#they are masters of psychological manipulation

[haycoat-art]

Decided to draw Shadow Milk Cookie as this:

[zkaus]

Why do people love Armand?

For me, it's because he's an fascinating and unusual character. He's a heady mix of sympathetic, horrifying, pitiful and intoxicating. His sense of self/identity is both tumultuous and brittle, and his motivations, seemingly hypocritical, are destructive and yet desperately seeking of love.

Armand's entire existence has been lived on unstable ground. He's only ever known power dynamics and highly conditional forms of love. Everyone that commodified or objectified him, carved away pieces of his sense of self until there was nothing left. They abused, shattered and re-molded him. Again and again. And those who didn't commodify his body, used him in other ways (eg. to enforce their extremist dogma).

Armand was never given the chance to develop a true sense of self, and the resulting desperation he feels is bitterly plaintive, sorrowful and yet incredibly damaging to others. His perceived reality is one of impending cruelty, loss of autonomy, and inevitable abuse or abandonment. Where his identity is defined as either the dogmatic leader encumbered by rules he must enforce, or to be ruled over by another.

"If I’m not with him, I’m nothing.”

He's terrified of being alone, unmoored from another, because he doesn't know who he is without them. So Armand claws for affection and direction from those he perceives as a possible Master. Seemingly willingly relinquishing his leadership role... While still defensively scheming to retain power, and desperately clinging to the security of his own manipulations. While trying to shape an identity around the roles others (willingly and unwilling) create for him, but...

Who is Armand really?

Who is he apart from the roles others have assigned to him? It's a fascinating question.

From parents who sold him, to cruel sailors using his body for their pleasure, brothel owners further abusing him, to being purchased by a predator. A Master who gave him to others to abuse yet again, who cultivated undeserved adoration and dependency. A child's innocence, so destroyed, his entire identity shattered. Again and again. The slave child, the prostitute, the adoring apprentice, the cult leader, the Maîtré, the companion of Louis? Who is he as an individual?

“Who am I, Louis? Am I my history I have endured? Am I the job I do not want? I do not know anymore. No one has painted me in over 400 years.”

He doesn't know. And that terrifies him.

I can't help but feel that if only someone, anyone had actually loved him (had taught him how love should be) he might have had a chance, might have become a better person.

Instead, he became a man scared and brutalized, now brutalizing others. Forced into enacting laws and beliefs which were not his own, forced into filth and worship of satan, in the service of an uncaring god. And when that was taken away, his cult shattered, his identity shattered. He fell back to the role of dogmatic leader.

Arun > Amadeo > Armand > Maître > ?

I've read the books, so I know that version of him very well. But the show version is even more complex in many ways, he has different layers to his story, and psychological nuances to unpack. And so many questions and possible directions for his character...

Who will he become now he has turned Daniel? What are his true reasons for first sacrificing, then saving Louis? What role did he play in the destruction of the Coven? How is Daniel so special to him that he would break his 500 year old vow? What does he want from Daniel now? Do they have a history together beyond San Francisco? How far will he go? Can he ever love anyone without maiming them? Physically and/or psychologically? What does love mean for him now that he has turned Daniel? Etc etc...

That's why he's so fascinating!!

[creepygnomeking]

They are so :3

[tizeline]

No parent is safe from Mikey‘s puppy dog eyes!! Not even the great Baron Draxum🤣

Oh Draxum is NOT immune to Mikey's puppy eyes, he's in denial about it but everyone knows the truth >:) Mikey has gotten away with so much shit throughout the years by playing The Baby Card and it always drives his brothers up the wall... That being said, Raph is about as weak to Mikey's puppy dog eyes as their dad is lmao. Leo is the most resistant, but no one is completely safe from Mikey's manipulations

[adrianna-illustrations]

[spoiledmilks]

The way my cat looks anytime i ask him “whats wrong, what do you need”

[rainbowspinch]

Zooble’s got too much pride to speak of their interests

[dunyaandco]

down in danmei/xianxia/wuxia/chinese drama hell again and I do blame my old qiye drawings that somehow still get notes for tricking me into rereading the whole novel again

man I forgot how precious wuxi is god damn

[firestorm09890]

Day 4 - charm

POV you're Ansem the Wise and you've just told him that he's only allowed to get one book from the bookstore this time (you will be leaving the store with five)

[ecto-stone]

Nothing in life mattered, The only thing We are all equal at is death. And you rob it from me.

[lotus-duckies]

oh i understand everything now

[deargravity]

on the surface, i have an unsettling terrible personality. but deep down, i am a sincere and sensitive loverboy. even deeper down, i am still the worst person you’ll ever meet

[honeyviscera]

the silly

[materialgworl-ish]

Interrogation footage narrator: As you can see, this person that we know is guilty with the gift of hindsight is displaying (insert symptom of anxiety/neurodivergence). This means that they are a guilty, guilty criminal.

True crime fans: Wow this guy is a genius!

[red-dyed-sarumane]

i hit sleep deprivation stage at like 10 am today & the only thing thats been keeping me going this week is playing with rime. okay. so in the middle of my shift a series song comes on (kannagi) & im like "they should make a series girl whos deal is 'please dont leave me alone'" & after about 2 minutes i was like WAIT THATS JUST MY WIFE IS RIME DISTRACTING ME THIS MUCH I FORGOT MY WIFE so now this image exists

[cherrych4]

struck with inspiration to draw grian in a women want me fish fear me hat but i haven't drawn in. a year