#loumand musings

[thequeenofsastiel]

Intellectually I understand that it almost certainly won't go like this, but I can't deny that I'd be disappointed to find out that Armand didn't stay in Dubai to look after Louis. He was clearly very protective of Louis and still in love with him. I find it unlikely that he'd be the one feeling put upon in the breakup, given the reason for it. So he's probably continuing to feel protective of and in love with Louis. Personally, if I was in his situation, I would hide myself from Louis but still guard him as best I could. I can't imagine just abandoning him knowing that he was likely about to get attacked by a fuckton of vampires. And I hope dearly that for Armand it's the same.

Unlikely, since the show wants to push Loustat and Devil's Minion and leave Loumand behind, but I still personally feel like that would make the most sense for Armand to do.

[lafamilledelioncourt]

we joke about louis being helen of troy, but guys, he got lestat and armand in a singular look down bad crying at the gym.

these ancient vampires who were feral about each other took one look at his bright ass eyes and his cocky little half smile and just lost their fucking minds.

their asses 404 errored the second he batted his eyes in their direction. there is no recovery.

[angrybubbles]

Rain - Genre Motifs and IwtV

Genre is a really strong factor in what decisions will motivate writers and directors. Everything from framing, music, set-pieces, character roles, character decisions, and symbolism are going to be impacted by the decided genre. So what about AMC's Interview with the Vampire? It's a multi-genre show, but primarily a romantic Gothic Horror. "Romantic" is only slightly modifying the purpose of the story, and while you will find some romance, there's a reason each relationship is built on abuse, trauma, and horror elements. There are stronger story-telling motifs from the Gothic Horror genre than the romance genre, and that impacts the story-telling language the directors are going to use.

So rain is a symbolic metaphor (I hear you groaning, but give me a sec) that sets a scene. Rain is going to be standing in for something, and rain has a lot of different meanings! Everything from renewal, to sorrow, to foreboding. In writing, the author is going to choose which purpose the motif holds to establish subtext, tone, and mood. Which means it will also change with whatever genre the author is working in.

I'm going to look at the Loumand bench scene, but if you want to keep the "Was it raining, Louis?" scene in the back of your head, you may get something there too.

TV tropes has the following to say about Romantic Rain:

If you want to be deserving of your love, you won't care if it's raining, you will rush out into the rain to be with her or him, express what's on your mind and have The Big Damn Kiss. This trope often occurs when the couple gets officially together, finally confessing their love, or if their relationship with bucketloads of Unresolved Sexual Tension becomes resolved with a passionate kiss.¹

So the rain in a romantic metaphor would stand in for something like "the odds" or "the world." You're standing together in the face of the elements that are against you. It's renewal and determination.

Which works well with a romantic reading of the Loumand bench scene! They're finally confessing their dedication on a deeper and more impactful level, and setting up their future BDSM dynamic. Considering Louis and Armand are telling this story, this may be how they view it as well.

But the show is not a romance, it is simply romantic. So what does the Gothic Horror rain motif tend to be used for?

Weather plays an important function in Gothic literature, and remains one of the keys in decoding the inner landscape of the protagonists... Storms are perceived as harbingers of evil, and often present both a reflection and refraction of the inner self of the protagonist, an externalization of internal fears and conflict.²

In "Elements of the Gothic Novel" by Robert Harris, he also notes that rain in the genre of the Gothic is a metaphor for gloom, isolation, sorrow, mystery, or danger.

Louis starts the scene in the rain, using it as a chance to say goodbye to Lestat and finally let him go in order to consciously pursue Armand. In Gothic terms, we're seeing him sitting in the manifestation of sorrow and reflection. Reflecting that he hasn't been seeing the real Lestat, sorrow at letting him fade, and fear about being unprotected from the coming storm (which is why he puts down the umbrella, he has to let the memory of Lestat not be a shield any longer).

Armand steps up immediately after, panicked in his own swirling refraction of incoming danger, unease, and general fear. He is a bit more protected from the incoming storm (his cute hat), but he's still getting drenched. As he lays out his warning of danger to Louis, the rain even begins to increase.

Armand wordlessly shields Louis from the rain when requested, showing the transfer in who is protecting Louis from his storm (which can also be taken away, it isn't Louis that is holding the umbrella). But the next time the rain increases in intensity? Right after "Yes, Maitre," showing that the danger and internal conflict just got stronger. And of course, we know that this exchange is not in isolation, they are being spied on from the bushes.

So if the storm is a metaphor for what's going on in the psyche of the world, then this scene shifts from sorrowful reflection to danger based on Louis' decisions. The foreboding of what's to come has only increased, and the danger has not lessened.

And music-wise? Nothing. Just the sound of rain and them talking, which only adds to the tension.

So if that scene felt discomforting to you at all, I think it's reasonable to say that it may have been intentional. T'is the language of art.

¹ - "Romantic Rain," TV Tropes.

² - "Glossary of the Gothic: Weather," Marquette University.

BTW the resources I used are all free online

[hechose]

.

[armandsfangs]

"Are you sure this is what you want, Arun?" is THE most romantic Loumand line to me because this is Louis, knowing that Armand has suffered a life of abuse, of being bent and broken and reshaped to his captors' will, knowing that he has a complicated relationship with his own sense of self from the history he has shared, taking care to ask I want to know if you actually want this as yourself, not as Amadeo, the Maestro's perfect muse, not as Armand, the fearsome coven leader, but as Arun, the real you, before you were forced into those roles against your will. Arun, who did not have a choice then, you are free to make the choice now. Are you sure that you want this?

Which makes it extra unhinged that Armand's response is basically "yes daddy"

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV Musings - BDSM: Loumand, Agency & Abuse

IMO the reason people either blame either Armand or Louis for their failmarriage is cuz A) folks don't understand BDSM (esp. the characters themselves); and B) folks assume victim = weak/blameless (esp. the characters themselves), thinking victims have no agency; victim blaming people who do exert agency to protect themselves.

Despite what he told Daniel, Louis IS a victim of abuse. Armand abused his power over Lou by taking advantage of his trust. Loumand's entire relationship after 1949 was based on Armand's Seismic Lie about "Banishment:" WHO saved Lou's life in the Trial. But Louis is NOT a braindead puppet ventriloquized by Armand--obvs, cuz if he was, NEITHER interview would've never happened at all (1973/2022). Louis has a HUGE amount of agency. Armand WANTS Lou to take charge, so he doesn't HAVE to be the leader making all the decisions anymore. But their Dom/Sub dynamic is nowhere near as cut as cut & dry as people love assuming; cuz vampires are mimics. Loumand mimicked/approximated what they thought was a (healthy) BDSM dynamic; the same way Loustat mimicked/approximated what they thought a (heteronormative) traditional nuclear family dynamic was. BOTH of the couples' mistakes/failures were based on the misconceptions these men had about power & control--who should have it and who shouldn't; and what it means to submit to or dominate one's partner--which neither Loustat nor Loumand were in the right mental state to healthily/properly engage in at all.

BDSM, Consent, & Power Dynamics: Agency vs Abuse

3A: "Almost like" hints to us that although Loumand's relationship is SIMILAR to BDSM, it is NOT in fact BDSM; just a bastardization/mimicry/approximation of it; due to the consequences of unprocessed traumas, unhealthy/toxic projections of gender/power norms, under-negotiated kinks, and dubious consent.

3B: The status quo is that Armand is the dom/master/Maitre apex predator, and Louis is the submissive lower one in the vampiric hierarchy, just like Carol Cutshall said. There's an ironclad power imbalance that neither of them can truly escape, let alone change.

3C: Role "play" is, just like in BDSM, only a SCENE--it's staged, theatre, playing pretend, make-believe; temporary, unreal, a POWER FANTASY. The only REAL "switch" is that Louis becomes a Service Dom/Top; but he gains no TRUE power/authority/control over Armand whatsoever. Daniel called it out for what it is really was "Maitre only when it's hot or convenient," but people keep using JA's EW interview as proof that Lou was abusing helpless Armand; taking at face value the Arun/Maitre in 2x4 & "face-down in the coffin" in 2x6; without ever contextualizing how Armand refused to turn Madz in 2x6 and sold out Louis & his daughters to the coven to be killed in 2x7 in a Trial/PLAY where "everything you're about to see is fake," and then lied about it in 2x8 to keep Lou with him; despite how Armand led Lou to suicide & tortured Daniel out of jealousy in 2x5.

Convos about Louis' agency are a slippery slope, cuz some folks argue that Lou had ALL the agency in Loumand's relationship, to the extent that Louis was the abuser & Armand the victim. It totally misses the point of 2x8 revealing that Armand was the only one in control the entire time, and that Lou's agency/awareness/autonomy was complicated at best. Folk hatefully condemn Lou & say he'd be kicked out of any healthy IRL kink community for being a terrible Dom to Armand (x x), but ignore how Armand would ALSO be kicked out of the same kink community for being a terrible Sub to Louis. They BOTH had toxic red flags that they BOTH ignored & paid for.

Armand's problem is that he associates submissiveness with slavery, and TELLS HIMSELF that he has no say ("Why is it, Louis, those with the most power are often the weakest?; I could not prevent it"). Lou's problem is that he's never had real power, but TELLS HIMSELF that he was "good at running things," when all he's ever "run" is away.

Folks hyper-focus on Armand's backstory in 2x4, and completely miss how Loumand's park scene was kink (under-)negotiation; Louis giving Armand the OPTION to CHOSE whether to give up control of the coven to Santiago and control of his sexual dynamic to Louis.

Armand: The center isn't holding. Mutiny brewing. Everyone doing what they want, when they want.... I'm not sure I can keep obedience any longer. Louis: I used to be real good at running things.... Santiago wants to be coven leader.... Let him feel like he's your heir apparent.... And that's when you can decide if you want it back. Or you want something else. Armand: I want you. I want you more than anything in the world. Louis: You sure about that, Arun? Armand: Yes, Maitre.

Anti-Louis viewers get so PISSED about pimp!Louis bossing Armand around, "I'm a little wet; face down in the coffin," without realizing that in a consensual partnership, Doms give commands & WAIT for the Sub to either comply or flat-out refuse--cuz Subs are supposed to have just as much control & say in the dynamic as Doms.

People keep slinging around "Abuse!" accusations without even understanding wtf abuse entails. In kink, assertiveness, dirty talk, and bossiness can be consensual. No, we don't see/hear this negotiation take place on screen, but we DO see that Armand is given all the time in the world to refuse to take his clothes off & get in the coffin; esp. since he's the most powerful vampire in the entire effing COUNTRY of France (the only one with the Time/Fire Gifts), AND he's also in an office surrounded by 14 vamps who hate Lou's guts & told him they want Lou dead. Y'all honestly think that if Armand felt in any type of danger he wouldn'tve been able to let the whole coven descend on Louis right then & there?! 🤨Louis was on Armand's turf, NOT the other way around; and Armand NEVER expresses any indication that he was ever threatened by Louis Domming him. What we DO see is Armand saying No and Louis not being able to do eff all to FORCE him to do anything Armand explicitly says "repulses" him--Lou can't force hm to Turn Madz in the 1940s; Lou can't force him join his sexcapades in the 1970s. While it's definitely indicative of poor communication & under-negotiated kink, this is NOT evidence that Armand's agency's been taken from him and that he fears for his safety & is unable to deny or leave Lou.

When 2 Subs Collide: Under-Negotiated Kink

Mutual consent is key, cuz Loumand's D/S power dynamic was sorely under-negotiated, a shaky AF agreement neither man was truly comfortable with (all the 2 Bottoms/subs memes) ("you asked me to do it / are you asking me, Maitre?"). Cuz they're BOTH naturally Submissive men whose life circumstances have forced them to become Dominant; to the point where it's hard for them to (feel safe/comfortable enough to) let that control go. As a result, they "fumble each other, impotent lovers" in the books, film, AND show. Canonically, Loumand's just way too incompatible to ever work out, cuz they're NOT what the other wants or needs, despite how hard they genuinely tried to fill e/o's hole void or not.

Anne Rice described book!Loumand as masochist submissives:

For book!Loustat, Lou's "passive nature makes him a perfect submissive. He searches for a way to be dominant in his relationship with Lestat." AMC amplified that by adding the racial component of black!Louis chafing under being white!Lestat's control during Jim Crow, after having had so many other white men take advantage of him & abuse their power over him (the Alderman, Tom, cops, etc). Lou is domesticated during his marriage, then as his depression worsens he becomes unhealthily submissive to the point of disassociating. During the Murder Plot, Lou plays up the submissive role to lull Lestat into a false state of security, distracting Les so that Claudia can get the drop on Les. They're BOTH femme fatales; taking power in their submission ("Because what scientist would look for an organ found only in Black men who use their weakness to rise?").

For book!Armand, you can't fully talk about him without also talking about Lestat & Marius; and how they both shaped/affected/worsened his increasingly psycho-sexual codependent tendencies. "Armand especially wants to be dependent on someone else, to be dominated, and he sets out to force other vampires into that role;" constantly using the Mind Gift & Spell Gift to "rape" Lestat into falling for him, both in 1700s Paris and 1900s NOLA. (We'll have to wait & see what AMC does with Lesmand & Marimand in S3, to see how the cycles of abuse actually play out or not).

AMC's highlighted Armand's religious fanaticism & over-dependence on the Great Laws and the structure of coven life that gave him purpose: serving as Coven Master over the Children of Satan ("I serve a God. It is my honor to serve."). Even his role as Master/leader is couched in his need to still submit to a higher cause--I didn't choose the coven life, the coven life chose me! (Literally, cuz the coven kidnapped Armand & forced him to be their leader after brainwashing him for hundreds of years.) So when Lou arrives in Paris, it's Armand's JOB to either force/recruit Lou into the coven, or kill Lou if he refuses to join. But Armand learned long ago how to weaponize his sexuality, back when he was a human kidnapped & sold into sex slavery; so he "barters with desire" by seducing Lou; catching more flies with honey than vinegar; "I will not harm you."

According to AR, the ambiguity of power imbalances "increases the passion of the relationships;" but AMC flips it so that the ambiguity is what destroys passion. Loumand's relationship isn't loveless--they DO obvs hold genuine affection & attraction for e/o. But the Bed Death in 1973 was cuz their relationship is passionless, despite all the kinky toys all over the penthouse's bedroom. Jacob Anderson said Louis needs "friction;" Loustat challenges e/o, the "spark" Les saw, where Lou still had bite to him, not entirely rolling over & doing everything Les wanted; that's boring & downright pathetic to Les (x x x). Loustat's BOTH brats to e/o, not even necessarily in a kink way.

Armand treats Lou like he's fragile, like he needs to be "hyped up, coddled, lied to;" not out of MALICE, but out of the genuine intent to NOT hurt Lou. But he failed to realize that this is NOT actually what Lou wants. Lou eventually grew bored to death with vanilla AF Armand, the flavorless colorless softest beigest pillow who's just WAY too submissive for Lou--who actually needs/wants a Dom (read: Lestat), even saying Armand acts like a eunuch who forgot he has a working penis (implying how much Lou dislikes topping).

Armand's submissiveness is most obvs in his Service Sub ruse/roleplay as Fake Rashid). But the infamous Cuck Chair is another indicator (x x). Infidelity's a huge theme in S1 (Lou's deeply hurt being cucked by Les constantly cheating on him--another under-negotiated kink since they BOTH hated the open relationship; "I don't like sharing"). But in S2, the roles have switched, where instead Armand is the one constantly being cucked by Louis. The way Armand talks about their Paris sexcapades seems like at first Loumand both enjoyed their open relationship in the 1940s; Louis banging the men & Armand killing the men; Lou's exhibitionism & Armand's voyeurism; where Armand enjoyed & consented to being cucked; it's kink Loumand did together.

By 1973, things have obvs drastically changed. Armand accompanies Lou to gay bars where Lou cruises for men, and Lou outright asks Armand "is it OK with you" when Lou picks men to go home with, and Armand gives Lou permission to "go have your fun" alone. Meanwhile, Armand's BIG MAD, at home "picking lint off the sofa," deeply resenting Lou's sexcapades & having to "clean up the mess" when Lou sloppily kills the men on his own, not caring if he gets caught (he's been increasingly suicidal ever since Claudia died). Armand resents Lou's independence, agency, & autonomy, and outright STOPS Lou from leaving him--he stops Lou from killing himself, and then cuts Lestat off from talking to Lou in the 3-way call ARMAND initiated when Lou said NO; meanwhile guilt-tripping Louis by accusing him of feeling like Armand had trapped him in a "prison of empathy." 🤦Triggered after hearing from Lestat when he wasn't ready to face his former abuser yet, and also shaken after seeing Armand torture Daniel & almost kill him, Lou reasserts "dominance" by re-establishing Loumand's deal/agreement--BEGGING Armand not to kill Dan, just like how he BEGGED Les to Turn Claudia.

But it's a facade, the illusion of power. Lou had no REAL power to MAKE either Lestat/Armand do anything; their relationship at rock bottom. All he CAN do is beg & hope they love him enough to say Yes--and Armand already told him NO b4 w/ Madz. And once again, Armand goes behind Louis' back to Turn Daniel once their deal is officially over; not the least bit scared or bothered by Lou's threat to kill him if he harmed Dan--Armand knows Lou can't do eff all to him.

But they've "switched" AGAIN, cuz allegedly Louis "asked" Armand to mind-wipe Lou's memory of San Fran, and no one but Armand can ever corroborate if that's the truth or not. Going by Lou's horrified reaction in 2x6, it's unlikely that Lou would've ever asked Armand to take that from him if he'd been mentally healthy & LUCID enough to properly consent; lobotomies not being something that should seriously be considered 3 days after an effing suicide attempt. This is what the abuse of power means; taking advantage of a bad situation in the short-term and doing more long-term harm than good.

"I Will Not Harm You"

IWTV is all about abuse, "a sexy pilgrimage across space, time and trauma." Armand has CONSTANTLY tried to contrast himself with Lestat, the villain in Louis' story who abused him & his daughter; making himself seem like the better, safer, more loving option. But that requires dulling his own fangs, to not spook Louis away, or trigger Lou so he lashes out/"acts out," offense as defense. Jacob said Lou needed the side of Armand that was "gentle and sweet and seemingly the opposite of any of the relationships that he’s had so far," cuz the alternative behavior was way too close to abusive Lestat. In SanFran & Dubai, Armand's become as seemingly submissive as possible, to not be compared to that p.o.s. Les; the man of BOTH of their dreams/nightmares/delusions (x x).

But AMC!Lou wants to be dominated too--DEEP down, he wants to submit & be vulnerable & open himself to another man he can trust to not harm him. Lou forgave Les for hurting him in Ep5, even when they both knew Les didn't deserve it ("You took him back!"). HARM is different though ("When I return, you need to be gone!").

For AMC!Loumand, Lou'd already established that they were NOT companions (read: vamp married) in Paris when Santiago asked. Wanting to reclaim his agency from his abusive relationship with Lestat, Louis didn't wanna be tied down in another committed relationship, and he told Armand so over & over ("Everyone's asking, 'What's next, what's next?' Not, 'Where were you?' Or, 'Be careful.' I had enough of that back home. I'm out here finding myself."). He esp. didn't wanna be answerable to Coven Master Armand; another powerful & old AF vampire dominating & controlling him in any way. And rather than doing his effing JOB and killing/banishing the rogue vampires who stubbornly refuse to leave his territory, Armand chooses to let Louis gallivant all over Paris, knowing how much it pisses his coven off to allow Louis that much independence; overcompensating by treating Claudia worse than trash.

AMC gives Santiago a MUCH bigger than in the book; the whole question of who exactly is the REAL "Maitre" in Paris wrapped up in Santiago's coup & Loumand's BDSM deal in 2x04. But the anti-Louis side of the fandom still blames Lou for domming Armand, calling him a dirty disgusting pimp taking advantage of Armand trauma-dumping his backstory as a sex slave 300 years ago to diffuse Lou's anger scolding him for abusing & pimping out Claudia as Baby LouLou just to exert & maintain his dominance as Coven Master.

Louis: It's not the art, the apology. Flex your power one night and follow it with grand groveling the next. Vintage Lioncourt. Armand: I don't enjoy using my powers like that, Louis. Louis: Seemed like you did. Armand: That was for coven discipline, for the situation.

Louis had sex with Armand in 2x3 to protect CLAUDIA from the coven he's scared will hurt her. Loumand's relationship was always transactional; also why Lou insisted that they weren't companions.

Louis: I didn't like seeing Claudia made a puppet. Armand: I treated her as a member of my coven. Louis: I don't like you parading her around in that baby doll dress either. And if I may say, it all makes you look weak. Armand: I'm not Lestat, Louis.

Although Santiago & Louis are both called Maitre after 2x4, the only one who actually held REAL power was Armand, which he kept for 77 years, all the way till Daniel exposed him in 2x8. Armand gets frustrated with Lou every time he has to step in and "clean up the mess" (1973); taking charge AGAIN whenever Lou "acts out" (2022); and forgets what they agreed about their "proper roles; we had it figured out, didn't we?" (circa 1947); going behind Lou's back to help plan Lou & Claudeleine's deaths ("They gave me a choice; I chose.").

TL;DR: Accountability

So yes, Louis definitely has more agency than some would assume when labeling him as a victim of abuse. Not all victims are mindless vegetables or punching bags that sit back & just get dishragged, never fighting back or speaking up--let alone never contributing to their own demise. Louis actively participated in Loumand's effed up power dynamic with his own brand of toxicity & pisspoor communication & negotiations.

But let's not pretend that Louis has MORE agency & power than Armand (let alone Lestat). That's when I start looking sideways at people rushing to Armand (& Lestat's) defense, when the convo starts leaning too far into territory that minimizes or outright denies the FACT that Louis' mind & memories were actually tampered with by Armand WITHOUT his consent AT LEAST ONCE, and that Armand actually lied to Louis' face on multiple occasions with seismic consequences that dominoed into everything that happened in San Fran & Dubai, had Armand been honest about "Banishment" & explained the situation when Louis asked him point blank "When did you start lying to me?" Boohoo, mean Louis cussed Armand TF out in SanFran & called him a boring eunuch? Welp, that's what happens when you're not honest about wanting your lover and his kids dead.

[maester-of-spreadsheets]

DASH!!! or; kpop music to listen to when you're a vampire chasing someone for sport. or maybe just walking really fast and vibing sometimes because, like, whatever you'll catch the guy eventually.

Track list:

Shadow - f(x): why not warm up with an amazing song about stalking

Dash - NMIXX: I wanna dash, I wanna run it, I wanna run it run it DASH!

Baddie - IVE: I'm a baddie, ba-ba-baddie, baddie/Pretty little risky baddie/뭐든 될 대로 되라지/Catch me if you caAAAAan

The Chaser - INFINITE: definitely one i added because of the title and bpm but the lyrics are weirdly appropriate so here we are

LOVE BOMB - fromis_9: I MEAN...

As if it's Your Last - Blackpink: It's certainly going to be someone's last

I'm so sick - Apink: I'm so sick of lying........ You gotta know that☹️

Sleepless Night - 9 Muses: Metronomic!

Feel My Rhythm - Red Velvet: look it's sampling bach and it's cute but the hihats make it sound it lowkey wants to kill you what else was i supposed to do?

Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard's wife - LE SSERAFIM: this is probably the title of a painting in the Loumand loft

Catellena - Orange Caramel: okay so here we have a kpop song sampling a punjabi folk song and the lyrics have all the antagonistic homoerotic yearning of Jolene and the music video has an extended metaphor comparing sushi to beauty standards and maybe capitalism?? i'm just saying it's avant garde enough for Armand

YES or YES - TWICE: 😊 Hey boy! /Look, I'm gonna make this simple for you😊 /You got two choices😊/Yes or YES? 😊

Hold on Tight - aepsa: Keep on moving!

PICK ME - PRODUCE 48: From now on, you’re mine, mine, mine, only mine mine, mine, mine (Superstar)

BBoom BBoom - Momoland: Great!

LIAR LIAR - Oh My Girl: Your freedom is OVER!

Oh! my mistake - April: You’re not allowed to make me feel lonely

Gotta Go - Chung Ha: Gotta go, gotta go

Smiley - Yena: [through gritted teeth] And I say, hey!/I’m gonna make it smile, smile, smile away/I’ll smile prettily and move past it/Just smile away, just smile away-ay,

GingaMingaYo - Billlie: Wel! Come! to! the! Strangeee-eeee! World! WOW!

Catch Me if You Can - SNSD: yeah, good luck with that

Wife - (G)I-DLE: I [pick lint off your couch] it's so twinkle twinkle

Run - BTS: Run, run, run!

RUN2U - StayC: So I run to you!! [unsettling chord progression]

Up & Down - EXID: free shit post vid idea...Armand telephathically moving Daniel's chair up and down during the chorus

Magnetic (Starlight Remix) - ILLIT: Dash-da-da, dash-da-da, dash-da, like it's magnetic

ETA - NewJeans: The day you couldn't come [home from your fuck pad]/The day [Daniel] got in so much trouble/The day [I] couldn't break up with [my husband]/The day [I had to kill our neighbor]/The day [Lestat's voice showed up in my mind]/I HEARD. HIM. SAY.......

I Don't Care - 2NE1: I don't care e e e e e, I don't care e e e e e e

Red Flavor -Red Velvet: Red flavor, I'm curious, honey/It tastes like slowly melting strawberry when I bite into it

ASAP - NewJeans: H-h-h-hi, it's me again, I'm back (hey)/Let's talk ASAP/Do you have the time?//A-S-A-P, baby/Hurry up, don't be lazy/A-S-A-P, baby/Hurry up, don't say maybe/A-S-A-P, baby/Hurry up, don't say/Hurry up, don't say/Just for a minute/Tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok, tik, tik tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok, tik, tik tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok, tik, tik...........

[indelicateink]

some random recent wishes from the bounty of IWTV kink meme requests--the full list is amazing!

note: so many thanks to @vampire-dove for maintaining this anon kink meme for us.

to play: click on the form link on the left side of the kink meme page. please go add more. please fill prompts. have you mused about your favs exploring each others’ bodies today? NO? would you like to?

Armand/Louis de Pointe du Lac Blood Drinking

loumand have been fucking but they haven't shared blood yet

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Raglan James/Daniel Molloy

Daniel Molloy and whoever the hell Justin Kirk is playing (Raglan? Marius?). Dubai, pre-vampire Daniel. Just two old men screwing while screwing over vampires.

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Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

modern-day au. when impoverished Lestat de Lioncourt comes into the vast inheritance left to him by his stalker, he makes a lot of changes in his life. the first is tackling his illiteracy. he's making steady progress, but braving the public library has been life-altering--especially since meeting the hot librarian who recommends him books for them to argue about.

other life goals include buying an actual house, exploring the wonders of having health insurance, enjoying the ability to buy new clothes. and getting over the trauma of magnus's attack. and being able to be intimate with someone again. little things like that. mostly he just wants to hang out around all the free books, in sight of his very beautiful new friend.

non-ao3 tags: anxiety about sex, louis is compassionate, adult learning is not a punchline, louis knows all the best erotica

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Claudia/Madeleine Claudia starts realizing that she's getting the same kind of butterflies around Madeleine as she did around boys, perhaps even stronger. One night after Madeleine called to visit, Claudia takes her exploration into her own hands and imagination.

While Claudia is in the throes of her self pleasure, Madeleine returns to retrieve something she'd forgotten, only to hear Claudia's moans through the half-closed door. Peering inside, she watches for a moment, her own hunger growing inside her, before she can't hold herself back. Swooping into the room, Madeleine takes charge of the situation (not in a dom sense; just in an experienced sense) and shows Claudia the joys of lesbian sex.

TLDR: Claudeleine + masturbation interruptus, first times, (slight) voyeurism, experienced teaching the inexperienced

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Armand/Daniel Molloy, Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac Possessive Behavior, Possessive Armand, Vampire Daniel Molloy

Daniel wants to interview Lestat, but apparently he’s like catnip to older vampires. Lestat flirts relentlessly, Louis finds it funny, and Armand is possessive.

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Armand/Louis de Pointe du Lac Trans Louis de Pointe du Lac, Trans Armand, Lesbian Sex

dyke loumand have sex on a motorbike

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Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac Birthday Sex, Consensual Somnophilia, Marathon Sex, Established Relationship, Consensual Kink Loustat having (enthusiastic!) free use agreement on their respective birthdays (including somnophilia).

I couldn't find free use kink tag so let's pretend it's there. Ideally, would have two parts, one on louis' birthday, one on lestat's, but picking one would be good too!

--

Daniel Molloy/Louis de Pointe du Lac Post-Season/Series 02, Canon Compliant, Murder, Blood Drinking, Shower Sex, Bottom Louis de Pointe du Lac louis gets back home a few days later to a newly turned daniel who has been holed up in the penthouse since he killed a couple employees as soon as he'd gone through the worst of his transformation. vampire daniel with newfound zest for life comes onto him.

--

Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac Top Louis de Pointe du Lac, Bottom Lestat de Lioncourt, Dominant Louis de Pointe du Lac, Submissive Lestat de Lioncourt, Spanking, Crybaby Lestat de Lioncourt, Cock Warming, Orgasm Delay, Orgasm Denial, Orgasm Edging, Begging

After Lestat comes back home flaunting Antoinette's scent, trying to get a rise out of Louis, he gets what he wants. But Louis, determined not to give in so easily, makes him beg for it.

Bonus points if Louis makes Lestat play the piano with his cock in him.

--

Daniel Molloy/Louis de Pointe du Lac Painplay, High Heels, Foot Fetish, Orgasm Edging, Verbal Humiliation, Bottom Louis de Pointe du Lac could be an AU or canonverse. louis likes high heels, daniel likes it when louis gets a little mean.

--

so I am but one cheerleader--if anyone else wants to make posts promoting requests they'd like to see, you might catch the eye of a like-minded author or fellow dreamer!

[lafamilledelioncourt]

louis: sucking off rashid!armand's neck making little gasping sounds as he loudly eats

rashid!armand: staring directly at daniel, smiling like a drunk person, and carrying on a morbid conversation with his ex-boytoy with absolute fondness

daniel: in front of my fucking salad you nutjobs?

[nightcolorz]

Okayyyy. I have some kinda unconventional ones, and others that are just kinda vibes. Or lame.

The Stolen Child | Loreena McKennitt - A beautiful setting of the Yeats poem. It's about a child being lured by fairies. Is Armand the child, or the fairy? Depends on the time in his life. It's just. Ugh.

Away with us he's going, The solemn-eyed: He'll hear no more the lowing Of the calves on the warm hillside Or the kettle on the hob Sing peace into his breast, Or see the brown mice bob Round and round the oatmeal chest. For he comes, the human child, To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world's more full of weeping than he can understand.

Tragedy Bound | The Bravery - A guy's musings on a survivor of sexual abuse.

Cry Little Sister | Chvrches - I mean, literally a song about a vampire, idk. This version in particular is ethereal and creepy.

Foolish Games | Jewel - Loumand in the show, Lesmand everywhere. Just all his loves where he feels it more deeply than they do.

oooooo omg!!!! I LOVE these AHHH!!!! I love that u guys r sending me Armand songs this is like my favorite thing ever. All of these r so good ‼️‼️

[angrybubbles]

Reading meta that isn't pitting Armand and Louis against each other is healing my brain, actually. They do that enough themselves, I don't think we need to do it for them.

[noliaert]

NOLIAERT'S IWTV WIPS

Okay so I thought to show off some of my WIPs for IWTV (amc), especially since I've not managed to finish off most of my WIPS regardless of how excited I have been for them :/ IWTV in 2022 was like a muse to me! I had so many wips! But little or nothing to show for it (cause extensive projects got overwhelming) 😔 I have however finished off 2 loumand pieces since S2 started off, 1 that had too been a wip from 2022 (I'll edit in a link once I post it, I've done so on twitter, but I feel the need to fix on some things... majorly is the issue one of the louis-es as it was a 3, initially 4,-in-1 piece :/ was rushing cause of the looming loumand divorce and doom, otherwise known as S2 "trial" finality, was approaching... and I was feeling 😅 about the reception of softer loumand kisses at the time. Like- timing!)!

1. Batnight: I worked out this timeglass composition to symbolise Louis' transformation into vampirism after he entered that church one fateful night. The trifecta of the vampfam, the time encapsulated by death and by blood, something which Louis seemingly has a different relationship to than most living vampires as the "tortured vampire". All focusing on the drop of blood, but with different expressions. Idk if i should do anything with the background of the bottom half of the timeglass though 🤔I'm meant to sketch out Louis' family and community from the wedding on the top half, as the sun sets (or rise...) behind the family home (sorry), a life now closed off to him. Vampires and bats- uncontested. The church? It is one from New Orleans S1 and I remember asking for the ref, but I am uncertain that it is the correct church when thinking back on it. Which is 🧍 Also as I started on this late 2022, I had only Bailey!Claudia to go off of, which I'll probably stick to for this one. Would be cool with both! But idk if I can extend that energy. I do need to figure out which of her hairstyles to do though 🤔 and I've been learning more about how to draw black hair so that's fun too

CLAUDIA WIPS! (Both from late 2022)

2: For the first one? Something about the tragedy of claudia, for S1, leaning towards the middle, Claudia the child, the eternal teenager, but a breaking into maturity and adulthood, on... the child witnessing the troubles of their parents, and of the child failed by their parents. Claudia standing in ashes alone (oh not the born from ashes turned to ashes 😭 at least she wasn't entirely alone by the end but had someone choose to face the same fate with her over her own living ♡), looked down upon from our pov to showcase her continued positions of disadvantage. Not the most thought out composition or anything, just wanted to draw Claudia, but these were the things I was thinking about while doing so. Also just really want to try make more dynamic compositions. Try that is.

3: The second one is me wanting to either do a 3-piece with smaller edits, or a 3(+?)-in-1, showing off a little vaguely different stages in Claudia's life back in S1. Or maybe a combined 1 if I figure it out. Combining the cutesy and the horror ✌️ Since these were majorly just sketches, I should be able to try draw Delainey!Claudia! And though S2 makes for SO MUCH inspo too, I'm scared to start on more new things. An irony. But I'd like to finish some more ideas.

4 & 5: Lestat wips! First one is really just a sketch trying to capture his face, buuut the second one? My attempts at a gorier more horrific looking corpsestat since I was feeling robbed by the S1 finale? Oh certainly 🙏 gotta figure out how best to pose Claudia and Louis though, to make sure I make the right impression I wanted 🤔 may have to flip him over too... idk just... extensive work, but I've been especially excited about this one as well as batnight (and the soon-to-be-posted loumands)!! Both from late 2022.

6: St. Paul! Ah the brothers! 🙏 the impact his family, and specifically Paul, has on Louis cannot be understated (S2E8 final dubai scene 😊). Kinda get so emotional when I've been rewatching S1E1 too ;-; another wip from 2022! I so rarely have seen pieces of Louis' family, or human family, which is a shame. I really wanted to do one for Louis and Paul though, and so I ended up with this wip meant to symbolically (far from vague though hah) capture some of that "confessional relationship" (can't escape the catholism) they had, but in a more playful youthful setting. Lowkey pointing towards an elevated sainthood of the future dead too. Paul being Louis' closest confidante, and someone who wanted to be a priest. Many thoughts on Paul really. Paul practicing I suppose, during their teenage years, Louis happily entertaining him and then glancing over his shoulder at- I am thinking Grace, their sister. I found the angle of Louis' head challenging though (been feeling intimately on my limitations), and as it is, I need some refs of Jacob to actually capture HIM too, and not just the angle.

Now unfinished iwtv wips from 2024...

Armand wips! But yea, I already had ideas, but I've felt prompted during S2 to draw more Armand due to the whole Assad Zaman fanbook thing that I thought could be nice to join in on. I've struggled to draw though, even if I have finished the 3-in-1 loumand thing and the spontaneous loumand cig-kiss piece, so I was really damn rushing 😅

7: It's possible I'm mixing ideas... different intents. So I'll have to review it again. I wanted one more bitey one, I was thinking of the "easeful death" scene of E5, but with a different angle. Was initially thinking active feeding I think, with half-lidded eyes or direct eye contact... to put emphasis on the darkening of his eyes in those moments. It's funky and I really wanted to draw it, though I guess this is getting too distant to really see it much. Something something generally about vampirism, a general victim, putting emphasis on the blood that they provide. First by extended blood dripping down the throat, now by the body being the blood fully visually. Something classy, yet... I want to reposition the arms and have the head burrowed further into the neck to actively feed as first intended. I also think I am certainly thinking about an intimate art piece for the whole gentlemanly death feel, so maybe i should try actually find the piece for reference. Also, it's not exactly in this sketch, but I too want to have him in that E2 or E3 coven suit, with vague coven/cult figures in the background. We never really see him feed (properly, of a human), but I've been thinking about the... parent providing food for his children thing (motorbike scene E2), or the "let me teach you" of E3... So a "lead by example" sort of thing, like pre of the picture of the mountain lion and her cub feeding of a carcass sort of thing XD leant too much into the whole typical romantic imagery as I kept going and finally got some of that posture right (and so I tought). But these are the ideas ✨️

8: Armand too got ahold of a switch btw <3 Armand and electronics huh, or... not necessarily only electronics and technology. There's a general almost manic curiosity, which is especially found in that one DM chapter that I kind of adore (smh to private island and blabla tho). A mood, though I'm not making ratshakes 🫢 Assad was talking about it too in an interview though, relating to that fascination, so I kinda wanted to make a piece leaning in on that. Had a few vague compositions, some with more of that almost cold intensity of E5, but here he's more just chilling (doesnt mean it doesnt get intense) ^^ I also wanted to display an evolution of technologies, at least within a certain timeframe, so physically stacking a room with different stuff? Like that works XD because I was rushing for the deadline, I fear I only got to send in the wip (one in an even earlier stage than this one)... which is a real shame 😔 I am excited to finish it though!

Anyway 👍

[nalyra-dreaming]

Idk why is anon so averse to Armand/Daniel as endgame or whatever. In the very very short time I have been here, it seems like VC doesn't work like other fandoms with a particular set of otps. If you are a loumand fan then loumand is there. If you are a lesmand fan then lesmand is there. If you want loustat, then there is loustat. The way I have seen the book fans talk about the characters, from my perspective it seems like these beings are tight knit. They betray, they hurt, they seek forgiveness, they are forgiven, they love. And it makes sense. They have eternity. Gosh eternity can mean till the human species goes extinct or the sun eventually runs out of fuel Or like if there are heaven and hell and spirits in this universe then maybe beyond that too. How can you spend eternity without loving every vampire whom you have come across. Only they would know the horror of eternity.

Exactly. This is even written by Lestat (here musing to/about Armand (on the phone) and about Louis):

I wanted to say we all love one another. We all have to love one another. If you and I and Louis don’t love one another after all we’ve been through, well, then all our powers mean nothing, and our dreams mean nothing, and so we have to love one another.

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV Musings - Unreliable Narrators: Louis

I am SO sick of people in this effing fandom calling Louis an unreliable narrator as a thinly veiled code for him being a LIAR™. Everyone lies, to themselves & to others. Unless you're a literal sociopath, no one wants to be the villain; blamed for things effing up; or take responsibility for eff ups. But there's a patented difference b/t someone OCCASIONALLY LYING, and a HABITUAL LIAR™ whose modus operandi is to willfully deceive, manipulate, gaslight, trick or con(trol). Louis is many things (good & bad); and no, he can't be relied on to tell the story straight, for many reasons (that are & aren't his fault). But the one huge factor differentiating his 1973 interview (a la the book) & his 2022 interview in Dubai is Louis' SINCERITY.

2022 Dubai =/= 1973 SanFran: Odyssey of Recollection / Memory is a Monster

The whole premise of AMC!IWTV is that there are things Louis CANNOT REMEMBER about his past, no matter how hard he TRIES to remember. Back in S1 Jacob Anderson was fighting for his life not to spoil anything about S2, cuz by then he already knew that yes, Louis IS the problem with this whole recounting, cuz HIS MEMORY is the problem. How TF can you sit here tryna tell your life story when you don't even remember wtf happened!? ("You don't need a memoir, Louis. You need a hundred sessions of EMDR!") You're unreliable AF!

JA said "Louis REALLY BELIEVES that a lot of this is the TRUTH." But that deep down he KNOWS something ain't right.

Rolin Jones specifically wanted the 1x7 image Louis presented of him & "the love of my life" Armand to look like the scene from The Graduate. There's ZERO CHEMISTRY with Loumand in this shot, cuz it's not REAL. It's FORCED, a PERFORMANCE, just like JA said Lou is always been forced to do: perform; presenting the cookie-cutter image of a man who's supposedly got all his crap together, when BTS he's a freaking wreck who doesn't even KNOW or love himself ("Who are you, Louis? If there was no me? If there was no him? Who would you be? What do you want? How're you gon' get there?").

And Loumand doubles-down on that fake AF performance in 2x2, cheesing & hamming it up as if they're the perfect Stepford Family. And Daniel calls that ish out immediately; "keep selling it;" cuz he's "built this way," to dismantle BS, and Louis KNOWS this, and WANTS it to happen. The person constantly tryna STOP them is ARMAND, (Daniel effing pounced in 2x5 to sort everything out while Armand was AWAY. Daniel realized what/who the REAL PROBLEM was!).

Lou called Daniel for a reason, to help him UNPACK the jumbled mess ("he's good at his job"), cuz Lou KNOWS something's wrong with the way he's telling the story. Lou KNOWS he's unreliable, that there's a very real problem with him, and that he needs HELP. Louis is not a LIAR™, he has AMNESIA. That does NOT make him the villain or the bad guy, or the one to point malicious ableist AF fingers at as a gotcha! every time it's repeatedly said that YES, Lou's NOT the most reliable source of information; cackling like hyenas when Dan asked if Lou's schizophrenic and totally missing how that's the crux of the matter: Louis is mentally unwell, and CANNOT process his traumas all by himself; for reasons that both ARE and also are NOT his fault.

And what's more is that Lou HATES himself--his Confession Booth monologue lays out everything he hates about himself and will continue to hate himself for, even for the things that legit aren't even his fault (Louis: "I failed my brother!" Father Matthias: "NO, son!"). Lou's suicidal & all-too-willing to accept & internalize the NEGATIVE things people who HATE him say ("maybe I am arrogant!"), or what people actively plotting AGAINST him say ("You should go with Lestat's version, for the book, I think. I'm sorry!").

Self-loathing is at the very core of The Vampire Chronicles, and precisely what Prince Lestat finally teaches the vampires to get rid of at the end if the book series: the self-destructive self-sabotaging tendencies rooted in self-loathing that led vampires like Nicki & Louis (AND Lestat) to kill themselves, rather than to seek help or help themselves get better & love & accept themselves. Accepting that they're vampires doesn't mean they have to act like soulless monsters--they DO have a soul/conscience & CAN/SHOULD take responsibility for their actions, esp. their effs up, to become BETTER.

Louis is the antihero of IWTV, but DANIEL is the actual hero. Louis couldn't save himself from any of the situations he was in; he needed HELP (Claudia in S1, Armand & Lestat in 2x7, Daniel in 2x8). Without Daniel getting Sam's script, Lou would've just accepted how "that's the end of it. There's nothing else;" assuming he finally had all the answers & everything was sorted out, when CHIIIIILE~! 💀Lou was still in the Sunken Place!

After Armand's seismic lies were exposed, Louis finally started "learning to live honestly" without the toxic sludge of literal mind control keeping him back anymore; and esp. without Armand's narrative spoonfed to him that Lestat hated him & wanted him dead.

1973 SanFran: lies on top of lies

The 1973 interview was a whole steaming crappy heap of lies Louis told Daniel but most importantly HIMSELF. Cuz the SEISMIC LIE Armand told him about "Banishment" had a ripple-effect, dominoe implications. If Armand saved Lou and NOT Lestat, that means Les must've really hated Lou and was fine with him being executed at the Trial. So Lou spiraled, thinking Les didn't love him (anymore?), and that Lou himself was an idiot for falling for what must've obvs been lies Les fed him the entire time about their oh-so-sacred "cord you cannot see, loving you with ALL of myself," if he could let that disgusting lynching happen and NOT save his "Companion Heart."

Louis SINCERELY WANTS to remember & give the more "nuanced portrait" about his life. But if the person at the center if his life is Lestat, and Lestat screwed him over, what does that mean about Louis' whole life? He picked the wrong person--he chose Lestat over Paul, over Claudia, over himself, and THIS is how Lestat treats him? No, Les must've manipulated TF outta him, he's the devil, Claudia was right that Les is the "Father of Lies!" What "love?! I bled him like a pig and waited for the death rattle!"

BUT!

Lestat was MORE than Louis' Maker. They really were companions. Their hearts beat in sync the way Lestat & Claudia's obvs NEVER did. Something MORE than the Vampire Bond tied them together. It WAS real. Right? Lestat did love him, right? So wtf? The math ain't mathin. ARMAND is the love of my life.

Right?....

That's not a LIAR. That's what a real library of CONFUSION looks like.

[beautifulsavagegarden]

🎵 + louis/armand and daniel/armand

@childofmanynames

Loumand

1) a song that makes me think of them

Love Song for a Vampire by Annie Lennox

2) a song i think would play in the background of a love scene 

Who Are The Young Men by Daniel Hart

3) a song that would make my muse think of yours

Rot Next To You by The Hound + The Fox

4) a song i think would play during an action sequence 

I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner

5) a song our muses would dance to

As The World Falls Down by David Bowie

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Devil's Minion

1) a song that makes me think of them

Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Ray

2) a song i think would play in the background of a love scene 

You Say by Lauren Daigle

3) a song that would make my muse think of yours 

Like A Prayer (choir version)

4) a song i think would play during an action sequence 

An Unhealthy Obsession by The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra

5) a song our muses would dance to

Ashes of Eden by Breaking Benjamin

[daisyndahlia]

loumand is such a muse because the number of fanarts and edits i've done for them??? incredible