#that lestat never really shared with her

[pynkhues]

I agree that the music connections is always downplayed; calling Antoinette 'just food' is especially funny to me since in the previous episode Louis said that "music was where Lestat separated man from food. Music pierced his damned soul. And any human who were involved with the creation of it existed on an elevated plane in his eyes." And they wrote music and performed together for weeks before actually sleeping together, so love for music was a big part of it. I know the fandom likes to pretend that she was an awful singer but I think she was actually pretty good or Lestat wouldn't look at her twice. Also, Antoine said in of the PL books that Lestat came to him when Claudia and Louis made him feel stupid and excluded, and I think she also played that role. She was probably his only friends through all these years but like you said he's incapable of staying just platonic friends with anyone and is touch starved so yeah lol.

(x)

Ah! I haven't read the Prince Lestat books, so wasn't aware that Antoine had said that. it makes a lot of sense.

But yeah, I think music is definitely central to Lestat and Antoinette's connection, and it's interesting to me that the writers would have Louis so explicitly articulate what music means to Lestat in 1.02 and then have him then spend the next five episodes diminishing his and Antoinette's affair. Again, I don't think it was ever particularly serious between Lestat and Antoinette, at least not for Lestat, but they did have a common interest in creating music that Louis doesn't share with Lestat and I don't think that means nothing.

I think it also amplifies Louis' insecurities too - music gives Antoinette and Lestat a shared language, just as their whiteness does (just as Louis' Blackness does with Claudia), and adding to that that Lestat and Antoinette would be more quote-unquote 'socially acceptable' given they're a white heterosexual couple as opposed to a queer interracial one, I think definitely interacts with Louis' complex interior life and stokes his resentments.

[zombie-bait]

oh my GOD, currently devastated that I missed this parallel, great observation op

The fact I haven't seen that many people talk about how lestat did the exact same thing his father did to him to Claudia by forcibly removing her from the train in ep 6 is a real disservice to both Claudia and Lestat

[blueiight]

“Claudia is going to be the biggest mistake Lestat has ever made in his entire life ��� not the fact that she’s alive, but the fact that she died [in front of him at the show trial in episode seven],” he told THR. “The death of Claudia is going to be the thing that haunts him forever, and I wish that he did save her. I’m not sure if he knew that he could, but the fact that he saw her look at him with a pure connection at the end — and the two of them did share a connection at multiple times in their lives. I think he’ll never get that image [of Claudia dying] out of his head, and I think what it does is it also sets us up for a relationship with a haunting of Claudia and Lestat that is quite exciting.”

He continued, “I think we’ve got the potential of not letting Claudia go, because Lestat has not gotten any closure there, and he has a lot to atone for. He has done some really terrible things, and I think a wonderful motivation for a character going forward is shame.”

— Sam Reid, “‘Interview with the Vampire’” Renewed for Season 3 at AMC [link]

[lizardkingeliot]

Hoooo boy okay let's do this. 2x06 was a goddamn doozy, you guys. There was a very strong theme here throughout the episode of makers and fledglings being able to feel one another through their shared blood even when they can't read each other's minds. Louis says he can feel Madeleine is out of town because she is his fledgling. Likewise, Madeleine calls out the fact that she can feel Louis after acknowledging she can't read his mind. But there's something else happening here too....

She looks to Armand. Says she can feel Louis' love for him through their blood. Then calls out the fact that... Louis won't tell him? Only... Louis HAS told Armand "I love you". That was a pretty important element of 2x04. The casual way he said it with the vision of Lestat laughing at the bedside all the while. The one Louis actually couldn't say it to...

Was Lestat. We all remember, but just in case anyone forgot...

But what does Madeleine ascribe this feeling to? Why does she think she can FEEL Louis loving Armand? Because of the blood they share. The blood they share that comes from Lestat. The blood Claudia didn't want Madeleine to have BECAUSE it's Lestat's. The episode did a really great job of reminding us about the blood bonds and just what it means to have a connection to your maker. And when that maker is also your lover..... hoooooo boy.........

Anyway. The love. The blood. The bond with your maker. I can understand why Madeleine would be confused about the love Louis is feeling. She sees Louis with Armand. She assumes they're in love. She doesn't realize...

Her maker is sitting there thinking about his own maker the entire time. To the point he almost quotes him word for word before he stops himself...

And of course he's thinking about Lestat. He's just become a maker himself. Why WOULDN'T he be thinking about Lestat? Even after saying goodbye to Dreamstat, he can't get Lestat out of his mind. Even after becoming a shadow of who he used to be. Someone cold and distant. He's trying so hard, but it's never going to work. He's never going to be able to shove Lestat away completely. And he's certainly never going to be capable of loving Armand in the way Armand desperately wants Louis to love him. Because while Armand might say he belongs to Louis. If you ask Louis if he belongs to Armand, well...

And honestly... I feel so horrible for Armand here. Because there's nothing he could have done that would have made this particular outcome any different. He never stood a chance. Louis and Lestat are bonded not only in their blood but in their hearts and their souls. Lestat was not only Louis' maker but the love of his life. His first love. The first man he ever allowed himself true intimacy with. The one he shared a coffin with. The one he shares a heart with. Louis is trying so hard to be who he was before Lestat, someone closed off and cold. But he cannot sever the bond in their blood and in their hearts with all the coldness in the world...

Which leads me to wonder... did the love Madeleine detect in Louis not only have to do with his blood bond with Lestat/the fact that he was thinking about Lestat the whole time, but also the fact that Lestat was already in Paris? Could Louis feel it? Was he aware of feeling that innate connection but was so determined to make himself a hardened shell of who he once was that he just brushed it of? Thought it was residual grief? Is that why his visions of Lestat before he banished him in 2x04 were so vivid? Because Lestat was in Paris for years, and despite not really knowing that, Louis felt it all the same?

Anyway. Moving on. Circling back to Armand and Louis and the topic of love. When they're discussing Armand not being aware of what Santiago was truly up to, Armand blames being distracted on being in love and Louis just... outright scoffs at the idea?

We sure are a long way from "meet the vampire Armand, the love of my life" territory this deep into season 2, that's for sure. And sure, in Dubai Louis is feeling bitter and doesn't trust Armand for many reasons this particular post aren't about. But even looking back on it, on the time that should have been their honeymoon phase before it all went to shit, Louis just... doesn't see love there. Or at least not being In Love. Because the only one Louis was in love with in Paris was his maker. The one he was bonded to in blood.

And the one he's about to have to sit on a stage with next week and never once be permitted to touch. Never once be permitted a moment of truth with. But the bond is still going to be there. They'll still feel each other's hearts, beating as one with their shared blood. And we have to assume after that... they just never see each other again after Paris? And just thinking on that point alone... it truly is no wonder Louis is still so unwell in Dubai. Locked away in his tower that is his prison that is his forgetting. I wasn't sure I believed Armand when he said Louis asked him to take the memory of San Francisco away from him. But I think I actually do? It makes sense. That he would want to forget something like that. And it also makes me wonder...

What else did Louis want to forget? And how much of that forgetting is related to this agonizing, unbreakable blood bond he shares with Lestat? I truly have no clue how far they're going to take this, so I guess we'll just have to wait to find out...

[ghouldump]

hiii, i just wanted to say i LOVE your iwtv fic, the characterization is just perfect *🤌*

If your requests are open I would like to request a loustat x fem!reader + claudia

reader is a vampire slightly older vampire than louis, turned in the 1860s by a 700 year old vampire, she was his first and only fledgling, they did not know eachother before he turned her (his wasing bleeding to death after being robbed in an alley), they had a close friendly/platonic relationship like siblings, and she met loustat in 1925, and joined their relationship, she like the odd one out as she's the calm/sensible one and a mediator between them. She acts like Claudia's fun aunt.

Sorry if it's long 😅, the rest is totally up you, just something where they get jealous/possessive over her please!!

Forever Young | Lestat x Reader x Louis

ෆ you meet someone who reminds you of your maker, and naturally gravitate to them, but your family isn’t as welcoming to the idea of the man.

it’s definitely not too long, it’s perfect, i love it 🩷

“Aleron, brother, please, open this door,” you beat on the door, no matter how much force you put in your hands, the door wouldn’t budge.

You could see the sun rising, from under the door, his painful screams, following. The blood poured from your eyes, as you pleaded with him. You could still save him, you could nurse him back to life.

Finally, you could open the door, crying out as the sun graced your face. As you began to burn, you noticed the pile of ashes. You were too late, he was gone. Grabbing his coat, you backed into the house, shutting the door, before dropping to your knees, weeping loudly.

“Aleron-

“Y/n, are you alright?” your eyes opened, staring into Claudia’s worried eyes. Sitting up, the familiar faces surrounded your coffin, Louis wiped your face with a soft handkerchief.

“It was only a dream,” you smiled at them.

“Are you sure, you had us worried,” Claudia said, pulling you into a hug.

“I’m fine, really, we should get dressed,” you told her, watching as she nodded, getting up, and going to her room.

Lestat hadn't said a word, watching you, trying to see what it was that you weren't sharing. Turning to face him, you shook your head, climbing out of the coffin.

“I’m okay”

“What was your dream?” he asked you.

“It was a silly-

“That left you crying,” he said, sternly.

“Don't push her to tell you”

“It's okay, Louis, I know he just wants to help,” you smiled.

“If I have another, you'll be the first one to know, come on, get dressed,” you reassured him.

“Do we all have to go?” Claudia whined as you all got into the car.

“It will only be for a little while,” Louis said, as Lestat started to drive.

Louis couldn't seem to fully let go of his family, randomly showing up with gifts. They already had their assumptions about him, yet he wouldn't stop trying. Lestat found it pointless, but you understood that he loved them still. Even when they blamed him for the passing of his brother, he still loved them all greatly.

“You can sit in the car with me if you want,” you told her, smiling as she nodded in agreement.

While Lestat tried to be cordial with the family, you never made an effort. They'd stare at you, as you sat in the car, but you never looked their way. Yes, you thought Louis’ love for them was admirable, it didn't change what they thought of you all. They found your relationship weird and concerning, they questioned why none of you were ever seen during the day if you were seeing both Lestat and Louis. Their questioning was nevertheless exacerbating, so you kept a distance from them.

Your mind began to drift off, thinking back to your dream, to him. Aleron, your maker, your teacher, your companion, your brother, your father, your friend. It had been nearly 40 years since his departure, and yet when you thought of him, the wounds felt fresh.

He was your everything, the reason you were the way you were today. He exuded remarkable beauty, turned at only 14 years of age, by a follower of Akasha. With the queen of vampires' blood running through his veins, he quickly discovered the power and strength he possessed, compared to others. For centuries, he lived, killing hundreds upon hundreds of humans in his lifetime, and then he met you.

He had been hunting, when he came across the men, who, after robbing you, conceived the plan, their minds filled with corruption, sought to kill you as well. Taking turns they beat you, before stabbing you, taking all of your possessions, and that was very few things.

He could see into your thoughts, an orphan, who had recently come of age, trying to make it in a world that wasn't built for women to strive without the help of a man. You were alone, like him, and having compassion, he killed them, brutally for your name's sake. Turning you in that very dark alley.

Taking you in, he taught you companionship, the history of vampires, and advice on how to live, after being on earth for over 700 years. He loved you and you loved him, and there wasn't a love as strong, that either of you had ever witnessed.

Then it happened, somewhere within his teachings he regained his humanity. He didn't want to kill anymore, didn't want to be a child of the night, to be trapped in this forever youthful body. And so, 30 years into your life of vampirism, he used his power to keep the doors shut. He longed to die, accepting his fate while he stepped into the sun, becoming nothing more than dust.

“We’ll be right back,” Louis said, as the car stopped.

“Ok,” you nodded.

After over three lonely decades of wandering, your heart ached at the thought of Aleron’s centuries on earth. He was but a child, when he was turned, making it impossible to build any nonplatonic relationships. Perhaps that is what made you love Claudia, Lestat, and Louis so much. In a way, you could see fragments of you and your maker in them.

“Why do you think Daddy Lou keeps coming here, even though he’s not welcome”

“Because they were once his family, it's hard to just stop loving someone who was once important to you, but it looks like they are coming back,” you pointed, seeing Louis and Lestat walking out of the house, visibly aggravated.

“You and that white devil stay away from this house,” his sister’s husband yelled.

“I own this house,” Louis reminded him. As they approached the car, he looked back at them once more.

“And he ain't white, he's French,” he corrected them.

Looking over at Claudia, you both covered your mouths, holding back the laughter.

“It's alright, they can't say you didn't try to be there for them,” you told him, leaning up, kissing his cheek.

Sighing, he nodded in agreement, before he and Lestat began to talk about business ventures. You were relieved when the car finally parked, stretching, you smiled, seeing Claudia clap in excitement. She enjoyed hunting, surprisingly with Lestat, he wasn't as restrictive as Louis.

“We’ll meet back here, in twenty minutes?” Lestat announced, everyone nodded, before going their separate ways.

You didn't have much of an appetite tonight, after your dream. How real it felt, how vivid the memory was, it ruined any hunger that could've been there. Walking down the French Quarter, you stopped seeing the large nutria rat. You hadn't been introduced to drinking from rodents, until Louis and Lestat. No, it wasn't nearly as good as a person, but it managed to get the job done.

Quickly killing and draining the rat, you wiped your mouth, as you tossed it into the garbage. Walking along the sidewalk, you looked at the different stores, a few new ones, some closing down, others busy as always. As you passed by a shop, your eyes widened, before you backed up to stare at the cashier.

You couldn't believe your eyes, going into the fragrance store, he spoke, before looking at you. It couldn't be him, but here he was, looking the very same, only older.

“Welcome to Aromaessence, let me know if you need any…thing,” he paused a little, as he stared at you. Nodding, you walked around the store, looking around, picking up random sprays, occasionally glancing at him.

Grabbing a floral bottle, you walked to the counter, slowly sitting it in front of him.

“Is that all for you, Miss?” he asked.

“Yes,” you smiled, softly.

“Ah, Lavender, this one smells so good,” he said, you could feel your eyes tingling.

“What are you doing?” you asked, watching Aleron pick the flowers from his neighbor's garden. She would lose her mind if she caught you both here, but he couldn't help himself.

“Getting some lavender, put some in your bathwater, or just rub it on your skin, it smells wonderful,” he beamed, while you quietly laughed.

“It does,” you agreed, your eyes traveling to his name tag. Aaron.

“Are you the new shop owner? I haven’t seen the other man in a while,” you asked.

“No, it's my cousin's store, his wife just had their first child and he asked me to come down and help out a bit, I'm from Chicago,” he explained.

“Well that was very kind of you,” you told him.

“Uh, 30 cents is the total,” he said, chewing his bottom lip.

Handing him the coins, your eyes widened as his fingers brushed against your hand, as he accepted the money. You felt a spark.

“Would you like this in a bag, miss?”

“Yes please,” you nodded, watching as he placed it into a small bag for you.

Walking behind you, you noticed as he closed both of the windows.

“Closing?” you asked him.

“Ah, yes ma'am, you were the last customer of the night,” he nodded.

“I see, well, goodnight,” you told him, turning to leave.

“Wait, I-um, have we met before? You look so familiar,” he said.

“I don't think so, goodnight Aaron,” you said.

“May I have your name?”

“Y/n”

“Goodnight, Y/n, I hope to see you again,” he told you, before shutting the door.

You couldn't contain the smile on your lips, as you walked away. However, your eyebrows quickly furrowed, seeing the troubled expressions on Lestat and Louis’ face.

“What's wrong-

“You know the boy at the fragrance store?” Louis started.

“And what could he have possibly said for you to keep smiling and laughing, I'm sure he wasn't that funny,” Lestat said with an attitude.

“You were gone for more than twenty minutes, so we went to look for you,” Claudia told you. You couldn't believe they were acting jealous, riding in silence until he parked in front of the house.

“I don't know him, I was only being nice, he's practically a tourist,” you finally spoke up.

“Seemed like you thought he was cute,” Louis said.

“He is cute, like when you look at kittens and puppies, you wouldn't get jealous if I was giving my attention to an animal,” you told them.

“Actually-

“I’m yours and yours and yours, I don't have any room in my heart for any others,” you said, pulling Claudia into a hug, swirling her around, before placing her on the ground.

As she ran into the house, Louis and Lestat still stood outside, both of them pouted like a wounded animal.

“I just bought some perfume, no need to be jealous,” you spoke to Louis, as you pecked his lips.

“Either of you,” you said, as Lestat circled you, before accepting your kiss.

“You two have to try to keep quiet tonight,” you moaned, as Louis kissed along your neck.

“No promises, ma chérie,” Lestat groaned. Holding each of their hands, pulling into the house.

“Claudia, where’s Y/n,” Louis asked, as he came down the stairs.

“No idea, she left a note,” she said, pointing at the small note on the counter.

“I'll be back before sunrise, love you - Y/n”

“And she expects us to believe nothing happened,” Lestat said, as he came down the stairs.

“Why would she lie about that?”

“I can feel when I am being lied to, she's keeping something to herself,” Lestat said, as he went to sit on the sofa.

“Maybe she knows him, but didn't want to say anything,” Louis said.

“She said she doesn't know him, and he wasn't a vampire, I would've known”

“He probably doesn't know that she's a vampire, he could be a distant relative or an old friend-

“Or an old boyfriend, she said he was cute,” Claudia laughed but quickly stopped when the two stared at her with glances of horror.

“I’m going find her,” Lestat stood up.

“I was only messing around-

“You do realize this affects you too, your aunt, mommy, sister Y/n, riding off into the sun with some mortal, or how about this, she turns him, he becomes her companion, and we wake to all of her belongings gone, so tell me, does any of this seem like a laughing matter?” he asked her, clarity washed over her face as she shook her head, realizing how serious the situation actually was.

Standing outside of the shop, you nervously played with your fingers. Unsure what you were even doing, or why you were doing this. He wasn't Aleron, yet he looked like him, could it be reincarnation, perhaps Aaron happened to be a part of the same bloodline somehow. You didn't know, but being around him, seeing him, in your heart you felt like he was still alive.

“Miss Y/n, did you want to buy another perfume, I could open back up?” Aaron said, as he stepped outside.

“Oh no, I'm sorry, I was passing by and I changed my mind,” you said.

“Then perhaps, you'd like to go for a drive? I can't seem to get you out of my head, we could chat a bit, and become familiar with each other,” he offered, hesitantly.

“Sure,” you agreed, following him to his car, getting in as he opened the door for you. Controlling his mind, with the spell gift, you sat quietly, while he spoke, during the ride, driving to the outskirts of Chalmette.

“Y/n, where are you?” you could hear Claudia, but didn't say anything.

“You need to come home, or at least tell us where you're at,” Louis followed.

“If you're with him, I'll tear off his fucking he-

You blocked them out completely, even in his thoughts, Lestat managed to scream. They wouldn't understand, they had their maker, and Lestat seemed fine without Magnus. You never talked about Aleron, not sure where to even start, without a proper goodbye, part of you was left uncertain about so many things.

As he parked amid trees and darkness, you pulled the locket from your pocket.

“Sorry, I figured we could use some privacy,” he said, leaning towards you when you pushed his face.

“I don't want to kiss you, Aaron, I have something for you,” you laughed.

“I-oh my god, this is so embarrassing”

“Don't go yet, we don't know what they're doing, and we don't want to lose her trust,” Louis said, trying to be rational, despite struggling. It was usually you, who was being rational, the mediator, giving them the benefit of the doubt, and he was trying to do the same for you.

“Trust went out of the window when she got into the car with another man,” Lestat was seething, his eyes already red. He was sure that he would be in tears in a few minutes.

“Maybe she's feeding on him,” Claudia said hopeful, a worried expression on her face. Lestat’s words left her sad and anxious. You were a part of the family, a part of all of their lives individually, she wasn't sure how things would be if you decided to leave.

“I hope so”

“Does this look familiar to you?” you asked, holding up the locket.

“I don't know, I feel like I've seen it somewhere,” he furrowed his eyebrows. As he looked into your eyes, you began to glamour him.

“It's yours, you dropped it, but you promised you would pass it down to any future children you had,” you said, handing it over to him.

“I did?”

“Yes, try not to lose it,” you told him.

“I will, thank you for returning it,” he smiled.

“It was my pleasure,” you said, reaching to touch his face, a bloody tear slipping from your eye.

“I wish you didn't leave me, I was so lonely,” you cried, as you held his face, keeping eye contact.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you,” he spoke.

“It’s okay, you have to go, after closing the shop, you went to get some food, and now you're going home, you didn't talk to or see anyone”

“I didn't talk to anyone”

“And tell your cousin you can't stay anymore you had to get back to Chicago”

“You're right,” he nodded.

“I love you”

“I love you, Y/n,” he repeated.

Moving in an instant, he snapped out of the hypothesis, furrowing his eyebrows, as he looked around the car. Shoving the locket into his pocket, he started the car and drove off. High in the sky, you looked down at him, the tears pouring down, a smile on your face.

Flying towards the city, you shook your head, lowering to the ground, stopping in front of the car.

“Y/n,” Claudia gasped, getting out of the car, wrapping her arms around you.

“Why did you all follow me?” you questioned, surprised to see they were so close.

“Why did you lie to us? You said you didn't know him, he wasn't this, he wasn't that, he's like a puppy, we don't have to worry,” Lestat began to swear up a storm in French. Smashing your lips into his, you grinned at him.

“You're too cute when you're jealous, I told you, I only have room for three vamps in my life, and I don't intend to make room for more”

“You had us worried, we tried contacting you-” you interrupted Louis kissing his lips.

“I could hear you, trying to be reasonable, I'm so proud of you,” you told him.

“So what was it? Why did you bring him out here, just to not kill him?” Claudia asked.

“He looks like my maker, we were companions, he was a brother, and when he died, I felt lost. I know it seems dumb, but I glamoured him, so I could say a proper goodbye, I didn't mean to make you all worry and be jealous,” you said, kicking the dirt.

“That's all? how could I stay mad at that?” Louis asked, picking you up, and spinning you around. As he placed you down, Lestat slowly approached, pulling you closer.

“No more secrets,” he said, you could see past his calm demeanor, how stressed he was at the idea of you leaving.

“No more secrets,” you nodded, before grabbing Claudia’s hand, and climbing into the backseat.

During the drive back, you looked up at the sky, as Claudia’s lustrous nails lightly dragged against your hand.

“Why are you giving this to me,” you asked, as Aleron stood behind you, placing the necklace on your neck.

“This was a family heirloom, my father gave it to me, to pass down our bloodline, you are the closest thing I have to a child,” he explained.

“But aren't heirlooms passed down, once the person dies”

“One day, I will die,” he told you, but you shook your head.

“Stop talking like that, you said you have to want to die for you to be able to, do you want to die?” you asked him, worried.

“No, my child, but if I did, you could find love, a companion, or even a coven”

“But then who would be there, with you”

“I've been alone a long time, Y/n, I think I could manage,” he laughed.

“As long as you're alive, I won't leave your side,” you smiled.

“Sounds like I am holding you back”

“I didn't say that”

“If I did, maybe I'd be reincarnated-

“Do you really believe in that, or have you been reading a lot lately”

“A little bit of both, could you imagine that I came back, and we met again”

“I guess it sounds cool in theory, but I wouldn't know how to feel if I saw you all old and wrinkled,” you laughed.

“Then I'll make sure every time we meet I am still young, maybe older than this body, but forever young, in your eyes,” he said.

“You wouldn't want to be a vampire again?”

“I don't think so, eternal life but no family, no children, no physical aging, no sun. When I was a child, I'd play in the sun for hours,” he thought back fondly.

“You have me, I am your family,” you told him.

“That, you are, and I am grateful to say that in my final moments, I have been loved, and I will always find my way back to you, my precious fledgling, until we meet again,” he said, his hand brushing against your cheek before he stood up.

“What?” you frowned, standing up.

“Sit, you must prepare for rest,” he commanded, using his powers to make you sit down.

You tried fighting, tried standing, but couldn't move, only able to watch him walk towards the door. Blood was already trickling down your face, realizing his plan. It wasn't until he was outside, that you were able to stand, rushing to the door, that wouldn't open.

"Aleron, brother, please, open this door," you beat on the door, no matter how much force you put in your hands, the door wouldn't budge.

You could see the sun rising, from under the door, his painful screams, following. The blood poured from your eyes, as you pleaded with him. You could still save him, you could nurse him back to life.

Finally, you could open the door, crying out as the sun graced your face. As you began to burn, you noticed the pile of ashes. You were too late, he was gone.

Grabbing his coat, you backed into the house, shutting the door, before dropping to your knees, weeping loudly.

"Aleron, oh god,” you screamed, clutching the coat.

Driving past a small gas station, you could Aaron, leaning against his car, as the worker pumped the gas.

“Goodbye, Aleron,” you spoke to his mind, smiling as he looked around, his hand going to the locket that he had put around his neck already.

“Until we meet again, my beloved, maker”

“So I know we're all made up, but could you three wait until I'm out hunting for the makeup sex, I don't think I can take another night of Uncle Les being all loud and whatnot,” Claudia said, making you and Louis both laugh, while Lestat groaned loudly at her already back getting on his nerves.

Maybe he was right, losing him, who, at the time was your everything, made a way for you to have what he never got to experience, your own little family.

[ghouljams]

Genuinely asking, why's everyone hating anne rice? I don't catch up with alot of things. But didn't she write a beloved vampire series? Is it in the same vein as JKR?

Ann Rice almost destroyed fandom as we know it due to her militant policing of fanfiction. Have you ever read a fic where the author explicitly states "I do not own these characters" before the fic starts? That's from the height of Ann Rice's nonsense.

See back when Interview With a Vampire first got popular there were a lot of people shipping Lestat and Louis, and those people wrote fanfiction. Now this was nothing new in fandom spaces, but what was new was the means of dispersal. See the internet was gaining a lot of ground and people were making websites for sharing content like fic and art, and they were building communities based around loving whatever media they loved. Which was great! Except for Ann Rice.

See Ann Rice was vehemently against fanfiction, not only because she thought writers were stealing her intellectual property, but because she thought they were doing it WRONG. So she did what any reasonable author would do: she started suing fanfic writers for copyright infringement, or sending cease and desist letters to the ones she couldn't sue.

Honestly she launched such a successful campaign against fanfiction that other authors were starting to look at fic similarly and people were taking mad precautions on anything they wrote just to try and spare themselves from the wrath of their favorite authors. Until JKR kinda gave the green light for people to write Harry potter fic, and other creators decided they didn't care about fandom either.

Ann Rice was a plague on fandom because she hated it. Really didn't understand the chasm that MUST exist between creators and fandom. In order for fandom to work we gotta cut the actual media property's creators out of it. They made what we love, but honestly they should have no hand in the fandom itself.

Anyway this is all to say that the new IWTV show wouldn't exist if Ann Rice was still alive because she was absolutely insistent that Louis and Lestat were not gay, and could never be gay, and also that anything she did not have a direct hand in was a disgrace to her media property because everyone was atrociously ooc

[dreadfuldevotee]

Finally found someone who understands loumand amongst the loumand never loved eachother discourse, feel like I'm going crazy armand loved him (not defending his actions) and i believe louis loved him too in paris and i wanna say after too even if that love was tainted, or faded by the time they're in dubai that doesn't mean they never loved eachother.

They're beautiful and complex! I can't say I'm surprised they aren't a popular dynamic but the unwillingness to engage with their story is what upsets me the most. If you take away the love they share then absolutely nothing either of them do in those 77 years together never meant anything in the first place.

Honestly, the biggest crime of Anti-Loumand readings is that they are wildly boring. Like okay, Louis has absolutely no agency whatsoever, or he's staying with Armand for Claudia but he can't even do that right because he refuses to stand up for her where it actually matters, but also stays with Armand even when he tells him to get out of Paris to....spite Lestat??? And Armand is just....what? Blanket evil with no real motive but to keep Louis like a pathetic goldfish in an gallon tank. Why would you want that, when the story being written is much more interesting? Louis who is troubled yet still wanting, drawn to Armand and despite his reservations and self-doubt finding himself loving Armand despite it all. In each-other they both see something they want and believe they can obtain it if they can possess the other. Armand is dazzled continuously by Louis zest for life, even if he often times doesn't understand the forms it takes. I adore how they each have these pivotal moments where they are disarmed by the others vulnerability. Armand hearing Louis advocate for Claudia in the sewers and deciding not to kill him. Louis hearing Armand talk about his past and choosing to stay in Paris, despite the imminent dangers.

Like of course, they are far far far from perfect, and by Dubai they are both such shells of the people they actually are. And why I keep hope alive about Trinity Gate or really any loumand reunion. The two of them getting to meet again when they have both rediscovered themselves, and seeing each other in new lights would be everything to me. But yeah, truly nothing could make me hate them. I could sit here and wax poetic about them forever, frankly. And I absolutely will continue to on this blog lmaooo.

[nalyra-dreaming]

I have just learned Claudia wasn't the only Loustat ''baby'' ?? I'm not sure if I want to know more or not ?

I have only read the first book,maybe i am wrong but during my reading i have never felt the daughter/fathers bond between Louis/Lestat and Claudia,whereas in the series they clearly make the distinction ''our daughter'' ''burned your daughter alive''. We can all agree that show!Claudia is their daughter,no matter her age, she remains their daughter right?

Is it a simplification of the show or do you also consider that book!Claudia is their daughter?

Would you also consider all Lestat's fledglings like his children? How do we make the distinction and in this case why Louis isn't his son? Or he is?... I promise i' m not trolling it's for my own comprehension of the show's dynamic between makers/fledglings (I swear it became my obsession recently i would devour anything about this,a podcast,videos,really long posts,any recommendations?).

Everytimes i think i understood everything about the bond there is something else to confuse me.

At first Louis was so sure about the vampire bond then Louis and Madeline happens and she can feel him but Louis doesn't have the same bond with her as he has with Lestat😵‍💫 then we will have Armand and Daniel another big case of confusion.

Sorry if everything i'm saying is confusing.

Is there parts in the books where Anne explain everything in details about the makers/fledglings? I know it's probably different on the show but I'll take it?

Thank you!

Hey!

I guess... the distinction is simply the personal intent for the turning.

Louis and Lestat have a bond that surpasses their actual maker-fledgling bond, because they share a heart. That is something that will become clearer as the show goes on. It's not an "automatic" bond that is the same between makers and fledglings. Lestat made Louis as his companion... not as a child.

For example, Lestat turns from and for love: Gabrielle, Nicolas, Louis, Claudia, Antoine(tte), David, Mona, Rose, Alain.

Not all of these are his "children", though all are his fledglings. Only Claudia and Rose are his children, even though when Rose is turned she is grown up (both Lestat and Louis are involved in her upbringing, and have obviously learned not to interfere too much until she was grown).

Yes, I do consider Claudia their daughter, Lestat speaks of her as such in the upcoming books as well, and the show will go there next season I bet. Remember, IWTV (both book and show) give us a distorted image of Lestat, for reasons that will become clearer in the upcoming books/seasons.

Anne doesn't really sit down to explain the bond, no, and she changes the lore a lot, too.

But ultimately it comes down to intent, as said.

Mona for example. Lestat turns her for Quinn, so she and Quinn will not have that maker-fledgling "silence" between them. But she is neither a child to Lestat, nor a lover, though she is his fledgling.

Louis probably realizes the difference in the bond he has with Lestat precisely when he turns Madeleine.

And Armand's bond to Daniel is forged by desperation and helpless and even defiant love. Theirs is much closer to what Louis and Lestat share.

Ultimately the cues are the emotions connected to the turning, imho.

Claudia was their daughter because they saw her as such. Rose will be their daughter (at least in the books), because they see her as such, too.

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Musings - Tentative Timeline (Pt2: The Trial)

I've been struggling with this for a while, cuz this ish just don't make sense, AMC. (I fully expect S3 to gotcha/retcon/fix stuff, esp. since who knows what Armand's tinkered around with in Louis' head.) I split this timeline in 2 parts: Pt1 has everything from 2x1 - 2x6ish (text & chart versions of timeline); and Pt2 covers as much as I can understand from the Trial's shenanigans. (I'm just one person tryna figure out wtf is going on, so if y'all have any insights, please share!)

I've been grappling with the sequence of events that led to the Trial since 2x6 aired, when Armand "could not prevent" his CHOICE to stand back and let Louis' family be abducted & tortured & killed.

Armand was actually in cahoots with Santiago the whole time (writing/directing/editing the Trial script); so was he also lying/making excuses about why THE most powerful vampire with the Mind Gift wasn't reading his own coven's thoughts?

So, since we know Armand put false memories into Lou's head about the Trial (which ofc makes Louis' account more difficult to parse), and we know Armand knew all about Lestat/Bruce since the very first day, I've just been wondering how early the Trial was planned out.

Cuz the BIG question everyone's circling around is WHEN Lestat arrived in Paris, and WHY he didn't warn Louis that the coven was planning something.

Theories range from:

Les willingly participated in the Trial, deliberately acting with ill intent cuz he was mad about Mardi Gras; "it's their turn to hurt." Lesdaughter Truthers are wrong, Les DGAF about Claudia.

Les was unable to warn Louis or stop the Trial cuz he was captured, injured & manipulated/mind-fogged (a la the book canon)

Sam Reid (deliberately?) hemmed & hawed about Lestat going into the rehearsal/Trial acting on raw impulse, with no plan whatsoever, other than getting Louis (specifically) out alive

NGL, I think ALL of the above are to some degree true! 😅

But I lean toward Theory #2 most of all, cuz that's how the book events transpired. But I'll be the first to admit that #2 is deeply flawed & hard AF to defend/prove, based on what little we actually saw in 2x6, 2x7, and esp. 2x8. Cuz it really does seem like Les LET an awful lot of bad ish happen that he too could've prevented.

So I wanna put 2x6 into context this time, to try and piece things together. Cuz the math REALLY ain't mathin, AMC.

What we have thus far:

According to Armand in 2x8, he started lying to Louis about the coven preparing the Trial the night Madeleine was Turned in 2x6.

November 1945

Armand knew the FIRST NIGHT Louis & Claudia arrived in Summer 1945 that they were lying about Lestat/"Bruce."

Spring 1946 - Spring 1947

The coven was suspicious the entire time--it's esp. obvs. as Santiago grills them about "Chicago":

Santiago vs Claudia (2x3) around Spring 1946, "Stick with it, Puce! You're almost there."

Santiago vs Louis (2x4) around Spring 1947, "New Orleans!" (It makes sense that it would take Santiago longer to confront Louis, as Armand kept complaining about Louis never being around the Theatre x x)

Late 1947 / Early 1948

post-September 1947, Santiago had already stolen Claudia's diaries & passed them around to the coven; and Celeste & Estelle had already interrogated Roget about Lestat.

Did Armand know Santiago was in Louis' apartment going through their things (while Claudia would either be out with Madeleine, or at the Theatre under curfew) --

--and did he know the coven was reading her Diaries right in front of him while Santiago & Celeste & Estelle were interrogating Roget about Lestat?

Esp. since all of this goes down in 2x6 BEFORE Armand had even met Madeleine & Louis/Claudia asked him to Turn her!

We know that by late 1947 / early 1948 (when Louis bought the Wols, then came home to find Claudeleine in his coffin, then took them to Armand to ask for the bite), Armand already knows that Lou & Claudia wanna do their own thing with Madz; committing the same "crime" that got Santiago's Maker killed--making a vamp without the Coven Master's permission--but ofc, Louis is NOT in Armand's coven.

Late 1948 - Early 1949

In the very next scene, we get Santiago & Sam in cahoots about Godot's projections/scripts. Patterns of behavior indicate that Armand LET this all happen, and only pretended that "the buffoon was in the audience."

In my Timeline Pt1, I surmised that the very latest Sam could've finished the Godot script was early 1949, cuz IRL Sam Beckett wrote the play b/t October 1948 - January 1949.

Spring - Summer 1949

So by Spring of 1949, Sam would be free to turn his attention to drafting a NEW script...for the Trial.

April 1949: Sam writes the Trial script.

(Is it JUST his half, or is Les already awake & in Paris & writing the other half with him? OR is Les awake & just in telepathic communication with the coven, and has no idea they're asking him questions to incriminate Claudia & Louis?)

2x5 & 2x6 also give us some very important contextual dates! Loumand references a bunch of events that happened around the same time, which can help approximate when Tuan's projections were being made.

LOUIS: The Berlin Blockade ended in May. The Geneva Convention was agreed in August. Some of the front pages from that year. But if you look in the filler, in the back pages. Strange crimes reported. ARMAND: A telescopic lens stolen from the Observatory at Meudon. A film company shooting the crime thriller 'Porte D'Orient' delayed when its inventory of color film stock is snatched. LOUIS: A gang of drunkards, hanging off of the side of the Eiffel Tower, all facing south by southwest, all muttering in unison--gone by the time police arrive by elevator. ARMAND: Crimes all left unsolved.

May 12, 1949: Berlin Blockade ends

June 21, 1949: Paris Observatory's missing lens reported stolen. (Because these are newspaper reports, we might also assume the actual time of the theft was the night before the article was published (June 20). But who knows.)

June 23, 1949: Oriental Port color film stock reported stolen; filming delayed. (Because these are newspaper reports, we might also assume the actual theft of the events was the night before the article was published (June 22). But who knows.)

The color film stock being stolen that delayed Oriental Port's filming is a VERY nice touch, cuz the movie was released in 1950, and was the first French film to use Agfa-Gevacolor film, which had only been available to the public since January 1949 (x x). So the film nerds at AMC really stay on top of their research! 👌

July 1949: Armand distracts Louis with library outings:

ARMAND: Ah, July, 1949. The reading room. LOUIS: Mmm. We broke into the same library every night that month, hypnotized security, as one does, flipped the lights, laid our backs on long tables and stared up at the ceiling. ' DANIEL: Hot. ARMAND: Iron pillars holding up terracotta domes, a light trick that made the ceiling appear higher than it was. LOUIS: And why not pass a month that way? An effortless, eternal life ahead of us. Funny thing, trying to remember what occupied one's time when one was ignorant of the plotting around him.DANIEL: Grab that. LOUIS: Santiago had broken into our apartme--I'm sorry. Grab what?

Louis implies that the "plotting around him" started in July 1949--or at least, that's when HE surmised (in Dubai, NOT Paris) that Armand had "started lying to me." Ofc, 2x8 would reveal that Armand was in cahoots with the coven since jump.

We can thus assume that this was when the bulk of the projector images based on Claudia's diaries were being drawn (whenever Armand wasn't distracting Louis with dates to the library). They already have the Agfa-Gevacolor film, and the Observatory's fancy projection lens, so that Tuan can animate whatever Sam had already written for the script. "But they had their Technicolor film. Tuan Pham's wizardry with it."

And ofc, they'd want to corroborate the diaries with Lestat's own testimony. (Esp. since it's clear from Claudia's diaries that Les ISN'T dead, just thrown in the dump--cuz Claudia KNOWS the only way to be sure you've killed a vamp is to burn them, and she's mad AF that they didn't do that to Les cuz Lou freaked TF out.)

Again: did they only call Lestat after they had Claudia's diaries (once they knew there was a chance he wasn't dead after all)? The dates seem to imply that this was the case--that Armand & Santiago & co. had suspected Lestat was alive ever since 1945, but it was only until 1949 that they bothered to contact him.

Fall 1949

September 5, 1949: report of Eiffel Tower climbed by "muttering drunkards." (Because these are newspaper reports, we might also assume the actual time of the events was the night before the article was published (Sept 4). But who knows.)

The September 5th date is the most telling: IF Armand is telling truth, this would be when the coven contacted Lestat, as seen in Tuan's projection during the Trial.

So, IF this is the truth & S3 doesn't retcon anything, the rehearsals with Lestat would've had to have started in September, after 3 months of Tuan's prep (the thefts started in June); and 5 months of Sam's writing & Armand's edits.

February 6, 1940 - September 5, 1949: Lestat's "state of repose" ends when the coven "wakes" him. (IF this is true, Roget was right that Les was just asleep, taking a long AF dirt nap. IF Les was awake before then, he was only motivated to come to Paris when the coven climbed the Eiffel Tower & told him the Trial was soon--likely still too emotionally damaged / psychologically injured to leave NOLA.)

Again, the big question is: what was Les up to while he was in Paris, b4 the Trial? Was he free to come & go as he pleased (in which case: why TF didn't he warn Lou?!); OR was he locked up (a la the books)?

post-September 5, 1949: Madeleine is Turned.

Right after the scene of Dubai!Loumand describing all the "strange crimes," we get the scene of Paris!Loumand in the park, discussing Madz, right b4 she's Turned that night (Lou's in the same clothes).

THIS is the night Armand claimed he started lying to Lou, ("They gave me a choice"). And again: we know even THAT was a lie too, cuz UNLESS Madz was turned the exact same night that Les arrived AND wrote his half of the script AND rehearsed it (meaning Les wasn't starved/tortured at all), then Armand had PLENTY of time BEFORE Madz Turned to work on the script & direct the rehearsals.

The same night of Madz's Turning, Armand moves into Louis' apartment (and Claudia's coffin 🤮), with his magnolia sprig. And speaking of plants....

September-October-ish, 1949: Claudeleine finds the X, planting flowers outside Saint Denis.

I assume "cold things" are the cold corpses Claudeleine is burying; that "become warm" metaphorically, when plants/flowers grow over their graves. I know nothing about autumn weather in France. Going by clothes, it looks like it's still nice & warm, cut comfy enough for light jackets. I also know nothing about flowers, or what seasons they grow in France. But apparently Claudeleine's Fall flowers are fine:

Lavender: usually stops flowering in late August or mid-September; definitely by mid-October.

Sweet Iris: has high cold resistance, and goes dormant from November - March-ish.

Peony: apparently there are regular peonies & tree peonies, and they both like colder weather--the regular ones go dormant around November. Plenty seem to be ok in Fall, up to October-ish, that you can get at nurseries. And they really like bone meal as fertilizer, omg. XD

(My headcanon wants to assume that Claudia only agreed to visit Louis in Paris either cuz it was gonna be her birthday (9/21), OR his birthday (10/4). 💔 Cuz misogynoir, I'd bet Monopoly money it was Claudia's; DOOMED by the narrative! 😭)

Late 1949 (September/October): The Trial.

(Guys. D'you reckon those nasty theatre kids held the Trial on frikkin Halloween? 🤣)

Late 1949 (November-ish): Louis is kept buried alive in the wet room for at least 1 month after the Trial, before Armand finally pulls him out the coffin.

The latest the Trial could've taken place is October, in order for OVER a month to have passed and the fire still happens in 1949.

VERY Late 1949 (November/December): Louis slaughters the coven, the "Great Fire of 1949" send the Theatre des Vampires up in flames. 🔥

(The Talamasca folder in 2x3 calls it the "Great Fire;" which makes me giddy, cuz we also have the "Great Burnings" in the books, related to Akasha. I love how Akasha & Louis are paralleled, just slaughtering vamps with the Fire Gift, bless.)

1950

May 24 - June 4, 1950: The French Championship of 1950 takes place at Roland-Garros. Spoiler: the Australians lost that year. 😂

[santuri]

was reading a paper shared by @blueiight — rape and the inner lives of black women authored by darlene clark hine which is a wonderful paper that im sure with each reread will prove illuminating in more ways than what I want to address.

in episode 5, its revealed that claudia gets sexually assaulted and in that particular scene the pages where she documents that are torn out and instead of staying with claudia we’re forced to reckon with the men’s reactions “misplaced emphases” darlene calls them — louis who wants to protect her ("i wont have her exploited") and daniel who demands to see the pages. we never really get to sit with claudia and her pain, and how such an event impacted her psychologically (and unfortunately that extends to the audience too and how the focus is always on the reactions of the men)

in fact episode 5 is littered with violations that whose culmination is in her assault (sexually and physically by bruce and lestat).

it's thru a violation (louis and lestat reading her diaries) that we learn that she has been exploring herself sexually and later on she informs us of her vulnerability to sexual abuse as a child "... like the uncle at the rooming house who used to watch me pee"

in ep10 she invites louis and us to her "inner life" and im grateful that what we missed in ep05 we get here specifically from her mouth and the question will remain do we see her pain and powerlessness? do we see her vulnerability? or do we only see her wounds as a well to draw from so as to bash the men in her life?

[three--rings]

So for obvious reasons I have been thinking about IWTV a lot recently, and thinking about the books a lot. I was OBSESSED with The Vampire Chronicles when I was in middle school, into early high school.

But something that I think may not really be clear to people reading them now, or to people who only know the show, is that there's a reason the books got away with being so incredibly queer and being Bestsellers in the 70s, 80s and 90s: there was no sex.

If you're unaware, in the books, Anne Rice's vampires cannot have sex. They are impotent, sex in the human way is just not a drive they have anymore. Instead physical connection is all about sharing blood. (For the record I think the show is right to have changed this. It's not worried about censorship on that front and having sex as part of the relationships makes them way easier to communicate to the audience.)

So while the books are very homoerotic, homoromantic, and at times quite suggestive, they never have on page sexual activity, they never label relationships with explicit romantic terms like lover or husband, characters never declare their sexuality. (In early books at least.)

What this meant is that The Vampire Chronicles existed in this Plausible Deniability space where anyone who had read them realized they were gay, but they weren't LABELED AS SUCH and therefore mainstream audiences didn't know that was part of it.

So me and my friends could be 11 or 12 carrying these books around our Catholic school and didn't get anything said about it. One of my English teachers had read the first one, and we talked about it, and her only complaint was that it wasn't philosophical enough for her. But she was cool.

So, I KNEW Louis and Lestat were in love. I knew Lestat had male and female lovers. And it affected me PROFOUNDLY because it was the first depiction of queerness as anything but a joke I ever encountered.

But it wasn't "gay fiction." If it was the target of right wing criticism it was about being satanic, not queer.

I was thinking of the 4th book in the series, which I read when it was first released, in 1992. In it, (spoilers) Lestat becomes human again. And he turns to his human openly gay friend David and says "omg I'm human. Let's HAVE SEX!"

Reading that and the fucking THIRD EYE that opened for me is BURNED into my memory. I remember how scandalous that was, because it was ON THE PAGE. Here was a book with men talking about having sex with each other. And I was reading it! And it was just casual and nonchalant. (Unfortunately they don't actually do it, to my young disappointment.) Despite all the queerness that i'd experienced (and recognized) already in the series, THAT was shocking.

You can't know what that was LIKE to a kid in 1992, before the internet was anything more than bulletin boards, before fanfiction online was really a thing. And these weren't niche novels, things only people in liberal literary circles read. They were massive, massive bestsellers.

IDK, you know. I have given Anne Rice a LOT of shit in my time, and she's deserved a lot of it. But she also performed some miracles of representation that affected a lot of people. IDK if I even have a point. Just. I was remembering what it felt like. To encounter a gay character in fiction for the first time, talk about gay sex for the first time.

I don't think it's an accident that me and my friend who shared this obsession both ended up being bi. We passed the books back and forth and pointed out the really juicy sections and other people were never quite as into these books as we were even when we made them read them.

[gregrulzok]

Analyzing Interview with the Vampire is fun because going down one train of thought often leads me to a totally separate conclusion. Let me take you on the same journey I went through, real quick:

I started off thinking about the whole Claudia As a daughter vs. As a sister thing. I mean, it makes enough sense why she'd want to stop being their daughter so she could finally feel equal to at least Louis, if not Lestat.

But it's not that simple - she specifically requests to be called their sister after she witnesses Grace "bury" Louis. She even comments that she wasn't meant to be Louis' daughter, and that she was MEANT to be his sister. What's the significance here?

Louis specifically wanted a daughter when they made Claudia. Or rather, he proposed she be a daughter - Louis wasn't asking for a sister, in fact he HAD a sister and, at the time, at least some sort of relationship with her (albeit a tense one). If Claudia was meant to be a replacement for Grace, surely there have to be some connections between the two?

Well, there aren't. Grace's presence in the show is fairly understated, and they don't parallel Claudia almost at all - Louis and Grace are close at first, drift away slowly, Louis never struggles with her growing up, never feels like he has to take care of her, never feels bound to her like he does Claudia.

But... He does feel that way about Paul.

Paul, like Claudia, was fragile and needed care and attention. Paul, like Claudia, was chained to Louis. While he was alive, Louis was closest to Paul, and took care of him.

(And after all, both characters share a bird motif and the allusion to jumping off a high place to their deaths (and these things were put on Claudia, forced on her like a costume. Traits associated with Paul grafted onto Claudia)).

So, okay. Claudia isn't Grace, she's Paul - the reason the revelation comes to her after Grace abandons Louis is just because she never met Paul and had no way of understanding his and Louis' relationship.

In lieu of Paul, Louis is now taking care of Claudia - she's the family he has to look after, and therefore gives him purpose, and therefore chains him and restricts his freedom.

And all of this makes the lines where Louis cries to Lestat and laments never having a family of his own even more interesting, because... What family? Louis wasn't married, wasn't seeing anyone, wasn't even vaguely interested in having a family.

Had Lestat not come around, would Louis have gotten married? Had children? Does he really believe he would have, when the only woman he even shows a vague interest in is a prostitute he sometimes visits? When he all but laughs off the idea of marriage when Paul brings it to his attention?

No, Louis wouldn't have gotten married. He wouldn't have gotten anyone to take care of - because he already HAD someone to take care of. He was taking care of Paul. He couldn't, wouldn't have gotten married and had kids - not just because he was gay, but because if he had, and he moved out, what would have happened to Paul?

When he's lamenting no longer having a family, and being unable to have a family, he's lamenting the loss of Paul, and he's lamenting that now he has to leave an eternity without him, without anything to fill the void. He threw away his chance at marriage and kids for the sake of a man that he now has to spend eternity without.

...

And.

What if Paul was conscious of this?

On that rooftop, what if, on some level, Paul realized that he was holding his brother back from living a full life. When he urged Louis to get married and got immediately dismissed, what if he realized, or knew all along, the role he played in that dismissal, that decision?

...

What if Paul killed himself because he thought he was holding Louis back?

[thanklessindubai]

Excerpts from, " 'Interview With the Vampire’ Stars Break Down That Game-Changing Season 2 Finale"

If you’ve been questioning the Armand twist, namely why he would help the coven murder Louis as well as Claudia, Zaman tells TV Insider’s Damian Holbrook that Armand was “forced” to direct the trial and that all of his subsequent punishment from the coven was “absolutely true.”

“He directed it, but it wasn’t his choice to do it,” Zaman says. “The f**king nugget of the complexity of the show is that he’s not a mustache-swirling evil guy all along. He has just thrown himself, well, been thrown into a situation and he has done despicable things to survive, granted despicable things and a despicable lie to hold for so many years.”

Everything Armand shares in the Dubai interview is “all true,” Zaman notes, “except for what he admits” about the trial, meaning that the only lies were his involvement in the play and in Louis’ sentence. [...]

“What’s tragic about this whole situation is that I don’t think Armand planned to hold this massive bit of information and lie all this time,” Zaman explains. “It was like fight or flight. Louis kissed him in that scene and declared his love in this fake thing where it was [meant] to hurt Lestat. But for Armand, he was like, ‘But if Lestat doesn’t say anything, I can have him. I don’t have anything left. Everyone’s gone.'”

How could he let Claudia die? Did he secretly hate her all along? “I can’t answer that,” Zaman says. “But he always understood Claudia because of her age, because of where she came from. There were similarities between their pasts. He was never ever going to love her in the same way that Louis did.” Zaman admits Armand probably could have prevented her death but chose not to. “I don’t think he wanted to burn her, but he knew that he wasn’t going to prevent it. And Louis was always his main priority.”

[...]

There are questions left unanswered on purpose, like when did Armand turn Daniel and was it consensual or not? Plus, is this the beginning of the Daniel and Armand romance from the books? (Yes, non-book readers, you read that correctly.) Exploring the answers to these burning questions, Zaman says, is something “I’m f**king excited about.”

“I have no idea what’s coming,” Bogosian adds in their joint interview. “No one does. It’s all locked in the minds of Rolin and Hannah [Moscovitch, writer]. I’d love to see the two of us after everybody’s gone, just getting really s**tfaced someplace, and then all of a sudden, he’s biting me.” We would, too. Daniel is Armand’s first fledgling now, after all. We need to know why Armand chose him.

“He’s been waiting to get my clothes off for two years now,” Bogosian teases, with a laugh. “And we’ll get there.”

[natdeviantrat]

look i finally just went and read the devil's minion (never read any of the books before, always been avoiding it cause anne rice bleghh) and my "analysis" is a bunch of random unknowing nonsense but all my friends either aren't keeping up with the show or don't want to be potentially spoiled, so i'm dumping it here

obv the primary thing is just how wonderfully fucked up they are, but what strikes me most maybe is armand's vow to never turn someone (and that he never has - which works so well with his character in the show too and his distaste and pessimism over claudia having been turned - plus, i bet, that none of the coven, none in the world, are his and thus he can hear all of them (which seems to be one of the things he's strongest at) but i digress) and his affection for daniel being so genuine that he wants to see him grow old. i saw something about how much his attraction towards old daniel in the show would make sense because he's never been able to age (in the books being turned at 17, dunno if they specify what age in the show?) so obv he would be attracted to it. which, yes! the curiosity and almost playfulness there with daniel, which can come across as cruel (and yunno mindbreaking), but i think armand is genuinely a lot less cruel than lestat even if he a lot better at manipulation. buttt the most fun and tragic tension is his refusal to ever curse someone with to be a vampire, especially someone he loves (and to lose access to their mind/sharing his own, which i think he relies on so heavily for connection) versus his despair of losing daniel (and also no desire to die himself, despite his age and occasional melancholy). that last line tho is :chefskiss: it feels like even with all of daniel's time spent with and obsessing over vampires, he never really came to terms with what it would mean to be one (and really, armand protected him from that? never even feeding in front of him). also, i love that daniel is a shallow bitch too!! he's kinda pretending not to be, in the show, but really you can see it. finally, ik it's bc anne rice didn't want her vampires to have sex, but armand having daniel fuck all of his admirers instead so he could watch and observe is !!!

[ghouldump]

Your fics are amazing! Enjoy all of them! Keep writing, and especially about iwtv 💖 and don’t delete it, it’s really great works :)

And can i request something about soulmates? Anything, really. It can be lestat x f!reader or lestat x f!reader x loius, i like everything! thank you 🥹

The Night Is Ours | Rockstar!Lestat x Reader

ෆ being awakened, naturally you go to your old love, only to find that he is now a rockstar, perhaps now you can have the happily ever after you both once wanted.

Walking through the sanctuary, Lestat’s eyes roamed, the walls were filled with portraits and elaborate paints, all relating to the Great Mother. Marius explained the significance for a few but kept moving when the painting caught his eye. It was one of its own, none like it.

“Oh, I see you've spotted Y/n,” Marius said, backing up to stare at the art.

“Who is she?”

“Akasha’s sister, they had different mothers, I believe, they were extremely close, she ended up turning Y/n after Enkil. Y/n wasn't as cold-hearted as her sister, although, she had her moments. She loved her sister, so she followed her lead, she is also a statue,” he said, as Lestat stood frozen, analyzing your face. Next to Akasha, you sat, looking off to the far side, away from the painter. An unreadable expression on your face, you were a mystery, forced into your sister’s shadow.

“Why does she look like that?”

“Y/n is full of secrets, she has never confided in anyone other than Akasha, didn't even have a companion. She was always a third in their lives, I imagine she was lonely,” he sighed. Part of him felt pity for you, unable to have a life for yourself because of your love for your sister. He only hoped that one day, you would find a lover stronger than the relationship.

“She likes music?” Lestat grinned, noticing the small stringed instrument at your feet.

“Yes, she always has had an ear for good music-excuse me, someone is trespassing, stay here, please,” Marius said, leaving to go to the entrance.

As soon as he was out of sight, Lestat was headed straight down the narrow walkway. The guard had been going on and on about how no one was allowed near the great mother, but Lestat was more interested in you now. Seeing the statues, he slowly approached the two. He couldn’t deny, Akasha was beautiful, and could easily be mistaken for a goddess.

Moving closer to them, he noticed the room, on the right side of the great mother. Frozen in time sitting upright in the chair, he was sure he stopped breathing, seeing your condition. A small instrument in your lap, your head turned.

“Mademoiselle, it is a pleasure to grace your presence,” he said, taking his violin case from his back, and carefully placing it in front of you.

“I hear you like music, and so I’d like to share a piece with you,” he said, taking the instrument and setting it in place. He was never one to be nervous, but something about you made him feel as if he was human again.

Shutting his eyes, he dragged the bow across the strings, allowing the melodic music to flow. The piece, he'd written himself, expressing his yearning desire to escape the lonely void that seemed to be consuming him. Lestat was too immersed in the harmony to even notice, that you began to move, your head turning to face him, slowly, you were going back to your old self.

“You too have beautiful taste in music,” you spoke, making his eyes open, widening as he stared at you. You sat with excellent posture, carrying yourself as royalty.

“I-

“Who are you?” you tilted your head, standing up, beginning to circle him.

“I am Lestat de Lioncourt,” he said, keeping his eyes set on your own.

“Lestat, why are you here? Where is Marius?” you questioned.

“He was tending to trespassers, I was learning about the great mother, when I saw a painting of you and decided to see you for myself”

“Why?” you bared your vangs at him, defensively, but he stood unfazed.

“You and I, we aren't much different, lonely, tossed to the side, someone’s second option - and this feeling, since the moment I have laid my eyes on you, I’ve experienced the strangest pull to you, you can not tell me the force isn't mutual,” he said, staring at you as you lunged forward, tugging his hair back. Using your freehand, your fingers you touched his cheek, dragging them down to his neck, before his chest.

He was right, the sensation was deeper than attraction. The mystic tug was like no other craving you'd ever encountered. Flinching back, you were speechless, unable to attack, when Lestat brushed his hands across your cheek.

“Who are you?”

“I believe we already covered that subject,” he chuckled.

“What did you do? Why do I feel this way?” you questioned.

“I don't know, but it is okay to give in, ma chérie, I won't tell,” he whispered, as you finally let go of his hair.

Lightly shoving him backward, you peered at him, trying to hide your confusion. His blonde waves disheveled, a look of amusement on his face, he was enjoying this.

“Get out of here” you spat.

“And leave you to go continue living, or should I say frozen in time? A devout follower of Akasha, your own sister, who didn't even love you enough to have seated amongst them,” he said.

“You know nothing”

“Centuries, you have been thrust into loneliness and eternal rest, when you deserve more. You won't live in anyone’s shadow, together, we will take the night as ours,” he said, slowly approaching you.

Unexpectedly, he smashed his lips into your own, kissing you softly, the air thickening as the kiss grew hungrier. Kissing down his neck, you pulled away, looking him in the eyes, as he leaned back, giving you consent.

Quickly, your fangs were in his neck, draining his blood. Sinking to the floor, you hadn't realized how thirsty you'd been, until this moment. Lestat chuckled, his throat vibrated against your mouth.

Pulling away, as his head lay in your arm, you used your nail to cut your skin, allowing him to drink from you. Inhaling, you couldn't wrap your mind around the euphoria. Sharing your blood, despite being strangers, you felt unnaturally close to one another.

“Y/n? Lestat, what have you done?” Marius said, making the two look at him, as Lestat pulled away from your arm.

“Marius, leave us,” you dismissed, not even looking his way. He seemed hesitant, but turned around, grumbling as he stormed away.

“You are like no other, I’ve ever met,” Lestat told you, smashing his lips against your own. Rolling around, you kissed each other, before you heard it.

“Y/n,” her voice was as soft as a whisper but caught both of your attention.

“Sister?” you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion.

“Surely she can wait, you have much to see, the world has changed since you were awake,” he said, helping you stand. Taking your hand, he led you further from the statues, and closer to the entrance. Feeling the cool air blow against your skin, you gasped.

“Come, the night is ours,” he smiled, guiding you down to the beach shore. Humans surrounded a fire, singing songs and dancing. Stopping for a moment, they stared at the two of you.

“Hello, would you like to join us?” one of them asked. Lestat turned to face you, seeing the mischievous smirk on your lips.

In an instant, you were in front of the man, grabbing him by his neck, and plunging your vangs into him. Lestat quickly joined you, as you both viciously devoured each person.

Laying in the sand with each other, you laughed like you hadn't laughed in centuries. Lestat was interesting, funny, with a touch of fierceness. You both continued in this manner, for the next three weeks. Taking the night as your own is what he called it, exploring, finding your next meals. Then, either on the beach near your home or in front of the hundreds of portraits, you held each other.

“I’ve always been told relations were futile, we have no need of such pleasures,” you mumbled, your head against his chest.

“We don't, but it is fun, is it not?” he asked, grinning.

“What is this that you make me feel? I have never met anyone like you,” you told him, as he leaned to peck your lips. Being around him, it felt like you had known him for centuries as if you had been together for an eternity.

“Become my companion, let us leave this place, and we shall see the entire world and what it has to offer,” he told you, his hand placed on your cheek.

Opening your mouth to speak, you stopped, feeling a wave of goosebumps, the quiet groaning beginning to increase in your ears. Abruptly, Marius walked in, halting in his steps as you stood, only wearing Lestat’s shirt.

“Akasha calls for you, she is becoming impatient and sore at your decision to ignore her,” he explained. Gulping, you looked towards the walkway leading to her throne.

“Y/n, I understand she is your sister, but you mustn’t wake her, you, of all people, know what she will do to humanity,” he said.

Turning away from them, you walked down the narrow hall, to their thrones. Getting on your knees, you bowed your head.

“I am here, sister, at your side,” you called out.

“You were going to choose him over us,” you heard, making you cry out.

“No, I am at your side sister, we will be together forever,” you reassured her, wiping your tears.

“I will stay,” you said, hearing the footsteps coming down.

“You can't-

“I must, I can not leave my sister frozen in sleep forever, I have to join her”

“Y/n”

“Don't fight her on this,” Marius said, following behind you, as you went to your room.

Patiently, he stood with his back against the wall, waiting for you to finish changing back into your ancient attire. Walking from the room, you held Lestat’s shirt, carefully placing it into his hands.

“You don't have to do this”

“I do, perhaps we will meet again, and then we could take the night as ours,” you whispered to him. Leaning forward, you slowly pecked his lips, before turning away. He walked as you moved to your seat, your linen kilt, dragging on the floor before you finally sat.

“Thank you for the night, mon chér,” you told him, remembering the term from his native language before you turned back to stone. The blood tears poured down his face, as he fell to his knees, placing his head on your lap.

“My god, her face,” Marius said, in fascination. Your previous form, as a statue, you sat, your head turned, a stoic expression, had been replaced. Facing forward, your head held high, a small smile graced your lips.

“Don’t forget about me,” Lestat told you, holding your cold cheek, before standing up to leave.

“Will she wake up again?” He asked Marius.

“Only time will tell,” he said, leading Lestat out of the villa. Looking back once, he vowed to never forget you, and the feelings that you brought onto him.

“Ahhhh, there he goes, Lestat, I love you,” the young girl screamed, as the loud music blasted through the loudspeakers.

Why the long face, my pretty baby

I got long fangs, come appraise me

Bring your long stakes, that doesn’t phase me

I’m an actor, in my makeup

I’ll get fatter, when we break up

Why does it matter, who I take up

Thousands of miles away, you could hear his voice, stirring in your slumber, before you were awakened.

“Y/n, wake up,” you heard, your eyes opening instantly. In front of you, in all of his glory stood Amel, Akasha’s maker.

“Amel,” you moved to your knees, bowing.

“You are not supposed to be here,” he told you.

“What do you mean?”

“Akasha is selfish, she would destroy the human race along with other vampires, she is meant to be stone, you child, are not like her, despite how much you try to be. Why did you not leave the first time I woke you?” He questioned.

“You woke me-

“For your other half, Lestat, vampires are not meant to be alone, you crave companionship, and so I woke up, to be with him, but I can see that you chose Akasha again”

“I couldn’t leave her”

“You must, I’ve watched you, since the beginning, you aren’t meant to be a part of their fate, take this chance, go to him,” he told you, cutting himself to give you his blood. After, your feet seemed to move on their own, as they ran, stopping for a moment, hearing the groaning.

“I am sorry sister, Amel is right, I need to choose me for once,” you apologized, bowing, before you ran out of the villa, flying into the sky.

His blood was calling out to you, begging to be united again. You were grateful for this moment, Amel and your sister’s blood in your veins, allowing you speed, unlike any vampire, had seen before. Soon you found yourself in a place called Los Angeles, people by the thousands were outside, leaving a weirdly shaped building, cheering and screaming…for Lestat.

You could see the large images of him, how different he looked, how he dressed, and his expression. Your vangs came out, staring down at the people, all of the heartbeats. You were close to going down there, attacking them, killing as many as possible. However, as they began to leave, his scent hit you, he was close.

Flying down, you went into the building, behind the stage, walking to his scent. A few staff tried stopping you, but you hissed, making them back up. Security quickly made their way over, blocking the way, but with a flick of your fingers, they were consumed by flames. Closing your eyes, you smelled his unique scent, inching closer and closer.

“Woah, nice outfit,” you heard, as you began walking toward the line of people. Looking at the man dressed in all black, the smeared makeup on his face, you were unimpressed.

“Right, are you a cosplayer or something?” the woman next to him asked.

“I am here for Lestat,” you said, unsure what she was talking about.

“Same, this is the line, it is very-

“Hey, you have to get in line like the rest of us,” somebody yelled. Tilting your head, you hissed, smirking as fear began to fill their hearts.

“She’s a vampire too,” they murmured amongst themselves.

“Lestat…” you called out to him, as you made your way to the front of the line.

The people watched in amazement and dread, beautifully dangerous, they worried you wouldn't be as restricted as the rockstar, Lestat.

“Excuse me, I’m going to have to ask you to go to the back of the line,” another man, security written on his shirt said.

“Are you now?” you asked, the fire lighting on the tip of your fingers. Suddenly, the door opened, Lestat staring at you, unable to believe his eyes. In his heart and mind, he heard you, your blood, calling to him, but he'd waited for this moment for over two hundred years, he couldn't trust his judgment.

“She is with me,” he said, reaching for your hand, pulling you into the room, shutting the door. You went to speak but were cut off by his lips pressing against your own.

“All of those humans, they come to see you, how do you not drain them all dry?”

“I endure, but I usually end up with a treat for the night, how is this possible?” he asked.

“Amel, he was the one to wake me up, when I heard your music, he woke me again, to come to you, for companionship. For thousands of years, I’ve put my sister above myself, her desires over my own, until I met you, and so here I am, if you'd still have me,” you confessed the bloody tears dripping down your face.

“You don't even have to ask, my heart was yours the moment I looked upon your portrait, you had my blood, my kiss,” he told you, pulling you into a long kiss.

“Will we take the night?” you asked him.

“Lestat, you have a long line of fans waiting on you,” someone impatiently knocked on the door.

“The night is ours,” he told you, intertwining his fingers with your own, as his vangs came out, exiting the room, to obliterate the humans outside of the room, for old time's sake.

[adamnablelittledevil]

Hello,Can you rank your Armand favorite relationshipw and why ? (I just love reading opinions , nothing serious)

Hi!

Fistly, thank you for the question! I get sometimes sending messages can be uncomfortable and you may not receive the nicest answers, but you don't need to explain yourself. Whether is a fun or serious question, asking my opinion or sharing your own: I LOVE talking about this universe and always welcome it.

Anyway, now to ranking!

P.S. This is long and contain spoilers. These opinions are based on the sequence from The Vampire Lestat to The Vampire Armand and aren't necessarily permanent.

Lesmand / Armandstat

Favorite relationship on the books as a whole for basically three reasons: it's always interesting (even on its smallest moments), they are deeply mirrored so it provides a compelling dynamic and is often intense. They are two sides of the same coin and parallel one another so much in terms of personalities and experiences. From their first interaction, it already seemed that they knew each other their whole lives because they could read one another like an open book. There is this mix of unconscious, but immediate recognition, understanding, curiosity, care, attraction, insecurity, fear, anger and frustration because they're the only ones that fully get each other. It's one thing to know someone for what they share or you observe, but you only fully comprehend somebody when you have a lot in common like they do. Still, that's terrifying because you're completely bare, vulnerable and forced to confront stuff you want to run away from. They have a lot of sharp dialogue and arguments where they throw the hardest truths on the other's face and they know how to push each other's buttons from day one. Yet, the fascination, affection and protection are still there and they always stay somewhat close. And that results in a lot of first class tension: what brings both together also pulls them apart and they're often fighting so many conflicting emotions (as a duo and individuals) because they keep going back and forth. Obviously, they're far from perfect and have both tremendously hurt one another verbally, physically and with Claudia's death (which Armand's is responsible for). But even then, they were never enemies or rivals. I get why people would use such words, but I think they would need to hate or wish bad things for each other to be classified as such and that's never happened. Even if they did something to give that impression, it wasn't genuine and they made themselves suffer in the process too. There was definitely hate for words said and things done, but for the person it was always love. Through the good, the bad, the ugly and the complicated. This dynamic defies definitions and there aren't enough words in any language I know to fully and precisely categorize or desxribe even it. For better or worse, they're on a league of their own and I've never seen anything like it on books, movies or TV shows.

2. Armand x Bianca

I love Bianca. She's been such a great addition and it's a breath of fresh air whenever she appears. It was so satisfying to see them being friends, connecting and Armand having something that was entirely his own without Marius being involved (though considering the pattern of this book, it will probably change). I also enjoy the fact they met and bonded as humans, you know? There's something lovely and unique about it since most pairings had one or both parties already being a vampire on their first encounter. And another sweet thing is that even centuries later Armand still emphasizes how he'll never forget her. They have become really special to me.

3. Armand & Riccardo

Usually relationships where one is a small or Marius is somewhat involved don't work for me, but that's an exception. Riccardo isn't as developed as Armand and part of this (creepy) palazzo where Marius keeps several teenagers/children in, but you do know enough to grow attached to him. Actually, given the situation these boys are in, I ended up caring about the ones who don't even have a name. And despite the proximity Marius has to them, the kids have friendships of their own. Obviously, this isn't the healthiest environment and they all deserved better, but I'm so glad they had each other and a sense of family (specially because some of them don't even remember their own relatives well anymore). That brings me some kind of comfort. There are these moments when Armand gets emotional thinking about how much he loves them all and would die for them and when he almost does and they're all (with Bianca) crying and Armand is surprised by their reactions because they loved him so much... It really moved me So, I adore them.

4. Armandiel

The Devil's Minion chapter is one of my top favorite pieces of The Queen of the Damned. Its best aspect is seeing Armand on his self-discovery journey and how Daniel was just patient and supportive. And that's so important, because a big part of Armand's characterization is how he has no sense of identity. He's gone through so much trauma since early and formative years and always adapted to please others or even make out alive. This made him lose key parts of his memory and every sense of self and he definitely needed that. So, to see Daniel not tell him what to do, but instead let him try new stuff, see what he loved or not, on his own terms and pace and Daniel just going along with him... It was wonderful. The only downsides is that I believe Daniel deserved more individual development and it was rushed. Twelve years deserved more chapters, probably books plural. That said, I bet the show will take its strong points and only elevate their story. And I can't wait because I've already lost my mind with them on season 2 (they have my favorite scene on the show, by the way).

Honorable mentions:

Armand & Benji + Sybelle

Haven't seen a lot of them, but Armand opened his book saying he was full of love and excitedly talking about these children he took in. There's also this moment he asked David if he liked his kids and he just sounded like a proud dad. It was adorable. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of them.

Armand & his family

There's been very little of them and I doubt there will be more, so I can't talk about their relationship per se, but the chapter they say goodbye is devastating and beautiful. Those recent posts of me losing my mind were because of it. I've never cried so much with art and rarely cried like that even in real life. It was an experience I'd never had before and an emotion I didn't know was humanly possible. I was mentally, emotionally and spiritually touched to the point of exhaustion. It's been the best part of The Vampire Armand, if not of the whole chronicles. And it will stick with me forever.