#louis and claudia's story isn't done yet

[foreignswaggersession]

"But today, at the cemetery, i finally understood something so obvious, which i pondered for a decade…why they made me. To be Louis's sister." - Claudia

I've been pondering this line a lot since my last s2 rewatch. i didn't agree with claudia on my s1 watches - claudia was meant to be a daughter, while grace was his sister, and i saw a clear distinction between the parental and sibling relationship. but s2 changed my mind - there are more sister/daughter parallels that come to light in s2, primarily through watching louis prioritize his romantic interests over his familial interests again ("what about 'me and you'?"). i've also been thinking about how louis's relationship with grace overlaps with a father/daughter relationship after their father's death, and how claudia early on relates to louis as a sibling in relation to their parent, lestat.

[rapha-reads]

IWTV rewatch

Season 1 episode 7 [The Thing Lay Still] - part 3/3

- Okay, the triple confrontation Daniel/Louis, Daniel/Armand and Louis/Louis is long but there's so much to say, I have to quote it entirely:

[Daniel] "Well, isn't that neat and tidy?" - THANK YOU DANIEL, I know I can always count on you to point out the flaws and holes in the fabric of Louis' recollection.

[Louis] "'There was a ship. We did get on it.'

[Daniel] 'Yeah, I read that, the first 50 pages. Not exactly the, uh, adventure-of-our-lives feeling I'm feeling.'

[Louis] 'It was a traumatic escape.'

[Daniel] 'Yeah, but she didn't say that explicitly. […] But, um… there's a feeling that she hated your guts there for a while. Why is that?'"

Trust Daniel to always see the little thing that would be inconsequential to anyone else.

[Louis] "'I was haunted by my brother's death, by the abandonment of my sister, by the murder of Lestat, I…'

[Daniel] 'Murder? What murder? It was an act of mercy. You didn't kill Lestat. You spared him out of some fucked-up idea you had about love.'

[Louis] 'Love? I bled him like a pig and waited for the death rattle.'"

Oh, Louis. You are so good at lying to yourself. Good thing Daniel's too much of an excellent investigative reporter to let you fool him like you're fooling yourself. Notice how Louis looks as Daniel undoes all his lies and smoke mirrors? Like he's still trying to cling so hard to the story he's told himself for the past 80 years, like the lie is the only thing that keeps him upright, like if he admits the love, admits he wanted to save Lestat, that would completely undo him and there would be no going back?

[Daniel] "You were shot point-blank by an alderman. You were dropped a thousand feet and survived. You torched Antoinette just to make sure. Where does the trash go, Louis? You take the trash down to the street, some guys show up in a truck and they throw it in the back, and then, they drive it out to the middle of nowhere, right? No. They take the trash to the dump. And having lived two blocks away from the dump just outside of Fishkill, New York, with my first wife, I can state, with authority, what else you'll find there. Rats. Big fucking rats, the size of Kevin Durant's sneakers. Enough blood in them to bring back the dead. Especially one in a trunk with locks on the inside. You knew it, Louis. You had to. The biggest rat eater of them all."

Thank you for bringing back Moonlight Sonata! Haven't figured out yet if it's intra or extradiegetic tho. I love its presence in this episode. It's my favourite piece of classical music (I know, very original) and it's so gothic par excellence.

Mention of the first wife, Alice/Armand, no, I will not get down from this hill.

I love how Daniel's theory posit Louis as having done some planning for himself outside of Claudia's and even Lestat's, with the trunks locking on the inside and the rats needed to revive.

[Rashid/Armand] "'This session is over.'

[Daniel] 'How many days in the Islamic year? How many names are there for Allah?'

[Rashid/Armand] '355 and 99.'

[Daniel] 'Why does a 200-pound bouncer pass out after he sucks him off, and you, a wet T-shirt away from 130, doesn't even blink?'"

Ha, Daniel said 'okay who the eff are you and why am I smelling bullshit'. Meanwhile Armand said 'oh shit we're getting too close to dangerous waters and Louis is about to lose it, better reassert control'. But also, Muslim!Armand. Definitely. Not a throwaway line, not just pretence. Rolin Jones I'm counting on you to not fuck this up.

[Louis] "'I couldn't burn him.'

[Daniel] 'But Claudia could.'

[Louis] 'No', she couldn't.'

[Daniel] 'She stuck a pen in his neck. She recorded his last words in his own blood. The girl did not have a fuckin' problem tossing him on the grill, okay?'"

And Louis' wall of lies is breaking and shattering… And the pebbles of the zen garden, his other big trauma, don't help either…

[Daniel] "You cursed her into the darkness. You chose Lestat over her time and time again. You don't need a memoir, Louis. You need a hundred sessions of EMDR. You know the shit they put soldiers through when they see one of their platoon buddies get blown up in front of them?"

Say it, Daniel! These messy vamps need therapy.

Making jokes to avoid the sheer anguish in Louis' face, voice and body language, both in the 1940 flashback (the image of Louis holding Lestat's body and yelling is tattooed on my eyelids) and in 2022 (Louis sitting in his zen garden hugging and rocking himself, eyes screwed shut, trying to block Daniel and Armand's voices and the memories lives rent free in my mind).

[Daniel] "'144 years and you're still Louis the Pimp, paying a whore to sit in a room and talk with you. 'Cause why? You got some story you wanna tell the whole world about yourself?'

[Rashid/Armand] 'When you hear it you'll be ashamed, ashamed of what you say to him now!'"

Please don't hold back, Danny, do tell us what you think exactly. But hey, Louis needs to hear it.

The fuck are you talking about, Armand… Also notice how agitated he is? Feeling protective of Louis, or feeling like he's losing control of the interview, the interviewee and the interviewer all at once?

Love Armand taking off is gloves in the background. So subtle, so crucial. And then the lenses.

[Daniel] "'This is the same shit that happened in San Francisco.'

[Louis] 'Not exactly.'

[Daniel] 'How is it any different, Louis?'

[Armand] 'This time I won't save your life. Louis can sometimes act out. I protect him from himself, always have. Stopped him that night in San Francisco.'"

Oh, hello, Armand's decided to play Superman. Aaaaah, Armand's orange eyes, I love them!!!

Can we talk about Armand's infantilisation of Louis? "He acts out, I protect him from himself"… Like a child that can't regulate his feelings and needs to be put on time's out. The manipulation is deep and multi-layered, it's not just the memory alteration. Notice how Louis is pretty much dissociating, staring at the grey wall, face slowly becoming inexpressive and voice returning to flat and empty, from the moment Armand started telling off Daniel?

[Daniel] "'You were there.'

[Louis] 'You don't remember.'

[Daniel] 'No, I don't remember.'

[Louis] 'What was that you said about memory? 'A monster', was it?'

[Daniel] 'But I saw you standing in the sun.'

[Armand] 'As we age, the sun loses its power over us. What's a mediocre star to a 514-year-old vampire?'

[Louis] 'Daniel Molloy, I'd like you to meet the vampire Armand, the love of my life.'"

One, don't be too cocky, Louis, there's plenty you don't remember about that night too yourself.

Two, and we've come full circle again, the monster memory making itself fully known after lurking all season long.

Three, shut up Armand, the Sun is not a mediocre star, it's part of the entire reason there's life on this planet, show some respect. Sun deities are some of the most frequent deities around the globe. You need to come back down to earth.

Four, all the books being out of reach to Louis, another way Armand's exerting subtle control.

Five, "love of my life", BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAGA *deep breath* HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAA, that line kills me every time I hear time. Why you lying Louis, stop fucking lying all the time. Sorry, Armand.

Daniel seeing them side by side and hearing that stupid line after listening to Louis ramble and compose poetry on the spot about Lestat for the past week or so: "hm. I sense bullshit of the highest degree. Time to destroy that whole tower of lies one by one.".

Aaaaaaaaaah, that was such a rich and intense episode!!!! What a grandiose season 1 final!!! So many different elements that have got to be revisited by other perspectives to get the full painting. So many seeds planted for season 2 and even season 3!! The writing is flawless, the acting is exquisite, the music is gorgeous, the costume, set design and stage direction are masterful. I am in love with this show.

ep1 | ep2 | ep3 | ep4 | ep5 | ep6 | part 1 | part 2

[nalyra-dreaming]

Thank you for your consistently detailed analysis and speculation which have frequently calmed me down when I was concerned about the direction of the show. As long time VC fan, I'm not gonna lie, this show has often left me heartbroken- and not in a good way. I've been trying to get through it in hopes when we will finally get to see the real Lestat. But honestly, for me, if the drop is left in, than the character is done. There is no way to redeem him. And it just hurts because not only is it something that Lestat would never do to Louis, but it's something that was actually done to *him*. He suffered for years from that fall and it was one of the main reasons he went in the ground. It's important for his character development. I just don't understand the justification for leaving it as is especially since it isn't canon. I don't think I can take another 2+ years of Lestat being called an evil domestic abuser. How can audiences be expected to root for him. They won't. He will be condemned as the monster who dropped his partner from the stratosphere. Leaving it also ruins the L+L QotD flight. I just don't see the point in irrevocably damaging the main protagonist of the entire story. I'm heartbroken and furious. Please, help me understand.

*sighs* (Sending you a big hug.)

So. Emotions seem to be very high on this already, and it hasn't even aired yet. I'm just pointing that out because... what we have right now is hearsay - maybe directly, maybe over a few people in the middle... but ultimately we haven't watched it yet, right? Other people have. Other people, with their own understanding, and their own takes.

And yes, it was done to him. Exactly. And as just said in another ask, he has not told his side of the story yet. The trial, so also that part of it... will definitely be scripted. And we already know that what we were shown... cannot be trusted. Not a 100%.

Let's watch first and then judge, please.

Because so far this show has excelled at elevating the source material.

Which is not to say that they cannot make mistakes, obviously. And who knows, maybe I'll be disappointed AF after. We'll see.

But... there's a reason why they revisit all that. There's a reason. And, given that we're segueing into s3... and therefore Lestat's story?

I don't know how they re-contextualize it. I don't. But I think we need to see the bigger picture - and that won't be done by s2. (And I have a feeling like it might not even be done by s3...)

IF they follow the book IWTV here... then Lestat will testify against Louis and Claudia at the trial, seemingly out of revenge (but actually under duress), he will witness her burn, he will have the yellow dress. Louis and Armand will break up. Lestat and Louis will meet in the later contested NOLA meeting. Louis will end up alone at the end of the novel.

I don't know how the revisit fits with the trial. You probably know my feelings wrt the diary and the pages etc but it seems they are not used as heavily as anticipated.

IDK. Given the in-universe publication of the book IWTV I think they will follow the beats above - and episode 5, and the drop, are likely part of the accusation then.

Now, we know that it will be revealed later that this was done with manipulation and torture. That it was Lestat who was thrown off the tower later, and who needed decades to heal. Which fits with the "mind call" in 2x05, doesn't it.

IDK. I just want to point out that even if... EVEN IF THAT DROP STAYS FOR NOW - there is a lot more to it and they have already hinted at that.

So.

Yes, I can very well do without another 2 years of shit-show by some people, especially those unwilling to take the step back for the bigger picture. But ... I have become much, much better at blocking.

And I am not going to let them take away my joy. Especially... ESPECIALLY that we know - WE KNOW - that TVL is up in s3. They already confirmed that.

Don't let an unfinished puzzle or some asshats take your joy either, dear.

[trulynamelessworld]

IWTV Film School AU WIP

I had a batshit dream about art school with Armand, Daniel, Louis, Lestat, Claudia, and Madeleine so now you get to see the kind of hilarious dialogue I cooked up about a bunch of queers setting out to make a Freddie Mercury bio pic and (spoilers) actually succeeding?

Overall its gonna be hilarious, horny, and heartfelt in the way only finding yourself in college and making a movie with friends can be. Probably OOC because its really not that serious and well, they're humans.

The excerpt posted below the cut actually catches them at the tail end of the story, enjoying a celebratory party.

Relationships: Original Female Character/Armand, Daniel Molloy/Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac, Claudia/Madeleine

Roles:

Lou (in progress filmmaking degree): Camera

Lestat (in progress music degree): Sound

Armand (in progress filmmaking and directing degree): Directing

Claudia (in progress creative writing degree): Script

Madeleine (in progress fashion degree): Costumes

Vida (original/main character, in progress video editing degree): Management/Props

MC's name is Vida because I like that name and I haven't used it yet for original characters in my fics.

Dialogue:

"You should probably move if you don't want my dad to see you standing in between my legs." Vida jokes, wrapping her arms around Armand's neck. He smiles and plants his hands on her waist, squeezing lightly.

"Would it really be so bad?"

"You would get banned from the house." She says seriously, absentmindedly playing with the curls at the nape of his neck while she watches the congregation of family and friends across the street.

"I don't see you letting me go."

"You're balancing on a ledge on my roof. Not a good look if you fall."

"I made it up just fine love. I can get down just as well." He jumps down and looks up at her with a grin. "Ye of little faith."

"Don't die while you're pretending to be Shakespeare!" She calls when he starts climbing back up to her.

He hoists himself up to sit beside her and plants a triumphant kiss on her lips. She tangles their legs together and squirms onto his lap, mussing up the styled curls as she gets a proper grip on them. Armand's hands move from his sides to securely cradling her backside. Vida smiles against his lips.

"Smooth Romeo." He smiles back and catches her bottom lip with his teeth. "How long do we have?"

He nips at her lip again. "Only a couple minutes, Daniel will be looking for us soon. Lou threatened to take photos and put them in the group chat."

"The film one?"

"Yes."

"No!" Vida laughs, guiding their mouths together again. They enjoy the usual push and pull of their makeout sessions until they hear the telltale sound of dress shoes.

"Times up lovebirds!" Daniel calls.

They look down from their perch on the roof to see Daniel and Lou standing on the front lawn. Vida climbs onto the awning and jumps down to where they're waiting.

"Hows the party?" She asks, smoothing her skirt.

"Well Les is talking someone's ear off about the hidden queer themes in Queen's music, Claudia is with him, and Madeleine is... behaving actually. She's just eating cake."

"Buisness as usual then?" Armand says, hopping down beside Vida.

"Yeah. You done canoodling? Wanna join the party now.

Vida groans. "For the love of god Daniel, stop calling it canoodling."

'Smooth Romeo' is something I say to my partner when she isn't being smooth at all and really being rather obvious so I thought it would be cute to put here

[ca-suffit]

Hi! I'm new to the fandom (on Tumblr, anyways--I watched season 1 when it came out (haven't watched season 2 yet)), and I wanted to ask what the racism in the fandom is about? I mean I can guess, since the new show changed Louis, Claudia, and Armand to black/brown actors. I guess I just figured that if people were really against the race and time period changes, then they simply wouldn't watch and be fans of the show?? I mean they are significant changes and they happen from the very first moment of episode one, so if they bother people so much, how would they be able to or want to watch the show and get into the fandom at all?

I guess basically I'm wondering if the racism you see is in the AMC fandom too, or is it more like people who are IWTV fans of the books/movie who don't like the changes?

hi!! thank u for being new here and somehow ending up at this account and asking questions. I feel like it's rare that that happens so I am glad ur here.

so for ur questions....a lot of the racist stuff comes from book fans.

idk if u know the history of the books and also the show, but let me give a brief rundown of it all.

the books started in the late 70s and were a lot of ppl's first exposure to a lot of things (gay relationships, gender stuff, polyamory) at young ages and also when these things weren't seen in many other spaces. anne rice also encouraged her fans to develop parasocial relationships with her, keeping in contact directly thu letters, emails, and phone calls. she also routinely hosted costume balls and stuff (which still happen today).

as for the show history, it took about 7 years for it to end up with AMC and start doing *anything.* anne and her son excitedly kept ppl updated on everything that happened in that time, then suddenly all went quiet once AMC started moving on doing anything. then anne died in 2021, before the show's release within the next year.

if u look at a lot of book ppl's posts about the show, u'll see phrases like "I've waited x years for this." take allllllllll of that info ^^ and stuff it into a single person, who then has existed in this fandom however many years, usually in an echo chamber of likeminded ppl with the same history, and u get a v specific mix of fandom racism. they're in their "sunk cost fallacy" era, basically.

a lot of these ppl don't care at all about the show itself, they're here to see the VC books in a visual format *finally.* they will "suffer" thru whatever just to get any crumb of something they feel is "owed" for being fans so long, for connecting so much to these stories, to anne, w/e the thing is. a lot of them are here for lestat only.

the main issue is that a lot of these fans....just hate the show even from the lestat perspective. they feel like his character is "ooc" for the abuse shown in 1x5, specifically, and have spent the last 2 years writing all kinds of angry posts about it and jumping thru hoops to explain why it's all a lie and why S3 (based on his book) will "fix" everything "finally." they also disregard any of the discussions about race and have targeted black fans a lot over time (general fans of color too but a lot of emphasis on black fans specifically) in attempts to push all of this out of anyone's view, so that they can remain the popular fans. this isn't done by white fans either, a lot of it has been done by other black fans. it's a common tactic used in a lot of spaces, fandom or otherwise, to "give permission" to ppl to let out racist behavior on certain other groups of ppl....but ur not in the group so it's ok, ur safe for "reporting" on "them."

a lot of the problem is these ppl (collectively referred to as "white fandom," which is a mindset, not a skin color), and u can see so many examples of what this looks like if u browse around the account. it's not always so obvious, prbly if ur new too, but u'll learn to see it once u find the pattern.

there's also book ppl who don't engage with the fandom anymore outside their circles but watch the show (or at least parts of it) and still moan how the tags are filled with show stuff and not the books anymore. it's the same "logic" but a different type of fan.

the show only fans aren't rly a problem. a lot of white show only fans haven't understood the racial themes but these aren't usually the ppl who are bullying everyone. it's mostly the book fans who need to feel superior at all times for having read the books. I mean, I've read them too, it's whatever, but some ppl just need that extra special attention about it (even tho they're awful books tbh. she fired her editor three books in and it *shows*).

I felt insane writing this lol but hope that helps clarify??

[fayevalcntine]

I know some fans have expressed hesitancy towards Louis' given memories/experiences in season 1 not being fully true and I know that some of it boils down to racist fans "being given reasons to hate Louis/Claudia" but honestly, I feel like that would also strip them of any chances to be fully complex characters who are also vampires in their own right.

When I consider Louis as an unreliable narrator, I don't think about whether or not this will absolve Lestat of his wrongdoings (which it obviously won't because there were issues with him way before episodes 5-onwards), but specifically about why he's doing this now and why he would specifically need to have such a story to grab onto, so much so that being faced with even just a glimpse of the reality of what happened causes him to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. To me, Louis still carrying shame/guilt over the past, his nature and even his former relationships to Lestat or Claudia, make him a character that is filled with a ton to still deal with. 144 years of life and he still hasn't been able to even break down a small part of his own internalized feelings? That is not something that can be simply or easily fixed or dealt with, and that is what makes him an intriguing character that should be given the space within the show as such.

The same can be said for Claudia. I understand why some fans cling to the repeated notion that she only decided to kill Lestat for Louis (being his knight and savior), but that is frankly a disservice to her as her own person because it renders such a significant choice on her part to solely be Louis' aid/new guardian in his life. Claudia has her own reasons for hating Lestat, she has every right to despise him for condemning her to a life that she wasn't even warned about and for condemning her to a constant in-between state of being in a teenager's body. Add onto that his abuse and cruelly taught lessons to her. From Lestat's perspective, his approach may not seem as harsh as what he has faced, but from Claudia's, there still hasn't been a given reason for it. And even if there was, his approach is still horrible towards her. This is why her relishing in his murder should be for her own reasons for revenge and spite, because frankly she has every reason to be hateful towards him. Making Louis the center of her world and love within his own version of events frankly simplifies Claudia and her existence (and even apparent death) to begin and end with Louis, but even Louis isn't really honest about her or honest to himself about who she really was.

Also, I think it's slightly regressive to insinuate that only the white vampire in this ensemble so far should be as horrible, selfish, cruel and insane and yet still get narrative focus (even during his apparent redemption) whereas characters like Louis and Claudia should only ever have noble and pure reasons for existing and moving about in the past or present. The show obviously has a responsibility to give proper focus to Louis and Claudia, but I think that in such a show where vampires who've lived for so long have done things that seem insane to a normal person, they should also be allowed to be complicated, nuanced characters.

[volixia669]

Disappointed but not surprised Interview with the Vampire didn't get an Emmy nomination.

They took the original text and created an AMAZING piece of art, that not only made the cast more diverse, but actually considered how that changes the dynamics of the characters.

The scene where the camera focuses on Claudia during the fight? (chefs kiss) Excellent cinematography choice, that in its use of unreliable narrator (did Louis, a vampire who wasn't eating people really hold his own in that fight?) primarily focused on the "child" of the situation, thereby making it so much more real.

But alas, the Emmy's are run by people who don't care about how a show's story can be improved by making the cast more diverse.

The Emmy's are also run by people who are disgusted by the messy queer dynamics, who'd rather any queerness at the Emmy's to be more clean.

This isn't to say that any queer media at the Emmy's is bad.

It's just more...PR friendly. More acceptable to the types of folks who'll nominate some media with queer characters for brownie points, while not actually caring.

The IWTV show though? Holy shit, it just feels so much more real to me. Simply because they're all dramatic bitches who refuse to let each other go even if it's toxic.

Oh, also horror rarely does well in awards shows just because horror tends to not be most people's cup of tea. And IWTV is indeed horror.

Sure Last of Us got nominated, but like, the zombie genre was fairly overdone by the time films poking fun at it like Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead came out. It's not "shocking".

Interview With the Vampire however, oh. Oh boy. See, like with any good gothic horror, the actual horror isn't the obvious. The vampires aren't the ACTUAL horror. No, the actual horror is in their very human albeit turned up several notches (melooooooodraaama) dynamics.

The actual horror is the racism Louis & Claudia encounter even as vampires, because being a vampire doesn't erase their blackness.

The actual horror is the dawning realization that Louis is once again in an abusive relationship.

The actual horror is being a child while your parents fight and there's nothing you can do.

All of these things and how they were shown are extremely shocking, and uncomfortable. Which makes the show better in my eyes, but not in the eyes of Emmy nominating folks.

So yeah. Interview with a Vampire, a show that legit surprised me in how well done it was especially with (stares in how badly the books needed an editor), absolutely deserved several Emmy nominations.

Yet until the awards shows actually change systemically, there's no way it or any shows like it would be nominated.

[matrixwhore]

Hi! I love your blog ☺️

What are your fave theories of where or what Lestat is doing in the current timeline? How do you imagine they’ll finally see each other again in the present day? I know that I will go feral tho

🥹💕 aawwe hiii

Thank you! I appreciate you saying that. I like the Theories that Lestat might be in like a deep slumber and they are trying to get him up as this is going to put Louis in danger and Lestat would wake up to protect him. (at this point i need to see him raise actual hell behind Louis as much as i need to see him die and suffer multiple times. but love him. but i also hate him and i want to see him hysterically cry and go through PAIN like. its complicated okay!? he’s a fantastic character.) Maybe he’s underground in a deep sleep somewhere else, but there has been a theory that he might be the groan in the tower. and I wonder how that might be. I thought that was really interesting. especially with the aspects that Louis been taking care of him trying to get him up to no avail.

I like the theory that maybe he isn't sleeping, but hasn't done his rockstar era yet so we’ll get a modernized version of that. to couple this with a theory about his music. i like this theory that he’s like more of this underground artist that Armand is aware of and Louis isnt.

i like the theory that we might see a drop off the tower in Dubai. That it might be Armand who tosses Lestat off it. Though I’m thinking if this were the case it would have to be combined with him being awake and out there and that the interview makes him show up??? Im not sure how this will go. but I am a fan of seeing their dynamic like I sooo badly want to see Armand and Lestat at each other’s necks. like in each others faces like there might be a kiss but they won’t cause they fighting and arguing and the like. Assad and Sam playing off each other is gonna be so so good. like im ready to have my head blown panties blown off

ALSO i like the theory that David been cancelled all my homies hate david 🤭 and he’s being combined into Daniel. That Lestat might tell Daniel his story. I gotta say Daniel and Lestat in a scene together gonna send me into the stratosphere. I listened to like the first page of TVL on a youtube audiobook recording thing bc I wanted to see if that post about how it starts was real. I cannot even believe how accurate that was lmao. I’d love to seee Daniel take in Lestat telling his story. like starting him off with that description of himself as if Daniel isnt looking right at him. Sam would EAT. and Eric playing against is all these insane vampires would be incredible. They all play into the comedy soo well. like i expect absurdity at the highest level. It’d be interesting to watch Louis listen to Lestat talk about his end of things too you know? especially where Claudia is concerned as well. Like doesnt Lestat call up her ghost? so what if he’s done that you know? and he talks about that and that’s something Louis doesnt know yet? idk im speculating from a place of not knowing so please jump in if you know how that actually plays out. and like if Daniel does get pieces of David’s story then doesn't that mean Lestat would be kinda into him? I need this old man to get passed around is what im getting at 😭

(ohh re: daniel as david… will he be a part of the totbt stuff too!? oh that would be cool from what ive heard of it)

[licncourt]

I agree with the post you reblogged about how they bungled Lestat's death scene! They couldn't have filmed a more different version – both in action and meaning – even if they tried.

But, in the context of the show, the story they insisted to tell, I can't ever imagine Lestat's death scene playing out like it did in the books. It doesn't fit. (And I'm upset they deviated so much from the core relationships that it doesn't fit anymore).

They have destroyed Lestat's relationship with Claudia from the very beginning. In the show they tolerate each other at best, and they hate each other the other time. All the things Lestat taught Claudia with love and enthusiasm in the books, he does it out of desire to manipulate/placate Louis in the show. Not to mention that he threatens to kill Claudia 🤢 and hurts her even in the last episode where he waits for Antoinette to kill Claudia 🤢. There is no way he could fall for a genuine attempt at reconciliation in this context, so they have to paint Lestat as on to her plan.

Regarding Loustat, since they have escalated the violence in their relationship to such a degree that never existed in the books, they had to give Louis a more active role in the death scene, otherwise he'd pass for a sad wife-beaten victim with Stockholm syndrome. They had to give him some agency in this instance. His hesitancy/indecision translates here not in passivity, but in reversing the course and ultimately saving Lestat (or at least hoping that his actions saved him cause according to Claudia's diaries, he is still convinced they killed him). Otherwise there would be no catharsis for the public.

Though, the choice to have Louis cut Lestat's throat perplexes me when I think about what is supposed to happen in Paris. THE TRIAL! How is that going to work since Claudia isn't the one who ultimately killed Lestat. She didn't even touch him!! She planned it but she isn't the one who killed him. Like, why is Louis still standing and not Claudia? Or will they have Louis throw Claudia to the wolves to save his skin?

That's why I'm thinking that the entire Lestat death scene didn't happen at all as Louis described it, not just the aftermath. I'm thinking Claudia did kill Lestat/cut his throat etc like in the books and Louis did stand by and watch helplessly paralyzed. Then Louis cried over Lestat's body etc and put Lestat in his coffin, ultimately saving him. So when Lestat pops up in Paris and Claudia is executed, Louis has to face the reality that by saving Lestat he condemned his daughter to die...and he can't take it. It's trauma on top of trauma and he starts to tell himself a kinder story : one where Lestat told him one last time he loved him before dying, one where Claudia didn't stab Lestat with glee but he's the one who did it tenderly, one where Claudia was unfairly murdered and his actions didn't doom her. And I'm sure Armand was only glad to help with this version of the story and reinforce it. Honestly, I think Louis doesn't know yet that Armand orchestrated Claudia's execution.

That's how I think they could save the mess they made in this episode (and how they could use tvl to give a more rounded picture). Though they could end up with the same problems regarding Louis' agency.

Okay I fully agree with the first part, and I love that idea for the story if that's where they choose to go with it. The specific storyline of the AMC show, whatever my personal feelings on it, would come together very nicely if things played out that way and it's really a brilliant theory. I don't have a lot to add because you connected the dots for us, but I think this would be great TV and a very effective use of the memory theme that they haven't utilized much yet. It makes the most sense to present it in this sort of context, combined with trauma and abuse (as long as it's done with sensitivity).

[vole-mon-amour]

IWTV, 1x05, part 2.

I love him. Good for him (probably not, but yeah, go off).

"A quick stop home to do laundry before you fuck off for good." <3

And Lestat wasn't even lying. They fucking are. Even Armand in the book. "Oh, I've given you some time and some space from those who want to hurt you and your child, but I want peace, I don't want to be your leader. I want to be with you, but I don't want to protect you and the kid you love so much. She can die <3" Get fucked.

Baby boy. Baby. Never did a single bad thing in his entire life.

We? WE??? As if it was Lestat who saved her from the fire. As if it was Lestat who begged himself to turn her in. Lestat deserved fucking better.

The only way I'm willing to take it is Claudia being in love with Louis and wanting Louis for herself, wanting to be with him. Louis loving her more than Lestat or at least choosing her (because even in the book he didn't want her to kill him & tried to save him, as much as he could. But still obeyed to Claudia's command to stay away as Lestat was being poisoned. I'm sad.)

I'm torn between loving Claudia/Louis & protecting Lestat. I understand how Sam was protective over Lestat. "You didn't want to go to party & I stayed with you." He really did, when it should have been way better to break up a long time ago. Genuinely wondering what kind of hard was done to him that he was running from Europe and all those vampires. It's like they hated him already when they heard Louis' accent, "Who created you? I know that accent. Talk again." Oh boy. I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with the books, but now I want to know everything about Lestat. I... don't enjoy much how the books are written and how long they are, but He. Him.

I guess that's where it leads when you REALLY don't like kids. Oh Lestat. :(

"It was never you."

Yeah... He's so powerful, wow. I'm not sure if Lestat from the book had this much control over himself. There were way more insult, I feel like. But his strength? His actual physical power? "I fought myself a million times. Controlled my nature. Controlled my temper. I never once harmed you." Wow.

:( Why did you choose a person that didn't love you in the first place? Why did you stay for so long? I hear you, desperate love. Pining. But isn't there someone, anyone, who would love you back just as much? And want to share this love and life with you? Surely Louis isn't the one.

They both deserve better. Deserved better from the start. IDK how I'm going to get back to the book just like that. Give me Lestat. All of his trauma and hate and every single detail about him.

I really like his power. I really do. It's nice seeing him like that for a change. He is so much better than this sulking version of him, waiting for Louis, for Claudia. He can (and is!) be so powerful. I hope we get to see it in s2 way more.

The dude that wrote in the tag about something like "We can be messy" & "it's a horror show" doesn't know what real horror is. I mean, yeah, some glimpse of it is there, maybe. And I'm sure general audience does consider this a horror. Dragging Louis by the throat was pretty brutal. And yet.

This was probably one of the best, if not THE best episode in the series yet. I like that side of Lestat. I like how much they showed (and now even in the first half, the second half, with angry Lestat and less of Claudia in the family, was great).

I don't think I ever shipped Louis & Lestat, maybe a bit in the movie. Never in the show. Seeing all this, the entire episode? I'm here for Lestat only. And if they manage to portray what Louis and Claudia had in the books (they are already failing), maybe I'll enjoy that, too. But again, they are showing a different story to what is in the first book. They threw all of them in there, set it on fire, and now are dancing around it.

Agreed. It's still messed up how in the book it was Lestat who made her, who trapped Louis into making her, didn't let him kill her. But in here? Oooh, you really make me love Lestat.