#look what u did armand

[ldpdlexisting]

so because louis said armand was DULL DULL dull in the midst of their heated argument - and the new guy just FASCINATING, armand interrogated and tortured the guy for his mind for hours to understand everything about him yeah because he became a threat in armands mind. but also it was like armand wanted to extract from this man exactly what louis wanted or liked about him. like louis finding armand dull is a skill or knowledge or performance issue he can correct.

and of course louis is acting like this is normal expected behavior from your partner. loumand are so insane

[erebus0dora]

some of you asked if you could print/chew/otherwise consume my Devil's Minion art, and i did ask if you needed a masterpost on the topic, so-

may i offer you this Google Drive folder, o gentle creatures..?

i'll add more, and i believe it's sensible to add the links to the original posts with these images, but frankly speaking i am chill with whatever way you use or share them if that's for your personal use

just keep them free, that's my only request

what was born as a free art should remain free art

any questions left? ask them, i don't bite unless you would really like that

now, have a peaceful day and my digital hug

💜UPDATE💜

it feels appropriate to make it a fully shaped masterpost, links and all, so... links to each and every artwork on the theme - below the cut

the Tarot cards (Hermit/Death)

"...rest" (but mirrored)

first take on Armand that looks like anime

some thoughts on the age of the magnolia tree

human!Daniel deliberately thinking of beautiful things

The Magnolia Tee Print

animated Daniel (literally, as in, a gif)

a very vampire!Daniel, thoroughly researched

Byzantine Icon Armand

a tender moment which is vague but there you go

sleeping Armand from a fic

hugs (the quiet)

more hugs (abrupt)

more hugs (headphones on, updated)

Daniel gently cleaning Armand's face

some extra somfte quiet gremlin

crack!chibi!Daniel on tees

crack!chibi!Daniel on teefs

sneaky sleepy uncertain hug for another fic

moar tender touch for another fic

beige pillow

the return of the beige pillow

"i see you"

kissing the maker's hand

more tender face-touching, couldn't choose one

Daniel comes to Louvre

Daniel collects art

four pages of Armand running and Daniel chasing

Hug The Gremlin

Hug The Gremlin For He Is Art

Armand as a candle, literally

Armand and magnolia petals (the art)

Armand and magnolia petals (the sculpture)

(slightly off-topic, but) Perforated Heart because ffs Eric knows his shit

good old don't you maître me thing which i keep forgetting to include

tbc🫀

Only Fangs Molloy - keep in mind there's a JPEG and a TIFF version in the Drive folder, the TIFF works better if u wanna print it

(+bonus TALK SHIT GET BIT file is also there)

A LOT of traditional stuffs, scanned in 350 dpi for your entertainment

[purpleph4se]

devotion

armand x reader

warnings | smut, afab!reader, dom armand, fingering, praise, possessiveness, one mention of cheating sorta kinda? (we all know louis and armand’s relationship i mean would u call it cheating if it was open idfk)

a/n | 70s armand save me, save me 70s armand. so i finished iwtv in the span of one week and i can say i forgive armand for all his crimes, he’s just a girl <3 there is such a devastating lack of fics for my botticelli angel im here to mend that !!! i know i made that little post a while ago and i finally finished the fic i hope yall enjoy <3 crossposted on my ao3

part 2 here <3

“show me,”

his voice was a purr loud enough just for you to hear. you sat between his legs, chest pressed against the handsome stranger you met at the bar who managed to lure you into his home. “please yourself for me..” he usually doesn’t play with his food but the sight of your lips hung open, and the sound of your moans, he couldn’t help himself.

mesmerized by his voice, you trail your hand over your clothed sex finding the fabric had been soaked through. you shift to slip them off, a twinge of embarrassment making your face burn. you forced your legs apart, your head lolling back onto armand’s shoulder as your hand glided through your slick cunt.

“just like that, my love, make yourself feel good for me,” he whispered as he traced the curves of your body, stopping right at the dip of your hips. his grip on you was firm, as his lips left warm kisses on your neck. his touch was so precise yet so desperate to feel as much as possible of you.

“pl-please, touch me” you begged between whimpers, your legs were trembling as you could feel pleasure starting to bubble up uncontrollably. it was so overwhelming to feel like he was devouring you with his eyes, and touch. his praises were like fire flowing throughout your body as he consumed every cell of your body.

he hummed at your words, the utter desperation that he could feel seeping out of you made him want to fuck you without restraint, but he denied himself just to torture you.

“just my fingers, nothing more..” armand offered, he felt you tremble in anticipation forcing his hard cock against your lower back. you craved to feel him inside you, and he knew. 

armands breath tickles your ear as he slides two of his fingers over your slit. you squirm a bit as he ghosts just over your clit, his voice mumbling something about you being dripping for him. 

“thank y-you,” whispered again as his fingers slowly traced your skin, until they reached your folds. you were pushed closer to him, so he could effortlessly reach your sopping cunt as he kissed the dip of your shoulder. he could devour you if he chose.

his skin was cold to touch as you laid against him. “so breathtaking” he murmured as his elegant fingers barely touched your clit, your hips buckled to meet him “so sensitive,”

when he finally dipped his finger in you, that’s when his facade cracked. the way your warmth enveloped his finger, swallowing it hungrily and clenching around it, made his breath hitch. if armand concentrated enough he could picture what you would feel around his cock.

your small whine of 'more' causes him to smile against the nape of your neck as he inserts a second finger. he drags them in and out of you, slowly and gently before increasing the power behind them.

his other hand kneaded your chest, he wanted to worship every inch of you. you, kind stranger, distracted him from the boredom that was his life, his partner once again enjoying a young vulnerable boy.

you gasp grabbing onto his forearm feeling your body bounce a little as he did so, he pulled his head back to look down at you— his golden eyes dilating in either love or something sinister, you couldn't tell. "that’s it beloved, taking me so well”, his fingers curling up to search for that particular spot you liked “like you were made for me..” you whined in agreement before letting out a sharp moan, there he thought, abusing that certain spot.

armand pumped his fingers into you relentlessly as his thumb rubbed circles on your clit. for just moment he didn’t care about anything but the way you begged him for more, the way you would tremble in his arms as he added another finger, the way you desperately chased your orgasm. he could feel the desire rushing through your veins.

your hands dragged up his body until the settled hooked behind his head, pulling him closer as you felt a third finger gently split you open. your back arched, your chest hitting his as you felt that coil, that certain feeling in your stomach rise, ready to break.

"'m gonna cum— don't, don't stop, please please." you babbled, to which he listened, telling you to cum that he was right here for you. he pressed his lips against your jaw, the sweet kisses and soft worship a distinct contrast from his onslaught on your poor cunt. and then you heard him, like he was inside your head  “cum for me”, armand invited you to let go of everything, to allow the ecstasy to eat you alive, and you did. ‘cumming', you repeated— his name being slurred as you called out to him, eyes shut tightly.

you were hit by everything all at once, your senses blurred as you could barely control your body. armand’s name was the only thing you whine out through the overwhelming pleasure that took over you. he burned the sight into his brain, warm juices coated his hand as he slowed his movements, still overstimulating you just a bit.

you slumped against his chest, your blissed out state warming his abnormally cold one, he didn’t let go of you. you were out of breath, you stayed like that for a moment before he glanced at his fingers.

your pleasure dripped all over his pads, down to his palm, and he couldn’t help but take a taste of you. he took his time savoring each finger like it was ambrosia.

"messy little thing..let me clean you up."

[yesimwriting]

Please please please write for itwv. I would cry of happiness?

You seem like a lestat girl... But also a armand.

"You seem like a lestat girl... But also a armand." you clocked me and my love of toxic men omg

here's a lestat drabble just for u anon <3

Summary: Darkness encroaching on what's considered holy is one of the world's few consistencies. Or alternatively, Lestat enjoys your stolen moments more than he'd ever admit.

Warnings: my first time writing for a character so be nice bc that's always a little scary 😭, slight religious allusions/metaphors, no pronouns used but there are potential vague implications that the reader was socialized as a girl/woman

----

What's confined to the shadows holds little regard for the sacred. The absence of light leaves no space for the good, no sanctuary or safe place to keep darkness from swallowing the revered whole.

It's fitting, then, that Lestat cannot bring himself to let you go.

You shift, fingertips brushing against the inside of his wrist. There's a valiant effort on your end to keep the turn of your head subtle, but it's not enough to keep him from feeling the weight of your cautious stare.

He keeps his eyes on your ceiling. You're radiating a warmth he's not sure he'll ever grow accustomed to, the heat of you nowhere near as simple as blood and flesh alone. It's as if remnants of daylight cling to your skin, so alive and attached to you your touch should scald him.

"Did you miss me?" The question is a thing of greed rather than curiosity.

You're quiet for a moment, your mind warning you to not reveal too much. Your hand stalls against his forearm. "Of course I missed you."

Your thoughts focus on your own response. Wearing your heart on your sleeve is a facet of your being, a testament to your ever giving honesty. Regardless of vampiric gifts, your thoughts, your feelings are easy to notice, even when they're not simple.

Now, your head is latching onto a myriad of things. Ever the lamb blinded by the wolf's clothing, you were more than just happy when he appeared at your window, you were relieved. A part of you, however, was still worried in a way that came close to making you resentful. The contrasting feelings blend together now, enjoying his presence isn't enough to make you forget his absence. Humanity and its ability to turn an approximate two weeks of nothingness into something with meaning.

Lestat turns his arm over, his fingers finding yours. "You seem to have little interest in showing me."

An exaggerated sigh falls from your lips. You move further onto your side, attention now openly settling onto him. From you, divine prophecy takes the form of a barely there crease between your eyebrows and your lips pressing together to fight against a smile. There's a similar sort of revelation in the way you're looking at him now.

"That is not true." You're working at an irritation you don't feel in an attempt to mask your desire for this type of conflict. Your elbow presses into the mattress as you prop your head up. "The only thing I've done tonight is dote on you."

In your defense, you always give as much as you can. You're generous with your attention, listening to his every word as you hold onto him, gentle fingers attempting to work warmth into stone flesh. It's a companionship unlike anything else. What once was only a simple form of entertainment has morphed into a dichotomy that shouldn't exist. You ever the saint and him the night's creature tainting holy ground.

He drags his thumb against your knuckles. "Really? You're doting on me?" The corner of your mouth pulls itself upwards, the look bordering on a smile. "And if I were to tell you I want more. What then, ange?"

Your thoughts instruct you to hold his gaze as you squeeze his hand. "Then I think I'd have to warn you of the dangers of greed."

"I'm a selfish man." Lestat lifts your intertwined hands. You watch him curiously, blood dragging its way up your neck as he presses his lips to the back of your palm. "I don't need a warning."

You're so close now he can feel the flush of your skin. "You talk like it's too late for you."

The promise of eternity is enough to quell the effects of irony. It's human nature to cling to ideality, to believe that the world is something they can take at face value. Still, from you, the comment is enough to make him smile.

The comment is closer to a joke than a genuine analysis, but it's clear that you mean the sentiment. Your eyes are bright, forgiving in their kindness. Perhaps if you knew what he was, you'd no longer look at him like he's responsible for the stars hanging in the sky.

"Maybe it is."

Your expression briefly falters, but before any changes can take root, you're moving back. You remain on your side as you lie down, head resting against his side. "I doubt that."

He begins to trail his fingers against your shoulder. You'll fall asleep soon, and he'll leave the way he always does, shedding the only version of himself you'd ever welcome with open arms. "Of course you would."

"What?"

His palm settles against your back. "You're a good person, mon ange." The vagueness of the topic paired with the tinge of something harsh in his voice leaves your thoughts restless. Lestat should take care to not pull at threads, to not leave you with questions he cannot answer. "Almost irritatingly so."

You lift your head enough to rest your chin against his ribs. "Irritatingly so?" The words are repeated with an easiness that manages to surprise him, your easy mood returning. "You're impossible."

"And you missed me desperately."

You stare at him skeptically, eyebrows drawing together and head angling itself to one side. "I never said desperately."

He pulls your arm towards him, fingers digging into your hand with enough force to imply a warning. "Do not be mean."

"I'm not," you defend, tone conveying a honey sweet innocence that could convince anyone you're incapable of wrongdoing, "I'm only saying I never told you how much I missed you."

You don't realize your mistake until the sentence has already left you. Lestat grins. "And how much did you miss me?"

Ignoring the warmth making its way up your chest, you shake your head once before moving to lie on your back again. "Oh, infinitely so. I spent my evenings in utter agony.

The facetious response is not enough to distract from your thoughts. You missed him more than you'd ever be willing to admit. For now, he'll leave you your pride. After all, he'll have other nights to focus on drawing out our praises. "Fine, be sarcastic. We're all entitled to our secrets."

You extend an arm, moving to rest it against his side. He'll have to take extra care not to wake you when he eventually has to detangle your limbs from his. The thought of the inevitable digs at him in a way he can't make sense of. Beings of the shadows may constantly work at ebbing away light, but there's an inevitable end to all wear away. You were right to notice his greed.

"Yeah," you mumble, the syllable heavy with drowsiness. For a moment, you're so still and silent Lestat almost convinces himself you've fallen asleep. "Then what are yours?"

His hand smooths circles against your spine. "That I think about stealing you away."

Your mind seems to catch itself on his answer, thoughts dissecting his words with an awareness that defies the docility that takes over when you're half asleep. After a moment, you choose to see humor there, but that isn't enough for you to let it go. "Is it really stealing if I want to go?"

You don't know what you're asking for. You're from a world so separate from his own you cannot even fathom the true implication of your words. His lips part, but before he can respond your breathing evens and your mind empties, finally succumbing to sleep.

----

a/n i really liked writing this so if you have any itwv requests pls feel free to send them to me!! just specify the character and as a general note i usually assume fem!reader but i'm happy to write gn!reader if it's specified in the ask :))

[cthulhum]

ure boring. ure boring YOU ARE SO BORING. COLORLESS FLAVORLESS DULL. DULL. DULL NIGHTS. DULL WEEKS DULL MONTHS. DULL AS FUCK. suffocation by the worlds softest beigest pillow. the 10 hours i spent with that boy were more exciting more fascinating than DECADES WITH U. oh there it is the half blank half apocalyptic look. but what does it mean tonight huh ? does he wanna lick my boots ? orr chop my hands off ? is it the gremlin or the good nurse tonight ? okay. okay perhaps but am i as boring as blather commited onto the ferric tapes of ur FASCINATING BOY? oh its so so hard to be me. PICKING LINT OFF THE SOFA ??! everyone i know wrongs me. okay okay lets wake the boy up and lets try u. im the vampire armand and my daddy vampire groomed me into a LITTLE BITCH. my brother he tossed himself off the roof. my sister she buried me alive. my daughter was my sister was my throw pillow well he wouldnt look at me kindly. lestat lestat lestatlestat lestat LESTAT LESTAT lestat Lestat lestat lestat LESTAT lestat lestat lestat i talked shit about him the whole time so what THE NAME!!! THE NAME!! UNUTTERED IN OUR HOME FOR 23 YEARS SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN UNTIL IT WAS POUNDING IN MY BRAIN LIKE A HAMMER. our problems arent about him. AND U THREW HER NAME AROUND JUST FOR COVER BUT IT ALWAYS CIRCLED BACK TO HIM. i loved her. BUT SHE DIDNT LOVE U. NOT LIKE HE DID. NOT LIKE I HAVE. i know. i KNOW.

[nightcolorz]

So you seem to be the Armand expert and I have a few questions!

So what are the clear differences between like the book and movie and show Armand like what facets of the characters remain and which facets changed?

Also which aspects of each interpretation do you like? (Like what show Armand difference do you like) and which aspects of book Armand do you wish they would include in a future season? (Hope I’m making sense!)

AHH TY!!! (Being called an Armand expert is my favorite thing lmao)

I assume when in comes to book vs show vs movie u are asking me to talk about the changes of the character that r less superficially obvious (so u don’t expect me to just list height and age and ethnicity differences and be done with it lol). But either way, to start out, book Armand is Ukrainian, 5’6, ginger, cherub like, was turned into a vampire at 17. Show Armand is Indian, 6’0, lean and muscular, turned into a vampire at 27. Movie Armand is Antonio banderas, lmao.

I think the change that most significantly alters the adaptations of Armand from book Armand is the age change. In the books Armand being turned into a vampire as a teenager is essential to everything about him, backstory and personality wise. To keep Armand the same while aging him up you have to do a lot of substitutions that justify why he is like that that don’t include “he has the mind of a teenager”. What they do with show Armand is kind of like, imagine if there was an adaptation where the writers wanted Claudia to have a similar core conflict as she did in the books but she was aged up to be turned into a vampire when she was an adult. How do u keep the essence of the tragedy that way?? And the what the show does is, it justifies Armand being 27 by in some ways reducing his maturity and prolonging his trauma so that a similar affect to being mentally a child comes about anyway. Show Armand isnt physically a child like book Armand is, but bcus of his trauma he thinks like one. Instead of an adult trapped in the body and mind of a child he’s a child stumbling around in the body of an adult, which is rlly interesting. With this, I get the impression that book armand is more mature, self reliant, and well rounded than show Armand is. Which is funny considering he’s the 17 yr old lmaoo. But rlly, book Armand’s emotional problems and his stunted growth come from outside factors, it’s almost like a psychical disability in a way. Show Armand isnt psychically stunted, so to make the character conflict work he is just extra emotionally stunted. So he’s less functioning, in a weird way, then book Armand.

book Armand is also an angrier character then show Armand. Book Armand has mountains of betrayal and hurt and anger stored in his 5’6 ass body. He has that teen boy spite streak, yknow. Book Armand is very psychically violent and confrontational. The way he preforms violence is often very methodical, he’s the ripping wings of a butterfly type. Show Armand has some of these traits, but his violent tendencies are seemingly more controlled than book Armand, who is genuinely unhinged. Show Armand has a stronger reign over his behavior and acts out of anger less often. He is more so just looking to survive than to kill and maim. I think one of the most book Armand scenes in the show was definitely Armand torturing Daniel in episode 5. Violent torture coming from a strange place of childlike curiosity and betrayal is a big thing with Armand throughout the book series.

But despite the violence, book Armand is genuinely more mature then show Armand. He’s more confident, self reliant, and adult by the 80s than show Armand is in 2020. While show Armand has been living with Louis for 77 yrs and hasn’t experienced life ever when he’s not clinging to someone else, book Armand is able to rebuild himself and develop into a functioning independent person. I do think show Armand will become more and more like book Armand as the show progresses, however.

movie Armand is a different character entirely lmao. He’s basically just Armand in the first book taken out of context and played by antonio banderas. He has as much individual character as an audio book narrator lmao. His lack of backstory and older casting that alienates Armand from his core traits and motives makes it hard for me to see him as anything but a watered down extension of book Armand lol.

my favorite part of show Armand is Assad’s wet cat performance, lol. I love how they keep Armand’s book backstory broadly the same and flesh out and add parts that make it more interesting. And I love how they made Armand a person of color, that is probably my favorite change made in the show in general. I love that book Armand is a teenager, and it’s a shame that I’ll never see an adaptation exploring what that means for his character, but I’m happy with how amc is re inventing the material to be just as interesting. I hope they start to include the nuances of book Armand introduced in queen of the damned (aka: the autism). The revelation that Armand is oddly whimsical, earnestly curious, and fascinated with being a part of human society is what I think is essential to humanizing and endearing him to the audience.

ty for the ask!

[cocogum]

I really wish Ankama could just change Amalia's one-piece suit already cuz it's been more than a season now and she's still wearing one outfit.

Give my girl some kind of flashy or pretty outfit now that she's queen, don't just recycle her old outfit and add a cape to it in the manga! You finally have a way to change her design without the budget being in the way SO DO IT.

I don't care if you give her something that we've never seen her wear before, in fact, it would actually be a great breath of fresh air seeing her wearing anything that doesn't stick to her skin like that.

I get that she's supposed to be a royal and all, but she's still a sadida, so seeing her wear LAYERS OF OUTFIT TO THE POINT WHERE WE CAN'T EVEN SEE HER KNEES is really weird to me.

Like, I wouldn't mind if we saw her wear that outfit in one season, but if she's wearing the same thing for over two seasons, we're gonna have a problem.

There's no way Amalia, a fashionista and a shopaholic, still keeps wearing the same shit that she was wearing before she was queen. AND ON HER FREAKING WEDDING TOO ‼️‼️‼️‼️ It still bothered me that she wore her one-piece at her wedding like girl what are you doing? You're the type who LOVES wearing extravagances, especially when it's YOUR TIME TO SHINE.

Now that the animation budget isn't in your way, make her wear a leafy dress in the manga or a more refined version of her mother's dress, at least! You can even give her an improved version of her season 1 outfit and make her wear it whenever she's taking a break from her queen responsibilities and you can also show us some cute sleep dresses she could wear while sle-

....

What.

Emancipation??? Freedom of her feminity???

Tf do u mean by that.

LITERALLY WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT ⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️

Are they implying we're never going to see Amalia show any more feminine traits????? Why!?!?!?!?

THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS WHY THIS EXPLANATION DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

For one, as I mentioned above, Amalia is the fashionista type and LOVES shopping. So much so, that she was even willing to fight off a shop owner in Bonta despite not having a single kama on her.

Two, she still loves to party, as said by Yugo in the Great Wave manga, so she would still have habits of shopping and trying out new outfits, which are, you know, FEMININE TRAITS ‼️‼️

Cathiane, what happened while you were drawing volume 1? Did Tot force you to keep her tomboyish bland outfit with Armand's cape? Who has you at gun point???

ANKAMA LET MY GIRL BE FEMININE AND SHOW HER SOME SKIN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD ‼️‼️

WHERE'S HER FASHION SENSE AT ⁉️⁉️⁉️

Taking out her feminity by claiming that it is "the emancipation of her feminity" doesn't make any sense because SHE'S NOT THE TYPE TO DO THAT.

I initially believed that the reason why she chose to wear this outfit in season 3 was because she wasn't in the right space of mind and did not feel like herself when her father was slowly dying and her brother was getting manipulated by a chicken.

But now that she's happier and feeling much better with Yugo, the only thing that she changed about her outfit was THE FUCKING LEAF'S COLOR IN THE FRONT.

This is criminal. It's literally illegal to be this bad towards her. Where's her creativity? Where's her feminity? She can still be feminine AND be a boss-ass bitch at the same time.

You can still show her maturity without feeling the need to make her wear pants.

Ankama, stop playing with my head. I need to see her wear anything else than that damned one-piece suit at least once. I don't care what the new outfit will look like, but seeing her semi-naked in volume 1 doesn't count.

[ca-suffit]

seeing the extra bit of the fight in 2x7, under a clear attempt to manipulate a (mostly white) audience against louis and claudia ("aggressive, dangerous" black characters), did not rly change anything about the fight. all the ppl saying "doesn't louis also choke claudia" to call him a hypocrite are fcking weird as hell. that scene also happened *after* this fight anyway.

examine why ur ready to blame the black character the most. the power dynamics between lestat and louis were still not the same. louis did not know that but lestat did. ur asking why did louis threaten to kill lestat for something he does to claudia later when u should be examining why lestat dropped louis in response to something he knew wasn't any kind of real threat. it was an emotional pain he felt at louis "choosing" claudia over him but we all know louis was never going to physically do shit to lestat. look at what lestat did to louis tho.

u also need to get comfortable with the fact that ppl do these things out of a warped idea of "luv" and not wanting to lose someone. it's not something born from hate and a desire to hurt someone cuz u *don't* care. it's not something fake the writers put in bcuz they don't understand the character of lestat. they understand him rly well tbh. read the books again maybe. he did it bcuz he could, bcuz he's the white partner, bcuz he's more powerful as a vampire as well, but it was also coming from his own insecurities that he was never going to be *enough* for anyone else. it's *all* of those things. look at the ways armand is also mirroring a lot of this but doing it as a brown man, someone who can't so easily be loud and abrasive like lestat. someone who is used to being groomed and framing every relationship like that since.

this is not about picking sides or wiping everything away "well they're all monsters lol" shit. it's about noticing what is right in front of u. *clearly* right in front of u. look at the power imbalance louis is facing across all of his relationships. a lot of confusion I'm seeing about him would make sense if u put that one piece into place and stop looking for reasons he's just stupid or the "real" abuser or whatever the fuck. he's said and done hurtful shit too but the fandom *never* wanting to say he's a victim and giving all those tears to lestat instead is rly a fucking choice. this was not happening here before the race swap btw.

[blueiight]

can i ask your thoughts on the fandom’s heavy focus on louis as an object of desire? it sometimes feels to me like people are more interested in other characters reacting to louis than they are in louis himself. i know the “helen of troy” stuff is a joke but it genuinely seems like he’s often rendered oddly passive in his desirability, like we’re looking at him through the eyes of the other characters even though it’s his story (to be clear: in the fandom, not the actual show). or am i being uncharitable? either way, you always have interesting things to say about fandom reception.

i think the focus of louis as an object of desire arose largely in response to a lot of racially-charged nonsense about show louis, namely, where a loud minority of fans tried to deny the abuse and horror of season 1 and frame louis as the primary antagonist/abuser of his own story. which in of itself had the potential to go somewhere, especially considering the feminized role louis occupies in parts of season 1. unfortunately its spiraled off into its own dead end at this point to where now people, a year and a half removed from the release of s1, can box louis's character arc into this tale of getting all the hot boys to look her way. when this is a horror and tragedy series. romance is part of that, but is a piece of the full picture. classic romance is very much horror tbh but thats just me

if we're discussing the show strictly, majority of louis's relationships are antagonistic. even with his lovers, they love him as much as they seek to control him. 'his love is a small box that he keeps you in', trailer louis saying 'i knew who i was without those pieces [of myself?]' . so on and so forth. the first three episodes of season 1 are about louis's struggle to maintain a link with his mortal community, in the midst of increasing racist tensions against the city leaders, all as he struggles to come to terms with his existence as a vampire and how his relationship to lestat fits in relation to all these pieces of himself. doubly so, there is also the nature of the second interview in present time, and the sort of antagonism between daniel + louis as louis eventually pushes daniel into burning the old tape. the latter half of season 1, episodes 4-7 is squarely about the triad of lestat, louis, and claudia, how lestat increasingly tightens his hold over them both, claudia breaking them free of it, and louis's response to such. doubly so, daniel becomes more hostile the less he knows, and the more louis's composed 'master of his instincts' personage collapses to show the broken man thats underneath. armand comes in at the end bc the interview has reached a breaking point once more [as it did in the 1970s]. i know, im looking too hard into the meme, but so much of where louis errs, where his memory falters, where history is completely revised, has to do with the question of claudia. even book interview foundationally was about this grief, though not nearly with the level of depth+ gravity the show has added to the story.

where focusing on louis as an 'object of desire' most impedes analysis has to do with claudia as well, bc if u see louis as that solely, then what is claudia to u if not a 'child interfering in [louis's] romantic affairs'? why are people already seeking to write claudia off as a wayward child unduly 'taking out her anger on louis', when it was louis at the end of season 1 who strangled her against the wall and refused to let her burn lestat? when its louis in the trailer thats throwing claudia's words from season 1 back at her, evading her questions in the cafe? when claudia is having to dress as a baby doll and advertise with a sandwich board for a theater + a coven-master that all want her dead?

i think this is by nature of the fact that iwtv is canonly gay and isnt afraid of showing that, and modern fandom is mainly interested in romance. claudia's relationship to louis is secondary, if not tertiary, to all 'camps' of this tiny tiny fandom bc she is clearly established in s1 as not being a viable romantic option for louis, despite claudia's perspective and her story taking up the second half of the first season, and will continue to be important in the second season. the 'helen of troy' fixation on his desirability in relation to romantically viable vampires [or even men] seems to be another means by which fans can ignore this part of the story, just as the mutual abuse nonsense about louis being clarence thomas the third self hating black man who stole lestat's lunchables and is 'just as bad as the rest' drowned out and continues to drown out any other conversation for the past year and a half. it is very difficult to have conversations on this character precisely bc of this state of fandom, where many people seek to crack the whip over a fictional character for not being mother teresa and having a complex response to trauma, then instead of discussing that, some seek to fixate on the fact that mother teresa can be sexy, actually. when thats not the point. why is modern louis so full of grief and all but suicidal in dubai, if not for the fact that claudia is permanently dead, he still lives, he regrets something, and wants to find the truth under it all? the jokes are cute and all, but lets put our thinking caps on.

[noirve]

lol i love armand's fake ass being like "i had no choice, i was weak and in love, i couldn't prevent it!! i only did what u asked of me maître :((" cut to daniel looking at him like boy shut the hell up

[rollercoasterwords]

louis was like "this is the love of my life...... the vampire armand....."

and I was like "girl...... you're both bottoms...... traumatized bottoms with daddy issues....... where are ur shitty boyfriends??????"

louis and armand out here having the world's most boring pathetic sex, they're like "we're so healthy, we have grown past our shitty-boyfriend-having phase, now we're always Safe Sane And Consensual 😌 we don't have unhinged sex anymore 😌😌😌" they are going insane. this is why louis is having a mental breakdown. he's been having intensely hinged sex for 77 years, like 100% slow lovemaking with clear communication and so much lube and always "one finger, two finger, three finger, cock" and the traffic-light consent system in place even though they don't practice any kinks that would involve words like "stop" and "hang on a sec" meaning anything but literally that. no one in this house has been rimmed in 77 years. Every night they have a very polite Discussion (it's not an argument, it's not) about whose turn it is to top because nobody here wants to. louis is not built to handle this psychologically. lestat's going to text him "hey mon cher miss u sooooo much i can't live without you, haha i got your number by killing some people at your phone company, actually several phone companies because i didn't know which network you're on, anyway come over and sit on my face WINK WINK i'll do that thing you like so much, you know the one!! the one where you're always like 'ew lestat you're so gross' but then it makes you come so hard you pass out [eggplant emoji, eggplant emoji, water drops emoji, blood drop emoji]" louis is going to see these texts and go into a fugue state and be OUT! THAT! DOOR! in nanoseconds. NANOSECONDS!!!! meanwhile lestat is double- and triple- and quadruple-texting about how he's always wanted to try roadhead and blithely using words like "pussy" in reference to louis' anatomy without asking if that's cool and also sending seven unsolicited dick pics clearly taken in an airplane bathroom

armand has never sent a dick pic in his life, even a solicited one, because it's "crass" and there are "privacy concerns" and he's "unsatisfied with the current standard of end-to-end encryption technology". lestat doesn't even know what end-to-end encryption is, and if he did he wouldn't care about it because "if a hacker is going to all that trouble to look at my nude photographs, louis, i think they've earned them :))) even though they could just follow me on instagram and tiktok or sign up for my onlyfans" this is why armand about to get dumped at terminal velocity. he doesn't even have instagram.

i’m in love w u

[nightislandnoveltymug]

Lmaoo @monstersinthecosmos here u go!! IN RE THE PET ARMAND POST but not reblogging to add on because [looks at how much I wrote]. (The gist of the original post being, Marius' relationship with Armand is fundamentally different from that with e.g. Pandora and although he loves him, he does so in a far more paternalistic way and Armand is never his equal.)

Everything you said about Marius and fathers and parental relationships is so good, and this part, just, bingo: I think a lot about how his need for stoicism and humanity is probably also expressed with his need to be the paterfamilias. So I agree lmao!, I'm just here to ramble pointlessly to expand on some points you raised because I got excited!

Just jumping off from this: What’s interesting with Marius’s fledglings though is that he tends not to treat them as equals. ... Even once Armand is a vampire, he’s still not Marius’s equal, and Marius’s age and power are still held over him. 

I feel like Marius maybe didn't exactly know what he wanted Armand to be -- he had never so calculatedly picked out a prospective fledgling ahead of time before, and then had the time to mould them and prepare them for the job. And like, I say calculatedly, and it 100% was, he goes through that whole internal spiel on how an amnesiac orphan is perfect because they won't be missed lmao, but I still think he mis-calculated! I wonder if on some level he thought he wanted someone who would be his pupil at first but would then 'graduate' from that state, who would challenge him, someone he could have an equal exchange of ideas with, because that sounded nice in theory -- but when it came right down to it, he would find the transition between states difficult.

Of course the 'transition', for him and Armand, was the Covens destroying their life together and Marius then meeting Armand centuries later as an 'adult' vampire, a figure of power in his own right, who had been a leader of others, and who had grown into that role completely outside of Marius' influence (indeed, by espousing an ideology Marius hated).

So it's possible that if that hadn't happened, and Marius had been able to 'train' Armand in vampirism for a few years more, he would have been better able to let go of him as a pupil and begin to see him as a former pupil, and a full-fledged (ha) immortal, and an adult. It's possible. But I'm not entirely sure he would be able to, in actual practice. This is kind of related to this thing you said, for me: By never seeing Armand as a complete person, Marius never has to feel threatened by him. We see this in toxic parents a lot. Like, I want you to be good, but I’m insecure if you’re better than me.

I think that's so true!! But also, miscalculation again, I feel like he went into this with a too optimistic assessment of his own ability to be secure in himself when under constant scrutiny by another person who -- because Marius picked Amadeo in part for those qualities!!! -- was alert and highly intelligent and would form his own judgments! He hoped that with a 'blank slate' (a very young boy with amnesia) he could avoid the thing which had always been the problem with e.g. Pandora, namely that she held different views from him, and would not be swayed. (B&G: I remembered my own long ago reflection on the promise of a virgin, that one could make of a virgin what one wished without price. etc) Amadeo retaining as much of the values and 'ideology' of his home as he did was something Marius hadn't anticipated, I think -- much less the almost aloof and patronising attitude Amadeo took towards him sometimes!

I think it may also be important here that Marius hadn't lived this close with anyone since Pandora, and then Mael and Avicus for a while, and he couldn't handle it with them either lmao. He's the king of self-isolating, both emotionally and geographically, and he's had centuries to get used to never being Perceived! And I think he really thought that he would be able to handle it because Amadeo would be his pupil and Marius has so many centuries on him, surely nothing this human child could do could faze him. But then this literal teenager's perceptions and opinions kept getting under his skin! I guess what I'm saying is like: I absolutely think he saw Armand as a helpless, lovely thing he could dote on and feed and clothe and help to thrive, and be in charge of, and mould the way he wanted, and derive comfort from. Which while obviously not a 1:1 to how we think of a dog lol, has a lot of the same overtones as a relationship to a pet. But!, I also think Marius not only wasn't prepared for Armand's personality, I think he also failed to predict himself and his own responses. Like you also pointed out, he's never fully consistent.

Moving on a bit: to the part about the Covens' kidnapping of Armand being perceived by Marius almost as harming him more: you know me, I will never shut up about these two bits from B&G!!

And here lay the proof now that he had not destroyed my beautiful child, rather he had made of him a victim. He had won him over; he had taken Amadeo to himself! He had more utterly defeated me than I had ever dreamt. // "They starved our Amadeo," I said, "they tortured him. This is plain here. And when he had given up all hope, believing me to be dead, and believing their piety to be just, he became one of them."

Because this is the only thing where I'm like WELL ACKSHULLY lmao -- it isn't even that he didn't know what was done to Armand! I think he just... wasn't fully able to take the consequences of knowing. Which ofc just underscores what you said about him not seeing Armand fully as an equal but more as a part of his household/as one of his dependants, because like, if this had been Pandora, who had been tortured?? Marius is already rearing to go because Raymond Gallant told him that he heard from some random vampire that Arjun was abusive to Pandora! But when it's Armand... obviously not to say that he cares less or he loves him less, but suddenly it becomes an extension of the attack on his person, rather than an outrage against someone he loves.

(And yeah, tbh it's entirely possible that him seeing Armand as like, not a full autonomous person does 'redirect' Marius' anger -- away from Armand and onto Santino instead; that if he did see Armand as a full equal, he would be angry with him, for joining the covens. But I think even there, he slips up a little, because he clearly is angry with him for it! And he's trying to reel it back into the parameters he's set up, where it wasn't Armand's fault that he got caught up in the Marius-Santino duel and he couldn't help it. But he never quite succeeds, and the hurt bleeds into their present-day relationship I think, without Marius ever being willing to acknowledge that that's what it is. Super healthy!! I love vampires.)

[icystorm76]

Lauren’s commentary

I’m forcing my sister to watch IWTV and her commentary is genuinely hilarious. She accused me of posting her comments somewhere, then gave me permission to do exactly that. So here you go, her comments on episode 3. (She’s never read the books)

About Raglan James

“Is he a vampire? Is he Vampire ex boyfriend?(When asked why she thinks that) “He seems the type, you know? Like he would judge them then sleep with them.” (I reiterate that she’s never read the books, I guess Daniel just radiates vampire fucker vibes. She just guessed the completely wrong guy)

“Why is he trying to be on the phone? Is he actually one the phone? What is he doing? Oh shit, I missed something, rewind”

“Are you posting my commentary somewhere?” (I am now, lol)

“Hehehe, raglan”

“I can’t see what he’s writing! Milf? Is that what he wrote?”

In the library with Armand

“OH MY GOD HES FLOATING”

“Do you think he has nudes on that computer?”

“I know they’re vampires but does their architecture have to be so brutalist?”

“His bone structure is snatched. I hate his eyes though”

“Of course YOU do” (In response to me saying I like the eyes)

Paris (Armand’s narration)

“OH MY GOD, did he turn Lestat”

“So he’s into bondage?”

“There are laws?!”

“So he has fire powers”

“Hehe, you’re ugly and I hate you, fuck off and die abuser” (she’s not a big fan of Lestat)

“Boo, tomato tomato tomato!”

“The only thing I like about Lestat is his voice”

“Are all vampires gay?”

“Hehehe, the way he’s standing there.”

*Awful French accent* “LeSTOT!”

“Ah, so the abused becomes the abuser. You’re perpetuating bad stereotypes there”

“Oh god Lestat, I hate you. Where Louis?”

“Armand and Lestat, sitting in at tree A-b-u-s-i-n-g. First comes hitting, then comes throwing, then comes dropping Louis out of the sky!”

“Yep, still hate him”

“Oh he cray cray”

“You know what? I hate both these people and they deserve each other”

“Oh my god Lestat you messy bitch”

“Diabolical!!!”

“Ewww, get a room”

Paris (with Louis and Armand)

“Hell yeah, welcome back Pookie”

“I fucking hate him. How do you like these people?”

“How have they now been hatecrimed yet? Like come on guys! I’ve lost faith in Paris’s homophobia” (My sister is a lesbian btw)

“He can read your thoughts Buddy”

(When Lestat starts singing) “AH AH AH PAUSE IT *full body contortions as off possessed by Saten* I didn’t think it was possible to have a physical reaction to an Ick. Oh my god I had a full body reaction to that. I feel violated. I feel really and truly violated.”

“LeTHOT”

“OH MY GOD IM CHOKING. WHAT IS THAT ANGLE”

“No, because the images of Lestat looks like those cameras that make you look like you’re walking on a really tiny world”

“Why is this episode called No Pain. All they do is give each other pain”

“Pause it, no stop, rewind. You’re at a 10, I need it to not exist. LeTHOT, what are you doing? I’m so disappointed. I mean, I knew this was a show about the awareness of Stockholm syndrome, but I didn’t know it would this bad. Every day I walk outside and I think life is great then I come back inside and you make me watch tho shit. I need you to get your lips off of him. I don’t think I can continue”

“This using, love, OH, thank you, keep going, this is better than porn” (while Louis is murdering “Lestat”)

“OH, Real Rashid, by babe!”

“There’s so many files”

“They have a curfew?!”

“You mean the one where Lestat abused you? Because it kinda seems like Armand is going to do the same”

“They got that at home goods, didnt they?”

“Oh, wow. but Daniel’s not a Vampire, so he doesn’t count”

“Uh, wellllllllllllllll”

“Side note, I love that the vampires can’t age but you can tell Louis’ getting older because he parts his hair like a balding middle aged man”

“Thought that when they kissed that it would be like that scene in despicable me 2 when their noses bumped and stopped them from kissing”

[rraaaarrl]

Pick Your Faves Meme

I got tagged by @turtlesocksv2 for this meme.:Pick my 5 faves and put them in a poll to let you decide who is the most fave who has never done anything in their lives ever, they did nothing! wrong! your honor! There are quite a lot, so I narrowed it down to a mix of the classics and more recent I guess. It was a tough choice.

Propaganda Time

Doctor Doom

tbh I feel like I shouldn’t even have to explain Doom at this point, but! Not everyone has had the opportunity to bask in his greatness! Behold: the truly self-made man! Tragic beginnings! Driven by revenge and the desire (however misplaced) to save the world, nay - the universe! Trolled with electronic gadgets and finally toppled the reign of a bunch of racist, classist noblemen in Latveria! Will never, ever admit how deep his obsession with that infernal Richards and his precious family runs! His weakness is also his strength! A very talented musician and chef! Wears cool armor! Was once a god - and found it beneath him. 

Mothra

She is the beginning and the end! She is the earth and the cosmos! She is basically immortal because she just asexually reproduces herself again and again at the end of her life cycle! So does that mean her son Mothra Leo is also herself? Yes! If you kidnap the ones she cares about, god help you, you will be blown away in a wing-spawned hurricane or worse! She will drag Godzilla's ass (literally) home! How can she be evil when she is just a force of nature! She believes the earth belongs to everyone!

Seven of Nine

She is stunning yet off-putting (affectionate)! Smart and filled with cybernetic implants, she is clearly better than you. And yet basic human interactions confound her (can u blame her tho). Rose up from her trauma and PTSD like a mechanical phoenix from the ashes. Thinks flirting is silly and a waste of time (true!) and prefers getting right to the point! Commiserates with Tuvok on the illogicalness of it all as they exchange dry witticisms!

Big Barda

A symbol of hope and optimism but also strength! Endured a crapsack universe and escaped with love! Taller than you! Wears cool armor! Also has to adjust to living in the suburbs at some point! (Now for some reason I want her and Seven to compare notes on what weirdos earth people are)! Can most definitely kick your ass but would much rather give you a bear hug, I suspect.

Armand

tbh when I read the books as a kid, I focused primarily on just how pompous Lestat was, but now! Here he is. In his gaslighting glory! Straight out of a historical painting and plotting his way into your heart and veins! Although if the show goes the same way as the book…you are expecting me to forgive a lot, you little shit! Don’t look at me like that! With those eyes! Fuck off!!!

tagging @imperiuswrecked @the-wanlorn @brw @handsomejackshairplugs @doctordoombignaturals but whoever can join in idc! the more the merrier!

[casually-slips-into-coma]

spoilers for iwtv s2e3!!!

thoughts on the ep:

daniel trying to piece together all the weird shit and what happened in sf👀👀

i wanna know too

love that daniel was like i dont want my fish to twitch so the chef just chopped its head off lol

raglan and the talamasca wowowow

didnt think theyd introduce that so soon

daniel literally like🤨 the whole interaction

louis in bed,, welcome back sleeping beauty

love that armand bobs up and down a little while he floats

lestat basically going “boo!” with the cross

“the sad man with nails in his hands”

armand and lestat both moaning when they drink from each other

armand going “i love u🥹” and lestat going “uh..ditto🙂”

the angry nicki violin music while armand and lestat fuck and then a HARD cut to daniel like😐

louis is stressing me out with how bad he is at lying and how he cant keep any of their fake backstory details straight

armand just letting himself into their apartment

claudias american accent when she says matre is really cute

estelle sneezing during santiagos preformance lol

the theater uses rats to get rid of the bodies???🤢

love how stressed the stage hand is all the time

“these rats are smart😟”

god i LOVE how flirty louis is

jacob and assad have insane chemistry

that little walk along the river and then louis getting all close to armand before walking away🤌

the whole scene of daniel trying to lie to them after getting all the talamasca files was great esp jacobs expressions

claudia looking up to santiago im sickkkkk

love the cafe convo louis is having with armand about god and evil. its nice to see them talking about something outside of vampirism or their relationship

them just eyefucking each other while smoking cigarettes and talking telepathically

when dreamstat pats himself on the back for one of the lines in the song “thats quite good, yes”

dreamstat 18th cent armand line is confusing me bc wtf is he talking about if at this point louis doesnt really know shit about armands past with him

“i killed him and he fucking had it coming” yes the fuck he did louis!!

the camera work is crazy also the “i told u i loved u” line

louis really made a fucking scene during his date just to go fake make out with his dead husbands ghost 🙄

louis looking sad and nodding when dreamstat tells him hes still the only one louis trusts :((

his panic attack while in the photo room + when hes slamming dreamstats head into the wall…..jacob anderson i will personally get u that emmy

claudias SA was so much worse than i thought and i genuinely had a hard time hearing about it. he kept her under floorboards?

the old picture of the theater all burned👀

louis in the audience smiling when claudia goes on stage🥲

claudia is SO excited about joining im gonna kms

her face when she realizes shes gonna play a little girl :((((((((

louis accepting death and telling armand to take care of claudia

very much seeing what that one article was saying about loumand having a tender love story

armands voice breaking a little talking about lestat

loumand kiss finally

tbh a really fucking great kiss. again, they have crazy chemistry

anyway fuck yall i really liked this episode even tho there was A LOT going on

[impercre]

different anon, that’s an extremely unpopular opinion re: sam reid (who has never stated his sexuality or discussed his dating history and is v much rumored to be bi) and idrk what u mean. he isn’t old? and it’s not about whether you find him attractive or not… i’m just slightly confused as a bi person myself and with this fandom being largely queer bc i’ve never heard such a take before

So two things my anonymous friend I did ask that these discussions be taken off anon because I don’t mind debate/arguments it gets squirrely trying to discuss things when I don’t know who I’m taking to or am having to address the ~multitude~. So anon will be turned off after I answer this.

As for Sam Reid I’m not super interested in his real life sexuality or his statements on it. My issue is with the performance and how Lestat is written on the show it feels false to me as a queer person. Contrast with Louis/Armand with this past season that does ring true to some relationships I’ve been in and known that can get crazy toxic. Also when I referred to the old white man that was really more directed toward the writing and direction. It feels off to me. Now this /might/ be a generational thing or even regional but when watching Sam’s performance it never rings true to me, even his rockstar look feels like a bad costume. And again I want to reiterate this has nothing to do with Sam Reid actual human, I am just not vibing with all the elements (performance, writing, direction) that are going into this Lestat.