presents him with - a holiday in a mortal body - while willfully ignoring all the red flags and alarm bells about how untrustworthy this guy is. He's reeeally in a bad place, desperate! Obviously Raglan has no intention of giving him his super vampire body back after the switch so finding himself stuck in a mortal body he's given the opportunity to make the choice that was taken from him by Magnus: this time he chooses a vampiric existence over mortality of his own free will, easily. Kind of a huge character moment! Going forward he has to face that he chose this over a chance for 'salvation' with Gretchen (a missionary nun/nurse he has a short love affair with after she nurses him back to health from the second sickness he suffers in his short time as a mortal due to neglecting his body).

Although most of the QotD cast are conspicuously absent (I'm most curious about how come Armand wasn't all up in his business as usual!) there are quite few good Louis/Lestat interactions that really add a lot to their relationship now that they're reconciled after the events of QotD. They're very slowly coming terms with their love for one another! The other major characters in this book, apart from Raglan, the body thief himself, are David, Gretchen and ofc Mojo. Along with Lestat we learn a lot about David in this one, about his youth prior to joining the Talamasca as a big game hunter turned Brazilian witchcraft adept. David turns out to be a pretty interesting character, he seems confident and wise, yet he's naive and too trusting where Lestat's concerned. His story fits in very well with the themes of the hunter becoming the hunted in this book. Gretchen's character symbolizes the choice Lestat has to make about living out a natural (and good and self-sacrificing) life in this mortal body he finds himself stuck in or getting his supernatural (but evil, petty and entirely self-serving) life back. She's another one of Anne's tortured creative genius characters, having given up a potentially very successful career as a pianist in what she believes was a bargain with God to save her mother's life. Except she's not actually all that tortured by the choice! Very interesting parallel with Nicki there (and she has a looot in common with Sybelle too, way past the point of coincidence). Mojo is a perfect addition to the cast, 10/10 no notes, goodest boy. His relationship with Lestat is the greatest love story told in this book!

Overall I found this to be a great read, the plot keeps you guessing and moves along at a good pace, we get a great insight into how Lestat's (not) coping after the events of QotD, some nice Loustat content (not a major ship for me but I vaguely want those crazy kids to figure it out)! The best part of it is really the dark and gross humor of Lestat having an absolute mental breakdown over basic human bodily functions and limitations. IDK why it took me so long to read this one!

[alwynwitch]

YESSS!!!! One thing I noticed too, is that when Lestat talks about Armand, Gabrielle, Nicki etc, he mentions what they're doing, how they're doing it and his own impressions of it and what his reactions were... But the focus is on what Lestat thinks and how he feels about them, not the other way around. Now, with Marius, he makes assumptions of what he believes are Marius's intentions. He talks about Marius being patient and gentle, wanting to calm him down etc, but those are his own projections because he didn't know Marius enough at the time to classify the nature of his actions, Marius didn't say any of those things and he wasn't even able to read his mind like that. For example, with Gabrielle he would be "she put her hand on my shoulder and it brought me comfort", while with Marius it would "he put his hand on my shoulder to comfort me" (those are made-up examples just to illustrate it, but the books have a lot of receipts if we look at it). It's such a small and yet enormous difference. He was seeing things he wanted to see. By the time they part Marius declares affection to him and we can argue if he were saying the truth or lying, but on the early days? Those were his issues and traumas taking over.

(For context: see this post)

Wow, that's a really nice observation! I don't think I noticed that, but I'm definitely going to analyze it the next time I'm going to re-read The Vampire Lestat. Lestat's relationship with Marius is so interesting, because it often seems Marius is nicer to him than to Armand, but still... it is super weird whatever mentor/pupil or father/son dynamic is going on between Lestat and Marius lol.

For example, Lestat in TVL when he goes badly wounded to Paris (after Claudia and Louis tried to kill him):

Yet not once in all this time did I call out to Marius, did I try to reach him over the miles. I could not beg for his healing blood. Better suffer purgatory for a century than Marius's condemnation. Better suffer the worst loneliness, the worst anguish, than discover that he knew everything I'd done and had long ago turned his back to me.

Hmmm okay, better to suffer purgatory and the worst loneliness than to have Marius, this dude you only knew for a few (intense) days, turn his back on you and express any disappointment. Sure, sounds completely normal.

And again, right before Lestat has to play his part in the trial that will condemn Claudia to death... he is thinking about Marius:

And where was Marius? How many countries, rivers, mountains lay between us? Could he hear and see these things?

However, the dynamic is certainly weird from BOTH sides. Marius spied on Lestat before they even met and knew all the details of his life already... hmmm.... definitely not creepy at all.

And then when Marius shows him Those Who Must Be Kept:

"I don't want to look at them anymore, Marius, honestly I don't," I said, trying to get my hand free, and shaking my head. But he was holding on to me as firmly as a statue might, it seemed [...].

Marius is physically restraining Lestat (for some moments at least but Marius definitely noticed and was doing it on purpose lol)... that's of course not a red flag at all. Another weird moment:

"Marius, please let us go out of here. I beg you. Forgive me, I can't bear it! Please, Marius, let's go." "All right," he said kindly. He squeezed my shoulder. "But do something for me first." "Anything you ask."

Hmmm okay, so Lestat feels like he has to ask permission if he can leave the room and Marius says yes but only if you do something for me. This is super manipulative. And the constant touching? Weird. But somehow Lestat still describes this as "kindly".

[crazykuroneko]

Tbh I think a lot casual viewers / non book fans are probably going to not continue the show after s2 unless it diverges quite drastically on louis's storyline? iwtv is very bleak and I genuinely think they underestimated how much show viewers ended up hating lestat after s1 (and they may end up in a similar situation with armand in s2) and then you're asking the audience to watch an entire season of this guy's whole backstory. plus you're killing off one of the two likable characters by the end of s2 and shifting louis into more a side character.

a big red flag to me was the lady who hosts the podcast who doesn't have a book background saying a lot of the same stuff as show-only people. like she clearly does not like lestat or loustat at all lmao and its literally her job to promote the show.

First, I want to address the "shifting louis into more a side character" because no I don't agree with that. Contrary to fans believe, Hollywood-standard wise (from the number of episodes they are in, how integral their characters are to the story), both Jacob and Sam have been considered as lead actors/cast of IWTV. You can see industry news outlets calling them both as such. But because IWTV is about Louis' past specifically and AMC knew IWTV still has some hope in Emmys even though it's small, they put them in different categories to not split the votes between them (they even only submit one actor in each category for it). So, look at what we have now, Louis is the narrator yet we still get Lestat in all episodes, and he's leading the NOLA narrative forward together with Louis despite not existing in the Dubai narrative. I bet we'll still get Lestat in most, if not all episodes, in S2, because Rolin has said many many times, the show is about both of them. And I expect they'll do the same in TVL season(s); Lestat is telling the story while Louis is leading whatever will be going on in the modern time. (No, i don't believe they'll make Louis stuck on a couch the whole season to listen to Lestat's story even though it sounds tasty. He'd definitely have a way to know what Lestat's saying, but I don't see anything good writing-wise from sticking your well-developed character in one place for such a long time)

About whether the audience will be willing to listen to Lestat's past, I'll see how S2 goes first before judging that. A lot of people don't like him, but there are a lot of them who are like, "I will miss him if he dies, he's an interesting character".

And IWTV is a niche show, its genre is gothic horror/romance. Who the hell is doing gothic romance for a series in this decade? (Hannibal doesn't count, it's not gothic and still about will/won't they). Like, what AMC is doing with IWTV now is extremely daring. And with a niche show, it's always the same: you can't please everyone. There will always be part of the general audience who will leave because either it's simply not their cup of tea or they can't stomach it. Especially now when there's this purity sentiment going so strongly in general (apparently now we shouldn't ship fictional characters, every sex scene has to have a grand purpose, and you shouldn't watch any portrayal of abuse even though it's produced by the victim herself). God forbid IWTV would ever want to please those people yikes. So, IWTV won't ever get as "mainstream" as what, Succession, Ted Lasso, Better Call Saul. But IWTV would still appeal to people who appreciate good writing, people who are "idc how bad the characters are as long as they're exciting!", and people who really love horror (not that "comfort horror" BS) - there's this review of IWTV from an horror website who is like "I wish they gave us more gore and horror of vampires", oh these people would love S2.

So, tl;dr you could say it's a natural selection (hell yes Darwinism), it's inevitable. I'd rather have that audience leave than stay and ruin fans' experience by whining about the plot that won't ever satisfy them. And I'd always applaud writers who don't give a shit to what people say and stick to what they're meant to do. They slay!

EDIT: ah I forgot about this. but don't underestimate the number of old fans who will probably check the show again when the TVL season(s) come. Because no matter how big their hatred for AMC is, it will be the first time ever for TVL to be adapted on screen. First time in 38 years (yes no one considers QotD movie ever existed). That's too big a temptation!

[annyankers]

I would love to hear more about your Angel !!

oKAY SO ANGEL

his tag on here is angel (train’s version) for reference. also my old rp blog for him is @aithrioch which has some things like headcanons and aesthetics.

Okay gonna make an effort to not repeat myself though I also can’t completely remember what I’ve already said so B)

More emphasis on his time homeless. Like it’s brought up in more when it makes sense and it becomes especially important in ATS and becomes a point of bonding and discussion between him and Gunn.

Dating Buffy is probably his biggest lapse in judgement since wandering into an alley to get laid in the 1700s and it shows. Like he walked in knowing this was a bad idea, saw every red flag and did it anyway. It’s not a reemergence of Angelus behavior it’s Peak Liam Nonsense and it’s left his relationship and feelings towards Buffy very complex and fucked. I think from like BTVS S4/ATS S1 on his primary feeling towards her isn’t really love but guilt. Guilt over how much he fucked up her life and not just as Angelus but you know, as an adult engaging romantically with a teen.

Angelus has more of a Hannibal Lector vibe.

Heavy substance abuse in BTVS as part of coping. When we see him in btvs he’s literally JUST stopped living on the streets in the Depths of Despair. So in btvs S1-2 he’s smoking and drinking heavily to try and make it through another moment on this bitch of an earth. The drinking isn’t as obvious an issue until Buffy’s with him more. Ironically angelus drinks and smokes a normal ass amount because he’s not Lamenting and angel stops doing both in s3 since you know.... fresh outta hell and all that. don’t worry he’s back to chain smoking when he gets into ATS lol. It becomes a Running Issue with him and his Very Human and Lung Dependent Staff.

He listens to the smiths, the cure and similar music. He’s that kinda person. yes. also still listens to barry mannilow. he’s a man of many facets.

He’s Very Normal about Darla. So Normal.

Angel(us) has a Complex around his visual age and how it tends mean that he isn’t given much respect. Part of what fueled his actions back in the day was clout building so he’d get some fucking respect and stop being treated like a baby faced loser.

Circling back to the Buffy thing he realizes in ATS S2 that he perpetuated the cycle of abuse/grooming with her that Darla perpetuated on him. Because Darla 10000% groomed and manipulated him.

Darla and Angel have a Louis and Lestat vibe (but like..... more the new series version of them you know????)

Falls back into Catholicism after his time in hell for the comfort of it. he was born in 1700s Ireland where church was the center of life and Catholicism is like, the most ritualistic version of Christianity. It’s the familiarity and ritual/schedule of it that are comforting/helpful for him, less so the religious stuff. Even so ats needed more catholic stuff in it. Catholic ideology is a staple of angel’s thinking, the bedrock of it really. Literally all this shit about sin and redemption and shit is so aggressively catholic. He’s literally out here looking for a priest who can tell him how many Hail Marys he needs to say to atone for the Atrocities.

Is actually very jealous of Spike later into BTVS/ATS. When Spike’s hanging out with the Scoobies n shit just fine because Spike’s capable of that kind of interaction without a soul while Angel has one and still struggles with it. It’s one of the few things in which he gets jealous of Spike over, how easy it is for him to straddle the soul/morality/dark impulse control chasm. Like it’s very unlikely he’d ever say it out loud or tell the Scoobies but Angel knows just how difficult chip or no chip some vampires would find it to be even remotely civil let alone actually work with them. it frustrates him endlessly that Spike has it so easy.

Yes even as Angel he DOES have an EGO.

Angel(us) is just a metric ton of complexes in a trenchcoat. ATS is just a guided tour through them.

In my brain he’s a mix of Marcus from Deadly Class, Stefan from The Vampire Diaries and Hannibal Lector from the Movies and Shows. Along with some Columbo and Stock Lovecraft Protagonist for flavor.

He’s so pretentious, so lifeless and pallid. He’s like a drive thru attendant with an MFA in fine arts during a graveyard shift.

okay this is all I’m doing on this for now as opposed to the fucking NOVEL for Xander because I don’t have the energy/brain power for it now and if I waited for that to happen to write another novel it could be another 80 years lol

[macgyvertape]

IWTV season 1 liveblog & thoughts (spoilers)

Watching the series before I’ve seen the movie, haven’t read the books at all

Ep1

Wow this is really modernized (this year), very interesting intro with reporter Daniel Molloy and it’s set after the film I guess

This is a really cool penthouse, but yeah online anonymity would be expensive

Really curious how much of the car and sets were cgi vs practical

Absolutely need subtitles I can barely hear the dialogue over background noise

The time stop scene was really cool, and you can hear Louis get more animated

I need a fashion breakdown between Lestat’s intro style and his updated fashion

this show fucks because it’s Anne rice, and it’s somehow the most tasteful I’ve seen seen any show do it (looking at you GoT

bite time! why are they floating

i only know Lestat from fandom osmosis and I keep waiting for something to go wrong during the wedding. I feel like he has something to do with Paul’s death

Oh yeah Lestat is torturing Louis with telepathy and killed Lilly here’s the Lestat I’ve heard of

Oh shit this show is great with cgi to show difference in relative speeds. I flinched at the head punch out, there’s the AMC gore I dislike

Ep2

How does the domestic staff arrangement work, it’s a lot of them and they all know about the vampire thing. No idea what the farm is but I bet it’s horrifying

Lestat really got Louis in really deep really quick

Somehow the death of the salesman isn’t as sad as the poor fox screaming

Killing the alderman, this going to go very poorly

The coffin scene just comes off as couples humor through the absurdity

“did you eat the baby” really enjoy how that question was repeated as a hardball

Also wow they’re leaning hard into Covid and other geopolitical unrest for vampire conspiracy

I’m having a hard time picturing how the original story went without one of the main characters being Black. Like racism affects the plot multiple times, and often highlights the power difference between Louis and Lestat.

Louis keeps describing so many red flags about Lestat, lots to unpack about his own “afraid to disappoint” line because he doesn’t have the same sadism disposition as Lestat

Ep 3

Louis’ reflection of the past changing in the retelling, is it more nuanced or more rehearsed. “The odyssey of recollection” loving that this is both an interplay of the previous movie and how memory of fallible and surely that is worse the longer you live as an immortal

Love the suit fashion in this show, wish I had a good fitting suit. Also love the art Nouveau

The domestic issues are so obvious, like Lestat is not happy about being poly despite proposing it. Like I’ve seen this cliche play out irl, including the other people have more success at dating than the person who proposed it

I don't fully get why Lestat keeps investing his energy into a relationship that is clearly starting to fall apart unless he doesn’t do breakups

Did it rain??? How much of my dislike of Lestat is filtered through Louis’ unreliability as a narrator vs not having a good understanding on what motivates him beyond control issues

What’s the deal with Rashid

Holy shit his family relations literally fell apart so quick

“Is your very nature that of the devil”, and it calls back to beginning of the episode where Louis wonders if they are meant for something greater.

What did Louis expect from the public killing and display other then the resulting white mob violence. It’s a decision made out of anger, but incredibly short sighted. Lestat is just so turned on by the gore and chaos

Ep 4

From fandom osmosis I didn’t expect Louis to be the one to advocate turning Claudia, then Lestat goes along with to keep Lous with him.

Wow Lestat is pissed at being left out in the next scene. There’s absolutely gonna be family secrets

Really interesting how the framing is Daniel looking at Claudia’s journals, and so its her voice overs and Lestat and Louis points of view are so shifted. The actress did a great job

I paused on Daniel’s notes, Rashid is sus

I think they were watching Nosferatu, I recognized the scene

Had to double check apparently she’s 14 physically but mentally 18, since I knew she was a child in the movie. Being forever a teen would be hell especially if its before puberty

I wasn’t sure if she meant to kill Charlie until she begged for Lestat to bring him back. Then she copes by self harm

I notice the costuming changing, the show is so detailed

Ep 5

Louis just feeding on Rashid, like they’re making out while Daniel goes through the journals

Louis doing this interview as a form of suicide, is like the one hint we get at global vampire politics

Claudia’s killing rapidly got crazy with a lot of bodies and a lot of trophies. The danger from the cops is real and they disappeared in the middle of a bar which didn’t help

The relationship is rapidly falling apart (it wasn't great before) where Lestat loses interest in parenting as soon as it isn’t fun. Wonder when Lestat started cheating; when Claudia started catching police attention or if he was cheating the whole time

Claudia’s line of “where is my Lestat” a lot to process in that rant but being alone with no companionship at all would destroy someone's mental health

Daniel's lack of sympathy for Claudia with all the murders and his framing of "once you put it out there it's open to interpretation" I'd love to see more meta on that

Why don't they just break up?! Sure they have their own reasons for not leaving the city but they could live apart

Oh shit a new vampire, Bruce. Waiting for the shoe to drop. Oh shit it dropped real quick

After I finish the series I want to check reviews, because I think when Claudia was an actual child this plot went very differently. I do have reservations about why sexual assault was added if didn't happen in the source.

Louis aggravating Daniel's Parkinson's feels like a bigger asshole move than Daniel pushing these questions

The framing on Claudia as Lestat beats her then him, it's so explicitly framed as domestic violence than a vampire fight

Lol also I forgot they can fly

Title credit music "home is where you're happy" is a good wham music to contrast with what you just saw

I've seen comments that this show is an example of the showrunners not liking the source material, I bet this episode is divisive.

I finish this episode still "eh" on Lestat, I don't like him I don't hate him, I just don't get his motivation other than control issues

Ep 6:

I think the interplay between Louis and Daniel is interesting, Daniel pushes that the doctor who attends the leaders of Dubai is in the apartment and Louis pushes about Daniel dreaming of their first meeting with all the implications that had last time it was brought up

So Louis didnt remember Lestat flying when they fucked?! Yeah someone you’ve lived with for decades suddenly flying and dropping you from such a height gains a new level of horror

I’m really enjoying the 40s or 50s? Fashion.(lmao it was 30s fashion but I don’t know enough to differentiate)

Claudia and Louis seem to be getting along so well

Lestat is really trying to buy his way back in, theres like 10 seconds where I thought maybe he did some self reflection and changing but keeping it up for multiple attempts is a bad sign

Really impressed with the visual framing where Daniel is the only one sitting in sunlight

“I hate you” “as you should” then vampire teeth and he takes Lestat back. Ok this is interesting toxic codependency where Louis had an opportunity to walk away but didn’t take it, and Lestat had an opportunity to move on with Antoinette and didn’t take it.

Louis asking Lestat if he had anything to do with Paul’s death since he always wondered. No wonder their relationship was a mess all these years, i was on the fence on believing Lestat when he said no right up until Antoinette was revealed to be alive

Damn Lestat’s story with the lookalike corpses and his maker killing himself explains so much

Claudia seems to have reached a place of acceptance with her issues, her sense of dress has really changed and you can see how she matured

Holy shit like you think for a moment she got away then the horror of her sobbing as Lestat psychologically tortures her and I think it’s one of the most chilling Lestat scenes in the whole show.

The dreaming then its back to their first meeting. Also lots to unpack about Daniel turning down vampirism. Maybe he would hate to be stuck as he is for eternity.

THATS RASHID HES A VAMPIRE I KNEW IT (good reveal). Him and Louis are definitely together

Ep7:

Sound editing is off, where you can barely hear the dialogue over the music

Surprised it took this long for them and the house to be under a lot of scrutiny especially how they were not subtle

Rashid is in the sun?? I assume its a special vampire power, but Louis totally notices Daniel noticing Rashid

The jaw getting ripped off was a bit too much AMC style gore

Why didn’t Lestat turn Antoinette earlier and just leave Louis other than he can’t handle not possessing Louis. I wasn’t expecting her to have been turned so long ago

Damn that’s an emotionally powerful throat cutting scene

Leaving Lestat as garbage but couldn’t burn him, so I guess that’s how he comes back in Queen of the Damned. Lol Daniel explicitly calls this out

Oh shit the bouncer passing out but Rashid not, that was a big clue I missed but Daniel caught

“Was it raining Louis” great callback to Louis’ editorializing or omissions and what the fuck happened with Claudia where is she now

Rashid literally takes the gloves off when he floats and starts with the threats. Makes sense now why the bookshelves are high enough to be unreachable without a ladder. Love how many good costuming/set details there are that I just missed

“Armand the love of my life” uhhhh lots to unpack about Louis lovelife. How much of this relationship is unhealthy like the relationship with Lestat

Also dammit I don’t think Daniel gets out of this alive. Rashid pivoted so hard to very threating so quick. Like Daniel’s whole interview methodology is push at people to make them uncomfortable and that’s dangerous even without vampires.

Glad tvtropes is filling me in that Armand is a big deal. Ok so does Lestat fight Armand over Louis or does he accept Louis left and move on

TLDR: it’s interesting how much of the relationship storyline would hold up if you removed vampirism, especially since the racial issues would become even more of a focus. I think a lot of my thoughts of “why don’t they break up” come from most of the time both Louis and Lestat are turning away and not towards when the other makes an emotional bid. I’ve read and enjoyed other relationships that are super toxic and codependent like RvB Locus/Felix and enjoyed them. This one just feels like outside forces are keeping them together more than the push and pull of their personal feelings.

[bandedbulbussnarfblat]

here it is on ao3 or read it below

Brooklyn, 2023

The thrum of a headache was working its way up Daniel’s jaw.  He took another swallow of the swill this place called beer and watched the door.  He had a good view of it from here in the back corner, could see the whole room and had his back to none of it.  The glossy wood floors were sticky beneath his shoes, and the plastic booth was small and cramped.  It wasn’t the most inviting place.  

But this is where he had wanted to meet.  Lestat de Lioncourt.  

Again, Daniel considers leaving.  This is a dumb idea.  This guy is nothing to him.  Just the ex of the guy his ex was married to.  That was meaningless to him.  Even if Louis had made him sound interesting that first time they talked.  What was the purpose of meeting with him?

But Daniel knew.  Because Lestat had hinted at his relationship with Armand in that email he sent him, inviting him here.  

No one knew about him and Armand.  Hell, not even his kids knew about Armand.  They knew Daniel had cheated on Alice with someone, but not who.  Alice had never told a soul.  She had promised him, in fact, that she wouldn’t out him.  Not because she cared about him, but because her momma had raised her to show common courtesy.  

Daniel had to wonder how Lestat knew.  What he was going to do with that knowledge.  

The glass door opens and a handsome blond man comes strolling in, eyes bright blue and stunning.  Daniel can admit, the guy is good looking.  He waves a hand and Lestat comes over.  Lestat slides into the booth across from him, all feline grace.  He’s wearing a suit, but he’s loosened his red tie a little.  He looks perfectly put together, save for the manic smile.

“So what do you want?” Daniel barks.  No point beating around the bush.

“Oh, I can see why Armand likes you.  You’re feisty.”  Lestat flags down the waitress and asks for whiskey by the year.  Like some pretentious ass hat.  Lestat looks back at him and says “You’re older than Armand.  How many years?”

“Twelve,” Daniel says, “Again, what do you want?”

“I believe I explained we could help each other,” Lestat says.  His smile is wide and oh-so-charming.  “You want Armand, I want Louis.  We play wingman for the other.  The sooner they break up the better for us both, no?”

“How did you know about me and Armand?” Daniel asks, leaning in close and keeping his voice a whisper.  

“I know Armand.  I know how he looks at someone when he’s in love with them.  He used to look at me like that.”

Daniel takes a swallow of beer for an excuse to think.  Shit.  Armand had never mentioned Lestat as one of his exes.  All he had really mentioned was his first love, Riccardo, then Louis.  Who the hell is this Lestat to Armand?

“Armand never mentioned you.”

Lestat picks a piece of nonexistent lint from his suit.  “Things between us ended poorly.”

“How’d you know him?” Daniel says, trying to keep his tone casual.  He fails, if the smug grin Lestat gets is any indicator.

“Oh, you’re jealous.”

“Shut up,” Daniel says.  “When were you two together?”

Lestat laughs.  “We weren’t.”

Daniel glares at him.

Lestat holds up his hands in mock surrender.  “I’m telling the truth.  My mother and his father are friends, we knew each other during childhood.”

“What do you mean play wingman for each other?”

“You can convince Louis that I am a changed man, and I will convince Armand to give you another chance.”

Daniel observes Lestat carefully.  “Are you a changed man?”

The smile drops and with it all pretense of happiness.  His eyes are hollow, like a walking dead man.  “I am.  I’m miserable without my Louis.  For years I’ve tried, worked to become a better man.  I can prove it to him, if he lets me.”

Daniel doesn’t know if he believes all that.  “Sure.  And why would Armand listen to you?”

“Because I know him.  Because I’m the only one who can make him listen.”

Lestat seems to believe it.  Daniel doesn’t know.  But if it means a real chance with Armand, after he was too afraid to take the last one…He has to try.  

“Yeah, okay.  I can already see I’ll be the brains of this operation.”

I've got another idea for a human au fic. end goal is armand/daniel/louis/lestat polycule. Starts out with married Loumand, ends up with polyamory, everyone involved with each other.  Set in New York. I already have an elaborate timeline crafted for the stuff that happened before the fic. i don't need to start yet another new fic, but i think i'm probably gonna. just gotta think of a good title. and you know. write it

[xxxdepointedulaclioncourt]

can i say why i love louis and lestat? again? anywhoo, i will. i saw a comment that asked if louis in the show, loved lestat bc he’s not as a affectionate....and ngl i was like...yeah, i see where that person is coming from BUT....

he does love lestat, they’re just two very didn’t people. down to the way they talk 

“I HEARD YOUR HEARTS DANCING.”

“he gave me some face.”

the above is just funny to me. 

but they’re also different with their emotions, lestat has huge emotions, he show’s them (getting pissed and making a big show with the soldiers and then yelling)

but louis was already just as hurt, he just did it differently. he didn’t yell or anything when he asked if he was enough. there was a lot of hurt but he was super calm about it and then LESTAT LAUGHS. i get WHY he laughed but oof, that had to hurt and lestat goes on about variety and louis doesn’t give any big emotions either, he just’s like “ight” bet. 

even going with jonah, it only happened after he met eyes with lestat. 

just two very different people who express it different ways and even though i think louis could show more....i get why he doesn’t. ya partner is there for comfort and etc right? well, each time, even if it’s because of human emotions....human connections, lestat shuts it down and shrug’s it off. 

and still, louis is smiling and making heart at this man enjoying the opera (until he didn’t) while he had to walk in as his valet. and this is AFTER lestat told him that becoming a vampire would shed him of his human limitations.  

he’s smiling at lestat as the man steam-rolls over his guilt for his nephew and is pulling out suits. 

louis didn’t go to church everyday but lestat murdered his comfort (confessing to the priest) and he still chose him 

still chose him after he murdered miss lily

still said yes after lestat ran up on him during his brothers funeral bc he was left on read

and when i think about the fact that when louis embraced his vampire nature with the lawyer and he was scolded about it because he didn’t do it right. he gave in like his lover wanted but STILL was told he did it wrong. like, i’d be petty and not drink from another human either. and still, he’s with this man. 

how he smiles when lestat is playing the piano

HE LOVES LESTAT OKAY, dangerously so. 

i need other people let me know the moments they saw louis love, send me your anon’s

[lestatisprince]

you know, every week I see so many posts that like, compliment some aspect of Lestat’s character that’s appealing despite its brutality, and then clarify that they don’t agree with his actions and can’t wait for Claudia to murder him…and why must we do this?? I love lestat. He’s a funky bi cunt and he makes bad decision after bad decision, and he is the definition of a walking red flag…but I still love him! that he’s violent and abusive doesn’t invalidate my love for this fictional character, maybe it’s just me lol but I always thought it was implied that liking immoral traits in fiction wasn’t the same as liking those irl?? and that like, I wouldn’t support those actions irl…that it’s interesting in fiction and that liking villainous characters isn’t illegal and doesn’t need a disclaimer?

idk just want to rant because personally I love Claudia and Louis and lestat but lestat is my favorite character. him being a violent evil gremlin is just part of the package! OBVIOUSLY it doesn’t mean I support all the shit that he does irl! it just means I enjoy watching his fictional self fuck up over and over lol

Say it louder for the people in the back!

I think this fandom has a lot to learn when it comes to this, and I really think by and large it's coming from younger fans that need to grow up a bit, before claiming the moral high ground.

Their attempt at gaslighting the fandom is in itself controlling.

Lestat does many things I would not take from an intimate partner. But he's not a human. He's a blood thirsty killer. That curse for blood taints them. We cannot look at their relationships through a normal lens.

[monstersinthecosmos]

I didn't follow any of the pre-release promotional materials; do you have a link to the showrunner(s) stating/implying that queerness is merely "subtextual" in the absence of literal sex? (Apologies if you've shared it before and I just wasn't paying attention.) Also, thank you for your prolific and thorough critiques. I'm a more casual book fan and was tentatively excited to see the show forge a new narrative path while still guided by the same lifeblood, if you will. But at this point, hmmmmmm

I don't recall him commenting on it being about literal sex, THAT WAS ME EDITORIALZING LMAO.

I haven't been able to stomach the entire SDCC panel but I know they talked about it in there, I kinda peeked around for a transcript but didn't find one. ANYONE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THE DIRECT QUOTES please I don't have the strength. There's a summary article here, though, which touches on the convo a little:

(Don't even ask me to start unpacking the Fiona Apple comment dude what?)

This article also talks about the SDCC panel and doesn't directly quote him but it sums up:

There's just been article after articleeeeee of people who didn't read the books or just watched the film or whatever and keep going WOWIE IT'S NOT SUBTEXT, GREAT JOB, when like ? It was never subtext lol. And that's not entirely the show's fault, how mainstream perceives it, but they've been running with that and taking credit for it.

Like there's just been tons of headlines and praise like this -

I think the show & RJ have also been pretty blurry with how often they claim they're not a remake of the movie and yet constantly make digs at the movie and even reference it often on the show itself. So I think sometimes they're commenting on the movie when they forget they've already told us they're not remaking the movie. =P

There's also this quote (I didn't screenshot bc there's an ad in the middle LOL!) but:

"It’s aggressive subtext in the first book, but by the time you read books eight and nine, it was the love affair of the century. Without spoiling too much, subtext becomes text in our show."

(Let's not point out that books 8 & 9 are ... *checks notes* Blood & Gold and Blackwood Farm. Okaaaaaay Rolin. 😪)

Also sorry by love affair of the century do you mean Lestat goes around and has adventures and uses everyone while Louis stays safely tucked away at Armand's house until he's needed, or? Sorry lmfao I'm so fucking. dghadgkjs.

That interview is full of nonsense that will make you want to scream if you're feeling brave.

Anyway I feel like, I've been obsessively watching the production unfold for the past year and I kept getting so many red flags like there's been so many odd comments and little sexist quips, the complete misunderstanding (or lack of fucks) about what Claudia is supposed to mean in the story, etc. I just keep getting aggressive CISHET MAN vibes from this team and the lens they read VC through.

And yknow what, fair whatever I guess, we all read different versions of the same book and they're the ones that got to make it. But idk I like VC for the dark elegant spooky existential angst, I didn't need it to be gritty and open up with shit jokes. And five episodes in I didn't need it to use outdated, dangerous rape tropes and I also don't need it to oversell the domestic abuse. (Hint: Lestat was already abusive as fuck from the moment we met him, don't oversell!)

It's an okay show lmao. It's not recognizable as VC at all except that it recycles the names. None of the characters have been accurate so far. Even Lestat, where Sam Reid is doing so many fun things with his delivery and mannerisms that almost seem like Lestat, is just so fucking OOC and a caricature and just really lacks the depth and nuance and sensitivity of who he is in the books.

If you can turn your brain off and not look at it as VC there's some fun moments, but it's also full of continuity errors and just plot holes and bad writing when you look too close, so don't try to analyze it too hard or you'll have a bad time lol. Even the stuff that's really interesting and that they get right, they tend to lose interest in and drop, or they mix it into so much vampire soap opera shenanigans that it's hard to walk away knowing what the episode is actually about. It's just. Woof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nikiiwi]

"lestat murdered a train full of people and extorted claudia upon threat of death of herself and louis because he cares for louis"

that's enough tag scrolling for one day I think. the abuse apologies that one will encounter in defense of lestat. claiming claudia doesn't love louis, she's just afraid of being alone like lestat didn't drop him from the fucking sky after beating the shit out of him because he tried to leave. hello???

they couldn't see a red flag if he wore it like a mask.

i think there are arguments to be made about whether claudia is manipulating louis to get him away from lestat. but so many people want that to be the case so they won't break up and lestat won't be alone.

louis has a lot of flaws, but she's right. he deserves better.

.....

he obliterated their house beating him then dropped him from the sky because he tried to leave. come the fuck on.

[heartsvamps]

Help! My heart is broken into a million little pieces and I need words of encouragement. I’m using tumblr as an outlet bc I don’t like worrying my friends or family with my personal bullshit. No one in my real life knows about my tumblr so I feel it’s a safe space to let loose.

Here’s my sad story in a nutshell (the details are just too embarrassing to talk about but maybe someday I’ll explain)

I’m 34, healthy, independent, have finally learned to truly love myself... and have been completely emotionally crushed by someone I love more than anything. After years of waiting on what I thought was someone who just needed to figure things out in his life I’ve been faced with the blunt truth that he just doesn’t want the same things as me. Even though he’s told me in the past several times that he wanted the same things and that it was “gonna happen”. I feel like the biggest fool. There were so many signs that I ignored bc my love for him was so great. I overlooked the red flags and forgave him when the truth came out. And even then, when I made a last attempt to forgive and make things work, he still rejected me. I feel so incredibly dumb and so hurt. And to make matters worse, everything reminds me of him. I’ll be fine one minute and the next I’m in tears. I’ve had my mind set on him for so long, it’s really hard to imagine being happy with anyone else. The problem is I know he does love me. I think this would be easier if I didn’t believe so. I wish I hated him. I wish I could rip out these feelings that won’t go away. How does one move on from this. How do you move forward when the person you loved most has deceived and rejected you?

By the way, for my Vampire Chronicle lovers, this person who’s torturing my soul is the Lestat to my Louis. I mean that in the sense that he leaves my life in increments, in which that time apart I am an empty shell that clings to the memory of him bc he is the great light in my life. And then he shows up and I feel alive again. How does one move on from person like this? It’s toxic. Am I addicted to the pain? Do I secretly love the up and down roller coaster that is us?

[dingoes8myrp]

A Word on Buffyverse Ships

I've been thinking a lot about the romantic relationships of Buffy, the canon ones and the fandom ones. I've never really committed fully to one ship or another, nor have I condemned one or another. I've watched them, I've analyzed them, sure. But I've never picked one or voted one off the island. I suppose it wasn't the reason I watched the show, so I never saw the point.

Recently, I rewatched both shows as an adult (rather than a teen/collegiate). It's amazing how a few years can bring new perspective to things. Writing my own fanfiction and reading that of others as well as engaging in many wonderful discussions here with other fans has really made me think about which ships I'm really ride or die for, and which I could do without. So, here's my take for those interested (since I've given my two cents here and there in many of your discussions, I'm sure). Please feel free to reply, discuss, or what have you.

I'm going to talk about these basically chronologically (to the best of my memory). I haven't scoured the Internet for every single ship, so these are just the ones I've thought extensively about recently. If there's one I don't mention and you're curious about my thoughts, drop me a line.

Xander/Buffy – A Nice Thought I enjoy the idea of this one in a post-show timeline. As a teenager I think Xander is way too immature and judgmental to be a good fit for Buffy. During the rest of the show's run they're on different pages romantically and don't seem to want the same things, so I don't think there was ever really a right time for them to be a couple during the show storyline. Although when I read the rumor that Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nicholas Brendan pitched the pairing for season six I gushed a little. I do think by the end of the series Xander has displayed a remarkable amount of growth to become a humble, supportive man. He's loyal to Buffy in the way that he's by her side no matter what. Even if he disagrees with her or if he's angry at her, when push comes to shove he's in the fray right with her. However, he's not a yes man. He's not so enamored with Buffy that he doesn't see her flaws, and he's not afraid to call her out (albeit a bit brutally) when he thinks she's making a mistake. He also accepts her for who she is, even the parts he doesn't understand. I don't think these two would work as a lifelong pair, but they'd be an interesting match if the timing was right for them. Ultimately, I think it was a good move that this one remained unrequited.

Buffy/Angel – Meant to Be I have conflicted feelings about this one. I do not think it was a healthy example of a relationship, nor do I think it was intended to be a romanticized thing for people to aspire to. To me, the Buffy/Angel relationship always came off as a cautionary tale. Buffy was young and naïve at the start of their courtship, and the guy had a checkered past. "Oh, but he's different. He's changed." Her mother didn't approve, stating Angel was too old for Buffy (rightfully so). All the iffy red flags were there. I think Buffy was good for Angel, motivating him and helping him grow. But, I think he might have been a hindrance to her, as he always became priority over anything else (like oh, say, an apocalypse). One of my favorite Buffy moments is when she sacrifices Angel to prevent the Acathla apocalypse at the end of season two because she overcame that very issue. As an aside, I think Angel was a bit shady in his relationship with Buffy, knowing it wasn't the best thing for her, that realistically a life with him would mean a lot of sacrifice on Buffy's end. But, he pursued it anyway. The part where he had sex with Buffy and lost his soul is a bit suspect for me. The show seemed to steer us toward the direction that he didn't know exactly what "a moment of true happiness" meant, so that he couldn't really know sex with Buffy would make him lose his soul. But I have to think he knew it was at least a risk or a possibility. In my opinion, he was a bit reckless with that relationship, always going against his better judgment. So, I have my beef with this relationship for sure, and it's not my personal favorite. However, I think Angel is the person Buffy always measures everyone else she dates up to. He's the one for her, and I think Buffy is the same for Angel. Therefore, these two are my OTP, much to my chagrin.

Giles/Jenny – We Hardly Knew Ye This is a tough one. I wish we'd gotten a bit more time with Giles and Jenny because they barely got to be a relationship. Because of that, it's hard for me to land on it. They have kind of a nice bickering Pride and Prejudice thing happening, which is amusing. And it was nice to see Giles have his own life outside of being a watcher and a librarian. I also love Jenny as a character. She was portrayed in a way that I could imagine running into her teaching at my high school. She was a character I could see actually existing as a part of my world. Sadly, I don't see this as a long-lasting relationship. Mostly because they didn't know each other very well and never struck me as madly in love. Had they gotten the chance, I'm not sure it would have worked out, particularly with that slight deception on Jenny's end that put her at odds with Buffy.

Oz/Willow – The One I Want to Want This ship is particularly close to my heart for many reasons. Willow is probably the character high school me could relate most to, and Oz is my all-time favorite Buffyverse character. I can't explain why. He just is. I think for much the same reason I like Jenny. Because he's someone I could have gone to high school with (you know, aside from the werewolf part). This was the relationship I lived vicariously through when I was single or feeling bummed about a break-up. Oz was kind, considerate, quietly charismatic, drily witty, intelligent, and endlessly patient. He wasn't some knight in shining armor, or a smoldering heartthrob. He was just a guy, like any other guy I could have known. The fact that Willow caught the eye of a nice guy gave me personal hope for my own situation. Some days it still does. Oz is the dude I would date, marry, and have little werewolf babies with. Willow is my spirit animal. So, even though these two aren't an OTP for me as a fic writer/reader or a fan, they are my favorite ship. I could go on and on about them, so I’ll keep it short and sweet.

Spike/Drusilla – Eyeballs to Entrails These two are one of my favorite ships on the show. They're dark and twisted and they're both formidable villains when they want to be. But Spike, despite his undeniable edge, is so gentle with Drusilla and so devoted to her, it was one of the first hints of depth we saw in a vampire other than Angel. And Drusilla, despite her timid personality, had so much power in that dynamic. She was a strong woman, a force all on her own. These two are an OTP for me. I think if Drusilla had never left Spike he would have stayed with her forever. If Drusilla managed to get a soul she and soul-having Spike would probably reconnect with interesting results.

Spike/Angel – I'm Sure That's a Thing I don't really see a window for this in the run of the shows, but I totally believed these two were a Louis/Lestat type of thing back in the days of the Whirlwind. I definitely see a lot of subtext there, intended or not.

Cordelia/Xander – Well, There's Something You Don't See Every Day I… don't know where this one came from. When Cordelia and Xander shared their first dramatic kiss I think I laughed. "Oh, what a funny reaction for these two to have in that moment." And then that moment continued into a pretty substantial relationship. I never quite understood why these two were ever a thing. Realistically, yes. I get it. We've all watched two people get together and started taking bets on the date of their inevitable break-up. And on some levels I get the appeal. It's The Shop Around the Corner effect: these two can't stand each other, so naturally they need to be together. I did like the depth this relationship uncovered in Cordelia, but it's not one of my favorites.

Willow/Xander – Ugh. Really? Okay, I'm admittedly biased on this one because I've told you how I feel about Willow/Oz. I also have a general pet peeve when it comes to stories taking two characters who are good friends and deciding they have to pair them. It bugs the crap out of me that a man and a woman aren't allowed to just be friends in anything ever (except for Lucas and Haley in One Tree Hill and I love that about that show). I also can't stand love triangles. In conclusion, I hated this. Blasphemy. Never should have happened. Oz is a saint for forgiving Willow. Cordelia has every right to be pissed off about it. Xander's a dick for having the nerve to pull that Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered crap.

Buffy/Faith – Now That You Mention It… A relationship between Buffy and Faith never occurred to me when I watched the show. Then I read some fanfiction and some discussions about some subtext between these two. So, when I rewatched the show recently it was like "Wow, how did I never see that before?" One of my favorite moments in the show is the shared dream between Buffy and Faith at the end of season three. There is so much going on between these two women. I'm not sure the timing for a pairing was ever right for them in the show. Buffy was kind of closed off to Faith in the beginning, threatened by her and distant. Then once Faith went rogue I think she did some pretty unforgivable stuff as far as Buffy's concerned. Faith could say the same. Buffy did try to kill her. I don't think Buffy would ever forgive Faith for poisoning Angel, or for the body swap, but I don't think Faith would fault her for that. And I think Faith could forgive Buffy for stabbing her. I wish there was a window somewhere in the story where I could see this ship happening. Maybe post season seven. I'd have to think on it. However, I think these two women have a unique bond and, under the right circumstances and in the right plot, I could see this happening.

Giles/Joyce – Awkward I'm glad this was just kind of a fun one-time thing because how awkward would that have been? I feel like Joyce is always a bit competitive with Giles when it comes to Buffy. On the one hand, she respects Giles and appreciates how much he cares for Buffy. On the other hand, she resents him at times for endangering Buffy or for taking her away on some level. I think these two would always have a difference in opinion on what's best for Buffy, and that would kill any chance at a relationship they might have. How funny was that Band Candy episode, though?

Xander/Faith – Wait, What Just Happened? Again, I'm glad this was a one-time thing because – wait, what? This struck me as a plot device, a way to show us Faith was more dangerous than we thought. Tough break for Xander.

Xander/Anya – Haha! Oh, Wait… You're Serious? The issue I have with this ship is that it became a running gag on the show that Xander always fell for the monsters or the weirdos. Even when their relationship started, Anya was so awkward and out of place it was comedic. So when they made Xander and Anya a long-term couple I could never really take it seriously. I was always waiting for the punchline. It didn't help that as the show progressed they sort of gave Anya the Eric Matthews treatment and she went from trying to get used to being a mortal to "Who dropped her on her head?" Although they kind of grew on me, I never really considered this a realistic or long-lasting pairing. I did like Anya's arc after Xander bailed on their wedding. We got to see her trying to return to her demon ways and feeling conflicted. We got to see Xander struggle with the idea of a healthy marriage. That was all well and good. I just don't see this as an OTP kind of thing.

Riley/Buffy – A Breath of Fresh Air This is another ship that I personally really enjoy. Riley is a good, solid guy who's a badass in his own right and doesn't mind dating a woman who's independent and badass. I think Riley and Buffy had a healthy relationship, for the most part, until that clunkily executed break-up at the end (I think the show could have written that better). This wasn't quite a relationship I related to or lived vicariously through because Riley's not really my type and I couldn't really relate to Buffy much during this point in her arc. But, I enjoyed watching this ship and I really wanted it to work. It was healthy and safe, and Buffy never has enough of that in her life. However, I think the issues in the relationship were realistic. Buffy got kind of closed off and neglectful, and Riley got insecure and needy. Had that fortuitous and conveniently timed job offer not come along, I think these two could have eventually worked through those issues with some effort and commitment. But, I don't think Riley could ever hold a candle to Angel, so as long as Angel was in the picture I think he was always SOL.

Tara/Willow – You Make Me Complete This ship took me some time to warm up to, mainly because I felt like they wrote Oz out a bit unceremoniously so I didn't quite buy the quick progression to Tillow. However, I think these two had one of the most functional, realistic relationships in either of the shows. I would consider it THE most functional relationship if the whole addiction to magic arc with Willow hadn't happened (but that was a bit manipulative and unhealthy). I think Willow truly became whole as she grew over the course of her relationship with Tara, and I think Tara could breathe with Willow and feel comfortable with herself. I can't picture these two ever being as fulfilled with other people as they are with each other. I would have liked to see more of Willow coming to terms with her sexuality and dealing with that, and I would have liked to see a bit more development with the relationship. But these two are an OTP for me.

Spike/Anya – I Almost Forgot About That I didn't like this either. They just shoved these two together, got them drunk, and had them sleep together. It felt very contrived to me and I wasn't a fan.

Angel/Cordelia – I Guess You'll Do I never quite bought into this. It's very similar to Jenny and Giles for me in the way that it was hinted at that these two might have warm fuzzies for each other, but nothing was ever significantly done with it. For me, I don't know if I see this as a viable relationship. A lot of that is due to Angel being hung up on Buffy.

Cordelia/Doyle – A Face You Could Learn to Love These two had so much potential and I wanted so badly for them to be a couple. Another Jenny Calendar effect here where there was barely anything to suggest a possible relationship. But I think the chemistry between the two characters was spot on from the start. From the second he sees her Doyle's head over heels with the idea of her and she's rolling her eyes all "as if." But then they get to know each other and he genuinely appreciates the person she is. Unfortunately she never really gets to know him at all, so I don't really know how that relationship would have panned out. But I would have loved to see what would have happened.

Fred/Angel – Handsome Man Saved Me from the Monsters I'm glad this never became a full relationship in the show. I like the fact that these two were genuine friends and there weren't any romantic strings attached. Fred had a bit of a crush in the beginning, but I think that was a confusing mix-up on her part more than actual feelings. He saved her, so she automatically developed an appreciation for him. Overall these two had a sweet friendship and, while I think it could have developed into something under the right circumstances, I'm really glad it didn't.

Fred/Gunn – What Could They Possibly Have in Common? I'm not sure how these two ended up together. Opposites attract, I suppose. It just didn't feel like a real relationship to me. I tried to picture these two sitting around bored and talking and I had no idea what they'd possibly talk about. I feel like they'd be having a strike out conversation. "Do you like movies?" "Oh, I haven't really seen too many. I do like some of those old black-and-white romantic movies." "Oh. I'm not much for romance. More of an action kind of guy." "Oh… Have you read any good books lately?" "Uh… Not really. Been a little busy sharpening my knives and stakes." "Oh, right…" *cricket, cricket* It's not quite that I don't like this ship. It's more that I would have liked to have seen more of it, how it developed and how they worked. I didn't really have enough evidence to buy into it.

Fred/Wesley – Too Much Alike I understand the appeal of this ship, but in my opinion these two are too similar for a relationship to work well. I think they're much better as friends.

Buffy/Spike – Love Me, Hate Me I have a lot of personal bias with this one and it brings up some unpleasant feelings for me, so I don't think I could ever fully get on board with it even if I tried. That being said, I could see why this made sense at the time. This was always a relationship I could see happening under the right circumstances. Well, the stars aligned in season six and there you have it. The thing I don't like about this ship is how very unhealthy it is on both sides. It's very manipulative and abusive, and while that would be just fine if the two of them were soulless villains, it felt pretty out of character some of the time, particularly for Buffy. There was always a forced nature to it for me, which maybe was the point. Anyway, overall while I can see how it makes sense and I get the appeal, this isn't one I can rally behind because it makes me feel too icky.

Angel/Faith – Huh. Well, That's Interesting There's a lot of potential here. I think Faith and Angel understand things about one another no one else really could. They've both done terrible things (and enjoyed it), and they're both on sort of an impossible road to redemption. After a certain point, these two quietly became pretty ride or die for one another. And believably so. I didn't really see a place in the show's storyline where their pairing could have realistically fit, but I could see these two being a pair under the right circumstances. I think problems would arise because Angel's OTP is Buffy, and I think Faith would be very troubled by the idea of being compared to Buffy. But, it would be an interesting run while it lasted.

Wesley/Lilah – A Sharp Turn This was unexpected, but very cool. I liked that we saw a darker edge to Wesley and a softer side of Lilah. I also believed this relationship from the start. It made total sense to me at the time even though I didn't see it coming. These two had a mutual respect for each other, and they challenged each other. I also think they were very much in love, but neither of them really wanted to voice it (and I think they understood that about each other). While this relationship wasn't good for the rest of the characters involved because it sort of took Wesley away from the group, I like this ship a lot and it has the potential to be an OTP in my book. I would have needed to see a bit more of it.

Angel/Darla – It's Complicated I have mixed feelings about this one. While I think Darla and Angel totally miss the mark, Darla and Angelus are a perfect match, much like Spike and Drusilla. I think Angelus and Darla have a mutual appreciation for torturing and ruining others, and I think Darla understands exactly who Angelus is and is content to let him be that. He may not be devoted to her or even in love with her, but she's okay with that. As long as she's a part of the fun and she's in on the plans. It's not like she's entirely loyal to him either. She has her own agenda and likes her independence. However even human Darla and soul-toting Angel didn't really click for me. I think these two only work when they're both soulless monsters.

Connor/Cordelia – Eww, Why is This Happening? This was just gross. Wrong on so many levels. Cordelia was a mother figure to Connor, so her having a romantic thing with him was just icky, amnesia or no. Don't even get me started on the "It wasn't really Cordelia" thing. However, on Connor's end I totally understood it. He never knew Cordelia as a mother figure. She was someone who was in a similar position he was in. They were both sort of lost and out of place, and neither of them trusted the group of people claiming to be their allies. I also think Connor sort of needs something to do or he goes a little sideways. He needs a thing to kill, a task to complete, or someone to protect. Cordelia was a purpose he could cling to, and cling he sure as shit did. However, this is another one I think was blasphemy and never should have happened. It was outright character assassination for both of them.

That's about all the steam I have. If I think of anymore ships I'll do another entry. In the meantime, please comment, discuss, or message if you feel the need.

[monstersinthecosmos]

you mentioned how many of Armand's traits have been given to Louis, but I think when I really started to give up on getting even a loose book interpretation of Armand was when I saw the first Claudia trailer. Cause if you already have one character stuck in perpetual teenagerhood, are you that motivated to introduce a 2nd one? I mean, I personally would, because I think it'd be that much funnier to see two teenagers plotting against each other in S2, but my fear is these writers will just figure they've got teen angst and identity covered, and all they need Armand for is to pop up and be a non-threatening love interest while Lestat is otherwise engaged.

I'm still not sold on the Rashid theories, mostly because no matter how ooc one gets, I'm not sure I can believe they'd position Armand as totally subservient to Louis. And I LIKE Rashid. But as Armand? No, please no.

So like. I’ve been really cautious about talking about Claudia because I’m like, mega skeptical about this character change and I don’t like it 😊

As much as I’m willing to give AMC!Claudia a chance as an individual OC, I’ve gotten some red flags about the way the team has talked about women & girls and I’m just. Like. How are you going to remove the main feminist drive of the story to replace it with potentially sexist tropes about teenage girls?

I wrote about this a while back so I won’t go deep on this right now, but I think it’s really suspicious that RJ & them don’t think aging L&L up to their 30s matters when like, they’re saying being 14 somehow is an existential crisis. Does age matter or does it not? Why do they keep commenting on girls’ hormones? Do these vampires even HAVE hormones?! Bro she’s dead lol. I mean I guess they have sex now so whatever it’s a whole new world.

But like the thing about VC characters is that their age has more to do with their relationship to humanity imo; we’ve talked in circles about whether or not the Blood fixes your brain where it is and I think that’s a really cool conversation to have but there’s not a definitive answer bc Anne wasn’t writing with it in mind. Their life experiences are more significant than their brains.

Like, Armand has never been a teen angst figure. Even when I first read them as a teen I wasn’t like OMG HE’S LIKE ME.  VC isn’t a coming of age story and isn’t YA. Armand is 500 years old lmfao and his mortal age is a stigma to always remind us what happened to him. His visual age creates a set of external factors related to the way people treat him, and same with Book!Claudia. Claudia was not a child, either, and the tragedy of her story (aside from the internal body horror) is that people will treat her like a child forever.

So having AMC!Claudia as a teenage girl can still feature this same topic; the horror of her story has potential to tap into those same themes, even if they’re very different. There’s a difference in that she CAN be independent even if her journey getting there is different. This tragedy is less internal than the book, less dramatically anyway; I think the horror here will be more external. People are still probably going to talk down to her and treat her poorly and not allow her agency in certain situations. In a universe where she can have & wants to have sex, she’s always going to have to navigate potential child predators. But she isn’t locked to an adult the way Book!Claudia is. And I think this has a lot of potential and like, even accepting the change as a logistical workaround for shooting, I think care has to be taken to tell that rich story, and I’d like to see it. I would hate for us to swap out Claudia’s story for vampire soap opera teen girl tropes, especially knowing how personal the character was to Anne and how it started the entire series.

So having said that, like. There’s two ways to look at this:

If Armand is still a teen, after watching Episode 4 I really worry about the petty changes they’d make to him if there’s like TEENAGER LORE in this universe. Armand isn’t Like That because he’s a dumb teenager, he’s Like That because he’s been repeatedly traumatized for centuries. Even as a mortal he wasn’t a typical teenager. WHAT DID MARIUS CALL HIM, A WIZENED FUNERAL SPIRIT OR SOMETHING LMAO. And like if the show posits that Teenage Girl = Whiny Boy Crazy Annoying Drama Queen, like, what is the trope they’ll lean into for Teenage Boy? How does this lore about being hormonal fit into the way they’ll portray him?

And like, WHILE YOU’RE RIGHT THAT NOW WE ALREADY HAVE A TEEN CHARACTER it makes me wonder if Armand’s role would change and how this could change the way he antagonizes Claudia. COULD THEY EVEN BE A COUPLE????? Imagine she leaves with Armand instead of Madeleine?

Cause I’m thinking like, if they stuck to the main Paris story, this Claudia doesn’t really have a NEED for Madeleine at all, does she? They’re setting her up that she’s interested in romance so I think it might be that she wants a romantic partner. (Of course Madeleine might have been romantic too once she turned but meaning that it was framed as a parental figure because Claudia was always going to need a visible adult.)

But if the show isn’t afraid of talking about teenage sexuality, he could still show up as a love interest. Like the shallowest read of TVA would tell us that he’s like Ricean Sex Addict Teen and I wonder in the hands of this team if that translates to him being hypersexual in trying to seduce Louis. We sure rushed through to Claudia’s 18th birthday, so! Lol Maybe they’re not afraid to go there. (Also how old were Louis and Jonah??????????????????????????????????????????? Louis might not mind lol.)

But you’re also right that if there’s only room for one teen, and Armand ISN’T a teen, like. It’s just not the same, yall!!!!!!!!!! It’s just not the same character. And even seeing the way age is handled/discussed in this universe (plus the way they’ve handled Daniel & Night Island) just screams to me that they don’t care about Armand the way I do LMAO. To each his own, man, but it’s like. As a VC fan, like, when you strip so much of what I enjoy about VC from an adaptation, what’s left?